1、考研英语(一)-36 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)三、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tears, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears is likely to apol
2、ogize, even when a devastating tragedy was the provocation. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional outpouring. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, links between illness and crying and the chemical composition of tears, both those resp
3、onses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive . Humans are the only animals definitely known to shed emotiomal tears. Since evolution has given rise to few, if any, purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enha
4、nce survival. Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to elicit assistance from others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appea
5、rs, there must be something special about tears themselves. Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress. University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from em
6、otional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance. Researchers at several other institutions are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitor
7、ing drugs. At Tulane University“s Tear Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse and exposure to medication, to determine whether a contact lens fits properly of why it may be uncomfortable, to study the causes of “dry eye“ syndrome an
8、d the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants. At Columbia University Dt. Liasy Faris and colleagues are studying tears for clues to the diagnosis of diseases away from the eyes. Tears can be obtained painlessly without invading the body and only tiny
9、 amounts are needed to perform highly refined analyses.（分数：20.00）(1).It is known from the first paragraph that（分数：4.00）A.crying usually wins sympathy from other people.B.crying may often imitate people or even result in tragedy.C.shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to Americans.D.one who sheds
10、tears in public will be blamed.(2).What does “both those responses to tears“ (Para. 1) refer to?（分数：4.00）A.Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.B.The tear shedder“s apology and the observer“s effort to stop the crying.C.The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers.D.L
11、inking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears.(3).“Counterproductive“ (Para. 1) very probably means（分数：4.00）A.“having no effect at all“.B.“leading to tension“.C.“producing disastrous impact“.D.“harmful to health“.(4).What does the author say about crying?（分数：4.00）A.It must
12、 have a role to play in man“s survival.B.It is a pointless physiological response to the environment.C.It is meant to get attention and assistance.D.It usually produces the desired effect.(5).What can be inferred from the new studies of tears?（分数：4.00）A.Environmental pollutants can induce the sheddi
13、ng of emotional tears.B.Exposure to excessive medication may increase emotional tears.C.Emotional tears can give rise to “dry eye“ syndrome in some cases.D.Emotional tears have the function of reducing stress.四、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：20.00)For hundreds of millions of years, turtles have struggled out of th
14、e sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings down to the water“s edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel par
15、king lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you“d think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct. But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness
16、 , and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according
17、 to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environ-mental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from “threatened“ to “endangered“meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional
18、help. Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years
19、they spend in the ocean. “The threat is from commercial fishing,“ says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and longline fishers (which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles. Of course, like ev
20、ery other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea
21、levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection.（分数：20.00）(1).We can learn from the first pa
22、ragraph that（分数：4.00）A.human activities have changed the way turtles survive.B.efforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out.C.government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles“ extinction.D.marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles“ reproduction.(2).What does the author mea
23、n by “Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness“ (Para. 2)?（分数：4.00）A.Nature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles.B.Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities.C.The course of nature will not be changed by human interference.D.The turtle population has decreased in spit
24、e of human protection.(3).What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin?（分数：4.00）A.Their inadequate food supply.B.Unregulated commercial fishing.C.Their lower reproductive ability.D.Contamination of sea water.(4).How does global warming affect the survival
25、 of turtles?（分数：4.00）A.It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.B.The changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch.C.The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow.D.It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature.(5).The last sentence of th
26、e passage is meant to（分数：4.00）A.persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles.B.stress that even the most ugly species should be protected.C.call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles“ survival.D.warn our descendants about the extinction of species.五、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：20.00)In a pure
27、ly biological sense, fear begins with the body“s system for reacting to things that can harm usthe so-called fight-or-flight response. “An animal that can“t detect danger can“t stay alive,“ says Joseph LeDoux. Like animals, humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about
28、potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons deep in the brain known as the amygdala. LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to understand how we form memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdala receives input from many parts of the brain, including regi
29、ons responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdala appraises a situationI think this charging dog wants to bite meand triggers a response by radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress: trembling, perspiration and fast-
30、moving feet, just to name three. This fear mechanism is critical to the survival of all animals, but no one can say for sure whether beasts other than humans know they“re afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, “if you put that system into a brain that has consciousness, then you get the feeling of fear.“
31、Humans, says Edward M. Hallowell, have the ability to call up images of bad things that happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher thought processes with our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry. That“s not necessari
32、ly a bad thing, says Hallowell. “When used properly, worry is an incredible device,“ he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructive actionlike having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back. Hallowell insists, though, that there“s a right way to worry. “Never
33、 do it alone, get the facts and then make a plan.“ He says. Most of us have survived a recession, so we“re familiar with the belt-tightening strategies needed to survive a slump. Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so it“s been difficult to get fact ab
34、out how we should respond. That“s why Hallowell believes it was okay for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro and buying gas masks.（分数：20.00）(1).The “so-called fight-or-flight response“ (Para. 1) refers to（分数：4.00）A.“the biological process in which human being
35、s“ sense of self-defense evolves“.B.“the instinctive fear human beings feel when faced with potential danger“.C.“the act of evaluating a dangerous situation and making a quick decision“.D.“the elaborate mechanism in the human brain for retrieving information“.(2).From the studies conducted by LeDoux
36、 we learn that（分数：4.00）A.reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable.B.memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress.C.people“s unpleasant memories are derived from their feelings of fear.D.the amygdala plays a vital part in human and a
37、nimal responses to potential danger.(3).From the passage we know that（分数：4.00）A.a little worry will do us good if handled properly.B.a little worry will enable us to survive a recession.C.fear strengthens the human desire to survive danger.D.fear helps people to anticipate certain future events.(4).
38、Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell?（分数：4.00）A.Ask for help from the people around you.B.Use the belt-tightening strategies for survival.C.Seek professional advice and take action.D.Understand the situation and be fully prepared.(5).In Hallowell“s
39、view, people“s reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was（分数：4.00）A.ridiculous.B.understandable.C.over-cautious.D.sensible.六、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：20.00)How best to solve the pollution problems of a city sunk so deep within sulfurous clouds that it was described as hell on earth? Simply answered: Relo
40、cate all urban smoke-creating industry and encircle the metropolis of London with sweetly scented flowers and elegant hedges. In fact, as Christine L. Corton, a Cambridge scholar, reveals in her new book, London Fog , this fragrant anti-smoke scheme was the brainchild of John Evelyn, the 17th-centur
41、y diarist. King Charles was said to be much pleased with Evelyn“s idea, and a bill against the smoky nuisance was duly drafted. Then nothing was done. Nobody at the time, and nobody right up to the middle of the 20th century, was willing to put public health above business interests. And yet it“s a
42、surprise to discover how beloved a feature of London life these multicolored fogs became. A painter, Claude Monet, fleeing besieged Paris in 1870, fell in love with London“s vaporous, mutating clouds. He looked upon the familiar mist as his reliable collaborator. Visitors from abroad may have deligh
43、ted in the fog, but homegrown artists lit candles and vainly scrubbed the grime from their gloom-filled studio windows. “Give us light!“ Frederic Leighton pleaded to the guests at a Lord Mayor“s banquet in 1882, begging them to have pity on the poor painter. The more serious side of Corton“s book do
44、cuments how business has taken precedence over humanity where London“s history of pollution is concerned. A prevailing westerly wind meant that those dwelling to the east were always at most risk. Those who could afford it lived elsewhere. The east was abandoned to the underclass. Lord Palmerston sp
45、oke up for choking East Enders in the 1850s, pointing a finger at the interests of the furnace owners. A bill was passed, but there was little change. Eventually, another connection was established: between London“s perpetual veil of smog and its citizens“ cozily smoldering grates. Sadly, popular Wo
46、rld War I songs like “Keep the Home Fires Burning“ didn“t do much to encourage the adoption of smokeless fuel. It wasn“t until what came to be known as the “Great Killer Fog“ of 1952 that the casualty rate became impossible to ignore and the British press finally took up the cause. It was left to a
47、Member of Parliament to steer the Clean, Air Act into law in 1956. Within a few years, even as the war against pollution was still in its infancy, the dreaded fog began to fade. Corton“s book combines meticulous social history with a wealth of eccentric detail. Thus we learn that London“s ubiquitous
48、 plane trees were chosen for their shiny, fog-resistant foliage. It“s discoveries like these that make reading London Fog such an unusual and enlightening experience.（分数：20.00）(1).Which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 2?（分数：4.00）A.The fragrant anti-smoke scheme was inspired by John E
49、velyn“s child.B.King Charles was not actually satisfied with Evelyn“s idea.C.The process of drafting the bill against the smoky nuisance was slow.D.It wasn“t until the middle of the 20th century that someone willingly put public health above commercial interests.(2).The word “grime“ (Para. 3) is closest in meaning to（分数：4.00）A.fog.B.dirt.C.frost.D.paint.(3).Which of the following would be most heavily affected by London“s pollution according to Corton“s book?（分数：4.00）A.rich dwellers in the east.B.the underclass in the west.C.East London“s slum dwellers.D.servants of furnace owners.(4)
