1、考博英语-86 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：20.00)What accounts for the great outburst of major inventions in early America-breakthroughs such as the telegraph, the steamboat and the weaving machine? Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the
2、 country“s excellent elementary schools; a labor force that welcomed the new technology; the practice of giving premiums to inventors; and above all the American genius for nonverbal, “spatial“ thinking about things technological. Why mention the elementary schools? Because thanks to these schools o
3、ur early mechanics, especially in the New England and Middle Atlantic states, were generally literate and at home in arithmetic and in some aspects of geometry and trigonometry. Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage. As a member of a Br
4、itish commission visiting here in 1853 reported, “With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman.“ A further stimulus to invention came from the “premium“ system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This
5、 approach, originated abroad, offered inventors medals, cash prizes and other incentives. In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities. Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to re
6、new their faith in the beneficence of technological advance. Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking required in mechanical technology. As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out, “A technologist thinks about obj
7、ects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process. The designer and the inventor.are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist.“ This nonverbal “spatial“ thinking can be just as creativ
8、e as painting and writing. Robert Fulton once wrote, “The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc., like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea.“ When all these shaping fo
9、rcesschools, open attitudes, the premium system, a genius for spatial thinkinginteracted with one another on the rich U.S. mainland, they produced that American characteristic, emulation. Today that word implies mere imitation. But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fa
10、me and excellence.（分数：20.00）(1).According to the author, the great outburst of major inventions in early America was in a large part due to _.（分数：5.00）A.elementary schoolsB.enthusiastic workersC.the attractive premium systemD.a special way of thinking(2).It is implied that adaptiveness and inventive
11、ness of the early American mechanics _.（分数：5.00）A.benefited a lot from their mathematical knowledgeB.shed light on disciplined school managementC.was brought about by privileged home trainingD.owed a lot to the technological development(3).A technologist can be compared to an artist because _.（分数：5.
12、00）A.they are both winners of awardsB.they are both experts in spatial thinkingC.they both abandon verbal descriptionD.they both use various instruments(4).The best title for this passage might be _.（分数：5.00）A.Inventive MindB.Effective SchoolingC.Ways of ThinkingD.Outpouring of Inventions三、Text 2(总题
13、数：1，分数：20.00)The most thoroughly studied intellectuals in the history of the New World are the ministers and political leaders of seventeenth-century New England. According to the standard history of American philosophy, nowhere else in colonial America was “so much important attached to intellectua
14、l pursuits“. According to many books and articles, New England“s leaders established the basic themes and preoccupations of an unfolding, dominant Puritan tradition in American intellectual life. To take this approach to the New Englanders normally means to start with the Puritans“ theological innov
15、ations and their distinctive ideas about the churchimportant subjects that we may not neglect. But in keeping with our examination of southern intellectual life, we may consider the original Puritans as carriers of European culture, adjusting to New World circumstances. The New England colonies were
16、 the scenes of important episodes in the pursuit of widely understood ideals of civility and virtuosity. The early settlers of Massachusetts Bay included men of impressive education and influence in England. Besides the ninety or so learned ministers who came to Massachusetts churches in the decade
17、after 1629, there were political leaders like John Winthrop, an educated gentleman, lawyer, and official of the Crown before he journeyed to Boston. There men wrote and published extensively, reaching both New World and Old World audiences, and giving New England an atmosphere of intellectual earnes
18、tness. We should not forget, however, that most New Englanders were less well educated. While few crafts men or farmers, let alone dependents and servants, left literary compositions to be analyzed. Their thinking often had a traditional superstitions quality. A tailor named John Dane, who emigrated
19、 in the late 1630s, left an account of his reasons for leaving England that is filled with signs. Sexual confusion, economic frustrations, and religious hopeall name together in a decisive moment when he opened the Bible, told his father the first line he saw would settle his fate, and read the magi
20、cal words: “come out from among them, touch no unclean thing, and I will be your God and you shall be my people.“ One wonders what Dane thought of the careful sermons explaining the Bible that he heard in puritan churched. Meanwhile, many settles had slighter religious commitments than Dane“s, as on
21、e clergyman learned in confronting folk along the coast who mocked that they had not come to the New World for religion. “Our main end was to catch fish.“（分数：20.00）(1).The author notes that in the seventeenth-century New England _.（分数：4.00）A.Puritan tradition dominated political lifeB.intellectual i
22、nterests were encouragedC.politics benefited much from intellectual endeavorsD.intellectual pursuits enjoyed a liberal environment(2).It is suggested in paragraph 2 that New Englanders _.（分数：4.00）A.experienced a comparatively peaceful early historyB.brought with them the culture of the Old WorldC.pa
23、id little attention to southern intellectual lifeD.were obsessed with religious innovations(3).The early ministers and political leaders in Massachusetts Bay _.（分数：4.00）A.were famous in the New World for their writingsB.gained increasing importance in religious affairsC.abandoned high positions befo
24、re coming to the New WorldD.created a new intellectual atmosphere in New England(4).The story of John Dane shows that less well-educated New Englanders were often _.（分数：4.00）A.influenced by superstitionsB.troubled with religious beliefsC.puzzled by church sermonsD.frustrated with family earnings(5).
25、The text suggests that early settlers in New England _.（分数：4.00）A.were mostly engaged in political activitiesB.were motivated by an illusory prospectC.came from different backgrounds.D.left few formal records for later reference四、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Money spent on advertising is money spent as wel
26、l as any I know of. It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable price, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By he
27、lping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for labour, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television licence would need to be doubled, a
28、nd travel by bus or tube would cost 20 percent more. And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a guarantee of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Apart from the fact that twenty-seven acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare prom
29、ote a product that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for mercifully the public has the good sense not to buy the inferior article more than once. If you see an article consis
30、tently advertised, it is the surest proof I know that the article does what is claimed for it, and that it represents good value. Advertising does more for the material benefit of the community than any other force I can think of. There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard
31、a well-known television personality declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was drawing excessively fine distinctions. Of course advertising seeks to persuade. If its message were confined merely to informationand that in itself would be difficult if not
32、impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasiveadvertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants.（分数：20.00）(1).By the first sentence of the passage the aut
33、hor means that _.（分数：5.00）A.he is fairly familiar with the cost of advertisingB.everybody knows well that advertising is money consumingC.advertising costs money like everything elseD.it is worthwhile to spend money on advertising(2).In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the adva
34、ntages of advertising?（分数：5.00）A.Securing greater fame.B.Providing more jobs.C.Enhancing living standards.D.Reducing newspaper cost.(3).The author deems that the well-known TV personality is _.（分数：5.00）A.very precise in passing his judgement on advertisingB.interested in nothing but the buyers“ atte
35、ntionC.correct in telling the difference between persuasion and informationD.obviously partial in his views on advertising(4).In the author“s opinion, _.（分数：5.00）A.advertising can seldom bring material benefit to man by providing informationB.advertising informs people of new ideas rather than wins
36、them overC.there is nothing wrong with advertising in persuading the buyerD.the buyer is not interested in getting information from an advertisement五、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：20.00)There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth a
37、s an external result or product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new languageall these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts. By contrast, the process of pe
38、rsonal growth is much more difficult to determine, since by definition it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they encounter new experiences and une
39、xpected obstacles. In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept. In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to confront the unknown, and to accept the possibi
40、lity that they may “fail“ at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow. Do we perceive ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we“re shy and indecisive? Then
41、 our sense of timidity can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and not to take a step until we know the ground is safe. Do we think we“re slow to adapt to change or that we“re not smart enough to cope with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all. These fee
42、lings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow. If we do not confront and overcome these internal fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we cease to grow. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.（分数：20.00）(1).A person i
43、s generally believed to achieve personal growth when _.（分数：5.00）A.he has given up his smoking habitB.he has made great efforts in his workC.he is keen on learning anything newD.he has tried to determine where he is on his journey(2).In the author“s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process wo
44、uld _.（分数：5.00）A.succeed in climbing up the social ladderB.judge his ability to glow from his own achievementsC.face difficulties and take up challengesD.aim high and reach his goal each time(3).When the author says “a new way of being“ (Line 3, Para. 3) he is referring to _.（分数：5.00）A.a new approac
45、h to experiencing the worldB.a new way of taking risksC.a new method of perceiving ourselvesD.a new system of adaptation to change(4).For personal growth, the author advocates all of the following except _.（分数：5.00）A.curiosity about more chancesB.promptness in self-adaptationC.open-mindedness to new
46、 experiencesD.avoidance of internal fears and doubts六、Text 5(总题数：1，分数：20.00)In such a changing, complex society formerly simple solutions to informational needs become complicated. Many of life“s problems which were solved by asking family members, friends or colleagues are beyond the capability of
47、the extended family to resolve. Where to turn for expert information and how to determine which expert advice to accept are questions facing many people today. In addition to this, there is the growing mobility of people since World War . As families move away from their stable community, their frie
48、nds of many years, their extended family relationships, the informal flow of information is cut off, and with it the confidence that information will be available when needed and will be trustworthy and reliable. The almost unconscious flow of information about the simplest aspects of living can be
49、cut off. Thus, things once learned subconsciously through the casual communications of the extended family must be consciously learned. Adding to societal changes today is an enormous stockpile of information. The individual now has more information available than any generation, and the task of finding that one piece of information relevant to his or her specific problem is complicated, time-consuming and sometimes even overwhelming. Coupled with the growing quantity of information is the development of te
