2002年英语专业八级考试真题（附听力mp3及答案）

　　TEXT C

　　It is nothing new that English use is on the risearound the world, especially in business circles. Thisalso happens in France, the headquarters of theglobal battle against American cultural hegemony.If French guys are giving in to English, somethingreally big must be going on. And something big isgoing on.

　　Partly, it's that American hegemony. DidierBenchimol, CEO of a French e-commerce softwarecompany, feels compelled to speak English perfectly because the Internet software business isdominated by Americans. He and other French businessmen also have to speak English becausethey want to get their message out to American investors, possessors of the world's deepestpockets.

　　The triumph of English in France and elsewhere in Europe, however, may rest on somethingmore enduring. As they become entwined with each other politically and economically,Europeans need a way to talk to one another and to the rest of the world. And for a number ofreasons, they've decided upon English as their common tongue.

　　So when German chemical and pharmaceutical company Hoechst merged with French competitorRhone-Poulenc last year, the companies chose the vaguely Latinate Aventis as the newcompany name - and settled on English as the company's common language. When monetarypolicymakers from around Europe began meeting at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt lastyear to set interest rates for the new Euroland, they held their deliberations in English. Even theEuropean Commission. with 11 official languages and a traditionally French-speakingbureaucracy. effectively switched over to English as its working language last year.

　　How did this happen? One school attributes English's great success to the sheer weight of itsmerit. It's a Germanic language, brought to Britain around the fifth century A. D. During thefour centuries of French-speaking rule that followed Norman Conquest of 1066, the languagemorphed into something else entirely. French words were added wholesale, and most of thecomplications of Germanic grammar were shed while few of the complications of French wereadded. The result is a language with a huge vocabulary and a simple grammar that can expressmost things more efficiently than either of its parents. What's more, English has remainedungoverned and open to change — foreign words, coinages, and grammatical shifts — in away that French, ruled by the purist Academic Francaise, has not.

　　So it's a swell language, especially for business. But the rise of English over the past fewcenturies clearly owes at least as much to history and economics as to the language's ability toeconomically express the concept win-win. What happened is that the competition first Latin,then French, then, briefly, German — faded with the waning of the political, economic, andmilitary fortunes of, respectively, the Catholic Church, France, and Germany. All along, Englishwas increasing in importance: Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, andLondon the world's most important financial center, which made English a key language forbusiness. England's colonies around the world also made it the language with the most globalreach. And as that former colony the US rose to the status of the world's preeminentpolitical, economic, military, and cultural power, English became the obvious second languageto learn.

　　In the 1990s more and more Europeans found themselves forced to use English. The lastgeneration of business and government leaders who hadn't studied English in school wasleaving the stage. The European Community was adding new members and evolving from apaper-shuffling club into a serious regional government that would need a single commonlanguage if it were ever to get anything done. Meanwhile, economic barriers between Europeannations have been disappearing, meaning that more and more companies are beginning to lookat the whole continent as their domestic market. And then the Internet came along.

　　The Net had two big impacts. One was that it was an exciting, potentially lucrative newindustry had its roots in the US, so if you wanted to get in on it, you had to speak someEnglish. The other was that by surfing the Web, Europeans who had previously encounteredEnglish only in school and in pop songs were now coming into contact with it daily.

　　None of this means English has taken over European life. According to the European Union, 47% of Western Europeans (including the British and Irish) speak English well enough to carryon a conversation. That's a lot more than those who can speak German (32%) or French(28%), but it still means more Europeans don't speak the language. If you want to sellshampoo or cell phones, you have to do it in French or German or Spanish or Greek. Even theUS and British media companies that stand to benefit most from the spread of English havebeen hedging their bets — CNN broadcasts in Spanish; the Financial Times has recentlylaunched a daily German-language edition.

　　But just look at who speaks English. 77% Western European college students, 69% ofmanagers, and 54% of those aged 15 to 24. In the secondary schools of the European Union'snon-English-speaking countries, 91% of students study English, all of which means that thetransition to English as the language of European business hasn't been all that traumatic, andit's only going to get easier in the future.

　　24. In the author's opinion, what really underlies the rising status of English in France andEurope is____ .

　　A. American dominance in the Internet software business

　　B. a practical need for effective communication among Europeans

　　C. Europeans' eagerness to do business with American businessmen

　　D. the recent trend for foreign companies to merge with each other

　　25. Europeans began to favor English for all the following reasons EXCEPT its____ .

　　A. inherent linguistic properties

　　B. association with the business world

　　C. links with the United States

　　D. disassociation from political changes

　　26. Which of the following statements forecasts the continuous rise of English in the future?

　　A. About half of Western Europeans are now proficient in English.

　　B. US and British media companies are operating in Western Europe.

　　C. Most secondary school students in Europe study English.

　　D. Most Europeans continue to use their own language.

　　27. The passage mainly examines the factors related to .

　　A. the rising status of English in Europe

　　B. English learning in non-English-speaking E. U. nations

　　C. the preference for English by European businessmen

　　D. the switch from French to English in European Commission

　　TEXT D

　　As humankind moves into the third millennium, it can rightfully claim to have broken newground in its age-old quest to master the environment. The fantastic achievements ofmodern technology and the speed at which scientific discoveries are translated into technologicalapplications attest to the triumph of human endeavor.

　　At the same time, however, some of these applications threaten to unleash forces over whichwe have no control. In other words, the new technology Man now believes allows him todominate this wider cosmos could well be a Frankenstein monster waiting to turn on itsmaster.

　　This is an entirely new situation that promises to change many of the perceptions governing lifeon the planet. The most acute challenges facing the future are likely to not only those pittingman against his fellow man, but those involving humankind's struggle to preserve theenvironment and ensure the sustainability of life on earth.

　　A conflict waged to ensure the survival of the human species is bound to bring humanscloser together. Technological progress has thus proved to be a double-edged sword, givingrise to a new form of conflict: a clash between Man and Nature.

　　The new conflict is more dangerous than the traditional one between man and his fellow man,where the protagonists at least shared a common language.

　　Nature reacts with weather disturbances, with storms and earthquakes, with mutant virusesand bacteria — that is, with phenomena having no apparent cause and effect relationship withthe modern technology that supposedly triggers them.

　　As technology becomes ever more potent and Nature reacts ever more violently, there is anurgent need to rethink how best to deal with the growing contradictions between Man andNature.

　　For a start, the planet, and hence all its inhabitants, must be perceived as an integral whole,not as a dichotomous mass divided geographically into the rich and developed and the poorand underdeveloped.

　　Today, globalization encompasses the whole world and deals with it as an integral unit. It is nolonger possible to say that conflict has shifted from its traditional east-west axis to a north-south axis. The real divide today is between summit and base, between the higher echelons ofthe international political structure and its grassroots level, between governments and NGOs,between state and civil society, between public and private enterprise.

　　The mesh structure is particularly obvious on the Internet. While it is true that to date theInternet seems to be favoring the most developed sectors of the international community overthe less developed, this need not always be the case. Indeed, it could eventually overcomethe disparities between the privileged and the underdeveloped.

　　On the other hand, the macro-world in which we live is exposed to distortions because of theunpredictable side-effects of a micro-world we do not and cannot totally control.

　　This raises the need for a global system of checks and balances, for mandatory rules andconstraints in our dealings with Nature, in short, for a new type of veto designed to managewhat is increasingly becoming a main contradiction of our time: the one between technologyand ecology.

　　A new type of international machinery must be set in place to cope with the new challenges.We need a new look at the harnessing of scientific discoveries, to maximize their positiveeffects for the promotion of humanity as a whole and to minimize their negative effects. Weneed an authority with veto powers to forbid practices conducive to decreasing the ozonehole, the propagation of AIDS, global warming, desertification — an authority that willtackle such global problems.

　　There should be no discontinuity in the global machinery responsible for world order. The UNin its present form may fall far short of what is required of it. and it may be undemocratic anddetrimental to most citizens in the world, but its absence would be worse. And so we have tohold on to the international organization even as we push forward for its completerestructuring.

　　Our best hope would be that the functions of the present United Nations are gradually takenover by the new machinery of veto power representing genuine democratic globalization.

　　28. The mention of Man's victory over Nature at the beginning of the passage is to highlight .

　　A. a new form of conflict B. Man's creative powers

　　C. the role of modern technology D. Man's ground-breaking work

　　29. According to the passage, which is NOT a responsibility of the proposed internationalauthority?

　　A. Monitoring effects of scientific discoveries.

　　B. Dealing with worldwide environmental issues.

　　C. Vetoing human attempts to conquer Nature.

　　D. Authorizing efforts to improve human health.

　　30. When commenting on the present role of the UN, the author expresses his ____ .

　　A. dissatisfaction B. disillusionment

　　C. objection D. doubt

　　SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING (10 MIN)

　　In this section there are seven passages with ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan themas required and then mark your answers on your Colored Answer Sheet.

　　TEXTE

　　First read the following question.

　　31. What is the most appropriate topic of the following passage?

　　A. Strikes. B. Pensions.

　　C. Retirement Ages. D. Government decisions.

　　Now go through TEXT E quickly to answer question 31.

　　In addition to the national social security system, 17 special pension schemes are among thesocial advantages that government employees are not prepared to give up.

　　Under the national scheme, retirement is at the age of 65, whereas the special schemes offerretirement at 55 or even 50.

　　Most of the pension schemes are in the red and have to be topped up by the state. The totalstate contribution in 1994 was F125 billion ($25 billion).

　　The prime minister says he wants to keep the special schemes. There are three solutions forkeeping them afloat: lengthening the contribution period, increasing contributions, or reducingthe pensions paid out. The government chose the first solution in the plan that it announcedon November 15. Private sector employees were required in 1993 to contribute for 40 insteadof 37.5 years, in order to qualify for a full pension. State employees could still retire after 37.5years' service provided they had reached the age limit.

　　The prime minister's announcement touched off strikes on the railways. Paris's transportservices and government departments. Facing increasing opposition to this proposal, theprime minister said on December 5 that working more years would no longer be a condition forreforming the special pension schemes.

　　A government commission that will examine pensions will, however, be free to proposechanges in the retirement age in certain professions. But it will take into consideration thehardships involved in the work and the constraints of working hours.

　　At the moment, the minimum retirement age is 60 - as in the private sector before 1983 — for65 percent of public service employees. It is 55, or even 50, for 35 percent of employeesconsidered to be doing work " involving special risks or exceptional fatigue".

　　Primary school teachers can retire at 55, but the limit for new. better qualified recruits is 60.Postal workers at sorting offices can retire at 55. The retiring age for police officers are 50,prison officers 50, nurses 55, and railway men 50 and 55 for others. The 30 000 employees ofthe Paris Metro have an average retirement age of 53.

　　Two-thirds of the "active" employees and those working in conditions that can damage health inthe public gas and electric utility retire at 55. Retirement age for notary's clerks is 55 forwomen, and 60 for men. For miners, retirement is at 55.

　　Comparing the national pension scheme and the special schemes is not easy, because stateemployees receive bonuses — some of them substantial — which are not included in calculatingtheir contributions or their pensions.

　　TEXT F

　　First read the following question.

　　32. In the following passage the author intends to _____ .

　　A. explain how the Gulf Stream is formed

　　B. compare global warming with global cooling

　　C. explain the composition of the sea currents

　　D. deliver a warning of a coming ice age

　　Now go through TEXT F quickly to answer question 32.

　　It seems obvious that trapping more of the sun's heat will make the planet hotter. But whatseems obvious isn't always true. According to some respected scientists, there is a chancethat global warming could plunge us into, of all things, an ice age.

　　The argument hinges on the Gulf Stream, the ocean current that brings warm surface waternorth and east and heats Europe. As it travels, some of the water evaporates; what's left issaltier and thus denser. Eventually the dense surface water sinks to the sea bottom, where itflows back southward. And then, near the equator, warm, fresh water from tropical rivers andrain dilutes the salt once again. allowing the water to rise to the surface, warm up and beginflowing north again.

　　But with global warming, melting ice from Greenland and the Arctic Ocean could pump freshwater into the North Atlantic? so could the increased rainfall predicted for northern latitudes ina warmer world. Result: the Gulf Stream's water wouldn't get saltier after all and wouldn't sinkso easily. Without adequate re-supply, the southerly underwater current would stop, and theGulf Stream would in turn be shut off.

　　If that happens. Europe will get very cold. Rome is. after all, at the same latitude as Chicago,and Paris is about as far north as North Dakota. More snow will fall, and the bright snow coverwill reflect more of the sun's energy back into space, making life even chillier. Beyond that, theGulf Stream is tied into other ocean currents, and shutting it down could rearrange things ina way that would cause less overall evaporation.

　　Worst of all, the experts believe, such changes could come on with astonishing speed —perhaps within a decade or less. And while we might have a great deal of trouble adjusting to aclimate that gets 2°C warmer over the next century, an ice age by mid-century would beunimaginably devastating. The lingering uncertainty about whether our relentless productionof greenhouse gases will keep heating our planet or ultimately cool it suggests that weshould make a better effort to leave the earth's thermostat alone.

　　TEXT G

　　First read the following question.

　　33. What is the main theme of the following passage?

　　A. Strengths of paper books over E-books.

　　B. Projected extinction of paper books.

　　C. Market prospects of E-books.

　　D. The history of paper books.

　　Now go through TEXT G quickly to answer question 33.

　　Experts predict that the printed, paper and glue book will be rendered obsolete by electronictext delivery systems, of which one; the Microsoft Reader, is already on the market, offering"'books" on a pocket PC manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. This is not impossible; alreadymuch of the written communication that used to be handled by letters, newspapers andmagazines has shifted to computer screens and to the vast digital library available over theInternet. If the worst comes true and the paper book joins the papyrus scroll and parchmentcodex in extinction, we will miss, I predict, a number of things about it.

　　The book as furniture. Shelved rows of books warm and brighten the starkest room. Bybedside and easy chair, books promise a cozy, swift and silent release from this world intoanother. For ease of access and speed of storage, books are tough to beat.

　　The book as sensual pleasure. Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the averagebook fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of covercloth, glazed jacket or flexible paperback. The weight can rest on the little finger of the righthand for hours without strain, while the thumb holds the pages open and the fingers of theother hand turn them.

　　The rectangular block of type, a product of five and a half centuries of printers' lore, yields todecipherment so gently that one is scarcely aware of the difference immersing oneself in animaginary world and scanning the furniture of one's own room.

　　The book as souvenir. One's collection comes to symbolize the contents of one's mind.Books read in childhood, in yearning adolescence, at college and in the first self-consciousyears of adulthood travel along, often, with readers as they move from house to house. Mymother's college texts sat untouched in a corner of our country bookcase.

　　The bulk of my own college books are still with me, rarely consulted but always there,reminders of moments, of stages, in a pilgrimage. The decades since add their own drifts andstrata of volumes read or half read or intended to be read. Books preserve, daintily, theredolence of their first reading — this beach, that apartment, that summer afternoon, thisflight to Indonesia.

　　Books as ballast. As movers and the moved both know, books are heavy freight, the weightof refrigerators and sofas broken up into cardboard boxes. They make us think twice aboutchanging addresses. How many aging couples have decided to stay put because they can'timagine what to do with the books? How many divorces have been forestalled by love of thejointly acquired library?

　　Books hold our beams down. They act as counterweight to our fickle and flighty natures. Incomparison, any electronic text delivery device would lack substance. Further, speaking ofobsolescence, it would be outdated in a year and within 15 years as inoperable as my formerlytreasured Wang word processor from the mid-80's. Electronic equals immaterial. Withoutbooks, we might melt into the airwaves, and be just another set of blips.

　　TEXT H

　　First read the following question.

　　34. The passage intends primarily to in some Asian cities.

　　A. explain how porters work

　　B. introduce top-end eateries

　　C. provide advice on tipping

　　D. describe how taxis are metered

　　Now go through TEXT H quickly to answer question 34.

　　It's difficult to determine what constitutes an appropriate tip in any country. In Japan, if youleave a couple of coins on the table, the waiter is liable to chase after you to return yourforgotten change. In New York, on the other hand, if you leave less than 15%, yourreservation might not hold up next time. Asia, with its multiplicity of cultures and customs, is aparticularly difficult terrain. To make your next trip a little easier, here's a guide to tippingacross the region:

　　HONG KONG

　　Tipping is de rigueur in this money-mad metropolis at all but the lowest establishments. Evenbathrooms in posh hotels have little dishes for loose change.

　　Restaurants: Most places automatically add a 10% service charge to the bill, but thesurcharge often ends up in the pocket of the owner, not the staff kitty. If the service is good,add another 10% to the bill, up to HK$100 if you're in an especially nice restaurant.

　　Porters: HK $10 should do it at all but the nicest hotels where a crisp HK $20 bill may be moreacceptable.

　　Taxis: Round up to the nearest dollar, although many drivers will do this on their own whenmaking change.

　　MANILA

　　Tipping is common in Manila, and anything above 10% will gain you undying loyalty.

　　Restaurants: Even if a service charge is included, custom dictates adding another 5%- 10% tothe bill.

　　Porters: Service in top hotels is good and should be rewarded with 20 pesos per bag.

　　Taxis: Most cabs are metered, and rounding up to the next five pesos is a good rule of thumb.

　　SEOUL

　　Tipping is no part of Korean culture, although it has become a matter of course in internationalhotels where a 10% service charge is often added.

　　Restaurants: If you're at a Korean barbecue joint, there's no need to add anything extra. But asleek Italian restaurant may require a 10% contribution.

　　Porters: If you're at a top-end hotel, international standards apply, so expect to give 500~l 000won per bag.

　　Taxis: Drivers don't expect a tip, so unless you're feeling remarkably generous, keep thechange for yourself.

　　SINGAPORE

　　According to government mandate in the Lion City, tipping is a no-no. It's basically outlawed atChangi Airport and officials encourage tourists not to add the 10% service charge that manyhigh-end hotels add on to the bill.

　　Porters: Hotel staff are the one exception to the no-tipping rule. As a general guide, S$lshould be adequate for baggage-lugging service.

　　Taxis: Drivers don't expect tipping, but they won't refuse if you want to round up the fare tothe next Singaporean dollar.

　　TEXT I

　　First read the following questions.

　　35. If you want to see a performance by the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre, which phonenumber would you ring?

　　A. 6841—9283. B. 6848—5462.

　　C. 6301—6688. D. 6523—3320.

　　36. Supposing you have some free time after 7 p. m. on July 1st, which performance orexhibition can you go to?

　　A. Traditional Chinese music. B. Chinese modern operas.

　　C. Peking Opera. D. Lao Dao's recent paintings.

　　Now go through TEXT I quickly to answer questions 35 and 36.

　　WHAT'S ON CONCERTS

　　New concert hall: The movie theatre of the National Library of China has been turned into aconcert hall after months of renovation.

　　The Guotu Concert Hall will open to the public for the first time on June 30. After the openingceremony, the China National Song and Dance theatre will present highlights of Chinesemodern operas from the past 50 years.

　　Programme: excerpts from Chinese modern operas including "The White-haired Girl", "RedRocks" and more.

　　Time: 7:30 p.m. , June 30

　　Place: Guotu Concert Hall at the National Library of China

　　Tel: 6841-9283

　　Chinese music: The Traditional Band of China National Song and Dance Theatre will performtraditional Chinese music, under Liu Wenjin, composer and director of the theatre.

　　Programme: "Butterfly Lovers", "Moonlight Reflected on Number Two Spring", "The Night isDeep" and other traditional pieces.

　　Time: 7:30 p.m. , July 1—2

　　Place: Guotu Concert Hall at the National Library of China

　　Tel: 6848—5462

　　EXHIBITIONS

　　One-man show: Lao Dao is presenting his most recent paintings at the Wanfung Gallery.

　　Titled "Spanning the Space", the exhibition features about 30 works created from syntheticmaterials. The paintings are composed of mottled ancient doors with faded couplets pasted onthem, leading the viewers into ancient stories hidden behind the door.

　　Time: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. until July 1st

　　Place: 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District

　　Tel: 6523—3320

　　Charm of ink: The Huangshicheng Gallery is hosting a solo show of ink-and-colour paintings byveteran calligrapher and painter Qin Tang. More than just visually appealing, Qin's workimpresses the viewer with its vividness and simplicity.

　　Time: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. until 5th

　　Place: Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District

　　Tel: 6528-9103

　　STAGE

　　Peking Opera: The Liyuan Theatre presents traditional Peking Opera excerpts in shortprogrammes for foreign audiences and in original styles. With an explanation in English, theperformances are from the Beijing Opera Theater.

　　Time: 7:30 p.m. July 3—5

　　Place: Liyuan Theater, Qianmen Jianguo Hotel, Xuanwu District

　　Tel: 6301—6688

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