1、考博英语-601 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Part Reading Compr(总题数：5，分数：40.00)New Orleans was the site of the last major battle during the War of 1812, a lengthy conflict between British and American troops. The Battle of New Orleans in January 1815 was one of the greatest victories in American military h
2、istory. However, the great success of this battle did not actually bring about the end of the war. Surprisingly, the Treaty of Ghent, which declared the end of the war, had already been signed by both sides a month earlier.How was that possible? There were two major reasons. The first is that New Or
3、leans was relatively isolated and communication in the growing United States was not as simple as it is today. Thus, it is possible that the British commanders and the American general, Andrew Jackson, did not realize a treaty had been signed before they started their battle. A second reason is that
4、 there is a difference between a signed treaty and a ratified treaty. Even if all soldiers fighting in and around New Orleans had known of the treaty, it had not yet been ratified by the U. S. Senate. Thus, though the Treaty of Ghent took place in December prior to the Battle of New Orleans, the war
5、 did not officially end until February 1815, when the Senate ratified the treaty.Had the combatants in New Orleans known of the treaty, they might have avoided a tough battle, especially the British. In the battle, a force of about 4,000 American troops decisively defeated an enemy of nearly twice i
6、ts size. At stake for the soldiers was control of the waterways of the Mississippi, and the fighting was fierce. A combination of tactical mistakes and bad weather doomed the British attack, costing them nearly 2,000 soldiers injuried or killed. The Americans lost fewer than 200. But was the terribl
7、e battle all for nothing? Some historians suggest that victory that day was crucial for the American millitary in order to enforce and help ratify quickly the peace treaty. Potentially, with an American loss in New Orleans, the British could have found hope to continue the conflict.（分数：8.00）(1).The
8、passage suggests that all of the following occurred near the end of the War of 1812 EXCEPT _.A. Andrew Jackson ignored the orders of President MadisonB. Communication with the battle line commanders was slowC. The Treaty of Ghent was signedD. Weather conditions hurt the efforts of the British soldie
9、rs（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following is implied by the passage?A. Andrew Jackson did not know the difference between a signed treaty and a ratified treaty.B. President Madison did not realize the Battle of New Orleans was possible.C. The British may have had a chance.D. The British troops k
10、new of the treaty but attack anyway.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).According to the passage, New Orleans was a strategic battle site because _.A. it was the only location where American forces were better supplied than the British forcesB. the American forces would be trapped in the swamplands if they lostC.
11、the British were attempting to defeat a more numerous forceD. the Mississippi River was nearby and control of it was important（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).According to the passage, a treaty _.A. cannot be signed by the President without the consent of the SenateB. has sometimes been ignored by those in batt
12、leC. is always used to end a warD. is not effective until it is ratified by the Senate（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.It is easy to lose patience with science today. The questions are pressing: How dangerous is dioxin? What about low-level radiation? When will that monstrous earthquake strike California? And why c
13、ant we predict weather better? But the evidence is often described “inconclusive, “ forcing scientists to base their points of view almost as much on intuition as on science.When historians and philosophers of science listen to these questions, some conclude that science may be incapable of solving
14、all these problems any time soon. Many questions seem to defy the scientific method, an approach that works best when it examines straightforward relationships. If s0mething is done to variable A, what happens to variable B? Such procedures can, of cuurse, be very difficult in their own ways, but fo
15、r experiments, they are effective.With the aid of Newtons laws of gravitational attraction, for instance, ground controllers can predict the path of a planetary probeor satellitewith incredible accuracy. They do this by calculating the gravitational tugs from each of the passing planets until the pr
16、obe speeds beyond the edge of the solar system. A much more difficult task is to calculate what happens when two or three such tugs pull on the probe at the same time. The unknowns can grow into riddles that are impossible to solve. Because of the turbulent and changing state of the earths atmospher
17、e, for instance, scientists have struggled for centuries to predict the weather with precision.This spectrum of questionsfrom simple problems to those impossibly complexhas resulted in nicknames for various fields of study. “Hard“ sciences, such as astronomy and chemistry, are said to yield precise
18、answers, whereas “soft“ sciences, such as sociology and economics, admit a great degree of uncertainty.（分数：8.00）(1).Which of the following best tells what this passage is about?A. How the large variety of factors scientists deal with makes absolute scientific accuracy impossible.B. How Newton solved
19、 the problem of accuracy and science.C. How “hard“ science is more important than “soft“ science.D. Why historians do not study astronomy.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).According to the passage, it can be inferred that the scientific method would work best in which of the following situations?A. Predicting pu
20、blic reactions to a set of policy decisions.B. Identifying the factors that will predict a California earthquake.C. Predicting the amount of corn that an acre will yield when a particular type of fertilizer is used.D. Calculating how much a cubic centimeter of water will weigh when cooled under cont
21、rolled conditions.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).According to the passage, “hard“ science can be distinguished from “soft“ science by which of the following characteristics?A. Seeking precise answers to its questions.B. Identifying important questions that need answers.C. Making significant contributions to h
22、uman welfare.D. Creating debates about unresolved issues.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The author implies that when confronted with complex questions, scientists base their opinions _.A. on theoretical foundationsB. more on tuition than on scienceC. on science and tuition, in varying degreesD. on observation
23、s and past experience（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.Florence Nightingale was a woman ahead of time. Before the nineteenth century, the profession of nursing was largely untrained. Midwives were the only practitioners who had any training at all. For the most part, sick people were looked after by the women of the
24、 house in their own homes.Florence Nightingale began a school in London, England to set the standards for nursing. She was able to do this because she had already established a reputation for her work with soldiers during the Crimean War. She carried a lamp above her head as she walked among the wou
25、nded men, thereby earning the nickname “the lady with the lamp. “ It was this great lady who lit the way for nursing to become the respected profession it is today.（分数：8.00）(1).The passage is mainly about _.A. the impact of nursing on the soldiers of the Crimean WarB. Florence Nightingale and her in
26、fluence on the profession of nursingC. the difference between nurses and midwivesD. How Florence Nightingale earned the nickname “the lady with the lamp/（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following was a method most people used to receive care before Florence Nightingales time?A. They would be cared
27、for only by doctors.B. They would be cared for by their children.C. They were largely left uncared for.D. They were cared for by female relatives.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The style of the passage is most like that found in a(n) _.A. personal letter to a trusted friendB. anthology of short biographies of
28、 famous womenC. history of nineteenth-century EnglandD. textbook on medicine（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).According to the author, the primary reason that Florence Nightingale was able to open a school for nursing was that _.A. she was already famous for her work in the warB. her family was willing to financ
29、e her workC. she had gained notoriety as a difficult woman to challengeD. she had cared for many wealthy sick people herself（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.In England during the mid-1600s, a group of English farmers led by Gerrard Winstanley united to form an organization known as the True Levelers. Their stated g
30、oal was to change the laws regarding estate and ownable property so that all willing citizens would be able to support themselves through farming. At the time in England, there was great social unrest and food prices were very high. Most of the land throughout the country was strictly divided and co
31、ntrolled by a small number of the elite ruling class. The True Levelers believed that they could “level“ the different classes of society by creating communities in which the farmable private land was owned by all and available for agrarian purposes. To fight the unequal system that only benefited t
32、he wealthy landowners, the True Levelers defiantly occupied private and public land and began farming.Because much of farming involves plowing and planting, these groups of communal farmers became better known by the name Diggers. Their hope was that their act of rebellion would stir the sympathies
33、of the other poor people throughout the country. The Digger philosophy was to unite all the poor and working classes behind the idea that the land should be shared. If thousands of common English folk began to claim reasonable access to the land, the powerful landowners would be unable to stop them.
34、 In practice for a brief time, Digger communities flourished as they welcomed anyone who wished to merely grow their own food and live freely.Sadly, the landowners believed the Diggers were a threat and began to take steps to preserve their control over the farmable land. Many members of the Digger
35、communities were harassed, threatened, and jailed. Planting vegetables was viewed as a rebellious act and dealt with as if it were a crime. The majority of land reverted back into the hands of landowners. Ultimately, most of the Digger communities that had briefly thrived were disbanded. In their pl
36、ace, other political groups arose and continued to protest the various injustices of the time. The Digger name continues to the present day in some English folk songs as a reminder of their ideals.（分数：8.00）(1).Which of the following can be inferred about the Diggers as described in the passage?A. Th
37、ey had a different political philosophy than the True Levelers.B. They allowed others to join them in their farming activities.C. They were skilled political speakers.D. They defeated the powerful landowners through military force.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following was the most significant
38、point of conflict between landowners and Diggers?A. The Diggers had the willingness but not the space on which to grow enough food to support themselves.B. Wealthy landowners in England at the time were usually violent.C. There was no agreement between Diggers and True Levelers.D. The quality of veg
39、etables grown by the Diggers was inferior to that produced on wealthy estates.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The passage is primarily about _.A. working hard even in challenging timesB. social problems in England in the seventeenth centuryC. The inhumanity of wealthy English landownersD. The brief history of
40、an English community organization（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).According to the passage, what is the most significant difference between True Levelers and the Diggers?A. The True Levelers believed in farming private land, while the Diggers believed in farming public land.B. The True Levelers followed Gerrard
41、 Winstanley, while the Diggers had other leaders.C. There is no difference between the two groups, as the names refer to the same people.D. The True Levelers were accepted by landowners, while the Diggers were jailed.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.Flax has been raised for many thousands of years, for many differe
42、nt reasons. Probably the two most important reasons are for the fabric made from it and the oil produced from it. The woody stem of the flax plant contains the long, strong fibers that are used to make linen. The seeds are rich in an oil important for its industrial uses.The people of ancient Egypt,
43、 Assyria, and Mesopotamia raised flax for cloth; Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen. Since the discovery of its drying ability, the oil from flaxseed, called linseed oil, has been used as a drying agent in paints and varnishes.The best fiber and the best seed cannot be obtained from the same kin
44、ds of plant. Fiber flax grows tall and has few branches. It needs a short, cool growing season with plenty of rainfall evenly distributed. Otherwise, the plants become woody and the fiber is rough and dry. On the other hand, seed flax grows well in places that are too dry for fiber flax. The plants
45、are lower to the ground and have more branches.（分数：8.00）(1).Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?A. How Mummies Were Preserved.B. The Many Uses of the Flax Plant.C. The Difference Between Seeds and Fibers.D. The Types of Plant Life Around the World.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).The
46、author suggests that ancient people raised flax primarily for _.A. its oil, used to preserve wood B. its oil, used as a rich source of nutrientC. its fabric, used for their clothes D. its fabric, used to wrap their dead（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).This passage sounds as if it were an excerpt from _.A. a let
47、ter to the Egyptians B. a book on plant lifeC. a scientific treatise D. a persuasive essay from an ecologist（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following questions is answered by the passage?A. Can the same plant be grown for the best fabric and the best oil?B. How did the Egyptians wrap their mummies
48、?C. What temperature is optimal for growing flax?D. How is flax harvested?（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.二、Part Cloze(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Many people invest in the stock market hoping to find the next Microsoft and Dell. However, I know (21) personal experience how difficult this really is. For more than a year, I was
49、 (22) hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a day in investing in the market. It seemed so easy, I dreamed of (23) my job at the end of the year, of buying a small apartment in Paris, of traveling around the world. But these dreams (24) to a sudden and dramatic end when a stock I (25) , Texas cellular phone wholesaler, fell by more than 75 percent (26) a one-year period. On the (27) day, it plunged by more than $15 a share. There was a rumor that the company was (28) sales figures. That was when I learned how quickly Wall Str
