Why do you think some Chinese scholars prefer translating龙 into Loong to translating it into dragon？

In an article some Chinese scholars are described as being "tantalized by the mysterious dragon bone hieroglyphics." Tantalized is one of many English words that have their origins in myths and legends of the past (in this case, Greek and Roman ones). The meaning of the verb tantalize is a very particular one : "to promise or show something desirable to a person and then take it away; to tease by arousing hope." Many (but not all) English dictionaries give you a brief indication of a word's origins in brackets before or after the explanation of the meaning. For tantalize the following explanation is given: [＞Tantalus]. This means that you should look up the name Tantalus to find out the word's origins, and if you do, you will find out that in Greek mythology, Tantalus was a king who was punished in the lower world with eternal hunger and thirst; he was put up to his chin in water that always moved away when he tried to drink it and with fruit on branches above him placed just a little bit out of his reach. Can you see why his name was changed into a verb meaning "to tease or torment by arousing desire"?

Another example is the word siren, familiar to us as the mechanical device that makes such an alarming sound when police cars, ambulances, or fire engines approach. This word also has its origins in Greek mythology. The traveler Odysseus (Ulysses to the Romans) made his men plug their ears so that they wouldn't hear the dangerous voices of the sirens, creatures who were half bird and half woman and who lured sailors to their deaths on sharp rocks. So the word came to be associated both with a loud sound and with danger!

When someone speaks of a "jovial mood" or a "herculean effort," he or she is using words with origins in mythology. Look these words up to find their meaning and relationship to myths.

Many common words, such as the names for the days of the week and the months of the year, also come from mythology. Wednesday derives from the ancient Norse king of the gods, Woden, and Thursday was originally Thor's day, in honour of Thor, the god of thunder. As a matter of fact, all the planets, except the one we live on, bear names that come from Roman mythology, including the planet that is farthest away from the sun and for that reason was called after the Roman god of the dead. This god has also given his name to one of the chemical elements. Several other elements have names that come from mythology, too.

It seems that myths and legends live on in the English language.

The purpose of the first sentence in Paragraph One is ______ .

A．to describe the work of some Chinese scholars

B．to arouse readers' interest in hieroglyphics

C．to lead readers onto the main theme

D．to link the preceding part to the present one

Archaeological discoveries have led some scholars to believe that the first Mesopotamian inventors of writing may have been a people the later Babylonians called Subarians. According to tradition, they came from the north and moved into Uruk in the south. By about 3100B.C, They Were apparently subjugated in southern Mesopotamia by the Sumerians, whose name became (5) synonymous with the region immediately north of the Persian Gulf, in the fertile lower valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. Here the Sumerians were already well established by the year 3000B.C. They had invented bronze, an alloy that could be cast in molds, out of which they made tools and weapons. They lived in cities, and they had begun to acquire and use capital. Perhaps most important, the Sumerians adapted writing (probably from the Subarians) into a flexible tool of (10) communication. Archacologists have known about the Sumerians for over 150 years. Archacologists working at Nineveh in northern Mesopotamia in the mid-nineteenth century found many inscribed clay tablets. Some they could decipher because the language was a Semitic one (Akkadian), on which scholars had already been working for a generation. But other tablets were inscribed in another language (15) that was not Semitic and previously unknown. Because these inscriptions mad reference to the king of Summer and Akkad, a scholar suggested that the mew language be called Sumerian. But it was not until the 1890s that archaeologists excavating in city-states well to the south of Nieveh found many thousands of tablets inscribed in Sumerian only. Because the Akkadians thought of Sumerian as a classical language (as ancient Greek and Latin are considered today), (20) they taught it to educated persons and they inscribed vocabulary, translation exercised, and other study aids on tablets. Working from known Akkadian to previously unknown Sumerian, scholars since the 1890s have learned how to read the Sumerian language moderately well. Vast quantities of tablets in Sumerian have been unearthed during the intervening years from numerous sites.121． According to the passage, the inventors of written language in Mesopotamia were probably the

The word "subjugated" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

A．distinguished

B．segregated

C．Concentrated

D．conquered

Archaeological discoveries have led some scholars to believe that the first Mesopotamian

inventors of writing may have been a people the later Babylonians called Subarians. According to

tradition, they came from the north and moved into Uruk in the south. By about 3100B.C, They

Were apparently subjugated in southern Mesopotamia by the Sumerians, whose name became

(5) synonymous with the region immediately north of the Persian Gulf, in the fertile lower valleys of

the Tigris and Euphrates. Here the Sumerians were already well established by the year 3000B.C.

They had invented bronze, an alloy that could be cast in molds, out of which they made tools and

weapons. They lived in cities, and they had begun to acquire and use capital. Perhaps most

important, the Sumerians adapted writing (probably from the Subarians) into a flexible tool of

(10) communication.

Archacologists have known about the Sumerians for over 150 years. Archacologists working at

Nineveh in northern Mesopotamia in the mid-nineteenth century found many inscribed clay tablets.

Some they could decipher because the language was a Semitic one (Akkadian), on which scholars

had already been working for a generation. But other tablets were inscribed in another language

(15) that was not Semitic and previously unknown. Because these inscriptions mad reference to the

king of Summer and Akkad, a scholar suggested that the mew language be called Sumerian.

But it was not until the 1890's that archaeologists excavating in city-states well to the south of

Nieveh found many thousands of tablets inscribed in Sumerian only. Because the Akkadians

thought of Sumerian as a classical language (as ancient Greek and Latin are considered today),

(20) they taught it to educated persons and they inscribed vocabulary, translation exercised, and other

study aids on tablets. Working from known Akkadian to previously unknown Sumerian, scholars

since the 1890's have learned how to read the Sumerian language moderately well. Vast quantities

of tablets in Sumerian have been unearthed during the intervening years from numerous sites.

According to the passage, the inventors of written language in Mesopotamia were probably the

A．Babylonians

B．Subarians

C．Akkadians

D．Sumerians

SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE

Directions: Translate the following text into Chinese.

Scientific methodology is based on generating hypotheses and testing them to see if they make sense; in laboratories throughout the world, researchers spend at least as much time trying to disprove a theory as they do trying to prove it. Eventually, those ideas that don't prove false are accepted. But fingerprinting was developed by the police, not by scientists, and it has never been subjected to rigorous analysis—you cannot go to Harvard, Berkeley, or Oxford and talk to the scholar working on fingerprint research. Yet by the early twentieth century, fingerprinting had become so widely accepted in American courts that further research no longer seemed necessary, and none of any significance has been completed.

The discussion of fingerprinting is only the most visible element in a much larger debate about how forensic science fits into the legal system. For years, any sophisticated attorney was certain to call upon expert witnesses to assert whatever might help his case. And studies have shown that juries are in fact susceptible to the influence of such experts. Until recently, though, there were no guidelines for qualification; nearly anybody could be called an expert, which meant that, unlike other witnesses, the expert could present his "opinion" almost as if it were fact.

Scholars often seem to operate on the assumption that any analysis with a rosy outlook simply does not adequately understand the matter at hand. Ecotourism researchers have not been derelict in this regard, as the literature review earlier showed. All the researchers who have looked at Capirona's project, however, have been impressed by its grassroots nature and are optimistic about its potential as eco-development (Colvin 1994; Wesche 1993; Silver 1992).

All of these researchers, however, visited the community in its early years of operation. As mentioned previously, recent, non-scholarly reports are less positive. Thus there remains some doubt as to the long-term viability of even such a model of indigenous ecotourism development as Capirona. This study originally proposed to study Capimna's project, but that community was weary of such research visits and refused a request to carry out the study there. Palo Blanco, though completing only its first year of ecotourism developmemt was chosen as an alternate site. Perhaps it should not be surprising that the prospects for ecotourism in Rio Blanco appear, as they did in Capirona quite bright.

Ecotourism development efforts differ from mainstream development efforts in that, aside from start-up loans, much or all of the continuing financial support comes from tourists rather than from governments or development agencies. As a result, the two main players many ecotourism endeavor—the hosts and the guests—are driven by differing motivations. The local population hopes to improve its own lot by taking advantage of the curiosity, disposable income, and in some cases, perhaps, good intentions of ecotourists. The tourists want to "explore the natural wonders of the world," whether that be a wildebeest migration across the Serengeti or the march of leaf-cutter ants across the jungle floor (Ryan and Grasse 1991: 166).

In contrast to mass tourism, ecotourism permits tourists to seek educational self-fulfillment in the form. of travel, and tries to transform. that activity into something that benefits the greater good—specifically, to fund environmental preservation, rural development, and even cultural survival. However, in order to satisfy everyone—tourists, environmentalists, tour operators and the local hosts—ecotourism must bring into aliganment a variety of contradictory purposes. Ecotourism promotes feelings among tourists that they are part of the solution when, in fact, the very act of flying a thousand miles or more to their destination consumes resources and pollutes the enviroment (cf. Somerville 1994). The beauty of ecotourism is that it can exploit this egotistic motivation; the flaw is that it is forever limited by it.

Even a brief foray into development literature, however, shows that flawed conceptualizations are the rule, not the exception. As development, ecotourism may be no more inchoate than any other approach, and in some ways it is as progressive as any theory. For example, ecotourism twin development goals—conserving the environment and benefiting local peoples—are increasingly seen, both within and outside of tourism circles, as interdependent. Without economic development, many argue that environmental conservation is neither ethical nor sustainable (Boo 1990: 1; West and Brechin 1992: 14; Brandon and Wells 1992). Such conservation can be achieved only by providing local people with alternative income sources which do not threaten to deplete the plants and amamis within the protected zone (Brandon and Wells 1992: 557). Most research on this issue, however, assumes that the protective regulations have been established by the government or another external ageacy. In Rio Blanco, however, the people themselves are already acting to protect their land.

According to the author, scholars

A．see life through rose-colored glasses.

B．should never give favorable reports.

C．are expected to give only favorable response following their research and analysis.

D．seem to believe a favorable result to research missed the point.

Some scholars have come ______ a new solution to the problem of population control.

A．up

B．up with

C．down

D．down with

1. The scholars met once a year to exchange experiences. 2. Foreign ships are not allowed to fish in our territorial water. 3. I went to the doctor for an advice about my health. 4. The letter contained an important information. 5. In the afternoon I did some baby-sittings, for it is a fun looking after children. 6. The congregation was not numerous that night, but they seemed to be listening attentively to my lecture. 7. Poultries are dear in the city. 8. The board of director is shaking heads at the chairman’s speech. 9. The militias were called out to guard the borderland. 10. Such brilliant authors are really genii of our times. 11. The merchandises have arrived undamaged. 12. On hearing the death of my professor, I sent my sympathy. 13. He is relating to the children his experience as explorer. 14. The Middle Ages was a time of feudal rivalries. 15. The clipping of the hedges was usually burnt. 16. There were some looker-ons by the roadside, but they didn’t inform the police of the accident. 17. I like to stay long in the park. The green foliages are really restful. 18. In the garden she took a lot of photography. 19. We will have to finish a 12-pages assignment in a week. 20. Luggages are not allowed to be left here.

Some scholars have commented on the "devastating" effects that the emphasis on English learning has had on the Chinese education system, and called for more in-depth focus on the studying of Chinese-related subjects. What is your opinion? Write a composition of about 200 words on the following topic: Which Is More Important, Chinese Education or English Learning?

The aim of education or culture is merely the development of good taste in knowledge and good form. in conduct. The cultured man or the ideal educated man is not necessarily one who is well-read or learned, but one who likes and dislikes the right things. To know what to love and what to hate is to have taste in knowledge. 1. I have met such persons, and found that there was no topic that might come up in the course of the conversation concerning which they did not have some facts or figures to produce, but whose points of view were appalling. Such persons have erudition (the quality of being knowledgeable), but no discernment; or taste. Erudition is a mere matter of stuffing facts or information, while taste or discernment is a matter of artistic judgment. 2. In speaking of a scholar, the Chinese generally distinguish between a man's scholarship, conduct, and taste or discernment. This is particularly so with regard to historians; a book of history may be written with the most thorough scholarship, yet be totally lacking in insight or discernment, and in the judgment or interpretation of persons and events in history, the author may show no originality or depth of understanding. Such a person, we say, has no taste in knowledge. To be well-informed, or to accumulate facts and details, is the easiest of all things. 3. There are many facts in a given historical period that can be easily stuffed into our mind, but discernment in the selection of significant facts is a vastly more difficult thing and depends upon one's point of view.

An educated man, therefore, is one who has the right loves and hatreds. This we call taste, and with taste comes charm. 4. Now to have taste or discernment requires a capacity for thinking things through to the bottom, an independence of judgment, and an unwillingness to be knocked down by any form. of fraud, social, political, literary, artistic, or academic. There is no doubt that we are surrounded in our adult life with a wealth of frauds: fame frauds, wealth frauds, patriotic frauds, political frauds, religious frauds and fraud poets, fraud artists, fraud dictators and frauds psychologists. When a psychoanalyst tells us that the performing of the functions of the bowels during childhood has a definite connection or that constipation leads to stinginess of character, all that a man with taste can do is to feel amused. 5. When a man is wrong, he is wrong, and there is no need for one to be impressed and overawed by a great name or by the number of books that he has read and we haven't.