北京交通大学855基础英语考研真题及辅导用书

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北京交通大学语言与传播学院《855基础英语》历年考研真题汇总（含部分答案）

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2003年北京交通大学《855基础英语》考研真题及详解

Part One: Vocabulary, Structure and Reading Comprehension

Ⅰ. Vocabulary and Structure: Choose the correct or most suitable answer for each of the following statements. (20%)

A. In each question, decide which of the four choices given will most suitably complete the sentence if inserted at the place marked.

1 In the late 1800’s Ellen Richard began work in the new field of “sanitary science” which was concerned with waste removal, water purification and _____.

A. to ventilate adequately

B. adequate ventilation

C. adequate ventilate

D. ventilation adequately

【答案】B

【解析】句意：19世纪末，艾伦·理查德开始投身新的领域“卫生科学”，这种科学包括废物处理、净水和充分通风。根据waste removal和water purification可知，此处应填写结构相同的“形容词＋名词”短语。因此答案选B。

2 The topology of Mars is more _____ than that of any other planet.

A. like that of the Earth

B. the Earth’s like that of

C. like the Earth of that

D. that of the Earth’s like

【答案】A

【解析】句意：火星的拓扑结构更像是地球的拓扑结构，而不是其他行星的拓扑结构。根据后文than可知，此处构成比较级more like A than B“与B相比更像A”的结构。根据后文“that of any other planet”可知，此处应填写与此结构类似的短语，即“that of the Earth”。that此处为代词，指代前文的topology。因此答案选A。

3 _____ about individuals who really existed and things that actually happened.

A. Folktales which sometimes tell stones

B. The stories of folktales sometimes telling

C. Stories sometimes told are when folktales

D. Folktales sometimes tell stories

【答案】D

【解析】句意：民间故事有时会讲述真正存在的人的故事和实际发生的事情。根据后文可知，后文的句法成分为定语从句，作宾语的定语成分，全句中缺少的句子成分为主干成分，即“主谓宾”，此处应选择为主谓宾结构的短语。因此答案选D。

4 Not until 1979 _____ its policy of reform and opening to the outside world.

A. China has started

B. when China started

C. did China start

D. started China

【答案】C

【解析】句意：直到1979年中国才开始改革开放政策。当Not until位于句首时，句子要倒装，其结构为：Not until＋从句/表时间的词＋助动词＋（主句）主语＋谓语。如：Not until the teacher came in did the students stop talking.直到老师进来学生们才停止讲话。因此答案选C。

5 —“Then about Tolstoy’s great novels.”

—“Who _____ has read his great novels can forget their fascination?”

A. who

B. that

C. which

D. whoever

【答案】B

【解析】句意：“接下来谈谈托尔斯泰的小说吧。”“哪个读过他伟大的小说的人会忘记他们的魅力？”分析后半句的句子成分，代词who为主语，forget为谓语，fascination为宾语，中间部分为定语从句修饰主语“人”，先行词为who或that，为避免重复，此处先行词只能用that。因此答案选B。

6 —“I did not go to the party.”

—“Did _____ go to the party?”

A. many John’s friends

B. many John’s friends

C. my sister boy friend

D. a boy friend of my sister’s

【答案】D

【解析】句意：“我没有去派对。”“那我姐姐的男性朋友有去的吗？”如果想表达“约翰的很多朋友”，应该用many of John’s friends，因此A、B错误。同样的结构，表示从属关系“我姐姐的男性朋友”，应该用my sister’s boy friend或a boy friend of my sister’s。因此答案选D。

7 —“John had the piano tuned today.”

—“Was it _____?”

A. out of tune badly before

B. before badly out of tune

C. badly out of tune before

D. out of tune before badly

【答案】A

【解析】句意：“约翰今天把钢琴调好了。”“它以前严重走调了吗？”before意为“之前”，badly意为“严重”，副词作状语修饰动词，应紧跟在动词后，时间状语放在句子成分后边根据。因此答案选A。

8 During the late 1850’s the question of the best route for the overland mail to California was _____ in the West.

A. interest of a serious topic

B. a serious interest of topic

C. a topic of serious interest

D. serious interest of a topic

【答案】C

【解析】句意：在20世纪50年代末期，向加利福尼亚州发送陆上邮件的最佳路线问题是西方最感兴趣的话题。根据句意可知，人们谈论的是“话题”而不是“兴趣”，此处的中心词为topic，serious interest为强调topic内容的成分，因此答案选C。

9 Carbohydrates are the most abundant and _____ food sources of energy.

A. least cost

B. least costly

C. less cost

D. fewer costs

【答案】B

【解析】句意：从能量上讲，碳水化合物是最丰富和最便宜的食物来源。costly是名词cost派生出来的形容词，意为“昂贵的”，与前文的most对应，此处应填写最高级least。因此答案选B。

B. In each item, choose one word that best keeps the meaning of the sentence if it is substitute for the underlined word.

10 The diffusion of wealth made it possible for those poor people to enjoy the same kind of service.

A. spring

B. spread

C. spray

D. sprawl

【答案】B

【解析】句意：财富的扩散使这些穷人有可能享受同样的服务。spring跳跃。spray喷射。spread和sprawl有相似的义项“蔓延”，但spread意为“传播；散步”，sprawl意为“杂乱无章地拓展”。因此答案选B。

11 A few gentleman farmers with plenty of money can still escape to the bucolic life—but in general, the stream of migration is flowing the other way.

A. pastoral

B. pastime

C. pasture

D. pasty

【答案】A

【解析】句意：只有少数殷实的绅士仍然可以避居乡间过着田园生活。bucolic意为牧歌般的。pastoral牧歌。pastime消遣；娱乐。pasture牧草。pasty肉馅饼；苍白的。因此答案选A。

12 Both gas and oil can be found in the minute pores of rocks such as limestone and sandstone.

A. outcome

B. output

C. outlet

D. outfit

【答案】C

【解析】句意：天然气和石油都可以在石灰岩和砂岩等岩石的微小孔隙中找到。pore孔隙；气孔。outcome结果。output输出。outlet出口。outfit装备。因此答案选C。

13 Critics have traced the genesis of Mark Twain’s central themes to his boyhood experiences.

A. meaning

B. structure

C. origin

D. optimism

【答案】C

【解析】句意：批评家们把马克·吐温的中心主题的起源追溯到他童年时代的经历。genesis起源；创始。meaning意义。structure结构。origin起源。optimism乐观。因此答案选C。

14 To conceal itself, an octopus sensing danger will squirt a black fluid through an opening under its head.

A. strain

B. swallow

C. soak up

D. spurt out

【答案】D

【解析】句意：为了隐藏自身，当章鱼感知到危险时将通过其头部下方的开口喷射黑色液体。squirt喷射。strain拉紧。swallow吞下。soak up吸收。spurt out喷。因此答案选D。

15 Swifts build nests made of twigs that they cement together with their saliva.

A. press

B. push

C. stick

D. gather

【答案】C

【解析】句意：雨燕用它们的唾液粘合树枝做巢。cement粘牢。press挤压。push推。stick粘住。gather聚集。因此答案选C。

16 Fine freshwater pearls are found in the main stream and the tributaries of the Mississippi River.

A. banks

B. deltas

C. branches

D. currents

【答案】C

【解析】句意：密西西比河干流和支流发现了质量上乘的淡水珍珠。tributary支流。bank河岸。delta三角。branch分支。current洋流。因此答案选C。

17 In humans the skin is renewed continually and imperceptibly.

A. incredibly

B. rapidly

C. completely

D. unnoticeably

【答案】D

【解析】句意：人类皮肤是不断地、不知不觉地更新的。imperceptibly不知不觉地。incredibly难以置信地。rapidly迅速地。completely完全地。unnoticeably不知不觉。因此答案选D。

18 Penguins do not suffer from the cold in Antarctica because their feathers secrete a protective oil.

A. hide

B. warm

C. produce

D. absorb

【答案】C

【解析】句意：企鹅在南极洲不感冒，因为它们的羽毛分泌保护油。secrete分泌。hide隐藏。warm加热。produce产生。absorb吸收。因此答案选C。

19 Chemists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have developed a process for recovering silver from liquid photographic wastes.

A. identifying

B. refinishing

C. dissolving

D. retrieving

【答案】D

【解析】句意：田纳西橡树岭国家实验室的化学家们发明了一种从液态照相废料中回收银的方法。recover恢复；回收。identify认出。refinish修补。dissolve溶解。retrieve恢复。因此答案选D。

20 Many painters and writers live in the artist’s havens of Taos and Santa Fe, cities that are rich in New Mexico’s ethnic heritage.

A. tradition

B. inspiration

C. variety

D. wealth

【答案】A

【解析】句意：许多画家和作家生活在艺术家的天堂陶斯和圣达菲，因为这两个城市的新墨西哥民族文化遗产很丰富。heritage遗产。tradition传统。inspiration感。variety多样。wealth财富。因此答案选A。

Ⅱ. Read the following three passages and answer the questions after each passage. (25%)

Passage 1

All men are snobs about something. One is most tempted to add: There is nothing about which no men can feel snobbish. But this would doubtlessly be an exaggeration. There are certain disfiguring and mortal diseases about which there has probably never been any snobbery. I cannot imagine, for example, there are any leprosy-snobs. More picturesque diseases, even when they are dangerous, particularly when they are adolescent consumption-snobs, who thought it would be romantic to fade away in the flower of youth, like John Keats or Marie Bashkirtseff. Alas, the final stage of consumptive fading are generally a good deal less romantic than these ingenuous young tubercle-snobs seem to imagine. To anyone who has actually witnessed these final stages, the complacent poeticizings of these adolescents must seem as exasperating as they are profoundly pathetic. In the case of those commoner disease-snobs, whose claim to distinction is that they suffer from one of the maladies of the rich, exasperation is not tempered by very much sympathy. People who possess sufficient leisure, sufficient wealth, not to mention sufficient health, to go travelling from spa to spa, from doctor to fashionable doctor, in search of cures from problematical diseases (which, in so far as they exist at all, probably have their source in overeating) cannot expect us to be very lavish in our solicitude and pity.

Disease-snobbery is only one out of a great multitude of snobberies, of which now some, now others take pride of place in general esteem. For snobs ebb and flow; their empire rises, declines, and falls in the most approved historical manner. What good snobberies a hundred years ago are now out of fashion. Thus the snobberies of family is everywhere on the decline. The snobbery of culture, still strong, has now to wrestle with an organized and active low-browism, with a snobbery of ignorance and stupidity unique, so far as I know, in the whole of history.

Modernity-snobbery, though not exclusive to our age, has come to assume an invaluable importance. The reasons for this are simple and of a strictly economic character. Thanks to modem machinery, production is outrunning consumption. Organized waste among consumers is the first condition: our industrial prosperity. The sooner the customer throws away the object he has brought and buys another, the better for the producer. At the same time, the producer must do his bit by producing nothing but the most perishable articles. “The man who builds a skyscraper to last more than forty’ years is a traitor to the building trade.” The words are those of a great American contractor. Substitute motor-car, boot, suit of clothes, etc., for skyscraper, and one year, three months, six months, and so on for forty years, and you have the gospel of any leader of any modem industry. The modernity-snob, it is obvious, is this industrialist’s best friend. For modernity-snobs naturally tend to throw away their old possessions and buy-new ones at a great rate than those who are not modernity-snobs. Therefore it is in the producer’s interest to encourage modernity-snobbery. “Which in fact he does do—on an enormous scale and to the tune of millions and millions a year—by means of advertising. The newspapers do their best to help those who help them; and to the flood of advertisement is added a flood of less directly paid-for propaganda in favor of modernity-modernity. The public is taught that up-to-dateness is one of the first duties of man. Docile, it accepts the reiterated suggestion. We are all modernity-snobs now.

Questions 1-10:

1 In paragraph 1, which of the following is untrue?

A. The author believes that man can be snobbish about everything.

B. Some young tuberculosis-snobs consider it attractive to die in the flower of age.

C. Both John Keats and Marie Bashkirtseff died young.

D. Disease-snobs are very much fond of the diseases of the rich.

2 Matter-of-factly, at the final stages of tuberculosis, the patient is _____.

A. happy and gay

B. feeling romantic

C. weakening and dying

D. none of the above

3 People are generally _____ these commoner disease-snobs.

A. sympathetic for

B. touched by

C. interested in

D. annoyed by

4 In paragraph 1, the “problemical diseases” refer to those that _____.

A. are just imaginary

B. really exist

C. should be questioned

D. have problems

5 In paragraph 2 according to the author, snobberies _____.

A. change with the time

B. flourish now and decline then

C. come and go

D. all of the above

6 When the author talks about “low-browism”, which of the following is true?

A. He admires it.

B. He suggests a note of contempt.

C. He finds it funny.

D. All of the above.

7 Which of the following is untrue according paragraph 3?

A. Modernity-snobbery is more popular today than ever before.

B. The producers are pursuing high quality of their products today.

C. Modernity-snobs chase the up-to-dateness rather the quality of products.

D. Advertisements promote modernity-snobbery.

8 Who welcome the modernity-snobs most?

A. The producers.

B. The industrialists.

C. The advertisers.

D. All of the above.

9 According to the author, we are all modernity-snobs as a result of _____.

A. the influence of the advertisements

B. the public education

C. the development of economy

D. the quality of modem products

10 Li this passage the general tone of the author’s is _____.

A. friendly

B. praising

C. sarcastic

D. sympathetic

【答案与解析】

1 A  根据第一段第二、三句“One is most tempted to add: There is nothing about which no men can feel snobbish. But this would doubtlessly be an exaggeration.”可知，作者认为世界上一切都能成为被势力的对象的观点是夸张的，因此A选项错误。根据第一段第六句“…it would be romantic to fade away in the flower of youth, like John Keats or Marie Bashkirtseff.”可知，一些人认为像济慈和玛丽巴什基尔采夫都在盛年去世是件很浪漫的事，因此B、C正确。根据第一段第九句“In the case of those commoner disease-snobs, whose claim to distinction is that they suffer from one of the maladies of the rich, exasperation is not tempered by very much sympathy.”可知，得上“富贵病”也能成为骄傲的资本，因此D正确。综上，因此答案选A。

2 C  根据第一段第七、八句“Alas, the final stage of consumptive fading are generally a good deal less romantic than these ingenuous young tubercle-snobs seem to imagine. To anyone who has actually witnessed these final stages, the complacent poeticizings of these adolescents must seem as exasperating as they are profoundly pathetic.”可知，结核病晚期并不是像一些青年人想象的那么浪漫。因此答案选C。

3 D  根据第一段倒数第二句“In the case of those commoner disease-snobs, whose claim to distinction is that they suffer from one of the maladies of the rich, exasperation is not tempered by very much sympathy.”可知，面对这种疾病势力的人，愤怒比同情要多。因此答案选D。

4 A  根据第一段最后一句“…in search of cures from problematical diseases (which, in so far as they exist at all, probably have their source in overeating) cannot expect us to be very lavish in our solicitude and pity.”可知，一些人想象自己有疾病，采用各种方式治病，这种病就算是有也可能知识因为吃太多。因此答案选A。

5 D  根据第二段第二句“For snobs ebb and flow; their empire rises, declines, and falls in the most approved historical manner.”可知，疾病势利是众多势利中的一种。在这众多的势利中，此时是这种疾病，而过了一些时间却又是另一种疾病赢得人们的仰慕。由于各种势利的消长，他们各自的帝国也以最为公认的历史性方式兴起、衰落、消亡。因此答案选D。

6 B  根据第二段最后一句“The snobbery of culture, still strong, has now to wrestle with an organized and active low-browism, with a snobbery of ignorance and stupidity unique, so far as I know, in the whole of history.”可知，在整个历史上，文化的势力仍然很强，现在已经组织起来，积极地进行低层次和愚蠢的独特斗争。作者对此是持蔑视态度的。因此答案选B。

7 B  根据第三段第七句“The man who builds a skyscraper to last more than forty’ years is a traitor to the building trade.”可知，建造一座寿命超过40年的大楼的人，就是建筑业的叛徒，消费者弃旧购新的速度越快，对商人们越有利，商人们为了加快这一进程，故意生产质量低下的产品。因此答案选B。

8 D  根据第三段第十句“The modernity-snob, it is obvious, is this industrialist’s best friend.”第十二句“Therefore it is in the producer’s interest to encourage modernity-snobbery.”第十四句“The newspapers do their best to help those who help them; and to the flood of advertisement is added a flood of less directly paid-for propaganda in favor of modernity-modernity.”可知，弃旧购新对生厂商、广告商、经销商都有利。因此答案选D。

9 A  根据第三段最后两句“The public is taught that up-to-dateness is one of the first duties of man. Docile, it accepts the reiterated suggestion. We are all modernity-snobs now.”可知，在广告的影响下，我们都被教导要跟上时代步伐，因此都成为了势力者。因此答案选A。

10 C  全文分析题。作者在文中表达了对“疾病势力者”的蔑视，以及描述现在所有人沦为“势力者”的现状可以分析出，作者对这一现象是讽刺的。因此答案选C。

Passage 2

Seventeenth-century houses in colonial North American were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteen century, however, houses began to show a new elegance. As wealth increased, more and more colonist built fine houses.

Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left either to amateur designers or to carpenters who were engaged in translating architectural handbooks imported from England. Inventories of libraries shows an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses built during the eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most household architecture of the first-quarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.

Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and areas nearby was stone widely used in buildings. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, even in closely packed Charleston, wooden houses were much common than brick houses.

Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over their predecessors. Windows were made larger and shutters removed. Large, clear panes replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster or wood. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens, and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial newspapers.

Questions 11-17:

11 What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The improved design of eighteenth-century colonial houses.

B. A comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modem houses.

C. The decorations used in eighteenth-century houses.

D. The role of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses.

12 What was one of the main reasons for the change in architectural style in eighteenth-century North America?

A. More architects arrived in the colonies.

B. The colonists developed an interest in classical architecture.

C. Bricks were more readily available.

D. The colonists had more money to spend on housing.

13 According to the passage, who was responsible for designing houses in eighteenth-century North America?

A. Professional architects.

B. Customers.

C. Interior decorators.

D. Carpenters.

14 The word “divergence” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A. description

B. development

C. difference

D. display

15 Where was stone commonly used to build houses?

A. Virginia.

B. Pennsylvania.

C. Boston.

D. Charleston.

16 The word “predecessors” in Paragraph 4 refers to _____.

A. colonists who arrived in North America in the seventeenth century

B. houses constructed before the eighteenth century

C. interior improvements

D. wooden houses in Charleston

17 The author mentions elaborately paneled walls in Paragraph 4 as an example of _____.

A. how the interior design of colonial houses was improved

B. why walls were made of wood or plaster

C. how walls were made stronger in the eighteenth century

D. what kind of wood was used for walls after 1730

【答案与解析】

11 A  主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要讲述的是18世纪殖民地房屋建设的变化情况。因此答案选A。

12 D  根据第一段最后一句“As wealth increased, more and more colonist built fine houses.”可知，殖民者的财富越来越多，建的房子就越来越好。因此答案选D。

13 D  根据第二段第一句“Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left either to amateur designers or to carpenters who were engaged in translating architectural handbooks imported from England.”可知，业余设计师和木匠都可以对建筑风格产生影响。因此答案选D。

14 C  根据第二段最后一句“Nevertheless, most household architecture of the first-quarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.”可知，十八世纪第一季度的大多数家庭建筑都显示出广泛的差异。因此答案选C。

15 B  根据第三段第三句“A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and areas nearby was stone widely used in buildings.”可知，宾夕法尼亚州大量用石头建房。因此答案选B。

16 B  根据第四段第一句“Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over their predecessors.”可知，十八世纪的房子比之前的房子有了很大的内部改善。因此答案选B。

17 A  根据第四段第一句“Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over their predecessors.”可知，段首为中心句“十八世纪的房子比之前的房子有了很大的内部改善”。下文对墙的举例也是为了说明房子内部的改善情况，因此答案选A。

Passage 3

In a three-month period last year, two Brooklynites had to be cut out of their apartments and carried to hospital on stretchers designed for transporting small whales. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) argues that it was not their combined 900kg (2,000IbS) bulk that made them ill. Obesity, according to NAAFA, is not bad for you. And, even if it was, there is nothing to be done about it, because genes dictate weight. Attempting to eat less merely slows metabolism, having people as chubby as ever.

This is the “fatlash” movement that causes America’s slimming industry so much pain. In his book Bin Fat Lies, Glenn Gaesser says that no study yet has convincingly shown that weight is an independent cause of health problems. Fatness does not kill people; things like hypertension, coronary heart diseases and cancer do. Michael Fumento, author of The Fat of the Land, an anti-fatlash diatribe, compares Dr Gaesser’s logic with saying that the guillotine did not kill Louis XVI: “Rather, it was the severing of his vertebrae, the cutting of all the blood vessels in his neck, and.., the trauma caused by his head dropping several feet into a wicker basket.”

Being fat kills in several ways. It makes people far more likely to suffer from heart disease or high blood pressure. Even moderate obesity increases the chance of contracting diabetes. Being 40% overweight makes people 30%-50% more likely to die of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Extreme fatness makes patients so much less likely to survive surgery that many doctors refuse to operate until they slim.

The idea that being overweight is caused by obesity genes is not wholly false: researchers have found a number of genes that appear to make some people bum off energy at a slower rate. But genes are not destiny. The difference between someone with a genetic predisposition to gain weight and someone without appears to be roughly 40 calories―or a spoonful of mayonnaise―a day.

An alternative fatlash argument, advanced in books such as Dean Onrush’s Eat More, Weight Less and Date Atrens’s Don’t Diet, is that fatness is not a matter of eating too much. They note that as Americans’ weight has ballooned over the last few decades, their reported caloric intake has plunged. This simply explains people’s own recollection of how much they eat is extremely unreliable. And as they grow fatter, people feel guilty and are more likely to fib about how much they eat. All reputable studies show that eating less and exercising reduce weight.

Certainly, the body’s metabolism slows a little when you lose weight, because it takes less energy to carry less bulk around, and because dieting can make the body fear it is about to starve. But a sensible low-fat diet makes weight loss possible. The fatlash movement is dangerous, because slimmers will often find any excuse to give up. To tell people that it is healthy to be obese is to encourage them to live sick and die young.

Questions 18-25:

18 According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true?

A. Two small whales were sent to the hospital.

B. Two fat men were killed in their apartments in Brooklyn.

C. Each fat man weighed 900kg.

D. Two fat men weighed 900kg together.

19 The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance holds that _____.

A. fat people should try to lose weight

B. eating less is harmful to people’s health

C. fat people were born that way

D. obesity is good for people

20 According to NAAFA, obesity is determined by one’s _____.

A. genes

B. diets

C. environment

D. health conditions

21 In paragraph 2, Glenn Gaesser and Michael Filmento _____.

A. share the same opinion about obesity

B. both are members of NAAFA

C. have opposite views towards obesity

D. are supporters of fatlash

22 What does the author mean by “genes are not destiny” in paragraph 4?

A. People with a genetic inclination to gain weight can slim.

B. People who are born fat will remain that way all life.

C. All efforts to lose weight will prove fruitless.

D. Fat people can live a very happy life, too.

23 The two Brooklynites in the Burst paragraph were _____.

A. members of the NWA

B. typical victims of overweight

C. members of the “fatlash” movement

D. proof that the fatlash movement is gaining strength

24 Which of the following statements is true?

A. Americans’ caloric intake has dropped over the last few decades.

B. Many people who try to lose weight give up half way.

C. Americans tend to lie about how much they eat.

D. Obesity in itself does no harm to people’s health.

25 From this passage we can sense that the author’s attitude towards obesity is _____.

A. positive

B. negative

C. neutral

D. indifferent

【答案与解析】

18 D  根据第一段第二句“The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) argues that it was not their combined 900kg (2,000IbS) bulk that made them ill.”可知，二人加在一起有900kg。因此答案选D。

19 C  根据第一段最后两句“Obesity, according to NAAFA, is not bad for you. And, even if it was, there is nothing to be done about it, because genes dictate weight. Attempting to eat less merely slows metabolism, having people as chubby as ever.”可知，NAAFA认为肥胖是基因决定的，即使吃得少多运动，最后还是会胖。因此答案选C。

20 A  根据第一段倒数第二句“Obesity, according to NAAFA, is not bad for you. And, even if it was, there is nothing to be done about it, because genes dictate weight.”可知，NAAFA认为肥胖是基因决定的。因此答案选A。

21 C  根据第二段后半部分“Michael Fumento, author of The Fat of the Land, an anti-fatlash diatribe.. caused by his head dropping several feet into a wicker basket.”可知，Dr Gaesser认为人们死亡不是肥胖本身的错，而是引起的高血压、冠心病等病症的错，Michael Fumento则将这种比喻认为“路易十六不是被断头台杀死的，而是被脊椎、脖子上的血管断裂杀死的”，后者对前者的观点持抨击态度，因此二人想法不同。因此答案选C。

22 A  根据第四段第二句“But genes are not destiny.”可知，基因不是决定因素，由此可以推知，即使基因是易增重基因，还是可以通过外在努力保持好身材。因此答案选A。

23 B  根据第一段前两句“In a three-month period last year, two Brooklynites had to be cut out of their apartments and carried to hospital…it was not their combined 900kg (2,000IbS) bulk that made them ill.”可知，这两个人是因为超重被送进医院的。因此答案选B。

24 B  根据第五段第二句“They note that as Americans’ weight has ballooned over the last few decades, their reported caloric intake has plunged.”可知，虽然美国人声称自己摄入的卡路里量下降，但这并不是真的，故A项错误。第三句“This simply explains people’s own recollection of how much they eat is extremely unreliable.”可知，美国人总是在食物摄入量上撒谎，所以并不能推出他们知道自己吃了多少，故C项错误。根据最后一段最后一句话“To tell people that it is healthy to be obese is to encourage them to live sick and die young.”可知，肥胖是有危害的，故D项错误。因此答案选B。

25 B  根据最后一段最后一句话“To tell people that it is healthy to be obese is to encourage them to live sick and die young.”可知，如果告诉人们肥胖是健康的，就是鼓励人们带着疾病生活并会很早去世，因此作者对肥胖的态度是消极的。因此答案选B。

Part Two: British and American Cultures (40 %)

Ⅰ. Read the following statements carefully and choose the most appropriate ONE from the four options marked A, B, C and D to complete the statement. (10 points, I for each)

1 Christianity’ was first introduced into Britain by _____.

A. the Celts

B. The Romans

C. the Viking Danes

D. the Norman-French

【答案】B

【解析】公元590年，罗马教皇格里高利组织了一批40余人的布道团，由圣安德鲁修道院院长奥古斯丁率领，出罗马城西行，将基督教传入英国。因此答案选B。

2 Three of the following were characteristic of the Elizabethan age, which one is the exception?

A. Queen Elizabeth Ⅰ advocated the Divine Right and quarreled with Parliament.

B. Conflicts between Catholicism and Protestantism were settled temporarily.

C. This was the age of adventure at the sea.

D. This was the age of the flourishing of the English literature represented by William Shakespeare.

【答案】A

【解析】伊丽莎白时代，基督教和天主教的矛盾暂时平息；打败了西班牙无敌舰队确立了海上霸主的地位。该时代也是以莎士比亚为代表的英国文学的繁荣时代。提倡“君权神授”的是詹姆士一世，而非伊丽莎白。因此答案选A。

3 The Church of England is an “established” church in _____.

A. the whole of Britain

B. England and Scotland

C. England and Wales

D. England only

【答案】D

【解析】英格兰教会，或译为英格兰国教会，英格兰圣公会，“圣公宗”（“安立甘宗”）的教会之一，16世纪由英格兰君主亨利八世时期开始由托马斯、理查德·胡克等改革家们改革并作为英格兰的国教。教会的辖区是今天联合王国的中的英格兰地区，不包括苏格兰，威尔士和北爱尔兰，后者分归苏格兰圣公会，威尔士教会与爱尔兰教会管理。因此答案选D。

4 Under the old selective system, English children who have high marks in the “eleven plus” examination go on to _____.

A. public schools

B. technical schools

C. grammar schools

D. secondary modem schools

【答案】C

【解析】英国的教育系统中，进入文法学校需要经过严苛的考试。这些考试在11岁（小学六年级）进行，所以也称“11＋考试”。如果不参加考试或是落选，就直接按学区就近入学读普通高中。因此答案选C。

5 Irish is a kind of the old _____ language.

A. Anglo-Saxon

B. Gaelic

C. Latin

D. Greek

【答案】B

【解析】爱尔兰语是一种古盖尔语。因此答案选B。

6 Which of the following statements about the BBC is not true?

A. The BBC puts out both radio broadcasting service and TV programs.

B. There is no advertising on any of the BBC programs.

C. The BBC is financed by private funds.

D. The BBC World Service broadcasts international news worldwide, using more than 30 languages.

【答案】C

【解析】英国广播公司的所有权者是政府，是由政府出资支持的，而非私人支持。因此答案选C。

7 Among the following, _____ is not a New England state.

A. Connecticut

B. New York state

C. New Hampshire

D. Vermont

【答案】B

【解析】新英格兰由六个州组成：Maine，New Hampshire，Vermont，Massachusetts，Rhode Island和Connecticut。因此答案选B。

8 The slavery was legally abolished in 1865 by _____ amendment.

A. the fourteenth

B. the fifteenth

C. the thirteenth

D. the sixteenth

【答案】C

【解析】1865年，宪法第十三条修正案宣布废除奴隶制。因此答案选C。

9 The longest war that the United States has fought is _____.

A. the Independence War

B. The Civil War

C. The Vietnam War

D. the Gulf War

【答案】C

【解析】独立战争（1775-1783）。内战（1861-1865）。越南战争（1961-1975）。海湾战争（1991）。越南战争持续了15年，时间最长。因此答案选C。

10 For the following four types of music, _____ is considered the United States’ unique contribution.

A. Rock and Roll

B. Jazz

C. Western and Country music

D. Classical music

【答案】C

【解析】西方乡村音乐是美国在音乐类型上的独特贡献。因此答案选C。

Ⅱ. Fill in the blanks. (10 points, 1 for each)

1 Since 1970 _____ has created thousands of new jobs and has also involved many ancillary industries.

【答案】Information Age

【解析】自1970年以来，信息时代创造了数千个新的就业机会和许多配套产业。

2 In the 16^th century, the most famous writer was _____, who wrote a book called _____, telling of a journey to an imaginary island with an ideal society.

【答案】Thomas More; Utopia

【解析】16世纪，托马斯·莫尔的《乌托邦》讲述了理想社会的旅程。

3 _____ is the supreme holy authority of the Roman Catholic.

【答案】Pope

【解析】罗马教皇是罗马天主教的最高神圣权威。

4 Prince Philip once said that _____ is ‘God’s greatest gift to mankind.’

【答案】a sense of humour

【解析】菲利普王子说过，幽默是上帝赐给人们最好的礼物。

5 The Times is politically more sympathetic to _____, while The Guardian is more favorable to _____.

【答案】Conservative Party; Radical party

【解析】《泰晤士报》和《金融时报》是右派，比较保守，而《卫报》是左派，比较激进。

6 The largest state in America in terms of area is _____ and the largest state in terms of population is _____.

【答案】Alaska；California

【解析】美国面积最大的州是阿拉斯加州，人口最多的州是加利福尼亚州。

7 In May, 1775, _____ met in Philadelphia and began to assume the function of a national government.

【答案】a second Continental Congress

【解析】1775年5月，第二次大陆会议在费城会晤，开始承担政府职能。

8 America women were allowed to vote from the year of _____.

【答案】1920

【解析】经过长期努力，美国宪法第19次修正案于1920年批准了全国范围内的妇女选举权。

9 In the U.S., religious instruction in public schools is _____, according to a ruling by the Supreme Court.

【答案】against the Constitution

【解析】根据最高法院的裁决，在美国，公立学校的宗教教育违反宪法。

10 The law giving financial help to armed veterans is called _____.

【答案】Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944

【解析】《军人安置法案》最先于二战末期起草生效，给退伍美军军人提供免费的大学或者技校教育，以及一年的失业补助。

Ⅲ. Explain the following in English (20 points, 2 for each)

1 What is counterculture? What are some of the forms of counterculture?

【答案】

A counterculture is a subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, often in opposition to mainstream cultural mores. A countercultural movement expresses the ethos and aspirations of a specific population during a well-defined era. When oppositional forces reach critical mass, countercultures can trigger dramatic cultural changes.

As the 1960s progressed, widespread social tensions also developed concerning other issues, and tended to flow along generational lines regarding human sexuality, women’s rights, traditional modes of authority, experimentation with psychoactive drugs, and differing interpretations of the American Dream.

【解析】反文化是一种亚文化，其价值观和行为准则与主流社会的价值观和规范差异很大，往往反对主流文化氛围。反文化运动明确地表达了特定人群的精神和愿望。当对抗力量达到临界时，反文化可能引发剧烈的文化变革。随着二十世纪六十年代的发展，社会紧张关系也体现在其他问题上，并且倾向于按照人类的性行为，妇女权利，传统的权力模式，精神药物的实验以及对美国梦的不同解释的方向展开。

2 What kind of economic system does the United States have? What are its characteristics?

【答案】The American economic system has the characteristics with capitalism and the mixed economy. In this system, the enterprise and the private sector make the main decision about microeconomic; the government plays a secondary role in domestic economic life.

【解析】美国经济体系具有资本主义和混合经济的特点。在这个制度下，企业和私营部门就微观经济做出主要决定。政府在国内经济生活中扮演着重要的角色。

3 What are the functions of the Congress?

【答案】The primary duty of Congress is to write, debate, and pass bills (proposed laws), which are then passed on to the president for approval. The Constitution of the United States grants Congress “all legislative powers” and the authority to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper,” an implied source of power sometimes called the Elastic Clause.

【解析】国会的主要职责是起草、辩论和通过法案（提议的法律），然后提交总统批准。美国宪法赋予国会“所有立法权”和“制定所有必要法律和适当法律”的权力，这是一种隐含的权力来源，有时也称为弹性条款。

4 Why was education reform stressed again in the 1980s and early 1990s?

【答案】Since the World War Ⅱ ended, Americans have been aware of problems in their education system which typically demonstrate in high rates of adult illiteracy, declining SAT scores, and decline of educational standards. The situation turned worse in the 1980s as drug abuse and delinquency became rife among the high school students. As some people worried that American school children were not well-prepared for the coming century, the issue of education reform was stressed once again in the 1980s and 1990s.

【解析】自从第二次世界大战结束以来，美国人意识到他们的教育系统存在问题，这些问题通常表现在成人文盲率高，SAT成绩下降，教育标准下降方面。20世纪80年代，由于吸毒和犯罪现象在高中生中普遍存在，情况变得更糟。一些人担心美国学校的孩子无法为即将到来的世纪做好准备，教育改革问题在20世纪80年代和90年代再次受到重视。

5 What is Knickerbockers era?

【答案】

Knickerbockers or knickers are a form of men’s or boys’ baggy-kneed trousers particularly popular in the early 20th century United States. Before World War Ⅱ, skiers often wore knickerbockers too, usually ankle-length.

Until after World War Ⅰ, in many English-speaking countries, boys customarily wore short pants in summer and knickerbockers (“knickers” or “knee pants”) in winter. (In British English knickers means underwear worn by women.) At the onset of puberty, they graduated to long trousers. In that era, the transition to “long pants” was a major rite of passage.

【解析】灯笼裤或短裤是一种男式宽松的裤子，上世纪第二十年代初美国特别受欢迎。二战前，滑雪者经常穿灯笼裤，通常脚踝的长度。直到第一次世界大战后，在许多英语国家中，孩子们在夏季通常穿着短裤，在冬季穿灯笼裤（又称“短裤”或“膝裤”）。（在英国，这个单词意思是妇女穿的内衣。）青春期开始，直到毕业穿起长裤。在那个时代，过渡到“长裤”是一个主要的仪式。

6 Why do Americans respect and love President Abraham Lincoln and President George Washington?

【答案】

George Washington is regarded as a great general, one of the founders of the republic. He is the first president of the U. S. and is considered as the father of his country. He was surely the first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen. He led Revolutionary War and presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787. The Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793 is also his contribution.

Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He believed that America should be “united not divided”. He disliked slavery and wished for the people to be as one. He led country during Civil War. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves.

【解析】乔治·华盛顿被视为一个伟大的将军，共和国的创始人之一。他是美国的第一任总统，被认为是他国家的父亲。他领导革命战争，并主持了1787年起草“美国宪法”的“费城公约”。1793年宣布中立性也是他的贡献。亚伯拉罕·林肯从1861年3月起担任美国第十六任总统，直到1865年4月被暗杀为止。认为美国应该是统一体。他不赞成奴隶制。他在内战期间领导国家。1863年1月1日，他发表了解放宣言，废除奴隶制。

7 What are the results of the Norman Conquest?

【答案】

On Christmas Day 1066 Duke William known in history as William the Conqueror was crowned in Westminster Abbey. In the several years that followed, William the Conqueror put down one after another rising against him, made an expedition into the south of Scotland and invaded Wales.

The Norman Conquest caused important consequences. It increased the process of feudalism which had begun during Anglo-Saxon times. By the early part of the 12th century, the manor system had replaced the village system completely, and feudalism was finally established in England.

William the Conqueror established a strong monarchy in England. After the conquest, William retained most of the old English customs of government and issued a code of laws based on those of earliest kings with a few changes.

The Norman Conquest also brought about changes in the church. The upper ranks of the clergy were normalized and feudalized, following the pattern of lay society.

Along with the Normans came the language: French, which would be the-language of the court and upper classes until the fourteenth century.

【解析】1066年圣诞节，“征服者威廉”在威斯敏斯特教堂加冕。在随后的几年里，征服者威廉战胜了反对他的力量，远征苏格兰南部，入侵威尔士。它加速了在盎格鲁-撒克逊时代开始的封建主义进程。到十二世纪初，庄园制度完全取代了乡村制度，封建制度终于在英国建立起来。征服者威廉在英国建立了强大的君主政体。征服之后，威廉保留了大部分旧的英国政府风俗，并根据最早的国王颁布了一些法律法规。诺曼征服也带来了教会的变化。上层神职人员按照社会的格局进行归一化，奠定了社会模式。与诺曼人一起出现的还有法语，法院和上层阶级直到十四世纪还在使用法语。

8 What are some of the characteristics of the Protestant sect?

【答案】The Puritans were originally an extreme Protestant sect, determined to ‘purify’ the English Church of all the corruption and ceremonial pomp of the Roman Church of that time. As an attitude of mind, puritanism indicates stern simplicity and strict morality. Puritanical people are for instance very keen to protect the Sabbath, or the Lord’s Day (Sunday) against sacrilege like work, commerce, games and entertainment. They form ‘temperance societies’ to combat the evils of strong drink, for they are strict teetotalers, and some even disapprove of smoking and dancing. All forms of gambling are forbidden, including football pools and national lotteries. They believe in plain food and plain clothing: women should not wear high-heeled shoes, or too much make-up, or clothes which expose their bodies. Puritans have a reputation for absolute honesty, but they are often lacking in humor and warmth of heart, and are often condemned as ‘kill-joys’.

【解析】清教最初是一个极端的新教教派，决心“净化”由罗马教会带来的所有腐败和仪式盛况。清教主义从心态上讲，表现出严厉的朴素和严格的道德规范。例如，清教徒非常渴望保护安息日，或主日（星期日），反对像工作，商业，游戏和娱乐这样的亵渎。它们形成的节制社会反对烈酒，因为他们是严格的禁酒主义者，有的甚至不赞成抽烟和跳舞。禁止一切形式的赌博，包括足球彩票和国家彩票。他们崇尚朴素的食物和朴素的衣服：女人不应该穿高跟鞋，或者太多的化妆品或者暴露身体的衣服。清教徒有绝对诚实的名声，但他们往往缺乏幽默感和温暖的心，经常被谴责为“杀死欢乐的人”。

9 What are the major characteristics of the Englishman? Give examples to each.

【答案】

(1) To other Europeans, the best known quality of the Englishman is “reserve”. They do not talk very much to strangers, do not show much emotion, and seldom get excited. For example, if they are making a journey by bus, they will do their best to find an empty seat; if by train, an empty compartment. If they have to share the compartment with a stranger, they may travel many miles without starting a conversation.

(2) Closely related to English reserve is English modesty. In their relation with others, the English value a show of modesty. Self- praise is felt to be ill-bred. If a person is very good at tennis, and someone asks him if he is a good player, he will seldom reply “Yes”, because people will think him conceited.

(3) The famous English sense of humor is similar. Its starting point is self-deprecation, and its great enemy is conceit. Its ideal is the ability to laugh at oneself—at one’s own faults, one’s own failure and embarrassment, even at one’s own ideals. Humor is highly prized in Britain, and the criticism, “He has no sense of burnout” is very commonly heard in Britain.

(4) Like a sense of humor, sportsmanship is also highly valued in Britain. Sportsmanship is the ability to practice a sport in obedience to its rules, while also showing generosity to one’s opponent and good temper in defeat. Sportsmanship as an ideal is applied to life in general. This is proved by the number of sporting terms in ordinary speech. To take boxing as an example: a well-aimed and vigorous criticism is said to be “straight from the shoulder”, while an unfair one is “below the belt”. One of the most elementary rules of life is “never hit a man when he is down”—in other words, never take advantage of another’s misfortune.

【解析】对其他欧洲人来说，英国人最著名的品质是“含蓄”。他们对陌生人说话不多，感情不多，很少激动。例如，如果他们乘公共汽车旅行，他们会尽力找到一个空的座位；如果乘火车，要坐空的车厢。如果他们不得不和陌生人共用一个隔间，他们可能也会一言不发。第二个特点是“谦虚”。在他们与他人的关系中，英国人显示出谦虚的价值。自我赞扬被认为是没有教养的。如果一个人网球打得很好，有人问他是否是个好球员，他很少回答“是”，因为人们会认为他很自负。英国人的幽默感也是相似的。其出发点是自我贬低，其大敌是自负，是能够嘲笑自己的错误、失败和尴尬，甚至是自己的理想。幽默在英国很受推崇，批评“他没有倦怠感”在英国很常见。像幽默感一样，体育精神在英国也很有价值。体育精神是按照自己的规则进行运动的能力，同时也表现出对对手的宽容和失败的良好脾气。体育精神作为一种理想适用于一般生活。日常用语中体育术语的数量证明了这一点。以拳击为例：一个目标明确、充满活力的正面批评被称为“从肩上走”，而不公平的批评是“在腰带下面”。人生最基本的准则之一是“不要在人沮丧的时候打他”，换句话说，不要利用别人的不幸。

10 Why is Geoffrey Chaucer so important in English literature?

【答案】Chaucer is a storyteller of genius. Like Shakespeare after him, he drew his stories from many sources. To all the stories he brought fresh vision. In event and in character, then, they became Chaucer’s own, expressed with superb poetic craft. The Canterbury Tales abound-in lusty humor but touch many other moods and styles. His people-the knight, nuns, priests, landowner, scholar, miller, housewife, civil and church officials, farmer, estate supervisor, and many others- give a cross-section of medieval life. Chaucer’s wealth of detail unfolds the robust life of an age.

【解析】乔叟和他之后的莎士比亚一样，从许多方面叙述他的故事。他给所有的故事带来了新的视野。在事件和性格上，乔叟自己化身主人公，用高超的诗歌手法表达了自己。《坎特伯雷故事集》体现了活泼幽默而触及他人的情绪和风格。他笔下的人物有骑士、修女、牧师、地主、学者、磨坊主、家庭主妇、公民和教会官员、农民、遗产管理人和其他许多人，这些人都是中世纪生活的一部分。乔叟作品中丰富的细节展现了一个时代的活力。

Part Three: Translation (40%)

Ⅰ. From Chinese into English. (20 points)

1 与时俱进

【参考译文】keep up with the times

2 倾国倾城

【参考译文】to be extremely beautiful as to overrun cities and ruin states

3 赔了夫人又折兵

【参考译文】to throw good money after bad

4 塞翁失马，焉知非福？

【参考译文】Misfortune may be an actual blessing.

5

我们为什么读小说？

读小说时，我们永远会对人物有一种期待，他将做什么？他将去往何处？他的身上有一种我们所不知的引而未发的可能性，他不驯服，他有一种难以把握的活力。

这种活力就是人的“自由”，尽管我们知道人受着历史、现实、时代的重重规定和制约，但人不会成为必然性的奴隶，否则，就谈不上人的选择，谈不上心灵和梦想，谈不上真正的行动，就不会有真正的“故事”，就不会有小说，甚至不会有生活。

这不是一个深奥的道理，但却是一个在我们的文学中反反复复遭到漠视的常识，我们并不习惯见证人的“自由”，相反，我们乐于宣告人没有“自由”，后者无论在艺术上还是在思想上都显然省事得多，因为没有自由，人就可把一切推给时代，就可不承担对自我的责任，就不需要性格不需要想象力。

【参考译文】

Why do we read novels?

When reading a novel, we will always have a look for the characters, what will he do? Where will he go? There is a possibility that we do not know on him, but he is not tamed. His vitality is hard to grasp.

This kind of vitality is the “freedom” of human, although we know that people are subject to history, reality, the times of the provisions and constraints, people will not become a slave of necessity, otherwise, there would no choices of people, no souls and dreams, no real actions or real “stories”. There would be no novels, nor life.

This is not a profound truth, but it is a common sense that we have repeatedly ignored in our literature. We are not accustomed to witnessing the “freedom” of people. On the contrary, we are willing to declare that there is no “freedom”, for the latter is obviously much easier in the art or thinking. Since there is no freedom, people can push everything to the times without assuming the responsibility of the self. People, then, do not need the character or imagination.

Ⅱ. From English into Chinese. (20 points)

Of Beauty

Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely virtue is best in a body that is comely, though not of delicate features; and that hath rather dignity of presence than beauty of aspect. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather busy not to err, than in labour to produce excellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behaviour than virtue.

In beauty, that of favour is more than that of colour; and that of decent and gracious motion more than that of favour. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; nor the first sight of the life. There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.

Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last; and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a little out of countenance; but yet certainly again, if it light well, it maketh virtue shine, and vices blush.

【参考译文】

论美

德行犹如宝石，朴素才是最美；对于人来说，一个打扮并不华贵，但清秀俊朗、拥有美德的人，是令人肃然起敬的。外表美丽的人，未必也具有内在美。因为造物主似乎是吝啬的，他给了一个就不再给予另一个。所以许多容颜俊秀的人却并不在意，他们过于追求外形美丽而忽略了内心的美。

就形貌而言，自然的美要胜于装扮的美，而优雅行为的美又胜于单纯仪表的美。最高的美是画作也无法展现的，因为它是无法一眼看穿的。这是一种奇妙的美。虽然不是完美，但是总有些可取之处。

美丽如同夏天的水果，易腐烂难以长久。少年的美带着放荡，长者的美又带羞愧。但是即便这样，善行与美相得益彰，恶行因美变得明朗。

Part Four: Composition

Write an essay with no less than 300 words on the following topic. (25%)

Why are books the ladder to the advance of mankind?

【参考范文】

Why are books the ladder to the advance of mankind?

Once a famous litterateur Gorky from Soviet Union said, “Books are the ladder to the advance of mankind”. An old Chinese saying “Reading is always profitable” also illustrates the importance of reading. In my opinion, there are many reasons to prove the correctness of Gorky.

First, good books help to shape right and positive moral values. Through reading, we can communicate with sages in the past across time and space and get beneficial thinking of life. We can also realize the truth through positive and negative stories, which will give us magnificent lessons of life. The positive moral values will guide us to build a bright future.

Second, reading good books will help us to form a broad horizon. Good books will describe a world beyond the circle where we have already known well. With the expansion of the scope of reading, we will learn to accept the world in a broad mind, which will help us to become a tolerant person. The different ideas and dreams will also give us chances to be greater persons.

Third, reading can help us to make friends, which will expand our social circle in our real life. We will have opportunities to discuss our opinions with friends, which will help us acquire a better understanding or even form new ideas. We will feel belongingness both in physic world and spiritual world. This is also the basis to move forward.

In conclusion, good books are the stairs for us to climb higher. If we stuck into the small space where we exist, we would not have the chances to meet the impossibilities or to challenge ourselves, left alone to move toward progress. Reading good books can really help us open the door of a new world and become better persons and we should do that while we are young.

【范文点评】

本篇作文以“书籍是人类进步的阶梯”为中心进行论证。开篇以中国的成语与高尔基的名言相对应，接下来三段分别阐述该名言的正确性。因为书籍能够跨越时空向先贤学习经验教训、广博的阅读能够扩展视野，培养博大胸襟、读书能够交到书友，从而碰撞出新的灵感。最后一段重申读书的重要性，从反面“不读书将无法走向进步”证明作文中心思想的正确性。

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