1、2008年中国矿业大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Cloze 0 Most parent, I suppose, have had the experience of reading a bedtime story to their【 C1】 _and they must have【 C2】 _how difficult it is to write a good childrens book. Either the author has aimed too【 C3】 _, so that the children can follow what is in his(or more o
2、ften, her)story, 【 C4】 _the story seems to be talking to the readers. The best childrens books are neither very difficult nor very simple, and satisfy both the children who【 C5】 _the story and the adult who【 C6】 _it. Unfortunately, there are in fact【 C7】 _books like this, so the problem of finding t
3、he right bedtime story is not【 C8】 _to solve. This may be why many of books regarded as works of childrens literature were in fact written for【 C9】 _Alices Adventure in Wonderland is perhaps the most obvious of this. Children, left for themselves, often【 C10】 _the worst possible interest in literatu
4、re. Just leave a child in bookshop or【 C11】 _and he will more willingly choose the books written in an imaginative way, or have a【 C12】 _at most childrens comics, full of the stories and jokes which are the objections of teachers and right-thinking parents. Perhaps we parents should【 C13】 _trying to
5、 brainwash children into accepting our taste in literature. After all children and adults are so【 C14】 _that we parents should not expect that they will enjoy the【 C15】 _books. So I suppose well just have to compromise over that bedtime story. 1 【 C1】 2 【 C2】 3 【 C3】 4 【 C4】 5 【 C5】 6 【 C6】 7 【 C7】
6、8 【 C8】 9 【 C9】 10 【 C10】 11 【 C11】 12 【 C12】 13 【 C13】 14 【 C14】 15 【 C15】 二、 Reading Comprehension 15 With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject-matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate
7、branch of literature, or at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel. The detective story is probably the most respectable(at any rate in the narrow sense of the word)of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university scholars
8、, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Disastrous deaths may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in t
9、he newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate acquaintances. A story set in a more remote African jungle or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London appeals to our interest in geogra
10、phy or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably true background. The elaborate, carefully-assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of “significant“ novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clue
11、s, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly take delight in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicio
12、n which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent. Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the he
13、ro, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast
14、to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable
15、 elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously. 16 The crime novel is regarded by the author as_. （ A） not a respectable form of the traditional novel （ B） not a true novel at all （ C） related in some
16、 ways to the historical novel （ D） a distinct branch of the traditional novel 17 The creation of detective stories has its origin in_. （ A） seeking rest from work or worries （ B） solving mysterious deaths in this society （ C） restoring expectations in polite society （ D） preventing crimes 18 The cha
17、racters of the detective stories are, generally speaking,_. （ A） more profound than those of the traditional novels （ B） as real as life itself （ C） not like human beings at all （ D） not very profound but not unlikely 19 The setting of the detective stories is sometimes in a more remote place becaus
18、e_. （ A） it is more real （ B） our friends are familiar with it （ C） it pleases the readers in a way （ D） it needs the readers support 20 The writer of this passage thinks_. （ A） what people hope for from life can finally be granted if they have confidence （ B） people like to feel that justice and go
19、odness will always triumph （ C） they know in the real world good does not prevail over evil （ D） their hopes in life can only be fulfilled through fiction reading 20 Low-level slash-and-burn farming doesnt harm rainforest. On the contrary, it helps farmers and improves forest soils. This is the unor
20、thodox view of a German soil scientist who has shown that burnt clearings in the Amazon, dating back more than 1 000 years, helped create patches of rich, fertile soil that farmers still benefit from today. Most rainforest soils are thin and poor because they lack minerals and because the heat and h
21、eavy rainfall destroy most organic matter in the soils within four years of it reaching the forest floor. This means topsoil contains few of the ingredients needed for long-term successful farming. But Bruno Glaser, a soil scientist of the University of Bayreuth, has studied unexpected patches of fe
22、rtile soils in the central Amazon. These soils contain lots of organic matter. Glaser has shown that most of this fertile organic matter comes from “black carbon“ the organic particles from camp fires and charred(烧成炭的 )wood left over from thousands of years of slash-and-burn faring.“ The soils, know
23、n as Terra Preta, contained up to 70 times more black carbon than the surrounding soil,“ says Glaser. Unburnt vegetation rots quickly, but black carbon persists in the soil for many centuries. Radiocarbon dating shows that the charred wood in Terra Preta soils is typically more than 1 000 years old.
24、 “Slash-and-burn farming can be good for soils provided it doesnt completely burn all the vegetation, and leaves behind charred wood,“ says Glaser. “It can be better than manure(粪肥 ).“ Burning the forest just once can leave behind enough black carbon to keep the soil fertile for thousands of years.
25、And rainforests easily regrow after small-scale clearing. Contrary to the conventional view that human activities damage the environment, Glaser says,“black carbon combined with human wastes is responsible for the richness of Terra Preta soils.“ Terra Preta soils turn up in large patches all over th
26、e Amazon, where they are highly prized by farmers. All the patches fall within 500 square kilometers in the central Amazon. Glaser says the widespread presence of pottery confirms the soils human origins. The findings add weight to the theory that large areas of the Amazon have recovered so well fro
27、m past periods of agricultural use that the regrowth has been mistaken by generations of biologists for “virgin“ forest. During the past decade, researchers have discovered hundreds of large earth works deep in the jungle. They are up to 20 meters high and cover up to a square kilometer. Glaser clai
28、ms that these earth works, built between AD 400 and 1400, were at the heart of urban civilizations. Now it seems the richness of the Terra Preta soils may explain how such civilizations managed to feed themselves. 21 We learn from the passage that the traditional view of slash-and-burn farming is th
29、at_. （ A） it does no harm to the topsoil of the rainforest （ B） it destroys rainforest soils （ C） it helps improve rainforest soils （ D） it diminishes the organic matter in rainforest soils 22 Most rainforest soils are thin and poor because_. （ A） the composition of the topsoil is rather unstable （
30、B） black carbon is washed away by heavy rains （ C） organic matter is quickly lost due to heat and rain （ D） long-term farming has exhausted the ingredients essential to plant growth 23 Glaser made his discovery by_. （ A） studying patches of fertile soils in the central Amazon （ B） examining pottery
31、left over by ancient civilizations （ C） test-burning patches of trees in the central Amazon （ D） radiocarbon-dating ingredients contained in forest soils 24 What does Glaser say about the regrowth of rainforests? （ A） They take centuries to regrow after being burnt. （ B） They cannot recover unless t
32、he vegetation is burnt completely. （ C） Their regrowth will be hampered by human habitation （ D） They can recover easily after slash-and-burn farming. 25 From the passage it can be inferred that_. （ A） human activities will do grave damage to rainforests （ B） Amazon rainforest soils used to be the r
33、ichest in the world （ C） farming is responsible for the destruction of the Amazon rainforests （ D） there once existed an urban civilization in the Amazon rainforests 25 As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever earlie
34、r age. This isnt the stuff of gloomy philosophical contemplations, but a fact of Europes new economic landscape, embraced by sociologists, real-estate developers and ad executives alike. The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle, observes a French sociologist, is part of the “irresistible mo
35、mentum of individualism“ over the last century. The communications revolution, the shift from a business culture of stability to one of mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on(扰乱 )Europeans private lives. Europes new economic climate has largely fostered
36、 the trend toward independence. The current generation of home-aloners came of age during Europes shift from social democracy to the sharper, more individualistic climate of American style capitalism. Raised in an era of privatization and increased consumer choice, todays tech-savvy(精通技术的 )workers h
37、ave embraced a free market in love as well as economics. Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford to live alone, and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so. Once upon a time, people who lived alone tended to be those on either side of marriage-twenty something professionals or widowed
38、 senior citizens. While pensioners, particularly elderly women, make up a large proportion of those living alone, the newest crop of singles are high earners in their 30s and 40s who increasingly view living alone as a lifestyle choice. Living alone was conceived to be negative, dark and cold, while
39、 being together suggested warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, strong! Now, young people want to live alone. The booming economy means people are working harder than ever. And that doesnt leave much room for relationships. Pimpi Arroyo, a 35-year-old
40、 composer who lives alone in a house in Paris, says he hasnt got time to get lonely because he has too much work. “I have deadlines which would make life with someone else fairly difficult.“ Only an Ideal Woman would make him change his lifestyle, he says. Kaufmann, author of a recent book called “T
41、he Single Woman and Prince Charming,“ thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more of mates, so relationships dont last long if they start at all. Eppendorf, a blond Berliner with a deep tan, teaches grade school in the morning. In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps
42、, resting up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says shed never have wanted to do what her mother did give up a career to raise a family. Instead, “Ive always done what I wanted to do: live a self-determined life.“ 26 More and more young Europeans remain single because_. （ A） they are driven by
43、an overwhelming sense of individualism （ B） they have entered the workforce at a much earlier age （ C） they have embraced a business culture of stability （ D） they are pessimistic about their economic future 27 What is said about European society in the passage? （ A） It has fostered the trend toward
44、s small families. （ B） It is getting closer to American-style capitalism. （ C） It has limited consumer choice despite a free market （ D） It is being threatened by irresistible privatization. 28 According to Paragraph 3, the newest group of singles are_. （ A） warm and lighthearted （ B） on either side
45、 of marriage （ C） negative and gloomy （ D） healthy and wealthy 29 The author quotes Eppendorf to show that_. （ A） some modern women prefer a life of individual freedom （ B） the family is no longer the basic unit of society in present-day Europe （ C） some professional people have too much work to do
46、to feel lonely （ D） most Europeans conceive living a single life as unacceptable 30 What is the authors purpose in writing the passage? （ A） To review the impact of women becoming high earners. （ B） To contemplate the philosophy underlying individualism. （ C） To examine the trend of young people liv
47、ing alone. （ D） To stress the rebuilding of personal relationships. 30 It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance youve got to work hard. However, hard training breaks you down and makes you weaker. It is rest that makes you stronger. Improvement only occurs during the rest
48、period following hard training. This adaptation is accomplished by improving efficiency of the heart and certain systems within the muscle cells. During recovery periods these systems build to greater levels to compensate for the stress that you have applied. The result is that you are now at a high
49、er level of performance. If sufficient rest is not included in a training program, imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest will occur, and performance will decline. The “overtraining syndrome(综合征 )“ is the name given to the collection of emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms due to overtraining that has persisted for weeks to months. It is marked by cumulative exhaustion that persists even after recovery
