2003 年广东外语外贸大学英语写作与翻译考研真题 Task 1: Summary Writing (40%) Directions: Read carefully the following passage and summarize its contents in 100-120 words. Note that you must not copy complete sentences directly from the original. Failure to do so would incur deduction of your scores. Passage： It wouldn’t be quite true to say that “some of my best friends are hunters.” Still, I do number among my respected acquaintances some who not only kill for the sake of killing but count it among their keenest pleasures. And I can think of no better illustration of the fact that men may be separated at some point by fathomless abyss yet share elsewhere much common ground. To me, it is inconceivable that anyone can think an animal more interesting dead than alive, I can also easily prove, to my own satisfaction, that killing “for sport” is the perfect type of that pure evil for which metaphysicians have sometimes sought. Most wicked deeds are done because the doer proposes some good for himself. The liar lies to gain some end; the swindler and the thief want things which, if honestly got, might be good in themselves. Even the murderer is usually removing some impediment to normal desires. Though all of these are selfish or unscrupulous, their deeds are not gratuitously evil. But the killer for sport seems to have no such excusable motive. He seems merely to prefer death to life, darkness to light. He seems to get nothing other than the satisfaction of saying: “ Something which wanted to live is dead. Because I can bring terror and agony, I assure myself that I have power. Because of me there is that much less vitality, consciousness and perhaps joy in the universe. I am the spirit that denies.”When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man, we call him “Vandal.” When he wantonly destroys one of the works of God, we call him “Sportsman.” The hunter-for-food may be as wicked and as misguided as vegetarians sometimes say, but he does not kill for the sake of killing. The ranchers and the farmers who exterminate all living things not immediately profitable to them may sometimes be working against their own best interests; but whether they are or not, they hope to achieve some supposed good by the exterminations, if to do evil, not in the hope of gain but for evil’s sake, involves the deepest guilt by which man can be stained, then killing for killing’s sake is a terrifying phenomenon and as strong a proof as we could have of the “reality of evil” with which present-day theologians are again concerned. Some of my acquaintances enjoy killing for sport. Although we share a lot in common, I cannot agree with them on this point because I think killing for sport is evil. 

Usually, people do something bad in the hope of gaining some good. Thus no matter how selfish and evil their behaviors are, they have some forgivable motivations. However, the killer for sport kills purely for killing’s sake and brings only terror but nothing else to others and himself. Killing for sport differs from killing for food by hunters or killing for other supposed interests by ranchers in the purposes of killing. While the latter two aim to gain something from killing, the former is for the sake of killing. Task 2: Interpretation of Graphical Information and essay writing (60%) Directions: The relationship between the degree of participation in physical exercises during senior high school years and academic achievements after graduation is investigated. The results of investigation are presented in the following table. Write an essay to describe and discuss the findings. You should also draw your own conclusions based on the information given in the table. The Relation Between Physical Exercises and Academic Achievements From the graph we can see that three groups, eight people each group, of subjects have been investigated. Among the group of subjects who always took part in physical exercises during senior high school years, seven became postgraduates and one undergraduate. Six subjects from the group who sometimes participate in physical exercises became undergraduate students. Two from the same group failed to matriculate in university and none became postgraduate. From the group that never did any exercises six people failed to enter university and one became postgraduate and one undergraduate. After analyzing the findings, we may infer that students who exercise most frequently in senior school years are most likely to obtain high academic achievements, while students who never did any exercises probably will fail to enter university. The degree of participation in physical exercises seems to be directly proportional to the level of academic achievements. The reasons are as follows. In the long run people who often exercise usually enjoy good health and lead regular lives, both of which are necessary for academic pursuit. Further, since they can persevere in exercises, they also tend to be persevering in other aspects of life, including studies. In contrast, those who spend little time on physical exercises probably will suffer from poor health, which inevitably hinder their academic progress. However, as every rule has its exception, there is one subject who never did any exercises but still did well in studies and became postgraduate. Perhaps, he/she spent most of the time that should have been spent on exercises on studies. If this is the case, the price for his/her academic achievements may be high for he/she might have sacrificed his/her health for it. In conclusion, physical exercises, which are closely related to bodily and mental health, exert great influence over one’s academic achievements. 

Task 3: Essay Writing (40%) Directions: Based on the assumption that the younger one starts to learn a foreign language, the higher the proficiency one would achieve ultimately, the provincial government of Guangdong has decided that in five years’ time, English course should be offered from Grade One in all primary schools of the Province, be they in cities or in rural areas. Write an essay of 500-600 words unequivocally expressing your stand on this issue. Whatever position you take, make sure to justify your decision. Give a title to your essay. Task 4: Translation (50%) (1) Directions: Translate the following paragraph from English into Chinese. And speaking of freedom, is not the author free, as few men are free? Is he not secure, as few men are secure? The tools of his industry are so common and so cheap that they have almost ceased to have commercial value. He needs no bulky pile of raw material, no elaborate apparatus, no service of men or animals. He is dependent for his occupation upon no one but himself, and nothing outside him that matters. He is the sovereign of an empire, self supporting, self-contained… No one can deprive him of his stock in trade; no one can force him to exercise his faculty against his will; no one can prevent him exercising it as he chooses. The pen is the great liberator of men and nations. No chains can bind, no poverty can choke, no tariff can restrict the free play of his mind… (2) Directions: Translate the following paragraph from Chinese into English 王冕见天色晚了，牵了牛回去。自此，聚的钱不买书了，托人向城里买些胭脂铅粉之类， 学画荷花。初时画得不好，画到三个月之后，那荷花精神颜色无一不像，只多着一张纸， 就像是湖里长的；又像才从湖里摘下来贴在纸上的。乡间人见画得好，也有拿钱来买的。 王冕得了钱，买些好东西，孝敬母亲。一传两，两传三，诸暨一县都晓得是一个画没骨花 卉的名家，争着来买。