1、北京大学考博英语真题 2003年及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BPart Structur(总题数：20，分数：20.00)1.Recognizing the shortage of time available to spend with their children, working, mothers sometimes take _ in the concept of “quality time“.（分数：1.00）A.refugeB.prideC.placeD.action2.The term “New Australians“ came into vogu
2、e in the 50s and 60s, which implied that the goal of immigration was assimilation and that migrants would place their new-found Australian identity ahead of the _ context from which they had come.（分数：1.00）A.athleticB.ethicC.aestheticD.ethnic3.Scholarships are too few to _ the high-school graduates w
3、ho deserve a college education.（分数：1.00）A.meetB.accommodateC.compromiseD.adopt4.The study shows that laying too much emphasis on exams is likely to _ students enthusiasm in learning English.（分数：1.00）A.hold backB.hold offC.hold downD.hold over5.The robber tried to _ the stolen goods from the house he
4、 had broken into, but was caught by the guards.（分数：1.00）A.make away withB.make off forC.get outD.get through6.The editors said they must report to the world how Beijing has _ pollution and improved the quality of the environment.（分数：1.00）A.cut upB.cut offC.cut downD.cut out7.If drug abuse, prostitut
5、ion, pollution, environmental decay, social inequality, and the like _, more is required than an increased police presence or a fresh coat of paint.（分数：1.00）A.are to eliminateB.are eliminatedC.are to be eliminatedD.are being eliminated8.This toothed whale has a large, square head with _ the so-calle
6、d spermaceti.（分数：1.00）A.cavity to containB.cavity containingC.the cavity for containingD.a cavity that contains9._, the market will have to overcome some of the highest hurdles. Its seen in a long time.（分数：1.00）A.But to happen in that orderB.But for that in order to happenC.But in order that to happ
7、enD.But in order for that to happen10.With its anti-terrorism campaign taking _ over anything else, the government is extending its job and running in more affairs.（分数：1.00）A.superiorityB.priorityC.majorityD.polarity11.The gap between those at the lowest level and those at the highest level of incom
8、e has increased _, and is continuing to increase.（分数：1.00）A.substantiallyB.successfullyC.succinctlyD.sufficiently12.Chinas economic reform is aimed at separating enterprises from the government. It has been implemented for almost 20 years, but breakthroughs _.（分数：1.00）A.have been made yetB.have yet
9、to makeC.have yet to be madeD.to have yet made13.Several trial efforts in the 1980s proved that it was financially _ to restore old buildings.（分数：1.00）A.feasibleB.probableC.beneficiaryD.passable14.Unloved and unwanted youngsters may be tempted to run away from home to escape their problems, _ bigger
10、 ones in cities plagued with crime, drugs, and immorality.（分数：1.00）A.have only foundB.only findingC.only foundD.only to find15.If the struggle for a sustainable society _, we must have some vision of what we are aiming for.（分数：1.00）A.is to succeedB.has succeededC.succeedsD.succeeded16.A trap _ disgu
11、ise is what has come to be called a Trojan Horse, from the ancient story of the gift of the wooden horse from the Greeks.（分数：1.00）A.offered as a gift inB.offers a gift inC.offering a gift toD.offered a gift of17.Telecommuting is a new form of work _to work, such as fathers with children, the chance
12、to work while remaining at home.（分数：1.00）A.that affording those unable previouslyB.affords those who were previously unableC.affording those previously unableD.afforded those previously unable18._ the passage of light, many new plastics are processed using technologies rivaling those used in the man
13、ufacture of computer chips.（分数：1.00）A.For the better ofB.Permitting betterC.To better permitD.It is better for19.The Flower Market in San Francisco is _, and it was established in the 1930s.（分数：1.00）A.home of the second largest flower market in the countryB.home to the countrys second largest flower
14、 marketC.the second flower market in the countrys homeD.the home to the second countrys large flower market20.The loyalty of dogs to their masters has earned _ “mans best friend“.（分数：1.00）A.the nickname ofB.them the nicknameC.a nicknameD.nicknames二、BPart Reading (总题数：4，分数：30.00)BSection A/BBDirectio
15、ns:/B Each of the passages is followed by some questions. For each question four answers are given. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question. Put your choice in the ANSWER SHEET. Passage One(1) Gerald Feinberg, the Columbia University physicist, once went so far as to
16、declare that “everything possible will eventually be accomplished.“ Well, that of course left only the impossible as the one thing remaining for daring intellectual adventurers to whittle away at Feinberg, for one, thought that “theyd succeed even there.“(2) It was a point worth considering. How man
17、y times in the past had certain things been said to be impossible, only to have it turn out shortly thereafter that the item in question had already been done or soon would be. What greater cliche was there in the history of science than the comic litany of false it-couldnt-be-dones; the infamous ca
18、se of Auguste Comte saying in 1844 that it would never be known what the stars were made of, followed in a few years by the spectroscope being applied to starlight to reveal the stars chemical composition; or the case of Lord Rutherford, the man who discovered the structure of the atom, saying in 19
19、33 mat dreams of controlled nuclear fission were “moonshine.“ And those werent even the worst examples. No, the huffiest of all it-couldnt-be-done claims centered on the notion that human beings could actually fly, either at all, or across long distances, or to the moon, the stars, or wherever else.
20、(3) There had been so many embarrassments of this type that about mid-century Arthur C. Clarke came out with a guideline for avoiding them, which he termed Clarkes Law: “When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that so
21、mething is impossible, he is very probably wrong.“(4) Still, one had to admit there were lots of things left that were really and truly impossible, even if it took some ingenuity in coming up with a proper list of examples. Such as. “A camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle.“ (Well, unless of
22、 course it was a very large needle.) On “It is impossible for a door to be simultaneously open and closed.“ (Well, unless of course it was a revolving door.)(5) Indeed, watertight examples of the really and truly impossible were so exceptionally hard to come by that paradigm cases turned out to be e
23、ither trivial or absurd. “I know I will never play the piano like Vladimir Horowitz,“ offered Milton Rothman, a physicist, “no matter how hard I try“. Or, from Scott Lankford, a mountaineer “Everest on roller skates.“（分数：6.00）(1).The false it-couldnt-be-dones in science are comic because _.（分数：2.00）
24、A.they are cliches, repeated too often by scientistsB.they are almost always proved to be wrong by later scientific researchC.they are mocked at by later generationsD.they provide material for good comedies(2).Which of the following statements is TRUE?（分数：2.00）A.The author uses the case of a camel p
25、assing through the eye of a needle to prove his point that there are things impossible to accomplish.B.That a scientist cannot play the piano like one of the best pianists is not a proper illustration to prove that in science there are things impossible to accomplish.C.Scott Lankford challenges the
26、idea that mountaineers can never climb the Everest on roller skates.D.People now laugh at their predecessors for denying the possibility of human flight.(3).Through this passage, the author wants to _.（分数：2.00）A.show us that scientists in the past years have made a lot of misjudgmentsB.praise those
27、scientists who dared to challenge the impossibleC.emphasize the great potential of the scientific research made by human beingsD.analyze what is possible and what is impossible through scientific effortsPassage Two(1) Since the lineage of investigative journalism is most directly traceable to the pr
28、ogressive era of the early 1900s, it is not surprising that the President of the United States at the time was among the first to articulate its political dimensions. Theodore Roosevelt called investigative reporters “muckrakers,“ after a character from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress who humbly clea
29、ned “the filth off the floor.“ Despite the misgivings implied by the comparison, Roosevelt saw the muckrakers as “often indispensable to the well-being of society“.(2) There are in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon th
30、em. There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or businessman.(3) Roosevelt recognized the value-laden character of investigative journalism. He perceived correctly that investigative reporters are committed to unearthing wrongdoing. For these journalis
31、ts, disclosures of morally outrageous conduct maximize the opportunity for the forces of “good“ to recognize and do battle with the forces of “evil“.(4) So, the current folklore surrounding investigative reporting closely resembles the American ideal of popular democracy. Partly a product of its muc
32、kraking roots, this idealized perspective is also an outgrowth of the commonly perceived effects of exposes published in the early 1970s. The most celebrated of these exposes were the news stories that linked top White House officials to Watergate crimes. These stories were widely held responsible f
33、or the publics loss of confidence in the Nixon administration, ultimately forcing the Presidents resignation.（分数：8.00）(1).When the author talks about the political dimensions of the investigative journalism he refers to _.（分数：2.00）A.John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress and one of its characters “Muckraker
34、s“B.its function of cleaning the dirt off the floor in public placesC.its relentless exposures of political and social evilsD.its indispensable status to the well-being of society(2).Roosevelts comparison of investigative reporters to “muckrakers“ shows his view that these reporters _.（分数：2.00）A.wer
35、e treated lowly in the societyB.reduced journalism to a humble jobC.should be praised highly for their contributions to the societyD.did unpleasant but necessary work(3).By using the word “folklore“, the author suggests that _.（分数：2.00）A.people tend to romanticize what is thought to be American popu
36、lar democracyB.investigative journalism enhances democracy and freedomC.people often circulate the stories they read from investigative reportsD.investigative reports have difficulty in convincing people as truth(4).The Watergate incident is mentioned to show _.（分数：2.00）A.journalism has a tangible e
37、ffect on politicsB.the Watergate incident is an abuse of the political powerC.journalism subverts legitimate political powerD.the victory of American freedom of speechPassage Three(1) Viewed from a star in some other corner of the galaxy, Earth would be a speck, a faint blue dot hidden in the blazin
38、g light of our sun. While our neighbors Venus and Mars would reflect a fairly even glow. Earth would put on a little show. Earths light would brighten and dim as it spins, because oceans, deserts, forests and clouds which are all too small to be seen from such a distance, reflect varying amounts of
39、sunlight. The variations, it turns out, are so strong and distinctive that surprising amount of information could be taken from a simple ebb and flow of light. Scientists at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study conducted a detailed study of Earths reflections as a way for human
40、scientists to learn about distant planets that may be like our own.(2) “If you looked at our solar system from far away, and you looked at the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, one of the quickest ways to see that Earth is unique, which is by looking at the light curve,“ said Ed Tu
41、rner, professor of astrophysics and a co-author of the study. “Earth has by far the most complicated light curve.“ The standard thinking in the field had been that most of the information about an Earth-like planet would come from spectral analysis, a static reading of the relative component of diff
42、erent colors within the light, rather than a reading of changes over time. Spectral analysis would reveal the presence of gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen, in the planets atmosphere. Looking at the change in light over time does not replace spectral analysis, but it could greatly
43、 increase the amount of information scientists could learn, said Turner. It may indicate, for example, the presence of weather, oceans, ice or even plant life.（分数：6.00）(1).“Earth would put on a little show“ means: as it spins, _.（分数：2.00）A.Earth is a more active planet than Venus and MarsB.Earth ref
44、lects a brighter light curve than Venus and MarsC.Earth shows oceans, deserts, forests and clouds, while Venus and Mars dontD.Earth reflects sunlight in an ebb-and-flow manner(2).Spectral reading of the light reflected by an Earth-like planet _.（分数：2.00）A.can tell us the components of that planets a
45、tmosphereB.can locate oceans and forests on that planetC.can show what the weather on that planet is likeD.is the quickest way to study its light curve(3).Which of the following statements is TRUE?（分数：2.00）A.Scientists at the Princeton University want to find that distant planets are like our Earth.
46、B.Among all the terrestrial planets Earths light curve is the most complicated.C.Spectral study of the light will see no development of itself because it is static.D.Spectral reading is used as a supplementary method to the study of the change in light over time.BSection B/BBDirections:/B Read the f
47、ollowing passage carefully and then explain in your own English the exact meaning of the numbered and underlined parts. Put your answers in the ANSWER SHEET. (31)UA couple of months ago, Singaporean officials unintentionally made cinematic history./U They slapped an NC-17 rating on a film, which mea
48、ns children under 17 cannot see it, not because of sex or violence or profanity, but because of bad grammar. Despite its apparently naughty title. Talking Cock, the movie is actually an innocuous comedy comprising four skits about the lives of ordinary Singaporeans. The censors also banned a 15-seco
49、nd TV spot promoting the flick. (32) UAll this is because of what the authorities deemed “excessive use of Singlish.“/U(33) UGiven the tough crackdown, you would expect Singlish to be a harmful substance that might corrupt our youth, like heroin or pornography./U But its one of Singapores best-loved quirks, used daily by everyone from cabbies to CEOs. (34)
