Scientific English – Fall semester, 2009-2010Mid-term Examination Your name (in Chinese):

(A)Select the correct verb in each sentence (20%):

1. Neither the professor nor his assistant (was/were) able to solve the problem.

2. Four years of research (has/have) gone into making this ready for the market.

3. Located at the south end of the campus (was/were) a swimming poor, two

basketball courts, and four tennis courts.

4. Each of the speakers (was/were) given twenty minutes.

5. The old iron gate and the brick wall (makes/make) the building appear very old.

6. The dangers of smoking (is/are) well documented.

7. During the celebration the smoke of bonfires (fills/fill) the sky.

8. When food supplies (was/were) scarce, the people had to eat less desirable foo

d.

9. Someone in the class (has/have) agreed to do the library research.

10. There (is/are) several containers of petroleum in the laboratory.

(B) Edit to correct subject-verb agreement, if necessary. If nothing is to be corrected, mark “zero error” (20%).

1. High concentrations of carbon monoxide results (result) in severe illness.

2. Not until my interview with the professor were other possibilities opened to me.

(zero error)

3. After hearing the lecture, the class was (were) dismissed.

4. Mathematics have (has) always been one of my strongest subjects.

5. No one who has ever seen the northern lights have (has) forgotten them.

6. There is (are) very few Americans in this school.

7. Of particular concern are penicillin and tetracycline, (which are) used to make

animals resistant to disease.

8. Neither the explorer nor his companions was (were) ever seen again.

9. Thirty percent of the testing are (is) completed.

10. Thirty percent of the tests are completed. (zero error)

(C) Edit the following for correct use of the participle. If you find nothing to correct, mark “zero error” (20%).

1. After doing much research, the scientists made a fascinated (fascinating)

discovery.

2. I could not concentrate on my homework, because I was becoming very tiring

(tired).

3. He was not pleased with his grades this semester. (zero error)

4. The extra work was a difficult but satisfied (satisfying or satisfactory) experienc

e.

5. The older scientist’s advices were very encouraged. (advice was encouraging)

6. After I thought about them, I was quite encouraging (encouraged).

7. The vociferous student was domineered (domineering) in the class discussion.

8. The laboratory space was very cramped because it was so small. (zero error)

9. The air in the room was stifled (stifling) on hot afternoons.

10. Growth of the tree was stimulating (stimulated) by the fertile soil.

(D) Translate the following paragraphs into English (40%):

21 世紀地球科學 10大挑戰 - 本月 12 日，美國國家科學研究理事會 (US National Research Council) 公布了一份報告，確定了推動地質學和行星科學需要優先解答的 10個問題。這些問題旨在反映地球科學在21世紀初面臨的重要科學挑戰，指出了地球科學的現狀、如何取得既定目標以及未來發展的方向。 (20%)

The ten major challenges in earth sciences of the 21st century – On the 12th of this month, the US National Research Council published a report, certifying (or deciding) the ten priority problems to be answered (or solved) in the promotion of the geological and planetary sciences. These problems reflect the (most) important (scientific) challenge(s) in earth sciences to be faced (or encountered) in the 21st century. (The report) also points out the current state of earth sciences, the way(s) to reach the goals, and the direction(s) of future development.

(20%; 以下每題兩分 )

1.地球和其他行星來自哪里？ From where came the Earth and other planets? Where did they come from, the Earth and other planets?

2. 地球“黑暗時期” (= Hadean Era = 地球誕生後的最初 5 億年 ) 究竟發 生了什麼？

What had happened to the Earth during the Hadean era, or the first 500 Ma after its birth?

3. 生命是如何開始的？ How was life originated?

4. 地球內部如何運轉？ How is the earth’s interior operated?

5. 為何地球存在板塊構造 (the plate tectonics) ？ Why does the plate tectonics exist (or function) on the Earth?

6. 地球進程 (evolution) 如何受物質特性的制約？ How is the evolution of the Earth constrained by the properties of matter?

7. 氣候變化幅度到底能有多大？ What is (would be) the maximum amplitude of the climatic change?

8. 生命體與地球之間如何互相改變？ How does the living organism (or life) interact (or interchange) with the Earth?

9. 人類能否預測地震、火山噴發？ Can the human (or human-being) predict earthquakes and volcanic

eruptions?

10. 流體流動和輸送如何影響環境？ How do fluid flow and fluid transport influence (or affect) (our) environment?

àà la prochaine ! la prochaine !(= see you!)(= see you!)