1、2004年中国科学院考博英语真题试卷（精选）及答案与解析 一、 Structure and Vocabulary 1 A knowledge of history _ us to deal with the vast range of problems confronting the contemporary world. （ A） equips （ B） provides （ C） offers （ D） satisfies 2 In assessing the impact of the loss of a parent through death and divorce it was t
2、he distortion of family relationships not the of the bond with the parent in divorce that was vital. （ A） disposition （ B） distinction （ C） distribution （ D） disruption 3 Finally, lets _ a critical issue in any honest exploration of our attitudes towards old people, namely the value which our societ
3、y ascribes to them. （ A） stick to （ B） turn to （ C） lead to （ D） take to 4 Smuggling is a _ activity which might bring destruction to our economy; therefore, it must be banned. （ A） pertinent （ B） fruitful （ C） detrimental （ D） casual 5 The manufacturer was forced to return the money to the consumer
4、s under _ of law. （ A） guideline （ B） definition （ C） constraint （ D） identity 6 The food was divided _ according to the age and size of the child. （ A） equally （ B） individually （ C） sufficiently （ D） proportionally 7 Horseback riding _ both the skill of handling a horse and the mastery of diverse
5、riding styles. （ A） embraces （ B） encourages （ C） exaggerates （ D） elaborates 8 Plastic bags are useful for holding many kinds of food, _ their cleanness, toughness and low cost. （ A） by virtue of （ B） in addition to （ C） for the sake of （ D） as opposed to 9 He cannot _ the fact that he was late aga
6、in for the conference at the university yesterday. （ A） contribute to （ B） account for （ C） identify with （ D） leave out 10 Please do not be _ by his bad manners since he is merely trying to attract attention. （ A） disgusted （ B） embarrassed （ C） irritated （ D） shocked 11 For nearly 50 years, Speck
7、has been a _ author, writing 13 books including an autobiography and numerous magazine articles. （ A） prevalent （ B） precautious （ C） prospective （ D） prolific 12 Workers in this country are getting higher wages while turning out poor products that do not _ the test of international competition. （ A
8、） keep up with （ B） stand up to （ C） comply with （ D） attend to 13 The business was forced to close down for a period but was _ revived. （ A） successively （ B） subsequently （ C） predominantly （ D） preliminarily 14 The book might well have _ had it been less expensive. （ A） worked out （ B） gone throu
9、gh （ C） caught on （ D） fitted in 15 We had been taken over by another firm, and a management _ was under way. （ A） cleanup （ B） setup （ C） breakout （ D） takeout 16 The poor quality of sound of the film mined the _ perfect product. （ A） rather （ B） much （ C） otherwise （ D） particularly 17 Ill have to
10、 _ this dress a bit before the wedding next week. （ A） let off （ B） let go （ C） let loose （ D） let out 18 They reached a (n) _ to keep their dispute out of the mass media. （ A） understanding （ B） acknowledgement （ C） concession （ D） surrender 19 After walking for hours without finding the village, w
11、e began to have _ about our map. （ A） troubles （ B） fears （ C） limitations （ D） misgivings 20 If you dont want to talk to him, Ill speak to him _. （ A） on your account （ B） on your behalf （ C） for your part （ D） in your interest 二、 Cloze 20 The process by means of which human beings arbitrarily make
12、 certain things stand for other things may be called the symbolic process. Everywhere we turn, we see the symbolic process at work. There are【 21】 things men do or want to do, possess or want to possess, that have not a symbolic value. Almost all fashionable clothes are【 22】 symbolic, so is food. We
13、【 23】 our furniture to serve【 24】 visible symbols of our taste, wealth, and social position. We often choose our houses【 25】 the basis of a feeling that it “looks well“ to have a “good address“. We trade perfectly good cars in for【 26】 models not always to get better transportation, but to give【 27】
14、 to the community that we can【 28】 it. Such complicated and apparently【 29】 behavior leads philosophers to ask over and over again, “why cant human beings【 30】 simply and naturally?“ Often the complexity of human life makes us look enviously at the relative【 31】 of such lives as dogs and cats. Simpl
15、y, the fact that symbolic process makes complexity possible is no【 32】 for wanting to【 33】 to a cat-and-dog existence. A better solution is to understand the symbolic process【 34】 instead of being its slaves we become, to some degree at least, its【 35】 . （ A） many （ B） some （ C） few （ D） enough （ A）
16、 highly （ B） nearly （ C） merely （ D） likely （ A） make （ B） get （ C） possess （ D） select （ A） of （ B） for （ C） as （ D） with （ A） on （ B） to （ C） at （ D） for （ A） earlier （ B） later （ C） former （ D） latter （ A） suggestion （ B） surprise （ C） explanation （ D） evidence （ A） use （ B） afford （ C） ride （ D）
17、 find （ A） useless （ B） impossible （ C） inappropriate （ D） unnecessary （ A） live （ B） work （ C） stay （ D） behave （ A） passivity （ B） activity （ C） simplicity （ D） complexity （ A） meaning （ B） reason （ C） time （ D） doubt （ A） lead （ B） devote （ C） proceed （ D） return （ A） so that （ B） in that （ C） co
18、nsidering that （ D） by reason that （ A） teachers （ B） students （ C） masters （ D） servants 三、 Reading Comprehension 35 The Solar Decathlon is under way, and teams of students from 14 colleges and universities are building solar-powered homes on the National Mall in Washington, D. C. in an effort to p
19、romote this alternative energy source. This week judges in this Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored event will evaluate these homes and declare one the winner. Unfortunately, for the participants, it rained on the Sept 26th opening ceremonies, and the skies over the Washington have remained mostly
20、overcast since. However, the conditions may have made for a more revealing demonstration of solar energy than was originally planned. Although the Solar Decathlons purpose is to advertise the benefits of electricity-generating solar panels and other residential solar gadgets, the bad weather has mad
21、e it hard to ignore the limitations. As fate so amply demonstrated, not every day is a sunny day, and indeed DOEs “Solar Village on the National Mall“ has received very little of what it needs to run. Since solar is not an always available energy source, even a community consisting entirely of solar
22、 homes and businesses would still need to be connected to a constantly-running power plant (most likely natural gas or coal fired) to provide reliable electricity. For this reason, the fossil fuel savings and environmental benefits of solar are considerably smaller than many proponents suggest. Wash
23、ington, D. C. gets its share of sunny days as well, but even so, solar equipment provides only a modest amount of energy in relation to its cost. In fact, a $ 5, 000 rooftop photovoltaic system typically generates no more than $100 of electricity per year, providing a rate of return comparable to a
24、passbook savings account. Nor do the costs end when the system is installed, lake anything exposed to the elements, solar equipment is subject to wear and storm damage, and may need ongoing maintenance and repairs. In addition, the materials that turn sunlight into electricity degrade over time. Thu
25、s, solar panels will eventually need to be replaced, most likely before the investment has fully paid itself off in the form of reduced utility bills. Solar energy has always had its share of true believers willing to pay extra to feel good about their homes and themselves. But for homeowners who vi
26、ew it as an investment, it is not a good one. The economic realities are rarely acknowledged by the government officials and solar equipment manufacturers involved in the Solar Decathlon and similarly one-sided promotions. By failing to be objective, the pro-solar crowd does consumers a real disserv
27、ice. 36 The Solar Decathlon is most probably the name of a _. （ A） technology （ B） contest （ C） strategy （ D） machine 37 What does the author say about the weather? （ A） It is rare for Washington,D.C.to have such long rainy days. （ B） It has been raining since Sept 26th for the most of the time. （ C
28、） It is favorable to the manufacturers to promote solar equipment. （ D） It has helped see the disadvantages of solar energy. 38 What has happened to DOEs “Solar Village on the National Mall“? （ A） It has revealed a mechanical problem. （ B） It lacks the energy for operation. （ C） It needs substantial
29、 financial support. （ D） It has drawn criticism from the government. 39 The environmental benefits of solar power are small because _. （ A） solar power plants can hardly avoid polluting their surroundings （ B） most people prefer the relatively simple use of fossil fuel （ C） the users of solar energy
30、 still cannot go without fossil fuel （ D） only several communities entirely consist of solar energy homes 40 It can be inferred that “a passbook savings account“ _. （ A） brings little interest （ B） brings much interest （ C） is a deposit of at least $ 100 （ D） is a deposit of at least $ 5000 41 It ca
31、n be inferred that in promoting solar energy the US government _. （ A） admits its limitation of being expensive （ B） rarely mentions its cost to homeowners （ C） stands on the side of the majority of consumers （ D） remains more objective than the solar equipment manufacturers 41 Every year, the Ameri
32、can Lung Association (ALA) releases its annual report card on smog, and every year it gives an “F“ to over half the nations counties and cities. When ALAs “State of the Air 2002“ recently came out, dozens of credulous local journalists once again took the bait, ominously reporting that their corner
33、of the nation received a failing grade. The national coverage was no better, repeating as fact ALAs statement that it is “gravely concerned“ about air quality, and neglecting to solicit the views of even one scientist with a differing view. Too bad, because this report card says a lot less about act
34、ual air quality than it does about the tactics and motives of the ALA. The very fact that 60 percent of counties were given an F seems to be alarmist. This is particularly true given that smog levels have been trending downward for several decades. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (E
35、PA) statistics, ozone, the primary constituent of smog, has declined by approximately 30 percent since the 1970s. And recent gains indicate that the progress will likely continue, even without the wave of new regulations ALA is now demanding. ALA is correct that some areas still occasionally exceed
36、the federal standard for ozone, but such spikes are far less frequent than in the past. Even Los Angeles, the undisputed smog capital of America, has cleaned up its act considerably. Los Angeles, which exceeded federal smog standards for 154 days in 1989, has had 75 percent fewer such spikes in rece
37、nt years. But an ALA-assigned “F“ misleadingly implies that air quality has not improved at all. Most of the nation is currently in attainment with the current smog standard, and much of the rest is getting close. Nonetheless, ALA chose to assign an “F“ to an entire county based on just a few readin
38、gs above a strict new EPA standard enacted in 1997 but not yet in force. In effect, ALA demanded a standard even more stringent than the federal governments, which allows some leeway for a few anomalously high readings in otherwise clean areas. ALA further exaggerated the public-health hazard by gro
39、ssly overstating the risks of these relatively minor and sporadic increases above the standard. 42 The medias response to ALAs “State of the Air 2002“ can best be described as _. （ A） trusting （ B） suspicious （ C） critical （ D） hesitant 43 By citing figures from the EPA, the author seems to contend
40、that _. （ A） the regulations about smog have proved effective （ B） new regulations are necessary to deal with smog （ C） smog problems have actually become less serious （ D） the federal smog standard has been rather low 44 In Paragraph 3, the word “spikes“ (in boldface) probably refers to _. （ A） the
41、 increases above the smog standard （ B） the irregular readings about air quality in some areas （ C） the occurrences of smog in Los Angeles （ D） the current standards demanded by ALA 45 The author draws on Los Angeles to prove that the ALA _. （ A） is right to assign an “F“ to that area （ B） often bas
42、es its report on the past events （ C） has a good reason to stress smog risks （ D） has overstated smog problems 46 The author agrees with the ALA that _. （ A） present smog standards should be made stricter （ B） the standard established by the EPA is effective （ C） some areas fail to meet the federal
43、standard at times （ D） poor air quality is a major problem nationwide 47 One of the problems with the ALA seems to be _. （ A） its lack of opinions from experts （ B） its focus on some irregular cases （ C） its attempt to make up the data （ D） its inconsistent smog standards 47 It was (and is) common t
44、o think that other animals are ruled by “instinct“ whereas humans lost their instincts and ruled by “reason,“ and that this is why we are so much more flexibly intelligent than other animals. William James, in his book Principles of Psychology, took the opposite view. He argued that human behavior i
45、s more flexibly intelligent than that of other animals because we have more instincts than they do, not fewer. We tend to be Mind to the existence of these instincts, however, precisely because they work so well-because they process information so effortlessly and automatically. They structure our t
46、hought so powerfully, he argued, that it can be difficult to imagine how things could be otherwise. As a result, we take “normal“ behavior for granted. We do not realize that “normal“ behavior needs to be explained at all. This “instinct blindness“ makes the study of psychology difficult. To get pas
47、t this problem, James suggested that we try to make the “natural seem strange.“ It takes a mind debauched by learning to carry the process of making the natural seem strange, so far as to ask for the why of any instinctive human act. In our view, William James was right about evolutionary psychology
48、. Making the natural seem strange is unnatural - it requires the twisted outlook seen, for example, in Gary Larson cartoons Yet it is a central part of the enterprise. Many psychologists avoid the study of natural competences, thinking that there is nothing there to be explained. As a result, social
49、 psychologists are disappointed unless they find a phenomenon “that would surprise their grandmothers,“ and cognitive psychologists spend more time studying how we solve problems we are bad at, like learning math or playing chess, than ones we are good at. But our natural competences - our abilities to see, to speak, to find someone beautiful, to reciprocate a favor, to fear disease, to fall in love, to initiate an attack, to
