1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 841及答案与解析 SECTION A MINI-LECTURE In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the mini-lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the mini-lecture, please complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure the word(s) you
2、 fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking. You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task. 0 The American Dream: Myth or Reality? Though the term “ American Dream“ is widely used today, there exist many questions we seem un
3、able to provide answers. A more important question arises: Is the “American Dream“ a myth or a reality today? I. Introduction: the occurrence of “American Dream“ 【 T1】 _: first appeared in Horatio Algers novel, Ragged Dick【 T1】 _ the message from the novel: everyone could succeed in America if they
4、are hard-working and【 T2】 _【 T2】 _ 【 T3】 _: the hope to have a better life and a higher living standard【 T3】_ II. Evolution: new versions and【 T4】 _of the term【 T4】 _ A. the basic definition mentioned above: desiring to【 T5】 _【 T5】 _ in the past: starting out on a smaller scale today: causing an out
5、-of-control【 T6】 _and materialism【 T6】 _ B. more【 T7】 _view: desiring to create opportunities by hard work【 T7】 _ hallmark: the classic “【 T8】 _“【 T8】 _ example: former President Abraham Lincoln C. associated with【 T9】 _and their stories【 T9】 _ fascinated by their stories working hard to create a be
6、tter life for【 T10】 _(10) D. associated with【 T11】 _in the U. S.【 T11】 _ frontier: a vast expanse of【 T12】 _in the West【 T12】 _ positive side: opportunities for dreamers negative side: displacement of【 T13】 _【 T13】 _ III. Recent interpretation: be relevant to【 T14】 _【 T14】 _ Dr. Martin Luther King J
7、r. : equal opportunities for all Americans a harsh reality: not everyone has the same opportunity a myth: people being【 T15】 _opportunities for race, ethnic【 T15】 _ background, or gender 1 【 T1】 2 【 T2】 3 【 T3】 4 【 T4】 5 【 T5】 6 【 T6】 7 【 T7】 8 【 T8】 9 【 T9】 10 【 T10】 11 【 T11】 12 【 T12】 13 【 T13】 1
8、4 【 T14】 15 【 T15】 SECTION B INTERVIEW In this section you will hear ONE interview. The interview will be divided into TWO parts. At the end of each part, five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the interview and the questions will be spoken ONCE ONLY. After each question there will b
9、e a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A , B , C and D , and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. You have THIRTY seconds to preview the questions. （ A） He used to be a biologist. （ B） He studies comedy at school. （ C） He is a column writer.
10、 （ D） He made mistakes in labs. （ A） They both have a long history. （ B） They both have an influence on society. （ C） They are both funny subjects. （ D） They are both serious matters. （ A） The interviewee is currently teaching a class on standup comedy. （ B） The interviewee thinks it is a shame to d
11、ismiss comedy. （ C） The interviewee believes that comedy is more serious than social commentary. （ D） According to the interviewee, science today is no longer considered as serious. （ A） He is funny in the lab. （ B） He still has his mind focused on standup comedy. （ C） He tries to keep his scientist
12、 side separated from his comedian side. （ D） He gets much support from his advisor when he cannot focus on science. （ A） It will reduce the pressure of the experiment. （ B） It will distract people from their research. （ C） It will give people the excuse for mistakes. （ D） It will add inspiration and
13、 creativity to the lab. （ A） It takes too many years to finish the training. （ B） Theres a certain pattern on how to become a scientist. （ C） Everyday lab work is routine and boring. （ D） It is harder to make a living. （ A） Making a living as a comedian is not that difficult. （ B） Currently he can s
14、upport himself by doing standup comedy. （ C） It is difficult for people to make actual careers out of comedy. （ D） He is not sure about it. （ A） It is opened by the interviewee. （ B） It is a humor column in Science. （ C） The interviewee felt privileged to write it. （ D） There are other writers excep
15、t the interviewee. （ A） About 24 topics have been dealt with by the interviewee. （ B） Scientists can understand the humor better by it. （ C） Math puns are often employed in it. （ D） Its Opening was due to the interviewees suggestion. （ A） She does not understand math puns. （ B） She laughs although s
16、he finds it not funny. （ C） She feels awkward to tell her feeling. （ D） She thinks the joke is humorous. SECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS In this section there are several passages followed by fourteen multiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggested answers
17、marked A , B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. 25 This is census year in America, and although we hesitate to pre-empt the results of a mighty exercise that will involve over a million staff and whose calculations will not be complete until late December, we can confidently
18、 predict one finding. Americas Hispanic population, which is expected to come in at almost 16% of the total, will have overtaken its black population, likely to be put at around 2. 5 percentage points less, with Asians listing the last, only 2. 9 percent. In 2000, the last time this count was perfor
19、med, 12.5% of the population was Hispanic, and 12.9% African-American. Thanks to rapid immigration, legal and illegal, and a large stock of young people with a high birth-rate, Americas Latino population has grown twice as fast over the past decade as either its white or black population: and the ga
20、p is going to keep on widening. Half the babies in Texas, for instance, are born to Latina mothers, even though Latinos make up under 40% of that states population. And this is not only a phenomenon of the border states. Many new arrivals from Mexico head directly to look for jobs in the big cities
21、of the southeast and northeast: and second- and third-generation Hispanics, perfectly acculturated by Americas melting pot, are now to be found everywhere. This steady advance has large consequences. Most obviously, it is changing the balance of American politics. The decennial census is the basis o
22、n which federal money is disbursed and seats in the House of Representatives, and consequently Electoral College votes, are allocated. Once the results of this years census are known, up to 18 states will see their congressional tallies altered. The big, mostly white, states of the northeast will be
23、 the losers. The Hispanic-rich border region will gain. Americas Hispanics, unlike its blacks, have traditionally failed to punch at their true weight. In the current House of Representatives in Washington D. C. , there are only 26 Hispanics, about 6% of the total: there are 41 African-Americans, mu
24、ch closer to their share of the population. Hispanic senators have been few and far between, as have Hispanic governors. One reason is that Hispanics have at least until recently been poorly organized. But this is changing. The Hispanic voter-turnout rate increases at every election. It hit 50% in 2
25、008, up from 47% in 2004, though that is still a lot less man the 66% recorded by non-Hispanic whites or the 65% by blacks. In a fair number of keenly contested states, the Hispanic population in effect holds the balance of power: and as long as they continue to vote solidly Democratic(as they did i
26、n 2008, by a whopping 67 31 % margin), that is great news for the blue party. The big Hispanic vote for Barack Obama in Florida turned that vital state from Republican to Democratic: the Hispanic vote also proved crucial in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. It is not impossible to imagine that, in ti
27、me, Texas huge Hispanic population could turn Americas second-largest state Democratic. If the Republicans want to avoid that fearful fate, they need to reconnect with Hispanic voters, and fast. In principle it ought not to be too hard. Culturally conservative, strongly religious, family-oriented an
28、d with a long and distinguished tradition of service in Americas armed forces, Hispanics are natural Republicans. But they are also, on the average, poorer than whites, and they are rightly incensed at anything that smacks of xenophobia. George W. Bush managed to appeal pretty well to Hispanics, sco
29、ring an estimated 44% of the Hispanic vote in 2004. But from 2005 onwards, a hysterical Republican reaction to the prospect of immigration reform(which aimed, among other things, to regularize the position of the 12m or so illegal immigrants living, for the most part peacefully and industriously, wi
30、thin Americas borders)undid all that. As well as the census, this year will see another attempt to tackle the immigration dossier. It would be overcynical to see this as a Democratic ploy to lure the Republicans into alienating a vital group of voters all over again. But there is great peril for a p
31、arty that is in the process of confining itself to white voters and Southern states. If Republicans could this year once again embrace the opportunity that Americas Hispanics and its proximity to Mexico represents, they could do themselves a power of good. 26 The second paragraph mainly tells us_. （
32、 A） the reason why there are so many Mexicans in America （ B） where large numbers of Hispanic population can be found （ C） why the Latino population can be found all over America （ D） the current situation of U. S. Hispanic population and its reason 27 The numbers in Paragraph Four are used to suppo
33、rt the opinion that_. （ A） Hispanics are not so politically concerned as the black （ B） there are fewer Hispanic statesmen than the Black ones （ C） it is time for Hispanics to make a voice in political affairs （ D） the number of Hispanic statesmen is small in the U. S. 28 Hispanics influence America
34、n politics by_. （ A） becoming more and more politically active （ B） having turned over the powers of America Parties （ C） waving between the Democratic and the Republican （ D） turning Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada Democratic 29 The sentence “they are rightly.xenophobia“ in the last but one paragra
35、ph means_. （ A） it is reasonable for them to feel inferior to the white （ B） they are taking rightful measures to become richer （ C） they are sensitive to and angry about the natives hostility （ D） though being poor, they are fighting for equal rights 29 I was only 8 years old on July 20, 1969, when
36、 Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old commander of Apollo 11, descended the cramped lunar module Eagles ladder to become the first human on the moon. I didnt miss a moment of the long, nerve-wracking chain of events that led to the Eagle creating the lunar base Tranquility(named in advance by Armstrong). It
37、was stunning that this local kid who grew up on a farm with no electricity was leading America into the brave new world of lunar exploration. When Armstrong said, “ Thats one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,“ we were incommensurably awed at the greatness of it all. Not Armstrong. “P
38、ilots take no particular joy in walking,“ he once said in full buzzkill mode. “Pilots like flying. “ For years I longed to hear Armstrong describe what it was like to contemplate Earth from 238,900 miles away. Former Space Center director George Abbey once told me that many NASA astronauts felt that
39、 looking at Earth was akin to a religious experience. Did Armstrong agree? What did it feel like emotionally, spiritually to stand on the surface of the moon? Could I get him to open up about the experience? I originally wrote Armstrong in the early 1990s to request an interview about his Korean War
40、 service. He had flown 78 combat missions was even hit with antiaircraft fire over enemy territory and I wanted to write a book about it, A Band of Brothers about the flyboys of “the Forgotten War“ who were assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Essex. I got a polite postcard rejection: “No thanks, bu
41、t Ill keep you in mind. “ It wasnt until several years later that NASA asked me to conduct its official oral history of the “ First Man. “ I was surprised and honored to get a chance to interview him and thrilled when the date was set for Sept. 19, 2001. Then I saw the horrifying collapse of the Wor
42、ld Trade Center towers on TV. Like everyone else, I was grief-stricken. And I was also sure my Armstrong interview would get nixed. But it didnt play out that way. To my utter astonishment, a NASA director telephoned me that Armstrong, no matter what, never missed a scheduled rendezvous. He was goin
43、g to travel from Cincinnati to Houston to do the oral history in spite of the post-terrorist-attack airport madness. Armstrong journeying to Texas days after 9.11 certainly wasnt the phoenix-like Chuck Yeager, emerging from the pages of Tom Wolfes The Right Stuf in a glorious dust cloud of triumph.
44、But his effort was impressive. The post-9.11 skies were largely shut to commercial aircraft, but Armstrong, whose own boyhood hero was aviator Charles Lindbergh, stubbornly refused to cancel an appointment that he dreaded. It was a matter of honor. The interview started out well, with a question abo
45、ut Lindbergh. He raved about the famed pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis. He told me about his personal correspondence with Lucky Lindy(a trove that is still off-limits to scholars). It dawned on me that perhaps the fear of the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping Syndrome had driven Armstrong underground, had
46、turned him into a quasi-recluse. As an impermeable skeptic, he trusted neither celebrity nor crass capitalism. But the oral History was tracking. And when I turned to the Korean War, mentioning novelist James Micheners book The Bridges at Toko-Ri, he became surprisingly effusive. “ Michener was on o
47、ur ship,“ he said. “ I think he went on three tours, two or three tours, you know, at four or five weeks at a crack, and would just sit around the wardroom in the evening or in the ready room in the daytime and listen to guys tell the actual stories. “ What I was most curious about was why Armstrong
48、, a top U. S. Navy test pilot, flying the most advanced aircraft in the world, would want to join the astronaut corps in 1962, which included chimpanzees and monkeys. “It wasnt an easy decision,“ he said. “I was flying the X-15 and I had the understanding or belief that if I continued, I would be th
49、e chief pilot of that project. Then there was this other project down at Houston, the Apollo program. I cant tell you now just why in the end I made the decision I did, but I consider it as fortuitous that I happened to pick one that was a winning horse. “ 30 According to the passage, Neil Armstrong_. （ A） was awed by the author for his g
