1、2006年同济大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Structure and Vocabulary 1 How can personal income tax be levied to_ as many as possible while at the same time ensuring State finances do not suffer too much? （ A） interest （ B） benefit （ C） profit （ D） concern 2 To fund the_ event and also promote the marketing value of
2、the National Games, the organizing committee set up the Marketing Development Department (MDD). （ A） beneficent （ B） expensive （ C） costly （ D） luxurious 3 Japanese workers still put in an impressive 42 hours each week but they are_ by the South Koreans and Singaporeans who spend an average 46 hours
3、 at the grindstone. （ A） outdone （ B） outweighed （ C） outrun （ D） outrivaled 4 This is an alarming realization as natural resources and the environment are being degraded and_at a record pace. （ A） wasted （ B） reconstructed （ C） destructed （ D） reversed 5 The elements of nature must be reckoned with
4、 in any military campaign. Napoleon and Hitler both underestimated the_of the Russian winter. （ A） severity （ B） consequence （ C） influence （ D） threat 6 The company, EDS, is smart enough to_90,000-person workforce into independent microteams that work directly with individual clients on creative bu
5、siness solutions. （ A） break out （ B） break off （ C） break away from （ D） break down 7 Most environmental_from climate changes to freshwater and forest habitat loss have become markedly worse. （ A） symptoms （ B） highlights （ C） indicators （ D） symbols 8 What we call nature is, _, the sum of the chan
6、ges made by all the various creatures and natural forces in their intricate actions and influences upon each other and upon their places. （ A） in common sense （ B） from a sense （ C） by the sense （ D） in a sense 9 Although the “on line“ life style has dominated the majority of city youth, most people
7、 in the remote countryside still think internet or something is_to their life. （ A） unconcerned （ B） irrelevant （ C） inseparable （ D） inaccessible 10 _near-perfect English language skills, the students were keen to explore every aspect of Australian culture, from Aussie eating customs to family and
8、student life, popular culture, the natural landscape and the ever-popular Australian native animals. （ A） Possessing （ B） Acquiring （ C） Apprehending （ D） Interpreting 11 Telephones save the feet and endless amounts of time. This is due partly to the fact that the telephone service is superb here, _
9、the postal service is less efficient. （ A） where （ B） since （ C） that （ D） whereas 12 The board of directors have already discussed the subject_ in the previous meetings and they will handle it in all its aspects. （ A） in place （ B） at length （ C） on end （ D） off and on 13 Reflecting on our explorat
10、ion, we also discovered that people will exploit the newness, vagueness, and breadth of the information marketplace to support their wishes and predilections, _they may be. （ A） whatsoever （ B） whatever （ C） whichever （ D） which 14 The World Bank is taking steps to_ its lending to reducing poverty i
11、n the Third World Countries. （ A） orient （ B） tailor （ C） adapt （ D） adjust 15 Total investments for this year reached $ 56 million, and to put this into_ investments this year will double those made in 199 （ A） sight （ B） vision （ C） perspective （ D） horizon 16 The year of 776 BC is considered to b
12、e the founding date of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. The Games lasted more than 11 centuries _ they were banned in 393 A D. （ A） when （ B） after （ C） as （ D） until 17 As did his_ Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Henry Ford, Thomas Edison profoundly transformed the Western World. （ A） conte
13、mporaries （ B） part-owners （ C） companions （ D） accomplices 18 In a world where information is a flood _to everyone, and where nothing is secret or proprietary the only organizations and managers who will thrive are those who can quickly wade into the water, harness what they need, and then add valu
14、e to it through speedy, innovative business decisions. （ A） acceptable （ B） available （ C） accessible （ D） attainable 19 The car pollutes, but advances in fuel quality and efficiency, and in micropro-cessed engine technology, have radically cut_. （ A） releases （ B） emissions （ C） poisons （ D） contam
15、ination 20 If humans use up too much soil which they have often done and are doing then they will starve down to the carrying capacity of their habitat. This is natures “indifferent“ （ A） flexibility （ B） justice （ C） plasticity （ D） sensibility 二、 Reading Comprehension 20 Throughout the history of
16、life, species of living creatures have made use of chemical energy by the slow combination of certain chemicals with oxygen within their cells. The process is analogous to combustion, but is slower and much more delicately controlled. Sometimes use is made of energy available in the bodies of strong
17、er species as when a remora hitches a ride on a shark or a human being hitches an ox to a plough. Inanimate sources of energy are sometimes used when species allow themselves to be carried or moved by wind or by water currents. In those cases, though, the inanimate source of energy must be accepted
18、at the place and time that it happens to be and in the amount that happens to exist. The human use of fire involved an inanimate source of energy that was portable and could be used wherever desired. It could be ignited or extinguished at will and could be used when desired. It could be kept small o
19、f feed till it was large, and could be used in the quantities desired. The use of fire made it possible for human beings, evolutionarily equipped for mild weather only, to penetrate the temperate zones. It made it possible for them to survive cold nights and long winters, to achieve security against
20、 fire-avoiding predators, and to roast meat and grain, thus broadening their diet and limiting the danger of bacterial and parasitic infestation. Human beings multiplied in number and that meant there were more brains to plan future advances. With fire, life was not quite so hand-to-mouth; and there
21、 was more time to put those brains to work on something other than immediate emergencies. In short, the use of fire put into motion an accelerating series of technological advances. About 10,000 years ago, in the Middle East, a series of crucial advances were made. These included the development of
22、agriculture, herding, cities, pottery, metallurgy, and writing. The final step that of writing, took place in the Middle East about 5,000 years ago. This complex of changes stretching over a period of 5,000 years introduced what we call civilization, the name we give to a settled life, to a complex
23、society in which human beings are specialized for various tasks. To be sure other animals can build complex societies and can be composed of different types of individuals specialized for different tasks. This is most marked in such social insects as bees, ants, and termites where individuals are in
24、 some cases physiologically specialized to the point where they cannot eat, but must be fed by others. Some species of ants practice agriculture and grow small mushroom gardens, while others herd aphids; still others war on and enslave smaller species of ants. And, of course, the beehive and the ant
25、 or termite colony have many points of analogy with the human city. The most complex nonhuman societies, those of the insects, are, however, the re-suit of instinctive behaviour, the guidelines of which are built into the genes and nervous systems of the individuals at birth. Nor does as any nonhuma
26、n society make use of fire. With insignificant exceptions, insect societies are run by the energy produced by the insect body. It is fair, then, to consider human societies as basically different from other societies and to attribute what we call civilization to human societies only. 21 Which of the
27、 following is NOT stated in the passage? （ A） The process of species making chemical energy is similar to the process of combustion. （ B） The process of species making chemical energy is less complicated than the process of combustion. （ C） Fire is a portable, inanimate source of energy. （ D） Man so
28、metimes makes use of energy available in the bodies of stronger species. 22 From the passage we know_. （ A） fire made human beings free from bacterial and parasitic infestation （ B） fire enabled human beings to deal with immediate emergencies more efficiently （ C） fire made some animals frightened （
29、 D） fire helped human beings change their eating habits completely 23 Judging from the context, the phrase “hand-to-mouth“ (Line 2, Para. 5) most probably means_. （ A） adventurous （ B） unhappy （ C） wandering （ D） unstable 24 The point of similarity between a complex human society and a complex bee s
30、ociety is_. （ A） the division of labor （ B） the use of fire （ C） the development of industry （ D） the development of a written language 25 According to the passage, insect societies_. （ A） are governed by the instincts of insects （ B） are not fundamentally different from human societies （ C） are com
31、posed of individuals of the same type （ D） are as not warlike as human beings 25 Modern technology may not have improved the world all that much but it certainly has made life noisier. Unmuffled motorcycles, blaring car alarms, and roving boom boxes come first, second, and third on my list of most o
32、bnoxious noise offenders, but everyone could come up with his own version of aural hell if he could just find a quiet spot to ponder the matter. Yet what technology has done, other technology is now starting to undo, using computer power, to zap those ear-splitting noises into silence. Previously si
33、lence-seekers had little recourse except to stay inside, close the windows, and plug their ears. Remedies like these are quaintly termed “passive“ systems, because they place physical barriers against the unwanted sound. Now computer technology is producing a far more effective “active“ system, whic
34、h doesnt just contain, deflect, or mask the noise, but annihilates it electronically. The system works by countering the offending noise with “anti-noise“, a somewhat sinister-sounding term that calls to mind antimatter, black holes, and other Popular Science mindbenders but that actually refers to
35、something quite simple. Just as a wave on a pond is flattened when it merges with a trough that is its exact opposite (or mirror image) , so can a sound wave be negated by meeting its opposite. This general theory of sound cancellation has been around since the 1930s. In the fifties and sixties it m
36、ade for a kind of magic trick among laboratory acousticians playing around with the first clunky mainframe computers. The advent of low-cost high-power microprocessors has made active noise-cancellation systems a commercial possibility, and a handful of small electronics firms in the United States a
37、nd abroad are bringing the first ones onto the silence market. Silence buffs might be hoping that the noise-canceling apparatus will take the shape of the 44 Magnum wielded by Dirty Harry, but in fact active sound control is not quite that active. The system might more properly be described as react
38、ive, in that it responds to sound waves already headed toward human ears. In the configuration that is usual for such systems microphones detect the noise signal and send it to the systems microprocessor, which almost instantly models it and creates its inverse for loudspeakers to fire at the origin
39、al. Because the two sounds occupy the same range of frequencies and tones, the inverse sounds exactly like the noise it is to eliminate: the anti-noise cancelling Beethovens Fifth Symphony is heard as Beethovens Fifth. The only difference is that every positive pressure produced on the air by the or
40、chestra is matched by a negative pressure produced by the computer, and every negative pressure is matched by a positive, thereby silencing the sound. The system is most effective as a kind of muffler, in which microphones, microprocessor, and loudspeaker are all in a unit encasing the device that p
41、roduces the sound, stifling it at its source. But it can work as a headset, too, negating the sound at the last moment before it disturbs ones peace of mind. 26 The writer holds that_. （ A） modern technology has disturbed the quiet life of the people （ B） modern technology has made people indifferen
42、t to noise pollution （ C） modern technology has made the present world quieter than before （ D） modern technology has failed to solve the problem of noise pollution 27 According to the passage, an active noise-cancellation system_. （ A） contains noise rather than negates it （ B） eliminates noise rat
43、her than muffles it （ C） deflects noise rather than baffles it （ D） holds noise back rather than stifles it 28 In paragraph 5 the word “buffs“ means_. （ A） settlers （ B） enthusiasts （ C） buyers （ D） manufacturers 29 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? （ A） In the
44、past, people sometimes plugged their ears to fight against the offending noise. （ B） An active noise-cancellation system follows the principle of a wave being flattened by meeting its exact opposite. （ C） The first active noise-cancellation system was made in the 1930s. （ D） Active noise-cancellatio
45、n systems are now available on the market. 30 Active noise-cancellation systems require_. （ A） microphones （ B） microprocessors （ C） loudspeakers （ D） all of the above 30 In the early years of the twentieth century, astrophysicists turned their attention to a special category of stars, known as Ceph
46、eid (造父变星 ) variables. A variable star is one whose apparent brightness changes from time to time. Among some variables, the change in brightness occurs so slowly as to be almost imperceptible; among others, it occurs in sudden, brief, violent bursts of energy. Cepheid variables have special charact
47、eristics that make them a useful astronomical tool. It was Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer at the Harvard Observatory, who first examined the Cepheid variables in detail. She found that these stars vary regularly in apparent brightness over a relatively short period of time from one to three days t
48、o a month or more. This variation in brightness could be recorded and precisely measured with the help of the camera, then still a new tool in astronomy. Leavitt also noticed that the periodicity of each cepheid variable that is the period of time it took for the star to vary from its brightest poin
49、t to its dimmest, and back to its brightest again corresponded to the intrinsic or absolute brightness of the star. That is, the greater the stars absolute brightness, the slower its cycle of variation. Why is this so? The variation in brightness is caused by the interaction between the stars gravity and the outward pressure exerted by the flow of light energy from the star. Gravity pulls the outer portions of the star inward, while light
