1、2009年中国矿业大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Cloze 0 Solving a problem can be broken into several steps. First, the problem must be identified correctly. Psychologists refer【 C1】 _this step as problem representation. For many problems, figuring【 C2】 _which information is relevant and which is extraneous can be diff
2、icult and can interfere【 C3】 _arriving at a good solution. Clearly, before a problem can be solved, it must be obvious【 C4】 _the problem is, however, this is not as easy【 C5】 _it might seem. One obstacle to efficient problem representation is functional fixedness, that is, allowing preconceived noti
3、ons and even prejudices to color the facts. Moat people tend【 C6】 _see objects and events in certain fixed ways, and by being inflexible in viewing the problem, they may be unable to notice the tools【 C7】 _the solution. Once the problem is identified accurately, 【 C8】 _, the second step consists【 C9
4、】 _considering the alternatives for a solution. A common way to evaluate alternatives is to write them【 C10】 _and then make a list【 C11】 _advantages and disadvantages for each solution. Here again, people may be limited by prior experiences. Often people adopt mental sets【 C12】 _lead them to the sam
5、e problem-solving strategies that were successful for problems【 C13】 _the past. Although that can be helpful most【 C14】 _the time, sometimes a new situation requires a different strategy. 【 C15】 _that case, the mental set must be abandoned, and new alternatives must be explored. 1 【 C1】 2 【 C2】 3 【
6、C3】 4 【 C4】 5 【 C5】 6 【 C6】 7 【 C7】 8 【 C8】 9 【 C9】 10 【 C10】 11 【 C11】 12 【 C12】 13 【 C13】 14 【 C14】 15 【 C15】 二、 Reading Comprehension 15 Many of the most flexible examples of tool use in animals come from primates(the order that includes humans, apes, and monkeys). For example, many wild primates
7、 use objects to threaten outsiders. But there are many examples of tool use by other mammals, as well as by birds and other types of animals. Tools are used by many species in the capture or preparation of food. Chimpanzees use sticks and poles to bring out ants and termites from their hiding places
8、. Among the most complex tool use observed in the wild is the use of stones by Ivory Coast chimpanzees to crack nuts open. They select a large flat stone as an anvil(a heavy block on which to place the nuts)and a smaller stone as a hammer. Stones suitable for use as anvils are not easy to find, and
9、often a chimpanzee may carry a haul of nuts more than 40 meters to find a suitable anvil. The use of tools in chimpanzees is especially interesting because these animals sometimes modify tools to make them better suited for their intended purpose. To make a twig more effective for digging out termit
10、es, for example, a chimp may first strip it of its leaves. Surprisingly, there is also a species of bird that uses sticks to probe holes in the search for insects. One of the species of Galapagos finch, the woodpecker finch, picks up or breaks off a twig, cactus spine, or leaf stem. This primitive t
11、ool is then held in the beak and used to probe for insects in holes in trees that the bird cannot probe directly with its beak. Birds have been seen to carry twigs from tree to tree searching for prey. Tools may also be used for defense. Hermit crabs grab sea anemones with their claws and use them a
12、s weapons to repel their enemies. Studies have demonstrated that these crabs significantly improve their chances against predators such as octopus by means of this tactic. Also, many species of forest-dwelling primates defend themselves by throwing objects, including stones, at intruders. 16 What do
13、es the passage mainly discuss? （ A） Primates are superior to other animals in using tools. （ B） The use of stones as tools is similar across different animal species. （ C） Birds and primates use tools that are different from those of sea animals. （ D） Many animals have developed effective ways of us
14、ing tools. 17 According to the passage, Ivory Coast chimpanzees are among the most remarkable of animal tool users because they_. （ A） use tools to gather food （ B） use more than one tool to accomplish a task （ C） transport tools from one place to another （ D） hide their tools from other animals 18
15、Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the behavior of the woodpecker finch? （ A） It uses its beak as a weapon against its enemies. （ B） It uses the same twig to look for food in different trees. （ C） It uses twigs and leaves to build its nest. （ D） It avoids areas where cactu
16、s grows. 19 According to the passage, studies have shown that hermit crabs manage to turn octopus away by_. （ A） attacking the octopus with their claws （ B） using stones as weapons （ C） defending themselves with sea anemones （ D） hiding under sea plants 20 Forest primates and certain sea animals are
17、 mentioned in the passage as examples of animals that use tools EXCEPT for_. （ A） self-protection （ B） food preparation （ C） hunting prey （ D） building nests or home 20 Printmaking is the generic term for a number of processes, of which woodcut and engraving are two prime examples. Prints are made b
18、y pressing a sheet of paper(or other material)against an image-bearing surface to which ink has been applied. When the paper is removed, the image adheres to it, but in reverse. The woodcut had been used in China from the fifth century A. D. for applying patterns to textiles. The process was not int
19、roduced into Europe until the fourteenth century, first for textile decoration and then for printing on paper. Woodcuts are created by a relief process; first the artist take a block of wood, which has been sawed parallel to the grain, covers it with a white ground, and then draws the image in ink.
20、The background is carved away, leaving the design area slightly raised. The woodblock is inked, and the ink adheres to the raised image. It is then transferred to damp paper either by hand or with a printing press. Engraving, which grew out of the goldsmiths art, originated in Germany and northern I
21、taly in the middle of the fifteenth century. It is an intaglio process(from Italian intagliare, “to carve“). The image is incised into a highly polished metal plate, usually copper, with a cutting instrument, or burin. The artist inks the plate and wiped it clean so that some ink remains in the inci
22、sed grooves. An impression is made on damp paper in a printing press, with sufficient pressure being applied so that the paper picks up the ink. Both woodcut and engraving have distinctive characteristics. Engraving lends itself to subtle modeling and shading through the use of fine lines. Hatching
23、and cross-hatching determine the degree of light and shade in a print. Woodcuts tend to be more linear, with sharper contrasts between light and dark. Printmaking is well suited to the production of multiple images. A set of multiples is called an edition. Both methods can yield several hundred good
24、-quality prints before the original block or plate begins to show signs of wear. Mass production of prints in the sixteenth century made images available, at a lower cost, to a much broader public than before. 21 What does the passage mainly discuss? （ A） The origins of textile decoration （ B） The c
25、haracteristics of good-quality prints （ C） Two types of printmaking （ D） Types of paper used in printmaking 22 The authors purposes in paragraph 2 is to describe_. （ A） the woodcuts found in China in the fifth century （ B） the use of woodcuts in the textile industry （ C） the process involved in crea
26、ting a woodcut （ D） the introduction of woodcuts to Europe 23 The word “incised“ in line 15 is closest in meaning to_. （ A） burned （ B） cut （ C） framed （ D） baked 24 According to the passage, what do woodcut and engraving have in common? （ A） Their designs are slightly raised. （ B） They achieve cont
27、rast through hatching and cross-hatching. （ C） They were first used in Europe. （ D） They allow multiple copies to be produced from one original. 25 According to the passage, all of the following are true about prints EXCEPT that they_. （ A） can be reproduced on materials other than paper （ B） are cr
28、eated from a reversed image （ C） show variations between light and dark shades （ D） require a printing press 25 In Death Valley, California, one of the hottest, most arid places in North America, there is much salt, and salt can damage rocks impressively. Inhabitants of areas elsewhere, where street
29、s and highways are salted to control ice, are familiar with the resulting rust and deterioration on cars. That attests to the chemically corrosive nature of salt, but it is not the way salt destroys rocks. Salt breaks rocks apart principally by a process called crystal prying and wedging. This happe
30、ns not by soaking the rocks in salt water, but by moistening their bottoms with salt water. Such conditions exist in many areas along the eastern edge of central Death Valley. There, salty water rises from the groundwater table by capillary action through tiny spaces in sediment until it reaches the
31、 surface. Most stones have capillary passages that suck salt water from the wet ground. Death Valley provides an ultra-dry atmosphere and high daily temperatures, which promote evaporation and the formation of salt crystals along the cracks or other opening within stones. These crystals grow as long
32、 as salt water is available. Like tree roots breaking up a sidewalk, the growing crystals exert pressure on the rock and eventually pry the rock apart along planes of weakness, such as banding in metamorphic rocks, bedding in sedimentary rocks, or preexisting or incipient fractions, and along bounda
33、ries between individual mineral crystals or grains. Besides crystal growth, the expansion of halite crystals(the same as everyday table salt)by heating and of sulfates and similar salts by hydration can contribute additional stresses. A rock durable enough to have withstood natural conditions for a
34、very long time in other areas could probably be shattered into small pieces by salt weathering within a few generations. The dominant salt in Death Valley is halite, or sodium chloride, but other salts, mostly carbonates and sulfates, also cause prying and wedging, as does ordinary ice. Weathering b
35、y a variety of salts, though often subtle, is a worldwide phenomenon. Not restricted to arid regions, intense salt weathering occurs mostly in salt-rich places like the seashore, near the large saline lakes in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and in desert sections of Australia, New Zealand, and centr
36、al Asia. 26 What is the passage mainly about? （ A） The destructive effects of salt on rocks. （ B） The impressive salt rocks in Death Valley. （ C） The amount of salt produced in Death Valley. （ D） The damaging effects of salt on roads and highways. 27 In lines 13-17, why does the author compare tree
37、roots with growing salt crystals? （ A） They both force hard surfaces to crack. （ B） They both grow as long as water is available. （ C） They both reach quickly to a rise in temperature. （ D） They both cause salty water to rise from the groundwater table. 28 The word “shattered“ in line 20 is closest
38、in meaning to_. （ A） arranged （ B） dissolved （ C） broken apart （ D） gathered together 29 According to the passage, which of the following is true about the effects of salts on rocks? （ A） Only two types of salts cause prying and wedging. （ B） Salts usually cause damage only in combination with ice.
39、（ C） A variety of salts in all kinds of environments can cause weathering. （ D） Salt damage at the seashore is more severe than salt damage in Death Valley. 30 Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about rocks that are found in areas where ice is common? （ A） They are protected fro
40、m weathering. （ B） They do not allow capillary action of water. （ C） They show similar kinds of damage as rocks in Death Valley. （ D） They contain more carbonates than sulfates. 30 As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an
41、 ever earlier 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 “irr
42、esistible momentum 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 larg
43、ely fostered 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
44、 )workers have 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 marriagetwenty something professionals
45、or widowed 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 co
46、ld, while being together suggested warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, and 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,
47、a 35-year-old 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 bo
48、ok called “The 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 mornings. In the afternoon she sunbat
49、hes or sleeps, resting up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says shed never have wanted to do what her mother didgive up a career to raise a family. Instead, “Ive always done what I wanted to do: live a self-determined life.“ 31 More and more young Europeans remain single because_. （ A） they are driven by an overwhelming sense of individualism （ B） they have entered the workforce at a much earlier age （ C） they have embraced a business culture of
