夏徛荣：2004年考研英语考前冲刺试卷(一)

　　作者：夏徛荣

　　注意事项

　　1. 严格遵守考场规则，考生得到监考人员指令后方可开始答题。

　　2. 本试题的答案必须填写在规定的答题卡上，仅写在试题册上不给分。

　　3. 听力、英语知识运用、阅读理解A节的答案按要求写或填涂在答题卡1上，阅读理解B节和写作答案写在答题卡2上。

　　4. 听力考试进行时，考生先将答案写或划在试题册上，然后在听力部分结束前专门留出的5分钟内，将试题册上的全部答案整洁地誊写或转涂到答题卡1上。

　　5. 各项填涂部分一律用2B铅笔按照答题卡上的要求填涂。如要改动，必须用橡皮擦干净。

　　6. 听力部分A、B两节必须用蓝(黑)圆珠笔将答案誊写在答题卡1上；阅读理解部分B节和写作部分必须用蓝(黑)圆珠笔在答题卡2上答题。注意字迹清楚。

　　7. 考试结束后，将答题卡1、答题卡2一并装入原试卷袋中，试题交给监考人员。

　　Section I Listening Comprehension

　　Directions: This section is designed to test your ability to understand spoken English. You will hear a selection of recorded materials and you must answer the questions that accompany them. There are three parts in this section, Part A, Part B and Part C.

　　Remember, while you are doing the test, you should first put down your answers in your test booklet. At the end of the listening comprehension section, you will have 5 minutes to transfer all your answers from your test booklet to ANSWER SHEET 1.

　　If you have any questions, you may raise your hand NOW as you will not be allowed to speak once the test has started.

　　Now look at Part A in your test booklet.

　　Part A

　　Directions: For Questions 1—5, you will hear a talk about solar energy. While you listen, fill out the table with the information you’ve heard. Some of the information has been given to you in the table. Write only 1 word or number in each numbered box. You will hear the recording twice. You how have 25 seconds to read the table below. (5 points)

　　Part B

　　Directions: For questions 6 – 10, you will hear a talk about Mr. Winkler and his neighborhood. For questions 6-10, complete the sentences or answer the questions. Use not more than 3 words for each answer. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 25 seconds to read the sentences and the question below. (5 points)

　　Part C

　　Directions: You will hear three pieces of recorded material. Before listening to each one, you will have time to read the questions related to it.

　　While listening, answer each question by choosing A, B, C or D. after listening, you will have time to check your answers. You will hear each piece once only. (10 points)

　　Questions 11-13 are based on the following talk about literature in the 19th and the 20th century. You now have 15 seconds to read questions 11-13.

　　11. In England and America the Victorian Period as a whole was an age of national

　　[A] growth.

　　[B] warfare.

　　[C] depression.

　　[D] literary corruption.

　　12. According to the speaker, at the close of the Victorian Period, English and

　　American literature was?

　　[A] prosperous.

　　[B] homogeneous.

　　[C] on the wane.

　　[D] vitally energetic.

　　13. Which of the following can best reflect the attitude of the speaker towards the character of the literary history of the 19th and the 20th centuries?

　　[A] negative.

　　[B] contending.

　　[C] arbitrary.

　　[D] unbiased.

　　You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Questions 11-13

　　Questions 14-16 are based on the following talk about a novelist Edith Wharton. You now have 15 seconds to read questions 14-16.

　　14. The speaker has the conviction that Edith Wharton felt that in writing novels it was important to

　　[A] adhere to the “stream of consciousness” principle.

　　[B] elaborates “slices of life”.

　　[C] isolate significant events from life’s overall picture.

　　[D] emphasize personal idiosyncrasies.

　　15. According to the speaker, Edith Wharton, in writing a novel, was probably most concerned with the characters’

　　[A] ideals.

　　[B] day-to-day lives.

　　[C] personal profiles.

　　[D] future career plans.

　　16. According to the speaker, which of the following is TRUE about Edith Wharton’s characters?

　　[A] They often had lives that ended sadly.

　　[B] They frequently had strong convictions.

　　[C] They occasionally tried to make others happy.

　　[D] They always were profoundly unhappy.

　　You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Questions 14-16.

　　Questions 17-20 are based on a diary. You now have 20 seconds to read questions 17-20.

　　17. What left a great impression on the author?

　　[A] The doll’s unusual face.

　　[B] The collection of toys.

　　[C] A stranger he met the store.

　　[D] The resemblance of the doll to his niece.

　　18. The story took place in the

　　[A] early winter.

　　[B] midsummer.

　　[C] early spring.

　　[D] late fall.

　　19. The speaker was on his way to work when she went past

　　[A] an advertisement Agency.

　　[B] Abe Sheftel’s Stationery Shop.

　　[C] a department store.

　　[D] the East River.

　　20. Most of the things displayed in the store-windows proved to be

　　[A] unattractive.

　　[B] expensive.

　　[C] appealing.

　　[D] conspicuous.

　　You now have 40 seconds to check your answers to Questions 17-20.

　　Section II Use of English

　　Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C, D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

　　When today’s high-school seniors are asked what they plan to do after graduation, most say that they intend to get a bachelor's degree. They have been told that their 21 has only “one way to win” —— by 22 at least a bachelor’s degree, in the 23 that it will 24 lead to a professional job.

　　In a recent 25 of high-school seniors conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics,85 per cent of the respondents 26 they planned to get a bachelor's degree. And, 27 20 years ago only 45 per cent of high-school 28 went on to college, today 68 percent 29 matriculate, 30 the majority enrolling in four-year or two-year programs designed to allow them 31 to four-year 32 .

　　According to 33 wisdom, the rapid 34 in the number of students attending college is cause for national 35 . But our research suggests that 36 , it may be 37 for national concern. Why? Because for many young people, the “one way to win paradigm” (例子) is not 38 , given their academic talents and the labor-market projections. Students ranking 39 the top third of their high-school graduating class too often fail to earn as bachelor’s degree if they enroll in college. The cost of such failure —— in both dollars and unmet expectations —— is rising and beginning to 40 public confidence in our system of higher education.

　　21. [A] descendants

　　[B] generation

　　[C] ancestors

　　[D] school

　　22. [A] acquiring

　　[B] getting

　　[C] earning

　　[D] obtaining

　　23. [A] hope

　　[B] expectation

　　[C] wish

　　[D] anticipation

　　24. [A] ultimately

　　[B] invariably

　　[C] eventually

　　[D] typically

　　25. [A] pool

　　[B] directory

　　[C] project

　　[D] survey

　　26. [A] spoke

　　[B] remarked

　　[C] said

　　[D] told

　　27. [A] although

　　[B] even if

　　[C] provided

　　[D] only if

　　28. [A] drop-outs

　　[B] graduates

　　[C] enrolments

　　[D] faculty

　　29. [A] actually

　　[B] fundamentally

　　[C] sufficiently

　　[D] reversely

　　30. [A] against

　　[B] on

　　[C] to

　　[D] with

　　31. [A] transact

　　[B] transfer

　　[C] transport

　　[D] transmit

　　32. [A] institutions

　　[B] perspectives

　　[C] demonstrations

　　[D] specifications

　　33. [A] controversial

　　[B] universal

　　[C] constitutional

　　[D] conventional

　　34. [A] ascent

　　[B] rise

　　[C] soar

　　[D] mount

　　35. [A] dimension

　　[B] impression

　　[C] celebration

　　[D] speculation

　　36. [A] moreover

　　[B] accordingly

　　[C] instead

　　[D] then

　　37. [A] reason

　　[B] need

　　[C] cause

　　[D] want

　　38. [A] idealistic

　　[B] pessimistic

　　[C] materialistic

　　[D] realistic

　　39. [A] beyond

　　[B] below

　　[C] above

　　[D] off

　　40. [A] erode

　　[B] dispose

　　[C] underlie

　　[D] improve

　　Part III Reading Comprehension

　　Part A

　　Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text

　　by choosing A, B, C, D. Mark your choice on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

　　Text 1

　　The familiar saying that the exception proves the rule contains a good deal of wisdom, though from the standpoint of formal logic it became an absurdity as soon as “prove” no longer meant “put on trial”. The old saw began to be profound psychology from the time it ceased to have standing in logic. What it might well suggest to us today is that, if a rule has absolutely no exceptions, it is not recognized as a rule or as anything else; it is then part of the background of experience of which we tend to remain unconscious. Never having experienced anything in contrast to it, we cannot isolate it and formulate it as a rule until we so enlarge our experience and expand our base of reference that we encounter an interruption of its regularity. The situation is somewhat analogous to that of not missing the water till the well runs dry, or not realizing that we need air till we are choking.

　　For instance, if a race of people had the physiological defect of being able to see only the color blue, they would hardly be able to formulate the rule that they saw only blue. The term blue would convey no meaning to them, their language would lack color terms, and their words denoting their various sensations of blue would answer to, and translate, our words “light, dark, white, black,” and so on, not our word “blue.” In order to formulate the rule or norm of seeing only blue, they would need exceptional moments in which they saw other colors. The phenomenon of gravitation forms a rule without exceptions; needless to say, the untutored person is utterly unaware of any law of gravitation, for it would never enter his head to conceive of a universe in which bodies behave otherwise than they do at the earth’s surface. Like the color blue with our hypothetical race, the law of gravitation is a part of the untutored individuals background, not something he isolates from that background. The law could not be formulated until bodies that always fell were seen in terms of a wider astronomical world in which bodies moved in orbits or went this way and that.

　　Similarly, whenever we turn our heads, the image of the scene passes across our retinas exactly as it would if the scene turned around us. But this effect is background, and we do not recognize it; we do not see a room turn around us but are conscious only of having turned our heads —— in a stationary room. If we observe critically while turning the head or eyes quickly, we shall see, no motion it is true, yet a blurring of the scene between two clear views. Normally we are quite unconscious of this continual blurring but seem to be looking about in an unblurred world.

　　41. The popular saying that “the exception proves the rule”

　　[A] identifies exception with rule and misleads a lot of people.

　　[B] used to sound logical when “prove” conveys “put on trial.”

　　[C] points to the truth that a rule without exceptions is perfect.

　　[D] sounds so absurd today that people no longer refer to it.

　　42. If a race of people were able to see the color blue only, their words

　　denoting their various sensations of blue would ____ our words of “light,

　　dark, white or black.”

　　[A] run counter to

　　[B] be equivalent to

　　[C] derive from

　　[D] bear no relation to

　　43. An illiterate is utterly ignorant of any law of gravitation because

　　[A] exceptions of the law usually cannot be perceived by his own eyes.

　　[B] the law of gravitation is an idea he isolates from his individual

　　background.

　　[C] he occasionally conceives of a universe in which bodies behave differently.

　　[D] he rarely goes out of his room to see and investigate the world.

　　44. When we turn our heads quickly, we will

　　[A] recognize that the scene turns around us.

　　[B] find that the background turns blurred.

　　[C] only see a blurring of the scene.

　　[D] forget that we are in a stationary room.

　　45. What is the passage mainly about?

　　[A] why the law of gravitation is difficult for people to understand.

　　[B] how we can overcome the physiological defect effectively.

　　[C] whether we should study carefully the exception to the rule or not.

　　[D] how we deal with something when we are unaware of its existence.

　　Text 2

　　Teachers in the United States earn less relative to national income than their counterparts in many industrialized countries, yet they spend far more hours in front of the classroom, according to a major new international study.

　　The salary differentials are part of a pattern of relatively low public investment in education in the United States compared with other member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group in Paris that compiled the report. Total government spending on educational institutions in the United States slipped to 4.8 percent of gross domestic product in 1998, falling under the international average 5 percent —— for the first time.

　　“The whole economy has grown faster than the education system,” Andreas Schleicher, one of the report’s authors explained. “The economy has done very well, but teachers have not fully benefited.”

　　The report, due out today, is the sixth on education published since 1991 by the organization of 30 nations, founded in 1960, and now covering much of Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

　　In addition to the teacher pay gap, the report shows the other countries

　　have begun to catch up with the United States in higher education: college enrollment has grown by 20 percent since 1995 across the group, with one in four young people now earning degrees. For the first time, the United States college graduation rate, now at 33 percent, is not the world highest. Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Britain have surpassed it.

　　The United States is also producing fewer mathematics and science graduates than most of the other member states. And, the report says, a college degree produces a greater boost in income here while the lack of a high school diploma imposes a bigger income penalty.

　　“The number of graduates is increasing, but that stimulates even more of a demand —— there is no end in sight,” Mr. Schleicher said. “The demand for skill, clearly, is growing faster than the supply that is coming from schools and colleges.”

　　The report lists the salary for a high school teacher in the United States with 15 years experiences as $36,219, above the international average of $31,887 but behind seven other countries and less than 60 percent of Switzerland’s $62,052. Because teachers in the United States have a heavier classroom load-teaching almost a third more hours than their counterparts abroad —— their salary per hour of actual teaching is $35, less than the international average of $41 (Denmark, Spain and Germany pay more than $50 per teaching hour, south Korea $77).

　　46. The picture as depicted by the writer in the first paragraph seems to be

　　[A] fairly reassuring.

　　[B] very bleak.

　　[C] rather discouraging.

　　[D] quite exceptional.

　　47. According to Mr. Schleicher, the supply that is coming from US schools and colleges

　　[A] falls short of the social demands for skills.

　　[B] is the origins of teacher pay gap.

　　[C] meets the anticipations of business institutions.

　　[D] is a manifestation of the high level of its education.

　　48. People who hold a college degree will have an advantage over those who do not have a high school diploma, in terms of

　　[A] opportunities in promotions.

　　[B] increases in incomes.

　　[C] changes in life-styles.

　　[D] qualifications to be teachers.

　　49. We can learn from the text that

　　[A] teachers in the United States have to shoulder greater teaching

　　responsibilities than their counterparts abroad.

　　[B] the United States surpasses all its rivals with respect to producing mathematics and science college graduates.

　　[C] the quality of higher education in the United States degrade owing to its aimless expansions and poor teaching strategies.

　　[D] total government spending on educational institutions in the United States is comparable to that in other nations abroad.

　　50. The best title for this passage would be

　　[A] Those who Benefit from Economic Expansions.

　　[B] Higher Dropout Rates in the US.

　　[C] An Impressive Image Projecting to Outsiders.

　　[D] Education Study Finds US Falling Short.

　　Text 3

　　The road signs have been changed —— no longer “Men at Work” but

　　“People Working.” Every occupation recorded by the Census Bureau, up to and including stevedores and boilermakers, lists women as well as men. Forty-four percent of all employed Americans are women. What’s more, the percentage continues to rise, which poses a question: Are the gains being made by women in the workplace coming at the expense of men?

　　On the face of it, the answer is clear. Unless total employment in the nation expands more rapidly than it has, some substantial number of men are going to continue to lose out in the job race to women. But the process by which the change is taking place is complex, and the explanation goes beyond the political and legal pressures that are part of women’s campaign for equal rights.

　　There have been changes in the character of work that have motivated that hiring of women. In the insurance industry, for example, the positions of adjusters and examiners were once largely held by men, who went out and inspected dented fenders. Today, the work consists mainly of sitting at a computer terminal, entering insurance claims. Women now hold 65 percent of these jobs, up from 27 percent in 1970. In general, women are filling the new, lower-paying jobs in offices and the service industry.

　　Some jobs that were once all-male preserves changed with the introduction of modern equipment. That happened in the meatpacking industry, where automatic machines for moving sides of beef have eased the need for so much heaving and hoisting. Since 1970, the proportion of packinghouse butchers who are women has increased by more than one-third.

　　Among the most vivid cases of displacement are those in the upper reaches of the workplace. The proportion of women among graduate students has been increasing dramatically, providing stiff competition for young men who, a generation earlier, might have been all but certain of executive or professional careers.

　　Of course, discrimination against women continues. Moreover, only rarely is there a one-for-one substitution, the discharge of a man so that a woman can be hired to take his place. Yet the trend toward the displacement of male workers goes on. According to the United States Labor Department, two-thirds of the growth in the labor force between now and 1995 will be accounted for by women; by that year, the department expects, only 65 percent of men aged 55 to 64 will be in the labor force.

　　In a nation that prides itself on a commitment to equality of opportunity, women’s progress in the workplace can only be seen as inevitable and fair. That should not, however, blind us to the major impact this change will have, not only in terms of jobs but in terms of the society as a whole, unsettling the balance of relationships in the family and raising new problems concerning male self-esteem.

　　51. It can be seen that women’s status today is

　　[A] beyond dispute.

　　[B] on the rise.

　　[C] an odd phenomenon.

　　[D] a laughing stock.

　　52. In the upper hierarchies of the workplace

　　[A] men still possess dominance over women.

　　[B] men are denied access to central positions.

　　[C] women are being ignored increasingly.

　　[D] women will plough a new ground.

　　53. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

　　[A] Women’s Dominance in the Work-force.

　　[B] Women’s Campaign for Equal Rights.

　　[C] Sex Discrimination in the U.S.

　　[D] Woman vs. Men in the Work Force.

　　54. With the introduction of modern equipment,

　　[A] a host of men have been dismissed.

　　[B] women begin to pick up jobs once done only by men.

　　[C] men are mainly engaged in manipulating robots.

　　[D] women took over many jobs abandoned by men.

　　55. According to the author, the change in women’s status in the workplace

　　[A] will stop for the time being.

　　[B] will crush men’s self-esteem.

　　[C] will give rise to new problems.

　　[D] will be an optimistic tendency.

　　Text 4

　　There is still a lot of uncertainty about how the U.S military effort in Afghanistan will affect the U.S. economy. To analyze the likely economic impact of the war, I think of the current action as analogous to U.S. wars of the past. My main conclusion is that the current war will be expansionary and will, therefore, help the U.S. economy recover from its current slowdown.

　　If we consider World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, we have examples of large, medium, and small wars. In World War II, peak military spending in 1944 was 60% to 70% of prewar gross domestic product. During the Korean War, spending peaked at around 11% of GDP in 1952, and during the Vietnam War, it peaked at about 2% of GDP in 1968. The evidence is that economic activity expanded during each war but by less than the amount of wartime spending. My estimate is that each $1 worth of military outlays led to a 60 c-to-70 c increase in GDP. To put it another way, while military spending raised output, there was no free lunch. The spending had to be paid for by decreases in other forms of spending, especially business investment (and by more work effort).

　　Given the insecurity of the post-September 11 world, I would expect a long-lasting increase in defense spending. If the U.S. responds as it did during the Reagan Administration’s defense buildup of the early 1980s, defense spending would rise another 1% to 1.5% of GDP over a one-to two-year period. Thus, the overall spending stimulus from the war on terror will likely be similar to the extra 2% of GDP that was expended at the peak of the Vietnam War. Using the kind of economic response mentioned before, where GDP rose by 60 cents to 70 cents for each dollar of military outlay this stimulus is likely to help the economy avoid a recession in 2002.

　　Not all aspects of wars are favorable to economic activity, of course. Consumers’ perceived increased risk of flying, for example, lowers the demand for air travel, and the perceived higher risk of terrorism likely reduces business investment. However, negative effects were also present in previous wars, including worries about Japanese invasion of the U.S. mainland during World War II and about Soviet missiles during the cold war. Nevertheless, the net effects of previous wars on U.S. GDP turned out to be positive.

　　56. Towards the net effects of the U.S military effort in Afghanistan on its economy recovery, the author’s attitude can be best said to be

　　[A] critical.

　　[B] compromising.

　　[C] approving.

　　[D] uncertain.

　　57. Paragraph 2 is written mainly to

　　[A] highlight the sensations caused by the wars.

　　[B] interpret the causes of terrorist attacks.

　　[C] exemplify the effects of wars on GDP expansions.

　　[D] refute the long-held notions about world wars.

　　58. The author seems to insist that

　　[A] military downsizing is going nowhere.

　　[B] U.S military effort in Afghanistan is justified.

　　[C] wars are the best solution to conflicts.

　　[D] wars can stimulate economic growth.

　　59. Towards the US military efforts in Afghanistan on its economy, the public seems to be

　　[A] prejudiced.

　　[B] puzzled.

　　[C] unanimous.

　　[D] amazed.

　　60. This passage is written to answer the question

　　[A] “Why the war against terror will boost the economy?”

　　[B] “Why wars are inevitable?”

　　[C] “Why the United States are predominant in world affairs?”

　　[D] “Why US dollars have become devalued?”

　　Part B

　　Directions: Read the following text carefully and then translate the BOLD segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER

　　SHEET 2. (10 points)

　　As intellectual property becomes more valuable ad secure, people naturally create more of it. Evidence: filings for patents, trademarks and copyrights are hitting record highs. Last year some 174,700 patents were filed in the U.S., a 39% jump over 1985. The number of copyrights registered soared to 643,000 last year, in contrast to 401,000 in a five-year period ending in 1975. Overseas filings are also up. (61) In Japan the number of patent applications nearly doubled between 1980 and 1988 as that government signaled its intention to enforce property laws more strictly. After a 29-year delay, Texas Instruments recently received a basic patent on integrated circuits in Japan that could bring the U.S. company an extra $500 million in annual revenues from Japanese chipmakers.

　　Can intellectual-property protection be too rigid? Maybe. (62) The computer software industry, which thrives on the rapid exchange of ideas and cumulative improvements, fears that vigorously enforced patents could chill innovation and block growth. Earlier this year, Hayes Microcomputer, the largest supplier of computer modems, won $11 million in damages from three Silicon Valley firms that copied Hayes software for sending and receiving data. (63) The ruling alarmed programmers, who fear their own software could land them in court if it merely resembles someone else’s too closely. The industry also worries about the breadth of coverage. Can copyrights and patents be used to protect the display-screen appearance, the “look and feel” of software? Such questions are at the heart of Apple Computer’s intently watched copyright suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, which Apple says copied its Macintosh software.

　　(64) Time was when such fights over intellectual property were legal puzzles. No longer. Get used to them because they are sure to command ever more attention.Says Lisa Raines, general counsel and director of the Industrial Biotechnology Association in Washington: “ A patent is the single most important item in the industry today. Without it, no company would invest or invent.” (65) As global enterprise relies less on physical materials and more on human creativity, reliable protection of intellectual property will become central to world commerce.

　　Part IV Writing

　　66. Directions:

　　A. There is a cartoon presented in a newspaper. In this section you should write a composition on the topic The road to a well-to-do life.

　　B. Your essay must be written clearly on the ANSWER SHEET.

　　C. Your essay should cover all the information provided and meet the

　　requirements below:

　　1. Interpret the symbolic meaning of the picture

　　2. Deduce the purpose of the drawer

　　Keys and Reference

　　Part IV

　　61. 在日本政府表现出更严格执行法律师的意图后，专利申请件数在1980至1988年间几乎增长一倍。

　　62. 依赖快速交换点子与累积进步发迹的电脑软件业，害怕严格执行专利权可能让创作冷却而扼杀了增长。

　　63. 这个判决令软件设计师心惊，害怕自己的软件可能只因为太像别人的软件而让自己进了法庭。该产业也担心涵盖的范围。

　　64. 这类对于知识产权的争议曾一度是法律上最深奥的课题。现在不是了。早点习惯吧，因为它们在未来只会更受到关注。

　　65. 正当世界的产业渐渐降低对实质材料的依赖，却增加对人类创意的依赖时，对于知识产权可靠的保护将成为世界商业的中心议题。

　　Part V (omitted)

　　听力书面材料

　　Part A

　　1. Sometimes your wet bathing suit dries before you have had a chance to change into your clothes. When seated by the window of a bus on a sunny winter day, you may feel very warm. These situations occur because solar energy is present. Solar energy is energy given off by the sun.

　　2. Not all the solar energy released by the sun reaches the earth’s surface. About 34% is scattered into space by the gases or dust in the atmosphere. Another 19% is absorbed by the different layers of the atmosphere. The remaining 47% finally reaches the ground where it is absorbed as heat.

　　3. As early as the second century B.C., people tried to capture the solar energy that reached the earth’s surface. It is believed that the early Greeks set fire to Roman ships using mirrors to reflect the suns’ rays. In the 1870s, an engineer tried to make devices to change solar energy into mechanical energy. In 1913, a solar steam engine was designed to irrigate crops. For years solar energy has been used to evaporate water in making dried foods. During the mid-1970s, shortages of oil and natural gas occurred in the United States. These shortages created a need to develop solar energy into a practical source of energy to heat homes.

　　Part B

　　The town in which Mr. Winkler lived was set back from the ocean against a wall of great cliffs, and the air around the houses smelled strongly of fish. One might have supposed that sick fish went up to be dipped in the air. As sick people sometimes go down to be dipped in the sea. There were a few small shops in the town and the harbor handled some shipping, but for the most part the town was less active than the sea. After he finished his lunch, Mr. Winkler usually went for a stroll on the beach. The beach was a desert of heaps of sand and stones tumbling about, and the sea did what it liked. What it liked most was to destroy. It thundered at the town, and thundered at the cliffs, and washed away the coast-line.

　　As the day declined into afternoon, and the air, which had been quite clear, began to fill with mist, Mr. Winkler’s thoughts also seemed to cloud. They raced and mingled in such a hasty fashion that by the time Mr. Winkler finished diner, after dark, his mind was busily digging, digging, digging in the live red coals of the fireplace. Now a bottle of good wine after dinner does a digger in the coals no harm except that it has a tendency to throw him out of work, but Mr. Winkler, who had been idle for a long time, poured out his last glassful of wine with as complete an appearance of satisfaction as is ever to be found in an elderly gentleman who has reached the end of a bottle.

　　Part C

　　Passage 1

　　There were many reasons why the whole character of the twentieth century should be very different from that of the nineteenth. The great wave of vitality and national expansions, which, during the Victorian Period, swept both England and America to a high water-mark of national prosperity, left in its ebb a highly developed industrial civilization and a clear path for all the currents of scientific and mechanistic thought which were to flood the new century. But literature, which had been nourished by the general vigor of the time, and not at all by the practical interests of the period, declined as the spirit itself dispersed.

　　The great age of groups and “movements” began. The eighteenth century poets did not call themselves classicists, nor the nineteenth century poets call themselves romanticists; their poetic coloring was simply the quality of their whole response to the whole of life. But the literary history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is full of theories and “isms” which provided artist creeds for artist groups, and set the individual artists apart form the community in the popular opinion.

　　Passage 2

　　Art, for novelist Edith Wharton, was primarily a matter of selection; the novelist’s task was that of disengaging “crucial moments from the confusion of existence” and making them vivid and meaningful. She rejected both the “slice of life” theory and the “stream of consciousness” technique which, in her eyes, was merely an odd form of the former with Freudian trimmings. She knew that there were no trivial subjects in themselves, and she believed that it was precisely when dealing with apparent trivialities that the writer had need of the greatest aptitude.

　　A story might begin for Edith Wharton with either the characters or the situation. If the situation came first, she was always very careful to let it lie in her mind until it had brought forth of itself the people it needed. It was an idiosyncrasy of her creative mind that her characters always came to her with their names, which she could not change except at the cost of losing her hold on them. She always knew the destiny of her people from the beginning, but she did not know how that destiny would be expressed. Although her characters were portrayed in many settings and situations, they all reflected, by the often tragic outcome of their lives, her profound conviction that no human could be happy if that happiness was rooted in the wretchedness of another.

　　Passage 3

　　Today is the anniversary of that afternoon in April a year ago when I first saw the strange and appealing doll in the window of Abe Sheftel’ Stationery and Toy Shop on Third Avenue near Fifteenth Street, just around the corner from My office, where the plate on the door reads: Dr. Samuel Armory. I remember just how it was that day: the first hint of spring floated across the East River, mixing with the soft-coal smoke from the factories and the street smells of the poor neighborhood. As I turned the corner on my way to work and came to Sheftel’s, I was made once more aware of the poor collection of toys in the dusty windows, and I remembered the approaching birthday of a small niece of mine in Cleveland, to whom I was in the habit of sending modest gifts. Therefore, I stopped and examined the window to see if there might be anything appropriate, and looked at the confusing collection of unappealing objects —— a red toy fire engine, some lead soldiers, cheap baseballs, bottles of ink, pens, yellowed stationery, and garish cardboard advertisements for soft drinks. And thus it was that my eyes eventually came to rest upon the doll tucked away in one corner, a doll with the strangest, most charming expression on her face. I could not wholly make her out, due to the shadows and the film through which I was looking, but I was aware that a tremendous impression had been made upon me, as though I had run into a person as one does sometimes with a stranger, with whose personality one is deeply impressed.

　　以上资料由北京领航考研提供新浪网独家使用，严禁复制！