1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 101及答案与解析 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 marked A , B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. 0 (1)In
2、 order to tell what I believe, I must briefly sketch something of my personal history. (2)The turning point of my life was my decision to give up a promising business career and study music. My parents, although sympathetic, and sharing my love of music, disapproved of it as a profession. This was u
3、nderstandable in view of the family background. My grandfather had taught music for nearly forty years at Springhill College in Mobile and, though much beloved and respected in the community, earned barely enough to provide for his large family. My father often said it was only the hardheaded thrift
4、iness of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay. As a consequence of this example in the family, the very mention of music as a profession carried with it a picture of precarious existence with uncertain financial reward. My parents insisted upon college instead of a conservatory of music, and to
5、college I went quite happily, as I remember, for although I loved my violin and spent most of my spare time practicing, I had many other interests. (3)Before my graduation from Columbia, the family met with severe financial reverses and I felt it my duty to leave college and take a job. Thus I launc
6、hed upon a business career which I always think of as the wasted years. (4)Now I do not for a moment mean to disparage business. My whole point is that it was not for me. I went into it for money, and aside from the satisfaction of being able to help the family, money is all I got out of it. It was
7、not enough. I felt mat life was passing me by. From being merely discontented I became acutely miserable. My one ambition was to save enough to quit and go to Europe to study music. I used to get up at dawn to practice before I left for “downtown,“ distracting my poor mother by bolting a hasty break
8、fast at the last minute. Instead of lunching with my business associates, I would seek out some cheap cafe, order a meager meal and scribble my harmony exercises. I continued to make money, and finally, bit by bit, accumulated enough to enable me to go abroad. The family being once more solvent, and
9、 my help no longer necessary, I resigned from my position and, feeling like man released from jail, sailed for Europe. I stayed four years, worked harder than I had ever dreamed of working before and enjoyed minute of it. (5)“Enjoyed“ is too mild a word. I walked on air. I really lived. I was a free
10、 man and I was doing what I was meant to do. (6)If I had stayed in business I might be a comparatively wealthy man today, but I do not believe I would have made a success of living. I would have given up all those intangibles, those inner satisfactions that money can never buy, and that are too ofte
11、n sacrificed when a mans primary goal is financial success. (7)When I broke away from business it was against the advice of practically all my friends and family. So conditioned are most of us to the association of success with money that the thought of giving up a good salary for an idea seemed lit
12、tle short of insane. If so, all I can say is “Gee, its great to be crazy.“ (8)Money is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to pay too high a price for it. 1 What is the rhetoric device used in the sentence “it was only the hardheaded thriftiness of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay“ in Para
13、. 2? （ A） Synecdoche. （ B） Simile. （ C） Personification. （ D） Metaphor. 2 The point of Para. 4 is about _. （ A） how painfully the author endured his business career for his goal of music （ B） how boring the authors business career was that he could not wait to quit （ C） how busy the authors business
14、 career was that he rarely had good breakfasts （ D） how depressed the author felt because he had to support the whole family 3 The sentence “I walked on air.“ in Para. 5 indicates that the author _. （ A） could not find his place in a totally new environment （ B） felt at loss when beginning a new lif
15、e away from home （ C） was exceedingly happy because he had quitted his job which he didnt like to do （ D） felt elevated and optimistic because he was doing what he loved to do 4 According to the authors view, money is _. （ A） nothing but impediment to success （ B） valuable but not the most important
16、 （ C） sometimes equaled to success （ D） capable of offering people freedom 4 (1)Among emblems of old age, a womans curved spine is one of the most powerful and haunting, at once both metaphor and augury. It conjures up the crush of lifes passage. More terrible, it often heralds lifes end. For the hu
17、mped back is often the most visible sign of osteoporosis, a progressive disease that leaves bones thin and brittle. Even so simple a motion as walking or sitting can collapse vertebrae and fracture wrists and hips. Those who suffer such breaks rarely recover their mobility. In America many wind up i
18、n nursing homes. One-quarter die within six months of a hip fracture. (2)The sight of an elderly person with a stoop sets people to wondering, “will that happen to me?“ Up to now, there has been no way to answer that question. Though osteoporosis afflicts, for example, about 25 million Americans, mo
19、st of them women, the disease offers no early symptoms. Usually it is not diagnosed until after age 50, when a victim suffers a fracture. But that may soon change. Last week a term of Australian scientists reported that they have identified a single gene that appears to put people at very high risk
20、of developing osteoporosis. (3)The genetic studies are still preliminary, but if confirmed, they could lead to a simple screening test that would alert vulnerable people at a young age, early enough for them to take steps that could help ward off the disease. Says Dr. John Eisman, who led me groundi
21、ng breaking research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney: “I envision a woman going in for a blood test, which will become as routine as a cholesterol check, to assess her bone density and risk for osteoporosis.“ (4)In a report to Nature, the researchers announced mat they have fou
22、nd two versions of a specific gene mat are associated with varying bone density. One type, which they dubbed “b“, is linked with stronger skeletons, and the other, labeled “B“, with weaker ones. The gene itself directs construction of receptors(docking sites within the cell)for a form of vitamin D m
23、at plays a crucial role in bone formation. Once vitamin D locks in, me receptors act as a sort of control tower, switching on and off other genes that regulate calcium absorption and me constant renewal of bone. (5)Until about age 35, the body synthesizes new skeletal tissue faster than it dies. The
24、n me balance reverses, with bone being lost faster than it is replaced. In osteoporosis, that normal wasting away reaches such a hazardous level that bones become fragile. They lose their usual spongelike appearance and are more like porous lace. While both men and women experience bone loss, women
25、are much more susceptible to osteoporosis. Bone deteriorates faster after menopause, probably in part because of a sharp drop in levels of the hormone estrogen. (6)According to the new research, the risk of osteoporosis depends heavily on which versions of the vitamin D receptor gene an individual i
26、nherits. Since each parent contributes a copy, a persons genetic endowment can be bb, Bb or BB. The most severe threat occurs, says molecular biologist Nigel Morrison, of the Australian team, “When you inherit a double whammy of the low-bone-density form of the gene. Then you are at risk of having o
27、steoporosis by age 65.“ (7)Examining 311 women, the scientists discovered that those with the BB combination had spines fragile enough to fracture by about 18 years after menopause. Bb women reached this fracture threshold four years later, and those carrying bb genes not until 29 years after menopa
28、use. (8)Like so many genetic discoveries these days, the new findings are likely to be a mixed blessing. A screening test could identify people at high risk of osteoporosis even at birth. That knowledge would provide relief for some parents and their offspring and certain worry for others. But resea
29、rchers stress that having the B form of the vitamin D receptor gene does not doom people to a severe case of the disease. (9)In fact, bone density is determined about 75% by heredity and 25% by environmental factors. As a hedge against later bone erosion, children identified as vulnerable to osteopo
30、rosis will be urged to build up their bone density by increasing their calcium intake and exercising with weights. Those at high risk will also be strongly advised to shun cigarettes and alcohol, which speed up bone loss, and perhaps take vitamin D supplements and estrogen replacement pills after me
31、nopause. Eventually, researchers hope to develop new drugs that stimulate bone formation. “The whole business of genetic testing is clouded by things we cant control,“ observes Morrison. “What is good is that, here, we can do something about the threat.“ 5 What is the relationship between the first
32、and second paragraphs? （ A） The second leads to the topic based on the first. （ B） The second provides a contrast to the first paragraph. （ C） The first and the second coordinate to introduce the topic. （ D） The second explains the first from another perspective. 6 Which of the following is NOT true
33、 about peoples bone changes after the age of 35? （ A） The balance between the renewal and dying of skeleton tissues reverses. （ B） The faster pace of bone erosion may cause the bone thin and brittle. （ C） The bone gradually takes on an appearance like porous lace. （ D） There is less new replacement
34、than wasting away of bone tissues. 7 According to the passage, women _ are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis. （ A） over the age of 60 years old （ B） carrying the BB form genes （ C） carrying the bb form genes （ D） smoking or drinking heavily 8 The following are direct precautions against bone e
35、rosion EXCEPT _. （ A） keeping exercising with weights （ B） supplementing vitamin D after menopause （ C） increasing calcium and estrogen intake （ D） taking routine blood tests from early age 8 (1)As I dodge Parisians walking their poodles and pushing baby strollers in a vibrant market street, Im remi
36、nded that one of the reasons Paris is endlessly entertaining is because of its neighborhoods. On streets such as rue des Martyrs, real people make cozy communities in the midst of this vast, high-powered city. You find a warm and human vibrancy you miss when just hopping from big museum to museum. (
37、2)Strung across the road above me, a banner announces a neighborhood “clean-your-attic-day“ sale. At a bakery, a sign in the window still brags its baguettes were voted the best in Paris in 2007. And next to me, a line of motorbikes are poised to deliver sushi, pizza-style, to the next caller. (3)Ru
38、e des Martyrs leads toward the center of Paris from the busy boulevard Clichy. As you wander, you feel the reality of raising a family and a sense of neighborhood in this urban setting. Still, security is a concern. Several side streets are “voie privee“private lanes for high-rise, gated communities
39、. The school has barriers to keep possible car bombs at a distance. (4)Shopping for groceries is an integral part of everyday life here. Parisians shop almost daily for three good reasons: Refrigerators are small(tiny kitchens), produce must be fresh, and its an important social event. Shopping is a
40、 chance to hear about the butchers vacation plans, see photos of the florists new grandchild, relax over “un cafe,“ and kiss the cheeks of friends. In a Parisian neighborhood like this, people know their merchants as if it were a village. (5)Goods spill onto the sidewalk. And locals happily pay more
41、 at a shop thats not part of a chain. The corner charcuterie still sells various meats. But its morphed with the times by offering more variety, prepared dishes sold by weight, and even a few tables so that customers can eat in as well as take out. (6)Across the street is one of the countless late-n
42、ight groceries, which are generally run by North African immigrants who are willing to work the night shift, earning their living off wealthy locals who gladly pay the high prices for the convenience. Locals warn me that any place advertising prices by the half-kilo is trying to mask a very high mar
43、kup. (7)The cheese shop has been serving the neighborhood ever since it used to keep goats and cows out back. This fromagerie preserves its old marble shelves, aluminum milk jugs, and World War II vintage scales, as if to show off its community roots. And rather than big name cheeses, it sells only
44、the products of small artisan farms. (8)Locals know the butcher serves top grade beef a big concern after what they translate as the “crazy cow“ problem The ceiling hooks where butchers once hung sides of beef now display just a red medallion that certifies the slaughtered cows quality. (9)At the pa
45、tisserie you can jostle with a discerning and salivating clientele for the tasty, little typically French works of art. They bake up special treats in sync with each season: Easter, Christmas or whatever. Im here at the end of the school year and its the season for First Communions so thats the them
46、e filling the window displays. (10)And the tobacco shop/cafe on the corner is coping with the new, no-smoking law by putting out heaters and as many tables as will fit on the sidewalk(where smoking is permitted). Chinese immigrants now generally run these shops, which were once run by rural people f
47、rom Auvergne in central France. (11)The trendy baby clothes store is a reminder mat the French love to doll up their babies. In the last generation, an aging and shrinking population has been a serious problem for Europes wealthier nations. But France now has one of Europes highest birth rates the f
48、ertile French average is about two children per family, compared to 1.6 for the rest of Europe. Babies are in vogue today, and the French government rewards parents with substantial tax deductions for their first two children and then doubles the tax break after that. Making babies is good business.
49、 (12)Rue des Martyrs finishes with a commercial climax before ending at the neighborhood church the Neoclassical(from 1836)Notre Dame de Lorette. And from there, steps lead into the Metro, where all of Paris is just 1.10 euros($1.60)and a few minutes away. 9 Which of the following is NOT the reason that causes Parisians to shop daily? （ A） To cope with the small storing space at home. （ B） To ensure the freshness of product. （ C） To achieve social communication by shopping. （ D） To get familiar with the neighborhood shop keep
