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From (A) its origin in Europe as witty (B) sketches, caricature grew through the eighteenth and nineteenth (C) century, becoming (D) enormously popular in the United States early in this century. In 1920s and 1930s especially, this lively form of illustration appeared in newspapers and magazines throughout the country. The caricaturists in this era drew their portraits of important figures primarily to entertain.

Artists use (A) caricature to distort the human face or figure for comic (B) affect while at the same time capturing an (C) identifiable likeness and suggesting the essence of the personality or character beneath the surface. The humor lies in the fact that the caricature is recognizable, and yet (D) exasperated.

(A) Since the United States maintained its (B) dubious distinction of having the highest divorce rate in the world, the temporary decline in divorce did not occur (C) to the same extent in Europe. Contrary to fears of the experts, the role of breadwinner and homemaker was not (D) abandoned.

Less noted but equally significant, the men and women who formed families between 1940 and 1960 also reduced the divorce rate after a postwar (A) peak: their marriages remained (B) intact to a greater extent than did (C) that of couples who (D) married in earlier as well as later decades.

These young adults established a trend of early marriage and relatively large families that (A) went for more than two decades and caused a major but temporary (B) reversal of long-term demographic patterns. From the 1940s through the early 1960s, Americans married at a (C) higher rate and at a younger age than their European (D) counterparts.

Demographic indicators show that Americans in the post war period were more eager than ever to establish families. They quickly brought down the age (A) at marriage for both men and women and brought the birth rate to a twentieth century (B) height after more than a hundred years of (C) steady decline, (D) producing the “baby boom.”

It is not uncommon for close synonyms to be understood to share the same meaning. The difference between words like “hard” and “difficult”, for example, goes tragically unnoticed. One may employ one or the other with complete indifference, postulating no discrepancy between them. In general this is well and good; most people lack the scrupulous pedanticalness to quibble over such trifles. Nevertheless, for those of us with ample compulsiveness (and time), it is of significant value to comprehend such nuances.Take for example the following sentences: 1) The test was hard. 2) The test was difficult. Is the difference between these synonyms readily apparent? Is there a noticeable difference between them at all? Indeed, these questions are valid and warrant answer. For, what would be the point to having multiple words with the exact same meaning? No, that would be superfluous; the English language being far too economical. While many close synonyms share similar, if not the same, dictionary definitions, the feeling, or mood, they convey is utterly singular. Although a dictionary can provide information about word meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, derived forms, et cetera, it cannot communicate how it feels to use a word.So, if there is indeed a difference between words like “hard” and “difficult”,what is it? To begin, “hard” is pragmatic and realistic, firmly grounded in reality. It is a utilitarian word that gets the job done and doesn’t apologize for its brusque, uncouth nature. On the other hand, “difficult” is eloquent and refined. It is civilized, willing to expend the effort necessary to appear urbane. Why, the mere difference in sonic quality between them is striking enough. “Hard” makes a quick, unassuming sound, having but a single syllable (voiced under certain inflections, it can even come across as harsh), while “difficult” is more lengthy and melodic, its number of syllables totaling three times that of its counterpart. Furthermore, "hard" is more likely to be used in casual, informal circumstances, or to communicate an idea “on the go” or simply to “get it out” as the sayings go. It is used without pretense, and does not maintain a feeling of being overly concerned. In terms of daily usage, “hard” may be employed by an exhausted brick mason when posed with the question, “How was your day?” Conversely, “difficult” may be used by a military general upon explaining to his or her superior the progression of a particularly taxing campaign. Similar to “hard” and “difficult”, the words “weird” and “strange” too are close synonyms, and may seemingly be used interchangeably. Take for instance the following sentences: 1) Sea monkeys are weird. 2) Sea monkeys are strange. Contrary to popular belief, these sentences are not tautologous. So how do they differ? Their dictionary definitions are nearly identical, so the difference does not lie there. Rather, the difference involves the feeling, or mood, that these words convey. Notice that while “weird” and “strange” both have but one syllable, the latter has a remarkably distinguished feel.Similar to “hard”, “weird” conveys a more basic, a more crude, sentiment. Something “weird” is crass or gross, and is typically undesirable. No one wants to be associated with something “weird”. If trying to impress someone, one probably doesn’t want to be categorized among the “weird”. On the other hand, if something is labeled as “strange”, it is not necessarily bad. Rather, something “strange” is simply abnormal, or unusual―a deviation from what is expected. This distinction between “weird” and “strange” is so pronounced that the latter can be used as a euphemism for the former in certain situations. For example, notice how a simple substitution is able to make the following sentence less offensive: “Your mother’s cookies taste weird” compared to “Your mother’s cookies taste strange”. In the former sentence, the speaker sounds as though he or she is insulting your mother’s cookies, stating that they taste bad. In the latter sentence, however, the speaker sounds as though the cookies simply taste different, or unusual, compared to what he or she is used to—the difference owing to the innocuous addition of too much flour, perhaps.Finally, let’s look at the synonyms, “happy” and “glad”. As in the aforementioned cases, these words seem to have little or no discernible difference between them. Take for example the following sentences: 1) Tommy is happy because he got a new bike. 2) Tommy is glad because he got a new bike. Most understand these sentences to have the same meaning. And again, upon consulting a dictionary, one will find highly similar, if not the same, definitions. But these definitions lack the feeling, the unique emotional charge that these words convey. The word “happy” conveys a sense of levity, or a carefree attitude. The thought of someone who is “happy” conjures the image of a bright-eyed, ruddy, smiling face. One is “happy” on the morning of his birthday, discovering a new puppy bounding into his bedroom. On the other hand, the word “glad” conjures the image of a man standing crossed-armed, nodding gently. A stoic grin crossing his face. One is “glad” when he sees that the child’s lost puppy has been found, and was merely frolicking too far from home.Granted, the notion that close synonyms can be used interchangeably is prevalent among English speakers. And alas, the dictionary—the text purported to be responsible for clarifying such issues—is of little assistance. In the end, it is left to us, the speakers of the language, those actively responsible for maintaining its sustenance and generation, to understand how these words make us feel and what mood we are inclined to attach to them. Using the examples and insights described above, one may come to recognize these subtle, yet crucial, differences.1.What is the thesis statement in this passage?2.As used in paragraph 1, what is most likely meant by “scrupulous pedanticalness”？3.As used in paragraph 2, which of the following best describes something that is superfluous?4.In paragraph 3, the author writes: "To begin, 'hard' is pragmatic and realistic, firmly grounded in reality. It is a utilitarian word that gets the job done and doesn't apologize for its brusque, uncouth nature. On the other hand, "'difficult is eloquent and refined. It is civilized, willing to expend the effort necessary to appear urbane." Which of the following literary devices is used in this quotation?5.With respect to the way in which close synonyms are commonly understood, the author's tone can best be described as （）.

The word euthanasia is of Greek origin and literally means “a good death.” The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “the act of killing a person painlessly for reasons of mercy.” Such killing can be done through active means, such as administering a lethal injection, or by passive means, such as withholding medical care or food and water.In recent years in the United States, there have been numerous cases of active euthanasia in the news. They usually involve the deliberate killing of ill or incapacitated persons by relatives or friends who plead that they can no longer bear to see their loved ones suffer. Although such killings are a crime, the perpetrators are often dealt with leniently by our legal system, and the media usually portrays them as compassionate heroes who take personal risks to save another from unbearable suffering.The seeming acceptance of active forms of euthanasia is alarming, but we face a bigger, more insidious threat from passive forms of euthanasia. Every year, in hospitals and nursing homes around the country, there are growing numbers of documented deaths caused by caregivers withholding life sustaining care, including food and water, from vulnerable patients who cannot speak for themselves.While it is illegal to kill someone directly, for example with a gun or knife, in many cases the law has put its stamp of approval on causing death by omitting needed care. Further, many states have “living will” laws designed to protect those who withhold treatment, and there have been numerous court rulings which have approved of patients being denied care and even starved and dehydrated to death.Because such deaths occur quietly within the confines of hospitals and nursing homes, they can be kept hidden from the public. Most euthanasia victims are old or very ill, so their deaths might be attributed to a cause other than the denial of care that really killed them. Further, it is often relatives of the patient who request that care be withheld. In one court case, the court held that decisions to withhold life-sustaining care may be made not only by close family members but also by a number of third parties, and that such decisions need not be reviewed by the judicial system if there is no disagreement between decision makers and medical staff. The court went so far as to rule that a nursing home may not refuse to participate in the fatal withdrawal of food and water from an incompetent patient!“Extraordinary” or “heroic” treatment need not be used when the chance for recovery is poor and medical intervention would serve only to prolong the dying process. But to deny customary and reasonable care or to deliberately starve or dehydrate someone because he or she is very old or very ill should not be permitted. Most of the cases coming before the courts do not involve withholding heroic measures from imminently dying people, but rather they seek approval for denying basic care, such as administration of food and water, to people who are not elderly or terminally ill, but who are permanently incapacitated. These people could be expected to live indefinitely, though in an impaired state, if they were given food and water and minimal treatment.No one has the right to judge that another’s life is not worth living. The basic right to life should not be abridged because someone decides that someone else’s quality of life is too low. If we base the right to life on quality of life standards, there is no logical place to draw the line.To protect vulnerable patients, we must foster more positive attitudes towards people with serious and incapacitating illnesses and conditions. Despite the ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow human beings and deserve our care and respect. We must also enact positive legislation that will protect vulnerable people from those who consider their lives meaningless or too costly to maintain and who would cause their deaths by withholding life-sustaining care such as food and water.1.The tone of the author can best be described as （）.2.In paragraph 3, the author finds starvation and dehydration induced euthanasia is to be "more insidious" because （）. 3.As used in paragraph 3, what is the best synonym for insidious?4.The author maintains that death by withholding care is （）. 5.As used in paragraph 7, which is the best definition of abridged?6.The main idea of paragraph 7 is that （）. 7.In the final paragraph the author writes, "Despite the ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow human beings and deserve our care and respect." The main purpose of this statement is to（）.

Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” is credited with sparking evolution’s revolution in scientific thought, but many observers had pondered evolution before him. It was understanding the idea’s significance and selling it to the public that made Darwin great according to the Arnold Arboretum’s new director.William Friedman, the Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology who took over as Arboretum director Jan. 1, has studied Darwin’s writings as well as those of his predecessors and contemporaries. While Darwin is widely credited as the father of evolution, Friedman said the “historical sketch” that Darwin attached to later printings of his masterpiece was intended to calm down those who demanded credit for their own, earlier ideas.The historical sketch grew with each subsequent printing, Friedman told an audience on Jan. 10, until, by the 6th edition, 34 authors were mentioned in it. Scholars now believe that somewhere between 50 and 60 authors had beaten Darwin in their writings about evolution. Included was Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, a physician who irritated clergymen with his insistence that life arose from lower forms, specifically mollusks.Friedman’s talk, “A Darwinian Look at Darwin’s Evolutionist Ancestors” took place at the Arboretum’s Hunnewell Building and was the first in a new Director’s Lecture Series.Though others had clearly pondered evolution before Darwin, he wasn’t without originality. Friedman said that Darwin’s thinking on natural selection as the mechanism of evolution was shared by few, most prominently Alfred Wallace, whose writing on the subject after years in the field spurred Darwin’s writing of “On the Origin of Species.” Although the book runs more than 400 pages, Friedman said it was never the book on evolution and natural selection that Darwin intended. In 1856, three years before the book was published, he began work on a detailed book on natural selection that wouldn’t see publication until 1975.The seminal event in creating “On the Origin of Species” occurred in 1858, when Wallace wrote Darwin detailing Wallace’s ideas of evolution by natural selection. The arrival of Wallace’s ideas spurred Darwin into writing “On the Origin of Species” as an “abstract” of the ideas he was painstakingly laying out in the larger work.This was a lucky break for Darwin, because it forced him to write his ideas in plain language, which led to a book that was not only revolutionary, despite those who’d tread similar ground before, but that was also very readable.Though others thought about evolution before Darwin, scientific discovery requires more than just an idea. In addition to the concept, discovery requires the understanding of the significance of the idea, something some of the earlier authors clearly did not have—such as the arborist who buried his thoughts on natural selection in the appendix of a book on naval timber. Lastly, scientific discovery demands the ability to convince others of the correctness of an idea. Darwin, through “On the Origin of Species” was the only thinker of the time who had all three of those traits, Friedman said.“Darwin had the ability to convince others of the correctness of the idea,” Friedman said, adding that even Wallace, whose claim to new thinking on evolution and natural selection was stronger than all the others, paid homage to Darwin by titling his 1889 book on the subject, “Darwinism.”1.According to William Friedman, Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" is great in that（）.2.Friedman believes that Darwin attached a “historical sketch” to later printings of his book in an attempt to（）. 3.In Friedman's view, Darwin's originality lies in（）. 4.We have learned that at first Darwin intended to write his ideas in（）. 5.Scientific discovery requires all the following except（）.

Yet these global trends hide starkly different national and regional stories. Vittorio Colao, the boss of Vodafone, which operates or partially owns networks in 31 countries, argues that the farther south you go, the more people use their phones, even past the equator: where life is less organized people need a tool, for example to rejig appointments. “Culture influences the lifestyle, and the lifestyle influences the way we communicate.” he says, “If you don’t leave your phone on in a meeting in Italy, you are likely to miss the next one.”Other mundane factors also affect how phones are used. For instance, in countries where many people have holiday homes they are more likely to give out a mobile number, which then becomes the default where they can be reached, thus undermining the use of fixed-line phones. Technologies are always “both constructive and constructed by historical, social, and cultural contexts,” writes Mizuko Ito, an anthropologist at the University of California in Irvine, who has co-edited a book on Japan’s mobile-phone subculture.Indeed, Japan is good example of how such subcultures come about. In the 1990s Americans and Scandinavians were early adopters of mobile phones. But in the next decade Japan was widely seen as the model for the mobile future, given its early embrace of the mobile internet. For some time Wired, a magazine for technology lovers, ran a column called “Japanese schoolgirl watch”, serving readers with a stream of mobile oddities. The implication was that what Japanese schoolgirls did one day, everyone else would do the next.The country’s mobile boom was arguably encouraged by underlying social conditions. Most teenagers had long used pagers to keep in touch. In 1999 NTT, Japan’s dominant operator, launched i-mode, a platform for mobile-internet services. It allowed cheap e-mails between networks and the Japanese promptly signed up in droves for mobile internet. Ms. Ito also points out that Japan is a crowded place with lots of rules. Harried teenagers, in particular, have few chances for private conversations and talking on the phone in public is frowned upon, if not outlawed. Hence the appeal of mobile data services.The best way to grasp Japan’s mobile culture is to take a crowded commuter train. There are plenty of signs advising you not to use your phone. Every few minutes announcements are made to the same effect. It you do take a call, you risk more than disapproving gazes. Passengers may appeal to a guard who will quietly but firmly explain: “dame desu”—it’s not allowed. Some studies suggest that talking on a mobile phone on a train is seen as worse than in a theatre. Instead, hushed passengers type away on their handsets or read mobile-phone novels (written Japanese allows more information to be displayed on a small screen than languages that use the Roman alphabet).1.According to the passage, an Italian person would leave his phone on in a meeting for which of the following reasons?2.Which of the following statements is best supported by the passage?3.The author suggests that Japan leads the world in the mobile-phone culture in that（）.4.It can be inferred from the passage that the Japanese teenagers are fond of the mobile data services because（）. 5.Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage, based on its content?

Thanks in no small part to AI Gore and his film producers, the American public is waking up to the seriousness of global warming. What is not so widely appreciated is that unless the US government acts urgently and decisively, this problem could very quickly get very much worse.For reasons both economic and political coal is poised to be the fuel of choice in the coming decades as the US weans itself off foreign oil. Coal combustion generates half the US’s electricity and releases about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year. If present trends continue, these figures will more than double by 2050, much to the detriment of the world’s climate. Without an alternative fuel, the only solution is to capture and store carbon dioxide from burning coal.Overcoming the engineering obstacles in the way of large-scale sequestration of carbon dioxide will be hard enough, but the bigger challenge is one of political will. US companies as yet have no incentive to capture carbon emissions. While moves at state and congressional levels are pushing in the right direction, the ambiguity in the administration’s policy is counterproductive.It is time for the US government to put a price on carbon emissions so utilities that invest in technologies to reduce carbon emissions will see their efforts rewarded. Such a move would not only reduce the risks associated with global warming, but also go a long way to restoring America’s green credentials.1.According to the author, what adds to the seriousness of global warming?2.Which of the following is true about the obstacles for effectively capturing carbon emissions?3.What does the author suggest as a solution to the problem?

Directions: Write an essay of about 250-300 words on the following topic. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.Hundreds of private colleges and universities (民办高校) have opened in China in the past decade. Supporters believe these universities could enable more students to have access to higher education while opponents argue that private colleges are mostly run for profit and thus the quality of education could not be guaranteed. Please write about your view on the boom of private universities in China.

Directions: Translate the following sentences into Chinese. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET (10%)1. Dubai’s reputation as the Gulfs financial and commercial hub has taken a battering since it surprised financial market in November by asking to restructure $26 million in debts. (2.5%)2. Asia needs to bite the bullet if it wants to avoid another cycle of bubbles and busts. As soothing as high growth now feels, it needs to be restrained by higher interest rates and appreciating exchange rates to sustain. (2.5%)3. Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passion, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward (任意的，不定的) course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. (5%)

Directions: Translate the following passage into English. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10%)1. 如今北京和纽约的共同之处不仅包括繁忙的商业中心、寒冷的冬季和拥挤的城铁车厢，根据一项年度排名，北京还在亿万富翁的人数方面赶超纽约。根据这份报告，尽管中国经济放缓，中国制造的财富却超过了全球所有其他地区。(5%)2.大多数人的生活被他们身处的环境所决定。他们不仅接受既定的命运，而且顺从命运的安排。他们就像街上的有轨电车一样，在既定的轨道上行驶，而对于那些敏捷地出没于车水马龙间，欢快地奔驰在旷野上的汽车却不屑一顾。我尊重他们，他们是好市民、好丈夫和好父亲。当然，总得有人来支付税收，但是，他们并没有令人激动的地方。(5%)

(A) While many people use competition as an excuse for (B) not doing something, those who really want to (C) succeed see competition as an opportunity, and they’re willing to do the tough work (D) necessarily to win.

Many governments (A) are growing (B) increasingly determined to stamp out (C) that has been referred to (D) as the “corruption eruption”.

Americans have always had a fascination with the underworld society (A) populated by those who openly (B) resisted the laws of dominant society and instead (C) creating their own world, (D) living by their own rules.

A longtime aide to President Bush who wrote occasional guest columns for his hometown newspaper (A) resigned on Friday evening after (B) admitting that he had repeatedly (C) plagiarized from other writers. The White House called his actions (D) unaccepted.

Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” is credited (A) with sparking evolution’s revolution in scientific thought, but many observers had pondered evolution before him. It was (B) understood the idea’s significance and (C) selling it to the public(D) that made Darwin great, according to the Arnold Arboretum’s new director.

In emerging economies like (A) that in Eastern Europe, there are fears that growing joblessness might encourage a move away from free-market, pro-Western policies, (B) while in developing countries unemployment could bolster efforts (C) to protect local industries (D) at the expense of global trade.

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