[考研类试卷]考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷145及答案与解析.doc

1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 145 及答案与解析Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)0 Wolves have been disappearing mysteriously in Sweden. Between 1999 and 2009, 18 of the animalsor about 17% of the individuals that researchers have acti

2、vely followedhave gone missing; the global positioning system(GPS)collars used to track them suddenly blinked off, and the wolves never reemerged. Researchers suspected poaching, but its been hard to determine how much of a toll such clandestine kills have taken. Now, by using a new mathematical ana

3、lysis, scientists have estimated that poaching accounts for half the deaths of Scandinavian wolves, potentially stymieing the rare predators recovery.As recently as the 1970s, not a single wolf lived in Norway or Sweden, says Guillaume Cha-pron, a conservation scientist at the Swedish University of

4、Agricultural Sciences in Riddarhyttan and a co-author of the new study. DNA evidence has shown that those carnivores living in the region today descend from a single male-female pair that made the treacherous trek from Finland in the early 1980s and a second male that arrived in 1991. Packs have gro

5、wn steadily from those three founders; in 2009, Sweden and Norway were home to 263 wolves.To keep an eye on their numbers, Scandinavian researchers fitted 104 wolves with GPS collars between 1999 and 2009. When a GPS blip goes dead, conservationists with the Scandinavian Wolf Project SKANDULV go loo

6、king. Some teams circle wolf territories in helicopters, whereas others set out on skis or snowmobiles to follow tracks and locate scat for DNA testing. If these extensive searches turn up nothing, as happened with 18 wolves that disappeared over the past 10 years, Chapron and his colleagues suspect

7、 foul play. “We cannot find any other mortality cause that would destroy the wolf and the radio-tracking collar other than poaching,“ he says.But bodies still havent turned up for any of the lost wolves. Chapron suspects that poachers disposed of their remains and the GPS collars to cover up the cri

8、mes. So instead, the researchers turned to ecology to show the extent of poaching in Scandinavia. Chapron and his colleagues projected how fast the Scandinavian wolf packs should have grown between 1999 and 2009. Had wolves died only from known causesillnesses, speeding cars, and a few cases of conf

9、irmed poachingnumbers would have grown from 74 animals to nearly 700. But in 2009, researchers counted fewer than 300 wolves in Sweden and Norway.Poachers didnt kill 400 wolves directly but took out an unknown number of males and females that wouldve otherwise been able to breed and multiply. “You c

10、annot really explain the population counts,“ Chapron says. “You need an extra source of mortality. “ In other words, hidden poaching.Regardless of the motive, illegal kills account for about 50% of total wolf deaths in Scandinavia, Chapron and colleagues estimate. In two-thirds of those cases, poach

11、ers seem to be killing and ditching the evidence without anyone knowing. Such “cryptic poaching“ takes a whopping toll on the population, and its one that has gone unrecognized until now.1 In Swedish researchers opinion, poaching has caused（A）a serious damage of GPS tracking function.（B） a potential

12、 threat to wolves thriving.（C） the direct invention of a mathematical analysis.（D）a sharp decrease in the number of wolves.2 When did the first group of wolves in Norway and Sweden come into being?（A）In the early 1970s.（B） In the early 1980s.（C） In the early 1990s.（D）In the early 21st century.3 Why

13、does Chapron come to the conclusion that poaching causes the mysterious death of wolves?（A）Because DNA evidence suggests human involvement in the killing of wolves.（B） Because Chapron and his colleagues have tracked down the murdering site.（C） Because extensive researches have shown the evidence of

14、poaching.（D）Because only poaching could not just kill the wolf but destroy the GPS collar.4 According to the ecology method, the growth of Scandinavian wolves（A）has failed to attain the estimated number.（B） has been severely affected by various reasons.（C） has been underestimated during the past dec

15、ade.（D）has helped researchers to locate the extent of poaching.5 The severe result of poaching is that（A）it leads to a difficulty in counting the exact number of wolves.（B） it has caused a shrinkage in wolves reproducing ability.（C） it makes it difficult in explaining why wolves decline.（D）it has ca

16、used an unbalance rate between male wolves and female ones.5 The Persian Gulf may be flush with money from oil, but it is desperate for food. Many of the richest countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, are handicapped by a dry, unforgiving climate and a shortage of farmland; thus they must

17、import more than 60 percent of their annual food supply. Existing water stores are expected to be exhausted in 30 years, and yet, food demand is growing. Population growth in the region is more than double the world average, the prices of some staples are up more than 30 percent this year, and civil

18、 unrest is mounting.It is, in short, a daunting situation, and conventional responses appear inadequate. Continuing to rely on food from other countries, many government leaders believe, is not only risky but shortsighted in an era of tight trade restrictions and projections of even higher prices. A

19、nd so officials have begun laying the groundwork for a new approach: buying or renting farmland in other countriessometimes thousands of miles away.In recent weeks, officials and businessmen from Saudi Arabia have met with representatives of Thailand and South Africa to talk about buying farmland. T

20、he United Arab Emirates has looked at arable land in Sudan, Egypt, and Yemen and is pursuing a $3 billion deal in Pakistan with several private companies to build large corporate farms for growing rice, wheat, sugar cane, and fruits. Abu Dhabi has reportedly signed a deal with Sudan to develop 70,00

21、0 acres there.Looking to Asia. The Persian Gulf states have been the most aggressive in these pursuits, but they are not alone. In April, the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, expressed interest in renting farmland in eastern Russia or Southeast Asia. Chinese firms, many with close government

22、 ties, have recently pursued deals in the Philippines and Africa and are rumored to be eyeing land in Australia.Even individual farmers from the United States and Australia have started looking in larger numbers to overseas farmland, particularly in South America. “ We have certainly seen an increas

23、e here,“ says Andy Duff, a Rabobank International analyst based in Brazil. “There are the investors who see land as the root of all commodities and believe land may be an interesting investment, and we have also seen bona fide farmers who are looking to expand their operations from other parts of th

24、e world. “Globally, farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate. According to estimates, approximately 50 million acres vanish each year to urbanization, population growth, and economic and industrial development. In Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have nourished river-banks since the s

25、tart of civilization, farmland is expected to shrink 30 percent because of upriver damming in Turkey. Vietnam lost 1.2 million acres of farmland from 2001 to 2007; 123 golf courses, among other developments, have gone up since.A few developing countries have tried to slow or halt the turnover. China

26、, after seeing its farmland dwindle by tens of millions of acres in the first part of the decade, has imposed tight restrictions on land conversions and, in January, began prosecuting thousands of alleged offenders. But, says Chietigj Bajpaee, an analyst for Global Insight, a forecasting company, “t

27、rying to stop the conversion of land is the exception rather than the rule. “6 The passage suggests that Person Gulf（A）has a shortage of water.（B） is overpopulated.（C） is rich in oil, but it is poor in food and farmland.（D）is unrest in political situation.7 In the authors opinion, continuing to rely

28、 on food from other countries（A）is shortsighted.（B） will cost high price.（C） is not adequate to ease the situation.（D）is wrong.8 We can infer from the 3rd and 4th paragraphs that（A）the Saudi Arabia government is buying farmland in Thailand and South Africa.（B） the private companies of the United Ara

29、b Emirates are building farm to grow plants and fruits.（C） Persian Gulf states are aggressive.（D）Chinese firms are seeking deals about land abroad.9 Why the individuals, companies as well as governments are desperate for farmland?（A）Because people get food mainly from farmland.（B） Because 50 million

30、 acres farmland vanish each year.（C） Because farmland is the potential investment.（D）Because people see the farmland as the root of all commodities.10 Chietigj Bajpaee is cited to illustrate that developing countries（A）are working hard to buy farmland.（B） are considered not able to stop the conversi

31、on of land.（C） are exception in solving the food problem.（D）are imposing rules to preserve farmland.10 The National Geographic Channel is often praised for its meticulous science documentaries, but a show that aired last month focusing on the blockbuster video game Spore is coming in for harsh criti

32、cism. Surprisingly, the toughest critics are some of the scientists who appear in the film itself. They say that they were not informed before taking part that it would focus on a commercial product. “ I literally never heard about Spore until I saw myself on television in this info-mercial about th

33、e game,“ says Cliff Tabin, a geneticist at Harvard University. “Its an outrage. “The documentary, titled How to build a Better Being, which aired on 9 September, puts Spore and its creator, Will Wright, front and center. Over the course of the 1-hour show, Wright visits several U. S. -based academic

34、 scientists to discuss their research. Between these scientific interludes, the documentary returns to Wright and Spore. “Journey into the billion-year history of the human body, led by computer game visionary Will Wright as he explores the breakthrough science thats revealing the secret genetic mac

35、hinery that shapes all life in the game Spore,“ reads a description of the film on the National Geographic Channels Web site.Tabin, along with Neil Shubin, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago in Illinois, and Michael Levine, a geneticist at the University of California, Berkeley, sent Scie

36、nce identical e-mails from the films producers inviting them to take part. The e-mail describes the documentary as an investigation of “recent discoveries in evolutionary science“ with no mention of Spore or Wright. “I thought I was being interviewed for a documentary about evolutionary biology,“ sa

37、ys Shubin, who appears to be playing the game in the film. “They didnt mention Spore until we were in the middle of the interview. .I sat there with Will Wright as he fiddled with it,“ he says. “I dont endorse video games, particularly one that claims to be about evolution. “Ellen Stanley, National

38、Geographics communications vice president, says there was no intent to mislead the participants. “Our producers were transparent with all of the scientists,“ she says. The production of such a documentary takes “several months“ she adds, and “the idea for the film evolves during that process. “Spore

39、 is described in the film as “one of the most ambitious games ever, simulating the process of evolution,“ and a DVD of the film is included in the $80 “Galactic Edition“ of the game. “Theres no question that the impression one gets from watching the film is that Spore is scientifically based and tha

40、t scientists endorse this as not only a valid representation of how life on earth arose but moreover a really cool way that kids can learn about it,“ says Tabin. But “the science is told in the most superficial way and not really explained or clarified,“ he says. “And then it becomes more about this

41、 computer game designer than it is about the science. “We had a great time partnering with the folks over at National Geographic,“ wrote a spokesperson for Electronic Arts in an e-mail to Science. “However, we dont typically discuss business terms of our partnerships. “11 Which of the following is t

42、rue of Cliff Tabin?（A）He had seen the game before.（B） He didnt know who Spore was.（C） He felt very angry.（D）The documentary was excellent.12 We may infer from the second paragraph that（A）Will Wright is the producer of the film.（B） the description of the film on the Website is an advertisement of Spo

43、re.（C） Will Wright visited the scientists to learn something about biology.（D）the documentary is a film of 150 minutes.13 Which of the following is true according to the third paragraph?（A）Levine played the game in the film with Will Wright.（B） In the e-mail of the film producers to Tabin, they told

44、 him something about Spore.（C） Shubin is a paleontologist at the University of California in Illinois.（D）Shubin treats video games with disfavor.14 We may infer from the fifth paragraph that（A）Spore promoted the process of evolution.（B） scientists support the game Spore.（C） Spore is a good way for c

45、hildren to learn about the life on earth.（D）the film creates a good impression of the game.15 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?（A）Spore Documentary Spawns Protest by Scientists Who Starred in It（B） A Film About Evolution（C） The Most Ambitious Game（D）Game Creators and Sc

46、ientists15 It was a bad sign if subtle shift in the far North Atlantic. For 30 years, waters off southern Greenland and Iceland had been growing less and less salty, oceanographers reported in late 2003. It looked as if global warming could be freshening high-latitude Atlantic waters. lf the trend c

47、ontinued, they worried, it could throw a monkey wrench into the “conveyor belt“ of currents that warms the far North Atlantic, as is wildly overdone in the movie The Day After Tomorrow. New analyses have now shown that global warming is indeed messing with the Atlantics salinity, although not as dra

48、matically as Hollywood envisioned.The first explicit link between global warming and ocean salinity changes comes in a study in press in Geophysical Research Letters. Modeler Peter Scott of the Met Office Hadley Center in Exeter, U. K. , and his colleagues simulated changing ocean salinity in the ce

49、nters HadCM3 climate model with and without increasing greenhouse gases. Under past global warming conditions, the model produced salinity changes around the world much like those seen. But only in the subtropics and mid-latitudes of the North Atlanticbetween 20 N and 50 Ndid salinity change significantly more than the natural jiggling of the climate system would have changed it.The increase in salinity in North Atlantic mid-latitudes thus carries the “fingerprint“ of human influence left by the effects of human-generated greenhouse gases, the group conc