1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 99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 Dream Functions Dreaming is a common phenomenon. Practically all people dream, although whether they can【
3、1】 _ them is a different matter. 【 1】 _ An experiment eliciting peoples responses to the question What did you dream about last night? shows the【 2】 _ of the activity. It is 【 2】_ found that everyone in normal health spends part of their night dreaming and there are many different【 3】 _ of dream per
4、forming 【 3】_ different functions. The first function of dreams is that of the experience-【 4】 _, i.e. 【 4】 _ the mind reviews past experience and learns the lesson of that experience. Often the dream represents a more, or less,【 5】 _ course 【 5】_ of action or outcome than the real event. The second
5、 function of dreams is the【 6】 _ type. They help to 【 6】_ solve problems by suggesting answers, or【 7】 _ difficulties and 【 7】_ indicating a way round them. The third function is that of wish【 8】 _. In our dreams we 【 8】 _ satisfy desires whose gratification is denied to us. Dreams also function to【
6、 9】 _ us to some external reality, 【 9】 _ usually by some sensory stimulus. The final, and the most【 10】 _ one, is the predictive function. 【 10】 _ Throughout the ages men have believed that future events will be predicted in dreams. We are not clear whether these are all the functions that dreams m
7、ay have. 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 Which of the following is NOT a point made by Daniel at the beginning part? （ A） All media people try to be objective. （ B） All people have some prejudice. （ C） Unlike radio and TV, newspapers a
9、re impersonal. （ D） People cannot avoid showing their bias. 12 Daniel thinks it would be _ to reveal ones bias too readily. （ A） wrong （ B） improper （ C） natural （ D） justifiable 13 Daniel look on himself as a _. （ A） sportsman （ B） public servant （ C） mayor （ D） policeman 14 According to Daniel, th
10、e biggest problem for a TV host is to _. （ A） become anxious （ B） become self-important （ C） become confident （ D） become self-conscious 15 What does Daniel find most attractive about his profession? （ A） visibility （ B） high salary （ C） high pressure （ D） feeling of accomplishment SECTION C NEWS BR
11、OADCAST 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 The heavy rain and floods were responsible for all of thc following except _. （ A
12、） displacement of people （ B） transit stoppage （ C） serious injuries （ D） airport delays 17 A total of _ people were displaced because of the floods. （ A） 80 （ B） 250 （ C） 100 （ D） 337 18 The last strike at Darby by a hurricane took place in _. （ A） 1973 （ B） 1953 （ C） 1995 （ D） 1999 19 In the past
13、two decades, the rate of birth defects in Shanxi Province is higher than the countrys average by _. （ A） 0.3 （ B） 0.5 （ C） 0.6 （ D） 0.8 20 Which of the following is not mentioned as an international organization that supports the project? （ A） United Nations Childrens Fund （ B） The World Health Orga
14、nization （ C） International Science Institute （ D） International Childrens Foundation 20 1 When America had an energy crisis, our leaders responded by creating the Department of Energy. When we perceived shortcomings in our schools, the Department of Education was formed. Likewise, the terrorist thr
15、eat that became apparent last Sept. 11 prompted the Bush administration to propose a Department of Homeland Security. But our experience with the first two concerns raises a question. Why bother? 2 The natural impulse of elected leaders when confronted by any problem, big or small, is to do somethin
16、g, if only to avoid the charge of doing nothing. So even though Congress hasnt granted the president his request just yet, its virtually inevitable that the federal government will soon have another department. 3 Its part of the ceaseless cycle of Washington: New bureaucracies come and new bureaucra
17、cies stay. A crisis may pass, but never the department it spawned. The energy and education departments havent solved many problems, but few politicians would dream of getting rid of them. 4 Likewise with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. If Congress approves it and more attacks t
18、ake place, lawmakers can say they tried. If they refuse, though, any future terrorist atrocities will be ascribed to their inaction. 5 The only real dispute between Democrats and Republicans is over whether the new agency should be subject to the same civil service regulations as other federal depar
19、tments. But everyone on Capitol Hill seems to agree on the main point, which is that the way to defeat A1 Qaeda is by pelting it with revised organizational charts. 6 The administration wants to consolidate 22 agencies under one roof, creating a huge new department with 170,000 employees and a yearl
20、y budget of $ 37.5 billion. It argues that this will eliminate the “current confusing patchwork of government activities“ and promote greater cooperation among these entities to fight terror. 7 But there is no reason to think that if the DHS had existed a year ago or five years ago, it would have pr
21、evented the Sept. 11 attacks. A July report by a House subcommittee said the government failed to uncover the plot in advance because of mistakes by three agencies: the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency. Each of them bad information that they failed to act on. None would be part of the D
22、HS. 8 So whats the point? The Customs Service, Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Secret Service, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have numerous duties, including many that have nothing to do with foiling violent fanatics. Putting them all in the same buil
23、ding doesnt assure that they will perform their tasks any better or work together any better. The military services all report to the secretary of defense, but they sometimes give the impression that their real enemies are each other. 9 Things might function better if this massive reorganization mea
24、nt that some other department could be closed down. But if that were true, the change would yield a big budgetary savings. In fact, the White House only claims that spending wont actually increase. 10 Independent Institute scholar Robert Higgs, author of the landmark 1987 book, “Crisis and Leviathan
25、. Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government,“ said in a telephone interview, “Putting all these agencies together will create a very potent organization with a lot of clout in bargaining for budgets. Theyll get more money than if they remained dispersed.“ 11 A study by the Brookings Ins
26、titution says the estimate of 170,000 employees in the new department is probably understated by at 1east 30,000. It does not inspire optimism to hear that the president wants to add one new deputy secretary, five undersecretaries, and as many as 16 assistant secretaries. 12 But enlarging the govern
27、ment merely demands money, of which the American taxpayers are believed to have an endless supply. What should be far more alarming is that this undertaking will distract attention from the problem its supposed to address. “The danger,“ says the Brookings study, “is that top managers will be preoccu
28、pied for months, if not years, with getting the reorganization right“ instead of “taking concrete action to counter the terrorist threat at home.“ 13 Planning the installation of a state-of-the-art sprinkler system in your home may be a good idea, but if a fire erupts, youre better off trying to put
29、 it out with the tools that are immediately available. If the terrorist threat is not urgent, wed be better off without the new department. And if it is urgent? Ditto. 21 Why is the author almost certain about the establishment of the Homeland Security? （ A） Because he also thinks of it as necessary
30、. （ B） Because the Congress is obedient to the President. （ C） Because it is a symbol of the leaders active response. （ D） Because terrorism is hard to crack down. 22 It can be inferred that the author is _ the potential effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security. （ A） uncertain about （ B）
31、 dubious about （ C） confident of （ D） critical about 23 By citing the Sept. 11 case, the author purports to suggest that the planned DHS is _. （ A） not well-organized （ B） not inclusive enough （ C） too costly （ D） too huge 24 The establishment of the DHS will involve all the following EXCEPT _. （ A）
32、 institutional reorganization （ B） expansion of personnel （ C） increase of budget （ D） closure of some departments 25 What does the author propose to do as an alternative to the creation of the DHS? （ A） Install a state-of-art sprinkler system. （ B） Reorganize some departments. （ C） Make better use
33、of the existing resources. （ D） Include the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency. 25 1 This calming down is perhaps the main reason why I keep a diary. It is incredible how the written sentence can calm and tame a man. The sentence is always something different from the man writing it. It s
34、tands before him as something alien, a sudden solid wall, which cannot be leaped over. One might walk around it, but before one even arrives on the other side, there is a new wall at a sharp angle to the first, a new sentence, no less alien, no less solid or high, and likewise beckoning one to walk
35、around it. Gradually, a labyrinth arises, in which the builder just barely knows his way. Its tangled paths calm him. 2 The people closest to a writer could not stand hearing everything that has excited him. Excitement is catching, and others hopefully have their own lives, which cannot consist only
36、 of someone elses excitement, otherwise they would suffocate. Then there are the things one cannot tell anybody, even the closest people, because one is too ashamed. It is not good if they are not articulated at all. it is not good if they pass into oblivion. The mechanisms one uses to make life eas
37、y are far too well developed. First a man says, somewhat timidly: “I really couldnt help it“. And then, in the twinkling of an eye, the matter is forgotten. To escape this unworthiness, one ought to write the thing down, and then much later, perhaps years later, when self complacence is dripping out
38、 of all ones pores, when one least expects it, one is suddenly confronted with it. “I was capable of that, I did that“. 3 The man who truly wants to know everything will learn best from his own example. But he must not spare himself, he must treat himself as though he was someone else, not less but
39、more harshly. 4 The bleakness of many diaries is due to the total lack of anything to be calmed down. One can hardly believe it, but some people are satisfied with everything around them, even with a world about to collapse. Others, despite all vicissitudes, are satisfied with themselves. 5 Thus, as
40、 we can see, calm as function of diary is no great. It is a calming of the moment, of momentary weakness, which clears the day for work, and nothing more. In the long run, diary had the reverse effect, because it keeps one awake. 26 An appropriate title for this passage might be _. （ A） The Function
41、s of Keeping a Diary （ B） Why I Keep a Diary （ C） Calming Down （ D） How to Keep a Diary 27 According to the author, the following EXCEPT _ are good reasons for keeping a diary. （ A） retaining ones own excitement （ B） recording ones private matters （ C） overcoming ones shyness （ D） helping one calm d
42、own 28 Which of the following are expected to write good diaries by the author? （ A） Those who are satisfied with their life. （ B） Those who are satisfied with themselves. （ C） Those who let things pass into oblivion. （ D） Those who have something to calm down. 28 1 The Earth might have been sent in
43、to an ice age by the break-up of a supercontinent 750 million years ago, creating a global snowball. 2 The break-up probably caused an increase in rainfall and weathering of rock, say climatologists. This would have sucked greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and caused a run-away cooling effect.
44、The mechanism could explain how the entire planet becomes encased in a mass of ice, as many researchers think it has done in the past. 3 The theory that the Earth was once completely frozen emerged in the 1960s, when scientists realized that global freezing could happen if the polar ice sheets grew
45、above a certain threshold size. Because bright ice reflects sunlight and heat back into space, growing ice sheets cause further cooling. This feedback loop could tip the climate system into a deep freeze. 4 The planet could eventually thaw as carbon dioxide from volcanoes poking through the ice warm
46、 it. 5 In the late 1980s, Joe Kirschvink of the California Institute of Technology nicknamed this state Snowball Earth. Around the same time, geologists began to uncover hints in the geological record that this freeze-thaw process might have happened at least once in the distant pastat the end of th
47、e Proterozoic eon, 600 to 800 million years ago. 6 But it was unclear what could have tipped the world into that state in the first place. Now Yannick Donnadieu of the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de LEnvironnement in Gif sur Yvette, France, and co-workers provide an explanation in this wee
48、ks Nature. 7 Donnadieu and colleagues have run computer simulations of global climate change 750 million years ago during the break-up of Rodinia, a supercontinent in which nearly all of the present-day continents were welded together around the South Pole. As the vast land mass fragmented into smal
49、ler pieces, driven by the engine of continental drift, they found that evaporation from smaller seas between the isolated continents increased the rainfall over land areas. 8 The increased rainfall in turn speeded the weathering of any exposed rock. As rock is worn away by water, chemical reactions take pl
