1、2013年中国矿业大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 “Your eyes are two pools that twinkle like stars in the sky.“ These sweet things are traditionally best sent in feather-inked script on fine, perfumed parchment. Nowadays, though, more and more lovers are using e-mail or cell phone short message s
2、ervices(SMS)to say a few nice words to each other. The result: a new culture of love-letter writing has evolved and is rewriting the rules in how we express our love. Make no mistake: in many cases the love e-mail messages significantly resemble their aromatic predecessors. The verbal imagery has ha
3、rdly changed. SMS messages, however, have necessitated the development of a new, shorter form of love talk. Experts believe, in fact, that far more people now carry out sweet talk in cyberspace than in the time before e-mail and short messaging came along. When people communicate over e-mail or shor
4、t messages, everything is much more relaxed, less serious, and this helps the sweet words flow. Nicola Doering, a media researcher at the Technical University of Ilmenau in Thueringen, Germany, emphasizes that for many people contact over e-mail or SMS is simpler: “The language is a different one, h
5、ere than in traditional letters; people tend to write more like they speak.“ This means that a message writer might not have to agonize over every word, as is often expected with traditional love letters. This is obviously encouraging for many people. For longer, particularly romantic love letters,
6、e-mail writer also reach back into the language of poetry, “Your calf-blue eyes“ is typical for the kind of phrasings found in e-mail love letters. At least one traditional symbol between lovers has made a striking comeback. Even in the love letters of the 19th century, one often found the letter X
7、as a symbol of a kiss. Many paper love letters would have three Xs at the bottom as a closing. And this symbol is often used today between lovers in their e-mail messages. In spite of all the technological advancement that e-mail represents, classic love letters on paper still have a special meaning
8、, the experts say. Ink on paper simply affects many people more strongly than lines on a computer screen. It appears more serious, more binding, as if written for all eternity. Sometimes people want to have something to touch, a letter that you can really hold in your hand. 1 From this passage we le
9、arn that the love e-mail messages_. （ A） havent changed the convention in how people express love （ B） are often sent on fine, perfumed parchment （ C） represent a traditional culture of love-letter writing （ D） are still like traditional letters in many cases 2 Three Xs used in lovers e-mail message
10、 symbolize_. （ A） a striking comeback （ B） the language of poetry （ C） three kisses （ D） closing of the letters 3 It is implied that experts think classic love letters_. （ A） have stronger power to move the feelings （ B） resemble lines on a computer screen （ C） cannot be touched by modern people （ D
11、） exclude the technological advancement 4 The authors tone in this passage is_. （ A） mocking （ B） objective （ C） complimentary （ D） approving 4 In recent years, there has been a steady assault on salt from the doctors: salt is bad for you regardless of your health. Politicians also got on board: “Th
12、ere is a direct relationship,“ US congressman Neal Smith noted, “between the amount of sodium a person consumes and heart disease, circulatory disorders, stroke and even early death.“ Frightening, if true! But many doctors and medical researchers are now beginning to feel the salt scare has gone too
13、 far. “All this hue and cry about eating salt is unnecessary,“ Dr. Dustan insists. “For most of us it probably doesnt make much difference how much salt we eat.“ Dustans most recent short-term study of 150 people showed that those with normal blood pressure experienced no change at all when placed o
14、n an extremely low-salt diet, or later when salt was reintroduced. Of the hypertensive subjects, however, half of those on the low-salt diet did experience a drop in blood pressure, which returned to its previous level when salt was reintroduced. “An adequate to somewhat excessive salt intake has pr
15、obably saved many more lives than it has cost in the general population,“ notes Dr. John H. Laragh. “So a recommendation that the whole population should avoid salt makes no sense.“ Medical experts agree that everyone should practice reasonable “moderation“ in salt consumption. For the average perso
16、n, a moderate amount might run from four to ten grams a day, or roughly 1/2 to 1/3 of a teaspoon. The equivalent of one to two grams of this salt allowance would come from the natural sodium in food. The rest would be added in processing, preparation or at the table. Those with kidney, liver or hear
17、t problems may have to limit dietary salt, if their doctor advises. But even the very vocal “low salt“ exponent, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr. admits that “we do not know whether increased sodium consumption causes hypertension.“ In fact, there is growing scientific evidence that other factors may be i
18、nvolved: deficiencies in calcium, potassium, perhaps magnesium; obesity(much more dangerous than sodium); genetic predisposition; stress. “It is not your enemy,“ says Dr. Laragh. “Salt is the No. 1 natural component of all human tissue, and the idea that you dont need it is wrong. Unless your doctor
19、 has proven that you have a salt-related health problem, there is no reason to give it up.“ 5 According to some doctors and politicians, the amount of salt consumed_. （ A） exhibits as an aggravating factor to people in poor health. （ B） cures diseases such as stroke and circulatory disorders. （ C） c
20、orrelates highly with some diseases. （ D） is irrelevant to people suffering from heart disease. 6 From Dr. Dustans study we can infer that_. （ A） a low-salt diet may be prescribed for some people. （ B） the amount of salt intake has nothing to do with ones blood pressure. （ C） the reduction of salt i
21、ntake can cure a hypertensive patient. （ D） an extremely low-salt diet makes no difference to anyone. 7 In the third paragraph, Dr. Laragh implies that_. （ A） people should not be afraid of taking excessive salt. （ B） doctors should not advise people to avoid salt. （ C） an adequate to excessive salt
22、 intake is recommended for people in disease. （ D） excessive salt intake has claimed some victims in the general population. 8 What is the main message of this text? （ A） The salt scare is not justified. （ B） The cause of hypertension is now understood. （ C） The moderate use of salt is recommended.
23、（ D） Salt consumption is to be promoted. 8 For the teenagers who cast off their daily lives and head off for South America, Africa and Asia, it may offer the time of their young lives. But research published yesterday shows that the so-called “gap year“ between school and university is not as benefi
24、cial as has been suggested. In five years the gap year has metamorphosed from a radical activity of a rebellious student generation into an obligation that must be fulfilled by ambitious future professionals. It has spawned in the process a lucrative commercial market providing tourist style trips.
25、Prince Williams gap year venture to Chile in 2000 created institutional acceptability, and about 200,000 people a year between 18 and 25 now take 12 months out of study. “No longer were gap years for rebels and dropouts and people with nothing better to do; now they were for hopeful professionals an
26、d future kings,“ said Kate Simpson, from the school of geography at the University of Newcastle, who based her research on projects in South America and talked to hundreds of students on their return. “A gap year has become a requirement for success. It is now part of your progression to employabili
27、ty, as necessary as your A-levels and as inevitable as your degree. As the gap year has been professionalized, so it has increasingly been marketed at future professionals, with an assumption that further education and successful employment are to follow.“ Ms Simpson said that without explaining how
28、 values such as “broad horizons“ and “character building“ are supposed to be achieved by gap years, they have been promoted by people such as the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, and the University College Admission Service(Ucas). Mr. Straw said: “Our society can only benefit from travel which promote
29、s character, confidence and decision-making skills.“ According to Ucas: “The benefits of a well-structured year out are now widely recognized by universities and colleges and cannot fail to stand you in good stead in later life.“ However, these statements did not always reflect the reality. Many of
30、the 50 organizations, providing package trips for gap year students this year designed them to be acceptable to parents and future employers, and had little concern for the communities the students were volunteering to help. One example was in Ecuador where students had been sent to “help the local
31、community.“ The villagers returned home from work to discover their houses had been painted by the volunteers without prior consultation. “Groups of 18-year-olds arrive somewhere with no skills and set about building a bridge or school often without proper consultation with the local community and w
32、hat they might want or need. They get a level of experience and decision-making which they would not get at home, but also doing things in other peoples hospitals and schools they would never be allowed at home.“ Gap students had been involved in delivering babies, construction projects and teaching
33、 without prior trainingsomething banned in Britain. A typical provider advertised: “Are you looking for a travel adventure with a purpose, one that gives you experience beyond tourism and provides practical help to local communities.“ Its slogan was: “Develop people. Share cultures. Build futures.“
34、For Ms Simpson, the industry “appears amateurish and outdated“. The idea seemed to be that ancient, highly civilized cultures could benefit from the introduction of large numbers of unskilled 18-year-olds. “While such an approach may produce some valuable contributions, the risks are high. The gap y
35、ear industry cannot rely on its good intentions to assure the quality of its work.“ The projects are often used to the benefit of the visiting students, as opposed to the residents In many projects, the students practice being adults and professionals using local people as guinea pigs. “Projects did
36、 not have to be based on the exploitative and dehumanizing relationships. I am sure that many students learn a great deal from their gap years, but they could gain so much more if they experiment with local people.“ The best projects were those residents know in advance in which the local people par
37、ticipate and ask for what they want. “If the students and locals work together to form friendships, then the true potential of the gap year could be realized,“ Ms Simpson added. 9 According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the “gap year“? （ A） It has met strong protest from l
38、ocal communities outside Britain. （ B） It has been officially accepted by more universities. （ C） It has been linked with students academic study and future employment. （ D） It has been developed into a growing industry. 10 The expression “guinea pigs“ in the sentence “In many projects, the students
39、 practice being adults and professionals using local people as guinea pigs.“(para. 8)can be paraphrased as_. （ A） beasts and brutes （ B） control groups in a study （ C） subjects for experiments （ D） dirty animals such as pigs 11 It can be concluded from the passage that according to Ms. Simpson,_. （
40、A） the gap year industry will undergo a greater development （ B） the activities of gap students are hated by most local people （ C） gap year activity should show more concern for locals as well （ D） gap students have made great contribution to the local communities 12 Which of the following can serv
41、e as the best title of the passage? （ A） Broad horizons and character building: targets for university students （ B） Requirement for success: gap year equals A-levels and academic degree （ C） The booming gap year industry: good intentions provide no guarantee （ D） Mind the gap: why student year out
42、may do more harm than good 12 The danger of misinterpretation is greatest, of course, among speakers who, actually speak different native tongues, or come from different cultural backgrounds, because cultural difference necessarily implies different assumptions about natural and obvious ways to be p
43、olite. Anthropologist Thomas Kochman gives the example of a white office worker who appeared with a bandaged arm and felt rejected because her black fellow worker didnt mention it. The doubly wounded worker assumed that her silent colleague didnt notice or didnt care. But the co-worker was purposely
44、 not calling attention to something her colleague might not want to talk about. She let her decide whether or not to mention it, being considerate by not imposing. Kochman says, based on his research, that these differences reflect recognizable black and white styles. An American woman visiting Engl
45、and was repeatedly offended even, on bad days, enraged when the British ignored her in setting in which she thought they should pay attention. For example, she was sitting at a booth in a railway-station cafeteria. A couple began to settle into the opposite seat in the same booth. They unloaded thei
46、r luggage; they laid their coats on the seat; he asked what she would like to eat and went off to get it; she slid into the booth facing the American. And throughout all this, they showed no sign of having noticed that someone was already sitting in the booth. When the British woman lit up a cigaret
47、te, the American had a concrete object for her anger. She began ostentatiously looking around for another table to move to. Of course there was none; thats why the British couple had sat in her booth in the first place. The smoker immediately crushed out her cigarette and apologized. This showed tha
48、t she had noticed that someone else was sitting in the booth, and that she was not inclined to disturb her. But then she went back to pretending the American wasnt there, a ruse in which her husband collaborated when he returned with their food and they ate it. To the American, politeness requires t
49、alk between strangers forced to share a booth in a cafeteria, if only a fleeting “Do you mind if I sit down?“ or a conventional, “Is anyone sitting here?“ even if its obvious no one is. The omission of such talk seemed to her like dreadful rudeness. The American couldnt see that another system of politeness was at work. By not acknowledging here presence, the British couple freed her from the obligation to acknowledge theirs. The American expected a show of involvement; they were being polite by not imposing. An Amer
