2009 年江苏南京财经大学基础英语考研真题
I. Rewrite the following sentences, making use of the words or expressions in
parentheses. (10 points)
1. The decision to build a nuclear disposal centre has triggered off a great deal
of protest from local residents. (a profusion of)
2. It is found in a recent survey that sexism still has a strong influence in many
regions in the world. (hold fast)
3. The successful release of her debut album gave the singer much confidence and
encouraged her to achieve more. (propel somebody to do…)
4. To solve the deficit problem the Prime Minister proposed a tax reform, but the
Parliament’s decision to withdraw its support greatly discouraged his effort.
(be a damper on… )
5. How to reform the country’s educational system has basically become a social
and political problem. (in essence)
II. Paraphrase the underlined part of the following sentences. (10 points)
1. The satisfaction of killing time and of affording some outlet, however modest,
for ambition, belongs to most work, and is sufficient to make even a man whose
work is dull happier on the average than a man who has no work at all.
2. The power to produce great art is very often, though by no means always,
associated with a temperamental unhappiness, so great that but for the joy which
the artist derives from his work, he would be driven to suicide.
3. The nation has entered a period in which many houses are distinguished less
by their lingering similarities than by how they diverge both from one another
and from homes of the past.
4. Seen from this perspective, the “swinging singles” complexes that attracted
so much gossip a few years later are an elaboration on the Sun City concept—the
clustering together of people of similar ages or outlooks.
5. Never mind, these days it was always a good thing to have an overseas relative
or friend fall into one’s lap.
III. Vocabulary and General Knowledge. Choose from the following choices to best
suit the underlined word. (20 points)
1. Children, come straight home from school; don’t dawdle.
A. crawl
B. linger
C. mislead
D. wonder
2. The long-term threat to the survival of elephants is the loss of their natural
habitat.
A. ivory
C. allies
D. instincts
3. Though many scientific breakthroughs have resulted from mishaps, it has taken
B. environment
brilliant thinkers to recognize their potential.
A. misunderstandings
B. accidents
C. misfortunes
D.
incidentals
4. A postage stamp has been issued to pay tribute to Helen Keller and her teacher,
Anne Sullivan.
A. accentuate
B. redeem
C. honor
D. reimburse
5. The rigor exhibited by the general was totally unwarranted.
C. march
B. severity
A. calisthenics
cleanliness
D.
6. When the hedgehog feels threatened, it tucks its head into its chest and rolls
itself into a spiny, ball-shaped mass.
A. prickly
B. motionless
D. spherical
7. Alice and George like to split hairs about whose turn it is to wash the dishes.
C. make important differences D. insist
A. start an argument
B. divide labour
C. bushy
on their own
8. The Spanish, French, Dutch, and English all vied for North American territiry.
D. sailed
B. competed for
C. disposed of
A. arrived at
for
9. Despite dangers and difficulties, the soldiers were resolute.
A. uncomplaining
B. untiring
C. well-disciplined
D.
determined
10. With lasers scientists can probe many physical processes, such as combustion,
once beyond our ken.
A. understanding
B. responsibility
C. interpretation
D.
notice
11. Once they germinate, plants need sunlight to grow.
A. turn green
B. are infected
C. sprout
D. become
full-blown
12. Many movies receive disparaging reviews from film experts and yet become
extremely successful.
A. authoritative
negative
B. lengthy
C. uninteresting
D.
13.Innovative approaches to manufacturing, coupled with the tremendous size of
the domestic market, led to the emergence of the United States as an industrial
giant.
A. followed by
D. mixed with
14. Mary McCarthy’s satires are couched in a prose style that has a classic
precision.
C. deriving from
B. combined with
A. fused
D. expressed
15. Galena, the chief ore of lead, is a brittle, lead—gray mineral with a metallic
luster.
C. standardized
B. prefaced
A. petrified
B. dense
C. breakable
D. sparkling
16. The Songs and Sonnets, by which Donne is probably best known, ________ is the
basic theme.
A. love
B. friendship
C. parental relations
D. citizenship
17. _________ is a typical feature of Swift’s writings.
A. Elegant style
sentence structure
B. Casual narration
C. Bitter satire
D. Complicated
18. The giant Moby Dick may symbolize all EXCEPT _________.
A. mystery of the universe
C. power of the Great Nature
B. sin of the whale
D. evil of the world
19. The convention of the desire for an escape from society and a return to nature
in American literature is particularly evident in ____________.
A. Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales
Letter
C. Whitman’s Leaves of Grass
D. Irving’s Rip Van Winkle
B. Hawthorne’s The Scarlet
20. The English people are ________, and the Scots, Wales and Irish are ________.
A. Anglo-Saxons, Celts
C. Celts, Anglo-Saxons
B. Anglos, Saxons
D. Celts, Saxons
IV. Error Correction. (10 points)
1. Translated into terms of psychological theory, association has been thought
of as the basis of
A
B
to learn, conditioning, and creative thinking.
C
D
2. The statue of Liberty was originally proposed in 1865 to commemoration the
alliance of
D
France with the American colonies during the American Revolution.
A
B
C
3. Reptiles are widely distributed all over the world but are much abundant in
warm regions
A
B
and are virtually absent beyond the treeline in the Arctic.
C
D
4. Anthropologists agree that our primitive ancestors who inhabited the tropics
probably have
A
B
C
natural protection against the sun.
D
5. Behavior modification techniques work best with problems that manifest itself
in overt
A
B
C
actions.
D
6. Because they are generally taken simply to obtain a recognizable and relatively
clear image,
A
B
C
most nonprofessional photographs demand few equipment.
D
7. Alike light waves, microwaves may be reflected and concentrated.
A
B
C
D
8. Industrial buyers are responsible for supplying the goods and services that
an organization
A
B
C
required for its operation.
D
9. The most easiest process for mining gold is panning, which involves using a
circular dish with
A
a small pocket at the bottom.
D
B
C
10. The boiled point of any liquid is determined by the pressure of the surrounding
gases.
A
B
C
D
V. Reading Comprehension. (30 points)
TEXT A
In today’s society we are now seeing more children under the age of twelve
developing eating disorders. It is estimated that 40% of nine year olds have already
dieted and we are beginning to see four and five year olds expressing the need
to diet. It’s a shame that children so young are being robbed of their childhoods.
Why is it that so many young children are becoming obsessed with dieting and their
weight? I feel the family environment has a lot to do with it, along with the fact
that children are constantly being exposed to the message society gives about the
importance of being thin.
Children raised in a dysfunctional family are at a higher risk for developing
an eating disorder. In a home where physical or sexual abuse is taking place, the
child may turn to an eating disorder to gain a sense of control. If they can’t
control what is happening to their bodies during the abuse, they can control their
food intake or their weight. Self imposed starvation may also be their way of trying
to disappear so they no longer have to suffer through the abuse.
Children may also develop eating disorders as a way of dealing with the many
emotions that they feel, especially if they are raised in a home that does not
allow feelings to be expressed. Children who are compulsive eaters are usually
using food to help them deal with feelings of anger, sadness, hurt, loneliness,
abandonment, fear and pain. If children are not allowed to express their emotions,
they may become emotional eaters. Also, if parents are too involved in their own
problems, the child may turn to food for comfort.
Children are at a risk for developing an eating disorder if the parents
themselves are too preoccupied with appearance and weight. If the parents are
constantly dieting and expressing dislike towards their own bodies, the child will
receive the message that appearance is very important. In some families the parents
mistake baby fat for actual fat and may try to impose a diet on the child. Not
only is that not right, it’s cruel.
As parents you need to set a good example for your children, which means that
you yourself should be involved in healthy eating patterns. Another thing to
remember about children is that they eat when they are hungry and they stop when
they are full. Never force a child to eat if they don’t want to. Too many families
still force children to remain at the table until they have eaten everything on
their plate. Doing that could cause the child to hate meal times and develop an
unhealthy attitude towards food.
Exercise is also an important part of everyone’s life and we need to help our
children become involved in physical activity, which means the parents themselves
should participate in healthy exercise. Help the child to find activities they
enjoy and activities the whole family can enjoy. They should be taught that physical
activity is important in maintaining a strong and healthy body, but they should
not be given the message that exercise is important in maintaining a slim figure.
1. What kind of message does the society give to the children who are becoming
obsessed with dieting and their weight?
A. It is important to be thin.
diet.
B. It is fashionable to have
C. It’s a shame that children are being robbed of their childhoods.
D. It’s a shame that children are developing eating disorders.
2. Why are Children raised in a home where physical or sexual abuse is taking place
at a higher risk for developing an eating disorder?
A. They may try to regain a sense of self-control in the way of controlling their
food intake or their weight.
B. They are actually very hungry during the abuse so they have to eat a lot when
they are free.
C. They are not allowed to express their emotions in family of this kind.
D. They are forced to eat a lot by their parents in this kind of families.
3. Which of the following is the suggestion that the author gives to the parents?
A. Parents must encourage the children to express their feelings.
B. Parents must be deeply involved in their children’s problems.
C. Parents must pay more attention to their outlook to show their children the
importance of appearance and weight.
D. Parents must teach their children to eat everything in their plates.
4. When the children are doing body exercises, the parents should NOT________.
A. explain the importance of physical activity in keeping people shaped and slim
B. also take part in the activities by themselves
C. try to find out activities that are suitable for the children
D. encourage the children to participate in physical activities
5. The passage mainly talks about__________.
A. the general situation of eating disorders in the group of children
B. the reason why children are suffered from eating disorders
C. the steps parents should take to prevent their children from eating disorders
D. all of the above
Text B
In recent years American society has become increasingly dependent on its
universities to find solutions to its major problems. It is the universities
that have been charged with the principal responsibility for developing the
expertise to place men on the moon; for dealing with our urban problems and with
our deteriorating environment; for developing the means to feed the world’s
rapidly increasing population. The effort involved in meeting these demands
presents its own problems. In addition, this concentration on the creation of
new knowledge significantly impinges on the universities’ efforts to perform
their other principal functions, the transmission and interpretation of
knowledge ---- the imparting of the heritage of the past and the preparing of
the next generation to carry it forward.
With regard to this, perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task,
colleges and universities today find themselves in a serious bind generally.
On the one hand, there is the American commitment, entered into especially since
World War II, to provide higher education for all young people who can profit
from it. The result of the commitment has been a dramatic rise in enrollments
in our universities, coupled with a radical shift from the private to the public
sector of higher education. On the other hand, there are serious and continuing
limitations on the resources available for higher education.
While higher education has become a great “growth industry”, it is also
simultaneously a tremendous drain on the resources of the nation. With the vast
increase in enrollment and the shift in priorities away from education in state
and federal budgets, there is in most of our public institutions a significant
decrease in per capita outlay for their students. One crucial aspect of this
drain on resources lies in the persistent shortage of trained faculty, which
has led, in turn, to a declining standard of competence in instruction.
Intensifying these difficulties is, as indicated above, the concern with
research, with its competing claims on resources and the attention of the faculty.
In addition, there is a strong tendency for the institutions’ organization and
functioning to conform to the demands of research rather than those of teaching.
6. According to the author, ________ is the most important function of
institutions of higher education.
A. creating new knowledge
B. providing solutions to social problems
C. making experts on sophisticated industries out of their students
D. preparing their students to transmit inherited knowledge
7. According to the passage, one of the causes for the difficulties of American
higher education is that _________.
A. the government has stopped giving public institutions as much financial
support as it used to
B. America has always been encouraging young people to go to college
C. many public institutions have replaced private ones
D. the government only finances such researches as that or placing man on the
moon
8. The phrase “impinge on” in paragraph 1 most probably means __________.
A. promote
B. rely on
C. have an impact on
D. block
9. A serious outcome brought out by the shortage of resources is that _________.
A. many public institutions have to cut down enrollments of students
B. teachers are not qualified enough for satisfactory performances in classes
C. some institutions have to reduce the expences on research
D. there is keen competition for resources and attention of faculty between
public and private institution
10. Which of the following statements is not true?
A. American society has failed to provide these institutions with adequate
resources to meet their needs.
B. Though in difficulty, these institutions are determined to fulfil both
research and teaching functions.
C. American society has relied too much on their institutions of higher
education to allow them for easy adjustment to all their functions.
D. More resources and efforts of faculty are needed for research work than
teaching work.
Text C
The concept of obtaining fresh water from icebergs that are towed to populated
areas and arid regions of the world was once treated as a joke more appropriate
to cartoons than real life. But now it is being considered quite seriously by
many nations, especially since scientists have warned that the human race will
outgrow its fresh water supply faster than it runs out of food.
Glaciers are a possible source of fresh water that have been overlooked until
recently. Three-quarters of the Earth’s fresh water supply is still tied up
in glacial ice, a reservoir of untapped fresh water so immense that it could
sustain all the rivers of the world for 1,000 years. Floating on the oceans every
year are 7,659 trillion metric tons of ice encased in 10,000 icebergs that break
away from the polar ice caps, more than ninety percent of them from Antarctica.
Huge glaciers that stretch over the shallow continental shelf give birth to
icebergs throughout the year. Icebergs are not like sea ice, which is formed
when the sea itself freezes; rather, they are formed entirely on land, breaking
off when glaciers spread over the sea. As they drift away from the polar region,
icebergs sometimes move mysteriously in a direction opposite to the wind, pulled
by subsurface currents. Because they melt more slowly than smaller pieces of
ice, icebergs have been known to drift as far north as 35 degrees south of the
equator in the Atlantic Ocean. To corral them and steer them to parts of the
world where they are needed would not be too difficult.
The difficulty arises in other technical matters, such as the prevention of
rapid melting in warmer climates and the funneling of fresh water to shore in
great volume. But even if the icebergs lost half of their volume in towing, the
water they could provide would be far cheaper than that produced by desalination,
or removing salt from water.
11. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The movement of glaciers
water
C. Future water shortages
rivers
B. Icebergs as a source of fresh
D. The future of the world’s
12. The word “it” in paragraph 1, sentence 2 refers to
A. an iceberg that is towed
icebergs
C. the population of arid areas
B.obtaining fresh water from
D. real life
13. According to the author, most of the world’s fresh water is to be found in
D.
C. glaciers
A. oceans
reservoirs
B. rivers
14. How are icebergs formed?