1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 179 及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)1.Section II Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）_2.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D.（分数：10.00）_Telecommuting, Internet shopping and online meeting
2、s 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 as 1.5 percent of the nation“s electricityhalf of which comes from coal. In 2005 the computers of the world ate up 123 bill
3、ion 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 placegiving Internet and computer companies a business reason to cut energy costs, as well as an environmental one. One of the biggest energy sinks
4、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, another kilowatt-hour is required to cool the furnace like racks of servers. For Internet giant Google, this reality has
5、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 energy. But to deliver Web pages within seconds, the firm must maintain hundreds of thousands of computer servers in cavernous
6、 buildings. “We are actively working to maximize the efficiency of our data centers, which account for most of the energy Google consumes worldwide.“ remarks Google“s green energy czar Bill Weihl. Google will funnel some of its profits into a new effort, dubbed RE(1).The sentence “its green reputati
7、on is turning a lot browner“(Lines 2-3, Paragraph 1)shows that the digital industry（分数：2.00）A.does not help save energy any more.B.is not so environmental friendly as before.C.consumes most of the nation“s electricity.D.has ruined its own green reputation.(2).One of the biggest energy sinks comes fr
8、om the air-conditioning in that（分数：2.00）A.one kilowatt-hour is needed by air-conditioning to cool the computers.B.air-conditioning costs a large sum of money.C.air-conditioning is needed to prevent computers from overheating.D.a data center needs air-conditioning desperately.(3).We learn from the th
9、ird paragraph that in the near future Google will（分数：2.00）A.install solar array 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.(4).By citing the example of computer maker Hewlett
10、-Packard, the author intends to show that（分数：2.00）A.effort has 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.(5).W
11、hich of the following is true of changes at the computer-chip level?（分数：2.00）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 bee
12、n shrunk on the nanoscale in order to be lighter.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 pro
13、duct, process or material 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 rights to an individual or organization is justified only if it stimulates the economy and delivers goods that change peo
14、ple“s lives for the better. Invention, though, is not innovation. It may take a couple of enthusiasts working evenings and weekends for a year or twonot to mention tens of thousands of dollars of their savingsto get a pet idea to the patenting stage. But that is just the beginning. Innovations based
15、 on patented inventions 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 fall by the wayside . Mos
16、t economists would argue 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 pr
17、oducts and processesas has happened in biotechnology, genetics and other disciplines? Or what about those ridiculous business-process patents, like Amazoncom“s “one-click“ patent or the “name-your-price“ auction patent assigned to P? Instead of stimulating innovation, such patents seem more about ex
18、tracting “rents“ from innocent 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 highe
19、r transaction costs all found. 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 Circuitunlike its c
20、ounterparts in Europe and Japan 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 h
21、as taken to requiring a working prototype of anything that supposedly breaches the laws of physics. So, no more perpetual-motion machines, please.（分数：10.00）(1).What can we learn from the first paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.It is a natural tendency for people to believe that innovation is stimulated by patent
22、s.B.The inventors cannot reap the 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.(2).The phrase “fall by the wayside“(Line 6, Para
23、 2)most probably means（分数：2.00）A.give up.B.break down.C.drop off.D.fall over.(3).According to the author, the “one-click“ patent and the “name-your-price“ patent are（分数：2.00）A.comical.B.shocking.C.absurd.D.unreasonable.(4).The author holds that business-process patents（分数：2.00）A.should have been int
24、roduced earlier.B.have helped innovation.C.should be responsible for rising prices.D.should achieve a higher standardization.(5).According to the text, which of the following is eligible for a patent?（分数：2.00）A.The perpetual-motion machine.B.A solar-powered automobile.C.The “one-click“ online paymen
25、t system.D.A words-memorizing approach.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 half-hearted attempts to mend his gluttonous(excessive drinking and eating)way
26、s. 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 medical system is headed for multiple organ failure. The spirali
27、ng 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 ourselves, how better to spend our money on the best healthcare
28、 in the world? Not so fast. The facts show that these enormous expenditures may be buying us the best facilities in medical carebut not the best health. For example, Canada spends only 60% as much per person on healthcare as the United States. Yet, since 1980, the longevity of all Canadians has impr
29、oved 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 investigating the number of Canadians who come here to avoid
30、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 less healthy than their English counterparts“. In fact, althoug
31、h 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：10.00）(1).In the opening paragraph, American medicine is compared to a patient to show that（分数：2.00）
32、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.(2).Canada and Britain are mentioned in paragraph 3 to illustrat
33、e that（分数：2.00）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.both Canada and Britain should hike up their expenditures on healthcare.(
34、3).“A tip with no iceberg?“(lines 5-6, Paragraph 3)most probably means（分数：2.00）A.patients in Canada sometimes do have to wait for nonemergency treatments.B.shortage of funds in Canadian medical system can be resolved easily.C.a big increase in funding is needed in Canada, not a small one.D.delays in
35、 nonemergency treatment in Canada are not such a serious problem.(4).Which of the following statements is true of the text?（分数：2.00）A.Medical care takes up the largest share of US government expenditures.B.Americans enjoy the best facilities in medical care but have worst health.C.America performs w
36、orse than Canada and Britain in terms of healthcare.D.Americans have a shorter life expectancy than people in other 21 wealthiest countries.(5).Elliott Fisher will most probably agree that（分数：2.00）A.US expenditure on medical care is a waste of money and should be halted.B.US government should make t
37、he 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 defense instead of medical care.Norwood, Ohioin this town, which is surrounded by Cincinnati, there is a field surrounded by a
38、high chain-link fence. Across a street on one side of the field is a residential neighborhood of modest homes. On another side is an upscale shopping center. 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 t
39、hat remainthe developer of the shopping center wants to level all so he can expand his domainwas for 35 years the first and only home owned by Carl and Joy Gamble, who are both in their mid-60s. Now they live across the Ohio River in Kentucky, in the basement of their daughter“s house, as they wait
40、for the Ohio Supreme Court to decide their home“s fate. Norwood“s government seized it to enrich itself by enriching a taxpaying developer who has a $125 million project. The Gambles say that when the city offered them money for their house, they were not interested. “We had everything we wanted, ri
41、ght there,“ says Joy, who does not drive but could walk to see her mother in a Norwood nursing home. “We loved that housethat home.“ Past tense. Norwood“s government, in a remarkably absurd deal, accepted the developer“s offer to pay the cost of the study thatsurprise! enabled the city to declare th
42、e neighborhood “blighted“ and “deteriorating.“ NEWSWEEK reader, stroll around your neighborhood. Do you see any broken sidewalk pavement? Any standing water in a road? Such factorsnever mind that sidewalks and roads are government“s responsibilitywere cited by the developer“s study to justify Norwoo
43、d“s forcing the Gambles and their neighbors to sell to the developer. Norwood“s behavior is part of a national pattern: From 1998 through 2002, state and local governments seized or threatened to seize more than 10,000 homes, businesses, churches and pieces of land, not for “public use“ but to enric
44、h private interests, some of whose enhanced riches can be siphoned away by taxes. Such legalised thefttheft by governmentdoes not use a gun, it just abuses the power of eminent domain. The Gambles“ plighta quiet, blue-collar couple“s life in ruins just as they are entering retirement vividly illustr
45、ates what happens when property rights become too attenuated to protect the individual“s zone of sovereignty against governmfnt power. Because such abuses are proliferating nationwide, people are pressuring state legislatures to forbid the seizure of property simply to give local governmentswho neve
46、r say they have enough revenuesthe revenues they say they need. And Congress may forbid the use of federal funds for projects benefiting from such seizures.（分数：10.00）(1).Which of the following is true of the current situation in Norwood, Ohio?（分数：2.00）A.There“s a shopping center in this town for com
47、mon people.B.99 houses and small businesses remain in this destroyed area.C.The Gambles, developers of the shopping center moved in lately.D.The town has undergone great changes in recent years.(2).Norwood“s government seized the homes of the Gambles in that it wanted to（分数：2.00）A.benefit from a tax
48、paying developer.B.do justice to other residents.C.help to develop the area efficiently.D.level all to build a new town.(3).It is indicated in Paragraph 3 and 4 that（分数：2.00）A.the Gambles were hesitating when the government offered them money.B.the government allowed the developer to conduct a study
49、 in this areaC.Norwood“s government tried to prevent the residents from losing their homes.D.Norwood“s behavior is rare compared with other regions in the country.(4).The word “attenuated“(Line 2, Paragraph 5)most probably means（分数：2.00）A.overpowered.B.dominating.C.weak.D.centralized.(5).Which of the following is the best title for this text?（分数：2.00）A.Norwood, a Neglected PlaceB.The
