1、2008年武汉大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Auctions are public sales of goods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowd assembled in the auction-room to make offers, or “bids“, for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures and finally name
2、s the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called “knocking down“ the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands. This is often set on a raised platform called a rostrum. The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction, and t
3、he English word comes from the Latin Autcio, meaning “increase“. The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war; these sales were called sub hasta, meaning “under the spear“, a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather. In England in the eighteenth and nineteenth
4、 centuries, goods were often sold “by the candle“: a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, and bids could be made while it stayed alight. Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, hides, skins, wool, tea, cocoa, furs, spices, fruit and vegetables and w
5、ines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, antique furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. The auction-rooms as Christies and Sothebys in London and New York are world-famous. An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the article
6、s to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by prospective buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a “lot“, is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot I and continue in numerical
7、order; he may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneers services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in
8、pushing up the bidding as high as possible. 1 Why is the end of the bidding called “knocking down“? （ A） Because the auctioneer knocks the buyer down. （ B） Because the auctioneers knocks the rostrum down. （ C） Because the goods are knocked down on to the table. （ D） Because the auctioneer bangs the
9、table with a hammer. 2 The Roman used to sell by auction_ （ A） spoilt goods （ B） old worn-out weapons （ C） property taken from the enemy （ D） spears 3 A candle used to burn at auction sales_ （ A） because they took place at night （ B） as a signal for the crowd to gather （ C） to keep the auctioneer wa
10、rm （ D） to limit the time when offers could be made 4 The auctioneer may decide to sell the “lots“ out of the order because _ （ A） he sometimes wants to confuse the buyers （ B） he knows from experience that certain people will want to buy certain items （ C） he wants to keep certain people waiting （
11、D） he wants to reduce the number of buyers 4 Space is a dangerous place, not only because of meteors but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. Doses of radiation are measured in units called “rems“. We all receive radiation h
12、ere on Earth from the sun, from cosmic rays and from radioactive minerals. The “normal“ dose of radiation that we receive each year is about 100 millirems; it varies according to where you live, and this is a very rough estimate. Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more ra
13、diation than this without being damaged, the figure of 60 rems has been agreed. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage- a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will not be discovered until the birth of
14、 children or even grandchildren. Early space probes showed that radiation varies in different parts of space around the Earth. It also varies in time because, when great spurts of gas shoot out of the sun, they are accompanied by a lot of extra radiation. Some estimates of the amount of radiation in
15、 space, based on various measurements and calculations, are as low as 10 rems per year; others are as high as 5 rems per hour. Missions to the moon have had to cross the Van Alien belts of high radiation and, during the outward and return journeys, the Apollo 8 crew accumulated a total dose of about
16、 200 millirems per man. It was hoped that there would not be any large solar flares during the times of the Apollo noon walks because the walls of the LEMs were not thick enough to protect the men inside. Though the command modules did give reasonable protection. So far, no dangerous doses of radiat
17、ion have been reported, but the Gemini orbits and the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory or in a base on the moon. Drugs might help to de
18、crease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far. At present, radiation seems to be the greatest physical hazard to space travelers, but it is impossible to say just how serious the hazard will turn out to be in the future. 5 Scientists have fixed a safety lev
19、el of_ （ A） 10 rems per year （ B） 60 rems per year （ C） 100 milliremes per year （ D） 5 rems hour 6 The spacemen were worried about solar flares when they were_ （ A） crossing the Van Alien belts （ B） setting up a moon base （ C） exploring the surface of the moon （ D） waiting in the command module 7 Wh
20、en men spend long periods in space how will they protect themselves? （ A） By taking special drugs. （ B） By wearing special suits. （ C） By using a protective blanket. （ D） No solution has been found yet. 8 Which of the following is true? （ A） The grandchildren of astronauts are deformed. （ B） The chi
21、ldren of astronauts have damaged sex organs. （ C） Radiation damage may show only in later generations. （ D） Radiation does not seem to be very harmful. 8 Over the past decade, American companies have tried hard to find ways to discourage senior managers from feathering their own nests at the expense
22、 of their shareholders. The three most popular reforms have been recruiting more outside directors in order to make boards more independent, linking bosses pay to various performance measures, and giving bosses share options, so that they have the same long-term interests as their shareholders. Thes
23、e reforms have been widely adopted by Americas larger companies, and surveys suggest that many more companies are thinking of following their lead. But have they done any good? Three papers presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Boston this week suggest not. Start with those
24、 independent boards. On the face of it, dismissing the bosss friends from the board and replacing them with outsiders looks a perfect way to make senior managers more accountable. But that is not the conclusion of a study by Professor James Westphal. Instead, he found that bosses with a boardroom fu
25、ll of outsiders spend much of their time building alliances, doing personal favors and generally pleasing the outsiders. All too often, these seductions succeed. Mr. Westphal found that, to a remarkable degree, “independent“ boards pursue strategies that are likely to favor senior managers rather th
26、an shareholders. Such companies diversify their business, increase the pay of executives and weaken the link between pay and performance. To assess the impact of performance-related pay, Mr. Westphal asked the bosses of 103 companies with sales of over $1 billion what measurements were used to deter
27、mine their pay. The measurements varied widely, ranging from sales to earnings per share. But the researchers big discovery was that bosses attend to measures that affect their own incomes and ignore or play down other factors that affect a companys overall success. In short, bosses are quick to tur
28、n every imaginable system of corporate government to their advantage-which is probably why they are the people who are put in charge of things. Here is a paradox for the management theorists: any boss who cannot beat a system designed to keep him under control is probably not worth having. 9 What is
29、 the purpose of the large companies in recruiting outsiders and putting them on the board of directors? （ A） To diversify the business of corporation （ B） To enhance the cooperation between the senior managers and the board directors. （ C） To introduce effective reforms in business management. （ D）
30、to protect the interests of the shareholders. 10 What does professor James Westphals study suggest? （ A） Boardroom reforms have failed to achieve the desired result. （ B） Outside board directors tend to be more independent. （ C） With a boardroom full of outsiders, senior managers work more conscient
31、iously. （ D） Cooperation between senior managers and board directors suffered from the reforms. 11 Which of the following statements is true? （ A） Corporate executives in general are worth the high pay they receive. （ B） The income of corporate executives is proportional to the growth of corporate p
32、rofits. （ C） Corporate executives tend to take advantage of their position to enrich themselves. （ D） The performance of corporate executives affects their own interests more than those of the shareholders. 12 How does the author feel about the efforts to control senior executives? （ A） Doubtful. （
33、B） Optimistic. （ C） Positive. （ D） Approving 12 There is extraordinary exposure in the United States to the risks of injury and death from motor vehicle accidents. More than 80 percent of all households own passenger cars or light trucks and each of these is driven an average of more than 11,000 mil
34、es each year. Almost one-half of fatally injured drivers have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1 percent or higher. For the average adult, over five ounces of 80 proof spirits would have to be consumed over a short period of time attain these levels. One third of drivers who have been drinki
35、ng, but fewer than 4 percent of all drivers, demonstrate levels. Although less than 1 percent of drivers with BACs of 0.1 percent or more are involved in fatal crashes, the probability of their involvement is 27 times higher than for those without alcohol in their blood. There are a number of differ
36、ent approaches to reducing injuries in which intoxication plays a role. Based on the observation that excessive consumption correlates with the total alcohol consumption of a countrys population, it has been suggested that higher taxes on alcohol would reduce both. While the heavier drinkers would b
37、e taxed the most, anyone who drinks at all would be penalized by this approach. To make drinking and driving a criminal offense is an approach directed only at intoxicated drivers. In some states, the law empowers police to request breath tests of drivers cited for any traffic offense and elevated B
38、AC can be the basis for arrest. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates, however, that even with increased arrests, there are about 700 violations for every arrest. At this level there is little evidence that laws serve as deterrents to drinking while intoxicated. In Britain, mo
39、tor vehicle fatalities fell 25 percent immediately following implementation of the Road Safety Act in 1967. As the British increasingly recognized that they could drink and not be stopped, the effectiveness declined, although in the ensuing three years the fatality rate seldom reached that observed
40、in the seven years prior to the Act. Whether penalties for driving with a high BAC or excessive taxation on consumption of alcoholic beverages will deter the excessive drinkers responsible for most fatalities is unclear. In part, the answer depends on the extent to which those with high BACs involve
41、d in crashes are capable of controlling their intake in response to economic or penal threat. Therapeutic programs which range from individual and group counseling and psychotherapy to chemotherapy constitute another approach, but they have not diminished the proportion of accidents in which alcohol
42、 was a factor. In the few controlled trials that have been reported there is little evidence that rehabilitation programs for those repeatedly arrested for drunken behavior have reduced either the recidivism or crash rates. Thus far, there is no firm evidence that Alcohol Safety Action Project suppo
43、rted programs, in which rehabilitation measures are requested by the court, have decreased recidivism or crash involvement for clients exposed to them, although knowledge and attitudes have improved. One thing is clear, however: unless we deal with automobile and highway safety and reduce accidents
44、in which alcoholic intoxication plays a role, many will continue to die. 13 The author is primarily concerned with _ （ A） interpreting the results of surveys on traffic fatalities （ B） reviewing the effectiveness of attempts to curb drunk driving （ C） suggesting reasons for the prevalence of drunk d
45、riving in the United States （ D） analyzing the causes of the large number of annual traffic fatalities 14 It can be inferred that the 1967 Road Safety Act in Britain_ （ A） changed an existing law to lower the BAC level which defined driving while intoxicated （ B） made it illegal to drive while intox
46、icated （ C） increased the number of drunk driving arrests （ D） placed a tax on the sale of alcoholic drinks 15 The author cites the British example in order to_ （ A） prove that a slight increase in the number of arrests of intoxicated drivers will not deter drunk driving （ B） prove that stricter enf
47、orcement of laws against intoxicated drivers would reduce traffic deaths （ C） show that the problem of drunk driving is worse in Britain that in U.S. （ D） suggest that taxation of alcohol consumption may be more effective than criminal laws 16 The authors closing remarks can best be described as_ （
48、A） ironic （ B） indignant （ C） indifferent （ D） indecisive 16 Self-esteem is what people think about themselves- whether or not they feel valued and when family members have self-respect, pride, and belief in themselves, this high self-esteem makes it possible to cope with the everyday problems of gr
49、owing up. Successful parent begins by communicating to children that they are loved for no other reasons than just because they exist. Through touch and tone of voice parents tell their infants whether or not they are valued, special, and loved, and it is these messages that form the basis of the childs self-esteem. When children grow up with love and are made to feel lovable despite their mistakes and failures, they are able to interact with others in a responsible, honest, and loving way. A healthy self-esteem is a resource
