1、同等学力人员申请硕士学位英语-阅读理解(四)及答案解析(总分：30.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、专项练习(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Passage One(总题数：1，分数：6.00)The worst thing about television and radio is that they entertain us, saving us the trouble of entertaining ourselves. A hundred years ago, before all these devices were invented, if a person wanted to e
2、ntertain himself with a song or a piece of music, he would have to do the singing himself or pick up a violin and play it. Now, all he has to do is turn on the radio or TV. As a result, singing and music have declined. Italians used to sing all the time. Now, they only do it in Hollywood movies. Ind
3、ian movies are mostly a series of songs and dances wrapped around silly stories. As a result, they don“t do much singing in Indian villages anymore. Indeed, ever since radio first came to life, there has been a terrible decline in amateur singing throughout the world. There are two reasons for this
4、sad decline: One, human beings are astonishingly lazy. Put a lift in a building, and people would rather take it than climb even two flights of steps. Similarly, invent a machine that sings, and people would rather let the machine sing than sing themselves. The other reason is people are easily emba
5、rrassed. When there is a famous, talented musician readily available by pushing a button, which amateur violinist or pianist would want to try to entertain family or friends by himself? These earnest reflections came to me recently when two CDs arrived in the mail: They are historic recordings of fa
6、mous writers reading their own works. It was thrilling to hear the voices from a long dead past in the late 19th century. But today, reading out loud anything is no longer common. Today, we sing songs to our children until they are about two, we read simple books to them till they are about five, an
7、d once they have learnt to read themselves, we become deaf. We“re alive only to the sound of the TV and the stereo. I count myself extremely lucky to have been born before TV became so common. I was about six before TV appeared. To keep us entertained, my mother had to do a good deal of singing and
8、tell us endless tales. It was the same in many other homes. People spoke a language; they sang it, they recited it; it was something they could feel. Professional actors“ performance is extraordinarily revealing. But I still prefer my own reading. Because it“s mine. For the same reason, people find
9、karaoke liberating. It is almost the only electronic thing that gives them back their own voice. Even if their voices are hoarse and hopelessly out of tune. At least it is meaningful self-entertainment.（分数：6.00）(1).The main idea of this passage is that _.（分数：1.00）A.TV and radio can amuse us with bea
10、utiful songs and musicB.TV and radio have weakened our interest in entertaining ourselvesC.people should not be too lazy or embarrassed to singD.parents should sing songs and read books aloud to their children(2).According to the passage, Indians _.（分数：1.00）A.only sing songs in HollywoodB.are no lon
11、ger fond of musicC.only sing and dance in villagesD.don“t sing much nowadays(3).Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for the decline in amateur singing?（分数：1.00）A.It is easier for people to please themselves with songs through TV.B.People don“t want to take the trouble to sing songs t
12、hemselves.C.Amateurs feel shy if they cannot sing as well as the professionals.D.Famous and talented musicians are always willing to entertain people.(4).On hearing the voices of the famous writers of a long time past, the author was _.（分数：1.00）A.very excitedB.very frightenedC.very nervousD.very sur
13、prised(5).By stating “We are alive only to the sound of the TV and the stereo“ in paragraph 5, the author means _.（分数：1.00）A.we come back to life at the music provided by the TV and the stereoB.we only perceive the music provided by the TV and the stereoC.we should sing more than listen to the TV an
14、d the stereoD.we should listen to more music on the TV and the stereo(6).The author“s attitude toward karaoke is _.（分数：1.00）A.negativeB.positiveC.neutralD.indifferent三、Passage Two(总题数：1，分数：6.00)If those “ mad moments “ when you can“t recall what your friend has told you or where you left your keysar
15、e becoming more frequent, mental exercises and a healthy brain diet may help. Just as bodies require more maintenance with the passing years, so do brains, which scientists now know show signs of aging as early as the 20s and 30s. “Brain aging starts at a very young age, younger than any of us have
16、imagined and these processes continue gradually over the years,“ said Dr. Gary Small, the director of the Center on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles. “I“m convinced that it is never too early to get started on a mental or brain-fitness program,“ he added. In his book, “The Memory B
17、ible,“ the 51-year-old neuroscientist lists what he refers to as the 10 commandments for keeping the brain young. They include training memory, building skills, minimizing stress, mental exercises, brain food and a healthy lifestyle. It“s a game plan for keeping brain cells sparking and neural netwo
18、rks in tip-top shape. “Misplacing your keys a couple of times doesn“t mean you should start labeling your cabinets. Memory loss is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Our brains can fight back,“ he said. Small provides the weapons for a full-scale attack. According to him, simple memory tests gi
19、ve an indication of what you are up against and tools such as look, snap and connect are designed to make sure that important things such as names and dates are never forgotten. “So if you want to learn names and faces, for example, you meet Mrs. Beatty and you notice a distinguishing facial feature
20、, maybe a prominent eyebrow,“ said Small. “You associate the first thing that comes to mind. I think of the actor Warren Beatty so I create a mental snapshot of Warren Beatty kissing her brow. “ Small admits it may sound a bit strange but he says it works. “ Mental exercises could be anything from d
21、oing crossword puzzles and writing with your left hand if you are right handed or learning a language. It could be anything that is fun that people enjoy doing“, he added. He also recommends physical exercise, a low-fat diet and eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, walnuts and Bra
22、zil nuts, and fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants (抗氧化剂) including blueberries and onions in addition to reducing stress.（分数：6.00）(1).By saying “I think of the actor Warren Beatty so I create . . . her brow“ (Paragraph 5), Dr. Small is trying to explain how to use the memory tool of _.（分数：1.0
23、0）A.impressing rapidlyB.minimizing stressC.connecting related thingsD.observing carefully(2).According to Dr. Small, _.（分数：1.00）A.left-handers may start brain aging later than right-handers doB.learning a foreign language does not help to keep our brain from getting oldC.doing crossword puzzles is a
24、 good way to keep us from memory lossD.mental exercises plus healthy diet alone cannot keep us from brain aging(3).The “mad moments“ in the first paragraph refers to when we _.（分数：1.00）A.have some mental problemsB.have lost our important thingsC.don“t listen to what our friends tell us to doD.fail t
25、o remember what should be remembered(4).In this passage, the author mainly tells us that _.（分数：1.00）A.everyone can be forgetful sometimes regardless of one“s ageB.we can prevent our sound mind from aging with certain methodsC.brain aging starts from the time when we are in our 20s and 30sD.memory lo
26、ss is a sign that shows we are getting old(5).According to this passage, _.（分数：1.00）A.the game plan for keeping brain cells sparking doesn“t work for everyoneB.Dr. Small“s memory tests can show you what to do about brain agingC.Dr. Small“s advice can help us fight brain aging effectivelyD.our brains
27、 can reconstruct memories themselves(6).In the fifth paragraph, the author mainly _.（分数：1.00）A.provides us with the weapons for attacking othersB.introduces the tools that help us fight against memory lossC.tells us about the important things we should never forgetD.explains the facial features usef
28、ul for us to remember people四、Passage Three(总题数：1，分数：6.00)Through the years, our view of what leadership is and who can exercise it has changed considerably. Leadership competencies have remained constant, but our understanding of what it is, how it works, and the ways in which people learn to apply
29、 it has shifted. We do have the beginnings of a general theory of leadership, from history and social research and above all from the thoughts of reflective practitioners such as Moses, Julius Caesar, and James Madison, and in our own time from such disparate sources of wisdom as Gandhi, Winston Chu
30、rchill, Mao Tse-tung, and Henry Kissinger, who have very little in common except that they have not only been there but tried with some fairness to speculate on paper about it. But tales and reflective observation are not enough except to convince us that leaders are physically strong and abnormally
31、 hard workers. Today we are a little closer to understanding how and who people lead, but it wasn“t easy getting there. Decades of academic analysis have given us more than 350 definitions of leadership. Literally thousands of empirical investigations of leaders have been conducted in the last seven
32、ty-five years alone, but no clear understanding exists as to what distinguishes leaders from non-leaders, and perhaps more important, what distinguishes effective leaders from ineffective leaders and effective organizations from ineffective organizations. Never have so many labored so long to say so
33、 little. Multiple interpretations of leadership exist, each providing a fragment of insight but each remaining an incomplete and wholly inadequate explanation. Most of these definitions don“t agree with each other, and many of them would seem quite remote to the leaders whose skills are being examin
34、ed. Definitions reflect fashions, political tides and academic trends. They don“t always reflect reality and sometimes they just represent nonsense. It“s as if what Braque once said about art is also true of leadership: “The only thing that matters in art is the part that cannot be explained. “ Many
35、 theories of leadership have come and gone. Some looked at the leader. Some looked at the situation. None has stood the test of time. With such a track record, it is understandable why leadership research and theory have been so frustrating as to deserve the label “ the La Brea Tar Pits “ of organiz
36、ational inquiry. Located in Los Angeles, these asphalt pits house the remains of a long sequence of prehistoric animals that came to investigate but never left the area.（分数：6.00）(1).In regard of leadership competencies, the author suggests that people have _.（分数：1.00）A.believed in their existenceB.l
37、earned to apply them extensivelyC.found it very difficult to acquire themD.been unable to realize their importance(2).Several big names are mentioned in the first paragraph mainly to show their _.（分数：1.00）A.different styles of leadershipB.effective exercise of leadershipC.contributions to the theory
38、 of leadershipD.wisdom in applying the theory of leadership(3).According to the author, people“s opinions of leadership are on the whole quite _.（分数：1.00）A.dividedB.originalC.misleadingD.sophisticated(4).The author thinks that _.（分数：1.00）A.many people have labored to be leadersB.leaders are beyond o
39、ur understandingC.the essence of leadership has not been graspedD.the definitions of leadership should vary(5).“The La Brea Tar Pits“ in paragraph 4 probably signifies things that _.（分数：1.00）A.can be traced back to the prehistoric ageB.are traps for those who want to inquireC.are located in one plac
40、e foreverD.don“t deserve full investigation(6).This passage is mainly concerned with _.（分数：1.00）A.the inconsistent theories of leadershipB.the famous leaders and their theoriesC.the changes in the trend of leadershipD.the inaccurate definitions of leadership五、Passage Four(总题数：1，分数：6.00)Without quest
41、ion there are plenty of bargains to be had at sales timeparticularly at the top-quality shops whose reputation depends on having only the best and newest goods in stock each season. They tend, for obvious reasons, to be the fashion or seasonal goods which in due course become the biggest bargains. I
42、t is true that some goods are specially brought in for the sales but these too can provide exceptional value. A manufacturer may have the end of a range left on his hands and be glad to sell the lot off cheaply to shops; or he may have a surplus of a certain material which he is glad to make up and
43、get rid of cheaply; or he may be prepared to produce a special line at low cost merely to keep his employees busy during a slack period. He is likely to have a good many “seconds“ available and if their defects are trifling these may be particularly good bargains. Nevertheless, sales do offer a spec
44、ial opportunity for sharp practices and shoppers need to be extra critical. For example the “second“ should be clearly marked as such and not sold as if they were perfect. (The term “substandard“, incidentally, usually indicates a more serious defect than “seconds“.) More serious is the habit of mar
45、king the price down from an alleged previous price which is in fact fictitious. Misdescription of this and all other kinds is much practiced by the men who run one day sales of carpets in church halls and the like. As the sellers leave the district the day after the sale there is little possibility
46、of redress . In advertising sales, shops may say “only 100 left“ when in fact they have plenty more; conversely they may say “10 000 at half-price“ when only a few are available at such a drastic reduction. If ever the warning “let the buyer beware“ were necessary it is during sales.（分数：6.00）(1).Whi
47、ch kind of goods can be among the best bargains?（分数：1.00）A.Cheapest goods.B.Newest goods.C.Seasonal goods.D.Goods in stock.(2).The second paragraph deals with all of the following types of goods EXCEPT _.（分数：1.00）A.surplus goodsB.low-cost goodsC.the end lot goodsD.exceptionally valued goods(3).In or
48、der to maintain his business during a bad time, a manufacturer may _.（分数：1.00）A.have his goods produced at low costB.sell his goods at a very- low priceC.have his employees sell his goodsD.try to produce high quality goods(4).The passage suggests that “seconds“ _.（分数：1.00）A.are of better quality tha
49、n “substandard goods“B.attract buyers as particularly good bargainsC.are defective but marked as perfectD.are goods with serious defects(5).The word “redress“ in paragraph 4 probably means _.（分数：1.00）A.dressing againB.change of addressC.compensation for something wrongD.selling the same product at different prices(6).During sales shoppers should _.（分数：1.00）A.find the best bargains at every opportunityB.beware of being cheatedC.buy things that are necessaryD.pay more attention to the
