1、武汉大学博士研究生入学考试英语真题 2013 年及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：180 分钟)一、Part Reading Compr(总题数：5，分数：40.00)The changing profile of a city in the United States is apparent in the shifting definitions used by the United States Bureau of the Census. In 1870 the census officially distinguished the nations “urban“ from its
2、 “rural“ population for the first time. “Urban population“ was defined as persons living in towns of 8,000 inhabitants or more. But after 1900 it meant persons living in incorporated places having 2,500 or more inhabitants. Then, in 1950 the Census Bureau radically changed its definition of “urban“
3、to, take account of the new vagueness of city boundaries. In addition to persons living in incorporated units of 2,500 or more, the census now included those who lived in unincorporated units of that size, and also all persons living in the densely settled urban fringe, including both incorporated a
4、nd unincorporated areas located around cities of 50, 000 inhabitants or more. Each such unit, conceived as an integrated economic and social unit with a large population nucleus, was named a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). Each SMSA would contain at least one central city with 50,000
5、inhabitants or more or two cities having shared boundaries and constituting, for general economic and social purposes, a single community with a combined population of at least 50,000, the smaller of which must have a population of at least 15,000. Such an area included the country in which the cent
6、ral city is located, and adjacent countries that are found to be metropolitan in character and economically and socially integrated with the country of the central city. By 1970, about two-thirds of the population of the United States was living in these urbanized areas, and of that figure more than
7、 half were living outside the central cities. While the Census Bureau and the United States government used the term SMSA (by 1969 there were 233 of them), social scientists were also using new terms to describe the elusive, vaguely defined areas reaching out from what used to be simple “towns“ and
8、“cities“. A host of terms came into use: “metropolitan regions“, “polynucleated population groups“, “conurbations“, “metropolitan clusters“, “megalopolises“, and so on. （分数：8.00）(1).What does the passage mainly discuss? （分数：2.00）A.How cities in the United States began and developed.B.Solutions to ov
9、ercrowding in cities.C.The changing definition of an urban area.D.How the United States Census Bureau conducts a census.(2).Prior to 1900, how many inhabitants would a town have to have before being defined as urban? （分数：2.00）A.2,500B.8,000C.15,000D.50,000(3).According to the passage, why did the Ce
10、nsus Bureau revise the definition of urban in 1950? （分数：2.00）A.City borders had become less distinct.B.Cities had undergone radical social changeC.Elected officials could not agree on an acceptable definition.D.New businesses had relocated to larger cities(4).Which of the following is NOT true of an
11、 SMSA? （分数：2.00）A.It has a population of at least 50,000.B.It can include a citys outlying regions.C.It can include unincorporated regions.D.It consists of at least two cities.The concept of obtaining fresh water from icebergs that are towed to populated areas and arid regions of the world was once
12、treated as a joke more appropriate to cartoons than real life. But now it is being considered quite seriously by many nations, especially since scientists have warned that the human race will outgrow its fresh water supply faster than it runs out of food. Glaciers are a possible source of fresh wate
13、r that has been overlooked until recently. Three-quarters of the Earths fresh water supply is still tied up in glacial ice, a reservoir of untapped fresh water so immense that it could sustain all the rivers of the world for 1,000 years. Floating on the oceans every year are 7,659 trillion metric to
14、ns of ice encased in 10000 icebergs that break away from the polar ice caps, more than ninety percent of them from Antarctica. Huge glaciers that stretch over the shallow continental shelf give birth to icebergs throughout the year. Icebergs are not like sea ice, which is formed when the sea itself
15、freezes, rather, they are formed entirely on land. breaking off when glaciers spread over the sea. As they drift away from the polar region, icebergs sometimes move mysteriously in a direction opposite to the wind, pulled by subsurface currents. Because they melt more slowly than smaller pieces of i
16、ce, icebergs have been known to drift as far north as 35 degrees south of the equator in the Atlantic Ocean. To corral them and steer them to parts of the world where they are needed would not be too difficult. The difficulty arises in other technical matters, such as the prevention of rapid melting
17、 in warmer climates and the funneling of fresh water to shore in great volume. But even if the icebergs lost half of their volume in towing, the water they could provide would be far cheaper than that produced by desalinization, or removing salt from water. （分数：8.00）(1).What is the main topic of the
18、 passage? （分数：2.00）A.The movement of glaciers.B.Icebergs as a source of water.C.Future water shortages.D.The future of the worlds rivers.(2).How are icebergs formed? （分数：2.00）A.They break off from glaciers.B.Seawater freezes.C.Rivers freeze.D.Small pieces of floating ice funneling.(3).With which of
19、the following ideas would the author be likely to agree? （分数：2.00）A.Pulling icebergs to dry areas is economically possible.B.Removing salt from water, is the best way to obtain drinking water.C.Using water from icebergs is a very short- term solution to water shortage.D.Icebergs could not be pulled
20、very far before they would melt.(4).It can be inferred from the passage that most icebergs _. （分数：2.00）A.become part of glaciersB.drift toward the polar regionC.move in whichever direction the wind is blowingD.melt in the oceansThere are two ways to create colors in a photograph. One method, called
21、addtive, starts with three basic colors and adds them together to produce some other color. The second method, called subtractive, starts with white light (a mixtu re of all colors in the spectrum) and, by taking away some or all other colors, leaves the one desired. In the additive method, separate
22、 colored lights combine to produce various other colors. The three additive primary colors are green, red and blue (each providing about one third of the wavelengths in the total spectrum). Mixed in varying proportions, they can produce all colors. Green and red light mix to produce yellow; red and
23、blue light mix to produce magenta; green and blue mix to produce cyan. When equal parts of all three of these primary colored beams of light overlap, the mixture appears white to the eye. In the subtractive process colors are produced when dye (as in paint or color photographic materials) absorbs so
24、me wavelengths and so passes on only part of the spectrum. The subtractive primaries are cyan (a bluish green), magenta (a purplish pink) and yellow; these additive primaries or dyes that absorb red, green and blue wavelengths respectively, thus subtracting them from white light. These dye colors ar
25、e the complementary colors to the three additive primaries of red, green, and blue. Properly combined, the subtractive primaries can absorb all colors of light, producing black. But, mixed in varying proportions, they too can produce any color in the spectrum. Whether a particular color is obtained
26、by adding colored lights together or by subtracting some light from the total spectrum. The result looks the same to the eye. The additive process was employed for early color photography. But the subtractive method, while requiring complex chemical techniques, has turned out to be more practical an
27、d is the basis of all modern color films. （分数：8.00）(1).Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase “passes on“ as used in paragraph 3? （分数：2.00）A.Judges.B.Lets through.C.Dies.D.Goes over.(2).Which of the following is NOT a pair of additive and subtractive prim ary colors? （分数：2.00）A.Y
28、ellow and blue.B.Magenta and green.C.Black and white.D.Cyan and red.(3).What explanation is given for the use of the subtractive method in modern color films? （分数：2.00）A.Subtractive colors are more realistic.B.The subtractive process is more efficient.C.Additive chemical techniques are too complex.D
29、.The additive process is still being developed.(4).How is the passage organized? （分数：2.00）A.The reasons for a choice are explained in depth.B.A general statement is justified by a series of historical examples.C.Two basic causes are compared.D.Related processes are desribed one afer the other.The id
30、ea of humanoid robots is not new. They have been part of the imaginative landscape ever since Karl Capek, a Czech writer, first dreamed them up for his 1921 play “Possums Universal Robots“. (The word “robot“ comes from the Czech word for drugery, robota. ) Since then. Hollywood has produced countles
31、s variations on the theme, from the sultry False Myria in Fritz Langs silent masterpiece “Metropolis“ to the withering C3PO in “Star Wars“ and the ruthless assassin of “Terminator“. Humanoid robots have walked into our collective subconscious, coloring our views of the future. But now Japans industr
32、ial giants are spending billions of yen to make such robots a reality Their new humanoids represent impressive feats of engineering: when Honda introduced Asimo, a four-foot robot that had been in development for some 15 years, it walked so fluidly that its white articulated exterior seemed to conce
33、al a human. Honda continues to make the machine faster, friendlier and more agile. Last October, when Asimo was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, it walked onto the stage and accepted its own plaque. At two and a half feet tall, Sonys QRIO is smaller and more toy-like than Asimo. I
34、t walks, understands a small number of voice commands, and can navigate on its own. If it falls over, it gets up and resumes where it left off. It can even connect wirelessly to the Internet and broadcast what its camera eyes can see. In 2003, Sony demonsrated an upgraded QRIO that could run. Honda
35、responded last December with a version of Asimo that runs at twice the speed. In 2004, Toyota joined the fray with its own family of robots, called Partner, one of which is a four-foot humanoid that plays the trumpet. Its fingers work the instruments valves, and it has mechanical lungs and artificia
36、l lips. Toyota hopes to offer a commercial version of the robot by 2010. This month, 50 Partner robots will act as guides at Expo 2005 In Aichi, Japan. Despite their sudden proliferation, however, humanoids are still a mechanical minority. Most of the worlds robots are faceless, footless and mute. T
37、hey are bolted to the floors of factories, stamping out car parts or welding pieces of metal, making more machines. According to the United Nations, business orders for industrial robots jumped 18% in the first half of 2004. They may soon be outnumbered by domestic robots, such as self-navigating va
38、cuum cleaners, lawn mowers and window washers, which are selling fast. But neither industrial nor domestic robots are humanoid. （分数：8.00）(1).In paragraph 1 the author introduces his topic by relating _. （分数：2.00）A.the idea of humanoid robotsB.Karl Capeks creation of robotsC.Hollywoods production of
39、robot filmsD.The origin of and popular movies about robots(2).Sonys QRIO coul perform all the following tasks EXCEPT _. （分数：2.00）A.walking everywhere freelyB.understanding some words uttered by peopleC.finding its wayD.continuing walking after it stumbles(3).From the passage we may infer that Toyota
40、s Partner _. （分数：2.00）A.is much better than any other robotsB.is no more than a mechanic deviceC.may be put into mass productionD.may speak like man(4).Judging from the context, this passage is probably written _. （分数：2.00）A.in 2004B.in 2005C.between 2003 and 2004D.between 2004 and 2005For years ped
41、iaticians didnt worry much about treating hypertension in their patients. After all, kids grow so fast, its hard keeping up with their shoe size, let alone their blood pressure. Sure, hypertension in adults places them at greater risk of heart attack and stroke. But nobody likes the idea of starting
42、 youngsters on blood-pressure medicine they could wind up taking the rest of their lives. Who knows what previously unheard-of side effects could crop up after five pr six decades of daily use? The rationale has been: kids grow out of so many things, maybe theyll grow out of this too. Now, though, c
43、omes word that high blood pressure can be destructive even in childhood. According to a recent report in the journal Circulation, 19 of 130 children with high blood pressure developed a dangerous thickening of the heart muscle that, in adults at least, has been linked to heart failure. “No one knows
44、 if this pattern holds true for younger patients as well,“ says Dr. Stephen Daniels, a pediatric cardiologist who led the study at Childrens Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. “But its worrisome. “ Whos most at risk? Boys more than girls, especially boys who are overweight. Their heart wor
45、ks so hard to force blood through extra layers of fat that its walls grow more dense. Then, after decades of straining, it grows too big to pump blood very well. Fortunately the abnormal, thickening can be spotted by ultrasound. And in most case, getting that blood pressure under controlthrough weig
46、ht loss and exercise or, as a last resort, drug treatmentallows the overworked muscle to shrink to normal size. How can you tell if yours are like the 670,000 American children ages 10 to 18 with high blood pressure? Its not the sort of thing you can catch by putting your childs arm in a cuff at the
47、 free monitoring station in your local grocery. You should have a test done by a doctor, who will consult special tables that indicate me normal range of blood pressure for a particular childs age, height and sex. If the doctor finds an abnormal result he will repeat the test over a period of months
48、 to make sure the reading isnt a fake. Hell also check, whether other conditions, like kidney disease, could be the source of the trouble. Because hypertension can be hard to detect the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends annual blood-pressure checks for every child over age 3. About
49、 ha! the cases of hypertension stem directly from kids being overweight. And the problem is likely to grow. Over the past 30 years the proportion of children in the U. S. who are overweight has doubled, from 5% to 11 to or 4.7 million kids. You can keep your children from joining their ranks by clearing the junk food from your pantry and hooking you kidsthe earlier the betteron healthy, attractive snacks like fruits(try freezing grapes or carrot sticks with salsa). Not only will they lower your childrens blood pressure: these foods will
