2006年9月中级口译真题Part A: Spot DictationDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. Write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE.British people are far more sophisticated about beverages than they were 50 years ago. Witness the Starbucks revolution and you'll know where ___________ (1) goes. However, spurred on by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of ___________ (2) and retard the aging process, tea is enjoying a ___________ (3).Although tea is available in more places than ever, it remains to be _____________ (4) of a typical British family.If you are invited to an English home, _____________ (5) in the morning you get a cup of tea. It is either brought in by a heartily _____________ (6) or an almost malevolently silent maid. When you are _____________ (7) in your sweetest morning sleep you must not say: 'Go away, you _____________ (8).' On the contrary, you have to declare with your best five o'clock smile: 'Thank you very much. I_____________ (9) a cup of tea, especially in the morning.' If they leave you alone with the liquid you may pour it _____________ (10)!Then you have ___________ (11); then you have tea at 11 o'clock in the morning; _____________ (12); then you have tea for tea; then after supper; and again at eleven o'clock _____________ (13).You must not refuse any additional cups of tea under the _____________ (14): if it is hot; if it is cold; if you are _____________ (15); if you are nervous; if you are watching TV; _____________ (16); if you have just returned home; if you feel like it; if you do not feel like it; if you have had no tea______________ (17); if you have just had a cup.You definitely must not ______________ (18). I sleep at five o'clock in the morning; I have coffee for breakfast; I drink innumerable _____________ (19) during the day; I have the _____________ (20) even at tea-time!Part B: Listening Comprehension1. StatementsDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear several short statements. These statements will be spoken ONLY ONCE, and you will not find them written on the paper; so you must listen carefully. When you hear a statement, read the answer choices and decide which one is closest in meaning to the statement you have heard. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.1. (A) The program on Channel Eight reminds me of TV commercials.(B) The product advertised in the TV commercial cannot help cure my illness.(C) I don't watch TV that much, because of the omnipresent advertisements.(D) I have to sit on the sofa, because I am too sick to stand in front of the television.2. (A) The plane arrived at 7:30.(B) The plane arrived at 8:00.(C) The plane arrived at 9:00.(D) The plane arrived at 10:00.3. (A) I'll ask someone else to read and check this agreement for errors.(B) I'll think more about the agreement before making a decision.(C) It's obvious that I'll discuss the agreement with my assistant first.(D) It's out of question that I should get into any agreement with you.4. (A) The better members decided to cancel the meeting.(B) Less than half of the committee was away on business trips.(C) It'd be better if no one had attended this morning's committee meeting……(D) The meeting was cancelled because of low attendance.5. (A) Supermarkets in the inner city and the suburbs are usually owned by the same company.(B) Products in grocery stores are more expensive than those in supermarkets.(C) There is a price difference for the same product even in shops run by the same company.(D) People prefer to shop in supermarkets, which are mostly located in the suburbs, with free parking space.6. (A) Many Americans cannot afford higher education because of the soaring college tuition fees and expenses.(B) Sending their children to college is no longer a bigger challenge for millions of Americans.(C) The American government has set the goal that it will eventually stop funding higher education institutions.(D) Nowadays, American parents have to pay more to send their children to college.7. (A) For many university graduates, the jobs they take will not be related to their academic achievements.(B) Because of economic recession, the number of university students majoring in liberal arts is declining.(C) University students who are interested in liberal arts will have more job opportunities upon graduation.(D) With high unemployment rate, many university students will have to opt for transferring to other majors.8. (A) Good business negotiators will never repeat what other people have already restated.(B) Restating by good business negotiators is not an effective way to check the information.(C) Good business negotiators are sometimes curious about other people's restatements.(D) Restating what others have said is a good strategy for confirming understanding.9. (A) We cannot reach an agreement, let alone a spoken promise.(B) We'd better draft and then sign a written agreement.(C) We generally keep our promises in business transactions.(D) We hope you understand why we are unable to keep our promises.10. (A) I don't think you have more to say on that topic.(B) I think we'd better talk about that in detail sometime later.(C) I am truly appreciative if you can elaborate on that topic after lunch.(D) I am busy right now, so we might as well discuss it over lunch today.2. Talks and ConversationsDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear several short talks and conversations After each of these, you will hear a few questions. Listen carefully because you will hear the talk or conversation and questions ONLY ONCE. When you hear a question, read the four choices and choose the best answer to that question. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.Questions 11-1411. (A) Two (B) Three (C) Four (D) Five12. (A) A profit-making private school.(B) A non-profit-making independent school.(C) A state school that is funded by non-governmental sources.(D) A secondary school that is open to the majority of British students.13. (A) Many children are no longer placed in schools according to their academic abilities.(B) Many children can afford to study in private schools, as they become part of the state system.(C) Children from wealthy families no longer choose to go and study in public schools.(D) Cleverer children will be sent to the best private schools in the country for a better development.14. (A) Clever and less bright children will mix well with each other.(B) School authorities will receive more funds from the government.(C) Most students will do well in their entrance examination for the higher education.(D) Every child will have an equal opportunity to go on to higher education.Questions 15-1815. (A) One that is unabridged with detailed definitions.(B) One that contains fewer words and emphasizes on special words.(C) One that contains a broad range of words in common usage.(D) One that spans several volumes and has extensive word histories16. (A) The New Oxford Picture Dictionary(B) The American Heritage Dictionary(C) The Dictionary of Legal Terms(D) The Drinking Water Dictionary17. (A) It lists abbreviations, proper nouns, and tables of measures.(B) It is an unabridged edition providing as many as 500,000 entries.(C) It was randomly compiled and contains as many foreign words as possible.(D) It provides detailed information of famous people and places.18. (A) A school dictionary. (B) A college dictionary.(C) A general dictionary. (D) A specialized dictionary.Questions 19-2219. (A) He's bought his wife a present. (B) He's missed an important phone call.(C) He's dismissed his new secretary. (D) He's popped out shopping.20. (A) Talking about the latest fashion.(B) Offering special reductions.(C) Giving bigger discounts to female customers.(D) Pressing on the customer to make a decision.21. (A) Upside down and inside out. (B) Inside out and back to front.(C) With its sleeves as trouser legs. (D) With its pattern upside down.22. (A) A V-necked pullover with short sleeves.(B) A high-necked pullover with long sleeves.(C) A white pullover with a pattern.(D) A blue pullover with a high neck.Questions 23-2623. (A) That of a creator. (B) That of a re-creator.(C) That of a receiver. (D) That of a performer.24. (A) Because we need to concentrate for our quiet thought.(B) Because we want to give full attention to the driving.(C) Because we try to avoid being caught by the patrolling police.(D) Because we intend to be as casual as possible in the driving.25. (A) In the elevator. (B) In the car.(C) In the bathroom. (D) In the church.26. (A) By perceptive and analytical listening.(B) By taking a sonic bath.(C) By attending classical concerts.(D) By listening to an emotional piece of music.Questions 27-3027. (A) His grandfather's house. (B) His parents' remarks.(C) A magazine. (D) A coursebook.28. (A) Enjoying visiting zoos. (B) Driving a car.(C) Making money. (D) Taking kids to a museum.29. (A) It died a few years ago. (B) It killed several tourists.(C) It is only a legend. (D) It is a living dinosaur.30. (A) No one has provided an accurate description of the animal.(B) No dead bodies of the animal have ever been found.(C) There are only 500 species living in Loch Ness.(D) The lake is not deep enough for such a huge animal.Part C: Listening and Translation1. Sentence TranslationDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear 5 sentences in English. You will hear the sentences ONLY ONCE. After you have heard each sentence, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)2. Passage TranslationDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. You will hear the passages ONLY ONCE. After you have heard each passage, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. You may take notes while you are listening.(1)（2）We are moving inexorably into the age of automation. Our aim is not to devise a mechanism which can perform a thousand different actions of any individual man but, on the contrary, one which could by a single action replace a thousand men.Industrial automation has moved along three lines. First there is the conveyor belt system of continuous production whereby separate operations are linked into a single sequence. The goods produced by this well-established method are untouched by the worker, and the machine replaces both unskilled and semiskilled. Secondly, there is automation with feedback control of the quality of the product: here mechanisms are built into the system which can compare the output with a norm, that is, the actual product with what it is supposed to be, and then correct any shortcomings. The entire cycle of operations dispenses with human control except in so far as monitors are concerned. One or two examples of this type of automation will illustrate its immense possibilities. There is a factory in the U.S.A. which makes 1,000 million electric light bulbs a year, and the factory employs three hundred people. If the preautomation techniques were to be employed, the labour force required would leap to 25,000. A motor manufacturing company with 45,000 spare parts regulates their entire supply entirely by computer. Computers can be entrusted with most of the supervision of industrial installations, such as chemical plants or oil refineries. Thirdly, there is computer automation, for banks, accounting departments, insurance companies and the like. Here the essential features are the recording, storing, sorting and retrieval of information.The principal merit of modern computing machines is the achievement of their vastly greater speed of operation by comparison with unaided human effort; a task which otherwise might take years, if attempted at all, now takes days or hours.One of the most urgent problems of industrial societies rapidly introducing automation is how to fill the time that will be made free by the machines which will take over the tasks of the workers. The question is not simply of filling empty time but also of utilizing the surplus human energy that will be released. We are already seeing straws in the wind: destructive outbursts on the part of youth whose work no longer demands muscular strength. While automation will undoubtedly do away with a large number of tedious jobs, are we sure that it will not put others which are equally tedious in their place? For an enormous amount of sheer monitoring will be required. A man in an automated plant may have to sit for hours on and watching dials and taking decisive action when some signal informs him that all is not well. What meaning will his occupation bear for the worker? How will he devote his free time after a four or five hour stint of labour? Moreover, what, indeed, will be the significance for him of his leisure? If industry of the future could be purged of its monotony and meaninglessness, man would then be better equipped to use his leisure time constructively.16. The main purpose of automation is _________.(A) to devise the machine which could replace the semi-skilled(B) to process information as fast as possible(C) to develop an efficient labor-saving mechanism(D) to make an individual man perform many different actions17. The chief benefit of computing machines is ________.(A) their greater speed of operation(B) their control of the product quality(C) their conveyor belt system of continuous production(D) their supervision of industrial installations18. One of the problems brought about by automation in industrial societies is _________.(A) plenty of information(B) surplus human energy(C) destructive outbursts(D) less leisure time19. Which of the following best explains the use of 'stint' (para.4)?(A) Effort.(B) Force.(C) Excess.(D) Period.20. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?(A) There is no automation with feedback control of the quality of the product.(B) Computers are reliable in any supervision of industrial installations.(C) The essential features for banks are the recording and sorting of information.(D) Automation will undoubtedly eliminate numerous tedious jobs.Questions 21-25The city water pipes in Rome were usually of baked clay or lead; copper was sometimes used and also hollowed stone. For the large supply conduits leading to the city the Romans used covered channels with free water surfaces, rather than pipes. Perhaps this choice was a matter of economics, for apparently they could make lead pipes up to 15 inches in diameter. While pipes can follow the profile of undulating ground, with the pressure increasing in the lower areas, channels cannot. They must slope continuously downwards, because water in channels does not normally flow uphill; and the grade must be flat, from 1 in 60 in small channels to perhaps 1 in 3,000 in large ones, to keep the water speed down to a few feet per second. Thus the main supply channels or aqueducts had long lengths of flat grade and where they crossed depressions or valleys they were carried on elevated stone bridges in the form of tiered arches. At the beginning of the Christian era there were over 30 miles of these raised aqueducts in the 250 miles of channels and tunnels bringing water to Rome. The channels were up to 6 feet wide and 5 to 8 feet high. Sometimes channels were later added on the tops of existing ones. The remains of some of these aqueducts still grace the skyline on the outskirts of Rome and elsewhere in Europe similar ruins are found.Brick and stone drains were constructed in various parts of Rome. The oldest existing one is the Cloaca Maxima which follows the course of an old stream. It dates back at least to the third century B.C. Later the drains were used for sewage, flushed by water from the public baths and fountains, as well as street storm run-off.The truly surprising aspect of the achievements of all the ancient hydraulic artisans is the lack of theoretical knowledge behind their designs. Apart from the hydrostatics of Archimedes, there was no sound understanding of the most elementary principles of fluid behaviour. Sextus Frontinus, Rome's water commissioner around A.D. 100, did not fully realize that in order to calculate the volume rate of flow in a channel it is necessary to allow for the speed of the flow as well as the area of cross-section. The Romans' flow standard was the rate at which water would flow through a bronze pipe roughly 4/3 inch in diameter and 9 inches long. When this pipe was connected to the side of a water-supply pipe orchannel as a delivery outlet, it was assumed that the outflow was at the standard rate. In fact, the amount of water delivered depended not only on the cross-sectional area of the outlet pipe but also on the speed of water flowing through it and this speed depended on the pressure in the supply pipe.21. The Romans used all of the following to make water pipes EXCEPT _________.(A) earth (B) wood (C) copper (D) stone22. Covered channels were used instead of pipes to supply large quantities of water probably because _________.(A) the Romans could build them more cheaply(B) these channels could follow uneven ground more easily(C) the Romans could not build large pipes(D) these channels avoided rapid changes of pressure23. The use of 'grace' in line 15 suggests that the aqueducts today are _________.(A) hideous (B) divine (C) useful (D) attractive24. In order to calculate the volume of water flowing through a pipe, it is important to know its speed and ________.(A) the area across the end of the pipe (B) the length of the pipe(C) the water pressure in the pipe (D) the level from which the water falls25. The main subject of the passage is concerned essentially with __________.(A) the classical scientific achievements(B) the theoretical Greek hydrostatics(C) the ancient Roman hydraulic system(D) the early European architectural designingQuestions 26-30Every day of our lives we are in danger of instant death from small high-speed missiles from space-the lumps of rocky or metallic debris which continuously bombard the Earth. The chances of anyone actually being hit, however, are very low, although there are recorded instances of 'stones from the sky' hurting people, and numerous accounts of damage to buildings and other objects. At night this extraterrestrial material can be seen as 'fireballs' or 'shooting stars', burning their way through our atmosphere. Most, on reaching our atmosphere, become completely vaporised.The height above ground at which these objects become sufficiently heated to be visible is estimated to be about 60-100 miles. Meteorites that have fallen on buildings have sometimes ended their long lonely space voyage incongruously under beds, inside flower pots or even, in the case of one that landed on a hotel in North Wales, within a chamber pot. Before the era of space exploration it was confidently predicted that neither men nor space vehicles would survive for long outside the protective blanket of the Earth's atmosphere. It was thought that once in space they would be seriously damaged as a result of the incessant downpour of meteorites falling towards our planet at the rate of many millions every day. Even the first satellites showed that the danger from meteorites had been greatly overestimated by the pessimists, but although it has not happened yet, it is certain that one day a spacecraft will be badly damaged by a meteorite.The greatest single potential danger to life on Earth undoubtedly comes from outside our planet. Collision with another astronomical body of any size or with a 'black hole' could completely destroy the Earth almost instantly. Near misses of bodies larger than or comparable in size to our own planet could be equally disastrous to mankind as they might still result in total or partial disruption. If the velocity of impact were high, collision with even quite small extraterrestrial bodies might cause catastrophic damage to the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and outer crust and thus produce results inimical to life as we know it. The probability of collision with a large astronomical body from outside our Solar System is extremely low, possibly less than once in the lifetime of an average star. We know, however, that our galaxy contains great interstellar dust clouds and some astronomers have suggested that there might also be immense streams of meteorite matter in space that the Solar system may occasionally encounter. Even if we disregard this possibility, our own Solar system itself contains a great number of small astronomical bodies, such as the minor planets or asteroids and the comets, some with eccentric orbits that occasionally bring them close to the Earth's path.26. According to the writer, the Earth is being continuously bombarded by _________.(A) big bright stars from space(B) man-made space vehicles(C) great interstellar dust clouds(D) small high-speed pieces of rock from space27. The word "vaporised" (para.1) means _________.(A) turned from stones into missiles(B) turned from a fireball into black(C) turned from a solid into a gas(D) turned from meteors into shooting stars28. Why was it once thought that no spacecraft would survive for very long in space?(A) People believed that spacecraft would be destroyed in a black hole.(B) People believed that spacecraft would be misguided by missiles.(C) People believed that spacecraft would be collided with a star.(D) People believed that spacecraft would be damaged by meteorites.29. What is the greatest danger to life on Earth?(A) Collision with small high-speed missiles.(B) Collision with an astronomical body.(C) Collision with stones from the sky.(D) Collision with spacecrafts.30. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?(A) Our galaxy contains great interstellar dust clouds.(B) Near misses of bodies smaller than our own planet could be disastrous.(C) The probability of collision with a large astronomical body is very high.(D) The chances of anyone actually being hit by missiles are very high.SECTION 3: TRANSLATION TEST (1) (30 minutes)Directions: Translate the following passage into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.The economic system of the United States is principally one of private ownership. In this system, consumers, producers and government make economic decisions on a daily basis, mainly through the price system. The dynamic interaction of these three groups makes the economic function. The market’s primary force, however, is the interaction of producers and consumers; hence the “market economy” designation.As a rule, consumers look for the best values for what they spend while producers seek the best price and profit for what they have to sell. Government, at the federal, state, and local level, seeks to promote public security, assure reasonable competition, and provide a range of services believed to be better performed by public rather than private enterprises.Generally, there are three kinds of enterprises: single-owner operated businesses, partnerships and corporations. The first two are important, but it is the latter structure that best permits the amassing of large sums of money by combining the investments of many people who, as stockholders, can buy andsell their shares of the business at any time on the open market. Corporations make large-scale enterprises possible.SECTION 4: TRANSLATION TEST (2) (30 minutes)Directions: Translate the following passage into English and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.进入耶鲁大学的校园，看到莘莘学子青春洋溢的脸庞，呼吸着书香浓郁的空气，我不由回想起40年前在北京清华大学度过的美好时光。