1、考研英语-试卷 235 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）_The amount of sunlight reaching Earth“s surface appears to be growing. The phenomenon
2、, which some dub “global brightening,“ (1)_ scientists with a puzzle. If the (2)_ is real and global, how long will it last and what are the consequences for climate change, the planet“s water cycle, and other (3)_ that draw energy from sunlight? (4)_, the answer might seem obvious: More sunlight re
3、aching the ground in a warming world means that temperatures will get warmer (5)_ Not so fast, some researchers say. Additional warming would be certain (6)_ nothing else in the climate system changes. And the climate system is (7)_ static. Some combinations of changes could reinforce the heating; o
4、thers could (8)_ it. Unraveling these interactions and forecasting their course require an accurate accounting of the sunlight reaching the surface and the (9)_ the surface sends skyward. Moreover, researchers say, measurements of the sun“s strength at Earth“s surface are potentially powerful tools
5、for (10)_ human influences on the climate. Earth“s radiation “budget“ (11)_ an “extremely important parameter that is (12)_ known,“ says Robert Charlson, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington at Seattle. “It needs to be (13)_ much better than it is.“ (14)_ about the amount of sunl
6、ight reaching Earth“s surface were first raised in 1974.Researchers from the United States and Israel recorded a 12% drop (15)_ sunlight over 40 years at a (16)_ station in the southern Sinai Peninsula. Since then, others have used a variety of techniques to try to track (17)_ sunlight. Three years
7、ago, for example, a (18)_ led by Beate Liepert at Columbia University“s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory gathered data from ground (19)_ around the world and found that solar radiation reaching the surface fell (20)_ 4% from 1961 to 1990.（分数：40.00）A.presentsB.offersC.grantsD.providesA.trendB.treadC.
8、trenchD.treatyA.creaturesB.resourcesC.processesD.activitiesA.At the bestB.At first glanceC.At all eventsD.At any rateA.muchB.farC.everD.stillA.now thatB.in caseC.only ifD.even afterA.nothing butB.nothing thanC.anything elseD.anything butA.offsetB.disruptC.restoreD.relieveA.reflectionB.radiationC.ill
9、uminationD.illustrationA.blockingB.escapingC.gaugingD.manifestingA.commitsB.demonstratesC.revealsD.representsA.rarelyB.badlyC.actuallyD.poorlyA.indicatedB.emphasizedC.describedD.quantifiedA.AttentionB.WorriesC.ConcernsD.PuzzlesA.inB.ofC.toD.withA.monitoringB.observingC.measuringD.recordingA.ongoingB
10、.outgoingC.incomingD.upcomingA.facultyB.teamC.groupD.staffA.pointsB.stationsC.establishmentsD.basesA.downB.aroundC.toD.by二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：10，分数：58.00)2.Section II Reading Comprehension_3.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B,
11、 C or D._Until recently, the main villains of the piece had seemed to be the teachers“ unions, who have opposed any sort of reform or accountability. Now they face competition from an unexpectedly destructive force: the court. Fifty years ago, it was the judges who forced the schools to desegregate
12、through Brown V. Board of Education (1954). Now the courts have moved from broad principles to micromanagement, telling schools how much money to spend and whereright down to the correct computer or textbook, Twenty-four states are currently stuck in various court cases to do with financing school s
13、ystems, and another 21 have only recently settled various suits. Most will start again soon. Only five states have avoided litigation entirely. Nothing exemplifies the power of the courts better than an Il-year-old case that is due to be settled (sort of) in New York City, the home of America“s bigg
14、est school system with 1.1m students and a budget nearing $13 billion. At the end of this month, three elderly members of the New York bar serving as judicial referees are due to rule in a case brought by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a leftish advocacy group, against the state of New York: they w
15、ill decide how much more must be spent to provide every New York City pupil with a “sound basic“ education. Rare is the politician willing to argue that more money for schools is a bad thing. But are the courts doing any good? Two suspicions arise. First, judges are making a lazy assumption that mor
16、e money means better schools. As the international results show, the link between “inputs“ and “outputs“ is vaguesomething well documented by, among others, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. Second, the courts are muddling an already muddled system. Over time, they have generally
17、 made it harder to get rid of disruptive pupils and bad teachers. The current case could be even worse. The courts have already said that, in order to determine the necessary spending, they may consider everything from class size to the availability of computers, textbooks and even pencils. This deg
18、ree of intervention is all the more scandalous because the courts have weirdly decided to ignore another set of “inputs“the archaic work practices of school teachers and janitors. David Schoenbrod and Ross Sandler of New York Law School reckon the demands of the court will simply undermine reform an
19、d transform an expensive failure into a more expensive one. And of course, the litigation never ends. Kentucky, for example, is still in court 16 years after the first decision. A lawsuit first filed against New Jersey for its funding of schools in 1981 was “decided“ four years laterbut it has retur
20、ned to the court nine times since, including early this year, with each decision pushing the court deeper into the management of the state“s schools. Bad judges are even harder to boot out of school than bad pupils.（分数：10.00）(1).The author seems to believe that _.（分数：2.00）A.the courts“ intervention
21、of the school micromanagement is undesirableB.it is inappropriate for the courts to shift from principles to daily managementC.teachers used to support the school reform and assume the responsibilityD.schools were usually at a loss how and where to spend their money(2).The third paragraph is intende
22、d mainly to _.（分数：2.00）A.reveal the problems in the American school systemB.show the importance of the case against New York stateC.exemplify the value of a “sound basic“ educationD.indicate the courts“ power over the school management(3).Senator D.P. Moynihan would probably agree that _.（分数：2.00）A.
23、more money for schools will damage the further advancementB.better schools will not necessarily result from more moneyC.the relationship between input and output is widely ignoredD.politicians argue against more money for the schools(4).Inputs as used in the text refers to all of the following Excep
24、t _.（分数：2.00）A.money budget for the schoolB.teaching practices of teachersC.computers and textbooksD.performance of school janitors(5).What does the lawsuit filed against New Jersey indicate?（分数：2.00）A.Such lawsuits usually stay undecided for an extremely long time.B.Bad judges intend to render the
25、school management a total chaos.C.The courts get more involved into school routine as the lawsuits last.D.The lawsuits are always deeply combined with the funding of schools.In recent years, Microsoft has focused on three big tasks, building robust security into its software, resolving numerous anti
26、trust complaints against it and upgrading its Windows operating system. These three tasks are now starting to collide. On August 27th the firm said that the successor to its Windows XP operating system, code-named Longhorn, will go on sale in 2007 without one of its most impressive features: a techn
27、ique to integrate elaborate search capabilities into nearly all desktop applications. (On the bright side, Longhorn will contain advances in rendering images and enabling different computing platforms to exchange data directly between applications.) It is a big setback for Microsoft, which considers
28、 search technology a pillar of its future growthnot least as it competes against Google. The firm“s focus on securitychampioned byBill Gates himselftook resources away from Longhorn, admits Greg Sullivan, a lead product manager in the Windows client division. Programmers have been fixing Windows XP
29、rather than working on Longhorn. In mid-August, Microsoft released Service Pack 2, a huge set of free software patches and enhancements to make Windows XP more secure. Though some of the fixes turned out to have vulnerabilities of their own, the patches have mostly been welcomed. Microsoft“s decisio
30、n to forgo new features in return for better security is one that most computer users will probably applaud. Yet ironically, as Microsoft slowly improves the security of its productsby, for instance, incorporating firewall technology, anti-virus systems and spam filtersits actions increasingly start
31、 to resemble those that, in the past, have got the firm into trouble with regulators. Is security software an “adjacent software market“, in which case Microsoft may be leveraging its dominance of the operating system into it? Integrating security products into Windows might be considered “bundling“
32、 which, with regard to web browsing, so excited America“s trustbusters in the 1990s. And building security directly into the operating system seems a lot like “commingling“ software code, on which basis the European Commission ruled earlier this year that Microsoft abused its market power through th
33、e Windows Media Player. Microsoft is appealing against that decision, and on September 30th it will argue for a suspension of the commission“s remedies, such as the requirement that it license its code to rivals. Just last month, the European Union“s competition directorate began an investigation in
34、to Microsoft and Time Warner, a large media firm, on the grounds that their proposed joint acquisition of Content Guard, a software firm whose products protect digital media files, might provide Microsoft with undue market power over digital media standards. The commission will rule by January 2005.
35、 Microsoft, it seems, in security as elsewhere, is going to have to get used to being punished for its success. Its Windows monopoly lets it enjoy excessive profitsbut the resulting monoculture makes it an obvious target for viruses and regulators alike.（分数：10.00）(1).That Microsoft“s three tasks are
36、 colliding is reflected in the fact that_.（分数：2.00）A.the new operating system will be marketed at a discountB.search will be removed from the new operating systemC.all search capabilities will be combined into the desktopD.images and data will be exchanged more directly(2).It is implied in the third
37、 paragraph that _.（分数：2.00）A.computer users care a lot about the security of the operating systemB.programmers are disappointed about the shift of the firm“s focusC.more resources are being engaged in the development of LonghornD.patches and enhancements are perfect and popular with the users(3).The
38、 ironical point is that Microsoft“s improvement of security_.（分数：2.00）A.is getting along at a pace dissatisfying to regulatorsB.brings itself a total control over the operating systemC.will lead to European Commission“s stricter licenceD.may be accused of abusing its dominance of the market(4).Which
39、 of the following does not belong to the “regulators“(Para. 4)?（分数：2.00）A.European Commission.B.EU“s competition directorate.C.ContentGuard.D.America“s trustbusters.(5).It can be concluded from the text that_.（分数：2.00）A.viruses and regulators are invariably aimed at WindowsB.Microsoft both benefits
40、and suffers from its huge successC.European Union“s inquiry into the acquisition is ungroundedD.punishments imposed on Windows are mostly justifiedThe Inland Revenue on Thursday accused the British film industry of abusing government aid, with every production of recent years deliberately over-claim
41、ing tax relief. Revenue officials called in about 20 members of the film industry and warned them of severe consequences if the “exploitation“ of tax-relief schemes did not immediately stop. The move, which affects the including low- to high-budget film-makers and financiers, is the latest in a seri
42、es of attempts by the Revenue to clamp down on tax loopholes in an attempt to raise more money for the Exchequer. But the film industry responded on Thursday night, saying the Revenue could drive productions overseas and would confuse investors. A series of tax relief schemes, introduced in 1997, en
43、ables those involved in the financing of qualifying British-made films to claim the costs of production against future income. The schemes have become popular with investors seeking a tax shelter, with an estimated 400m invested in the schemes in 1997 rising to about 2bn last year. But the Revenue s
44、aid the industry was exploiting rules on tax relief by “double-dipping“, that is, by claiming relief more than once against a single piece of expenditure. While not illegal, the Revenue said, the industry was “not playing fair“. It said double-dipping was “against the spirit“ of legislation designed
45、 to encourage investment in the British film industry. The Revenue said the practice of double-dipping was “virtually universal“, with “every qualifying film it had seen financed on the basis of double-dipping“. It warned it would “take all steps to counter such abuse including, where necessary, adv
46、ising ministers on introducing legislation to put matters beyond doubt“. “Both the Revenue and the government are becoming increasingly exasperated at the extent to which some parts of the industry are exploiting the film reliefs,“ the Revenue said. “The government remains committed to encouraging f
47、ilm production in the UK through use of the reliefs in the way in which the legislation allowsbut this does not extend to deliberate exploitation of those reliefs.“ Large film financiers said on Thursday night that the Revenue“s action could undermine growth prospects for the British film industry.
48、Peter James, managing director of Movision Entertainment, which has produced 16 British-made films in recent years, including the soon-to-be released “Merchant of Venice“, said while the effect of the Revenue“s clamp down would not be “devastating“, it could drive many independent film-makers overseas. Industry observers said on Thursday the Revenue“s move was likely to confuse investors, who have been accustomed to the benefits of double-dipping.（分数：10.00）(1).We can learn from the first three
