1998年3月英语高级口译考试笔试真题+音频+答案
SECTION 5: READING TEST (30minutes)
Directions: Read the following passages and then answer IN COMPLETE SENTENCES the questions which follow each passage. Use only information from the passage you have just read and write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
Questions 1~3
Americans are recycling more paper than ever before. But for recycling to reduce the amount of virgin materials used and to reduce pollution, more demand is needed for recycled products.
The American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA) reports that 63 percent of newsprint was recovered in 1996, up from 43 percent in 1990, to become an important new source of paper fibers. //tr.hjenglish.com
"Recovered fiber is becoming as important a source of raw material as virgin fiber--or trees," says Elizabeth Seiler, a recycling expert with the industry group. "Paper recycling is experiencing phenomenal growth. We now look at recovered fibers as a raw material, and recovered fiber now represents 30 percent of the supply of raw materials industry-wide." Ms. Selier explains.
The AFPA estimates the overall United States paper recovery rate is 45 percent, with the goal of 50 percent paper recovery by 2000.
But recycling advocates say that isn't enough. "The key issue remains demand," says Amy Perry. Solid Wasts Program Director of MASSPIRG, a consumer and environmental watchdog group. "We need to ensure that the economics work towards recycling's advantage. With greater demand fro recycled paper, the mills will use more recovered material."
To that end, MASSPIRG is coordinating a national effort with other states with similar watchdog groups to have state and municipal governments around the country adopt recycled-paper puchasing requirements like those of the federal government.
A 1993 federal executive order required the government to buy recycled paper with 20 percent post-consumer materials as of Dec. 31, 1994. The standard increases to 30 percent in 1998. The U.S. government is the world's largest publisher, and the excutive order instantly created demand.
Recycled paper has pre-and post-consumer waste in it. Post-consumer waste is derived from recycled newspapers, magazines, and office waste. Pre-consumer waste is paper-mill trimmings and cuttings--paper that did not ever reach end users.
Paper processing requires use of toxins. After pulping, the pulp is bleached with chlorine dioxide to produce white paper. Bleaching yields as many as 1,000 different toxic organochlorides, of which dioxin is the most dangerous.
Recycling paper saves trees, diverts paper from the landfills, reduces the use of toxic chemicals, and saves energy.
According to Ted Vansant, president of Recycled Paper Printing Inc., a Boston-based paper supplier that uses and sells only recycled paper, the number of different recycled papers has increased. "There is more variety of recycled paper available within each grade," he says.
But there is still more to be done:"The challenge for the paper industry as we look to the future, and as we reach further into the waste stream is to find more sources for clean, high quality, not contaminated fibers," Seiler says.
1. Introduce briefly the nature of the organization MASSPIRG and similar watchdog groups.
2. List the advantages of paper recycling.
3. Explain the phrases "virgin material" (para. 1) and "phenomental growth" (para. 3).
Questions 4~6 //tr.hjenglish.com
A CHEER went up from most students when the announcement came over the intercom at Centennial High School. Teachers across the province were going out on strike this morning, in protest against the Ontario government's education reforms. But for other students, the news could not have been worse.
"It really makes me angry," says Sarah Wright, a senior preparing for college. "This is going to ruin my (school) year."
The showdown between teachers' unions and the government in Ontario, Canada's largest province, will keep 2.1 million students out of class starting today.
Last minuts talks still going yesterday, with former Chief Justice of Ontario Charles Dubin as referee.
The teachers' union, in announcing the strike, said their actions were a 'political protest' as well as a strike. At issue is who will make policy: the cost-cutting Conservative government, or the unions that represent the 126,000 teachers.
The teachers oppose education reforms in Bill 60, legislation now before the Ontario Legislature. They say certain sections of the bill cut them out of the decision-making process.
"Teachers across this province are concerned about the undemocratic nature of this bill," say Eileen Lennon, president of the Ontario Teachers' Federation. "Schools are put into the shared trust of teachers, parents, communities, and government. We want the parents, teachers, and communities to have some input into school policy."
The government wants teachers to spend time in the classroom, to extend the school year, and to have one standard set of examinations so students across the province are measured uniformly. The government also wants the freedom to make significant spending cuts.
The premier of Ontario, Michael Harris, bought television time after the strike was announced to explain his government's reforms. Harris, who wa elected on a promise to cut taxes, said Ontario school taxes has doubled over the past 10 years performance on international test scores has declined.
"Our plan is about moving the focus on education away from the blank-check spending mentality that has failed, to a new accountability where we focus on the student in the classrooms," said harris."Choosing an illegal strike punishes only parents and their children."
Harris criticized the time high school teachers spend in the classroom, just 3.75 hours a day. He also wants to use people other than teachers to handle non-academic subjects, such as car repair.
The premier moved to win the support of parents by ordering local school boards to pay parents $ 40 a day to cover daycare costs while the teachers are out on strike.
The talks have been so acrimonious that earlier this month the premier fired the education minister and appointed a new one, David Johnson, a move that has done little to placate the teachers.
High school student Sarah Wright feels caught up in a political war.
"We've been listening to the teachers side of the story for the past year," she says.
"Many students go along with the teachers because they don't know any better. I don't think they've really thought it through. If it goes on for a couple of months, I'll go to another province to finish high school. This is stupid."
Local school boards, who employ the teachers, say they may take legal action against the union leaders and maybe the teachers who do not show up for work today.
4. Why do Ontario teachers oppose the government's education reforms?
5. What does Ontario government say about the current education situation in high schools?
6. Why does the author cite the example of Sarah Wright?
Questions 7~10 //tr.hjenglish.com
A sharp rise in the abortion rate after the health scare over the contraceptive Pill will be revealed in official figures to be released on Thursday, raising fresh criticism of ministers over their handling of the affair.
The number of abortions leapt by 6.7 per cent in November in the aftermath of the 1995 Pill scare, but the latest figures are expected to show a further worrying increase as the full impact begins to be felt.
The release of the abortion statistics by the Government will be coupled with a report by the Government's expert advisory body, the Committee on the Safety of Medicines, which is expected to stand by the action which led to the scare.
Stephen Dorrell, the Secretary of State for Health, who will face questions today in the Commons, was criticised for "bungling" the release of the warnings about seven contraceptive pills linked with a higher incidence of thrombosis in October 1995.
The CSM was criticised by the World Health Organisation for the way the information it passed on about the possible link between the contraceptive pill and thrombosis was released in Britain.
But ministers bore the brunt of the criticism for their handling of the crisis which led to GPs being flooded with inquiries, and claims that women had suffered unwanted pregnancies because they had stopped taking their contraceptives. Chris Smith, labour's spokesman for health, said last night:"We have already seen an alarming rise in the number of abortions carried out after some brands of the Pill were withdrawn in October 1995. The main culprit is the Government, which bungled the announcement and failed to ensure that GPs and family planning professionals had the news before the public did. As a result many women--unable to get through to their doctor--simply stopped taking the Pill altogether. I fear that the new figures will show a further rise."
The advisory committee made it clear that women should continue to take their contraceptive pill, until they were able to see their doctor or visit their family planning clinic. However, many women panicked after the warnings that they may be at risk.
The criticism of ministers was increased because the warnings were leaked, before GPs has been informed. Mr. Dorrell defended his role, stressing that the advisory committee has advised there was "an urgent need to communicate the new evidence and appropriate recommendations to the professions and to the public prior to publication of the evidence."
The figures for the first quarter of 1996 showed a 2,688 rise in the number of abortions to a total 42,990--the highest number sine 1990. The latest figures cover the period April to July last year, which could spell out the human tragedy for women who told doctors the unwanted pregnancies has ruined their lives.
The issue is also likely to highlight the campaign by the Pro-life Alliance, which is threatening to field more than 50 anti-abortion candidates in the election, and within the next two weeks will release a graphic film depicting the facts about abortion for use as an election broadcast on British television screens.
7. Why is there a sharp rise in the abortion rate over the past few years in Britain?
8. What does the abbreviation CSM stand for? Why was it criticised by the World Health Organisation?
9. What viewpoint do Chris Smith, Labour's spokesman for health, and Mr. Dorrell have in common about the warning of contraception pills?
10.Explain the word "culprit" used in paragraph 7 and the phrase "spell out" in paragraph 10.
SECTION 6：TRANSLATION TEST (30 minutes)
Direcitons: Translate the following passage into English and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
在一个极为漫长的历史阶段中，人类只能通过音乐表演和口授来传播音乐。当人类发明了乐谱后，音乐便开始脱离表演而演变成“文字”得以记录和传播。然后，人类音乐传 播的真正革命性里程碑的建立者无疑是科学家们。他们创造了令人叹为观止的音乐传播手段，人最早的机械“留声机”到今天五花八门的“ 子媒体”。在20世纪诸多的音乐传播 手段中，无线电广播的发明和发展对音乐的传播起了极为重要的作用。然而，高科技的高速发展也使我国广播音乐工作者在新世纪中面临着严峻的挑战。