中国科学院研究生院英语B考试样题2015最新

中国科学院大学英语B考试样题

声明：北京理工大学出版社出版的《中国科学院博士学位英语考试应试指南》依据的是旧的大纲，实际考试形式以本样题为准。

This exam paper includes two parts: PAPER ONE (100 minutes, 75 points) and PAPER TWO (50 minutes, 25 points).

(第100分钟时收Answer sheet I)

A Sample Test

PAPER ONE

Part I

Section A (10 points)

Directions: In this part, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end

of each conversation, a question will be asked about what is said. Each conversation and the question will be spoken only

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Listening Comprehension

once. When you hear the question, read the four choices of the answer given and choose the best one by marking the corresponding letter A, B, C, or D on your Answer Sheet I.

1. A. Go back home. B. Mail a letter. C. Do the shopping. D. Ask the way.

2. A. Dennis always alters his idea about an outing. B. Dennis has no choice but to come with them. C. It’s surprising that Dennis would come with them. D. Dennis has at last agreed to go out.

3. A. Go out for fun with the girl. B. Travel with the girl to Holland. C. Try not to spend so much money. D. Let the girl pay her own bill.

4. A. The man should reschedule the trip. B. She has no idea when the semester ends. C. She’ll call the travel agency to confirm the date.

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D. The man should spend his holidays somewhere else.

5. A. He forgot to mail the letter. B. He left the letter in his office. C. The letter slipped off his desk.

D. He should have put the letter in his bag.

6. A. He was exhausted. B. He was drunk. C. He was worried. D. He was late for work.

7. A. In a mall. B. In a pharmacy. C. In the cleaner’s. D. In a department store.

8. A. The woman argued for her innocence at court.

B. The woman complained that she was forced to pay the fine. C. The woman has got away with many violations of traffic law. D. The woman pleaded ignorance this time of her violation of the traffic law.

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9. A. Jack has to meet a tight deadline. B. Jack has completed his assignment C. Jack got himself burnt last night. D. Professor David is a pleasant figure.

10．A. He does not like Beth.

B. He thinks the world is too crowded.

C. He is too excited to do anything about the party. D. He will not help arrange for the party.

Section B (10 points)

Directions: In this part, you will hear three mini-talks and each of them

will be spoken only once. While listening to them, read the questions that follow each talk. You will be asked to write down your answer on your Answer Sheet II, using one sentence only, either complete or incomplete. Your answer should be concise and to the point.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on Mini-talk One: Mini-talk One

11: How much grain do rats destroy each year in India?

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12: Where do rats live?

13: How do rats spread diseases indirectly?

Questions 14 to 16 are based on Mini-talk Two: Mini-talk Two

14: What education does the vast majority of US Postal Service jobs

require?

15: When can one know the special requirements for some postal jobs? 16: In addition to the variety of paid leave, what other benefits are provided for a postal employee? (List at least two.) Questions 17 to 20 are based on Mini-talk Three: Mini-talk Three

17: Why is popular art said to be primarily entertainment?

18: What is the distinction in art between a professional and an

amateur?

19: How does high art differ from popular art financially? 20: What are people interested in high art often required to do?

Part II Use of English and Reading Comprehension

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Section A (15 points)

Directions: There are 15 blanks in the following passage. Read the

passage carefully and fill in each of the blanks by choosing the right word or phrase from the list given below. Write your answer on the Answer Sheet II. Capitalize the word when it is necessary. The words and phrases listed are twice as many as the blanks. Once a word or phrase is chosen, it must be used only once.

adversely, accompanying, as, balanced, challenged, continue, continuous, destroyed, discern, estimated, ever, exceeded, feasible, following, fortunately, in case, instantaneously, like, once, overcome, precede, regrettably, separated, simultaneously, than, that, therefore, transforming, when, while

Many of the most damaging and life-threatening types of weather—torrential rains, severe thunderstorm, and tornadoes—began quickly, strike suddenly, and dissipate rapidly, devastating small regions 21 leaving neighboring areas untouched. One such event, a tornado, struck the northeastern section of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987. Total damages from the tornado 22 $ 250 million, the highest 23 for any Canadian storm. Conventional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-lived local storms 24 the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to discern the subtle atmospheric changes that 25 these storms. In most nations, for

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example, weather-balloon observations are taken just 26 every twelve hours at locations typically 27 by hundreds of miles. With such limited data, conventional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large regions 28 they do forecasting specific local events.

Until recently, the observation—intensive approach needed for accurate, very short-range forecasts, or “Nowcast”, was not 29 . The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was prohibitively high, and the difficulties involved in rapidly collecting and processing the raw weather data from such a network were insurmountable. 30 , scientific and technological advances have 31 most of these problems. Radar systems, automated weather instruments, and satellites are all capable of making detailed, nearly 32 observations over large regions at a relatively low cost. Communications satellites can transmit data around the world cheaply and 33 , and modern computers can quickly compile and analyze this large volume of weather information. Meteorologists and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment capable of 34 raw weather data into words, symbols, and vivid graphic displays that forecasters can interpret easily and quickly. 35 meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, nowcasting is becoming a reality.

Section B (20 questions×1.5 points= 30 points)

Directions: Read the following passages carefully and then select the

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best answer from the four choices given to answer each of the questions or complete each of the statements that follow each passage. Mark the letter of your choice on your Answer Sheet I.

Passage 1

For centuries, the gravel and sand of Georges Bank and the great

canyons, muddy basins, and shallow ledges of the Gulf of Maine have supported one of the world’s most productive fishing regions. But big boulders have historically protected a 1050-square-kilometer region at the bank’s northeastern tip from dredging boats in search of scallops and trawlers hunting down groundfish. However, those boulders are becoming less of a deterrent against improved and sturdier gear. So when geologist Page Valentine of the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, stood before his colleagues last month and defended his proposal to safeguard this rare, undisturbed gravel bed, he knew that he was also standing at the crossroads of science and politics. Valentine’s presentation was part of a 2-day workshop held at the New England Aquarium here to build support for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), a controversial concept aimed at preserving biodiversity in coastal waters. The meeting, organized by Elliott Norse, founder of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Redmond, Washington, featured talks by 21 experts across a range of marine habitats and species and represented the marine community’s biggest push for MPAs.

The discussion generated a map that nominated 29% of the ocean floor off the coast of New England and Canada’s Maritime Province for

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protection, as well as 25% of pelagic (open-ocean) waters. The next step will come in the fall, when the scientists discuss the plan with government officials, commercial stakeholders, and environmental activists—meetings that are likely to be contentious. “The conservation groups will want to see if various species are covered. And various fishermen will be convinced that their livelihood is threatened,” says Mike Pentony, an analyst for the New England Fishery Management Council, who was an observer at last month’s workshop. The areas could be established by the National Marine Fisheries Service or under existing U.S. and Canadian laws to protect endangered species and habitats.

36. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? A. Fishery Industry in New England.

B. Plan to Protect Coastal waters of New England. C. Restoration of Marine Life in the Gulf of Maine. D. Problems Critical to Ecological Balance in Georges Bank.

37. The abundance of fish in the area has been a result of ________. A. the perpetual fishery closure B. the stringent ban on overfishing C. the effective fishery management D. its unique geographic features

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38. Boulders used to be a deterrent to ________. A. scallop B. groundfish C. fishing boats D. improved gear

39. At the two-day workshop, the scientists reached an agreement on ______.

A. the marine areas to be preserved B. how to rescue the endangered species C. the guarantee of the fishermen’s livelihood D. what to discuss with the government officials

40. Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the last paragraph?

A. The fishermen will be worried about their livelihood. B. A decision is soon to be made on the protected areas. C. Commercial stakeholders may be at odds with scientists. D. Conflicting interests will arise between fishermen and scientists. Passage 2

Some people are accustomed to thinking that facts must either be believed or they must be disbelieved—as if beliefs were like a light

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switch with only two positions, on or off. My use of the bathtub hoax is intended to illustrate that belief does not have to operate as a simple yes or no choice, all or nothing. Belief can be more conditional; it can be something that we decide to have “up to a point.” And so, the question we might ask ourselves while reading does not have to be “Should I believe it or not?” but instead can be “How much should I believe it?” This later question implies that the belief we have in any given fact, or in any given idea, is not determined by whether it sounds right or whether the source is an authority. It means that our beliefs are determined by the reasons that justify them. Belief is not a mechanical action, brought about by invariable rules of nature. It is a human activity, the exercise of judgment. With this in mind, we might say that we perform this action better when we know what the reasons are that have led to our belief, and why they are good reasons.

These observations do not deprive us of our ability to believe in what we read. They are not intended to transform you from credulous believers into stubborn doubters. The process of weighing beliefs against the quality of reasons is one that you already go through all the time, whether you are aware of it or not. We all do. The practice of critical reading is the exercise of this kind of judgment on purpose. By doing it, we protect ourselves from being led into belief for inadequate reasons, but at the same time we open up our minds to the possibility of arriving at belief for adequate ones. If we decide to grant or withhold consent based on the quality of the reasons that we are given we admit at the same time that two things are possible: We admit that we might consent less in the future if we discover that the reasons are not so good after all; and we admit that we might consent more if we are ever

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presented with better reasons than we had formerly known. This attitude is not pure skepticism any more than it is pure credulity. It is somewhere in between. It is the attitude of an open-minded thinker, of someone who wishes to be responsible for deciding for herself or himself what to believe.

41. The author’s use of the bathtub hoax is meant to suggest that __________.

A. facts must be believed unconditionally B. belief is more than a simple yes or no choice C. nothing should be believed or disbelieved D. belief is nothing but a light switch

42. To believe or disbelieve what you read should be based on ________. A. the facts that you are given

B. whether the author is an open-minded authority C. the quality of reasons provided by the material D. the assumption that you know everything about it

43. As a human activity, weighing the facts about something is actually _______.

A. determined by the rules of nature B. a performance

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C. brought about even at birth D. experienced by everyone

44. According to the author, which of the following is true?

A. Our attitude toward what we read may change if we are given better reasons.

B. An open-minded thinker is responsible for what he or she says. C. Critical reading can make us believe more in what we read. D. We ought to question the value of what we read if its source is not authoritative.

45. What is the topic of this passage? A. Judgment and Responsibility. B. Reading and Belief. C. Trust and Faith.

D. Reading and Human Activity.

Passage 3

Things don’t come easily to Matteo, a 4-year-old New Yorker with brown bangs and cowboy bandanna. Afflicted by cerebral palsy, he moves awkwardly. He thinks slowly and doesn’t talk much. Small frustrations upset him terribly. But when Matteo visits Clive Robbins, his music therapist, he bangs gleefully on a snare drum, placing one

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hand on the rim to steady himself, he uses the other to rap in tempo to Robbins’s improvised song. As the tune progresses, Matteo moves his act to the piano, banging along with one or two fingers and laughing excitedly. By following the rhythm, he is learning to balance his body and coordinate the movement of his limbs. He’s also learning to communicate. “He is grown much more motivated and intent,” says Robbins, the co-founder of New York University’s Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy.

Disabled children aren’t the only ones feeling the therapeutic power of music. A 79-year-old stroke survivor listens to Viennese waltzes on his headphones to help him to relearn to walk. A woman in labor had LeAnn Rimes’ country tunes blaring from a stereo to help her keep in step with her contraction. And, yes, ostensibly healthy people are listening to airy New Age discs, and maybe lighting a candle or two, to lessen stress and promote well-being. They may all be on to something. Mounting evidence suggests that almost any musical stimulus, from Shostakovich to the Spice Girls can have therapeutic effects.

Music therapy isn’t mainstream health care, but recent studies suggest it can have a wide range of benefits. In 1996, researchers at Colorado State University tried giving 10 stroke victims 30 minutes of rhythmic stimulation each day for three weeks. Compared with untreated patients, they shared significant improvements in their ability to walk steadily. People with Parkinson’s disease enjoyed similar benefits. A musical beat from any genre seemed to provide a rhythmic cue, stimulating the brain’s motor systems.

Other body systems seem equally responsive. Scottish researchers have found, for example, that a daily dose of Mozart or Mendelssohn

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significantly brightens the moods of institutionalized stroke victims. Using psychological tests, the Scottish team showed that patients receiving 12 weeks of daily music therapy were less depressed and anxious, and more stable and sociable, than other patients in the same facility. Music therapy has also proved useful in the management of Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. And Deforia Lane, a music therapist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, has shown that music can boost immune function in children. That’s consistent with a 1995 finding by Louisiana researchers that preemies exposed to lullabies in the hospital went home earlier.

46. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. Why Music is Powerful B. Music and Pain Medication C. Music and Disabled Children D. The Medical Power of Music

47. What does the passage say about Matteo?

A. He is suffering a paralysis of the brain. B. He is late in his ability to walk and talk. C. He plays music better by taking the advice. D. He’s ambitious to become a professional drummer.

48. Paragraph 2 mainly tells that ________________.

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8. W: I once got a ticket for running a stop sign, even though I definitely came to a complete stop. M: Did you pay the ticket? W: Yes.

M: If you thought you were innocent, why didn’t you contest it? W: Your honor, there have been so many times I didn’t get a ticket for running a stop sign that I figured this evened things out a little. Q: What can we learn from the conversation? 00’15”)

9. W: Hi, Jack. Heading for the library?

M: Not today. My cousin has just come from Nebraska. I’ll take him to the baseball Game.

W: What about your essay for anthropology that is due tomorrow? Nobody expects to get away with Professor David.

M: No worry. That’s why I stayed up last night until I wrapped it up. W: Lucky you. Enjoy your time then.

Q: What can we learn from the conversation? (pause 00’15”) 10.

W: Guess what? We bumped into Beth

(pause

at Woolworth. She just moved into the

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neighborhood only three blocks away.

M: It’s a small world, isn’t it? Does she still look as young as she did

twelve years ago?

W: Sure. The amazing thing is that I can hardly find any changes in

her. We’d better throw a welcome party for her. What do you think?

M: Not a bad idea. But just don’t count on me for those party details. Q: What can we learn about the man? 00’15”)

Section B

Directions: In this part, you will hear three mini-talks and each of

them will be spoken only once. While listening to them, read the questions that follow each talk. You will be asked to write down your answer on your Answer Sheet II, using one sentence only, either complete or incomplete. Your answer should be concise and to the point.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on Mini-talk One: Mini-talk One

Rats are one of the world’s most serious threats to public health. These animals eat human food supplies. They destroy crops and damage

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(pause

other property and they spread deadly diseases.

Experts say that male and female rat and their babies, born in just one year, eat enough grain to feed five people for a year. And they damage at least five times more food than they eat. In India, rats destroy ten million tons of grain each year. In some African villages, the ugly animals eat ten, twenty, even thirty percent of the food supply.

Rats will eat almost any kind of grain, fruit, grass, vegetable and meat. And they will live in any place they can get into—homes, shops, farm buildings and farm and home storage areas.

Rats spread disease directly by polluting food with their waste. They often bite people, specially babies. The bites sometimes kill. The animals also spread disease indirectly by carrying fleas, mites and other organisms that cause sickness. Some diseases spread by rats to people include the plague, trichinosis, marine typhus and infectious jaundice.

Questions 14 to 16 are based on Mini-talk Two: Mini-talk Two

The U.S. Postal Service handles billions of pieces of mail a year, including letters, magazines, and parcels. Close to a million workers are required to process and deliver this mail. The vast majority of Postal Service jobs are open to workers with four years of high school or less. An applicant for a postal service job must pass an examination and meet minimum age requirements. Generally, the minimum age is

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18, but a high school graduate may begin work at 16 if the job is not hazardous and does not require use of a motor vehicle. Many postal Service jobs do not require formal education or special training. Applicants for these jobs are hired on the basis of their examination scores.

Some postal jobs do have special education or experience requirements, and some are open only to veterans. Any special requirements will be stated on the announcement of examination. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, unless for some reason they are exempt, must be registered with the Selective Service System.

Full-time employees work an 8-hour day, 5 days a week. Both full-time and part-time employees who work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week receive overtime pay of one and a half times their hourly rate. In addition, pay is higher for those on the night shift. Postal employees earn 13 days of annual leave during each of their first 3 years of service, including prior federal civilian and military service; 20 days each year for 3 to 15 years of service; and 26 days after 15 years. In addition they earn 13 days of paid sick leave a year regardless of length of service.

Other benefits include retirement support, free group life insurance, and optional participation in health insurance programs supported in part by the Postal Service.

Most post office buildings are clean and well lit, but some of the older ones are not. The postal Service is in the process of replacing and remodeling its outmoded buildings, and conditions are expected to

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improve.

Most postal workers are members of unions and are covered by a national agreement between the Postal Service and the unions.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on Mini-talk Three: Mini-talk Three

Art is sometimes divided into two kinds, high art and popular art. High art appeals to a much smaller proportion of the population than popular art, but the number is large and growing. People who enjoy high art go to the opera and symphony concerts; they read serious books; they go to serious plays; they keep up with the art exhibitions at museums and galleries. Popular art is primarily entertainment. Some TV programs are meant to be watched today and forgotten tomorrow. Many popular songs are hits for a few weeks; then they disappear. Other songs remain popular for such a long time that they became classics. The line between high and popular art is not always clear, however. Many movies are also taken seriously, while others are dismissed as nothing more than entertainment.

Another distinction in art is between the professional and the amateur. A professional tries to make a living by working in art, while an amateur paints, makes pottery, or plays the piano just for pleasure. Museums, adult education centers, and private teachers offer a large variety of courses for amateur artists.

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Successful movies and TV programs make huge amounts of money, and so do the performers who appear in them. A few big hits can make a rock musician a millionaire in a very short time. High art, however, has serious financial problems. It costs more to put on an opera, concert or ballet than the sale of tickets can bring in. Men and women interested in high art are always being asked to give money to make future performances possible. Small government subsidies have also helped to support the arts in the last few years.

THIS IS THE END OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION.

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Successful movies and TV programs make huge amounts of money, and so do the performers who appear in them. A few big hits can make a rock musician a millionaire in a very short time. High art, however, has serious financial problems. It costs more to put on an opera, concert or ballet than the sale of tickets can bring in. Men and women interested in high art are always being asked to give money to make future performances possible. Small government subsidies have also helped to support the arts in the last few years.

THIS IS THE END OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION.

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