1、2003年北京大学考博英语真题试卷（精选）及答案与解析 一、 Structure and Vocabulary 1 Recognizing the shortage of time available to spend with their children, working, mothers sometimes take _ in the concept of “quality time“. （ A） refuge （ B） pride （ C） place （ D） action 2 The term “New Australians“ came into vogue in the 50s
2、 and 60s, which implied that the goal of immigration was assimilation and that migrants would place their new-found Australian identity ahead of the _ context from which they had come. （ A） athletic （ B） ethic （ C） aesthetic （ D） ethnic 3 Scholarships are too few to _ the high-school graduates who d
3、eserve a college education. （ A） meet （ B） accommodate （ C） compromise （ D） adopt 4 The study shows that laying too much emphasis on exams is likely to _ students enthusiasm in learning English. （ A） hold back （ B） hold off （ C） hold down （ D） hold over 5 The robber tried to _ the stolen goods from
4、the house he had broken into, but was caught by the guards. （ A） make away with （ B） make off for （ C） get out （ D） get through 6 The editors said they must report to the world how Beijing has _ pollution and improved the quality of the environment. （ A） cut up （ B） cut off （ C） cut down （ D） cut ou
5、t 7 If drug abuse, prostitution, pollution, environmental decay, social inequality, and the like _, more is required than an increased police presence or a fresh coat of paint. （ A） are to eliminate （ B） are eliminated （ C） are to be eliminated （ D） are being eliminated 8 This toothed whale has a la
6、rge, square head with _ the so-called spermaceti. （ A） cavity to contain （ B） cavity containing （ C） the cavity for containing （ D） a cavity that contains 9 _, the market will have to overcome some of the highest hurdles. Its seen in a long time. （ A） But to happen in that order （ B） But for that in
7、 order to happen （ C） But in order that to happen （ D） But in order for that to happen 10 With its anti-terrorism campaign taking _ over anything else, the government is extending its job and running in more affairs. （ A） superiority （ B） priority （ C） majority （ D） polarity 11 The gap between those
8、 at the lowest level and those at the highest level of income has increased _, and is continuing to increase. （ A） substantially （ B） successfully （ C） succinctly （ D） sufficiently 12 Chinas economic reform is aimed at separating enterprises from the government. It has been implemented for almost 20
9、 years, but breakthroughs _. （ A） have been made yet （ B） have yet to make （ C） have yet to be made （ D） to have yet made 13 Several trial efforts in the 1980s proved that it was financially _ to restore old buildings. （ A） feasible （ B） probable （ C） beneficiary （ D） passable 14 Unloved and unwante
10、d youngsters may be tempted to run away from home to escape their problems, _ bigger ones in cities plagued with crime, drugs, and immorality. （ A） have only found （ B） only finding （ C） only found （ D） only to find 15 If the struggle for a sustainable society _, we must have some vision of what we
11、are aiming for. （ A） is to succeed （ B） has succeeded （ C） succeeds （ D） succeeded 16 A trap _ disguise is what has come to be called a Trojan Horse, from the ancient story of the gift of the wooden horse from the Greeks. （ A） offered as a gift in （ B） offers a gift in （ C） offering a gift to （ D） o
12、ffered a gift of 17 Telecommuting is a new form of work _to work, such as fathers with children, the chance to work while remaining at home. （ A） that affording those unable previously （ B） affords those who were previously unable （ C） affording those previously unable （ D） afforded those previously
13、 unable 18 _ the passage of light, many new plastics are processed using technologies rivaling those used in the manufacture of computer chips. （ A） For the better of （ B） Permitting better （ C） To better permit （ D） It is better for 19 The Flower Market in San Francisco is _, and it was established
14、 in the 1930s. （ A） home of the second largest flower market in the country （ B） home to the countrys second largest flower market （ C） the second flower market in the countrys home （ D） the home to the second countrys large flower market 20 The loyalty of dogs to their masters has earned _ “mans be
15、st friend“. （ A） the nickname of （ B） them the nickname （ C） a nickname （ D） nicknames 二、 Reading Comprehension 20 (1) Gerald Feinberg, the Columbia University physicist, once went so far as to declare that “everything possible will eventually be accomplished.“ Well, that of course left only the imp
16、ossible as the one thing remaining for daring intellectual adventurers to whittle away at Feinberg, for one, thought that “theyd succeed even there.“ (2) It was a point worth considering. How many times in the past had certain things been said to be impossible, only to have it turn out shortly there
17、after that the item in question had already been done or soon would be. What greater cliche was there in the history of science than the comic litany of false it-couldnt-be-dones; the infamous case of Auguste Comte saying in 1844 that it would never be known what the stars were made of, followed in
18、a few years by the spectroscope being applied to starlight to reveal the stars chemical composition; or the case of Lord Rutherford, the man who discovered the structure of the atom, saying in 1933 mat dreams of controlled nuclear fission were “moonshine.“ And those werent even the worst examples. N
19、o, the huffiest of all it-couldnt-be-done claims centered on the notion that human beings could actually fly, either at all, or across long distances, or to the moon, the stars, or wherever else. (3) There had been so many embarrassments of this type that about mid-century Arthur C. Clarke came out
20、with a guideline for avoiding them, which he termed Clarkes Law: “When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.“ (4) Still, one had to admit there were lots of things
21、 left that were really and truly impossible, even if it took some ingenuity in coming up with a proper list of examples. Such as. “A camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle.“ (Well, unless of course it was a very large needle.) On “It is impossible for a door to be simultaneously open and clos
22、ed.“ (Well, unless of course it was a revolving door.) (5) Indeed, watertight examples of the really and truly impossible were so exceptionally hard to come by that paradigm cases turned out to be either trivial or absurd. “I know I will never play the piano like Vladimir Horowitz,“ offered Milton R
23、othman, a physicist, “no matter how hard I try“. Or, from Scott Lankford, a mountaineer “Everest on roller skates.“ 21 The false it-couldnt-be-dones in science are comic because _. （ A） they are cliches, repeated too often by scientists （ B） they are almost always proved to be wrong by later scienti
24、fic research （ C） they are mocked at by later generations （ D） they provide material for good comedies 22 Which of the following statements is TRUE? （ A） The author uses the case of a camel passing through the eye of a needle to prove his point that there are things impossible to accomplish. （ B） Th
25、at a scientist cannot play the piano like one of the best pianists is not a proper illustration to prove that in science there are things impossible to accomplish. （ C） Scott Lankford challenges the idea that mountaineers can never climb the Everest on roller skates. （ D） People now laugh at their p
26、redecessors for denying the possibility of human flight. 23 Through this passage, the author wants to _. （ A） show us that scientists in the past years have made a lot of misjudgments （ B） praise those scientists who dared to challenge the impossible （ C） emphasize the great potential of the scienti
27、fic research made by human beings （ D） analyze what is possible and what is impossible through scientific efforts 23 (1) Since the lineage of investigative journalism is most directly traceable to the progressive era of the early 1900s, it is not surprising that the President of the United States at
28、 the time was among the first to articulate its political dimensions. Theodore Roosevelt called investigative reporters “muckrakers,“ after a character from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress who humbly cleaned “the filth off the floor.“ Despite the misgivings implied by the comparison, Roosevelt saw th
29、e muckrakers as “often indispensable to the well-being of society“. (2) There are in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or
30、 businessman. (3) Roosevelt recognized the value-laden character of investigative journalism. He perceived correctly that investigative reporters are committed to unearthing wrongdoing. For these journalists, disclosures of morally outrageous conduct maximize the opportunity for the forces of “good“
31、 to recognize and do battle with the forces of “evil“. (4) So, the current folklore surrounding investigative reporting closely resembles the American ideal of popular democracy. Partly a product of its muckraking roots, this idealized perspective is also an outgrowth of the commonly perceived effec
32、ts of exposes published in the early 1970s. The most celebrated of these exposes were the news stories that linked top White House officials to Watergate crimes. These stories were widely held responsible for the publics loss of confidence in the Nixon administration, ultimately forcing the Presiden
33、ts resignation. 24 When the author talks about the political dimensions of the investigative journalism he refers to _. （ A） John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress and one of its characters “Muckrakers“ （ B） its function of cleaning the dirt off the floor in public places （ C） its relentless exposures of po
34、litical and social evils （ D） its indispensable status to the well-being of society 25 Roosevelts comparison of investigative reporters to “muckrakers“ shows his view that these reporters _. （ A） were treated lowly in the society （ B） reduced journalism to a humble job （ C） should be praised highly
35、for their contributions to the society （ D） did unpleasant but necessary work 26 By using the word “folklore“, the author suggests that _. （ A） people tend to romanticize what is thought to be American popular democracy （ B） investigative journalism enhances democracy and freedom （ C） people often c
36、irculate the stories they read from investigative reports （ D） investigative reports have difficulty in convincing people as truth 27 The Watergate incident is mentioned to show _. （ A） journalism has a tangible effect on politics （ B） the Watergate incident is an abuse of the political power （ C） j
37、ournalism subverts legitimate political power （ D） the victory of American freedom of speech 27 (1) Viewed from a star in some other corner of the galaxy, Earth would be a speck, a faint blue dot hidden in the blazing light of our sun. While our neighbors Venus and Mars would reflect a fairly even g
38、low. Earth would put on a little show. Earths light would brighten and dim as it spins, because oceans, deserts, forests and clouds which are all too small to be seen from such a distance, reflect varying amounts of sunlight. The variations, it turns out, are so strong and distinctive that surprisin
39、g amount of information could be taken from a simple ebb and flow of light. Scientists at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study conducted a detailed study of Earths reflections as a way for human scientists to learn about distant planets that may be like our own. (2) “If you look
40、ed at our solar system from far away, and you looked at the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, one of the quickest ways to see that Earth is unique, which is by looking at the light curve,“ said Ed Turner, professor of astrophysics and a co-author of the study. “Earth has by far the
41、 most complicated light curve.“ The standard thinking in the field had been that most of the information about an Earth-like planet would come from spectral analysis, a static reading of the relative component of different colors within the light, rather than a reading of changes over time. Spectral
42、 analysis would reveal the presence of gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen, in the planets atmosphere. Looking at the change in light over time does not replace spectral analysis, but it could greatly increase the amount of information scientists could learn, said Turner. It may ind
43、icate, for example, the presence of weather, oceans, ice or even plant life. 28 “Earth would put on a little show“ means: as it spins, _. （ A） Earth is a more active planet than Venus and Mars （ B） Earth reflects a brighter light curve than Venus and Mars （ C） Earth shows oceans, deserts, forests an
44、d clouds, while Venus and Mars dont （ D） Earth reflects sunlight in an ebb-and-flow manner 29 Spectral reading of the light reflected by an Earth-like planet _. （ A） can tell us the components of that planets atmosphere （ B） can locate oceans and forests on that planet （ C） can show what the weather
45、 on that planet is like （ D） is the quickest way to study its light curve 30 Which of the following statements is TRUE? （ A） Scientists at the Princeton University want to find that distant planets are like our Earth. （ B） Among all the terrestrial planets Earths light curve is the most complicated.
46、 （ C） Spectral study of the light will see no development of itself because it is static. （ D） Spectral reading is used as a supplementary method to the study of the change in light over time. 三、 Cloze 30 It is a dream world, where chemists can turn a sows ear into a silk purse, where bioengineers c
47、an put a little bit of a sheep into a wolf, or vice versa, and where the life-styles of the rich are beamed by satellite【 36】 every upwardly mobile village on the planet. Thanks to science and technology, more people are consuming a more amazing array of worldly goods than at any time in history. Bu
48、t beneath the surface all is not well. Like Oscar Wildes fictional creation Dorian Gray, who stayed forever【 37】 while a portrait of him in the attic aged horribly. The modern economy masks a disfigured planet. The engine of consumption has scarred the land and stained the sea,【 38】 away at the foun
49、dations of nature and threatening to destroy humanitys only means of survival. Todays elderly, born at the beginning of last century, started life in a world【 39】 about 50% of its ancient forests still standing. Though far from pristine, it was a world of oceans and land masses teeming with all kinds of life. But those who will be born after the turn of the millennium will【 40】 of age to find that previous generatio
