2004年英语专业八级考试真题（附听力mp3及答案）

　　TEXT B

　　Oscar Wilde said that work is the refuge of peoplewho have nothing better to do. If so, Americans arenow among the world's saddest refugees. Factoryworkers in the United States are working longerhours than at any time in the past half-century.America once led the rich world in cutting the averageworking week-from 70 hours in 1850 to less than 40hours by the 1950s. It seemed natural that aspeople grew richer they would trade extra earningsfor more leisure. Since the 1970s, however, thehours clocked up by American workers have risen, to an average of 42 this year inmanufacturing.

　　Several studies suggest that something similar is happening outside manufacturing: Americansare spending more time at work than they did 20 years ago. Executives and lawyers boast of80?hour weeks. On holiday, they seek out fax machines and phones as eagerly as Germans bagthe best sun-loungers. Yet working time in Europe and Japan continues to fall. In Germany'sengineering industry the working week is to be trimmed from 36 to 35 hours next year. MostGermans get six weeks' paid annual holiday; even the Japanese now take three weeks.Americans still make do with just two.

　　Germany responds to this contrast with its usual concern about whether people's aversion towork is damaging its competitiveness. Yet German workers, like the Japanese, seem to beacting sensibly: as their incomes rise, they can achieve a better standard of living with fewerhours of work. The puzzle is why America, the world's richest country, sees things differently.It is a puzzle with sinister social implications. Parents spend less time with their children, whomay be left alone at home for longer. Is it just a coincidence that juvenile crime is on the rise

　　Some explanations for America's time at work fail to stand up to scrutiny. One blames weaktrade unions that leave workers open to exploitation. Are workers being forced by cost?cuttingfirms to toil harder just to keep their jobs? A recent study by two American economists,Richard Freeman and Linda Bell, suggests not: when asked, Americans actually want to worklonger hours. Most German workers, in contrast, would rather work less.

　　Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that the real earnings ofmany Americans have been stagnant or falling during the past two decades. People work longermerely to maintain their living standards. Yet many higher skilled workers, who have enjoyedbig increases in their real pay, have been working harder too. Also, one reason for the slowgrowth of wages has been the rapid growth in employment-which is more or less where theargument began.

　　Taxes may have something to do with it. People who work an extra hour in America are allowedto keep more of their money than those who do the same in Germany. Falls in marginal taxrates in America since the 1970s have made it all the more profitable to work longer.None ofthese answers really explains why the century?long decline in working hours has gone intoreverse in America but not elsewhere (though Britain shows signs of following America's lead).Perhaps cultural differences-the last refuge of the defeated economist-are at play. Economistsused to believe that once workers earned enough to provide for their basic needs and allow fora few luxuries, their incentive to work would be eroded, like lions relaxing after a kill. Buthumans are more susceptible to advertising than lions. Perhaps clever marketing has ensuredthat "basic needs"-for a shower with built?in TV, for a rocket?propelled car-expandcontinuously. Shopping is already one of America's most popular pastimes. But it requiresmoney-hence more work and less leisure.?Or try this: the television is not very good, andbaseball and hockey keep being wiped out by strikes. Perhaps Wilde was right. MaybeAmericans have nothing better to do.

　　20. In the United States, working longer hours is ____.

　　A. confined to the manufacturing industry

　　B. a traditional practice in some sectors

　　C. prevalent in all sectors of society

　　D. favoured by the economists

　　21. According to the third paragraph, which might be one of the consequences of workinglonger hours?

　　A. Rise in employees' working efficiency.

　　B. Rise in the number of young offenders.

　　C. Rise in people's living standards.

　　D. Rise in competitiveness.

　　22. Which of the following is the cause of working longer hours stated by the writer?

　　A. Expansion of basic needs.

　　B. Cultural differences.

　　C. Increase in real earnings.

　　D. Advertising.

　　TEXT C

　　The fox really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the earlysummer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon asevening began to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deepgrass; he was difficult as a serpent to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girlsdeliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white tip of his brush, or the ruddyshadow of him in the deep grass, and she had let fire at him. But he made no account of this.The trees on the wood edge were a darkish, brownish green in the full light-for it was the endof August. Beyond, the naked, copper like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air.Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all agleam, was full of light. The fowlswere round about-the ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees. Marchlooked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in thedistance-and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Herconsciousness was, as it were, held back.

　　She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. His chin waspressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She wasspellbound-she knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed her. He knewher, he has not daunted. She struggled, confusedly she came to herself, and saw him makingoff, with slow leaps over some fallen boughs, slow, impudent jumps. Then he glanced over hisshoulder, and ran smoothly away. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she sawhis white buttocks twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind.

　　She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth, knowing it was nonsenseto pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly,pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was determined to find him. Whatshe would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to findhim. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes,and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did not think. In strange mindlessness she walked hitherand thither...

　　As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out, without saying why. She took her gunagain and went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing lookseemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed byhim. She saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt himinvisibly master her spirit. She knew the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew hismuzzle, the golden brown, and the greyish white. And again she saw him glance over hisshoulder at her, half inviting, half contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her greatstartled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood edge. Meanwhile the night fell,and a great moon rose above the pine trees.

　　23. At the beginning of the story, the fox seems to the all EXCEPT ____.

　　A. cunning

　　B. fierce

　　C. defiant

　　D. annoying

　　24. As the story proceeds, March begins to feel under the spell of ____.

　　A. the light

　　B. the trees

　　C. the night

　　D. the fox

　　25. Gradually March seems to be in a state of ____.

　　A. blankness

　　B. imagination

　　C. sadness

　　D. excitement

　　26. At the end of the story, there seems to be a sense of ____ between March and the fox.

　　A. detachment

　　B. anger

　　C. intimacy

　　D. conflict

　　27. The passage creates an overall impression of ____.

　　A. mystery

　　B. horror

　　C. liveliness

　　D. contempt

　　TEXT D

　　The banners are packed, the tickets booked. The glitter and white overalls have been bought,the gas masks just fit and the mobile phones are ready. All that remains is to get to theparties.

　　This week will see a feast of pan?European protests. It started on Bastille Day last Saturday,with the French unions and immigrants on the streets and the first demonstrations in Britainand Germany about climate change. It will continue tomorrow and Thursday with environmentaland peace rallies against President Bush. But the big one is in Genoa, on Friday and Saturday,where the G8 leaders will meet behind the lines of 18,000 heavily armed police.

　　Unlike Prague, Gothenburg, Cologne or Nice, Genoa is expected to be Europe's Seattle, thecoming together of the disparate strands of resistance to corporate globalisation.?Neitherthe protesters nor the authorities know what will happen, but some things are predictable.Yes, there will be violence and yes, the mass media will focus on it. What should seriouslyconcern the G8 is not so much the violence, the numbers in the streets or even that theythemselves look like idiots hiding behind the barricades, but that the deep roots of a genuinenew version of internationalism are growing.

　　For the first time in a generation, the international political and economic condition is in thedock. Moreover, the protesters are unlikely to go away, their confidence is growing ratherthan waning, their agendas are merging, the protests are spreading and drawing in all ages andconcerns.

　　No single analysis has drawn all the strands of the debate together. In the mean time, theglobal protest "movement" is developing its own language, texts, agendas, myths, heroesand villains. Just as the G8 leaders, world bodies and businesses talk increasingly from the samescript, so the protesters' once disparate political and social analyses are converging. Thelong-term project of governments and world bodies to globalise capital and development isbeing mirrored by the globalisation of protest.

　　But what happens next? Governments and world bodies are unsure which way to turn. Howeverwell they are policed, major protests reinforce the impression of indifferent elites,repression of debate, overreaction to dissent, injustice and unaccountable power.

　　Their options-apart from actually embracing the broad agenda being put to them-are toretreat behind even higher barricades, repress dissent further, abandon global meetingsaltogether or, more likely, meet only in places able to physically resist the masses.

　　Brussels is considering building a super fortress for international meetings. Genoa may be thelast of the European super protests.

　　28. According to the context, the word "parties" at the end of the first paragraph refers to____.

　　A. the meeting of the G8 leaders

　　B. the protests on Bastille Day

　　C. the coming pan?European protests

　　D. the big protest to be held in Genoa

　　29. According to the passage, economic globalisation is paralleled by ____.

　　A. the emerging differences in the global protest movement

　　B. the disappearing differences in the global protest movement

　　C. the growing European concern about globalisation

　　D. the increase in the number of protesters

　　30. According to the last paragraph, what is Brussels considering doing?

　　A. Meeting in places difficult to reach.

　　B. Further repressing dissent.

　　C. Accepting the protesters' agenda.

　　D. Abandoning global meetings.

　　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.

　　First read the question.

　　31. The main purpose of the passage is to ____.

　　A. demonstrate how to prevent crime

　　B. show the seriousness of crime?

　　C. look into the causes of crime

　　D. call for more government efforts

　　Now go through TEXT E quickly to answer question 31.?

　　For three weeks, every night at 11 p.m., correspondents, officers and judges from justicecourts, police departments and prisons, psychiatrists, criminologists, victims and even criminalsin prisons made their appearance on TV to debate on a topic "Crime in the United States".

　　Indeed, crime has been disturbing the American people and has become a serious socialproblem just next to the unemployment problem. Some figures are terrifying: 1 of 4Americans has been a victim of some kind of crimes; nearly 22 million crimecases occurred lastyear throughout the country. A simple arithmetic calculation indicates that on average, a crimeis being committed in every 2 seconds. Now the Americans are living in a horribleenvironment. Their safety and property are threatened by various crimes: robbery, theft,rape, kidnapping, murder, arson, vandalism and violence.

　　The most worrisome problem comes from the fact that about one?third of crime cases werecommitted by the juvenile and 53% of criminals in jails are youngsters below 25. A pollindicates that about 73% of citizens said they avoided teenagers in streets, especially at night.

　　To protect themselves from crime, according to a released figure, 52% of Americans keepguns at home. But some gun owners turn out to be potential criminals. Some people demandthat strict law for gun control be enforced; but others oppose the ban of gun. No decision isin sight.

　　Some experts said poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination are the cause of crime.They cited figures to show that 47% of crime cases were committed by the black, though theyaccount for only about 12% of the population of the nation

　　Others argued that about 54% of convicted criminals came from families associated with theseevils.The American state government and federal government spend billions of dollars each yearin maintaining the police departments and jails. But police authorities complain that they havenot sufficient well-trained hands and advanced equipment to detect and stop crimes. Severalcases of criminal insurgence were reported as a result of resentment at overcrowded prisons.Taxpayers complain that they pay more and more tax but receive less and less protectionfrom crime for their lives and property.

　　Though the host of the live TV programme made great efforts to search for a solution, so farno participant could put forward a measure that was approved by most of the attendants.

　　TEXT F

　　First read the question.

　　32. What is the main topic of the following passage?

　　A. Differences between modes of learning.

　　B. Deficiencies of formal learning.

　　C. Advantages of informal learning.

　　D. Social context and learning systems.

　　Now go through TEXT F quickly to answer question 32.

　　The term "formal learning" is used in this paper to refer to all learning that takes place in theclassroom, irrespective of whether such learning is informed by conservative or progressiveideologies. "Informal learning", on the other hand, is used to refer to learning which takes placeoutside the classroom.

　　These definitions provide the essential, though by no means sole, difference between formaland informal learning. Formal learning is decontextualised from daily life and, indeed, asScribner and Cole (1973:553) have observed, may actually "promote ways of learning andthinking which often run counter to those nurtured in practical daily life". A characteristicfeature of formal learning is the centrality of activities that are not closely paralleled by activitiesoutside the classroom. The classroom can prepare for, draw on, and imitate the challenges ofadult life outside the classroom, but it cannot, by its nature, consist of these challenges.

　　In doing this, language plays a critical role as the major channel for information exchange. "Success" in the classroom requires a student to master this abstract code. As Bernstein(1969:152) noted, the language of the classroom is more similar to the language used bymiddle class families than that used by workin--class families. Middle-class children thus find iteasier to acquire the language of the classroom than their working-class peers

　　Informal learning, in contrast, occurs in the setting to which it relates, making learningimmediately relevant. In this context, language does not occupy such an important role: thechild's experience of learning is more holistic, involving sight, touch, taste, and smell-sensesthat are under utilised in the classroom. While formal learning is transmitted by teachersselected to perform this role, informal learning is acquired as a natural part of a child'sdevelopment. Adults or older children who are proficient in the skill or activity providesometimes unintentionally target models of behaviour in the course of everyday activity.Informal learning, therefore, can take place at any time and is not subject to the limitationsimposed by institutional timetabling.

　　The motivation of the learner provides another critical difference between the two modes oflearning. The formal learner is generally motivated by some kind of external goal such asparental approval, social status, and potential financial reward. The informal learner,however, tends to be motivated by successful completion of the task itself and the partialacquisition of adult status.

　　TEXT G

　　First read the question.

　　33. The three approaches mentioned in the passage aim at ____.

　　A. restructuring economy

　　B. improving the tax system

　　C. improving the living conditions

　　D. reducing poverty

　　Now go through TEXT G quickly to answer question33.

　　As a rule, it is essential that the poor's productivecapabilities be mobilized and the conditions fordeveloping these human resources be improved. Inthis connection, German development policy hasdeveloped the following three approaches:

　　Structural reform: Structural reform is thepreferred approach for reducing poverty because iteliminates the causes of poverty rather than just itssymptoms. It is vital that economic, political and social conditions which can alleviate povertybe established at national and international levels. Efforts at international level focus on fairconditions for international trade and competition.

　　At national level, the poor must be helped through structural reform such as the introductionof democratic government, options for independent private enterprise, decentralization andagricultural reform. Development policy tools for realizing such reforms include politicaldialogue, political advisory services, structural adjustment measures and personnel andmaterial support for reform efforts in the government, business and administrative sectors.

　　Direct measures: Projects of this category are aimed at directly helping the poor and improvingtheir living conditions or increasing their job options and earning potential. Of specialimportance are those projects which provide help for self-help in reducing poverty. The materialsupport and advisory services offered by these projects reinforce the poor's will to helpthemselves and help eable them to lead self-sufficient lives. Typical direct aid projects includethe construction of simple housing by self-help groups, the creation of a savings and loansystem for the poorer segments of society and support for women's self-help organizations.

　　Indirect measures: A project's beneficiaries - its target group - are not only often difficult toidentify clearly, they are also not necessarily all poor people. In these cases, the project inquestion must be integrated into one of the partner nation's overall or sector?specific policiesthat aim at reducing poverty. A good illustration of this type of project is the use of advisoryservices to improve the tax system. Advising and upgrading the qualifications of personnelworking in the fiscal system can lead to increased tax revenues which could be allocated foranti-poverty measures. In keeping with this focus, German development assistanceconcentrates on the poorest nations and on projects to reduce poverty. In 1993, some 10percent of the commitments Germany made for bilateral financial and technical assistancewent to self-help projects aimed at reducing poverty. Basic needs projects comprised 48percent of all projects and almost 30 percent of the commitments made for financial andtechnical assistance were allocated for the world's least developed countries (LDCs).

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