1、2012年北京师范大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 In 1900 the United States had only three cities with more than a million residents New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. By 1930, it had ten giant metropolises. The newer ones experienced remarkable growth, which reflected basic changes in the econ
2、omy. Line The population of Los Angeles(114, 000 in 1900)rose spectacularly in the early decades of the twentieth century, increasing a dramatic 1,400 percent from 1900 to 1930. A number of circumstances contributed to the meteoric rise of Los Angeles. The agricultural potential of the area was enor
3、mous if water for irrigation could be found, and the city founders had the vision and dating to obtain it by constructing a 225-mile aqueduct, completed in 1913, to tap the water of the Owens River. The city had a superb natural harbor, as well as excellent rail connections. The climate made it poss
4、ible to shoot motion pictures year-round; hence Hollywood. Hollywood not only supplied jobs; it disseminated an image of the good life in Southern California on screens all across the nation. The most important single industry powering the growth of Los Angeles, however, was directly linked to the a
5、utomobile. The demand for petroleum to fuel gasoline engines led to the opening of the Southern California oil fields, and made Los Angeles North Americas greatest refining center. Los Angeles was a product of the auto age in another sense as well: its distinctive spatial organization depended on wi
6、despread private ownership of automobiles. Los Angeles was a decentralized metropolis, sprawling across the desert landscape over an area of 400 square miles. It was a city without a real center. The downtown business district did not grow apace with the city as a whole, and the rapid transit system
7、 designed to link the center with outlying areas withered away from disuse. Approximately 800, 000 cars were registered in Los Angeles County in 1930, one per 2. 7 residents. Some visitors from the east coast were dismayed at the endless urban sprawl and dismissed Los Angeles as a mere collection of
8、 suburbs in search of a city. But the freedom and mobility of a city built on wheels attracted floods of migrants to the city. 1 What is the passage mainly about? （ A） The growth of cities in the United States in the early 1900s. （ B） The development of the Southern California oil fields. （ C） Facto
9、rs contributing to the growth of Los Angeles. （ D） Industry and city planning in Los Angeles. 2 The author characterizes the growth of new large cities in the United States after 1900 as resulting primarily from . （ A） new economic conditions （ B） images of cities shown in movies （ C） new agricultur
10、al techniques （ D） a large migrant population 3 The word “meteoric“ in Line 6 is closest in meaning to_. （ A） rapid （ B） famous （ C） controversial （ D） methodical 4 According to the passage, the most important factor in the development of agriculture around Los Angeles was the_. （ A） influx of “new
11、residents to agricultural areas near the city“ （ B） construction of an aqueduct （ C） expansion of transportation facilities （ D） development of new connections to the citys natural harbor 5 The visitors from the east coast mentioned in the passage thought that Los Angeles_. （ A） was not accurately p
12、ortrayed by Hollywood images （ B） lacked good suburban areas in which to live （ C） had an excessively large population （ D） was not really a single city 5 Imagine eating everything delicious you want with none of the fat. That would be great, wouldnt it? New “fake fat“ products appeared on store she
13、lves in the United States recently, but not everyone is happy about it. Makers of the products, which contain a compound called olestra, say food manufacturers can now eliminate fat from certain foods, Critics, however, say that the new compound can rob the body of essential vitamins and nutrients a
14、nd can also cause unpleasant side effects in some people. So it is up to consumers to decide whether the new fat-free products taste good enough to keep eating. Chemists discovered olestra in the late 1960s, when they were searching for a fat that could be digested by infants more easily. Instead of
15、 finding the desired fat, the researchers created a fat that cant be digested at all. Normally, special chemicals in the intestines “grab“ molecules of regular fat and break them down so they can be used by the body. A molecule of regular fat is made up of three molecules of substances called fatty
16、acids. The fatty acids are absorbed by the intestines and bring with them the essential vitamins A, D, E and K. When fat molecules are present in the intestines with any of those vitamins, the vitamins attach to the molecules and are carried into the bloodstream. Olestra, which is made from six to e
17、ight molecules of fatty acids, is too large for the intestines to absorb. It just slides through the intestines without being broken down. Manufacturers say its that ability to slide unchanged through the intestines that makes olestra so valuable as a fat substitute. It provides consumers with the t
18、aste of regular fat without any bad effects on the body. But critics say olestra can prevent vitamins A, D, E, and K from being absorbed. It can also prevent the absorption of carotenoids, compounds that may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, etc. Manufacturers are adding vitamins A, D, E and
19、 K as well as carotenoids to their products now. Even so, some nutritionists are still concerned that people might eat unlimited amounts of food made with the fat substitute without worrying about how many calories they are consuming. 6 We learn from the passage that olestra is a substance that_. （
20、A） contains plenty of nutrients （ B） renders foods calorie-free while retaining their vitamins （ C） makes foods easily digestible （ D） makes foods fat-free while keeping them delicious 7 The result of the search for an easily digestible fat turned out to be_. （ A） commercially useless （ B） just as a
21、nticipated （ C） somewhat controversial （ D） quite unexpected 8 Olestra is different from ordinary fats in that_. （ A） it passes through the intestines without being absorbed （ B） it facilitates the absorption of vitamins by the body （ C） it helps reduce the incidence of heart disease （ D） it prevent
22、s excessive intake of vitamins 9 What is a possible effect of olestra according to some critics? （ A） It may impair the digestive system. （ B） It may affect the overall fat intake. （ C） It may increase the risk of cancer. （ D） It may spoil the consumers appetite. 10 Why are nutritionists concerned a
23、bout adding vitamins to olestra? （ A） It may lead to the over-consumption of vitamins. （ B） People may be induced to eat more than is necessary. （ C） The function of the intestines may be weakened. （ D） It may trigger a new wave of fake food production. 10 A “ scientific“ view of language was domina
24、nt among philosophers and linguists who affected to develop a scientific analysis of human thought and behavior in the early part of this century. Under the force of this view, it was perhaps inevitable that the art of rhetoric should pass from the status of being regarded as of questionable worth(b
25、ecause although it might be both a source of pleasure and a means to urge people to right action, it might also be a means to distort truth and a source of misguided action)to the status of being wholly condemned. If people are regarded only as machines guided by logic, as they were by these “scient
26、ific“ thinkers, rhetoric is likely to be held in low regard; for the most obvious truth about rhetoric is that it speaks to the whole person. It presents its arguments first to the person as a rational being, because persuasive discourse, if honestly conceived, always has a basis in reasoning. Logic
27、al argument is the plot, as it were, of any speech or essay that is respectfully intended to persuade people. Yet it is a characterizing feature of rhetoric that it goes beyond this and appeals to the parts of our nature that are involved in feeling, desiring, acting, and suffering. It recalls relev
28、ant instances of the emotional reactions of people to circumstances real or fictional that are similar to our own circumstances. Such is the purpose of both historical accounts and fables in persuasive discourse: they indicate literally or symbolically how people may react emotionally, with hope or
29、fear, to particular circumstances. A speech attempting to persuade people can achieve little unless it takes into account the aspect of their being related to such hopes and fears. Rhetoric, then, is addressed to human beings living at particular times and in particular places. From the point of vie
30、w of rhetoric, we are not merely logical thinking machines, creatures abstracted from time and space. The study of rhetoric should therefore be considered the most humanistic of the humanities, since rhetoric is not directed only to our rational selves. It takes into account what the “scientific“ vi
31、ew leaves out. If it is a weakness to harbor feelings, then rhetoric may be thought of as dealing in weakness. But those who reject the idea of rhetoric because they believe it deals in lies and who at the same time hope to move people to action, must either be liars themselves or be very naive; pur
32、e logic has never been a motivating force unless it has been subordinated to human purposes, feelings, and desires, and thereby ceased to be pure logic. 11 According to the passage, to reject rhetoric and still hope to persuade people is_. （ A） an aim of most speakers and writers （ B） an indication
33、either of dishonesty or of credulity （ C） a way of displaying distrust of the audiences motives （ D） a characteristic of most humanistic discourse 12 It can be inferred from the passage that in the late nineteenth century rhetoric was regarded as （ A） the only necessary element of persuasive discour
34、se （ B） a dubious art in at least two ways （ C） an outmoded and tedious amplification of logic （ D） an open offense to the rational mind 13 The passage suggests that a speech that attempts to persuade people to act is likely to fail if it does NOT_. （ A） distort the truth a little to make it more ac
35、ceptable to the audience （ B） appeal to the self-interest as well as the humanitarianism of the audience （ C） address listeners emotions as well as their intellects （ D） concede the logic of other points of view 14 Which of the following persuasive devices is NOT used in the passage? （ A） A sample o
36、f an actual speech delivered by an orator. （ B） The contrast of different points of view. （ C） The repetition of key ideas and expressions. （ D） An analogy that seeks to explain logical argument. 15 Which of the following best states the authors main point about logical argument? （ A） It is a steril
37、e, abstract discipline, of little use in real life. （ B） It is an essential element of persuasive discourse, but only one such element. （ C） It is an important means of persuading people to act against their desires. （ D） It is the lowest order of discourse because it is the least imaginative. 15 Ex
38、traordinary creative activity has been characterized as revolutionary, flying in the face of what is established and producing not what is acceptable but what will become accepted. According to this formulation, highly creative activity transcends the limits of an existing form and establishes a new
39、 principle of organization. However, the idea that extraordinary creativity transcends established limits is misleading when it is applied to the arts, even though it may be valid for the sciences. Differences between highly creative art and highly creative science arise in part from differences in
40、their goals. For the sciences, a new theory is the goal and end result of the creative act. Innovative science produces new propositions in terms of which diverse phenomena can be related to one another in more coherent ways. Such phenomena as a brilliant diamond or a nesting bird are relegated to t
41、he role of data, serving as the means for formulating or testing a new theory. The goal of highly creative art is very different: the phenomenon itself becomes the direct product of the creative act. Shakespeares Hamlet is not a tract about the behavior of indecisive princes or the uses of political
42、 power, nor is Picassos painting Guernica primarily a propositional statement about the Spanish Civil War or the evils of fascism. What highly creative artistic activity produces is not a new generalization that transcends established limits, but rather an aesthetic particular. Aesthetic particulars
43、 produced by the highly creative artist extend or exploit, in an innovative way, the limits of an existing form, rather than transcend that form. This is not to deny that a highly creative artist sometimes establishes a new principle of organization in the history of an artistic field: the composer
44、Monteverdi, who created music of the highest aesthetic value, comes to mind. More generally, however, whether or not a composition establishes a new principle in the history of music has little bearing on its aesthetic worth. Because they embody a new principle of organization, some musical works, s
45、uch as the operas of the Florentine Camerata, are of signal historical importance, but few listeners or musicologists would include these among the great works of music. On the other hand, Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro is surely among the masterpieces of music even though its modest innovations are
46、 confined to extending existing means. It has been said of Beethoven that he toppled the rules and freed music from the stifling confines of convention. But a close study of his compositions reveals that Beethoven overturned no fundamental rules. Rather, he was an incomparable strategist who exploit
47、ed limits the rules, forms, and conventions that he inherited from predecessors such as Haydn and Mozart, Handel and Bach in strikingly original ways. 16 The author considers a new theory that coherently relates diverse phenomena to one another to be the_. （ A） basis for reaffirming a well-establish
48、ed scientific formulation （ B） byproduct of an aesthetic experience （ C） tool used by a scientist to discover a new particular （ D） result of highly creative scientific activity 17 The passage supplies information for answering all of the following questions EXCEPT _. （ A） Has unusual creative activ
49、ity been characterized as revolutionary? （ B） Did Beethoven work within a musical tradition that also included Handel and Bach? （ C） Is Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro an example of a creative work that transcended limits? （ D） Who besides Monteverdi wrote music that the author would consider to embody new principles of organization and to be of high aesthetic value? 18 The author regards the idea that all highly creative artistic activity transcends limits with （ A） deep skepticism （ B） strong indignation （ C） ma
