南开大学博士研究生入学考试英语试题附答案和解析

Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (略)

Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (20 points)

Passage 1

Traffic statistics paint a gloomy picture. To help solve their traffic woes, some rapidly growing U.S. cities have simply built more roads. But traffic experts say building more roads is a quick-fix solution that will not alleviated the traffic problem in the long run. Soaring land costs, increasing concern over social and environmental disruptions caused by road-building, and the likelihood that more roads can only lead to more cars and traffic are powerful factors bearing down on a 1950s-style construction program.

The goal of smart-highway technology is to make traffic systems work at optimum efficiency by treating the road and the vehicles traveling on them as an integral transportation system. Proponents of the advanced technology say electronic detection systems, closed-circuit television, radio communication, ramp metering, variable message signing, and other smart-highway technology can now be used at a reasonable cost to improve communication between drivers and the people who monitor traffic.

Pathfinder, a Santa Monica, California-based smart-highway project in which a 14-mile stretch of the Santa Monica Freeway, making up what is called a “smart corridor”, is being instrumented with buried loops in the pavement. Closed-circuit television cameras survey the flow of traffic, while communication linked to property equipped automobiles advise motorists of the least congested routes or detours.

Not all traffic experts, however, look to smart-highway technology as the ultimate solution to traffic gridlock. Some say the high-tech approach is limited and can only offer temporary solutions to a serious problem.

“Electronics on the highway addresses just one aspect of the problem: how to regulate traffic more efficiently,” explains Michael Renner, senior researcher at the world-watch Institute. “It doesn't deal with the central problem of too many cars for roads that can't be built fast enough. It sends people the wrong message. They start thinking ‘Yes, there used to be a traffic congestion

problem, but that's been solved now because we have, advanced high-tech system in place.'” Larson agrees and adds, “Smart highways is just one of the tools that we use to deal with our traffic problems. It's not the solution itself, just part of the package. There are different strategies.”

Other traffic problem-solving options being studied and experimented with include car pooling, rapid mass-transit systems, staggered or flexible work hours, and road pricing, a system whereby motorists pay a certain amount for the time they use a highway.

It seems that we need a new, major thrust to deal with the traffic problems of the next 20 years. There has to be a big change.

1．What is the appropriate title for the passage?

A．Smart Highway Projects—The Ultimate Solution to Traffic Congestion. B．A Quick Fix Solution for the Traffic Problems. C．A Venture to Remedy Traffic Woos.

D．Highways Get Smart—Part of the Package to Relieve Traffic Gridlock.

2．The compound word “quick-fix” in Paragraph 1, sentence 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A．an optional solution B．an expedient solution C．a ready solution D．an efficient solution 3．According to the passage, the smart-highway technology is aimed to ______. A．develop sophisticated facilities on the interstate highways B．provide passenger vehicle with a variety of services C．optimize the highway capabilities

D．improve communication between driver and the traffic monitors 4．According to Larsen, to redress the traffic problem, ______. A．car pooling must be studied

B．rapid mass transit system must be introduced C．flexible work hours must be experimented D．overall strategies must be coordinated

5．Which of the following best describes the organization of the whole passage? A．Two contrasting views of a problem are presented.

B．A problem is examined and complementary solutions are proposed or offered. C．Latest developments are outlined in order of importance. D．An innovation is explained with its importance emphasized.

Passage 2

A strange thing about humans is their capacity for blind rage. Rage is presumably an emotion resulting from survival instinct, but the surprising thing about it is that we do not deploy it against other animals. If we encounter a dangerous wild animal— a poisonous snake or a wildcat—we do not fly into a temper. If we are unarmed, we show fear and attempt to back away; if we are suitably armed, we attack, but in a rational manner not in a rage. We reserve rage for our own species. It is hard to see any survival value in attacking one's own, but if we take account of the long competition which must have existed between our own subspecies and others like Neanderthal mar —indeed others still more remote from us than Neanderthal man— man rage becomes more comprehensible.

In our everyday language and behavior there are many reminders of those early struggles. We are always using tile words “us and them”. “Our” side is perpetually trying to do down the “other”side. In games we artificially create other subspecies we can attack. The opposition of “us” and “them” is the touchstone of the two-party system of “democratic” politics. Although there are no very serious consequences to many of this modern psychological representation of the “us” and “them” emotion, it is as well to remember that the original aim was not to beat the other subspecies in a game but to exterminate it.

The readiness with which human beings allow themselves to be regimented has permitted large armies to be formed, which, taken together with the “us” and “them” blind rage, has led to destructive clashes within our subspecies itself. The First World War is an example in which Europe divided itself into two imaginary subspecies. And there is a similar extermination battle now in Northern Ireland. The idea that there is a religious basis for this clash is illusory, for not even the pope has been able to control it. The clash is much more primitive than the Christian religion, much older in its emotional origin. The conflict in Ireland is unlikely to stop until a greater primitive fear is imposed from outside the community, or until tile combatants become exhausted.

6．A suitable title for this passage would be ______.

A．Wily Human Armies Are Formed B．Man's Anger Against the World C．The Human Capacity for Rage D．Early Struggles of Angry Mail 7．According to the author, the surprising aspect of human anger is ______. A．its lengthy and complex development

B．a conflict such as is now going on in Northern Ireland C．that we do not fly into a temper more often D．that we reserve anger for mankind 8．The passage suggests that ______.

A．historically, we have created an “us” versus “them” society B．humans have had a natural disinclination toward formal grouping

C．the First World War is an example of how man has always avoided domination D．the emotional origin of the war in Ireland is lost in time 9．From the passage we can infer that ______.

A．the artificial creation of a subspecies unlike us is something that never happens B．games are psychologically unhealthy

C．any artificially created subspecies would be our enemy

D．the real or imagined existence of an opposing subspecies is inherent in man's activities 10．The author believes that a religious explanation for the war in Northern Ireland is ______.

A．founded in historical fact B．deceptive C．apparent D．accurate Part Ⅲ Vocabulary (5 points)

Directions: There are 10 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence, there are four choices marked A, B, C and D．Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence.

1．Most of the young people hold the mistaken belief that goods produced in our own country are ______ to imported ones.

A．inadequate B．inappropriate C．inferior D．interior 2．It is not a question of how much a man knows, but what use he ______ what he knows. A．makes for B．makes of C．makes up D．makes out 3．Throughout the empire of Kublai Khan, money made of paper was used for business

_______, something unheard of in Europe.

A．transformations B．transmissions C．transitions D．transactions 4．As the pressure ______ the liquid rock is forced up through channels in the resistant rock to the earth's surface.

A．intensifies B．magnifies C．heightens D．deviates 5．The strong scent of Kate's perfume ______ the air in the small room.

A．radiated B．permeated C．extracted D．dispersed 6．The scientific and medical prizes have proved to be the least ______, while those for literature and peace by their very nature have been the most exposed to critical differences.

A．radical B．prominent C．confidential D．controversial 7．They are ______ to industrialists, who need the valuable copper and nickel in them. A．tempting B．tickling C．tormenting D．tricking

8．Another popular misconception is the ______ that great talent is usually highly specific. A．notion B．dilemma C．domain D．analogy 9．You can ______ the loudness of the radio by turning the knob to right or left. A．change B．vary C．alter D．transform 10．The distance between the earth and the sun may be said to be ______. A．enormous B．huge C．vast D．immense Part Ⅳ Error Correction (10 points)

Directions: In the following passage, there are 10 mistakes, one in each numbered line. You may have to add a word, cross out a word, or change a word. Mark out the mistakes and put the corrections in the blanks provided, If you cross out a word, put a slant (/) in the blank.

When a consumer finds that an item she or he bought is in faulty or in some other way does not live to the manufacturer's claim for it, the first step is to present the warranty or any other records which might help, at the store of purchase. In most cases, this action will produce results. ___ Moreover,

if it does not, there are various means the consumer may use to gain satisfaction.

___

3．________

2．_____1．_____

A simple and common method used by many consumers is to complain directly to the store manager. In general, the “high up” the consumer takes his or her complaint, the faster he or she can expect to be settled. In such case, it is usually settled in the consumer's favor, assumed he or she has a just claim. Consumers should complain about in person whenever possible, but if it cannot get to the place of purchase, it is acceptable to phone or write the complaint with a letter. Complaining is usually most effective when it is done politely but firmly, and especially when the consumer can demonstrate that is wrong with the item in question.

___ ___ ___ ___

4．_____

5．_____

6．_____

7．_____

8．________

9．________

10．________

Part Ⅴ Writing (10 points)

Directions: For this part, you are asked to write a composition on the topic “It pays to be honest”. Your composition should be no less than 150 words based on the given outline. Remember to write clearly on the ANSWER SHEET.

Outline:

1．Honest is the best policy.

2．Give examples to support your point of view. 3．Conclusion.

南开大学20XX年博士研究生入学考试英语试题

参与解析

Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (略)

Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension passage 1 1．【答案】D

【解析】本题中，A项与第四段第一句话的意思不符；B项不正确，本文主要讲的不是修路；C项在文中未被提及。D项依据文中倒数第三段的意思，点出文中主旨是smart-highway，并且谨慎地把它只作为“part of the package”，因此D项为正确答案。

2．【答案】B

【解析】本题可参照第一段第三句话“But traffic experts say…in the long run．”再联系后面的句子可知，quick-fix的意思是“快速确定的，临时的”。B项中的expedient的意思是“(指行动)有用，有助益，可取(但不一定合理或正当)”；做名词用时，有“权宜手段”的意思。因此B项为正确答案。

3．【答案】D

【解析】本题可参照第二段的第一句话“The goal of smart-highway technology is to…as an integral transportation system．”和第二段的最后一句话“and other smart-highway…to improve communication between drivers and the people who monitor traffic．”这说明，smart-highway的目标就是最大效率地整合道路和交通工具，从而提高司机和监管道路系统的人之间的交流。因此D 项为正确答案。

4．【答案】D

【解析】本题可参照倒数第三段的最后一句话“Larson agrees and adds，‘Smart highways is just one…just part of the package．There are different strategies’．”这说明，Larson认为应该采取多种方式解决交通堵塞问题。因此D项为正确答案。

5．【答案】B

【解析】本题中，A、C、D三项都与文章的意思不符。本文首先提出了交通堵塞问题，接着介绍了解决方法，中心就是介绍了smart-highway这种运用高科技的新方法，指出了其特点和目前的不足。接着谈到了人们正在研究和实验的其他解决方法。B项中的a problem是指smart-highway，本文主要讲了解决交通问题其中的一个方法，同时又指出了其他的一些方法。因此B项为正确答案，

Passage 2

6．【答案】C

【解析】本题是要选出适合文章的标题。总览全文可知，文章第一段指出“A strange thing

about humans is their capacity for blind rage．”随后解释了这个问题。第二段中说，在我们的语言和行为中有许多词提醒着我们注意到人类早期的斗争，如“我们”和“他们”，最初，我们在游戏中，会人为制造一个亚群体作为攻击的对象。第三段讲了愤怒使人们集结成，导致了人类亚群体之间的破坏性冲突。这说明，本文主要讲的是人类的capacity for blind rage，因此C项为正确答案。

7．【答案】D

【解析】本题可参照第一段的“Rage is presumably…for our own species．”这说明人类盲目的怒气从不指向其他的生物，而是保留在人类自身之间。因此D项为正确答案。

8．【答案】A

【解析】本题可参照第一段的“but if we take account of the long competition．．．existed between our own subspecies and others like Neanderthal man…”和第二段的“In our everyday language and behavior there are many reminders of those early struggles”“…the original aim．．．to exterminate it.”。据此可知，人类从穴居甚至更早的时候就存在着竞争，这种竞争是以我们消灭他们为目标的。因此A项“一直以来人类社会都将我们(us)与他们(them)分得很清楚”为正确答案。

9．【答案】D

【解析】本题可参照文中第二段的第二句话和第三段的第一句话，从中可知在人类的活动中，总有与人类相对立的或真实或假想的亚种存在。因此D项为正确答案。

10．【答案】B

【解析】本题可参照最后一段的倒数第二句话“The idea that there is a religious basis for this clash is illusory…much older in its emotional origin．”据此可知，用宗教原理解释爱尔兰争端是不牢靠的，是虚假的。因此B项为正确答案。

Part Ⅲ Vocabulary 1．【答案】C

【解析】本题的空格处是说国产货物比进口货物的质地差。C项的be inferior to“比……差，下等的”符合题意。如：His work is inferior to mine．他的工作不如我。其他三项inadequate “不够的”；inappropriate“不合适的，不成比例的”；interior“内部的”都不正确。

2．【答案】B

【解析】本题意为“问题不在于一个人有多少知识，而在于他是如何利用他的知识”。make use of为固定搭配，意思是“利用”。因此正确答案为B。

3．【答案】D

【解析】本题空格处是说用纸制的钱进行商业交易。transactions的意思是“交易，事务处理”；transformations的意思是“人或事有巨大变化”；transmissions的意思是“传送，发射”；transitions的意思是“转变，转换”。四个选项中只有D项符合题意。

4．【答案】A

【解析】本题中，A项的“intensify加强，强化，指程度上的改变”符合题意。如：The scientists have intensified their search for the new gene by working harder．科学家们更加努力工作加紧搜寻这种新的基因。其他三项magnify“放大，扩大”，指大小上的改变；heighten“提高，提升”；deviates“偏离，改变原计划”都不正确。

5．【答案】B

【解析】本题意为“凯特身上浓郁的香水味道弥漫在小屋的空气中”。B项的permeated “弥漫，渗透，扩散”符合题意。如：Water will permeate blotting paper．水能渗透吸水纸。其他三项radiated“放射，辐射”；extracted“拔出，萃取”；dispersed“分散，驱散”都不正确。

6．【答案】D

【解析】本题意为“结果证明科学奖和医学奖存在很小的争议，而文学奖和和平奖则存在很大的批评性争论”。controversial的意思是“有争议的，有争论的”；radical的意思是“激进的”；prominent的意思是“卓越的，显著的”；confidential的意思是“秘密的，机密的”。四个选项中只有D项符合题意。

7．【答案】A

【解析】本题空格处是说它们对企业家们很有吸引力。A项的be tempting to“有诱惑力的，促使去做”符合题意。其他三项tickling“反馈，回授”；tormenting“折磨人的”；tricking “骗人的，使人上当的”都不正确。

8．【答案】A

【解析】本题中，A项的notion“概念，观念和想法”符合题意，如：He has no notion of what I mean．他不明白我的意思。其他三项dilemma“进退两难的局面，困难的选择”；domain “领土，领域”；analogy“类似，类推”都不正确。

9．【答案】A

【解析】本题的空格处是说改变收音机的音量。change是一般用词，指“改变”。alter的意思是“改变，更改(性质、位置、大小、形状)”，这里的改变大小指改变衣服的大小而不是改变声音的大小；vary的意思是“改变，变化”，一般用法是sth. vary；transform“转换，

改变”，一般指改变形状。因此本题的正确答案为A。

10．【答案】D

【解析】本题意为“地球和太阳之间的距离可以说是无边的”。immense的意思是“极广大的，无边的”；enormous的意思是“庞大的”，一般指数量或体积庞大；huge的意思是“巨大的”，一般指数量巨大；vast的意思是“辽阔的，巨额的”，形容面积。四个选项中只有D 项为正确答案。

Part Ⅳ Error Correction

1．【答案】去掉in faulty中的in，“be faulty”是“有缺陷，不完善”的意思。 2．【答案】live to改成live up to，意思是“达到标准”。

3．【答案】Moreover改为However，表转折关系，前面说在大多数情况下，这种行为可以得到预期效果，因此下一句应为转折，“然而，如果没有达到效果的话”。

4．【答案】将high改成higher，因为后面用的是faster，比较级前后需要对等，形式需要一致。

5．【答案】应该在expect和to之间加上it，指期待、指望他们的投诉能尽快得到解决。 6．【答案】assumed改成assuming，应为主动关系。in such case是一个固定结构，没有错误。

7．【答案】将about去掉，complain后未加宾语，无需介词。

8．【答案】but if it中的it改成they，代指的是前半句中的consumers。该句的意思是“如果消费者们不能去购买的地点，他们可以通过电话或写信的方式寻求解决的办法”。

9．【答案】将with a letter中的with改为in，意为写在信中。

10．【答案】将文中的that改成what，what is wrong with the item in question构成一个宾语从句。

Part Ⅴ Writing 【参考范文】 It Pays to be Honest

I have been upholding an opinion that honesty is the most important of all values that hold civilization together. Yet some people believe that those honest people are fools whose ways of dealing with the outside world are out of date. Conversely, those who make no efforts to get what they want can exist and succeed in our society. This concept has occurred in many areas. But in my opinion, without honesty there can be no respect, no trust, no law—and finally, no society.

Here is an example. In university, the direction of supervisors will arrange some scientific researches that graduate students must finish. However, it is impossible for supervisors to advise their students all along for their time is quite limited. In this case, students need to do most of the research by themselves and it is up to the students to take it either seriously with honesty or carelessly and just let it go like that. If students spend a good deal of time and patience to do the research honestly, that will not only bring them improvement in studies, but also will lead to mutual trust and respect between students and supervisors. Furthermore, in order to restore honesty to our life, certain things must be done in our society. For instance, the legal system should enforce fair, swift, sure punishment to any dishonest criminal; teachers should encourage their students to be honesty in all situations; parents should give top priority to honesty in modeling their children's character.

All the above statements support an unshakable view that honesty is the best policy for all of us. It not only can win trust and respect from others for us, but also bring us more opportunities in the future. It is the value we cannot live without.