第 1 页 共 13 页 电子科技大学 2016 年攻读硕士学位研究生入学考试试题 考试科目 : 621 英语水平测试 注：无机读卡，所有答案必须写在 答题纸上 ， 写在试卷或草稿纸上无效。 Part I Reading Comprehension (40 points) Directions: In this part there are 5 passages, each with some questions or incomplete statements. Read them carefully and then choose from the four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D to answer the questions or complete the statements. Please write your answers on the Answer Sheet. Passage 1 Historians of the American civil war find themselves in the same unenviable position as Shakespeare scholars: so thoroughly have their fields of study been explored that finding a nearly virgin comer is all but impossible. But Don Doyle has broken new ground in enlightening and compellingly written book, The Cause of All Nations. More than any previous study, it tells the story of how Americas civil war was perceived, debated and reacted to abroad, and how that reaction shaped the course of the war at home. At the wars outset, however, things were not so simple. Southern diplomats framed their struggle in accordance with liberal principles of self-determination. They judged the conflict, Mr. Doyle notes, to be “one arising naturally between industrial and agricultural societies, not freedom and slavery as the North believed.” The Norths response, meanwhile, was uncompromising, legalistic and violent. Americas secretary of state threatened to “wrap the whole world in flames”, promising total war on any state that dared aid the South. Most histories of the civil war turn inward at the end and examine the wars consequences and legacy for America. Mr. Doyle turns outward to show how important Americas civil war was to the rest of the wor1d: liberty and democracy defeated slavery and the landed gentry. The Unions victory had wider impacts. In Spain, Queen Isabella, fearing American naval power, ended the attempted re-colonization of Santo Domingo. Ulysses Grant, a civil-war general, turned his military attention to Mexico, where Napoleon III had installed an Austrian, Maximilian, as emperor. When the threat of an alliance between France and the South was smashed, Napoleon withdrew his support and in 1867 Maximilian was executed by Mexican troops. Across the ocean, Britains republicans marched to victory that same year. Democracy had not just survived, but flourished. After Lincolns death, a French newspaper wrote that he “represented the cause of democracy in the largest and the most universal understanding of the word. That cause is our cause, as much as it is that of the United States.” In honor of the Unions victory a French artist crafted a statue out of 第 2 页 共 13 页 copper sheeting, a figure representing freedom, tall and proud, holding a torch high. The Statue of Liberty stands today in New York harbor, the copper now green with age, her gaze fixed across the Atlantic on Europe. 1. Shakespeare is mentioned in the first paragraph to illustrate that _. A. the civil war has been studied as extensively as possible B. the civil war and Shakespeares works are known worldwide C. new discoveries are easy concerning the cause of the civil war D. historians of the civil war should learn from Shakespeare 2. The book entitled The Cause of All Nations is focused on _. A. the consequences of the civil war for America B. the impact of the civil war on other countries C. the political difference between the North and South D. factors that caused the outbreak of the civil war 3. The North regarded the civil war as a war _. A. between the government and people B. between salves and slave-owners C. between freedom and slavery D. between industrial and agricultural states 4. Paragraph Four is mainly concerned with _. A. the effect of incidents abroad on the civil war B. numerous conflicts between European countries C. contributions of Europeans to the Unions victory D. effects of the Unions victory on other countries Passage 2 Milankovitch proposed in the early twentieth century that the ice ages were caused by variations in the Earths orbit around the Sun. For some time this theory was considered untestable, largely because there was no sufficiently precise chronology of the ice ages with which the orbital variations could be matched. To establish such a chronology it is necessary to determine the relative amounts of land ice that existed at various times in the Earths past. A recent discovery makes such a determination possible: relative land-ice volume for a given period can be deduced from the ratio of two oxygen isotopes, 16 and 18, found in ocean sediments. Almost all the oxygen in water is oxygen 16, but a few molecules out of every thousand incorporate the heavier isotope 18. When an ice age begins, the continental ice sheets grow, steadily reducing the amount of water evaporated from the ocean that will eventually return to it. Because heavier isotopes tend to be left behind when water evaporates from the ocean surfaces, the remaining ocean water becomes progressively enriched in oxygen 18. The degree of enrichment can be determined by analyzing ocean sediments of the period, because these sediments are composed of calcium carbonate shells of marine organisms, shells that were constructed with oxygen atoms drawn from the surrounding ocean. The higher the ratio of oxygen 18 to oxygen 16 in a sedimentary specimen, the more land ice there was when the sediment was laid down. As an indicator of shifts in the Earths climate, the isotope record has two advantages. First, it is 第 3 页 共 13 页 a global record: there is remarkably little variation in isotope ratios in sedimentary specimens taken from different continental locations. Second, it is a more continuous record than that taken from rocks on land. Because of these advantages, sedimentary evidence can be dated with sufficient accuracy by radiometric methods to establish a precise chronology of the ice ages. The dated isotope record shows that the fluctuations in global ice volume over the past several hundred thousand years have a pattern: an ice age occurs roughly once every 100,000 years. These data have established a strong connection between variations in the Earths orbit and the periodicity of the ice ages. However, it is important to note that other factors, such as volcanic particulates or variations in the amount of sunlight received by the Earth, could potentially have affected the climate. The advantage of the Milankovitch theory is that it is testable; changes in the Earths orbit can be calculated and dated by applying Newtons laws of gravity to progressively earlier configurations of the bodies in the solar system. Yet the lack of information about other possible factors affecting global climate does not make them unimportant. 5. In the passage, the author is primarily interested in _. A. suggesting an alternative to an outdated research method B. presenting a theory and describing a new method to test that theory C. introducing a new research method that calls an accepted theory into question D. emphasizing the instability of data gathered from the application of a new scientific method 6. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about the Milankovitch theory? A. It is not a plausible explanation for the ice ages, although it has opened up promising possibilities for future research. B. It is too limited to provide a plausible explanation for the ice ages, despite recent research findings. C. It is one plausible explanation, though not the only one, for the ice ages. D. It cannot be tested and confirmed until further research on volcanic activity is done. 7. It can be inferred from the passage that the isotope record taken from ocean sediments would be less useful to researchers if which of the following were true? A. It indicated that climate shifts did not occur every 100,000 years. B. It stretched back for only a million years. C. It indicated that lighter isotopes of oxygen predominated at certain times. D. It had far more gaps in its sequence than the record taken from rocks on land. 8. It can be inferred from the passage that precipitation formed from evaporated ocean water has _. A. less oxygen 18 than does ocean water B. the same isotopic ratio as ocean water C. less oxygen 18 than has the ice contained in continental ice sheets D. more oxygen 16 than has precipitation formed from fresh water 9. It can be inferred from the passage that calcium carbonate shells _. A. reflect the isotopic composition of the water at the time the shells were formed 第 4 页 共 13 页 B. contain radioactive material that can be used to determine a sediments isotopic composition C. are less common in sediments formed during an ice age D. are found only in areas that were once covered by land ice Passage 3 No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. “Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?” Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week, “You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?” At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. Its a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line. At the core of this debate is Chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the companys mountainous debt, which will increase to $ 17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently. The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the companys rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-Ts violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. “The test of any democratic society”, he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, “lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We wont retreat in the face of any threats.” Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last months stockholders meeting. Levin asserted that music is not the cause of societys ills and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the balanced struggle between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music. The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. “Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited,” says Luce. “I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this.” 10. Senator Robert Dole criticized Time Warner for _. A. its raising of the corporate stock price B. its emphasis on creative freedom C. its neglect of social responsibility D. its self-examination of soul 11. In face of the recent attacks on the company, the chairman _. A. stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression 第 5 页 共 13 页 B. softened his tone and adopted some new policy C. changed his attitude and yielded to objection D. received more support from the 15-member board 12. The best title for this passage could be _. A. A Debate on Moral Decline B. A Company under Fire C. A Lawful Outlet of Street Culture D. A Form of Creative Freedom Passage 4 Industrial production managers coordinate the resources and activities required to produce millions of goods every year in the United States. Although their duties vary from plant to plant, industrial production managers share many of the same major responsibilities. These responsibilities include production scheduling, staffing, procurement and maintenance of equipment, equality control, inventory control, and the coordination of production activities with those of other department. The primary mission of industrial production managers is planning the production schedule within budgetary limitations and time constraints. They do this by analyzing the plants personnel and capital resources to select the best way of meeting the production quota. Industrial production managers determine, often using mathematical formulas, which machines will be used, whether new machines need to be purchased, whether overtime of extra shifts are necessary, and what the sequence of production will be. They monitor the production run to make sure that it stays on schedule and correct any problems that may arise. Industrial production managers also must monitor product standards. When quality drops below the established standard, they must determine why standards are not being maintained and how to improve the product. If the problem relates to the quality of work performed in the plant, the manager may implement better training programs, reorganize the manufacturing process, or institute employee suggestion or involvement programs. If the cause is substandard materials, the manager works with the purchasing department to improve the quality of the products components. Because the work of many departments is interrelated, managers work closely with heads of other departments such as sales, procurement, and logistics to plan and implement company goals, policies, and procedures. For example, the production manager works with the procurement department to ensure that plant inventories are maintained at their optimal level. This is vital to a firms operation because maintaining the inventory of materials necessary for production ties up the firms financial resources, yet insufficient quantities cause delays in production. A breakdown in communications between the production manager and the purchasing department can cause slowdowns and a failure to meet production schedules. Just-in-time production techniques have reduced inventory levels, making constant communication among the manager, suppliers, and purchasing departments even more important. Computers play an integral part in this coordination. They also are used to provide up-to-date inf