1、2012 年中山大学英语专业（基础英语）真题试卷及答案与解析一、阅读理解0 Without some appreciation of common large numbers, its impossible to react with the proper skepticism to terrifying reports that more than a million American kids are kidnapped each year, or with the proper sobriety to a warhead carrying a megaton of explosive p
2、owerthe equivalent of a million tons(or two billion pounds)of TNT.And if you dont have some feeling for probabilities, automobile accidents might seem a relatively minor problem of local travel, whereas being killed by terrorists might seem to be a major risk when going overseas. As often observed,
3、however, the 45, 000 people killed annually on American roads are approximately equal in number to all Americans dead in the Vietnam War. On the other hand, the seventeen Americans killed by terrorists in 1985 were among the 28 million of us who traveled abroad that yearthats one chance in 1. 6 mill
4、ion of becoming a victim. Compare that with these annual rates in the United States; one chance in 68, 000 of choking to death; one chance in 75 , 000 of dying in a bicycle crash; one chance in 20, 000 of drowning; and one chance in only 5, 300 of dying in a car crash.Confronted with these large num
5、bers and with the correspondingly small probabilities associated with them, the innumerate will inevitably respond with the non sequitur, * “Yes, but what if youre that one, “ and then nod knowingly, as if theyve demolished your argument with penetrating insight. This tendency to personalize is a ch
6、aracteristic of many who suffer from innumeracy. Equally typical is a tendency to equate the risk from some obscure and exotic malady with the chances of suffering from heart and circulatory disease, from which about 12, 000 Americans die each week.Theres a joke I like thats marginally relevant. An
7、old married couple in their nineties contact a divorce lawyer, who pleads with them to stay together. “Why get divorced now after seventy years of marriage?“ The little old lady finally pipes up in a creaky voice: “We wanted to wait until the children were dead. “A feeling for what quantities or tim
8、e spans are appropriate in various contexts is essential to getting the joke. Slipping between millions and billions or between billions and trillions should in this sense be equally funny, but it isnt, because we too often lack an intuitive grasp for these numbers.A recent study by Drs. Kronlund an
9、d Phillips of the University of Washington showed that most doctors assessments of the risks of various operations, procedures, and medications(even in their own specialties)were way off the mark, often by several orders of magnitude. I once had a conversation with a doctor who, within approximately
10、 20 minutes, stated that a certain procedure he was contemplating(a)had a one-chance-in-a-million risk associated with it;(b)was 99 percent safe; and(c)usually went quite well. Given the fact that so many doctors seem to believe that there must be at least eleven people in the waiting room if theyre
11、 to avoid being idle, Im not surprised at this new evidence of their innumeracy.* A non sequitur is a statement that does not follow logically from previous statements.1 Which of the following can be inferred to be the authors view of the “ reports that more than a million American kids are kidnappe
12、d each year“(Paragraph 1)?（A）They are typical examples of American journalism.（B） They are evidence of a terrible problem that must be addressed.（C） They are probably untrue.（D）They demonstrate an American obsession with statistics.2 The list of probabilities cited in Paragraph 2 is intended to illu
13、strate_.（A）that probability can be used in many different ways in everyday life（B） that terrorism is far less a threat to Americans than many other common dangers（C） that the world is filled with many dangers（D）that a knowledge of probability can help Americans decide where to travel most safely abr
14、oad3 Which of the following is NOT an element of the discussion in this passage?（A）A refutation of a scientific theory.（B） A personal recollection.（C） A reference to an authoritative study.（D）A discussion of a common misconception.4 What is the authors view of the “penetrating insight“ mentioned in
15、Line 3 , Paragraph 3?（A）It is the result of careful analysis.（B） It is illogical.（C） It demolishes a statistical argument.（D）It does not sufficiently personalize the situation being discussed.5 The author mentions the time span of “approximately 20 minutes“(Line 4, Paragraph 6)in order to emphasize_
16、.（A）the doctors inability to appreciate relevant time spans（B） the comparison with the elderly couple in the preceding joke（C） the frequency with which the doctor contradicted himself（D）the common need to approximate rather than use precise numbers 5 There is a canal two rods wide along the northerl
17、y and westerly sides of the pond, and wider still at the east end. A great field of ice has cracked off from the main body. I hear a song sparrow singing from the bushes on the shore. He too is helping to crack it. How handsome the great sweeping curves in the edge of the ice, answering somewhat to
18、those of the shore, but more regular! It is unusually hard, owing to the recent severe but transient cold, and all watered or waved like a palace floor. But the wind slides eastward over its opaque surface in vain, till it reaches the living surface beyond. It is glorious to behold this ribbon of wa
19、ter sparkling in the sun, the bare face of the pond full of glee and youth, as if it spoke the joy of the fishes within it, and of the sands on its shore.The change from storm and winter to serene and mild weather, from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which
20、all things proclaim. It is seemingly instantaneous at last. Suddenly an influx of light filled my house, though the evening was at hand, and the clouds of winter still overhung it, and the eaves were dripping with sleety rain. I looked out the window, and look! Where yesterday was cold gray ice ther
21、e lay the transparent pond already calm and full of hope as in a summer evening reflecting a summer evening sky in its bosom, though none was visible overhead. The pitch pines and shrub oaks about my house, which had so long drooped suddenly resumed their several characters, looked brighter, greener
22、, and more erect and alive, as if effectually cleansed and restored by the rain. I know that it would not rain any more. You may tell by looking at any twig of the forest, aye, at your very woodpile, whether its winter is past or not. As it grew darker, I was startled by the honking of geese flying
23、low over the woods, like weary travelers getting in late from southern lakes, and indulging at last in unrestrained complaint and mutual consolation.Standing at my door, I could hear the rush of their wings; when, driving toward my house, they suddenly spied my light, and with hushed clamor wheeled
24、and settled in the pond.In the morning I watched the geese from the door through the mist, sailing in the middle of the pond, fifty rods off, large and tumultuous. But when I stood on the shore they at once rose up with great flapping of wings at the signal of their commander, and when they had got
25、into rank circled about over my head, twenty-nine of them, and then steered straight to Canada, with a regular honk from the leader at intervals. A plump of ducks rose at the same time and took the route to the north in the wake of their noisier cousins.For a week I heard the circling groping clango
26、r of some solitary goose in the foggy mornings, seeking its companion, and still peopling the woods with the sound of a larger life than they could sustain. In April the pigeons were seen again flying express in small flocks, and in due time I heard the martins twittering over my clearing, though it
27、 had not seemed that the township contained so many that it could afford me any, and I fancied that they were peculiarly of the ancient race that dwelt in hollow trees ere white men came. In almost all climes the tortoise and the frog are among the precursors and herald of this season, and birds fly
28、 with song and glancing plumage, and plants spring and bloom, and winds blow to correct this slight oscillation of the poles and preserve the equilibrium of Nature.As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of
29、the Golden Age.6 From the passage, one can infer that the_.（A）geese are back（B） martins are singing（C） woodpile is well stocked（D）pond is melting7 The overall purpose of this passage seems to be the narrators_.（A）desire to sound poetic（B） delight to see the pond water（C） description of the bird life
30、 around him（D）celebration of the oncoming season8 What is the predominant literary device used throughout this passage?（A）Personification.（B） Restrained description.（C） Bombastic narration.（D）Rhetorical question.9 The tone of this passage can best be described as_.（A）colloquial（B） informative（C） unr
31、estrained（D）poetic10 The narrator describes the water as all of the following EXCEPT_.（A）a canal two rods wide（B） a reflection of the sky（C） a mirror of his soul（D）a transparent pond11 The geese are best characterized through a series of_.（A）similes and metaphors（B） aural and visual images（C） emotio
32、nal reflections（D）unrelated impressions12 Which is a subject not treated in this passage?（A）The connectedness of people to nature.（B） The innocence of mankind.（C） The cyclical certainty of nature.（D）The glory of a long-awaited event.12 I received Everetts Life of Washington which you sent me, and en
33、joyed its perusal. How his spirit would be grieved could he see the wreck of his mighty labors! I will not, however, permit myself to believe, until all ground of hope is gone, that the fruit of his noble deeds will be destroyed, and that his precious advice and virtuous example will so soon be forg
34、otten by his countrymen. As far as I can judge by the papers, we are between a state of anarchy and civil war. May God avert both of these evils from us! I see that four states had declared themselves out of the Union; four more will apparently follow their example. Then, if the border states are br
35、ought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other. I must try and be patient and await the end, for I can do nothing to hasten or retard it.The South, in my opinion, has been aggrieved by the acts of the North, as you say. I feel the aggression and am willi
36、ng to take every proper step for redress. It is the principle I contend for, not individual or private benefit. As an American citizen, I take great pride in my country, her prosperity and institutions, and would defend any state if her rights were invaded. But I can anticipate no greater calamity f
37、or the country than a dissolution of the Union. It would be an accumulation of all the evils we complain of, and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation. I hope, therefore, that all constitutional means will be exhausted before there is a resort to force. Secession is not
38、hing but revolution. The framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom, and forbearance in its formation, and surrounded it with so many guards and securities, for it was intended to be broken by every member of the Confederacy at will. It was intended for “ perpetual union, “ so
39、 expressed in the preamble, and for the establishment of a government, not a compact, which can only be dissolved by revolution or the consent of all the people in convention assembled. It is idle to talk of secession. Anarchy would have been established, and not a government, by Washington, Hamilto
40、n, Jefferson, Madison, and the other patriots of the Revolution . Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. I shall mourn for my country and for the welfare and progr
41、ess of mankind. If the Union is dissolved, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none.13 The “ he“ the speaker refers to in the opening paragraph is_.（A）Everett, author of Life of Washington（B） General Robert E.Lee（C） Georg
42、e Washington（D）the president in office when the selection was written, Abraham Lincoln14 The narrators attitude toward George Washington is that he_.（A）admires Washington for his personal traits but recognizes that his style of leadership is ill-suited to the present conflict（B） understands that Was
43、hington is aggrieved by the acts of the North（C） praises Washington as a man of great actions, fine advice, and unshakable ethics（D）believes that Washington has contributed to the present state of anarchy and civil war15 Based on his description of George Washington, we can infer that the narrator/s
44、peaker_.（A）admires people of noble character and sought such greatness of spirit himself（B） has great inner strength but shies away from physical confrontation（C） is intolerant of anyone who does not meet his exacting standards of behavior（D）is humble in the face of adversity but fully believes that
45、 he will be as famous as Washington one day16 From his remarks, we can infer that the speaker_.（A）is a Northerner who strongly believes that the South has been wronged by the North in the present conflict（B） loves his country but not its leaders（C） is loyal but only to the point of actual war; then
46、he will lay down his arms and be a martyr（D）is highly patriotic17 What conclusion can you draw about the speakers character from the conclusion?（A）He is devoted to his state, but hates war.（B） He is a natural leader who has much experience with public service.（C） He is judgmental and rigid.（D）He is
47、cowardly and faint-of-heart.18 The thesis or main idea of the passage is that_.（A）people must take up arms in defense of their country; to do any less is cowardice（B） the Union is being tested by wrongs committed by both the North and the South（C） the Union will always endure, no matter what happens
48、（D）anarchy is a healthy state because it leads to positive change19 Based on its point of view, tone, form, and content, this passage is most likely an excerpt from a_.（A）public speech（B） journal or diary entry（C） short story（D）letter20 The authors diction can best be characterized as_.（A）formal and
49、 precise（B） informal and relaxed（C） mediocre but educated（D）colloquial and informal二、句子改错21 Correct the mistakes in the following sentences: underline the wrong parts and put the correct ones in the brackets. If there is no error, use a or write “No error“ on the ANSWER SHEET.(10 points)The lack of progress in international relations reveals that governments must study the art of diplomacy much closer.22 Before the curtain rose, Anthony wished that he were back in bed, only dreaming about perform
