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英语专业八级考试简介及评价(附样题三套) |
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英语专业八级考试是由高等学校外语专业教学指导委员会主办的（非教育部主办），对英语专业高年级学生英语水平进行衡量的一种外语水平考试。是目前我国体现最高英语水平的等级考试。它在每年的三月份举办一次，考试分为上午和下午两场，上午做听力、阅读、改错，下午做翻译和写作。对时间的要求比较严格
专业八级的虽然难度较大，但在全国的英语专业的学生考试的成绩来看，通过率是很高的，全国平均通过率是百分之六十多，为什么通过率这么高？就我个人的观点而言，是因为专八考试的题目采分点多，每道小题都是一分，特别是阅读理解这样容易失分的部分，每道题也都是一分，与四、六级不同。下面我将就将对专八考试的各部分体型的特点做出评价。
1 听力 包括听情景对话、长时间的交谈、英语广播、还有复合式听写。前两部分的难度和六级差不多，关键是后两部分。英语广播主要是VOA和BBC的新闻，没有什么应试技巧可言，关键要考平时多听这两个电台的广播来培养语感。复合式听写是听力部分乃至全卷中最难的，要求先听一段用标准语速英语念的文章（只念一遍），在放音的同时要求考生做听力笔记，然后再根据自己所做的笔记去完成一个没有提供选项的完型填空（填十个单词进去），这部分需要有很好的速记能力，要分清语篇里哪些是关键词，哪些不是，当然有遗漏是在所难免，但是要尽量争取少有遗漏，还是那句话：要注意句首、句尾的总结性的话，还有带判断语气的话。
2 阅读
分为一般阅读和快速阅读两部分。前者的应试技巧和六级无二，而后者则要求在十分钟的时间内看完六到七篇文章，每一篇文章都附有一个或两个问题。就我的经验而言，这些题目不会涉及对文章主题思想等深层问题的理解，都是一些比较肤浅的问题。这部分要求考生具备一目几行的阅读技巧和很强的搜索信息的能力，如果这方面的能力比较强的话，这类快速阅读应该是比较容易得分的
3
改错 在错误点的设置方面与四六级改错相比增加了“逻辑错误”部分，这个的难度是比较大的，有时候替换错词的词和其在本质上没有任何联系，主要看是否符合上下文的语境还有表达方式是否妥当等方面。
4
翻译 包括英译汉和汉译英。首先当然要阅读相关的介绍翻译常识的文章、书籍，掌握一些翻译的基本技巧，但最主要的还是要勤练笔，当然要扩大词汇量是不可缺少的。翻译的文章大多是说理性的。2001年的翻译试题，汉译英出得比较容易，英译汉部分出得较难（涉及很抽象的伦理学）。
5 写作
如果你已经具备较高的写作能力的话，这部分会让你觉得做十分过瘾，它要求写一篇不少于300字的短文，题目一般会给出（几乎全是议论文），然后给你充分的自由发挥的空间。做八级作文切忌模仿四六级进行格式化作文，那样的作文一定得不到高分的，在这里要求你能充分调动你的创造性和写作的技巧。2001年的作文题是
The impact of Internet on....,我写的题目是The impact of Internet on people's way
of life.自我感觉是在英语考试中写过的最好的一篇文章。
其他：
1 英语专业八级考试要求掌握的词汇不少于8000，最好能有10000以上
2
模拟题推荐上海外语教育出版社的《指南》，推荐的翻译教材是同一出版社出版的陈宏薇的《汉英翻译基础》和古今明的《英汉翻译基础》，同时推荐一本陈朴主编的，上海译文出版社出版的《新简明汉英词典》供学有余力者记忆（就本人的体会，极大地提高了翻译和写作能力）
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高等院校英语专业八级考试样题Ⅰ
（翻译部分，原书P. 43-44）
Section A: Translate the following underlined part of the Chinese text
into English
（原 文）
近读报纸，对国内名片和请柬的议论颇多，于是想起客居巴黎时经常见到的法国人手中的名片和请柬，随笔记下来，似乎不无借鉴之处。
在巴黎，名目繁多的酒会、冷餐会是广交朋友的好机会。在这种场合陌生人相识，如果是亚洲人，他们往往开口之前先毕恭毕敬地用双手把自己的名片呈递给对方，这好像是不可缺少的礼节。然而，法国人一般却都不大主动递送名片，双方见面寒喧几句甚至海阔天空地聊一番也就各自走开。只有当双方谈话投机，希望继续交往时，才会主动掏出名片。二话不说先递名片反倒有些勉强。
法国人的名片讲究朴素大方，印制精美，但很少有镶金边儿的，闪光多色的或带香味儿的，名片上的字体纤细秀丽，本人的名字也不过分突出，整张纸片上空白很大，毫无拥挤不堪的感觉。
（参考译文）
In reading recent newspapers, I have come to find that people in China
have become more and more interested in discussing about name cards and
invitation letters. This has triggered my reminiscences of the name cards
and invitation letters of the French people that I saw when I was residing
in Paris. In writing down those random reminiscences, I believe that they
might provide some useful information for us to learn from.
In Paris, all the wine parties and buffet receptions held on various
occasions provide optimum opportunities to make friends with all varieties
of people. When encountering a stranger on such an occasion, an Asian
would invariably hand over his name card to the newly-met stranger with
full reverence, with both of his hands, even before he starts to converse
with the stranger. Such an act seems to have become an indispensable
ritual (formality/ etiquette). By contrast, an average Frenchman seldom
takes the initiative to (offers to / volunteers to) present his name card.
Instead, he would simply walk away after an exchange of routine greetings
or even some aimless (random/ casual) chat. Only when both sides become
deeply engrossed (engaged / involved) in their conversation and have the
intention to make further acquaintance with each other would they offer to
give their name cards. It would seem somehow bizarre if a French person
offers his name card without saying anything to the stranger in the first
place.
The French tend to take extraordinary precaution to make their name
cards simple yet elegant. Exquisitely designed and printed, their name
cards are seldom golden-framed, or colorfully shiny, or tinted with
fragrant smells. The letters as appear on their name cards tend to be
diminutive but beautiful, not allowing the name of the card-bearer to be
overly prominent/salient. The entire card contains much empty space,
imparting no sense of over-crowdedness.
Section B: Translate the following underlined part of the English text
into Chinese
（原 文）
Four months before the election day, five men gathered in a small
conference room at the Reagan-Bush headquarters and reviewed an oversize
calendar that marked the remaining days of the 1984 presidential campaign.
It was the last Saturday in June and at ten o'clock in the morning the
rest of the office was practically deserted. Even so, the men kept the
door shut and the drapes carefully drawn. The three principals and their
two deputies had come from around the country for a critical meeting.
Their aim was to devise a strategy that would guarantee Ronald Reagan's
resounding reelection to a second term in the White House.
It should have been easy. These were battle-tested veterans with long
ties to Reagan and even longer ones to the Republican party, men who
understood presidential politics as well as any in the country. The
backdrop of the campaign was hospitable, with lots of good news to work
with: America was at peace, and the nation's economy, a key factor in any
election, was rebounding vigorously after recession. Furthermore, the
campaign itself was lavishly financed, with plenty of money for a
topflight staff, travel, and television commercials. And, most important,
their candidate was Ronald Reagan, a president of tremendous personal
popularity and dazzling communication skills. Reagan has succeeded more
than any president since John. F. Kennedy in projecting a broad vision of
America -a nation of renewed military strength, individual initiative, and
smaller federal government.
（参考译文）
在离选举日还有四个月的时间，有五个人聚集在里根－布什总部的一个小型会议室里，翻着看一张硕大无比的日历，日历上清晰地标识出了1984年总统竞选剩下的日子。这是六月份的最后一个星期六的上午10时，整幢办公楼的其他部分几近人去楼空。即便如此，这几个人仍将大门紧闭，小心翼翼地拉下窗帘。三个主要人物及其二个副手从美国的不同地方汇聚在一起，召开一个殊为重要的会议。他们的目标是构思出一种策略，来确保里根能再次当选，在第二任期内再度入主白宫。
要谋求再次当选理应轻而易举。这是一些久经沙场的退伍老兵，与里根有着千丝万缕的漫长联系，与共和党的联系甚至更为久远。这些人深谙总统政治，一如他们熟知这个国家中的所有政治事务那样。竞选的背景十分宜人，可供大做文章的好消息俯拾皆是：美国正置身于太平盛世之中；作为选举的一个关键因素，整个国家的经济在步出萧条期之后正强劲反弹。此外，竞选本身所筹得的款项更是不计其数。用于支付一流水平的竞争班子工作人员工资、进行巡回造势、以及制作播放电视广告的钱款绰绰有余。最为重要的是，他们所推介的总统候选人是罗纳尔德·
里根（Ronald Reagan），一位风度翩翩，魅力无穷，又极具迷人沟通技巧的执政总统。与约翰·F·肯尼迪（John F.
Kennedy）以来的任何一位历届总统相比，里根更成功地勾勒出了一幅广阔的关于美国未来的前景--美国将成了一个重振军事雄风、民众富于个人进取心、联邦政府更加精简高效的国家。 |
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高等院校英语专业八级考试样题Ⅱ
（翻译部分，原书P. 73-74）
Section A: Translate the following underlined part of the Chinese text
into English
（原 文）
来美国求学的中国学生与其他亚裔学生一样，大多非常刻苦勤奋，周末也往往会抽出一天甚至两天的时间去实验室加班，因而比起美国学生来，成果出得较多。我的导师是亚裔人，嗜烟好酒，脾气暴躁。但他十分欣赏亚裔学生勤奋与扎实的基础知识，也特别了解亚裔学生的心理。因此，在他实验室所招的学生中，除有一名来自德国外，其余5位均是亚裔学生。他干脆在实验室的门上贴一醒目招牌："本室助研必须每周工作7天，早10时至晚12时，工作时间必须全力以赴。"这位导师的严格及苛刻是全校有名的，在我所呆的3年半中，共有14位学生被招进他的实验室，最后博士毕业的只剩下5人。1990年夏天，我不顾别人劝阻，硬着头皮接受了导师的资助，从此开始了艰难的求学旅程。
（参考译文）
Like students from other Asian countries and regions, most Chinese
students who come to pursue further education in the United States work on
their studies most diligently and assiduously. Even on weekends, they
would frequently spend one day, or even two days, to work overtime in
their laboratories. Therefore, compared with their American counterparts,
they are more academically fruitful.
My supervisor ( advisor / tutor) is of Asian origin who is addicted to
alcohols and cigarettes, with a sharp (an irritable) temper. Nevertheless,
he highly appreciates the industry and the solid foundational knowledge of
Asian students and has a particularly keen insight into the psychology of
Asian students. Hence, of all the students recruited by his laboratory,
except for one German, the rest five were all from Asia. He even put a
striking notice on the door of his lab, which read, "All the research
assistants of this laboratory are required to work 7 days a week, from 10
AM to 12 PM. Nothing but work during the working hours." This supervisor
is reputed on the entire campus for his severity and harshness. In the
course of the 3 and half years that I stayed there, a total of 14 students
were recruited into his laboratory and only 5 of them stayed on until they
graduated with their Ph. D. degrees.
In the summer of 1990, ignoring the remonstrations (admonishments /
dissuasions) from others, I accepted my supervisor's sponsorship and
embarked on the difficult journey of academic pursuit (undertaking further
studies in the United States).
Section B: Translate the following underlined part of the English text
into Chinese
（原 文）
Opera is expensive: that much is inevitable. But expensive things are
not inevitably the province of the rich unless we abdicate society's power
of choice. We can choose to make opera, and other expensive forms of
culture, accessible to those who cannot individually pay for it. The
question is: why should we? Nobody denies the imperatives of food,
shelter, defense, health and education. But even in a prehistoric cave,
mankind stretched out a hand not just to eat, drink or fight, but also to
draw. The impulse towards culture, the desire to express and explore the
world through imagination and representation is fundamental. In Europe,
this desire has found fulfillment in the masterpieces of our music, art,
literature and theatre. These masterpieces are the touchstones for all our
efforts; they are the touchstones for the possibilities to which human
thought and imagination may aspire; they carry the most profound messages
that can be sent from one human to another.
（参考译文）
聆听歌剧，无疑昂贵至极。但是，昂贵的事物并非必定属于富人的范畴，除非我们放弃社会的选择权。我们可以选择去使歌剧以及其他某些昂贵的文化形式也能为那些不具备个人支付能力的人所享受。但问题是，我们有必要这么做吗？没人会否认食物、居所、防护、健康与教育的不可或缺性。但即便是在史前时代的洞穴中，人类伸出手来，早就不单纯是为了吃、喝或搏杀，而且亦进行绘画创作。人类对于文化的冲动，通过形象思维和再现手段来表现并探索世界的欲望，乃亘古有之。在欧洲，这一欲望在我们的音乐、艺术、文学和戏剧杰作中寻找到了其实现形式。这些杰作构成了我们全部努力的试金石。作为试金石，它们能衡量出人类的思想和想象力所可能企及的程度。它们携带着最寓意深刻的主题，可在人类彼此间相互传递。
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高等院校英语专业八级考试样题Ⅲ
（翻译部分，原书P. 105-106）
Section A: Translate the following underlined part of the Chinese text
into English
（原 文）
1997年2月24日我们代表团下榻日月潭中信大饭店，送走了最后一批客人，已是次日凌晨3点了。我躺在床上久久不能入睡，披衣走到窗前，往外看去，只见四周峰峦叠翠，湖面波光粼粼。望着台湾这仅有的景色如画的天然湖泊，我想了许多，许多……
这次到台湾访问交流，虽然行程匆匆，但是，看了不少地方，访了旧友，交了新知，大家走到一起，谈论的一个重要话题就是中华民族在21世纪的强盛。虽然祖国大陆、台湾的青年生活在不同的社会环境中，有着各自不同的生活经历，但大家的内心都深深铭刻着中华文化优秀传统的印记，都拥有着振兴中华民族的共同理想。在世纪之交的伟大时代，我们的祖国正在走向繁荣富强，海峡两岸人民也将加强交流，共同推进祖国统一大业的早日完成。世纪之交的宝贵机遇和巨大挑战将青年推到了历史前台。跨世纪青年一代应该用什么样的姿态迎接充满希望的新世纪，这是我们必须回答的问题。
日月潭水波不兴，仿佛与我一同在思索……
（参考译文）
On February 2, 1997, our delegation checked into the ZhongXin Hotel by
the side of the Riyuetai Lake. It was already 3 o'clock early the next
morning by the time I saw off the last group of guests. For a long time, I
could not fall asleep, even though I was comfortably lying in the bed.
Putting on my clothes again, I got off the bed and walked to the window.
Extending my eyes into the distance through the window, I was greeted by
the view of the surrounding mountains and hills shrouded in layered
greenness and the silvery flickering of waves scuttling across the surface
of the Pool. Looking at the sole naturally-formed picturesque lake in
Taiwan, I felt an infinite train of thoughts passing through my mind … …
The current visit to Taiwan for exchange, brief and cursory as it is,
has enabled us to see many places, to visit old friends while making new
acquaintances. Whenever people gather together, an important topic of
discussion has been how the Chinese nation can become prosperous and
powerful in the 21st century. Although the young people on the Mainland
and in Taiwan live in different social contexts (environments / milieus),
with their individually different experiences of life, in the innermost
recesses of their hearts are wrought an indelible mark by the fine
traditions of the Chinese culture. They all cherish the same ideal to
rejuvenate the Chinese nation (They share the same ideal to rejuvenate the
Chinese nation). In this great epoch at the turn of the century, our
motherland is developing toward greater prosperity and powerfulness.
People across the Taiwan Straits are bound to strengthen their exchanges
and will mutually promote the earliest possible achievement of the great
cause of reunification of the motherland. The precious opportunities and
the tremendous challenges at the turn of the century have pushed the young
people to the foreground (forefront) of the historical arena (stage). At
this transitional phase between the two millennia, in what way the young
generation should embrace the forthcoming new century replete with hopes
is a question to which we have to seek an answer.
In the Riyuetai Lake, the waves across the lake surface have by now all
vanished. Enveloped in utter tranquility, the Lake has joined me in deep
thoughts … …
Section B: Translate the following underlined part of the English text
into Chinese
（原 文）
I agree to some extent with my imaginary English reader. American
literary historians are perhaps prone to view their own national scene too
narrowly, mistaking prominence for uniqueness. They do over-phrase their
own literature, or certainly its minor figures. And Americans do swing
from aggressive overphrase of their literature to an equally unfortunate,
imitative deference. But then, the English themselves are somewhat insular
in their literary appraisals. Moreover, in fields where they are not
pre-eminent - e. g. in painting and music -they too alternate between
boasting of native products and copying those of the Continent. How many
English paintings try to look as though they were done in Paris; how many
times have we read in articles that they really represent an "English
tradition" after all.
To speak of American literature, then, is not to assert that it is
completely unlike that of Europe. Broadly speaking, America and Europe
have kept step. At any given moment the traveler could find examples in
both of the same architecture, the same styles in dress, the same books on
the shelves. Ideas have crossed the Atlantic as freely as men and
merchandise, though sometimes more slowly. When I refer to American habit,
thoughts, etc., I intend some sort of qualification to precede the word,
for frequently the difference between America and Europe (especially
England) will be one of degree, sometimes only of a small degree. The
amount of divergence is a subtle affair, liable to perplex the Englishman
when he looks at America. He is looking at a country which in important
senses grew out of his own, which in several ways still resembles his own
- and which is yet a foreign country. There are odd overlappings and
abrupt unfamiliarities; kinship yields to a sudden alienation, as when we
hail a person across the street, only to discover from his blank response
that we have mistaken a stranger for a friend.
（参考译文）
在某种程度上，我赞同我那假想中的英国读者的观点。美国文学史家或许惯于过分狭隘地看待其本国文坛，误将卓著当作独特。他们确实会用过多的笔墨来渲染其本国文学，至少，对其次要作家他们肯定会这样做。此外，美国人确实会走极端，要么咄咄逼人地大肆渲染其文学，要么进行着同样不幸的亦步亦趋式的顶礼膜拜。但反过来说，英国人自己在其文学鉴赏中也显得有些狭隘愚陋。此外，在他们并无上乘表现的领域--例如绘画与音乐，他们也会走极端，不是吹嘘他们本国的作品，就是大肆模仿欧洲大陆的作品。有多少幅英国绘画试图看上去仿佛是在巴黎完成的；但我们又有多少次曾在文章中读到它们真正代表着一种"英国式的传统"呢？
那么，要谈论美国文学，倒并非意欲断言，它与欧洲文学全然大相径庭。广而言之，美国与欧洲一直同步发展，协调一致。在任何一个特定的时刻，旅行者在两地均能目睹同一样式的建筑实例，相同款式的服饰，书架上相同的书籍。在大西洋两岸，思想如同人员与货物往来一样自由交流，尽管有时会略显迟缓。当我提及美国式的习惯、思想等概念时，我意欲在"美国式的"这一词汇之前加上某种限定，因为欧美（尤其是英美）之间的差异往往只是程度上的差异而已，并且有时候仅仅只是微乎其微的一点程度差异而已。差异的多寡是件极为微妙的事务，这极容易使一个英国人在审视美国时大惑不解。他所审视的那个国家，从某些重要的意义上来说，诞生于他自己的国家，并在某些方面仍与他自己的国家相差无几--然而，它却实实在在是一个异邦。两者间存在着某些古怪的交替重迭，以及令人甚感突兀的陌生感；亲缘关系已让位于一种突如其来的异化与疏远，这种情景仿佛就像我们隔着马路向另一个人打招呼，结果却从这个人漠无表情的反应中发现，我们原来竟然错将生人当成了熟人。 |
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