I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.
I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is ,because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.
46. By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that ______.
A. she uses English in foreign trade B. she is fascinated by languages
C. she works as a translator D. she is a writer by profession
47. The author used to think of her mother’s English as ______.
A. impolite B. Amusing C. imperfect D. practical
48. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
A. Americans do not understand broken English.
B. The author’s mother was not respected sometimes.
C. The author’ mother had positive influence on her.
D. Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.
49. The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is _____.
A. well structured B. in the old style C. easy to translate D. rich in meaning
50. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The changes of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English.
B. The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother.
C. The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English.
D. The author’s experiences of using broken English.
III 阅读(共两节,满分40分)
第一节:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Eddie McKay, a once-forgotten pilot, is a subject of great interest to a group of history students in Canada.
It all started when Graham Broad, a professor at the University of Western Ontario, found McKay’s name in a footnote in a book about university history. McKay was included in a list of university alumni(校友)who had served during the First World War, but his name was unfamiliar to Broad, a specialist in military history. Out of curiosity, Broad spent hours at the local archives (档案馆) in a fruitless search for information on McKay. Tired and discouraged, he finally gave up. On his way out, Broad’s glance happened to fall on an exhibiting case showing some old newspapers. His eye was drawn to an old picture of a young man in a rugby uniform. As he read the words beside the picture, he experienced a thrilling realization. “After looking for him all day, there he was, staring up at me out of the exhibiting case,” said Broad. Excited by the find, Broad asked his students to continue his search. They combed old newspapers and other materials for clues. Gradually, a picture came into view.
Captain Alfred Edwin McKay joined the British Royal Flying Corps in 1916. He downed ten enemy planes, outlived his entire squadron (中队) as a WWI flyer, spent some time as a flying instructor in England, then returned to the front, where he was eventually shot down over Belgium and killed in December 1917. But there’s more to his story. “For a brief time in 1916 he was probably the most famous pilot in the world,” says Broad. “He was credited with downing Oswald Boelcke, the most famous German pilot at the time.” Yet, in a letter home, McKay refused to take credit, saying that Boelcke had actually crashed into another German plane.
McKay’s war records were destroyed during a World War II air bombing on London — an explanation for why he was all but forgotten.
But now, thanks to the efforts of Broad and his students, a marker in McKay’s memory was placed on the university grounds in November 2007. “I found my eyes filling with tears as I read the word ‘deceased’ (阵亡) next to his name,” said Corey Everrett, a student who found a picture of Mckay in his uniform. “This was such a simple example of the fact that he had been a student just like us, but instead of finishing his time at Western, he chose to fight and die for his country.”
41. What made Professor Broad continue his search for more information on McKay?
A. A uniform of McKay. B. A footnote about McKay.
C. A book on McKay. D. A picture of McKay.
42. What did the students find out about McKay?
A. He trained pilots for some time.
B. He lived longer than other pilots.
C. He died in the Second World War.
D. He was downed by the pilot Boelcke.
43. McKay’s flying documents were destroyed in .
A. Belgium B. Germany C. Canada D. England
44. We can learn from the last paragraph that McKay .
A. preferred fight to his study
B. went to war before graduation
C. left a picture for Corey Everrett
D. set an example for his fellow students
45. What is the text mainly about?
A. The research into war history. B. The finding of a forgotten hero.
C. The pilots of the two world wars. D. The importance of military studies.
第二节 语法填空(共10小题,每小题1.5分,满分15分)
阅读下面短文,按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求,在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空,并将答案填写在答题卡标号为31-40的相应位置。
The British people either don’t care or are kept in the dark regarding 31 country’s colonization overseas. When you talk to an average Britisher, he doesn’t seem to know 32 about his country’s glorious days as a result of colonization one or two generations ago. When Britain handed over Hong Kong in 1997, the Hong Kong press went to London and tried to get a sense of the popular mood by interviewing students and business people in the streets. Most of them didn’t know 33 handover event took place. Some expressed surprise to hear the question. Some even thought that Britain returned Hong Kong to Japan! For the British people to know: Hong Kong is a big deal 34 it’s a tiny dot on the map. HK was the most successful British colony, maybe the longest 35 ( keep ) too. Certainly, HK 36 ( bring ) a lot of money to the British Treasury, to the business elites, and to a lot of English civil servants who had worked there before. All you need is to look at the HK government 37 ( office ) records, the salary scales of English officials, the subsidized housing they got, and the 38 ( retire ) benefits they enjoyed. Remember the British colonial government in HK ran continuous huge surpluses every year, a clear sign that they were not spending the money _ 39 they earned it. The money was deposited in the British Treasury and major banks. If you are a responsible English citizen, you should ask where the surplus money went, if it didn’t go to 40 ( serve ) the people.
第一节:完形填空(共10小题;每小题2分,满分20分)
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从21~30各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Exercise is often said to be good for everyone.But a new study has shown that exercise could be _21 especially for people past middle age.The study was done with mice.It showed that although mild exercise 22 a good effect on the muscles of young mice, it 23_ the muscles of mice past middle age.
The three groups of mice in the experiment were _24__ in age at young, middle-aged, and elderly humans.The mice were __25_ on a thread-mill (踏车) 30 minutes a day for a five-week period.At the end of that time, the young mice’s leg muscles had increased almost 30 percent in weight, but those of the old mice were reduced by 25 percent.No_ 26_ pattern showed for the middle-aged mice.
David Gershon, an expert who carried out the experiment, explained that the older mice’ muscles were probably already _27_ down and that exercise worsened the _28_ .An earlier study by Gershon showed that middle-aged mice benefited from exercise if they started exercising young and continued it.
It’s clear that because the tests were done on mice, drawing conclusions about humans is too early.But the studies do not totally _29_ the theory that exercise is good under any conditions.Let’s use the tests on mice as a _30__for other studies.
21.A.beneficial B.friendly C.tiring D.unhealthy
22.A.made B.took C.had D.brought
23.A.harmed B.helped C.improved D.reduced
24.A.aimed B.connected C.indicated D.represented
25.A.directed B.driven C.hung D.placed
26.A.clean B.clear C.proper D.visible
27.A.breaking B.failing C.letting D.slowing
28.A.body B.condition C.situation D.circumstance
29.A.appreciate B.assist C.promote D.support
30.A.bridge B.means C.proposal D.warning
I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about
51. Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A. She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.
B. She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
C. She is not good at telling stories of the kind.
D. She finds space research more important.
52. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the author’s failures to ________.
A. the very fact that she is a woman
B. her involvement in gender politics
C. her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D. the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
53. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People’s stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
54. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A. Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B. Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence.
C. Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D. More female students are pursuing science than before.
55. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A. Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.
B. Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C. Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D. Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
There was one thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. At present, we realize that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the east of the United States and brought health warnings in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be infected by air pollution. Some scientists consider that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect”— conserving heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be in water.
Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particular matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature — a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. Today we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report drafted by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very possible). Perhaps, if we are lucky enough, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now. Driven by economic profits, people neglect the damage on our environment caused by the “advanced civilization”. Maybe the air pollution is the price the human beings have to pay for their development. But is it really worthwhile?
46. As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _______.
A. cause widespread damage in the countryside
B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States
C. had damaged effect on health
D. existed merely in urban and industries areas
47. As to the greenhouse effect, the author __________.
A. share the same view with the scientist.
B. is uncertain of its occurrence
C. rejects it as being ungrounded
D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon
48. The word “offset” in the second paragraph could be replaced by _________.
A. slip into B. make up for C. set up D. catch up with
49. It can be concluded that ____________.
A. raising the world’s temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life on earth
B. lowering the world’s temperature merely a few degrees would lead major farming areas to disaster
C. almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade
D. the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come
50. This passage is primarily about __________.
A. the greenhouse effect B. the burning of fossil fuels
C. the potential effect of air pollution D. the likelihood of a new ice age