北师大2009考博英语真题

一、试题部分
Part I: Listening Comprehension(略)
Part II: Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are six passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET.
Passage One
My mother's parents came from Hungary, but my grandfather could trace his origin to Germany and also he was educated in Germany. Although he was able to hold a conversation in nine languages, he was most comfortable in German. Every morning, be, fore going to his office, he read the German language newspaper, which was American owned and published in New York.
My grandfather was the only one in his family to come to the United States with his wife and children. He still had relatives living in Europe. When the first world war broke out, he lamented the fact that if my uncle, his only son had to go, it would be cousin fighting against cousin. In the early days of the war, my grandmother begged him to stop taking the German newspaper and to take an English language newspaper, instead. He scoffed at the idea, explaining that the fact it was in German did not make it a German newspaper, but only an American newspaper, printed in German. But my grandmother insisted, for fear that the neighbors may see him read it and think he was German. So, he finally gave up the German newspaper.
One day, the inevitable thing happened and my uncle Milton received notice to join the army. My grandparents were very. upset, but my mother, his little sister, was excited. Now she could boast about her soldier brother going off to war. She was ten years old at the time, and my uncle, realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and her friends, went out and bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted. When the day came for him to leave, his whole regiment, in their uniforms, left together from the same train station. There was a band playing and my mother and her friends came to see him off. Each one wore her service pin and waved a small American flag, cheering the boys, as they left.
The moment came and the soldiers, all very young, none of whom had had any training, but who had nevertheless all been issued uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. The train groaned as if it knew the destiny to which it was taking its passengers, but it soon began to move. Still cheering and waving their lags, the band still playing, the train slowly departed the station.
It had gone about a thousand yards when it suddenly grounded to a halt. The band stopped playing, the crowd stopped cheering. Everyone gazed in wonder as the train slowly backed up and returned to the station, it seemed an eternity until the doors opened and the men started to file out. Someone shouted, "It's the armistice. The war is over." For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone barked orders at the soldiers. The men lined up and formed into two lines. They walked down the steps and, with the band playing behind, paraded down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home by the assembled crowd. The next day my uncle returned to his job, and my grandfather resumed reading the German newspaper, which he read until the day he died.
21. Where was the narrator's family when this story took place? __________.
A．In German B．In Hungary C．In the United States. D．In New York
22. His grandfather ____________.
A. could not speak and read English well enough
B. knew nine languages equally well
C. knew a number of languages, but felt more kin to German
D. loved German best because it made him think of home
23. His grandmother did not want her husband to buy and read newspapers in German, because ________.
A. it was war time and Germans were their enemy
B. the neighbors would mistake them as pro-German
C. it was easier to get newspapers in English in America
D. nobody else read newspapers in German during the wartime
24. The narrator’s mother wanted her brother to go to fight in the war,
Because ________.
A. like everybody else at the wartime, she was very patriotic
B. she hated the war and the Germans very much
C. all her friends had relatives in war and she wanted to be like them
D. she liked to have a brother she could think of as a hero
Passage Two
As Philadelphia grew from a small town into a city in the first half of the eighteenth century, it became an increasingly important marketing center for a vast and growing agricultural hinterland. Market days saw the crowded city even more crowded, as farmers from within a radius of 24 or more kilometers brought their sheep, cows, pigs, vegetables, cider, and other products for direct sale to the townspeople. The High Street Market was continuously enlarged throughout the period until 1736, when it reached from Front Street to Third. By 1745 New Market was opened on Second Street between Pine and Cedar. The next year the Callowhill Market began operation.
Along with market days, the institution of twice-yearly fairs persisted in Philadelphia even after similar trading days had been discontinued in other colonial cities. The fairs provided a means of bringing handmade goods from outlying places to would-be buyers in the city. Linens and stockings from Germantown, for example, were popular items.
Auctions were another popular form of occasional trade. Because of the competition, retail merchants opposed these as well as the fairs. Although governmental attempts to eradicate fairs and auctions were less than successful, the ordinary course of economic development was on the merchants' side, as increasing business specialization became the order of the day. Export merchants became differentiated from their importing counterparts, and specialty shops began to appear in addition to general stores selling a variety of goods.
One of the reasons Philadelphia's merchants generally prospered was because the surrounding area was undergoing tremendous economic and demographic growth. They did their business, after all, in the capital city of the province. Not only did they cater to the governor and his circle, but citizens from all over the colony came to the capital for legislative sessions of the assembly and council and the meetings of the courts of justice.
25. What does the passage mainly discuss? __________.
A. Philadelphia's agriculture importance
B. Philadelphia's development as a marketing center
C. The sale of imported goods in Philadelphia
D. The administration of the city of Philadelphia
26. It can be inferred from the passage that new markets opened in Philadelphia because__________.
A. they provided more modem facilities than older markets
B). the High Street Market was forced to close
C). existing markets were unable to serve the growing population
D. farmers wanted markets that were closer to the farms.
27. The word "hinterland " in line 3 is closest in meaning to__________.
A. tradition
B. association
C. produce
D. region
28. It can be inferred that the author mentions "Linens and stockings" in line 12 to show that they were items that__________.
A. retail merchants were not willing to sell
B. were not available in the stores in Philadelphia
C. were more popular in Germantown man in Philadelphia
D. could easily be transported
Passage Three
For gathering data about individuals or groups at different developmental levels, researchers can use two related research designs: longitudinal and cross-sectional.
A longitudinal study is one that measures a behavior or a characteristic of an individual over a period of time, perhaps decades. An example of such a study is the Berkeley Growth Study begun in 1928 by Nancy Bayley. The study focused on a group of 74 white, middle-class newborns. As they grew older, extensive measures of their intellectual, personality, and motor development were recorded. The subjects were studied for more than thirty years.
The longitudinal research design is a powerful technique for seeking understandings of the effects of early experiences on later development. Also, differences in or stability of behaviors or characteristics at different ages can be determined. Longitudinal studies, however, are expensive to conduct, time-consuming, and heavily on the patience and persistence of the researchers. The findings of a longitudinal study may be jeopardized by relocation of subjects to another part of the country and by boredom or irritation at repeated testing. Another disadvantage is that society changes from one time to another and the subjects participating in the study reflect to some degree such changes. The methods of study or the questions guiding the researchers may also change from one time to another. If properly conducted, however, longitudinal studies can produce useful, direct information about development.
A cross-sectional study is one in which subjects of differing ages are selected and compared on a specific behavior or characteristic. They are alike with respect to socioeconomic status, sex, or educational level. For example, a researcher may be interested in looking at changes in intelligence over a thirty-year period. Three groups of subjects, ages ten, twenty, and thirty, may be selected and tested. Conclusions are drawn from the test data.
The cross-sectional research design has the clear advantage of being less expensive to conduct and certainly less time-consuming. The major disadvantage is that different individuals who make up the study sample have not been observed over time. No information about past influences on development or about age-related changes is secured. Like longitudinal studies, the cross-sectional methods cannot erase the generational influence that exists when subjects studiedare born at different time. Psychologists are now beginning to use an approach that combines longitudinal and cross-sectional research methods.
29. Which of the following is NOT one of the disadvantages of a longitudinal research? __________.
A. The subjects may become irritated at repeated testing.
B. The participants in the study may not stay in one place for many years.
C. The behavior of a subject in the study may be measured continuously for many years.
D. Social changes may be reflected in the behaviors of the subjects participating in the study.
30. The word “contingent” in the third paragraph probably means__________.
A. dependentB. consecutive
C. determinedD. continual
31. Which of the following statements is true? __________.
A. The subjects in a cross-sectional research are not of the same age group.
B. The methods of study in longitudinal research will not change over time.
C. Longitudinal research is reliable only in seeking understandings of the effects of early experiences on later development.
D. Cross-sectional methods are not usually adopted in studying, for example, the changes in intelligence over a thirty-year period.
32. One of the differences between cross-sectional research and longitudinal research is that __________.
A. the latter usually focuses on only one subject, while the former involves groups of subjects
B. the former can be free from the influence of social changes
C. the latter can be free from the influence of social changes
D. the former costs less money and takes less time
Passage Four
All mammals feed their young. Beluga whale mothers, for example, nurse their calves for some twenty months, until they are about to give birth again and their young are able to find their own food. The behavior of feeding of the young is built into the reproductive system. It is a nonelective part of parental care and the defining feature of a mammal, the most important thing that mammals—whether marsupials, platypuses, spiny anteaters, or placental mammals -- have in common. But not all animal parents, even those that tend their offspring to the point of hatching or birth, feed their young. Most egg-guarding fish do not, for the simple reason that their young are so much smaller than the parents and eat food that is also much smaller than the food eaten by adults. In reptiles, the crocodile mother protects her young after they have hatched and takes them down to the water, where they will find food, but she does not actually feed them. Few insects feed their young after hatching, but some make other arrangement, provisioning their cells and nests with caterpillars and spiders that they have paralyzed with their venom and stored in a state of suspended animation so that their larvae might have a supply of fresh food when they hatch.
For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care. Animals add it to their reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants. The most vulnerable moment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fend for itself. Feeding postpones that moment until a young animal has grown to such a size that it is better able to cope. Young that are fed by their parents become nutritionally independent at a much greater fraction of their full adult size. And in the meantime those young are shielded against the vagaries of fluctuating of difficult-to-find supplies. Once a species does take the step of feeding its young, the young become totally dependent on the extra effort. If both parents are removed, the young generally do no survive.
33. What does the passage mainly discuss? __________.
A. The care that various animals give to their offspring.
B. The difficulties young animals face in obtaining food.
C. The methods that mammals use to nurse their young.
D. The importance among young mammals of becoming independent.
34. The author lists various animals in line 5 to __________.
A. contrast the feeding habits of different types of mammals
B. describe the process by which mammals came to be defined
C. emphasize the point that every type of mammal feeds its own young
D. explain why a particular feature of mammals is nonelective

35. The word "tend" in line 7 is closest in meaning to __________.
A. sit on B. move C. notice D. care for
36. What can be inferred from the passage about the practice of animal parents feeding their young? __________.
A. It is unknown among fish.
B. It is unrelated to the size of the young.
C. It is dangerous for the parents.
D. It is most common among mammals.
Passage Five
There are good reasons to be troubled by the violence that spreads throughout the media. Movies , television and video games are full of gunplay and bloodshed, and one might reasonably ask what’s wrong with a society that presents videos of domestic violence as entertainment. Most researchers agree that the causes of real-world violence are complex. A 1993 study by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences listed “biological, individual, family, peer, school, and community factors” as all playing their parts.
Viewing abnormally large amounts of violent television and video games may well contribute to violent behavior in certain individuals. The trouble comes when researchers downplay uncertainties in their studies or overstate the case for causality. Skeptics were dismayed several years ago when a group of societies including American Medical Association tried to end the debate by issuing a joint statement:” at this time, well over 1000 studies point overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.” Freedom-of-speech advocates accused the societies of catering to politicians, and even disputed the number of studies (most were review articles and essays, they said). When Jonathan Freedom, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto, reviewed the literature, he found only 200 or so studies of television- watching and aggression. And when he weeded out “the most doubtful measures of aggression”, only 28% supported a connection.
The critical point here is causality. The alarmists say they have proved that violent media cause aggression. But the assumptions behind their observations need to be examined. When labeling games as violent or non-violent, should a hero eating a ghost really be counted as a violent event? And when experimenters record the time it takes game players to read ‘aggressive’ or ‘non-aggressive’ words from a list, can we be sure what they are actually measuring? The intent of the new Harvard Center on Media and Child Health to collect and standardize studies of media violence in order to compare their methodologies, assumptions and conclusion is an important step in the right direction.
Another appropriate ster would be to tone down the criticism until we know more. Several researchers write, speak and testify quite a lot on the threat posed by violence in the media. That is, of course, their privilege. But when doing so, they often come out with statements that the matter has now been settled, drawing criticism from colleagues. In response, the alarmists accuse critics and news reporters of being deceived by the entertainment industry. Such clashes help neither science nor society.
37. why is there so much violence shown in movies, TV and video games? ________.
A. there is a lot of violence in the real world today
B. something has gone wrong with today’s society
C. many people are fond of gunplay and bloodshed
D. showing violence is thought to be entertaining
38. what is the skeptics (line 4. Para.2) view of media violence? __________.
A. violence on television is a fairly accurate reflection of real-world life
B. most studies exaggerate the effect of media violence on the viewers
C. a causal relationship exists between media and real-world violence
D. the influence of media violence on children has been underestimated
39. the author uses the term “alarmists” (line1. Para.3) to refer to those who______.
A. use standardized measurements in the studies of media violence
B. initiated the debate over the influence of violent media on reality
C. assert a direct link between violent media and aggressive behavior
D. use appropriate methodology in examining aggressive behavior
40. what does the author think of the debate concerning the relationship between the media and violence？__________.
A. more studies should be conducted before conclusions are drawn
B. it should come to an end since the matter has now been settled
C. the past studies in this field have proved to be misleading
D. he more than agrees with the views held by the alarmists
Passage Six
At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they’re bad. Yet the agreement among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants’ impact on the economy and the reality?
There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the stress that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and insecurities. There’s some truth to all these explanations, but they aren’t quite sufficient.
To get a better understanding of what’s going on, consider the way immigration’s impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notes that the ones who profit most directly from immigrants’ low-cost labor are businesses and employers —meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, these producers’ savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration has reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9% between 1980-2000
Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the financial burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that financial burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants’ access to certain benefits.
The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected — say, low-skilled workers, or California residents — the impact isn’t all that dramatic. “The unpleasant voices have tended to dominate our perceptions,” says Daniel Tichenor, a professor at the University of Oregon. “But when all those factors are put together and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one.” Too bad most people don’t realize it.
41. what can we learn from the first paragraph? __________.
A. whether immigrants are good or bad for the economy has been puzzling economists
B. the American economy used to thrive on immigration but now it’s a different story
C. the consensus among economists is that immigration should not be encouraged
D. the general public thinks differently from most economists on the impact of immigration
42. in what way does the author think ordinary Americans benefit from immigration? __________.
A. they can access all kinds of public services
B. they can get consumer goods at lower prices
C. they can mix with people of different cultures
D. they can avoid doing much of the manual labor
43. why do native low-skilled workers suffer most from illegal immigration? __________.
A. they have great difficulty getting welfare support
B. they are more likely to encounter interracial conflicts
C. they have a harder time getting a job with decent pay
D. they are no match for illegal immigrants in labor skills
44. what is the chief concern of native high-skilled, better-educated employees about the inflow of immigrants? __________.
A. it may change the existing social structure
B. it may pose a threat to their economic status
C. it may lead to social instability in the country
D. it may place a great strain on the state budget
Part III. Translation and Writing
Part A Translation
Translate the following into Chinese:
Between 1500 and 1800, significant changes took place in the way educated Europeans saw their society. Important scientific discoveries were made and the enlightenment brought a new sense of responsibility and reason. In sprite of such changes, however, in the middle of the eighteenth century most people in the world (and perhaps most Europeans, too) could still believe that history would go on much as it seemed always to have done. The weight of the past was everywhere enormous and often it was immovable: some of the European efforts to shake it off have been touched upon, but nowhere outside Europe was even the possibility of doing so grasped. Though in many parts of the world a few people's lives had begun to be revolutionized by contact with Europeans, most of it was unaffected and much of it was untouched by such contamination of traditional ways. Translate the following into English:
博士生是高等教育中具有最高学术水准的学生群体.他们将在可预见的未来肩负起建设祖国的重任,在本世纪中国经济的腾飞中起重要作用.因此,博士生应该不仅具有精深的知识和尖端的技术,而且有较高的思想道德素质.他们能高瞻远瞩,时时以国家和人民的利益为重.他们应该意志坚定,充满活力,富有自我牺牲精神.他们乐于奉献才干和智慧,同时积极主动,不袖手旁观或坐享其成.他们要严于律己,宽以待人,胸襟开阔,懂得尊重他人. 他们会全力以赴,坚定不移地去追求崇高目标,直至成功.
Part B Summary Writing
Read the following passage carefully and then write a summary of it in English in about 120 words.
A great part of Arabia is desert. Here there is nothing but sand and rock. The sand is so hot that you cannot walk over it with your bare feet in the daytime. Here and there in the desert are springs of water that come from deep down under the ground--- so deep that the sun cannot dry them up. There springs are few and far apart, but wherever there is one, green grass very soon covers the ground all around it. Soon fig trees and palm trees grow tall and graceful, making a cool, green, shady place around the spring. Such a place is called an oasis.
The Arabs who are not in the cities live in the desert all the year round. They live in tents that can be put up and taken down very easily and quickly so that they can move from one oasis to another, seeking grass and water for their sheep, goats, camels and horses. These desert Arabs eat ripe, sweet figs, and also the dates that grow upon the palm trees; they dry them , too, and use them as food all the year round.
These Arabs have the finest horses in the world. An Arab is very proud of his riding horse, and loves him almost as much as he loves his wife and children. He never puts heavy loads upon his horse, and often lets him stay in the tent with his family.
The camel is much more useful to the Arab than his beautiful horse, however, for he is much larger and stronger. One camel can carry as much as or more than tow horses. The Arab loads the camel with goods, and rides him, too, for miles and miles across the desert---just as if he were really the “Ship of the Desert”, which he is often called.

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