1、2012年华中科技大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Cloze 0 Comedian George Carlin has a routine in which he talks about how humans seem to spend their lives accumulating “stuff“ Once theyve gathered enough stuff, they have to find places to store all of it. If Carlin were to update that routine today, he could make the s
2、ame【 C1】 _about computer information. It seems that everyone with a computer spends a lot of time acquiring data and then trying to find a way to【 C2】 _it. For some computer owners, finding enough storage space to hold all the data theyve acquired is a real challenge. Some people invest in larger ha
3、rd drives. Others prefer【 C3】 _storage devices like thumb drives or compact discs. Desperate computer owners might delete entire folders worth of old files in order to make space for new information.【 C4】 _some are choosing to rely on a growing trend: cloud storage. While cloud storage sounds like i
4、t has something to with weather【 C5】 _and storm systems, it really refers to saving data【 C6】 _off-site storage system maintained by a third party.【 C7】 _storing information your computers hard drive or other local storage device, you save it to a remote database. The Internet provides the connectio
5、n between your computer and the database. On the surface, cloud storage has several advantages【 C8】 _traditional data storage. For example, if you store your data on a cloud storage system, youll be able to get to that data from any location that has Internet access. You【 C9】 _need to carry around a
6、【 C10】 _storage device or use same computer to save and【 C11】_your information. With the right system, you could even allow other people to access the data, turning a personal project into a【 C12】 _effort. So cloud storage is convenient and offers more【 C13】 _, but how does it work? There are hundre
7、ds of different cloud storage systems. Some have a very specific【 C14】 _, such as storing e-mail messages or digital pictures. Others are【 C15】_to store all forms of digital data. Some cloud storage systems are small operations, while others are so large that the physical equipment can fill【 C16】 _a
8、n entire warehouse. The facilities that【 C17】 _cloud storage systems are called data centers. At its most basic level, a cloud storage system needs just one data server【 C18】_to the Internet. A client(e.g., a computer user subscribing to a cloud storage service)sends copies of files over the Interne
9、t to the data server, which then records the information. When the client wishes to retrieve the information, he or she accesses the data server through a Web-based interface. The server then either sends the files back to the client or allows the client to access and manipulate the files on the ser
10、ver itself. Cloud storage systems generally rely on hundreds of data servers. Because computers【 C19】 _require maintenance or repair, its important to store the same information on multiple machines. This is called redundancy. Without redundancy, a cloud storage system couldnt【 C20】 _clients that th
11、ey could access their information at any given time. Most systems store the same data on servers that use different power supplies. That way, clients can access their data even if one power supply fails. 1 【 C1】 （ A） examination （ B） observation （ C） inspection （ D） acquaintance 2 【 C2】 （ A） store （
12、 B） update （ C） process （ D） accumulate 3 【 C3】 （ A） internal （ B） portable （ C） local （ D） external 4 【 C4】 （ A） But （ B） While （ C） And （ D） So 5 【 C5】 （ A） forecast （ B） report （ C） fronts （ D） system 6 【 C6】 （ A） onto （ B） to （ C） in （ D） upon 7 【 C7】 （ A） Apart from （ B） Other than （ C） Instead
13、 of （ D） Regardless of 8 【 C8】 （ A） than （ B） except （ C） for （ D） over 9 【 C9】 （ A） shouldnt （ B） wouldnt （ C） mustnt （ D） couldnt 10 【 C10】 （ A） physical （ B） substantial （ C） tangible （ D） local 11 【 C11】 （ A） store （ B） share （ C） access （ D） retrieve 12 【 C12】 （ A） comprehensive （ B） collaborat
14、ive （ C） coordinated （ D） combining 13 【 C13】 （ A） opportunity （ B） chance （ C） convenience （ D） favor 14 【 C14】 （ A） focus （ B） purpose （ C） use （ D） operation 15 【 C15】 （ A） available （ B） capable （ C） applicable （ D） desirable 16 【 C16】 （ A） in （ B） up （ C） for （ D） into 17 【 C17】 （ A） hold （ B）
15、save （ C） horse （ D） into 18 【 C18】 （ A） connecting （ B） connected （ C） connect （ D） being connected 19 【 C19】 （ A） probably （ B） inconveniently （ C） invariably （ D） occasionally 20 【 C20】 （ A） ensure （ B） promise （ C） assure （ D） guarantee 二、 Reading Comprehension 20 Recent years have brought minor
16、ity-owned businesses in the United States unprecedented opportunities as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights activists have long argued the principal reasons why Blacks. Hispanics, and other minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in business is that they lack access to t
17、he sizable orders and subcontracts that are generated by large companies. Now Congress, in apparent agreement, has required by law that businesses awarded federal contracts of more than $500,000 do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the g
18、overnment. Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone so far as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to minority enterprises. Corporate response appears to have been substantial. According to figures collected in 1977, the total of corporate contra
19、cts with minority businesses rose from $77 million in 1972 to $1.1 billion in 1977. The projected total of corporate contracts with minority businesses for the early 1980s is estimated to be over 53 billion per year with no letup anticipated in the next decade. Promising as it is for minority busine
20、sses, this increased patronage poses dangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and, unlike large businesses, they often need to make substantial investments in new plants, staff, equipment, and the lik
21、e in order to perform work subcontracted to them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get requests for elaborate formal estimates and
22、 bids. Both consume valuable time and resources, and a small companys efforts must soon result in orders, or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer. A second risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasing apportionments through formation of joi
23、nt ventures with minority-owned concerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could acquire alone. But civil rights groups and minority business owners have complained to Co
24、ngress about minorities being set up as “fronts“ with White backing, rather than being accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures. Third, a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporate customer often run the danger of becoming-and remaining-dependent. Even in the
25、best of circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more established companies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases: when such firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporate benefactor, they may truly have to struggle against complacency arising from
26、their current success. 21 The primary purpose of the passage is to_. （ A） present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies （ B） describe a situation and its potential drawbacks （ C） propose a temporary solution to a problem （ D） analyze a frequent source of disagreement 22 According to the passage, c
27、ivil rights activists maintain that one disadvantage under which minority-owned businesses have traditionally had to labor is that they have_. （ A） been especially vulnerable to governmental mismanagement of the economy （ B） been denied bank loans at rates comparable to those afforded larger competi
28、tors （ C） not had sufficient opportunity to secure business created by large corporations （ D） not been able to advertise in those media that reach large numbers of potential customers 23 The passage suggests that the failure of a large business to have its bids for subcontracts result quickly in or
29、ders might cause it to_. （ A） experience frustration but not serious financial harm （ B） face potentially crippling fixed expenses （ C） have to record its efforts on forms filed with the movement （ D） increase its spending with minority Subcontractors 24 The author implies that a minority-owned conc
30、ern that does the greater part of its business with one large corporate customer should （ A） avoid competition with larger, more established concerns by not expanding （ B） concentrate on securing even more business from that corporation （ C） try to expand its customer base to avoid becoming dependen
31、t on the corporation （ D） pass on some of the work to be done for the corporation to other minority-owned concerns 25 The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements about corporate response to working with minority subcontractors? （ A） Annoyed by the proliferation of “fron
32、t“ organizations, corporations are likely to reduce their efforts to work with minority-owned subcontractors in the near future. （ B） Although corporations showed considerable interest in working with minority businesses in the 1970s, their aversion to government paperwork made them reluctant to pur
33、sue many government contracts. （ C） The significant response of corporations in the 1970s is likely to be sustained and conceivably be increased throughout the 1980s. （ D） Although corporations are eager to cooperate with minority-owned businesses, a shortage of capital in the 1970s made substantial
34、 response impossible. 25 No very satisfactory account of the mechanism that caused the formation of the ocean basins has yet been given. The traditional view supposes that the upper mantle of the earth behaves as a liquid when it is subjected to small forces for long periods and that differences in
35、temperature under oceans and continents are sufficient to produce convection in the mantle of the earth with rising convection currents under the mid-ocean ridges and sinking currents under the continents. Theoretically, this convection would carry the continental plates along as though they were on
36、 a conveyor belt and would provide the forces needed to produce the split that occurs along the ridge. This view may be correct: it has the advantage that the currents aredriven by temperature differences themselves depend on the position of the continents. Such a back-coupling, in which the positio
37、n of the moving plate has anlimpact on the forces that move it, could produce, complicated and varying motions. On the other hand, the theory is implausible because convection does not normally occur along lines, and it certainly does not occur along lines broken by frequent offsets or changes in di
38、rection, as the ridge is. Also it is difficult to see how the theory applies to the plate between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the ridge in the Indian Ocean. This plate is growing on both sides, and since there is no intermediate trench, the two ridges must be moving apart. It would be odd if the risi
39、ng convection currents kept exact pace with them. An alternative theory is that the sinking part of the plate, which is denser than the hotter surrounding mantle, pulls the rest of the plate after it. Again it is difficult to see how this applies to the ridge in the South Atlantic, where neither the
40、 African nor the American plate has a sinking part. Another possibility is that the sinking plate cools the neighboring mantle and produces convection currents that move the plates. This last theory is attractive because it gives some hope of explaining the enclosed seas, such as the Sea of Japan. T
41、hese seas have a typical oceanic floor, except that the floor is overlaid by several kilometers of sediment. Their floors have probably been sinking for long periods. It seems possible that a sinking current of cooled mantle material on the upper side of the plate might be the cause of such deep bas
42、ins. The enclosed seas are an important feature of the earths surface, and seriously require explanation in because, addition to the enclosed seas that are developing at present behind island arcs, there are a number of older ones of possibly similar origin, such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Black Sea
43、, and perhaps the North Sea. 26 According to the traditional view of the origin of the ocean basins, which of the following is sufficient to move the continental plates? （ A） Increases in sedimentation on ocean floors. （ B） Spreading of ocean trenches. （ C） Movement of mid-ocean ridges. （ D） Differe
44、nces in temperature under oceans continents. 27 It can be inferred from the passage that, of the following, the deepest sediments would be found in the_. （ A） Indian Ocean （ B） Black Sea （ C） Mid-Atlantic （ D） South Atlantic 28 According to the passage which of the following are separated by a plate
45、 that is growing on both sides? （ A） The Pacific Ocean and the sea of Japan. （ B） The South Atlantic Ridge and the North Sea Ridge. （ C） The Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Ridge. （ D） The Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Indian Ocean Ridge. 29 The author refers to a “conveyor belt“ in sentence 3 pa
46、ragraph 1 in order to_. （ A） illustrate the effects of convection in the mantle （ B） show how temperature differences depend on the positions of the continents （ C） demonstrate the linear nature of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge （ D） describe the complicated motions made possible by back-coupling 30 Which o
47、f the following titles would best describe the content of the passage? （ A） A Description of the Oceans of the World （ B） Several Theories of Ocean Basin Formation （ C） The Traditional View of the Oceans （ D） Convection and Ocean Currents 30 In the eighteenth century, Japans feudal overlords, from t
48、he shogun to the humblest samurai, found themselves under financial stress. In part, this stress can be attributed to the overlords failure to adjust to a rapidly expanding economy, but the stress was also due to factors beyond the overlords control. Concentration of the samurai in castle-towns had
49、acted as a stimulus to trade. Commercial efficiency, in turn, had put temptations in the way of buyers. Since most samurai had been reduced to idleness by years of peace, encouraged to engage in scholarship and martial exercises or to perform administrative tasks that took little time, it is not surprising that their tastes and habits grew expensive. Overlords income, despite the increase in rice production among their tenant farmers, failed
