1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 459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 Five Tips for Studying American Revolution American Revolution AR I. Avoid the dreaded AR (1)_bubble. A.
3、not just know names, facts and dates B. need to (2)_ the fact step back and look at the big picture II. Think about the meaning of words. A. Words probably had (3)_meanings in the AR time B. Example: democracy present: a government based on representation in AR time: a government in which every sing
4、le person participated personally, i.e., (4)_politics III. Remember that Founders were people. A. Founders: not (5)_, just regular human beings B. History of AR: a history of (6) ._ IV. Were not just talking about (7)_. AR, a popular uprising fought by vast numbers of colonists of all kinds based on
5、 the ideas and (8)_of people V. Remember (9)_. lots of assumptions no (10)_outcomes 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
6、you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 What can elementary schoolers have for nutritious drinks? （ A） Water and 100% juice drinks. （ B） Diet soft drinks and water. （ C） Sports drinks and juices. （ D） Non-carbonated drinks and wate
7、r. 12 Which is INCORRECT about the responsibility of sodas for making kids fat? （ A） The Beverage Association would say theyre getting too much blame. （ B） A study shows they increase the risk of being overweight. （ C） The man says theyre contributing to the obesity epidemic. （ D） The woman says the
8、yre unhealthy but have nothing to do with obesity. 13 Which of the following statements is CORRECT? （ A） Diet soda is fine at times. （ B） Soda can replace regular diet. （ C） Low fat milk is healthier than juice. （ D） Diet soda makes kids eat more. 14 How many ounces of 100% juice should teens have a
9、 day? （ A） 4 to 6. （ B） 8 to 12. （ C） 10 to 14. （ D） 12 to 15. 15 People should find ways to finance all the school programs EXCEPT （ A） sports. （ B） music. （ C） arts. （ D） advertisements. SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and t
10、hen answer the questions that follow. At the end of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 16 Which of the following statements is CORRECT? （ A） The fire broke out due to the gun fighting. （ B） A dozen of victims were trapped by the fire. （ C） The attack was the deadli
11、est since December 2006. （ D） The gunmen brought the fuel tanks to the building. 17 How many single grandparents are taking care of their grandchildren in 2008? （ A） About 96 million. （ B） About 31 million. （ C） Around 766, 000. （ D） Less than 500, 000. 18 The dating services available in America （
12、A） exceed the number of 900 in 2002. （ B） help 6 million unmarried men find their mates. （ C） have helped over 4, 300 people. （ D） have a total net profit of $ 489 million. 19 Which of the following statements about the new censor is INCORRECT? （ A） It can monitor the patients vital signs of life. （
13、 B） It is small, flexible and has the look of a tattoo. （ C） It is stuck to the surface of human skin by adhesives. （ D） It is not clearly distinctive from the surface layers of the skin. 20 Which of the following is NOT the merit of the new device? （ A） Convenience. （ B） Low price. （ C） Reliability
14、. （ D） Easier monitoring. 20 For three frustrating decades, CBS has been the biggest loser in the morning. Now, rather than trying to beat Today and Good Morning America at their own game, the network wants to change the rules. In a bid to move upscale, CBS came extremely close to signing Joe Scarbo
15、rough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBCs political chatfest Morning Joe so close that they were promised complete creative control and the deal was set to be announced. But as the duo was having second thoughts about the switch, NBC chief executive Steve Burke killed the idea, saying he wouldn
16、t let them abandon one of his favorite shows. So CBSs Early Show unveiled Plan B, tapping veteran PBS talker Charlie Rose and Oprah pal Gayle King, an unorthodox pairing that could produce a more cerebral program or simply a snoozefest. Its a gamble that the rival shows privately denigrate, given th
17、eir ratings success with a formula heavy on crime and celebrities. But even some of their own stars are uneasy wading into that swamp. At GMA, there is no longer talk of a newsier, politics-laden program led by George Stephanopou-los, the onetime Clinton White House aide brought in last year from th
18、e wonky world of Sunday-morning television. Instead, a new producer has pushed the ABC show firmly down the tabloid path, to the point where co-host Robin Roberts has argued they have gone too far. “Ill be honest, its been an adjustment for me, the lighter fare, “ she tells Newsweek. “I want to be N
19、o. 1. I dont want to sell my soul to the devil to be No. 1.“ Today co-host Ann Curry, who specializes in humanitarian disasters, voices a similar lament: “Im at my core a hard-news reporter. I want more spinach and less sugar in this big meal we give viewers. Sometimes I feel personally our balance
20、isnt quite right. I fight for stories that matter.“ The lighter side is working for GMA, with the program lately cutting the Today shows perennial lead in half, trailing 500, 000 viewers behind the NBC shows audience of 5. 3 million. Still, Today remains TVs most profitable program, delivering more
21、than $ 500 million in annual revenue. It is catering to a largely female audience, especially after 7:30, which explains why news on Today and especially GMA quickly gives way to Justin Bieber stories and missing-toddler updates. Today (which is twice as long as the other, two-hour shows) has domina
22、ted the morning wars for 13 years and routinely lands the biggest interviews. Today producer Jim Bell insists that while ABC has gone “lowbrow“ and CBS is going “highbrow, “ his show features a “healthy mix.“ The program has been a bit uneven since Curry replaced Meredith Vieira in June. The secret
23、ingredient on the breakfast menu is a casual intimacy, the Katie-and-Matt, Charlie-and-Diane chemistry that can prove utterly elusive. Some NBC insiders see Curry, who was passed over five years ago, as uncomfortable in her new role. Curry admits to having “a lot of apprehension“ at first: “I feel l
24、ike Cinderella, like Im dancing with the prince at the ball and Im wearing a pretty dress.“ ABC faced a similar dilemma in pairing the intense Stephanopoulos with the empathetic Roberts, who shared with viewers her struggle with breast cancer. “Teams are made up of different people with different st
25、rengths playing different positions, “ says Stephanopoulos. Roberts had to get used to his solo stylo they almost never chat during the show when the cameras are off, with Stephanopoulos usually tapping on his BlackBerry. The greatest threat to Todays long reign is what happens when Lauers contract
26、expires in 2012. Friends say he is tired of the morning grind and might well leave, which would give GMA a rare opening. The Today shows winning streak “is legendary, “ says Roberts. “We want that crown.“ 21 It can be inferred from the passage that CBS （ A） sought to replace an NBCs program with the
27、ir own program. （ B） has tried different means to compete with other networks. （ C） went back on its words when signing the contract with NBC. （ D） wants to give up one of its shows that is not popular any more. 22 CBSs Early Show is more likely to focus on （ A） small talks. （ B） urban crime. （ C） s
28、ocial problems. （ D） movie stars. 23 The example of Robin Roberts shows that she_the change of her program. （ A） disapproves of （ B） is in favor of （ C） remains neutral at （ D） is dubious of 24 The word “perennial“ in Paragraph 6 probably means （ A） intermittent. （ B） soaring. （ C） lasting. （ D） onc
29、oming. 25 Which of the following statements is TRUE of Stephanopoulos and Roberts? （ A） They venture on an ambitious program. （ B） They are on pretty good terms personally. （ C） They are eager to achieve success. （ D） They are fed up with each other. 25 Inside a grad students apartment at the Univer
30、sity of Pennsylvania sits a slightly faded blue-and-white wooden sign from a post office in Malone, Wash., that no longer exists. If this were any other college students place, the sign would probably be a trophy from some kind of prank. But no. It was a gift from the post office to 25-year-old Evan
31、 Kalish, a UPenn graduate student who has crisscrossed the Northeast, driven down South and flown to Hawaii to see more than 2, 700 post offices, many of which are in danger of closing or have already been shuttered. Over the past three years, hes documented the slow death of an institution that was
32、 once at the heart of small-town America, taking photos, collecting postal cards, paying tribute. Many of the postal buildings are historic, some marking the establishment of a community in a growing nation or the revival of one after a disaster. “The post office helped build the country, “ Kalish s
33、ays. “And its almost like theyre trying to destroy themselves.“ The Malone post office is the only landmark listed if you search for the town on Google Maps. But it closed down Aug. 9. The next day, across the street, Reds Hop N Market began providing limited postal services selling stamps and fixed
34、-rate shipping boxes alongside live worms, cigarettes and beef jerky. It became the first “Village Post Office“ in the country and part of a strategy that the postal service is counting on to help close a massive budget gap. Resistance, both emotional and economic, to the closing of 3, 000 to 15, 00
35、0 post offices is growing, fueled by the objections of individuals like Kalish and mail-carrier unions which have taken out ads as part of a national public-relations campaign to save what could be more than 100, 000 layoffs. But the financial situation remains dire. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) h
36、as been sliding down an unsustainable fiscal path for years. A toxic combination of a poor economy, an increase in online bill paying, the proliferation of e-mail and other digital communication, and congressional mandates have created billion-dollar deficits for the USPS since 2007. Last year it lo
37、st $8.3 billion. This year, it lost $5. 1 billion (only because a mandatory $5.5 billion prepayment for retiree health benefits was postponed). Mail volume declined 1. 7%. Projected mail volume over the next decade? Down, down, down. Officials say if nothings done, the postal service will run out of
38、 money by August or September of next year, and absent congressional action by Friday, the USPS will default on that mandated $ 5.5 billion payment. There are a number of plans in the works to stem the losses, including one now making its way through the Senate. Some proposals being considered would
39、 lay off 120, 000 postal workers and cut another 100, 000 through attrition, not to mention the recent announcement that two-thirds of all mail-processing centers will close and the thing that has riled up people across the country the most the closure of thousands of post offices. All told, it woul
40、d reduce costs by $ 20 billion. “Its a race against the clock, “ Kalish said when asked about the fate of the small-town post offices and the institution itself. His hobby turned addiction that often has the grad student on the road from 8 a. m. to 7 p. m. many days, talking to locals, updating Goog
41、le Maps as well as his blog Going Postal with images and details about each postal building he visits. “The postal service is threatening all of them. You have no idea how long any of them will be around.“ Kalishs fascination with post offices has become a kind of quirky and extreme thesis on Americ
42、ana, but its hardly unmerited. For years, the USPS hasnt just delivered our mail. Its been a gathering place for small communities while operating as part of something larger than just a collection of mailboxes and places that sell stamps. “The post office is a foundation piece of democracy, “ says
43、New York University professor Steve Hutkins, who has been studying the USPSs financial issues. “And its being treated like a business. And its not.“ 26 The blue-and-white wooden sign is mentioned to （ A） analyze the performance of Evan Kalish. （ B） form a contrast to a trophy of some sort. （ C） brin
44、g up the topic to be discussed. （ D） talk about the future of post offices. 27 We can infer from the passage that （ A） post offices are closed due to financial and political reasons. （ B） the closing of post offices is sweeping across the country. （ C） American postal services will be terminated soo
45、ner or later. （ D） the Malone post office is the first one to be closed down. 28 The U.S. Postal Service has gone downhill NOT because （ A） more means of communication are available. （ B） the U.S. economy is not in good condition. （ C） fewer services of post office are needed. （ D） it has been asked
46、 to create deficits by officials. 29 Which of the following statements is TRUE of Kalishs work on the U.S. Postal Service? （ A） It has aroused great attention around the country. （ B） It has vexed government officials to a certain degree. （ C） It has urged people to fight for the post offices. （ D）
47、It has become a topic worthy of peoples note. 30 The best title for the passage is （ A） The Death of the U.S. Postal Service. （ B） How the U. S. Postal Service Fell Apart. （ C） A Grad Students Research on Postal Service. （ D） Resistance to the Closing of Post Offices. 30 Towards the end of “Thinking
48、, Fast and Slow“, Daniel Kahneman laments that he and his late collaborator, Amos Tversky, are often credited with showing that humans make “irrational“ choices. That term is too strong, he says, to describe the variety of mental mishaps to which people systematically fall prey. Readers of his book
49、may disagree. Mr. Kahneman, an Israeli-American psychologist and Nobel economics laureate, has delivered a full catalogue of the biases, shortcuts and cognitive illusions to which our species regularly succumbs. In doing so he makes it plain that Homo economicus the rational model of human behaviour beloved of economists is as fantastical as a unicorn. In one experiment described by Mr. Kahneman, participants asked to imagine that they have been given 50
