《高级英语》期末考试试卷(A)

四川外语学院

2005 －2006 学年第 一 学期

《高级英语》期末考试试卷（A）

考试时间： 120 分钟

系部：英语语言文化系 年级： 2003级 班级：

I. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words and phrases. (10%) appeal to press forward in the long run withdraw from to the utmost at odds keep abreast of devoid of in due course insistent on 1. The child seems to be quite __________ any sense of right or wrong. Not

surprising really when you think what his parents are like.

2. With that possibility in mind, I shall find the murderer __________.

3. Modern liberalism is fundamentally ___ ________ with democratic government

because it demands results that ordinary people would not freely choose.

4. In the extension of medical services to all the people, the qualified medical and

hospital facilities already established are utilized __________. 5. Moving to Spain will be better for you __ ________. 6. Farmers have ____________ the government for help.

7. A great many worries can ________ him ______ active participation in work and

life.

8. So much is happening in the world of science that it’s difficult to __________ all

the latest developments.

9. Those individuals and companies confined to all-domestic operations are

most likely to suffer by lower prices and have been among those most ____________ tariff protection.

10. What happened today does nothing to diminish it. We must _________ on

manned space mission.

II. Paraphrase the following sentences, especially paying attention to the underlined part. （20%）

1. The plutonium would then be vaporized and released into the environment; and there goes Florida. (Jenny Clanton)

2. Two failures in nine trips are great in baseball, but not when we’re dealing with nuclear payloads. (Jenny Clanton)

3. If a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor… (John F. Kennedy)

4. … to remember that in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside. (John F. Kennedy)

5. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. (John F. Kennedy)

6. Let us redouble our exertions, and strike with united strength while life and power remain. (Winston Churchill)

7. All this fades away before the spectacle which is now unfolding. (Winston Churchill)

8. The scene will be clear for the final act, without which all his conquests will be in vain. (Winston Churchill)

9. …affection which is received should liberate the affection which is to be given, and only where both exist in equal measure does affection achieve its best possibilities. (Bertrand Russell)

10. Evidently this springs from some defect in their nature, but it is one not altogether easy either to diagnose or to cure. (Bertrand Russell)

III. Point out the rhetorical device in the underlined part of each sentence and write your answers on the answer sheet. Only one item can be chosen for each sentence. (10%)

personification metonymy rhetoric question onomatopoeia antithesis transferred epithet metaphor parallelism alliteration simile

1. She was, to be sure, a girl who excited the emotions, but I was not one to let my heart rule my head.

2. I like all the small noises of a ship: the faint creaking…, the slap of a rope, the hiss of sudden spray.

3. It is, after all, easier to make a beautiful dumb girl smart than to make an ugly smart girl beautiful.

4. No one, least of all I, anticipated that my case would snowball into one of the most famous trials in U.S. history.

5. But above all I love these long purposeless days in which I shed all that I have ever been.

6. It was that population … and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring and recklessness of cost or consequences.

7. There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge, and wisdom. Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels?

8. I now stood on the site of the first atomic bombardment, where thousands upon thousands of people had been slain in one second, where thousands upon thousands of others had lingered on to die in slow agony, where thousands upon thousands of cities had vanished in sorrow and tears. 9. The children went from adult to adult like buckets in a fire brigade.

10. A moment later, the hurricane in one mighty swipe, lifted the entire roof off the house and skimmed it 40 feet through the air.

IV. Proofreading (10%) (see “Answer Sheet”) V． Reading comprehension (25%)

Passage 1

Failure is probably the most fatiguing experience a person ever has. There is nothing more enervating than not succeeding—being blocked, not moving ahead. It is a vicious circle. Failure breeds fatigue, and the fatigue makes it harder to get to work, which compounds the failure. We experience this tiredness in two main ways: as start-up fatigue and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task that we are under some compulsions to discharge. Either because it is too tedious or because it is too difficult, we shirk it. And the longer we postpone it, the more tired we feel.

Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The remedy is obvious, though perhaps not easy to apply, an exertion of will power. The moment I find myself turning away from a job, or putting it under a pile of other things I have to do, I clear my desk of every thing else and

attach the objectionable item first. To prevent start-up fatigue, always tackle the most difficult job first.

Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Here we are not reluctant to get started but we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear insurmountable and however hard we work, we fail again and again. The mounting experience of failure carries with it an ever-increasing burden of mental fatigue. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can—then let the unconscious take over.

1. Which of the following can be called a vicious circle? A. Success-zeal-success-zeal

B. Failure-tiredness-failure-tiredness C. Failure-zeal-failure-zeal

D. Success-exhaustion-success-exhaustion

2. According to the passage, when we keep putting off a task, we can experience______. A. tiredness B. performance fatigue

C. start-up fatigue D. unconsciousness 3. To overcome start-up fatigue, we need ______. A. toughness B. prevention C. muscles D. strong willpower 4. The word “insurmountable” in the last paragraph probably means ______. A. that cannot be solved B. that cannot be understood C. that cannot be imagined D. that cannot be objected 5. According to the passage, which of the following statement is not true?

A. It is easier to overcome start-up fatigue

B. Performance fatigue occurs when the job we are willing to take gets blocked. C. One will finally succeed after experiencing the vicious circle D. Fatigue often accompanies failure

Passage 2

Every minute of every day, what ecologist James Carlton-- an oceanographer at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. -- calls a global \"conveyor belt\" redistributes ocean organisms. It's planet wide biological disruption that scientists have barely begun to understand. These creatures move from coastal waters where they fit into the local web of life to places where some of them could tear that web apart. This is the larger dimension of the infamous invasion of fish-destroying, pipe-clogging zebra mussels.

What concerns Carlton and his fellow marine ecologists is the lack of knowledge about the hundreds of alien invaders that quietly enter coastal waters around the world every day. What's new is the scale and speed of the migrations made possible by the massive volume of ship-ballast water, continuously moving around the world…

Ships load up with ballast water and its inhabitants in coastal waters of one port and dump the ballast in another port that may be thousands of kilometers away. A single load can run to hundreds of gallons. Some larger ships take on as much as 40 million gallons. The creatures that come along tend to be in their larva freefloating stage. When discharged in alien waters they can mature into crabs, jellyfish, slugs,

and many other forms.

Since the problem involves coastal species, simply banning ballast dumps in coastal waters would, in theory, solve it. Coastal organisms in ballast water that is flushed into midocean would not survive. Such a ban has worked for North American Inland Waterway. But it would be hard to enforce it worldwide. Heating ballast water or straining it should also halt the species spread. But before any such worldwide regulations were imposed, scientists would need a clearer view of what is going on. The continuous shuffling of marine organisms has changed the biology of the sea on a global scale. It can have devastating effects as in the case of the American comb jellyfish that recently invaded the Black Sea. It has destroyed that sea's anchovy fishery by eating anchovy eggs. It may soon spread to western and northern European waters.

The maritime nations that created the biological \"conveyor belt\" should support a coordinated international effort to find out what is going on and what should be done about it.

6. According to Dr. Carlton, ocean organisms are ____. A. being moved to new environments. B. destroying the planet.

C. succumbing to the zebra mussel. D. developing alien characteristics.

7. Oceanographers are concerned because ____. A. their knowledge of this phenomenon is limited. B. they believe the oceans are dying.

C. they fear an invasion from outer-space.

D. they have identified thousands of alien webs.

8. It can be inferred from the article that banning ballast dumps in coastal waters proved successful in _______. A. North American Inland Waterway

B. the globe C. Europe D. America

9. According to Marine ecologists, transplanted marine species ____. A. are all compatible with one another. B. may upset the ecosystems of coastal waters. C. can only survive in their home waters. D. sometimes disrupt shipping lanes.

10. The identified cause of the problem is ____.

A. the rapidity with which larvae mature.

B. a common practice of the shipping industry. C. a centuries old species.

D. the world wide movement of ocean currents.

11. The article suggests that a solution to the problem ____. A. is unlikely to be identified. B. must precede further research. C. is hypothetically easy. D. will limit global shipping.

Passage 3

The United Nation Conference on Drug Abuse that took place earlier this year in Vienna, was a very productive meeting. As never before, the nations of the world demonstrated a willingness to put aside ideological and individual differences to confront a common threat.

Most previous international gatherings on this subject have not seen the same intensity of delegate interest. Many nations have gone through a shock of recognition. A decade ago, only those nations identified as \"consuming countries\" were thought to have a serious drug problem. Today, not only have many \"producing countries\" also become \"consuming countries\" but many have missed the growth within their borders of drug trafficking gangs (often allied with terrorists) so powerful they present a danger to the state's stability. Many developing countries now have the worst of both worlds, in that they grow their own narcotics and addict large number of their own people. There is a growing sense of fright in many governments that matters are out of control and the single way to recover is through cooperation with other countries.

The high points of the conference were the drafting of two documents, both of which were adopted without a dissenting vote. One was a joint declaration of intent to combat drug abuse and trafficking. The other consisted of many derailed suggestions for particular regional and national policies.

On the demand side, the delegates recommended the establishment of a system for collecting information on the nature and scope of narcotics use. In addition, drug education should be taught in schools and governments and labor organizations should act together in the anti-drug campaign in the work place. The delegates also recommended strict adherence to international agreements to curb the supply of narcotics.

President Ronald Reagan, in his statement to the conference, reflected a somber but hopeful view. Noting the magnitude of the effort necessary, the President remarked, \"That's why this conference is so encouraging and so important--- it presents an excellent opportunity for the nations of the world to build cooperation and plan effective strategies and tactics. It won’t be easy. The alternative, however, is the continued internal decay of our societies.

12. Striking feature of the UN Conference on Drug Abuse is that ______.

A. the delegates were unprecedentedly unanimous in their attempt to control drug abuse

B. the conference touched upon many issues in the world.

C. it was held by many countries. D. two documents were signed.

13. Many countries are shocked to find that _______.

A. consuming countries are confronting a serious drug problem B. drug trafficking gangs are often allied with terrorists C. drug problem has become more serious than ever D. drug abuse if undermining their government

14. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. only those \"consuming countries\" are thought to have a serious drug problem B. the nations of the world do not have a consensus to find against drug problems. C. The United Nation Conference on Drug Abuse in Vienna was not very

productive.

D. The most important result of the United Nation Conference on Drug Abuse in

Vienna was the drafting of two important documents.

15. Many countries have realized that the single way to control drugs is through ___________.

A. cooperation in the developed countries B. cooperation in the developing countries C. domestic policies

D. world-wide cooperation

16. According to the passage the drug problem for the developing countries is the most serious because ______.

A. they lack necessary funding to curb drug abuse

B. they are both producing and consuming countries of drugs C. they are not efficient in their attempt to combat drug abuse D. they have not enlisted support from developed countries 17. The delegates seemed to lack confidence in ______. A. curbing the demand for dangerous drugs B. destroying the process of distribution

C. establishing system for collecting information about drug abuse. D. persuading people not to take drugs

18. According to the passage President Reagan ________.

A. pointed out that the effort to combat drug abuse was inestimable B. expressed his doubt about the possibility of international agreement

C. suggested that if drug abuse is not curbed, world civilization will degenerate D. said that the conference was encouraging and important because international cooperation is necessary.

Passage 4 For much of the world, the death of Richard Nixon was the end of a complex public life. But researchers who study bereavement wondered if it didn't also signify the end of a private grief. Had the former president merely run his allotted fourscore and one, or had he fallen victim to a pattern that seems to afflict longtime married couples: one spouse quickly following the other to the grave?

Pat, Nixon's wife of 53 years, died last June after a long illness. No one knows for sure whether her death contributed to his. After all, he was elderly and had a history of serious heart disease. Researchers have long observed that the death of a

spouse particularly a wife is sometimes followed by the untimely death of the grieving survivor. Historian Will Durant died 13 days after his wife and collaborator, Ariel; Buckminster Fuller and his wife died just 36 hours apart. Is this more than coincidence?

\"Part of the story, I suspect, is that we men are so used to ladies feeding us and taking care of us,\" says Knud Helsing, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public health, \"that when we lose a wife we go to pieces. We don't know how to take care of ourselves.\" In one of several studies Helsing has conducted on bereavement, he found that widowed men had higher mortality rates than married men in every age group. But, he found that widowers who remarried enjoyed the same lower mortality rate as men who'd never been widowed.

Women's health and resilience may also suffer after the loss of a spouse. In a 1987 study of widows, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, and UC, San Diego, found that they had a dramatic decline in levels of important immune-system cells that fight off disease. Earlier studies showed reduced immunity in widowers.

For both men and women, the stress of losing a spouse can have a profound effect. \"All sorts of potentially harmful medical problems can be worsened, \"says Gerald Davison, professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. People with high blood pressure, for example, may see it rise. In Nixon's case, Davison speculates, \"the stroke, although not caused directly by the stress, was probably hastened by it.\" Depression can affect the surviving spouse's will to live; suicide are elevated in the bereaved, along with accidents not involving cars.

Involvement in life helps prolong it. Mortality, says Duke University psychiatrist Daniel Blazer, is higher in older people without a good social-support-system, who don't feel they're part of a group or a family, that they \"fit in\" somewhere. And that's a more common problem for men, who tend not to have as many close friendships as women. The sudden absence of routines can also be a health hazard, says Blazer. While earlier studies suggested that the first six months to a year - or even the first week -- were times of higher mortality for the bereaved, some newer studies find no special vulnerability in this initial period. Most men and women, of course do not die as a result of the loss of a spouse. And there are ways to improve the odds. A strong sense of separate identity and lack of over-dependency during the marriage are helpful. Adult sons and daughters, siblings and friends need to pay special attention to a newly widowed parent. They can make sure that he or she is socializing, getting proper nutrition and medical care, expressing emotion and, above all, feeling needed and appreciated.

19. According to researchers, Richard Nixon's death was ____. A. caused by his heart problems.

B. indirectly linked to his wife's death. C. the inevitable result of old age. D. an unexplainable accident.

20. The research reviewed in the passage suggest that ____. A. remarried men live healthier lives.

B. unmarried men have the longest life spans. C. widowers have the shortest life spans.

D. widows are unaffected by their mates' death.

21. One of the results of grief mentioned in the passage is ____. A. loss of friendships. B. diminished socializing. C. vulnerability to disease.

D. loss of appetite.

22. The passage states that while married couples can prepare for grieving by ____. A. being self-reliant. B. evading intimacy. C. developing habits.

D. avoiding independence.

23. Helsing speculates that husbands suffer from the death of a spouse because they are ____.

A. unprepared for independence. B. incapable of cooking. C. unwilling to talk.

D. dissatisfied with themselves.

24. The author suggests that ___________.

A. a newly widowed parent should go out more often than not B. a newly widowed parent should live with their children C. family members should respect their newly widowed parent

D. family members should also pay attention to a newly widowed parent 25. The main idea of this article is __________. A. how to save the newly widowed spouse

B. the loss of a spouse may influence the life span of the widowed one C. the life of the newly widowed spouse

D. not clear

VI. Text Analysis (25%)

Read the following passage and answer the questions in your answer sheet.

About one of man’s frailties Thomas Wolfe wrote, “he talks of the future and he wastes it as it comes.” This observation is related to a principle by which I try (without always succeeding) to live. I believe in living in the present because it is futile to dwell on the past, to worry about the future, or to miss anything in the only reality I know.

It is futile to dwell on the past. What existed or happened in the past may have been beautiful or exciting and may now bring profound and precious memories; but the past is dead, and it is not healthy for living spirits to linger over a world inhabited by ghosts. The past may also be a place of horror, of regret, of spilled milk, of unfortunate deeds that “cannot be undone,” of sad words like “might have been.” However, it is painful and pointless to fixate on a period that cannot be relived or repaired. It is unproductive self-punishment. The past must be kept in its place, outlived and outgrown.

It is also useless to worry about the future. Why fly to heaven before it is time? What anxious visions haunt the person who thinks too much about the future? He may envision the horrible mushroom cloud; the earth shriveling from radiation; the overpopulated, abused earth gone dead. He may imagine his own life going awry, appointments missed; advancements given to someone else; his house burned to the ground; his love lost; everything in his life as in a nightmare, slipping away from him. There is no end to the disasters a person can worry about when he focuses anxiously on the future. There are events in his future, including his own demise, over which he has little or no control, but he can ruin his life worrying about them. There are some disasters he may be able to prevent, but he must do that by living well in the present, not simply by worrying about the future.

The present moment, which is even now moving into the past, is the reality I know, and I don't want to miss it. The wild-cherry cough drop dissolving in my mouth is sweet and soothing. Even my sore throat and back-ache have meaning. The cool night air, the crackling noises of my furnace, my cat yawning and stretching -- these, are the tangible realities I can recognize. They exist in this moment, together with my own breathing, the warm lamp overhead, the jerking of my typewriter. Along with these are the realities of other people and of all life on this earth, which matters to me now, not at some past or future time.

Everyone needs a sense of history, I think, particularly a feeling for his own roots, but history needs to keep its distance to be appreciated. It is also vital to have some sense of direction, which means making plans for the future but not becoming preoccupied with them. What is most important, I believe, is living in the present, that is, being alive now.

Questions:

1. What is the thesis statement in the passage? (5 points)

2. How does the writer develop his ideas in this passage? (10 points) 3. Please comment on one of the author’s views. (10 points)