东北大学考博英语真题,考博英语试题

东北大学 2008 年博士研究生入学考试英语试题
Entrance Examination of English for Ph.D. Candidates
(November 2008)

Part I Vocabulary (15 Points)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are
four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE that best competes the sentence.
Then blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
1. The schoolmaster ______ the girl's bravery in his opening speech. A. applauded B.
enhanced C. elevated D. clapped
2. The jungle frightened the travelers because it seemed ______. A. abismal B.
abbysmal C. abyzmal D. abysmal
3. She thought it could do no harm to ______ her escort a bit, at least on his taste in wines.
A. complement B. flatter C. flatten D. decorate
4. Although most birds have only a negligible sense of smell, they have ______ vision.
A. vigorous B. exact C. acute D. vivid
5. In the morning the children were delighted to find that everything was under a ______
of snow outside. A. coat B. cloak C. frock D. shawl
6. Many newspapers commented on the government's ______ measures to bring down
the price of wheat, rice, sugar, and other essential commodities. A. feeble B. limp C.
fragile D. disabled
7. The children's hysterical crying ______ the woman doctor from completing the
examination. A. forbade B. refrained C. hindered D. restricted
8. He is one of the most active ______ in the extracurricular activities of the students'
union. A. inhabitants B. descendants C. participants D. tenants
9. His newly published book advanced the ______ that whales are as intelligent as
humans. A. ruling B. proposal C. hypothesis D. protocol
10. One's attitude towards job hunting would be ______ to his prospects. A. critical B.
critic C. crucial D. criticized
11. The coast ______ slowly as our ship sailed out to sea. A. receded B. conceded C.
proceeded D. exceeded
12. There was much ______ among the cyclists after the difficult ride. A. camaraderie
B. camradene C. commraderie D. comraderie
13. After a number of disagreements with the committee, the helpless chairman ______.
A. retired B. dismissed C. deserted D. resigned
14. Her letter was in such a casual crawl, and in such pale ink, that it was ______. A.
vague B. illegible C. ambiguous D. intelligible
15. Poor Williams is in hospital again. The unlucky fellow seems ______ to accidents.
A. prone B. destined C. bound D. disposed
16. Recently a number of cases have been reported of young children ______ a violent
act previously seen on television. A. modifying B. duplicating C. accelerating D.
stimulating
17. There is a difference in meaning between the two words "surroundings" and
"environment". A. gentle B. feeble C. subtle D. humble
18. The renowned psychologist volunteered to take part in a small ______ to photograph
wild animals in the rain forest. A. expenditure B. expertise C. exposition D.
expedition
19. They are writing to the manager with ______ the repairs recently carried out at the
above address. A. the exception of B. a view to C. the purpose of D. reference to
20. When the doctor does a general experiment about the human mind, he selects people
______ and asks them a lot of questions. A. at random B. at length C. in essence
D. in bulk
21. The most ______ technological success in the twentieth century is probably the
computer revolution. A. solemn B. prominent C. prosperous D. prevalent
22. It is fortunate when a young man's career goals and the wishes of his parents for him
______. A. coincide B. supervise C. collaborate D. collide
23. The speaker was known to be quite the ______, so the program was well attended.
A. raconteur B. raquonteur C. racquonteur D. raqonteur
24. Drinking water is ______ when sewage seeps into the water supply. A. concealed
B. consumed C. contemplated D. contaminated
25. The girl had an ______ manner which made her very popular at school. A.
insoutiant B. insouciant C. insousant D. insuciant
26. After so many weeks without rain, the ground quickly ______ the little rain that fell
yesterday. A. absorbed B. drained C. digested D. soaked
27. A recent ______ of home buying patterns shows that many people under 30 in
America are still renting. A. status B. bonus C. chorus D. census
28. Most religious organizations depend on the ______ actions of their members for
financial and material aid. A. elemosynary B. ellemosynary C. elemosinary D.
eleemosynary
29. David tends to feel useless and unwanted in a society that gives so much ______ to
those who are aggressive and compete well. A. regime B. prestige C. superiority
D. legislature
30. He looked pale, tired and depressed, for although he had been working for fifteen
______ days on the project, his boss was still far from being satisfied with the result. A.
consecutive B. continuous C. consequent D. controversial
Part II Cloze (15 Points)
Directions: There are 30 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four
choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then
blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
A transformation is occurring that should greatly __31__ living standards in the
developing world. Places that __32__ recently were deaf and dumb are rapidly acquiring
up-to-date telecommunications that will let them __33__ both internal and foreign
investment. It may take a decade for many developing countries to improve
transportation, power supplies, and other __34__. Yet a single __35__ fiber with a
__36__ of less than half a/an __37__ can carry more information than a large cable made
of copper wires. Many developing countries are planning to invest vast sum of money
__38__ their telecommunications networks to allow them to compete, __39__ the transfer
of information, with developed countries. How fast these nations should push ahead is a
matter of debate.
China is making one of the boldest leaps __40__ carefully weighing costs and
choosing __41__ technologies. Over the next decade, it plans to pour some $100 billion
into telecommunications equipment. __42__, China's backwardness is an advantage,
because the expansion occurs __43__ new technologies are becoming cheaper than
The current lack of adequate ambulatory care facilities raises another possibility.
Some floors or other large compact areas of hospitals could be transferred from inpatient
to ambulatory uses. Reimbursement of ambulatory services is chaotic, but the problem is
being addressed. The overhead associated with the entire hospital should not be charged
even prorate to the ambulatory facilities. Even if it were, the total cost would probably be
less than that of building a new facility. Many other issues would also need study,
especially the potential over-centralization of ambulatory services.
The Planning Commission language seems to imply that one reason for closing
smaller hospitals is that they are "mainly voluntary and proprietary", thus, preserving the
public hospital system by making the rest of the hospital system absorb the needed cuts.
It is important to preserve the public hospital system for many reasons, but the issue
should be faced directly and not hidden behind arguments about hospital size if indeed
that was the meaning.
Questions 86-90 are based on Passage Six
86. The best title for the passage would be ______. A. Maintaining Adequate Hospital
Facilities B. Defending the Public Hospitals C. Protecting the Proprietary and
Voluntary Hospitals D. Economic Efficiency in Hospital Bed Closings
87. The Planning Commission is accused by the author of being ______. A. unfair B.
foolish C. shortsighted D. ignorant
88. The author's purpose in discussing ambulatory care is to ______. A. discuss
alternatives to closing hospital beds B. present a method of reducing the fiscal
disadvantages of closing only parts of larger hospitals C. help preserve the public
hospital system D. attack the inefficient use of space on larger hospitals
89. With which of the following is the author least likely to agree? A. a proposal to save
costs in a prison system by building only very large prison complexes B. a plan to stop
the closing of any beds whatsoever in the city, until the costs of various alternatives can
be fully considered C. a proposal by an architecture firm that new hospital buildings
have centralized record system D. a mayoral commission being formed to study the
plight of the elderly
90. How does the author feel that his suggestions for closing inpatient beds could impact
on the ambulatory care system? A. Ambulatory care costs will probably be reduced.
B. A reduction of hospital beds will increase the demand for ambulatory services. C.
Smaller hospitals will have to cut back ambulatory services to stay fiscally viable. D.
The use as ambulatory facilities of the space made available in large hospitals by bed
closings might result in having too many ambulatory services based in large hospitals.
Passage Seven
When bread prices rose, Vladkhleb, a bakery, asked the krai and city for help in
holding down prices. Here is a letter it wrote, published in the Vladivostok Times Sept. 9,
2007.
Dear Residents of Vladivostok:
The staff and Board of Directors of Vladkhleb can't keep silent in the current wild
situation when prices for all existing products are skyrocketing unbelievably. And while
we somewhat indifferently watch enormous figures on price tags for delicacy products,
every kopeck of extra charge for the staples causes a real panic. We perfectly realize that,
and that's why we have kept bread prices affordable for all this time. Even after the rise of
prices we have tried to keep the past prices for as long as possible.
At the moment all our reserves are exhausted. Stocks of bread-baking ingredients
such as flour, sugar, butter and the like are running out. To buy what we need at
reasonable prices is virtually impossible today.
However, we cannot temporize. We all need bread every day, which means we will
be forced to buy everything we need at much higher prices. What this means perhaps
doesn't need to be explained.
The cost of bread closely depends on ingredients. Another financial crisis has led to a
50-300% increase of prices for butler, vegetable oil, all types of margarine, yeast and
other as of September 1. All these prices continue to grow every hour.
Because of this, Vladkhleb came to the critical point where it is necessary to raise
prices of its products. Otherwise, we will just destroy a most powerful bread enterprise.
Should Vladkhleb shut down, the bread price will get out of hand.
Our economists projected the situation for the near future considering the growing
flour cost. With the cost of flour at 2.18 rubles per kilogram at the start of September, the
retail bread price was to be 4.36 rubles. With an increase of flour cost to 4 rubles per
kilogram, bread price will grow to 6.17 rubles. Further growth will be possible.
So it turns out that bread may rank with delicacy products. Is there another way out?
Yes. It is already put into practice by leaders of other cities and regions. For example,
Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov used the press in the very first days of the crisis to tell the
residents that he had decided to subsidize the bread industry so that not to allow prices for
this type of food to rise. There were no objections. So did Khabarovsk -- there they pay
subsidies for bread baking ingredients.
Incidentally, the city and krai administrations already have the experience of
supporting our plants. Rather than artificially holding back prices, they employed loans
and waivers and the like. At this point all the city and krai offices of authority as well as
deputies at all levels could consider our propositions such as:
Granting waivers on taxes to krai and city budgets;
Establishing lower prices for electric and thermal energy for a program of bread
production;
Facilitating in reception of customs duty and tax waivers from the federal government
for imported grain;
Recovery of Pacific Fleet's debts in the amount of 6 million rubles (calculated as of
August 2007) for supplied products;
Lowering rent for premises and plots.
Any of these possible measures will help Vladkhleb contain the growth of prices for
its products. Despite of our SOS signal, no measures have been taken as yet. We have
found ourselves in the same situation as any of you. We see the situation changing
steadily for the worse. We will not cope with that alone.
We see one recourse: Raise the bread price minimally and cancel our free plastic bag
service. But what is next? This is the concern of all the 700 employees and the board of
Vladkhleb.
Every extra kopeck in the cost of bread upsets you and us very much. Making our
sincere apologies for a forced increase of the bread price, we hope for your understanding
and support. Today and tomorrow we are with you, as usual.
The Staff and Board of Vladkhleb
Questions 91-95 are based on Passage Seven
91. In this open letter Vladkhleb explains to the people of Vladivostok that ______. A.
they can no longer supply bread B. the price of bread will treble C. all reserves of
bread-making ingredients have been depleted D. it will have to close down
92. A possible solution to the crisis, Vladkhleb suggests is ______. A. to use
ingredients of a lower quality B. to cut the workers' wages C. to urge people to eat
less bread D. to have the bread price subsidized by the authorities
93. "So it turns out that bread may rank with delicacy products," means ______. A. that
bread has become much tastier in recent months B. that bread has become as expensive
as caviar C. that bread has become an article many people can no longer afford D.
that bread has become more crispy in recent months
94. Vladkhleb has decided not to shut down because, they say, ______. A. the
organization still has a lot of outstanding debts B. otherwise the price of bread may get
out of hand C. otherwise the distribution of bread may end up in the hands of the mafia
D. their employees are loyal and hard-working
95. One of Vladkhleb propositions to the local authorities "Recovery of Pacific Fleet's
debts in the amount of 6 million rubles (calculated as of August 2007) for supplied
products." means ______. A. that the army still owes the bakery a lot of money for
bread delivered in the past B. that Vladkhleb still owes a lot of money to the army for
ingredients that it supplied in the past. C. that the local authorities should ask for more
funds from Moscow which would otherwise end up with the Pacific Fleet D. that the
local authorities should pay back the debt immediately
Part IV Translation (15 Points)
Directions: Each of the following two passages has some underlined parts. Translate the
underlined parts into Chinese and write your translation on the Answer Sheet.
Passage One
(1) None of the much flaunted appeals of cigarette advertisers, such as superior taste
and mildness, induces us to become smokers or to choose one brand in preference to
another. Despite the emphasis put on such qualities by advertisers, they are minor
considerations. This is one of the first facts we discovered when we asked several
hundred people from all walks of life, why they liked to smoke cigarettes. Smoking is as
much a psychological pleasure as it is a physiological satisfaction.
What is the nature of this psychological pleasure? It can be traced to the universal
desire for self-expression. (2) None of us ever completely outgrows our childhood. We
are constantly hunting for the carefree enjoyment we knew as children. As we grew older,
we had to subordinate our pleasures to work and to the necessity for unceasing effort.
Smoking, for many of us, then, became a substitute for our early habit of following the
whims of the moment; it becomes a legitimate excuse for interrupting work and snatching
a moment of pleasure.
Most of us are hungry for rewards. We want to be patted on the back. A cigarette is a
reward that we can give ourselves as often as we wish. When we have done anything well,
for instance, we can congratulate ourselves with a cigarette, which certifies, in effect, that
we have been "good boys."
Passage Two
(3) There is increasing media coverage surrounding carbon footprints. Businesses are
facing mounting stakeholder pressure to show their commitment to measuring and
reducing carbon emissions. As awareness amongst consumers is growing, organizations
are being asked to report on the activities they are undertaking to reduce their carbon
footprint. Until recently, most carbon offsets were commonly done by planting trees.
Yet how effective are new trees in offsetting the carbon footprint? A new study
suggests that the location of the new trees is an important factor when considering such
carbon offset projects. (4) Planting and preserving forests in the tropics is more likely to
slow down global warming. But the study concludes that planting new trees in certain
parts of the planet may actually warm the Earth. The new study, which combines climate
and carbon-cycle effects of large-scale deforestation in a fully interactive three-
dimensional climate-carbon model, confirms that planting more tropical rainforests could
help slow global warming worldwide.
The research, led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory atmospheric scientist
Govindasamy Bala, appears in the April 9-13 online edition of the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.
According to the study, new forests in mid- to high-latitude locations could actually
create a net warming. Specifically, more trees in mid-latitude locations like the United
States and most of Europe would only create marginal benefits from a climate
perspective. But those extra trees in the boreal forests of Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia
could actually be counterproductive, Bala said.
Forests affect climate in three different ways: they absorb the greenhouse gas --
carbon dioxide -- from the atmosphere and help keep the planet cool; they evaporate
water to the atmosphere and increase cloudiness, which also helps keep the planet cool;
and they are dark and absorb sunlight (the albedo effect), warming the Earth. Previous
climate change mitigation strategies that promote planting trees have taken only the first
effect into account.
"Our study shows that only tropical rainforests are strongly beneficial in helping
slow down global warming," Bala said. "It is a win-win situation in the tropics because
trees in the tropics, in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide, promote convective clouds
that help to cool the planet. In other locations, the warming from the albedo effect either
cancels or exceeds the net cooling from the other two effects."
The study concludes that by the year 2100, forests in mid- and high-latitudes will
make some places up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than would have occurred if the
forests did not exist.
(5) The authors caution that the cooling from deforestation outside the tropics should
not be viewed as a strategy for mitigating climate change. "Preservation of ecosystems is
a primary goal of preventing global warming, and the destruction of ecosystems to
prevent global warming would be a counterproductive and perverse strategy." Said Ken
Caldeira, from the Carnegie Institution and a co-author of this report.
Part V Writing (20 Points)
Directions: Write on the Answer Sheet a composition of at least 200 words based on the
following statements. You should supply an appropriate title for your composition.
Online gambling (网上赌博) is widespread now. It has done a lot of harm to our
society as well as to the individuals. In your opinion, what steps can be taken to deal with
the problem?