1、北京外国语大学考研基础英语真题 2008年及答案解析(总分：150.00，做题时间：90 分钟)AThe Greening of AmericaHow America is likely to take over leadership of the light against climate change; and how it can, get it right. A country with a presidential system tends to get identified with its leader. So, for the rest of the world, Americ
2、a is George Bush“s America right now. It is the country that has mismanaged the Iraq war; holds prisoners without trial at Guantanamo Bay; restricts funding for stem-cell research because fundamentalist religious beliefs; and destroyed the chance of a global climate-change deal based on the Kyoto Pr
3、otocol. But to simplify this is to misunderstand especially in the case of the huge, federal America. One of its great strengths is the diversity of its political, economic and cultural life. While the White House dug its heels in on global warming, much of the rest of the country was moving. That“s
4、 what forced the president“s concession to greens in the state-of-the-union address. His poll ratings sinking under the weight of Iraq, President Bush is grasping for popular issues to keep him afloat; and global warming has evidently become such an issue. Albeit in the context of energy security, a
5、 now familiar concern of his, President Bush spoke for the first time to Congress of “the serious challenge of global climate change“ and proposed measures designed, in part, to combat it. It“s the weather, appropriately, that has turned public opinionstarting with Hurricane Katrina. Scientists had
6、been warming Americans for years that the risk of “extreme weather events“ would probably increase as a result of climate change. But scientific papers do not drive messages home as convincingly as the destruction of a city. And the heat wave that torched America“s west coast last year, accompanied
7、by a constant drip of new research on melting glaciers and dying polar bears, has only strengthened the belief that something must be done. Business is changing its mind too. Five years ago corporate America was solidly against carbon controls. But the threat of a patchwork of state regulations, com
8、bined with the opportunity to profit from new technologies, began to shift business attitudes. And that movement has gained momentum, because companies that saw their competitors espouse carbon controls began to fear that, once the government got down to designing regulations, they would be left out
9、 of the discussion if they did not jump on the band wagon. So now the loudest voices are not resisting change but arguing for it. Support for carbon controls has also grown among some unlikely groups: security hawks (who want to reduce America“s dependence on Middle Eastern oil); farmers (who like s
10、ubsidies for growing the raw material for ethanol); and evangelicals (who worry that man should looking after the Earth God gave him a little better). This alliance has helped persuade politicians to move. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California“s Republican governor, has led the advance, with muscular me
11、asures legislating Kyoto-style curbs in his state. His popularity has rebounded as a result. And now there is movement too at the federal level, which is where it really matters. Bills to tackle climate change have proliferated. And three of the serious candidates for the presidency in 2008John McCa
12、in, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obamaare all pushing for federal measures. Unfortunately, President Bush“s newfound interest in climate change is coupled with, and distorted by, his focus on energy security. Reducing America“s petrol consumption by 20% in 2017, a target he announced in the state-of-t
13、he-union address, would certainly diminish the country“s dependence on Middle Eastern oil, but the way he plans to go about it may not be either efficient or clean. Increasing fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks will go part of the way, but for most of the switch America will have to rely on
14、a greater use of alternative fuels. That means ethanol (inefficient because of heavy subsidies and high tariffs on imports of foreign ethanol) or liquefied coal (filthy because of high car- bon emissions). The measure of President Bush“s failure to tackle this issue seriously is his continued reject
15、ion of the only two clean and efficient solutions to climate change. One is a carbon tax, which this paper has long advocated. The second is a cap-and-trade system of the sort Europe introduced to meet the Kyoto targets. It would limit companies“ emissions while allowing them to buy and sell permits
16、 to pollute. Either system should, by setting a price on carbon, discourage emission; and, in doing so, encourage the development and use of cleaner-energy technologies. Just as America“s adoption of catalytic converters led eventually to the world“s conversion to lead-free petrol, so its drive to c
17、lean-energy technologies will ensure that these too spread. A tax is unlikely because of America“s aversion to that three-letter word. Given that, it should go for a tough cap-and-trade system. In doing so, it can usefully learn from Europe“s experience. First, get good data. Europe failed to do so:
18、 companies were given too many permits, and emissions have there-fore not fallen. Second, auction permits (which are, in effect, money) rather than giving them away free. Europe gave them away, which allowed polluters to make windfall profits . This will be a huge fight; for, if the federal governme
19、nt did what the Europeans did, it would hand out $40 billion to $50 billion in permits. Third, set a long time-horizon. Europeans do not know whether carbon emissions will still be constrained after 2012, when Kyoto runs out. Since most clean-energy projects have a payback period of more than five y
20、ears, the system thus fails to encourage green investment. One of America“s most admirable characteristics is its belief that it has a duty of moral leader- ship. At present, however, it“s not doing too well on that score. Global warming could change that. By tackling the issue now it could regain t
21、he high moral ground (at the same time forging ahead in the clean-energy business, which Europe might otherwise dominate). And it looks as though it will; for even if the Toxic Texan continues to evade the issue, his successor will grasp it.（分数：18.00）(1).It can be inferred from the first paragraph t
22、hat _.（分数：3.00）A.America is busy dealing with the Iraq war and the Guantanamo Bay prisonersB.America is interested in stem-cell researchC.America despises the global climate-change dealD.America declines to sign the Kyoto Protocol(2).“Dig one“s heels in“ in the second paragraph means _.（分数：3.00）A.im
23、prove by pressureB.judge by oneselfC.refuse to change one“s mindD.pay more attention to(3).Which is NOT the reason that causes the corporate America to change its mind over carbon controls?（分数：3.00）A.The state regulations are getting strict.B.There is an opportunity to profit from new technologies.C
24、.Some competitors approve of carbon controls.D.The loudest voices are supporting carbon controls.(4).According to the author, which is NOT a practicable way to reduce carbon emissions in America?（分数：3.00）A.Imposition of a carbon tax.B.Establishment of a cap-and-trade system.C.Permission to buy and s
25、ell permits to pollute.D.Setting a price on carbon.(5).Because of the Americans“ distaste for tax, the author suggests that all of the following should be done EXCEPT that _.（分数：3.00）A.a suitable number of permits be offeredB.the price for the permits be setC.carbon emissions be tackled in a long-te
26、rm viewD.carbon emissions be loosened after 2012(6).The polluters“ “windfall profits“ (Para. 8) stands for _.（分数：3.00）A.the privilege granted by the permitsB.the unexpected lucky gain from the permitsC.the financial support from the federal governmentD.the illegal interests made by the pollutersSout
27、hern SlangWhenever I return to North Carolina, my home state in America“s Southeast, more than the familiar rolling grassland hills tells me I“m home: Back there, my ears perk up to familiar bits of Southern-style American English, a regional delicacy that has yet to sneak its way into China. “Liste
28、n up good now, because I“m fixin“ to tell you all about it.“ I had been looking forward to a nice, big Christmas dinner for some time leading up to my most recent visit home, because I knew I would be “eating high on the hog“. This Southernism, which originally meant having the luxury of eating the
29、highest-quality parts of the pig, now simply refers to enjoying good food in large quantities. My mom“s delicious baked ham did happen to be on the table as we feasted this Christmas, but the presence of pork is hardly a necessity for eating high on the hog, nor does one have to be in the South to d
30、o so. In fact, the phrase often passes through my mind when I sit down to a steaming hot pot or a bow of Xinjiang-style noodles in Beijing. But for Southerners who enjoy good barbecued pork (and there aren“t many who don“t), there“s a great way to eat high on the hog while eating every part of it: g
31、o to “a pig pickin“. A pig pickin is not so much a meal as it is an event, where people gather around a whole hog which is slow-roasted in a smoky oven until its tender meat can be, picked right off the bones and eaten. There“s only one way to describe the taste, of juicy barbecue on a summer aftern
32、oon: “finger-lickin good!“ Many Southern colloquialisms reflect the agricultural heritage of the region, and so lots of Southern slang calls on images or personalities we associate with animals. After a long, hard day at work, nothing describes someone is exhausted quite as vividly as saying he or s
33、he is “clog tired“, evoking an image of a lazy, long-eared hound dog lazing on a front porch. Or, if someone has a natural intelligence for understanding the ways of the world, we may say that person has “horse sense“, like a trusty four-legged friend who always knows which way to go when it comes t
34、o a fork in the road. The South“s long-standing religious traditions also pepper the speech of locals. When a proper Southerner wants to express that something will happen if all goes well, he might say, “Good Lord willin“ and the creek don“t rise“, which recalls more primitive times when many South
35、ern farmers relied on good weather conditions for their livelihoods. For example, one friend might say to another when arranging a weekend picnic, “Good Lord willin“ and the creek don“t rise, I“ll see you on Sunday.“ If that weekend brings a thunderstorm, raining out the picnic, the two unlucky frie
36、nds may curse the weather, calling it “god-awful“. Perhaps the two uniquely Southern words that are best known in other parts of the world are “y“all“, which is a shortened version of “you all“, and the infamous “ain“t“, which means “is not“, “are not“ or “am not“. While, Southerners and non-Souther
37、ners will probably never stop arguing over whether or not these officially qualify as English words (they are in the dictionary, if that courts for anything), they are undeniably part of the Southern vocabulary. One of the charms of the way Southerners speaks is that they often have a multitude of c
38、olorful ways to say very simple things. If someone plans to do something Very soon, he could say any number of ways, some of which may bring a smile, to the listener“s face. Instead of saying “right away“, a Southerner might substitute any of the following: “faster than you can skin a cat“; “quicker
39、 than you can say “Jack Robinson“ (don“t ask me who Jack is); “right now in a minute“; or “lickety-split“. Southern-style English is something that many Americans feel very strongly about. While many natives of the South are proud of the distinction their slang brings to their speech, other English
40、speakers often turn their noses up at the earthy, down home tone of the region“s slang. But love it or hate it, the English of the American South is full of personality and like nothing else you“ll ever hear.（分数：18.00）(1).What the author wants to tell in the first paragraph is that _.（分数：3.00）A.he i
41、s fairly familiar with the scene of America“s SoutheastB.everybody knows well that North Carolina is fascinatingC.southern English is very expressive and rich in imageryD.it is worthwhile to introduce something about his hometown(2).What the author means by “eating high on the hog“ is _.（分数：3.00）A.h
42、aving a big mealB.eating the highest-quality parts of the pigC.enjoying delicious baked hamD.living very comfortably(3).According to the passage, the uniqueness of Southern colloquialisms can be traced to all of the following factors EXCEPT _.（分数：3.00）A.agricultural heritageB.religious traditionsC.i
43、rregular abbreviationsD.eating habits(4).Which of the reasons listed below DOES NOT explain why many Americans feel strongly about southern-style English?（分数：3.00）A.Because it is vivid and interesting.B.Because it is special and distinct.C.Because it enjoys high prestige in the United States.D.Becau
44、se it, is considered inferior“ by some people.(5).Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage about southern-style English?（分数：3.00）A.A dialect that bears the marks of religious traditions.B.An art of conversation to be practiced and enjoyed.C.A dialect with many colorful ways to talk abo
45、ut plain things.D.A regional dialect not yet introduced into China.(6).The author“s attitude toward southern-style English is about _.（分数：3.00）A.partialB.objectiveC.with disdainD.with loveBX-Ceiling Over MenMen are always telling me not to generalize about them. But a startling new study shows that
46、science is backing me up here. Research published last week in the journal Nature reveals that women are genetically more complex than scientists ever imagined, while men remain the simple creatures they appear. “Alas,“ said one of the authors of the study, the Duke University genome expert Huntingt
47、on Willard, “genetically speaking, if you“ve met one man, you“ve met them all. We are, I hate to say it, predictable. You can“t say that about women. Men and women are farther apart than we ever knew. It“s not Mars or Venus. It“s Mars or Venus, Pluto, Jupiter and who knows what other planets.“ Women
48、 are not only more different from men than we knew. Women are more different from each other than we knew creatures of “infinite variety“, as Shakespeare wrote. “We poor men only have 45 chromosomes to do our work with because our 46th is the pathetic Y that has only a few genes which operate below
49、the waist and above the knees,“ Dr. Willard observed. “In contrast, we now know that women have the full 46 chromosomes that they“re getting work from and the 46th is a second X that is working at levels greater than we knew.“ Dr. Willard and his co-author, Laura Carrel, a molecular biologist at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, think that their discovery may help explain why the behavior and traits of men and women are so different; they may be hard-wired in the brain, in addition to being hormonal or cultural. So is Lawrence
