西南科技大学考博英语真题,考博英语试题

西南科技大学2015年博士研究生入学考试试题

试题类型：C卷
考试科目代码：1001 考试科目名称：英语
考生须知
（所有答案必须写在答题纸上，不得写在试题单上，不必抄题，但必须写明题号。本试题共计4大题。）

PART I READING COMPREHENSION (40 POINTS)
In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of twenty multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.
Passage One
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.
A bus took him to the West End, where, among the crazy colored fountains of illumination, shattering the blue dusk with green and crimson fire, he found the café of his choice, a tea-shop that had gone mad and turned Babylonian, a white palace with ten thousand lights. It towered above the other building like a citadel, which indeed it was, the outpost of a new age, perhaps a new civilization, perhaps a new barbarism; and behind the thin marble front were concrete and steel, just as behind the careless profusion of luxury were millions of pence, balanced to the last halfpenny. Somewhere in the background, hidden away, behind the ten thousand lights and acres of white napery and bewildering glittering rows of teapots, behind the thousand waitresses and cash-box girls and black-coated floor managers and temperamental long-haired violinists, behind the mounds of cauldrons of stewed steak, the vanloads of ices, were a few men who went to work juggling with fractions of a farming, who knew how many units of electricity it took to finish a steak-and-kidney pudding and how many minutes and seconds a waitress (five feet four in height and in average health) would need to carry a tray of given weight from the kitchen life to the table in the far corner. In short, there was a warm, sensuous, vulgar life flowering in the upper storeys, and a cold science working in the basement. Such as the gigantic tea-shop into which Turgis marched, in search not of mere refreshment but of all the enchantment of unfamiliar luxury. Perhaps he knew in his heart that men have conquered half the known world, looted whole kingdoms, and never arrived in such luxury. The place was built for him.
It was built for a great many other people too, and, as usual, they were all there. It seemed with humanity. The marble entrance hall, piled dizzily with bonbons and cakes, was as crowded and bustling as a railway station. The gloom and grime of the streets, the raw air, all November, were at once left behind, forgotten: the atmosphere inside was golden, tropical, belonging to some high mid-summer of confectionery. Disdaining the lifts, Turgis, once more excited by the sight, sound, and smell of it all, climbed the wide staircase until he reached his favorite floor, where an orchestra, led by a young Jewish violinist with wandering lustrous eyes and a passion for tremolo effects, acted as a magnet to a thousand girls, scented air, the sensuous clamor of the strings; and, as he stood hesitating a moment, half dazed, there came, bowing, a sleek grave man, older than he was and far more distinguished than he could ever hope to be, who murmured deferentially: "For one, sir? This way, please." Shyly, yet proudly, Turgis followed him.
1. That "behind the thin marble front were concrete and steel" suggests that ______.
A. modern realistic commercialism existed behind the luxurious appearance
B. there was a fundamental falseness in the style and the appeal of the café
C. the architect had made a sensible blend of old and new building materials
D. the café was based on physical foundations and real economic strength

2. The following words or phrases are somewhat critical of the tea-shop EXCEPT ______.
A. "...turned Babylonian"
B. "perhaps a new barbarism"
C. "acres of white napery"
D. "balanced to the last halfpenny"

3. In its context the statement that "the place was built for him" means that the café was intended to ______.
A. please simple people in a simple way
B. exploit gullible people like him
C. satisfy a demand that already existed
D. provide relaxation for tired young men

4. Which of the following statements about the second paragraph is NOT true?
A. The café appealed to most senses simultaneously.
B. The café was both full of people and full of warmth.
C. The inside of the café was contrasted with the weather outside.
D. It stressed the commercial determination of the café owners.

5. The following are comparisons made by the author in the second paragraph EXCEPT that ______.
A. the entrance hall is compared to a railway station
B. the orchestra is compared to a magnet
C. Turgis welcomed the lift like a conquering soldier
D. the interior of the café is compared to warm countries

Passage Two
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.
Last month the first baby-boomers turned 60. The bulky generation born between 1946 and 1964 is heading towards retirement. The looming "demographic cliff" will see vast numbers of skilled workers dispatched from the labor force. The workforce is ageing across the rich world. Within the EU the number of workers aged between 50 and 64 will increase by 25% over the next two decades, while those aged 20-29 will decrease by 20%. In Japan almost 20% of the population is already over 65, the highest share in the world. And in the United States the number of workers aged 55-64 will have increased by more than half in this decade, at the same time as the 35- to 44-year-olds decline by 10%.
Given that most societies are geared to retirement at around 65, companies have a looming problem of knowledge management, of making sure that the boomers do not leave before they have handed over their expertise along with the office keys and their e-mail address. A survey of human-resources directors by IBM last year concluded: "When the baby-boomer generation retires, many companies will find out too late that a career's worth of experience has walked out the door, leaving insufficient talent to fill in the void."
Some also face a shortage of expertise. In aerospace and defense, for example, as much as 40% of the workforce in some companies will be eligible to retire within the next five years. At the same time, the number of engineering graduates in developed countries is in steep decline.
A few companies are so squeezed that they are already taking exceptional measures. Earlier this year the Los Angeles Times interviewed an enterprising Australian who was staying in Beverly Hills while he tried to persuade locals to emigrate to Toowoomba, Queensland, to work for his engineering company there. Toowoomba today; the rest of the developed world tomorrow?
If you look hard enough, you can find companies that have begun to adapt the workplace to older workers. The AARP, an American association for the over-50s, produces an annual list of the best employers of its members. Health-care firms invariably come near the top because they are one of the industries most in need of skilled labor. Other sectors similarly affected, says the Conference Board, include oil, gas, energy and government.
Near the top of the AARP's latest list comes Deere & Company, a no-nonsense industrial-equipment manufacturer based in Illinois; about 35% of Deere's 46,000 employees are over 50 and a number of them are in their 70s. The tools it uses to achieve that—flexible working, telecommuting, and so forth—also coincidentally help older workers to extend their working lives. The company spends "a lot of time" on the ergonomics of its factories, making jobs there less tiring, which enables older workers to stay at them for longer.
Likewise, for more than a decade, Toyota, arguably the world's most advanced manufacturer, has adapted its workstations to older workers. The shortage of skilled labor available to the automotive industry has made it unusually keen to recruit older workers. BMW recently set up a factory in Leipzig that expressly set out to employ people over the age of 45.
Needs must when the devil drives. Other firms are polishing their alumni networks. IBM uses its network to recruit retired people for particular projects. Ernst & Young, a professional-services firm, has about 30,000 registered alumni, and about 25% of its "experienced" new recruits are former employees who return after an absence.
But such examples are unusual. A survey in America last month by Ernst & Young found that "although corporate America foresees a significant workforce shortage as boomers retire, it is not dealing with the issue." Almost three-quarters of the 1,400 global companies questioned by Deloitte last year said they expected a shortage of salaried staff over the next three to five years. Yet few of them are looking to older workers to fill that shortage; and even fewer are looking to them to fill another gap that has already appeared. Many firms in Europe and America complain that they struggle to find qualified directors for their boards when the pool of retired talent from those very same firms is growing by leaps and bounds.
Why are firms not working harder to keep old employees? Part of the reason is that the crunch has been beyond the horizon of most managers. Nor is hanging on to older workers the only way to cope with a falling supply of labor. The participation of developing countries in the world economy has increased the overall supply—whatever the local effect of demographics in the rich countries. A vast amount of work is being sent offshore to such places as China and India and more will go in future. Some countries, such as Australia, are relaxing their immigration policies to allow much needed skills to come in from abroad. Others will avoid the need for workers by spending money on machinery and automation.
6. According to the passage, the most serious consequence of baby-boomers approaching retirement would be ______.
A. a loss of knowledge and experience to many companies
B. a decrease in the number of 35- to 44-year-olds
C. a continuous increase in the number of 50-to 64-year-olds
D. its impact on the developed world whose workforce is ageing

7. The following are all the measures that companies have adopted to cope with the ageing workforce EXCEPT ______.
A. making places of work accommodate the needs of older workers
B. using alumni networks to hire retired former employees
C. encouraging former employees to work overseas
D. granting more convenience in working hours to older workers

8. "The company spends 'a lot of time' on the ergonomics of its factories" means that ______.
A. the company attaches great importance to the layout of its factories
B. the company improves the working conditions in its factories
C. the company attempts to reduce production costs of its factories
D. the company intends to renovate its factories and update equipment

9. In the author's opinion American firms are not doing anything to deal with the issue of the ageing workforce mainly because ______.
A. they have not been aware of the problem
B. they are reluctant to hire older workers
C. they are not sure of what they should do
D. they have other options to consider

10. Which of the following best describes the author's development of argument?
A. introducing the issue—citing ways to deal with the issue—describing the actual status—offering reasons
B. describing the actual status—introducing the issue—citing ways to deal with the issue—offering reasons
C. citing ways to deal with the issue—introducing the issue—describing the actual status—offering reasons
D. describing the actual status—offering reasons—introducing the issue—citing ways to deal with the issue

Passage Three
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.
Whether you are logging on to your personal computer, using a credit card, or disarming a door security system, passwords or PINs (personal identification numbers) guard access to numerous regular operations.
It is estimated that within ten years, consumers could be faced with handling more than 100 passwords! Given the popularity of passwords, how can you choose ones that are sufficiently complicated to be secure yet are simple enough to remember?
There are basic guidelines to bear in mind. Don't use as a password your name or that of a member of your family, even in modified form. Also avoid using your telephone number, your Social Security number, or your address. Such information can easily be obtained by a determined hacker.
In addition, if possible, don't use passwords made up entirely of letters or digits. A relatively simple computer program can crack such a code quickly. Finally, do not use a word that can be found in any dictionary, even a foreign-language one. Huge lists are available that contain words, place names, and proper names from all languages. Programs can test for variations of these words, such as if they are spelled backward, capitalized, or combined.
So, what kinds of passwords should be used? Usually ones that have a minimum of six to eight characters and that have a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters, digit and punctuation symbols. How difficult is it to crack such a combination of characters? One source says, "A machine that could try one million passwords per second would require, on the average, over one hundred years."
How can you choose a combination that is easy to remember? Some suggest that you take the title of a favorite book or film or a line from a song or poem and use the first letter from each word as your password, adding capital letters, punctuation, or other characters. For example, "to be or not be" could become "2B/not2B."
Other suggestions include taking two short words and link them with a punctuation character, such as "High? Bug" or "Song; Tree".
Taking into account the suggestions outlined above can help you to protect important information from unwanted hackers. Remember, too, the importance of changing your passwords regularly. Just a final comment: Whatever passwords you decide to use, don't pick any of the examples given above.
11. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. How to strengthen security through a password.
B. How to choose a password that is easy to remember.
C. How to prevent your password from being cracked.
D. How to choose a safe and convenient password.

12. Why shouldn't we use a word that can be found in any dictionary as a password?
A. Because it can be easily remembered by a computer hacker.
B. Because computer programs can crack it.
C. Because computer hackers are determined to crack it.
D. Because the lists are so huge that the words are not easy to remember.

13. If you are choosing a password for your computer, which of the following is the best choice?
A. iaHgnahs
B. 19730508
C. 2B/not2B
D. Re-B, pl2

14. How can you choose a password that is both secure and simple to remember?
A. Taking the title of your favorite book or film.
B. Taking a line from a song or poem you like best.
C. Making up a nonsensical word which cannot be found in any dictionary.
D. Using two short words linked with a punctuation character.

15. The word "Given" in Paragraph 2 can be best replaced by ______.
A. Fixed
B. Granted
C. Supposed
D. Presented

Passage Four
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.
Every country with a monetary system of its own has to have some kind of market in which dealers in bills, notes, and other forms of short term credit can buy and sell. The "money market" is a set of institutions or arrangements for handling what might be called wholesale transactions in money and short-term credit. The need for such facilities arises in much the same way that a similar need does in connection with the distribution of any of the products of a diversified economy to their final users at the retail level. If the retailer is to provide reasonably adequate service to his customers, he must have active contacts with others who specialize in making or handling bulk quantities of whatever is his stock in trade. The money market is made up of specialized facilities of exactly this kind. It exists for the purpose of improving the ability of the retailers of financial services—commercial banks, savings institutions, investment houses, lending agencies, and even governments—to do their job. It has little if any contact with the individuals or firms who maintain accounts with these various retailers or purchase their securities or borrow from them.
The elemental functions of a money market must be performed in any kind of modern economy, even one that is largely planned or socialist, but the arrangements in socialist countries do not ordinarily take the form of a market. Money markets exist in countries that use market processes rather than planned allocations to distribute most of their primary resources among alternative uses. The general distinguishing feature of a money market is that it relies upon open competition among those who are bulk suppliers of funds at any particular time and among those seeking bulk funds, to work out the best practicable distribution of the existing total volume of such funds.
In their market transactions, those with bulk supplies of funds or demands for them, rely on groups of intermediaries who act as brokers or dealers. The characteristics of these middlemen, the services they perform, and their relationship to other parts of the financial system vary widely from country to country. In many countries there is no single meeting place where the middlemen get together, yet in most countries the contacts among all participants are sufficiently open and free to assure each supplier or user of funds that he will get or pay a price that fairly reflects all of the influences (including his own) that are currently affecting the whole supply and the whole demand. In nearly all cases, moreover, the unifying force of competition is reflected at any given moment in a common price (that is, rate of interest) for similar transactions. Continuous fluctuations in the money market rates of interest result from changes in the pressure of available supplies of funds upon the market and in the pull of current demands upon the market.
16. The first paragraph is mainly about ______.
A. the definition of money market
B. the constitution of a money market
C. the basic functions of a money market
D. the general feature of a money market

17. According to this passage, the money market ______.
A. provides convenient services to its customers
B. has close contact with the individuals or firms seeking funds
C. maintains accounts with various retailers of financial services
D. is made up of institutions which specialize in handling wholesale monetary transactions

18 Which of the following statements concerning money market is not true according to this passage?
A. Money market does not exist in planned economies.
B. Money market has been established in some socialist countries.
C. Money market encourages open competition among bulk suppliers of funds.
D. Money market relies upon market processes to distribute funds to final users.

19. The author uses the example of middlemen to show ______.
A. market transactions are important in different countries
B. dealers are needed in doing business
C. middlemen can play great role in different transactions and different countries
D. middlemen in different countries have different actions in business

20. According to this passage, ______.
A. brokers usually perform the same kinds of services to their customers
B. brokers have little contact with each other
C. open competition tends to result in a common price for similar transactions at any given moment
D. changes in the pressure of available supplies of funds upon market tend to maintain a balance

PART II GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY (10 POINTS)
There are twenty sentences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Choose one word or phrase that best completes the sentence. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.
21. There were two small rooms in the beach house, ______ served as a kitchen.
A. the smaller of which
B. the smaller of them
C. the smallest of which
D. smallest of that

22. Last year, Matt earned ______ his brother, who has a better position.
A. twice as much as
B. twice as many as
C. twice more as
D. twice as more as

23. The teacher suggested that her students ______ experiences with ESP.
A. write a composition on their
B. to write composition about the
C. wrote some compositions of his or her
D. had written any compositions for his

24. There has not been a great response to the sale, ______?
A. does there
B. hasn't there
C. hasn't it
D. has there

25. Roberts is a noted chemist ______.
A. as well as an effective teacher
B. and too a very efficient teacher
C. but he teaches very good in addition
D. however he teaches very good also

26. The changes in this city have occurred ______.
A. with swiftness
B. fastly
C. rapidly
D. in rapid ways

27. He ______ spends his holidays in the mountains though occasionally he goes to the seaside instead.
A. usually
B. constantly
C. invariably
D. always

28. ______ is one of the most useful and fascinating divisions of human knowledge is widely accepted.
A. That mathematics
B. What mathematics
C. Where mathematics
D. Mathematics

29. The electric shaver ______ before it can be used.
A. needs repairing
B. should be in repair
C. has to be repairable
D. must repair

30. What type of automobile would you buy ______?
A. if you have free choice to choose the cars available today
B. if you are free to choose among all the cars available today
C. if all cars available was free to be chosen by you
D. if you were free to choose among all the cars available today

31. Too much ______ to X-rays can cause skin burns, cancer or other damage to the body.
A. disclosure
B. exhibition
C. contact
D. exposure

32. The American dream is most ______ during the periods of productivity and wealth generated by American capitalism.
A. plausible
B. patriotic
C. primitive
D. partial

33. The judge ruled that the evidence was inadmissible on the grounds that it was ______ to the issue at hand.
A. irrational
B. unreasonable
C. invalid
D. irrelevant

34. Although architecture has artistic qualities, it must also satisfy a number of important practical ______.
A. obligations
B. regulations
C. observations
D. considerations

35. No one expected him to ______ against his former employer.
A. deduce
B. testify
C. certify
D. allege

36. All the memories of his childhood had ______ from his mind by the time he was 65.
A. faded
B. illustrated
C. confined
D. concerned

37. What he said in the meeting ______ everybody present.
A. repelled
B. dismissed
C. disposed
D. eliminated

38. We'd like to ______ a table for five for dinner this evening.
A. preserve
B. reserve
C. conserve
D. deserve

39. As a teacher, you should not ______ the students from asking questions in class.
A. ruin
B. restrain
C. import
D. impose

40. On our way to Beijing, we visited Xi'an, a city of two million ______, and stayed there for two days.
A. insects
B. human
C. inhabitants
D. flights

PART III TRANSLATION (25 POINTS)
Section A Chinese to English (15 points)
Translate the following text into English. Write your translation on the ANSWER SHEET.
20世纪80年代以来，中国陆续推出一系列科学技术研究发展的整体计划，旨在战略性地全面提高国家在21世纪的综合科技竞争力。1982年开始实施的国家科技攻关计划，是20世纪中国最大的科技计划。它面向国民经济建设主战场，解决国民经济和社会发展中带有方向性、关键性和综合性的问题，涉及农业、电子信息、能源、交通、材料、资源勘探、环境保护、医疗卫生等领域。
Section B English to Chinese (10 points)
Translate the following text into Chinese. Write your translation on the ANSWER SHEET.
Many believe that science is merely a collection of facts, that it develops by the gathering of these facts and slowly approaches the truth about nature. According to this view, the so-called scientific method is the basis for scientific development. The scientific method is said to have three steps.
The first step is that of careful observation—often involves looking for relationships among different kinds of events. If a specific relationship seems to be true in a number of cases, without any exceptions, then it may be hypothesized that the relationship holds in general. The second step of the scientific method may be the formulation of such a general hypothesis. Or it may be an attempt to explain phenomena by theorizing the existence of a deeper reality. The third step, the testing of the theory, may involve further experimental testing of hypothesized relationships. Or it may be experimental verification of new phenomena predicted by a new theory.
PART IV WRITING (25 POINTS)
Section A Composition (15 points)
Write on the ANSWER SHEET a composition of about 250 words based on the topic "Education Makes A Better Future".
You are to write in three parts.
In the first part, state specifically what your opinion is.
In the second part, provide one or two reasons or your experience(s) to support your opinion.
In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.
Section B Letter-Writing (10 points)
Write on the ANSWER SHEET a letter of about 150 words based on the following situation:
Suppose you are interested in a research program at the University of California, United States. Write an application letter, stating your personal qualities, accomplishments and other reasons why you are among those best suited to do research at that university.