1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 53及答案与解析 0 If Shakira, a Colombian pop star, marries her boyfriend, the Spanish national footballer Gerard Pique, the only unusual things about it would be that she is even more famous than he is and ten years older. Otherwise, theirs would be just a celebrity example of one of the wo
2、rlds biggest social trends; the rise of international marriages that is, involving couples of different nationalities. A hundred years ago, such alliances were confined to the elite of the elite. When Randolph Churchill married Jennie Jerome of New York, it seemed as if they had stepped from the pag
3、es of a Henry James novel; brash, spirited American heiress peps up the declining fortunes of Britains aristocracy. Now, such alliances have become almost commonplace. To confine examples to politicians only: the French President Nicolas Sarkozy is married to the Italian-born Carla Bruni and his Pri
4、me Minister Frangois Fillon has a Welsh wife, Penelope Clarke. Nelson Mandela is married to Graga Machel(from Mozambique). Denmarks new Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt is married to a Briton, Stephen Kinnock. And two leading female politicians of Asian countries, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar an
5、d Indias Sonia Gandhi, are both widows from international marriages. In rich countries alone such unions number at least 10 million. International marriages matter partly because they reflect and result fromglobalisation. As people holiday or study abroad, or migrate to live and work, the visitors m
6、eet and marry locals. Their unions are symbols of cultural integration, and battlefields for conflicts over integration. Few things help immigrants come to terms with their new country more than becoming part of a local family. Though the offspring of such unions may struggle with the barriers of pr
7、ejudice, at their best international marriages reduce intolerance directly themselves, and indirectly through their offspring. Defining what counts as international is tricky too. A wedding of a local man and a foreign-born bride is easy. But the marriage of two foreigners in a third country sometim
8、es counts and sometimes doesnt. Trickiest of all is how to treat the marriage of a second-generation immigrant who has citizenship of a host country(say, the child of a Moroccan in France or a Mexican in America). If such a person marries a native Frenchwoman or an American, that usually does not co
9、unt as international, even though it is an alliance across ethnic lines. Conversely, if he marries a girl from his parents country of origin, that does count as international but this is not a marriage across an ethnic divide and may indicate isolation not assimilation. Belatedly, answers to these q
10、uestions of scale and definition are coming, chiefly thanks to the efforts of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population(IUSSP), a professional association of demographers, and, especially, of Doo-Sub Kim, a professor at Hanyang University in Seoul who chairs its panel on cross-b
11、order marriages. Global figures remain sketchy, but marriage patterns in Asia and Europe, at least, are becoming clearer. Some tentative, often surprising, conclusions are emerging. Asia is the part of the world where cross-border marriages have been rising most consistently. According to Gavin Jone
12、s of the National University of Singapore, 5% of marriages in Japan in 2008-2009 included a foreign spouse(with four times as many foreign wives as husbands). Before 1980, the share had been below 1%. In South Korea, over 10% of marriages included a foreigner in 2010, up from 3.5% in 2000. In both c
13、ountries, the share of cross-border marriages seems to have stabilised lately, perhaps as a result of the global economic slowdown. International marriages have played a significant role in modifying the ethnic homogeneity of East Asian countries. International marriages are common in much of Europe
14、, too. Calculations by Giampaolo Lanzieri, an Italian demographer, show that in France the proportion of international marriage rose from about 10% in 1996 to 16% in 2009. In Germany, the rise is a little lower, from 11.3% in 1990 to 13.7% in 2010. Some smaller countries have much higher levels. Nea
15、rly half the marriages in Switzerland are international ones, up from a third in 1990. Around one in five marriages in Sweden, Belgium and Austria involves a foreign partner. 1 The author gives examples of international marriages in politicians to_. （ A） illustrate that marriages across ethnic lines
16、 are usual for celebrities （ B） prove that cross-border marriages are rising in both Asian and European countries （ C） indicate that international marriages have spread from the elite to ordinary people （ D） imply that politicians are more likely to marry foreigners 2 According to the passage, which
17、 of the following marriages is usually counted as an international one? （ A） A Canadian man marries a Canadian woman in New Zealand. （ B） A daughter of Japanese immigrants in the U. S. marries a Japanese citizen. （ C） A second-generation Turkish German marries a native German. （ D） A son of Indian i
18、mmigrants in Britain marries an English woman. 3 Which of the following conclusions can NOT be drawn from the passage? （ A） There are still many unanswered questions regarding the scale and definition of international marriages. （ B） Rich countries show faster growth of international marriages. （ C）
19、 International marriages can effectively help immigrants integrate into the local community. （ D） The growth rates of cross-border marriages in some countries vary dramatically over time. 4 The author would NOT agree that_. （ A） international marriages have been an important social trend for a centu
20、ry （ B） the study of international marriages has not been given enough attention （ C） not all international marriages are helpful for integration of different cultures （ D） there may be a correlation between the rise of international marriages and global economic growth 5 Which of the following coun
21、tries had the highest proportion of international marriage in 2009? （ A） Germany. （ B） Japan. （ C） South Korea. （ D） France. 5 In June of 1836, Nathan Rothschild left London for Frankfurt to attend the wedding of his son Lionel to his niece(Lionels cousin Charlotte), and to discuss with his brothers
22、 the entry of Nathans children into the family business. Nathan was probably the richest man in the world, at least in liquid assets. He could, needless to say, afford whatever he pleased. Then 59 years old, Nathan was in good health if somewhat portly, a bundle of energy, untiring in his devotion t
23、o work and indomitable of temperament. When he left London, however, he was suffering from an inflammation on his lower back, toward the base of his spine.(A German physician diagnosed it as a boil, but it may have been an abscess.)In spite of medical treatment, this festered and grew painful. No ma
24、tter; Nathan got up from his sickbed and attended the wedding. Had he been bedridden, the wedding would have been celebrated in the hotel. For all his suffering, Nathan continued to deal with business matters, with his wife taking dictation. Meanwhile the great Dr. Travers was summoned from London,
25、and when he could not cure the problem, a leading German surgeon was called in, presumably to open and clean the wound. Nothing availed; the poison spread; and on 28 July 1836, Nathan died. We are told that the Rothschild pigeon post took the message back to London; He is dead. Nathan Rothschild die
26、d probably of staphylococcus or streptococcus septicemia what used to be called blood poisoning. In the absence of more detailed information, it is hard to say whether the boil(abscess)killed him or secondary contamination from the surgeons knives. This was before the germ theory existed, hence befo
27、re any notion of the importance of cleanliness. No bactericides then, much less antibiotics. And so the man who could buy anything died, of a routine infection easily cured today for anyone who could find his way to a doctor or a hospital, even a pharmacy. Medicine has made enormous strides since Na
28、than Rothschilds time. But better, more efficacious medicine the treatment of illness and repair of injury is only part of the story. Much of the increased life expectancy of these years has come from gains in prevention, cleaner living rather than better medicine. Clean water and expeditious waste
29、removal, plus improvements in personal cleanliness, have made all the difference. For a long time the great killer was gastrointestinal infection, transmitted from waste to hands to food to digestive tract; and this unseen but deadly enemy, ever present, was reinforced from time to time by epidemic
30、microbes such as the vibrio of cholera. The best avenue of transmission was the common privy, where contact with wastes was fostered by want of paper for cleaning and lack of washable underclothing. Who lives in unwashed woolens and woolens do not wash well will itch and scratch. So hands were dirty
31、, and the great mistake was failure to wash before eating. This was why those religious groups that prescribed washing the Jews, the Muslims had lower disease and death rates; which did not always count to their advantage. People were easily persuaded that if fewer Jews died, it was because they had
32、 poisoned Christian wells. The answer was found, not in changed religious belief or doctrine, but in industrial innovation. The principal product of the new technology that we know as the Industrial Revolution was cheap, washable cotton; and along with it mass-produced soap made of vegetable oils. F
33、or the first time, the common man could afford underwear, once known as body linen because that was the washable fabric that the well-to-do wore next to their skin. He(or she)could wash with soap and even bathe, although too much bathing was seen as a sign of dirtiness. Why would clean people have t
34、o wash so often? No matter. Personal hygiene changed drastically, so that commoners of the late 19th and early 20th century often lived cleaner than the kings and queens of a century earlier. The third element in the decline of disease and death was better nutrition. This owed much to increases in f
35、ood supply, even more to better, faster transport. Famines, often the product of local shortages, became rarer; diet grew more varied and richer in animal protein. These changes translated among other things into taller, stronger physiques. This was a much slower process than those medical and hygie
36、nic gains that could be instituted from above, in large part because it depended on habit and taste as well as income. As late as World War I, the Turks who fought the British expeditionary force at Gallipoli were struck by the difference in height between the steak- and mutton- fed troops from Aust
37、ralia and New Zealand and the stunted youth of British mill towns. And anyone who follows immigrant populations from poor countries into rich will note that the children are taller and better knit than their parents. 6 Which of the following expressiones is used literally, NOT metaphorically? （ A） A
38、 bundle of energy.(Paragraph Two) （ B） Enormous strides.(Paragraph Four) （ C） This unseen but deadly enemy.(Paragraph Four) （ D） The kings and queens.(Paragraph Five) 7 Which of the following factors may NOT be the cause of Nathan Rothschilds death? （ A） Failure to get timely treatment. （ B） A fatal
39、 wound on his back. （ C） Bacterial infection. （ D） Lack of good medicine and operation technique. 8 What does the author mean by saying “.the Jews, the Muslims had lower disease and death rates; which did not always count to their advantage“ in Paragraph Four? （ A） The zealous religious belief of th
40、e Jews and the Muslims delayed their adoption of industrial innovation. （ B） The Jews and the Muslims were often accused of conspiracy because their low disease and death rates were seen as suspicious. （ C） No washable underclothing was available for the Jews and the Muslims at that time. （ D） The J
41、ews and the Muslims had other unhealthy habits despite their cleanliness. 9 Which of the following statements is most consistent with the authors attitude? （ A） Improvement in nutrition was easier to achieve than provision of better medicine and washable underclothing. （ B） No doctor at that time co
42、uld have saved the life of Nathan after the boil was found. （ C） Effective medicine played a more important role in reducing disease and death than better hygiene and nutrition. （ D） The industrial revolution has not improved the health of ordinary people as much as the rich. 10 What is the main ide
43、a of this passage? （ A） The progress of medicine has improved the health of ordinary people to the level of the rich in the 19th century. （ B） The industrial revolution reduced disease and death by providing better medicine, washable fabric and richer nutrition. （ C） Improvements in medicine, person
44、al hygiene and nutrition together greatly improved peoples health and life expectancy. （ D） Our knowledge about diseases and nutrition has greatly improved since the 19th century. 10 The Japanese say they suffer from an economic disease called “ structural pessimism“. Overseas too, there is a tenden
45、cy to see Japan as a harbinger of all that is doomed in the economies of the euro zone and America even though figures released on November 14th show its economy grew by an annualised 6% in the third quarter, rebounding quickly from the March tsunami and nuclear disaster. Look dispassionately at Jap
46、ans economic performance over the past ten years, though, and “the second lost decade“ , if not the first, is a misnomer. Much of what tarnishes Japans image is the result of demography more than half its population is over 45 as well as its poor policy in dealing with it. Even so, most Japanese hav
47、e grown richer over the decade. In aggregate, Japans economy grew at half the pace of Americas between 2001 and 2010. Yet if judged by growth in GDP per person over the same period, then Japan has outperformed America and the euro zone. In part this is because its population has shrunk whereas Ameri
48、cas population has increased. Though growth in labour productivity fell slightly short of Americas from 2000 to 2008, total factor productivity, a measure of how a country uses capital and labour, grew faster, according to the Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organisation. Japans unemployment rate is
49、higher than in 2000, yet it remains about half the level of America and Europe. Besides supposed stagnation, the two other curses of the Japanese economy are debt and deflation. Yet these also partly reflect demography and can be overstated. People often think of Japan as an indebted country. In fact, it is the worlds biggest creditor nation, boasting ￥ 253 trillion($3.3 trillion)in net foreign assets. To be sure, its government is a large debtor; its net debt as a share of GDP is one of the highest in the OECD. However, the public debt has
