1、考研英语-253 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Use o(总题数：1，分数：10.00)The small size of the components of computer chips has proved unstoppable. In each new U(1) /U, those components are smaller and more tightly packed than they were in their predecessor. U(2) /U has been so rapid that chip designers
2、are U(3) /U apparently fundamental barriers to further reductions in size and increases in density. In a small size version of the U(4) /U to wireless communication in the macroscopic world, a group of researchers led by Alain Nogaret, think they can make chips U(5) /U components talk to each other
3、wirelessly.The researchers U(6) /U to use the standard print techniques employed in chipmaking to coat a semiconductor with tiny magnets. These magnets will U(7) /U local magnetic fields that point in opposite directions at different points U(8) /U the chips surface. Electrons have a U(9) /U called
4、spin-that is affected by magnetic fields, and the team hopes to use a/an U(10) /U called inverse electron-spin vibration to make electrons U(11) /U the chip emit microwaves.Dr. Nogaret imagine great advances that would stem U(12) /U the success of his work, and these are not U(13) /U to the possibil
5、ity of packing components yet more tightly. In todays chips, the failure of a single connection can put the whole circuit out of U(14) /U. This should not happen with a wireless system U(15) /U it could be programmed to re-route signals.The project will not be U(16) /U sailing. Generating microwaves
6、 powerful enough to U(17) /U data reliably will U(18) /U involve stacking several layers of magnets and semiconductors together and encouraging the electrons in them to move in a harmonious union. But if it U(19) /U, a whole new wireless world will be U(20) /U.（分数：10.00）A.relationB.considerationC.in
7、formationD.generationA.ProgressB.CongressC.DecreaseD.ProgramA.approachingB.approachC.approachedD.approachesA.visitB.shiftC.trendD.finishA.whomB.whatC.whoseD.whichA.manageB.turnC.intendD.likeA.generateB.discoverC.makeD.growA.inB.onC.underD.behindA.realityB.opportunityC.prosperityD.propertyA.instrumen
8、tB.actionC.effectD.researchA.passing byB.passing onC.passing awayD.passing throughA.forB.fromC.ofD.toA.confinedB.contractedC.convictedD.contactedA.actionB.relationC.processionD.possessionA.whileB.andC.becauseD.thereforeA.easyB.plainC.directD.casualA.transformB.transportC.transmitD.transactA.mainlyB.
9、entirelyC.absolutelyD.probablyA.operatesB.worksC.startsD.goesA.opened upB.come upC.turned upD.gone up二、BSection Readi(总题数：4，分数：40.00)BText 1/BWhen Melissa Mahan and her husband visited the Netherlands, they felt imprisoned by their tour bus. It forced them to see the city according to a particular r
10、oute and specific schedule-but going off on their own meant missing out on the information provided by the guide. On their return home to San Diego, California, they started a new company called Tour Coupes. Now, when tourists in San Diego rent one of their small, brightly coloured three-wheeled veh
11、icles, they are treated to a narration over the stereo system about the places they pass, triggered by Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology.This is just one example of how GPS is being used to provide new services to tourists. “What we really have here is a technology that allows peo
12、ple to forget about the technology,“ says Jim Carrier of IntelliTours, a GPS tourism firm which began offering a similar service over a year ago in Montgomery, Alabama. The city is packed with sites associated with two important chapters in American history, the civil war of the 1860s and the civil-
13、rights movement a century later. Montgomery has a 120-year-old trolley system, called the Lightning Route, which circulates around the downtown area and is mainly used by tourists. On the Lightning Route trolleys, GPS-triggered audio clips point out historical hotspots.Other firms, such as CityShow
14、in New York and GPS Tours Canada in Banff, Canada, offer hand-held GPS receivers that play audio clips for listening to while walking or driving. In South Africa, Europcar, a car-rental firm, offers a device called the Xplorer. As well as providing commentary on 2 000 points of interest, it can also
15、 warn drivers if they exceed the local speed limit.If such services prove popular, the use of dedicated audio-guide devices could give way to a different approach. A growing number of mobile phones have built-in GPS or can determine their locations using other technologies. Information for tourists
16、delivered via phones could be updated in real time and could contain advertisements. “Location-based services“, such as the ability to call up a list of nearby banks or pizzerias, have been talked about for years but have never taken off. But aiming such services at tourists makes sense-since people
17、 are more likely to want information when in an unfamiliar place. It could give mobile roaming a whole new meaning.（分数：10.00）(1).In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by _.（分数：2.00）A.posing an illustration.B.justifying an assumption.C.making a comparison.D.explaining a phenomenon
18、.(2).Melissa Mahans story is mentioned in the text to _.（分数：2.00）A.show tourism of Netherlands is no better than that of US.B.introduce the topic of Location-based services by GPS.C.show that they are dissatisfied with traveling.D.explain the reason why they start a new company.(3).The word “chapter
19、“ ( Line 4, Paragraph 2) denotes _.（分数：2.00）A.event.B.a local branch of an organization.C.division of a book.D.period of time.(4).Which of the following is true of the text?（分数：2.00）A.Location-based services are popular in many fields.B.Europcar offers hand-held GPS receiversC.CityShow offers a serv
20、ice similar to IntelliTours.D.Xplorer can warn drivers when they offend.(5).When a traveler is in an unfamiliar place, _.（分数：2.00）A.mobile roaming will meet his needs.B.he wants to know something about it.C.Location-based services play a key role in his traveling.D.he must understand the roles of Lo
21、cation-based services.BText 2/BOpportunities for water companies are flowing around the world because of looming shortages and decades of underinvestment. Saudi Arabia and Algeria, where water shortages have become acute, are placing billions of dollars of contracts out to bid to improve water suppl
22、ies for their growing populations. The trend is expected to grow, as 40% of the worlds population will suffer water shortages by 2050, according to the United Nations Development Program. Global warming is expected to exacerbate the problem.Saudi Arabia began privatizing water services after shortag
23、es sparked riots last November in Jeddah. Loay Ahmed Musallam, the deputy water minister, said the first contract to manage water supplies for Riyadh would be awarded this year. By 2010, private companies will provide water for half the population, he added. Saudi Arabia plans to invest $ 37 billion
24、 over five years to improve water pipelines. Leaks cost 1 million cubic meters of water a day-the output of seven desalination plants-the minister said. Even after putting contracts out to bid, governments still face politically sensitive decisions. In Saudi Arabia, for example, water tariffs are am
25、ong the lowest in the world. Musallam said Saudis consumed twice as much water as Britons in spite of living in one of the driest parts of the globe. The government is introducing measures to encourage water conservation.Even in the US, the shortfall between actual investment and the industrys real
26、needs is estimated to be $122 billion for waste water treatment and $100 billion for drinking water over the next 12 years, said Michael Dean of the Environmental Protection Agency. “People take for granted clean, safe, inexpensive water, but the old ways of paying for water in the US no longer meet
27、 our needs,“ Dean said.Water services in the US are mainly owned by municipalities, which fiercely resist privatization. Gasson says decades of underinvestment are catching up with the water industry. “Either tariffs or subsidies will have to rise. We are at an inflection point. Investment now is un
28、avoidable,“ he said.David Lloyd Owen, a British consultant, estimated the investment shortfall for the global water industry at $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years. “The question is how to overcome political resistance to the involvement of the private sector,“ he said. “The water industry is one o
29、f the most conservative in the world. By and large, it is still run by bureaucrats and engineers,“ Owen said. “There is also a passionate and well-organized lobby against privatization.“He sees more room for the private sector as technology for desalination and recycling come to play an increasing r
30、ole in the industry. Banks are also becoming more creative in matching the financing of capital outlays in the industry with the long lives of water treatment facilities.（分数：10.00）(1).Which of the following cant we infer according to the author?（分数：2.00）A.Global warming will exacerbate the shortage
31、of water.B.Water companies will feel happy because of water shortage.C.Saudi Arabia and Algeria are making great efforts to solve the problem of water shortage.D.According to the UN, 60% of the worlds population wont suffer water shortages by 2050.(2).The purpose of Paragraph 2 is to _.（分数：2.00）A.sh
32、ow privatized water is worlds direction to solve water crisis.B.explain why $ 37 billion will be invested to solve the problem of water shortage in Saudi Arabia.C.show Saudis consumed too much water even though Saudi Arabia is the driest parts of the globe.D.call for government to find more solution
33、s for water conservation.(3).According to the passage, which of the following is true?（分数：2.00）A.Water problems in US are not optimistic, either.B.Clean, safe, inexpensive water no longer meet American peoples needs.C.Water services privatization is not necessary for the US.D.Investment for water is
34、 not enough in the US.(4).Who will most probably accept private sector in water treatment?（分数：2.00）A.Government.B.Banks.C.Lobby.D.Engineers.(5).Which of the following is the best title of the passage?（分数：2.00）A.Water Shortage in Saudi Arabia and AlgeriaB.Privatization Trend of Waters InvestmentC.Wat
35、er Crisis Looms WorldwideD.The Future of Water IndustryBText 3/BGeorge Williams, one of Scottsdales last remaining cowboys, has been raising horses and cattle on his 120 acres for 20 years. The cattle go to the slaughterhouse, the horses to rodeos. But Mr. Williams is stomping mad. His problems bega
36、n last year when dishonest neighbours started to steal his cattle. Then other neighbours, most of them newcomers, took offence at his horses roaming on their properties.Such grumbles are common in Arizona. The most recent Department of Agriculture census shows that 1 213 of Arizonas 8 507 farms clos
37、ed down between 1997 and 2002. Many cattlemen are moving out to remoter parts of the state.Doc Lane is an executive at the Arizona Cattlemens Association, a trade group. He says Arizonas larger ranch owners are making decent profits from selling. It is the smaller players who are the victims of risi
38、ng land values, higher mortgages and stiffer city council rules. What happens all too often is that people move in next to a farm because they think the land pretty. But soon they start complaining to the council. In Mr. Williamss case it was the horses that annoyed them. Other newcomers dont like t
39、he noise, the pesticides and the smell of manure.Locals worry about the precious, dwindling cowboy culture. Arizonas tourism boards like to promote a steady interest in all things about cowboy and western. Last year more British and German tourists came than usual, and many of them were looking prec
40、isely for that. Arizonas Dude Ranch Association fills its $ 350-a-night luxury ranches most of the year; roughly a third of the guests are European.Many of the ranchers themselves see all this tourism as a cheeky attempt to commercialise a real and vanishing culture. In Prescott, estate agents promo
41、te “American Ranch-style“ homes with posters of horse riders. On the other side of the street is Whiskey Row, a famous strip of historic cowboy bars. But in Matts Saloon on Saturday night, real cattlemen could not be found.Farm folk like Mr. Knox and Mr. Williams are weighing up their options. Many
42、will migrate to remoter places where land is cheaper and not crowded with city people. Younger ones take on side-jobs as contractors and are cattle-hands part-time. Older cowboys arent sure what to do.（分数：10.00）(1).From the first two paragraphs, we learn that _.（分数：2.00）A.George Williams is a cowboy
43、 in Arizona.B.more and more farms will be closed down in the near future.C.newcomers are not as honest as cowboys.D.the mode of life of cattlemen in Arizona is being destructed.(2).The word “grumble“ (Line 1 , Paragraph 2) most probably means _.（分数：2.00）A.mutter.B.phenomenon.C.complaint.D.gamble.(3)
44、.The pesticides and the smell of manure are mentioned to _.（分数：2.00）A.explain why newcomers complain to the council.B.introduce the place in which cowboys live.C.explain why smaller players become victims.D.explain why cattlemen are moving out to remoter parts of the state.(4).There could be no real
45、 cattlemen in Matts Saloon on Saturday night, because _.（分数：2.00）A.Matts Saloon caters to guests from Europe instead of cattlemen.B.the ranchers dislike this impudent tourism.C.it is too costly to afford for cattlemen.D.it is tough to earn a living in that city.(5).What is the authors attitude towar
46、ds cattlemen?（分数：2.00）A.Combative.B.Contemptuous.C.Compassionate.D.Compromising.BText 4/BFive and a half years into his presidency, George Bush finally vetoed a bill this week. Oddly enough, it was one that most Americans support: it would have expanded foderal funding for embryonic stem-cell resear
47、ch. The House and Senate had both passed the bill by wide, but not veto-proof margins, so Mr. Bushs word is final, at least until after the mid-term elections in November.Stem cells are cells that have not yet decided what they want to be when they grow up. That is, they can become blood cells, brai
48、n cells, or pretty much any other type of cell. Their versatility makes them extremely useful for medical research. The ethical snag is that the best stem cells are harvested from human embryos, killing them. For the most ardent pro-lifers, including Mr. Bush and many of his core supporters, that is
49、 murder. Proponents of embryonic stem-cell research point out that hordes of embryos are created during fertility treatment, and the vast majority of these are either frozen indefinitely or destroyed. Is it really wrong to use them for potentially life-saving research? Yes, said Mr. Bush on July 19th, flanked by some f
