考试科目名称及代码：241基础英语
考生注意：所有答案必须写在答题纸（卷）上，写在本试题上一律不给分。
Part I Cloze(10 points)
Directions:There are 20 blanks in the following passage.For each blank there are four choices marked A,B,C and D.You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage and write the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
From childhood to old age,we all use language as a means of broadening our knowledge of ourselves and the world about us.When humans first __1__,they were like newborn children,unable to use this __2__ tool.Yet once language developed,the possibilities for humankind’s future __3__ and cultural growth increased.
Many linguists believe that evolution is __4__ for our ability to produce and use language.They __5__ that our highly evolved brain provides us __6__ an innate language ability not found in lower __7__.Proponents of this innateness theory say that our __8__ for language is inborn,but that language itself develops gradually,__9__ a function of the growth of the brain during childhood.Therefore there are critical __10__ times for language development.
Current __11__ of innateness theory are mixed,however,evidence supporting the existence of some innate abilities is undeniable.__12__,more and more schools are discovering that foreign languages are best taught in __13__ grades.Young children often can learn several languages by being __14__ to them,while adults have a much harder time learning another language once the __15__ of their first language have become firmly fixed.
__16__ some aspects of language are undeniably innate,language does not develop automatically in a vacuum.Children who have been __17__ from other human beings do not possess language.This demonstrates that __18__ with other human beings is necessary for proper language development.Some linguists believe that this is even more basic to human language __19__ than any innate capacities.These theorists view language as imitative,learned behavior.__20__,children learn language from their parents by imitating them.Parents gradually shape their child’s language skills by positively reinforcing precise imitations and negatively reinforcing imprecise ones.
1.A.generated B.evolved C.born D.originated
2.A.valuable B.appropriate C.convenient D.favorite
3.A.attainments B.feasibility C.entertainments D.evolution
4.A.essential B.available C.reliable D.responsible
5.A.confirm B.inform C.claim D.convince
6.A.for B.from C.of D.with
7.A.organizations B.organisms C.humans D.children
8.A.potential B.performance C.preference D.passion
9.A.as B.just as C.like D.unlike
10.A.ideological B.biological C.social D.psychological
11.A.reviews B.reference C.reaction D.recommendation
12.A.In a word B.In a sense C.Indeed D.In other words
13.A.various B.different C.the higher D.the lower
14.A.revealed B.exposed C.engaged.D.involved
15.A.regulations B.formations C.rules D.constitutions
16.A.Although B.Whether C.Since D.When
17.A.distinguished.B.different C.protected D.isolated
18.A.exposition B.comparison C.contrast D.interaction
19.A.acquisition B.appreciation C.requirement D.alternative
20.A.As a result B.After all C.In other words D.Above all
Part II Reading Comprehension
Section A(40 points)
Directions:There are 4 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A,B,C and D.You should decide on the best choice and write the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
I’ve been attempting to learn French for a while now,and it’s a slow process.It’s all much harder this time around than it was to learn English,my first language.All this effort made me wonder if there were some tricks to learning a foreign language that I’d been missing.It turns out that it’s just a tricky thing to do once you’re an adult.
Learning language is something we’re born to do.It’s an instinct we have,which is proven,as one research paper says.To believe that special biological adaptations are a requirement,it is enough to notice that all the children but none of the dogs and cats in the house acquire language.As children,we learn to think,learn to communicate and intuitively pick up an understanding of grammar rules in our mother tongue,or native language.From then on,we learn all new languages in relation to the one we first knew—the one that we used to understand the world around us for the first time ever.
When it comes to learning a second language,adults are at a disadvantage.One theory of why learning a foreign language is so hard for adults focuses on the process we go through to do so.Robert Bley-Vroman explains in Linguistic Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition that adults approach learning a new language with an adult problem-solving process,rather than in the same way a child develops language for the first time.
Although this means adults generally progress through the early stages of learning a language faster than children,people who are exposed to a foreign language first during childhood usually achieve a higher proficiency than those who start out as adults.
There’s still hope,though.A study of secondary language pronunciation found that some learners who started as adults scored as well as native speakers.It’s also been shown that motivation to learn can improve proficiency,so if you really want to learn a language,it’s not necessarily too late.
21.What did the author realize from his experience of learning French?
A.Learning French is difficult for an adult.
B.French is as difficult as English for him.
C.He has missed the tips on learning French.
D.It demands great efforts to learn a language.
22.How are we influenced by the way we learned our mother tongue?
A.We prefer to learn by understanding the grammar rules first.
B.We tend to attach more importance to listening and speaking.
C.We are inclined to learn all other new languages in relation to it.
D.We may unconsciously think it is the best way to learn languages.
23.According to Robert Bley-Vroman,how do adults approach a new language?
A.They tend to choose a problem-solving process.
B.They try to be exposed to a foreign environment.
C.They follow the way a child learns a language.
D.They start by taking language proficiency practices.
24.According to the passage,what is the good news for adult learners?
A.They can achieve a higher proficiency than most children.
B.They can speak the language as good as the native speakers.
C.They can master a foreign language once they are motivated.
D.They can improve proficiency by imitating the way kids learn.
25.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The differences between child learners and adult learners.
B.The possible difficulties language learners may come across.
C.The common ways people choose to learn a foreign language.
D.The disadvantages of and hopes for an adult language learner.
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse.They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust.Other authorities,however,think the auto is here to stay.They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future.
The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years.It should become smaller,safer,and more economical,and should not be powered by the gasoline engine.The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.
Regardless of its power source,the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion.One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system.
When the auto enters the highway system,a retractable(可伸缩的)arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail,which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically.Once attached to the rail,the car will become electrically powered from the system,and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer.The computer will then monitor all of the car’s movements.
The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system.The computer will calculate the best route,and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway.The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer(蜂鸣器)that will warn him of his coming exit.It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour,compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.
26.One significant improvement in the future car will probably be ________.
A.its driving system
B.its power source
C.its monitoring system
D.its seating capacity
27.What is the author’s main concern?
A.How to render automobiles pollution-free.
B.How to make smaller and safer automobiles.
C.How to develop an automated subway system.
D.How to solve the problem of traffic jams.
28.What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?
A.A rail.
B.An engine.
C.A retractable arm.
D.A computer controller.
29.In an automated highway system,all the driver needs to do is ________.
A.keep in the right lane
B.wait to arrive at his destination
C.keep in constant touch with the computer center
D.inform the system of his destination by phone
30.What is the author’s attitude toward the future of autos?
A.Enthusiastic.
B.Optimistic.
C.Pessimistic.
D.Cautious.
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
We all know that DNA has the ability to identify individuals but,because it is inherited,there are also regions of the DNA strand which can relate an individual to his or her family(immediate and extended),tribal group and even an entire population.Molecular Genealogy(宗谱学)can use this unique identification provided by the genetic markers to link people together into family trees.
Pedigrees(家谱)based on such genetic markers can mean a breakthrough for family trees where information is incomplete or missing due to adoption,illegitimacy or lack of records.There are many communities and populations which have lost precious records due to tragic events such as the fire in the Irish courts during Civil War in 1921 or American slaves for whom many records were never kept in the first place.
The main objective of the Molecular Genealogy Research Group is to build a database containing over 100,000 DNA samples from individuals all over the word.These individuals will have provided a pedigree chart of at least four generations and a small blood sample.Once the database has enough samples to represent the world genetic make-up,it will eventually help in solving may issues regarding genealogies that could not be done by relying only on traditional written records.
Theoretically,any individual will someday be able to trace his or her family origins through this database.
In the meantime,as the database is being created,molecular genealogy can already verify possible or suspected relationships between individuals.“For example,if two men sharing the same last name believe that they are related,but no written record proves this relationship,we can verify this possibility by collecting a sample of DNA from both and looking for common markers(in this case we can look primarily at the Y chromosome(染色体),”explains Ugo Perego,a member of the BYU Molecular Genealogy research team.
31.If two men suspected for some reason they have a common ancestor,__________.
A.we can decide according to their family tree
B.we can find the truth from their genetic markers
C.we can compare the differences in their Y chromosome
D.we can look for written records to prove their relationship
32.People in a large area may possess the same DNA thread because__________.
A.DNA is characteristic of a region
B.they are beyond doubt of common ancestry
C.DNA strand has the ability to identify individuals
D.their unique identification can be provided via DNA
33.Which of the following CANNOT be inferred from the passage?
A.We are a walking,living,breathing record of our ancestors.
B.Many American slaves did not know who their ancestors were.
C.An adopted child generally lacks enough information to prove his identity.
D.Molecular Genealogy can be used to prove a relationship between individuals.
34.The Molecular Genealogy Research Group is building a database for the purpose of__________.
A.offering assistance in working out genealogy-related problems
B.solving many issues without relying on traditional written records
C.providing a pedigree chart of at least four generations in the world
D.confirming the assumption that all individuals are of the same origin
35.The possible research of family trees is based on the fact that__________.
A.genetics has achieved a breakthrough
B.genetic information contained in DNA can be revealed now
C.each individual carries a unique record of who he is and how he is related to others
D.we can use DNA to prove how distant an individual is to a family,a group or a population
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Stone tools,animal bones and an incised mammoth tusk found in Russia’s frigid far north have provided what archaeologists say is the first evidence that modern humans or Neanderthals lived in the Arctic more than 30,000 years ago,at least 15,000 years earlier than previously thought.
A team of Russian and Norwegian archaeologists,describing the discovery in today’s issue of the journal Nature,said the campsite,at Mamontovaya Kurya,on the Ura River at the Arctic Circle,was the“oldest documented evidence for human resence at this high latitude.”Digging in the bed of an old river channel close to the Ural Mountains,the team uncovered 123 mammal bones,including horse,reindeer and wolf.“The most important find,”they said,was a four-foot mammoth tusk with grooves made by chopping with a sharp stone edge,“unequivocally the work of humans.”The tusk was carbon-dated at about 36,600 years old.Plant remains found among the artifacts were dated at 30,000 to 31,000 years.
Other archaeologists said the analysis appeared to be sound.But they cautioned that it was difficult,when dealing with riverbed deposits,to be sure that artifacts had not become jumbled out of their true place,and thus time,in the geologic layers.They questioned whether the discoverers could reliably conclude that the stone tools were in fact contemporary with the bones.But in a commentary accompanying the article,Dr.John A.J.Gowlett of the University of Liverpool in England wrote,“Although there are questions to be answered,the artifacts illustrate both the capacity of early humans to do the unexpected,and the value of archaeologists’researching in unlikely areas.”
The discoverers said they could not determine from the few stone artifacts whether the site was occupied by Neanderthals,hominids who by then had a long history as hunters in Europe and western Asia,or some of the first anatomically modern humans to reach Europe.In any case,other archaeologists said,the findings could be significant.If these toolmakers were Neanderthals,the findings suggested that these human relatives,who became extinct after 30,000 years ago,were more capable and adaptable than they are generally given credit for.Living in the Arctic climate presumably required higher levels of technology and social organization.
If they were modern humans,then the surprise is that they had penetrated so far north in such a short time.There has been no firm evidence for modern humans in Europe before about 35,000 years ago.It had generally been thought that the northernmost part of Eurasia was not occupied by humans until the final stage of the last ice age,some 13,000 to 14,000 years ago,when the world’s climate began to moderate.Dr.Gowlett said the new findings indicated that the Arctic region of European Russia was extremely cold but relatively dry and ice-free more than 30,000 years ago.
36.What is the significance of the discovery?
A.It shows that modern humans lived in the Arctic more than 3,000 years ago.
B.It shows that Neanderthals lived in the Arctic more than 3,000 years ago.
C.It shows the oldest documented evidence for human presence at such high latitude.
D.It shows human could use tools 30,000 years ago.
37.Why the team believed that the four-foot mammoth tusk was the most important find?
A.Because it was the longest tusk ever found.
B.Because there were signs left by human’s tools on it.
C.Because there were grooves on it.
D.Because there are not any mammoth tusk all over the world.
38.When did the Neanderthals extinct?
A.More than 30,000 years ago.
B.After 30,000 years ago.
C.Before about 35,000 years ago.
D.Some 13,000 to 14,000 years ago.
39.Who were those toolmakers
A.Neanderthals.
B.Modern humans.
C.Archaeologists.
D.Not determined.
40.What’s the weather like in the Arctic region of European Russia more than 30,000 years ago?
A.Moderate temperature,relatively dry and ice-free.
B.Extremely cold,relatively dry and ice-free.
C.Extremely cold,plenty of raining and ice-free.
D.Extremely cold,relatively dry and ice frosted.
Section B(20 points)
Directions:Read the following passage carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese.
Whether you live in Cambodia or Scotland,Lithuania or America,you have probably heard of dragons.The Eastern dragon,called long in China,may seem like a completely different creature from the Western dragon.Their behavior,their symbolism,and what they mean to society are quite different.(41)The East seems to value dragons for their magic and beauty and holds them in high respect.However,it is a quite different case in the West where dragons are historically viewed as monsters.
In Chinese culture,the dragon is a symbol of virtue.(42)Unlike Western dragons,oriental dragons are usually seen as kind and benevolent.Dragons have long been a symbol in Chinese folklore and art.Temples and shrines have been built to honor them.In fact,the Chinese are sometimes referred to as“the descendants of the dragon”.
Through the symbol of the dragon,many Chinese see qualities which they desire and value such as heroism,wisdom and power.The dragon is a protector.Legend has it that the dragon controls the rain,rivers,lakes and the seas;they can protect the innocent and give them safety.In real life,the Chinese have the Year of the Dragon.It is said that anyone born in this year will be healthy,wealthy and wise.(43)Historically,the dragon was associated with the emperor of China and used as a symbol to represent imperial power.In order to emphasize the association,emperors wore robes with a dragon design,sat on a throne with carved dragons,and had his palace decorated with dragon of various patterns.
Dragon idioms are common in China.Chinese idioms are usually made up of four Chinese characters,called chengyu.(44)Many Westerners are familiar with the movie Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon,but do not know that this movie title is an idiom meaning“talents in hiding”.
Likewise,the Chinese may include the character for dragon(“龙”)when naming a child.The character appears in the names of two famous movie stars that all Westerners know,Jackie Chan(Chenglong,meaning“becoming a dragon”)and Bruce Lee(Li Xiaolong,implying a“small dragon”).
(45)At special festivals,especially the Dragon Boat Festival,also called Duanwu Festival,dragon boat races play an important part.Typically,these are boats paddled by a team of up to 20 paddlers with a drummer and a steersman.The boats are generally with decorative dragon heads and tails.Dragon boat racing is also an important part of celebrations by ethnic Chinese outside China.For example,the dragon boat races held annually at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles,California,are very popular.
Part III Writing
Section A(10 points)
Directions:
For this part,you will write a letter to your friend giving your views on whether he/she needs to pursue a graduate degree abroad.Write an email for about 100 words to your friend to explain your opinion.
Section B(20 points)
Directions:Write an essay of 160 to 200 words about the title“The Two-day Weekend”.You should base your composition on the outline given below:
1.The benefits of“The Two-day Weekend”.
2.The drawbacks of“The Two-day Weekend”.
3.How should we spend our weekends?
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