Section A

　　Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the blank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on the Answer Sheet. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题纸上作答。请在空格内填写单词前的字母选项，不要填写单词。

　　Young Albert was a quiet boy. He spoke __56__ at all until 3. His parents might have thought him ___57__, but they found that when he did speak, he’d say the most unusual things. When Albert was 5 years old and sick in bed, he was given a __58___ that did stir his ___59___. It was the first time he had seen a compass. He lay there ___60___ and twisting the odd thing, certain he could __61__ it into pointing off in a new direction. But try as he might, the compass needle would always find its way back to pointing in the direction of north. “A __62__,” he thought. The __63__ force that guided the compass needle was __64__ to Albert that there was more to our world that meets the eye. There was “something behind things, something deeply __65__.”

　　Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题纸上作答。

　　Why DIY ?

　　A) The reasons why people engage in DIY have always been numerous and complex. For some, DIY has provided a rare opportunity for creativity and self-expression. For others it has been an unwelcome necessity, driven purely by economic considerations. Then there has been a group which feels that a building can never be a home unless it has been altered and modified to reflect a change of occupancy. A final group has traditionally taken the line that if you want a job done well, you must do it yourself.

　　B) The same four basic species of DIYers exist today, although these various motives may now overlap very substantially. The perfectionist in search of the good job done well is often also driven by a desire for creativity. There are also two new categories of motive — the pursuit of DIY as a leisure activity and DIY as a form of occupational therapy. These , again, overlap with other reasons.

　　DIY as necessity

　　C) There is a significant number of young homemakers (38% of our informants) for whom there is no option but DIY. Their new home, whether bought on a mortgage which consumes a major slice of their income, or rented at similarly challenging rates, will often require essential rearrangement and even structural repair. Some of these people are reluctant first-time DIYers. They would much prefer to hire professionals, but can’t afford to do so. The majority, however, welcome the opportunity that need has forced upon them to get involved for the first time in the real business of creating a home -with all of its unfamiliar physical labour and the learning from scratch of new techniques. In time, many will migrate to one of the other categories of DIYer, continuing to exercise their new found talents and enthusiasm when no longer forced by financial constraints to do so.

　　DIY as territorial marking

　　D) Even those who have bought a brand new “starter home”, the type which increasingly gains popularity around the edges of our towns and cities, will feel compelled to add personal touches of a less dramatic kind to disguise its otherwise bland and expressionless nature. Putting a “personal stamp on the place” was one of the most frequently reported motives for DIY, with 72% of sample seeing this as being a very important aspect.

　　DIY as self-expression

　　E) Many young people today are frustrated artists — their latent creative talents just waiting for the chance to reveal themselves. There are also those seeking opportunities for a sense of achievement and personal fulfillment. DIY provided just such opportunities for the overwhelming majority of our informants (84%). This sense of creative achievement comes both from the choices made by the first-time DIYer — the selection of colors, textures and components to apply to the “canvas” of the home — and from the application of specific skills and techniques. The manufacturers of DIY materials clearly understand this and now provide a wide range of “arty” products to fuel creative urges. At the same time, they make the materials themselves much easier to use — the DIY equivalent of painting by numbers. Special paint effects, which once required the specialist knowledge and training of the true professional, can now be achieved straight out of the can with a simple brush.

　　DIY as perfection-seeking

　　F) A large proportion of first-time DIYers (63%) distrust builders and decorators. They feel that most are “cowboys” and that even the more reputable ones are very unlikely to have the same loving attention to detail and care as the DIYer. Within this group there were those who were content for builders to perform basic or structural work and to undertake tasks such as plastering which are beyond the competence of most DIYers, particularly the younger novices in our sample. The finishing work, however, was something these people kept for themselves — the final “perfecting” of what otherwise would be just a mediocre result.

　　G) This drive for perfection was also evident among the “strippers” in this group. The idea of putting wallpaper over existing paper, or even paint on the top of preceding coats, was anathema. Everything needed to be taken back to the bare plaster or the naked wood before any new decoration could be applied. Some informants recognized that this search for perfection could sometimes go too far: “It’s an obsession for me really. I’m never happy with anything.” The problem perfectionists face is that progress can be very slow. When perfectionists are obliged, by nagging or circumstance, to speed things up, other problems can result.

　　DIY as leisure activity

　　H) For a significant minority of first-timers (28%), DIY is seen as a novel and entertaining pastime. It is not really work, but something akin to entertainment, shared by both partners and even the children in the case of young families. “It’s just great fun” enthused one of our sample. The idea that DIYing is akin to a trip to the lions of Longleaf may seem strange. But for these informants homemaking was sufficiently different from, and infinitely preferable to, the dull routines of weekday work to constitute a weekend break. The results of such activity were rewarding, but probably less so than engaging in the activity itself.

　　DIY as therapy

　　I) “It’s therapeutic, isn’t it? I’m always in my own little world when I’m doing DIY — it’s great. ” So said a young man of 27 in our sample. “For me it’s occupational therapy”, said another informant. For them and others it was their way of getting rid of stress after a long day at work — a way of switching off and using the repetitive nature of many DIY tasks as a way of relaxing. Others hinted at a similar process, where DIY was almost an end in itself, rather than just a means to achieving a better home. In this sense they were similar to those who saw DIY as a form of leisure, but it was the psychological effects which were emphasized by 18% of our sample.

　　66. It’s found that most young DIY beginners are not competent for plastering.

　　67. A brand new “starter home” becomes more and more popular around the border of towns

　　and cities.

　　68. Besides the traditional motives of DIY , the new categories of motive include the pursuit of DIY as a leisure activity.

　　69. To those young homemakers, buying a new home on mortgage is as challenging as renting a house.

　　70. About twenty-eight percent of the first-timers consider DIY as a novel and entertaining pastime.

　　71. A large part of first-time DIYers use the term “cowboys” to refer to builders and decorators.

　　72. “Strippers” are those people who are driven by the pursuit of DIY as perfection.

　　73. Those reluctant first-time DIYers think it preferable to hiring professionals to do the homemaking.

　　74. People who take DIY as a form of leisure and those who take DIY as therapy similarly think of DIY as almost an end in itself.

　　75. At present, special paint effects can be achieved by any DIYers with simple tools.

　　Section C

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡上对应题号作答。

　　Passage One

　　Questions 76 to 80 are based on the following passage.

　　Going shopping seems easy, but actually it takes a lot of learning, especially in America. In fact, many Americans who are not so well-off often shop at “sales” or at special stores that sell things at low prices, which you may find interesting. In America the important rule of dressing is that one should change his/her clothes everyday. For example, in an American college, neither professors nor students are seen in the same clothes two days in a row. So you may find it necessary to buy more clothes than you have in China. While you are shopping in the States, you will discover that prices range considerably from time to time. The purchase of used, second-hand clothing, furniture, or other household articles may be an excellent way of saving money. Most second-hand clothes are of pretty good quality. If you are going to settle down in the States and want some furniture, you may go to a “loan closet”, where furniture rents at low cost, or you may also go to a “furniture exchange” place in the community.

　　Sheets, blankets, and other bedclothes go on sale in most communities twice a year. Advertisements for “white sales”, that is , sales on bed linen, towels, etc, often appear in January, as well as in May, June or July. Once or twice every season, there will be “garage sales”, where you can get almost anything, from a yacht to a pair of shoes, at low prices. Prices at “discount stores” and “thrift shops” are also as low as you can imagine.

　　76. Shopping in the United States _____.

　　A) requires some learning B) seems easy for Americans

　　C) is very easy for foreigners D) is only for “well-off” people.

　　77. Americans change their clothes daily, because _____.

　　A) people take it as a rule B) clothes are sold at low prices

　　C) they enjoy doing so D) everyone is very “well-off”

　　78. People shopping in America will discover _____.

　　A) American goods are excellent B) Most clothes come from China

　　C) Used clothes are of poor quality D) Prices vary much sometimes

　　79. A person who needs furniture can _____.

　　A) exchange their goods for furniture

　　B) settle in a place that has furniture

　　C) rent some at low cost

　　D) get some free of charge

　　80. At a “white sale”, one can buy _____.

　　A) almost anything B) sheets, cooking utensil, etc.

　　C) shoes at low prices D) bed linen, towels, etc.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 81 to 85 are based on the following passage.

　　Sometimes, people simply do not realize they are being ill mannered. Take Ted, for example. He prides himself on speaking his mind, and has something to say on everything. But his frankness is often extremely embarrassing.

　　He is incapable of saying, I thought that last advertising campaign had a lot of good ideas in it, but perhaps next time we could give the copy more vitality.

　　Instead, he would say, “That campaign was a disaster. A child of three could have done better! ”

　　The fact that he is often right does not help. Other employees dislike his manner even more, but he is too insensitive to notice.

　　Another character among the list of ill-mannered employees is Sally, who seems to regard just being at work as a severe punishment. Everything is done unwillingly. Asking her to do a task beyond her basic job description is often not worth the trouble. It will be done, but only half-heartedly.

　　Fergus is just the opposite. He shows an over-familiarity to his boss. When an important visitor is shown into the manager’s office, Fergus cannot take the hint and leave. Instead he will attempt to take part in the conversation, declaring, “You can talk in front of me. Henry and I don’t have many secrets, do we?” Over the years Fergus has fallen behind his former equal. But he seeks to maintain the same close relationship that maintain the same close relationship that he imagines existed in their younger days.

　　81. Which of the following words describes Ted best?

　　A) Cold B) Tactless C) Stupid D) Warm-hearted.

　　82. It can be inferred from the passage that Ted ______.

　　A) is well-known for his honesty

　　B) tends to blame others rather than himself

　　C) often gives the right idea in the wrong way

　　D) is treated unfairly by the manager

　　83. Which of the following is true about Sally?

　　A) She thinks it’s unfair to have so much work to do.

　　B) She is unhappy to help others.

　　C) She hates being ordered about.

　　D) She does everything half-heartedly.

　　84. From the passage, we can infer that Fergus_______.

　　A) was once close to all his colleagues

　　B) has remained in the same position for years

　　C) doesn’t know what a hint is

　　D) knows everything that happens in the office

　　85. The writer is taking the point of view of ______.

　　A) a colleague B) people like Ted

　　C) an employee D) a manager

　　Part IV Translation (10’)

　　Directions: For this part, translate the following Chinese into English.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题纸上作答。

　　86. 尽管我承认有问题存在，但我并不认为这些问题不能解决。(while)

　　87. 大会报告人原来是我的一位老朋友的女儿。(turn out)

　　88. 思想是通过语言来表达的。(by means of)

　　89. 知道原理是一回事，但要付诸实践又是另外一回事。

　　(it’s one thing… it’s another…)

　　90. 他饮酒过量，对身体不好。(more…than…)

　　Part V Writing (15’)

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the topic The two-day weekend. You should write at least 120 words, but no more than 180 words following the outline given below:

　　1. 双休日给大学生带来的好处


　　2. 双休日可能给大学生带来的问题


　　3. 我应当怎样过好双休日

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题纸上作答。