全国大学生英语竞赛C类(2012真题以及答案).doc

2012 National English Contest for
College Students
(Level C – Preliminary)
(总分：150分 时间：120分钟)
Part I listening Comprehension (30 marks)
Section A (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once .After each conversation, there will be a twenty-second pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer .Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
1. What does the man say we can do to deal with oil crisis?
A. To make full use of oil. B. To use as little oil as possible
C. To find alternative energy.
2. Where does this conversation most probably take place?
A. In an insurance company. B. In a bank.
C. In a supermarket.
3. According to the man, who is going to take over the position they are talking about?
A. Janice. B. Someone else.
C. Meryl.
4. What does the woman say about the man’s report for the meeting?
A. He has to get it ready before tomorrow noon.
B. He has done well enough.
C. He has enough time to prepare it.
5. How many people will be on the earth by the year 2020 according to the professor?
A. Some 5.8 billion. B. Nearly 7 billion.
C. Over 8.5 billion.
Section B (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear two long conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause, read the questions and the three choices marked A, Band C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre
Conversation One
6. What’s the main job of Simon’s organization?
A. They send out radio signals to communicate with other planets.
B. They look for life and intelligence on other planets.
C. They study stars that have planets orbiting around them.
7. Why does the organization search for radio signals from space?
A. Their presence may prove the existence of aliens.
B. They may help scientists find out how the universe started.
C. They convey messages about life on the earth.
8. Does Simon believe those stories about aliens visiting our planet?
A. No, he doesn’t believe them at all.
B. Yes, he does believe those stories because of his study.
C. Yes, he believes them although he has no evidence.
9. Which of the following factor is considered to be important in forming life according to the passage?
A. Gravity. B. Minerals. C. Water.
10. When did the “big bang” occur?
A. No one knows. B. 12 billion years ago. C. 20 billion year ago.
Conversation Two
11. Why did Bob make the news last month?
A. Because he criticized traditional jobs
B. Because he earned a lot of money.
C. Because he tried new strategies in finding a job.
12. In which way do the bestsellers like “The Brand Called You” and “The Personal Branding Phenomenon” help people?
A. They advise people to promote themselves as brands.
B. They teach people how to be a perfect partner.
C. They give people tips for job interview.
13. When did Bob come up with the idea of using the internet to find a job?
A. Ten years ago when he was a college student.
B. When he began to do research between jobs.
C. After he launched the campaign “Give Bob a Job”.
14. What was the purpose of Bob’s making the video?
A. To fulfill his ambition as a director.
B. To sell his products like Teddy bears and T-shirts.
C. To advertise his skills and talents.
15. How can the internet help Bob in his job search exactly?
A. By helping him make friends.
B. By passing on the video he made.
C. By providing job information for him.
Section C (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short news items. After each item, which will be read only once, there will be a pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
16. How many troops are going to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of next year?
A. 43,000. B. 10,000. C. 33,000.
17. What is the finding of the study?
A. Low-calorie foods may lead to more weight.
B. High-calorie foods may lead to more weight.
C. High-calorie foods may lead to less weight.
18. What do the conflicting reports show about radiation?
A. The radiation level given by Tokyo Electric is much smaller than that given by other tests.
B. The radiation level given by other tests is smaller than that given by Tokyo Electric.
C. The radiation level is close to 10,000 times the normal level.
19. Why are Caribbean Service and Europe Today shut down by BBC?
A. Because of their outdated services.
B. Because of cuts in government funding.
C. Because of lack of target audience.
20. What’s the cause of demonstrations in cities and towns across Syria?
A. They are calling for more freedom.
B. Workers demand higher pay.
C. Some thirty people were killed by the police.
Section D (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear a short passage. There are 10 missing words or phrases. Fill in the blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear. The passage will be read twice. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Recovery from jetlag can take as long as a day for every time zone crossed. So if you’re flying east-west for your holiday or on business, it is likely to mean a few days of feeling tired or even unwell.
Jetlag is the (21)__________ of the body’s natural cycle and some factors make it worse. The artificial atmosphere inside a plane can affect the body in a number of ways and add to the effects of jetlag.
Exercising before flights helps to offset the effects on the body of reduced (22) _________, and aerobic exercise afterwards helps to reoxygenate it. Drink plenty of water. Children may need more. Drinking carrot juice before flying overcomes oxygen deficiency.
Eat light, frequent meals. Heavy meals (23) __________ the blood circulation, which can lead to dizziness and fainting. For two weeks before you fly, eat plenty of food containing vitamins A and E; they will build up your (24) __________ and help to keep you fit. Sleep as much as you can before the flight and on it. On board, wear earplugs and eye pads because darkness (25) __________ secretion of the hormones that enhance sleep.
Avoid alcohol, which restricts the brain’s oxygen intake. Like tea and coffee, alcohol increases the dehydration effect of flying. If you need to drink to relax, (26) __________ that the cabin environment intensifies the effect of alcohol.
Wear loose, comfortable, warm clothes and limber up during flight. Sitting down for several hours slows down the (27) _________, leading to local stiffness, cramps and dizziness. Re-adjust to local time as soon as you can. Bright light helps the body stay alert, so if you are going somewhere sunny, stay outside.
Do not smoke before or during the flight since smoking (28) ___________ the blood oxygen level. If you need to calm your nerves, try aromatherapy oils which have a sedative effect. (29) _________ your doctor before flying if you are on medication. The effects of some drugs are strengthened at high altitudes and some may produce (30) _________.
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (15 marks)
There are 15 incomplete sentences in this section. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
31. What we all work for is to free ________ time for the things we really want to do.
A. off B. up C. aside D. in
32. You ______ his words seriously. He was talking nonsense.
A. won’t take B. may not take
C. mustn’t have taken D. needn’t have taken
33. Never hesitate to _________ the first opportunity that comes along.

A. seize B. draw C. who; that D. obtain
34. His mother ________ hated city life longed to return to the village in _______she grew up.
A. that; where B. who; which C. who; that D. who; where
35. All things _______, I think I’d better take your advice.
A. considering B. to be considered C. considered D. have been considered
36. Twelve European countries ________ over to the Euro on January 1st, 2002.
A. transformed B. switched C. reversed D. altered
37. She isn’t anything ________ unpleasant as people say she is.
A. as like B. like C. as D. like as
38. Stop complaining. You really ________ my nerves.
A. get down B. get along C. get off D. get on
39. There wasn’t _______ truth in what he said.
A. a grain of B. a ray of C. a point of D. a drop of
40. ________ for my savings, I wouldn’t be able to survive these miserable days.
A. Was it not B. Were it not
C. Had it been not D. Hadn’t it been
41. There was a power cut this morning. ________, I couldn’t do anything with my computer.
A. Supposedly B. Presumably C. Consequently D. Essentially
42. Alarm clocks needlessly wake ______ households. I want to design something targeted at the individual sleeper.
A. whole B. total C. full D. high
43. _______ both parties agree on these issues will a contract be signed soon.
A. If only B. Unless C. Should D. Only if
44.—I’ve run out of cash. Could you lend me a few pounds this evening?
—_____ I’ll just have to find time to get to the bank and make a withdrawal.
A.I can lend you some now.
B. I’m not sure I’ve got any either.
C. Sorry, I haven’t got a penny in my account.
D. My credit card must be left home.
45. —We’re all going to the New Skyline Restaurant for our end-of-year get-together. Can we count you in?
—Oh, thanks, Sara, but _____
A. I didn’t find you then. B. I’ve been to the restaurant once.
C. I’ll pass this time. D. I’ll meet you there at 5:00.
Part III Cloze (10 marks)
Read the following passage and fill in each blank with one word. Choose the correct word in one of the following three ways: according to the context, by using the correct form of the given word, or by using the given letters of the word. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Did you know that for every 20,000 novels written, only one gets published? So the (46) ____ (likely) that I’ll ever fulfill my ambition of becoming a professional mystery writer doesn’t seem very high. But the prospect of turning my lifelong passion into my livelihood and achieving fame and (47) for ______ at the same time is just too exciting for me to be put off by dull statistics.
So what does it (48) t_______ to become a writer Reading is important—all writers need to research their genre thoroughly to familiarize themselves (49) _______ its codes and conventions. My bookshelves at home are stacked with the novels of all the great mystery writers, which I’ve read and in many cases, re-read, despite (50) _______ (know) all the time “who’d done it”.
Of course, being a writer requires imagination. You have to develop your own personal style rather than simply copy the work of “the greats”. I’ve turned out (51) d________ of short crime stories for my university student magazine—some have been published, some not, but I’ve always aimed to produce original and imaginative material.
Last but not (52) ________, successful writers possess enormous self-discipline. I’ve often sacrificed my social life in order to devote the necessary time and effort to producing a good quality story. And more than once that has meant (53) _______ the midnight oil.
We’ve got a novel inside us. Getting it out in anywhere near publishable form is no (54) ______ task, but with imagination and determination, and the help of an expert on “master class”, who could possibly fail to (55) re_______ their ambition?
Part IV Reading Comprehension (40 marks)
Read the following passages. Each passage is followed by several questions. Respond to the questions using information from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Section A (10 marks)
Questions 56—60 are based on the following passage.
The term culture shock was introduced for the first time in 1958 to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment. This term expresses the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment. This term expresses the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment. We can describe culture shock as the physical and emotional discomfort a person suffers when coming to live in a place different from the place of origin.
Often, the way that we live before is not accepted or considered as normal in the new place. Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to use banking machines, not knowing how to use telephones, and so forth.
The symptoms of culture shock can appear at different times. Although a person can experience real pain from culture shock, it is also an opportunity for growing and learning new perspectives. Culture shock can help people develop a better understanding of themselves and stimulate personal creativity.
Culture shock has many stages. Each stage can be ongoing, or appear only at certain times. In the first stage, the new arrival may feel very happy about all of the new experience. This time is called the honeymoon stage. Afterward, the second stage presents itself. A person may encounter some difficulties in daily life. For example, communication difficulties may occur, such as not being understood. In this stage, there may be feelings of impatience, anger and sadness. Transition between the old methods and those of the new country is a difficult process and takes time to complete. The third stage is characterized by gaining some understanding of the new culture. A new feeling of pleasure and sense of humor may be experienced. A person may start