English Test (2017.1)

Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (15%) Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear nine short conversations between two speakers. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. The questions will be spoken only once. Choose the best answer by marking the letter A, B, C or D 1. A. The hero was out of his mind.

B. The hero was a thing, not a human being. C. The hero overcame many difficulties. D. The hero was really great.

2. A. Tom wants to travel by air. B. Tom wants to become a pilot. C. Tom is greatly interested in power. D. Tom can seize a chance in time. 3. A. The government should help those youngsters.

B. The government should take the place of those youngsters. C. The government should encourage those youngsters.

D. The government should place restrictions on those youngsters. 4. A. Because they had the same interests. B. Because they got along very well. C. Because both of them were sociable. D. Because both of them were humorous. 5. A. She likes riding horses.

B. She has been promoted once a year. C. She won the second place in a contest. D. She is very excited.

6. A. She doesn't think the manager is at home.

B. She doesn't know the manager's home phone number. C. She doesn't think highly of the manager. D. She doesn't know the manager at all. 7. A. She is not satisfied with her life.

B. She isolates herself from the outside world. C. She can find a peaceful life only in her dreams. D. She can't be at peace with others. 8. A. A boss and an employee.

B. A hotel manager and a customer. C. A landlady and a tenant.

D. A plumber and an apartment owner.

9. A.A conformist. B. A renowned person. C. A fighter. D. A problem person.

Section B Directions:

In this part you will hear two short passages. At the end of each passage, there will be some questions. Both the passages and the questions will be read to you only once. After each

question, there will be a pause. During the pause, you must choose the best answer from the four choices by marking A, B, C , or D.

10. A. The materials used for building reservoirs. B. The causes of water pollution. C. The storage of drinking water.

D. The chemicals used to purify water.

11. A. Rock and soil. B. Concrete and bricks, C. Pine and redwood trees. D. Stones and steel rods.

12. A. People in many parts of the world have to store rainwater for drinking. B. The mixture of rock and soil can be used as the bottom of a water tank. C. Chemicals cannot be used to keep the wooden tanks from being ruined. D. Small water plants may help clean the storage water. 13. A. More than 1,700. B. More than 1,600. C. More than 700. D. More than 600. 14. A. When a heat wave lasts for several days.

B. When the total amount of heat in a day is very great C. When the heat wave is strengthened by the sun.

D. When the night temperature in a heat wave does not drop much. 15. A. Stay at home and avoid going to work. B. Try to eat more vegetables and fruits.

C. Wear light-colored and comfortable clothes. D. Use air conditioners and other cooling devices.

Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (30%) Passage One

Questions 16 to 30 are based on the following passage

What do Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Beethoven, Paul McCartney, Martina Navratilova, John MacEnroe, Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton all have in common? Apart from being leading artists, musicians, great sportsmen and thinkers of their time, they all share the trait of being left-handed.

The term handedness describes a characteristic form of specialization whereby a person by preference uses one hand for clearly identified activities. Thus, a person who uses their right hand for activities needing skill and coordination(e.g. writing, drawing or cutting), and their left hand for holding things steady or gripping them, is defined as right-handed. Right and left-handedness appears to be dependent on factors such as sex, age, culture and genetic background. Left-handed people are sometimes forced to write with their right hand: some of them may still retain the ability to write with their left hand as well as people who demonstrate this type of balance handedness are generally referred to as ambidextrous.

An often misunderstood phenomenon, handedness is a result of the human brain’s unique development. While the human mind is intuitively understood as a single entity, research in brain physiology and anatomy has demonstrated that various areas of the brain control different mental aptitudes, and that the physiological structure of the brain affects our mental functions. The brain’s fundamental structure is dual---there are two cerebral hemispheres--- and this duality is an

essential quality of the human body. Generally speaking, each hemisphere is connected to sensory receptors on the opposite side of the body: for example, the right hand is controlled by the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex.

However, the two hemispheres are not identical. In the nineteenth century research carried out by the French physician and anthropologist Pierre Broca produced empirical evidence that an important language centre was located in the right-handed subjects, but he then went on to formulate a general rules stating that the hemisphere containing the language centre is always the words, the left hemisphere always controls a right-handed person’s language abilities.

According to Broca rule’s, left-handedness would indicate a hemispheric switch. Since then, however, further research has uncovered a far more complex situation. While Broca’s rule works for right-handers, left-handed people present a rather puzzling picture. In fact researchers have discovered that Broca’s rule applies to only about two out of 10 left-handers, and that most left-handed people have their language centre in the left hemisphere.

The American developmental psychologist Arnold Gesell known for his pioneering work in scientific observation of child behaviour, noted that as early as the age of four weeks infants display signs of handedness. At that age, according to Gesell, right-handed children assume a “fencing” position, right arm and hand extended: by the age of one, right-handedness is clearly established, the child using the right hand for a variety of operations, and the left for holding and gripping.

In the past, left-handedness was associated with mental deficiency, as well as emotional and behavioral problems, which led to the popular belief, strengthened by folklore, that left-handed people were somehow flawed. In addition, left-handedness has also been associated with immunological problems and a shorter life span. While not devoid of any foundation, these ideas are based on inconclusive, and sometimes even deceptive, evidence. Fro example, statistics may indicate a shorter life-span for left-handers, but what statistics omit is the fact that higher mortality should probably be attributed to accidents in on often dangerous right-hand world systems are designed for use by right-handed people.

An even greater challenge than things like right-handed scissors and can openers, however, is what psychologist Stanley Coren calls handism, the belief that right-handedness is “better” than left-handedness. The idea that left-handers need to conform to a dominant standard has traditionally been translated into educational practices whereby left-handed children were physically forced to write with their right hand. While there is a growing awareness among educator and parents that left-handedness should not be suppressed, the left-handed child is still exposed to a variety of pressures, some subtle, some crude, to conform. These pressures are reinforced by a tradition of maligning left-handed people. Major religious traditions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam, have described left-handedness in negative terms. Current language is also a rich repository of recorded animosity toward left-handers. For example, the word left evolved from the Anglos-Saxon lyft, which means weak. The Latin word sinister, meaning left and unfavorable, is still used to denote something evil, and gauche, the French word for left, generally indicates clumsiness and awkwardness when used in English. 16. The writer says that an activity such as cutting requires_____________.

A) the ability to hold things steady B) precise controlled movements

C) the use of both the left and right hands.