中国传媒大学考博英语2003真题及答案

2003年攻读博士学位研究生入学考试英语试题北京广播学院

答题说明：答案与在答题纸上，答在试题纸上无效。

LISTENING COMPREHENSION (15%) I

Passage 1

Direction: For questions 1-5, you will hear a conversation between a travel agent and a girl.

heard. Write only one word in each out the table with the information you've Listen to it and fillnumbered box. You will hear the piece only once.

Information About the Trip

Place to visit 1

Scotland Place visited before

2 Length of trip (day)

3 Price (by coach)

＄4 Chosen means of transport

Breakfast Accommodations covering a bed and

5 Time of trip

Passage 2

Direction: Questions 1-4 are based on a talk on wit and humor. You are required to choose the

best answer for each of the questions from the four choices given. You will hear the piece only

once.

1. The distinction between wit and humor is ________.

A. of no particular importance

B. only a matter of opinion

C. subtle

D. exact and important

2.The speaker believes that humorous people ________.

A. are agreeable companions

B. are usually strong

C. will take his side in any argument

D. all of the above.

3. The speaker's attitude toward wit can be described as ________.

A. cautious admiration

B. indifference

C. appreciation

D. disapproval

4. The speaker intends this passage to ________.

A. get rid of the conclusion between wit and humor completely

B. express his personal view of wit and humor

C. reveal the similarities between wit and humor

D. express the good quality of wit and humor

Passage 3

Direction: Questions 1-3 are based on a talk about inflation. You are required to choose the best

answer for each of the questions from the four choices given. You will hear the piece only once.

1.The main purpose of this talk is ________.

A. to discuss the causes of inflation

B. to introduce the concept of inflation

C. to argue in favor of inflation

D. to review yesterday's lecture on inflation

2. According to the talk, inflation means ________.

A. rising prices

B. fixed incomes

C. cost of living

D. real income

3. Who benefits from inflation?

A. Persons who own businesses.

B. Persons with pensions.

C. Persons with slow rising incomes.

D. Persons who have salaries agreed to in long-term contracts.

Passage 4

Direction: Questions 1-3 are based on the following radio program. You are required to choose

the best answer for each of the questions from the four choices given. You will hear the piece

only once.

1. Which of the following may be included in BCD International programs?

A. Interviews with radio producers.

B. A variety of classic pop songs.

C. Latest news of the music library.

D. Stories about the good old days.

2. Which program gives us the ideas behind the pop songs?

A. The History of Pop.

B. The Road to Music.

C. Pop World.

D. About the Big Hits.

3. Native speakers' understanding of English pop songs could be best described as ________.

A. effortless

B. impossible

C. difficult

D. unnecessary

Ⅱ READING COMPREHENSION (40%)

Passage 1

The most remarkable weapon invented by primitive man is the boomerang. Made of hard wood, it is shaped into a curve over hot coals. It is from two to four feet long, flat on one side and rounded on the other, with a sharp edge. There are several kinds of boomerangs. They are used for war, for hunting, and for amusement. The well - known

eturn boomerang is really a toy. Instead

of going straight forward, it slowly rises in the air. It whirls around in a curved line until it reaches a certain height, after which it returns to the thrower. This effect is produced by the action of the air on the bulging side of the boomerang. The other types are effective weapons because of their size and irregular motion. It is said that with one of these weapons, a native can cut s small animal in two at a distance of 400 feet.

16. The boomerang is “remarkable”probably because of ________.

A. its unusual and varied performance

B. its great size and weight

C. its ability to withstand stress

D. its manner of construction

17. The reader may assume that________.

A. the boomerang is not useful beyond 400 feet

B. the boomerang is the only weapon invented by primitive man

C. boomerangs used for hunting and war are similar

D. many boomerangs are lost in hunting

Passage 2

Sequoyah was a young Cherokee Indian, son of a white trader and an Indian squaw. At an

early age, he became fascinated by “the talking leaf”, an expression that he used to describe the white - man's written records. Although many believed this “talking leaf”to be a gift from the Great Spirit, Sequoyah refused to accept that theory. Like other Indians of the period, he was

illiterate, but his determination to remedy the situation led to the invention of a unique

86-character alphabet based on the sound patterns that he heard.

His family and friends thought him mad, hut while recuperating from a hunting accident, he diligently and independently set out to create a form of communication for his own people as well as for other Indians. In 1821, after twelve years of work, he had successfully developed a written language that would enable thousands of Indians to read and write.

Sequoyah's desire to preserve words and events for later generations has caused him to be remembered among the important inventors. The giant redwood trees of California, called “sequoias”in his honor, will further imprint his name in history.

18. What is the most important mason that Sequoyah will be remembered?

A. California redwoods were named in his honor.

B. He was illiterate.

C. He created a unique alphabet.

D. He recovered from his madness and helped mankind.

19. How did Sequoyah's family react to his idea of developing his own “talking leaf”?

A. They arranged for his hunting accident.

B. They thought he was crazy.

C. They decided to help him.

D. They asked him to teach them to read and write.

20. What prompted Sequoyah to develop his alphabet?

A. People were writing things about him that he couldn't read.

B. He wanted to be famous.

C. After his hunting accident, he needed something to keep him busy.

D. He wanted the history of his people preserved for future generations.

21. The word illiterate means most nearly ________.

A. fierce

B. poor

C. abandoned

D. unable to read or write

22. How would you describe Sequoyah?

A. determined

B. mad

C. backward

D. meek

23. Which of the following is not true?

A. Sequoyah developed a form of writing with the help of the Cherokee tribe.

B. Sequoyah was a very observant young man.

C. Sequoyah spent twelve years developing his alphabet.

D. Sequoyah was honored by having some trees named after him.

Passage 3

Ever since humans have inhabited the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a language harder, communication is accomplished through sign language

in which motions stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists, the deaf, and the mute have had to resort to this form of expression. Many of these symbols of whole words are very picturesque and exact and can be used internationally; spelling, however, cannot.

Body language transmits ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either intentionally or unintentionally. A wink can be a way of flirting or indicating that the party is only joking. A nod signifies approval, while shaking the head indicates a negative reaction.

Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found in Braille (a system of raised dots read

with the fingertips), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs

also guide, warn, and instruct people.

While verbalization is the most common form of language, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.

24. Which of the following best summarizes this passage?

A. When language is a barrier, people will find other forms of communication.

B. Everybody uses only one form of communication.

C. Nonlinguistic language is invaluable to foreigners.

D. Although other forms of communication exist, verbalization is the fastest.

25. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. There are many forms of communication in existence today.

B. Verbalization is the most common form of communication.

C. The deaf and mute use an oral form of communication.

D. Ideas and thoughts can be transmitted by body language.

26. Which form other than oral speech would be most commonly used among blind people?

A. picture sign

B. Braille

C. body language

D. signal flags

27. How many different forms of communication are mentioned here?

A. 5

B. 7

C. 9

D. 11

28. Sign language is said to be very picturesque and exact and can be used internationally except for ________.

A. spelling

B. ideas

C. whole words

D. expressions

Passage 4

Islamic law is a particularly instructive example of “sacred law”. Islamic law is a phenomenon so different from all other forms of law--notwithstanding, of course, a considerable

and inevitable number of coincidences with one or the other of them as far as subject matter and positive enactments are concerned that its study is indispensable in order to appreciate adequately the full range of possible legal phenomena. Even the two other representatives of sacred law that are historically and geographically nearest to it, Jewish law and Roman Catholic Canon law, are perceptibly different.

Both Jewish law and Canon law are more uniform than Islamic law. Though historically there

is a discernible break between Jewish law of the sovereign state of ancient Israel and the Diaspora (the dispersion of Jewish people after the conquest of Israel), the spirit of the legal matter in later parts of the Old Testament is very close to that of the Talmud, one of the primary codifications of Jewish law in the Diaspora. Islam, on the other hand, represented a radical breakaway from the Arab paganism that preceded it; Islamic law is the result of an examination, from uniform, comprising as it did the various components of the laws of pre-Islamic Arabia and numerous legal elements taken over from the non-Arab peoples of the conquered territories. All this was unified by being subjected to the same king of religious scrutiny, the impact of which varied greatly, being almost nonexistent in some fields, and in others originating novel institutions. This central duality of legal subject matter and religious norm is additional to the variety of legal, ethical, and ritual rules that is typical of sacred law.

In this relation to the secular state, Islamic law differed from both Jewish and Canon law. Jewish law was buttressed by the cohesion of the community, reinforced by pressure from outside; its rules are the direct expression of this feeling of cohesion, tending toward the accommodation of dissent. Canon and Islamic law, on the contrary, were dominated by the dualism of religion and state, where the state was not, in contrast with Judaism, an alien power but the political expression of the same religion. But the conflict between state and religion took different forms; in Christianity it appeared as the struggle for political power on the part of a tightly organized ecclesiastical hierarchy, and Canon law was one of its political weapons. Islamic law, on the other hand, was never supported by an organized institution; consequently, there never developed an overt trial of strength. There merely existed discordance between application of the sacred law and many of the regulations framed by Islamic states; this antagonism varied according to place and time.

29. According to the passage, which of the following statements about sacred law is correct?

A. The various systems of sacred law originated in a limited geographical area.

B. Systems of sacred law usually rely on a wide variety of precedents.

C. Systems of sacred law function most effectively in communities with relatively small populations.

D. Systems of sacred law generally contain prescriptions governing diverse aspects of human

activity.

30. It can inferred from the passage that the application of Islamic law in Islamic states has

________.

A. systematically been opposed by groups who believe it is contrary to their interests

B. frequently been at odds with the legal activity of government institutions

C. remained unaffected by the political forces operating alongside it

D. benefited from the fact that it never experienced a direct confrontation with the state

31. The passage suggests that canon law differs from Islamic law in that only canon law

________.

A. contains prescriptions that non-sacred systems might regard as properly legal

B. played a role in the direct confrontation between institutions competing for power

C. concerns itself with the duties of a person in regard to the community as a whole

D. developed in a political environment that did not challenge its fundamental existence

32. All of the following statements about the development of Islamic law are implied in the passage EXPECT ________.

A. pre-Islamic legal principles were incorporated into Islamic law with widely differing degrees of change

B. diverse legal elements were joined together through the application of a purely religions criterion

C. there was a fundamentally shared characteristic in all pre-Islamic legal matter taken over

by Islamic law

D. although Islamic law emerged among the Arabs, Islamic law was influenced by ethnically diverse elements

33. The passage is most likely a part of ________.

A. a book review

B. a research report

C. a code

D. a briefing

Passage 5

By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.

34.The author is strongly opposed to the practice of examinations at school because ________.

A. the pressure is too great on the students

B. some students are bound to fail

C. failure rates are too high

D. the results of examinations are doubtful

Passage 6

The fact that the general literature on interviewing does not deal with the journalistic interview seems to be surprising for two reasons. First, it seems likely that most people in modern Western societies are more familiar, at least in a positive manner, with journalistic interviewing