1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 399及答案与解析 SECTION A MINI-LECTURE Directions: In this section you sill hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.
2、 When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. 0 Information Superhighway at Work The changes in how we communicate make it necessary to change how we thi
3、nk about communication. The Information Superhighway is a new way of looking at【 1】communication. It can be broken down into four components. People are the travelers and【 2】 of the Superhighway. Many people plan, design, establish, maintain, and develop the appliances of the Superhighway. Others in
4、vestigate the news, do the programming, and produce ideas. 【 3】 is the information on the Superhighway. It travels over the Superhighway and remains as varied as the people who send and receive it. Networks are the roadways that carry information between appliances. They are used to【 4】 data, graphi
5、cs, and video across neighborhoods, states and countries. Right now, we become familiar with television, radio, telephone,【 5】 and wireless networks. Appliances are the【 6】 of the Information Superhighway. They are the devices people use to【 7】 , send, and receive information. Many appliances, such
6、as telephones, fax machines, computers and modems, are popular nowadays. The Information Superhighway is the combination and【 8】 of all four components, and it wll connect us all and【 9】 everyone. Now, the Information Superhighway is under【 10】 , and very soon more lanes are to be added in an ever-g
7、rowing network of communications information, innovation, and opportunity. SECTION B INTERVIEW Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will
8、be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 What is special about Mr. Phelpss degree? （ A） It integrates an assortment of courses. （ B） It includes Economics in the curriculum. （ C） Courses are taught individually. （ D） Students learn in separa
9、te booths. 12 Which of the following does Mr. Phelps consider the LEAST when applying for the vacancy? （ A） The reputation of the bank. （ B） Good training opportunities. （ C） Room for long-term career growth. （ D） Immediate wages and bonuses. 13 What is Orientation Camp mainly about? （ A） Having fun
10、 around a campfire in open air. （ B） Helping freshmen adapt to college life. （ C） Welcoming newcomers at the school gate. （ D） Offering optional courses free of charge. 14 According to Mr. Phelps, being a good manager means all the following EXCEPT （ A） putting his ideas across to others. （ B） solvi
11、ng thorny problems. （ C） explaining solutions to others. （ D） planning ahead of colleagues. 15 When encouraged to ask the interviewer a question, Mr. Phelps shows interest in opportunities to （ A） work elsewhere in Asia. （ B） receive training in Europe. （ C） rise to managerial position. （ D） make in
12、dependent decisions. SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. At the end of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 16 What is the main target of the rebels in th
13、is latest attack? （ A） The current location of city leaders. （ B） Military stockpiles of ammunition. （ C） The main lines of transportation. （ D） Tall buildings in this city. 17 Which is NOT a major problem as a result of the war so far? （ A） Insufficient housing. （ B） Lack of drinking water. （ C） La
14、ck of food. （ D） Infectious diseas 18 Why did the team of 10 Americans had a goal of making history? （ A） Because it is the first team that topped Mt. Everest. （ B） Because all of the members of the team are blind men except Erik Weihenmeyer. （ C） Because one of its members is Erik Weihenmeyer, who
15、hopes to become the first blind man to clear the famed Mt. Everest. （ D） Because all of the members of the team are old men who are eager to climb the famed peak. 19 When did Erik Weihenmeyer scale North Americas highest peak? （ A） 1995. （ B） 1997 （ C） 1998 （ D） 1999 20 How has Weihenmeyer climbed m
16、ountains? （ A） He has climbed mountains using a stick. （ B） He has climbed mountains riding a horse. （ C） He has climbed mountains supported by a guider. （ D） He has climbed mountains using a system he devised himsel 20 The pounding rain began in the middle of the night. The people of Jackson, Ohio
17、awoke to the sound then went back to sleep. The next day the rain continued, and the water began to rise. Statistics said Jackson floods once every one hundred years, but no one believed this would be the flood of the century. People were evacuated from their homes to higher ground, leaving everythi
18、ng behind. Buildings in the low-lying areas were immersed in water. People watched as dogs, cats, cows and other animals were swept away. Cars and trucks were carried miles from their homes. The people felt helpless as they watched Mother Nature show her power. Susan returned to her sixth-grade-stud
19、ent-teaching experience the following Monday. She told the story to her students and showed them pictures from the newspaper. Her inspired and compassionate students took action. They stopped raising money for their trip to Camp Kern and began raising money for the flood victims. They sold lollipops
20、, wrote letters to the community asking for donations and collected their own money. Even first-graders donated money. Mountains of clothes furniture and food piled up. Susans class made Easter baskets from shoe-boxes and filled them with candy and toys as well as toothpaste, soap, toothbrushes and
21、shampoo. She and I loaded her moms black Chevy Beretta to the ceiling with the Easter baskets. On the trip there, I wondered what I would see; I couldnt imagine losing almost everything. Dusk was beginning to set in, and I felt nervous when we arrived. My stomach dropped when I saw some houses reduc
22、ed to the railroad ties that had been their foundation. The smell of river water permeated the air. No carpet, furniture, plumbing or appliances remained. Knowing that only days ago this had been someones home pained my heart. How many children had grown up here? What kind of memories lingered? Woul
23、d the house ever be rebuilt? The monster flood had dulled its roar and retreated, but its impact would be long-lasting. We drove from house to house, knocking on doors, ready to begin our mission. I was filled with trepidation. Would families who had been devastated by floodwater want an Easter bask
24、et? The gesture was beginning to seem useless. “Hello, Im Susan Moore, and this is my friend, Allison. My sixth-graders at Pennyroyal Elementary made Easter baskets for you when they heard about the flooding because they wanted to help.“ Their faces lit up as they opened their gifts. As we entered o
25、ne home, a husband and wife were crouched over their floor with hammer and nails. When he opened the box, he began to cry. “I cant believe those kids did this. Let me give you some money for their school.“ As I glanced at what was left of his home, I could not believe his generous spirit. He eventua
26、lly conceded to write a thank-you note instead. One woman ran out to find us after opening her box, tears rolling down her face. “I collected bunny rabbits, and I lost them all in the flood. There was a small pink rabbit in my box. I can start my collection again. Thank you.“ The burly man standing
27、next to her also had tears in his eyes. My heart was warmed as I played the small role of messenger in this tribute to the good in the human spirit. So often we hear of the shortcomings of our youth, but these youngsters answered a cry for help and gave proof that generosity and love prevail. 21 In
28、the passage, Mother Nature showed her power in all of the following ways EXCEPT （ A） evacuating people to higher ground. （ B） sweeping different kinds of animals away. （ C） carrying cars and trucks miles away. （ D） immersing buildings in the low-lying areas in water. 22 Susans students sold lollipop
29、s, asked the community for donations and collected their own money to （ A） raise money for their trip to Camp Kern. （ B） make Easter baskets for the holiday. （ C） raise money for the victims in the flood. （ D） buy clothes, furniture and food for the school. 23 Which of the following words best descr
30、ibes what the author saw when they arrived in Jackson? （ A） Peaceful. （ B） Devastated. （ C） Placid. （ D） Prosperous. 24 The word “trepidation“ in the fourth paragraph means （ A） excitement. （ B） agitation. （ C） annoyance. （ D） uneasiness. 25 When the author said “I played the small role of messenger
31、“ in the last paragraph, he meant （ A） he was working as a mailman. （ B） he helped deliver the Easter baskets. （ C） he delivered written messages to the youth. （ D） he helped collect money for the school. 25 When the Dow rockets 300 points or the stocks of retailers, say, get decimated, I devour the
32、 news. Heres my admission: Im a buy-and-hold investor, and a lazy one at that. My employer prohibits us news folks to trade equities on a short-term basis, but even if it didnt, Id still buy and hold. The bulk of my portfolio is in, two retirement accounts, and neither stock-market gyrations nor maj
33、or financial earthquakes prompt me to tweak my allocations. I simply hold a fairly routine mix of low-cost U. S. and international-stock mutual funds, plus a bond fund, and I stick to it. Sure, the markets get volatile but I figure that, eventually, average historical returns will work in my favor.
34、And, to my mind, stock-market trading, if youre not spending many hours a week working on it, is little more than a guessing game. The fact is, a buy-and-hold investor with a decently diversified portfolio should celebrate her ability to remain firm in the face of financial-news tidal waves which pr
35、ompt many, less staunch, to jump in and out of investments, often at the worst possible time. Some might say the staunch investor is akin to a passenger on the Titanic, refusing a lifeboat to safety due to misguided loyalty to the idea of “buy and hold.“ But as long as three prerequisites are satisf
36、ied, that investor is among the most prudent savers around: a well-diversified investment plan, invested in low-cost index funds, with a long-term outlook. In fact, if youre not going to be an active, pay-attention-every-day investor, setting up a simple plan and then forgetting about it may be the
37、best retirement-savings decision you make. “What is often problematic is the middle ground. People will set something up and then follow it intermittently and on a whim make changes,“ says John Nofsinger, associate professor of finance at Washington State University and author of “The Psychology of
38、Investing.“ Those who follow the markets tangentially but dont take time for deeper analysis tend to buy high and sell low. If, like me, youre not going to spend time daily on your plan, then set it and forget it. Note that, unless you have a rock-solid pension plan from your employer and significan
39、t other assets, youre going to need to invest, Interest rates on cash simply wont get most savers to a well-funded retirement. What to do? 1. Create a plan. That means investing in low-cost index funds covering the U.S. stock market, perhaps 10% to 25% of your portfolio in international stock funds,
40、 plus exposure to bonds (a typical scenario is 70% or 80% in stocks and 30% or 20% in bonds), and perhaps some portion in a money-market or cash-type account. Keep in mind that your focus is not to beat the market. 2. Once your plan is in place, ignore it. “I do virtually nothing. I do less than I d
41、o for my car. Theres not even a need to change the oil,“ Mr. Statman says. If rebalancing worries you, dont even do that except perhaps once every few years. And make sure you focus on getting back to your investment plan, rather than chasing the winners of the moment. “If the stock market went up t
42、hat year and maybe bonds didnt, so you take a little out of the stock market and put it in bonds to reallocate to where your targets originally were, I think thats a good strategy,“ Mr. Nofsinger says. 3. Accept risk. Yes, stock-market investing is risky. But over the long haul, investors are reward
43、ed if they adopt a long-term outlook and diversified investment plan. “Risk is not something you want, but oftentimes risk does go hand in hand with return,“ says Peng Chen, chief investment officer of Ibbotson Associates, an investment research and consulting firm owned by Morningstar in Chicago. K
44、eep in mind: Avoid this risk with money you need soon, say, in the next year or two. And remember that the more you invest in one company, sector or country, the more risk youre taking on. 4. Stay in for the long haul. We have no idea whats coming tomorrow, and past stock-market performance does not
45、 predict future results. But what is your alternative? Stick all your cash in a money-market account, a CD or, slightly riskier, bonds? You are not avoiding risk with this plan, simply shifting to the risk inflation will trump your return. 5. Do what you can. The investment options available through
46、 your retirement plan may not be ideal. Invest there for the employer match, but ensure diversification through an account outside your employer plan, perhaps an individual retirement account or Roth IRA. 26 Why does the author choose to be “a buy-and-hold investor“? （ A） Because his employer prohib
47、its him to trade equities on a short-term basis. （ B） Because he believes that long-term return will balance out short-term fluctuation. （ C） Because he is misguided by the loyalty to the idea of “buy and hold.“ （ D） Because he is an active investor and keeps an eye on stock markets every day. 27 Th
48、e word “volatile“ in the third paragraph means （ A） explosive. （ B） transient. （ C） unstable. （ D） lively. 28 When the author mentions the Titanic analogy, （ A） he is in favor of it. （ B） his view is balanced. （ C） he is slightly critical of it. （ D） he is strongly critical of it. 29 Which of the fo
49、llowing is NOT one of the authors suggestions on investment? （ A） Create a reasonable investment plan with a decently diversified portfolio. （ B） Forget about the investment plan completely, once it is in place. （ C） Remember that risk comes with return in stock-market investment. （ D） Stay in the investment market with a long-term vision. 30 This passage mainly focuses on （ A） a well-diversified investment plan. （ B） investing in low-cost index funds. （ C） a long-term investment outlook. （ D） accepting risk in stock markets. 30 The concern throughout th
