专业英语八级考试考前冲刺模拟试卷

1、TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2006)-GRADE EIGHT-TIME LIMIT: 190MINPART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (30MIN)略PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your coloured

2、 answer sheet. TEXTA He was an old man with a white beard and huge nose and hands. Long before the time during which we will know him, he was a doctor and drove a jaded white horse from house to house through the streets of Winesburg. Later he married a girl who had money. She had been left a large

3、fertile farm when her father died. The girl was quiet, tall, and dark, and to many people she seemed very beautiful. Everyone in Winesburg wondered why she married the doctor. Within a year after the marriage she died. The knuckles of the doctors hands were extraordinarily large. When the hands were

4、 closed they looked like clusters of unpainted wooden balls as large as walnuts fastened together by steel rods. He smoked a cob pipe and after his wifes death sat all day in his empty office close by a window that was covered with cobwebs. He never opened the window. Once on a hot day in August he

5、tried but found it stuck fast and after that he forgot all about it. Winesburg had forgotten the old man, but in Doctor Reefy there were the seeds of something very fine. Alone in his musty office in the Heffner Block above the Paris Dry Goods Companys store, he worked ceaselessly, building up somet

6、hing that he himself destroyed. Little pyramids of truth he erected and after erecting knocked them down again that he might have the truths to erect other pyramids. Doctor Reefy was a tall man who had worn one suit of clothes for ten years. It was frayed at the sleeves and little holes had appeared

7、 at the knees and elbows. In the office he wore also a linen duster with huge pockets into which he continually stuffed scraps of paper. After some weeks the scraps of paper became little hard round balls, and when the pockets were filled he dumped them out upon the floor. For ten years he had but o

8、ne friend, another old man named John Spaniard who owned a tree nursery. Sometimes, in a playful mood, old Doctor Reefy took from his pockets a handful of the paper balls and threw them at the nursery man. That is to confound you, you blithering old sentimentalist, he cried, shaking with laughter. T

9、he story of Doctor Reefy and his courtship of the tall dark girl who became his wife and left her money to him is a very curious story. It is delicious, like the twisted little apples that grow in the orchards of Winesburg. In the fall one walks in the orchards and the ground is hard with frost unde

10、rfoot. The apples have been taken from the trees by the pickers. They have been put in barrels and shipped to the cities where they will be eaten in apartments that are filled with books, magazines, furniture, and people. On the trees are only a few gnarled apples that the pickers have rejected. The

11、y look like the knuckles of Doctor Reefy s hands. One nibbles at them and they are delicious. Into a little round place at the side of the apple has been gathered all of its sweetness. One runs from tree to tree over the frosted ground picking the gnarled, twisted apples and filling his pockets with

12、 them. Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples. The girl and Doctor Reefy began their courtship on a summer afternoon. He was forty-five then and already he had begun the practice of filling his pockets with the scraps of paper that became hard balls and were thrown away. The habit had

13、 been formed as he sat in his buggy behind the jaded grey horse and went slowly along country roads. On the papers were written thoughts, ends of thoughts, beginnings of thoughts. One by one the mind of Doctor Reefy had made the thoughts. Out of many of them he formed a truth that arose gigantic in

14、his mind. The truth clouded the world. It became terrible and then faded away and the little thoughts began again. The tall dark girl came to see Doctor Reefy because she was in the family way and had become frightened. She was in that condition because of a series of circumstances also curious. The

15、 death of her father and mother and the rich acres of land that had come down to her had set a train of suitors on her heels. For two years she saw suitors almost every evening. Except two they were all alike. They talked to her of passion and there was a strained eager quality in their voices and i

16、n their eyes when they looked at her. The two who were different were much unlike each other. One of them, a slender young man with white hands, the son of a jeweler in Winesburg, talked continually of virginity. When he was with her he was never off the subject. The other, a black-haired boy with l

17、arge ears, said nothing at all but always managed to get her into the darkness, where he began to kiss her. For a time the tall dark girl thought she would marry the jewelers son. For hours she sat in silence listening as he talked to her and then she began to be afraid of something. Beneath his tal

18、k of virginity she began to think there was a lust greater than in all the others. At times it seemed to her that as he talked he was holding her body in his hands. She imagined him turning it slowly about in the white hands and staring at it. At night she dreamed that he had bitten into her body an

19、d that his jaws were dripping. She had the dream three times, then she became in the family way to the one who said nothing at all but who in the moment of his passion actually did bite her shoulder so that for days the marks of his teeth showed.-.-. After the tall dark girl came to know Doctor Reef

20、y it seemed to her that she never wanted to leave him again. She went into his office one morning and without her saying anything he seemed to know what had happened to her. In the office of the doctor there was a woman, the wife of the man who kept the bookstore in Winesburg. Like all old-fashioned

21、 country practitioners, Doctor Reefy pulled teeth, and the woman who waited held a handkerchief to her teeth and groaned. Her husband was with her and when the tooth was taken out they both screamed and blood ran down on the womans white dress. The tall dark girl did not pay any attention. When the

22、woman and the man had gone the doctor smiled. I will take you driving into the country with me, he said. For several weeks the tall dark girl and the doctor were together almost every day. The condition that had brought her to him passed in an illness, but she was like one who has discovered the swe

23、etness of the twisted apples, she could not get her mind fixed again upon the round perfect fruit that is eaten in the city apartments. In the fall after the beginning of her acquaintanceship with him she married Doctor Reefy and in the following spring she died. During the winter he read to her all

24、 of the odds and ends of thoughts he had scribbled on the bits of paper. After he had read them he laughed and stuffed them away in his pockets to become round hard balls. 11.According to the story Doctor Reefys life seems very . A. eccentric B. normal C. enjoyable D. optimistic 12.The story tells u

25、s that the tall dark girl was in the family way. The phrase “in the family way” means. A. troubled B. Pregnant C. twisted D. cheated 13.Doctor Reef lives a life. A. happy B. miserable C. easy-going D. reckless 14. The tall dark girls marriage to Doctor Reef proves to be a one. A. transient B. unders

26、tandable C. perfect D. funny 15. Doctor Reefs paper balls probably symbolize his . A eagerness to shut himself away from society B suppressed desire to communicate with people C optimism about life D cynical attitude towards lifeText B Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry-William

27、 Shakespeare-but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come,

28、not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaways Cottage, Shakespeares birthplace and the other sights. The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSCs actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. Its

29、 all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself an actor (with a beard) and did his share of noise - making. The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus- and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side

30、 dont usually see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However, the playgoers do manage a little sight - seeing along with their play going. It is the playgoers, the RSC contends, who bring in much of the towns revenue because they spend the night (some of t

31、hem four or five nights) pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall. The townsfolk dont see it this way and local council does not contribute directly to the subsidy of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford cries poor tradi

32、tionally. Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there, which you may be sure will be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars, the Lear Lounge, the Banquo Banqueting Room, and so forth, and will be very expensive. Anyway, the

33、townsfolk cant understand why the Royal Shakespeare Company needs a subsidy. (The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row. Last year its 1,431 seats were 94 per cent occupied all year long and this year theyll do better.) The reason, of course, is that costs have rocketed and

34、ticket prices have stayed low. It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the young people who are Stratfords most attractive clientele. They come entirely for the plays, not the sights. They all seem to look alike (though they come from all over) lean, pointed, dedicat

35、ed faces, wearing jeans and sandals, eating their buns and bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside the theatre to buy the 20 seats and 80 standing-room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box office opens at 10:30 a.m. 16. From the first two paragraphs , we learn tha

36、t A. the townsfolk deny the RSC s contribution to the towns revenue B. the actors of the RSC imitate Shakespeare on and off stage C. the two branches of the RSC are not on good terms D. the townsfolk earn little from tourism 17. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that A. the sightseers cannot visit

37、 the Castle and the Palace separately B. the playgoers spend more money than the sightseers C. the sightseers do more shopping than the playgoers D. the playgoers go to no other places in town than the theater 18. By saying “Stratford cries poor traditionally” (Line 2-3, Paragraph 4), the author imp

38、lies that A. Stratford cannot afford the expansion projects B. Stratford has long been in financial difficulties C. the town is not really short of money D. the townsfolk used to be poorly paid 19. According to the townsfolk, the RSC deserves no subsidy because A. ticket prices can be raised to cove

39、r the spending B. the company is financially ill-managed C. the behavior of the actors is not socially acceptable D. the theatre attendance is on the rise 20. From the text we can conclude that the author A. is supportive of both sides B. favors the townsfolks view C. takes a detached attitude D. is

40、 sympathetic to the RSC. Text C Students of United States history, seeking to identify the circumstances that encouraged the emergence of feminist movements, have thoroughly investigated the mid-nineteenth-century American economic and social conditions that affected the status of women. These histo

41、rians, however, have analyzed less fully the development of specifically feminist ideas and activities during the same period. Furthermore, the ideological origins of feminism in the United States have been obscured because, even when historians did take into account those feminist ideas and activit

42、ies occurring within the United States, they failed to recognize that feminism was then a truly international movement actually centered in Europe. American feminist activists who have been described as solitary and individual theorists were in reality connected to a movement -utopian socialism- whi

43、ch was already popularizing feminist ideas in Europe during the two decades that culminated in the first womens rights conference held at Seneca Falls. New York, in 1848. Thus, a complete understanding of the origins and development of nineteenth-century feminism in the United States requires that t

44、he geographical focus be widened to include Europe and that the detailed study already made of social conditions be expanded to include the ideological development of feminism. The earliest and most popular of the utopian socialists were the Saint-Simonians. The specifically feminist part of Saint-S

45、imonianism has, however, been less studied than the groups contribution to early socialism. This is regrettable on two counts. By 1832 feminism was the central concern of Saint-Simonianism and entirely absorbed its adherents energy; hence, by ignoring its feminism. European historians have misunders

46、tood Saint-Simonianism. Moreover, since many feminist ideas can be traced to Saint-Simonianism, European historians appreciation of later feminism in France and the United States remained limited. Saint-Simons followers, many of whom were women, based their feminism on an interpretation of his proje

47、ct to reorganize the globe by replacing brute force with the rule of spiritual powers. The new world order would be ruled together by a male, to represent reflection, and a female, to represent sentiment. This complementarity reflects the fact that, while the Saint-Simonians did not reject the belie

48、f that there were innate differences between men and women, they nevertheless foresaw an equally important social and political role for both sexes in their Utopia. Only a few Saint-Simonians opposed a definition of sexual equality based on gender distinction. This minority believed that individuals

49、 of both sexes were born similar in capacity and character, and they ascribed male-female differences to socialization and education. The envisioned result of both currents of thought, however, was that women would enter public life in the new age and that sexual equality would reward men as well as

50、 women with an improved way of life. 21.It can be inferred that the author considers those historians who describe early feminists in the Unrated: States as solitary to be A insufficiently familiar with the international origins of nineteenth-century American feminist thought B overly concerned with

51、 the regional diversity of feminist ideas in the period before 1848 C not focused narrowly enough in their geo-graphical scope D insufficiently aware of the ideological consequences of the Seneca Falls conference 22.According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Seneca Falls confere

52、nce on womens rights? A It was primarily a product of nineteenth-century Saint-Simonian feminist thought. B It was the work of American activists who were independent of feminists abroad. C It was the culminating achievement of the Utopian socialist movement. D It was a manifestation of an internati

53、onal movement for social change and feminism 23.The authors attitude toward most European historians who have studied the Saint-Simonians is primarily one of A approval of the specific focus of their research B disapproval of their lack of attention to the issue that absorbed most of the Saint-Simon

54、ians energy after 1832 C approval of their general focus on social conditions D disapproval of their lack of attention to links between the Saint-Simonians and their American counterparts 24. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that study of Saint-Simonianism is necessary fo

55、r historians of American feminism because such study A would clarify the ideological origins of those feminist ideas that influenced American feminism B would increase understanding of a movement that deeply influenced the Utopian socialism of early American feminists C would focus attention on the

56、most important aspect of Saint-Simonian thought before 1832 D promises to offer insight into a movement that was a direct outgrowth of the Seneca Falls conference of 1848 25. According to the passage, which of the following would be the most accurate description of the society envisioned by most Sai

57、nt-Simonians? A A society in which women were highly regarded for their extensive education B A society in which the two genders played complementary roles and had equal status C A society in which women did not enter public life D A social order in which a body of men and women would rule together

58、on the basis of their spiritual power Text D Joy and sadness are experienced by people in all cultures around the world, but how can we tell when other people are happy or despondent? It turns out that the expression of many emotions may be universal. Smiling is apparently a universal sign of friendliness and approval. Baring the teeth in a hostile way, as noted by Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century, may be a universe sign of anger. As the originator of the theory of evolution, Darwin believed that the universal recog