2009年同等学力人员申请硕士学位外国语水平全国统一

2009 年同等学力人员申请硕士学位外国语水平全国统一考试
英语试卷一 （ A ）
1. A: It ’ s not like George to be late for an appointment.
B : _____ He ’ s always punctual.
A. No way. B. Anyway he ’ s late. C. You ’ re right. D. I don ’ t think so.
2. A: Helen. You look great! You ’ re much slimmer than last time I saw you.
B: _____ Actually I ’ ve been on a diet and I ’ ve been doing a keep-fit class too.
A. Well, yes. B. No, thanks C. You ’ re flattering me. D. Are you kidding?
3. A: I ’ m so sorry. I shouldn ’ t have thrown your violin away. Why didn ’ t you tell me it was a birthday
present from your Dad?
B:_____ What ’ s done is done.
A. No problem. B. Don ’ t worry. C. That ’ s fine. D. Forget it.
4. A: It ’ s really hard to maintain contact when people move around so much.
B:_____
A. That ’ s right. I ’ ve been out of touch with my friends.
B. You ’ re unlucky to have lost contact with your friends.
C. Is it? People just drift apart indeed!
D. I ask them to keep me informed about what they are doing.
5. A: Hi, John, how are you? I head you were sick.
B: They must have confused me with somebody else._____
A. I was sick last week. B. I couldn ’ t agree with you more.
C. So you ’ re right. D. I ’ ve never felt better.
6. Woman: Where do you plan to go for dinner?
Man: I was thinking of going to Joe ’ s. It ’ s a stone ’ s throw away. Besides, the environment is good.
Question: What can we learn about Joe ’ s?
A. It ’ s not expensive. B. It ’ s not far from here.
C. It ’ s an interesting place. D. It ’ s known for its specialty.
7. Man: That was an absolutely delicious meal. Your cooking is always superb but this time you ’ ve
excelled yourself.
Woman: I ’ m glad you enjoyed it. It ’ s a recipe I haven ’ t tried before.
Question: What does the man think of the woman ’ s cooking?
A. It ’ s as good as always .
B. It ’ s good enough for something new.
C. It ’ s better than usual.
D. It ’ s good, but not as good as before.
8. Man: Do you think that Bob is serious about Sally?
Woman: Well, I know this. I ’ ve never seen him go out so often with the same girl.
Question: What conclusion can we draw from the woman ’ s statement?
A. Bob never goes steady with a girl.
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C. Bob will soon change his girlfriend.
D. Bob is not serious about Sally.
9. Man: Everybody ’ s helping out with the dinner. Would you make the salad?
Woman: Anything but that.
Question: What does the woman mean?
A. She doesn ’ t want any salad.
B. She will make the salad.
C. She ’ d rather do some other jobs.
D. She wants some salad.


10. Man: You know what? You should invest the money yourself.
Woman: That had crossed my mind.
Question: What does the woman mean?
A. The idea had bothered her. B. She had invested the money.
C. She wouldn ’ t give it a try. D. The idea had occurred to her.
11. The applications of genetic engineering are abundant and choosing one appropriate for this case can
be rather difficult.
A. plentiful B. sufficient C. adequate D. countable
12. The newly elected president has pledged $13million to the automobile industry for its survival.
A. prepared B. promised C. disposed D. delivered
13. The Americans recognize that the UN can be the channel for greater diplomatic activity.
A. medium B. place C. resort D. tunnel
14. The growth of part-time and flexible working pattern allows more women to take advantage of job
opportunities.
A. catch up with B. make use of C. cast light on D. get rid of
15. Nobody can help but be fascinated by the world into which he is taken by the science fiction.
A. impressed B. amused C. puzzle d D. attracted
16. Senator James Meeks had called off a boycott of Chicago Public Schools, organized to protest
I llinois ’ education funding system.
A. reclaimed B. proposed C. canceled D. indulged
17. The new book focuses on the concept that to achieve and maintain total health, people need physical,
social and emotiona l well-being.
A. attain B. gain C. acquire D. gather
18. The 16 percent fare increase would bring Chicago fares in line with those of other big cities.
A. in agreement with B. in cooperation with
C. in connection with D. in association with
19. It is true that London is often sunless, damp and raw, though the occasional sunny days seem all the
more attractive by contrast.
A. mild B. chilly C. cloudy D. moist
20. Like flowers that have been waiting all winter to blossom , tourists are eager to burst forth with their
cameras.
A. survive B. breeze C. bloom D. revive
21. A large _____ of the sunlight never reaches the earth while infra-red heat given off by the earth is
allowed to escape freely.
A. ratio B. proportion C. rate D. fraction
22. It is amusing that she _____ her father ’ s bad temper as well as her mother ’ s good looks.WWW.XYCENTRE.COM 010-62513012 020-38182268 021-65979022
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A. inherited B. retained C. preserved D. maintained
23. _____ the few who have failed in their examination, all the other students in the hall are in very high
spirits.
A. In spite that B. But for C. Apart from D. For the sake of
24. The decline in moral standards, which has long concerned social analysts, has at last _____ the
attention of average Americans.
A. clarified B. cultivated C. characterized D. captured
25. Our neighbor Uncle Johnson is a stubborn man. Needless to say , we tried _____ to make him change
his mind.
A. in short B. in secret C. in vain D. in danger
26. The western media was astonished to see that China ’ s GDP _____ by almost 40% just in two year s ’
time.
A. flourished B. floated C. soared D. roared
27. Unemployment seems to be the _____ social problem in this area and may undermine social stability.
A. prevalent B. primitive C. previous D. premature
28. Many people, when ill, see their doctors and ask them to _____ something that will make them feel
better.
A. describe B. prescribe C. revise D. devise
29. Facing growing costs and shrinking tax _____, the government is now threatening to cut funding for
environmental protection programs.
A. budget B. collection C. profit D. revenue
30. Research shows heavy coffee drinking is _____ a small increase in blood pressure, but not enough to
increase the risk for high blood pressure.
A. compared with B. associated with C. attributed to D. referred to
PASSAGE ONE
The other day my son asked me if he could ride up to his elementary school on his bike and meet
his friend. He wanted the both of them to ride back to our house so they could play video games and
jump on the trampoline. I have to admit, part of me wa nted to say no. We can go pick him up or his
parents can bring him over here, I thought. But my son is eleven years old now. And after all, I do let
him ride his bike to school. But I also drive my daughter to school and I can see him on the way, making
s ure he is getting there safely.
My husband thinks I am too overprotective. I don ’ t care to let my children walk anywhere without
one of us going along. As you pull out of our neighborhood, there is a shopping center across the street.
My son always asks if he can ride his bike or walk over to the drugstore by himself. But crossing tha t
street is just too dangerous. The cars fly around the corner like they ’ re driving in a car race. What if he
gets hit? What is some teenage bullies are hanging out in the parking lot?
I want so much to give my children the freedom that I enjoyed having when I was growing up but
I hesitate to do so because there are dangers around every corner. Too many kidnaps, too many sex
offenders . I went online and discovered there are 41 sex offenders in my area alone.
I honestly don ’ t think my mom worried about such things when her children were young.
Growing up in the 1970s was indeed a different time. I never wore a helmet when I rode a bike.
We were all over the neighborhood, on our bikes and on foot, coming home for dinner and then back out
again until dark. We rode in the back of the truck, didn ’ t wear seatbelts. I walked to and from school
31. What did the author feel reluctant to let her son do?
A. Meet his friend. B. Play video games.
C. Jump on the trampoline. D. Ride his bike on streets.
32. What does the author mean when she says “ But my son is eleven years old now ” ?
A. He is old enough to be given some freedom now.
B. He is a bit too young to go out alone.
C. He has reached the legal age for ridding a bike.
D. He can ’ t protect himself from road hazards.
33. Given her husband ’ s attitude towards bringing up kids, he would most probably _____.
A. drive his son to school to ensure safety.
B. follow his son all the way to school and back
C. give his son more freedom in deciding what to do
D. ask the other boy ’ s parents to bring him over here
34. Which of the following is NOT considered by the author as a potential threat to kids?
A. Teenage bullies. B. The drugstore. C. Child abusers. D. Cars racing by.
35. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. The social security back in the 1970s was no better than it is today.
B. Today ’ s children are more obedient to their parents.
C. Children today are more obedient to their parents.
D. Children in the 1970s enjoyed more freedom than those today.
36. What is the author ’ s main purpose in writing this passage?
A. To compare today ’ s social environment with that of the 1970s.
B. To show her concern over the increasing crime rate in her neighborhood.
C. To describe her hesitation as to how much freedom she should give her son.
D. To express her worries about both safety and security in her area.
PASSAGE TWO
About a century ago more people would not have appreciated the study of a foreign language as
they do today. Gone are those days when patriotism towards on e ’ s own language was a major obstacle to
learning foreign languages, a time when most nations were trying to throw their alien rulers out of their
countries in their freedom struggles.
Gone are those days when people were proud of their mother or father tongues and considered that
their native languages alone will suffice the need to survive. Language skills today have become as
important as other business and career skills like IT , vocational or professional skills. Thus learning a
foreign language today has become essential for an individual whether it is for careers, growing a
business, or even to make an impression.
All that one needs to possess these days is a drive to learn a foreign language and there are all
kinds of institutes and courses that teach various foreign languages like French, German, Spanish, and
Japanese. Today ’ s world economy has bridged the barriers of race, sex, color and religion and the world
had become a smaller place. Today ’ s businesses also demand language skills to expand and grow in
other countries. Tens and hundreds of businesses world wide are expanding and growing their business
by promoting them in countries other than their countries of origin. The tremendous growth of the
Internet has further increased the demand for language skills. In Canada an official rule also says that all
commercial establishments must have their websites created both in English and French, the official
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Language can also ease race and border barriers. You are more welcome in an alien nation if you
know the language of the people there and can converse in their tongue. People in these countries
immediately respect you and think you care about their c ulture as much as they do because in any culture
language is the key identity.
37. One of the reasons for not studying a foreign language in the past is _____.
A. it was too difficult B. it was not allowed
C. it was seen as disloyalty D. it was taught by foreign rulers
38. According to the article, which of the following is true?
A. People ’ s language skills are better than in the past.
B. Foreign language skills are of vital importance.
C. It ’ s easier nowadays to learn a foreign language.
D. People today are not proud of their native language.
39. What does “ to make an impression ” (Paragraph 1) probably mean?
A. To remember things. B. To express ideas.
C. To show respect. D. To be liked by others.
40. The world has become smaller because of _____.
A. business expansion B. the growth of the Internet
C. a globa lized economy D. the learning of foreign languages
41. According to the article , the growth of the Internet requires_____.
A. more foreign language skills
B. more bilingual websites
C. better command of English
D. more commercial establishments

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42. People in a foreign country will treat you with more respect if you speak their language because
_____
A. they think you love their country
B. they think you understand their culture
C. it ’ s easier for them to communicate with you
D. they believe you are a good language learner
PASSAGE THREE
You may have wondered why the supermarkets are all the same. It is not because the companies
that them lack imagination. It is because they all aim at persuading people to buy things.
In the supermarket, it takes a while for the mind to get into a shopping mode. This is why the area
immediately inside the entrance is known as the “ decompression zone ” . People need to slow down and
look around, even if they are regulars. In sales terms this area is a bit of a loss, so it tends to be used
more for promotion.
Immediately inside the first thing shoppers may come to is the fresh fruit and vegetables section.
For shoppers, this makes no sense. Fruit and Vegetables can be easily damaged, so they should be
bought at the end, not the beginning, of a shopping trip. But what is at work here? It turns out that
selecting good fresh food is a way to start shopping, and it makes people feel less guilty about reaching
for the unhealthy stuff later on.
Shoppers already know that everyday items, like milk, are invariably placed toward the back of a
store to provide more opportunities to tempt customers. But supermarkets know shoppers know this, so
they use other tricks, like placing popular items halfway along a section so that people have to walk allWWW.XYCENTRE.COM 010-62513012 020-38182268 021-65979022
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along the aisle looking for them. The idea is to boost “ dwell time ” : the length of time people spend in a
store.
Traditionally retailers measure “ footfall ” , as the number of people entering a store is known, but
those numbers say nothing about where people go and how long they spend there. But nowadays, a piece
of technology can fill the gap: the mobile phone. Path Intelligence, a British company tracked people ’ s
phones at Gunwharf Quays, a large retail centre in Portsmouth- not by monitoring calls, but by plotting
the positions of handsets as they transmit automatically to cellular networks. It found that when dwell
time rose 1% sales rose 1.3%.
Such techniques are increasingly popular because of a deepening understanding about how shoppers
make choices. People tell market researchers that they make rational decisions about what to buy,
considering things like price, selection or convenience. But subconscious forces, involving emotion and
memories, are clearly also at work.
43. In Paragraph 2, “ decompression zone ” is the area meant to _____
A. offer shoppers a place to have a rest
B. prepare shoppers for the mood of buying
C. encourage shoppers to try new products
D. provide shoppers with discount information
44. Putting fruit-and-vegetable section near the entrance takes advantage of shoppers ’ _____
A. common sense B. shopping habits
C. concerns with time D. shopping psychology
45. Path Intelligence uses a technology to _____.
A. count how many people enter a store
B. measure how long people stay at a store
C. find out what people buy in a store
D. monitor what people say and do in a store
46. What happened at Gunwharf Quays showed that sales_____.
A. was in direct proportion to dwell time
B. was reversely linked to dwell time
C. was affected more by footfall than by dwell time
D. was affected more by dwell time than by football
47. The author argues that shoppers_____.
A. exert more influence on stores than they imagine
B. are more likely to make rational choices than they know
C. tend to make more emotiona l decisions than they think
D. have more control over what they buy than they assume
48. The best title for the passage is _____.
A. New Technology Boosts Stores ’ Sales
B. How Shoppers Make Choices in Stores
C. Rational and Irrational Ways of Shopping
D. The Science behind Stores ’ Arrangements
PASSAGE FOUR
A very important world problem is the increasing number of people who actually inhabit this planet.
The limited amount of land and land resources will soon be unable to support the huge population if it
continues to grow at its present rate.
So why is this huge increase in population taking place? It is really due to the spread of the
knowledge and practice of what is becoming known as “ Death Control ” . You have no doubt heard of the
term ” Birth Contro l ” . ” Death Control ” is something rather difficult. It recognizes the work of the doctors
and scientists who now keep alive people who, not very long ago, would have died of a variety of then
incurable diseases. Through a wide variety of technological innovations that includ e farming methods
and the control of deadly diseases, we have found ways to reduce the rate at which we die. However, this
success is the very cause of the greatest threat to mankind.
If we examine the amount of land available for this ever-increasing population, we begin to see the
problem. If everyone on the planet had an equal share of land, we would each have about 50,000 square
metres. This figure seems to be quite encouraging unt il we examine the amount of usable land we
actually have. More than three-fifths of the world ’ s land cannot produce food.
Obviously, with so little land to support us, we should be taking great care not to reduce it further.
But we are not! Instead, we are consuming its “ capital ” - its nonrenewable fossil fuels and other mineral
deposits that took millions of years to form but which are now being destroyed in decades. We are also
doing the same with other vital resources not usually thought of as being nonrenewable such as fertile
soils, groundwater and the millions of other species that share the earth with us.
It is a very common belief that the problems of the population explosion are caused mainly by poor
people living in poor countries who do not know enough to limit their reproduction. T h is is not true. The
actual number of people in an area is not as important as the effect they have on nature. Developing
countries do have an effect on their environment, but it is the populations of richer countries that have a
far greater impact on the earth as a whole.
49. According to the article, what contributes to the population increase?
A. Birth explosion. B. Birth Control
C. Death Control. D. Technological innovations.
50. The word “ incurable ” in Paragraph 2 means _____
A. common B. epidemic C. untreatable D. unknown
51. There isn ’ t enough land to support human beings because_____
A. there are more seas than land in the world
B. most of the world ’ s land is unusable
C. the world ’ s land has already been taken up
D. the world ’ s land is not distributed equally
52. In Paragraph 4 the writer implies that fertile soils are _____
A. limited B. renewable C. productive D. nonrenewable
53. What does “ to limit their reproduction ” is the last paragraph mean?
A. To control death. B. To produce less goods.
C. To increase production. D. To practice birth control.
54. What do you think the writer is really concerned about?
A. Long life spans.
B. Population increase.
C. Overuse of resources.
D. The success of “ Death Control ” .
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All day long, you are affected by large forces. Genes influence your intelligence and willingness to
take risks. Social dynamics unconsciously shape your choices. Instantaneous perceptions set off neutral
reactions in your head without you even being aware of them.
Over the past few years, scientists have made a series of exciting discoveries about how these deep
patterns influence daily life. Nobody has done more to bring these discoveries to public attention than
Malcolm Gladwell.
Gladwell ’ s noncontroversial claim is that some people have more opportunities than others. B i ll Gates
was lucky to go to a great private school with its own computer at the dawn of the information revolution.
Gladwell ’ s book is being received by reviewers as a call to action for the Obama Age. It could lead
policy makers to finally reject policies built on the assumption that people are coldly rational profit-
maximizing individuals. It could cause them to focus more on e policies that foster relationships, social bonds
and cultures of achievement.
Yet, I can ’ t help but feel that Glad well and others who share his emphasis are preoccupied with the
coolness of the discoveries. They ’ ve lost sight of the point at which the influence of social forces ends and
the influence of the self-initiating individual begins.
Most successful people begin with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the
power to make it so. They were often showered by good fortunes, but relied at crucial moments upon
achievements of individual will. These people also have an extraordinary ability to consciously focus their
attention. Control of attention is the ultimate individual power. People who can do that are not prisoners of
the stimuli around them. They can choose from the patterns in the world and lengthen their time horizons.
Gladwell ’ s social determinism overlooks the importance of individual character and individual
creativity. And it doesn ’ t fully explain the genuine greatness of humanity ’ s talents. As the classical
philosophers understood, examples of individual greatness inspire achievement more reliably than any other
form of education.
55. In Paragraph 2, “ these deep patterns ” refers to all of the following EXCEPT _____
A. genes B. social dynamics C. instantaneous perceptions. D. neutral reactions
56. According to the author, Gladwell ’ s new book Outliers is mainly_____
A. a descriptive study of exceptiona lly talented individuals
B. about the importance of social arrangements to personal success
C. to discuss why some people have more opportunities than others
D. to explain why Bill Gates is much luckier than others
57. It can be seen from Paragraph 5 that Gladwell ’ s book _____
A. has become quite influential
B. is beginning to influence Obama ’ s policies
C. has received severe criticisms
D. assumes that people just pursue maximum profits
58. According to the author, the most fundamental individual power is _____
A. individual will B. control of attention C. a good character D. exceptiona l creativity
59. The author believes that individual greatness is more closely related to _____.
A. social forces and genes
B. good luck and education
C. individual character and creativity
D. individual genes and good education
60. This passage is probably a _____
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CLOZE
Nuclear energy is an efficient and convenient substitute for conventiona l forms of energy which were found in special geographical locations. Large amounts of 61 and effort are required to 62 these locations. Once the sites are found, men and equipment must be brought to tap and use these sources of energy. However, a large proportion of such sites are found only in far and 63 places. This increases the difficulties of 64 these forms of energy. With nuclear energy, such difficulties are not present. Nuclear reactors can easily be built anywhere, and man does not have to compete with the 65 of nature in order to obtain the energy. For equal amounts of energy, nuclear energy is much more convenient and inexpensive to obtain than conventiona l sources of energy.
With nuclear energy, the amount of pollution is greatly reduced. 66 the production of nuclear energy is based on the fission of atoms, pollution is kept to a very low level. The energy produced in the reactors in converted into heat and electricity, and these have 67 or no pollution at all. Conventional forms of fuel , 68 , produce large amounts of pollution.
Production of nuclear energy uses the 69 of the fission of atoms; thus, 70 amounts of energy can be obtained from it. The world ’ s reserves of oil, coal and natural gas are running 71 at a tremendous rate and current estimates predict that 72 of the 21 st century, most of these conventiona l fuels will be used up. Nuclear energy is the exception 73 this gloomy prediction. Through splitting and fusing atoms, large amounts of energy can be produced, and 74 this process can go on an don until all our energy needs are satisfied. The 75 of nuclear energy as a boundless source of energy is indeed great, and we must harness it whenever possible as conventiona l fuels will not be around much longer.
61. A. incentive B. capital C. interest D. currency
62. A. point B. recognize C. identify D. label
63. A. isolated B. single C. sole D. solitary
64. A. detecting B. selecting C. harnessing D. concentrating
65. A. potentials B. powers C. strengths D. forces
66. A. If B. While C. Though D. Since
67. A. little B. much C. more D. less
68. A. as a result B. in general C. on the other hand D. in effect
69. A. process B. rule C. principle D. function
70. A. incomplete B. definite C. infinite D. defined
71. A. out B. up C. away D. down
72. A. at the end B. by the end C. in the end D. to the end
73. A. in B. for C. of D. to
74. A. substantially B. additiona lly C. effectively D. theoretically
75. A. use B. potential C. popularity D. transformation