1、考研英语 257 及答案解析(总分：36.00，做题时间：180 分钟)一、Section Use of (总题数：1，分数：1.00)In economics the value added by a manufacturing firm to its products is the difference between the price of a finished product and the cost of raw materials, parts supplies, fuel, and electrical energy used in the production of that
2、 product. When 1 in this manner, the value added by manufacture is a useful index of the manufacturing firms 2 to the national economy. It is a more 3 index, of course, than 4 sales, a figure that is misleading because it tells 5 about production costs and 6 the manufacturing firm is 7 at a profit o
3、r at a loss. In education there is now a spirited 8 as to whether such a concept would not be most 9 for college graduates is evidently 10 in the salaries they can command 11 receipt of a college degree. Engineers, accountants, and computer specialists command 12 salaries upon graduation and by impl
4、ication, there must be an 13 value added to their marketability 14 the education and training they 15 in college. When looked at more closely, 16 ,the missing factor is 17 the difference between learner capabilities 18 to their educational experiences and graduate capabilities after 19 a college deg
5、ree. In brief, how much does the student 20 from the instruction he or she has received? （分数：1.00）(1). In economics the value added by a manufacturing firm to its products is the difference between the price of a finished product and the cost of raw materials, parts supplies, fuel, and electrical en
6、ergy used in the production of that product. When 1 in this manner, the value added by manufacture is a useful index of the manufacturing firms 2 to the national economy. It is a more 3 index, of course, than 4 sales, a figure that is misleading because it tells 5 about production costs and 6 the ma
7、nufacturing firm is 7 at a profit or at a loss. In education there is now a spirited 8 as to whether such a concept would not be most 9 for college graduates is evidently 10 in the salaries they can command 11 receipt of a college degree. Engineers, accountants, and computer specialists command 12 s
8、alaries upon graduation and by implication, there must be an 13 value added to their marketability 14 the education and training they 15 in college. When looked at more closely, 16 ,the missing factor is 17 the difference between learner capabilities 18 to their educational experiences and graduate
9、capabilities after 19 a college degree. In brief, how much does the student 20 from the instruction he or she has received? （分数：0.05）A.concludedB.computedC.conductedD.countedA.creationB.distributionC.contributionD.donationA.somethingB.anythingC.everythingD.nothingA.thatB.whyC.whetherD.becauseA.opera
10、tingB.managingC.executingD.maintainingA.argumentB.debateC.quarrelD.disturbanceA.delightfulB.distinctiveC.appropriateD.acceptableA.reflectedB.embodiedC.embracedD.indicatedA.overB.uponC.aboutD.beforeA.plentifulB.extensiveC.abundantD.impressiveA.appreciableB.applicableC.essentialD.inherentA.inB.fromC.w
11、ithD.byA.realisticB.specificC.elasticD.economicA.persuedB.awardedC.receivedD.enjoyedA.thereforeB.howeverC.moreoverD.thereafterA.curiouslyB.graciouslyC.dubiouslyD.obviouslyA.superiorB.interiorC.priorD.inferiorA.earningB.grantingC.conferringD.offeringA.attainB.benefitC.rewardD.favorA.retailB.readyC.ne
12、tD.gross二、Section Writing(总题数：1，分数：1.00)1 Study the following cartoon carefully and write an essay in which you should 1) describe the cartoon, 2) interpret its main idea, and 3) propose possible solutions. You should write about 160-200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points) . Study the follow
13、ing cartoon carefully and write an essay in which you should 1) describe the cartoon, 2) interpret its main idea, and 3) propose possible solutions. You should write about 160-200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)* （分数：1.00）_三、Section Reading(总题数：4，分数：4.00)Being a man has always been dange
14、rous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-old there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girls do. This me
15、ans that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram
16、 too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent of evolution has gone. There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the pa
17、st. Except in some religious communities, very few women have 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of
18、it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today-everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring-means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in
19、 upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes. For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100,000 years-even the past 100 years-our lives have bee
20、n transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they“ look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension. “No doubt we will remember a
21、 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us. （分数：1.00）(1).What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph?（分数：0.25）A.A lack of mates.B.A fierce compet
22、ition.C.A lower survival rate.D.A defective gene.(2).What does the example of India illustrate?（分数：0.25）A.Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people.B.Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor.C.The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of the tribes.D.In
23、dia is one of the countries with a very high birth rate.(3).The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because_.（分数：0.25）A.life has been improved by technological advanceB.the number of female babies has been decliningC.our species has reached the highest stage of evolutionD.the differe
24、nce between wealth and poverty is disappearing(4).Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?（分数：0.25）A.Sex Ratio Changes in Human Evolution.B.Ways of Continuing Mans Evolution.C.The Evolutionary Future of Nature.D.Human Evolution Going Nowhere.Do you remember all those years whe
25、n scientists argued that smoking would kill us but the doubters insisted that we didnt know for sure? That the evidence was inconclusive, the science uncertain ? That the antismoking lobby was out to destroy our way of life and the government should stay out of the way? Lots of Americans bought that
26、 nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to early graves. There are upsetting parallels today, as scientists in one wave after another try to awaken us to the growing threat of global warming. The latest was a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, enlisted by the White
27、House, to tell us that the Earths atmosphere is definitely warming and that the problem is largely man-made. The clear message is that we should get moving to protect ourselves. The president of the National Academy, Bruce Alberts, added this key point in the preface to the panels report: “Science n
28、ever has all the answers. But science does provide us with the best available guide to the future, and it is critical that our nation and the world base important policies on the best judgments that science can provide concerning the future consequences of present actions.“ Just as on smoking, voice
29、s now come from many quarters insisting that the science about global warming is incomplete, that its OK to keep pouring fumes into the air until we know for sure. This is a dangerous game: by the time 100 percent of the evidence is in, it may be too late. With the risks obvious and growing, a prude
30、nt people would take out an insurance policy now. Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it s obvious that a majority of the presidents advisers still dont take global warming seriously. Instead of a plan of action, they continue to press for more researcha classic case of “p
31、aralysis by analysis.“ To serve as responsible stewards of the planet, we must press forward on deeper atmospheric and oceanic research. But research alone is inadequate. If the Administration wont take the legislative initiative, Congress should help to begin fashioning conservation measures. A bil
32、l by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which would offer financial incentives for private industry, is a promising start. Many see that the country is getting ready to build lots of new power plants to meet our energy needs. If we are ever going to protect the atmosphere, it is crucia
33、l that those new plants be environmentally sound. （分数：1.00）(1).An argument made by supporters of smoking was that（分数：0.20）A.there was no scientific evidence of the correlation between smoking and death.B.the number of early deaths of smokers in the past decades was insignificant.C.people had the fre
34、edom to choose their own way of life.D.antismoking people were usually talking nonsense.(2).According to Bruce Alberts, science can serve as（分数：0.20）A.a protector.B.a judge.C.a critic.D.a guide(3).What does the author mean by “paralysis by analysis“( Last line, Paragraph 4)?（分数：0.20）A.Endless studie
35、s kill action.B.Careful investigation reveals truth.C.Prudent planning hinders progress.D.Extensive research helps decision - making.(4).According to the author, what should the Administration do about global warming?（分数：0.20）A.Offer aid to build cleaner power plants.B.Raise public awareness of cons
36、ervation.C.Press for further scientific research.D.Take some legislative measures.(5).The author associates the issue of global warming with that of smoking because（分数：0.20）A.they both suffered from the governments negligence.B.a lesson from the latter is applicable to the former.C.the outcome of th
37、e latter aggravates the former.D.both of them have turned from bad to worse.Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publishers pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a confused and often unenlightened citizenry that there
38、 are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology, geology and biology have provided a consistent, unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. “Scientific“ creationism, which is being pushed by some for “equal time“ in the cla
39、ssrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are given, is based on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of nonfundamentalist religious leaders have come to regard “scientific“ creationism as bad science and bad religion. The first four chapters of Kitcher s book
40、 give a very brief introduction to evolution. At appropriate places, he introduces the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamil
41、iar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have expected more Christian behavior. Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the charity and effectiveness of
42、 his arguments. The nonspecialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapters on the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says:“ This book stands for re
43、ason itself.“ And so it doesand all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate. （分数：1.00）(1).“Creationism“ in the passage refers to_.（分数：0.25）A.evolution in its true sense as to the origin of the universeB.a notion of the creation of religionC.the scientific explana
44、tion of the earth formationD.the deceptive theory about the origin of the universe(2).Kitcherss book is intended to_.（分数：0.25）A.recommend the views of the evolutionistsB.expose the true features of creationistsC.curse bitterly at his opponentsD.launch a surprise attack on creationists(3). From the p
45、assage we can infer that_.（分数：0.25）A.reasoning has played a decisive role in the debateB.creationists do not base their argument on reasoningC.evolutionary theory is too difficult for non-specialistsD.creationism is supported by scientific findings(4).This passage appears to be a digest of_.（分数：0.25
46、）A.a book reviewB.a scientific paperC.a magazine featureD.a newspaper editorialThe essential weakness of the old and traditional education was not just that it emphasized the necessity for provision of definite subject-matter and activities. These things are necessities for anything that can rightly
47、 be called education. The weakness and evil was that the imagination of educators did not go beyond provision of a fixed and rigid environment of subject-matter, one drawn moreover from sources altogether too remote from the experiences of the pupil. What is needed in the new education is more atten
48、tion, not less, to subject-matter and to progress in technique. But when I say more, I do not mean more in quantity of the same old kind. I mean an imaginative vision which sees that no prescribed and ready-made scheme can possibly determine the exact subject-matter that will best promote the educat
49、ive growth of every individual young person; that every new individual sets a new problem ;that he calls for at least a somewhat different emphasis in subject-matter presented. There is nothing more blindly stupid than the convention which supposes that the matter actually contained in textbooks of arithmetic, history, geography, etc. , is just what will further the ed
