吉林大学2012年博士英语真题

吉林大学2012年博士英语真题

Part I: Vocabulary and Structure (30%)

Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.

1. Language, culture, and personality may be considered ____ of each other in thought, but they are inseparable in fact.

2. The work was done in the ____ of reforms in the economic, social and cultural spheres.

3. The dean tried to retain control of the situation on campus, but his attempt was ____ by the board of trustees.

4. Some journalists are found of overstating the situations so that their news may create a great ____.

5. There was little, if any, evidence to substantiate the gossip and, ____ there was little to disprove it.

6. Every chemical change either results from energy being used to produce the change, or causes energy to be       ____ in some form.

7. The United Nation Law of the Sea Conference would soon produce an ocean-mining treaty following its       ____ declaration in 1970 that oceans were the heritage of mankind.

8. This growth in the ____ of diabetes is due, in part, to an increase in obesity.

9. Preliminary estimation puts the figure at around $110 billion, ____ the $160 billion the President is struggling to get through the Congress.

10. France’s ____ of nuclear testing in the South Pacific last month triggered political debates and mass demonstrations.

11. The ____ of a natural phenomenon is usually a logical consequence of some physical aspect in the life style of the people.

12. Reading ____ the mind only with materials of knowledge, it is thinking that makes what we read ours.

13. Previous studies provoked ____ because the used patients whose diagnosis was questionable.

14. Although the model looks good on the surface, it will not bear close ____.

15. I never said anything like that at all. You are purposely  my ideas to prove your points.

16. To survive in the intense trade competition between countries, companies must ____ the qualities and varieties of their products to the world-market demand.

17. I was unaware of the critical points involved, so my choice was quite ____.

18. An important property of a scientific theory is its ability to ____ further research and further thinking about a particular topic.

19. All the off-shore oil explorers were in high spirits as they read ____ letters from their families.

20. Whoever formulated the theory of the origin of the universe, it is just ____ and needs proving.

21. The ceremony will ____ as soon as the president arrives.

22. The barbarous aggressors grew more and more ____ in slaughtering people and burning down their houses.

23. Some of the words employed by Shakespeare in his works have become ____ and are no longer used in the present days.

24. Because of the economic slowdown, the government changed its policy to ____ revenue by limiting commerce.

25. The spectators in the stadium cheered up when they saw hundreds of colorful balloons slowly ____ into the sky.

26. An increasing proportion of our population, unable to live without advanced medical ____, will become progressively more reliant on expensive technology.

27. Several international events in the early 1990s seem likely to ____, or at least weaken, the trends that emerged in the 1980s.

28. Foreign disinvestments and the ____ of South Africa from world capital markets after 1985 further weakened its economy.

29. We are moving towards a more ____ about who their new teacher would be when the bell rang for their first class in the new semester.

Part II: Cloze Test

Directions: There are twenty blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.

New research from Australia supports the belief that many pet owners have — it shows that pets are good for your health. The [31] ____ of this new study suggest that people who have pets are [32] ____ less risk from heart disease than [33] ____ who do not.

Ironically, this [34] ____ study on pets was intended to [35] ____ the myth that pets are good for your health. Earlier research [36] ____ the benefits of owning pets received a lot of [37] ____, but the results were not good enough to [38] ____ the more skeptical doctors. The new research was carried [39] ____ over three years and examined 6000 people, the largest group yet involved in [40] ____ a study. They took tests that measured a [41] ____ of different factors known to be [42] ____ in heart disease — [43] ____ and blood levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. [44] ____, people were asked about their lifestyles.

The 800 people who owned pets had [45] ____ levels on each of the factors [46] ____ than those who did not own pets. The differences were even greater than those found in similar studies on people who [47] ____ to vegetarian diets or took [48] ____ exercise. The study also showed that it did not matter [49] ____ kind of pet was owned — a cat was as good as a dog — so the benefits could not be attributed [50] ____ the exercise involved in walking a dog.

Part III: Reading Comprehension (60%)

Passage 1

When a disease of epidemic proportions rips into the populace, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of the affliction and find ways to combat it. Oftentimes, successes achieved, as medical science is able to isolate the parasite, germ or cell that causes the problem and finds ways to effectively kill or contain it. In the most serious of cases, in which the entire population of a region or country may be at grave risk, it is deemed necessary to protect the entire population through vaccination, so as to safeguard lives and ensure that the disease will not spread.

The process of vaccination allows the patient’s body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can fight it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, so that his body’s immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the disease’s defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patient’s immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. This makes sure that, should the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to deal with it, having already done so before.

There are dangers inherent in the process, however. On occasion, even the weakened version of the disease contained in the vaccine proves too much for the body to handle, resulting in the immune case of the smallpox vaccine, designed to eradicate the smallpox epidemic that nearly wiped out the entire Native American population and killed massive numbers of settlers. Approximately 1 in 10,000 people who receives the vaccine contract the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Thus, if the entire population of the United States were to receive the Smallpox Vaccine today, 3000 Americans would be left dead.

Fortunately, the smallpox virus was considered eradicated in the early 1970s, ending the mandatory vaccination of all babies in America. In the event of a re-introduction of the disease, however, mandatory vaccinations may resume, resulting in more unexpected deaths from vaccination. The process, which is truly a blessing, may indeed hide some hidden cures.

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

51. How do vaccines protect humans from diseases according to paragraph two?

A. By passing information on how to fight the disease to the disease.

B. By passing information on how to fight the disease to the immune system.

C. By weakening the disease so that the immune system can defeat it.

D. Introducing the disease to the body, so that survivors have already fought it.

52. What does the example of the smallpox vaccine illustrate?

A. The way that vaccines protect people from diseases.

B. The effectiveness of vaccines in eradicating certain diseases.

C. The practical use of a vaccine to control an epidemic disease.

D. The possible negative outcome of administering vaccines.

53. The author argues that vaccinations are both a blessing and a curse because ________.

A. saving the many would not necessarily justify the death of the few

B. some vaccines, such as the smallpox vaccine, have negative side effects

C. they don’t always work

D. while many lives are saved, some are actually killed by the vaccines

54. The best title for the passage would be ________.

A. The Smallpox Vaccine: An Analysis

B. How Vaccines Work

C. Vaccines: Methods and Implications

D. A Warning on the Negative Side Effects of Vaccines

55. The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A. convince the reader that vaccines are not as safe as many think.

B. educate the reader on how vaccines are used and some of their dangers.

C. educate the reader on the circumstances that would necessitate widespread vaccinations.

D. present the method by which vaccines are used through the case of the smallpox vaccine.

Passage 2

Few natural dangers are more feared than avalanches. Avalanches are a familiar part of European history, particularly in the Swiss and French Alps. This is where the direction of wars has turned almost instantly because of avalanches wiping out invading armies.

In North America, avalanches are limited almost entirely to the Rocky Mountains and the lower ranges to the west, the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades. Avalanches have occurred in the mountains of New England but not with the regularity and intensity seen in the western mountains.

Several methods are used in explaining and predicting avalanches. Scientists are learning about them using research methods. So many of the factors that create avalanches are hidden beneath the snow’s surface that predictions are still largely guesswork. Therefore, winter travelers must assume the worst of conditions when they traverse the slopes.

An avalanche occurs when a given amount of snow becomes too heavy for whatever is holding it in place. It then breaks loose and slides downhill.

Avalanches are divided into two general categories, loose snow and slab. A loose snow avalanche usually starts at a single point, such as a skier’s track, and spreads out like a fan or a pyramid in a chain reaction. One crystal breaks another free, which multiples as the loose snow moves downhill. Sometimes these avalanches stop after only a few feet. Sometimes they move thousands of tons of snow downhill in speeds up to 300 miles per hour. This creates a shock wave that can flatten parts of a forest that are not even touched by the actual avalanche.

Slab avalanches are those that have a wide area of snow which breaks loose in a large piece. These can range in size from just a few square feet to thousands of square feet of snow. The most dangerous and common type of avalanche for skiers is the so-called “soft slab” avalanche. This type occurs most often during, or just after a heavy snowfall. The snow hasn’t yet had a chance to settle and adhere to the temperature, the less likely the new snow will form a bond with the existing snow.

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

56. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Avalanches

B. The History of Avalanches

C. Skiers Beware

D. Avalanches Can Kill

57. According to the passage, how did avalanches affect wars?

A. They hid the armies approaching the city aiding in the attack.

B. They killed the armies approaching the city.

C. They blocked paths into the city.

D. They snow-blinded the approaching armies.

58. According to the passage, what must skiers assume about avalanches when skiing?

A. They only have to worry after a heavy snowfall.

B. Avalanches only occur in the Swiss or French Alps.

C. They should always expect that an avalanche will occur.

D. When skiing in New England, they will never have to worry about an avalanche.

59. According to the passage, when is the most dangerous time for skiers?

A. When the temperature is below 20 degrees F.

B. Right before a snowstorm.

C. During a snowstorm.

D. In the winter.

60. According to the passage, which factor causes an avalanche?

A. The slope of the mountain.

B. The size of the snowfall.

C. The amount and intensity of movement around the snowfall.

D. The weight of the snow.

Passage 3

Recent stories in the newspapers and magazines suggest that teaching and research contradict each other, that research plays too prominent a part in academic promotions, and that teaching is badly underemphasized. There is an element of truth in these statements, but they also ignore deeper and more important relationships.

Research experience is an essential element of hiring and promotion at a research university because it is the emphasis on research that distinguishes such a university from an arts college. Some professors, however, neglect teaching for research and that presents a problem.

Most research universities reward outstanding teaching, but the greatest recognition is usually given for achievements in research. Part of the reason is the difficulty of judging teaching. A highly responsible and tough professor is usually appreciated by top students who want to be challenged but disliked by those whose records are less impressive. The mild professor gets overall ratings that are usually high, but there is a sense of disappointment on the part of the best students, exactly those for whom the system should present the greatest challenges. Thus, a university trying to promote professors primarily on the basis of teaching qualities would have to confront this confusion.

As modern science moves faster, two forces are exerted on professors: one is the time needed to keep up with the profession; the other is the time needed to teach. The training of new scientists requires outstanding teaching at the research university as well as the arts college. Although scientists are usually “made” in the elementary schools, scientists can be “lost” by poor teaching at the college and graduate school levels. The solution is not to separate teaching and research but to recognize that the combination is difficult but vital. The title of professor should be given only to those who profess and it is perhaps time for universities to reserve it for those who profess and it is perhaps time for universities to reserve it for those willing to be an earnest part of the community of scholars. Professors unwilling to teach can be called “distinguished research investigators” of something else.

The pace of modern science makes it increasingly difficult to be a great researcher and a great teacher. Yet many are described in just those terms. Those who say we can separate teaching and research simply do not understand the system, but those who say the problem will disappear are not fulfilling their responsibilities.

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

61. What idea does the author want to convey in the first paragraph?

A. The relationship between teaching and research should not be simplified.

B. Teaching and research are contradictory.

C. Research can never be emphasized too much.

D. It is wrong to overestimate the importance of teaching.

62. In academic promotions research universities still attach more importance to research partly because ________.

A. research improves the quality of teaching

B. students who want to be challenged appreciate research professors

C. professors with achievements in research are usually responsible and tough

D. it is difficult to evaluate teaching quality objectively

63. According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following will the author probably agree with?

A. Distinguished professors at research universities should concentrate on research only.

B. It is of utmost importance to improve teaching in elementary schools in order to train new scientists.

C. The separation of teaching from research can lower the quality of future scientists.

D. The rapid development of modern science makes it impossible to combine teaching with research.

64. The title of professor should be given only to those who first and foremost do ________.

65. The phrase “the problem” (Para. 5) refers to ________.

A. raising the status of teaching

B. the separation of teaching from research

C. the combination of teaching with research

D. improving the status of research

Passage 4

Large companies need a way to reach the savings of the public at large. The same problem, on a smaller scale, faces practically every company trying to develop new products and create new jobs. There can be little prospect of raising the sort of sums needed from friends and people we know, and while banks may agree to provide short-term finance, they are generally unwilling to provide money on a permanent basis for long-term projects. So companies turn to the public, inviting people to lend them money, or take a share in the business in exchange for a share in future profits. This they do by issuing stocks and shares in the business through The Stock Exchange. By doing so, they can put into circulation the savings of individuals and institutions, both at home and overseas.

When the saver needs his money back, he does not have to go to the company with whom he originally placed it. Instead, he sells his shares through a stockbroker to some other saver who is seeking to invest his money.

Many of the services needed both by industry and by each of us are provided by the Government or by local authorities. Without hospitals, roads, electricity, telephones, railways, this country could not function. All these require continuous spending on new equipment and new development if they are to serve us properly, requiring more money than is raised through taxes alone. The Government, local authorities, and nationalized industries therefore frequently needed to borrow money to finance major capital spending, and they, too, come to The Stock Exchange.

There is hardly a man or woman in this country whose job or whose standard of living does not depend on the ability of his or her employers to raise money to finance new development. In one way or another, this new money must come from the savings of the country. The Stock Exchange exists to provide a channel through which these savings can reach those who need finance.

Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following passage.

66. Almost all companies involved in new production and development must ________.

A. rely on their financial resources

B. persuade the banks to provide long-term finance

C. borrow large sums of money from friends and people we know

D. depend on the population as a whole for finance

67. The money which enables these companies to go ahead with their projects is ________.

A. repaid to its original owners as soon as possible

B. raised by the selling of shares in the companies

C. exchanges for part ownership in the stock exchange

D. invested in different companies on the stock exchange

68. When the savers want their money back they ________.

A. ask another company to obtain their money for them

B. look for other people to borrow money from

C. put their shares in the company back on the market

D. transfer their money to a more successful company

69. All the essential services on which we depend are ________.

A. run by the government or our local authorities.

B. in constant need of financial support.

C. financed wholly by rates and taxes.

D. unable to provide for the needs of the population.

70. The stock exchange makes it possible for the government, local authorities and nationalized industries ________.

A. to borrow as much money as they wish

B. to make certain everybody saves money

C. to raise money to finance new developments

D. to make certain everybody lends money to them

Passage 5

The producers of instant coffee found their product strongly resisted in the market places despite their manifest advantages. Furthermore, the advertising expenditure for instant coffee was far greater than that for regular coffee. Efforts were made to find the cause of the consumers’ seemingly unreasonable resistance to the product. The reason given by most people was dislike for the taste. The producers suspected that there might be deeper reasons, however. This was confirmed by one of motivation research’s classic studies, one often cited in the trade. Mason Haire, of the University of California, constructed two shopping lists that were identical except for one item. There were six items common to both lists: hamburger, carrots, baking powder, bread, canned peaches and potatoes, with the brands or amounts specified. The seventh item, in the fifth place on both lists, read “Maxwell House coffee” on one list and “Nescafe instant coffee” on the other. One list was given to each person in a group of fifty women, and the other list to those in another group of the same size. The women were asked to study their lists and then to describe, as far as they could, the kind of woman (“personality and character”) who would draw up that shopping list. Nearly half of those who had received the list including instant coffee described a housewife who was lazy and a poor planner. On the other hand, only one woman in the other group described the housewife, who had included regular coffee on her list, as lazy, only six of that group suggested that she was a poor planner. Eight women felt that the instant-coffee user was probably not a good wife! No one in the other group drew such a conclusion about the housewife who intended to buy regular coffee.

Questions 71 to 75 are based on the following passage.

71. The fact that producers found resistance to their product despite the fact that they spent more advertising money on instant than regular coffee shows that ________.

A. advertising does not assure favorable sales results

B. companies spent more money on advertising than they should

C. people pay little attention to advertising

D. the more one advertises the better the sales picture

72. In this instance, the purpose of motivation research was to discover ________.

A. why people drink coffee

B. why instant coffee did not taste good

C. why regular coffee was successful

D. the real reason why people would not buy instant coffee

73. This investigation indicated that ________.

A. 50 per cent of housewives are lazy

B. housewives who use instant coffee are lazy

C. many women believe that wives who use instant coffee are lazy

D. wives who use regular coffee are good planners

74. On the results of this test, the producers probably revised their advertising to show a ________.

A. lazy housewife using regular coffee

B. hard-working housewife using instant coffee

C. lazy housewife using instant coffee

D. man obviously enjoying the taste of instant coffee

75. ________ is implied but not stated.

A. Despite its advantages, most people disliked instant coffee because of its taste

B. The advertising expenditure for instant coffee was greater than that for regular coffee

C. Very often we do not know the real reasons for doing things

D. Taste is the principal factor in determining what we buy

Passage 6

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the litigants — and the litigants, of parties, have to wait sometimes many years before having their day in court. Many suggestions have been made concerning methods of ameliorating the situation, but as in most branches of government, changes come slowly.

One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the system is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a backlog. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the litigants and their attorneys in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents’ evidence Unfortunately, at least one study has shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements.

Many states have now established another method, small-claims courts, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the litigants almost nothing. In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading — the litigants need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of court, the plaintiff waives any right to a jury trial and the right to appeal the decision.

Questions 76 to 79 are based on the following passage.

76. The pretrial conference, in theory, is supposed to do all of the following except ________.

A. narrow the issues

B. cause early settlements

C. save judicial time

D. increase settlement costs

77. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. All states should follow California’s example in using small-claims courts in order to free judges for other work.

B. The legislature needs to formulate fewer laws so that the judiciary can catch up on its older cases.

C. Nobody seems to care enough to attempt to find methods for making the judicial system more efficient.

D. While there are many problems with the court system, there are viable suggestions for improvement.

78. The word “litigants” means most nearly ________.

A. It is possible to have one’s case heard by a jury if he or she is dissatisfied with the court’s decision

B. The litigants must plead accurately and according to a strict form

C. The decision may not be appealed to a higher court

D. The parties may not present their cases without an attorney’s help

79. What can we assume from the passage?

A. Most people who feel they have been wronged have a ready remedy in courts of law.

B. Many people would like to bring a case to a court, but unable to because of the cost and time required.

C. The judicial system in the United States is highly acclaimed for its efficiency.

D. Pretrial conferences will someday probably have replaced trials completely.