1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 127及答案与解析 SECTION A MINI-LECTURE Directions: In this section you sill hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.
2、 When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. 0 The pyramids Some of the most interesting building in the world are the pyramids. The pyramids stand huge
3、 and silent, and in modern days, people look at them and wonder, “Who built them? Why? When? What is in- side? How did they do it?“ Thousands of years ago in Egypt, kings built the pyramids. They used to build them as【 1】 _. The kings 【 1】 _ thought the pyramids would help them find life after【 2】 _
4、, 【 2】 _ - ,and join Ra in his journeys【 3】 _ life sky. 【 3】 _ They also wanted the world to remember them as important peo- ple. Some pyramids were found by thieves who in fact found their way into the pyramids and into most of the pharaohs tombs. The tombs were still full of treasure. There are ma
5、ny pyramids along the【 4】 _ River. 【 4】 _ The【 5】 _ is the pyramid of Khufa. It is made of 2,300, 【 5】 _ 000 huge【 6】 _ ,most of them higher than a person, It is 【 6】 _ about 144 meters high. Inside the pyramid are the burial rooms for the king and queen and long passageways to these rooms. The rest
6、 of the pyramid is solid stone. Workers usually built the pyramids when the flood began in 【 7】 _ and they could not work on their farms. To build 【 7】 _ the pyramid of Khufu, 100,000 men worked for twenty years. We know there were wonderful treasures in the pyramids: Robbers went into the pyramids
7、and took many of these treas- ures. Today some of the treasures are in museums, though. How did the people of ancient days build the pyramids? How did they carry and lift the huge stones? Each stone fit so well and they didnt have our modern machines! The ancient 【 8】 _ in Egyptian tombs give us som
8、e ideas. The workers 【 8】 _ used【 9】 _, levers and rollers to move stones. Besides 【 9】 _ the Egyptian pyramids, there are also great pyramids in【 10】 【 10】 _ _ which were used for human sacrifice and different from Egyptian tombs in shape and other aspects. 1 【 1】 2 【 2】 3 【 3】 4 【 4】 5 【 5】 6 【 6】
9、 7 【 7】 8 【 8】 9 【 9】 10 【 10】 SECTION B INTERVIEW Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the fo
10、llowing five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 Where does the conversation take place? （ A） In the student recreation center. （ B） In the campus dining hall. （ C） In the university bookstore. （ D） In a classroom. 12 How does the woman plan to spend her evening? （ A） Studying. （ B） Preparing
11、 snacks. （ C） Playing cards. （ D） Learning how to play bridge. 13 What will the woman probably do if she is the dummy? （ A） Watch her player. （ B） Play her cards in cooperation with her partner. （ C） Quit the game. （ D） Teach the man how to play bridge. 14 What does the man warn the woman not to do?
12、 （ A） Miss her card game. （ B） Stay up too late. （ C） Take too heavy a work load next semester. （ D） Neglect her studies to play bridge. 15 Why doesnt the man accept the womansofter? （ A） He already knows how to play. （ B） He doesnt like to play games. （ C） He doesnt have a partner. （ D） He doesnt h
13、ave enough free time. SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. At the end of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 16 US newspapers from one end of the nation t
14、o the other reacted with _ to the bombing of Olympic Centennial Park in Atlanta （ A） shock （ B） horror （ C） anger （ D） all of the above 17 The explosion claimed lives and injured _ people early morning. （ A） six, more than 100 （ B） two, more than 200 （ C） two, more than 100 （ D） six, more than 200 1
15、8 Which of the following statements is NOT true? （ A） Scientists at the Kennedy Space Center are attempting to grow vegetables that could survive. （ B） In the special containers plants can develop rapidly in a short period of time. （ C） Scientists are also attempting to genetically design some of th
16、ese plants to contain high levels of protein. （ D） Space agency scientists hope to test some version of the experimental gardens on the planned space station. 19 The scientists at the Kennedy Space center laboratory have been able to produce small kinds of （ A） wheat, soybeans, carrot and lettuce （
17、B） soybeans, tomatoes, carrot and wheat （ C） white potatoes, carrot, lettuce and soybeans （ D） wheat, soybeans, lettuce and white potatoes 20 The special growing containers are expected to be used mostly for _ space travel. （ A） short distance （ B） long distance （ C） all kinds of （ D） both A and B 2
18、0 An assumption is something taken for granted. Everyone makes assumptions-you have to in order to say anything. As a critical reader, you need to determine what the assumption is and then decide whether you agree or disagree with the assumption. Once you decide, your attitude toward the argument wi
19、ll change. Careful, honest writers know what their assumptions are and lay the most important ones out for all to judge. Hidden assumptions may be all right for humor or fairly harmless in topical journalism, but they can be dangerous in serious written argument. Important assumptions should be expl
20、icit and detailed, for then the reader can judge their validity. If you do not agree with a writers assumptions, then you will never agree with his/her arguments, As indicated above, an assumption is a belief that we take for granted as a basis for an assertion, All kinds of statements rely on assum
21、ptions-questions, commands, promises, and assertions. The simple command “Pass the salt“ is based on several assumptions, including that the salt can be passed, that you can pass it, and that I have the right to ask you to pass it. Some assumptions are unexpressed. We would be the joke of the neighb
22、ourhood if we went around articulating our assumptions every time we asked someone to pass the salt. We get into trouble, however, when we fail to recognize important assumptions that subtly guide our thoughts. Sophocles said, “Reason is Gods crowning gift to man.“ A statement like this seems innoce
23、nt enough. When we think about it, we easily recognize that he was basing the statement on two major assumptions: (1) that man has a mind, and (2) that God exists. Hidden in the statement, however, are some subtle assumptions that we may or may not support, including; (1) God is a personal force cap
24、able of making a gift; (2) reason is a more important gift than heart, soul, or body; and (3) womans mind is not a gift of God. Once we articulate these assumptions, we might disagree. (339) 21 According to this passage, an assumption is _. （ A） something that everyone knows （ B） the idea the writer
25、 wants to emphasize （ C） the readers knowledge about the topic （ D） foundation of the writers reasoning 22 Assumptions are important for critical readers because they can help readers to _. （ A） grasp the topic exactly （ B） understand the argument passage exactly （ C） evaluate the argument passage （
26、 D） compare the argument passage with similar argument passages 23 The authors attitude toward Sophocless statement is _. （ A） positive （ B） negative （ C） neutral （ D） not mentioned 24 What can we infer from the passage? （ A） A good writer should clearly state all his assumptions. （ B） Once we find
27、assumptions, we will find the writers problems. （ C） We need not clearly express our assumptions in oral communication. （ D） Major assumptions are important for both the writer and the reader. 24 Computer programmers often remark that computing machines, with a perfect lack of discrimination, will d
28、o any foolish thing they are told to do. The reason for this lies, of course, in the narrow fixation of the com puting machines “intelligence“ on the details of its own perceptions its inability to be guided by any large context. In a psychological description of the computer intelligence, three rel
29、ated adjectives come to mind: single- minded, literal-minded, and simple-minded. Recognizing this, we should at the same time recognize that this single-mindedness, literal-mindedness, and simple-mindedness also characterizes theoretical mathematics, though to a lesser extent. Since science tries to
30、 deal with reality, even the most precise sciences normally work with more or less imperfectly understood approximations toward which scientists must maintain an appropriate skepticism. Thus, for instance, it may come as a shock to mathematicians to learn that the Schrodinger equation for the hydrog
31、en atom is not a literally correct description of this atom, but only an approximation to a somewhat more correct equation taking account of spin, magnetic dipole, and relativistic effects; and that this corrected equation is itself only an imperfect approximation to an infinite set of quantum field
32、 theoretical equations. Physicists, looking at the original Schrodinger equation, learn to sense in it the presence of many invisible terms in addition to the differential terms visible, and this sense inspires an entirely appropriate disregard for the purely technical features of the equation. This
33、 very healthy skepticism is foreign to the mathematical approach. Mathematics must deal with well-defined situations. Thus, mathematicians depend on an intellectual effort outside of mathematics for the crucial specification of the approximation that mathematics is to take literally. Give mathematic
34、ians a situation that is the least bit ill-defined, and they will make it well-defined, perhaps appropriately, but perhaps inappropriately. In some cases, the mathematicians literal-mindedness may have unfortunate consequences. The mathematicians turn the scientists theoretical assumptions, that is,
35、 their convenient points of analytical emphasis, into axioms, and then take these axioms literally. This brings the danger that they may also persuade the scientists to take these axioms literally. The question, central to the scientific investigation but intensely disturbing in the mathematical con
36、text what happens if the axioms are relaxed?-is thereby ignored. The physicist rightly dreads precise argument, since an argument that is convincing only if it is precise loses all its force if the assumptions on which it is based are slightly changed, whereas an argument that is convincing though i
37、mprecise may well be stable under small perturbations of its underlying assumptions. (419) 25 The author discusses computing machines in the first paragraph primarily in order to _. （ A） indicate the dangers inherent in relying to a great extent on machines （ B） illustrate his views about the approa
38、ch of mathematicians to problem solving （ C） compare the work of mathematicians with that of computer programmers （ D） provide one definition of intelligence 26 According to the passage, scientists are skeptical toward their equations because scientists _. （ A） work to explain real, rather than theo
39、retical or simplified situations （ B） know that well-defined problems are often the most difficult to solve （ C） are unable to express their data in terms of multiple variables （ D） are unwilling to relax the axioms they have developed 27 According to the passage, mathematicians present a danger to
40、scientists because _. （ A） mathematicians may provide theories that are incompatible with those already developed by scientists （ B） mathematicians may define situation in a way that is incomprehensible to scientists （ C） mathematicians may convince scientists that theoretical assumptions are facts
41、（ D） scientists may come to believe that axiomatic statements are untrue 28 According to the author, how is the approach of physicists to solving scientific problems? （ A） Practical for scientific purposes. （ B） Detrimental to scientific progress. （ C） Unimportant in most situations. （ D） Expedient,
42、 but of little long-term value. 29 The author suggests that a mathematician asked to solve a problem in an ill-defined situation would first at-tempt to _. （ A） identify an analogous situation （ B） simplify and define the situation （ C） vary the underlying assumptions of a description of the situati
43、on （ D） determine what use would be made of the solution provided 30 The author implies that scientists develop a healthy skepticism because they are aware that _. （ A） mathematicians are better able to solve problems than scientists （ B） changes in axiomatic propositions will inevitably undermine s
44、cientific arguments （ C） well-defined situations are necessary for the design of reliable experiments （ D） some factors in most situations must remain unknown 30 Just a few weeks ago, economists and market analysts were expecting the Federal Reserve to cut short-term interest rates one final time wh
45、en policy-makers gather for their first meeting of the year Tuesday and Wednesday. Now the vast majority of analysts believe the central banks aggressive year long rate-cutting cam paign is over, and the focus already is turning to when the Fed will begin raising rates again. Based on weekly unemplo
46、yment data, the rate of job reductions is slowing, and almost every economic indicator reported over the past several weeks has been encouraging. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan had reason to be optimistic on Jan. 24, when he testified before a Senate panel and seemed far more upbeat about the economy t
47、han be had been just two weeks earlier in a speech that sparked a Wall Street sell-off. Analysts now believe it is almost a sure hat the Fed will leave rates unchanged when the central bank announces the policy decision Wednesday at about 2; 15 p.m. After an unprecedented 11 rate cuts in 2001, that
48、would mark the first time in more than a year that the Feds policy-setting Open Market Committee has held a formal meeting without changing rates. On Monday, in the latest report to surpass expectations, the Commerce Department reported that new- home sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate
49、of 946,000 units in December, a 5.7 percent increase over November. Last year was a record year for sales of both new and previously owned homes, as low mortgage rates offset the impact of the recession. Last week the Index of Leading Indicators posted its biggest one-month increase in more than five years, as eight of the 10 in
