国家开放大学：2012—2013学年第二学期“开放本科”商务英语专业高级英语（1）期末试题（7月）.pdf_大学文库

octopuses.For example,the legs of some octopuses can grow to over nine metres in length and are extremely strong.If an octopus loses a leg,it can grow a new one.It also has three hearts and complex eyes,which seem to belong to a mammal rather than a sea creature. Octopuses also seem to be experts at escaping-they have extremely soft,flexible bodies and can escape through holes not much bigger than their eyes.There are many biologists who have stories about walking into the laboratory after lunch to find their octopus had escaped from its aquarium and was now hiding in a teapot or climbing a bookshelf! However,even until quite recently,little was known about octopus intelligence.There are several reasons for this.Firstly,octopuses usually live at the bottom of river mouths and seas-areas which are not attractive to researchers.Secondly,they are not social animals so it can be difficult to study their interaction with others.Perhaps most importantly,octopus intelligence is not easy for humans to understand.When we observe mammals such as rats or dogs we can often instinctively understand their behaviour.Octopuses,however,can seem like aliens.Scientists need to have a lot of imagination to be able to understand what an octopus is thinking！ In the 1950s,the US Air Force sponsored scientists to study the way octopuses use their brains.They hoped that they could use this knowledge to help them build better computers. However,their brains were so complex that the scientists quickly gave up.And even today the octopus brain is a mystery.Octopuses have a very complex nervous system and recent research suggests that they have some of their intelligence inside each arm,which means that each arm can 'think'for itself.It also appears that they have good memories,perhaps similar to a cat's.Some octopuses in laboratories seem to play with objects as if they were toys-a sure sign of intelligence.Others could pick up complicated skills like opening jars. Perhaps the most striking thing about octopuses is their ability to change their colour and body pattern.They do this to camouflage themselves and also to communicate with others.They can completely change their appearance in less than a second-a striped octopus can suddenly become spotted.It can change its skin to look like rocks,sand or plankton.A scientist once observed an octopus that changed its appearance nearly 1,000 times during seven hours of feeding!It can change its appearance to look like a dangerous predator-and can even copy its style of swimming. 1672

octopuses. For example , the legs of some octopuses can grow to over nine metres in length and are extremely strong. If an octopus loses a leg , it can grow a new one. It also has three hearts and complex eyes, which seem to belong to a mammal rather than a sea creature. Octopuses also seem to be experts at escaping - they have extremely soft , flexible bodies and can escape through holes not much bigger than their eyes. There are many biologists who have stories about walking into the laboratory after lunch to find their octopus had escaped from its aquarium and was now hiding in a teapot or climbing a bookshelf! However, even until quite recently , little was known about octopus intelligence. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, octopuses usually live at the bottom of river mouths and seas - areas which are not attractive to researchers. Secondly , they are not social animals so it can be difficult to study their interaction with others. Perhaps most importantly , octopus intelligence is not easy for humans to understand. When we observe mammals such as rats or dogs we can often instinctively understand their behaviour. Octopuses, however, can seem like aliens. Scientists need to have a lot of imagination to be able to understand what an octopus is thinking! In the 1950s, the US Air Force sponsored scientists to study the way octopuses use their brains. They hoped that they could use this knowledge to help them build better computers. However, their brains were so complex that the scientists quickly gave up. And even today the octopus brain is a mystery. Octopuses have a very complex nervous system and recent research suggests that they have some of their intelligence inside each arm , which means that each arm can ‘ t hink ' for itself. It also appears that they have good memories, perhaps similar to a cat's. Some octopuses in laboratories seem to play with objects as if they were toys - a sure sign of intelligence. Others could pick up complicated skills like opening jars. Perhaps the most striking thing about octopuses is their ability to change their colour and body pattern. They do this to camouflage themselves and also to communicate with others. They can completely change their appearance in less than a second - a striped octopus can suddenly become spotted. It can change its skin to look like rocks, sand or plankton. A scientist once observed an octopus that changed its appearance nearly 1 ,000 times during seven hours of feeding! It can change its appearance to look like a dangerous predator - and can even copy its style of swimming. 1672

Passage B(2 points each,10 points in total) Read the article,choose the correct answer and write your answer on the answer sheet. CLOSING THE GENDER GAP IN OUR SCHOOLS Education is an issue which concerns many people in the UK as well as round the world. In England,Wales and Northern Ireland pupils sit GCSE (General Certificate in Secondary Education)exams followed two years later by A (Advanced)levels.Pupils in Scotland follow a different system,finishing their time at school with the Higher Leaving Certificate. One particular worry-why are boys doing so badly?Vote and tell us what you think. Some twenty years ago,the performance of girls and boys in class was compared.Boys scored better in exams,so various measures were introduced to improve the performance of girls,including having single sex girl-only classes.Now,the situation is reversed,with girls consistently out-performing boys. So,what has gone wrong with boys,and what can be done about it?John Dunsford, leader of the association of head teachers of secondary schools in Britain,says that the academic failure of boys is a problem which has its roots in society rather than the classroom.Girls,more than boys,see education as a passport to a good job.On the other hand,according to Penny Lewis,a head teacher,young men lack confidence,which they hide with a show of bravado.They're uncertain about their place in society.This could be due to the fact that some boys grow up in families where there is no male role model to follow. Moreover,boys may learn in a different way to girls,preferring small amounts of work with immediate deadlines rather than large projects stretching into the distance.And education is not seen as 'cool'.As one secondary school teacher said,'Girls achieve more at school because they are watching the future while the boys are watching the girls.' This is not just a problem in Britain.In a study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and UNESCO,girls out-performed boys at reading at the age of 15 in all 45 countries,where the study was made.The UK ranks ninth out of the 45 countries for reading despite the fact that pupils in the UK spend less time reading than in most other countries.Only 3.5%of girls in the UK survey said they read for two hours a day or more and only 2.5%of boys said the same. 1674

Passage B(2 points each ,10 points in total) Read the article , choose the coπeet answer and write your answer on the answer sheet. CLOSING THE GENDER GAP IN OUR SCHOOLS Education is an issue which concerns many people in the UK as well as round the world. In England , Wales and Northern Ireland pupils sit GCSE (General Certificate in Secondary Education) exams followed two years later by A (Advanced) levels. Pupils in Scotland follow a different system, finishing their time at school with the Higher Leaving Certificate. One particular worry - why are boys doing so badly? Vote and tell us what you think. Some twenty years ago , the performance of girls and boys in class was compared. Boys scored better in exams, so various measures were introduced to improve the performance of girls, including having single sex girl-only classes. Now , the situation is reversed , with girls consistently out-performing boys. So , what has gone wrong with boys, and what can be done about it? John Dunsford , leader of the association of head teachers of secondary schools in Britain , says that the academic failure of boys is a problem which has its roots in society rather than the classroom. Girls, more than boys, see education as a passport to a good job. On the other hand , according to Penny Lewis, a head teacher, young men lack confidence , which they hide with a show of bravado. They' re uncertain about their place in society. This could be due to the fact that some boys grow up in families where there is no male role model to follow. Moreover, boys may learn in a different way to girls, preferring small amounts of work with immediate deadlines rather than large projects stretching into the distance. And education is not seen as ‘ cool' . As one secondary school teacher said , ‘Girls achieve more at school because they are watching the future while the boys are watching the girls. ' This is not just a problem in Britain. In a study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and UNESCO , girls out-performed boys at reading at the age of 15 in all 45 countries, where the study was made. The UK ranks ninth out of the 45 countries for reading despite the fact that pupils in the UK spend less time reading than in most other countries. Only 3. 5% of girls in the UK survey said they read for two hours a day or more and only 2. 5% of boys said the same. 1674

Read the article.Are the statements true (T)or false (F)?Write T or F at the corresponding place on the Answer Sheet. 21.Boys have always scored better in exams than girls. 22.Boys don't do well at school because of what happens in class. 23.Some boys are not sure of themselves because of their family situations. 24.Boys prefer to work on large projects. 25.Boys pay too much attention to girls to learn well at school. III.Cloze (2 points each,10 points in total) Choose the best answer for each blank from the four choices given and write your answer on the Answer Sheet. E.T.is one of the most popular family films ever made.It tells the story of the relationship between a little boy,Elliot,and E.T.,a loveable 26 with an ugly face and an 27 head who gets left behind on earth.Elliot teaches E.T.some English and his first words are 'E.T.phone home'.Elliot tries to help his new friend 28 with his home planet and together they build a machine to send a 29 into space.Someone 30 scientists and government officials to the fact that there is an alien living in L.A and Elliot and E.T.have a lot of adventures trying to avoid the authorities before E.T.finally goes home. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of E.T.,Universal Pictures,who own the copyright, released a longer version of the film with new computer-generated images and an improved soundtrack. 26.A.battery B.emoticon C.toolbar D.alien 27.A.exhausted B.enormous C.portable D.fashionable 28.A.communicate B.fix C.download D.manipulate 29.A.tone B.receiver C.program D.signal 30.A.attaches B.alerts C.recharges D.installs IV.Writing(30 points) 31.Write an essay giving arguments for and against the statement,'There is too much testing in our schools',and state your own opinion. Remember to Start with a statement that most people will agree with O Explain why the issue is controversial. Present the arguments in favour (for)the statement. Present the arguments against the statement End with a conclusion that pulls together both sides of the argument. 1675

Read the article. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)? Write T or F at the corresponding place on the Answer Sheet. 21. Boys have always scored better in exams than girls. 22. Boys don' t do well at school because of what happens in class. 23. Some boys are not sure of themselves because of their family situations. 24. Boys prefer to work on large projects. 25. Boys pay too much attention to girls to learn well at school. ill. Cloze (2 points each , 10 points in total) Choose the 臼t answer forωch blank from the four choic四given and write your answer on the Answer Sheet. E. T. is one of the most popular family films ever made. It tells the story of the relationship between a little boy , Elliot , and E. T. , a loveable 26 with an ugly face and an 27 head who gets left behind on earth. Elliot teaches E. T. some English and his first words are ‘ E. T. phone home'. Elliot tries to help his new friend 28 planet and together they build a machine to send a 29 into space. Someone scientists and government officials to the fact that there is an alien living in L. A and Elliot and E. T. have a lot of adventures trying to avoid the authorities before E. T. with his home 30 finally goes To celebrate the 20th anniversary of E. T. , Universal Pictures, who own the copyright , released a longer version of the film with new computer-generated images and an improved home. B. emoticon C. toolbar D. alien soundtrack. 26. A. battery 27. A. exhausted C. portable D. fashionable C. download B. enormous manipulate D. signal D. installs D. C. program C. recharges B. fix B. receiver 28. A. communicate 29. A. tone B. alerts N. Writing(30 points) 31. Write an essay giving arguments for and against the statement, •There is too much testing in our schωIs' , and state your own opinion. Remember to 30. A. attaches Start with a statement that most people will agree with. Explain why the issue is controversial. Present the arguments in favour (for) the statement. 1675 Present the arguments against the statement End with a conclusion that pulls together both sides of the argument• •••••