天大博士英语题

天大博士英语题

V Reading Comprehension (20%)
Directions: In this part there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A),B),C) and D). Choose the one that you think is the correct answer.

1
A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.
For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.
The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn’t take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would, And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.
Today there are many charitable organizations that specialized in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. “I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner－amazing.” Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.
As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to “translate” cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word “friend”, the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor’s language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

1. The word “observation” in the first paragraph most probably means
[A] attention.
[B] watchfulness.
[C] survey
[D] opinion.

2. People in frontier settlements used to entertain travelers because these strangers would______.
[A] bring good news from outside world.
[B] help locals solve their problems.
[C] bring a change to the life in the settlements.
[D] requires a different definition.

3. Nowadays the tradition of friendliness to strangers______.
[A] is still prevailing.
[B] can rarely be seen
[C] is wading fast
[D] requires a different definition

4. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
[A] People are still fond of traveling to remote places.
[B] Foreign travelers now keep away from busy tourist trails.
[C] There is no charitable organization in small cities.
[D] Foreign visitors to the US have trouble understanding American’s friendliness.

5. From the last paragraph of the passage we have learned that______
[A] the ability of speaking a foreign language implies a better understanding of its culture.
[B] various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends.
[C] culture exercises a great influence on social interrelationships.
[D] courteous convention and individual interest are closely interrelated.

2
It is well known that when an individual joins a group he tends to accept the group’s standards of behavior and thinking. He is expected to behave in accordance with these norms-in other words the group expects him to conform. Many illustrations could be given of this from everyday life, but what is of particular interest to psychologists is the extent to which people’s judgments and opinions can be changed as a result of group pressure.
In a typical experiment, the experimenter asks for volunteers to join a group that is investigating visual perception. The victims are not, therefore, aware of the real purpose of the experiment. Each volunteer is taken to a room where he finds a group of about seven people who are collaborating with the experimenter. The group is shown a standard card which contains a single line. They are then asked to look at a second card. This has three lines on it. One is obviously longer than the line on the first card, one is shorter and one the same length. They have to say which line on the second card is the same length as the line on the standard card. The other members of the group answer first but what the volunteer does not know is that they have been told to pick one of the wrong lines. The volunteer sees that the other members of the group unanimously choose a line which is obviously not the same length as the one on the standard card.
When it is his turn to answer he is faced with the unanimous opinion of the group－all the others have chosen line A but he quite clearly sees line B as correct. What will he do? According to Asch, more than half of the victims chosen will change their opinion. What is equally surprising is that, when interviewed about their answers, most explained that they knew the group choice was incorrect but that they yielded to the pressure of the group because they thought they must be suffering from an optical illusion.

6. Psychologists are interested in ________.
[A] how far group pressure can influence people’s judgments.
[B] how to make judgments according to everyday experience.
[C] how to change people’s judgments.
[D] the group’s standards of social behaviour.

7. In the experiment. Who have been told to pick the wrong line?
[A] The victims.
[B] The volunteer.
[C] The experimenter.
[D] The other members.
8. In what circumstances do most people yield to pressure?
[A] When the group is separated.
[B] When the group is unanimous.
[C] When they know they are the victims.
[D] When they are forced to answer questions.

9. The experiments demonstrate that _______.
[A] nearly every individual will behave differently from others
[B] group pressure is caused by the interference of the psychologists.
[C] psychologists wish to change the people’s judgments and opinions.
[D] people will change their ideas under group pressure.

10.The best title of this passage would be _________.
[A]A Typical Experiment.
[B]Are We Afraid to be Different?
[C]The Group’s Standards of Behavior and Thinking.
[D]Dose an Individual Need to Follow a Group’s Standards?

3
The single business of Henry Thoreau ,during forty-old years of eager activity was to discover an economy calculated to provide a satisfying life .His one concern ,that gave to his ramblings in Concord fields a value of high adventure ,was to explore the true meaning of wealth .As he understood the problem of economics ,there three possible solutions open to him :to exploit himself ,to exploit his fellows ,or to reduce the problem to its lowest denominator .The first was quite impossible –to imprison oneself in a treadmill when the morning called to great adventure .To exploit one’s fellows seemed to Thoreau’s sensitive social conscience an even greater infidelity .Freedom with abstinence seemed to him better than serfdom with material well-being ,and he was content to move to Walden Pond and to set about the high business of living ,”to confront only the essential facts of life and to see what it had to teach .” He did not advocate that other men should build cabins and live isolated .He had no wish to dogmatize concerning the best mode of living-each must settle that for himself .But that a satisfying life should be lived ,he was vitally concerned .The story of his emancipation from the lower economics is the one romance of his life ,and Walden is his great book .It is a book In praise of life rather than of Nature ,a record of calculating economics that studied saving in order to spend more largely .But it is a book of social criticism as well ,in spite of its explicit denial of such a purpose .In considering the true nature of economy he concluded ,with Ruskin , that the cost of a thing is the amount of life that is required in exchange for it ,immediately or in the long run .In Walden Thoreau elaborated the text :”The only wealth is life .”

11.Thoueau started an experiment at Walden Pond with the hope of ______.
[A]learning how to live quietly .
[B]writing a book on philosophy .
[C]discovering what humans can learn from nature.
[D]working out the best adjustment to material life .

12.To Thoreau the best solution to the problem of economics is _______.
[A]to live a very simple life .
[B]to become self –sufficient.
[C]to live in the country .
[D]to reform the society .

13.Thoreau holds that the crucial thing for people to do is to ________.
[A]have a better understanding of what life means .
[B]live harmoniously with nature .
[C]to save as much as one possibly can .
[D]to live a life that one is content with .

14.In the book “Walden” all of the following can be found except________.
[A] the nature of economy.
[B] the meaning of freedom.
[C] the criticism of society.
[D] Ruskin’s philosophy.

15. Thoreau’s attitude toward society can best be characterized as one of _______.
[A] acceptance.
[B] avoidance.
[C]indifference
[D] individualism

4
Automation refers to the introduction of electronic control and automatic operation of productive machinery. It reduces the human factors, mental and physical, in production, and is designed to make possible the manufacture of more goods with fewer workers. The development of automation in American industry has been called the “Second Industrial Revolution.”
Labor’s concern over automation arises from uncertainty about its effects on employment, and fears of major changes in jobs. In the main, labor has taken the view that resistance to technological change is futile. In the long run, the result of automation may well be an increase in employment, since it is expected that vast industries will grow up around manufacturing, maintaining, and repairing automation equipment. Unquestionably, however, there will be major shifts in jobs within plants and displacement of labor from one industry to another. The interest of labor lies in bringing about this transition with a minimum of inconvenience and distress to the workers involved. Also, union spokesmen emphasize that the benefit of the increased production and lower costs made possible by automation should be shared by workers in the form of higher wages, more leisure, and improved living standards.
To protect the interests of their members in the era of automation, unions have adopted a number of new policies. One of these is the promotion of supplementary unemployment benefits plans. It is emphasized that since the employer involved in SUB plan has a direct financial stake in preventing unemployment, he will have a strong incentive for planning new installations so as to cause the least possible disruption in jobs and job assignments. Some unions are working for dismissal pay agreements, requiring that permanently laid off workers be paid a sum of money based on length of service. Another approach is the idea of the “improvement factor,” which calls for wage increase based on increases in productivity. It is probable, however, that labor will rely mainly on reduction in working hours in order to gain a full share in the fruits of automation.

16. We learn from paragraph 1 that automation will probably lead to_______.
[A] industrial expansion
[B] an increase in employment
[C] displacement of labor from one industry to another.
[D] an increase in unemployment.

17. Labor has the opinion that _______.
[A] all efforts must be made to prevent automation
[B] automation will cause a rise in consumer costs
[C] its main interest lies in increasing all wages.
[D] technological change cannot be stopped.

18. What is the relation between automation and employment in the opinion of labor?
[A] Automation will definitely leads to more unemployment.
[B] From a long-term point of view automation will bring about more jobs.
[C] Automation will not cause much change in employment
[D] sooner of later automation will do all the work instead of man

19. The union stresses that ________.
[A] workers should also enjoy the fruits brought about by automation.
[B] no workers should be fired in the development of automation
[C] it is necessary to slow down the development of automation
[D] workers should be paid according to their length of service

20. How many new policies of the unions have been listed in this passage?
[A]1
[B]2
[C]3
[D]5

VI Writing (20%)
Directions: People may hold different views as to the dispute over when the shaping of a person’s character, or natural disposition is completed. Some people state that the process of forming one’s character is fulfilled in one’s childhood, whereas others argue that it is achieved after one finishes his school studies or has worked for a year beyond campus. What do you think? Provide details in support of your argument with at least 180 words.

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dyj5925

级别: 初级博友

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沙发发表于: 2008-09-09

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

哪一年的呀？还有哪几种题型呢？

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zhangping19

级别: 初级博友

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板凳发表于: 2008-12-17

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

我也想考天大的博士,毕业已经6年了,一直没有看英语,这是最近的题型吗?

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