博士研究生入学考试英语试题.docx

1、博士研究生入学考试英语试题2007年博士研究生入学考试英语试题Part I. Reading Comprehension (60%)Directions: In this part of the test, there are four short passages for you to read. Read each passage carefully, and then do the questions that follow. Choose the best answer A), B), C), or D) and mark the corresponding letter on you

2、r Answer Sheet I.Passage 1We live in southern California growing grapes, a first generation of vintners, our home adjacent to the vineyards and the winery. Its a very pretty place, and in order to earn the money to realize our dream of making wine, we worked for many years in a business that demande

3、d several household moves, an incredible amount of risk-taking and long absences from my husband. When it was time, we traded in our old life, cinched up our belts and began the creation of the winery. We make small amounts of premium wine, and our lives are dictated by the rhythm of nature and the

4、demands of the living vines. The vines start sprouting tiny green tendrils in March and April, and the baby grapes begin to form in miniature, so perfect that they can be dipped in gold to form jewelry. The grapes swell and ripen in early fall, and when their sugar content is at the right level, the

5、y are harvested carefully by hand and crushed in small lots. The wine is fermented and tended until it is ready to be bottled. The vineyards shed their leaves, the vines are pruned and made ready for the dormant months - and the next vintage.It sounds nice, doesnt it? Living in the country, our days

6、 spent in the ancient routine of the vineyard, knowing that the course of our lives as vintners was choreographed long age and that if we practiced diligently, our wine would be good and wed be successful. From the start we knew there was a price for the privilege of becoming a wine-making family, c

7、onnected to the land and the caprices of nature.We work hard at something we love, we are slow to panic over the daily emergencies, we are nimble at solving problems as they arise. Some hazards to completing a successful vintage are expected: rain just before harvesting can cause mold; electricity u

8、nexpectedly interrupted during the cold fermentation of white wine can damage it; a delayed payment from a major client when the money is needed. There are outside influences that disrupt production and take patience, good will and perseverance. For example the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm

9、s regulates every facet of the wine business. A winerys records are audited as often as two or three times a year and every label - newly written for each years vintage - must be approved. But The greatest threat to the winery, and one that almost made us lose heart, came out of a lawyers imaginatio

10、n. Out little winery was served notice that we were named in a lawsuit accusing us of endangering the public health by using lead foils on our bottles (it was the only material used until recently) “without warning consumers of a possible risk.” There it was, our winerys name listed with the industr

11、ys giants. I must have asked a hundred times: “Who gets the money if the lawsuit is successful?” The answer was, and I never was able to assimilate it, the plaintiffs and their lawyers who filed the suit! Since the lawsuit was brought in behalf of consumers, it seemed to me that consumers must get s

12、omething if it was proved that a lead foil was dangerous to them. We were told one of the two consumer claimants was an employee of the firm filing the suit!There are attorneys who focus their careers on lawsuits like this. It is an immense danger to the small businessman. Cash reserves can be used

13、up in the blink of an eye when in the company of lawyers. As long as its possible for anyone to sue anybody for anything, we are all in danger. As long as the legal profession allows members to practice law dishonorably and lawyers are congratulated for winning big money in this way, well be plagued

14、 with a corruptible justice system.1.The phrase “cinched up our belts”, in the first paragraph, suggests that the coupleA.thought creating a winery would be busyB.wore clothing that was too bigC.strapped their belongings together and movedD.prepared for the difficult work ahead2.The grapes are harve

15、sted on a date thatA.may vary.B.depends on the approval of the regulatory bureau. C.is traditionally set.D.is determined by availability of pickers.3.According to the author, the life of vintners is most controlled byA.the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.B.unexpected changes in temperature.C

16、.the sugar content of the grapes.D.the tempo of the seasons.4.The writer complains that when she questioned the lawyers sheA.never got the answer.B.never got a simple answer.C.could make no sense of the answer she got.D.could not understand the answer she got.5.The writer thinks that the legal professionA.strives to protect consumers.B.does a good job of policing its members.C.is part of an incorrupti