「样题」北外高翻MTI翻译硕士英语-write

北京外国语大学XX年硕士研究生入学考试试题（样题）

招生专业：翻译硕士（英语口译、英语笔译）

科目名称：翻译硕士英语

（考试时间3小时，满分100分，全部写在答题纸上，答在试题页上无效）

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

Directions: For questions 1 through 30, select two answer choices that (1) complete the sentence in a way that makes sense and (2) produce sentences that are similar in meaning.

1.The Atlantic and Pacific Highway was an important connection between East andWest coasts in the early years of automobile travel, but it was largely _____by the development of the U.S. highway system, beginning around the mid-1920s.

(A) revitalized

(B) eradicated

(C) depreciated

(D) expanded

(E) eliminated

(F) salvaged

2.Although living benefactors may provide kidneys and bone marrow to patients who need transplants, far more organ donations______ deceased donors than living ones.

(A) start out

(B) set off

(C) embark on

(D) derive from

(E) give to

(F) come from

3.Pioneers used clematis as a pepper substitute, and some Native Americans used

small traces to cure headaches; nevertheless, the plant is______ toxic.

(A) by no means

(B) in effect

(C) acutely

(D) essentially

(E) sporadically

(F) rarely

4. The earliest recorded inhabitants of the tiny island off Senegal were the Jola people, and they remain the ethnic group on the island.

(A) crowded

(B) dominant

(C) complex

(D) prevailing

(E) exceptional

(F) established

http://5.In medieval England, the general population could rarely read or write, so people received news via the______ of the town crier.

(A) proclamations

(B) advent

(C) recordings

(D) announcements

(E) auspices

(F) rejoinders

6. Because the Choctaw adopted many cultural practices of Europeans, they were ________ termed one of the “Civilized tribes” by the very people whose descendants would later see them exiled from their homeland.

(A) callously

(B) sarcastically

(C) insensitively

(D) compassionately

(E) tolerantly

(F) reasonably

7. the school originally known as the Institute of Musical Art was moved, merged, and finally renamed after a great ________ of American music, Augustus Juilliard.

(A) narrator

(B) benefactor

(C) messenger

(D) champion

(E) lecturer

(F) architect

8. the origin of the term Hoosier is unknown; nevertheless, there are dozens of proposed derivations that range from logical to ________.

(A) lackluster

(B) droll

(C) scandalous

(D) convincing

(E) dubious

(F) apocryphal

9. the Japanese cartoon form known as manga covers a surprisingly ________ range of subject matter, from the typical action-adventure to the less familiar romance, horror, and business-related stories.

(A) restrictive

(B) broad

(C) current

(D) disturbing

(E) expansive

(F) inventive

10. The so-called high seas are any body of water wherein national jurisdiction no longer applies; an ________ term might be international waters.

(A) equivalent

(B) obvious

(C) all-inclusive

(D) analogous

(E) applicable

(F) appealing

11. The nocturnal birds we know as nightjars are sometimes called goatsuckers due to the erroneous but ________ belief that they milk goats in the night.

(A) equivalent

(B) irrational

(C) widespread

(D) popular

(E) accurate

(F) entertaining

12. Referenda, by which the general population may approve or ________ a proposed law, have been allowed in California since 1849.

(A) reject

(B) amend

(C) turn down

(D) facilitate

(E) compose

(F) nominate

13. The long-running comic strip Blondie gave rise to a series of feature films, ________ a radio show and a television sitcom.

(A) suggested by

(B) on top of

(C) featuring

(D) following

(E) in lieu of

(F) as well as

14. Their speed was notable, but because clipper ships were narrow and could hold only a limited amount of freight, they were used mainly for goods that were small and had to be moved ________.

(A) with care

(B) economically

(C) rapidly

(D) deliberately

(E) repeatedly

(F) expeditiously

15. Plenipotentiary is one of those ________ titles given to government officials whose job one does not quite understand.

(A) irrational

(B) arcane

(C) affable

(D) esoteric

(E) imperious

(F) paltry

16. Her work was always _________, with every i dotted and every t crossed.

(A) cogent

(B) incongruous

(C) tenacious

(D) meticulous

(E) opportune

(F) punctilious

17. In order that we better taste all of the flavors in the wine, the instructor recommended ________ each sample with a small crust of bread.

(A) dunking

(B) removing

(C) following

(D) chasing

(E) balancing

(F) sprinkling

18. Of the various cue sports, pool is probably the best known in America, whereas snooker is the ________.

(A) most popular

(B) least competitive

(C) most amusing

(D) least demanding

(E) most exotic

(F) least familiar

19. The plants known as cycads are often ________ palms, but in fact they are only distantly related.

(A) recognized as

(B) adjacent to

(C) confused with

(D) on a par with

(E) akin to

(F) taken for

20. The ________ Rubik’s Cube measures about 21⁄4 inches on each side, with 26 smaller, pivoting cubes making up the puzzle; however, there are many accepted variations.

(A) multihued

(B) amazing

(C) classic

(D) perplexing

(E) instructive

(F) standard

21. Because one-fifth of its landmass lies below sea level, the process of land reclamation is ________ to the existence of the Netherlands.

(A) imperative

(B) endemic

(C) essential

(D) secondary

(E) immaterial

(F) lethal

22. Della Reese began her career as a singer of gospel and jazz, but she ________ hosted a talk show and acted in a television drama.

(A) previously

(B) predictably

(C) later

(D) subsequently

(E) moreover

(F) in point of fact

23. While thousands of Americans keep tropical birds as pets, the birds’ natural need for warmth makes them ________ to chills caused by drafts and power outages.

(A) susceptible

(B) contributory

(C) impervious

(D) causative

(E) detrimental

(F) vulnerable

24. The timber rattlesnake has the ________ Latin name Crotalus horridus, which vividly captures human revulsion to this most dangerous of snakes.

(A) official

(B) fitting

(C) familiar

(D) distinctive

(E) apt

(F) droll

25. Luging, a sport in which you lie faceup and feetfirst on a tiny sled, is ________ dangerous; a Georgian athlete died in 2008 while preparing for Olympic competition.

(A) extremely

(B) plainly

(C) tragically

(D) frequently

(E) obviously

(F) surprisingly

26. Whether newspapers survive as a medium is largely ________ on how well they adapt to the age of social media and instant news.

(A) fixed

(B) contingent

(C) dependent

(D) amassed

(E) colluded

(F) intent

27. Like many artists who ________ Islam in midlife, the jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey took an Arabic name, in his case Abdullah Ibn Buhaina.

(A) espoused

(B) converted

(C) resumed

(D) initiated

(E) embraced

(F) renounced

28. Marsupials, from the kangaroo to the opossum, are characterized by the pouch in which the mother ________ her young throughout their infancy.

(A) clasps

(B) nourishes

(C) transports

(D) suspends

(E) surrounds

(F) conveys

29. Brazil produces one-third of the world’s sugarcane, a perennial grass with thick, ________ stalks that contain raw sugar crystals.

(A) rigid

(B) stringy

(C) jointed

(D) hardy

(E) succulent

(F) fibrous

30. Umbriel and Ariel are two moons of Uranus, first ________ on the same day, October 24, 1851, by the renowned British astronomer William Lassell.

(A) upheld

(B) classified

(C) christened

(D) espied

(E) observed

(F) asserted

Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)

Section A Multiple Choices (20 points, 2 points each)

Please read the following passages and choose one from A, B, C or D that best complete the statements or best answer the questions in front of them.

Passage One

My professor brother and I have an argument about head and heart, about whether he overvalues IQ while I lean more toward EQ. We typically have this debate about people—can you be friends with a really smart jerk? ---but there’s corollary to animals as well I’d love it if our dog could fetch the morning paper and then read it to me over coffee, but I care much more about her loyal and innocent heart. There9s already enough thinking going on in our house, and we probably spend too much time in our heads. Where we need some role modeling is in instinct, and that’s where a dog is a roving revelation.

I did not grow up with dogs, which meant that my older daughter’s respectful but unyielding determination to get one required some adjustment on my part. I often felt she was training me: from ages of 6 to 9, she gently schooled me in various breeds and their personality-ties, whispered to the dogs we encountered so they would charm and persuade me, demonstrated by her self-discipline that she was ready for the responsibility. And thus came our dog Twist, whom I sometimes mistake for a third daughter.

At first I thought the challenge would be to train her to sit, to heel, to walk calmly beside us and not go wildly chasing the neighborhood rabbits. But I soon discovered how much more we had to learn from her than she from us.

If it is true, for example, that the secret to a child’s success is less rare genius than raw persistence, Twist’s ability to stay on task is a model for us all, especially if the task is trying to capture the sunbeam that flicks around the living room as the wind blows through the branches outside. She never succeeds，and she never gives up. This includes when she runs square into walls.

Then there is her unfailing patience, which breaks down only when she senses that dinnertime was 15 minutes ago and we have somehow failed to notice. Even then she is more eager than indignant, and her refusal to whine shows a restraint of which I’m not always capable when hungry.

But the lesson I value most is the one in forgiveness, and Twist first offered this when she was still very young. When she was about 7 months old, we took her to the vet to be spayed. We turned her over to a stranger, who proceeded to perform a proce- dure that was probably not pleasant. But when the vet returned her to us, limp and tender, there was no recrimination, no How could you do that to me? It was as though she already knew that we would not intentionally cause her pain, and while she did not understand, she forgave and curled up with her head on my daughter’s lap.

I suppose we could have concluded that she was just blindly loyal and docile. But eventually we knew better. She is entirely capable of disobedience, as she has proved many times. She will ignore us when there are more interesting things to look at, rebuke us when we are careless, bark into the twilight when she has urgent messages to send. But her patience with our failings and fickleness and her willingness to give us a second chance are a daily lesson in gratitude.

(8)My friends who grew up with dogs tell me how when they were teenagers and trusted no one in the world, they could tell their dog all their secrets. It was the one friend who would not gossip or betray, could provide in the middle of the night the soft, unbegrudging comfort and peace that adolescence conspires to disrupt. An age that is all about growth and risk needs some anchors and weights, a model of steadfastness when all else is in flux. Sometimes I think Twist's devotion keeps my girls on a benevolent leash, one that hangs quietly at their side as they trot along but occasionally yanks them back to safety and solid ground.

We’ve weighed so many decisions so carefully in raising our daughters—what school to send them to and what church to attend, when to give them cell phones and with what precautions. But when it comes to what really shapes their character and binds our family, I never would have thought we would owe so much to its smallest member.

31.According to the context, the meaning of the word “square” is closest to.

(A) fast

(B) blindly

(C) straight

(D) stubbornly

32. In the first paragraph, the author suggests that.

(A) a person can either have a high IQ or a low EQ

(B) her professor brother cares too much about IQ

(C) we need examples of how to follow one’s heart

(D) she prefers dogs that are clever and loyal

33.According to the passage, all the following are Twist’s characteristics EXCEPT.

(A) resignation

(B) patience

(C) forgiveness

(D) tenacity

34.That Twist’s devotion keeps my girls on a benevolent leash means that.

(A) Twist is capable of looking after the girls

(B) Twist and the girls have become friends

(C) Twist knows how to follow the girls

(D) Twist’s loyalty helps the girls grow up

35.What does the author try to express in the last paragraph?

(A) Difficulties in raising her children.

(B) Worries about what to buy for kids.

(C) Gratitude to Twist for her role.

(D) Concerns about schooling and religion.

Passage Two

Some of the advantages of bilingualism include better performance at tasks involving “executive function? (which involves the brain5s ability to plan and prioritize), better defense against dementia in old age and---the obvious---the ability to speak a second language. One purported advantage was not mentioned, though. Many multilinguals report different personalities, or even different worldviews, when they speak their different languages.

It’s an exciting notion, the idea that one’s very self could be broadened by the mastery of two or more languages. In obvious ways (exposure to new friends，literature and so forth) the self really is broadened. Yet it is different to claim---as many people do---to have a different personality when using a different language. A former Economist colleague, for example, reported being ruder in Hebrew than in English. So what is going on here?

Benjamin Lee Whorf, an American linguist who died in 1941, held that each language encodes a worldview that significantly influences its speakers. Often called u Whorfian-ism”，this idea has its skeptics，but there are still good reasons to believe language shapes thought.

This influence is not necessarily linked to the vocabulary or grammar of a second language. Significantly, most people are not symmetrically bilingual. Many have learned one language at home from parents, and another later in life, usually at school. So bilinguals usually have different strengths and weaknesses in their different languages—and they are not always best in their first language. For example, when tested in a foreign language, people are less likely to fall into a cognitive trap (answering a test question with an obvious-seeming but wrong answer) than when tested in their native language. In part this is because working in a second language slows down the thinking. No wonder people feel different when speaking them. And no wonder they feel looser, more spontaneous, perhaps more assertive or funnier or blunter, in the language they were reared in from childhood.

What of “crib” bilinguals, raised in two languages? Even they do not usually ha perfectly symmetrical competence in their two languages. But even for a speaker whose two languages are very nearly the same in ability , there is another big reason that person will feel different in the two languages. This is because there is an important distinction between bilingualism and biculturalism.

Many bilinguals are not bicultural. But some are. And of those bicultural bilinguals, we should be little surprised that they feel different in their two languages. Experiments in psychology have shown the power of u priming —small unnoticed factors that can affect behavior in big ways. Asking people to tell a happy story, for example, will put them in a better mood. The choice between two languages is a huge prime. Speaking Spanish rather than English, for a bilingual and bicultural Puerto Rican in New York, might conjure feelings of family and home. Switching to English might prime the same person to think of school and work.

So there are two very good reasons (asymmetrical ability, and priming) that make people feel different speaking their different languages. We are still left with a third kind of argument, though. An economist recently interviewed here at Prospero, Athanasia Chalari, said for example that ：

Greeks are very loud and they interrupt each other very often. The reason for that is the Greek grammar and syntax. When Greeks talk they begin their sentences with verbs and the form of the verb includes a lot of information so you already know what they are talking a- bout after the first word and can interrupt more easily.

Is there something intrinsic to the Greek language that encourages Greeks to interrupt? People seem to enjoy telling tales about their languages5 inherent properties, and how they influence their speakers. A group of French intellectual worthies once proposed, rather self-flatteringly, that French be the sole legal language of the EU, because of its supposedly unmatchable rigor and precision. Some Germans believe that frequently putting the verb at the end of a sentence makes the language especially logical. But language myths are not always self-flattering ： many speakers think their languages are unusually illogical or difficult— witness the plethora of books along the lines of “ Only in English do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway; English must be the craziest language in the world!” We also see some unsurprising overlap with national stereotypes and self-stereotypes： French, rigorous；German, logical； English, playful. Of course.

In this case, Ms Chalari, a scholar, at least proposed a specific and plausible line of causation from grammar to personality: in Greek, the verb comes first, and it carries a lot of information, hence easy interrupting. The problem is that many unrelated languages all a- round the world put the verb at the beginning of sentences. Many languages all around the world are heavily inflected, encoding lots of information in verbs. It would be a striking finding if all of these unrelated languages had speakers more prone to interrupting each other. Welsh, for example, is also both verb-first and about as heavily inflected as Greek, but the Welsh are not known as pushy conversationalists.

36. According to the author, which of the following advantages of bilingualism is commonly accepted?

(A) Personality improvement.

(B) Better task performance

(C) Change of worldviews

(D) Avoidance of old-age disease

37. According to the passage, that language influences thought may be related to_____.

(A) the vocabulary of a second language

(B) the grammar of a second language

(C) the improved test performance in a second language

(D) the slowdown of thinking in a second language

38. What is the author^ response to the question at the beginning of Para. 8?

(A) It’s just one of the popular tales of national stereotypes.

(B) Some properties inherent can make a language logical.

(C) German and French are good examples of Whorfianism.

(D) There is adequate evidence to support a positive answer

39. Which of the following statements concerning Para. 9 is correct?

(A) Ms Chalari9s theory about the Greek language is well grounded.

(B) Speakers of many other languages are also prone to interrupting.

(C) Grammar is unnecessarily a condition for change in personality.

(D) Many unrelated languages don’t have the same features as Greek.

40. In discussing the issue，the author’s attitude is_____.

(A) satirical

(B) objective

(C) critical

(D) ambivalent

Section B Short Answer Questions (20 points, 2.5 points each)

Directions: In this section, there are four short answer questions following each passage. Answer each question in no more than 50 words in the space provided on the answer sheet.

Passage Three

Graduates from under-privileged background are to challenge the elitism of the barristers’ profession, under plans outlined today. Reforms aimed at challenging the dominance of the rich and privileged classes which are disproportionately represented among the membership of the Bar will tackle the decline in students from poorer backgrounds joining the profession. They include financial assistance as well as measures to end the “intimidating environment” of the barristers chambers which young lawyers must join if they want to train as advocates.

The increasing cost of the Bar and a perception that it is run by a social elite has halted progress in the greater inclusion of barristers from different backgrounds. A number of high-profile barristers，including the prime minister’s wife, Cherie Booth QC, have warned that without changes, the Bar will continue to be dominated by white, middle-class male lawyers.

In a speech to the Social Mobility Foundation think tank in London this afternoon, Geoffrey Vos QC, Bar Council chairman, will say: “The Bar is a professional elite，by which I mean that the Bar’s membership includes the best-quality lawyers practicing advocacy and offering specialist legal advice in many specialist areas. That kind of elitism is meritocratic, and hence desirable.”

“Unfortunately, however, the elitism which fosters the high-quality services that the Bar stands for has also encouraged another form of elitism. That is elitism in the sense of exclusivity, exclusion, and in the creation of a profession which is barely accessible to equally talented people from less privileged backgrounds.”

Last month, Mr. Vos warned that the future of the barristers’ profession was threatened by an overemphasis on posh accents and public school education Mr. Vos said then that people from ordinary backgrounds were often overlooked in favor of those who were from a “snobby” background. People from a privileged background were sometimes recruited even though they were not up to the job intellectually, he added. In his speech today, Mr. Vos will outline the “barriers to entry”, to a career at the Bar and some of the ways in which these may be overcome.

The Bar Council has asked the law lord, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, to examine how these barriers can be overcome, and he will publish his interim report and consultation paper before Easter. He is expected to propose a placement program to enable gifted children from state schools to learn about the Bar, the courts and barristers at first hand.

The Bar Council is also working towards putting together a new package of bank loans on favorable terms to allow young，aspiring barristers from poorer backgrounds to finance the Bar vocational course year and then have the financial ability to establish themselves in practice before they need to repay.

These loans would be available alongside the Inns of Court’s scholarship and awards programs. Mr. Vos will say today: passionately believe that the professions in general, and the Bar in particular, must be accessible to the most able candidates from any background, whatever their race, gender, or socioeconomic group. The Bar has done well in attracting good proportions of women and racial minorities and we must be as positive in attracting people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. ”

41.What is the “elitism of the barristers’ profession” in the United Kingdom?

42.What are the barriers for graduates from under-privileged families to become barristers?

43.Give a brief summary of Bar Council chairman Geoffrey Vos’s view on elitism of the barrister's profession.

44. What are the measures of reform to help poorer graduates become barristers?

Passage Four

Frustrated by excessive demands at work? Resentful of being passed over for a promotion? Afraid of losing your job? Never fear. A “toxic handler” may be near. Two University of British Columbia researchers poking around at the underside of corporate life have identified this new kind of hero.

“Toxic handlers,” Peter Frost and Sandra Robinson write in the current Harvard Business Review，are employees skilled in removing the “mental toxins” of the modern workplace. The toxic handler—typically a senior manager but not the top boss —listens to troubled colleagues, invents creative solutions, and helps translate “mission impossible” into “mission accomplished”.

And far from being too focused on feelings to get the job done, toxic handlers make a real contribution to the corporate bottom line —if only by helping keep good people from leaving. One example the researchers cite is a computer executive in Europe who was asked to guide a 120- member team, already shell-shocked from downsizing into using as “open concept” office layout. It was a radical idea since the employees were used to private offices.

The executive's approach was simply to listen to his colleagues：“He called himself ‘Big Ears，’”，says Mr. Frost. The transition went smoothly. “The only complaints were that there weren’t enough trash cans,” he says. By combining interpersonal skills with technical competence, toxic handlers such as Mr. “Big Ears” help “manage organizational pain,” Frost adds.

The article is full of metaphors of pain and poison. But it also identifies opportunities for leadership that can be practiced by employees at any level of an organization Frost ticks off four key points that came from his research: “The whole notion that there are people who step in and manage pain; the fact that there’s a lot of pain out there to manage，largely as a result of corporate downsizing; the fact that the people I dealt with (in this research) were not 'bleeding hearts' or human-resources specialists; and that a lot of them got pretty sick.”

It is critical that toxic handlers avoid taking on the pain themselves, say Frost and Robinson. Health-care professionals are typically trained to defend themselves against putting their own health at risk by getting too caught up in their patients’ problems, Frost notes. But toxic handlers in the corporate setting run the same risk of exposure without adequate defense. “Managers get sent in with pop guns and little tin shields” says Frost, when they should be protected “as if they were handling radioactivity. ”

Some toxic handlers might be described simply as office peacemakers. Consider Alexandra, a vice president at a financial institution in New York. She spent half her time as peacemaker among colleagues. The new MBAs coming to work there always came in acting like they owned the world,” she told researchers. “They tended to be pretty arrogant and heavy-handed with the secretaries and clerical workers. They offended them so much that they couldn’t concentrate on their work. So first I had to explain to the staff that these young professionals were... just seriously lacking in interpersonal skills. Then I had to pull the new MBAs into my office and help them understand that being a boss didn’t mean bossing people around.”

Frost’s work on the concept of toxic handlers began when he noticed that he felt particularly run down and burnt out at the end of managing a stint in 1994. Since then, he and Robinson have studied what he calls a “rolling sample” of about 70 toxic handlers in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia. By definition, their data are anecdotal, and they have no means of cross-checking their subjects’ stories. But Frost is confident. “We’re onto something with authenticity.” Frost and Robinson insist that toxic handlers are not “enablers” who make it possible for their bosses to get away with bad behavior. But Frost sees the next phase of their research focusing on “the role of the toxic handlers in educating toxic bosses in order to improve the situation.

45.What is a toxic handler? Who can work as a toxic handler?

46.What is the significance of the promotion of the concept “toxic handler”？Who first started the study on this concept?

47.Explain briefly the four key points raised by Mr. Frost from his research.

48. Tell the meaning of the following metaphors used in the passage.

(a)“He called himself ‘Big Ears’. ’’（para. 4)

(b)“…the people I dealt with.… were not ‘ bleeding hearts’ or…” (para. 5)

(c)“Managers get sent in with popguns and little tin shields…”（para. 6)

(d)“…as if they were handling radioactivity…”（para. 6)

Part III Writing (30 points)

“A formal education is nothing more than the relentless revelation of one’s own ignorance.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim made above. In developing your position, address some reasons or examples that might be used to challenge your point of view. Around 400 words long.