同济考博英语真题2007

I Vocabulary 10%

Directions: There are 20 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there

are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE answer that best completes the sentence. Then put a v in the corresponding place on the Answer Sheet.. 1. How can personal income tax be levied to _____ as many as possible while at the same time ensuring State finances do not suffer too much? A. interest B. benefit C. profit D. concern

2. To fund the ____ event and also promote the marketing value of the National Games, the organizing committee set up the Marketing Development Department (MDD).

A. beneficent B. expensive C. costly D. luxurious

3. Japanese workers still put in an impressive 42 hours each week, but they are ______ by the South Koreans and Singaporeans who spend an average 46 hours at the grindstone.

A. outdone B. outweighed C. outrun D. outrivaled

4. This is an alarming realization as natural resources and the environment are being degraded and ____ at a record pace.

A. wasted B. reconstructed C. destructed D. reversed

5. The elements of nature must be reckoned with in any military campaign. Napoleon and Hitler both underestimated the _____ of the Russian winter. A. severity B. consequence C. influence D. threat

6. The company, EDS, is smart enough to _____its 90,000-person workforce into independent microteams that work directly with individual clients on creative business solutions.

A. break out B. break off C. break from D. break down

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同济大学2007年博士研究生入学考试试题

7. Most environmental ____ — from climate changes to freshwater and forest habitat loss — have become markedly worse.

A. symptoms B. highlights C. indicators D. symbols

8. What we call nature is, _____, the sum of the changes made by all the various creatures and natural forces in their intricate actions and influences upon each other and upon their places.

A. in common sense B. from a sense C. by the sense D. in a sense

9. Although the \people in the remote countryside still think Internet or something is ____ to their life.

A. unconcerned B. irrelevant C. inseparable D. inaccessible 10. ____ near-perfect English language skills, the students were keen to explore every aspect of Australian culture, from Aussie eating customs to family and student life, popular culture, the natural landscape and the ever-popular Australian native animals.

A. Possessing B. Acquiring C. Apprehending D. Interpreting 11. Telephones save the feet and endless amounts of time. This is due partly to the fact that the telephone service is superb here, ____ the postal service is less efficient. A. where B. since C. that D. whereas

12. The board of directors have already discussed the subject ____ in the previous meetings and they will handle it in all its aspects.

A. in place B. at length C. on end D. off and on 13. Reflecting on our exploration , we also discovered that people will exploit the newness, vagueness, and breadth of the information Marketplace to support their wishes and predilections, ____ they may be. A. whatsoever B. whatever C. whichever D. which

14. The World Bank is taking steps to ____ its lending to reducing poverty in the Third World Countries.

A. orient B. tailor C. adapt D. adjust

15. Total investments for this year reached $56 million, and to put this into ____

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investments this year will double those made in 1997. A. sight B. vision C. perspective D. horizon

16. The year of 776 B.C. is considered to be the founding date of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. The Games lasted more than 11 centuries ____ they were banned in 393 A.D.

A. when B. after C. as D. until

17. As did his ____ Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Henry Ford, Thomas Edison profoundly transformed the Western World. A. contemporaries B. part-owners C. companions D. accomplices

18. In a world where information is a flood — ____ to everyone, and where nothing is secret or proprietary — the only organizations and managers who will thrive are those who can quickly wade into the water, harness what they need, and then add value to it through speedy, innovative business decisions. A. acceptable B. available C. accessible D. attainable

19. The car pollutes, but advances in fuel quality and efficiency, and in microprocessed engine technology, have radically cut ____. A. releases B. emissions C. poisons D. contamination

20. If humans use up too much soil - which they have often done and are doing - then they will starve down to the carrying capacity of their habitat. This is nature's \____.

A. flexibility B. justice C. plasticity D. sensibility

II. Reading Comprehension 50%

Directions: Read the following passages and choose from the choices marked A, B,C

and D that best complete or answer the questions after each passage. Then put a ^in the corresponding place on the Answer Sheet..

Passage One Throughout the history of life, species of living creatures have made use of chemical energy by the slow combination of certain chemicals with oxygen within their cells. The process is analogous to combustion, but is slower and much more delicately controlled. Sometimes use is made of energy available in the bodies of stronger species as when a remora hitches a ride on a shark or a human being hitches

an ox to a plough.

Inanimate sources of energy are sometimes used when species allow themselves to be carried or moved by wind or by water currents. In those cases, though, the inanimate source of energy must be accepted at the place and time that it happens to be and in the amount that happens to exist.

The human use of fire involved an inanimate source of energy that was portable and could be used wherever desired. It could be ignited or extinguished at will and could be used when desired. It could be kept small or fed till it was large, and could be used in the quantities desired.

The use of fire made it possible for human beings, evolutionarily equipped for mild weather only, to penetrate the temperate zones. It made it possible for them to survive cold nights and long winters, to achieve security against fire-avoiding predators, and to roast meat and grain, thus broadening their diet and limiting the danger of bacterial and parasitic infestation.

Human beings multiplied in number and that meant there were more brains to plan future advances. With fire, life was not quite so hand-to-mouth; and there was more time to put those brains to work on something other than immediate emergencies.

In short, the use of fire put into motion an accelerating series of technological advances. About 10 000 years ago, in the Middle East, a series of crucial advances were made. These included the development of agriculture, herding, cities, pottery, metallurgy, and writing. The final step, that of writing, took place in the Middle East about 5 000 yea years ago.

This complex of changes stretching over a period of 5 000 years introduced what we call civilization, the name we give to a settled life, to a complex society in which human beings are specialized for various tasks.

To be sure other animals can build complex societies and can be composed of different types of individuals specialized for different tasks. This is most marked in such social insects as bees, ants, and termites, where individuals are in some cases physiologically specialized to the point where they cannot eat, but must be fed by others. Some species of ants practice

agriculture and grow small mushroom gardens, while others herd aphids; still others war on and enslave smaller species of ants. And, of course, the beehive and the ant or termite colony have many points of analogy with the human city.

The most complex nonhuman societies those of the insects, are, however, the result of

instinctive behaviour, the guidelines of which are built into the genes and nervous systems of the individuals at birth. Nor does as any nonhuman society make use of fire. With

insignificant exceptions, insect societies are run by the energy produced by the insect body. It is fair, then, to consider human societies as basically different from other societies and to attribute what we call civilization to human societies only. 21.Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage? 4

A. The process of species' making chemical energy is similar to the process of

combustion. B. The process of species' making chemical energy is less complicated than the process of combustion.

C. Fire is a portable, inanimate source of energy.

D. Man sometimes makes use of energy available in the bodies of stronger species. 22. From the passage we know ___.

A. fire made human beings free from bacterial and parasitic infestation

B. fire enabled human beings to deal with immediate emergencies more efficiently C. fire made some animals frightened

D. fire helped human beings change their eating habits completely

23. Judging from the context, the phrase \

means____.

A. adventurous B. unhappy C. wandering D. unstable 24. The point of similarity between a complex, human society and a complex bee society is ___.

A. the division of labor B. the use of fire

C. the development of industry D. the development of a written language 25 .According to the passage, insect societies ___. A. are governed by the instincts of insects

B. are not fundamentally different from human societies C. are composed of individuals of the same type D. are as not warlike as human beings

Passage Two

Modem technology may not have improved the world all that much, but it certainly has made life noisier. Unmuffled motorcycles, blaring car alarms, and roving boom boxes come first, second, and third on my list of most obnoxious noise offenders, but everyone could come up with his own version of aural hell—if he could just find a quiet spot to ponder the matter. Yet what technology has done, other technology is now starting to undo, using computer power, to zap those ear-splitting noises into silence. Previously silence-seekers had little

recourse except to stay inside, close the windows, and plug their ears. Remedies like these are quaintly termed \ passive\sound. Now computer technology is producing a far more effective \doesn't just contain, deflect, or mask the noise but annihilates it electronically.

The system works by countering the offending noise with -\anti-noise\sinister-sounding term that calls to mind antimatter, black holes, and other Popular Science mindbenders but, that actually refers to something quite simple. Just as a wave on a pond is flattened when it merges with a trough that is its exact opposite (or mirror image), so can a sound wave be negated by meeting its opposite.

This general theory of sound cancellation has been around since the 1930s. In the fifties and sixties it made for a kind of magic trick among laboratory acousticians 5

playing around with the first clunky mainframe computers. The advent of low-cost, high-power microprocessors has made active noise-cancellation systems a commercial possibility, and a handful of small electronics firms in the United States and abroad are bringing the first ones onto the silence market.

Silence buffs might be hoping that the noise-canceling apparatus will take the shape of the 44 Magnum wielded by Dirty Harry, but in fact active sound control is not quite that active. The system might more properly be described as reactive, in that it responds to sound waves

already headed toward human ears. In the configuration that is usual for such systems

microphones detect the noise signal and send it to the system's microprocessor, which almost instantly models it and creates its inverse for loudspeakers to fire at the original. Because the two sounds occupy the same range of frequencies and tones, the inverse sounds exactly like the noise it is meant to eliminate: the anti-noise canceling Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is heard as Beethoven's Fifth. The only difference is that every positive pressure produced on the air by the orchestra is matched by a negative pressure produced by the computer, and every negative pressure is matched by a positive, thereby silencing the sound. The system is most effective as a kind of muffler, in which microphones, microprocessor, and loudspeaker are all in a unit encasing the device that produces the sound, stifling it at its source. But it can work as a headset, too, negating the sound at the last moment before it disturbs one's peace of mind. 26.The writer holds that ___.

A. modem technology has disturbed the quiet life of the people B. modem

technology has made people indifferent to noise pollution C. modem technology has made the present world quieter than before D. modem technology has failed to solve the problem of noise pollution

27. According to the passage, an active noise-cancellation system ___. A. contains noise

rather than negates it B. eliminates noise rather than muffles it C. deflects noise rather than baffles it D. holds noise back rather than stifles it 28. In Paragraph 5 the word \ buffs\ B. enthusiasts C. buyers D. manufacturers 29. Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage? A. In the past, people sometimes plugged their ears to fight against the offending

noise. B. An active noise-cancellation system follows the principle of a wave being flattened by meeting its exact opposite. C. The first active noise-cancellation system was made in the 1930s, D. Active noise-cancellation systems are no w- available on the market.

30. Active noise-cancellation systems require ___. A. microphones B. microprocessors C. loudspeakers D. all of the above

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Passage Three

In the early years of the twentieth century, astrophysicists turned their attention to a special category of stars, known as cepheid (辐射点在仙王(星)座中的流星) variables. A variable star is one whose apparent brightness changes from time to time. Among some variables, the change in brightness occurs so slowly as to be almost imperceptible; among others, it occurs in sudden, brief, violent bursts of energy. Cepheid variables have special characteristics that make them a useful astronomical tool.

It was Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer at the Harvard Observatory, who first examined the cepheid variables in detail. She found that these stars vary regularly in apparent brightness over a relatively short period of time - from one to three days to a month or more. This

variation in brightness could be recorded and precisely measured with the help of the camera, then still a new tool in astronomy.

Leavitt also noticed that the periodicity of each cepheid variable - that is, the period of time it took for the star to vary from its brightest point to its dimmest, and back to its brightest

again—corresponded to the intrinsic or absolute brightness of the star. That is, the greater the star's absolute brightness, the slower its cycle of variation.

Why is this so? The variation in brightness is caused by the interaction between the star's gravity and the outward pressure exerted by the flow of light energy from the star. Gravity pulls the outer portions of the star inward, while light pressure pushes them outward. The result is a pulsating, in-and-out movement that produces increasing and decreasing brightness. The stronger the light pressure, the slower this pulsation. Therefore, the periodicity of the cepheid variable is a good indication of its absolute brightness.

Furthermore, it is obvious that the more apparent brightness of any source of light decrease the further we are from the light. Physicists had long known that this relationship could be described by a simple mathematical formula. If we know the absolute brightness of any object - say, a star - as well as our distance from that object, it is possible to use the inverse square law to determine exactly how bright that object will appear to be.

This laid the background for Leavitt's most crucial insight. As she had discovered, the absolute brightness of a cepheid variable could be determined by measuring its periodicity. And, of course, the apparent brightness of the star when observed from the earth could be determined by simple measurement. Leavitt saw that with these two facts and the help of the inverse square law, it would be possible to determine the distance from earth of any cepheid variable. If we know the absolute brightness of the star and how bright it appears from the earth, we can tell how far it must be.

Thus, if a cepheid variable can be found in any galaxy, it is possible to measure the distance of that galaxy from earth. Thanks to Leavitt's discovery, astronomical distances that could not previously be measured became measurable for the first time. 31 .The primary purpose of the passage is to explain

A. the background and career of the astronomer Henrietta Leavitt B. how and why various categories of stars vary in brightness

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C. important uses of the camera as an astronomical tool

D. how a particular method of measuring astronomical distances was created 32. According to the passage, the absolute brightness of a cepheid variable ____. A. depends upon its measurable distance from an observer on earth B. may be determined from the length of its cycle of variation

C. changes from time to time according to a regular and predictable pattern D. indicates the strength of the gravitation force exerted by the star

33. Which of the following did Leavitt's work provide astronomers with the means of determining?

A. The absolute brightness of any observable cepheid variable.

B. The apparent brightness of any object at a given distance from an observer. C. The distance from earth of any galaxy containing an observable cepheid variable. D. Both A and C.

34. Cepheid variable of great absolute brightness would probably exhibit ____.

A. a relatively rapid variation in brightness B. a correspondingly weak gravitational force C. slow and almost invisible changes in brightness D. a strong outward flow of light pressure

35. The passage implies that Leavitt's work on cepheid variables would not have been

possible without the availability of____. A. the camera as a scientific tool

B. techniques for determining the distances between stars C. a method of measuring a star's gravitational force D. an understanding of the chemical properties of stars

Passage four

The American economy, whether in government or private industry, has found retirement a convenient practice for managing the labor force. On the positive side, widespread retirement has meant an expansion of leisure and opportunities for self-fulfillment in later life. On the negative side, the practice of retirement entails large costs, both in funding required for pension systems and in the loss of the accumulated skills and talents of older people. Critics of retirement as it exists today have pointed to the rigidity of retirement practices: for example, the fact that retirement is typically an all-or-nothing proposition. Would it not be better to have some form of flexible or phased retirement, in which employees gradually reduce their work hours or take longer vacations? Such an approach might enable older workers to adjust better to retirement, while permitting employers to make gradual changes instead of coping with the abrupt departure of an employee. Retirement could be radically redefined in the future.

Earlier criticism of mandatory retirement at a fixed age led to legal abolition of the practice, for the most part, in 1986, The same kind of criticism has been leveled at the practice of age discrimination in employment. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids older workers from being limited or treated in any way that would harm their employment possibilities. Still, most observers admit that age 8

discrimination in the workplace remains widespread. The negative stereotypes of older

workers have caused employers to be reluctant to hire or train older people. Sometimes such discrimination against older workers is based on mistaken ideas, such as the false belief that older workers are less productive. In fact, empirical studies have not shown older workers to be less dependable in their job performance, nor are their absenteeism rate higher.

Interest in the potential productivity of older workers has stimulated the growth of industrial gerontology, a field concerned with recruitment, performance appraisal, retraining, and

redesign of jobs to permit older workers to be more productive. Managing an older workforce will clearly be a challenge for the future. There is also much support for the idea of work life extension; that is, adaptations of retirement rules or employment practices to enable older people to become more productive. In favor of this idea is the fact that three-quarters of

employed people over 65 are in white-collar occupations in service industries, which are less physically demanding than agriculture or manufacturing jobs. As a result, it is sometimes argued, older people can remain in productive jobs now longer than in the past. In addition, some analysts point to declining numbers of young people entering the workforce, thus anticipating a labor shortage later in the 1990s. That development, if it occurred, might

stimulate a need for older workers and a reversal of the trend toward early retirement. 36. Opponents of the retirement policy say ____.

A. it gives more leisure to old people than they know how to use B. it costs too much money in the form of retirement pensions C. it is too rigid and flexibility should be integrated into it D. retirement should be practiced only in the public sector 37. What happened in 1986?

A. Retirement stopped being practiced.

B. Age limitation in retirement was abolished. C. Age discrimination was legally abolished.

D. Retired people were no longer entitled to pensions. 38.Empirical studies indicate that old people ____. A. are less productive than younger people B. prefer working to retiring C. are reliable workers D. are less dependable

39. Industrial gerontology is concerned with ____.

A. how to mange older workforce

B. finding out how productive older workers can be C. how to meet the challenge of the future

D. finding out what kind of people can stay after the retirement age 40. Which of the following might lead to work life extension? A. Retraining of old people in modem skills. B. The trend toward early retirement. 9

C. The expansion of agriculture and manufacturing industry. D. The declining younger labor force.

Passage Five

Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to one's side, or that in Italy and some Latin American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.

Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that \poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm's length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.

Our linguistic (语言上的) and cultural blindness and the casualness with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world.

Even here in the United States, we make few concessions to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual (多语的) guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have

maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.

When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives -usually the richer - who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation's diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.

For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods.

But all that is past, American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly

beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.

41. It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle-Easterners would most probably ____.

A. stand still B. jump aside C. step forward D. draw back 42.The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their ____. A. cultural self-centeredness B. casual manners

C. indifference towards foreign visitors

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D. arrogance toward other cultures

43. In countries other than their own most Americans ____. A. are isolated by the local people

B. are not well informed due to the language barrier C. tend to get along well with the natives D. need interpreters in hotels and restaurants

44. According to the author, Americans' cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will____.

A. affect their image in the new era B. cut themselves off from the outside world C. limit their role in world affairs D. weaken the position of the US dollar

45. The author's intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize that A. it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends

B. it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs C. it is necessary to use several languages in public places D. it is time to get acquainted with other cultures

III. Translation 20%

Directions: Translate the following passage into Chinese

A few years ago, the rich world's worry about economic interaction with developing

countries was that the poor could not profit from it. So unbalanced were the terms of exchange between the North's mighty industries and the South's weakling sweatshops that trade between the two could be nothing more than exploitation of the one by the other: far from helping the poor countries, global integration would actually deepen their poverty. This fear has now given way to a pessimism that is equal and opposite - namely, that trade with the developing world will impoverish today's rich countries.

This new fear is more dangerous than the old one. The earlier scare tacitly affirmed that the industrial countries would suffer if they cut their links with the third world. Starting from there, campaigning in the North to restrict trade with developing countries was going to be an uphill struggle. Those who oppose deeper economic integration now have a better platform. Vital interests oblige the rich countries to protect their industries from the new competition. Unlike its predecessor, this idea may sell.

The new fear, like the old one, expresses the conviction that growth in one part of the world must somehow come at the expense of another. This is a deeply rooted prejudice, and plainly wrong. Very nearly all of the world is more prosperous now than it was 30 years ago. Growth has been a story of mutual advance.

Lending useful support to this first error is a second - the idea that there is only so much work to go round. If new technologies make some jobs obsolete, or if an increase in the supply of cheap imports makes other jobs uneconomic, the result must

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be a permanent rise in unemployment. Again, on a moment's reflection, this is wrong. At the core of both errors is blindness to the adaptive power of a market economy.

IV. Writing 20%

Directions: Please read the following report and then write an essay in 250-300 words on the

topic : My comment on the plan of future development of Chongming (崇明) island. Your composition should consist of three parts:

1. The characteristics of the plan 2. My comment on the plan

3. Description of the relationship between human and nature (to support our comment)

Chongming, the country's third largest and Shanghai's \

working on a decade-long development plan. There are no large -scale industrialization plans for the island. Instead future development will focus on tourism, resorts and exhibition centres although there will be room for certain pollution-free industries. —From \

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2006考试答案

I. Vocabulary 10%

I-5 BCACA 6-10 DCDBA II-15 DBBAC 16-20 DACBB

II. Reading Comprehension 50%

21-25 BCDAA 26-30 ABBCD 31-35 DBDDA 36-40 CACAD 41-45 DABCD

III. Translation 20%

几年前，富国在与发展中国家经济交往中所担心的是那些贫穷国家不能从中获利。北部强大的工业与南部弱小的血汗工厂之间互通有无的条件严重失衡，结果双方的经贸往来只能是一方剥削另一方。全球化不仅不能帮助贫穷国家，反而只会加重这些国家的贫穷。目前这种恐惧已被另一种势均力敌的相反的悲观情绪所取代，即与发展中国家的经贸往来会使今日的富国陷入贫困之中。

这种新的恐慌比前一种更加危险。前者还心照不宣地承认如果切断与第三世界国家的联系，那么工业国家将会遭受损失。有鉴于此，限制与发展中国家的贸易在北部还将是一场艰苦的斗争。现在那些反对进一步经济融合的人占了上风，重大经济利益驱使富国保护其工业不受新的攻击。与前一种恐惧不同，这种观点可能会被接受。

如同前一种恐惧，这种新的恐惧表达了一种信念：世界上一个地区的发展必定是以牺牲另一个地区为代价的。这是一种根深蒂固的偏见，并且大错特错，因为几乎整个世界都比30年前繁荣昌盛。发展是一个共同前进的问题。

与前一种错误观点遥相呼应的是第二种错误观点一一可供分配的工作只有这么多。新技术淘汰一些工作，或者增加进口廉价商品的数量导致其他一些工作不划算，那么后果必定是失业率的永远上升。然而，略加思考就会发现这种观点是错误的。

两种谬论的核心是对市场经济的适应能力视而不见。

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