2004年9月上海市高级口译笔试真题
Not everyone buys into this model. Bonnie Jacobson, a clinical psychologist and processor at New York University, says it is "absolutely impossible" to understand the workings of a relationship via a one-size-fits-all model. "For mostly every couple I have seen, it's hard to see how they got together in the first place," she says. "So unless you really get to know the nuanced dynamics, you will never 'get it' or be able to help."
Christine Fasano was married for only 14 months before getting a divorce last year. She agrees the dynamics of a relationship are nuanced and complex — but also sees merit in the University of Washington study's basic assumption that if one looks starkly at interaction between a couple, it is possible to ascertain whether the relationship is headed toward demise. "I'm not surprises the model works," she says. "It's actually not that profound. My basic observation of couples that are happily married is that they treat each other well. That is basically what they are saying, and that is hard to argue with."
So, any final advice for Valentine's Day from the divorce research team out in Washington? "I would never give advice on matters of the heart," says Murray, who, incidentally, has been married 45 years. "But I suppose the bottom line is, yes, communication. And being good to one another. That is nice to quantify."
1. The mathematical model is designed by these scientists ________.
(A) to figure out the of probability of divorce
(B) to predict and help avoid divorce
(C) for the newly-married young couples
(D) on the basis of physiological data
2. Which of the following CANNOT be found about the mathematical formula?
(A) It is quite popular and has been widely accepted.
(B) It has been experimented with over 700 couples.
(C) It has been invented by a number of scientists from related fields.
(D) It is proved useful as more marriages end in divorce.
3. In the sentence "Not every one buys into the model." (para.6) the expression "buys into" can be interpreted as ________.
(A) pays to acquire
(B) supports fully
(C) have confidence in
(D) understands and accepts
4. Christine Fasano is introduced in the passage because ________.
(A) her divorce was predicted and avoided by the formula
(B) her divorce proved the effectiveness of the mathematical model
(C) she thought the rationale behind the formula is understandable
(D) she argued that divorce could be prevented by frequent communication
5. The love equation employs all of the following methods EXCEPT ________.
(A) It is based on the analysis of recordings of marital conversation
(B) It uses and addition and subtraction system to record the data
(C) It makes predictions from analysis of equations and graphs
(D) It uses the interviews of each of the spouses separately
Questions 6-10
When Timothy Spahr finally knocked off work on Jan.13, after more than 10 hours on the job, he figured he was at last done for the night. Spahr's task as an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center fro Astrophysics, in Cambridge, Mass., is to collect reports of asteroids that might one day pass near Earth. On that Tuesday, he had been processing observations from an automated telescope in New Mexico when he noticed a pinpoint of light that might fit the profile. He calculated the object's orbit and, as usual, posted the information on the Minor Planet Center website for other astronomers to see. Then he went off to dinner with a friends.
What happened next guaranteed that Spahr's workday wasn't nearly over. It also triggered a debate among astronomers about how quickly the public should be informed about dangers from space — and how sure scientists need to be before issuing such warnings. Several times in the past, sky watchers have a
