TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2016)

GRADE EIGHT

 

PART I  LISTENING COMPREHENSION

 

SECTION A  MINI-LECTURE

1. the dialectic model

2. common and fixed

3. premises

4. opposition / arguing

5. arguments as performances / the rhetorical model

6. participating

7. convince

8. how we argue

9. tactics

10. negotiation and collaboration

11. they’re dead ends

12. learning with losing

13. questions

14. achieve positive effects

15. be self-supported

 

SECTION B  INTERVIEW

1-5 CADDA

6-10 ACDCB

 

PART II  READING COMPREHENSION

 

SECTION A  MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

11-15 BCBDA

16-20 DBCAD

21-24 CCBC

 

SECTION B  SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

25. Luxurious and well-prepared

26. There are big crowds of strangers at the party.

27. Data breaches are becoming bigger and more common industrial espionage.

28. It falls multiply threats, notably cybercrime and online.

29. Hacking won’t stop without adequate security protection.

30. They won’t be spared from further government budget cuts.

31. Schools relax standards and students get higher grades.

32. Faculties call for status and incentives.

 

PART III  LANGUAGE USAGE

1. is developed

2. giving

3. it

4. As

5. similar

6. cultures

7. which

8. than

9. or

10. therefore

 

PART IV  TRANSLATION

They realised that both the babbling brook and the mighty river would flow on, and that their waters would never return. They found that as time passed by, young men would become old and the green grass would turn yellow and wither in almost the blink of an eye. A sense of urgency naturally arose over the elusiveness of time. No matter how slowly time flowed, the very fear of its transiency compelled people to use the word “passage” to warn the coming generations of the necessity of taking prompt action; thus instilling the word with a sense of tension.

 

PART V  WRITING

Do It, But with Love and Sincerity

The year 2014 witnessed the birth and boom of an activity online and offline both at home and abroad: the ice bucket challenge. Originally designed to attract public attention to the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the practice has aroused a heated debate during its development. There exist opposing views on this matter. Proponents, represented by the ALS Association, claim that it is beneficial and praiseworthy, for it substantially increased donations for sufferers of the disease. Opponents, however, argue that it wastes water, does harm to one’s body and risks becoming a form of entertainment or commercial advertisement.

Personally, I deem that both sides have an element of truth in their arguments and the issue should not be addressed in a simple and crude way.

On the one hand, no one can deny the fact that the practice has benefited patients of ALS. Many people have not only donated money but also begun to learn about the disease and pay more attention to it.

On the other hand, however, the activity does seem to have deviated from its original purpose. As we have heeded, quite a number of the attendants got involved to attract eyeballs to themselves, rather than the disease. Most remain ignorant about the disease though bombarded by pictures of celebrities soaked in iced water that went viral online.

In the final analysis, I should say that the activity is a two-edged sword. But we should not give up eating for fear of being choked. The best policy, as I see it, is to take measures to avoid the harm done by it. For instance, a campaign should be launched at the same time to provide people with more knowledge about the disease, and encourage them to help those in need with love and integrity. Besides, the activity can well take a different form in drought-stricken regions.