北京体育大学考博英语真题,考博英语试题

2009年北京体育大学博士入学考试英语试题

================================================================================
Part I Listening Comprehension (20%)
================================================================================

Direction: Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read four times.
During the first reading the passage will be read at normal speed and you are supposed to
listen only and try to have a general understanding of it. For the second and third readings,
the passage will be read sentence by sentence or phrase by phrase with an interval of
12-15 seconds in between for writing. The last reading will be done at the normal speed
again for you to check up.

================================================================================
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (10%)
================================================================================

Directions: There are 20 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are
four choices marked A, B, C and D. Circle the one that best completes the sentence.

1. It was very kind of you to get me something for my birthday, but you ______ me such an
expensive present.
A. didn't need buying B. needn't buy
C. needn't have bought D. hadn't needed to buy

2. The ______ of a cultural phenomenon is usually a logical consequence of some physical
aspect in the life style of the people.
A. manifestation B. implementation C. expedition D. demonstration

3. He is holding a ______ position in the company and expects to be promoted soon.
A. subordinate B. succeeding C. successive D. subsequent

4. In American universities, classes are often arranged in more flexible ______ and many
jobs on campus are reserved for students.
A. scales B. ranks C. grades D. patterns

5. The government gave a very ______ explanation of its plan for economic development.
A. comprehensive B. compound C. considerable D. complacent

6. In my opinion, you can widen the ______ of these improvements through your active
participation.
A. dimension B. volume C. magnitude D. scope

7. No Tobacco Day is the day when the World Health Organization ______ to people to stop
using tobacco products.
A. asks B. applies C. appeals D. urges

8. The dentist's confident manner ______ me that I was in safe hands.
A. insured B. assured C. ensured D. secured

9. We prefer that the plan ______ before being put into execution.
A. be fully discussed B. must be fully discussed
C. will be fully discussed D. is fully discussed

10. The sound of footsteps on the bare floor ______ the downstairs neighbors.
A. disturbed B. interrupted C. annoyed D. irritated

11. I asked him for a job ______ the impression that he was the head of the firm, but he
wasn't.
A. with B. under C. in D. of

12. It's no good ______ remember grammatical rules. You need to practice what you have
learned.
A. trying to B. try to C. to try to D. tried to

13. The dictator relied on abuse of its opponents ______ on sounding reasoning.
A. more than B. rather than C. other than D. better than

14. To make the best and the most efficient use of your time and to achieve your goals,
start each day by ______ your agenda.
A. holding on B. making out C. keeping on D. taking down

15. Once the question is put, we know ______ try to obtain the answer.
    A. to proceed in direction to
    B. where direction proceed to
    C. in which direction to proceed to
    D. which direction proceed toward

16. During the opera's most famous aria, the tempo chosen by the orchestra's conductor
seemed ______, without necessary relation to what had gone before.
A. tedious B. melodious C. capricious D. moderation

17. It is time the nations of the world ______ a halt to the manufacture of nuclear
weapons.
A. would call B. call C. called D. will call

18. When the drops were placed in the patient's eyes, his pupils became ______.
A. dilated B. smaller C. irritated D. sensible

19. To visit zoos that simulate the natural habitats of animals ______ of great interest
to zoologists.
A. are B. be C. were D. is

20. Mr. Smith ______ with the government for thirty-seven years by the time he retires.
A. will work B. will have worked C. will be working D. will have been worked

================================================================================
Part III Sentence Transformation (20%)
================================================================================

Directions: Rewrite each of the following sentences by using the word(s) below it so that
each new sentence means roughly the same as the original one. In some instances, it may be
necessary to change the tense of the given word(s).

21. He is warm-hearted, but this doesn't mean that he is bright. (follow)
________________________________________________________________________

22. The manager has asked me to consider this proposal carefully. (consideration)
________________________________________________________________________

23. The garden is too small for a swimming pool. (room)
________________________________________________________________________

24. Increasing the tax on household goods is bound to cause trouble. (It's asking)
________________________________________________________________________

25. The museum is closed this afternoon. (There is)
________________________________________________________________________

26. Don't touch those wires in any circumstances. (Under)
________________________________________________________________________

27. The small number of potential buyers does not provide a sufficiently large market
for this kind of apparatus. (enough)
________________________________________________________________________

28. I was finally able to convince him of its value. (I finally succeeded)
________________________________________________________________________

29. Film makers understandably lose much of their interest in the genre. (appeal to)
________________________________________________________________________

30. Not all of the people like this movie. (popular)
________________________________________________________________________

================================================================================
Part IV Cloze (10%)
================================================================================

Directions: Read through the following passage and then decide which of the choices given
below could correctly complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blanks. Circle
the correct choice for each blank.

An interesting theory in economics is 31 by the Head Man of a small mountain tribe.

It seems that this tribe was very good at making straw mats that had great sales 32 in
the 33 market. The representative of an American company went to visit the tribe and
tried to make a good business deal. He 34 to the Head Man and 35 that his company would
like to 36 several thousand pieces.

Undoubtedly, he said, the business 37 would be 38 to the tribe. After some
thoughts, the Head Man 39, but announced that the price per piece would be 40 in such a
41 order than it would be if 42 a small order were placed.

The representative was 43 than a little shocked 44 the business sense of the Head
Man, 45 insisted that the price should be 46 because of the large volume, and 47 not
higher.

No, replied the head of the tribe 48. But why not? asked the American. Because 49 is
so tiresome to make the 50 article over and over, answered the Head Man.

31.
A. illustrated B. appreciated C. demonstrated D. anticipated

32.
A. capacity B. potential C. ability D. fortune

33.
A. straw B. global C. world D. earth

34.
A. addressed B. spoke C. asked D. told

35.
A. declared B. confirmed C. demanded D. gestured

36.
A. order B. sell C. dispose D. make

37.
A. treaty B. pact C. matter D. deal

38.
A. effective B. efficient C. valuable D. profitable

39.
A. agreed B. accepted C. refused D. received

40.
A. lower B. higher C. expensive D. cheaper

41.
A. small B. big C. vast D. high

42.
A. certainly B. really C. only D. simply

43.
A. greater B. stronger C. less D. more

44.
A. from B. of C. at D. since

45.
A. who B. and C. then D. therefore

46.
A. lower B. higher C. little D. raised

47.
A. never B. really C. certainly D. yet

48.
A. weakly B. happily C. stubbornly D. hesitatingly

49.
A. he B. it C. what D. work

50.
A. similar B. beautiful C. alike D. same

================================================================================
Part V Reading Comprehension (20%)
================================================================================

Directions: In this part there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished
statements, each with four suggested answers marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the one that
you think is the correct answer.

Passage One

A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous,
and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently
made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of
course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are
hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves
comment.

For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome
break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the
families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome
sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.

The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone
traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest
cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable
impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn't
take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday,
remember, you might be in the same situation.

Today there are many charitable organizations that specialize in helping the weary
traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US,
especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. I was just
traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for
dinner—amazing. Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but
are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be
interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically
developed cultural tradition.

As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals,
assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course,
speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural
patterns. Visitors who fail to translate cultural meanings properly often draw wrong
conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word friend, the cultural implications
of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor's language and culture.
It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention
and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly
and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

51. The word "observation" in the first paragraph most probably means ______.
A. attention. B. watchfulness. C. survey. D. opinion.

52. People in frontier settlements used to entertain travelers because these strangers
would ______.
    A. bring good news from outside world.
    B. help locals solve their problems.
    C. bring a change to the life in the settlements.
    D. requires a different definition.

53. Nowadays the tradition of friendliness to strangers ______.
A. is still prevailing. B. can rarely be seen.
C. is wading fast. D. requires a different definition.

54. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
    A. People are still fond of traveling to remote places.
    B. Foreign travelers now keep away from busy tourist trails.
    C. There is no charitable organization in small cities.
    D. Foreign visitors to the US have trouble understanding American's friendliness.

55. From the last paragraph of the passage we have learned that ______.
    A. the ability of speaking a foreign language implies a better understanding of its
       culture
    B. various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends
    C. culture exercises a great influence on social interrelationships
    D. courteous convention and individual interest are closely interrelated

Passage Two

It is well known that when an individual joins a group he tends to accept the group's
standards of behavior and thinking. He is expected to behave in accordance with these
norms—in other words, the group expects him to conform. Many illustrations could be given
of this from everyday life, but what is of particular interest to psychologists is the extent
to which people's judgments and opinions can be changed as a result of group pressure.

In a typical experiment, the experimenter asks for volunteers to join a group that is
investigating visual perception. The victims are not, therefore, aware of the real purpose
of the experiment. Each volunteer is taken to a room where he finds a group of about seven
people who are collaborating with the experimenter. The group is shown a standard card
which contains a single line. They are then asked to look at a second card. This has three
lines on it. One is obviously longer than the line on the first card, one is shorter and one
the same length. They have to say which line on the second card is the same line as the
line on the standard card. The other members of the group answer first but what the
volunteer does not know is that they have been told to pick one of the wrong lines. The
volunteer sees that the other members of the group unanimously choose a line which is
obviously not the same length as the one on the standard card.

When it is his turn to answer he is faced with the unanimous opinion of the group—all
the others have chosen line A but he quite clearly sees line B as correct. What will he
do? According to Asch, more than half of the victims chosen will change their opinion.
What is equally surprising is that, when interviewed about their answers, most explained
that they knew the group choice was incorrect but that they yielded to the pressure of the
group because they thought they must be suffering from an optical illusion.

56. Psychologists are interested in ______.
    A. how far group pressure can influence people's judgments
    B. how to make judgments according to everyday experience
    C. how to change people's judgments
    D. the group's standards of social behavior

57. In the experiment, who have been told to pick the wrong line?
A. The victims. B. The volunteer. C. The experimenter. D. The other members.

58. In what circumstances do most people yield to pressure?
    A. When the group is separated.
    B. When the group is unanimous.
    C. When they know they are the victims.
    D. When they are forced to answer questions.

59. The experiments demonstrate that ______.
    A. nearly every individual will behave differently from others
    B. group pressure is caused by the interference of the psychologists.
    C. psychologists wish to change the people's judgments and opinions.
    D. people will change their ideas under group pressure.

60. The best title of this passage would be ______.
    A. A Typical Experiment
    B. Are We Afraid to be Different
    C. The Group's Standards of Behavior and Thinking
    D. Does an Individual Need to Follow a Group's Standards

Passage Three

The single business of Henry Thoreau, during forty-odd years of eager activity was to
discover an economy calculated to provide a satisfying life. His one concern, which gave to
his ramblings in Concord fields a value of high adventure, was to explore the true meaning
of wealth. As he understood the problem of economics, there were three possible solutions
open to him: to exploit himself, to exploit his fellows, or to reduce the problem to its
lowest denominator. The first was quite impossible—to imprison oneself in a treadmill when
the morning called to great adventure. To exploit one's fellows seemed to Thoreau's
sensitive social conscience an even greater infidelity. Freedom with abstinence seemed to
him better than serfdom with material well-being, and he was content to move to Walden
Pond and to set about the high business of living, to confront only the essential facts of
life and to see what it had to teach. He did not advocate that other men should build
cabins and live isolated. He had no wish to dogmatize concerning the best mode of
living—each must settle that for himself. But that a satisfying life should be lived, he was
vitally concerned. The story of his emancipation from the lower economics is the one
romance of his life, and Walden is his great book. It is a book in praise of life rather
than of Nature, a record of calculating economics that studied saving in order to spend more
largely. But it is a book of social criticism as well, in spite of its explicit denial of
such a purpose. In considering the true nature of economy he concluded, with Ruskin, that
the cost of a thing is the amount of life that is required in exchange for it, immediately
or in the long run. In Walden Thoreau elaborated the text: The only wealth is life.

61. Thoreau started an experiment at Walden Pond with the hope of ______.
    A. learning how to live quietly
    B. writing a book on philosophy
    C. discovering what humans can learn from nature
    D. working out the best adjustment to material life

62. To Thoreau the best solution to the problem of economics is ______.
A. to live a very simple life B. to become self-sufficient
C. to live in the country D. to reform the society

63. Thoreau holds that the crucial thing for people to do is to ______.
    A. have a better understanding of what life means
    B. live harmoniously with nature
    C. to save as much as one possibly can
    D. to live a life that one is content with

64. In the book Walden all of the following can be found except ______.
A. the nature of economy B. the meaning of freedom
C. the criticism of society D. Ruskin's philosophy

65. Thoreau's attitude toward society can best be characterized as one of ______.
A. acceptance B. avoidance C. indifference D. individualism

Passage Four

Automation refers to the introduction of electronic control and automatic operation of
productive machinery. It reduces the human factors, mental and physical, in production, and
is designed to make possible the manufacture of more goods with fewer workers. The
development of automation in American industry has been called the Second Industrial
Revolution.

Labor's concern over automation arises from uncertainty about its effects on
employment, and fears of major changes in jobs. In the main, labor has taken the view that
resistance to technological change is futile. In the long run, the result of automation may
well be an increase in employment, since it is expected that vast industries will grow up
around manufacturing, maintaining, and repairing automation equipment. Unquestionably,
however, there will be major shifts in jobs within plants and displacement of labor from
one industry to another. The interest of labor lies in bringing about this transition with a
minimum of inconvenience and distress to the workers involved. Also, union spokesmen
emphasize that the benefit of the increased production and lower costs made possible by
automation should be shared by workers in the form of higher wages, more leisure, and
improved living standards.

To protect the interests of its members in the era of automation, unions have adopted a
number of new policies. One of these is the promotion of supplementary unemployment
benefits plans. It is emphasized that since the employer involved in SUB plan has a direct
financial stake in preventing unemployment, he will have a strong incentive for planning
new installations so as to cause the least possible disruption in jobs and job assignments.
Some unions are working for dismissal pay agreements, requiring that permanently laid off
workers be paid a sum of money based on length of service. Another approach is the idea of
the improvement factor, which calls for wage increase based on increases in productivity.
It is probable, however, that labor will rely mainly on reduction in working hours in order
to gain a full share in the fruits of automation.

66. We learn from paragraph 1 that automation will probably lead to ______.
    A. industrial expansion
    B. an increase in employment
    C. displacement of labor from one industry to another
    D. an increase in unemployment

67. Labor has the opinion that ______.
    A. all efforts must be made to prevent automation
    B. automation will cause a rise in consumer costs
    C. its main interest lies in increasing all wages
    D. technological change cannot be stopped

68. What is the relation between automation and employment in the opinion of labor?
    A. Automation will definitely leads to more unemployment.
    B. From a long-term point of view automation will bring about more jobs.
    C. Automation will not cause much change in employment.
    D. Sooner of later automation will do all the work instead of man.

69. The union stresses that ______.
    A. workers should also enjoy the fruits brought about by automation
    B. no workers should be fired in the development of automation
    C. it is necessary to slow down the development of automation
    D. workers should be paid according to their length of service

70. How many new policies of the unions have been listed in this passage?
A. 1. B. 2. C. 3. D. 4.

================================================================================
Part VI Writing (20%)
================================================================================

Directions: People may hold different views as to the dispute over when the shaping of a
person's character, or natural disposition is completed. Some people state that the
process of forming one's character is fulfilled in one's childhood, whereas others argue
that it is achieved after one finishes his school studies or has worked for a year beyond
campus. What do you think? Provide details in support of your argument with at least 180
words.