1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 183 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）_The greatest knowledge we can receive is taken from
2、 everyday life lessons. If we learn from our many mistakes and grow from each lesson we may learn, we will be wiser, smarter and happier people. This journey we travel together, called life, holds amazing opportunities along the way. If we are aware of what is happening around us we can gain wisdom
3、from what we observe. If we don“t learn from those around us, we lose valuable life lessons. I learned a great deal growing up with alcoholic parents. I learned from a young age what kind of parent I would strive to be. I gained a great understanding of the damage alcohol can have on a family and th
4、is life lesson is with me still today. As a young adult, I believe the greatest lessons I learned were from others and their life experiences. I grew to understand there were so many people going through situations much worse than mine. I learned to appreciate the fact that I was loved in spite of t
5、he circumstances I lived in. A friend of mine was abused and I realized my problems were minor in comparison. Another one of my best friends was involved in a car accident, and is a quadriplegic. Life takes many turns and twists and the greatest lessons are learned from these experiences. When we lo
6、ok around us and see so much hunger, hurt and hatred we cannot help but find our problems small and manageable. Regardless of our personal situation, we can be assured there is greater suffering all around us. There are lessons in our lives that will give us wisdom to help others. When we experience
7、 heartache,we are better able to comfort a friend. We know what they need and can be supportive of them. Life lessons come along for many reasons. To teach us to appreciate what we have. To make us aware there is always someone worse off than we are. To learn from our mistakes, teach us to grow and
8、mature. Every day there is a new lesson to learn so we can be better human beings. We really do have the power to bring happiness and quality to our lives. Take each lesson along the way and make it count, don“t let the negative lessons bring you down but teach you to move forward to a better tomorr
9、ow.（分数：10.00）(1).The author believes that everyday lessons _.（分数：2.00）A.remind us of the common mistakes ever madeB.provide us with lots of amazing opportunitiesC.are an indispensible source of our knowledgeD.lead us in the right direction in the journey of life(2).By citing the example of his “alco
10、holic parents“, the author shows that _.（分数：2.00）A.one can draw unforgettable lessons from parentsB.what happens around gives us valuable lessonsC.the lessons drawn from one“s parents are bitterD.alcohol can have immense damage on a family(3).The author thinks that every person, especially young peo
11、ple, _.（分数：2.00）A.can draw salutary lessons from other peopleB.learns how to deal with problems from friendsC.has friends living in more miserable situationsD.should appreciate the circumstances he lives in(4).The misery we see around us reminds us that_.（分数：2.00）A.the path of life is rough and rugg
12、edB.hunger, hurt and hatred is inevitableC.all the problems in life can be solvedD.being optimistic about life is justifiable(5).The text primarily tells us that life lessons_.（分数：2.00）A.can be drawn from the mistakes we makeB.create a brilliant future for human beingsC.increase both our knowledge a
13、nd wisdomD.teach us how to help ourselves and othersBy the middle of the century, the inventor Ray Kurzweil suggests in his 2005 book The Singularity Is Near, human beings will live in perpetual clouds of nanobots, molecule-sized robots that spend each moment altering our micro-environments to our p
14、recise preferences. Over the longer term, he imagines that nanotechnologythe manipulation of matter at the molecular levelwill let us change our shape and appearance, become immortal, and transfer our minds with ease between far-flung planets. By contrast, the thriller writer Michael Crichton descri
15、bes nanobots running amok in his 2002 novel Prey. With his signature mix of tech savvy and paranoia, Crichton imagines the tiny automatons forming “nanoswarms“, clouds that visually mimic human beings in order to infiltrate and destroy ussort of microscopic, sentient super-kudzu. Both our hopes and
16、fears regarding nanotechnology have been extreme from the beginning, if we take as the beginning K. Eric Drexler“s 1986 book Engines of Creation. Drexler, an engineer, described nanotech as the ultimate fulfillment of humanity“s dynamic, self-transforming tendencies: the ability to create whatever w
17、e want, whenever we want it, combined with an imperative to take this godlike new power to the stars and turn the universe into our playground. Drexler also described the dark twin of this vision: the “gray goo“ scenario. Self-replicating nanobots, which proliferate by turning surrounding matter int
18、o copies of themselves, would go out of control, turning the entire Earth into themselvesthe most homogeneous imaginable version of the apocalypse. In the words of a technophilic but precaution-prone acquaintance of mine, a computer programmer who has his wristwatch set to alert him if a tsunami app
19、roaches Manhattan: “The gray goo scenario should at least give one pause. “ Such disaster fears are already fueling calls for regulation, even with the technology barely out of the cradle. Nanotech-related products will soon account for $ 2. 6 trillion in sales each year, according to a London Schoo
20、l of Business/Rice University study. The current applications are concentrated in products that benefit from highly efficient filtering or surface-application processes, such as microchips, car wax, and sunscreen. But down the road, the likely applications include molecule-perfect wound-healing, fla
21、wless cleaning processes, quantum computing, far easier bioengineering, much more efficient photon and electrical transfer, and much more. In a June 2007 press release, Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, noted that nanotechnology “ promises to be the most important innovation since elec
22、tricity and the internal combustion engine“. At the same time, it called for more testing and oversight, warning that some nanotech applications “might pose substantial risks to human health and the environment“.（分数：10.00）(1).An inventor assumes that in the near future human beings will_.（分数：2.00）A.
23、live in eternal crowd of nanobotsB.change their shape and appearanceC.handle matter at the molecular levelD.alter their micro-environment at will(2).Michael Crichton suggests that nanobots may_.（分数：2.00）A.serve as a sort of microscopic organismB.become one of the best American thrillersC.aim at dest
24、roying human beings completelyD.behave in a very violent and uncontrolled way(3).The gray goo scenario refers to_.（分数：2.00）A.the automated self-replicating process of matterB.the uncontrollable proliferation of nanobotsC.the creation of a new world with nanotechD.the adroit manipulation of the unive
25、rse(4).It seems that nanotechnology_.（分数：2.00）A.facilitates manufacturing processesB.provides us with a superb instrumentC.gives us a promise of brighter futureD.causes us a lot of worry for the future(5).Consumers Union believes that nanotechnology is_.（分数：2.00）A.likely to improve our life to a gre
26、at extentB.undoubtedly the most important innovationC.an important innovation with potential risksD.an innovation more important than electricityThe good news about America“s economy is that jobs are plentiful despite slower growth and the housing blues. Some 180,000 new jobs were created in March a
27、nd the unemployment rate fell to 4. 4% , three-tenths of a percentage point lower than a year ago. With employment and wage growth strong, consumers are unlikely to stop spending and throw the economy into recession. That is not all cause for celebration , however. The drop in the jobless rate at th
28、e same time as the economy is slowing implies that the growth in productivitythe amount workers produce in an houris waning. If this proves to be a permanent shift, slower productivity growth bodes ill for inflation and living standards. Few associate America with limping productivity. Central to it
29、s success over the past decade has been its “productivity miracle“, the sudden acceleration in workers“ efficiency in 1995. After advancing at a measly 1.5% per year for more than two decades, productivity growth soared to an average of 2. o% a year in the late 1990s and over 3% a year between 2002
30、and 2004. This spurt set America apart from other rich countries. But between mid-2004 and the end of 2006, the growth in business output per hour outside agriculture, the most common gauge of worker efficiency, slowed to an annual rate of just 1. 5% , on average. Judging by the recent jobs figures,
31、 its growth in the first few months of 2007 may be lower still. Deciding how worrying this is depends on what lies behind the sluggishness. Productivity growth has two components: a long-term trend(set by the quality of the workforce, the pace of capital investment and the speed of innovation)and mo
32、re volatile short-term fluctuations driven by the business cycle. Early in an expansion, for instance, productivity takes off temporarily as firms squeeze their existing staff harder before hiring new workers. As an economy slows, it tails off, because firms are loth to sack workers immediately. Thi
33、s time, temporary factors are almost certainly playing the biggest role. Not only has the business cycle reached the point at which productivity growth usually slows, it also has several characteristics that may have exacerbated temporary productivity swings. Unusually savage company cost-cutting ea
34、rly in this cycle is another reason why recent productivity swings have been so extreme. An odd business cycle makes it hard to gauge what has happened to America“ s underlying rate of productivity growth. So too do shifts in the sources of productivity growth. In the late 1990s workers“ efficiency
35、rose thanks both to rapid investment, particularly in information technology(IT), and to innovation, again mainly in IT. Hence the conventional view that America“s productivity miracle was based on its ability to harness the power of computers.（分数：10.00）(1).It is true of the text that _.（分数：2.00）A.s
36、lower economic growth used to result in housing bluesB.new jobs are created more in March than in other monthsC.higher unemployment rate is a sign of economic recessionD.consumers are unlikely to stop spending no matter what happens(2).By saying “That is not all cause for celebration“(Line 1, Paragr
37、aph 2), the author implies that_.（分数：2.00）A.lower unemployment rate isn“t worth celebratingB.economy recedes in the wake of strong employment growthC.slower productivity growth has been proven to be a permanent shiftD.slower productivity growth is hardly good news about America“s economy(3).America“
38、s “productivity miracle“ in the late 1990s was mainly due to（分数：2.00）A.its ability to make full use of the power of computersB.the sudden acceleration in workers“ efficiency in 1995C.its advancement at a high rate for more than two decadesD.its success over the previous decade with limping productiv
39、ity(4).Which of the following contributes most to the recent slower productivity growth?（分数：2.00）A.The business cycle.B.The speed of innovation.C.The quality of the workforce.D.The pace of capital investment.(5).The proper title for this text should be_.（分数：2.00）A.Making More with LessB.Making Less
40、with MoreC.Taking off or Tailing offD.What Lies Behind the SluggishnessToday, perhaps more than ever, America is a nation of racial and ethnic diversity. For example, the 1980s and 1990s saw a huge increase in the number of Hispanics and Asians who immigrated to the United States and changed the com
41、plexion of our society. Furthermore, indications suggest that the trend toward racial and ethnic diversity will continue. Because of the dramatic change in America“s population, it is likely that when children go to school, the mall or the park, they will meet children who are racially or culturally
42、 different. These differences may be visible in skin color, hair texture, dress or some combination of these or other characteristics. Unfortunately, racism and prejudice too often influence how children relate to people they view as different. Racism and prejudice are based on exaggerated myths and
43、 stereotypes. African-Americans, for instance, are particularly victimized by racism and prejudice. During the time of slavery, many white Americans considered Africa the “dark continent“, inhabited by savages who needed rescued from their wicked ways by Christians. These types of myths and stereoty
44、pes formed the basis for racism and prejudice against Africans and served to justify the indignity and harsh treatment imposed upon them during slavery. Despite the passing of more than 300 years, the numerous contributions of African-Americans to society, the passing of the Civil Rights Act, and co
45、ntinued efforts to eliminate institutional racism, many myths and stereotypes still form the basis for racism and prejudice against people of African descent. Myths and stereotypes exist not only for African-Americans but also for many other American ethnic and racial groups such as Jewish-Americans
46、, Italian-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans and Puerto Rican-Americans. Myths and stereotypes cannot be ignored. They form the very basis of racism and prejudice and affect how children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds relate to one another. Prejudiced children have a self-impo
47、sed limitation on their educational, social and political development. Prejudice interferes with the learning and development of healthy relationships and can lead to psychological, social or physical harm to others. In essence, the effects of racism and prejudice on children affect both individual
48、and societal potential, thus limiting us all.（分数：10.00）(1).The sharp increase of Hispanic and Asian immigrants to the U. S. is given to show_.（分数：2.00）A.the prevalence of racial and ethnic diversity in the U. S.B.the potential change of the complexion of American peopleC.the overwhelming appeal of t
49、he U. S. for Hispanics and AsiansD.the primary reason for the expansion of the American population(2).It can be inferred from the text that_.（分数：2.00）A.racism justifies the prejudice against immigrantsB.African-Americans are still treated unfairly in the U. S.C.children racially different rarely study in the same schoolD.people with racial
