2004 National English Contest for College Students
(Preliminary)
Part I Listening Comprehension (30 minutes, 30 points)
Section A Dialogues (10 points)
Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short dialogues. At the end of each dialogue, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the dialogue and the question will be read only once. After each question ,there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
1. A. In San Francisco. B. At an airport.
C. At a travel agency. D. In a post office.
2. A. The woman is going out to lunch.
B. The woman wants to eat some chocolate.
C. The woman will go to a convenience store.
D. The woman will be back in 30 minutes.
3. A. By car. B. By plane.
C. By train. D. By ferry.
4. A. She had lost her job.
B. She didn’t know the mayor.
C. She was mistaken.
D. The man misunderstood her.
5. A. He needs some tomato juice.
B. His shirt is stained.
C. He needs his shirt by tomorrow.
D. His shirt is missing.
6. A. To a meeting. B. To the office.
C. To a restaurant. D. To a bowling class.
7. A. Give the woman some medicine.
B. Find out more about the woman’s injury.
C. Test the strength of the woman’s shoulder.
D. Go skiing with the woman.
8. A. Excited.
B. Thankful.
C. Somewhat disappointed.
D. Somewhat bothered.
9. A. When her family celebration is over.
B. After the man graduates from school.
C. After they have some pictures taken together.
D. When she has bought her cap and gown.
10. A. By continuous assessment.
B. By giving a per cent.
C. By giving grade.
D. By means of exams.
Section B News Items (10 points)
Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short pieces of news from BBC or VOA. After each news item and question,there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
11. A. Under the age of four.
B. Under the age of five.
C. Under the age of six.
12. A. Beijing’s successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games.
B. The Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games.
C. The large market of the Olymic brand.
13. A. To keep the code for its Windows operating system a secret.
B. To design some new computer software.
C. To persuade more PC users to adopt the Windows operating system.
14. A. One. B. Ten. C. Thirty.
15. A. No. B. Yes. C. Not mentioned.
16. A. More than 500 dollars.
B. A little more than three dollars.
C. Less than three dollars.
17. A. Because the Iraqi economy has gradually risen after the war.
B. Because Iraqi people trust the new dinar more.
C. Both A and B.
18. A. Five. B. Six. C. Seven.
19. A. Low fruit and vegetable intake.
B. Smoking and little exercise.
C. Unhealthy diet.
20. A. The euro has risen in value.
B. The US dollar has risen in value.
C. German economy has slided into recession.
Section C Passages (10 points)
Directions:In this section, you will hear 2 passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear 5 questions. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
21. A. Jazz. B. Indian. C. Country. D. Pop.
22. A. Their hairstyles. B. Their humor.
C. Their clothing. D. All of the above.
23. A. America. B. England.
C. Italy. D. Canada.
24. A. The Beatles were formed in England.
B. The Beatles had a successful movie career.
C. The Beatles are regarded as one of the finest jazz groups.
D. The Beatles first recorded music in 1962.
25. A. Seventeen. B. Twenty-eight.
C. Twenty-two. D. Twelve.
Passage Two
26. A. Because he regarded the bear as his friend.
B. Because the bear was beautiful.
C. Because he considered it poor sportsmanship to shoot a tied-up animal.
D. Because bears are not dangerous animals.
27. A. Because Teddy is the nickname for Theodore Roosevelt.
B. Because it was then the usual practice to do so.
C. Because it was the first time to name toy bears Teddy Bears.
D. Because the toy bear was made to look a bit like the President.
28. A. People collect Teddy Bears.
B. Teddy Bears can be found in museums.
C. The first Teddy Bear was made by Mr. Mitchtom’s wife.
D. President Roosevelt shot the black bear in 1902.
29. A. Seven. B. Six. C. Two. D. Five.
30. A. He moved to Florida.
B. He became President.
C. He drew cartoons.
D. He started a toy company.
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (10 minutes, 20 points)
Section A Multiple Choice (10 points)
Directions:There are 7 incomplete sentences and 3 incomplete dialogues in this section. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentences and dialogues. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
31. Never________the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person’s life.
A. underestimate B. overvalue
C. misuse D. dismiss
32. Scientists have warned that penguins in the Antarctic could be very________to changes in climate and could be threatened by any long-term temperature shifts.
A. superstitious B. acceptable
C. suspicious D. susceptible
33. Since settling in Scotland I ________ golf as a hobby.
A. have taken up B. took up
C. have taken in D. took in
34. She often thinks that her six years in Italy were wasted, ________she________ that time learning more Italian.
A. but that; might have taken
B. for that; should have found
C. in that; could have spent
D. with that; would have used
35. He constantly________his proposal that________of the budget surplus be used to offer a voluntary prescription drug benefit to seniors.
A. views; many B. reiterates; a part
C. complains; a GREat amount D. thinks; lots
36. ________Alan’s amazement, the passport office was closed when he arrived.
A. With B. For C. To D. Of
37. I was asked the other day whether high and low pressure systems were________the central pressure.
A. maintained to B. determined by
C. generated within D. preserved to
38. Bob: What are you reading, Frank?
Tom: It’s this week’s New Scientist, why?
Bob: I was just wondering—________, but I’ve never actually read it myself. Is it aimed at real scientists or can ordinary people like me understand it?
A. it’s for anyone really B. where I can buy it
C. it seems very expensive D. it looks interesting
39. Girl: Hi Paul—looking forward to your holiday?
Boy: Oh, yeah—it’s going to be GREat. Though I’m a bit worried that I’ve packed the wrong clothes. I don’t think the weather’s going to be as good as I hoped.
Girl:________
Boy: That’s right—my first flight.
A. Everything will be OK, isn’t it?
B. You’re flying on Saturday, aren’t you?
C. It’s far from here, as everybody knows.
D. That’s a good idea, anyway.
40. John: What plastic products do you have in mind that are easy to recycle?
Tom: Shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, medicine bottles, food containers, etc. They are all easily collectable and reusable.
John: ________, but actually I think you are missing the point of recycling. It doesn’t just mean using old bottles again and again for the same purpose. What it means these days is melting the plastics down and building them up again into some completely new product.
A. Not too bad B. Something is wrong
C. You’re right there D. It’s a new idea
Section B Cloze-Test (10 points)
Directions: There are 10 blanks in the passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Ask most people for their list of Top Ten fears, and you’ll be sure to find being burgled fairly high on the list. An informal survey I carried out among friends at a party last week (41)________that eight of them had their homes broken into more than twice, and two had been burgled five times.To put the record (42)________, none of my friends owns valuable paintings or a sideboard full of family silverware. Three of them are students, in fact. The most (43)________burglary, it seems, involves the theft of easily transportable items—the television, the video, even food from the freezer. This may have something to do with the fact that the average burglar is(44)________his (or her) late teens, and probably wouldn’t know what to do with a Picasso, (45)________selling a Walkman or a vacuum cleaner is a much easier matter. They are perhaps not so much (46)________criminals as hard-up young people who need a few pounds and some excitement. (47)________that this makes having your house turned upside down and your favourite things stolen any easier to accept. In most cases, the police have no luck (48)________any of the stolen goods. Unless there is any (49)________evidence, they are probably unable to do anything at all. And alarms or special locks don’t seem to help either. The only advice my friends could (50)________up with was “Never live on the ground floor” and “Keep two or three very fierce dogs”.
41. A. released B. revealed C. reclaimed D. redeemed
42. A. straight B. clear C. apparent D. correct
43. A. typical B. abnormal C. hazardous D. vicious
44. A. near B. in C. beyond D. out of
45. A. whereas B. whenever C. however D. once
46. A. serious B. professional C. efficient D. perfect
47. A. Given B. Even C. Not D. Despite
48. A. seizing B. withdrawing C. seeking D. recovering
49. A. distinguishable B. obscure C. outstanding D. definite
50. A. come B. catch C. keep D. put
Part III Word Guessing and IQ Test (5 minutes, 10 points)
Section A Word Guessing (5 points)
51. Social capital has become a mantra for politicians and policy makers: they see it as a bulwark against society’s ills and a means of multiplying the effects of financial investment in social projects.
A. measurement B. defense
C. treatment D. complaint
52. Her desire for anonymity soon became apparent when she refused to answer questions about her identity.
A. recognition B. concealment
C. vanity D. success
53. “Gentlemen,” replied Candide, with a most engaging modesty, “you do me much honor, but upon my word I have no money.”
A. you help me a lot B. you are GREat
C. it’s very generous of you to say so
D. that’s a GREat honor for me
54. When it comes to listening to the opinions of members of your school community, do you think you are already “all ears?”
A. in full strength
B. bearing ideas in mind
C. ready to listen attentively
D. having enough preparation
55. That extremely indolent student will clean out his desk when pigs fly or I am much mistaken as to his character.
A. soon B. never C. sometime D. often
Section B IQ Test (5 points)
56. Sally had a third again as many as David, who had a third as many again as Francis. Altogether they had 111. How many did David have?
A. 27 B. 32 C. 36 D. 48
57. What letter should replace the question mark?
A. T B. S C. I D. N
58. BONA FIDE is to genuine as DE FACTO is to________.
A. together B. actual C. reason D. assumed
59. How many revolutions must the largest cog make in order to bring the cogs back to their original positions?
A. 56 B. 48 C. 36 D. 12
60. The diagram shows a small village church. There is a door in the west end, seen in the diagram. There is a tower at the east end of the church with a window set in its east wall. This wall is hidden in the diagram.There is also a door in the tower. Which of these is most likely to be the view of the eastern end of the church?
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Part IV Reading Comprehension (25 minutes,30 points)
Directions:In this part there are 5 passages with 30 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passages carefully. Then answer the questions in the fewest possible words(not exceeding 10 words). Remember to rewrite the answers on the Answer Sheet.
Questions 61 to 66 are based on the following passage:
Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture from food helps to preserve it, and that the easiest way to do this is to expose the food to sun and wind.
Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, GREece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. The methods used vary, but in general, the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun. In order to prevent darkening, pears, peaches and apricots are exposed to the fumes of burning sulphur before drying. Plums, for making prunes, and certain varieties of grapes for making raisins and currants, are dipped in an alkaline solution in order to crack the skins of the fruit slightly and remove their wax coating, so increasing the rate ofdrying.
Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically. The conventional method of such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110℃ at entry to about 43℃ at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish.
Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried by pouring them over a heated horizontal steel cylinder or by spraying them into a chamber through which a current of hot air passes. In the first case, the dried material is scraped off the roller as a thin film which is then broken up into small, though still relatively coarse flakes. In the second process it falls to the bottom of the chamber as a fine powder. Where recognizable pieces of meat and vegetables are required, as in soup, the inGREdients are dried separately and then mixed.
Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons they are invaluable to climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them. Usually it is just a case of replacing the dried-out moisture with boiling water.
Questions:
61. Fruit is sun-dried generally on________.
62. Why are sulphur fumes used before drying some fruits?
63. Where are vegetables commonly dried nowadays?
64. If soup requires recognizable pieces of meat, they are________.
65. Dried foods are often used by________, ________and________.
66. Why do housewives like dried foods?
Questions 67 to 72 are based on the following passage:
Hollywood writers honor Coppola, “Splendor”
Sunday, February 22, 2004 Posted: 9:56 AM EST (14:56 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) —Hollywood’s screenwriters Saturday snubbed the final installment of the highly acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy and instead awarded a key prize to a low-budget film based on a comic book writer.
American Splendor, which revolves around the travails of comics connoisseur Harvey Pekar, won the Writers Guild of America Award for best adapted screenplay, while writer / director Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, about a pair of mismatched Americans languishing in Tokyo, nabbed the trophy for original screenplay.
The American Splendor screenplay was written by the film’s directors, Robert Springer and Shari Springer Berman, who were not present at the awards. The Writers Guild of America Awards were handed out simultaneously in Los Angeles and New York.
Coppola said she was excited to be honored by the union.
“I find it difficult to write, so it’s very encouraging and exciting to get an award,” Coppola told Reuters after the event.
Coppola’s competition was Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges and Guljit Bindra for Bend It Like Beckham, Steven Knight for Dirty Pretty Things, Irish director Jim Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten for In America, and first-time writer / director Tom McCarthy for The Station Agent.
The other adapted screenplay nominees were director Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Anthony Minghella for Cold Mountain, Brian Helgeland for Mystic River, and writer / director Gary Ross for Seabiscuit.
Coppola, Knight and the Sheridans will vie for the Academy Award next week, along with the writers of The Barbarian Invasions and Finding Nemo.
Apart from Cold Mountain, all the Writers Guild of America adapted screenplay contenders will compete for the Oscar, along with the Brazilian drama City of God.
In the last 12 years, eight of the Writers Guild of America adapted screenplay winners and seven of its original screenplay winners have gone on to Oscar glory.
Lost in Translation has already picked up three Golden Globes—an Oscar bell-wether—including best screenplay. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which has 11 Oscar nominations, has collected four Golden Globes and prizes from Hollywood’s producers and directors guilds.
Questions:
67. What does American Splendor mainly write about?
68. Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation won the Writers Guild of America Award for________.
69. The Writers Guild of America Awards were offered at the same time in________and________.
70. How did Coppola feel about her getting the award?
71. List at least 3 movies that competed with Lost in Translation.
72. How many Writers Guild of America screenplay winners have gone on to Oscar glory in the last 12 years?
Questions 73 to 78 are based on the following passage:
The need for a surgical operation, especially an emergency operation, almost always comes as a severe shock to the patient and his family. Despite modern advances, most people still have an irrational fear of hospitals and anaesthetics.
In the early years of last century there was little specialization in surgery. A good surgeon was capable of performing almost every operation that had been devised up to that time. Today the situation is different. Operations are now being carried out that were not even dreamed of fifty years ago. The heart can be safely opened and its valves repaired. Clogged blood vessels can be cleaned out, and broken ones mended or replaced. A lung, the whole stomach, or even part of the brain can be removed and still permit the patient to live a comfortable and satisfactory life.
The scope of surgery has increased remarkably in 20th century. Its safety has increased too. Deaths from most operations are about 20% of what they were in 1910 and surgery has been extended in many directions,for example to certain types of birth defects in newborn babies, and, at the other end of the scale, to life-saving operations for the octogenarian.The hospital stay after surgery has been shortened to as little as a week for most major operations.
Many developments in modern surgery are almost incredible. They include the replacement of damaged blood vessels with simulated ones made of plastic; the replacement of heart valves with plastic substitutes; the transplanting of tissues such as the lens of the eye.
One of the most revolutionary areas of modern surgery is that of organ transplants. Until a few years ago, no person, except an indentical twin, was able to accept into his body the tissues of another person without reacting against them and eventually causing death. Recently, however, it has been discovered that with the use of x-rays and special drugs, it is possible to graft tissues from one person to another which will survive for periods of a year or more. Kidneys have been successfully transplanted between non-identical twins. Heart and lung transplants have been reasonably successful in animals, though rejection problems in humans have yet to be solved.
“Spare parts” surgery, the simple routine replacement of all worn-out organs by new ones, is still a dream of the distant future. As yet, surgery is not ready for such miracles. In the meantime, you can be happy if your doctor says to you,“Yes, I think it is possible to operate on you for this condition.”
Questions:
73. Most people are afraid of being operated on in spite of________.
74.A patient can still live a comfortable and satisfactory life even after the removal of________.
75. Today deaths from most operations are about ________of what they were in 1910.
76. What’s the main difficulty in organ transplanting?
77. Is “spare parts” surgery possible now?
78. You can be happy if your surgeon can operate because it means________.
Questions 79 to 84 are based on the following passage:
Sales of anti-ageing skin treatments have reached a new high as British women try to stay younger longer (writes Joanna Bale). But according to a recent survey of those aged between 35 and 55 there are significant regional variations in annual spend on these cosmetics.
While the average woman thinks costs of ￡200 a year acceptable—almost treble the ￡75 of three years ago—some fork out ￡500, according to the survey of over 2,000 women nationwide by the beauty company Olay.
Brows will wrinkle at the differences in yearly spend on anti-ageing treatments across major cities: the ladies of Edinburgh spent least, just ￡50 a year, while those in Leeds spend most, at a staggering ￡500. London women most commonly spend ￡200 annually, and those in Manchester give themselves a modest yearly budget of ￡100.
Equally surprising are the results among 40-somethings. Single women spend the least on indulging their desire for facial rejuvenation, with only 25 per cent forking out on skincare products or treatments. This figure rises to just over 31 per cent of married women and a similar figure for those who are unmarried with partners.
By far the biggest spenders are the 50 per cent of divorcees who feel the pressure to invest heavily in their facial futures.
The survey highlighted two groups who spend significant sums on enhancing their appearances—“Sindies” (single income now divorced), and women in their 40s who use their looks to get ahead.
The survey also found that although women wanted to “de-age” they had a holistic view of beauty and embraced a realistic and natural approach to looking good.
Questions:
79. Compared with that of three years ago, the average British woman’s annual spend on cosmetics has almost________.
80. Women in________spend most on cosmetics according to the survey.
81. The ladies of Birmingham as well as those in ________spend ￡100 a year on antiageing treatments.
82. ________and________spend more on indulging their desire for facial rejuvenation than single women.
83. Enhancing appearances plays an important role in the life of________and________.
84. After reading the passage, what do you learn about the sales of anti-ageing skin treatments now in Britain?
Questions 85 to 90 are based on the following passage:
It is hard to get any aGREement on the precise meaning of the term “social class”. In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to “place” a new acquaintance, however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part.
In ancient civilizations, the Sumerian, for example,social differences were based on birth,status or rank,rather than on wealth. Four main classes were recognized. These were the rulers, the priestly administrators, the freemen (such as craftsmen,merchants or farmers) and the slaves.
In GREece, after the sixth-century B.C., there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats, and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of “middle class” of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens,for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the “metics”, who were freemen, though they too were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of “citizens”, who were themselves divided into subclasses.
In ancient Rome, too, a similar struggle between the plebs, or working people, and the landed families was a recurrent feature of social life.
The medieval feudal system, which flourished in Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, gave rise to a comparatively simple system based on birth.Under the king there were two main classes—lords and “vassals”, the latter with many subdivisions. The vassal owed the lord fidelity, obedience and aid, especially in the form of military service. The lord in return owed his vassal protection and an assured livelihood.
In the later Middle Ages, however, the development of a money economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the “burghers” or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle classes. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the towns more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer.
Questions:
85. List at least three common criteria for telling a person’s social position.
86. What were the four main classes in the Sumerian civilization?
87. Slaves in GREece in the sixth century B.C. were not________significant.
88. The struggle between the plebs and the landed families was a________feature of social life.
89. The metics,one of the three classes of GREece, consisted mainly of________.
90. What did the development of a money economyand the growth of cities and trade lead to?
Part V Error Correction (5 minutes,10 points)
Directions:The following passage contains 9 errors. In each case only one word is involved. You should proofread the passage on the Answer Sheet and correct it in the following way:
EXAMPLE
One night,quite late,I was still awake in the room I am shared with 1. am
my husband. I was lying on my right side and can hear a child crying. 2. could
Getting up,I went ∧ see if our son was all right. 3. to
He was sleeping soundly,breathing deeply and gently. 4. √
If the air in New York seems a little less grimy this spring, thank Rudolph Giuliani. On January 10th, after months of burning debate, the city’s non-smoke mayor
91.________
signed the Smoke-Free Air Act. From April 10th smoking will be stubbed out(碾灭) in restaurants catering for more than 35 people, a move that will hit about half the city’s 11,000 eating places. Nicotine addicts will also smoked out at work, except
92.________
in ventilated smoking rooms or offices occupied by no more than three consenting adults. More radically, outdoor seating areas will also become smoke zones.
93.________
Come the new baseball season, fans at Yankee Stadium will be breaking the law if they light up.
New York joins well over 100 American cities—and four states—that have passed laws banned smoking
94.________
in public places. More than a third of American companies now forbid smoking in the workplace, up to
95.________
a mere 20% in 1986. And the tobacco industry, which in America alone has annual sales of close to ＄50 billion, is watching its profits go down in smoke.
96.________
The industry may never recover. Polls suggest that nine out of ten Americans are irritated by cigarette smoke. With good reason. In 1993 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified
97.________
“second-hand” smoke as a health hazard—one that,according to the EPA, causes 3,000 non-smokers to die from lung cancer each year.
98.________
New Yorkers must now wait and see if the pro-smoking lobby’s alarming predictions of citywide economical collapse come true. Tobacco
99.________
company Philip Morris may show the way. Last year it threatened to move its 2,000 head-office employee out
100.________
of the city if the smoking ban became law.
Part VI Translation (10 minutes, 20 points)
Section A English-Chinese Translation (10 points)
Directions: Translate the underlined sentences of the following passage into Chinese on the Answer Sheet.
What is a brand anyway? A brand isn’t just a logo on a shirt or an ice-cream van. It’s much more than that. To be successful a brand has to have rational characteristics—(101)ie, it has to be competitive on price or quality or service, and it has to have a “personality” that charms and seduces. It is a mix of emotional factors,such as “Do I like it?” and “Is it me?” and rational factors such as,“Is it cheaper or better or quicker?”(102)Getting things in balance is tricky,and that’s why so many brands don’t succeed.
Just let’s look at all the ways brands can fail. Brands are vulnerable to fashion. Fizzy drinks such as Coke and Pepsi are now being attacked by stimulation drinks such as Red Bull. Fast food brands are threatened by salads and other “lite” foods. McDonald’s has recently been in real trouble.
Brands are also vulnerable because they get cocky,arrogant and out of touch. They think they know best and don’t change with the market—like the Gap, Levi’s and Marks & Spencer brands who learnt their lesson the hard way.
(103)In fact, even the people who create brands can’t really control them or even predict how people will use them. Not one single mobile phone company anywhere in the world anticipated the growth of texting.The companies involved in the new 3G phone technology are still holding their breath because they don’t know whether it will take off or not. And if it does take off, they won’t know how and in what direction until the market tells them. It’s a huge gamble.Range Rover was the first Sport Utility Vehicle, but Land Rover never completely understood the concept that it had inspired. Range Rover has spent much of its life span trying to catch up with the trend that it serendipitously created. (104)Organic foods are a GREat success, but not one single major manufacturer or retailer originally promoted them. Little companies started the trend and we consumers just decided we didn’t want our food mucked around with. So at first slowly, hesitantly and ponderously, the retailers and the manufacturers followed. They did what we asked.
(105)In other words, brands are nothing like as powerful as they look. The people who manage them often get things wrong, muck things up, look in the wrong direction and generally act just like most organisations directed by human beings—messily. So despite all the huffing and puffing, the reality is that brands are more or less completely in our power. When we like them we buy them, when we don’t, we just buy something else. And what’s more, as customers we’re unpredictable. We can be loyal or fickle, extravagant or stingy, serially or simultaneously.
Section B Chinese-English Translation (10 points)
106. 许多遭到洪水侵害的农场主说,他们别无选择只得解雇一些工人。
107. 有时候对一个人来说需要终生的时间才能懂得活着就是为了奉献。
108. 在美国,由于道路畅通,开车上下班很方便,现在许多在城市里工作的人,喜欢住在乡下。
109. 收音机及电视机使得做广告的人有可能用这种方法吸引千百万人的注意。
110. 纽约劳动力市场近来显现出从二战以来最长时间的低迷中复苏的迹象。
Part VII Writing (30 minutes, 30 points)
Writing Task I (10 points)
Directions: Yesterday you lost your student identification card. You need it to get discounts on public transport and for the cinema, and to use the college library. Even more importantly, you need it as proof of identity to withdraw money from the bank. Write to the Director of Student Services explaining the situation and requesting a new card as soon as possible.
You should write about 120 words. You do NOT need to write your own address. Write your letter on the Answer Sheet. Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ________,
Writing Task II (20 points)
Directions: The following is an advertisement for English teachers.Suppose you are a university graduate,and your future plan is to be an English teacher. After reading this advertisement, you decide to write a statement of interest to GEOS. You should write at least 150 words. Write your statement on the Answer Sheet.
2004年全国大学生英语竞赛初赛
听力录音原文及参考答案
Part I Listening Comprehension (30 minutes, 30 points)
Section A Dialogues (10 points)
Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short dialogues. At the end of each dialogue, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the dialogue and the question will be read only once. After each question,there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
1. W: Hi, I’d like to send this package by express mail to San Francisco and I would like to buy a sheet of stamps, please.
M: Here are your stamps, and just put the package on the scale.
Q: Where did the conversation take place? (D)
2. M: I’m going out to lunch. Do you need anything while I’m out?
W: Yes, if you pass a convenience store, get me some chocolate—a Snickers bar, please.
Q: What do you learn from this conversation? (B)
3. W: If we go by car, how do we cross the river?
M: There’s a ferry that will take your car. There’s even one for trains.
Q: How will they cross the river? (D)
4. W: I heard that the mayor is closing the cheese factory.
M: Yes, but it is only temporary.
W: Oh, I’m surprised. I thought it was going to shut down for good.
Q: Why was the woman surprised? (C)
5. M: I spilled tomato juice on my new white shirt. Do you think it will come out?
W: That’s too bad. Leave it there and I’ll see what I can do.
Q: What is the man’s problem?(B)
6. W: I’m going to lunch with my bowling instructor.
M: What about the committee meeting?
W: Don’t worry. I’ll be back at the office before then.
Q: Where is the woman probably going now? (C)
7. M: How long have you had this problem with your shoulder?
W: It started last week after my skiing accident.
M: Let’s try some tests to determine the nature of the injury.
Q: What is the man going to do? (B)
8. W: Are you having a good time?
M: Sure. Thanks again for inviting me.
W: No problem. I just wish more people could have come.
Q: How does the woman feel? (C)
9. M: We finally made it, Mary!
W: I can’t believe graduation is tonight.
M: Can you come to my graduation party?
W: Sure, after I finish the family celebration.
M: I want to be sure we get pictures of us together.
W: In our caps and gowns!
Q: When will the woman go to the man’s graduation party? (A)
10. M: Hi, did you pass your geography exam?
W: Yeah, I did quite well in fact, I got 76%.
M: Oh,well done! So they gave you a per cent? I thought they gave grades.
W: Yeah, they gave both. Mine was an “A”. So how about you?
M: Well, we don’t have exams.We have continuous assessment, so you just have to do coursework, and you get a mark for each essay.
Q: How does the school evaluate the man’s proGREss in geography? (A)
Section B News Items (10 points)
Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short pieces of news from BBC or VOA. After each news item and question,there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
11. Tens of thousands of health workers will go house to house over the next three days in an effort to immunise 63 million children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. The campaign is the start of monthly national immunisation days during the low season for polio. It’s hoped that vaccinating children now—when the virus is at its weakest—will be the best way of stopping transmission.
Question:How old are the children to be immunised?(B)
12. Amid pomp and ceremony, China launched the 2008 Olympics. Together with a Chinese counterpart, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, used a giant golden key to symbolically open what he called the most important market in the world. In his speech, he emphasised the power of the Olympic brand in China’s emerging market.
Question:What does the giant golden key symbolize?(C)
13. Microsoft tries to keep the code for its Windows operating system a closely guarded secret. It’s the equivalent of computer DNA and the firm fears if it falls into the wrong hands it could be used to infiltrate millions of computers worldwide. More than 90 percent of the world’s PCs run Windows.
Question:What action does Microsoft intend to take?(A)
14. Before he set off in November, there were fears that Francis Joyon would be unable to control his huge boat, named IDEC. With its three hulls slicing through the water and a massive rotating mast that reached 30 metres into the sky, the boat was built in 1986 for a crew of ten. It was feared that such a boat would be too powerful for one man in the rough seas of the Southern Ocean.
Question:How many people can the boat carry?(B)
15. Over timescales of thousands of years, the Earth goes through a natural cycle of warmer and colder periods, driven by changes in heat coming from the Sun. Professor William Ruddiman from the University of Virginia has now calculated that if the Earth had followed its natural cycle over the last ten thousand years, it ought to have got steadily colder. It hasn’t,because, he believes, human activities have been keeping the temperature steady.
Question:Has the Earth got steadily colder over the last ten thousand years?(A)
16. Inequality of health care is still paramount, says the WHO’s latest report. Industrialised countries account for less than 20 percent of the world’s population but take 90 percent of health spending. In Japan more than 500 dollars is spent on drugs per person per year. This compares to just three dollars in Sierra Leone. Only slightly more is spent in many sub-Saharan countries.
Question: How much do many sub-Saharan countries spend on drugs per person per year?(B)
17. The Iraqi dinar has risen a third or so in value against the dollar since the new banknotes began to circulate. One factor has been the gradual pick up of the Iraqi economy after the devastation of the war. There are simply more transactions taking place, which has supported the value of the currency. And it seems Iraqis trust the new dinar banknotes more than they did the old ones, which featured pictures of Saddam Hussein.
Question:Why did the Iraqi new dinar rise in value?(C)
18. The list of countries known to have the relatively new and deadly strain of bird flu is rapidly growing. The focus now is on Indonesia where tests will soon confirm whether or not the bird flu which killed several million chickens there is the often fatal H5N1, already confirmed in 5 other countries in the region. Reports of an outbreak in Laos are also being investigated.
Question:What is the number of countries mentioned in this news report?(C)
19. An unhealthy diet together with little exercise and smoking are the key preventable risks of non-communicable diseases and it’s estimated that low fruit and vegetable intake alone causes more than two and a half million deaths each year.
Question:What causes more than two and a half million deaths each year?(A)
20. Around Europe interest rates are at their lowest levels in half a century. But businesses are pressing for even cheaper borrowing costs amid signs of continued economic weakness.
A big drop in German manufacturing announced earlier this week is cited as evidence that Europe’s most important economy may even be sliding into recession. And the rise of the euro to a four-year high against the dollar in currency dealing is a major worry for many European exporters.
Question:What is the key problem for European exporters?(A)
Section C Passages (10 points)
Directions:In this section, you will hear 2 passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear 5 questions. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
The world of music will never be the same since the formation of a band in Liverpool, England in 1956. The Beatles were formed by George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul Mc-Cartney, and John Lennon. Their first hit song Love Me Do was recorded in 1962. The Beatles quickly became the world’s best-known pop music group and many people today still regard them as the finest band in the history of pop music.
Lennon and McCartney were the authors of most of the songs the group recorded. Harrison also wrote songs, often using ideas from Indian music. The drummer of the group was the famous Ringo Starr and he occasionally sang. For six years the Beatles had hit after hit song. Twenty-eight of their songs were on the Top Twenty record charts and seventeen of these songs reached number one on the charts.
The group also had a successful movie career. The comedies A Hard Day’s Night and Yellow Submarine became very successful movies. People imitated their long hairstyles, clothing, and humor. Almost all later pop bands learned from the Beatles. Beatlemania is the word used to describe how strong and loyal the fans were.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard:
21. What kind of music did the Beatles play?(D)
22. What did many people copy from the Beatles?(D)
23. Where were the members of the Beatles group from?(B)
24. Which of the following is NOT true?(C)
25. How many of the Beatles’ songs reached number one on the record charts?(A)
Passage Two
Have you ever wondered where these cute little teddy bears came from? They were named for President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902.
President Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in Mississippi when members of the hunting party caught a black bear and tied him to a tree. President Roosevelt was called to the area to shoot the bear, which he refused to do and said it was unsportsmanlike and showed poor manners.
The Washington Post newspaper ran a cartoon showing the President refusing to shoot the bear and people all over America saw the cartoon.
Morris Michtom, a shopkeeper in Brooklyn, New York, placed two toy bears in the window of his shop. Mr. Michtom requested permission from the President to call them “Teddy Bears” as Teddy is the nickname for Theodore Roosevelt. The sweet little bears with shiny button eyes were a delight with children everywhere. The Teddy Bears were made by Mr. Michtom’s wife. Mr. Michtom formed a new business called the Ideal Novelty and Toy Corporation.
Today, Teddy Bears are treasured toys of children all over the world. They are also collected by people and many are displayed in museums. Teddy Bears are sold by many companies and you can find them in almost any toy store, dressed in costumes or with a ribbon around the neck.
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the passage you have just heard:
26. Why did President Roosevelt refuse to shoot the bear?(C)
27. Why did Mr. Michtom ask for the President’s permission to call the toy bears “Teddy Bears”?(A)
28. Which of the following is NOT true?(D)
29. How many Teddy Bears were made by Mrs. Mitchtom and placed in the window of their shop?(C)
30. What did Mr. Mitchtom do after he sold the Teddy Bears in 1902?(D)
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (10 minutes, 20 points)
Section A Multiple Choice (10 points)
31. A 32. D 33. A 34. C 35. B 36. C 37. B 38. D 39. B 40. C
Section B Cloze-Test (10 points)
41. B 42. A 43. A 44. B 45. A 46. B 47. C 48. D 49. D 50. A
Part III Word Guessing and IQ Test (5 minutes, 10 points)
Section A Word Guessing (5 points)
51. B 52. B 53. D 54. C 55. B
Section B IQ Test (5 points)
56. C 57. A 58. B 59. A 60. A
Part IV Reading Comprehension (25 minutes,30 points)
61. trays
62. To preserve their colours. (or: To prevent darkening.)
63. In hot-air chambers.
64. dried separately and then mixed
65. climbers, explorers, soldiers
66. Because it takes so little time to cook them.
67. The travails of comics connoisseur Harvey Pekar.
68. original screenplay
69. Los Angeles, New York
70. Encouraged and excited.
71. Bend It Like Beckham, Dirty Pretty Things, In America, The Station Agent. ( Any three of them.)
72. 15.
73. modern advances in surgery
74. the stomach or one lung
75. 20%
76. The body’s tendency to reject alien tissues.
77. No, it has yet to become a reality.
78. your illness may be curable
79. tripled
80. Leeds
81. Manchester
82. Married women, those unmarried with partners
83. “Sindies”, women in their 40s
84. The sales have reached a new high, with regional variations.
85. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence education and manners. (Any three of them.)
86. Rulers, administrators, freemen and slaves.
87. politically
88. recurrent
89. resident foreigners
90. The rise of the burghers.
Part V Error Correction (5 minutes,10 points)
91. non-smoke→non-smoking
92. also ∧ smoked→be
93. smoke→smokeless / non-smoking
94. banned→banning
95. to→from
96. down→up
97. has→has
98. √
99. economical→economic
100. employee→employees
Part VI Translation (10 minutes, 20 points)
Section A English-Chinese Translation(10 points)
101. 即它必须在价格或质量或服务方面具有竞争力,并且还应具有能够吸引人们购买的“个性特点”。
102. 保持诸方面因素的平衡是很需要技巧的,这也正是如此多的品牌不成功的原因所在。
103. 事实上,即使是设计品牌的人也无法左右品牌,他们甚至预测不出人们将如何利用它们。
104. 有机食品是很成功的, 但在最初却没有一个较大规模的生产商或零售商(愿意)推销它们。
105. 换句话说,品牌本身远没有他们看起来那样有影响力。
Section B Chinese-English Translation (10 points)
106. Many flood-ravaged farmers say they will have no choice but to lay off some employees.
107. Sometimes it takes a lifetime for one to realize that to live is to give.
108. Many people in America who work in the cities now enjoy living in the country because of good roads and the ease of commuting by automobile.
109. Radio and television have made it possible for advertisers to capture the attention of millions of people in this way.
110.The labor market of New York has recently shown signs of emerging from its longest slump since World War II.
Part VII Writing (30 minutes, 30 points)
Writing Task I (10 points)
One possible version:
Dear Director,
I have to report the loss of my student identification card yesterday, Tuesday, September 3rd. I am a student in Business Studies. I believe I lost my card at the swimming pool when I dropped my backpack and many items fell to the ground.
I need my card to get money from the bank. The bank will only accept my student card as ID. I asked the bank if they would accept my passport, but they said that my student ID card was used to open the account, and that I should bring it with me when I want to withdraw money.
I also want to go to the cinema, but I will not get a concession without my student card.
Could you please issue me a new card as soon as possible? I will come to your office this afternoon to see if I can get one immediately.
Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely,
###
Writing Task II (20 points)
One possible version:
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am currently a student at # # University. After reading your message in # # newspaper, I am very interested to apply for a teaching position with GEOS.
English has become a world language, spoken and understood everywhere in the world. Therefore, to be an English teacher in foreign countries is to experience different cultures. Some of my friends, who are from the UK and are teaching English here, regard teaching English not only as a career but also a chance to learn about people and culture. They set good examples for me, and they have encouraged me to apply for a chance to join you.
English is one of my favorite subjects. To be an English teacher always has been my dream. After four years of study in this university, I have passed the College English Test Band 6. Most of the courses I have taken are specially focused on teaching methods and skill training.
If you are looking for an energetic, outgoing and motivated university graduate, I am sure you have found one.
Sincerely yours,
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