1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 414 及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：10，分数：60.00)1.Section II Reading Comprehension_2.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D._What makes a great high school? Americans think a lot of things do, fr
2、om outstanding academics or a supportive environment for students to a great football or basketball team. Still, pretty much everyone agrees teaching and learning are central to the mission. High schools are expected to prepare students for further education, work, or the military and eliminate the
3、large gaps in achievement separating different ethnic and income groups of students. These are sensible goals. While there are many great high schools among the nearly 22,000 across the country, too many are still not getting the job done. Only about half of African-American and Hispanic students fi
4、nish high school on time. Meanwhile, the National Assessment of Education Progress tests, often referred to as “the nations report card,“ show significant achievement gaps separating white students from black and Hispanic high school students. These are not small differences but rather vast gaps tha
5、t crush opportunity and tear at our nations social contract. Leave aside the intrinsic value of being an educated citizen; there are practical effects as well. In 2005, the mean annual earnings were about $20,000 for a high school dropout but $54,000 for someone with a bachelors degree. And those di
6、fferences are growing wider, not lessening, as our economy becomes more knowledge and skills based. In 1975, a high school dropout earned about half as much as a college graduate, compared with about one third today. This is why U.S. News set some clear criteria for academic quality in its new ranki
7、ng of American high schools. These criteria mean a lot of schools dont measure uponly 505 schools nationwide earned a silver or gold medal this year. The list illustrates at once the promise and the challenge for high schools today. Only about 1 in 8 of the schools on this list serves a student popu
8、lation that is more than 50 percent low income, and only about 1 in 5 has a majority of nonwhite students. Meanwhile, about 1 in 5 selects students based on academic merit, something that obviously boosts the chances of meeting the criteria. Because the U.S. News list uses more data to judge schools
9、, it paints a clearer picture. Of course, no list is perfect. For instance, it is difficult to account for high school graduation rates because states calculate them in different ways. But this one better reflects what policymakers and parents want from high schools, as well as the challenge our nat
10、ion faces to make our high schools as good as they need to be.（分数：10.00）(1).American high schools are expected to（分数：2.00）A.eliminate large social gaps.B.remain ethnic diversities.C.teach students practical skills.D.prepare students for the future.(2).In Paragraph 2, “the nations report card“ is men
11、tioned to show that（分数：2.00）A.too many high schools fail to accomplish the mission of teaching and learning.B.half of African-American and Hispanic high school students are dropouts.C.academic achievement gaps are the primary causes of ethnic gaps in America.D.Achievement gaps among different ethnic
12、 groups still remain in American high schools.(3).We can learn from Paragraph 3 that（分数：2.00）A.inequality of education breaks the contract America signs with its citizens.B.income gaps are widened as the economy relies more on knowledge and skills.C.high school education results in more economic imp
13、act than emotional one.D.high school dropouts used to earn more in the 1970s than today.(4).High schools of silver or gold medalists by U.S. News most probably（分数：2.00）A.dedicate to students from low-income families.B.recruit mainly white students.C.select students based on academic performance.D.ad
14、mit only minority elite students.(5).Which of the following is a feature of the U.S. News list?（分数：2.00）A.Ideal.B.Exaggerating.C.Insightful.D.Threatening.You are what you eat, or so the saying goes. But Richard Wrangham, of Harvard University, believes that this is true in a more profound sense than
15、 the one implied by the old proverb. It is not just you who are what you eat, but the entire human species. And with Homo sapiens, what makes the species unique in Dr. Wranghams opinion is that its food is so often cooked. Cooking is a human universal. No society is without it. No one other than a f
16、ew faddists tries to survive on raw food alone. And the consumption of a cooked meal in the evening, usually in the company of family and friends, is normal in every known society. Moreover, without cooking, the human brain(which consumes 20-25% of the bodys energy)could not keep running. Dr. Wrangh
17、am thus believes that cooking and humanity have developed alongside. In fact, as he outlined to the American Association for the Advancement of Science(AAAS), in Chicago, he thinks that cooking and other forms of preparing food are humanitys “killer application“: the evolutionary change that underpi
18、ns all of the otherand subsequentchanges that have made people such unusual animals. Humans became human, as it were, with the emergence 1.8 million years ago of a species called Homo erectus. This had a skeleton much like modern mansa big, brain-filled skull and a narrow pelvis and rib cage, which
19、imply a small abdomen and thus a small gut. Hitherto, the explanation for this shift from the smaller skulls and wider pelvises of mans apelike ancestors has been a shift from a vegetable-based diet to a meat-based one. Meat has more calories than plant matter, the theory went. A smaller gut could t
20、herefore support a larger brain. Dr. Wrangham disagrees. When you do the sums, he argues, raw meat is still insufficient to bridge the gap. He points out that even modern “raw foodists“, members of a town-dwelling, back-to-nature social movement, struggle to maintain their weightand they have access
21、 to animals and plants that have been bred for the table. Pre-agricultural man confined to raw food would have starved. Start cooking, however, and things change radically. Cooking alters food in three important ways. It breaks starch molecules into more digestible fragments. It “denatures“ protein
22、molecules, so that their amino-acid chains unfold and digestive enzymes can attack them more easily. And heat physically softens food. That makes it easier to digest, so even though the stuff is no more calorific, the body uses fewer calories dealing with it.（分数：10.00）(1).It can be inferred from the
23、 first paragraph that（分数：2.00）A.what you eat exerts little impact on who you are.B.the food makes Homo sapiens different from others.C.Homo sapiens often cooked its food.D.Homo sapiens cook food in a unique way.(2).Dr. Wrangham holds the view that（分数：2.00）A.cooking is a human universal without excep
24、tion.B.the human brain could not work without food.C.eating cooked meat should be accompanied by family.D.humanity is a precondition for development of cooking.(3).It is stated that humans had changed from their apelike ancestors to Homo erectus probably because（分数：2.00）A.they could support a larger
25、 brain with smaller gut.B.they had a narrow pelvis and rib cage.C.they began to eat cooked meat and vegetables.D.they took meat as the staple of diet.(4).Dr. Wrangham quotes the example of “raw foodists“ to show that（分数：2.00）A.raw foodists face problems to maintain weight.B.raw foodists also consume
26、 meat and vegetables.C.raw meat is not enough to narrow the gap.D.raw meat is harmful to modern “raw foodists“.(5).Which of the following would be the best title for the text?（分数：2.00）A.The Evolution of Human BeingsB.The Evolutionary Role of CookeryC.The Great Importance of CookeryD.The Significance
27、 of Meat-based Diet“It keeps you grounded, puts you in a situation that keeps you out of trouble, and puts you with a group that has the same mind-set,“ says Molly Skinner, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, appraising the nonathletic benefits she experienced while playing
28、soccer in high school. According to one new study, suiting up for the high school team does seem to give girls a boost when it comes to getting a college diploma. The recent study, conducted by professors from Brigham Young University(BYU)and West Chester University of Pennsylvania(WCUP), found that
29、 women who played sports in high school were 73 percent more likely to earn a bachelors degree within six years of graduating from high school than those who did not.(The study did not look at male athletes.)Their analysis of data from 5,103 women collected as part of a U.S. Department of Education
30、study found that even among girls who face statistical challenges finishing college based on socioeconomic background, the athletes still had more than 40 percent higher college completion rates than nonathletes, regardless of whether they played at the college level. “In times when we worry about i
31、mproving academic performance or outcomes, we wonder should we be devoting time and money to extracurricular activities?“ asks BYU Prof. Mikaela Dufur, one of the studys authors. “These are important arenas forin our casegirls to make connections with others and adults who help encourage them to suc
32、ceed.“ At the collegiate level, though, the measure of womens sports remains as murky(unclear)as ever, thanks to the politics of Title IX. Enacted in 1972, Title IX guarantees women equal opportunity in collegiate sports, but its critics contend that many schools reach that balance by cutting mens t
33、eams rather than adding womens. A July report on Title IX from the Government Accountability Office(GAO)has done little to settle the debate. That study found increases in student participation in college athletics on both sides of the gender line, though the growth rate was higher for womens teams
34、and female athletes. Title IX critics say that the GAO report relies too heavily on National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA)data, which can obscure the number of mens teams cut from particular schools as more colleges join the NCAA overall. While the political debate continues, female athletes
35、 themselves seem to be focusing on the finish line. “I think that sports teaches you to persevere,“ says Virginia Tech-bound Rachel Plumb, who raced on her high schools cross country team. “It teaches you to keep an eye on a goal.“（分数：10.00）(1).According to the first paragraph,（分数：2.00）A.Molly Skinn
36、er is playing soccer on the university team.B.playing soccer contributed to Mollys nonathletic life.C.playing sports helps girls to enroll at universities.D.playing sports grants girls extra credits at universities.(2).Which of the following is true about the recent study by professors from BYU and
37、WCUP?（分数：2.00）A.Women athletes are more likely to finish college than nonathletes.B.Female athletes have more chance to get diplomas than male athletes.C.Statistical challenges reduce the chance for female athletes to get degrees.D.Playing sports in high school matters more than playing at colleges.
38、(3).BYU Prof. Mikaela Dufur found that extracurricular activities（分数：2.00）A.exert adverse effects to girls academic performance.B.can improve girls academic outcomes directly.C.bring people who are worth knowing to girls.D.may consume too much money and time of girls.(4).It can be inferred from the
39、text that（分数：2.00）A.Title IX realizes womens equal opportunity in collegiate sports.B.Title IX balances mens and womens sports in many schools.C.Title IX isnt successful in achieving its goal for womens rights.D.GAO report proves the success of Title IX in college sports.(5).We can conclude from the
40、 text that（分数：2.00）A.girls who played sports in high schools are better college students.B.girls with high school sports experience are mentally stronger.C.athletic girls are more likely to get college degrees thanks to Title IX.D.athletic girls always perform better at colleges than nonathletes.“Ah
41、, yes, divorce“, Robin Williams once mused, “from the Latin word meaning to rip out a mans genitals through his wallet“. The derivation may not be found in dictionaries, but he was on well-trodden ground in linking divorce to money. This month a survey conducted among financial analysts, stockbroker
42、s and hedge-fund managers by Mishcon de Reya, a law firm, suggested that the economic downturn will prompt an upsurge in divorces among high-earners in Londons financial centre. This pattern is not without precedent; Sandra Davis, who commissioned the study, says that the recession of the early 1990
43、s led to a wave of divorces among the Citys wealthy people. A third of current inquiries to lawyers by those deciding to break the knot, she claims, are linked to the credit crunch. One explanation is that the defecting spouses of high earners are getting out before the crunch reduces the potential
44、for profitable settlements. As the City boom turns to bust, redundancies are becoming commonplace and huge bonuses a distant dream. Since recent earnings are one of the factors taken into account in divorce settlements, it makes sense to divorce sooner rather than later. Others argue that money and
45、the distractions it buys allow couples to avoid addressing difficulties in their relationship, which come to the fore in more financially-distressed times. For middle earners, the link between divorce rates and economic conditions is less clear-cut, not least since the main marital asset is houses r
46、ather than spouses. Rising inflation and falling house prices put pressure on marriages and might thus contribute to higher divorce rates. Yet the same factors also make splitting up more complicated. Falling property prices mean that selling the family home may not provide sufficient funds for two
47、separate homes, especially now that lenders have become much more choosy. “A flagging economy clearly leads to an increase in misery; whether or not it causes a rise in the divorce rate is a debatable point,“ sums up Stephen Jenkins, director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research. One co
48、nsequence is that more couples are living together after divorce, which raises its own problems. Godfrey Freeman, chairman of Resolution, an association of family lawyers, points out that the lower-earning partners in such couples may find it harder to claim benefits. They are usually refused help,
49、he says, on the grounds that their mortgage is being paid, even if they have no cash of their own to cover everyday expenses.（分数：10.00）(1).In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by providing（分数：2.00）A.a well-known definition of divorce in the dictionary.B.a downright fact that divorce is linked to economy.C.an interesting quote of a famous person about divorce.D.a
