1、2003年清华大学考博英语真题试卷（精选）及答案与解析 一、 Structure and Vocabulary 1 Written at least 100 years ago, the handwriting faded and certainly became _. （ A） infinite （ B） illegible （ C） infectious （ D） immune 2 It is doubtful whether anyone can be a truly _ observer of events. （ A） inadequate （ B） impassive （ C） ge
2、nius （ D） impartial 3 She was _. by the lack of appreciation shown of her hard work. （ A） frustrated （ B） dispersed （ C） functioned （ D） displaced 4 The shuttle exploded in the air suddenly and broke into _ at once. （ A） diversity （ B） fragments （ C） doctrine （ D） drought 5 As the society has rigid
3、social _, everyone knows his role in the society. （ A） hemisphere （ B） contempt （ C） controversy （ D） hierarchy 6 Three years have _ since we last met at the conference for Internet communication in Beijing. （ A） elapsed （ B） discerned （ C） discontented （ D） electrified 7 It turned out that he had _
4、 the whole story just to cheat his friends. （ A） dissipated （ B） diverged （ C） detached （ D） fabricated 8 He had a clear _ of what was wrong with the machine and fixed it in a short time. （ A） debris （ B） deficiency （ C） perception （ D） persecution 9 For ten years the problem about the water has not
5、 been solved, we came to think that it has been a _ problem in this area. （ A） perpetual （ B） persuasive （ C） picturesque （ D） possessive 10 He was _ by the noise outside yesterday evening and could not concentrate on his study. （ A） pecked （ B） oriented （ C） perturbed （ D） paddled 11 He is often in
6、clined to _ in other peoples affairs, which is none of his business. （ A） manipulated （ B） lumbered （ C） meddle （ D） littered 12 He practiced _ on her and managed to get $ 2, 000. （ A） linen （ B） deception （ C） longitude. （ D） paradise 13 He was _ to take over the duties and responsibilities of his
7、father from an early age. （ A） deduced （ B） damped （ C） diminished （ D） destined 14 Such questions should be approached honestly and in full awareness that _ loan agreements will cost money due to cancellation or other charges. （ A） compressing （ B） terminating （ C） conforming （ D） contending 15 The
8、 room was full of people and smoke. She started to feel _ with the heat inside. （ A） oppressed （ B） congested （ C） confronted （ D） craned 16 The language experts believe that the _ age for learning a foreign language is 6 years old. （ A） conceptual （ B） considerate （ C） optimal （ D） component 17 She
9、 got very angry and _ her clothes about in the room. （ A） flung （ B） flew （ C） clamped （ D） clashed 18 He knew that he would be punished severely because of his serious error. Therefore he _ away the day before yesterday. （ A） cautioned （ B） fled （ C） chattered （ D） civilized 19 The evil manners wou
10、ld be _ root and branch due to the forceful action taken by the local government. （ A） exterminated （ B） exemplified （ C） facilitated （ D） emitted 20 We all know that it is very hard to _ him to give his plan up. （ A） endeavor （ B） reduce （ C） assert （ D） induce 二、 Reading Comprehension 20 A scorchi
11、ng sun, an endless sea of sand and a waterless, forbiddingly lonely land-that is the image most people have of deserts. But how true is this picture? Deserts are drylands where rainfall is low. This is not to say rain never falls in deserts. It may fall once or twice a year in a fierce torrent that
12、fades almost as soon as it has begun, or which evaporates in the hot air long before it has got anywhere near the earth. It may fall in a sudden sweeping flood that carries everything in its path. Rains may only come once in five or six years or not fall for a decade or more. The Mojave desert in th
13、e United States remained dry for twenty-five years. Without water no living thing can survive, and one feature of the desert landscape is the absence of vegetation. With little rain and hardly any vegetation the land suffers under the sun. There are virtually no clouds or trees to protect the earths
14、 surface and it can be burning hot. Under the sun, soils break up and crack. Wind and torrential rain sweep away and erode the surface further. Eight million square kilometers of the worlds land surface is desert. Throughout history deserts have been expanding and retreating again. Cave paintings sh
15、ow that parts of the Sahara Desert were green and fertile about 10, 000 years ago, and even animals like elephants and giraffes roamed the land. Fossil and dunes found in fertile and damp parts of the world show that these areas were once deserts. But now the creation of new desert areas is happenin
16、g on a colossal scale. Twenty million square kilometers, an area twice the size of Canada, is at a high to very high risk of becoming desert. With a further 1.25 million square kilometers under moderate risk, an area covering 30% of the earths land surface is desert, becoming desert, or in danger of
17、 becoming desert. The rate of growth of deserts is alarming. The worlds drylands which are under threat include some of the most important stock-rearing and wheat-growing areas and are the homes of 600 - 700 million people. These regions are becoming deserts at the rate of more than 58, 000 square k
18、ilometers a year or 44 hectares a minute. In North Africa at least 100, 000 hectares of cropland are lost each year. At this rate there is a high risk that we will be confined to living on only 50% of this planets land surface within one more century unless we are able to do something about it. 21 W
19、hat does the passage tell us about rainfall in the desert? （ A） It never rains. （ B） It rains so little that nothing can live. （ C） It rains unexpectedly. （ D） It rains very infrequently. 22 Desert soils break up and crack because of _. （ A） the effects of wind and rain. （ B） the lack of protection
20、from the sun. （ C） the tropical location of deserts. （ D） the absence of rain. 23 What do we learn about deserts from this text? （ A） Deserts can change into green and fertile areas. （ B） Certain areas have always been desert. （ C） Deserts were once the home of elephants and giraffes. （ D） Deserts h
21、ave been growing since the beginning of the world. 24 How much of the worlds land surface is at risk of becoming desert? （ A） Less than ten million square kilometers. （ B） Twenty million square kilometers. （ C） More than twenty million square kilometers. （ D） 30% of the worlds land surface. 25 What
22、does the writer think about the creation of new desert areas? （ A） It is a natural development. （ B） The problem is not very serious. （ C） It is a very worrying problem. （ D） The situation will improve in time. 25 The first thing to notice is that the media were all familiar with-from books to telev
23、ision-are one-way propositions: they push their content at us. The Web is two-way, push and pull. In finer point, it combines the one-way reach of broadcast with the two-way reciprocity (互惠 ) of a mid-cast. Indeed, its user can at once be a receiver and sender of broadcast, a confusing property, but
24、 mind-stretching! A second aspect of the Web is that it is the first medium that honors the notion of multiple intelligences. This past centurys concept of literacy grew out of our intense belief in text, a focus enhanced by the power of one particular technology-the typewriter. It became a great to
25、ol for writers but a terrible one for other creative activities such as sketching, painting, notating music, or even mathematics. The typewriter prized one particular kind of intelligence, but with the Web, we suddenly have a medium that honors multiple forms of intelligence- abstract, textual, visu
26、al, musical, social, and kinesthetic. As educators, we now have a chance to construct a medium that enables all young people to become engaged in their ideal way of learning. The Web affords the match we need between a medium and how a particular person learns. A third and unusual aspect of the Web
27、is that it leverages (起杠杆作用 ) the small efforts of the many with the large efforts of the few. For example, researchers in the Maricopa County Community College system in Phoenix have found a way to link a set of senior citizens with pupils in the Longview Elementary School, as helper-mentors (顾问 ).
28、 Its wonderful to see- kids listen to these grandparents better than they do to their own parents, the mentoring really helps their teachers, and the seniors create a sense of meaning for themselves. Thus, the small efforts of the man-the seniors-complement the large efforts of the few-the teachers.
29、 The same thing can be found in operation at Hewlett-Packard, where engineers use the Web to help kids with science or math problems. Both of these examples barely scratch the surface as we think about whats possible when we start interlacing resources with needs across a whole region. 26 What does
30、the word mind-stretching imply? （ A） Obtaining ones mental power. （ B） Strengthening ones power of thought. （ C） Making great demands on ones mental power. （ D） Exerting ones mental power as far as possible. 27 What is a terrible tool for activities such as sketching and painting? （ A） Technology （
31、B） Typewriter （ C） Text （ D） The web 28 Which group of people make some efforts to help pupils in elementary schools? （ A） Teachers （ B） Researchers （ C） Grandparents （ D） Senior citizens 29 The sentence the seniors create a sense of meaning for themselves means the seniors （ A） acquire a new meanin
32、g of their lives （ B） understand the meaning of the web （ C） create a web site for themselves （ D） add a new meaning to the web 30 The expression “scratch the surface“ most probably means _. （ A） think hard in a puzzled way （ B） deal with a problem thoroughly （ C） treat a subject without being thoro
33、ugh （ D） work out a solution for a problem easily 30 There is no question that the old style of air pollution could kill people. In one week following the infamous “peasouper“ fog in December 1952, 4, 700 people died in London. Most of these people were elderly and already had heart or lung diseases
34、. A series of these killer fogs eventually led to the British Parliament passing the Clean Air Act which restricted the burning of coal. Fortunately the effect of smog on the lungs is not so dramatic. Scientists have now conducted a number of laboratory experiments in which volunteers are exposed to
35、 ozone inside a steel chamber for a few hours. Even at quite low concentrations there is a reversible fall in lung function, an increase in the irritability of the lungs and evidence of airway inflammation (发炎 ). Although irritable and inflamed lungs are particularly seen in people with asthma (哮喘 )
36、 and other lung diseases, these effects of ozone also occur in healthy subjects. Similar changes are also seen after exposure to nitrogen dioxide, although there is some disagreement about the concentration at which they occur. Other studies have found that people living in areas with high levels of
37、 pollution have more symptoms and worse lung function than those living in areas with clean air. Groups of children attending school camps show falls in lung function even at quite low concentrations of ozone. There is also a relationship between ozone levels and hospital admissions for asthma, both
38、 in North America and Australia. It is suspected that long-term exposure to smog may result in chronic bronchitis (支气管炎 ) and emphysema (肺气肿 ), but this has yet to be proven. Recently an association has been found between the levels of particles in the air and death rates in North American cities. T
39、he reason for this association is not understood and as yet there is no evidence this occurs in Australia. However, we do know that hazy days are associated with more asthma attacks in children. 31 Which of the following is NOT the result of laboratory experiments? （ A） Low concentrations （ B） Fall
40、in lung function （ C） Irritability of the lungs （ D） Air way inflammation 32 Irritable and inflamed lungs are also seen in people with _. （ A） asthma （ B） lung diseases （ C） good health （ D） weak health 33 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a possible cause of lung diseases? （ A） The burning
41、 of coal （ B） Long-term exposure to smog （ C） Exposure to nitrogen dioxide （ D） Attending school camps 34 The relationship between exposure to _ has not yet been determined. （ A） ozone and fall in lung function （ B） ozone and lung diseases such as asthma （ C） nitrogen dioxide and worse lung function
42、 （ D） smog and chronic bronchitis and emphysema 35 The association between _ has not yet been found in Australia. （ A） ozone levels and hospital admissions for asthma （ B） hazy days and more asthma attacks in children （ C） the levels of particles in the air and death rates （ D） high levels of pollut
43、ion and more symptoms 35 The events of Sept. 11 have ratcheted up security at American airports to the highest level ever, according to a spokesman for Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. But to say there is plenty of room for improvement puts it mildly. Hundreds of employees with access to high
44、-security areas at 15 U. S. airports have been arrested or indicted by federal law enforcement officials for using phony Social Security numbers, lying about criminal convictions0r being in the United States illegally. None of those arrested had terrorist links, but some aviation experts said the wo
45、rkers were in a position to help smuggle weapons or bombs aboard aircraft if they had wanted. Tests ordered by President Bush and conducted by federal agents at 32 airports between November and February, when airports were on highest alert, showed that security screeners failed to detect knives 70%
46、of the time, guns 30% of the time and simulated explosives 60% of the time. Two members of the House Transportation Committee are pushing to reverse the administrations opposition to arming pilots because groups representing pilots are insisting that their members need to be armed as a last line of
47、defense. Attorney General John Ashcroft said the arrests of hundreds of airport employees showed that the system of background checks-done piecemeal by airlines, private contractors and others-needs tightening. That much is painfully obvious. What isnt clear is why the system was so porous (有漏洞的 ) t
48、o begin with and why it wasnt immediately tightened after that infamous Tuesday in September. Some people in the industry wisely have suggested that all airport workers be required to pass through the same metal detectors and other security checks as flight crews do, Congress has ordered the new Tra
49、nsportation Security Administration to find ways to enact just such a requirement. Unfortunately, no deadline has been set, in part because federal officials are preoccupied with getting thousands of new baggage screeners in place by Nov. 19-when the feds take over airport security-and installing bomb-detection equipment in all airports by the end of the year. Plainly, those two goals are critical. But it would be a mistake to give
