学科、专业名称： 英语笔译
考试科目名称： 翻译硕士英语
注意事项 1.试题共 8 页。
2.答案必须写在答题纸上，写明题号，不用抄题。
3.试题与答题纸一并交上。
4.须用蓝、黑色钢笔或签字笔作答，字迹清楚。
I. Vocabulary and grammar (30 points)
Multiple choice
Directions: Beneath each sentence there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. Mark your answers on the answer sheet.
1. The artistic _____ Gilbert devoted his life to the completion of a great masterpiece.
A. hypocrite B. zealot C. inmate D. kinsman
2. The new nurse was _____; she did not really care about her work.
A. telltale B. peripheral C. perfunctory D. temporal
3. More often than not, it is difficult to _____ the exact meaning of a Chinese idiom in English.
A. transfer B. exchange C. convert D. convey
4. The sun was shining straight in her eyes which made her _____.
A. deploy B. squint C. mystify D. engender
5. He refused to _____ the door key to the landlady until he got back his deposit.
A. hand down B. hand out C. hand over D. hand in
6. The discovery of new oil-fields in various parts of the country filled the government with _____ hope.
A. ceaseless B. everlasting C. eternal D. infinite
7. The car was in good working _____ when I bought it a few months ago.
A. form B. state C. order D. circumstance
8. It will take us twenty minutes to get to the railway station, _____ traffic delays.
A. accounting for B. affording C. acknowledging D. allowing for
9. The airline _____ me for the amount they had overcharged me.
A. reinstated B. reimbursed C. remitted D. bartered
10. Police held 10 suspected illegal immigrants after a _____ on a German Lorry.
A. valor B. swoop C. vantage D. serenade
11. For some time now, world leaders _____ out the necessity for agreement on arms reduction.
A. were pointing B. pointed
C. had been pointing D. have been pointing
12. _____ the question of how the president would present the joint announcement.
A. More serious was B. More serious of
C. It was more serious D. Of it was more serious
13. His strong sense of humor was _____ make everyone in the room burst out laughing.
A. so that B. such that C. so as to D. such as to
14. The weather may not be fine tomorrow, in _____ case we’ll have to put the trip off.
A. this B. that C. whose D. which
15. Time _____, the celebration will be held as scheduled.
A. permit B. permitting C. permitted D. permits
16. _____, I’ll marry him all the same.
A. Was he rich or poor B. Whether rich or poor
C. Be he rich or poor D. Were he rich or poor
17. My Scottish friend says there is _____ monster in Edinburgh.
A. no such a thing as a B. no such a thing as
C. no such thing as D. no such thing as a
18. The statistics _____ that living standards in the area have improved drastically in recent times.
A. prove B. is proving C. are proving D. proves
19. Alice is _____ than Susan.
A. more experienced teacher B. more experienced a teacher
C. more an experienced teacher D. a more experienced teacher
20. _____ he wanted to go out with his friends at the weekend, he had to stay behind to finish his assignment.
A. Much though B. As much C. Much as D. Though much
II. Reading comprehension (40 points)
Section 1 Multiple choice (20 points)
Directions: In this section there are two passages followed by multiple choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on the answer sheet.
Passage A
Despite Denmark’s manifest virtues, Danes never talk about how proud they are to be Danes. This would sound weird in Danish. When Danes talk to foreigners about Denmark, they always begin by commenting on its tininess, its unimportance, the difficulty of its language, the general small-mindedness and self-indulgence of their countrymen and the high taxes. No Dane would look you in the eye and say, “Denmark is a great country.” You’re supposed to figure this out for yourself.
It is the land of the silk safety net, where almost half the national budget goes toward smoothing out life’s inequalities, and there is plenty of money for schools, day care, retraining programmes, job seminars-Danes love seminars: three days at a study centre hearing about waste management is almost as good as a ski trip. It is a culture bombarded by English, in advertising, pop music, the Internet, and despite all the English that Danish absorbs — there is no Danish Academy to defend against it — old dialects persist in Jutland that can barely be understood by Copenhageners. It is the land where, as the saying goes, “Few have too much and fewer have too little,” and a foreigner is struck by the sweet egalitarianism that prevails, where the lowliest clerk gives you a level gaze, where Sir and Madame have disappeared from common usage, even Mr. and Mrs. It’s a nation of recyclers — about 55 % of Danish garbage gets made into something new — and no nuclear power plants. It’s a nation of tireless planner. Trains run on time. Things operate well in general.
Such a nation of overachievers — a brochure from the Ministry of Business and Industry says, “Denmark is one of the world’s cleanest and most organized countries, with virtually no pollution, crime, or poverty. Denmark is the most corruption-free society in the Northern Hemisphere.” So, of course, one’s heart lifts at any sighting of Danish sleaze: skinhead graffiti on buildings (“Foreigners Out of Denmark!”), broken beer bottles in the gutters, drunken teenagers slumped in the park.
Nonetheless, it is an orderly land. You drive through a Danish town, it comes to an end at a stone wall, and on the other side is a field of barley, a nice clean line: town here, country there. It is not a nation of jay-walkers. People stand on the curb and wait for the red light to change, even if it’s 2 a.m. and there’s not a car in sight. However, Danes don’t think of themselves as a waiting-at-2-a.m.-for-the-green-light people- that’s how they see Swedes and Germans. Danes see themselves as jazzy people, improvisers, more free spirited than Swedes, but the truth is (though one should not say it) that Danes are very much like Germans and Swedes. Orderliness is a main selling point. Denmark has few natural resources, limited manufacturing capability; its future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, and distributor of goods. You send your goods by container ship to Copenhagen, and these bright, young, English-speaking, utterly honest, highly disciplined people will get your goods around to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia. Airports, seaports, highways, and rail lines are ultramodern and well-maintained.
The orderliness of the society doesn’t mean that Danish lives are less messy or lonely than yours or mine, and no Dane would tell you so. You can hear plenty about bitter family feuds and the sorrows of alcoholism and about perfectly sensible people who went off one day and killed themselves. An orderly society can not exempt its members from the hazards of life.
But there is a sense of entitlement and security that Danes grow up with. Certain things are yours by virtue of citizenship, and you shouldn’t feel bad for taking what you’re entitled to, you’re as good as anyone else. The rules of the welfare system are clear to everyone, the benefits you get if you lose your job, the steps you take to get a new one; and the orderliness of the system makes it possible for the country to weather high unemployment and social unrest without a sense of crisis.
1. Which of the following is NOT a Danish characteristic cited in the passage?
A. Equality in society. B. Persistent planning.
C. Linguistic tolerance. D. Fondness of foreign culture.
2. The author’s reaction to the statement by the Ministry of Business and Industry is _____.
A. noncommittal B. doubtful C. disapproving D. approving
3. The author thinks that Danes adopt a ___ attitude towards their country.
A. boastful B. deprecating C. mysterious D. modest
4. At the end of the passage the author states all the following EXCEPT that _____.
A. Danes take for granted what is given to them
B. the open system helps to tide the country over
C. orderliness has alleviated unemployment
D. Danes are clearly informed of their social benefits
5. According to the passage, Danish orderliness _____.
A. is considered economically essential to the country
B. prevents Danes from acknowledging existing troubles
C. sets the people apart from Germans and Swedes
D. spares Danes social troubles besetting other people
Passage B
This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one’s parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Singapore Government.
That does not mean it hasn’t generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family: cynics dubbed it the “Sue Your Son’’ law.
Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality proves insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to shore it up.
Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the end of the century that figure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 26%. The problem is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.
But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fall through the holes in any safety net.
Traditionally, a person’s insurance against poverty in his old age was his family, lifts is not a revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one’s parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.
The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one’s parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.
In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren’t getting relatives’ support? They have several options: (a) get a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public assistance (you have to be destitute to apply); or (c) starve quietly. None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?
The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.
Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill’s effect would be far more subtle.
First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual’s — not society’s — responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It reinforces the traditional values and it doesn’t hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.
Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, clergymen or the Ministry of Community Development to help get financial support from his children, the most they could do was to mediate. But mediators have no teeth, and a child could simply ignore their pleas.
But to be sued by one’s parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace. Few people would be so thick-skinned as to say, “Sue and be damned”. The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the recalcitrant son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.
It would be nice to think Singapore doesn’t need this kind of law. But that belief ignores the clear demographic trends and the effect of affluence itself on traditional bends. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the firs t place.
6. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A. Fathers have legal obligations to look after their children.
B. The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.
C. It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.
D. Filial responsibility in Singapore is enforced by law.
7. The Maintenance of Parents Bill _____.
A. was intended to substitute for traditional values in Singapore
B. was passed to make the young more responsible to the old
C. received unanimous support in the Singapore Parliament
D. was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor
8. The author thinks that if the Bill becomes law, its effect would be _____.
A. apparent B. straightforward C. indirect D. unnoticed
9. At the end of the passage, the author seems to imply that success of the Bill depends upon _____.
A. government assurance B. filial awareness
C. strict enforcement D. public support
10. The author seems to suggest that traditional values _____.
A. are significant in helping the Bill get approved
B. are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness
C. are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children
D. play an insignificant role in solving social problems
Section 2 Answering questions (20 points)
Directions: Read the following passages and then answer IN COMPLETE SENTENCES the questions which follow each passage. Use only information from the passage you have just read and write your answer in the corresponding space in your answer sheet.
Question 1-3
Anthropologists believe that laughter dates back millions of years — we were laughing long before we were verbally communicating. Whether you speak Chinese, English or Swahili, a laugh or smile has virtually the same meaning all over the world.
Human beings love to laugh, and the average adult laughs 17 times a day. Humans love to laugh so much that there are actually industries built around laughter. Jokes, situation comedies and comedians are all designed to get us laughing, because laughing feels good. But why do we laugh? After all, it’s not exactly a trait we share with other animal species. Philosopher John Morreall believes that the first human laughter may have begun as a gesture of shared relief at the passing of danger. And since the relaxation that results from laughter inhibits the biological fight-or-light response, laughter may indicate trust in one's companions.
Many researchers believe that the purpose of laughter is related to making and strengthening human connections. Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter there is, the more bonding occurs within the group. This feedback “loop” of bonding-laughter-more bonding, combined with the common desire not to be singled out from the group, may be another reason why laughter is often contagious. We laugh 30 times as much when we’re with other people than we do when we are alone and laughing is not a solo activity.
Laughter is a great thing — that’s why we’ve all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” There is strong evidence that laughter can actually do a number of positive physical things to improve health and help fight diseases. Blood pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in blood flow and in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing. In addition, people often store negative emotions, such as anger, sadness and fear, rather than expressing them. Laughter provides a way for these emotions to be harmlessly released. That’s why some people who are upset or stressed out go to a funny movie or a comedy club, so they can laugh the negative emotions away. Otherwise, these negative emotions, when held inside, may cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies. What may surprise you even more is the fact that researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can be a total body workout!
1. How to understand the underlined part in the sentence “Humans love to laugh so much that there are actually industries built around laughter”?
2. What is said about the communicative functions of laughter?
3. Explain in your own words why laughter is generally believed to be the best medicine?
Questions 4-5
The term “Industrial Revolution” describes the process of economic change from a stable agricultural and commercial society to the modern industrial society which is dependent on the use of machinery rather than hand tools. While the process was historically a gradual one and not the sudden change which the word "revolution" suggests, the economic, social, and political results were indeed revolutionary.
Basically, it meant the change from hand work to machine power — made possible by the use of steam for power through the perfection of the improved steam engine of James Watt in 1769, which made Thomas Newcomen’s invention of 1708 practical for industrial use. The domestic system of production (goods produced in many homes and gathered for sale by a middleman) was replaced by the factory system. Coupled with the technological England, were the equally significant technological improvements in agriculture.
Historically, the first stage of the Industrial Revolution began slowly about 1760, gathered momentum after 1815, and extended into the 1870s, with the main source of power being the steam engine. Profits for the capitalists came from the manufacturing process itself, in contrast to the Commercial Revolution when profits had come chiefly from the transportation of goods. Coal replaced wood as fuel, and iron machines replaced wooden machines.
Later, the second stage of the Industrial Revolution set in during the 1870s and extended to 1914 — brought about by a new source of power, electricity, from Michael Faraday’s dynamo of 1831. Characteristic of this stage was the adoption of mass production techniques and the development of finance capitalism, with profits derived from the investment of finance capital rather than from the manufacturing process alone, as in the formation of the United States Steel Corporation in 1901. It was in this second stage that the swift industrialization and urbanization of western Europe and the United States took place.
4. What is “Industrial Revolution”?
5. Give a brief introduction of the history of the Industrial Revolution.
III. Writing (30 points)
Looks are not everything as the saying goes. Or are they? Write a composition of about 400 words on the following topic:
Do Looks Really Count?
