Part I  Vocabulary and Grammar (30 points, 1 point each )

Directions: Choose one from the four alternatives that best completes the sentence and write the corresponding letter on your answer sheet.

1. Multi-symptom cold medicines include a mix of ingredients, some of ________ may be useful and some not, depending on what your most severe symptoms are.

A. them B. which C. these D. that

2. The media says that the new prime minister risks ________ the economy by pushing through a higher sales tax that may damp consumption.

A.to stall B. stall C. having stalled D. stalling

3. All public pools in the country must have a lift for the disabled installed by next month, a lift ________ the one you are now seeing on your screen.

A.to B. like C. as D. of

4. To our great surprise, the champion in the cycling race this year ________ his success to the accident which harmed his legs earlier in the year.

A. attributed B. distributed C. contradicted D. contributed

5. It was no surprise that they were perceived as rude and ________ because they always boasted about the glory of their past achievements.

A. addicted B. absorbed C. absolute D. arrogant

6. On the wall of his office, there was a big picture of a(n) ________ of soldiers, and another of a man in an air-force uniform standing in the park.

A. enrollment B. arrangement C. regiment D. recruitment

7. As a top industrial designer in the world today, he thinks design is ________ just making attractive products. It can also help change the way people live.

A. more than B. less than C. fewer than D. better than

8. Questions concerning the origins of the laws of nature are beyond the ________ of science, and in areas where only philosophers and theologians dare access.

A. bound B. branch C. realm D. reach

9. While he was sitting in the car and thinking whether he should knock on the door, he noticed a simple ________ of Christmas lights around the front window.

A. sample B. scratch C. strand D. sketch

10. She decided to buy that car because it used less gasoline and had the two ________ she couldn’t live without: a GPS and a CD player.

A. accessories B. alternatives C. artifacts D. attributes

11. Now she works from home as a full-time employee, providing technical support for companies’ websites ________ telephone or email.

A. beyond B. versus C. from D. via

12. In the ________ months, the wolves continued to have daily social contact with humans and five adult dogs, with which they developed close relationships.

A. enclosing B. enduring C. ensuing D. ensuring

13.The two roads extend into the forest and ________ into one, leading all the way to an old gold mine.

A. submerge B. merge C. emerge D. verge

14. New efforts to track and ________ the amount of greenhouse gas emission reductions could prove a model for researchers all over the world.

A. signify B. quantify C. notify D. qualify

15. During the construction of high buildings, cranes are used to ________ building materials to the upper floors.

A. toss B. increase C. hoist D. enhance

16. Students with high hope know how to work hard to ______ their higher goals they set themselves.

A. attain B. contain C. maintain D. obtain

17. It is our government’s strategy to maintain the _______ development of society.

A. attainable B. sustainable C. retainable D. obtainable

18. She felt ________, as if what he had done to her had somehow paralyzed not only her limbs but her senses too.

A. gasped B. stunned C. strapped D. ousted

19. These teachers try to be objective when they ________ the integrated ability of their students.

A. justify B. evaluate C. indicate D. reckon

20. Despite technical progress, some food production is still completely ________ on weather.

A. reliable B. dependable C. dependent D. inseparable

21. Up until that time, his interest had focused almost ________on fully mastering the skills and techniques of his craft.

A. restrictively B. radically C. inclusively D. exclusively

22. Just as the builder is skilled in the handling of his bricks, ________ the experienced writer is skilled in the handling of his words.

A. as B. so C. although D. like

23. Land belongs to the city; there is ________ thing as private ownership of land.

A. no such a B. not such C. not such a D. no such

24. It is an offence to show ________ against people of different races.

A. distinction B. difference C. separation D. discrimination

25. A great amount of work has gone into ________ the Cathedral to its previous splendor.

A. refreshing B. restoring C. renovating D. renewing

26. The economic recession has meant that job ________is a rare thing.

A. security B. safety C. protection D. secure

27. He will do anything for us except ________ us his oxen.

A. lending B. will lend C. lend D. has lent

28. The present universal fear has been the result of a forward surge in our knowledge and _________ of certain dangerous factors in the physical world.

A. perception B. supplement C. synthesis D. manipulation

29. I don’t think I have become more political, but if I see injustice and ________, I feel I have to do something.

A. hostility B. hostage C. inhumanity D. indignation

30. It is not uncommon for there ________ problems of communication between the old and the young.

A. being B. would be C. be D. to be

Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points, 2 points each)

Section A

Directions: There are 3 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. Choose the best answer from the four choices given and write the corresponding letter on your answer sheet.

Passage 1 Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

Archaeological discoveries have led some scholars to believe that the first Mesopotamian inventors of writing may have been a people the later Babylonians called Subarians. According to tradition, they came from the north and moved into Uruk in the south. By about 3100 B.C., they were apparently subjugated in southern Mesopotamia by the Sumerians, whose name became synonymous with the region immediately north of the Persian Gulf, in the fertile lower valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. Here the Sumerians were already well established by the year 3000 B.C. They had invented bronze, an alloy that could be cast in molds, out of which they made tools and weapons. They lived in cities, and they had begun to acquire and use capital. Perhaps most important, the Sumerians adapted writing (probably from the Subarians) into a flexible tool of communication.

Archaeologists have known about the Sumerians for over 150 years. Archaeologists working at Nineveh in northern Mesopotamia in the mid-nineteenth century found many inscribed clay tablets. Some they could decipher because the language was a Semitic one (Akkadian), on which scholars had already been working for a generation. But other tablets were inscribed in another language that was not Semitic and previously unknown. Because these inscriptions made reference to the king of Sumer and Akkad, a scholar suggested that the new language be called Sumerian.

But it was not until the 1890s that archaeologists excavating in city-states well to the south of Nineveh found many thousands of tablets inscribed in Sumerian only. Because the Akkadians thought of Sumerian as a classical language (as ancient Greek and Latin are considered today), they taught it to educated persons and they inscribed vocabulary, translation exercises, and other study aids on tablets. Working from known Akkadian to previously unknown Sumerian, scholars since the 1890s have learned how to read the Sumerian language moderately well. Vast quantities of tablets in Sumerian have been unearthed during the intervening years from numerous sites.

31. By the year 3000 B.C. the Sumerians had already done all of the following EXCEPT __________.

A. they had abandoned the area north of the Persian Gulf

B. they had established themselves in cities

C. they had started to communicate through writing

D. they had created bronze tools and weapons

32. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage concerning the Sumerians?

A. They were descendants of the Persians.

B. They were the first people to cultivate the valley of the Tigris.

C. They were accomplished musicians.

D. They had the beginnings of an economy.

33. When did archaeologists begin to be able to understand tablets inscribed in Sumerian?

A. In the early nineteenth century

B. More than 150 years ago

C. After the 1890s

D. In the mid-eighteenth century

34. In what way did the Sumerian language resemble ancient Greek and Latin?

A. It was invented in Mesopotamia.

B. It became well established around 3000 B.C.

C. It became a classical language.

D. It was used exclusively for business transactions.

35. How did archaeologists learn to read the Sumerian language?

A. By translating the work of the Subarians

B. By using their knowledge of spoken Semitic languages

C. By comparing Sumerian to other classical languages

D. By using their knowledge of Akkadian

Passage 2 Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

A fresh surge in oil prices and a rise in the cost of food pose the biggest threats to the recovery of poor countries from the global recession of 2008 and 2009, according to the World Bank.

In its latest economic health check, the Washington-based Bank said tougher economic policies and the jump in commodity prices would slow the pace of world growth this year before a pick-up in activity in 2012.

The Bank predicted that global growth was on course to edge down from 3.8 percent in 2010 to 3.2 percent this year, then accelerate to 3.6 percent in 2012. It forecasted that the pace of activity in high-income countries would slow from 2.7 percent in 2011 to 2.2 percent in 2012. Developing countries, which were responsible for almost half global growth in 2010, would expand by 6.3 percent this year, down from 7.3 percent in 2010.

The Bank warned that its forecasts could be over-optimistic should oil prices continue to rise. Brent crude was trading at $115 a barrel in London on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of the OPEC oil cartel in Vienna, and Justin Yifu Lin, the Bank’s chief economist, said: “Further increases in already high oil and food prices could significantly curb economic growth and hurt the poor.”

The Bank believes that a further, permanent increase in oil prices caused either by increased uncertainty or because of supply disruptions could reduce global growth by 0.5 percent.

The report said developing countries had proved resilient despite tensions in high-income countries but that they now needed to focus on structural reforms and take action to combat inflationary pressures.

The Bank said high oil prices and production shortfalls caused by bad weather had led to higher food prices. Poor people, who spend a high proportion of their income on food, had been particularly hard hit. “A poor harvest during the 2011/12 crop year, or a second substantial increase in oil prices, could cause domestic food prices in developing countries to rise much higher, with dire consequences for poverty,” the Bank said.

36. If oil prices keep rising, the forecasted global economic growth rate could be________ .

A. increased to 3.6 percent

B. increased to 6.3 percent

C. reduced to 2.2 percent

D. slowed by 0.5 percent

37. What has been causing oil prices to continue to increase?

A. Market uncertainty or unstable oil supply

B. The global recession of 2008 and 2009

C. Over-optimistic forecast for economic growth

D. Agreement reached by the OPEC oil cartel

38. What problem(s) do developing countries need to strive to address?

A. The slow economic growth rate

B. Poverty brought by high food prices

C. Structural imbalances and inflation pressures

D. Tensions coming from high-income countries

39. According to the World Bank, high food prices had been a result of ________.

A. high oil prices and decreased oil production

B. high oil prices and poor crop harvest

C. tougher economic policies

D. rise in other commodity prices

40. How does the World Bank sound in making the predictions about economic growth?

A. Worried

B. Objective

C. Indifferent

D. Sympathetic

Passage 3 Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage.

Organic food has more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health than regular food, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date. The international team behind the work, led by Prof. Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University, concludes that there are “statistically significant, meaningful” differences, with a range of antioxidants being “substantially higher” in organic food. The increased levels of antioxidants are equivalent to “one to two of the five portions of fruits and vegetables recommended to be consumed daily”.

The findings will bring to the boil a long-simmering row over whether those differences mean organic food is better for people. Tom Sanders, a professor of nutrition at King’s College London, said, “The question is whether they are within natural variation, and whether they are nutritionally relevant.” According to Sanders, Leifert’s work had caused controversy in the past. He added that the research also showed organic cereals have less protein than conventional crops.

Leifert’s research, released in the British Journal of Nutrition, are based on an analysis of 343 peer-reviewed studies from around the world — more than ever before — which examine differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and cereals.

Leifert and his colleagues conclude that many antioxidants have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. But they also note that no long-term studies showing health benefits from a broad organic diet have yet been conducted.

The research is certain to encounter criticism. The inclusion of so many studies in the analysis could mean poor quality work distorts the results, although the team claimed that excluding weaker work did not significantly change the outcome. The greatest criticism, however, will be over the suggestions of potential health benefits. An earlier analysis, which took in 223 studies in 2012, found little evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods.

Sanders said he was not persuaded by the new work. “You are not going to be better nourished if you eat organic food,” he said. “What is most important is what you eat, not whether it’s organic or conventional. It’s whether you eat fruit and vegetables at all.”

41. The findings of Leifert’s research indicate that _________.

A. organic fruits have higher levels of antioxidants than organic vegetables

B. organic food has higher nutritional values than conventional food

C. simmering makes organic food more nutritious than boiling

D. organic food contains higher levels of antioxidants than regular food

42. The word “they” in Sanders’ words (Lines 2-3, Para. 2) refers to_________.

A. differences between fruits and vegetables

B. differences between antioxidants and nutrition

C. differences between organic food and conventional food

D. differences between organic cereals and conventional crops

43. According to passage, what will happen as a result of the release of Leifert’s findings?

A. More studies will be conducted on the variation of organic food.

B. The dispute over organic food will become more intense.

C. The dispute over organic food will finally come to an end.

D. More studies will be conducted on the nutrition of traditional food.

44. According to Leifert’s research, a diet containing a variety of organic food_________.

A. has not been shown to be clearly beneficial to human health

B. has been proved to be able to reduce the risk of chronic diseases

C. has been proved to contain less protein than a conventional diet

D. has not been shown to contain more antioxidants than regular food

45. It is suggested in the passage that you should _________ if you want to get better nutrition.

A. eat more organic food than conventional food in your meals

B. include more vegetables than fruits in your daily meals

C. have a good amount of fruit and vegetables in your daily diet

D. choose fruits and vegetables that contain more antioxidants

Section B

Directions: According to the passage, answer the following questions and write your answers on the answer sheet.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, the production of food and feed crops in the United States rose at an extraordinarily rapid rate. Corn production increased by four and a half times, hay by five times, oats and wheat by seven times. The most crucial factor behind this phenomenal upsurge in productivity was the widespread adoption of labor-saving machinery by northern farmers. By 1850 horse-drawn reaping machines that cut grain were being introduced into the major grain-growing regions of the country. Horse-powered threshing machines to separate the seeds from the plants were already in general use. However, it was the onset of the Civil War in 1861 that provided the great stimulus for the mechanization of northern agriculture. With much of the labor force inducted into the army and with grain prices on the rise, northern farmers rushed to avail themselves of the new labor-saving equipment. In 1860 there were approximately 80,000 reapers in the country; five years later there were 350,000.

After the close of the war in 1865, machinery became ever more important in northern agriculture, and improved equipment was continually introduced. By 1880 a self-binding reaper had been perfected that not only cut the grain, but also gathered the stalks and bound them with twine. Threshing machines were also being improved and enlarged, and after 1870 they were increasingly powered by steam engines rather than by horses. Since steam-powered threshing machines were costly items — running from $ 1,000 to $4,000 — they were usually owned by custom thresher owners who then worked their way from farm to farm during the harvest season. “Combines” were also coming into use on the great wheat ranches in California and the Pacific Northwest. These ponderous machines — sometimes pulled by as many as 40 horses — reaped the grain, threshed it, and bagged it, all in one simultaneous operation.

The adoption of labor-saving machinery had a profound effect upon the sale of agricultural operations in the northern states — allowing farmers to increase vastly their crop acreage. By the end of century, a farmer employing the new machinery could plant and harvest two and half times as much corn as a farmer had using hand methods 50 years before.

46. What is the most critical factor behind the phenomenal upsurge in productivity?

47. Why was the Civil War a stimulus for mechanization?

48. What is the function of the self-binding reaper?

49. Why can’t most farmers have steam-powered threshing machines?

50. What are the similarities between self-binding reaper and “Combines”?

Part III Translation (10 points)

Directions: Put the following paragraph into English and write your answers on the answer sheet.

中国木雕有着悠久的历史，是中国传统艺术之一。人们认为现存最早的木雕大约是在三千年前的战国时期雕刻完成的。在中国，木雕主要分成三个类别：建筑雕刻、家具雕刻和艺术品雕刻。中国的木雕以其令人印象深刻的细致构造和主题之美受到了全世界的欣赏。今天，我们可以在私人画廊里看到传统木雕，也可以在长江两岸整个区域的宅邸装饰上看到它。

Part IV  Writing (20 points)

Directions: You are supposed to write an argument writing (at least 400 words). In the first part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary. You should supply an appropriate title for your essay. Write your answers on the answer sheet.

Some people think that a huge amount of time and money is spent on the protection of wild animals, and that this money could be better spent on the human population. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?