1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 598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 The IELTS Exam IELTS: International English Language Testing System I. Purposes: for immigration status,(
3、1)_, applying for a job(1)_ II. Marks: no pass or fail grade final score:(2)_ of marks of the four papers(2)_ III. Period of validity:(3)_(3)_ IV. Test paper structure; A. reading: three parts, an hour B. listening:(4)_, 30 minutes(4)_ C. writing: two sections, an hour D. speaking: face-to-face inte
4、rview, 15 minutes V. Versions: A. Academic: for most IELTS candidates B. General Training: for people with(5)_(5)_ VI. The reasons for preparations: getting familiar with the(6)_(6)_ having the best chance of achieving their target score VII. How to prepare for the exam; A. Read the IELTS website: k
5、nowing the(7)_which govern the tests(7)_ getting the sample papers B. Read a study guide: 1. seeking advice on the format of the exam - how to tackle the different types of questions (8)_the skills(8)_ 2. locating them in local library or bookshops C. Join a preparation class: working with other can
6、didates - getting(9)_from the tutor(9)_ D. Get a tutor: offering help on specific problems offering strategies to strengthen weak areas VIII. Places in the testing center; A. available throughout the year B. different demands in different time(e. g. Hong Kong) C. possible to take another test within
7、(10)_ period(10)_ 1 (1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 5 (5) 6 (6) 7 (7) 8 (8) 9 (9) 10 (10) 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
8、will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 What suggestion does Ms. Lion give to the students using Internet as an information source? （ A） Finding out how the website is organized first. （ B） Going through the list of indexes may help. （
9、 C） Keeping focused and trying not to get lost. （ D） Having a quiet place so they wont be disrupted. 12 If a student can meet the requirement of several scholarships, they should （ A） decide which ones are the most worthy. （ B） spare enough time so they can apply for all of them. （ C） write to the s
10、cholarship agency immediately. （ D） concentrate on applying for the largest scholarships. 13 Which of the following is a reason for asking for a self-addressed stamped envelope? （ A） Its the requirement of the admission office. （ B） The address is clear so that materials wont get lost. （ C） Such mai
11、ls will be delivered much faster. （ D） It saves students money on buying the envelopes. 14 How should students prepare their personal statements? （ A） Send the same copies of their personal statements to all the scholarships they apply for. （ B） Seek for help from their professors when they write th
12、eir personal statements. （ C） Ask the instructor to proofread the personal statements before sending them out. （ D） Emphasize the most relevant aspects of themselves or their projects. 15 What is the last thing to do before submitting the application materials? （ A） Getting letters of recommendation
13、. （ B） Making sufficient transcript copies. （ C） Proofreading everything carefully. （ D） Finding a particularly lucky post date. 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 new
14、s item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 16 Regulators imposed a temporary short-selling ban in some European nations because markets in the world （ A） rise too rapidly. （ B） fall too wildly. （ C） are too unstable. （ D） stay still for too long. 17 The 911 emergency response syst
15、em updates the following new functions EXCEPT （ A） receiving text messages. （ B） responding to voice calls online. （ C） having automatic location system. （ D） transmitting videos and photos. 18 FCC chairman decided to update the technology mainly because （ A） the NG911 system can help more people. （
16、 B） talking on phone has become out of date. （ C） telecommunications technology is developing. （ D） trapped students could not text 911. 19 What is the one good thing concerning the flooding? （ A） Only the northwestern part of the country was suffering. （ B） Many humanitarian agencies were already t
17、here before the flooding. （ C） The flooding made Taliban terrorists abort their action. （ D） The weather forecast says the heaviest rainfall has gone. 20 According to the spokeswoman, what makes the humanitarian agencies work difficult? （ A） The mountains make the transportation difficult. （ B） Ther
18、e was not enough fuel to transport the supplies. （ C） The outbreak of diseases has caused a lot of death. （ D） The ongoing rain is damaging the roads. 20 Rick Snyder, the governor of Michigan, thinks of himself as a can-do kind of guy. He was a successful businessman, overseeing exponential growth a
19、t Gateway, a computer company, in the 1990s. In his subsequent career as a venture capitalist, he made enough dosh to donate more than $ lm to charity, with a few million left over to jump-start his 2010 campaign for governor. His first state budget was ambitious: it eliminated most tax credits, cre
20、ated a flat 6% business tax and allocated hundreds of millions to rebuild the states crumbling infrastructure, all while remaining in balance. But he has met his match in Manuel “Matty“ Moroun, who is winning a battle with Mr. Snyder over the governors support for a second international bridge linki
21、ng Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario. Mr. Moroun has a very good reason for opposing the construction of a new bridge at the busiest commercial crossing between Canada and the United States: He owns the existing Ambassador Bridge, built in 1929, and a publicly owned competitor would eat away
22、at his toll revenues. There are even older tunnels connecting the two cities, but the bridge is the preferred crossing for lorries, and currently handles more than a quarter of the $ 680 billion a year in trade between the United States and Canada. Mr. Moroun has grown quite wealthy thanks to the br
23、idge, which he has owned through the Detroit International Bridge Company since 1979. Mr. Moroun concedes that congestion at peak travel times is a problem, and that his own structure should be closed for repairs. The Canadian, American, Michigan and Ontario governments all want to build a new $ 2.
24、2 billion crossing three km(two miles)downriver, which would be publicly owned but privately operated. The Canadian government is keen enough that it has offered Michigan almost $ 550m, to be repaid from bridge tolls, to cover its costs. The rest of the financing is to be raised from the two federal
25、 governments and from bonds issued by a bridge authority. In contrast, Mr. Morouns preferred solution is building a second span alongside the existing one, which he would finance and own himself. He argues that the traffic predictions used for the government-backed bridge are hopelessly optimistic,
26、given that current cross-border flowswhich totalled 7. 2m last yearare still far below the pre-2001 peak of 12. 4m.(One possible explanation for this decline is that lorry drivers have started taking detours to less convenient routes to avoid being stuck in traffic on the bridge.)Michigan residents
27、will end up paying higher taxes, he says, despite promises to the contrary. He also notes that his proposed span would cost significantly less than an entirely new bridge(about $ 500m)because it would use the same approach roads and customs facilities as the Ambassador Bridge, and would be paid for
28、by his company. Such a design would, of course, do nothing to reduce lorry traffic in central Windsor one of the main reasons Canada wants a new bridge. A decade in the planning, the bridge cannot go ahead without Michigans approval, which Mr. Snyder has not been able to get through its legislature.
29、 Detroit International Bridge Company has financed a $ 4. 7m advertising campaign to sour public opinion on the deal. His political contributions have helped swing senatorial votes. So far his strategy has worked: in late October a state Senate committee refused to approve the legislation. The lawma
30、kers who opposed the bill said its language did not adequately protect the neighbourhood where the Detroit side of the bridge will be located. Mr. Snyder is still putting up a fight. In Ottawa, where he was addressing a conference and consulting with the Canadian government, he predicted on November
31、 2nd that a breakthrough would be reached “in a matter of months, not years“. Although he did not divulge any details, he says that buying out Mr. Moroun had been discussed and dismissed in the past, and that he was not at the point of considering using an executive order to grant the approval. “Our
32、 primary path,“ he says, “is talking to legislators. “ A new bridge would make plenty of business sense, and is supported by all of the big companies in the area, including the Detroit automakers with facilities on both sides of the border. But Mr. Snyder will have to persuade Michigans lawmakers th
33、at it makes political sense as well. 21 We can infer from the first paragraph that （ A） the public hold an unfavorable opinion of the bridge mentioned. （ B） Rick Snyders state budget program has won much the publics acclaim. （ C） Rick Snyder was very sure of his continuance in office. （ D） Manuel “M
34、atty“ Moroun is bound to beat Rick Snyder. 22 “a publicly owned competitor would eat away at his toll revenues“(Para. 2)probably means （ A） a new bridge would diminish his reputation. （ B） a new bridge would encroach on his interests. （ C） a new bridge would deprive of his privilege. （ D） a new brid
35、ge would lead to his failure. 23 As to Mr. Morouns solution, the authors attitude is （ A） skeptical. （ B） ambivalent. （ C） disapproving. （ D） impartial. 24 It can be inferred from the passage that （ A） Mr. Snyder is gaining the upper hand in the issue in question. （ B） both sides commit themselves t
36、o solving the problem in question. （ C） Mr. Moroun will talk the public into supporting his view. （ D） legislators will realize the political benefits of a new bridge. 25 The best title for the passage is probably （ A） Legislation over a New Bridge. （ B） Rick Snyder and Manuel Morouns Battle. （ C） W
37、hat Is behind a New Bridge? （ D） Canadian-American Border: A Bridge Too Far? 25 Britains excitable press sometimes gets into a flap over odd issues. One recent example is the Daily Telegraph, Britains best-selling broadsheet. As David Cameron announced that Britain and the euro zone would part ways
38、normally fertile ground for the right-wing ragit splashed on the story that an examiner had advised teachers “you dont have to teach a lot“ to pass the tests set by the exam board for which she worked. Today, as the same examiner was hauled in front of the Commons select committee on education, its
39、main headline was “Teachers giving students exam questions“. Concerns about how Englands exam system works are long-standing: the Commons committees ongoing investigation into the administration of examinations was initiated some time back. Nor is the concern limited to the English system, the commi
40、ttee is looking outside England and the Daily Telegraph also recorded an examiner from the WJEC, the Welsh exam board, as saying. “Were cheating. “ Part of the reason is the inexorable rise in exam passes. Ever since the system was reformed in 1988, school children have been graded by their absolute
41、 rather than their relative performance. When the reforms were enacted, roughly 5% got the top grades. Over the past ten years, the proportion gaining the highest marks has doubled from 9. 4% to almost 20%. A second reason is gripes from university tutors and employers, who reckon that school leaver
42、s are not as accomplished as they used to be. Even the most selective universities now provide remedial courses to address the gaps in the knowledge of their newly recruited undergraduates. Meanwhile the Confederation of British Industry frets that poor standards of English and maths among school le
43、avers could hinder economic growth. At the select committee today, Steph Warren, a former geography teacher who was filmed implying that the exams set by Edexcel, her employer, were easy, set out to explain her position. She had been quoted out of context, she said. The film was made at the end of a
44、n exhausting training day during which she had been berated by teachers for setting an exam that their pupils had found difficult. That was why she had suggested that “you dont have to teach a lot“. But the scandal has raised some valid questions about who are the customers in the marketised system.
45、 During the 1950s, when the OTevel and A-level examinations were first devised, they were offered exclusively by universities. That actually made far less sense then than it does now: in 1950 just 3% of young people went to university; today some 45% of youngsters enrol. Yet following the 1988 educa
46、tion reforms, the university boards lost out to new competitors. Some merged, some folded. The four main exam boards in England and Wales now comprise a department of the University of Cambridge, a profitable company and two charities. In the interests of transparency, I should disclose that the com
47、pany, Edexcel, is itself owned by a publisher, Pearson, which, through its ownership of the Financial Times, also owns a stake in The Economist. That said, Pearson has never, to my knowledge, tried to influence the editorial content of this newspaper. And The Economist itself has its own educational
48、 venture; successful completion of a course will gain you a certificate of achievement signed by John Micklethwait, the editor of The Economist, no less. In todays Daily Telegraph , an anonymous examiner is quoted as saying that the “cause of the rot, ultimately, is competition between exam boards“.
49、 I think there is some truth in that remark. The problem with the existing system, as I see it, is that the exam boards do not see universities as being their customers. Rather, the customers are mostly school teachers. And, naturally enough, teachers want to enter their pupils for exams that they will pass. Instead of harnessing market forces to drive up standards, the system does precisely the opposite. It should be reformed
