1、2012年北京航空航天大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 The long-term fortunes of the modem economy depend in part on the strength and sustainability of the family, both in relation to fertility trends and to marriage trends. This basic, but often overlooked, principle is now at work in the current g
2、lobal economic crisis. The decline of marriage and fertility is one factor in the global economic crisis. That is, one reason that some of the worlds leading economies from Japan to Italy to Spain to the euro zone as a whole are facing fiscal challenges is that their fertility rates have been below
3、replacement levels(2. 1 children per woman)for decades. Persistent sub-replacement fertility eventually translates into fewer workers relative to retirees, which puts tremendous strains on public coffers and the economy as a whole. Indeed, one recent study finds that almost half of the recent run-up
4、 in public debt in the West can be attributed to rapid aging over the last two decades. Even China may see its sky-high growth “come down to earth in the next few decades as its work force shrinks“ because of its one-child policy, as Carlos Cavalle and I argued in a recent report, The Sustainable De
5、mographic Dividend. By contrast, a recent Rand study suggests that “India will have more favorable demographics than China“ over the next few decades, insofar as its work force is poised to grow. In fact, the Rand study suggests that India may be able to use this demographic advantage to outpace Chi
6、nas economic growth rates by the end of the century. Finally, its not just fertility that matters; its also marriage. At least in the West, children are more likely to acquire the human and social capital they need to thrive in the modem economy when they are raised in an intact, married family In t
7、he U. S., for instance, children are more likely to graduate from high school, complete college and be gainfully employed as young adults if they were raised in an intact, married family. And around the globe, men are more likely to give their work their fullest effort and attention when they are ma
8、rried; this is one reason men worldwide enjoy “marriage premiums“ in their income, ranging from about 14 percent(Mexico)to 19 percent(United States)to 35 percent(Russia). So, at least when it comes to men, research suggests that marriage has important implications for worker productivity. The bottom
9、-line message is that what happens in the home does not stay at home; rather, the size of families, and their stability and quality, has important implications for the health of the global economy. 1 The main idea of this passage is that_. （ A） women should bear more children in order to boost the e
10、conomy （ B） both marriage and fertility affect a countrys economy （ C） marriage has important implications for worker productivity （ D） India will outpace Chinas economic growth rate by the end of the century 2 One reason that the worlds leading economies are facing fiscal challenges is that_. （ A）
11、there is a global economic crisis in recent years （ B） there are fewer babies, and consequently, people spend less on many commodities （ C） people in these countries have fewer children than needed to replace the population for many years （ D） there are tremendous strains on public coffers and the e
12、conomy as a whole 3 “ .its work force is poised to grow“(para. 3)probably means_. （ A） Its work force pauses to grow （ B） its work force continues to grow fast （ C） its work force continues to grow steadily （ D） its work force grows slowly 4 From the passage we know that_. （ A） children from an inta
13、ct, married family are more likely to have a better life （ B） the more people a country has, the stronger economy it will have （ C） the health of the global economy depends entirely on individual families （ D） men are likely to work harder when they are going to have children 5 According to the pass
14、age, all the following can affect economy EXCEPT_. （ A） the size of families （ B） the stability of families （ C） the quality of families （ D） men and women ratio within the families 5 We have known for a long time that the organization of any particular society is influenced by the definition of the
15、 sexes and the distinction drawn between them. But we have realized only recently that the identity of each sex is not so easy to pin down, and that definitions evolve in accordance with different types of culture known to us, that is, scientific discoveries and ideological revolutions. Our nature i
16、s not considered as immutable, either socially or biologically. As we approach the beginning of the 21st century, the substantial progress made in biology and genetics is radically challenging the roles, responsibilities and specific characteristics attributed to each sex, and yet, scarcely twenty y
17、ears ago, these were thought to be “beyond dispute“. We can safely say, with a few minor exceptions, that the definition of the sexes and their respective functions remained unchanged in the West from the beginning of the 19th century to the 1960s. The role distinction, raised in some cases to the s
18、tatus of uncompromising dualism on a strongly hierarchical model, lasted throughout this period, appealing for its justification to nature, religion and customs alleged to have existed since the dawn of time. The woman bore children and took care of the home. The man set out to conquer the world and
19、 was responsible for the survival of his family, by satisfying their needs in peacetime and going to war when necessary. The entire world order rested on the divergence of the sexes. Any overlapping or confusion between the roles was seen as a threat to the time-honored order of things. It was felt
20、to be against nature, a deviation from the norm. Sex roles were determined according to the “place“ appropriate to each. Womens place was, first and foremost, in the home. The outside world, i. e. workshops, factories and business firms, belonged to men. This sex-based division of the world(private
21、and public)gave rise to a strict dichotomy between the attitudes, which conferred on each its special identity. The woman, sequestered at home, “cared, nurtured and conserved“. To do this, she had no need to be daring, ambitious, tough or competitive. The man, on the other hand, competing with his f
22、ellow men, was caught up every day in the struggle for survival, and hence developed those characteristics which were thought natural in a man. Today, many women go out to work, and their reasons for doing so have changed considerably. Besides the traditional financial incentives, we find ambition a
23、nd personal fulfillment motivating those in the most favorable circumstances, and the wish to have a social life and to get out of their domestic isolation influencing others. Above all, for all women, work is invariably connected with the desire for independence. 6 It is only in recent years that w
24、e have recognized that_. （ A） there is almost no clue to the identity of both sexes （ B） the role distinction between different sexes is conspicuous （ C） the different definitions of sexes bears on the development of culture （ D） the progress of civilization greatly influences the role definitions o
25、f sexes 7 From paragraph 1 we can infer that it is now possible for women to embark on a career because_. （ A） the change in sex roles is out of the question （ B） womens lib has been going on for many years （ C） ideas about the roles of women have been changing （ D） the expansion of sciences scarcel
26、y remolds the womens roles 8 The author believes that sex discrimination in the West before the 1960s was_. （ A） preferable （ B） prevalent （ C） presumable （ D） precedent 9 According to the fourth paragraph, the author seems to think that_. （ A） female passivity is natural （ B） men and women are phys
27、ically identical （ C） men are born competitive and aggressive （ D） some different sex identity is acquired 10 According to the author, which of the following is the most important reason for women to go to work? （ A） Wish to claim their rights and freedom. （ B） Ambition and self-fulfillment. （ C） Fi
28、nancial incentives. （ D） Desire for a social life. 10 BBCs Casualty programme on Saturday evening gave viewers a vote as to which of two patients should benefit from a donation. But it failed to tell us that we would not need to make so many life-and-death decisions if we got to grip with the chroni
29、c organ shortage. Being pussyfooting around in its approach to dead bodies, the Government is giving a kicking to some of the most vulnerable in our society. One depressing consequence of this is that a significant number of those on the waiting list take off to foreign countries to purchase an orga
30、n from a living third-world donor, something that is forbidden in the United Kingdom. The poor have no option but to wait in vain. The Human Tissue Authoritys position on the retention of body parts for medical research after a post-mortem examination is equally flawed. The new consent forms could h
31、ave been drafted by some evil person seeking to stop the precious flow of human tissue into the pathological laboratory. The forms are so lengthy that doctors rarely have time to complete them and, even if they try, the wording is so graphic that relatives tend to leg it before signing. In consequen
32、ce, the number of post mortems has fallen quickly. The wider worry is that the moral shortsightedness evident in the Human Tissue Act seems to infect every facet of the contemporary debate on medical ethics. Take the timid approach to embryonic stem cell research. The United States, for example, ref
33、uses government funding to scientists who wish to carry out potentially ground-breaking research on the surplus embryos created by IVF treatment. Senators profess to be worried that embryonic research fails to respect the dignity of “potential persons“. Rarely can such a vacuous concept have found i
34、ts way into a debate claiming to provide enlightenment. When is this “potential“ supposed to kick in? In case you were wondering, these supposedly precious embryos are at the same stage of development as those that are routinely terminated by the pill without anyone crying. Thankfully, the British G
35、overnment has refused the position of the United States and operates one of the most liberal regimes in Europe, in which licences have been awarded to researchers to create embryos for medical research. It is possible that, in years to come, scientists will be able to grow organs in the lab and find
36、 cures for a range of debilitating diseases. The fundamental problem with our approach to ethics is our inability to separate emotion from policy. The only factor that should enter our moral and legal deliberations is that of welfare, a concept that is meaningless when applied to entities that lack
37、self-consciousness. Never forget that the research that we are so reluctant to conduct upon embryos and dead bodies is routinely carried out on living, pain-sensitive animals. 11 What has caused the chronic organ shortage? （ A） A decrease in donation rates. （ B） Inefficient governmental policy. （ C）
38、 Illegal trade in human organs. （ D） News medias indifference. 12 The expression “pussyfooting around“(Line 3, Paragraph 1)might mean_. （ A） unfair. （ B） hesitant. （ C） secret. （ D） strict. 13 The moral shortsightedness is revealed in the fact that_. （ A） the government has stopped the experiment on
39、 human tissue （ B） the donation consent forms are difficult to understand （ C） the Human Tissues Act is all obstacle to important medical research （ D） embryonic research shows disregard for human life 14 To which of the following is the author most likely to agree? （ A） The rich and the poor are eq
40、ual in the face of death. （ B） More scientists are needed for the medical advancement. （ C） There is a double standard in medical ethics. （ D） The dead deserve the same attention as the living. 15 The author is most critical of_. （ A） the media （ B） doctors （ C） U. S. Legislators （ D） the British go
41、vernment 15 When a disease of epidemic proportions rips into the populace, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of the affliction and find ways to combat it. Oftentimes, success is achieved, as medical science is able to isolate the parasite, germ or cell that causes the p
42、roblem and finds ways to effectively kill or contain it. In the most serious of cases, in which the entire population of a region or country may be at grave risk, it is deemed necessary to protect the entire population through vaccination, so as to safeguard lives and ensure that the disease will no
43、t spread. The process of vaccination allows the patients body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can ward it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, so
44、 that his bodys immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the diseases defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patients immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. This makes sure that
45、, should the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to deal with it, having already done so before. There are dangers inherent in the process, however. On occasion, even the weakened version of the disease contained in the vaccine proves too much
46、 for the body to handle, resulting in the immune system succumbing, and, therefore, the patients death. Such is the case of the smallpox vaccine, designed to eradicate the smallpox epidemic that nearly wiped out the entire Native American population and killed massive numbers of settlers. Approximat
47、ely 1 in 10,000 people who receives the vaccine contract the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Thus, if the entire population of the United States were to receive the Smallpox Vaccine today, 3000 Americans would be left dead. Fortunately, the smallpox virus was considered er
48、adicated in the early 1970s, ending the mandatory vaccination of all babies in America. In the event of a reintroduction of the disease, however, mandatory vaccinations may resume, resulting in more unexpected deaths from vaccination. The process, which is truly a mixed blessing, ay indeed hide some
49、 hidden curses. 16 The best title for the text may be_. （ A） Vaccinations: A Blessing or A Curse （ B） Principles of Vaccinations （ C） Vaccines: Methods and Implications （ D） A Miracle Cure under Attack 17 What does the example of the Smallpox Vaccine illustrate? （ A） The possible negative outcome of administering vaccines. （ B） The practical use of a vaccine to control an epidemic disease. （ C） The effectiveness of vaccines in eradicating certain disease. （ D） The method by which vaccines are employe
