四川大学博士研究生入学英语考试英语试题.docx

1、四川大学博士研究生入学英语考试英语试题四川大学2017年博士研究生入学英语考试题Passage 1 As the horizons of science have expanded, two main groups of scientists have emerged. One is the pure scientist; the other, the applied scientist. The pure or theoretical scientist does original research in order to understand the basic laws of natur

2、e that govern our world. The applied scientist adapts this knowledge to practical problems. Neither is more important than the other, however, for the two groups are very much related. Sometimes, however, the applied scientist finds the problem for the theoretical scientist to work on. Lets take a p

3、articular problem of the aircraft industry: heat-resistant metals. Many of the metals and alloys which perform satisfactorily in a car cannot be used in a jet-propelled plane. New alloys must be used, because the jet engine operates at a much higher temperature than an automobile engine. The turbine

4、 wheel in a turbojet must withstand temperatures as high as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, so aircraft designers had to turn to the research metallurgist for the development of metals and alloys that would do the job in jet-propelled planes. Dividing scientists into two groups is only one broad way of cl

5、assifying them, however. When scientific knowledge was very limited, there was no need for men to specialize. Today, with the great body of scientific knowledge, scientists specialize in many different fields. Within each field, there is even further subdivision. And, with finer and finer subdivisio

6、ns, the various sciences have become more and more interrelated until no one branch is entirely independent of the others. Many new specialties -geophysics and biochemistry, for example - have resulted from combining the knowledge of two or more sciences.1. The applied scientist _.A. is not always i

7、nterested in practical problems B. provides the basic knowledge for practiceC. applies the results of research to practice D. does original research to understand the basic laws of nature2. The example given in the passage illustrates how _.A. pure science operates independently of applied science B

8、. the applied scientist discovers the basic laws of nature C. applied science defines all the areas in which basic research is done D. applied science suggests problems for the basic scientist3. The problem discussed in the second paragraph called for_.A. selecting the best hear-resistant metal from

9、 existing metalsB. developing a turbine wheel capable of generating heat up to 1,600 degrees FahrenheitC. developing metals and alloys that would withstand terrific temperaturesD. causing the jet engine to operate at higher temperatures4. Finer mad finer subdivision in the field of science has resul

10、ted in_.A. greater independence of each science B. greater interdependence of all the various sciencesC. the eradication of the need for specialists D. the need for only on classification of scientists5. The horizons of science have expanded means that_.A. the horizon changes its size from year to y

11、ear B. science has developed more fields of endeavorC. scientists have made great progress in studying the horizon D. scientists can see further out into spacechow Passage 2 In The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society, Revised and Enlarged Edition (W. W. Norton) Schlesinger

12、provides deep insights into the crises of nationhood in America. A new chapter assesses the impact both of radical multiculturalism and radical monoculturalism on the Bill of rights. Written with his usual clarity and force, the book brings a noted historians wisdom and perspective to bear on Americ

13、as culture wars. Schlesinger addresses the questions: What holds a nation together? And what does it mean to be an American? Describing the emerging cult of ethnicity, Schlesinger praises its healthy effect on a nation long shamed by a history of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. But he warns against

14、 the campaign of multicultural advocates to divide the nation into separate ethnic and racial communities. From the start, he observes, the United States has been a multicultural nation, rich in its diversity but held together by a shared commitment to the democratic process and by the freedom of in

15、termarriage. It was this national talent for assimilation that impressed foreign visitors like Alexis de Tocqueville and James Bryce, and it is this historic goal that Schlesinger champions as the best hope for the future. Schlesinger analyzes what he sees as grim consequences of identity politics:

16、the widening of differences. Attacks on the First Amendment, he argues, threaten intellectual freedom and, ultimately, the future of the ethnic groups. His criticisms are not limited to the left. As a former target of McCarthyism, he understands that the radical right is even more willing than the r

17、adical left to restrict and weaken the Bill of Rights. The author does not minimize the injustices concealed by the melting pot dream. The Disuniting of America is both academic and personal, forceful in argument, balanced in judgment. It is a book that will no doubt anger some readers, but it will

18、surely make all of them think again. The winner of Pulitzer Prizes for history and for biography, an authoritative voice of American liberalism, Schlesinger is uniquely positioned to bring bold answers and healing wisdom to this passionate debate over who we are and what we should become.6. Accordin

19、g to Schlesinger, the United States is_. A. a melting pot B. a nation with diverse cultures held together by the democratic processC. a federation of ethnic and racial communities D. a nation with various ethnic and racial groups7. We can infer from the passage that Schlesinger_.A. advocates the ass

20、imilation of different cultures into one nationhood B. prefers multiculturalism to monoculturalismC. gives full support to the emerging cult of ethnicity D. holds that each racial group should keep its distinct identity8. The author wants to tell us that America_.A. is experiencing a crisis of natio

21、nhood B. is trying to restrict the Bill of RightC. has ended its history of racial prejudice D. has tried to obstruct intellectual freedom9. According to the author, Schlesingers book will_.A. cause anger among the radical right B. cause anger among the radical leftC. put an end to the culture wars

22、in America D. provoke thinking among the readers10. This passage is most probably taken from _. A. a history book B. a book introduction C. a book review D. a journal of literary criticismchow Passage 3The El Nino (little boy in Spanish) that pounded the globe between the summers of1997 and 1998 was

23、 in some measure the most destructive in this century. Worldwide damage estimates exceed 20 billion -not to mention the human death toll caused by resulting droughts, floods and bushfires. El Nino and La Nina (little girl) are part of a seesawing of winds and currents in the equatorial Pacific calle

24、d ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) that appears every two to eight years. Normally, westward-blowing trade winds caused by the rotation of the earth and conditions in the Tropics push surface water across the Pacific towards Asia. The warm water piles up along the coasts of Indonesia, Australia a

25、nd the Philippines, raising sea levels more than a foot above those on the South American side of the Pacific. As El Nino builds the normal east-to-west trade winds wane. Like water splashing in a giant bathtub, the elevated pool of warm water washes from Asian shores back towards South America. In

26、last seasons cycle, surface temperatures off the west coast of South America soared from a normal high of 23C degrees to 28C degrees. This area of warm water, twice the size of the continental US, interacted with the atmosphere, creating storms and displacing high-altitude winds. El Nino brought rai

27、n that flooded normally dry coastal areas of Ecuador, Chile and Peru, while droughts struck Australia and Indonesia. Fires destroyed some five million acres of Indonesian forest. The drought, along with the economic crisis, left about five million people desperate for food and water. These condition

28、s helped set the stage for riots that led to the downfall of President Suharto. El Nino also took the blame for extreme temperatures in Texas last summer over 38C degrees for a record 30 days in a row. In Florida, lush vegetation turned to tinder and bushfires raged. Even Britain has been sweltering

29、 with our hottest year on record in 1997.11. As El Sino builds, _ . A. the normal westward trade winds weaken B. the normal eastward trade winds weaken C. the normal westward trade winds strengthen D. the normal eastward trade winds strengthen12. Which of the following statements is true? A. El Nino

30、 results from droughts, floods and bushfires. B. El Nino brought rain to most areas that were affected, C. When El Nino appeared, some of the worlds rainforests were attacked by droughts. D. Most areas that were affected by El Nino got droughts.13. Once El Nino even played a role in the political wo

31、rld. What was it?A. President Suharto was overthrown by the drought caused by El Nino. B. El Nino caused riots that led to the downfall of President Suharto. C. President Suharto resigned because of the drought caused by El Nino. D. The drought caused by El Nino together with the economic crisis pre

32、vailing in Indonesia helped to overthrow President Suharto.14. The phrase in a row in the last paragraph means_. A. continuously B. in a line C. awfully D. now and then15. The writer of this passage is most likely to be_. A. an Australia observer B. a British national C. an American geographer D. an Indonesia journalistchow Passage 4 In patients with Huntingtons disease, its the part of the brain called the basal ganglia thats destroyed. While these victims have