1、2008年清华大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Structure and Vocabulary 1 The European Union countries were once worried that they would not have_. （ A） sufficient （ B） efficient （ C） potential （ D） proficient 2 Wed like to_a table for five for dinner this evening. （ A） preserve （ B） prosperity （ C） sustain （ D） retain
2、 3 Britain has the highest_of road traffic in the world over 60 cars for every mile of road. （ A） popularity （ B） prosperity （ C） intensity （ D） density 4 I would never have_a court of law if I hadnt been so desperate. （ A） sought for （ B） accounted for （ C） turned up （ D） resorted to 5 The energy_b
3、y the chain reaction is transformed into heat. （ A） transferred （ B） released （ C） conveyed （ D） delivered 6 It is required that during the process great care has to be taken to protect the_ silk from damage. （ A） sensitive （ B） sensible （ C） tender （ D） delicate 7 To our_, Geoffreys illness proved
4、not to be as serious as we had feared. （ A） relief （ B） view （ C） anxiety （ D） judgment 8 The government will take some action to_the two big quarreling companies. （ A） jigsaw （ B） jot （ C） impulse （ D） reconcile 9 As automation became popular in most factories, labor was made_. （ A） destined （ B） r
5、edundant （ C） diverse （ D） discontent 10 They have_her unreasonable request for her annual salary. （ A） destined （ B） chorded （ C） repelled （ D） commenced 11 When you prepare for your speech, be sure to cite_qualified sources of information and examples. （ A） unbiased （ B） manipulated （ C） distorted
6、 （ D） conveyed 12 It is apparent that winning the scholarship is _of ones intelligence in the field of physics. （ A） parallelism （ B） alliteration （ C） testimony （ D） rhythm 13 In court he repeated his_that he was not guilty in front of the jury. （ A） impressions （ B） alliteration （ C） clauses （ D）
7、testimony 14 Shopping malls have some advantages in suffering from shorter periods of_ business. （ A） stale （ B） slack （ C） ferrous （ D） abundant 15 According to the Geneva_no prisoners of war shall be subject to abuse. （ A） Customs （ B） Congresses （ C） Conventions （ D） Routines 16 Before the genera
8、l election many senior citizens signed the _ against the spreading of nuclear arms. （ A） contract （ B） petition （ C） supplication （ D） potential 17 Scientists believe that there is not enough oxygen in the Moons atmosphere to _plant life. （ A） adapt （ B） personalize （ C） sustain （ D） describe 18 I c
9、ant remember exactly what triggered the explosion but it was pretty_. （ A） estimating （ B） devastating （ C） reprocessing （ D） preferring 19 The industry has pumped_amounts of money into political campaigns, making it less and less likely that politicians will deal with the issue sensibly. （ A） poten
10、tial （ B） substantial （ C） massive （ D） traditional 20 I was entrusted to_to a newspaper article making predictions for the New Year. （ A） contribute （ B） detract （ C） convert （ D） entail 21 After 1989 the external_ vanished, but the danger to American civilization remained. （ A） disruption （ B） men
11、ace （ C） liability （ D） emergence 22 The government is trying to help these enterprises out of the _by various means. （ A） flight （ B） plight （ C） delight （ D） twilight 23 An archaeologist has to pay much attention to_details of an unearthed object. （ A） miserable （ B） punched （ C） minute （ D） moist
12、 24 The girl_her tablemates arm to see if she was fast asleep at class. （ A） pinched （ B） punched （ C） pitched （ D） preached 25 Most of the local people involved in the affair have been_and dismissed. （ A） smuggled （ B） prosecuted （ C） saluted （ D） preached 26 I can respect someone who is_for their
13、actions, but I cannot respect someone who is always pointing the finger. （ A） millennium （ B） dominant （ C） accountable （ D） commercial 27 All the products made in China are sold and distributed in _ with the U. S. Export Administration Regulations and also local country rules. （ A） compliance （ B）
14、prosperity （ C） merchandise （ D） intersection 28 One of the main reasons is that the universitys_attracts students and faculty staff all over the world. （ A） fraud （ B） respondent （ C） misconduct （ D） prestige 29 Even though the investigation has been going on for two months, the police have _no fur
15、ther details about the accident. （ A） comprised （ B） formulated （ C） released （ D） incorporated 30 They want to stimulate economic growth in the region by offering_ to foreign investors. （ A） incentives （ B） abundances （ C） warriors （ D） outnumbers 31 Why be_ about that old coat? Theres no point in
16、keeping it just because you were wearing it when you first met me. （ A） sensitive （ B） sensible （ C） sentimental （ D） sensational 32 _ and hard work are the cornerstones of this company. （ A） Mutilation （ B） Innovation （ C） Empire （ D） Strength 33 The protests were part of their_against the proposed
17、 building development in the area. （ A） commission （ B） commitment （ C） convention （ D） campaign 34 Some people seem to_on the pressure of working under a deadline. （ A） render （ B） evolve （ C） prevail （ D） thrive 35 These changes have not been sufficient to_the losses. （ A） stem （ B） stimulate （ C）
18、 cause （ D） compensate 36 Psychologists believe that children are easily influenced by their_. （ A） conditions （ B） combinations （ C） peers （ D） granaries 37 Several_for global warming have been suggested by climate researchers. （ A） systems （ B） sentences （ C） fallacies （ D） hypotheses 38 These nat
19、ural resources will be_sooner or later in the present rate of exploitation. （ A） depleted （ B） deployed （ C） inclined （ D） mingled 39 The military operations _ yesterday were targeted at the military installations. （ A） propelled （ B） commenced （ C） plagued （ D） modulated 40 Artificial intelligence
20、deals partly with the_between the computer and the human brain. （ A） profile （ B） mighty （ C） analogy （ D） leakage 二、 Reading Comprehension 40 There are over 6,000 different computer and online games in the world now. A segment of them are considered to be both educational and harmlessly entertainin
21、g. One such game teaches geography and another trains pilots. Others train the player in logical thinking and problem solving. Some games may also help young people to become more computer literate, which is more important in this technology-driven era. But the dark side of the computer games has be
22、come more and more obvious. “A segment of games features anti-social themes of violence, sex and crude language, “ says David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and Family. “Unfortunately, its a segment that seems particularly popular with kids aged from eight to fifteen. “ One stud
23、y showed that almost 90 percent of the computer and online games young people preferred contained violence. The investigators said, “There are not just games anymore. These are learning machines. Were teaching kids in the most incredible manner what its like to pull the trigger. What they are not le
24、arning are the real-life consequences. “ They also said, “The new and more sophisticated games are even worse, because they have better graphics and allow the player to participate in even more realistic violent acts. “ In the game Carmageddon, for example, the player will have driven over and kille
25、d up to 33,000 people by the time all levels are compelled. A description of the outcome of the game says: “Your victims not only squish under your tires and splatter blood on the windshield, they also get on their knees and beg for mercy, or commit suicide. If you like, you can also dismember them.
26、 “ Is all this simulated violence harmful? Approximately 3, 000 different studies have been conducted on this subject. Many have suggested that there is a connection between violence in games and increasing aggressiveness in the players. Some specialists downplay the influence of the games, saying t
27、hat other factors must be taken into consideration, such as the possibility that kids who already have violent tendencies are choosing such games. But could it be that violent games still play a contributing role? It seems unrealistic to insist that people are not influenced by what they see. If tha
28、t were true, why would the commercial world spend billions of dollars annually on television advertising? 41 Which of the following computer games are NOT mentioned as educational and harmlessly entertaining? （ A） Those that teach how to fly an airplane. （ B） Those that teach the features of the ear
29、th. （ C） Those that help people use computer language. （ D） Those that teach computer technology. 42 According to the investigators, _. （ A） the new and more sophisticated games allow the players to take part in real violent acts （ B） the new and more sophisticated games teach the players how to kil
30、l other people （ C） most computer and online games make the players forget the real life results （ D） most computer and online games may cultivate young people with bad manners 43 It can be inferred from the passage that_. （ A） more and more young people enjoy cruel computer games （ B） it is hard to
31、 find evidence of a link between violence and computer games （ C） there are now more incidents of violence because of computer games （ D） simulated violence in computer games is different from real violence 44 The author uses “ television advertising“ as an example to show that_. （ A） the commercial
32、 world are contributing to the increased violence in real life （ B） computer and online games are not the only cause of increased violence in real life （ C） there is little link between computer games and increased violence in real life （ D） other factors must be considered as possible causes of vio
33、lence in real life 44 The collapse of the Earths magnetic field which guards the planet and guides many of its creatures appears to have started about 150 years ago, the New York Times reported last week. The fields strength has decreased by 10 or 15 percent so far and this has increased the debate
34、over whether it signals a reversal of the planets lines of magnetic force. During a reversal, the main field weakens, almost vanishes, and reappears with opposite polarity (极 ). The transition would take thousands of years. Once completed, compass needles that had pointed north would point south. A
35、reversal could cause problems for both man and animals. Astronauts and satellites would have diffculties. Birds, fish and animals that rely on the magnetic field for navigation would find migration confusing. But experts links between past field reversals and species extinctions. Although a total tr
36、ansition may be hundreds or thousands of years away, the rapid decline in magnetic strength is already affecting satellites. Last month, the European Space Agency approved the worlds largest effort at tracking the fields shifts. Now a group of satellites called Swarm is to monitor the collapsing fie
37、ld with far greater precision. “ We want to get some idea of how this would evolve in the near future, just like people trying to predict the weather, “ said Gauthier Hulot , a French geophysicist working on the satellite plan. “Im personally quite convinced we should be able to work out the first p
38、redictions by the end of the mission. “ No matter what the new findings, the public has no reason to panic. Even if a transition is coming on its way, it might take 2,000 years to mature. The last one took place 780,000 years ago, when early humans were learning how to make stone tools. Deep inside
39、the Earth flow hot currents of melted iron. This mechanical energy creates electromagnet-ism. This process is known as the geophysical generator. In a cars generator, the same principle turns mechanical energy into electricity. No one knows precisely why the field periodically reverses. But scientis
40、ts say the responsibility probably lies with changes in the disorderly flows of melted iron, which they see as similar to the gases that make up the clouds of Jupiter. 45 According to the passage, the Earths magnetic field has_. （ A） misguided many a man and animals （ B） begun to change to its oppos
41、ite direction （ C） caused the changes of the polarities （ D） been weakening its strength for a long time 46 During the transition of the Earths magnetic field, _. （ A） compass will become useless （ B） man and animals will be confused in directions （ C） the magnetic strength of the Earth will disappe
42、ar （ D） the magnetic strength of the Earth will be stronger 47 The author says “.the public has no reason to panic “ because_. （ A） the transition is still thousands of years from now （ B） the transition can be precisely predicted by scientists （ C） the process of the transition will take a very lon
43、g time to finish （ D） the new transition will come 780,000 years later 48 The cause of the transition of the Earths magnetic field comes from_. （ A） the movement deep inside the Earth （ B） the periodical reverses of the Earth （ C） the force coming from outer space （ D） the mechanical movement of the
44、 Earth 48 The terrorist attacks in London Thursday served as a jarring reminder that in todays world, you never know what you might see when you pick up the newspaper or turn on the TV. Disturbing images of terror can trigger a visceral response no matter how close or far away from home the event ha
45、ppened. Throughout history, every military conflict has involved psychological warfare in one way or another as the enemy sought to break the morale of their opponent. But thanks to advances in technology, the popularity of the Internet, and proliferation of news coverage, the rules of engagement in
46、 this type of mental battle have changed. Whether its a massive attack or a single horrific act, the effects of psychological warfare arent limited to the physical damage inflicted. Instead, the goal of these attacks is to instill a sense of fear that is much greater than the actual threat itself. T
47、herefore, the impact of psychological terror depends largely on how the acts are publicized and interpreted. But that also means there are ways to defend yourself and your loved ones by putting these fears into perspective and protecting your children from horrific images. What is psychological terr
48、or? “ The use of terrorism as a tactic is predicated upon inducing a climate of fear that is incommensurate with the actual threat,“ says Middle Eastern historian Richard Bulliet of Columbia University. “Every time you have an act of violence, publicizing that violence becomes an important part of t
49、he act itself. “ “There are various ways to have your impact. You can have your impact by the magnitude of what you do, by the symbolic character of target, or the horrific quality of what you do to a single person, “ Bulliet tells WebMD. “ The point is that it isnt what you do, but its how its covered that determines the effec
