复旦大学考博英语真题,考博英语试题

2010年复旦大学博士研究生入学考试英语试题

Part I Vocabulary and Structure (15%)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the center.
1. The problem of where we will raise the funds for the scheme has not yet been ______.
A. accessed    B. addressed
C. dealt    D. expressed
2. Her remarkable success as a rock star is partly due to her ability to ______ the media.
A. mandate    B. meditate
C. manifest    D. manipulate
3. The government claimed that it was accidental, but the hollow and ______ excuse could not convince the public.
A. feeble    B. deliberate
C. fluent    D. delicate
4. We need to make sure that we ______ our resources as fully as possible.
A. use    B. exploit
C. employ    D. explore
5. The news that the company is being taken over by foreign investors has severely ______ the stock markets.
A. vibrated    B. swung
C. trembled    D. jolted
6. He was ______ for his years of service to the company with a grand farewell party and several presents.
A. awarded    B. rewarded
C. warded    D. safeguarded
7. In the busy holiday season, extra buses are provided to ______ the existing service.
A. supplement    B. complement
C. implement    D. experiment
8. Whenever a camera was pointed at her, Marilyn would instantly ______ herself into a radiant star.
A. transport    B. transfer
C. transform    D. transgress
9. She was so ______ the play that she cried in the final act.
A. involved in    B. taken in
C. given in    D. gone into
10. I can ______ the house being untidy, but I hate it if it's not clean.
A. put in for    B. put up with
C. put down    D. put across
11. It makes her very angry when he says that men are intrinsically ______ to women.
A. meticulous    B. applicable
C. superior    D. inferior
12. ______ news and current affairs, I hardly watch any television.
A. Aside from    B. Regardless of
C. In the face of    D. So far as
13. The president has said that there are no plans to ______ taxes.
A. raise    B. rise
C. arise    D. soar
14. It's absolutely ______ that you get that form sent off by the twenty-third of this month.
A. vital    B. fatal
C. mortal    D. neutral
15. I spent most of my money in the first week and ______ had very little to eat during the last few days of the holiday.
A. after all    B. consequently
C. otherwise    D. anyhow
16. After the recent scandal, the priest is expected to do the ______ thing and resign from his position.
A. reticent    B. decent
C. innocent    D. descent
17. Britain's Channel Four television sent him to New York to do a(n) ______ interview for its "The Word" program.
A. alive    B. lively
C. live    D. alive
18. Centuries of wind and rain had worn away the ______ on the gravestones.
A. descriptions    B. prescriptions
C. inscriptions    D. conscriptions
19. Her knowledge and experience would make her a(n) ______ asset to the team.
A. worthless    B. priceless
C. valueless    D. inexpensive
20. The contract between the companies will ______ at the end of the year.
A. expire    B. exceed
C. terminate    D. cease
21. I would have come to see you had it been possible, but I ______ so busy then.
A. had been    B. was
C. were    D. would be
22. Legislation has been developed throughout the 20th century attempting to protect employees from ______ dismissal by their employers.
A. unrecognizable    B. undeniable
C. unreachable    D. unjustifiable
23. Mrs. Brown is supposed ______ for Italy last week.
A. to leave    B. to be leaving
C. to have left    D. to have been left
24. A ______ surgeon can be as dangerous as a recruit with a gun he does not know how to handle.
A. professional    B. negligent
C. competent    D. mellow
25. Pioneer men and women endured terrible hardships, and ______.
A. neither did the children    B. so do their children
C. also the children    D. so did their children
26. The top executives were accused of telling half-truths and even ______ lies about the company's financial conditions.
A. down-to earth    B. upright
C. downright    D. actual
27. We are surprised to find that he has a(n) ______ streak, with the tendency of remembering the wrongs done to him.
A. vengeful    B. invincible
C. vulnerable    D. violent
28. Jane has ______ won the respect of everyone in the field of dance both for the society and herself.
A. deservedly    B. exactly
C. despicably    D. diffusely
29. In the movie, he plays a loving and ______ father trying to bring up two teenage children on his own.
A. sensitive    B. senseless
C. sensual    D. sensuous
30. It is wrong to ______ any one of the candidates at the moment, for one of them might turn out to be a dark horse in the general election.
A. deny    B. outshine
C. belittle    D. grudge
Part II Reading Comprehension (40%)
Directions: There are four reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished sentences. For each of them there four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the center.
Passage 1
A few minutes ago, walking back from lunch, I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. As I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning, too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.
The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on the pavement is an attention-getter. It can be nothing more than a penny. Whatever the coin is, no one ignores the sound of it. It got me thinking about sounds again.
We are besieged by so many sounds that attract the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine, a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.
When I'm in New York, I'm a New Yorker. I don't turn either. Like the natives. I hardly hear a siren there.
At home in my little town in Connecticut(康涅狄格州), it's different. The distant wail of a police car, an emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I'm seated and brings me to the window if I'm in bed.
It's the quietest sounds that have most effect on us, not the loudest. In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away through three closed doors. I've been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imagination turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house. How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?
I'm quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are.
I've turned against whistling, for instance. I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker. But lately, I've been associating the whistler with a nervous person making compulsive noises.
The tapping, tapping, tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me. I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it. But whatever sounds there will be, and whether we love them or not, we can't break away from them in our life.
31. The sound of a coin dropping makes people ______.
A. think of money    B. look at each other
C. pay attention to it    D. stop crossing the street
32. People in New York ______.
A. don't care about emergencies    B. are used to sirens
C. are attracted by sounds    D. don't hear loud noises
33. How does the author relate to sounds at night?
A. He imagines sounds that do not exist.    B. He exaggerates quiet sounds.
C. He thinks taps should be turned off.    D. He believes it's rather quiet at night.
34. He dislikes whistling because ______.
A. he is tired of it    B. he used to be happier
C. it reminds him of tense people    D. he doesn't like workers
35. How does the writer feel about sounds in general?
A. They make him feel at home.    B. He thinks they should be ignored.
C. He believes they are part of our lives.    D. He prefers silence to loud noises.
Passage 2
In the wake of the Sept.11 attacks, many Americans feel we may begin to see the erosion of some of our civil liberties. There is concern we may be subject to personal searches and increased monitoring of our activities, all in the name of safety and security. On the computing front, I would argue that we already have had to surrender many of our liberties to protect ourselves from computer viruses and other security breaches.
As much as vendors and network administrators try to make scanning for viruses an unobtrusive process for the end user, we still are inconvenienced by the routines mandated by the guardians of our corporate computing security. However, inconvenience takes a back seat to the outright need for security. Viruses are more than inconvenient; they cause real damage. Computer Economics estimates the cost of virus attacks on information systems around the world, including cleanup costs and lost productivity, has already reached $10.7 billion so far this year. Compare that figure with $17.1 billion for all of 2000 and @12.1 billion for 1999.
I know you're thinking: "I'm only one person. How can I spend the necessary time to safeguard my company against viruses and security holes and still do my regular job?"
Realistically, you can't. But there are resources to help you.
Microsoft has just announced a new initiative called the Strategic Technology Protection Program. Among the services being offered are free technical support related to viruses and a security tool kit that includes patches and service packs that address security vulnerabilities in Windows NT and 2000.
The FBI and SANS Institute have just released their top 20 list of the most critical Internet security vulnerabilities. The majority of successful attacks on computer systems via the Internet can be traced to exploitation of security flaws on this list. Study the list at www.sans.org.
The Center for Internet Security provides methods and tools to improve, monitor and compare the security status of your Internet-connected systems. Find out how to benchmark your organization's status at www.cisecurity.org.
Software vendors such as Network Associates Symantec and Computer Associates have very informative virus resource centers. The Symantec Antivirus Research Center (www.symantecd.com/avcenter)has an online newsletter and in-depth information about viruses. Likewise, the CA Virus Information Center offers tips on managing virus incidents and protecting messaging systems.
Just like our national defense, the best protection against a debilitating virus attack is knowledge of the vulnerabilities and the means to plug the security holes. Be proactive and vigilant, and make use of the numerous resources at your disposal.
36. The writer seems to feel that ______.
A. the concern about the erosion of liberties is unnecessary    B. the routine scanning of viruses causes much inconvenience to end users
C. the need for computing security makes inconvenience tolerable    D. liberty can be guaranteed only if security is achieved first
37. The two figures "$17.1 billion" and "$12.1 billion" are mentioned for the readers to ______.
A. make sense of the damages that have been done so far this year    B. see the decrease of the cost of virus attacks
C. calculate the cost of virus attacks for the year 2001    D. pay more attention to anti-virus resources
38. To obtain detailed information about viruses, we can resort to ______.
A. the Strategic Technology Protection Program    B. www.sans.org
C. www.cisecurity.org    D. www.symantec.com
39. By simply checking the top 20 list, we may ______.
A. obtain a picture of major successful attacks on computer systems    B. identify a possible security hole in our computer systems
C. improve the security status of our computer systems    D. protect our computer systems from virus attacks
40. A proper title for this passage might be ______.
A. the Aftermath of Sept.11    B. Liberty vs. Security
C. Strategies for Battling Virus    D. Virus Attack—Another Form of Sept.11
Passage 3
On January 11th, 2009, a remarkable legal case opens in a San Francisco courtroom—on its way, it seems almost certain, to the Supreme Court. Perry v. Schwarzenegger challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California referendum that, in November, 2008, overturned a state Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex couples to marry. Its lead lawyers are unlikely allies: Theodore B. Olson, the former solicitor general under President George W. Bush, and a prominent conservative; and David Boies, the Democratic trial lawyer who was his opposing counsel in Bush v. Gore. The two are mounting an ambitious case that pointedly circumvents the incremental, narrowly crafted legal gambits and the careful state-by-state strategy that leading gay-rights organizations have championed in the fight for marriage equality. The Olson-Boies team hopes for a ruling that will transform the legal and social landscape nationwide, something on the order of Brown v. Board of Education, in 1954, or Loving v. Virginia, the landmark 1967 Supreme Court ruling that invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
Olson's interest in this case has puzzled quite a few people. What's in it for him? Is he sincere? Does he really think he can sway the current Court? But when I spoke with Olson, who is sixty-nine, in early December, he sounded confident and impassioned; the case clearly fascinated him both as an intellectual challenge and as a way to make history. "The Loving case was forty-two years ago," he said, perched on the edge of his chair in the law offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, in Washington, D.C., where he is a partner. "It's inconceivable to us these days to say that a couple of a different racial background can't get married." Olson wore a brightly striped shirt and a paisley tie, without a jacket; there was something folksy in his speech, which reminded me that he's a Westerner, who grew up and was educated in Northern California. He said, "Separate is not equal. Civil unions and domestic partnerships are not the same as marriage. We're not inventing any new right, or creating a new right, or asking the courts to recognize a new right. The Supreme Court has said over and over and over again that marriage is a fundamental right, and although our opponents say, 'Well, that's always been involving a man and a woman,' when the Supreme Court has talked about it they've said it's an associational right, it's a liberty right, it's a privacy right, and it's an expression of your identity, which is all wrapped up in the Constitution." The Justices of the Supreme Court, Olson said, "are individuals who will consider this seriously, and give it good attention," and he was optimistic that he could persuade them. (The losing side in San Francisco will likely appeal to the Ninth Circuit, and from there the case could proceed to the Supreme Court.) Olson's self-assurance has a sound basis: he has argued fifty-six cases before the high court—he was one of the busiest lawyers before the Supreme Court bench last year—and prevailed in forty-four of them. Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy attended his wedding three years ago, in Napa. Olson said that he wanted the gay-marriage case to be a "teaching opportunity, so people will listen to us talk about the importance of treating people with dignity and respect and equality and affection and love and to stop discriminating against people on the basis of sexual orientation."
If the Perry case succeeds before the Supreme Court, it could mean that gay marriage would be permitted not only in California but in every state. And, if the Court recognized homosexuals as indistinguishable from heterosexuals for the purposes of marriage law, it would be hard, if not impossible, to uphold any other laws that discriminated against people on the basis of sexual orientation. However, a loss for Olson and Boies could be a major setback to the movement for marriage equality. Soon after Olson and Boies filed the case, last May, some leading gay-rights organizations—among them the A.C.L.U., Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights—issued a statement condemning such efforts. The odds of success for a suit weren't good, the groups said, because the "Supreme Court typically does not get too far ahead of either public opinion or the law in the majority of states." The legal precedent that these groups were focused on wasn't Loving v. Virginia but, rather, Bowers v. Hardwick, the 1986 Supreme Court decision that stunned gay-rights advocates by upholding Georgia's antiquated law against sodomy. It was seventeen years before the Court was willing to revisit the issue, in Lawrence v. Texas, though by then only thirteen states still had anti-sodomy statutes; this time, the Court overturned the laws, with a 6–3 vote and an acerbic dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, who declared that the Court had aligned itself with the "homosexual agenda," adding, "Many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children's schools, or as boarders in their home. They view this as protecting themselves and their families from a lifestyle that they believe to be immoral and destructive."
Seventeen years was a long time to wait. "A loss now may make it harder to go to court later," the activists' statement read. "It will take us a lot longer to get a good Supreme Court decision if the Court has to overrule itself." Besides, the groups argued, "We lost the right to marry in California at the ballot box. That's where we need to win it back." Plenty of gay-marriage supporters agreed that it was smarter to wait until the movement had been successful in more states—and, possibly, the composition of the Supreme Court had shifted. (During the last year of a second Obama term, Scalia would be eighty-one.)
41. The first sentence of paragraph 1 means ______.
A. the San Francisco court cannot make the final decision    B. only the Supreme Court has the authority to rule for or against the case
C. It's very hard to win the case for same-sex marriage in the San Francisco court and proposals they would have to field the case in the Supreme Court    D. They would certainly win the case for same-sex marriage in the Supreme Court
42. The word "unlikely" in the sentence "Its lead lawyers are unlikely allies" of paragraph 1 means ______.
A. dissimilar    B. unreliable
C. unimaginable    D. unthinkable
43. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Theodore B. Olson was confident about the case because the Supreme Court once invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage.    B. The Supreme Court has said over and over and over again that marriage is a fundamental right, which should be respected.
C. The right for same-sex marriage has been won in other states except for California.    D. There are other laws that discriminated against people on the basis of sexual orientation.
44. Some leading gay-rights organizations did not support the case because ______.
A. it was impossible to win the case    B. they would have to wait for longer if the case was lost this time as it's hard for the Supreme Court to overrule itself.
C. they did not believe the ability of the leading lawyers.    D. unlike interracial marriage, it's harder to get support for same-sex marriage.
45. The most suitable title of the passage would be ______.
A. A. A Risky Proposal    B. Gay Marriage? No!
C. A Monumental Movement    D. Fight for Equal Rights
Passage 4
If there is one thing interpreters working for the European Union dread, it is attempts at humor. It is not just that jokes are hard to translate; because of the time needed for interpretation, they can prompt laughter at the wrong moment. A speaker once began with an anecdote, and then mourned a dead colleague—to be met by a gale of giggles, as listeners got his joke.
The time-lags have grown worse with the expansion of the EU, to make a total of 25 countries. Finding interpreters who can translate directly from Estonian to Portuguese is well-nigh impossible. So now speeches are translated in relays, first into English and then into a third language. If only everybody would agree to speak one or two official tongues, it would be easier. Or would it? In fact, misunderstandings can abound even when all parties speak fluent English or French. Cultural differences mean that a literal understanding of what someone says is often a world away from real understanding. For example, how many non-Brits could decode the irony (and literary allusion) which lies behind the expression "up to a point", which is used to mean "no, not in the slightest"?
The problem is now so widely recognized that informal guides to what the French or the English really mean, when they are speaking their mother tongues, have been drawn up by other nationalities.
One was written for the Dutch, trying to do business with the British. Another was written by British diplomats, as a guide to the language used by their French counterparts. The fact that the Dutch—so eerily fluent in English—should need a guide to Britspeak is particularly striking. But the problem—to judge by the guide, which was spotted on an office wall in the European Court of Justice—is that Brits make their points in an indirect manner that the plain-speaking Netherlanders find baffling.
Hence the guide's warning that when a Briton says "I hear what you say", the foreign listener may understand: "He accepts my point of view." In fact, the British speaker means: "I disagree and I do not want to discuss it any further." Similarly the phrase "with the greatest respect" when used by an Englishman is recognizable to a compatriot as an icy put-down, correctly translated by the guide as meaning "I think you are wrong, or a fool."
The British, the French and the Dutch are old sparring partners who know each other's little ways. So the capacity for misunderstanding is amplified when nationalities that are less familiar with each other come into contact. Often the problems are less to do with the meaning of words than with their unexpected impact on an audience. Take the European summit last December, when it fell to Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, to try to wrap up sensitive negotiations over a proposed constitution for the European Union.
When EU leaders filed into lunch, they were braced for tough negotiation; so they were startled when Mr. Berlusconi suggested that they discuss "football and women"—and that Gerhard Schrader, the German chancellor, should lead the discussion, as he has been married four times. Some European diplomats concluded that Mr. Berlusconi must have been deliberately bating Mr. Schrader. But when the Italian leader was questioned about his chairmanship at a press conference, he grew hot under the collar, pointing out that he would hardly have become a billionaire unless he were fully capable of chairing a meeting. And indeed his defenders say that in Italian business circles it can be perfectly normal to set a jocular and relaxed tone before a difficult meeting, by discussing last night's football, or even teasing your colleagues about their love lives.
These sorts of misunderstandings are unlikely to be erased even if all Europe's political leaders and bureaucrats were both willing and able to speak English. But ever-inventive Brussels is coming up with a solution of sorts through the emergence of "Euro-speak"—a form of dead, bureaucratic English.
46. According to paragraphs 1 and 2, which statement is TRUE?
A. Interpreters dread jokes because they take more time to translate.    B. Despite a little difficulty, translators between any two languages spoken in the EU countries can still be found.
C. the problems between EU countries can be solved if they can decide on one or two official languages.    D. The statement "I understand, up to a point" means "I don't understand at all".
47. Why do the Dutch need a guide to Britspeak?
A. The Dutch don't speak English very well.    B. A precise understanding of the English language is required in a court of law.
C. Literal understanding of Britspeak can often be misleading.    D. Compared with Doutch Britspeak is more complicated in terms of sentence structure
48. What does "they were braced for tough negotiation" probably mean in paragraph 7?
A. They were surrounded by people who wanted to negotiate with them.    B. They were exhausted because of the tough negotiation.
C. They were glad to have a break from the tough negotiation.    D. They were ready to have more tough negotiation
49. What can we infer from paragraph 8?
A. Silvio Berlusconi didn't like Gerhard Schroder because he didn't take marriage seriously.    B. Silvio Berlusconi was incompetent as chairman of a meeting.
C. Silvio Berlusconi felt excited when questioned about his chairmanship.    D. Silvio Berlusconi had been a businessman
50. Select a title for this article: ______.
A. I understand up to a point    B. I hear what you say
C. The problem of translation    D. Euro-speak
Part III Cloze (10%)
Directions: Fill in each of the following blanks with ONE word to complete the meaning of the passage. Writhe you're answer on Answer Sheet II.
Business and government leaders also consider the inflation rate to be an important general indicator. Inflation is a period of increased spending that causes rapid rises in prices. When your money buys fewer goods so that you get __51__ for the same amount of money as before, inflation is the problem. There is a general rise __52__ the price of goods and services. Your money buys less. Sometimes people describe inflation as a time when "a dollar is not worth a dollar anymore".
Inflation is a problem for all consumers. People who live on a fixed income are hurt the best. Retired people, for instance, cannot count __53__ an increase in income as prices rise. Elderly people who do not work face serious problems in stretching their incomes to __54__ their needs in time of inflation. Retirement income or any fixed income usually does not rise as fast as prices. Many retired people must cut their spending to keep up with rising prices. In many cases they must stop __55__ some necessary items, such as food and clothing. Even for working people whose incomes are going up, inflation can be a problem. The cost of living goes __56__, too. People who work must have even more money to keep up their standard of living. Just buying the things they need costs more. When incomes do not keep pace with __57__ prices, the standard of living goes down. People may be earning the same __58__ of money, but they are not living as well because they are not able to buy as many goods and services.
Government units gather information about prices in our economy and publish it as price indexes from __59__ the rate of change can be determined. A price index measures changes in prices using the price for a given year as the base. The base price is set at 100, and the other prices are reported as a percentage of the base price. A price index makes __60__ possible to compare current prices of typical consumer goods, for example, with prices of the same goods in previous year.
Part IV Translation (20%)
Directions: Put the following passage into English. Write your English version on Answer Sheet II.
世界博览会是展示人类灵感和思想的长廊。自从1851年在伦敦举办的"万国工业博览会"，世界博览会作为经济、科技和文化的盛大交流活动，取得了日益重大的意义。它是一个重要的平台，在此之上各国展示发展经验，交流创新理念，发扬团队精神，共同展望未来。
中国有着悠久的文明，一直促进国际交流并热爱世界和平。中国赢得2010年世界博览会，靠的是国际社会对中国改革开放的支持和信心。本次博览会将会是第一个在发展中国家举办的世博会，这也寄予了全球人民对中国未来发展的美好期待。
2010年世博会将着重探讨21世纪城市生活的潜力。预计在2010年将有55%的世界人口居住在城市。未来的城市生活，是全球关注的话题。作为第一个以城市为主题的博览会，2010博览会将会吸引世界各国政府和人民关注"更美好的城市，更美好的生活"的主题。
2010年世博会也将成为一次国际盛会。我们将促使更多国家和人们参与，获得他们的支持和理解，使2010世博会成为全世界人民的欢乐聚会。
Part V Writing (15%)
Directions: Write a composition of about 250 words on the following topic. Rremembers to write your composition on Answer Sheet II.
Privacy and Liberty