2004 (2228 words)
Farmers in the developing world hate price fluctuations. It makes it hard to plan ahead. But most of them have little choice: they sell at the price the market sets. Fanners in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are luckier: they receive massive government subsidies in the form of guaranteed prices or direct handouts. Last month U.S. President Bush signed a new farm bill that gives American farmers $ 190 billion over the next 10 years, or $83 billion more than they had been scheduled to get, and pushes U.S. agricultural support close to crazy European levels. Bush said the step was necessary to "promote farmer independence and preserve the farm way of life for generations". It is also designed to help the Republican Party win control of the Senate in November's midterm elections. Agricultural production in most poor countries accounts for up to 50% of GDP, compared to only 3% in rich countries. But most farmers in poor countries grow just enough for themselves and their families. Those who try exporting to the West find their goods whacked with huge tariffs or competing against cheaper subsidized goods. In 1999 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development concluded that for each dollar developing countries receive in aid
they lose up to $14 Just because of trade barriers imposed on the export of their manufactured goods. It's not as if the developing world wants any favors, says Gerald Ssendwula, Uganda's Minister of Finance. "What we want is for the rich countries to let us compete." Agriculture is one of the few areas in which the Third World can compete. Land and labor are cheap, and as farming methods develop, new technologies should improve output. This is no pie-in-the-sky speculation. The biggest success in Kenya's economy over the past decade has been the boom in exports of cut flowers and vegetables to Europe. But that may all change in 2008, when Kenya will be slightly too rich to qualify for the "least developed country" status that allows African producers to avoid paying stiff European import duties on selected agricultural products. With trade barriers in place, the horticulture industry in Kenya will shrivel as quickly as a discarded rose. And while agriculture exports remain the great hope for poor countries, reducing trade barriers in other sectors also works: Americas African Growth and Opportunity Act, which cuts duties on exports of everything from handicrafts to shoes, has proved a boon to Africa's manufacturers. The lesson: the Third World can prosper if the rich world gives it a fair go.
This is what makes Bush's decision to increase farm subsidies last month all the more depressing. Poor countries have long suspected that the rich world urges trade liberalization only so it can wangle its way into new markets. Such suspicions caused the Seattle trade talks to break down three years ago. But last November members of the World Trade Organization, meeting in Doha, Qatar, finally agreed to a new round of talks designed to open up global trade in agriculture and textiles. Rich countries assured poor countries, that their concerns were finally being addressed. Bush’s handout last month makes a lie of America's commitment to those talks and his personal devotion to free trade. (540)
16. By comparison, farmers ____ receive more government subsidies than others.
A. in the developing world
B. in Japan
C, in Europe D. in America
17. In addition to the economic considerations, there is a ____ motive behind Bush's signing of the new farm
bill.
A. partisan
B. social
C. financial
D. cultural
18. The message the writer attempts to convey throughout the passage is that ____.
A. poor countries should be given equal opportunities in trade
B. "the least developed country" status benefits agricultural countries
C. poor countries should remove their suspicions about trade liberalization
D. farmers in poor countries should also receive the benefit of subsidies
19. The writer's attitude towards new farm subsidies in the U.S. is ____.
A. favorable
B. ambiguous
C. critical
D. reserved
[TEXT B]
Oscar Wilde said that work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do. If so, Americans are now among the world's saddest refugees. Factory workers in the United States are working longer hours than at any time in the past half century. America once led the rich world in cutting the average working week—from 70 hours in 1850 to less than 40 hours by the 1950s. It seemed natural that as people grew richer they would trade extra earnings for more leisure. Since the 1970s, however, the hours clocked up by American workers have risen, to an average of 42 this year in manufacturing.
Several studies suggest that something similar is happening outside manufacturing: Americans are spending more time at work than they did 20 years ago. Executives and lawyers boast ofSO-hour weeks. On holiday, they seek out fax machines and phones as eagerly as Germans bag the best sun loungers. Yet working time in Europe and Japan continues to fall. In Germany's engineering industry the working week is to be trimmed from 36 to 35 hours next year. Most Germans get six weeks' paid annual holiday; even the Japanese now take three weeks. Americans still make do with just two.
Germany responds to this contrast with its usual concern about whether people's aversion to work is damaging its competitiveness. Yet German workers, like the Japanese, seem to be acting sensibly: as their incomes rise, they can achieve a better standard of living with fewer hours of work. The puzzle is why America, the world' s richest country, sees things differently. It is a puzzle with sinister social implications. Parents spend less time with their children, who may be left alone at home for longer. Is it just a coincidence that juvenile crime is on the rise? Some explanations for America' s time at work fail to stand up to scrutiny. One blames weak trade unions that leave workers open to exploitation. Are workers being forced by cost cutting firms to toil harder just to keep their jobs? A recent study by two American economists, Richard Freeman and Linda Bell, suggests not: when asked, Americans actually want to work longer hours. Most German workers, in contrast, would rather work less. Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that the real earnings of many Americans have been stagnant or falling during the past two decades. People work longer merely to maintain their living standards. Y et many higher killed workers, who have enjoyed big increases in their real pay, have been working harder too. Also, one reason for the slow growth of wages has been the rapid growth in employment—which is more or less where the argument began. Taxes may have something to do with it. People who work an extra hour in America are allowed to keep more of their money than those who do the same in Germany. Falls in marginal tax rates in America since the 1970s have made it all the more profitable to work longer. None of these answers really explains why the century long decline in working hours has gone into reverse in America but not elsewhere (though Britain shows signs of following America' s lead). Perhaps cultural differences—the last refuge of the defeated economist—are at play. Economists used to believe that once workers earned enough to provide for their basic needs and allow for a few luxuries, their incentive to work would be eroded, like lions relaxing after a kill. But humans are more susceptible to advertising than lions. Perhaps clever marketing has ensured that "basic needs" for a shower with built-in TV, for a rocket-propelled car xpand continuously. Shopping is already one of America's most popular pastimes. But it requires money—hence
more work and less leisure.
Or try this: the television is not very good, and baseball and hockey keep being wiped out by strikes. Perhaps Wilde was right. Maybe Americans have nothing better to do.(665)
20. in the United States, working longer hours is ____.
A. confined to the manufacturing industry
B. a traditional practice m some sectors
C. prevalent in all sectors of society
D. favored by the economists
21. according to the third paragraph, which might be one of the consequences of working longer hours?
A. Rise in employees' working efficiency.
B. Rise in the number of young offenders.
C, Rise i n people’s living standards.
D. Rise in competitiveness.
22. Which of the following is the cause of working longer hours stated by the writer?
A. Expansion of basic needs.
B. Cultural differences.
C. Increase in real earnings.
D. Advertising.
[TEXTC]
The fox really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the early summer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon as evening began to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deep grass; he was difficult as a serpent to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girls deliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white tip of his brush, or the ruddy shadow of him in the deep grass, and she had let fire at him. But he made no account of this.
The trees on the wood-edge were a darkish, brownish green in the full light—for it was the end of August. Beyond, the naked, copper like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air. Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all agleam, was full of light. The fowls were round about—the ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees. March looked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in the distance—and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Her consciousness was, as it were, held back. She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. His chin was pressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She was spellbound—she knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed her. He knew her. He has not daunted.
She struggled; confusedly she came to herself, and saw him making off, with slow leaps over some fallen boughs, slow, impudent jumps. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and ran smoothly aw ay. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she saw his white buttocks twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind.
She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth, knowing it was nonsense to pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly, pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was determined to find him. What she would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to find him. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes, and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did not think. In strange mindlessness she walked hither and thither... As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out, without saying why. She took her gun again and went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing look seemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed by him. She saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt him invisibly master her spirit. She knew the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew his muzzle, the golden brown, and the greyish white. And again she saw him glance over his shoulder at her, half inviting, half contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her great startled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood edge. Meanwhile the night fell, and a great moon rose above the pine trees. (593) 23. at the beginning of the story, the fox seems to the all EXCEPT ____.
A. cunning
B. fierce
C. defiant
D. annoying
24. As the story proceeds, March begins to feel under the spell of____.
A. the light
B. the trees
C. the night
D. the fox
25. Gradually March seems to be in a state of____.
A. blarkness
B. imagination
C. sadness
D. excitement
26. at the end of the story, there seems to be a sense of ____ between March and
the fox.
A. detachment
B. anger
C. intimacy
D. conflict
27. The passage creates an overall impression of____.
A. mystery
B. horror
C. liveliness
D. contempt
The banners are packed, the tickets booked. The glitter and white overalls have been bought, the gas masks just fit and the mobile phones are ready. All that remains is to get to the parties.
This week will see a feast of pan European protests. It started on Bastille Day, last Saturday, with the French unions and immigrants on the streets and the first demonstrations in Britain and Germany about climate change. It will continue tomorrow and Thursday with environmental and peace rallies against President Bush. But the big one is in Genoa, on Friday and Saturday, where the G8 leaders will meet behind the lines of 18,000 heavily armed police.
Unlike Prague, Gothenburg, Cologne or Nice, Genoa is expected to be Europe's Seattle, the coming together of the disparate strands of resistance to corporate globalization.
Neither the protesters nor the authorities know what will happen, but some things are predictable. Yes, there will be violence and yes, the mass media will focus on it. What should seriously concern the G8 is not so much the violence, the numbers in the streets or even that they themselves look like idiots hiding behind the barricades, but that the deep roots of a genuine new version of internationalism are growing. For the first time in a generation, the international political and economic condition is in the dock. Moreover, the protesters are unlikely to go away, their confidence is growing rather than waning, their agendas are merging, the protests are spreading and drawing in all ages and concerns. No single analysis has drawn all the strands of the debate together. In the mean time, the global protest "movement" is developing its own language, texts, agendas, myths, heroes and villains. Just as the G8 leaders, world bodies and businesses talk increasingly from the same script, so the protesters' once disparate political and social analyses are converging. The long-term project of governments and world bodies to globalize capital and development is being mirrored by
the globalization of protest.
But what happens next? Governments and world bodies are unsure which way to turn. However well they are policed, major protests reinforce the impression of indifferent elites, repression of debate, overreaction to dissent, injustice and unaccountable power. Their options—apart from actually embracing the broad agenda being put to them—are to retreat behind even higher barricades, repress dissent further, abandon global meetings altogether or, more likely, meet only in places able to physically resist the masses.
Brussels is considering building a super fortress for international meetings. Genoa may be the last of the European super protests. (430)
28. according to the context, the word "parties" at the end of the first paragraph refers to __.
A. the meeting of the G8 leaders
B. the protests on Bastille Day
C. the coming Pan-European protests
D. the big protest to be held in Genoa
29. according to the passage, economic globalization is paralleled by __.
A. the emerging differences in the global protest movement
B. the disappearing differences in the global protest movement
C. the growing European concern about globalization
D. the increase in the number of protesters
30. according to the last paragraph, what is Brussels considering doing?
A. Meeting in places difficult to reach.
B. Further repressing dissent.
C. Accepting the protesters' agenda.
D. Abandoning global meetings.
英语专业八级阅读理解长难句解析 2018英语专业八级阅读理解长难句解析 英语专业八级阅读理解难点为词汇及长难句的理解，希望大家通过一段时间的坚持提升拆分解读长难句的能力，争取攻克专八阅读30分。 Ifambitionistobewellregarded,therewardsofambition—wealth,distinction,controloverone'sdestiny—mustbedeemedworthyofthesacrificesmadeonambition'sbehalf. 译文：如果雄心壮志得到人们足够重视的话，那么它的回报——财富、声誉、对命运的掌握——则都使人们认为是值得去为之付出代价的。 分析：此句包含一个if引导的条件状语从句Ifambitionistobewellregarded，主句的主语是therewardsofambition，谓语是mustbedeemed，而 wealth,distinction,controloverone'sdestiny既是插入语，又是therewards的同位语。madeonambition'sbehalf是thesacrifices 的补语。 【词汇指南】 well[wel](adv.)很好地;相当地,很(n.)水井()(该词与汉语“完好”发音极其接近——即“很好地;相当地”。而该词之所以还表示“水井”，是因为“水”就是最好的东西、乃生命之源。因此从某种程度上来说，“well-水井”演变自“water-水”。) 考点搭配： aswell也 wellregarded受欢迎的，受好评的
lesswelleducated未受过良好教育的. well-orchestrated精心策划 reward[ri'w?:d](n.)报酬,奖金(vt.)报偿,酬谢;奖励(re-回，ward=award-奖品→企业为“回”报工人而“奖给”的东西——即 “报酬,奖金”，引申为“报偿,酬谢;奖励”。) 1个派生词： ●rewarding[ri'w?:di?](adj.)有报酬的,有益的(inɡ-形容词后缀) 4个扩展词： ●award[?'w?:d](vt.)授予,给予(n.)奖品;奖状(a-加强语气,表 示“一”，ward-保护→奖励那些在战场中“保护”领袖、一直坚守 作战的勇士——即“授予,给予”，引申为“奖品;奖状”。) ●steward['stju:?d](n.)(轮船、飞机等的)服务员,乘务员;管 家(高考词汇)(2005年-阅读2)(ste=sta-词根,站立，ward-守卫→ 站立、守卫在客人身边的人——即“服务员,乘务员”，引申为“管家”。) ●wardrobe['w?:dr?ub](n.)衣柜;行头;剧装(ward-保护;收容所，robe-长袍→最初“衣柜”就是用来“收容”和存储长袍的。) ●ward[w?:d](n.)保护,看护;病房;收容所(wa=wall-围墙， rd=round-围绕→“城墙”围绕——即“保护,看护”，引申为“病房;收容所”。) deem[di:m](v.)深信,认为(有学者认为，“deem-深信、认为” 由“doom-劫数、命定”演变而来(oo-ee元音变化)→源于古人看到 天体陨落、于是“深信”将有惨祸发生;后来，根据“深信”引申为“认为”。) 1个形近词：
20０7年英语专业八级考试翻译原题及参考答案 C－Ｅ：暮色中,河湾里落满云霞，与天际得颜色混合一起，分不清哪就是流云哪就是水湾。也就在这一幅绚烂得图画旁边，在河湾之畔,一群羊正在低头觅食。它们几乎没有一个顾得上抬起头来,瞧一眼这美丽得黄昏。也许它们要抓紧时间,在即将回家得最后一刻再次咀嚼。这就是黄河滩上得一幕。牧羊人不见了，她不知在何处歇息.只有这些美生灵自由自在地享受着这个黄昏。这儿水草肥美,让它们长得肥滚滚得，像些胖娃娃.如果走近了，会发现它们那可爱得神情,洁白得牙齿,那丰富而单纯得表情。如果稍稍长久一点端详这张张面庞，还会生出无限得怜悯。 Besｉde tｈis pictuｒｅwithｐｒoｆuｓiｏnｓof colorｓ, a grｏup of sheｅp aｒe lｏwing tｈeir heads,ｅａｔing by ｔｈe riｖer bank、Hardly ｎone oｆｔｈｅｍwｏulｄspare sｏme timｅto raise their eyes tｏhａve a glaｎcｅat the bｅａutifｕｌdusk、Ｔhｅｙare, perhaps,takinｇuse oｆｅvery miｎuteｔo enjｏy ｔheｉr lasｔcｈew befoｒe bｅｉng drｉven home、This is a piｃtｕｒe ｏｆthe Yｅｌｌow River baｎk，iｎwhｉch the shepherd diｓapｐeａrs，ａnｄno onｅknoｗs where he is rｅｓｔｉｎg hｉmsｅlf、Only the ｓheep，ｈｏｗｅver,as free creatures，ａrｅ ｊoｙfullｙaｐｐreciating ｔhｅdｕsk、Tｈe exubeｒant wａte ｒpｌants ｈaｖe nｕｔritedｔｈｅshｅep, ｍaｋing ｔhem
2016年专八翻译题及答案详解 “流逝”表现了南国人对时间最早的感觉。子在川上曰：“逝者如斯夫。”他们发现无论是潺潺小溪，还是浩荡大河，都一去不复返，流逝之际青年变成了老翁而绿草转眼就枯黄，很自然有错阴的紧迫感。流逝也许是缓慢的，但无论如何缓慢，对流逝的恐惧使人们必须用“流逝”这个词来时时警戒后人，必须急匆匆地行动，给这个词灌注一种紧张感。 【参考译文1】 They have found that the flowing water,either a murmuring stream or a mighty river, passes quickly and never returns. With the passage of time, the young become the old and the green grass turns yellow. People naturallyhave a sense of urgency to value every bit of time. As time goes by,no matter how slowly it elapses, people always use the word “liushi” to warn thelater generations for fear of time’s flowing away. They tell their descendants to treasure every single minute and make a hurried action, which adds a sense of tension to the word. 【参考译文2】 They find that either a murmuring stream or a mighty river has gone forever and that the passage of time turns a young man into an old one, and yellows of the grass, which sends a massage of how time flies. Maybe the passing of time is slow. But no matter how slow it is, it makes people so fearful that they use “passage” to warn the later generations to rush. And the use of “passage” also infuses a sense of tension into the word. 【参考译文3】
2003年12月全国英语专业八级口试参考答案 1. We’ve published some very impressive articles, each month somehow surpassing the quality and depth of the previous month’s edition. 2. Our creative and talented staff won five writing awards and seven photographic awards. This year some 119,000 people subscribed to our magazine. 3. About six years ago we had an idea for a nature-oriented magazine, but we all had doubts about the general acceptance of the idea, whether there would be enough interest from people to sustain us. 4. Today, it’s a wonderful feeling to know that we have succeeded, and everyone here shares the credit for making this magazine what it has become. 5. While it is a formidable task for us all, I’m sure that next year at this time we’ll have more awards, and more subscribers, and feel an even greater sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. 1. 会议期间，来自不同国家和地区的专家、学者畅所欲言、各抒己见，积极为搞好老城保护和更新献计献策。(10%) During the meeting, the experts and scholar from different countries and areas speak out their minds and offer suggestions to help the ancient city preserve and renew. 2. 在此，我代表市委、市政府对各位专家的辛勤劳动表示衷心的感谢。(10%) Here, on behalf of Municipal Committee and Municipal Government, I would express my sincere thanks to every hardworking expert. 3．龙城是座古老而美丽的城市，已有2500年的建城史，是国务院公布的首批历史文化名城。(10%) Longcheng, an ancient and beautiful city, has had 2, 500 years’ history, being one of the first batch of historical and cultural cities which the State Council announced. 4. 这座城市最大的特色在于它有丰厚的文化内涵，其中精髓在老城。(10%) The greatest characteristic of this city is its rich cultural connotations, and its essence is in the ancient city. 5、这是前人留给我们的遗产，是一笔宝贵的资源，她属于龙城、属于中国、属于世界。(10%) This is the heritage from our ancestors and precious resources. She belongs to Longcheng, to China, even to all over the world. 2006年度全国英语专业八级口试参考答案及评分标准 English-Chinese: 1. Today, in almost every industry in almost every part of the world there are many examples of enterprises applying information technology to increase their competitiveness. 如今，几乎在世界上每个地方、每个行业，都有许多将信息技术用于提高企业竞争力的例子。 2. I think we’re seeing this technology reach the point that all transformational technologies r each when they are no longer controlled by just a small group of skilled professionals. 我认为，这种技术正在到达所有转变性技术都会达到的阶段，一个不再只被一小群专业人士所控制的阶段。 3. Networking technology is still in its infancy, yet it has already reached the point where we can call it a new mass medium. 虽然网络技术还处于初级阶段，但是它已经达到了一个阶段，可以被称为新的大众媒体。 4. Less than 5 years after the birth of the Internet, some 90 million people are online around the world, and that number will soon be hundreds of millions.
社会生活类（Passage63～70） Passage63 题材：社会生活类字数：686建议用时：6分钟 From a hillside,Kamal Saadat looked forlornly at hundreds of potential customers,knowing he could not take them for trips in his boat to enjoy a spring weekend on picturesque Oroumieh Lake,the third largest saltwater lake on earth, which now lay encased by solidifying salt.Saadat lamented that he could not understand why the lake was fading away. The long popular lake,home to migrating flamingos,pelicans and gulls,has shrunken by60percent and could disappear entirely in just a few years—drained by drought,misguided irrigation policies,development and the damming of rivers that feed it. Until two years ago,Saadat supplemented his income from almond-and grape-growing by taking tourists on boat tours.But as the lake receded and its salinity rose,he found he had to stop the boat every10minutes to unfoul the propeller—and finally,he had to give up this second job that he'd used to support a five-member family.The visitors were not enjoying such a boring trip,for they had to cross hundreds of meters of salty lakebed just to reach the boat from the wharf. Other boatmen,too,have parked their vessels by their houses,where they stand as sad reminders of the deep-water days.And the lake's ebbing affects an ever-widening circle.
2007年英语专业八级考试翻译原题及参考答案 C-E:暮色中，河湾里落满云霞，与天际的颜色混合一起，分不清哪是流云哪是水湾。也就在这一幅绚烂的图画旁边，在河湾之畔，一群羊正在低头觅食。它们几乎没有一个顾得上抬起头来，看一眼这美丽的黄昏。也许它们要抓紧时间，在即将回家的最后一刻再次咀嚼。这是黄河滩上的一幕。牧羊人不见了，他不知在何处歇息。只有这些美生灵自由自在地享受着这个黄昏。这儿水草肥美，让它们长得肥滚滚的，像些胖娃娃。如果走近了，会发现它们那可爱的神情，洁白的牙齿，那丰富而单纯的表情。如果稍稍长久一点端详这张张面庞，还会生出无限的怜悯。 Beside this picture with profusions of colors, a group of sheep are lowing their heads, eating by the river bank. Hardly none of them would spare some time to raise their eyes to have a glance at the beautiful dusk. They are, perhaps, taking use of every minute to enjoy their last chew before being driven home. This is a picture of the Yellow River bank, in which the shepherd disappears, and no one knows where he is resting himself. Only the sheep, however, as free creatures, are joyfully appreciating the dusk. The exuberant water plants have nutrited the sheep, making them grow as fat as balls. When approaching near, you would find their lily-white teeth and a variety of innocent facial impressions.
2009 （文化差异/文化遗产的保留） Mandarin, or putonghua, is the standard service sector language in our country. But recently, employees at a big city's subway station have been busy learning dialects of other parts of the country. Proponents say that using dialects in the subway is a way to provide better service. But opponents think that encouraging the use of dialects in public counter s the national policy to promote putonghua. What is your opinion? Write an essay of about 400 words on the following topic: Are Dialects Just as Acceptable in Public Places? 2008 （教育） In a few months' time you are going to graduate from university. How do you think your college years have prepared you for your future life? Write an essay of about 400 words on the following topic: What I have learned from my years at university 2007 （朋友） Some people think that financial disparity affects friendship. What do you think? Write an essay of about 400 words. You should supply an appropriate title for your essays. 2006 （建议/野心） Joseph Epstein, a famous American writer, once said, "We decide what is important and what is trivial in life we decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do but no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about do you agree or disagree with him? Write an essay of about 400 words entitled: Ambition 2005 （工作） Interview is frequently used by employers as a means to recruit prospective employees. As a result, there have been many arguments for or against the interview as a selection procedure. What is your opinion? Write an essay of about 400 words to state your view. You should supply an appropriate title for your essay. 2004 （校园学习重要） It was reported in the press some time ago that a few second-and third-year students in a provincial university decided to try their hands at business in order to get prepared for the future. They opened six small shops near their university. Their teachers and classmates had different opinions about this phenomenon. Some thought that the students' business experience would help them adapt better to society after graduation, while others held a negative view, saying that running shops might occupy too much of the students' time and energy which should otherwise be devoted to their academic study. What do you think?
英语专业八级阅读真题分类解析 类别：阅读来源：美联英语学习网 专八真题测试中如果碰到阅读理解的话，大家会怎么办呢？难不成就是一口气的读下去，哪怕头脑发晕也要继续下去？这里就为大家介绍一些阅读理解习题的小技巧。 虽然考生的阅读能力明显高于其他的能力,但也存在一定的问题,主要是: (1) 部分考生的单词、词组以及语法的基本功还不过关，对阅读理解做成不应该的影响;(2) 考生的衔接能力不强; (3) 没有足够的推理和判断能力; (4) 阅读技能掌握不够,运用上下文解决问题能力不强,整体理解力有待提高。为了解决这些问题我们有必要了解一下阅读的一些基本层面。目前比较公认的将阅读理解的过程分为四个层次: (1) 字面理解(literal comprehension) ,主要是指读者可以理解文章的单词和句型,回想文章大意、细节、事件发生的时间、地点、顺序和人物之间的关系、对比、人物特性和因果关系等等。 (2)推断性理解(inferential comprehension) ,主要是指读者根据字面意思推断出字里行间的隐含意思,包括作者的意图和观点等。 (3) 评价性理解(evaluative comprehension) ,主要是指读者根据 自己的原则和观点对文章进行分析和评价。(4) 欣赏性理解 (appreciative comprehension) ,指读者最终对文章的写作技巧、思 想水平等做出评价。 以2007年真题中的TEXT A 为例：本文主要阐释了威尔士在英联邦中的地位的逐渐改善。该篇文章第一题为细节题。 According to the passage, devolution was mainly meant to A. maintain the present status among the nations.
07-12年英语专业八级考试，口译考试试题 07年 Task Three: Making a comment on a given topic. Directions: Please read the following passage carefully and then express your views on the given event. Y ou will have four minutes for preparation. The time limit for your comment is three minutes. Low Salaries for College Graduates In recent years, with competition in the job market getting more and more intense, college students’ graduates are lowering their salary expectations in order to gain employment opportunities. Statistics show that one third of graduates are willing to accept a salary of about 1000 yuan RMB per month if they can not find better jobs while two-thirds are not. Do you think college graduates should take low-paying jobs when satisfactory jobs are not available？Why or Why not? 08年 Task Three: Making a comment on a given topic. Directions: Please read the following passage carefully and then express your views on the given event. Y ou will have four minutes for preparation. The time limit for your comment is three minutes. The "Car Free Day" Campaign in China Every September 22 is a "Car Free Day" in many countries around the world. Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, pioneered China's first "Car Free Day" on October 14, 2000. So far, over 100 Chinese cities have responded positively to the "Car Free Day" idea. Residents of these cities are urged to take public transport, ride bikes or walk instead of using their cars. Do you think this "Car Free Day" campaign is meaningful? 09年 Task Three: Making a comment on a given topic. Directions: Please read the following passage carefully and then express your views on the given event. Y ou will have four minutes for preparation. The time limit for your comment is three minutes. Should the week-long labor day holiday be resumed? Since 1999, Chinese people have enjoyed three week-long holidays (or so-called “golden weeks”): the lunar new year, the labor day, and the national day holiday. However, in 2008, the government shortened the labor day golden week to a three-day holiday and added three new holidays to celebrate the Qingming, Duanwu, and Autumn Festivals. Recently, there have been calls for resuming the week-long labor day holiday. Do you think the labor day golden week should be resumed? 10年 Task Three: Making a comment on a given topic. Directions: Please read the following passage carefully and then express your views on the given event. Y ou will have four minutes for preparation. The time limit for your comment is three minutes. Talent Show Fever in China From Super Girl to Happy Boys, from My Hero to China’s Got Talent, talent shows are getting increasingly popular among China’s national and local TV programs. These shows feature ordinary Chinese—schoolteachers to housewives, teenagers to senior citizens—and showcase their talents in singing, dancing, doing magic or imitating celebrities, and some of them can become stars overnight. However, the talent shows are also considered vulgar and as having negative influence on society. Some people even suggest that they should be banned or at least be discouraged. What is your opinion? Why?
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2014) GRADE EIGHT PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN) SECTION A MINI-LECTURE In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONL Y. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE, using no more than three words in each gap. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may refer to your notes while completing the task Use the blank sheet for note-taking. Now, listen to the mini-lecture. How to Reduce Stress Life is full of things that cause us sress. Though we may not like stress, we have to live with it. I. Definition of stress A. (1) reaction i.e.force exerted between two touching bodies B. human reaction i.e. response to (2) on someone e.g. increase in breathing, heart rate, (3) , or muscle tension II. (4) , A. positive stress where it occurs: Christmas, wedding, (5) B. negative stress where it occurs: test-taking situations, friend?s death III. Ways to cope with stress A. recoginition of stress signals —monitor for (6) of stress —find ways to protect oneself B. attention to body demand —effect of (7) C. planning and acting appropriately —reason for planning —(8) of planning D. learning to (9) —e.g. dlay caused by traffic E. pacing activities —manageable task —(10) SECTION B INTERVIEW In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONL Y. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.
英语专业八级翻译练习题 1．英译汉 1) Possession for its own sake or in competition with the rest of the neighborhood would have been Thoreau's idea of the low levels. The active discipline of heightening one's perception of what is enduring in nature would have been his idea of the high. What he saved from the low was time and effort he could spend on the high. Thoreau certainly disapproved of starvation, but he would put into feeding himself only as much effort as would keep him functioning for more important efforts. Effort is the gist of it. There is no happiness except as we take on life-engaging difficulties. Short of the impossible, as Yeats put it, the satisfaction we get from a lifetime depends on how high we choose our difficulties. Robert Frost was thinking in something like the same terms when he spoke of "The pleasure of taking pains". The mortal flaw in the advertised version of happiness is in the fact that it purports to be effortless. We demand difficulty even in our games. We demand it because without difficulty there can be no game. A game is a way of making something hard for the fun of it. The rules of the game are an arbitrary imposition of difficulty. When someone ruins the fun, he always does so by refusing to play by the rules. It is easier to win at chess if you are free, at your pleasure, to change the wholly arbitrary rules, but the fun is in winning within the rules. No difficulty, no fun. 梭罗所理解的"低层次"，即为了拥有而去拥有，或与所有的邻居明争暗斗而致拥有。他心目中的"高层次"，则是这样一种积极的人生戒律，即要使自己对自然界永恒之物的感悟臻于完美。对于他从低层次上节省下来的时间和精力，他可将其致力于对高层次的追求。勿庸置疑，梭罗不赞成忍饥挨饿，但他在膳食方面所投入的精力仅果腹而已，只要可确保他能去从事更为重要的事务，他便别无所求。 殚精竭虑，全力以赴，便是其精髓所在。除非我们愿意直面那些需要我们全身心投入的艰难困苦，否则便不会有幸福可言。正如叶芝所言，除却某些不可能的情形，我们于人生中所获取的满足皆取决于我们在多高的境界中选择我们所愿意面对的艰难困苦。当罗伯特弗罗斯特言及"以苦为乐"时，他内心所思，大体如此。商业广告中所宣扬的那种幸福观，其致命的缺陷就在于这样一个事实，即它宣称，一切幸福皆唾手可得，不费吹灰之力。 即便于游戏之中，我们也需要有艰难困苦。我们之所以需要它，因为设若没有困难，便断无游戏可言。游戏即是这样一种方式，为了享受其中的情趣而人为地使事情变得不那么轻而易举。游戏中的种种规则，便是将困难武断地强加于人。当有人将情趣摧毁殆尽时，他总是因为拒不按游戏规则行事而使然。这犹如下棋；如果你随心所欲、心血来潮地去更改那些全然武断的游戏规则，这样去赢棋当然会更加容易。但下棋的情趣则在于，应在规则的限定范围内赢取胜利。一言以蔽之，没有艰难，断无情趣。 2)