全国2004年10月高等教育自学考试语言与文化试题
课程代码：00838
Ⅰ. Each of the following incomplete statements if followed by four alternatives. Read each statement and the four alternatives carefully and decide which of the four alternatives best completes the statement.(20%)
1.The expression “physically handicapped” is the euphemistic equivalent of “（　　　）”.
A. ugly        
B. skinny
C. deaf        
D. crippled

2.A（　　　）is a small open space symbolically enclosed with very low walls and adjoining a building.
A. semihouse       
B. balcony
C. plot        
D. yard

3.English grammar is often said to be（　　　）because English uses frequently inflectional morphemes to indicate the grammatical relations between linguistic elements.
A. paratactic       
B. hypotactic
C. explicit       
D. implicit

4.The word “（　　　）”is American spelling.
A. colour        
B. traveller
C. metre        
D. defense

5.Smiling when criticized would be considered（　　　）in American culture.
A. improper       
B. polite
C. friendly       
D. frivolous

6.A meddlesome person who pries into others’ affairs is a（　　　）.
A. busman       
B. busybody
C. ladies’ man       
D. do-gooder

7.English is the language which（　　　）.
A. demonstrates more hypotactic relations than Chinese does.
B. demonstrates more paratactic relations than Chinese does.
C. demonstrates only hypotactic relations.
D. only relies on conjunctions for sentence construction.

8.The idiomatic expression “between Scylla and Charybdis” can be translated into（　　　）.
A. 费了九牛二虎之力     
B. 进退两难
C. 坐失良机       
D. 昙花一现

9.Nike is the name of（　　　）in Greek mythology.
A. a heroine       
B. the goddess of victory
C. the goddess of fortune    
D. a wealthy lady

10.English speakers usually give small gifts to（　　　）on his or her birthday.
A. a casual friend      
B. a new acquaintance
C. a public servant      
D. a good friend

11.（　　　）can function as an appropriate reply to an invitation.
A. “Thank you very much. I’ll come if I’m free then”
B. “Thank you very much. But I can’t accept your invitation”
C. “That would be nice. Thank you”
D. “Thank you, I’ll try to come”

12.When you want to compliment the new coat Mary wears, you can say（　　　）.
A. “I like your new coat.”
B. “That’s very nice coat you’re wearing. It must be very expensive.”
C. “You look much younger in this coat.”
D. “How much did you pay for this coat?”

13.The proverbial expression “life is but a walking shadow” is derived from the works of（　　　）.
A. Geoffrey Chaucer     
B. John Milton
C. Francis Bacon      
D. William Shakespeare

14.In English culture “green” is often associated with（　　　）.
A. experience       
B. an old age
C. jealousy       
D. failure

15.“A pedant or erudite female intellectual” can be referred to as（　　　）.
A. a blue ribbon      
B. a blue stocking
C. a grey mare       
D. a greengrocer

16.The effort to rescue American captives in Iran in 1980 failed and it was called a(n)“（　　　）” rather than a “failure”.
A. incomplete success     
B. partial success
C. intangible success     
D. mental success

17.English speakers expect to be immediately informed of（　　　）the letter they have received is written.
A. the purpose for which     
B. the reasons for which
C. the date on which     
D. the place in which

18.“Tickets, please!” said the guard, putting his head in at the window. （　　　）everybody was holding out a ticket.
A. Until then       
B. To this end
C. At last        
D. In a moment

19.Gestures that are used to help explain the spoken words are（　　　）.
A. regulators       
B. illustrators
C. adapters       
D. emblems

20.“A person or thing suddenly lifted from obscurity to honour or significance” can be referred to as（　　　）.
A. a Cleopatra       
B. a Pandora
C. a Cinderella      
D. a David

Ⅱ. Each of the following incomplete statements is followed by four alternatives. Read each statement and the four alternatives carefully and decide which of the four alternatives can complete the statement. There might be more than one correct answer.(10%)
21.When receiving a gift, the English speakers normally say（　　　）.
A. “It’s very nice”
B. “This is really what I want”
C. “It must have cost you a lot. Thank you very much ”
D. “How much is it? Thank you very much”

22.The English equivalents to “副” in Chinese are（　　　）.
A. lieutenant       
B. under
C. deputy        
D. vice

23.In English culture, “white” connotes（　　　）.
A. reaction       
B. death
C. innocence       
D. purity

24.Inductive argumentation has been related to（　　　）.
A. The linear thinking pattern    
B. The branching thinking pattern
C. Inductive reasoning     
D. Indirect personality

25.In individualistic culture,（　　　）.
A. an unexpected visitor may be refused frankly
B. when you visit somebody, you could stay at his or her home for long
C. it is quite common for several friends to pay respectively for what they have had in a restaurant
D. it’s not common for parents to pay their children for what they have done for the family

26.“A Pandora’s box” refers to a present or something（　　　）.
A. which the gods send to Pandora
B. which br来源：www.91exam.orgings happiness but looks ugly
C. which a bride traditionally gives to a bridegroom
D. which seems valuable but brings misfortune

27.Much of the（　　　）information is conveyed by eye behaviours.
A. factual        
B. attitudinal
C. emotional       
D. cultural

28.In general, American’s postures are more（　　　）than the Chinese speakers’.
A. casual        
B. aggressive
C. reserved       
D. appropriate

29.The English speakers who expect a text to be developed linearly may find it（　　　）.
A. interesting to read a spirally developed text
B. difficult to follow a spirally developed text
C. illogic to develop a text spirally
D. reasonable to develop a text spirally

30.“哪里” as a reply to a polite comment such as “You’re one of the top scholars in this field.” can be translated into“（　　　）”.
A. No. That’s not true     
B. Not really
C. It’s such a small field     
D. You’re joking

Ⅲ. Fill in each underlined space with a proper expression.
   (12%)
31.In a formal English letter of invitation, the inviter’s name normally comes___________the invitee’s name.

32.The English equivalent of内人 is___________.

33.The English functional equivalent to 您过奖了 is___________.

34.Only human beings possess what can be called ___________ in the true sense of the term.

35.Never cast your ___________ before swine.

36.Man proposes, God ___________.

37.Many plant and place names such as “poker” and “Mississippi” in American English come from ___________.

38.Each language represents a unique system of meaning in ___________ ways.

39.English speakers are direct people who tend to locate ___________ meaning before peripheral meaning.

40.A little old woman with a wrinkle face as brown as a ___________ told us our fortune for ten pence.

41.Differences in word order between Chinese and English are related to ___________.

42.___________ time orientation refers to how people feel, think, or perceive time and how it influences their daily communication and lives.

Ⅳ. Answer the following questions briefly:(12%)
43.What is artistic thinking?
44.What is the British equivalent for the American word “raincoat”?
45.What’s the general rule in English culture when introductions are conducted?
46.From which language is the word “cookie” borrowed?
47.What does “a white hope” refer to?
48.Are there honourifics in English? If there are, what are they?

Ⅴ. Translation: (16%)
49.It’s a long time since he went west.
50.Rain started patter on the roof.
51.You can’t judge a person according to his or her appearance.
52.One cannot find so many place brand names in English speaking countries, especially the “melting pots” like the U.S.A.
53.人不犯我，我不犯人。
54.中国的设计者和厂商常常用能给人留下美好印象的品牌名称。
55.蝼蚁之穴能溃千里之堤。
56.赌博、女人和酒使男人在笑声中毁灭。（into an English proverb）

Ⅵ. Define the following terms: (10%)
57.racist language
58.Paratactic relations
59.intimate zone
60.proverb
61.small c culture

Ⅶ. Discuss the following topics: (20%)
62.What are the topics that are considered taboo by English speakers? How should such topics be treated in conversations with English speakers?
63.Discuss the cross-cultural contrast between English and Chinese compliments and responses.