2005年3月英语中级口译真题及音频
SECTION 2: STUDY SKILLS (50 minutes)
Directions: In this section, you will read several passages. Each passage is
followed by several questions based on its content. You are to choose ONE best
answer. (A), (B), (c) or (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following
each passage on the basis of what is stated of implied in that passage and write
the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your
ANSWER BOOKLET. //tr.hjenglish.com/
Questions 1-5
Pollution control is management of waste materials in order to minimize the
effects of pollutants on people and the environment. The quality of human health and
of the natural environment depends on adequate pollution control. In the United States
much has been done to control the more noticeable pollutants since 1965: more subtle
yet still hazardous pollutants, however, remain to be adequately controlled.
Four general approaches to pollution control are: the intermittent reduction of
industrial activities during periods of high air-pollution conditions; wider dispersion
of pollutants using such devices as taller smokestacks; reduction of pollutants in
industrial emission; and change of an industrial process or activity in order to produce
less pollution. Taller smokestacks may reduce the concentrations to which local people are exposed, but they are ineffective in reducing overall pollution.
Pollutants removed from waste flows to reduce emissions to air and water may
be disposed of by burial or storage on land, practices that pose potential hazards,
recent legislation requiring extensive emissions reductions has resulted in large
investments in pollution-treatment technologies. //tr.hjenglish.com/
The fourth approach-changing a manufacturing process or activity in order to
produce less pollution-may involve either the production of fewer residuals, by means
of an improved process, or the separation and reuse of materials from the waste
stream. This method of pollution control is the most effective and, as the costs of
pollution control and waste disposal increase, is considered one of the most efficient.
Pollution-treatment systems have been effective in reducing the massive
quantities of water and air pollutants that have clogged and choked urban areas.
Although the improvements have been significant, recent pollution-control legislation
aims to go further in order to control the less visible but often hazardous chemical and
gaseous pollutants that still contaminate many waterways and urban atmospheres.
The costs of pollution control-resulting from capital, maintenance, and labor
costs, as well as from the cost of additional residuals disposal-generally go up rapidly
as a greater percentage of residuals is removed from the waste stream. Damage from
pollution, on the other hand, goes down as a greater amount of contaminant is
removed. Theoretically, the level of treatment should correspond to a point at which
total costs of treatment and of damage to the environment are minimized or the
benefits of further treatment are proportionally much smaller than the increased cost.
In reality, costs or damages resulting from pollution can rarely be assessed in terms of
dollars.
1. According to the passage. All of the following can be objectives of pollution control
EXCEPT________.
(A) reducing polluting substances
(B) controlling all the pollutants
(C) restricting industrial activities //tr.hjenglish.com/
(D) improving the environment and human health
2. What does the author think of the second approach to pollution control?
(A) it is the most effective of the fore.
(B) it is effective in some way.
(C) it is economical but not at all effective.
3. According to the passage, recent pollution-control legislation aims to _______.
(A) control less visible as well as less hazardous chemical pollutants.
(B) increase the costs of pollution control and waste material disposal.
(C) have more strict control over less evident but often dangerous pollutants.
(D) eliminate all the hazardous chemical and gaseous pollutants.
4. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage?
(A) Laws have been made to develop pollution-treatment systems.
(B) Pollution-treatment systems have been effective in reducing the massive
quantities of water and air pollutants.
(C) Materials from waste treatment processes can be made useful again.
(D) The cost of pollution treatment is proportionally smaller than that of damage to
the environment. //tr.hjenglish.com/
5. The overall purpose of the passage is _______.
(A) to discuss the ways of and problems in pollution control
(B) to give suggestions about pollution control legislation
(C) to compare and contrast the fore approaches to pollution control
(D) to describe what has been achieved in pollution control
Questions 6-10
Democracy is so much a part of our national identity that it almost seems a
birthright. But the irony is that, even as we hope to spread democracy elsewhere, we
risk preaching the virtues of a form of government we no longer practice ourselves.
The upcoming elections, our proudest celebration of democracy, will highlight some
of the threats to our government “by the people”.
Technically, every vote is counted. But will the ballot you cast really make a
difference? Not likely, unless you live in one of about 17 battleground states where
the contest between President Bush and Senator Kerry could easily go either way. If
you come from a state that is already locked up by one of the parties and most of us
do-your vote won t carry much weight. That s because of our idiosyncratic electoral
college system. //tr.hjenglish.com/
Rather than being elected directly by the people, the President would be chosen
by a group of electors appointed by the state legislatures-with the number of electors
determined by the state s total number of representatives to Congress and U.S.
Senators. By allotting two Senators to each state, our founders enabled small states to
wield an influence greater than their populations alone would warrant, ensuring that
the most populous states wouldn t decide every Presidential election. But here s the
rub: When it comes to those electoral votes, it s winner-take-all (except in Maine, and
Nebraska). Get more popular votes, even if only by one, and you grab all of the state s
electoral votes.
There s yet another way that the electoral system undermines our vote. In 2000,
the Presidential campaigns largely ignore the 33 states that weren t up for grabs. Even
California, Texas and New York-states offering many electoral votes but little partisan
competition-fell by the wayside. If victory or defeat depended on the popular vote,
then candidates would have to work for each one. Instead, they decide which states
are in play, and go after the voter there. They rarely visit other places and the majority
of us don s experience a real campaign. //tr.hjenglish.com/
Here s one idea that could help us in future Presidential elections.
In a number of countries, they have a system of direct popular vote, but with a
critical provision, in the event that no one wins by a majority, they hold an “instant
runoff”. That s done by allowing voters to register not only their first choice among
the candidates, by also their second and third. if a runoff is needed (say, if the winner
among several candidates has less than 50 percent of vote). You can eliminate the
candidate with the lowest tally, and transfer his or her supporters to the second choice on their ballots. This process can play out until there is a clear victor. This system give
weight to every person s vote-something our system of electors will never do. Only a
Constitutional amendment, however, can bring about this change.
6. The function of the quotation mark in the last sentence of the 1st paragraph is to
_________.
(A) quote what somebody has said
(B) emphasize the threats
(C) achieve sarcasm
(D) create a sense of humor
7. The 17 states the candidates would visit in the campaign are those _____.
(A) locked up by one of the parties
(B) offering many electoral votes
(C) that could easily fall by the wayside //tr.hjenglish.com/
(D) where the competition could easily way
8. The word “rub” in the 3rd paragraph most probably means____.
(A) the act of rubbing
(B) the trouble
(C) the solution
(D) the conflicting idea
9. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage?
(A) some popular votes may carry more weight than others.
(B) the outcome of the election depends on the electoral votes.
(C) one can win the election only by getting more popular votes.
(D) the electoral system prevents the most populous states from deciding every
election.
10. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
(A) is popular Vote More Democratic?
(B) our Election System:A True Democracy
(C) How to Battle Threats to Our Democracy
(D) How Much Does Your Vote Really Count?
Questions 11-15
Americans are far more sophisticated about beverages than they were 20 years
ago. Witness the Starbucks revolution and you ll know where the trend goes. Now,
spurred on by recent studied suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart
disease and retard the aging process, tea is enjoying a similar jolt. Enough chic tea
salons are springing up to make even die-hard coffee drinkers consider switching
beverages.
Tea is available in more places than ever. “tea was one of the most prolific
beverage categories in 1999.” With 24 percent more products offered over the
previous year, reports Tom Vierhile of Marketing Intelligence Service, which tracks
food and beverage trends. And the tea Association of the United States reports that
from 1990 to 1999, annual sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by consumers as a ‘functional food -delivering health benefits
beyond sustenance,” says Vierhile. //tr.hjenglish.com/
Recently published studies point out that not all brews are created equal. Only
teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis -Which, in their raw
state are brewed to make green tea, and, with curing, can be turned into oolong and
black tea leaves-have been shown to contain health benefits. Other herbal teas and
infusions may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for
Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University
researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the risk of heart
attack by as much as 44percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies
have suggested that the antioxidants in these so-called real teas can also prevent
cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a compound 20 times as powerful as
vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for
something good and cheep they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them drink
real tea.” Says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology at New York City s
Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Centre.
Among those inspired to become a green-tea drinker is Tess Ghilaga. A new York
Writer who took it up after consulting a nutritionist six years ago. “I ve never been a
coffee drinker..” says Ghilage, 33, “she told me to start drinking green tea for the
antioxidant properties.” Now Ghilaga and her husband routinely brew tea –they order
theirs from , an internet tea company, which sells a variety of
ready-made and raw teas.
Along with green, black, and oolong tea, this company sells a
wide variety of herbal teas and offers a “Tea of the Month” club.
this site sells higher-end green. Black and oolong teas and
has good tips on proper storage and preparation of tea.
Tea drinkers can find links to sites offering tea lore, such as
articles about tea ceremonies in foreign lands. An exhaustive “frequently asked
questions” file founds out the site.
11. What do recent studies reveal about tea drinking?
(A) Many tea houses have sprung up to meet the market demands.
(B) Drinking tea can cut the risk of lung cancer in particular
(C) Tea is rather a magical drinking material to slow down the aging process.
(D) Many die-hard coffee brewers have developed strong sentiments towards tea.
12. What did Tom Vierhile of Marketing Intelligence Service do, according to the
passage?
(A) He reported about the availability of all kinds of tea around the world.
(B) He tracked the sources of tea and other beverages in Asian countries.
(C) He gave a detailed analysis of professional categorization of tea and other
beverages.
(D) He followed the trends of tea and other beverages and analyse them in a
professional way.//tr.hjenglish.com/
13. The leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis ______.
(A) can be used to make green tea or black tea after proper treatments
(B) are turned into oolong or black tea leaves for the purpose of curing
(C) have powerful evidence to show its healing power for certain illnesses
(D) taste good yet do little more than warm up the drinker
14. According to the passage, what is ECGC?
(A) A medicine made from green tea.
(B) A powerful substance in green tea.
(C) An additive essential to green tea.
(D) A special treatment to make green tea.
15. If you are interested in tea festivals, which website would you most probably surf
on?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Questions 16-20
A blue sedan nearly sideswipes my car. The driver gives me a weird look. No wonder : I m at the wheel of a Ford Taurus, with a tangle of wires taped to my face and neck, a respiration monitor strapped around my chest, and a bunch of other gizmos sending data about my vital signs to computers stacked on the front and back seats. I look like the star of A Commuter s Clockwork Orange. //tr.hjenglish.com/
University of lower assistant professor of engineering Thomas Schnell is crammed into the seat behind me. Schnell created this lab-on –wheels to gauge how a motorist s body reacts to driving . He wants carmakers to use his findings to design “smart ”cars that make driving less stressful. I m taking his rolling research facility of a white-knuckle evening spin in Chicago—home to some of the nation s worst rush-hour traffic-to learn what happens to the human body during a long, frustrating commute.
So at 5:15 on a Monday, with a storm whipping in off Lake Michigan. I pull out of a downtown parking lot and begin creeping along interstate 90, heading west behind a line of cars that stretches as far as the eye can see. Now and then, the pace picks up, just as quickly, it slows to a halt ,red brake lights glowing in the twilight. If I had to do this every day, I d grind my teeth to dust. After 45minutes, Schnell and I have gone just 10 miles. As the car crawls along. Schnell occasionally asks, “What is your level of fun?” He notes my responses, some of them unprintable,//tr.hjenglish.com/
on a clipboard. Here s what the computers I m tethered to record:
I begin breathing harder and faster. My respiration rate leaps from 12 to 17
breaths per minute. My heat rate jumps from 74 to 80 beats per minute. The
electrodes taped to the muscles in my forehead show increased activity (Translation :
My brow furrows and I squint a lot)
While I was in no danger of keeling over, my heart rate and other symptoms
offered clear evidence that I was under stress, says Robert Bonow, MD, president of
the American Heart Association (AHA). Over time, that stress could take a heavy toll.
If you are among the roughly 113 million Americans who drive to work each day. You re probably grimacing with recognition. With traffic congestion getting worse each year, anyone who travels by car to the office or plant, or who simply shuttles kids from school to violin lessons to slumber parties, may be exposing himself or herself to serious hidden health threats. //tr.hjenglish.com/
All that commuter combat is bound to produce casualties. “People are experiencing more congestion and we know that s stressful, ”says Colorado State University psychologist Jerry Diefenbaker. Some results are predictable. Reckless driving –sometimes in the form of so-called road rage-is often spurred by traffic frustration. Consider 41-year –old Chris Heard. The mild-mannered engineer used to turn into Mad Max every day as he drove the nearly 50 miles of clogged roads between his home in Brookline, N. H. ,and his office near Boston. “it turned me into a very aggressive driver, ” he says, “taking risks, cutting people off, driving fast on back roads to make up for time I lost , “the result of his congestion-fueled fury ? A stack of speeding tickets and a number of near collisions. Finally he did something about it :
He found a job closer to home. //tr.hjenglish.com/
16. According to the passage, Professor Thomas Schnell has created his lab-on
–wheels_________.
(A) to make heart jump from 74 to 80 beats per minute
(B) to make respiration rate leap from 12 to 17 breaths per minute
(C) to learn how to make driving enjoyable during rush-hour traffic
(D) to learn how a driver physically reacts to driving
17. Why was the author driving along interstate 90 on a Monday?
(A ) He was test-driving his smart cat.//tr.hjenglish.com/
(B) He liked to pick up his driving skill.
(C) He did not want to be caught in the storm.
(D) He was dong it a test.
18. The phrase ″take heavy ″(para.6) is closest in meaning to ____.
(A) grind one s teeth
(B) damage one s health
(C) increase one s activity
(D) pay more at the toll gate
19. Which of the following in NOT true about 41-year-old Chris Heard?
(A) He used to play a role in a movie. //www.hjenglish.com/
(B) He got a stack of speeding tickets.
(C) He found a job closer to home.
(D) He had a number of near collisions. //ts.hjenglish.com/
20. What is the best title for the passage?
(A) Are You a Reckless Driver?
(B) How Do You Improve Your Driving Skill?
(C) Are you Driving Yourself Sick?
(D) How Do you Design Smart Cars?
Questions 21-25
Transportation is the movement or conveying of persons and goods from one location to another. As human beings, from ancient times to he 21st century, sought to make their transport facilities more efficient, they have always endeavored to move people and property with the least expenditure of time, effort and cost. Improved transportation had helped make possible progress toward better living, the modern systems of manufacturing and commerce, and the complex, interdependent urban economy present in much of the world today. //bulo.hjenglish.com/
Primitive human beings supplemented their own carrying of goods and possessions by starting to domesticate animals-training them to bear small loads and pull crude sleds. The invention of the wheel, probably in western Asia, was a great step forward in transport. As the wheel was perfected, crude carts and wagons began to appear in the Tigris-Euphrates valley about 3500 BC, and later in Crete, Egypt, and China. Wheeled vehicles could not use the narrow paths and trails used by pack animals, and early roads were soon being built by the Assyrians and the Persians.
The greatest improvements in transportation have appeared in the last two centuries, a period during which the industrial Revolution has vastly changed the economic life of the entire world. Crude railways-horse-drawn wagons with wooden wheels and rails-had been used in English and European mines during the 17th century. Although it first appeared in England. The railroad had its most dramatic growth in the United States. By 1840 more than 4800 km of railroad were already operating in the eastern states, a figure 40 percent greater than the total railroad mileage of Europe. Since World War 1, however, the U.S. railroads have been in a decline, due partly to the rapid development of private automobiles, trucks, buses, pipelines, and airlines.
The first new mode of transportation to challenge the railroad was the motor vehicle, which was made possible by the invention, in the 1860s and 70s, of the internal combustion engine. The automobile found its greatest popularity in the United States, where the first “horseless carriages” appeared in the 1890s. two hundred million motor vehicles had been produced in the nation within 70 years of their first appearance. The automobile thus became in many ways as important to the 20th century as the railroads had been to the 19th .
During the same period intercity buses took over a large portion of commercial
passenger travel, and trucks began carrying a great deal of the nation s freight.
Although the emphasis on fuel conservation waned in the 1980s, few doubt that the issue
will emerge again when oil scarcities loom, as they did in the 1970s. future
possibilities include automobiles with far greater fuel efficiency and improved mass-
transit systems. Both will occur not only in response to oil-supply disruption, but also
as an answer to increasing demands for cleaner air. Improvements in mass transit offer
the most promise for the future. Amtrak s 1993 introduction of the Swedish high-
speed “tilting train” should cut travel time between some East Coast cities by almost
half, once tracks are entirely electrified.
21. From the first paragraph, it can be inferred that transport exerts a great influence
on all the following EXCET_____.
(A) economic development
(B) living conditions
(C) industrial production
(D) political rights
22. The first significant progress in transport in ancient times was attributed to ____.
(A) the making of carts and wagons
(B) the construction of roads
(C) the invention of wheels
(D) the building of tracks
23. According to the passage, the railroad first appeared in _____.
(A) China (B) England
(C) Crete (D) Egypt
24. It can be concluded from the passage that ____.
(A) there had been oil crises in the 1970s
(B) the motor vehicles played a leading role in the decline of railroads
(C) automobiles were more important than railroads
(D) environmental protection was major concern in developing transport
25. What dose the passage say about the “tilting train”?
(A) It can carry more freight than other vehicles.
(B) It requires its tracks to be electrical.
(C) Its speed demands cleaner air.
(D) Its cost is very low.
Questions 28-30
A visitor from Barcelona arrives at a Madrid government office in mid-afternoon.
And is surprised to find only the cleaning lady there. “Don t they work in the
afternoons ?” he asks. “no, ” she replies, “they don t work in the mornings. In the
afternoons they don t come.”
Lazy Madrid, busy Barcelona: it is just one of many stereotypes about Spain's great rivals. Mostly, the stereotypes are born of Barcelona s bitterness at its second-class status. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a proudly autonomous region, but Madrid is the capital of Spain. This causes resentment. It makes Barcelona the largest city in Western Europe not to be a national capital. Worse, Barcelona (Catalonia s capital since the ninth century) regards Madrid (a creation of Philip Ⅱin
the 16 th century) as an upstart.
And, after being bossed about for so long, who can blame them? Over the years governments in Madrid did their best to strip Barcelona of political power. They tried to squash the Catalan Language. They even decided what the modern city should look like: in 1860 an order from Madrid overruled Barcelona s choice of plan for its big expansion, and opted for a grid layout.
Barcelona has the liberalism that often characterizes port cities. As Catalans see is. While Madrid bathes in bureaucracy, Barcelona gets on with business. An old-fashioned seriousness in Madrid, isolated high up on Spain s central plateau, contrasts with the light-heartedness of Barcelona, open to Europe and aggressively avant-garde.
Upon to a point, these old caricatures still hold true. No visitor to government buildings in the two cities can fail to be struck by the contrast between them. In Madrid, there are creaky wooden floord, antique furniture and walls covered with paintings by Spanish old masters. In Barcelona, the city of Gaudi and Miro, designer chairs and tables are evidence of the place s obsession with modernism. Meetings of
the Catalan cabinet are held in room with a large, modern painting by Antoni Tapies. And yet, these days, the similarities be two cities are at least striking as the contrasts. Madrid is hardly lazy any more. Visitors find it hard to keep up with the pace of the place. Nor is it old-fashioned. Indeed, it has become almost outrageously modern. To judge by the local cuisine, you would think the place was a port: although
far from the sea, seafood is a miraculous Madrid speciality.
As banks and business have been drawn to Madrid and industrial centre as an administrative one. Barcelona, meanwhile, in Spain s traditional industrial heartland, has been experiencing a rise in bureaucracy.
The rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona is bound to remain fierce, not least on the soccer field, where Real Madrid and Barcelona compete for Spanish supremacy. Barcelona will continue to press for yet more power to be devolved to it from Madrid: it is calling for the Senate, Spain s upper house of parliament, to be moved to the Catalan capital. But with a lot of local autonomy restored, and with the success of the 1992 Olympics behind it, the chip on Barcelona s shoulder is becoming ever harder to detect.
26. Which of the following best illustrates the stereotypes about Madrid and
Barcelona?
(A) Madrid government officials never come to the office in the afternoon.
(B) Barcelona is an efficient and less bureaucratic place for business dealings.
(C) People in Barcelona are very resentful at Madrid s being the capital city.
(D) Barcelona is the largest city in Western Europe but it failed to claim its right
status.
27. Historically, Barcelona has regarded Madrid as ______.
(A) less bureaucratic (B)inferior //tr.hjenglish.com/
(C) a newcomer (D) less funny
28. How did governments in Madrid deliberately strip Barcelona of political power?
(A) They strongly opposed a grid layout in Barcelona which confines the city in
its original space.
(B) They gave the priority to the Catalan language rather than Spanish.
(C) They turned down Barcelona s proposal for its expansion.
(D) They ridiculed Barcelona s second-class status. //tr.hjenglish.com/
29. Which of the following is the most likely caricature of Spain s capital city?
(A) Government houses have dilapidated wooden floor, antique furniture and old
paintings.
(B) The polished wooden floors and designer chairs and tables are the symbols of
government houses.
(C) Meetings of the Cabinet are held in room with a large, modern painting by
Antoni Tapies.
(D) It has all the hustle and bustle because of its political superiority.
30. Nowadays people in Barcelona feel more ______ Madrid as they used to.
(A) afraid of (B) hateful of //tr.hjenglish.com/
(C) obsessed with (D) competitive with