1、专业英语八级（阅读）-试卷126及答案解析 (总分：44.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、READING COMPREHENSIO(总题数：11，分数：44.00)1.PART II READING COMPREHENSION_2.SECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are several passages followed by fourteen multiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggested
2、 answers marked A , B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer._Theres this great recurring Saturday Night Live skit from several years back where Phil Hartman plays an unfrozen caveman who goes to law school. He pontificates (发表武断的意见) on the American judicial system while marvelin
3、g at modern technology like the tiny people in the magic box (a TV). It fits a common stereotype: Human ancestors were, well, cavemen, and not as smart as we are today. A new hypothesis from a Stanford geneticist tries to turn this stereotype upside down. Human intelligence may have actually peaked
4、before our ancient predecessors ever left Africa, Gerald Crabtree writes in two new journal articles. Genetic mutations during the past several millennia are causing a decline in overall human intellectual and emotional fitness, he says. Evolutionary pressure no longer favors intellect, so the probl
5、em is getting worse. He is careful to say that this is taking quite a long time, so its not like your grandparents are models of brilliance while your children will be cavemen rivaling Hartmans SNL character. But he does maintain that an ancient Athenian, plucked from 1000 BC, would be among the bri
6、ghtest and most intellectually alive of our colleagues and companions. His central thesis is that each generation produces deleterious (有害的) mutations, so down the line of human history, our intelligence is ever more impaired compared to that of our predecessors. Not surprisingly, the hypothesis, pu
7、blished in the journal Trends in Genetics, has several geneticists scratching their heads. It takes thousands of genes to build a human brain, and mutations in any one of those can impair that process, thats absolutely true. Its also true that with each new generation, new mutations arise.but Crabtr
8、ee ignores the other side of the equation, which is selection, said Kevin Mitchell, associate professor at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. Natural selection is incredibly powerful, and it definitely has the ability to weed out new mutations that significantly impair inte
9、llectual ability. There are various aspects in these papers that I think are really just thinking about things in a wrong way. Crabtree said he wanted to examine the cumulative effect of generation-to-generation mutation on intelligence, which is thought to be controlled by many genes. Using indexes
10、 that measure X-chromosome (染色体)-related mental retardation, he comes up with between 2,000 and 5,000 genes related to human intellectual ability. Using another index measuring average mutations that arise in each generation of children, he calculates that within 3,000 years, we have all sustained t
11、wo or more mutations harmful to our intellectual or emotional stability.There is a general feeling that evolution constantly improves us, but it only does that if there is selection applied, Crabtree said in an interview. In this case, it is questionable about how much selection is occurring now com
12、pared to the process of optimizing those genes, which occurred in the jungles of Africa 500,000 years ago. Theres already evidence for this in other areas, he argues: Take our sense of smell. Humans have far fewer olfactory receptors than other animals, he saidwere guided by our intellect now, not b
13、y smell. We can think about where a piece of food came from, how it was processed, which plant its from, who has been around it, and so on. A dog, on the other hand, simply sniffs something and either eats it or doesnt. Similarly, he believes evolution now selects for other traitsnamely, the most he
14、althy and the most immune, not the most intelligent. But geneticists took issue with his claims, not to mention his citations and methods. Mitchell took issue with Crabtrees characterization of geneshe describes them as links in a chain, with incredible overall disruptive power. Theyre like a bulb o
15、n a string of Christmas tree lights that suddenly fails to work, taking out the entire strand with it: It can be concluded that genes related to intelligence do not operate as a robust network, but rather as links in a chain, failure of any one of which leads to intellectual disability, he writes. M
16、itchell countered that this ignores other genes that dont cause intellectual disability. Biological systems are robust to degradation of several different components, Mitchell said. Evolution has gone to a lot of trouble to craft your genome so its finely honed to do its job, and it doesnt make sens
17、e that you would have all this random mutation in your brain cells. Also, you would have a very high rate of brain cancer.（分数：8.00）(1).According to the passage, Saturday Night Live skit is a_.（分数：2.00）A.TV series with a playful spiritB.documentary on human ancestorsC.talk show on exotic experiencesD
18、.radio program on modern technology(2).Which of the following would Gerald Crabtree most likely DISAGREE with?（分数：2.00）A.Genetic mutations play a significant part in the decline of human intelligence.B.Harmful mutations tend to be unchangeable and easy to get rid of.C.Human beings today are no longe
19、r pressured to improve their intellect.D.Natural selection is useful in the process of evolution only on some occasions.(3).Kevin Mitchell raises doubts about Gerald Crabtrees hypothesis in all of the following aspects EXCEPT its_.（分数：2.00）A.self-contradictory natureB.neglect of the power of natural
20、 selectionC.research methodology and referencesD.characterization of genes(4).Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?（分数：2.00）A.A New Hypothesis Against a Common StereotypeB.The Pros and Cons of Genetic MutationsC.Human IntelligenceDeclined or Not?D.Evolution Process and Huma
21、n IntellectSocial mobility in the U. K. could be reversed unless the government and universities make changes to encourage and pay for more students from disadvantaged backgrounds to take degrees, according to the governments independent adviser on the issue. Alan Milburn said in a report that socia
22、l mobility was now flatlining at best after gains in the early part of the last decade. Given the headwinds that universities and higher education institutions are facingtuition fees, student caps, public funding constraintstheres a real danger things will go backwards, rather than forwards, Milburn
23、 told the Guardian. As the economy changes, who gets into university does become a very important driver of social mobility. The report recommends changes across government policy and the way universities select, fund and encourage students from more disadvantaged areas, who he argues have been show
24、n to do better at university than pupils from private schools with the same grades. Suggestions include offering all students from poorer backgrounds an interview and considering offering places to those with lower grades. Acknowledging pressure on public spending during the recession, Milburn calls
25、 on all parties to commit to government funding for higher education rising from 1. 2% currently to 1.5%, the average for the OECD group of advanced economies. The former Labour MP and cabinet member, who was the first person in his family to go to university, said social mobility created falters as
26、 well as risers, echoing candid comments by the Liberal Democrat business secretary, Vince Cable, who told an audience on Wednesday that social mobility was often a two-way street and a zero-sum game. We want everyone to move up and no one to move down, said Cable. But in the real world not everyone
27、 can be a star. Social mobility is often embodied in the comprehensive school pupil who reaches Oxbridge, but what about the school dropout who finished up in a lowly menial job? That is also social mobility. But this is surely what meritocracy is all aboutsuccess through hard work, not through birt
28、h. Milburns report says universities spend more than 400rn to soften the impact of higher tuition fees on students from poorer backgrounds, but says there is little evidence that it is well spent, and calls for deep changes. It advocates that money is spent not just on reducing fees but helping to f
29、und poorer students, and calls for a new version of the scrapped Educational Maintenance Allowance, intended to help poorer pupils remain in school to do A-levels Universities are asked to agree to use contextual data when assessing applications to give pupils from worse schools a better chance, eve
30、n if they have lower grades. Because some universitiesespecially from the Russell Group of higher ranked institutionshave objected to such a move in the past, Milburn offers them alternatives, including running new programmes to assess and prepare school-leavers, such as summer schools, and guarante
31、eing interviews to pupils from schools in disadvantaged areas. Ministers are urged to scrap a cap on student numbers, which Milburn calls an artificial limit on aspiration, and to better explain the tuition fees policy, under which students start repaying their loans when their earnings rise above a
32、 certain threshold. One option would be to rename the policy a graduate tax, which it is in all but name, says Milburn, though he says it might be too late for that. He also calls for more funding for post-graduates, probably through upfront loans, saying the issue is in danger of becoming a social
33、mobility timebomb. The proposal to re-introduce the EMA was widely welcomed by social and education organizations, including the childrens charity Barnados, which said it had evidence that children were having to choose between the cost of breakfast and their bus fare to school. The left-of-centre I
34、PPR thinktank welcomed the reports suggestion that we should look at applying the lessons of the pupil premium in schools to the university sector, with more funding being provided to institutions if they recruit from disadvantaged backgrounds.（分数：8.00）(1).According to Alan Milbums report, which of
35、the following is the current situation of social mobility?（分数：2.00）A.It has been reversed.B.It hasnt any changes nowadays.C.It hasnt had any changes since the past decades.D.Government and universities pay for more students to take degrees.(2).What does the former Labour MP mean by saying social mob
36、ility created falters as well as risers in Paragraph Four?（分数：2.00）A.Social mobility was a two-way street and a zero-sum game.B.All students from comprehensive school can reach the Oxford by hard work.C.School dropouts always work with lower payments.D.Social mobility was a mirror to constant effort
37、s from different people.(3).Which of the following is INCORRECT according to Milburns report?（分数：2.00）A.Universities spend more money in softening the impact of higher tuition fees on poorer students.B.Money has already been spent not just in reducing fees but in helping fund poorer students.C.Unive
38、rsities were asked to use superior standard when assessing applications.D.Some higher ranked universities do not refuse to change any more.(4).What is this passage mainly concerned?（分数：2.00）A.Education fund needs social mobility.B.Education needs new policy and reform.C.Children pay more premiums in
39、 schools, so there are difficulties in their lives.D.Children were recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they are very poor.Cambridge has taken the top spot in this years Guardian University Guide league table, breaking its arch rival Oxfords six-year stint as the U. K. s leading institution.
40、 Oxford has come second and St Andrews third, while the London School of Economics has climbed four places from last year to take fourth place. University College London, Warwick, Lancaster, Durham, Loughborough and Imperial College make up the top 10. Our analysis shows that universities with low r
41、ankings are almost as likely to be planning to charge maximum tuition fees of 9,000 in autumn 2012 as those with high rankings. London Metropolitan University, which comes bottom of the Guardian tables, intends to charge between 4,500 and 9,000 for its degrees. Salford, Liverpool John Moores, Manche
42、ster Metropolitan and the University of East Londonall of which rank in the bottom 20want to charge 9,000 for at least some of their courses. The governments access watchdog, the Office for Fair Access, is looking at the fees each university in England wants to charge and will announce in July wheth
43、er it approves. All the English universities in our top 20 intend to charge 9,000 fees, apart from London School of Economics, which has not yet decided. The first university that proposes to charge less than 9,000 for all of its courses is Sunderland, which is ranked 48th. There are a total of 120
44、institutions in the tables: 38 in the top half intend to charge 9,000 for at least some of their courses, while 18 in the bottom half propose to do the same. Universities are ranked according to how much they spend per student; their student/staff ratio; the career prospects of their graduates; what
45、 grades applicants need; a value-added score that compares the academic achievements of first-years and their final degree results; and how content final-year students are with their courses, based on the annual National Student Survey. Birmingham City University has fallen most since last year24 pl
46、aces, from 66th to 90thwhile Middlesex is the biggest climber, reaching 75th place this year compared with 112th last year. Durham has risen from 17th place to eighth. While the oldest universities dominate the top positions in the tables, the newest have improved their rankings since last year. Win
47、chester has leapt from 96th place to 69th. The tables, compiled by an independent consultancy firm, Intelligent Metrix, are weighted in favour of the National Student Survey. As part of the survey, final-year students are asked to score their universities for overall satisfaction, feedback and conta
48、ct hours. Other league tables concentrate more on research ratings. The Guardian publishes an overall ranking table, separate tables to show which universities are bestand worstfor each subject and another table for specialist institutions. The more a university spends on each student, the more likely it is to have a high ranking and the more satisfied its students seem. However, our judges took into account that some universities do not teach expensive c
