1、2007年南京大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Structure and Vocabulary 1 We were_in the middle of our conversation. （ A） cut off （ B） cut down （ C） cut in （ D） cut out 2 _fire tests gold, so does adversity tests courage. （ A） Like （ B） Alike （ C） As （ D） Comparing 3 My grandpa gave me a watch, which is made of gold, _
2、I keep to this day. （ A） and thus （ B） and （ C） so （ D） and which 4 I dont mind a bit if you bring your friends in for a drink, but it is rather too much when ten people arrive _for dinner. （ A） unusually （ B） excessively （ C） consequently （ D） unexpectedly 5 The police accused him of setting fire t
3、o the building but he denied_in the area on the night of the fire. （ A） to be （ B） to have been （ C） having been （ D） be 6 Look at this mess! If only I_your advice. （ A） follow （ B） had followed （ C） would follow （ D） have followed 7 Some companies have introduced flexible working time with less emp
4、hasis on pressure_. （ A） than more on efficiency （ B） and more efficiency （ C） and more on efficiency （ D） than efficiency 8 Though I had tried to explain it as clearly as possible, my explanation seemed not to_. （ A） get up （ B） get along （ C） get across （ D） get down 9 We will see _the children ar
5、e properly educated. （ A） to them （ B） to that （ C） to it whether （ D） to it that 10 The famous inventor was awarded an_doctorate by the university. （ A） honorary （ B） honorable （ C） honored （ D） honorific 11 Fossils of A(plant) that have B(been extinct) for C(fifty million years) have been found in
6、 large deposits of amber D(near) the Baltic Sea. 12 The increasing A(popularity) of the motorcycle as a B(convenience), economical C(form) of transportation has been D(just short) of astounding. 13 The international Olympic Games, A(regarded) as the worlds most B(prestigious) athletic competition, C
7、(take place) once D(every the four years). 14 A(Any property) that a bankrupt person B(may still have) is usually divided C(among) the various people to whom money D(are owed). 15 A(A noisy) B(aggressive) cousin of the crow, the magpie has C(those) birds thievish D(habits). 16 The spontaneity of chi
8、ldrens artwork A(sets) it B(apart from) the regulated uniformity of C(much) D(of) what otherwise go on in traditional elementary classrooms. 17 It is A(estimated) that a scientific principle has B(a life expectancy) of approximately C(a decade) before D(it drastically) revised or replaced by newer i
9、nformation. 18 When the A(concentration) of calcium in the blood is B(too) low, the parathyroid glands C(began) to D(secrete) the hormone parathormone. 19 A(Always) since the creation of celluloid, B(plastics) have been found C(to have) D(a multitude) of industrial and commercial uses. 20 A(High-gra
10、de) B(written) paper is C(frequently) D(obtained) from cotton rags. 二、 Cloze 20 A major reason for conflict in the animal world is territory. The male animal establishes an area. The size of the area is sufficient to provide food for him, his mate and their offspring. Migrating birds, for example, u
11、sed up the best territory in the order of“first come, first【 C1】 _“. The late arrivals may acquire【 C2】_territories, but less food is available, or they are too close to the【 C3】 _of the enemies of the species.【 C4】 _there is really insufficient food or the danger is very great, the animal will not【
12、 C5】 _. In this way, the members of the species which are less fit will not have offspring. When there is conflict【 C6】 _territory, animals will commonly use force, or a show of force, to decide which will stay and which will go. It is interesting to note, 【 C7】 _, that animals seem to use only the
13、minimum amount of force【 C8】 _to drive away the intruder. There is usually no killing. In the case of those animals which are capable of【 C9】 _each other great harm, 【 C10】 _is a system for the losing animal to show the winning animal that he wishes to submit When he shows this, the victor normally
14、stops fighting. 21 【 C1】 （ A） use （ B） serve （ C） served （ D） used 22 【 C2】 （ A） larger （ B） better （ C） smaller （ D） worse 23 【 C3】 （ A） caves （ B） nests （ C） residences （ D） habitats 24 【 C4】 （ A） Neither （ B） If （ C） Since （ D） Because 25 【 C5】 （ A） breed （ B） produce （ C） mate （ D） compete 26 【
15、C6】 （ A） for （ B） over （ C） with （ D） by 27 【 C7】 （ A） moreover （ B） henceforth （ C） however （ D） yet 28 【 C8】 （ A） compulsory （ B） essential （ C） necessary （ D） vital 29 【 C9】 （ A） doing （ B） made （ C） given （ D） sending 30 【 C10】 （ A） this （ B） that （ C） it （ D） there 三、 Reading Comprehension 30 E
16、ven today, when air and road travel has made Africa so readily accessible to Europeans and Americans, there are innumerable aspects of African life which tend to take one by surprise. The unfamiliar lies hidden every where, and the presence of Western culture seems merely to emphasize this unfamilia
17、rity. Basically, the essence of our reaction to the strange, the unfamiliar, is a sense of fear. Every country contains landscapes that arouse unease-whether it be some remote Alpine valley, the wild lavender fields of Upper Province, or a lonely Norwegian fjord at twilight But in my own experience
18、West Africa contains more weird and eerie regions-rain-forest, mangrove swamp, parched plains of red earth-than any other place that I have seen. It is not only in the foreigner that these landscapes evoke fear. A large part of all old African religions is devoted to soothing the unknown and the uns
19、een-evil Spirits which live in a particular tree or a particular rock, a thousand varieties of ghosts and witches, the ever-present spirits of dead ancestors or relatives. I have myself been kept awake at night in Calabar by a friend from Lagos who was convinced that the witches of the east were out
20、 to get him, or that he was about to be kidnapped and eaten. During four and a half hours in a canoe along the creeks of the Niger delta, gliding over the still and colorless water beneath an equally still and colorless but burning sky, I, too, have experienced a sense of fear, or at least a sense o
21、f awe. Except for the ticking of the little outboard engine the silence was complete. On either hand stretched the silver-white swamps of mangrove, seeming, with their awkward exposed roots, to be standing knee-deep in the water. Where the creek narrowed you could peer deep into these thickets of ma
22、ngroves-vistas secret, interminable and somehow meaningless. There was no sign of life except for the shrill screech of some unseen bird. I was on my way to the ancient slaving port of Bonny .which we reached in late afternoon. Scrambling up some derelict stone steps (slithery with slime and which h
23、ad managed to detach themselves from the landing-stage so that you had to jump a two-foot gap to reach wet land), I found myself in an area of black mud and tumbled blocks of stone. 31 There are features of Western culture which are present in West Africa （ A） This fact makes it easier to accept the
24、 unfamiliarity of West Africa （ B） This fact makes West Africa seem even stranger. （ C） This fact makes no difference to our reaction to West Africa. （ D） This fact has been greatly overemphasized. 32 A lot of the old African religion has to do with_. （ A） kidnapping people （ B） keeping the spirits
25、awake （ C） human sacrifice （ D） keeping the spirits happy 33 The author was kept awake by_. （ A） a ghost （ B） his friend （ C） the witches （ D） eerie feelings 34 “ Mangrove“ means_. （ A） a sort of bird （ B） a sort of man （ C） a sort of tree （ D） a sort of animal 34 Perhaps the most striking quality o
26、f satiric literature is its freshness, its originality of perspective. Satire rarely offers original ideas. Instead.it presents the familiar in a new form. Satirists do not offer the world new philosophies. What they do is look at familiar conditions from a perspective that makes these conditions se
27、em foolish, harmful, or affected. Satire jars us out of complacence into a pleasantly shocked realization that many of the values that we unquestionably accept are false. Don Quixote makes chivalry seem absurd;Brave New World ridicules the pretensions of science; A Modest Proposal dramatizes starvat
28、ion by advocating cannibalism. None of these ideas is original. Chivalry was suspect before Cervantes, humanists objected to the claims of pure science before Aldous Huxley, and people were aware of famine before Swift It was not the originality of the idea that made these satires popular. It was th
29、e manner of expression, the satire method, that made them interesting and entertaining. Satires are read because they are aesthetically satisfying works of art, not because they are morally wholesome or ethically instructive. They are stimulating and refreshing because with commonsense briskness the
30、y brash away illusions and secondhand opinions. With spontaneous irreverence, satire rearranges perspectives, scrambles familiar objects into incongruous combination, and speaks in a personal idiom instead of abstract platitude. Satire exists because there is need for it It has lived because the rea
31、ders appreciate a refreshing stimulus, an irreverent reminder that they live in a world of platitudinous thinking, cheap moralizing, and foolish philosophy. Satire serves to prod people into an awareness of truth, though rarely to any action on behalf of truth. Satire tends to remind people that muc
32、h of what they see, hear, and read in popular media is hypocritical .sentimental, and only partially true. Life resembles in only a slight degree the popular image of it Soldiers rarely hold the ideals that movies attribute to them, nor do ordinary citizens devote their lives to unselfish service of
33、 humanity. Intelligent people know these things but tend to forget them when they do not hear them expressed. 35 What does the passage mainly discuss? （ A） Difficulties of writing satiric literature. （ B） Popular topics of satire. （ C） New philosophies emerging from satiric literature. （ D） Reasons
34、for the popularity of satire. 36 Why does the author mention Don Quixote, Brave New World and A Modest proposal in the first paragraph? （ A） They are famous examples of satiric literature. （ B） They present commonsense solutions to problems. （ C） They are appropriate for readers of all ages. （ D） Th
35、ey are books with similar stories. 37 Which of the following can be found in satiric literature? （ A） Newly emerging philosophies. （ B） Odd combination of objects and ideas. （ C） Abstract discussion of morals and ethics. （ D） Wholesome characters who are unselfish. 38 According to the passage, there
36、 is a need for satire because people need to be_. （ A） informed about new scientific development （ B） exposed to original philosophies when they are formulated （ C） reminded that popular ideas are often inaccurate （ D） told how they can be of service to their communities 38 Certainly no creature in
37、the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living creatures, especially human beings, have their peculiarities, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that among other eccentricities, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day an
38、d night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely edible by gourmets? For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has subsisted on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube fee
39、t, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores.it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients are present Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddish-brown to sand-colored
40、 and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the creatures are cucumber-shaped-hence their name and because they are typically rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with their flexibility, enables them to squeeze into crevices where they are safe from predators and ocean cur
41、rents. Although they have voracious appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent and live at a low metabolic rate-feeding sparingly or not at all for long periods, so that the marine organisms that provide their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not f
42、or this faculty, they would devour all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence. But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs. When attacked, it squirts all its internal organs
43、 into the water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked or even touched: it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or the water becomes too polluted. 39 According to the passage, why
44、 is the shape of sea cucumber important? （ A） Because it helps them digest food （ B） Because it helps them protect themselves from danger. （ C） Because it makes it easier for them to move through mud. （ D） Because it makes them attractive to fish. 40 The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily dis
45、cusses_. （ A） the reproduction of sea cucumbers （ B） the food sources of sea cucumbers （ C） the eating habits of sea cucumbers （ D） threats to sea cucumbersexistence 41 What can be inferred about the defense mechanisms of the sea cucumber? （ A） They are very sensitive to the surrounding stimuli. （ B
46、） They are almost useless. （ C） They require group cooperation. （ D） They are similar to those of most sea creatures. 42 Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water? （ A） A touch （ B） Food （ C） Unusually warm water （ D） Pollution 42 In most ear
47、thquakes the Earths crust cracks like porcelain. Stress builds up until a fracture forms at the depth of a few kilometers and the crust slips to relieve the stress. Some earthquakes, however, take place hundreds of kilometers down in the Earths mantle, where high pressure makes rock so ductile that
48、it flows instead of cracking, even under stress severe enough to deform it like putty. How can there be earthquakes at such depths? That such deep events do occur has been accepted only since 1927, when the seismologist Kiyoo Wadati convincingly demonstrated their existence. Instead of comparing the
49、 arrival times of seismic waves at different locations, as earlier researchers had done, Wadati relied on a time difference between the arrival of primary (P)waves and the slower secondary (S) waves. Because P and S waves travel at different but fairly constant speeds;the interval between their arrivals increases in proportion to the distance from the earthquake focus, or a rupture point For most earthquakes, Wadati discovered, the interval was quite sh
