中国人民大学2004年考博英语真题及答案及详解

　　Passage 2

　　The increase in global trade means that international companies cannot afford to make costly advertising mistakes if they want to be competitive. 

　　Understanding the language and culture of target markets in foreign countries is one of the keys to successful international marketing. Too many companies, however, have jumped into foreign markets with embarrassing results. 

　　Translation mistakes are at the heart of many blunders in international advertising. 

　　General Motors, the US auto manufacturer, got a costly lesson when it introduced its Chevrolet Nova to the Puerto Rican market. “Nova” is Latin for “new(star)” and means “star” in many languages, but in spoken Spanish it can sound like “nova”, meaning “it doesn't go”. Few people wanted to buy a car with that cursed meaning. When GM changed the name to Caribe, sales “picked up” dramatically. 

　　Marketing blunders have also been made by food and beverage companies. One American food company's friendly “Jolly Green Giant” (for advertising vegetables) became something quite different when it was translated into Arabic as “Intimidating Green Ogre”. 

　　When translated into German, Pepsi's popular slogan, “Come Alive with Pepsi” came out implying “Come Alive from the Grave”. No wonder customers in Germany didn't rush out to buy Pepsi. 

　　Successful international marketing doesn't stop with good translations—other aspects of culture must be researched and understood if marketers are to avoid blunders. 

　　When marketers do not understand and appreciate the values, tastes, geography, climate, superstitions, religion, or economy of a culture, they fail to capture their target market. 

　　For example, an American designer tried to introduce a new perfume into the Latin American market but the product aroused little interest. The main reason was that the camellia used in it was traditionally used for funerals in many South American countries. 

　　Having awakened to the special nature of foreign advertising, companies are becoming much more conscientious in their translations and more sensitive to cultural distinctions. 

　　The best way to prevent errors is to hire professional translators who understand the target language and its idiomatic usage, or to use a technique called “back translation” to reduce the possibility of blunders. 

　　The process used one person to translate a message into the target language and another to translate it back. Effective translators aim to capture the overall message of an advertisement because a word-for-word duplication of the original rarely conveys the intended meaning and often causes misunderstandings. 

　　In designing advertisements for other countries, messages need to be short and simple. 

　　They should also avoid jokes, since what is considered funny in one part of the world may not be so humorous in another. 

　　46. The best title of this passage might be ______. 

　　A. Culture Is Very Important in Advertising 

　　B. Avoid Cultural Misunderstanding between Nations 

　　C. Overcome Cultural Sock in Different Countries 

　　D. Advertisements Reflect Various Life Styles 

　　47. What does the word “blunder” mean in this passage? 

　　A. hesitation B. mistake C. stutter D. default

　　48. Which of the following statements can be used to summarize the gist from Paragraph 3 to Paragraph 6?

　　A. Cultural shocks B. Faulty translations 

　　C. Avoid cultural oversights D. Prevent blunders 

　　49. We can learn from the context in Paragraph 9 that the word “camellia” most probably mean ______. 

　　A. an animal used in perfume for its smell 

　　B. a piece of fabric used both in perfume and at funerals 

　　C. a flower used in perfume for its fragrance and used for funerals

　　D. an ornament used in perfume and at funerals 

　　50. One way to prevent errors in advertising in different countries is to ______.  A. fire the translators who don't know the target language 

　　B. use the technique called “literal translation” to reduce the possibility of blunders 

　　C. avoid cultural oversights and avoid certain jokes 

　　D. explain in details when designing advertisement for other countries 　　

　　Passage 3 

　　It is not unusual for chief executives to collect millions of dollars a year in pay, stock options, and bonuses. In the last fifteen years, while executive remuneration rose, taxed in the highest income bracket went down. Millionaires are now commonplace. 

　　Amiability is not a prerequisite for rising to the top, and there are a number of chief executive officers with legendary bad tempers. It is not the boss's job to worry about the well-being of his subordinates although the man with many enemies will be swept out more quickly in hard times; it is the company he worries about. His business savvy is supposed to be based on intimate knowledge of his company and the industry so he goes home nightly with a full briefcase. At the very top-and on the way up—executives are exceedingly dedicated. 

　　The American executive must be capable of enough small talk to get him through the social part of his schedule, but he is probably not a highly cultured individual or an intellectual. Although his wife may be on the board of the symphony or opera, he himself has little time for such pursuits. His reading may largely concern business and management, despite interests in other fields. Golf provides him with a sportive outlet that combines with some useful socializing. 

　　These day, he probably attempts some form of aerobic exercise to “keep the old heart in shape” and for the same reason goes easy on butter and alcohol, and substances thought to contribute to taking highly stressed executives out of the running. But his doctor's admonition to “take it easy” falls on deaf ears. He likes to work. He knows there are younger men nipping at his heels. 

　　Corporate head-hunting, carried on by “executive search firms,” is a growing industry. America has great faith in individual talent, and dynamic and aggressive executives are so in demand that companies regularly raid each other's managerial ranks. 

　　51. We can infer from the second paragraph that ______. 

　　A. promotion depends on amiability 

　　B. chief executives do not work hard enough at the to level 

　　C. it is the duty of the chief executive to look after the well-being of his subordinates 

　　D. a chief executive is expected to know more about his company and the industry

　　52. The term “aerobic exercise” (first line in second last paragraph) is a kind of ______. 

　　A. hallucination exercise 

　　B. physical exercise 

　　C. meditation exercise 

　　D. entertainment 

　　53. From the last paragraph we can gather that ______. 

　　A. there are too many aggressive executives 

　　B. individual talent is not essential for a company 

　　C. the job of an “executive search firm” is corporate head-hunting 

　　D. it is not common for companies to undermine each other's managerial ranks 

　　54. For executives, according to the article, a golf course is a place where ______. 

　　A. they can conduct their business 

　　B. they can indulge themselves 

　　C. they can cultivate their mind 

　　D. they can exercise as well as socialize 

　　55. What is NOT true according to the article? 

　　A. Executives tend to ignore doctors' advice and warnings. 

　　B. Executives are sensitive to pressure from the younger generation. 

　　C. All chief executives can earn millions of dollars a year. 

　　D. Executives are careful of what they eat. 

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