Essentials of the 2010 Professional English Test – Science and Engineering Level B, Part 4

This post was last edited by zfy_80522 on 2009-11-19 at 13:29. Essentials of the 2010 Professional English Test – Level B for Science and Engineering, Part 4(2): 4. You should have blended the butter with the sugar thoroughly. A. spread B. mixed C. beaten D. covered. Correct answer: (b) blend. n. a mixture; v. to mix or combine. mix v. to blend or prepare by mixing； Interaction, getting along n. mixture ； Confused 5. The Industrial Revolution modified the entire structure of English society. A. destroyed B. broke C. smashed D. changed. Correct answer: (d) modified – to alter or change; changed – to make alterations. 6. Tickets are limited and will be allocated to those who apply first. A. posted B. sent C. given D. handed. Correct answer: (c) allocated – to distribute; given – to provide something to someone. Specific, fixed – particular or definite. (To be continued)

This post was last edited by zfy_80522 on 2009-11-20 at 12:31. Essentials of the 2010 Professional English Test – Level B for Science and Engineering, Part 4(3): 7. The change in that village was miraculous. A. conservative B. amazing C. insignificant D. unforgettable. Correct answer: B. miraculous: miraculous, incredible； amazing: adj. astonishing. 8. Customers often defer payment for as long as possible. A. make B. demand C. postpone D. obtain. Correct answer: C. Defer: v. to put off or delay; Postpone: v. to delay something. 9. Canada will prohibit smoking in all offices later this year. A. ban B. remove C. eliminate D. expel. Correct answer: A. Prohibit: v. to forbid or prevent something ； Prevent ban:v. Prohibit, banish ； (from) Prohibition n. Ban, prohibition order

This post was last edited by zfy_80522 on 2009-11-20 at 12:44. Key Points for the 2010 Professional English Test – Level B for Science and Engineering, Part 4(4): 10. She read a poem which depicts the splendor of the sunset. A. declares B. asserts C. describes D. announces. Correct answer: C. depicts: v. to portray or describe； Describe, depict; describes: v. to portray, to describe ； Describe, put … in terms of 11. From my standpoint, this thing is just ridiculous. A　field B　point of view C　knowledge D　information. Correct answer: b. Standpoint n.: position, viewpoint; Point of view n.: opinion. 12. The latest census is encouraging. A　statement B　assessment C　evaluation D　count. Correct answer: d. Census: n. population census/survey; Count: v. to calculate ； Count to, the number n. Counting, calculation, total amount – to be continued. . .

I didn’t expect professional English to be like this.

2010 Professional English – Science and Engineering Level B: Key Points Summary 4(5) 13. The curious looks from the strangers around her made her feel uneasy. A. different B. proud C. uncomfortable D. unconscious. Correct answer: C. uneasy: a. feeling anxious or worried; uncomfortable: a. feeling uneasy or not at ease. 14. After reading the job advertisement, he wondered whether he was eligible to apply for it. A. able B. fortunate C. qualified D. competent. Correct answer: C. eligible: a. meeting the requirements or being suitable； Qualified: a. Eligible ； Conditional and limited 15. He was elevated to the post of prime minister. A pulled B promoted C lifted D treated Correct answer: b. Elevate: v. to raise or lift something. Promote: v. to encourage or advance something ； Promote, advance ； Enhance, foster

The last edit to this post was made by zfy_80522 on 2009-11-25 at 21:49. Key Points of the 2010 Professional English Test – Science and Engineering Level B, Part 4 (6-7-8): II. Matching Questions (Summarizing Main Ideas and Completing Sentences; 1 point per question, total 8 points)
1. Ford’s great strength was the manufacturing process—not invention. Long before he started a car company, he was a worker known for taking pieces of metal and wire and turning them into machines. He began assembling cars in 1891. Although it wasn’t the first popular automobile, the Model T demonstrated just how creative Ford was at combining technology and the market.
2. The company’s assembly line alone pushed America’s Industrial Revolution into high gear. Instead of having workers assemble the entire car, Ford’s friends, who were skilled toolmakers from Scotland, organized teams that added parts to each Model T as it moved along the production line. By 1914, when Ford’s Highland Park factory was in full operation, the world’s first automatic conveyor belt could produce one car every 93 minutes.
3. In the same year, Henry Ford shocked the world by introducing a minimum wage of $5 per day—a contribution that was greater than anything he had done before. At that time, the average wage in the automotive industry was $2.34 for a 9-hour shift. Ford not only doubled that wage but also reduced the working day by one hour. It was unthinkable back then that someone could earn such a high salary for a job that required little training or education. The Wall Street Journal called this plan “an economic crime,” and critics everywhere mocked Ford.
4. But as the wage increased to $10 per day, it turned out to be a crucial element of Ford’s goal of making cars accessible to more people. The critics failed to understand that since Ford had reduced the cost per car, higher wages weren’t a problem—as long as they allowed more people to afford cars.
Paragraph 1: 1
Paragraph 2: 2
Paragraph 3: 3
Paragraph 4: 4
Options:
A. Ford’s followers
B. The assembly line
C. Ford’s great dream
D. The establishment of the company
E. Ford’s biggest contribution
F. Ford’s great talent
Correct answers: F, B, E, C

5. The assembly line made it possible to ______.
6. Ford was the first to adopt ______.
7. Higher wages enabled many people to ______.
8. Ford’s strategy of higher wages and lower costs was strongly ______.
A. criticized by the media
B. the low wage in the automotive industry
C. own a car
D. produce cars in large numbers
E. the 8-hour-shift practice
F. combined technology and market
Correct answers: D, E, C, A

Essentials of the Professional English Test for 2010 – Level B for Science and Engineering, Part 4 (9-12): III. Case Analysis Questions (Reading Comprehension – 1 point per question, 7 points in total)； Complete the passage (2 points per question, 10 points in total); Reading comprehension (3 points per question, 45 points in total) ； Cloze Test (1 point per question, 15 points in total)
TV Game Shows
One of the most fascinating things about television is the size of its audience. A novel can make it onto the “best seller” lists even if fewer than 100,000 copies are sold, while a popular TV show can attract 70 million viewers. Television can make anything or anyone famous overnight. This is the principle behind “quiz” and “game” shows, which feature ordinary people on TV playing games for prizes and money. A quiz show can turn anyone into a star, and thousands of dollars are often given as prizes in the United States; almost everyone watches such shows. Charles Van Doren, an English instructor, became rich and famous after winning money on several of these shows. He even had a career as a television personality. But one of the contestants proved that Charles Van Doren was cheating. It turned out that the show’s producers gave him the answers in advance. Why? Because if the audience didn’t like the person who won, they would stop watching the show. This act of cheating led to a huge scandal. Forty years later, a movie titled “Quiz Show” was made based on his story. Charles Van Doren is no longer involved in television shows. But game shows still exist, although they are not taken as seriously anymore. In fact, some of them try to be as ridiculous as possible. There are shows that send strangers on vacation trips together, or that try to get newly married couples to argue on TV, or that punish losers by humiliating them. The entertainment value now lies in seeing what people will do just to appear on TV. People still win money, but the real prize is to be in front of millions of viewers.

1. Television can make a beggar world-famous overnight.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
2. The principle behind “quiz” and “game” shows is to put ordinary people on TV to play games for prizes and money.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
3. Prizes and money are usually provided by TV stars and large companies for winners.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
4. Charles Van Doren was proved to be cheating because he convinced the show’s producers to give him the answers in advance.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
5. The scandal related to cheating in TV game shows was revealed only 40 years later in the movie “Quiz Show”.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
Standard answers: A, B, C, B, B

6. Nowadays game shows are not taken as seriously as they used to be.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
7. Winners of today’s TV game shows no longer receive any money from the shows.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
Standard answers: A, B

2010 Professional English – Science and Engineering Level B: Key Points Summary 4 (13-16) Electric Backpacks
Backpacks are convenient. They can hold your books, your lunch, and a change of clothes, leaving your hands free to do other things. Someday, if you don’t mind carrying a heavy load, your backpacks might also power your MP3 player, keep your cell phone running, and maybe even light your way home. Lawrence C. Rome and his colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole have invented a backpack that generates electricity from the energy produced while its wearer walks. In military operations, search-and-rescue missions, and scientific field studies, people rely increasingly on cell phones, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, night-vision goggles, and other battery-powered devices to get around and carry out their tasks. The electricity-generating feature of this backpack could significantly reduce the amount of weight that must be carried just to provide spare batteries, according to Rome and his colleagues in the September 9 issue of Science. The backpack’s ability to generate electricity relies on springs used to suspend the bag from its metal frame. This frame is placed against the wearer’s back, and as the person walks, the entire bag moves up and down. A gear mechanism converts these vertical movements into rotational motion, thereby generating up to 7.4 watts of electricity. Unexpectedly, tests showed that users of this new backpack adjust their walking pattern to accommodate the bag’s oscillations, allowing them to carry the load more comfortably and with less effort compared to using ordinary backpacks. Due to this advantage, Rome plans to bring both electric and non-electric versions of this backpack to market. It could be particularly useful for soldiers, scientists, mountain climbers, and emergency responders who often carry heavy loads. For the rest of us, such backpacks could enable us to walk, play video games, watch TV, and listen to music all at the same time. Electricity-generating backpacks aren’t available on the market yet, but if you do manage to get one someday, be sure to look both ways before crossing the street!

Vocabulary:
backpack/n. backpack
watt/n. watt
receiver/n. receiver
gait/n. gait, walking style
night-vision goggles/n. night vision goggles
oscillation/n. oscillation
spring/n. spring
commercialize/v. to make something available for commercial use
vertical/adj. vertical
mountaineer/n. mountain climber
rotary/adj. rotational

Questions:
1. Backpacks are convenient because
A. they can be very large.
B. they can hold as many things as you want to carry.
C. your hands are freed to do other things.
D. you don’t have to carry things with you.

2. What is the most important feature of the backpack invented by Lawrence C. Rome and his colleagues?
A. It produces electricity for electronic devices while the wearer walks.
B. It can be used as cell phones or GPS devices in military operations or field studies.
C. It is small and convenient.
D. It is light and easy to carry.

3. The word “springs” in Paragraph 3 means
A. a small stream of water flowing naturally from the earth.
B. the season of the year that occurs between winter and summer.
C. the act of jumping or leaping.
D. a length of metal that returns to its original shape after being compressed.

4. According to Paragraph 4, what does Rome plan to do?
A. To make the backpack more comfortable for the wearer.
B. To put the backpack on the market.
C. To test the advantages of the backpack.
D. To promote the backpack through newspapers or television.

5. What is implied in “If you do get one eventually, just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street!”?
A. You will be too excited to pay attention to the traffic.
B. Using electronic devices while walking may lead to traffic accidents.
C. It’s impossible for you to get such a backpack.
D. It’s wise of you to have such a backpack.

Standard answers: C, A, D, B, B

This post was last edited by zfy_80522 on 2009-11-28 at 20:30. Key Points of the 2010 Professional English Test – Science and Engineering Level B, Part 4 (Questions 17–20): Flying the Hypersonic Skies. A small airplane has given a new meaning to the term “going hyper.” The Hyper-X2 recently broke the record for air-breathing jet planes by traveling at a hypersonic speed of seven times the speed of sound, which is approximately 5,000 miles per hour. At such a speed, it would be possible to circle the world along the equator in less than 5 hours. The Hyper-X is an unmanned, experimental aircraft that is only 12 feet long. It achieves hypersonic speeds using a special type of engine called a scramjet. It might sound like something out of a comic book, but engineers have been experimenting with scramjets since the 1960s. For an engine to burn fuel and produce energy, it needs oxygen. Jet engines, like those in commercial airplanes, obtain oxygen from the air. Rocket engines typically reach higher speeds but must carry their own supply of oxygen. A scramjet engine can reach speeds as high as those of a rocket, but it doesn’t need to carry its own oxygen supply. Its special design allows it to extract oxygen from the air flowing through the engine, without allowing the fast-moving air to extinguish the combustion flames. However, a scramjet engine can function properly only at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound. A booster rocket was used to lift the Hyper-X to an altitude of about 100,000 feet for its test flight. The aircraft’s record-breaking flight lasted only 11 seconds. Although this short flight lasted only 11 seconds, it represents an important milestone on the path toward developing new types of very fast airplanes, according to Werner J.A. Dahm of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In the future, engineers predict that airplanes equipped with scramjet engines will be able to transport goods quickly and cheaply to near-space levels. Such hypersonic jets could potentially carry passengers anywhere in the world in just a few hours. Of the three experimental Hyper-X aircraft built for NASA, only one remains. NASA plans to conduct another 11-second hypersonic flight, this time at 10 times the speed of sound. Vocabulary: hypersonic/ˌhaɪpərˈsɒnɪk/ adj. Supersonic; booster/ˈbuːstər/ n. Booster; equator/ɪˈkwiːtər/ n. Equator; milestone/ˈmaɪlsteən/ n. Milestone; unmanned/ʌnˈmænd/ adj. Unmanned. Questions: 1. The Hyper-X broke the record because A. it was the first air-breathing jet plane. B. it flew along the equator. C. it flew at speeds smaller than five times the speed of sound. D. it traveled at a supersonic speed. 2. What kind of engine did the Hyper-X use? A. A jet engine that gets oxygen from the air. B. A scramjet engine that doesn’t carry its own oxygen supply. C. A rocket engine that carries its own supply of oxygen. D. A jet engine that uses no oxygen. 3. What is NOT true about the scramjet engine? A. It goes slower than a rocket. B. It extracts oxygen from the air that flows through the engine. C. It works only at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound. D. It doesn’t carry its own oxygen supply. 4. What did Werner J.A. Dahm of the University of Michigan say about the Hyper-X test flight? A. It indicated the birth of a very fast airplane. B. It was self-powered, so it lasted only 11 seconds. C. It can transport goods quickly and cheaply to near-space levels. D. It is a major milestone in the development of new types of very fast airplanes. 5. What has NASA planned to do? A. To conduct another 11-second hypersonic flight at 10 times the speed of sound. B. To carry out three more Hyper-X experiments. C. To retest the remaining aircraft. D. To make the aircraft fly higher and for longer periods of time. Correct answers: C, B, A, D, A