08春高口译笔试真题.docx

1、08春高口译笔试真题SECTION 2: READING TEST Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A), (B), (C) or (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated

2、or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.Question 1-5Life expectancy in the richest countries of the world now exceeds the poorest by more than 30 years, figures show. The gap is widening across the world, with We

3、stern countries and the growing economies of Latin America and the Far East advancing more rapidly than Africa and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Average life expectancy in Britain and similar countries of the OECD was 78.8 in 2000-05, an increase of more than seven years since 1970-75 an

4、d almost 30 years over the past century. In sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy has increased by just four months since 1970, to 46.1 years. Narrowing this health gap will involve going beyond the immediate causes of disease-poverty, poor sanitation and infection-to tackle the causes of the causes -

5、the social hierarchies in which people live, says the report published by the Global Commission on the Social Determinants of Health established by the WHO in 2005.Professor Sir Michael Marmot, chairman of the commission, who first coined the term status syndrome, said social status was the key to t

6、ackling health inequalities worldwide. In the 1980s, in a series of ground-breaking studies among Whitehall civil servants, Professor Marmot showed that the risk of death among those on the lower rungs of the career ladder was four times higher than those at the top, and that the difference was link

7、ed with the degree of control the individuals had over their lives.He said yesterday that the same rule applied in poorer countries. If people increased their status and gained more control over their lives they improved their health because they were less vulnerable to the economic and environmenta

8、l threats. When people think about those in poor countries they tend to think about poverty, lack of housing, sanitation and exposure to infectious disease. But there is another issue, the social gradient in health which I called status syndrome. It is not just those at the bottom of the hierarchy w

9、ho have worse health; it is all the way along the scale. Those second from the bottom have worse health than those above them but better health than those below.The interim report of the commission, in the online edition of The Lancet, says the effects of status syndrome extend from the bottom to th

10、e top of the hierarchy, with Swedish adults holding a PhD having a lower death rate than those with a masters degree. The study says: The gradient is a worldwide occurrence, seen in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. It means we are all implicated.The result is that even within ric

11、h countries such as Britain there are striking inequalities in life expectancy. The poorest men in Glasgow have a life expectancy of 54, lower than the average in India. The answer, the report says, is empowerment, of individuals, communities and whole countries. Technical and medical solutions such

12、 as medical care are without doubt necessary. But they are insufficient. Professor Marmot said: We talk about three kinds of empowerment. If people dont have the material necessities, they cannot be empowered. The second kind is psycho-social empowerment: more control over their lives. The third is

13、political empowerment: having a voice.The commissions final report, to be published soon, will identify the ill effects of low status and make recommendations for how they can be tackled. In Britain a century ago, infant mortality among the rich was about 100 per 1,000 live births compared with 250

14、per 1,000 among the poor. Infant mortality is still twice as high among the poor in Britain, but the rates have come down dramatically to 7 per 1,000 among the poor and 3.5 among the rich. Professor Marmot said: We have made dramatic progress, but this is not about abolishing the rankings, but by id

15、entifying the ill effects of hierarchies we can make huge improvement.1. Which of the following CANNOT be found from the passage?(A) Life expectancy in Latin America and the Far East is increasing faster than Africa.(B) In Africa, life expectancy had only increased by four years since 1970 to 46.1 y

16、ears.(C) There is a gap of more than 30 years in life expectancy between the richest countries and the poorest countries.(D) Within rich countries there are also great inequalities in life expectancy between the rich and the poor.2. According to the passage, the term status syndrome _,(A) was first

17、accepted by the World Health Organisation in 2005(B) was proposed by Professor Marmot to describe social changes(C) is used to expose the major causes of health inequalities(D) is used to show the correlation between sanitation and infection3.According to the passage, the effects of status syndrome

18、_.(A) can only be found from those living at the bottom of the society(B) usually are greater among those from the lower classes(C) are the same on people from each ladder of the social hierarchy(D) extend universally from the bottom to the top of the social hierarchy4.Professor Marmot proposed that

19、 empowerment should _.(A) mainly include technical and medical advancement(B) be equal to access to material necessities(C) be material, psycho-social and political(D) be the final answer to the social problem of health gap5.What can be concluded from the passage?(A) Health inequality is closely rel

20、ated to social hierarchies.(B) The causes of the causes of health gap lie in the differences between rich and poor countries.(C) Social ranking should be ultimately abolished.(D) The rich countries should give more assistance to poor countries to fill the health gap.Questions 6-10In Idahos Snake Riv

21、er Valley, where potato farmers depend on electric pumps to water their crops, the states largest power company hopes to stand tradition on its head and profit by selling farmers less, not more, electricity. To do that, Idaho Power is vastly expanding its energy-efficiency programs for 395,000 resid

22、ential customers, small businesses, and farmers. Usually the more customers save, the less utilities make. But under an innovative deal with state regulators in March, Idaho Power gets paid for its plants and equipment and boosts profits by winning incentive payments for reducing electric demand.Its

23、 an idea that appears to be catching on as legislatures fret about global warming and utilities scramble to meet rising demand without the increasing harassment and cost of building new power plants. Idaho is among 13 states whose regulators have either adopted or proposed measures in the past year

24、to decouple utility profit from electricity production. Decoupling is advancing even faster for natural-gas utilities, with 25 states either adopting or proposing decoupling plans in recent years. This wave toward decoupling is clearly gathering momentum, says Martin Kushler of the American Council

25、for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington. More states seem to be calling every week to find out about this.Although California pioneered the idea 25 years ago-and strengthened incentives and penalties last month-interest is picking up again because of global warming, experts say. The main idea

26、is that by rearranging the incentive structure, regulators can give utilities clear incentives to push energy efficiency and conservation without hurting their bottom lines. Under the new rules in California, for example, electric utilities could make as much as $150 million extra if they can persua

27、de Californians to save some $2 billion worth of power, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.This is a vital step in the global-warming fight, says Audrey Chang, an NRDC researcher. It represents, we hope, a historic shift toward decoupling that is going to help bend the energy demand

28、curve downwards. Beside Idaho, states that this year adopted decoupling for some or all of its electric power industry include New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. At least nine other states have seen major decoupling proposals this year.Idaho Power is happy that its key fixed costs-plants and equipm

29、ent-are now separated from variable costs of electricity sales such as fuel. Regulators annually readjust those fixed rates-up or down-a maximum of 3 percent to ensure that the company gets no more or less than it has been regulated to receive. But customers should benefit, too, as utility efficienc

30、y programs cut energy use and energy bills-something the company is trying hard to do so it can win a bonus if it meets or exceeds energy-cutting goals. Before there was almost a disincentive to go hard at efficiency because we werent recovering our fixed costs, says Mike Youngblood, an analyst for

31、Idaho Power. Now the anticipation is that we will recover our fixed cost, no more or less. And our customers will see their bill go down if they invest in energy efficiency.One key reason utilities are often willing to decouple or even leading proponents of the proposals is because the costs of buil

32、ding a power plant has risen dramatically. A 500-megawatt coal-fired plant that cost $1 billion just a few years ago might cost $1.5 billion today, industry experts say. Add to that growing uncertainty about future costs. Global-warming legislation could put a price of $30 per ton on carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants. That could make coal, the cheapest power today, more costly. Another factor is the rising community opposition to coal-fired power plant construction.In North Carolina, where regulators recently refused a Duke Energy Corp