1、专八真题 2015 年1 / 391TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2015)GRADE EIGHTTIME LIMIT：195 MINPART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN)SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lectureYou will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important pointsYour notes will not be marked,
2、 but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lectureWhen the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE, using no more than three words in each gapMake sure the word(s) you
3、fill in is (are)both grammatically and semantically acceptableYou may refer to your notes while completing the taskUse the blank sheet for note-takingNow, listen to the mini-lectureUnderstanding Academic LecturesListening to academic lectures is an important task for university students. Then, how c
4、an we comprehend a lecture efficiently?I.Understand all (1) A.wordsB. (2) stressintonation (3) II.Adding informationA.lectures:Sharing information with audienceB.listeners: (4) C.sources of information knowledge of (5) (6) of the worldD.listening involving three steps: hearing (7) addingIII. (8) A.r
5、easons overcome noise save timeB. (9) content organizationIV.Evaluating while listeningA.help tp decide the (10) of notesB.help to remember informationSECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that followMark the best answer
6、 to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWOQuestions 1 to 5 are based on an interviewAt the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questionsNow listen to the interview1. Theresa thinks that the present government is _.A doing what they have promised to schoo
7、ls专八真题 2015 年2 / 391B creating opportunities for leading universitiesC considering removing barriers for state school pupilsD reducing opportunities for state school pupils2. What does Theresa see as a problem in secondary schools now?A Universities are not working hard to accept state school pupils
8、.B The number of state pupils applying to Oxford fails to increase.C The government has lowered state pupils expectations.D Leading universities are rejecting state school pupils.3. In Theresa s view, school freedom means that schools should _.A be given more funding from education authoritiesB be g
9、iven all the money and decide how to spend itC be granted greater power to run themselvesD be given more opportunities and choices4. According to Theresa, who decides or decide money for schools at the present?A Local education authorities and the central government.B Local education authorities and
10、 secondary schools together.C Local education authorities only.D The central government only.5. Throughout the talk, the interviewer does all the following EXCEPT _.A asking for clarificationB challenging the intervieweeC supporting the intervieweeD initiating topicsSECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this s
11、ection you will hear everything ONCE ONLYListen carefully and then answer the questions that followMark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWOQuestions 6 and 7 are based on the following news, At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questionsNow listen t
12、o the newsNews Item 16. What is the main idea of the news item?A Fewer people watch TV once a week.B Smartphones and tablets have replaced TV.C New technology has led to more family time.D Bigger TV sets have attracted more people.News Item 27. How many lawmakers voted for the marijuana legalization
13、 bill?A 50. B 12.C 46. D 18.8. The passing of the bill means that marijuana can be_.A bought by people under 18B made available to drug addictsC provided by the governmentD bought in drug storesNews Item 3专八真题 2015 年3 / 3919. What did the review of global data reveal?ADiarrhea is a common disease.BG
14、ood sanitation led to increase in height.CThere were many problems of poor sanitation.D African children live in worse sanitary conditions.10. The purpose of Dr. Alan Dangour s study was most likely to _.A examine links between sanitation and death from illnessB look into factors affecting the growt
15、h of childrenC investigate how to tackle symptoms like diarrheaD review and compare conditions in different countriesPART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark the best ans
16、wer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWOTEXT AIn 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases
17、 at record rates, up 8% from last year.What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively - and therefore make bad decisions - when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a
18、third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed .When my most rec
19、ent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the differences between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. W
20、henever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and then subtly holding onto i
21、t for just an extra moment before placing it in the customers hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book. 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. Thats why
22、we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this c
23、ase when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronge
24、r bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession. This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience.As the rituals of purchase in the lead-up to Christmas change, not only do we give
25、 less thought to the type of gifts we buy for our loved ones but, through our own digital wish lists, we increasingly control what they buy for us. The reality, however, is that no matter how convinced we all are that digital is the way to go, finding real satisfaction will probably take more than a
26、 few simple clicks.11. According to the author, shoppers are returning their purchases for all the following reasons EXCEPT that _.A they are unsatisfied with the quality of the purchaseBthey eventually find the purchase too expensiveC they change their mind out of uncertaintyD they regret making th
27、e purchase without forethought12. What is the purpose of the experiment in the bookstore?A To see which promotion method is preferred by customers.BTo find out the strengths and weaknesses of both methods.C To try to set up a new retailer-customer relationship.专八真题 2015 年4 / 391D To see the effect o
28、f an approach on customers decisions.13. Why does the author cite the study by Bangor University and the Royal Mail Service?ATo compare similar responses in different settings.B To provide further evidence for his own observation.C To offer a scientific account of the brains functions.D To describe
29、emotional responses in online shopping.14. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?AReal satisfaction depends on factors other than the computer.B Despite online shopping we still attach importance to gift buying.C Some people are still uncertain about the digital age.D Online shopping offers r
30、eal satisfaction to shoppers.Text BMy professor brother and I have an argument about head and heart about whether he overvalues IQ while I learn more toward EQ. We typically have this debate about peoplecan we be friends with a really smart jerk（怪物） ?but theres corollary to animals as well. Id love
31、it if our dog could fetch the morning paper and then read it to me over coffee, but I actually care much more about her loyal and innocent heart. Theres already enough thinking going on is our house, and we probably spend too much time in our heads, where we need some role modeling is in instinct, a
32、nd thats where a dog is a roving revelation.I did not grow up with dogs, which meant that my older daughters respectful but unyielding determination to get one required some adjustment on my part. I often felt she was training me: from ages of 6 to 9, she gently schooled me in various breeds and the
33、ir personalities, whispered to the dogs we encountered so they would charm and persuade me, demonstrated by her self-displine that she was ready for the responsibility. And thus came our dog Twist, whom I sometimes mistake for a third daughter.At first I thought the challenge would be to train her t
34、o sit, to heel, to walk calmly beside us and not go wildly chasing the neighbourhood rabbits. But I soon discovered how much more we had to learn from her than she from us.If it is true, for example, that the secret to a childs success is less rare genius than raw persistence, Twists ability to stay
35、 on task is a model for us all, especially if the task is trying to capture the sunbeam that flicks around the living room as the wind blows through the branches outside. She never succeeds, and she never gives up. This includes when she runs square into walls.Then there is her unfailing patience, w
36、hich breaks down only when she senses that dinnertime was 15 minutes ago and we have somehow failed to notice. Even then she is more eager than indignant, and her refusal to whine shows a restraint of which Im not always capable when hungry.But the lesson I value most is the one in forgiveness, and
37、Twist first offered this when she was still very young. When she was about 7 months old, we took her to the vet to be sprayed(切除卵巢). We turned her over to a stranger, who procceeded to perform a procedure that was probably not pleasant, But when the vet returned her to us, limp and tender, there was
38、 no recrimination(反责) ，no how could you do that to me? It was as though she really knew that we could not intentionally cause her pain, and while she did not understand, she forgave and curled up with her head on my daughters lap.I suppose we could have concluded that she was just blindly loyal and
39、docile. But eventually we knew better. She is entirely capable of disobedience, as she has proved many times. She will ignore us when there are more interesting things to look at, rebuke us when we are careless, bark into the twilight when she has urgent messages to send. But her patience with our f
40、ailings and frickleness and her willingness to give us a scond chance are a daily lesson in gratitude.My friends who grew up with dogs tell me how when they were teenagers and trusted no one in the world, they could tell their dog all their secrets. It was the one friend who would not gossip or betr
41、ay, could provide in the middle of the night the soft, unbegrudging comfort and peace that adolescence conspires to disrupt. An age that is all about growth and risk needs some anchors and weigths, a model of steadfastness when all else is in flux. Sometimes I think Twists devotion keeps my girls on
42、 a benevolent lash, one that hangs quietly at their side as they trot along but occasionally yanks them back to safety and solid ground.Weve weighed so many decisions so carefully in raising our daughters what school to send them to and what church to attend, when to give them cell phones and with w
43、hat precautions. But when it comes to what really 专八真题 2015 年5 / 391shapes their character and binds our family, I never would have thought we would owe so much to its smallest member.15. In the first paragraph, the author suggests that_.Aa person can either have a high IQ or a low EQBher professor
44、brother cares too much about IQCwe need examples of how to follow ones heartDshe prefers dogs that are clever and loyal16. According to the passage, all the following are Twists characteristics EXCEPT_.AresignationBpatienceCforgivenessDtenacity17. According to the context, the meaning of the word “s
45、quare“is closest to_.AfastBblindlyCstraight Dstubbornly18.ThatTwists devotion keeps my girls on a benevolent leash means that_.ATwist is capable of looking after the girlsBTwist and the girls have become friendsCTwist knows how to follow the girlsDTwists loyalty helps the girls grow up19. What does
46、the author try to express in the last paragraph?ADifficulties in raising her children.BWorries about what to buy for kids.CGratitude to Twist for her role.DConcerns about schooling and religion.Text CMost West African lorries ate not in what one would call the first flush of youth, and I had learnt
47、by bitter experience not to expect anything very much of them. But the lorry that arrived to take me up to the mountains was worse than anything I had seen before: it tottered on the borders of senile decay. It stood there on buckled wheels, wheezing and gasping with exhaustion from having to climb
48、up the gentle slope to the camp, and I consigned myself and my loads to it with some trepidation. The driver, who was a cheerful fellow, pointed out that he would require my assistance in two very necessary operations: first, I had to keep the hand brake pressed down when travelling downhill, for unless it was held thus almost level with the floor it sullenly refused to function. Secondly, I had to keep a stern eye on the clutch, a wilful piece of mechanism, that seized every chance to leap out of its socket with a noise like a strangling leopard. As it was ob
