英二真题精读

1996

PartⅠ Cloze Test

Vitamins are organic compounds necessary in small amounts in the diet for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man.

They do not provide energy, (1) nor do they construct or build any part of the body. They are needed for (2) transforming foods into energy and body maintenance. There are thirteen or more of them, and if (3) any is missing a deficiency disease becomes (4) apparent.

Vitamins are similar because they are made of the same elements—usually carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and (5) partially nitrogen. They are different (6) in that their elements are arranged differently, and each vitamin (7) undertakes one or more specific functions in the body.

(8) Getting enough vitamins is essential to life, although the body has no nutritional use for (9) excess vitamins. Many people, (10) nevertheless, believe in being on the “safe side” and thus take extra vitamins. However, a wellbalanced diet will usually meet all the body’s vitamin needs.

题目及词汇

compound [ˈkɒmpaʊnd , kəmˈpaʊnd] n. 复合物；混合物 & v. 混合；支付；使加重；使恶化

deficiency [dɪˈfɪʃnsi] n. 缺乏；缺陷；缺点

hydrogen [ˈhaɪdrədʒən] n. 氢；氢气

nitrogen [ˈnaɪtrədʒən] n. 氮；氮气

nevertheless [ˌnevəðəˈles] adv. & conj. 然而；不过；尽管如此

题目编号	选项A	选项B	选项C	选项D
1	either	so	nor	never
2	shifting	transferring	altering	transforming
3	any	some	anything	something
4	serious	apparent	severe	fatal
5	mostly	partially	sometimes	rarely
6	in that	so that	such that	except that
7	undertakes	holds	plays	performs
8	Supplying	Getting	Providing	Furnishing
9	exceptional	exceeding	excess	external
10	nevertheless	therefore	moreover	meanwhile

shift [ʃɪft] v. & n. 转移；变换；换挡

severe [sɪˈvɪə(r)] a. 严峻的；严重的；剧烈的；艰难的；严厉的

furnish [ˈfɜːnɪʃ] v. 向…供应，提供；布置家具

exceptional [ɪkˈsepʃənl] a. 杰出的；卓越的；异常的；例外的

external [ɪkˈstɜːnl] a. 外部的；外面的；客观的；外国的；外用的

Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

Passage 1

野题！野题！！！（恼羞成怒）

Passage 2

With the start of BBC World Service Television, millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporation’s news coverage, as well as listen to it.

And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune in to two BBC television channels, five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio stations. They are brought sport, comedy, drama, music, news and current affairs, education, religion, parliamentary coverage, children’s programmes and films for an annual licence fee of ￡83 per household.

It is a remarkable record, stretching back over 70 years — yet the BBC’s future is now in doubt. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization, at least for the time being, but its role, its size and its programmes are now the subject of a nation-wide debate in Britain.

The debate was launched by the Government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC — including ordinary listeners and viewers — to say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought it was worth keeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC’s royal charter runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is, or to make changes.

Defenders of the Corporation — of whom there are many — are fond of quoting the American slogan “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The BBC “ain’t broke”, they say, by which they mean it is not broken (as distinct from the word ‘broke’, meaning having no money), so why bother to change it?

Yet the BBC will have to change, because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels —— ITV and Channel 4 —— were required by the Thatcher Government’s Broadcasting Act to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels — funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers’subscriptions — which will bring about the biggest changes in the long term.

题目及词汇

coverage [ˈkʌvərɪdʒ] n. 媒体报道；新闻播报；覆盖范围；程度

tune [tjuːn] v. 调频；调音；调整 & n. 曲调；曲子

drama [ˈdrɑːmə] v. 戏剧；戏曲

parliamentary [ˌpɑːləˈmentri] a. 议会的；国会的

programme [ˈprəʊɡræm] n. 方案；计划；节目单；活动安排

inquiry [ɪnˈkwaɪəri] n. 调查；询问；打听

royal [ˈrɔɪəl] a. 王室的；皇家的

charter [ˈtʃɑːtə(r)] n. 宪章；特许状；漏洞；租贷

quote [kwəʊt] v. & n. 引用

satellite [ˈsætəlaɪt] n. 卫星；人造卫星；附属物

1997

PartⅠ Cloze Test

Manpower Inc., with 560 000 workers, is the world's largest temporary employment agency. Every morning, its people (1) swarm into the offices and factories of America, seeking a day's working for a day's pay.

One day at a time. (2) As industrial giants like General Motors and IBM struggle to survive (3) by reducing the number of employees, Manpower, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is booming. (4) Even though its economy continues to recover, the US is increasingly becoming a nation of part-timers and temporary workers. This "(5) disposable" work force is the most important (6) trend in American business today, and it is (7) fundamentally changing the relationship between people and their jobs. The phenomenon provides a way for companies to remain globally competitive (8) while avoiding market cycles and the growing burdens (9) imposed by employment rules, health care costs and pension plans. For workers it can mean an end to the security, benefits and sense of (10) importance that came from being a loyal employee.

题目及词汇

题目编号	选项A	选项B	选项C	选项D
1	swarm	stride	separate	slip
2	For	Because	As	Since
3	from	in	on	by
4	Even though	Now that	If only	Provided that
5	durable	disposable	available	transferable
6	approach	flow	fashion	trend
7	instantly	reversely	fundamentally	sufficiently
8	but	while	and	whereas
9	imposed	restricted	illustrated	confined
10	excitement	conviction	enthusiasm	importance

temporary [ˈtemprəri] a. 临时的，暂时的 & n. 临时工

swarm [swɔːm] v. 成群地来回移动 & n. 一大群，一大批

giant [ˈdʒaɪənt] n. 巨人；大公司；巨兽

part-timer [ˌpɑːt ˈtaɪmə(r)] n. 兼职者；部分时间工作的人

disposable [dɪˈspəʊzəbl] a. 一次性的；可任意处理的；可自由支配的

burden [ˈbɜːdn] n. 负担，重担 & v. 使负担 ，使承受重担

impose [ɪmˈpəʊz] v. 把...强加于；推行，采用；强迫

pensin ['penʃ(ə)n] n. 养老金，退休金

stride [straɪd] v.大步走；阔步行走 & n. 进展，进步；步态

durable [ˈdjʊərəbl] a. 耐用的，持久的 & n. 耐用品

reversely [rɪˈvɜːsli] ad. 相反地，反向地

sufficiently [sə'fɪʃ(ə)ntlɪ] ad. 足以，充分地，最大限度地

whereas [ˌweərˈæz] conj. 然而，但是，尽管 & n. 开场白，引言

One day at a time. 一天一过。/专注于今天。

Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

Passage 1

It was 3: 45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia's Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: "We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history."

The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia—where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part—other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia. In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.

Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death—probably by a deadly injection or pill—to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a "cooling off" period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, The NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. "I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks," he says.

题目及词汇

parliamentary [ˌpɑːrləˈmentri] a. 议会的；国会的

territory [ˈterətɔːri] n. 领土；地区；（美国）准州

incurably [ɪn'kjʊərəblɪ] ad. 无法治愈地；无可救药地

executive [ɪɡˈzekjətɪv] a. 行政的；有执行权的 & n. 经理；管理人员；领导层

send on 转寄，转发，转达

bulletin [ˈbʊlətɪn] n. 公告；新闻简报 & v. 公布；公告

import [ˈɪmpɔːrt] n. 重要性；意思；输入；进口 & v. 进口；导入；输入

sink in 终于被充分理解；终于被完全领悟

terminally ['tɜːmɪnəli] ad. 在末尾；在末期

physician [fɪˈzɪʃn] n. 医师；内科医生

moral [ˈmɔːrəl] a. 道德的；道德上的 & n. 品行；道德；寓意

implication [ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃn] n. 可能的影响；含义；暗指

church [tʃɜːrtʃ] n. 教堂；基督教机构

bitterly [ˈbɪtərli] ad. 苦涩地；伤心地；愤怒地；极其寒冷地

bill [bɪl] n. 法案；议案；账单；海报；鸟嘴 & v. 开账单；把…宣传为…

haste [heɪst] n. 匆忙；仓促；急速 & v. 匆忙；催促

passage [ˈpæsɪdʒ] n. 通过；通道；段落；章节；旅程；同行许可 & v. 通过；航海

tide [taɪd] n. 潮汐；潮流；趋势 & v. 随潮漂流

euthanasia [ˌjuːθəˈneɪʒə] n. 安乐死

domino [ˈdɒmɪnəʊ] n. 多米诺骨牌

certificate [səˈtɪfɪkət , səˈtɪfɪkeɪt] n. 证明；合格证书；文凭 & v. 发给结业证书

resident [ˈrezɪdənt] n. 居民；住户；旅客 & a. 居住的

get on with 继续（干某事）；在…获得成功；与…友好相处;

haunting [ˈhɔːntɪŋ] a. 萦绕心头的；使人难忘的

Passage 2

A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknow in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.

For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.

The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn't take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.

Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner—amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.

As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor's language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

题目及词汇

consistently [kənˈsɪstəntli] ad. 一贯地；始终如一地

courteous [ˈkɜːtiəs] a. 有礼貌的；客气的

diversion [daɪˈvɜːʃn] n. 转移；转向；消遣；转移视线（或注意力）的事物

frontier [ˈfrʌntɪə(r)] n. 边境；边界；边缘地区 & a. 边疆的；边地的

cabin [ˈkæbɪn] n. 小屋；隔间 & v. 把…关在小屋里

charitable [ˈtʃærətəbl] a. 慈善的；宽厚的；仁爱的

take in 收容； 理解；进账；抓走；摄入；吸收；领会；参观；欣赏；欺骗

weary [ˈwɪəri] a. 疲倦的；疲惫的；使人厌烦的 & v. 使疲劳；使失去热情

hospitality [ˌhɒspɪˈtæləti] n. 好客；殷勤款待；热情接待

pretty [ˈprɪti] ad. 非常；很 & a. 漂亮的；精致的 & n. 漂亮的人或物

interpret [ɪnˈtɜːprət] v. 解释；口译；诠释；领会

superficial [ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃl] a. 表面的；肤浅的；表皮的；粗枝大叶的

assumption [əˈsʌmpʃn] n. 假定；假设；（责任的）承担；（权利的）获得

convention [kənˈvenʃn] n. 习俗；惯例；公约；协定；集会

underlie [ˌʌndəˈlaɪ] v. 构成…的基础；作为…的原因

Passage 3

Technically，any substance other than food that alters our body or mental functioning is a drug. Many people mistakenly believe the term drug refers only to some sort of medicine or an illegal chemical taken by drug addicts. They don't realize that familiar substances such as alcohol and tobacco are also drugs. This is why the more neutral term substance is now used by many physicians and psychologists. The phrase “substance abuse” is often used instead of "drug abuse" to make clear that substances such as alcohol and tobacco can be just as harmfully misused as heroin and cocaine.

We live a society in which the medical and social use of substances (drugs) is pervasive: an aspirin to quiet a headache, some wine to be sociable, coffee to get going in the morning, a cigarette for the nerves. When do these socially acceptable and apparently constructive uses of a substance become misuse? First of all, most substances taken in excess will produce negative effects such as poisoning or intense perceptual distortions. Repeated use of a substance can also lead to physical addiction or substance dependence. Dependence is marked first by an increased tolerance, with more and more of the substance required to produce the desired effect, and then by the appearance of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the substance is discontinued.

Drugs (substances) that affect the central nervous system and alter perception, mood, and behavior are known as psychoactive substances. Psychoactive substances are commonly grouped according to whether they are stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogens. Stimulants initially speed up or activate the central nervous system, whereas depressants slow it down. Hallucinogens have their primary effect on perception, distorting and altering it in a variety of ways including producing hallucinations. These are the substances often called psychedelic (from the Greek word meaning "mind-manifestation") because they seemed to radically alter one's state of consciousness.

题目及词汇

substance [ˈsʌbstəns] n. 物质；物品；实质；主旨；财产

other than 除了…以外；不同于

alter [ˈɔːltə(r)] v. 改变；修改

term [tɜːm] n. 术语；措辞；词语；学期；期限 & v. 把…称为；把…叫做

neutral [ˈnjuːtrəl] a. 中立的；中性的 & n. 中立者；中和色

constructive [kənˈstrʌktɪv] a. 建设性的；有助益的；积极的；构造上的

perceptual [pəˈseptʃuəl] a. 感知的；知觉的

distortion [dɪˈstɔːʃn] n. 扭曲；失真；变形；曲解

withdrawal [wɪðˈdrɔːəl] n. 戒毒（过程）；撤回；收回；退出；撤走

symptom [ˈsɪmptəm] n. 症状;征兆

psychoactive [ˌsaɪkəʊˈæktɪv] a. 作用于精神的

manifestation [ˌmænɪfeˈsteɪʃn] n. 表明；显示；显灵；示威运动

radically ['rædɪkli] ad. 彻底地；根本地

Passage 4

No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. “Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. “You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?” At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It’s a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.

At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company’s mountainous debt, which will increase to $ 17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.

The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company’s rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T’s violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. “The test of any democratic society, ”he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, “lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won’t retreat in the face of any threats.”

Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month’s stockholders’ meeting, Levin asserted that “music is not the cause of society’s ills” and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the “balanced struggle” between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.

The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. “Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited, ” says Luce. “I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this.”

题目及词汇

senator [ˈsenətə(r)] n. 参议员；（大学理事会的）理事

corrupt [kəˈrʌpt] v. 损坏；破坏；使堕落；使腐化 & a. 腐败的；有缺陷的；错误的

stock [stɒk] n. 股票；备料；库存；高汤 & v. 存储

cable [ˈkeɪbl] n. 有线电视；电缆；电报；钢索 & v. （给…）发电报

flap [flæp] n. 忧虑；困惑；激动；公众不同意；拍打 & v. 拍击；摆动；激动；忧虑

outlet [ˈaʊtlet] n. 出口；（感情、思想、精力发泄的）出路；销路；经销店

democratic [ˌdeməˈkrætɪk] a.民主的；平等的

latitude [ˈlætɪtjuːd] n. 维度；选择（做什么事或做事方式）的自由

disputable [dɪˈspjuːtəbl] a. 有争议的；可质疑的；可商榷的

extent [ɪkˈstent] n. 程度；范围；大小；限度；面积

verse [vɜːs] n. 诗；韵文；歌曲的段落

assert [əˈsɜːt] v.断言；生效；坚称；维护

distribution [ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃn] n. 分布；分配；散布

objectionable [əbˈdʒekʃənəbl] a. 令人反感的；令人不快的

Passage 5

Much of the language used to describe monetary policy, such as “steering the economy to a soft landing” or “a touch on the brakes”, makes it sound like a precise science. Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain. And there are long, variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy. Hence the analogy that likens the conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen, a cracked rear-view mirror and a faulty steering wheel.

Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.

It is also less than most forecasters had predicted. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America’s inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and is expected to average only about 3% for the year as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.

Economists have been particularly surprised by favourable inflation figures in Britain and the United States, since conventional measures suggest that both economies, and especially America’s, have little productive slack. America’s capacity utilisation, for example, hit historically high levels earlier this year, and its jobless rate (5.6% in August) has fallen below most estimates of the natural rate of unemployment— the rate below which inflation has taken off in the past.

Why has inflation proved so mild? The most thrilling explanation is, unfortunately, a little defective. Some economists argue that powerful structural changes in the world have up-ended the old economic models that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation.

题目及词汇

monetary [ˈmʌnɪtri] a. 金融的；货币的；财政的

brake [breɪk] n. 刹车；制动器；阻力 & v. 刹（车）

inflation [ɪnˈfleɪʃn] n. 通货膨胀；充气

lag [læɡ] n. 滞后；间隔 & v. 滞后；落后于

analogy [əˈnælədʒi] n. 类比；比喻

liken [ˈlaɪkən] v. 把…比作

double-digit [ˌdʌbl ˈdɪdʒɪt] a. 两位数的

poll [pəʊl] n. 投票；民意调查 & v. 获得（票数）；对…进行民意调查

conventional [kənˈvenʃənl] a. 常规的；普通的；传统的

slack [slæk] n. 闲置资源；煤屑 & a. 不紧的；松弛的；懈怠的

utilisation [ˌjuːtəlaɪˈzeɪʃn] n. 利用；利用率；效用

thrilling [ˈθrɪlɪŋ] a. 惊心动魄的；紧张的；令人兴奋的

defective [dɪˈfektɪv] a. 有缺陷的；有毛病的

up-end [ʌp end] v. 倒立；（使）颠倒