1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 49 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）_Today, at the push of a button, you can download and
2、 print the whole of Dante“s Divine Comedy, using only a computer, an Internet connection, a paving stone of paper and a small bucket of ink. Technically, the service is free, although it would be easier and cheaper simply to buy the book, which could then be read in the bath, while saving on printer
3、 cartridges and trees. The new service is the latest step in the stated goal of Google, the Internet search engine, “to organize the world“s information and make it universally accessible and useful“ and, although few may be rushing to print out the Digitized Dante, it marks an important development
4、 in world literature. For some, making books available online for free download represents a paradise found; others, including a number of worried publishers and writers, fear it may point the way to the ninth circle of hell. Google“s Book Search service is just one part of the Library Project, in w
5、hich the Internet engine has teamed up with libraries around the world, including the Bodleian in Oxford, to digitize collections and make millions of books available and searchable online. At first sight, the notion of a limitless digital library seems irresistible, a single, free repository access
6、ible from every corner of the globe. Partners in the Library Project say the system will enable users to access not just the classics, but also much more obscure works: forgotten novels, scientific accounts, illustrations and neglected poetry. Moribund books may be brought back to life. Librarians a
7、re often frustrated at the unseen gems in their collections gathering dust. Now the whole lot can be digitally stacked on an endless virtual shelf, to be browsed by anyone with a computer mouse. The problem lies not with digitalizing dead or undead books, but the potential danger to those that still
8、 have commercial life in them in the form of copyright Google is quick to point out that the books available for download through Book Search are all out of copyright. Indeed, while European law allows copyright to expire 70 years after an author“s death, the new service does not offer anything publ
9、ished later than the mid-19th century. Some publishers, however, see the availability of free books for digital download as the thin end of a very large wedge that could split literature by undernuning copyright itself. Last year the Association of American Publishers filed suit against Google claim
10、ing that by scanning 100 per cent of a book(to make it searchable by word)the company is infringing copyright, even if only a small excerpt is then available for free. Silence is golden in a library; but the law of copyright is beyond price.（分数：10.00）(1).Dante“s Divine Comedy is mentioned in Paragra
11、ph 1 to illustrate（分数：2.00）A.the easy accessibility of online digital books.B.the convenience of downloading and printing digital books.C.that books downloaded and printed are cheaper than ordinary books.D.that it is environmentally friendlier to download digital books.(2).It can be inferred from th
12、e second paragraph that（分数：2.00）A.Google“s new service is going to be a smashing success.B.people are helplessly obsessed with the Digitalized Dante.C.opinions vary towards free downloading of online books.D.people embrace the idea of making books online for free download.(3).We know from the text t
13、hat the author perceives the concept of “a limitless digital library“(line 1, Paragraph 3)as（分数：2.00）A.irresistible.B.convenient.C.disastrous.D.problematic.(4).What does “the thin end of a very large wedge“(Line 6, Paragraph 4)most probably imply?（分数：2.00）A.Google“s new service will gradually infrin
14、ge on copyright and eventually ruin literature.B.Books should not be digitalized and downloaded for the sake of copyright and literature.C.Google“s new service has caused huge damages to copyright and split literature.D.Google“s new service will divide literature into online literature and offline l
15、iterature.(5).Which of the following is the best title for this text?（分数：2.00）A.Google“s Book Search ServiceB.Bingo! Digitalization of BooksC.Digitalization: Pros and ConsD.Silence! Author under ThreatWhen recruiting at British universities, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four auditing firms
16、 with its headquarters in the New York City, presents candidates with an unusual exercise. They are asked to build a tall and sturdy tower using the smallest possible number of snap-together Lego bricks. Similarly, at Google Games, a recruiting event first staged by the search-engine giant in April,
17、 candidates are invited to build Lego bridgesthe stronger the better. In each case, the company is trying to convey the idea that it offers a creative, fun working environment. “It was as much advertising as a way of trying to get recruits,“ says Brett Daniel, a student at the University of Illinois
18、 at Urbana-Champaign who built the Google Games“ weakest bridge. A Danish firm, based in Billund, Denmark, has embraced the corporate use of its colored plastic bricks. As part of a scheme called “Serious Play“ it is certifying a growing number of professional Lego consultants, now present in 25 cou
19、ntries. They coach managers by getting them to build “metaphorical abstractions“ of such things as corporate strategy, says Lego“s Jesper Jensen, who runs the scheme. Hisham El-Gamal of Quest, a management consultancy based in Cairo that offers Serious Play workshops, says demand for the two-day, $7
20、,000 courses is booming. Firms in crisis, such as those corrupted by scandal or in the pains of a takeover, tend to be most receptive to the idea of Lego workshops, says Francois de Boissezon of Imagics, a consultancy based in Brussels. The results can be embarrassing, particularly for senior manage
21、rs. Tsai Yu-Chen of UGene Mentor, a Serious Play consultancy based in Taipei, says a common exercise is modeling, but not naming, “the people you hate most“. One chief executive was modeled as a figure so fat that he blocked a hallway, suggesting he was clogging up the company. Lego workshops are ef
22、fective because child-like play is a form of instinctive behavior not regulated by conscious thought, says Lucio Margulis of Juego Serio, a consultancy in Buenos Aires. This produces “Eureka“ moments: a perfectionist who realizes the absurdity of frustration over an imperfect Lego construction; the
23、owner of a firm with dismal customer relations who models headquarters as a fort under siege; or an arrogant boss who depicts his staff as soldiers headed into battle. Even in the office, it seems, Lego has a part to play.（分数：10.00）(1).In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by（分数：
24、2.00）A.posing a contrastB.making a comparison.C.stating a phenomenon.D.illustrating a hypothesis.(2).PricewaterhouseCoopers and Google Games incorporate Lego workshops into their recruitments mainly to（分数：2.00）A.check whether the candidates get the required operation skills.B.test whether the candid
25、ates are innovative and funny.C.advertise themselves as well as get the most talented recruits.D.attract the candidates with their creative and easy working atmosphere.(3).Which of the following is closest in meaning to “clogging up“(Line 6, Paragraph 4)?（分数：2.00）A.corrupting.B.obstructing.C.raining
26、.D.betraying.(4).According to Lucio Margulis, a person“s behavior in Lego workshops is characterized by being（分数：2.00）A.effective.B.childish.C.natural.D.conscious.(5).What can we know from the last paragraph about the “Eureka“ moments?（分数：2.00）A.They are effective but unconscious.B.They are the sudd
27、en realizations and discoveries in our life.C.They are the frustrated and depressed moments in our life.D.They are common and unsurprising in work places.Venture capitalists have found it difficult to make investments in wind power for the fact that most wind power demands quite large-scale wind far
28、ms to produce electricity. New technology could change that. Earlier this month, Southwest Windpower(SWWP)raised $8 million to launch a small generator that could bring wind power to individual homes and businesses. “It will unlock an extraordinary market“ says Hap Ellis, a general partner at RockPo
29、rt Capital Partners, which led the round. It“s easy to see why Mr. Ellis is excited. Global wind markets grew 47 percent to $11.8 billion in 2005, and are expected to reach $48.5 billion in 2015, according to Clean Edge, a market research firm. With this deal, RockPort and its partner companies may
30、have found a way to harness a wind storm that was once the sole domain of big utilities. While SWWP already makes small wind turbines for “off-grid“ customersthat is, customers too isolated to be connected to the electric networkit has only sold some 95,000 in the last seven years. The grid-connecte
31、d market is potentially far larger, as Mr. Greco estimates 13 million homes could use the grid-connected technology in the United States alone. But wind power hasn“t been widely used in grid-connected homes and businesses because the technology requires a number of inverters and controllers, and ins
32、tallation is complicated, he says. SWWP“s new turbine is much easier to use. It includes all the inverters, controllers, and other parts needed to connect to the grid. They are all contained within the body of the generator, lowering the production and installation costs, says Mr. Greco, who expects
33、 a retail price of around $5,500. At that price, the average cost per kilowatt hour would be $0.08not including subsidies available in many states, he says. That means wind can beat the cost of regular electricity, which in the U.S. averages $0.09 per kilowatt hour, he says. The turbine also produce
34、s electricity at lower wind speeds and the blades top out at only 300 rotations per minute to reduce noise, he says. SWWP estimates the potential grid-connected market is worth about $1 billion. The company made revenues of “just under“ $10 million in 2005, and expects a 70 percent growth rate this
35、year because of the new product, Mr. Greco says. “We will be extremely profitable this year,“ he says. Let“s hope that Mr. Greco“s prediction turns out to be more than just a lot of wind.（分数：10.00）(1).Why have venture capitalists found it difficult to invest in wind power?（分数：2.00）A.Investment in th
36、e wind power market is highly risky.B.Development of wind power calls for new technologies.C.Wind power industry did not develop as fast as expected.D.Investment in wind power may not be so cost effective.(2).By saying “It will unlock an extraordinary market“, Mr. Ellis indicates that（分数：2.00）A.the
37、wind power market was not explored in the past.B.new technology enables SWWP to tap the potentially huge market.C.the new turbine gives SWWP a cutting edge in the market competition.D.the new generator of SWWP brings wind power to individual customers.(3).Wind power has not been widely used by grid-
38、connected homes and businesses in that（分数：2.00）A.it is more expensive and noisier.B.the technology involved is complex.C.they are not allowed to use wind power.D.they don“t get subsidies in many states.(4).According to Mr. Greco, SWWP“s new tribune（分数：2.00）A.has already dominated the “off-grid“ mark
39、et.B.will fail in the grid-connected market.C.is inclusive, economical and easy to operate.D.will become a more profitable product than others.(5).What does the author mean by saying the last sentence of the passage?（分数：2.00）A.We hope Mr. Greco“s prediction will become true.B.Mr. Greco“s prediction
40、will vanish like a gust of wind.C.The new technology will not necessarily bring about benefits.D.The new turbine will not necessarily increase SWWP“s profits.It was just a footnote compared with the more infectious disaster that killed millions more people in 1918, but the 1957 influenza pandemic th
41、at sickened some 25 to 30 percent of the American population was a medical watershed for the clues that it offered about how a new strain of influenza could spread. Americans first got a whiff of the so-called Asian flu when Maurice Hilleman, a physician at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.,
42、read about an unusually large number of peoplesome 250,000who had come down with flu-like symptoms in Hong Kong. Concerned, he immediately requested samples from American servicemen in Asia and within days had his answer. The genetic structure of this strain was like nothing immunologists had ever s
43、een before. When the virus finally hit America: “It went like a house on fire,“ recalls D. A Henderson, then the chief of the United States Epidemic Intelligence Service. Worsened by school openings that fall, the flu spread so rapidly from a few counties in Louisiana that just eight weeks later it
44、had heavily infected more than half the counties in nearly all 50 states. Although it wasn“t particularly potent, the 1957 strain killed about 80,000 Americans. The victims were predominantly the very old and the very young, although the infection occasionally killed otherwise healthy adults as well
45、. Pharmaceutical companies worked furiously to produce a vaccine, ultimately distributing some 40 million doses. But “they were just a little bit too late,“ says Arnold Monto, an influenza specialist at the University of Michigan. “They only had significant doses available when the pandemic was peak
46、ing.“ Earlier, scarcities raised questions about who deserved the vaccine first. A set of official rules gave priority to military personnel and necessary civic workers, but that didn“t stop members of the San Francisco 49ers football team from getting vaccinated before police and firemen. Despite s
47、ome manufacturing improvements, experts say the same shortages could occur with a pandemic today. And that concern has caused preparedness officials to plan for community interventions such as school closings and isolation of sick people. But Henderson says, “It won“t work. And you don“t need a bett
48、er example than “57. When you go from just a few scattered outbreaks in the end of August to the whole country infected in eight weeks, at a time when people didn“t travel as much as they do today and cities were not as densely populated, what do you think we“re going to see today?“ Better, he says,
49、 to have good vaccines and to ensure that the medical system can handle the extra load.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “footnote“(Line 1, Paragraph 1)means that the influenza in 1957（分数：2.00）A.was less important in American medical history.B.imposed little influence on American population.C.was less serious in terms of death toll.D.got less attention of American medical experts.(2).It can be inferred from the first paragr
