英语专业八级真题及答案.docx

英语专业八级真题及答案.docx

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英语专业八级真题及答案

2010年英语专业八级真题及答案

PARTIIREADINGCOMPREHENSION（30MIN）

TEXTA

Still,theimageofanycityhasahalf-lifeofmanyyears.（Sodoesitsname,officiallychangedin2001fromCalcuttatoKolkata,whichisclosertowhatthewordsoundslikeinBengali.ConversinginEnglish,IneverheardanyonecallthecityanythingbutCalcutta.）ToWesterners,theconveyancemostidentifiedwithKolkataisnotitsmodernsubway—afacilitywhosespaciousstationshaveartonthewallsandcricketmatchesontelevisionmonitors—butthehand-pulledrickshaw.Storiesandfilmscelebrateaprimitive-lookingcartwithhighwoodenwheels,pulledbysomeonewholooksclosetoneedingthesuccorofMotherTeresa.Foryearsthegovernmenthasbeentalkingabouteliminatinghand-pulledrickshawsonwhatitcallshumanitariangrounds—principallyonthegroundthat,asthemayorofKolkatahasoftensaid,itisoffensivetosee“onemansweatingandstrainingtopullanotherman.”Butthesedayspoliticiansalsolamenttheimpactof6,000hand-pulledrickshawsonamoderncity’strafficand,particularly,onitsimage.“WesternerstrytoassociatebeggarsandtheserickshawswiththeCalcuttalandscape,butthisisnotwhatCalcuttastandsfor,”thechiefministerofWestBengal,BuddhadebBhattacharjee,saidinapressconferencein2006.“Ourcitystandsforprosperityanddevelopment.”Thechiefminister—theequivalentofastategovernor—wentontoannouncethathand-pulledrickshawssoonwouldbebannedfromthestreetsofKolkata.

Rickshawsarenottheretohaularoundtourists.（Actually,IsawalmostnotouristsinKolkata,apartfromtheyoungbackpackersonSudderStreet,inwhatusedtobeared-lightdistrictandisnowsaidtobethesingleplaceinthecitywheretheservicesarickshawpulleroffersmayincludeprovidingfemalecompanytoagentlemanfortheevening.）It’sthepeopleinthelaneswhomostregularlyuserickshaws—notthepoorbutpeoplewhoarejustanotchabovethepoor.Theyarepeoplewhotendtotravelshortdistances,throughlanesthataresometimesinaccessibletoeventhemostdaringtaxidriver.Anolderwomanwithmarketingtodo,forinstance,canarriveinarickshaw,havetherickshawpullerwaituntilshecomesbackfromvariousstallstoloadherpurchases,andthenbetakenhome.Peopleinthelanesuserickshawsasa24-hourambulanceservice.Proprietorsofcafésorcornerstoressendrickshawstocollecttheirsupplies.（OnemorningIsawarickshawpullertakeonaloadoflivechickens—tiedinpairsbythefeetsotheycouldbedrapedovertheshaftsandthefoldedbackcanopyandeventheaxle.Bythetimehetrottedoff,hewascarryingaboutahundredupside-downchickens.）Therickshawpullerstoldmetheirsteadiestcustomersareschoolchildren.Middle-classfamiliescontractwithapullertotakeachildtoschoolandpickhimup;thepulleressentiallybecomesafamilyretainer.

FromJunetoSeptemberKolkatacangettorrentialrains,anditsdrainagesystemdoesn’tneedtorrentialraintobeginbackingup.ResidentswhofavoratouchofhyperbolesaythatinKolkata“ifastraycatpees,there’saflood.”Duringmystayitoncerainedforabout48hours.Entireneighborhoodscouldn’tbereachedbymotorizedvehicles,andthenewspapersshowedpicturesofrickshawsbeingpulledthroughwaterthatwasuptothepullers’waists.Whenit’sraining,thenormalcustomerbaseforrickshawpullersexpandsgreatly,asdoesthepriceofajourney.AwriterinKolkatatoldme,“Whenitrains,eventhegovernortakesrickshaws.”

WhileIwasinKolkata,amagazinecalledIndiaTodaypublisheditsannualrankingofIndianstates,accordingtosuchmeasurementsasprosperityandinfrastructure.AmongIndia’s20largeststates,Biharfinisheddeadlast,asithasforfourofthepastfiveyears.Bihar,acouplehundredmilesnorthofKolkata,iswherethevastmajorityofrickshawpullerscomefrom.OnceinKolkata,theysleeponthestreetorintheirrickshawsorinadera—acombinationgarageandrepairshopanddormitorymanagedbysomeonecalledasardar.Forsleepingprivilegesinadera,pullerspay100rupees（about$2.50）amonth,whichsoundslikeaprettygooddealuntilyou’vevisitedadera.Theygrossbetween100and150rupeesaday,outofwhichtheyhavetopay20rupeesfortheuseoftherickshawandanoccasional75ormoreforapayoffifapolicemanstopsthemfor,say,crossingastreetwhererickshawsareprohibited.A2003studyfoundthatrickshawpullersarenearthebottomofKolkataoccupationsinincome,doingbetterthanonlytheragpickersandthebeggars.Forsomeonewithoutlandoreducation,thatstillbeatstryingtomakealivinginBihar.

TherearepeopleinKolkata,particularlyeducatedandpoliticallyawarepeople,whowillnotrideinarickshaw,becausetheyareoffendedbytheideaofbeingpulledbyanotherhumanbeingorbecausetheyconsideritnotthesortofthingpeopleoftheirstationdoorbecausetheyregardthehand-pulledrickshawasarelicofcolonialism.Ironically,someofthosepeoplearenotenthusiasticaboutbanningrickshaws.TheeditoroftheeditorialpagesofKolkata’sTelegraph—RudrangshuMukherjee,aformeracademicwhostillwriteshistorybooks—toldme,forinstance,thatheseeshumanitarianconsiderationsascomingdownonthesideofkeepinghand-pulledrickshawsontheroad.“Irefusetobecarriedbyanotherhumanbeingmyself,”hesaid,“butIquestionwhetherwehavetherighttotakeawaytheirlivelihood.”Rickshawsupporterspointoutthatwhenitcomestodemeaningoccupations,rickshawpullersarehardlyuniqueinKolkata.

WhenIaskedonerickshawpullerifhethoughtthegovernment’splantoridthecityofrickshawswasbasedonagenuineinterestinhiswelfare,hesmiled,withaquickshakeofhishead—agestureIinterpretedtomean,“Ifyouaresonaiveastoasksuchaquestion,Iwillanswerit,butitisnotworthwastingwordson.”SomerickshawpullersImetwereresignedtotheimminentendoftheirlivelihoodandpintheirhopesonbeingofferedsomethinginitsplace.Asmigrantworkers,theydon’thavethepoliticalcloutenjoyedby,say,Kolkata’ssidewalkhawkers,who,aftersupposedlybeingscaledbackatthebeginningofthemodernizationdrive,stillclogthesidewalks,sellingabsolutelyeverything—or,asIfoundduringthe48hoursofrain,absolutelyeverythingbutumbrellas.“Thegovernmentwasthegovernmentofthepoorpeople,”onesardartoldme.“Nowtheyshakehandswiththecapitalistsandtrytogetridofpoorpeople.”

ButothersinKolkatabelievethatrickshawswillsimplybeconfinedmorestrictlytocertainneighborhoods,outoftheviewofWorldBanktrafficconsultantsandCaliforniainvestmentdelegations—orthattheywillbeallowedtodieoutnaturallyasthey’resupplantedbymoremodernconveyances.BuddhadebBhattacharjee,afterall,isnotthefirsthighWestBengalofficialtosaythatrickshawswouldbeoffthestreetsofKolkatainamatterofmonths.Similarstatementshavebeenmadeasfarbackas1976.ThebandecreedbyBhattacharjeehasbeendelayedbyacourtcaseandbyawidelyheldbeliefthatsomeretrainingorsocialsecuritysettlementoughttobeofferedtorickshawdrivers.Itmayalsohavebeendelayedbyaquietreluctancetogiveupsomethingthathasbeenpartofthefabricofthecityformorethanacentury.Kolkata,aresidenttoldme,“hasdifficultylettinggo.”Onedayacityofficialhandedmeareportfromthemunicipalgovernmentlayingoutoptionsforhowrickshawpullersmightberehabilitated.

“Whichoptionhasbeenchosen?

”Iasked,notingthatthereportwasdatedalmostexactlyayearbeforemyvisit.

“Thathasn’tbeendecided,”hesaid.

“Whenwillitbedecided?

”

“Thathasn’tbeendecided,”hesaid.

11.  Accordingtothepassage,rickshawsareusedinKolkatamainlyforthefollowingEXCEPT

A.takingforeigntouristsaroundthecity.

B.providingtransporttoschoolchildren.

C.carryingstoresuppliesandpurchases

D.carryingpeopleovershortdistances.

12.  WhichofthefollowingstatementsbestdescribestherickshawpullersfromBihar?

A.Theycomefromarelativelypoorarea.

B.Theyareprovidedwithdecentaccommodation.

C.TheirlivingstandardsareverylowinKolkata.

D.Theyareoftencaughtbypolicemeninthestreets.

13.  That“Forsomeonewithoutlandoreducation,thatstillbeatstryingtomakealivinginBihar”（4paragraph）meansthatevenso,

A.thepoorprefertoworkandliveinBihar.

B.thepoorfromBiharfarebetterthanbackhome.

C.thepoornevertrytomakealivinginBihar.

D.thepoorneverseemtoresenttheirlifeinKolkata.

14.  Wecaninferfromthepassagethatsomeeducatedandpoliticallyawarepeople

A.holdmixedfeelingstowardsrickshaws.

B.stronglysupportthebanonrickshaws.

C.callforhumanitarianactionsfrorickshawpullers.

D.keepquietontheissueofbanningrickshaws.

15.  Whichofthefollowingstatementsconveystheauthor’ssenseofhumor?

A.“…notthepoorbutpeoplewhoarejustanotchabovethepoor.”（2paragraph）

B.“…,.whichsoundslikeaprettygooddealuntilyou’vevisitedadera.”（4paragraph）

C.Kolkata,aresidenttoldme,“hasdifficultylettinggo.”（7paragraph）.

D.“…or,asIfoundduringthe48hoursofrain,absolutelyeverythingbutumbrellas.”（6paragraph）

16.  Thedialoguebetweentheauthorandthecityofficialattheendofthepassageseemstosuggest

A.theuncertaintyofthecourt’sdecision.

B.theinefficiencyofthemunicipalgovernment.

C.thedifficultyoffindingagoodsolution.

D.theslownessinprocessingoptions.

TEXTB

Dependingonwhomyoubelieve,theaverageAmericanwill,overalifetime,waitinlinesfortwoyears（saysNationalPublicRadio）orfivey