1、General English Admission Test For Non-English MajorPh.D. program(Harbin Institute of Technology)Passage OneQuestions 1-7 are based on the following passage:According to a recent theory, Archean-age gold-quartz vein systems were formed over two billion years ago from magmatic fluids that originated
2、from molten granitelike bodies deep beneath the surface of the Earth. This theory is contrary to the widely held view that the systems were deposited from metamorphic fluids, that is, from fluids that formed during the dehydration of wet sedimentary rocks. The recently developed theory has considera
3、ble practical importance. Most of the gold deposits discovered during the original gold rushes were exposed at the Earths surface and were found because they had shed trails of alluvial gold that were easily traced by simple prospecting methods. Although these same methods still leas to an occasiona
4、l discovery, most deposits not yet discovered have gone undetected because they are buried and have no surface expression.The challenge in exploration is therefore to unravel the subsurface geology of an area and pinpoint the position of buried minerals. Methods widely used today include analysis of
5、 aerial images that yield a broad geological overview, geophysical techniques that provide data on the magnetic, electrical, and mineralogical properties of the rocks being investigated, and sensitive chemical tests that are able to detect : the subtle chemical halos that often envelop mineralizatio
6、n. However, none of these high-technology methods are of any value if the sites to which they are applied have never mineralized, and to maximize the chances of discovery the explorer must therefore pay particular attention to selecting the ground formations most likely to be mineralized. Such groun
7、d selection relies to varying degrees on conceptual models, which take into account theoretical studies of relevant factors.These models are constructed primarily from empirical observations of known mineral deposits and from theories of ore-forming processes. The explorer uses the models to identif
8、y those geological features that are critical to the formation of the mineralization being modeled, and then tries to select areas for exploration that exhibit as many of the critical features as possible.1. The author is primarily concerned with .A. advocating a return to an older methodology.B. ex
9、plaining the importance of a recent theory.C. enumerating differences between two widely used methodsD. describing events leading to a discovery2. According to passage, the widely held view of Archean-age gold-quartz vein systems is that such systems A were formed from metamorphic fluids.B originate
10、d in molten granitelike bodiesC were formed from alluvial depositsD generally have surface expression3. The passage implies that which of the following steps would be the first performed by explorers who wish to maximize their chances of discovering gold?A Surveying several sites known to have been
11、formed more than two billion years ago.B Limiting exploration to sites known to have been formed form metamorphic fluid.C Using an appropriate conceptual model to select a site for further exploration.D Using geophysical methods to analyze rocks over a broad area.4. Which of the following statements
12、 about discoveries of gold deposits is supported by information in the passage?A The number of gold discover made annually has increased between the time of the original gold rushes and the present B New discoveries of gold deposits are likely to be the result of exploration techniques designed to l
13、ocate buried mineralizationC It is unlikely that newly discovered gold deposits will ever yield as much as did those deposits discovered during the original gold rushes.D Modern explorers are divided on the question of the utility of simple prospecting methods as a source of new discoveries of gold
14、deposits.5. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is easiest to detect?A A gold-quartz vein system originating in magma tic fluids.B A gold-quartz vein system originating in metamorphic fluids.C A gold deposit that is mixed with granite.D A gold deposit that has shed alluvi
15、al gold.6. The theory mentioned in line I relates to the conceptual models discussed in the passage in which of the following ways?A It may furnish a valid account of ore-forming processes, and hence, can support conceptual models that have great practical significance.B It suggests that certain geo
16、logical formations, long believed to be mineralized, are in fact mineralized thus confirming current conceptual models.C. It suggests that there may not be enough similarity across Archean-age gold-quartz vein systems to warrant the formulation of conceptual models.D It corrects existing theories ab
17、out the chemical halos of gold deposits, and thus provides a basis for correcting current conceptual models.7. According to the passage methods of exploring for gold that are widely used today are based on which of the following facts?A Most of the Earths remaining gold deposits are still molten.B M
18、ost of the Earths remaining gold deposits are exposed at the surface.C Most of the Earths remaining gold deposits are buried and have no surface expressionD Only one type of gold deposit warrants exploration. since the other types of gold deposits are found in regions difficult to reachPassage TwoQu
19、estions 8-15 are based on the following passage:In choosing a method for determining climatic conditions that existed in the past, paleoclimatologists invoke four principal criteria. First, the materialrocks, lakes, vegetation, etc.on which the method relies must be widespread enough to provide plen
20、ty of information, since analysis of material that is rarely encountered will not permit correlation with other regions or with other periods of geological history. Second in the process of formation, the material must have received an environmental signal that reflects a change in climate and that
21、can be deciphered by modern physical or chemical means. Third, at least some of the material must have retained the signal unaffected by subsequent changes in the environment. Fourth, it must be possible to determine the time at which the inferred climatic conditions held. This last criterion is mor
22、e easily met in dating marine sediments, because dating of only a small number of layers in a marine sequence allows the age of other layers to be estimated fairly reliably by extrapolation and interpolation. By contrast, because sedimentation is much less continuous in continental regions, estimati
23、ng the age of a continental bed from the known ages of beds above and below is more risky.One very old method used in the investigation of past climatic conditions involves the measurement of water levels in ancient lakes. In temperate regions, there are enough lakes for correlations between them to
24、 give us a tenable picture. In arid and semiarid regions, on the other hand, the small number of lakes and the great distances between them reduce the possibilities for correlation. Moreover, since lake levels are controlled by rates of evaporation as well as by precipitation, the interpretation of
25、such levels is ambiguous. For instance, the fact that lake levels in the semiarid southwestern United States appear to have been higher during the last ice age than they are now was at one time attributed to increased precipitation. On the basis of snowline elevations, however, it has been concluded
26、 that the climate then was not necessarily wetter than it is now, but rather that both summers and winters were cooler, resulting in reduced evaporationAnother problematic method is to reconstruct former climates on the basis of pollen profiles. The type of vegetation in a specific region is determi
27、ned by identifying and counting the various pollen grains found there. Although the relationship between vegetation and climate is not as direct as the relationship between climate and lake levels, the method often works well in the temperate zones. In arid and semiarid regions in which there is not
28、 much vegetation, however, small changes in one or a few plant types can change the picture traumatically, making accurate correlations between neighboring areas difficult to obtain.8. Which of the following statements about the difference between marine and continental sedimentation is supported by
29、 information in the passage?A. Data provided by dating marine sedimentation is more consistent with researchers findings in other disciplines than is data provided by dating continental sedimentation.B. It is easier to estimate the age of a layer in a sequence of continental sedimentation than it is
30、 to estimate the age of a layer in a sequence of marine sedimentation.C. Marine sedimentation is much less widespread than continental sedimentationD. Marine sedimentation is much more continuous than is continental sedimentation.9. Which of the following statements best describes the organization o
31、f the passage as a whole?A. The author describes a method for determining past climatic conditions and then offers specific examples of situations in which it has been used.B. The author discusses the method of dating marine and continental sequences and then explains how dating is more difficult wi
32、th lake levels than with pollen profiles.C. The author describes the common requirements of methods for determining past climatic conditions and then discusses examples of such methods.D. The author describes various ways of choosing a material for determining past climatic conditions and then discu
33、sses how two such methods have yielded contradictory data.10. It can be inferred from the passage that paleoclimatologists have concluded which of the following on the basis of their study of snow-line elevations in the southwest6ern United States?A. There is usually more precipitation during an ice
34、 age because of increased amounts of evaporationB. There was less precipitation during the last ice age than there is today.C. Lake levels in the semiarid southwestern United States were lower during the last ice age than they are today.D. The high lake levels during the last ice age may have been a
35、 result of less evapo9ration rather than more precipitation.11. Which of the following would be the most likely topic for a paragraph that logically continues the passage?A. The kinds of plants normally found in arid regions.B. The effect of variation in lake levels on pollen distribution.C. The mat
36、erial best suited to preserving signal of climatic changes.D. A third method fro investigating past climatic conditions.12. the author discusses lake levels in the southwestern United States in order to A. illustrate the mechanics of the relationship between lake level, evaporation, and precipitatio
37、nB. provide an example of the uncertainty involved in interpreting lake levels.C. Prove that there are not enough ancient lakes with which to make accurate correlationsD. Explain the effects of increased rates of evaporation on levels of precipitation.13. It can be inferred from the passage that an
38、environmental signal found in geological material would no be useful to paleoclimatologists if it .A. had to be interpreted by modern chemical meansB. reflected a change in climate rather than a long-term climatic conditionC. was incorporated into a material as the material was formingD. also reflec
39、ted subsequent environmental changes.14. According to the passage the material used to determine past climatic conditions must be widespread for which of the following reasons? .Paleoclimatologists need to make comparisons between periods of geological history. Paleoclimatologists need to compare ma
40、terials that have supported a wide variety of vegetation. Paleoclimatologists need to make comparisons with data collected in other regions.A. I only B. onlyC. I and onlyD. I and only15. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the study of past climates in arid and semiarid reg
41、ions?A. It is sometimes more difficult to determine past climatic conditions in arid and semiarid regions than in temperate regionsB. Although in the past more research has been done on temperate regions, paleoclimatologists have recently turned their attention to arid and semiarid regions.C. Althou
42、gh more information about past climates can be gathered in arid and semiarid than in temperate regions, dating this information is more difficult.D. It is difficult to study the climatic history of arid and semiarid regions because their climates have tended to vary more than those of temperate regi
43、ons.Passage ThreeQuestions 16-22 are based on the following passage:While there is no blueprint for transforming a largely government-controlled economy into a free one, the experience of the United Kingdom since 1979 clearly shows one approach that works: privatization, in which state-owned industr
44、ies are sold to private companies. By 1979, the total borrowings and losses of state-owned industries were running at about 3 billion a year. By selling many of these industries, the government has decreased these borrowings and losses, gained over 34 billion from the sales, and now receives tax rev
45、enues from the newly privatized companies. Along with a dramatically improved overall economy, the government has been able to repay 12.5 percent of the net national debt over a two-year period.In fact privatization has not only rescued individual industries and a whole economy headed for disaster,
46、but has also raised the level of performance in every area. At British Airways and British Gas, for example, productivity per employee has risen by 20 percent. At associated British Ports. labor disruptions common in the 1970s and early 1980s have now virtually disappeared. At British Telecom, there
47、 is no longer a waiting listas there always was before privatizationto have a telephone installed.Part of this improved productivity has come about because the employees of privatized industries were given the opportunity to buy shares in their own companies. They responded enthusiastically to the o
48、ffer of shares; at British Aerospace 89 percent of the eligible work force bought shares; at Associated British Ports 90 percent; and at British Telecom 92 percent. When people have a personal stake in something, they think about it, care about it, work to make it prosper. At the National Freight Co
49、nsortium, the new employee-owners grew so concerned about their companys profits that during wage negotiations they actually pressed their union to lower its wage demands. Some economists have suggested that giving away free shares would provide a needed acceleration of the privatization process. Yet they miss Thomas Paines point that “what we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly” In order for the far-ranging benefits of individual ownership to be achieved by owners, companies, and countries, employees and other individuals must make their own decision
