1、考博英语-85 (1)及答案解析(总分：85.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BPart Listenin(总题数：2，分数：20.00)BPassage 1/BAs Texas begins to recover from two weeks of devastating storms, a generally hidden truth about its economy will come to light again. Most of the builders and electricians who will have to repair the houses, remake the
2、roads and re-establish the electrical power lines will have to take on undocumented workers in order to meet their contracts. In 1996 the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) conservatively estimated that Texas had over 600,000 undocumented immigrants doing the jobs no one else wants: haulin
3、g carcasses in packing plants, picking fruit, cleaning hotel rooms, or sorting out the unspeakable damage caused by natural disasters.Mention the issue of these workers to a Texan, and he is liable to fall uncharacteristically silent. Even state legislators avoid the issue. They know that many of th
4、eir constituents employ undocumented workers. They also know that the booming Texas economy is driven in part by the ready supply of cheap, diligent, illegal labour.Dallas is one magnet for undocumented workers. The citys politicians oppose INS crackdowns fearing they will damage the local economy a
5、nd bankrupt small companies. Houston is another. There a dawn drive past some of the citys 36 informal day-labour sites shows the size of the undocumented workforce. Young Mexicans wait on the pavement, ready to jump into the back of any pick-up truck that slows down to take them. Houston police est
6、imate that over 150,000 labourers, about 85% of them undocumented, gather every day in search of a job. It is a testament to the vitality of the Texas economy that most of them get hired usually to mix cement and shift bricks. No questions are asked, no papers signed. Most workers do not even know t
7、heir employers name. They are paid in cash, around 40 dollars a day while the average American earns more than twice as much.（分数：10.00）(1).According to the passage, the presence of immigrant workers in Texas _.（分数：2.00）A.is seen as a problem by local authoritiesB.is tolerated given that it helps the
8、 local economyC.can be considered evidence of the failing economyD.is a source of racial conflict(2).Some of the jobs that the illegal immigrants do as mentioned in the article include the following _.（分数：2.00）A.harvesting crops, working in hotels, repairing roads and packaging meatB.harvesting crop
9、s, managing restaurants, cleaning roads and packaging meatC.rebuilding homes, picking apples, cleaning roads and cutting meatD.repairing power lines, working in hotels, and working in parks(3).The illegal workers are _.（分数：2.00）A.hard-working but costlyB.lazy but cheapC.hard-working and ambitiousD.h
10、ard-working and cheap(4).Which of the following was NOT stated in the passage?（分数：2.00）A.Many illegal workers look for work in areas near major cities.B.Employers never supply transportation to the place of work.C.Illegal workers do not present any documents in order to get the job.D.The illegal wor
11、kers do jobs that others would consider undesirable.(5).According to the passage, the relationship between employer and illegal worker is best described as _.（分数：2.00）A.admirableB.amicableC.difficultD.impersonalBPassage 2/BExperimenting with household objects can often get young people in trouble, b
12、ut for one intelligent, inquisitive boy, it created the foundation of his future. Young Henry Ford discovered through his curious mind that many objects were useful for much more than their intended purposes. For example, he used to tinker with his fathers fanning tools to see what they could do. He
13、 used his mothers darning needles to help him repair watches. And once, in an effort to study the power to steam, he sat and watched water boil in his mothers teapot. Little did Ford know that these experiments would lead him to creating a means of transportation that would change the world forever.
14、Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, near Detroit, Michigan. He was the oldest of six children and the grandson of immigrants from Ireland who came to America in 1847. His family were farmers, and he grew up on the family farm where he began to develop mechanical skills. Through his experiences on
15、the farm with his father, Henry developed a great curiosity about how things worked.When traveling in his fathers wagon, Henry would often wonder if there were a faster and easier way to travel. A time he remembered for the rest of his life happened when he was only thirteen years old. He was riding
16、 in the wagon with his father, and he spotted a steam engine traveling along the road under its own power. Henry was so excited that he ran toward the engine and asked its driver question after question about the incredible machine.This machine was used for sawing wood and other tasks that required
17、it to remain stationary, but the engine was mounted on wheels to propel itself from one location to another. Henry was so excited that the driver let him fire the engine and even run it. From that point on, Henry Fords dream of creating a self-propelled vehicle began to materialize.Ford wanted to mo
18、ve to Detroit to work in the machine shops, but he stayed on the family farm until he was seventeen. At that time, he started his successful journey by moving to Detroit. He began working at the Michigan Car Company for $1.10 a day, but he was fired because he was faster than anyone else at making r
19、epairs. It took him only one hour to do what took others five hours to do! From there he took on a variety of different jobs but his dream continued to be the creation of a “horseless carriage.“ No matter where he worked, he continued to read about gas engines and experiment in his own workshop.In 1
20、896 Fords efforts began to pay off when he was working at the Detroit Edison Illuminating Company. His first self-propelled vehicle was ready for a try-out. As it started to run, it actually frightened the horses and caused many people to protest, but it ran.It was at the Detroit Edison Illuminating
21、 Company where Ford met Thomas Edison. Ford had always admired Thomas Edisons work and was excited when he discovered that Edison agreed that it had possibilities and encouraged him to continue. This gave Ford the incentive to invent an operable car that was written up in the Detroit Journal where h
22、e was described as a “mechanical engineer.“ Soon his work on automobiles caused him to have to leave the Detroit Edison Illuminating Company. Ford wanted more time to work on automobile building so he was forced to quit his job.Fords dream began to materialize with his invention of automobiles and t
23、he development of the assembly line. His dream of creating a “motor car for the great multitude, constructed of the best materials by the best men to be hired, so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one.“ came true with the invention of his ninth car, the Model T. It
24、sold more than any other car for eighteen years between 1908 and 1926. This commonplace, hard working, sturdy car made up over one half of all the cars sold at this time.Today we are reminded of Fords genius whenever we see one of his “horseless carriages“ traveling across the many highways in our w
25、orld. Who would have guessed for the world? The next time you see a child experimenting with different common objects, keep in mind that you may be witnessing the beginning of another great invention.（分数：10.00）(1).What do the words “remain stationary“ mean in Sentence 1, Paragraph 4 of the passage?（
26、分数：2.00）A.move from one place to anotherB.stay in one place and not moveC.move in two directionsD.stay in more than one place(2).What conclusion can be drawn from the essay about the United States during the time of Henry Fords youth?（分数：2.00）A.Horse-drawn carriages were used as a popular means of t
27、ransportation.B.Most people were tired of horse-drawn carriages and wanted a better way to travel.C.The assembly line made it more difficult for people to invent new products.D.Many inventors were trying to invent a fast and comfortable way to travel.(3).Based on the essay, which of the following se
28、ntences is the best conclusion about the characteristics of a successful inventor?（分数：2.00）A.The person must be fascinating and interesting to other people.B.The person must be relaxed and able to work long hours.C.The person must go to specialized schools to learn the necessary skills.D.The person
29、must be persistent and ambitious about inventing.(4).Which sentence below supports the main idea expressed by the author?（分数：2.00）A.Henry Fords job at the Michigan Car Company taught him how to make automobiles.B.People didnt like the first “horseless carriage“ because it was so noisy.C.Henry Fords
30、inquisitive nature and determination are what helped him invent the Model T.D.Children can learn a lot by experimenting with objects and asking questions.(5).Based on the passage, which of the following sentences best describes the relation- ship Henry Ford had with Thomas Edison?（分数：2.00）A.They res
31、pected each other for their intelligence and Ford accepted Edisons advice.B.They enjoyed working together and helping each other with new inventions.C.Thomas Edison taught Henry Ford how to build self-propelled vehicles.D.Henry Ford taught Thomas Edison how to build vehicles that ran on steam.二、BPar
32、t Vocabula(总题数：20，分数：20.00)1.So far as the food industry is concerned, the processing of sheep and lambs is relatively _ in the United States, accounting for only about 7 percent of meat-packing production.（分数：1.00）A.irrelevantB.appropriateC.negligibleD.redundant2.In 1844, Charles Stun, a British so
33、ldier and colonial administrator, made an expedition _ a supposed inland sea; his party penetrated more than 1,000 miles northward, almost to the center of Australia.（分数：1.00）A.in quest ofB.with regard toC.in favor ofD.by way of3.When I found the light switch, the unshaded bulb only illuminated two
34、small cats, sitting on the table _ round the inside of the empty ham tin.（分数：1.00）A.swallowingB.gorgingC.lickingD.digesting4.She wanted desperately to turn the flower-painted china _ on the apple- green door, and go through, but somehow she could not.（分数：1.00）A.frameB.poleC.panD.knob5.“This park has
35、 more than 200 waterfalls that are 15 feet or higher. And 150 of them have never been mapped or photographed,“ says park historian Lee Whittlesey. “Now thats a _ to the size of Yellowstone.“（分数：1.00）A.propositionB.hypothesisC.ceremonyD.testimony6.Could a mechanical device ever _ human intelligence-t
36、he ultimate test being whether it could cause a real human to fall in love with it?（分数：1.00）A.destroyB.duplicateC.forgeD.eliminate7.Why do teens drink? Reasons vary from _ pressure to family patterns to social conditioning.（分数：1.00）A.spouseB.peerC.antagonistD.competitor8.Absorbed in her work, she wa
37、s totally _ her surroundings.（分数：1.00）A.liable forB.separated byC.oblivious ofD.concerned about9.She has _ some brilliant scheme to double her income.（分数：1.00）A.come outB.come up withC.come toD.come about10.Every year a number of students graduate from the school which will _ new students the first
38、week in September.（分数：1.00）A.enrollB.recruitC.collectD.reproduce11.That evening roving gangs of white teenagers began to attack blacks in downtown Chicago, and the city erupted in a five-day race _ that ended with 38 deaths, 537 serious injuries, and widespread destruction.（分数：1.00）A.fussB.maneuverC
39、.deteriorationD.riot12.They found that an individual tends to conform to a _ group judgment even when that judgment is obviously in error.（分数：1.00）A.unanimousB.singularC.coherentD.versatile13.The headquarters of this textile company is in New York while its 20 _ companies are located in different pa
40、rts of the world.（分数：1.00）A.parentB.subsidiaryC.inferiorD.ultimate14.As the case of Amitar Ray and his family exemplifies, professional immigrants are among the most rapidly _ first because of their occupational success and second be- cause of the absence of strong ethnic networks that reinforce the
41、 culture of origin.（分数：1.00）A.assimilatedB.consumedC.accustomedD.fascinated15.The character armor consists of defensive character traits, like arrogance or apprehensiveness, that developed in childhood to _ painful feelings.（分数：1.00）A.turn asideB.ward offC.bread upD.watch over16.The renaissance was
42、a(n) _ of unparalleled cultural achievement and had a great impact on almost all European countries.（分数：1.00）A.momentB.dynastyC.instantD.epoch17.The _ of such I. Q. tests full of questions on American culture was not questioned at that time.（分数：1.00）A.significanceB.validityC.efficiencyD.justificatio
43、n18.The little girl is just learning to walk and shes always _ over.（分数：1.00）A.tumblingB.waggingC.wavingD.swaying19.Some readers may find it _ that a book arguing for greater literacy and intellectual discipline should lead to a call for less rather than more education.（分数：1.00）A.appealingB.controve
44、rsialC.paradoxicalD.ambiguous20.While researchers may not _ the expansive claims of hard-core vitamin enthusiasts, evidence suggests that the nutrients play a much more complex role in assuring vitality and optimal health than was previously thought.（分数：1.00）A.authorizeB.licenseC.counteractD.endorse
45、三、BPart Cloze/(总题数：1，分数：15.00)A teacher is someone who communicates information or skill so that someone else may learn. Parents are the U(51) /U teachers. Just by living with their child and U(52) /U their everyday activities with him, they teach him their language, their values and their manners.
46、Information and skills difficult to teach U(53) /U family living are taught in a school by a person U(54) /U special occupation is teaching.Before 1900 it U(55) /U widely assumed that a man was qualified to teach if he could read and write and U(56) /U qualified if he knew arithmetic. With modest U(
47、57) /U like these, it is no U(58) /U that teachers had low salaries and little prestige. Literature and history frequently portray teachers U(59) /U fools and ignoramuses.By the late 19th century, there were U(60) /U that the status of teachers was slowly U(61) /U. Great educators such as Mann and H
48、enry Barnard, and innovative thinkers such as Dewey and Parker began to command a U(62) /U that in a few decades had to some U(63) /U permeated classrooms in the United States. Progress was more glacial than meteoric, however,U (64) /U the last half of the century.In the 20th century the status of teachers rose as the standards U(65) /U their education rose. By 1950 the average teacher had an education that greatly exceeded that of the average citizen.（分数：15.00）(1).（分数：1.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1
