1、专业八级-157 (1)及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BPART LISTENIN(总题数：1，分数：10.00)The American Way: Freedom The heart of the American calendar is July 4. Americans have celebrated this date as “Independence Day“ snice 1776. In a (1) _ atmosphere 1 _ of this holiday, patriotic speeches remind Americans of their
2、 (2) 2 _ _ July 4 represents the heartbeat of America: freedom. When Americans think of freedom they often think of (3) _. A- 3 _ merican -style democracy tries to protect individual rights. People in other cultures may not understand this (4) _ 4 _ Privacy is one good example of individual rights.
3、Personal freedom in America often means the right to ones own (5) _. American dont 5 _ want to invade someone s privacy, even if they know the person quite well. They prefer to keep many “family matters“ private. (6) _,individuals 6 _ may not share in conversation such information as salary, age, (7
4、) _ 7 _ status or religion. In American culture freedom also implies equality. For Americans, e- quality refers to equal worth and equal (8)_ . In America, people can 8 _ still hear rags - to - riches stories often enough to (9) _ it in the 9 _ minds of many. Freedom arouses strong feelings for Amer
5、icans. However, problems still exist. One individuals freedom can (10) _ with the 10 _ rights of others. The path to freedom is not completely smooth but for Americans it is worth travelling.（分数：10.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_二、BSECTION B/B(总题数：1，分数：5.00)
6、(1)._ in British and American English have diverged very much according to tike speakers.（分数：1.00）A.Regular noun plural formsB.Irregular noun plural formsC.Verb tensesD.None of the above items(2).The past tense of the verb “eat“ _.（分数：1.00）A.is spelled differently in British and American EnglishB.is
7、 pronounced differently in British and American EnglishC.is pronounced to rhyme with “get“ in American EnglishD.is pronounced to rhyme with “late“ in British English(3).In _, we usually dont hear the sounding of r after vowels like “bird“.（分数：1.00）A.ScotlandB.IrelandC.the whole of the western counti
8、es of EnglandD.area around New York City(4).As for the pronunciation of “a“ in a word like “dance“, _.（分数：1.00）A.all Americans pronounce it as eB.all British people pronounce it as o: C.educated speakers in Britain pronounce it as a: D.people in American West pronounce it as a: (5).Both of the two s
9、peakers agree that_（分数：1.00）A.in Britain and America people speak utterly different languagesB.there are few things identical in British and American EnglishC.British and American English are imcomprehensible to each otherD.British and American English are understandable between the two people三、BSEC
10、TION C/B(总题数：2，分数：5.00)(1).The two Koreans signed a deal to allow _.（分数：1.00）A.reunion of the two nationsB.reunion of the governmentsC.reunion of families separatedD.return of former South Korean prisoners(2).The reports said that _.（分数：1.00）A.a delegation was to travel to SeoulB.100 North Koreans w
11、ould visit relatives in PyongyongC.the two sides agree to repatriate part of DPRK prisoners formerly held in the SouthD.the two sides agree to send home all DPRK prisoners formerly held in the SouthIQuestions 8 to 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given l0
12、seconds to answer each question. Now listen to the news./I（分数：3.00）(1).Government officials ordered a plant in Japan to halt production because _.（分数：1.00）A.its product left people with food poisoningB.the plant is going bankruptC.its milk products don t sell wellD.it has too limited a production wh
13、ich only serves 8,000 people(2)._ is not one of the symptoms after drinking low fat milk produced by Snow Brand Milk Products Co. Ltd.（分数：1.00）A.HeadacheB.Stomache painsC.Bowel disturbanceD.Vomiting(3).In the summer of 1996,0 -157 bacteria left _ with food -poisoning.（分数：1.00）A.more than 8,000 peopl
14、eB.exactly 8,282 peopleC.more than 9,500 peopleD.all together about 18,000 people四、BPART READING (总题数：5，分数：20.00)BTEXT A/BI m Margery Hooper, your course coordinator. Id like to welcome you all to Grange Manor Summer Music school. I hope youll enjoy your life here. If you have anything unclear, don
15、t hesitate to ask. As you know, we are running three -weekly courses currently this year: History of Music, Principle Tutor professor Hepworth; Choral Singing, conducted by Archibald Blake from the Royal Institute of Music; and ,last but not least, a new departure for us, classical Guitar for Beginn
16、ers, Tutor Clive Mortimer.Now you all know - at least I hope you do what course you are registered for. As soon as yon ve had tea, we d like you to report to our secretary, Miss Mathews - you ll find her in the office on the first floor. Shell give you your course number and timetable and explain wh
17、ere the various classrooms are, what books you ll need, and whether they are available in the library. Besides, she ll give you detailed information a- bout how you are scored. If books are not available in the library, you can try in the bookstore. Our book store is next to the reception in the mai
18、n hall. It s open from 9 to 10 a.m. daily.Now about meals-breakfast 8:30 to 9, full evening meal 6:30 to 8:30 in tile dining room. Im afraid you have to make your own arrangements about lunch, but the cafeteria in the canteen is open front 10 to 4 for sandwiches and coffee. Classes finish at 5.If yo
19、u look al the notice board in the main hall, youll see that we have arranged a variety of evening entertainments for you. and Saturday excursions. Anyone who wants to go on an excursion should inform the secretary as soon as possible as the coach company need to know numbers.I hope youll all have a
20、very enjoyable time, and make a lot of new friends.（分数：5.00）(1).Margery Hooper is _.（分数：1.00）A.at a music conferenceB.on a holiday courseC.at a holiday resortD.on a training course(2)._.is NOT run in the Summer Music School.（分数：1.00）A.Music HistoryB.ChorusC.Elementary Guitar courseD.Classic: Music(3
21、).The guitar course_.（分数：1.00）A.will not be held at Grange ManorB.will involve some travellingC.is an innovation at Grange ManorD.will last less than three weeks(4).Students requiring course materials should _.（分数：1.00）A.buy them from the secretaryB.buy them in the main hallC.register with the secre
22、taryD.go to the bookstore afier 10 a. m.(5).Students wishing to go on excursions are requested to _.（分数：1.00）A.book in good timeB.produce their course numberC.book the coach directD.note the coach numberBTEXT B/BFamily MattersThis month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the mora
23、l obligation to support one s parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Singapore Government.That does not mean it hash t generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament Opposed the measure as un - Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderl
24、y poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family; cynics dubbed it the “Sue Your Son“ law.Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kick
25、s in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality proves insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to shore it
26、up.Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the turn of the century, that figure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected
27、 to be 26%. The problem is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Som
28、e people will fall through the holes in any safety net.Traditionally, a person s insurance against poverty in his old age was his family. This is not a revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one s parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.The probl
29、em in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one s parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.In 1989, an Advis
30、ory Council was set up to took into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what of the 5 % who arch t getting relatives support? They have several options: (a) g
31、et a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public assistance (you have to be destitute to apply); or (c) starve quietly. None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encour
32、age the traditional virtues that have so far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an or
33、der if it is unjust.Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits mixes the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court, If it does indeed become law, the bill s effect would be far more subtle.First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each
34、individual s - not society s - responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It rein- forces the traditional values and it doesn t hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.Second, and more import
35、ant, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, clergymen or the Ministry of Community Development to help get financial support from his children, the most they could do was to mediate. But mediators have no teeth, an
36、d a child could simply ignore their pleas.But to be sued by one s parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace. Few people would be so thick - skinned as to say, “Sue and be damned“. The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that
37、some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the recalcitrant son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.It would be nice to think that Singapore doesn t need this kind of law. But that belief ignores the clear demographic trends and the effect of affluence itself on tradit
38、ional bonds. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the first place.（分数：5.00）(1).By quoting the growing percentage points of the aged in the population, the author seems to imply that_.（分数：1.00）A.the country wi
39、ll face mounting problems of the old in future.B.the social welfare system would be under great pressure.C.young people should be given more moral education.D.the old should be provided with means of livelihood.(2).Which of the following statements is CORRECT?（分数：1.00）A.Filial responsibility in Sing
40、apore is enforced by law.B.Fathers have legal obligations to look after their children.C.It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.D.The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.(3).The author seems to suggest that traditional values _.（分数：1.00）A.play an insi
41、gnificant role in solving social problems.B.are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children.C.are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness.D.are significant in helping the Bill get approved.(4).The author thinks that if the Bill becomes law, its effect would be_（分数：1.00）A.indirect.B.unn
42、oticeable.C.apparent.D.straightforward.(5).At the end of the passage, the author seems to imply that success of the Bill depends upon _.（分数：1.00）A.strict enforcement.B.public support.C.government assurance.D.filial awareness.BTEXT C/BAlthough the distribution of recorded music went digital with the
43、introduction of the compact disc in the early 1980s, technology has had a large impact on the way music is made and recorded as well. At the most basic level, the invention of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), a language enabling computers and sound synthesizers to talk to each other, has
44、 given individual musicians powerful tools with which to make music.“The MIDI interface enabled basement musicians to gain power which had been available only in ex- pensive recording studios,“ One expert observed. “It enables synthesis of sounds that have never existed before, and storage and subse
45、quent simultaneous replay and mixing of multiple sound tracks. Using a moderately powerful desktop computer running a music composition program and a 500 synthesizer, any musically literate person can write - and play! - a string quartet in an afternoon.“Whereas many musicians use computers as a too
46、l in composing or producing music, Tod Machover uses computers to design the instruments and environments that produce his music. As a professor of music and media at the MIT Media Lab, Machover has pioneered hyper - instruments: hybrids of computers and musical instruments that allow users to creat
47、e sounds simply by raising their hands, pointing with a “virtual baton,“ or moving their entire body in a “sensor chair.“Similar work on a “virtual orchestra“ is being done by Geoffrey Wright, head of the computer music, program at John Hopkins Universitys Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore,
48、 Maryland. Wright uses conductors batons that emit infrared light beams to generate data about the speed and direction of the batons, data that can then be translated by computers into instructions for a synthesizer to produce music.In Machover s best- known musical work, Brain Opera (1996), 125 people interact with each other and a group of hyper - instruments to produce sounds that can be blend
