1、考研英语(二)-30 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：4，分数：100.00)Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the
2、Philippines to one“s side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell. Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that “G
3、ift“ means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm“s length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable. Our linguistic and cultural blindness and the ca
4、sualness with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world. Even here in the United States, we make few concessions to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four l
5、anguages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understandin
6、g them. When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those nativesusually the richerwho speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation“s diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.
7、 For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods. But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly
8、 beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be th
9、e upper hand.（分数：25.00）(1).It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably _.（分数：5.00）A.stand stillB.jump asideC.step forwardD.draw back(2).The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their _.（分数：5.00）A.cultural self-centerednessB
10、.casual mannersC.indifference towards foreign visitorsD.arrogance towards other cultures(3).In countries other than their own most Americans _.（分数：5.00）A.are isolated by the local peopleB.are not well informed due to the language barrierC.tend to get along well with the nativesD.need interpreters in
11、 hotels and restaurants(4).According to the author, Americans“ cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will _.（分数：5.00）A.affect their image in the new eraB.cut themselves off from the outside worldC.limit their role in world affairsD.weaken the position of the US dollar(5).The author“s intention
12、 in writing this article is to make Americans realize that _（分数：5.00）A.it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friendsB.it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairsC.it is necessary to use several languages in public placesD.it is time to get acquainted with other culturesIn depar
13、tment stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heelsa
14、woman“s worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should f
15、ight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering. For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating lawns. Anyone who has ever
16、 worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quit
17、e functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories. Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one“s physical health. Talk to any podiatri
18、st, and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat sho
19、e wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate and being thrown to the groundpossibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to c
20、omfort her swollen, aching feet.（分数：25.00）(1).What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?（分数：5.00）A.The multi-functional use of high heels.B.Their attempt to show off their status.C.The rich variety of high heel styles.D.Their wish to improve their appearance.(2).The author“s prese
21、ntation of the positive side of high heels is meant _.（分数：5.00）A.to be ironicB.to poke fun at womenC.to be fair to the fashion industryD.to make his point convincing(3).The author uses the expression “those babies“ (Line 3, Para.2) to refer to high heels _.（分数：5.00）A.to show their fragile characteri
22、sticsB.to indicate their feminine featuresC.to show women“s affection for themD.to emphasize their small size(4).The author“s chief argument against high heels is that _.（分数：5.00）A.they pose a threat to lawnsB.they are injurious to women“s healthC.they don“t necessarily make women beautifulD.they ar
23、e ineffective as a weapon of defense(5).It can be inferred from the passage that women should _.（分数：5.00）A.see through the very nature of fashion mythsB.boycott the products of the fashion industryC.go to a podiatrist regularly for aviceD.avoid following fashion too closelyIt is hardly necessary for
24、 me to cite all the evidence of the depressing state of literacy. These figures from the Department of Education are sufficient: 27 million Americans cannot read at all, and a further 35 million read at a level that is less than sufficient to survive in our society. But my own worry today is less th
25、at of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of the middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence, those luxuries of domesticity and time and concentration, that surround the imag
26、e of the classic act of reading. It has been suggested that almost 80 percentof America“s literate, educated teenagers can no longer read without an accompanying noise (music) in the background or a television screen flickering at the corner of their field of perception. We know very little about th
27、e brain and how it deals with simultaneous conflicting input, but every common-sense intuition suggests we should be profoundly alarmed. This violation of concentration, silence, solitude goes to the very heart of our notion of literacy; this new form of part-reading, of part-perception against back
28、ground distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration, let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to a poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn by heart. Not by brain, by heart; the expression is vital. Under thes
29、e circumstances, the question of what future there is for the arts of reading is a real one. Ahead of us lie technical, psychic, and social transformations probably much more dramatic than those brought about by Gutenberg, the German inventor in printing. The Gutenberg revolution, as we now know it,
30、 took a long time; its effects are still being debated. The information revolution will touch every facet of composition, publication, distribution, and reading. No one in the book industry can say with any confidence what will happen to the book as we“ve known it.（分数：25.00）(1).The picture of the re
31、ading ability of the American people, drawn by the author, is _.（分数：5.00）A.rather bleakB.fairly brightC.very impressiveD.quite encouraging(2).The author“s biggest concern is _.（分数：5.00）A.elementary school children“s disinterest in reading classicsB.the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U.S.C.
32、the musical setting American readers require for readingD.the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class(3).A major problem with most adolescents who can read is _.（分数：5.00）A.their fondness of music and TV programsB.their ignorance of various forms of art and literatureC.their lack of
33、attentiveness and basic understandingD.their inability to focus on conflicting input(4).The author claims that the best way a reader can show admiration for a piece of poetry or prose is _.（分数：5.00）A.to be able to appreciate it and memorize itB.to analyze its essential featuresC.to think it over con
34、scientiouslyD.to make a fair appraisal of its artistic value(5).About the future of the arts of reading the author feels _.（分数：5.00）A.upsetB.uncertainC.alarmedD.pessimisticFor centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic an
35、d nationalistic. Columbus went west to look for better trade routes to the Orient and to promote the greater glory of Spain. Lewis and Clark journeyed into the American wilderness to find out what the U.S. had acquired when it purchased Louisiana, and the Apollo astronauts rocketed to the moon in a
36、dramatic show of technological muscle during the cold war. Although their missions blended commercial and political- military imperatives, the explorers involved all accomplished some significant science simply by going where no scientists had gone before. Today Mars looms as humanity“s next great t
37、erra incognita. And with doubtful prospects for a shor-tterm financial return, with the cold war a rapidly fading memory and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures, it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings t
38、o leave their tracks on the planet“s reddish surface. Could it be that science, which has long played a minor role in exploration, is at last destined to take a leading role? The question naturally invites a couple of others: Are there experiments that only humans could do on Mars? Could those exper
39、iments provide insights profound enough to justify the expense of sending people across interplanetary space? With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been. The issue of whether life ever existed on the planet, and whether it persists to this day, has been highlighted
40、by mounting evidence that the Red Planet had abundant stable, liquid water and by the continuing controversy over suggestions that bacterial fossils rode to Earth on a meteorite from Mars. A more conclusive answer about life on Mars, past or present, would give researchers invaluable data about the
41、range of conditions under which a planet can generate the complex chemistry that leads to life. If it could be established that life arose independently on Mars and Earth, the finding would provide the first concrete clues in one of the deepest mysteries in all of science: the prevalence of life in
42、the universe.（分数：25.00）(1).According to the passage, the chief purpose of explorers in going to unknown places in the past was _.（分数：5.00）A.to display their country“s military mightB.to accomplish some significant scienceC.to find new areas for colonizationD.to pursue commercial and state interests(
43、2).At present, a probable inducement for countries to initiate large-scale space ventures is _.（分数：5.00）A.international cooperationB.nationalistic reasonsC.scientific researchD.long-term profits(3).What is the main goal of sending human missions to Mars?（分数：5.00）A.To find out if life ever existed th
44、ere.B.To see if humans could survive there.C.To prove the feasibility of large-scale space ventures.D.To show the leading role of science in space exploration.(4).By saying “With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been“ (Line 1, Para.4), the author means that _.（分数：5.
45、00）A.with Mars, the risks involved are much greater than any previous space venturesB.in the case of Mars, the rewards of scientific exploration can be very highC.in the case of Mars, much more research funds are needed than ever beforeD.with Mars, scientists argue, the fundamental interests of scie
46、nce are at issue(5).The passage tells us that proof of life on Mars would _.（分数：5.00）A.make clear the complex chemistry in the development of lifeB.confirm the suggestion that bacterial fossils traveled to Earth on a meteoriteC.reveal the kind of conditions under which lie originatesD.provide an exp
47、lanation why life is common in the universe考研英语(二)-30 答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：4，分数：100.00)Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-b
48、ye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to one“s side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell. Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War and marked them GIFT to escape duty p
49、ayments did not bother to find out that “Gift“ means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm“s length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable. Our linguistic and cultural blindness and the casualness with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in
