专业英语八级模拟试卷315(题后含答案及解析)

专业英语八级模拟试卷315 (题后含答案及解析)

题型有：1. LISTENING COMPREHENSION 2. READING COMPREHENSION 3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 4. PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION 5. TRANSLATION 6. WRITING

PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN)

SECTION A MINI-LECTUREDirections: In this section you sill hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.

听力原文： Man is called in Greek the Zoon phonanta or talking animal. What makes humanity different from the rest of the animal world is its capacity for constructing a system of sound signals. You will say at once that certain birds talk and some of them talk very well. Chimpanzees can be taught a number of words and a few simple grammatical structures. But only human beings are able to invent whole languages, not merely parts of them or handle a few nouns and verbs. When an animal began to talk, that animal called itself man. Speech certainly came before the discovery of fire. We still tend to use speech not for conveying messages or expressing feelings but merely for establishing and sustaining human contact. The act of speaking serves primarily the end of sociability. It does not have to mean anything but it has to be continuous. At dinner parties a prolonged silence is the most embarrassing thing in the world: it seems to indicate that sociality has failed. It is often broken by more than one person’s speaking at the same time--excuse me--sorry--after you--no, after you--and what is said is far less important than the fact of somebody having said something, anything. Everybody breathes a sigh of relief, especially the hostess. We have no means of knowing what the language of, say, Stone Age man was like, but we know something of that ancient language known as Indo-European because its structure and some of its vocabulary, much changed, survive in the daughter language, which means most of the languages of Europe. It seems to have been a complex language, with a rich grammar, not at all like Malay or Chinese, and it is fairly certain that the further back we go in our study of language the greater complexities we find. The simplification of language is essential]y a part of the modernization of language: modern English is grammatically much simpler than its ancestor Anglo-Saxon, and Italian and Spanish are much simpler than their mother Latin. It is wrong to think of the first talkers taking a few linguistic bricks, joining them together, then baking more bricks and adding them to make a more and more imposing structure. An original babble was associated with a particular feeling or thought, but it was only in the period after, say, the break-up of the Roman

Empire that grammarians began to analyzes the parts of this babble and come up with terms like noun, verb, adjective, adverb. All of us say things we never said before, and without much conscious effort; we are always inventing new things to say. That is the great human talent. This talent is based, however, on a very simple peculiarity of the human brain--its capacity to think in opposed structures.Look at it this way: the spectrum has many colours in it, and one is merged into another. Man learned to pick out colours as separable items. He did more; he learned how to make them into signs of opposed meaning. You have only to think of a traffic signal to see that this is so. Now out of the babble of noise which the human vocal system is capable of producing it is possible to separate specific sounds and oppose one to the other. Pick does not mean the same as pig, because/k/is opposed to/g/, though those two sounds only differ (in English, anyway)in that one is breathed and the other sung. This structuralist gift of the human brain enables us to talk of tiny structures that oppose each other in doing separate jobs and, taken together, add up to a language. We are, it has to be confessed, almost totally ignorant of the origins of human language, but we do know that it was the evolutionary breakthrough which produced the species we call man. And when language first appeared it was already fully grown. The system of symbols of the outside world which includes our own bodies was the key to the creation of inside worlds--sciences and technologies. Language is our greatest possession. We would be wise to think about its mysteries and cherish the miracle that language is. But we will never be able to understand it.

Our Greatest Possession Man is called in Greek the Zoon phonanta which means the【1】______. What 【1】______makes humanity different from the rest of the animal world is its capacity for【2】______ 【2】______a system of sound signals. Human beings tend to use speech not for conveying messagesor expressing feelings but merely for establishing and sustaining【3】______ 【3】______ The【4】______of language is essentially a part of the modernization of language. 【4】______Modern English is grammatically much simpler than its ancestor Anglo-Saxon, and Italianand Spanish are much simpler than their mother【5】______ 【5】______ All of us say things we never said before, and without much【6】______effort; we 【6】______are always inventing new things to say. That is file great human talent, which is based ona very simple peculiarity of the human brain--its capacity to think in【7】______. Man 【7】______is able to separate specific sounds and oppose one to another. Although we are quite【8】______of the origins of human language, we know that 【8】______when language first appeared, it was already fully【9】______. The system of symbols 【9】______of the outside world was the【10】______to the creation of inside worlds. Language is (10)_____our greatest possession.

1． 【1】

正确答案：talking animal

解析：讲座中第一句明确提到，“zoon phonanta on talking animal.”。

2． 【2】

正确答案：constructing/inventing/producing/creating

解析：考察通篇概括能力。人和动物的主要区别在于人能创造语言。

3． 【3】

正确答案：human contact/human communication

解析：考察对重要细节的理解。语言的功能不仅在于传达信息、表达感情，同时也是建立和保持人际交流的重要途径。

4． 【4】

正确答案：simplification

解析：语言的简化是语言现代化进程中的一个基本部分。

5． 【5】

正确答案：Latin

解析：细节记忆题。同时也考察人文知识，意大利语和西班牙语都起源于拉丁语。

6． 【6】

正确答案：conscious 解析：细节领悟。

7． 【7】

正确答案：opposed structures 解析：重要细节理解。

8． 【8】

正确答案：ignorant

解析：填空后的介词of对答案有提示作用。

9． 【9】

正确答案：grown/developed

解析：细节理解。语言一出现的时候就已经发展得很成熟了。

10． 【10】

正确答案：key

解析：外部世界的符号系统对创造内部世界的符号系统有非常关键的作用。

SECTION B INTERVIEWDirections: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.

听力原文：W: Good morning. We seem to be hearing more and more nowadays about the “breakup of the family” that “parents aren’t as good as they used to he” or that “the lack of good old-fashioned family life is one of the main causes of the rise in juvenile crime.” To look at the family and the role of parents in this day and age, we’ve invited to the studio Dr. Neil, a well-known sociologist, Dr. Nell, are parents “worse” than they used to be? Is the family breaking up?M: Well, let’s remember first of all that people have been saying for years that “the family and family life are going to be dogs”. But in spite of that, I think family life is different now, and noticeably different.W: In what way?M: In a number of ways. You see, in addition is a substantial increase in divorce in many countries, um, fewer people are getting remarried.W: So you’re saying that there are now more one-parent or single-parent families.M: Oh, yes, most definitely. Far more than there ever used to be. But not only are there more one-parent families, but families in general seem to be smaller. And the reasons for that are numerous.W: Nevertheless, there must also be other differences between family life now and that of, say, thirty or forty years ago. What about families in which both parents go out to work?M: Yes. “Dual career” families, as we call them, are much more common. And what’s more, parents who both want to continue with their careers often do so when their children are still very young indeed.W: Yes, we receive a lot of letters from people who disapprove of mothers going on with full-time careers while their children are still toddlers. But besides these differences, I know that you have recently highlighted in some of your research yet another way in which the family unit is different now.M: Yes, the “substitute parent”. More and more parents, certainly in the United States and in England and other European countries, are paying more people to look after their children. They are paying for substitutes, if they like.W: You mean, like baby-sitters, play groups and so on.M: Yes, but there are other substitutes as well of course Teachers, youth club leaders...W: And television, in its own way?M: Most definitely.W: Let’s go back to teachers for the moment. Urn, primary school teachers have always really had a substitute parent role, haven’t they? Whereas the teachers of older children teach reading, writing and academic subjects, the primary school teacher has always reinforced what the parents are doing—helping children to acquire good habits and so on, as well as perhaps to start them reading and writing.M: Yes, and sometimes the situation has created confusion.W: Oh, you mean, because of different “messages” that children might be getting from parents and teachers?M: Yes.W: There are people now of course who think that, because of more parents going out to work, teachers of

older children should take on—or at least be aware of the fact that they are parent substitutes.M: Yes. there are people who think that. But it’s very difficult because of the amount of time teachers have in which to teach what they have to teach.W: Can we go back for a moment to smaller families which we mentioned earlier? Are there perhaps any noticeable effects of smaller families?M: Yes, the main thing, I think, is that there’s less mixing of ages. It’s said, for example, that girls learn to be parents by being involved with younger children.W: And fewer children are mixing with younger children.M: Yes.W: But that’s not of primary importance, I would have thought. It seems to me that what a child really needs is a loving environment—and you can’t get that when TV is the substitute parent, for instance.M: Yes, television worries me. A child needs basic trust and love and a commitment from a human being. All the other substitutes—baby sitters, play group and primary school teachers, youth club leaders and so on are fine. In their own way, and to varying degrees, they can offer a child love and understanding. But not the square screen!W: In other words, you don’t mind other people looking after your children?M: No.W: But you object to television taking over your role.M: Yes. What I’m objecting to is the economic situation which forces many parents to go out to work and does not allow them to spend as much time with their children as I think parents ought to.W: Well, perhaps before we pursue this further, we should open our phone-lines for listeners to ring in...

11． According to Dr. Neil, in what way is family life different now? A．Parents are not as good as they used to be.

B．More people are getting remarried after divorce. C．There are more one-parent or single-parent families. D．More people approve of mothers going out to work.

正确答案：C

12． Which of the following is NOT mentioned as substitute parents? A．Group leaders. B．Television. C．Baby-sitters. D．Play groups.

正确答案：A

13． According to the interview, all of the following are the roles of primary teachers EXCEPT

A．helping children to acquire good habits. B．reinforcing what the parents are doing. C．starting children reading and writing.

D．informing children of different messages.

正确答案：D

14． According to Dr. Neil, what is the most noticeable effect of smaller families?

A．There is less mixing of ages in smaller families. B．Children can get more affection from their parents. C．Children can live in a more loving environment. D．Children are able to enjoy better living condition.

正确答案：A

15． According to the interview, Dr. Nell’s attitude toward substitute parents is that

A．substitutes can take the responsibilities of parents. B．it’s acceptable to let substitutes look after children. C．perhaps substitutes can play a better role than parents. D．parents should be cautious to choose substitutes.

正确答案：B

SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTDirections: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. At the end of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.

听力原文： A student reporter with a cell phone recorded scenes of police approaching one of the buildings on the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg where the shootings occurred. The events unfolded in the morning over two hours in two separate locations. University President Charles Steger says only one gunman seems to have been involved. “The shooter in Norris Hall is deceased,” he said. “There are multiple fatalities. The number of fatalities has not been confn-med.” Steger says Virginia Tech University was hit with a tragedy of monumental proportions. “The university is shocked and indeed horrified that this would befall us and I want to extend my deepest and most sincere and profound sympathies to the families of these victims, which include our students,” he said. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says President Bush is horrified by the killings and that his thoughts and prayers are with the victims. Asked about gun control policy, Perino says Mr. Bush believes in the people’ s constitutional right to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed. Perino says state and local authorities are leading the investigation, adding that federal law enforcement assets are available, if Virginia should request them. America’s first encounter with a campus massacre occurred in 1966, when a sniper at the University of Texas shot and killed 16 people. In 1999, 12 students and a teacher were killed by two boys at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. In October 2006, an armed gunman killed six girls in a one room Amish schoolhouse in rural Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania.

16． The shootings unfolded in the morning over 2 hours in ______. A．1 location

B．2 separate locations C．3 separate locations D．4 separate locations

正确答案：B

17． According to the news, when did America’ s first encounter with a campus massacre occur?

A．In 1956. B．In 1966. C．In 1999. D．In2006.

正确答案：B

听力原文： “The IT industry I guarantee will be in the United States to the degree that these smart people are here in the United States, and that’ s why I think it’ s important to maximize that number.” Gates urged lawmakers to find ways to keep foreign students in the United States, saying if the country is going to invest in educating them, it should also benefit from that investment by encouraging them to work here. He urged the federal government to invest more money in education and training, and in research and development (R&D). “Federal research funding is vital. Unfortunately, while other countries and regions, such as China and the European Union, are increasing their public investment in R&D, federal research spending in the United States is not keeping pace.” Crates suggested an increase of 10 percent annually in U.S. funding for research for the next seven years. He also urged more teacher training and higher math curriculum standards. He said the hation should set a goal of doubling the number of science, technology and math graduates by 2015.

18． Gates suggested an increase of 10% yearly in U.S. funding for research for______.

A．the next 5 years B．the next 7 years C．the next 11 years D．the next 17 years

正确答案：B

听力原文： The US president’ s helicopter flew over the path of the deadly storm in the state of Alabama, where eight teenagers were killed Thursday in the collapse of a high school in the town of Enterprise. The storm killed two other people in Alabama, nine in the neighboring state of Georgia, and a young girl in Missouri. Fourteen teams of experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are evahiating the damage to assess what federal ass/stance might be needed in situations that overwhelm state and local capabilities. That agency and President Bush were widely criticized for their poor response to Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, which killed more than 1,800 people along the Gulf Coast. Asked if the president’ s decision to visit the tornado- stricken areas Saturday was influenced by the political fall-out from Hurricane Katrina, White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino said that was never part of the discussion. Traveling with the president, FEMA Director David Panlson stressed how much the response system has changed since Hurricane Katrina, telling reporters that federal officials no longer wait for state and local governments to be overwhelmed before stepping in.

19． Why are 14 teams of experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency evaluating the damage?

A．To find out the lost people and animals. B．To criticize the authority’ s poor response. C．To assess the federal assistance needed.

D．To make clear the investment in agriculture.

正确答案：C

20． Hurricane Katrina m August of 2005 killed more than 1,800 people______. A．in Georgia B．in New York C．along the Nile

D．along the Gulf Coast

正确答案：D

PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.

The newspaper must provide for the reader the facts, unalloyed, unslanted, objectively selected facts. But in these days of complex news it must provide more; it must supply interpretation, the meaning of the facts. This is the most important assignment confronting American journalism -- to make clear to the reader the

problems of the day, to make international news as understandable as community news, to recognize that there is no longer any such thing (with the possible exception of such scribbling as society and club news) as “local” news, because any event in the international area has a local reaction in manpower draft, in economic strain, in terms, indeed, of our very way of life. There is in journalism a widespread view that when you embark on interpretation, you are entering choppy and dangerous waters, the swirling tides of opinion. This is nonsense. The opponents of interpretation insist that the writer and the editor shall confine themselves to the “facts”. This insistence raises two questions: what are the facts? And: are the bare facts enough?As to the first query, consider how a so-called “factual” story comes about. The reporter collects, say, fifty facts; out of these fifty, his space allotment being necessarily restricted, he selects the ten, which he considers most important. This is Judgment Number One. Then he or his editor decides which of these ten facts shall constitute the lead of the piece. This is important decision because many readers do not proceed beyond the first paragraph. This is Judgment Number Two. Then the night editor determines whether the article shall be presented on page one, where it has a large impact, or on page twenty-four, where it has little. Judgment Number Three. Thus, in the presentation of a so-called “factual” or “objective” story, at least three judgments are involved. And they are judgments not at all unlike those involved in interpretation, in which reporter and editor, calling upon their general background, and their “news neutralism”, arrive at a conclusion as to the significance of the news. The two areas of judgment, presentation of the news and its interpretation, axe both objective rather than subjective processes -- as objective, that is, as any human being can be. (Note in passing: even though complete objectivity can never be achieved, nevertheless the ideal must always be the beacon on the murky news channels.) If an editor is intent on slanting the news, he can do it in other ways and more effectively than by interpretation. He can do it by the selection of those facts that prop up his particular plea. Or he can do it by the pay he gives a story -- promoting it to page one or demoting it to page thirty.

21． Readers expect all of the following from newspapers EXCEPT ______. A．how to interpret news B．what news mean C．local news

D．international news

正确答案：A

解析：细节题。题目询问读者期待在报纸中读到什么，要求排除不正确的一项。文章第一段指出，如今对新闻报道的要求是既有事实信息，也有对这些信息的解释，但并未提到读者想要知道如何解释新闻，故选A。

22． It can be inferred from the passage that ______. A．news of local areas will no longer be reported

B．interpretation of news always involves editor’s bias C．American journalism is in lack of objectivity

D．there is a higher requirement for the content of news today

正确答案：D

解析：推断题。第一段第二句提到，现在的新闻必须提供更多的内容，必须提供对事实的解释；第三句提到，美国新闻业面临的最重要的任务是让读者清楚当今的问题，使国际新闻和社区新闻一样容易理解，意识到不再有所谓的“地方”新闻，因为国际事件都会有地方影响，由此推断，当今对新闻内容的要求更高了，所以D正确。

23． What can be inferred about the opponents of interpretation?

A．They have a higher requirement for the objectivity of news than supporters do.

B．They have a narrow understanding of what facts mean. C．They doubt that news can be factual.

D．They don’t believe in the validity of interpreted news.

正确答案：B

解析：推断题。第三段提到，反对解释新闻的人认为，新闻工作者应该仅仅报道事实，因此引发了什么是事实以及仅仅有事实是否足够的问题；第四段作者又指出，所谓的新闻事实其实本身就包括新闻工作者的判断在里面；第五段提到，这些判断和那些解释新闻时进行的判断在本质上是一致的，由此推断，作者认为那些反对解释新闻的人的观点是十分狭隘的，所以B正确。

24． In what way are presentation and interpretation of news alike? A．They are both subjective. B．They are both difficult to do.

C．They both involve judgments by reporters and editors. D．They both help keep the objectivity of news.

正确答案：C

解析：推断题。第四段提到，在进行新闻报道时，记者或者编辑根据新闻的重要性做出判断和选择；第五段指出，这些判断和解释新闻时进行的判断在本质上是相同的，由此推断，新闻报道和新闻解释的相似之处在于两者都需要记者和编辑进行判断，所以C正确。A与原文直接相反，因为文章最后一段说它们两者都是客观的，而非主观的；B、D原文并未提及。

25． The passage is mainly about ______. A．how to select news B．how to interpret news

C．requirements for news interpretation D．objectivity of news interpretation\\

正确答案：D

解析：主旨题。文章首段指出，现在需要对新闻进行解释；第二、三段介绍了反对者的观点；第四、五段说明了报道新闻事实时需要进行判断，并指出解释新闻需要进行同样的判断；最后一段点明，新闻报道和新闻解释都是客观的。综合可知，本文一直在论证为什么说对新闻的解释是客观的，故选D。A、B在原文中作为例证细节出现，应排除；C原文未提及，也应排除。

Extraordinary creative activity has been characterized as revolutionary, flying in the face of what is established and producing not what is acceptable but what will become accepted. According to this formulation, highly creative activity transcends the limits of an existing form and establishes a new principle of organization. However, the idea that extraordinary creativity transcends established limits is misleading when it is applied to the arts, even though it may be valid for the sciences. Differences between highly creative art and highly creative science arise in part from differences in their goals. For the sciences, a new theory is the goal and end result of the creative act. Innovative science produces new propositions in terms of which diverse phenomena can be related to one another in more coherent ways. Such phenomena as a brilliant diamond or a nesting bird are relegated to the role of data, serving as the means for formulating or testing a new theory. The goal of highly creative art is very different: the phenomenon itself becomes the direct product of the creative act. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is not a tract about the behavior of indecisive princes or the uses of political power, nor is Picasso’s painting Guernica primarily a prepositional statement about the Spanish Civil War or the evils of fascism. What highly creative artistic activity produces is not a new generalization that transcends established limits, but rather an aesthetic particular. Aesthetic particulars produced by the highly creative artist extend or exploit, in an innovative way, the limits of an existing form, rather than transcend that form. This is not to deny that a highly creative artist sometimes establishes a new principle of organization in the history of an artistic field: the composer Monteverdi, who created music of the highest aesthetic value, comes to mind. More generally, however, whether or not a composition establishes a new principle in the history of music has little bearing on its aesthetic worth. Because they embody a new principle of organization, some musical works, such as the operas of the Florentine Camerata, are of signal historical importance, but few listeners or musicologists would include these among the great works of music. On the other hand, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is surely among the masterpieces of music, even though its modest innovations are confined to extending existing means. It has been said of Beethoven that he toppled the rules and freed music from the stifling confines of convention. But a close study of his compositions reveals that Beethoven overturned no fundamental rules. Rather, he was an incomparable strategist who exploited limits of the rules, forms, and conventions that he inherited from predecessors such as Haydn and Mozart, Handel and Bach in strikingly original ways.

26． Which of the following is NOT a feature of scientific creativity? A．Exceeding limits of forms and conventions. B．Relating diverse phenomena to one another. C．Forming a new generalization. D．Discovering a new particular.

正确答案：D

解析：细节题。本题可采用排除法。第一段最后一句提到，科学创造超越即定的；第二段第二到四句进一步说明了科学创造的特点：以创立新理论为目标，将不同的现象以更加连贯的方式联系起来，形成或者测试新的理论，故排除A、B、C三项。选项D是艺术创造的一个特点，为本题的正确答案。

27． Which of the following questions might the passage be able to answer? A．Does artistic creativity mean transcending limits?

B．What is the main feature of Picasso’s painting Guernia?

C．Why is Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro considered as one of the musical masterpieces?

D．Who besides Monteverdi wrote music to embody new principles of organization?

正确答案：A

解析：推断题。文章说明了科学创造和艺术创造的不同，第一段最后一句和第二段倒数第二句两次提到，艺术创造并非要超越即定的，由此推断，文章可以解答艺术创造是否意味着超越这一问题，故选A。至于B、C、D，原文中均未提及。作者提到了Picasso的 Guemia，Mozart的The Marriage of Figaro，以及Monteverd，但是它们均作为例子出现，作者并没有深入探讨，因此无法确定这几个问题的答案。

28． What can be inferred about the author’s attitude towards the idea that all highly creative artistic activity transcends limits?

A．Obviously indifferent. B．Deeply skeptical. C．Strongly supportive. D．Greatly amused.

正确答案：B

解析：观点态度题。第二段最后一句提到，极富创造力的艺术家创作的艺术作品以创新的方式扩展或利用现有艺术形式的，而并非超越现有的艺术形式，由此推断，作者对于艺术创造超越这一观点持否定态度，故选B。

29． Why does the author mention the Florentine Camerata and The Marriage of Figaro?

A．Because they are both among the musical masterpieces. B．Because they both illustrate great innovation.

C．Because they are both representatives of artistic creativity. D．Because they are both strategic Use of fundamental roles.

正确答案：C

解析：推断题。第三段第三、四句提到，歌剧Florentine Camerata由于形式上的创新而具有重要的历史价值，但是很少有人会认为它可以算作伟大的音乐作品；相反，The Marriage of Figaro无疑是杰作，即使它的创新仅局限在扩展现有方法上，由此推断，两者都是艺术创新的代表，只是创新的方式不同而已，故选C。A、B两项犯了以偏概全的错误，而D原文中未提及，均应排除。

30． What’s the main topic of the passage?

A．Differences between scientific and artistic creativity. B．Limits in artistic creation. C．Highly creative artists.

D．Generalization in creative activity.

正确答案：A

解析：主旨题。文章首段指出，科学创造超越现有形式的，创造新的形式，而艺术创造则并非如此；第二段具体说明了科学创造和艺术创造的差别；最后一段举例说明，艺术创造可以是对现有的拓展和开发，也可以是创造新的形式。综合可知，文章主要说明了科学创造和艺术创造的差别，故选A。

The trade and investment relationship between the European Union and the United States is the most important in the world. Despite the emergence of competitors, Europe and America are the dynamo of the global economy. This economic relationship is a foundation of our political partnership, which we all know has been through a difficult patch. The identity of interest between Europe and America is less obvious than during the cold war. But while the trans-Atlantic relationship is becoming more complex, that does not make it less important. As European commissioner for trade, I do not agree that European and American values are fundamentally diverging, or that our interests no longer coincide. We still share a belief in democracy and individual freedoms, and in creating opportunity and economic openness. We face the same security challenges. We look ahead to shared global problems: poverty, migration, resource crises, climate change. We need commitment and vision to redefine our relationship. I want to see a stronger and more balanced partnership -- one in which Europe is more united, more willing to take its role in global leadership and one where the United States is more inclined to share leadership with Europe. We need to find ways to complement each other, not compete in the political arena. We will not achieve either side of this equation without the other. Europe needs to build stronger foreign policies and to be ready to act on the world stage. But equally, the body language we see from America has a huge impact on how Europeans view the partnership. Our common interest requires a strong Europe, not a weak and divided one. I hope that the United States will reinforce its historical support for European integration. I am fortunate now to take over an area

of policy in which Europe is highly effective: trade. Our top trade priority on both sides of the Atlantic must be to put our weight behind the multilateral Doha development agenda. Concluding this negotiation in a way that lives up to its ambition will bring enormous benefits. Collectively, we took a major step in reaching the framework agreement in Geneva last July, following the lead taken by the E. U. on agriculture export subsidies. We now look to the United States and others to follow that lead, and we need to accelerate work in other areas -- on industrial tariffs and services -- to achieve a balanced result. The Doha round of talks differs from any other in its focus on development. Europe and the United States must ensure that poorer countries are fully engaged and derive benefits. But the issues we need to tackle to stimulate growth and innovation in trans-Atlantic trade are not those on the Doha agenda. Our markets are relatively open and highly developed. We need to concentrate on removing regulatory and structural barriers that inhibit activity. This is about cutting international red tape. Our regulatory systems and cultures are different, but that is where real gains can be made. As E. U. trade commissioner I want to develop an ambitious but practical trans-Atlantic agenda. I am not inclined to set rhetorical targets or launch lofty initiatives. I want a set of achievable goals. Work on trans-Atlantic deregulation will also contribute to the central goal of the new European Commission: promoting growth and jobs in Europe. I am not naive. I am not turning a blind eye to the inevitable disputes in trans-Atlantic trade. They are relatively small as a proportion of total trade, but they make the headlines. They reflect the huge volume of our trade and investment flows. That is good. They also reflect our readiness to settle disputes in the World Trade Organization. That is also good. The WTO is the best example of effective multilateralism that the world has so far invented. I hope we will work together to uphold it. If multilateralism is to be worthwhile, it has to be effective -- and that goes for every part of the relationship between Europe and America.

31． The word “dynamo” in the first paragraph means ______. A．machine B．power C．source D．center

正确答案：B

解析：语义题。第一段第一句提到，美欧的贸易和投资关系是世界上最重要的，被考查词所在句意为“尽管有竞争者出现，欧洲和美国仍是全球经济的______。”由此推断，被考查单词应该和第一句中的important相对应，故Power最合适。词缀dyna-本身就有“动力”的含义，由此也可确定答案为B。

32． Why does the author long for the U.S. ‘s support for European integration? A．Because this is the need of both sides’ interests.

B．Because the U. S. has long had a good relationship with Europe.

C．Because the U. S. always takes its role in global leadership. D．Because this could help build a strong partnership.

正确答案：A

解析：推断题。第五段倒数第二句说道：“我们共同的利益需要一个强大的欧洲，而不是一个脆弱、分散的欧洲”，由此推断，作者希望美国支持欧洲融合是因为这是双方利益的需要，可见 A正确。

33． It can be inferred that trade barriers should be removed in order to ______. A．earn more money

B．make the markets more organized C．ensure poorer countries’ engagement D．activate the trans-Atlantic trade

正确答案：D 解析：推断题。作者在倒数第四段倒数第三句倡议消除抑制贸易活跃性的管理型和结构型壁垒，由此推断，消除贸易壁垒的目的是增加欧美地区，即大西洋两岸贸易的活跃性，故选D。

34． Which category of writing does the passage belong to? A．Narration. B．Description. C．Persuasion. D．Exposition.

正确答案：C

解析：主旨题。文章一直在强调美欧双方经贸关系的重要性，以及双方应该采取什么措施促进双边经贸关系的发展，很明显是劝说文，故选C。

The first performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, in St. Petersburg in 12, was a flop. Wrote one critic the next day: “For dancers there is rather little in it; for art absolutely nothing, and for the artistic fate of our ballet, one more step downward.” Two decades passed before another production was attempted. A century later, the ballet constitutes the single biggest fine-arts moneymaker in the United States, which has claimed the ballet as its own. In 1996, box-office receipts for some 2,400 American performances of the work by more than 20,000 dancers totaled nearly U.S. $50 million. Despite the ballet’s popularity, however, few Americans are aware of its history -- or of some of the twists and turns of fete that have changed it from its original form. Choreographer Maurice Petipa (known as the “father of classical ballet”) prepared the first production for Tchaikovsky in 12. He based his scenario not on the macabre 1816 short story The Nutcracker and the Fang of the Mice by E. T. A. Hoffmann, which the composer had thought to use for his inspiration, but on Alexander Dumas’s more benign 1845 French adaptation. Petipa did use the Hoffmann version to name his characters, but mixed up some names because he could

not read German. (The heroine of the piece, Clara, should be named Marie according to the story. Clara is in fact the name of one of her dolls.) In the original story the Mouse King had seven heads and terrified the seven-year-old Marie by foaming blood from all seven mouths and grinding and chattering all seven sets of teeth. These memorable characteristics, along with other sinister qualities in Hoffmann’s story, are among those aspects of the original that have been removed in most modem adaptations. Removed from the ballet altogether by Petipa is a vital plot-within-a-plot in the Hoffmann story. This is the fairytale related to Marie while she recovers from injuries sustained in the battle between the forces of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. As a result, the storyline in the ballet does not really make sense. In the fairytale, we learn that the Mouse King’s desire for vengeance has its origins in his evil mother, the wily Madam Mouserinks, whose first seven sons have been executed by the royal court for eating all the fat from the royal family’s sausages. In retribution, Madam Mouserinks has attacked the little Princess Pirlipat in her cradle, turning her into a misshapen creature whose beauty can be restored only if she eats a certain rare, difficult-to-crack nut called Krakatuk. After many years the nut is finally located in Asia by the court clockmaker and wizard, Drosselmeyer, whose young nephew is identified as a prime candidate to crack it. The young man is already known as “the Nutcracker” for the gallantry he shows in cracking nuts for young ladies in his father’s shop. As predicted, he alone is able to crack the hard nut. He offers it to the princess to eat, and her beauty is restored. At that moment, however, the Nutcracker chances to step backwards, trampling on none other than Madam Mouserinks. She is fatally injured, but manages to place a curse on the young man before she dies. He is transformed into a grotesque parody of his former self, with a monstrous head, a yawning mouth and a lever in the back by which his jaw may be moved up and down. Madam Mouserinks sentences him to battle her son, the Mouse King, whom she bore after the death of her seven previous sons, and who has their seven heads. The curse may be removed only when the Nutcracker is able to win the love of a young lady in spite of his ugliness.... Hoffmann, the author of the original Nutcracker story, was as peculiar as many of his characters. Small and wiry, with sunken eyes and dark bushy hair, he had nervous tics that caused his hands, feet and face to twitch constantly. He adored the music of Mozart (and changed one of his middle names from Wilhelm to Amadeus, to honor the great composer), was subject to bouts of deep melancholy and was an alcoholic who sold the rights to his first book for a cellar of wine. He eventually died of a combination of liver disease and a neural illness that gradually paralyzed his body, starting with his feet. Several of Hoffmann’s stories provided the basis for operas and ballets. The French composer Jacques Offenbach, for example, used three of his short stories as the basis for The Tales of Hoffmann -- a quite serious piece, breaking with Offenbach’s earlier light-hearted style. Tchaikovsky, composer of The Nutcracker, was invited to conduct his work but refused. He was terrified that if he were to mount the podium and try to conduct an orchestra his head might fall off. He died shortly after the first performance of The Nutcracker, during a cholera epidemic -- it was supposed he had been drinking impure water, but a more recent theory suggests that he killed himself

out of fear of exposure for a sexual scandal involving the Russian royal family. The author and the composer may have had unusual characteristics, and the story of the Nutcracker itself may be bizarre, but its popularity endures. In recent years American choreographers have played with the formula to bring it up to date. Kirk Peterson’s The American Nutcracker is set in the redwood forests of Northern California and replaces some of the characters with legendary or famous American names -- notably 19th-century writer Mark Twain as a party guest. The Pacific Northwest Ballet’s popular Nutcracker production uses sets by avant-garde designer Maurice Sendak and plumbs the tale’s dark psychological aspects far deeper than most. Production company Ballethnic in Atlanta, Georgia, has an Urban Nutcracker set in Atlanta in the 1940s; costumes in earth, amber and chocolate tones represent the different skin colors of the ethnic mix. In Baton Rouge, Louisianna, the Regional Ballet has in its repertory a Bayou Nutcracker in which Clara falls asleep in a bayou, dreams of a lavish plantation party and travels to the land of sweets in a hot-air balloon. Americans wanting to reclaim some of the psychology of the Hoffmann short story have been investigating choreographer Mark Morris’s dark 1991 update since it became available on video. Set in the 1960s, Morris’s visionary The Hard Nut probes many of the same moral issues as the Hoffmann original, most of which are lost in today’s conventional versions.

35． The word “flop” in paragraph 1 means ______. A．failure B．popularity C．hit

D．criticism

正确答案：A

解析：语义题。第一段第二句提到，评论家对于“胡桃夹子”首演的评价是：剧中没有舞蹈家，没有艺术，使芭蕾舞的艺术命运又下了一个台阶。可见此次演出是个失败，由此可确定flop的含义应为“失败”，故选A。

36． According to the passage, The Nutcracker ______. A．is America’s biggest moneymaker

B．was originally a short story written by Alexander Duma C．is America’s most popular ballet D．has been popular since 12

正确答案：C

解析：推断题。第二段首句提到，一个世纪之后，该芭蕾舞剧成为美国高雅艺术中盈利最多的，由此推断，“胡桃夹子”在美国是最受欢迎的芭蕾舞剧，故排除A，选C。第三段提到，“胡桃夹子”原本是霍夫曼写的恐怖小说，大仲马只是对其进行了改编，故B为张冠李戴；第一段第一句说12年该剧第一次上演时并不成功，故排除D。

37． Choreographer Maurice Petipa’s The Nutcracker ______. A．was based on Hoffmann’s short story

B．omitted an important plot in Hoffmann’s story C．was a misinterpretation of the original story D．was with a storyline clear and easy to follow

正确答案：B

解析：细节题。第五段第一句提到，Petipa编导的芭蕾舞剧完全删掉了霍夫曼原作小说中一个非常重要的情节，可见B正确。由第三段可知，Petipa的舞剧改编自大仲马对霍夫曼小说的改写，故排除A；C、D两项原文中未提及，也应排除。

38． Which of the following statements about Hoffmann’s short stories was NOT true?

A．Many of the characters in these stories were peculiar. B．Several ballets were based on his stories.

C．There were operas adapted according to his stories. D．Most of the stories were sinister in nature.

正确答案：D

解析：细节题。本题可采用排除法。第八段第一句提到，霍夫曼和他塑造的很多角色一样奇特，故排除A；第九段第一句提到，霍夫曼的几部短篇小说给歌剧和芭蕾舞剧提供了素材，故排除B、C；第四段提到，鼠王让人难忘的特征以及霍夫曼小说中其他险恶的因素在大多数现代改编版本中被删除了，但原文并未提到霍夫曼的大部分短篇小说实际上都很险恶，故选D。

39． What can be concluded about Jacques Offenbach? A．He was a French choreographer. B．He preferred light-hearted music.

C．He produced works of more than one style.

D．He was interested in most of Hoffmann’s stories.

正确答案：C

解析：推断题。第九段提到，法国作曲家雅克根据霍夫曼的三篇短篇小说谱写了一部严肃的作品，和他以往轻松的风格大不相同，由此推断，他所作的曲子风格不只一种，所以C正确。 A项张冠李戴；作者并未表明雅克更喜欢哪种风格的音乐，只是说在此之前他的音乐风格以轻松为主，故排除D；D以偏概全。

40． According to the passage, the story of the Nutcracker is ______. A．interesting B．amusing C．weird

D．thought-provoking

正确答案：C

解析：观点态度题。题目询问“胡桃夹子”是一个怎样的故事。文章第三至第七段详细描述了原著小说角色和情节的怪异和恐怖，所以weird(奇怪的)最合适。

PART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (10 MIN)Directions: There are ten multiple-choice questions in this section. Choose the best answer to each question.

41． Which part of Britain is always fighting? A．England B．Scotland C．Wales

D．Northern Ireland

正确答案：D

解析：英国地理。询问英国的四个组成部分中哪个部分总是战争不断，应该是北爱尔兰，因为他们总是想。

42． With regard to its size, the U. S.A.is the ______ country in the world. A．largest

B．second largest C．third largest D．fourth largest

正确答案：D

解析：美国地理。美国的面积在全世界排名第四。前三名分别是俄罗斯、加拿大和中国。

43． Big Ben is in ______. A．London B．New York C．Washington D．Liverpool

正确答案：A

解析：英国地理。询问Big Ben(大笨钟)在哪个城市，答案是伦敦。

44． The Declaration of Independence was drafted by ______. A．James Madison B．Thomas Jefferson C．Alexander Hamilton D．George Washington

正确答案：B

解析：美国历史。考查《宣言》的起草人，是Thomas Jefferson

45． Don Juan was written by ______. A．Percy Bysshe Shelley B．John Keats

C．George Gordon Byron D．William Wordsworth

正确答案：C

解析：英国文学之作家作品。Don Juan，中文名为《唐璜》，是英国浪漫主义诗歌代表人拜伦所写的长诗。

46． Henry James was most famous for ______. A．his poems B．his plays C．his novels

D．his short stories

正确答案：C 解析：美国文学之作家概况。Henry James 是美国著名小说家，和Mark Twain 同时代。他的代表作有The American 和The Portrait of a Lady。

47． Which of the following is NOT a representative of Modernism? A．Mark Twain

B．Earnest Hemingway C．Ezra Pound D．Robert Frost

正确答案：A 解析：美国文学之作家流派。Mark Twain 是Naturalism(自然主义)的代表人。

48． The study of internal organization of words is ______. A．semantics B．morphology C．syntax

D．phonology

正确答案：B

解析：语言学基本概念。Morphology (形态学)研究的是单词的内部构造。 49． The distinction between competence and performance was made by ______. A．Halliday B．Saussure

C．Bloomfield D．Chomsky

正确答案：D

解析：语言学家及其代表理论。Competence and Performance (语言能力及语言运用)是Noam Chomsky 在其代表作Aspects of the Theory of Syntax 中提出的。

50． The words “toys, walks, John’s” can be examples of ______. A．free morphemes B．compounds

C．inflectional affixes D．derivations

正确答案：C 解析：语言学概念的实例分析。本题属于形态学的范畴，考查词素(morpheme)的类型。toys， walks，John’s 都是在原有单词的基础上加上了曲折词缀(inflectional affix)，即不改变原单词含义的后缀，故选C。

PART IV PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)Directions: Proofread the given passage. The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way:(1)For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.(2)For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧” sign and write t

What might driving on an automated highway be like? The answerdepends on what kind of system is ultimately adopted. Two distinctive 【M1】______types are on the drawing board. The first is a special-purpose lane system,which certain lanes are reserved for automated vehicles. The second is a 【M2】______mixed traffic system; fully automated vehicles would share the road withparticularly automated or manually driving cars. A special-purpose lane 【M3】______system would require more expensive physical modifications to existinghighways, and it promises the greatest gains in freeway capacity. 【M4】______ Under either schemes, the driver would specify the desired, 【M5】______destination furnishing it to a computer in the car in the beginning ofthe trip. ff a mixed waffle system was in the place, automated driving 【M6】______could begin whenever the driver was on suitably equipped roads. Whenever special-purpose lanes were available, the car could join 【M7】______existing traffic in two different ways. One method would use a specialonramp. As the driver approached the point of entry for the highway, devices installed on the roadside would electronically check the vehicle todetermine their destination and to ascertain that it had the proper 【M8】______automation equipment in good working order. Either approach would harmonize the movement of new entering 【M9】______vehicles with those already traveling. Automatic control here

shouldallow smooth merging. And once a vehicle had settled into automated 【M10】______travel, the driver would be free to release the wheel, open the morningpaper or just relax.

51． 【M1】

正确答案：distinctive改成distinct/different 解析：形容词误用。文章开头说到在自动公路上驾驶是什么样取决于最终采用哪种系统，接着介绍了设计中的两种系统。本行没有提到很多系统，因此不宜用distinctive“特别的，有特色的”来修饰“两种系统”，而是distinct“不同的”两种系统。也可把distinctive改为different。

52． 【M2】

正确答案：∧which改成in或which改成where

解析：关系词错误。本行的on the drawing board表示“在设计中”，没有错误。接下来一句介绍了第一个系统，其中which引导的非限定性定语从句中，主谓表已完整。which指代前文的system，在非限定性定语从句中作地点状语，因此它前面需加介词in或把它改为where。

53． 【M3】

正确答案：driving改成driven

解析：分词形式错误。本行的automated与driving并列，都修饰cars，必有一个错误。车与驾驶之间是被动的，因此需把现在分词driving改成过去分词 driven。manually driven cars意为“手动驾驶的汽车”。

． 【M4】

正确答案：and改成but 解析：连词错误。上文提到特殊用途的车道系统需要对现有公路进行较昂贵的物理修正，本行说它有望达到最大的容量，这两层之间是转折关系，而非并列关系。

55． 【M5】

正确答案：schemes改成scheme

解析：名词单复数错误。either“任一的”修饰单数名词，其后的名词scheme应是单数形式，而不用复数形式。

56． 【M6】

正确答案：the改成the

解析：固定搭配中冠词错误。in place是固定搭配，在句中作表语，意为“在合适的位置”。如果在place前面加上一个the，则句意不完整，除非place后面又跟着一个表示“特指”的定语或定语从句。

57． 【M7】

正确答案：whenever改成when

解析：连词错误。这一行的句子应与上一行的句子并列，分别说明两种不同系统下的情况。而连词 whenever指“无论何时”，看似与上一行的whenever平行，实则应与连接a mixed traffic system的if一样表条件，因此需要把whenever改成when。

58． 【M8】

正确答案：their改成its

解析：代词单复数错误。根据上文的the vehicle和下文的it，只有将their改为its，才能与上文的the vehicle形成(单数)照应关系。

59． 【M9】

正确答案：new改成newly

解析：语法错误。此处的“新的”应修饰动词现在分词entering，而非名词vehicles，因此，应使用副词形式newly。

60． 【M10】

正确答案：allow∧改成for

解析：易混词误用。下一行提到驾驶员可以松开方向盘看报或休息，once引导的条件句没有错误；而这句如果说自动化控制应“允许”平稳汇合，在语义上与once一句不合，故allow应表示“考虑到，顾及”之意，加上for即可。

PART V TRANSLATION (60 MIN)

SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISHDirections: Translate the following text into English.

61． 是的，北平是个都城，而能有好多自己产生的花、菜、水果，这就使人更接近了自然。从它里面说，它没有像伦敦的那些成天冒烟的工厂；从外面说，它紧连着园林、菜圃与农村。采菊东篱下，在这里，确是可以悠然见南山的；大概把“南”字变个“西”或“北”，也没有多少了不得的吧。像我这样的一个贫寒的人，或者只有在北平能享受一点清福了。好，不再说了吧；要落泪了，真想念北平呀!

正确答案：The city of Peiping brings its residents into closer contact with nature

by growing flowers, vegetables and fruit in large quantities. The city proper is not plagued by factory chimneys such as you find in London giving off volumes of smoke all day long. On the outskirts of the city lie numerous; flower gardens, vegetable farms and villages. An ancient Chinese poet by the name of Tao Yuanming says aptly in one of his famous poems, “Plucking chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge, I calmly view the southern hills. “To adapt it to life in Peiping, I might as well substitute the word “western” or “northern” for the word “southern” in the line. Peiping is probably the only place for a man of limited means like me to live an easy and carefree life in. Now, let me leave off writing, for I am on the point of shedding tears. How I miss Peiping!

SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESEDirections: Translate the following text into Chinese.

62． Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle, the skin but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spring back to dust. Whether 60 or 16 years old, there is the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite and the joy of the game of living in every human being’s heart. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, char, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young. When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20, but as long as your serials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.

正确答案：年岁有加，并非垂老；理想丢弃，方堕暮年。岁月悠悠，衰微只及肌肤；热忱抛却，颓唐必致灵魂。忧烦，惶恐、丧失自信，定使心灵扭曲，意气如灰。无论年届花甲，押或二八芳龄，心中皆有生命之欢乐，奇迹之诱惑，孩童般天真久盛不衰。人人心中皆有一台天线，只要你从天上人间接受美好、希望、欢乐、勇气和力量的信号，你就青春永驻、风华常存。一旦天线倒下，锐气便被冰雪覆盖，玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生，即便年方二十，实以垂垂老矣；然则只要竖起天线，捕捉乐观信号，你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。

解析：原文行文流畅，句式简洁，语言生动，翻译时需保持这一语体特征。“Nobody grows old…We grow old…”在结构(subject+v．+complement+adv．)和语义(nobody对we；grows old merely by a number of years对grow old by deserting our ideals)上均有逻辑关联，对仗的结构形式突出了对比的思想内容。翻译时要突出这种对比，译为“年岁有加，井非垂老；理想丢弃，方堕暮年”，内容与形式相得益彰。turns the spring back to dust与上文的it is the freshness of the deep springs of life(青春是生命的深泉在涌流)相呼应，指生命的深泉干涸，最终化作

尘埃，这里引申意译为“意气如灰”。in the center of your heart and my heart译为“人人心中”，是考虑到译文风格上的总体设计(多用四字结构)。以“天上人间”译“from men and from the Infinite”，这需要对两种语言的文化有较高的认识。so long are you young为倒装，其中的long为状语，前移的目的是为了强调；译文“你就青春永驻、风华常存”采用同义重复的方法，使抽象(long，young)变具体(永驻、常存；青春、风华)。 介词词组with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism译为动词短语“玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生”，这是汉语中多用动词词组的特性决定的；英译汉中遇到with引导的短语，如with sth. done，with sb．/sth．doing等等，常常译作的分句。

PART VI WRITING (45 MIN)Directions: Write a composition of about 400 words on the following topic.

63． Some customers today are extremely brand conscious. They claim that branded products are superior to non-branded ones in quality. And compared to non-branded products, branded ones assure quality and have that class. Do you agree or disagree with it? Write an essay of about 400 words entitled:Brand Consciousness In the first part of your writing you should state your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary. Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

正确答案： Brand Consciousness Nowadays some people are crazy about branded items. Why do they need or want those branded items? Do they really love the items or they just want people to love what they have? I think those who are extremely brand conscious may assume that there is really a point in having branded clothes, as they might not want to look like cheap in other people’s eyes if the clothes are not of a real brand. Or they might be quality conscious, getting the branded ones also for the quality of the materials or the uniqueness of their pieces, as if the brand were a promise of quality. As far as I am concerned, branded items do ensure quality to a certain extent. Maybe with a brand attached to you, you can be more certain that the products will not spoil after a short period of time, unlike the cheap stuff you find along the side of the streets. But there is a subconscious reason which drives people to be crazy about branded products. Most people take branded things as a status symbol and they just wear brands to show off like walking billboards. Brands are not only on the surface, but also a way of flaunting their wealth to others. The main factor behind what makes brands dearer is that they keep up with the current trends and are also a means of elevating your social status. It is true that to some extent, when you compare a name brand with a non-name brand, the name brand will always look more superior. Take a LV bag for example. If you compare that with a knockoff at a flea market that costs 90% less, typically the LV will last longer because of the materials used for the bag. Sometimes you pay for what you get, but not all the time. There are a few exceptions in which you pay for a name brand but it does not live up to your

expectation. At times the way your tailor stitches cannot be matched by the branded ones. Absolutely, most consumers would not buy branded stuffs, which are expensive. They would be as happy as getting something that looks good and fits well and especially at a cheap to a reasonable price, including fake ones of a similar fashion and even the same quality at a much lower price.To sum up, people are keen to purchase branded items not only because of their quality but because of the status they may bring to the buyer. Yet, no matter what reason there is, their habits of consumption should be accepted as long as those who are brand conscious do not become blind brand followers.