1、考研英语-试卷 187 及答案解析(总分：142.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Use of English(总题数：2，分数：80.00)1.Section I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D.（分数：40.00）_What would happen if consumers decided to simplify their lives and spend less on mate
2、rial goods and services? This (1)_ is taking on a certain urgency as rates of economic growth continue to decelerate throughout the industrialized world, and (2)_ millions of consumers appear to be (3)_ for more frugal lifestyle. The Stanford Research Institute, which has done some of the most exten
3、sive work on the frugality phenomenon, (4)_ that nearly five million American adults number “(5)_ to and act on some but not all“ of its basic tenets. The frugality phenomenon first achieved prominence as a middle-class (6)_ of high-consumption lifestyle in the industrial world during the 50“s and 6
4、0“s. In the Silent Revolution, Ronald Ingehart of the University of Michigan“s Institute of Social Research examined this (7)_ in the United States and 10 Western European nations. He concluded that a change has taken place “from an (8)_ emphasis on material well-being and physical security (9)_ gre
5、ater emphasis on the quality of life“, that is, “a (10)_ from materialism to post-materialism“. Ingehart calls the 60s the “fat year“. Among their more visible trappings were the ragged blue jeans favored by the affluent young. Most of them (11)_ from materialism; however, this was (12)_. Comfortabl
6、y fixed Americans were going (13)_, (14)_ making things last longer, sharing things with others, learning to do things for themselves and so on. But (15)_ economically significant, it was hardly (16)_ in a US Gross National Product climbing vigorously toward the $2 thousand billion mark. (17)_, as t
7、he frugality phenomenon maturedgrowing out of the soaring 80s and into the somber 90sit seemed to undergo a (18)_ transformation. American consumers continued to lose (19)_ in materialism and were being joined by new converts who were (20)_ frugality because of the darkening economic skies they saw
8、ahead.（分数：40.00）A.questionB.problemC.issueD.dilemmaA.thoughB.asC.much asD.ever sinceA.answeringB.makingC.optingD.planningA.predictsB.discoversC.demonstratesD.estimatesA.amountB.attendC.leadD.adhereA.rejectionB.denialC.retentionD.defianceA.adventureB.maturityC.experienceD.existenceA.overwhelmingB.ima
9、ginaryC.trivialD.apparentA.aboutB.towardC.withD.forA.reliefB.variationC.rangeD.shiftA.sufferB.differC.divergeD.retreatA.soundB.subtleC.superficialD.obscureA.withoutB.offC.aboutD.withA.in generalB.in effectC.for exampleD.in a senseA.whenB.whereasC.whileD.onceA.decisiveB.discernibleC.incredibleD.negli
10、gibleA.IndeedB.MoreoverC.ThereforeD.HoweverA.elementaryB.fundamentalC.comprehensiveD.primaryA.faithB.doubtC.patienceD.interestA.accommodatingB.discardingC.embracingD.presenting二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：10，分数：58.00)2.Section II Reading Comprehension_3.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts.
11、 Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D._What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be; such consensus cannot be gained from society“s present stage, or from fantasies about what it ought to be. For that the prese
12、nt is too close and too diversified, and the future too uncertain, to make believable claims about it. A consensus in the present hence can be achieved only through a shared understanding of the past, as Homer“s epics informed those who lived centuries later, what it meant to be Greek, and by what i
13、mages and ideals they were to live their lives and organize their societies. Most societies derive consensus from a long history, a language all their own, a common religion, common ancestry. The myths by which they live are based on all of these. But the United States is a country of immigrants, co
14、ming from a great variety of nations. Lately, it has been emphasized that an asocial, narcissistic personality has become characteristic of Americans, and that it is this type of personality that makes for the lack of well-being, because it prevents us from achieving consensus that would counteract
15、a tendency to withdraw into private worlds. In this study of narcissism, Christopher Lash says that modern man, “tortured by self-consciousness, turns to new therapies not to free himself of his personal worries hut to find meaning and purpose in life, to find something to live for“. There is widesp
16、read distress because national morale has declined, and we have lost an earlier sense of national vision and purpose. Contrary to rigid religions or political beliefs, as are found in totalitarian societies, our culture is one of the great individual differences, at least in principle and in theory;
17、 but this leads to disunity, even chaos. Americans believe in the value of diversity, but just because ours is a society based on individual diversity, it needs consensus about some dominating ideas more than societies based on uniform origin of their citizens. Hence, if we are to have consensus, it
18、 must be based on a mytha vision about a common experience, a conquest that made us Americans, as the myth about the conquest of Troy formed the Greeks. Only a common myth can offer relief from the fear that life is without meaning or purpose. Myths permit us to examine our place in the world by com
19、paring it to a shared idea. Myths are shared fantasies that form the tie that binds the individual to other members of his group. Such myths help to ward off feelings of isolations, guilt, anxiety, and purposelessnessin short, they combat isolation and the breakdown of social standards and values.（分
20、数：10.00）(1).This text is mainly intended to（分数：2.00）A.explore certain ways of making for a consensus.B.spotlight the role of myths in binding a community.C.interpret the meaning and purpose of modern life.D.reverse the decline of social standards and values.(2).From the text we learn that Christophe
21、r Lash is most probably（分数：2.00）A.a reform advocate.B.a social psychologist.C.a reputed poet.D.a historical specialist.(3).Americans may find themselves in a society characterized by（分数：2.00）A.extreme stress.B.worry and suffering.C.shared beliefs.D.void and isolation.(4).Homer“s epics is mentioned i
22、n Paragraph 1 in order to（分数：2.00）A.exemplify the contributions made by ancient poets.B.show an ideal concept of what life ought to be.C.illustrate the role of shared myths in society.D.make known myths of what a society ought to be.(5).The author concludes that only shared myths can help Americans（
23、分数：2.00）A.to bring about the uniformity of their culture.B.to regain their consensus about a common experience.C.to perceive the effects of consensus about society.D.to stay away from negative feelings in their life.In the next century we“ll be able to alter our DNA radically, encoding our visions a
24、nd vanities while concocting new life-forms. When Dr. Frankenstein made his monster, he wrestled with the moral issue of whether he should allow it to reproduce, “Had I the right, for my own benefit, to inflict the curse upon everlasting generations?“ Will such questions require us to develop new mo
25、ral philosophies? Probably not. Instead, we“ll reach again for a time-tested moral concept; one sometimes called the Golden Rule and which Kant, the millennium“s most prudent moralist, conjured up into a categorical imperative, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; treat each person as
26、an individual rather than as a means to some end. Under this moral precept we should recoil at human cloning, because it inevitably entails using humans as means to other humans“ ends and valuing them as copies of others we loved or as collections of body parts, not as individuals in their own right
27、. We should also draw a line, however fuzzy, that would permit using genetic engineering to cure diseases and disabilities but not to change the personal attributes that make someone an individual (IQ, physical appearance, gender and sexuality). The biotech age will also give us more reason to guard
28、 our personal privacy. Aldous Huxley in Brave New World, got it wrong: rather than centralizing power in the hands of the state, DNA technology has empowered individuals and families. But the state will have an important role, making sure that no one, including insurance companies, can look at our g
29、enetic data without our permission or use it to discriminate against us. Then we can get ready for the breakthroughs that could come at the end of the next century and the technology is comparable to mapping our genes: plotting the 10 billion or more neurons of our brain. With that information we mi
30、ght someday be able to create artificial intelligences that think and experience consciousness in ways that are indistinguishable from a human brain. Eventually we might be able to replicate our own minds in a “dry-ware“ machine, so that we could live on without the “wet-ware“ of a biological brain
31、and body. The 20th century“s revolution in infotechnology will thereby merge with the 21st century“s revolution in biotechnology. But this is science fiction. Let“s turn the page now and get back to real science.（分数：10.00）(1).Dr. Frankenstein“s remarks are mentioned in the text（分数：2.00）A.to give an
32、episode of the DNA technological breakthroughs.B.to highlight the inevitability of a means to some evil ends.C.to show how he created a new form of life a thousand years ago.D.to introduce the topic of moral philosophies concerning biotechnology.(2).It can be concluded from the text that the technol
33、ogy of human cloning should be employed（分数：2.00）A.excessively and extravagantly.B.sensibly and cautiously.C.aggressively and indiscriminately.D.openly and enthusiastically.(3).From the text, we learn that Aldous Huxley is of the opinion that（分数：2.00）A.the power of biotechnology is to be decentralize
34、d.B.no one is entitled to discriminate against others.C.biotechnology is nothing more than gene-mapping.D.artificial intelligence compete with a human brain.(4).According to the last paragraph, “dry-ware“ is to “wet-ware“ as（分数：2.00）A.collective to “individual“.B.fictional to “factual“.C.mechanical
35、to “biological“.D.illegal to “immoral“.(5).Judged from the information in the last paragraph, we can predict that the author is likely to write which of the following in the next section?（分数：2.00）A.The reflection upon biotechnological morality.B.The offensive invasion of our personal privacy.C.The i
36、nevitable change of IQs for our descendants.D.The present state of biotechnological research.When a disease of epidemic proportions rips into the populace, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of the affliction and find ways to combat it. Oftentimes, success is achieved, a
37、s medical science is able to isolate the parasite, germ or cell that causes the problem and finds ways to effectively kill or contain it. In the most serious of cases, in which the entire population of a region or country may be at grave risk, it is deemed necessary to protect the entire population
38、through vaccination, so as to safeguard lives and ensure that the disease will not spread. The process of vaccination allows the patient“s body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can ward it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of
39、 the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, so that his body“s immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the disease“s defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patient“s immune system in a process that occurs natu
40、rally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. This makes sure that, should the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to deal with it, having already done so before. There are dangers inherent in the process, however. On occasi
41、on, even the weakened version of the disease contained in the vaccine proves too much for the body to handle, resulting in the immune system succumbing, and, therefore, the patient“s death. Such is the case of the smallpox vaccine, designed to eradicate the smallpox epidemic that nearly wiped out th
42、e entire Native American population and killed massive numbers of settlers. Approximately 1 in 10,000 people who receives the vaccine contract the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Thus, if the entire population of the United States were to receive the Smallpox Vaccine today
43、, 3000 Americans would be left dead. Fortunately, the smallpox virus was considered eradicated in the early 1970“s, ending the mandatory vaccination of all babies in America. In the event of a reintroduction of the disease, however, mandatory vaccinations may resume, resulting in more unexpected dea
44、ths from vaccination. The process, which is truly a mixed blessing, may indeed hide some hidden curses.（分数：10.00）(1).The best title for the text may be（分数：2.00）A.Vaccinations: A Blessing or A Curse.B.Principles of Vaccinations.C.Vaccines: Methods and Implications.D.A Miracle Cure Under Attack.(2).Wh
45、at does the example of the Smallpox Vaccine illustrate?（分数：2.00）A.A possible negative outcome of administering vaccines.B.The practical use of a vaccine to control an epidemic disease.C.A method by which vaccines are employed against the disease.D.The effectiveness of vaccines in curing certain dise
46、ase.(3).The phrase “ward it off naturally“ (Paragraph 2) most probably means（分数：2.00）A.dispose of it naturally.B.combat against it readily.C.attend to it reluctantly.D.split it up properly.(4).Which of the following is true according to the text?（分数：2.00）A.Saving the majority would necessarily justi
47、fy the death of the minority.B.The immune system can be trained to fight weaker versions of a disease.C.Mandatory vaccinations are indispensable to the survival of the populace.D.The process of vaccination remains a mystery to be further resolved.(5).The purpose of the author in writing this passage
48、 is（分数：2.00）A.to comment and criticize.B.to demonstrate and argue.C.to interest and entertain.D.to explain and inform.Euthanasia is clearly a deliberate and intentional aspect of a killing. Taking a human life, even with subtle rites and consent of the party involved is barbaric. No one can justly kill another human being. Just as it is wrong for a serial killer to murder, it is wrong for a physician to do so as well, no matter what the motive for doing so may be. Many thinkers, including almost all orthodox Catholics, believe that euthanasia
