114 年 國立政治大學碩士班共同科目《英文Ｂ》

I. Vocabulary (30%): Choose the answer that best completes the sentence and write its corresponding letter (A, B, C, or D) on the answer card.

1. I can't believe you ____ all your free time playing video games.
   (A) smash
   (B) banish
   (C) squander
   (D) efface

2. The government of Pakistan voted to make education ____ for every child in that country.
   (A) commissary
   (B) confidential
   (C) concealed
   (D) compulsory

3. The days became ____; there was absolutely nothing to do in the village.
   (A) ferocious
   (B) monotonous
   (C) disposable
   (D) ephemeral

4. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world ____ to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the royal wedding.
   (A) deterred
   (B) flocked
   (C) conformed
   (D) crashed

5. A foul smell of stale beer ____ the whole building.
   (A) permeated
   (B) discriminated
   (C) ratified
   (D) designated

6. Many of the remains are contaminated with ____ materials such as mercury.
   (A) ephemeral
   (B) annual
   (C) deluded
   (D) hazardous

7. With so many areas of woodland being cut down, a lot of wildlife is losing its natural ____.
   (A) habitat
   (B) infrastructure
   (C) bliss
   (D) trait

8. What surprises a lot people is the ____ of bat species around the world, from fruit bats in Australia to tiny pipistrelles in the UK.
   (A) mortgage
   (B) accomplices
   (C) diversity
   (D) haven

9. The region is ____ for its outstanding natural beauty.
   (A) mimicked
   (B) decomposed
   (C) pledged
   (D) renowned

10. Joshua's allergy to peanuts is very severe, even getting close to peanut butter can ____ a bad reaction if he's not careful.
    (A) trigger
    (B) erupt
    (C) deploy
    (D) transmit

11. To achieve continuous improvement, we focused primarily on incentives for quality, performance, and ____.
    (A) flagging
    (B) protruding
    (C) strengthening
    (D) tormenting

12. Hewlett Packard is a ____ example of Silicon Valley startups: two guys revolutionized the printing business out of their small garage in Palo Alto, California.
    (A) quintessential
    (B) forgery
    (C) looming
    (D) disclosed

13. The Europeans are therefore trying to create an economic mechanism that ____ the dollar.
    (A) doubt
    (B) bypass
    (C) invade
    (D) obscure

14. The latest release of ownCloud has introduced a versioning system that allows you to recover old versions of a file if it gets ____ deleted.
    (A) gracefully
    (B) publicly.
    (C) allegedly
    (D) accidentally

15. Some economists argue that when countries develop, it is ____ that they initially become more unequal.
    (A) inevitable
    (B) infectious
    (C) reckless
    (D) escalating

II. Grammar (20%): In each of the following sentences there is a blank where a word, phrase or clause is omitted. Choose for each blank the most appropriate answer, and mark the corresponding letter (A, B, C, or D) on the answer card.

16. He accused ____ instigating protests over the results of Russia's December 2011 parliamentary elections by criticizing the vote as "dishonest and unfair."
    (A) her of
    (B) her for
    (C) she is
    (D) she to be

17. Twitter is merely one channel ____ people can stay in touch with me.
    (A) through that
    (B) which
    (C) through which
    (D) that

18. The researchers in Freiburg have thus succeeded ____ the development of immune cells in a vertebrate for the first time.
    (A) tracking
    (B) in tracking
    (C) to track
    (D) by tracking

19. If I ____ it'd turn into a homicide, I would have called the detectives.
    (A) knew
    (B) know
    (C) known
    (D) had known

20. The study indicates that one ____ three college students ____ the internet to be as vital as air, water, and food.
    (A) by...consider
    (B) with...considers
    (C) at...consider
    (D) in...considers

21. What makes you think ____ will be willing to help us?
    (A) your this friend
    (B) this of your friend
    (C) this friend of yours
    (D) this friend of you

22. Mark did ____ on the test, but Nancy had the ____ score in the class.
    (A) well, best
    (B) good, better
    (C) well, better
    (D) good, best

23. Seeing the kind of biases that ____ into a neural network illuminates one problem that we're already having with artificial intelligence and machine learning.
    (A) trained
    (B) must train
    (C) can get trained
    (D) can train

24. Scientists have observed that certain phenomena seem to occur before an earthquake ____ the pressure within the plates intensifies.
    (A) as
    (B) with
    (C) if
    (D) though

25. Myriads of tiny cracks appear in the rock, ____ it to expand and uplift the ground above it.
    (A) caused
    (B) causing
    (C) having caused
    (D) causes

III. Reading comprehension (20%): Please choose the most appropriate answer and mark the corresponding letter (A, B, C, or D) on the answer card.

How to Know If You Are Dead: A Revised Version
(Based on Mary Roach's Essay)

26. What does the term "beating-heart cadaver" refer to?
    (A) deceased person whose heart no longer beats
    (B) A person who is brain-dead but whose heart continues to function with assistance
    (C) A patient undergoing heart surgery
    (D) A cadaver used for educational purposes

27. What is the primary function of an electric cauterizing wand in surgery?
    (A) To administer anesthesia
    (B) To sterilize surgical tools
    (C) To cut and simultaneously seal blood vessels
    (D) To monitor heart rate during operations

28. Why might surgeons describe the smell during surgery as “seared-meat”?
    (A) It is caused by sterilization chemicals
    (B) It results from the cauterizing process that burns tissue
    (C) It occurs due to organ decay
    (D) It is a side effect of disinfectants

29. Which of the following best describes a "retractor" in the context of surgery?
    (A) A device used to hold open surgical incisions
    (B) A tool used to measure organ dimensions
    (C) An instrument for removing tissues
    (D) A machine for assisting respiration

30. What is the legal definition of death in the United States?
    (A) The cessation of a heartbeat
    (B) Brain death
    (C) The inability to breathe unassisted
    (D) Complete organ failure

31. What is the primary purpose of “organ recovery" in the context of the essay?
    (A) To save organs for future medical research
    (B) To transplant viable organs into other patients
    (C) To preserve organs for educational use
    (D) To test new surgical equipment

32. What key point does the essay make about the relationship between biological activity and personhood?
    (A) Personhood ends when respiration ceases
    (B) Biological activity directly equates to consciousness
    (C) Heart function is more important than brain activity
    (D) A functioning brain defines personhood, regardless of biological activity

33. Why do surgeons often travel to retrieve organs themselves?
    (A) To ensure the organs are harvested ethically
    (B) To avoid complications from untrained staff
    (C) To teach local surgeons the recovery process
    (D) To personally deliver the organs to recipients

34. What term replaced "organ harvest” to reflect a more professional tone?
    (A) Organ donation
    (B) Organ collection
    (C) Organ retrieval
    (D) Organ recovery

35. What is the essay's perspective on the visceral aspects of organ recovery?
    (A) It underscores the clinical and ethical complexities
    (B) It romanticizes the process to make it more acceptable
    (C) It criticizes the lack of respect shown to donors
    (D) It downplays the importance of surgical precision

Essay Topic: The Rise of Corruption and Fraud in Taiwan: A Reflection on Modern Society

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in news reports detailing the involvement of legal professionals in fraud rings (詐騙集團) and prominent politicians embroiled in corruption scandals. Why have such cases become so prevalent in Taiwan today? Is this surge a consequence of contemporary capitalism, which exacerbates economic anxieties and imposes an urgent sense of scarcity on those struggling to make ends meet? Or are we witnessing a decline in the influence of traditional moral values on personal and professional conduct? If you were the leader of Taiwan, what measures would you implement to address and rectify this troubling societal trend?

In your essay, critically examine the factors contributing to the apparent rise in corruption and fraud in Taiwan. Explore the role of modern capitalism and consumer culture in fostering these issues, as well as the potential erosion of traditional ethics and values. Reflect on whether these incidents are genuinely increasing or if heightened media coverage has simply made us more aware of them. You are encouraged to draw on your own observations and insights regarding recent societal shifts in Taiwan and to discuss the broader implications for Taiwan’s future.

Your essay should be approximately 400-600 words in length. It will be evaluated based on grammar, fluency, organization, relevant examples, and critical thinking.