Section I Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark [A], [B], [C] or [D] on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle viewed laughter as “a bodily exercise precious to health。” But   1   some claims to the contrary, laughing probably has little influence on physical fitness Laughter does   2   short-term changes in the function of the heart and its blood vessels,   3   heart rate and oxygen consumption But because hard laughter is difficult to4  , a good laugh is unlikely to have   5   benefits the way, say, walking or jogging does。

6  , instead of straining muscles to build them, as exercise does, laughter apparently accomplishes the   7  , studies dating back to the 1930’s indicate that laughter   8   muscles, decreasing muscle tone for up to 45 minutes after the laugh dies down。

Such bodily reaction might conceivably help   9   the effects of psychological stress. Anyway, the act of laughing probably does produce other types of   10   feedback, that improve an individual’s emotional state.   11   one classical theory of emotion, our feelings are partially rooted   12   physical reactions. It was argued at the end of the 19th century that humans do not cry   13   they are sad but they become sad when the tears begin to flow。

Although sadness also   14   tears, evidence suggests that emotions can flow   15  muscular responses. In an experiment published in 1988,social psychologist Fritz Strack of the University of würzburg in Germany asked volunteers to   16   a pen either with their teeth-thereby creating an artificial smile – or with their lips, which would produce a(n)   17   expression. Those forced to exercise their enthusiastically to funny catoons than did those whose months were contracted in a frown,   19   that expressions may influence emotions rather than just the other way around   20   , the physical act of laughter could improve mood。

篇章分析：

题目的文章来自于 2009年4月刊Scientific American的How Humor Makes You Friendlier, by Sexier Steve Ayan, ：幽默如何使你更加有人缘且性感

1.[A]among           [B]except                 [C]despite                 [D]like                C

2.[A]reflect             [B]demand             [C]indicate                 [D]produce           D

3.[A]stabilizing      [B]boosting             [C]impairing              [D]determining    B

4.[A]transmit          [B]sustain                [C]evaluate                [D]observe            B

5.[A]measurable    [B]manageable        [C]affordable            [D]renewable        A

6.[A]In turn            [B]In fact                   [C]In addition            [D]In brief            B

7.[A]opposite        [B]impossible            [C]average                 [D]expected         A

8.[A]hardens         [B]weakens                [C]tightens                [D]relaxes             D

9.[A]aggravate      [B]generate               [C]moderate              [D]enhance          C

10.[A]physical        [B]mental                  [C]subconscious         [D]internal          A

11.[A]Except for     [B]According to        [C]Due to                   [D]As for              B

12.[A]with              [B]on                         [C]in                            [D]at                     C

13.[A]unless           [B]until                      [C]if                            [D]because          D

14.[A]exhausts       [B]follows                  [C]precedes               [D]suppresses     C

15.[A]into              [B]from                       [C]towards                 [D]beyond           B

16.[A]fetch            [B]bite                        [C]pick                        [D]hold               D

17.[A]disappointed    [B]excited             [C]joyful                     [D]indifferent      A

18.[A]adapted       [B]catered                 [C]turned                     [D]reacted         D

19.[A]suggesting   [B]requiring              [C]mentioning           [D]supposing       A

20.[A]Eventually    [B]Consequently       [C]Similarly                  [D]Conversely     C

Section II Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing [A], [B], [C] or [D]. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text 1

The decision of the New York Philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment in 2009. For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least. “Hooray! At last!” wrote Anthony Tommasini, a sober-sided classical-music critic。

纽约爱乐乐团决定聘请Alan Gilbert作为下一任的音乐总监，这从2009年任命被宣布之日起就在古典音乐界引起了热议。别的不说，大部分人的反应是积极的。“好啊，终于好了！” Anthony Tommasini写道，他可是一个以严肃著称的古典音乐评论家。

One of the reasons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known. Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilbert’s appointment in the Times, calls him “an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him。” As a description of the next music director of an orchestra that has hitherto been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise。

但是，这个任命之所以一起人们惊讶的原因却是Gilbert相对而言并不是很有名。甚至在时代杂志上发文支持Gilbert任命的Tommasini都称其为：低调的音乐家，在他身上找不到那种飞扬跋扈的指挥家的气质。纽约爱乐乐团迄今为止都是由像Gustav Mahler(古斯塔夫·马勒)和Pierre Boulez布列兹那样的音乐家领导的。这样去描述这个乐团的下一位指挥，至少对于时代的读者而言，这是一种苍白的表扬。

For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one. To be sure, he performs an impressive variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music. All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or boot up my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes。

就我看来，我不知道Gilbert是否是一个伟大的指挥家或者是一个好的指挥。但是我能确定的是，他能表现出很多有趣的乐章，但是我却应该不会去Avery Fisher Hall或者其他地方去听一场有趣的交响乐演出。我要做的事情就是去我的CD架上，或者打开的我的电脑从ITUNES上下载