1、考研英语阅读理解-(六)及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Readi(总题数：4，分数：100.00)Telecommuting, Internet shopping and online meetings may save energy as compared with in-person alternatives, but as the digital age moves on, its green reputation is turning a lot browner. Last year, E-mailing consumed as much
2、as 1.5 percent of the nations electricity-half of which comes from coal.In 2005 the computers of the world ate up 123 billion kilo-watt hours of energy. As a result, the power bill to run a computer over its lifetime will surpass the cost of buying the machine in the first place-giving Internet and
3、computer companies a business reason to cut energy costs, as well as an environmental one. One of the biggest energy sinks comes not from the computers themselves but from the air-conditioning needed to keep them from overheating. For every kilowatt-hour of energy used for computing in a data center
4、, another kilowatt-hour is required to cool the furnace like racks of servers.For Internet giant Google, this reality has driven efforts such as the installation of a solar array that can provide 30 percent of the peak power needs of its headquarters as well as increasing purchases of renewable ener
5、gy. But to deliver Web pages within seconds, the firm must maintain hundreds of thousands of computer servers in cavernous buildings. “We are actively working to maximize the efficiency of our data centers, which account for most of the energy Google consumes worldwide.“ remarks Googles green energy
6、 czar Bill Weihl. Google will funnel some of its profits into a new effort, dubbed REC (for renewable energy cheaper than coal, as Google translates it) to make sources such as solar-thermal, highaltitude wind and geothermal cheaper than coal “within years, not decades,“ according to Weihl.In the me
7、antime, the industry as a whole has employed a few tricks to save watts. Efforts include rearranging the stacks of servers and the mechanics of their cooling, and using software to create multiple “virtual“ computers, rather than having to deploy several real ones. Such virtualization has allowed co
8、mputer maker Hewlett-Packard to consolidate 86 data centers spread throughout the world to just three, with three backups, says Pat Tiernan, the firms vice president of social and environmental responsibility.The industry is also tackling the energy issue at the computer-chip level. Chipmakers such
9、as Intel and AMD have shifted to so-called multi-core technology, which packs multiple processors into one circuit rather than separating them. “When we moved to multi-core and throttled down microprocessors, the energy savings were pretty substantial,“ says Allyson Klein, Intels marketing manager.
10、Chipmakers continue to shrink circuits on the nanoscale as well, which “means a chip needs less electricity“ to deliver the same performance, she adds.（分数：25.00）(1).The sentence “its green reputation is turning a lot browner“ (Lines 2-3, Paragraph 1) shows that the digital industry A. does not help
11、save energy any more. B. is not so environmental friendly as before. C. consumes most of the nations electricity. D. has ruined its own green reputation.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).One of the biggest energy sinks comes from the air-conditioning in that A. one kilowatt-hour is needed by air-conditioning to
12、cool the computers. B. air-conditioning costs a large stun of money. C. air-conditioning is needed to prevent computers from overheating. D. a data center needs air-conditioning desperately.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).We learn from the third paragraph that in the near future Google will A. install solar ar
13、ray panels at its headquarters. B. purchase the energy which could be renewed. C. make renewable energy cheaper than coal. D. channel some of its profits into purchases of energy.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).By citing the example of computer maker Hewlett-Packard, the author intends to show that A. effort h
14、as been made by the digital industry to save energy. B. virtualization could help the company to save energy. C. HP has managed to consolidate 86 data centers to just three. D. HP has employed software to create multiple “virtual“ computers.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Which of the following is true of chan
15、ges at the computer-chip level? A. The multi-core technology helps separate the multiple processors. B. The multi-core technology helps save the energy substantially. C. Circuits on the nanoscale could save energy by sacrificing performance. D. Circuits have been shrunk on the nanoscale in order to
16、be lighter.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.Do patents help or hinder innovation? Instinctively, they would seem a blessing. Patenting an idea gives its inventor a 20-year monopoly to exploit the fruit of his labor in the marketplace, in exchange for publishing a full account of how the new product, process or mate
17、rial works for everyone to see. For the inventor, that may be a reasonable trade-off. For society, however, the loss of competition through the granting sole tights to an individual or organization is justified only if it stimulates the economy and delivers goods that change peoples lives for the be
18、tter.Invention, though, is not innovation. It may take a couple of enthusiasts working evenings and weekends for a year or two-not to mention tens of thousands of dollars of their savings-to get a pet idea to the patenting stage. But that is just the beginning. Innovations based on patented inventio
19、ns or discoveries can take teams of researchers, engineers and marketing experts a decade or more, and tens of millions of dollars, to transfer to the marketplace. And for every bright idea that goes on to become a commercial winner, literally thousands Ufall by the wayside/U.Most economists would a
20、rgue that, without a patent system, even fewer inventions would lead to successful innovations, and those that did would be kept secret for far longer in order to maximize returns. But what if patents actually discourage the combining and recombining of inventions to yield new products and processes
21、-as has happened in biotechnology, genetics and other disciplines?Or what about those ridiculous business-process patents, like As “one-click“ patent or the “name-your-price“ auction patent assigned to P? Instead of stimulating innovation, such patents seem more about extracting “rents“ from innocen
22、t bystanders going about their business. One thing has become clear since business-process patents took off in America during the 1990s: the quality of patents has deteriorated markedly. And with sloppier patenting standards, litigation has increased. The result is higher transaction costs all ronnd
23、.It is not simply a failure of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to examine applications more rigorously. The Federal Circuit has been responsible for a number of bizarre rulings. Because of its diverse responsibilities, the Federal Circuit-unlike its counterparts in Europe and J
24、apan-has never really acquired adequate expertise in patent law.To be eligible for a patent, an invention must not just be novel, but also useful and non-obvious. Anything that relies on natural phenomena, abstract ideas or the laws of nature does not qualify. The USPTO has taken to requiring a work
25、ing prototype of anything that supposedly breaches the laws of physics. So, no more perpetual-motion machines, please.（分数：25.00）(1).What can we learn from the first paragraph? A. It is a natural tendency for people to believe that innovation is stimulated by patents. B. The inventors cannot reap the
26、 fruits of their patents until many years later. C. Individuals and organizations welcome competitions brought about by the patentees. D. Patenting can never be a blessing to society if it fails to benefit people at large.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).The phrase “fall by the wayside“ (Line 6, Para. 2) most p
27、robably means A. “give up“. B. “break down“. C. “drop off“. D. “fall over“.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).According to the author, the “one-click“ patent and the “name-your-price“ patent are A. comical. B. shocking. C. absurd. D. unreasonable.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The author holds that business-process patents
28、 A. should have been introduced earlier. B. have helped innovation. C. should be responsible for rising prices. D. should achieve a higher standardization.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).According to the text, which of the following is eligible for a patent? A. The perpetual-motion machine. B. A solar-powered
29、automobile. C. The “one-click“ online payment system. D. A words-memorizing approach.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.If American medicine were a patient, he would weigh 350 pounds and be gaining fast. Despite being repeatedly counseled about the dangers of morbid obesity, he would be making at best hail-hearted at
30、tempts to mend his gluttonous (excessive drinking and eating) ways. Meanwhile, his doctors, insurance company, politicians and regulators would remain in a deep state of denial, clutching the illusion that their patient, other than being a bit overweight, was in tip-top health. Truth be told, the US
31、 medical system is headed for multiple organ failure.The spiraling cost of healthcare is well known: 7,100 per person this year, projected to increase to 12,000 in 2015 and compounding at more than double the rate of inflation. Already, medical care gobbles up one-sixth of the GDP. Even so, we ask o
32、urselves, how better to spend our money on the best healthcare in the world? Not so fast. The facts show that these enormous expenditures may be buying us the best facilities in medical care-but not the best health.For example, Canada spends only 60% as much per person on healthcare as the United St
33、ates. Yet, since 1980, the longevity of all Canadians has improved more rapidly than that of only white Americans. Yes, the “queues“ in Canada can involve delays in nonemergency care. But these could be shortened with relatively small increases in funding. An article in the US journal Health Affairs
34、 investigating the number of Canadians who come here to avoid these waits found the number so small that it asked, “A tip with no iceberg?“ Britain spends only 40% as much as we do on healthcare. But according to the Journal of the American Medical Assn., middle-class insured Americans “are much les
35、s healthy than their English counterparts“.In fact, although Americans spend twice as much per person on healthcare as the other 21 wealthiest countries, data from the World Health Organization show that we live the shortest amount of time in good health- （分数：25.00）(1).In the opening paragraph, Amer
36、ican medicine is compared to a patient to show that A. it has wasted the US government a huge amount of money. B. it is so problematic and troublesome that it is past cure. C. it is generally wholesome except for some minor problems. D. it is as problem-ridden as a patient with serious illness.（分数：5
37、.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Canada and Britain are mentioned in paragraph 3 to illustrate that A. America spends more money on medical care than Canada and Britain. B. both Canada and Britain are fairly successful in terms of healthcare. C. American expenditure on medical care is not so efficient as expected. D
38、. both Canada and Britain should hike up their expenditures on healthcare.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).“A tip with no iceberg?“ (Lines 5-6, Paragraph 3) most probably means A. patients in Canada sometimes do have to wait for nonemergency treatments. B. shortage of funds in Canadian medical system can be res
39、olved easily. C. a big increase in funding is needed in Canada, not a small one. D. delays in nonemergency treatment in Canada are not such a serious problem.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following statements is true of the text? A. Medical care takes up the largest share of US government expend
40、itures. B. Americans enjoy the best facilities in medical care but have worst health. C. America performs worse than Canada and Britain in terms of healthcare. D. Americans have a shorter life expectancy than people in other 21 wealthiest countries.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Elliott Fisher will most proba
41、bly agree that A. US expenditure on medical care is a waste of money and should be halted. B. US government should make the best use of the spending in medical care. C. America is turning into such an over-medicated society that it does harm to people. D. more money should be diverted to military de
42、fense instead of medical care.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.Norwood, Ohio-in this town, which is surrounded by Cincinnati, there is a field surrounded by a high chain-link fence. Across a sweet on one side of the field is a residential neighborhood of modest homes. On another side is an upscale shopping center.
43、The field used to be a neighborhood with 99 houses and small businesses, but almost all the structures have been destroyed. One of the homes that remain-the developer of the shopping center wants to level all so he can expand his domain-was for 35 years the first and only home owned by Carl and Joy
44、Gamble, who are both in their mid-60s.Now they live across the Ohio River in Kentucky, in the basement of their daughters house, as they wait for the Ohio Supreme Court to decide their homes fate. Norwoods government seized it to enrich itself by enriching a taxpaying developer who has a 125 million
45、 project.The Gambles say that when the city offered them money for their house, they were not interested. “We had everything we wanted, right there,“ says Joy, who does not drive but could walk to see her mother in a Norwood nursing home. “We loved that house-that home.“ Past tense. Norwoods governm
46、ent, in a remarkably absurd deal, accepted the developers offer to pay the cost of the study that-surprise! -enabled the city to declare the neighborhood “blighted“ and “deteriorating.“ NEWSWEEK reader, stroll around your neighborhood. Do you see any broken sidewalk pavement? Any standing water in a
47、 road? Such factors-never mind that sidewalks and roads are governments responsibility-were cited by the developers study to justify Norwoods forcing the Gambles and their neighbors to sell to the developer.Norwoods behavior is part of a national pattern: From 1998 through 2002, state and local gove
48、rnments seized or threatened to seize more than 10,000 homes, businesses, churches and pieces of land, not for “public use“ but to enrich private interests, some of whose enhanced riches can be siphoned away by taxes. Such legalized theft-theft by government-does not use a gun, it just abuses the po
49、wer of eminent domain.The Gambles plight-a quiet, blue-collar couples life in ruins just as they are entering retirement-vividly illustrates what happens when property rights become too attenuated to protect the individuals zone of sovereignty against government power. Because such abuses are proliferating nationwide, people are pressuring state legislatures to forbid the seizure of property simply to give local govern
