1、2008年北京外国语大学英语专业（基础英语）真题试卷及答案与解析 一、阅读理解 0 Please read the following passages and choose A, B, C or D to best complete the statements about them. The Greening of America How America is likely to take over leadership of the light against climate change; and how it can, get it right. A country with a p
2、residential system tends to get identified with its leader. So, for the rest of the world, America is George Bushs America right now. It is the country that has mismanaged the Iraq war; holds prisoners without trial at Guantanamo Bay; restricts funding for stem-cell research because fundamentalist r
3、eligious beliefs; and destroyed the chance of a global climate-change deal based on the Kyoto Protocol. But to simplify this is to misunderstand especially in the case of the huge, federal America. One of its great strengths is the diversity of its political, economic and cultural life. While the Wh
4、ite House dug its heels in on global warming, much of the rest of the country was moving. Thats what forced the presidents concession to greens in the state-of-the-union address. His poll ratings sinking under the weight of Iraq, President Bush is grasping for popular issues to keep him afloat; and
5、global warming has evidently become such an issue. Albeit in the context of energy security, a now familiar concern of his, President Bush spoke for the first time to Congress of “the serious challenge of global climate change“ and proposed measures designed, in part, to combat it. Its the weather,
6、appropriately, that has turned public opinionstarting with Hurricane Katrina. Scientists had been warming Americans for years that the risk of “extreme weather events“ would probably increase as a result of climate change. But scientific papers do not drive messages home as convincingly as the destr
7、uction of a city. And the heat wave that torched Americas west coast last year, accompanied by a constant drip of new research on melting glaciers and dying polar bears, has only strengthened the belief that something must be done. Business is changing its mind too. Five years ago corporate America
8、was solidly against carbon controls. But the threat of a patchwork of state regulations, combined with the opportunity to profit from new technologies, began to shift business attitudes. And that movement has gained momentum, because companies that saw their competitors espouse carbon controls began
9、 to fear that, once the government got down to designing regulations, they would be left out of the discussion if they did not jump on the band wagon. So now the loudest voices are not resisting change but arguing for it. Support for carbon controls has also grown among some unlikely groups: securit
10、y hawks(who want to reduce Americas dependence on Middle Eastern oil); farmers(who like subsidies for growing the raw material for ethanol); and evangelicals(who worry that man should looking after the Earth God gave him a little better). This alliance has helped persuade politicians to move. Arnold
11、 Schwarzenegger, Californias Republican governor, has led the advance, with muscular measures legislating Kyoto-style curbs in his state. His popularity has rebounded as a result. And now there is movement too at the federal level, which is where it really matters. Bills to tackle climate change hav
12、e proliferated. And three of the serious candidates for the presidency in 2008John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obamaare all pushing for federal measures. Unfortunately, President Bushs newfound interest in climate change is coupled with, and distorted by, his focus on energy security. Reducin
13、g Americas petrol consumption by 20% in 2017, a target he announced in the state-of-the-union address, would certainly diminish the countrys dependence on Middle Eastern oil, but the way he plans to go about it may not be either efficient or clean. Increasing fuel-economy standards for cars and truc
14、ks will go part of the way, but for most of the switch America will have to rely on a greater use of alternative fuels. That means ethanol(inefficient because of heavy subsidies and high tariffs on imports of foreign ethanol)or liquefied coal(filthy because of high carbon emissions). The measure of
15、President Bushs failure to tackle this issue seriously is his continued rejection of the only two clean and efficient solutions to climate change. One is a carbon tax, which this paper has long advocated. The second is a cap-and-trade system of the sort Europe introduced to meet the Kyoto targets. I
16、t would limit companies emissions while allowing them to buy and sell permits to pollute. Either system should, by setting a price on carbon, discourage emission; and, in doing so, encourage the development and use of cleaner-energy technologies. Just as Americas adoption of catalytic converters led
17、 eventually to the worlds conversion to lead-free petrol, so its drive to clean-energy technologies will ensure that these too spread. A tax is unlikely because of Americas aversion to that three-letter word. Given that, it should go for a tough cap-and-trade system. In doing so, it can usefully lea
18、rn from Europes experience. First, get good data. Europe failed to do so: companies were given too many permits, and emissions have therefore not fallen. Second, auction permits(which are, in effect, money)rather than giving them away free. Europe gave them away, which allowed polluters to make wind
19、fall profits. This will be a huge fight; for, if the federal government did what the Europeans did, it would hand out $40 billion to $50 billion in permits. Third, set a long time-horizon. Europeans do not know whether carbon emissions will still be constrained after 2012, when Kyoto runs out. Since
20、 most clean-energy projects have a payback period of more than five years, the system thus fails to encourage green investment. One of Americas most admirable characteristics is its belief that it has a duty of moral leadership. At present, however, its not doing too well on that score. Global warmi
21、ng could change that. By tackling the issue now it could regain the high moral ground(at the same time forging ahead in the clean-energy business, which Europe might otherwise dominate). And it looks as though it will; for even if the Toxic Texan continues to evade the issue, his successor will gras
22、p it. 1 It can be inferred from the first paragraph that_. （ A） America is busy dealing with the Iraq war and the Guantanamo Bay prisoners （ B） America is interested in stem-cell research （ C） America despises the global climate-change deal （ D） America declines to sign the Kyoto Protocol 2 “Dig one
23、s heels in“ in the second paragraph means_. （ A） improve by pressure （ B） judge by oneself （ C） refuse to change ones mind （ D） pay more attention to 3 Which is NOT the reason that causes the corporate America to change its mind over carbon controls? （ A） The state regulations are getting strict. （
24、B） There is an opportunity to profit from new technologies. （ C） Some competitors approve of carbon controls. （ D） The loudest voices are supporting carbon controls. 4 According to the author, which is NOT a practicable way to reduce carbon emissions in America? （ A） Imposition of a carbon tax. （ B）
25、 Establishment of a cap-and-trade system. （ C） Permission to buy and sell permits to pollute. （ D） Setting a price on carbon. 5 Because of the Americans distaste for tax, the author suggests that all of the following should be done EXCEPT that_. （ A） a suitable number of permits be offered （ B） the
26、price for the permits be set （ C） carbon emissions be tackled in a long-term view （ D） carbon emissions be loosened after 2012 6 The polluters “windfall profits“(Para. 8)stands for_. （ A） the privilege granted by the permits （ B） the unexpected lucky gain from the permits （ C） the financial support
27、from the federal government （ D） the illegal interests made by the polluters 6 Southern Slang Whenever I return to North Carolina, my home state in Americas Southeast, more than the familiar rolling grassland hills tells me Im home: Back there, my ears perk up to familiar bits of Southern-style Amer
28、ican English, a regional delicacy that has yet to sneak its way into China. “Listen up good now, because Im fixin to tell you all about it.“ I had been looking forward to a nice, big Christmas dinner for some time leading up to my most recent visit home, because I knew I would be “eating high on the
29、 hog“. This Southernism, which originally meant having the luxury of eating the highest-quality parts of the pig, now simply refers to enjoying good food in large quantities. My moms delicious baked ham did happen to be on the table as we feasted this Christmas, but the presence of pork is hardly a
30、necessity for eating high on the hog, nor does one have to be in the South to do so. In fact, the phrase often passes through my mind when I sit down to a steaming hot pot or a bow of Xinjiang-style noodles in Beijing. But for Southerners who enjoy good barbecued pork(and there arent many who dont),
31、 theres a great way to eat high on the hog while eating every part of it: go to “a pig pickin“. A pig pickin is not so much a meal as it is an event, where people gather around a whole hog which is slow-roasted in a smoky oven until its tender meat can be, picked right off the bones and eaten. There
32、s only one way to describe the taste, of juicy barbecue on a summer afternoon: “finger-lickin good! “ Many Southern colloquialisms reflect the agricultural heritage of the region, and so lots of Southern slang calls on images or personalities we associate with animals. After a long, hard day at work
33、, nothing describes someone is exhausted quite as vividly as saying he or she is “clog tired“, evoking an image of a lazy, long-eared hound dog lazing on a front porch. Or, if someone has a natural intelligence for understanding the ways of the world, we may say that person has “horse sense“, like a
34、 trusty four-legged friend who always knows which way to go when it comes to a fork in the road. The Souths long-standing religious traditions also pepper the speech of locals. When a proper Southerner wants to express that something will happen if all goes well, he might say, “Good Lord willin and
35、the creek dont rise“, which recalls more primitive times when many Southern farmers relied on good weather conditions for their livelihoods. For example, one friend might say to another when arranging a weekend picnic, “Good Lord willin and the creek dont rise, Ill see you on Sunday.“ If that weeken
36、d brings a thunderstorm, raining out the picnic, the two unlucky friends may curse the weather, calling it “god-awful“. Perhaps the two uniquely Southern words that are best known in other parts of the world are “yall“, which is a shortened version of “you all“, and the infamous “aint“, which means
37、“is not“, “are not“ or “am not“. While, Southerners and non-Southerners will probably never stop arguing over whether or not these officially qualify as English words(they are in the dictionary, if that courts for anything), they are undeniably part of the Southern vocabulary. One of the charms of t
38、he way Southerners speaks is that they often have a multitude of colorful ways to say very simple things. If someone plans to do something very soon, he could say any number of ways, some of which may bring a smile, to the listeners face. Instead of saying “right away“, a Southerner might substitute
39、 any of the following: “faster than you can skin a cat“; “quicker than you can say Jack Robinson“(dont ask me who Jack is); “right now in a minute“; or “lickety-split“. Southern-style English is something that many Americans feel very strongly about. While many natives of the South are proud of the
40、distinction their slang brings to their speech, other English speakers often turn their noses up at the earthy, down home tone of the regions slang. But love it or hate it, the English of the American South is full of personality and like nothing else youll ever hear. 7 What the author wants to tell
41、 in the first paragraph is that_. （ A） he is fairly familiar with the scene of Americas Southeast （ B） everybody knows well that North Carolina is fascinating （ C） southern English is very expressive and rich in imagery （ D） it is worthwhile to introduce something about his hometown 8 What the autho
42、r means by “eating high on the hog“ is_. （ A） having a big meal （ B） eating the highest-quality parts of the pig （ C） enjoying delicious baked ham （ D） living very comfortably 9 According to the passage, the uniqueness of Southern colloquialisms can be traced to all of the following factors EXCEPT_.
43、 （ A） agricultural heritage （ B） religious traditions （ C） irregular abbreviations （ D） eating habits 10 Which of the reasons listed below DOES NOT explain why many Americans feel strongly about southern-style English? （ A） Because it is vivid and interesting. （ B） Because it is special and distinct
44、. （ C） Because it enjoys high prestige in the United States. （ D） Because it is considered inferior by some people. 11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage about southern-style English? （ A） A dialect that bears the marks of religious traditions. （ B） An art of conversation to be p
45、racticed and enjoyed. （ C） A dialect with many colorful ways to talk about plain things. （ D） A regional dialect not yet introduced into China. 12 The authors attitude toward southern-style English is about_. （ A） partial （ B） objective （ C） with disdain （ D） with love 二、判断题 12 Read the following pa
46、ssage carefully and then, decide whether the statements which follow are true(T)or false(F). X-Celling Over Men Men are always telling me not to generalize about them. But a startling new study shows that science is backing me up here. Research published last week in the journal Nature reveals that
47、women are genetically more complex than scientists ever imagined, while men remain the simple creatures they appear. “Alas,“ said one of the authors of the study, the Duke University genome expert Huntington Willard, “genetically speaking, if youve met one man, youve met them all. We are, I hate to
48、say it, predictable. You cant say that about women. Men and women are farther apart than we ever knew. Its not Mars or Venus. Its Mars or Venus, Pluto, Jupiter and who knows what other planets.“ Women are not only more different from men than we knew. Women are more different from each other than we
49、 knew creatures of “infinite variety“, as Shakespeare wrote. “We poor men only have 45 chromosomes to do our work with because our 46th is the pathetic Y that has only a few genes which operate below the waist and above the knees,“ Dr. Willard observed. “In contrast, we now know that women have the full 46 chromosomes that theyre getting work from and the 46th is a second X that is working at levels greater than we knew.“ Dr. Willard and his co-author, Laura Carrel, a molecular biologi
