1、2013年武汉大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 The changing profile of a city in the United States is apparent in the shifting definitions used by the United States Bureau of the Census. In 1870 the census officially distinguished the nations “urban“ from its “rural“ population for the first tim
2、e. “Urban population“ was defined as persons living in towns of 8, 000 inhabitants or more. But after 1900 it meant persons living in incorporated places having 2, 500 or more inhabitants. Then, in 1950 the Census Bureau radically changed its definition of “urban“ to take account of the new vaguenes
3、s of city boundaries. In addition to persons living in incorporated units of 2, 500 or more, the census now included those who lived in unincorporated units of that size, and also all persons living in the densely settled urban fringe, including both incorporated and unincorporated areas located aro
4、und cities of 50, 000 inhabitants or more. Each such unit, conceived as an integrated economic and social unit with a large population nucleus, was named a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area(SMSA). Each SMSA would contain at least(a)one central city with 50, 000 inhabitants or more or(b)two citi
5、es having shared boundaries and constituting, for general economic and social purposes, a single community with a combined population of at least 50, 000, the smaller of which must have a population of at least 15, 000. Such an area included the county in which the central city is located, and adjac
6、ent counties that are found to be metropolitan in character and economically and socially integrated with the country of the central city. By 1970, about two-thirds of the population of the United States was living in these urbanized areas, and of that figure more than half were living outside the c
7、entral cities. While the Census Bureau and the United States government used the term SMSA(by 1969 there were 233 of them), social scientists were also using new terms to describe the elusive, vaguely defined areas reaching out from what used to be simple “towns“ and “cities“. A host of terms came i
8、nto use: “metropolitan regions“ , “polynucleated population groups“ , Conurbations“ , “metropolitan clusters“ , “megalopolises“ , and so on. 1 What does the passage mainly discuss? （ A） How cities in the United States began and developed. （ B） Solutions to overcrowding in cities. （ C） The changing d
9、efinition of an urban area. （ D） How the United States Census Bureau conducts a census. 2 Prior to 1900, how many inhabitants would a town have to have before being defined as urban? （ A） 2,500. （ B） 8,000. （ C） 15,000. （ D） 50,000. 3 According to the passage, why did the Census Bureau revise the de
10、finition of urban in 1950? （ A） City borders had become less distinct. （ B） Cities had undergone radical social change. （ C） Elected officials could not agree on an acceptable definition. （ D） New businesses had relocated to larger cities. 4 Which of the following is NOT true of an SMSA? （ A） It has
11、 a population of at least 50, 000. （ B） It can include a citys outlying regions. （ C） It can include unincorporated regions. （ D） It consists of at least two cities. 4 The concept of obtaining fresh water from icebergs that are towed to populated areas and arid regions of the world was once treated
12、as a joke more appropriate to cartoons than real life. But now it is being considered quite seriously by many nations, especially since scientists have warned that the human race will outgrow its fresh water supply faster than it runs out of food. Glaciers are a possible source of fresh water that h
13、as been overlooked until recently. Three-quarters of the Earths fresh water supply is still tied up in glacial ice, a reservoir of untapped fresh water so immense that it could sustain all the rivers of the world for 1, 000 years. Floating on the oceans every year are 7, 659 trillion metric tons of
14、ice encased in 10, 000 icebergs that break away from the polar ice caps, more than ninety percent of them from Antarctica. Huge glaciers that stretch over the shallow continental shelf give birth to icebergs throughout the year. Icebergs are not like sea ice, which is formed when the sea itself free
15、zes, rather, they are formed entirely on land, breaking off when glaciers spread over the sea. As they drift away from the polar region, icebergs sometimes move mysteriously in a direction opposite to the wind, pulled by subsurface currents. Because they melt more slowly than smaller pieces of ice,
16、icebergs have been known to drift as far north as 35 degrees south of the equator in the Atlantic Ocean. To corral them and steer them to parts of the world where they are needed would not be too difficult. The difficulty arises in other technical matters, such as the prevention of rapid melting in
17、warmer climates and the funneling of fresh water to shore in great volume. But even if the icebergs lost half of their volume in towing, the water they could provide would be far cheaper than that produced by desalinization, or removing salt from water. 5 What is the main topic of the passage? （ A）
18、The movement of glaciers. （ B） Icebergs as a source of fresh water. （ C） Future water shortages. （ D） The future of the worlds rivers. 6 How are icebergs formed? （ A） They break off from glaciers. （ B） Seawater freezes. （ C） Rivers freeze. （ D） Small pieces of floating ice funneling. 7 With which of
19、 the following would the author be likely to agree? （ A） Towing icebergs to dry areas is economically possible. （ B） Desalination of sea water is a promising way to obtain drinking water. （ C） Using water from icebergs is only a short-term solution to water shortage. （ D） Icebergs could not be towed
20、 very far before they would melt. 8 It can be inferred from the passage that most icebergs_. （ A） become part of glaciers （ B） drift toward the polar region （ C） move in whichever direction the wind is blowing （ D） melt in the oceans 8 There are two ways to create colors in a photograph. One method,
21、 called additive, starts with three basic colors and adds them together to produce some other color. The second method, called subtractive, starts with white light(a mixture of all colors in the spectrum)and, by taking away some or all other colors, leaves the one desired. In the additive method, se
22、parate colored lights combine to produce various other colors. The three additive primary colors are green, red and blue(each providing about one third of the wavelengths in the total spectrum). Mixed in varying proportions, they can produce all colors. Green and red light mix to produce yellow; red
23、 and blue light mix to produce magenta; green and blue mix to produce cyan. When equal parts of all three of these primary-colored beams of light overlap, the mixture appears white to the eye. In the subtractive process colors are produced when dye(as in paint or color photographic materials)absorbs
24、 some wavelengths and so passes on only part of the spectrum. The subtractive primaries are cyan(a bluish green), magenta(a purplish pink)and yellow; these additive primaries or dyes that absorb red, green and blue wavelengths respectively, thus subtracting them from white light. These dye colors ar
25、e the complementary colors to the three additive primaries of red, green, and blue. Properly combined, the subtractive primaries can absorb all colors of light, producing black. But, mixed in varying proportions, they too can produce any color in the spectrum. Whether a particular color is obtained
26、by adding colored lights together or by subtracting some light from the total spectrum. The result looks the same to the eye. The additive process was employed for early color photography. But the subtractive method, while requiring complex chemical techniques, has turned out to be more practical an
27、d is the basis of all modern color films. 9 Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase “passes on“ as used in Paragraph 3? （ A） Judges. （ B） Lets through. （ C） Dies. （ D） Goes over. 10 Which of the following is NOT a pair of additive and subtractive primary colors? （ A） Yellow and bl
28、ue. （ B） Magenta and green. （ C） Black and white. （ D） Cyan and red. 11 What explanation is given for the use of the subtractive method in modern color films? （ A） Subtractive colors are more realistic. （ B） The subtractive process is more efficient. （ C） Additive chemical techniques are too complex
29、. （ D） The additive process is still being developed. 12 How is the passage organized? （ A） The reasons for a choice are explained in depth. （ B） A general statement is justified by a series of historical examples. （ C） Two basic causes are compared. （ D） Related processes are described one after th
30、e other. 12 The idea of humanoid robots is not new. They have been part of the imaginative landscape ever since Karl Capek, a Czech writer, first dreamed them up for his 1921 play “Possums Universal Robots“.(The word “robot“ comes from the Czech word for drudgery, robota.)Since then, Hollywood has p
31、roduced countless variations on the theme, from the sultry False Maria in Fritz Langs silent masterpiece “Metropolis“ to the withering C-3PO in “Star Wars“ and the ruthless assassin of “ Terminator“. Humanoid robots have walked into our collective subconscious, coloring our views of the future. But
32、now Japans industrial giants are spending billions of yen to make such robots a reality. Their new humanoids represent impressive feats of engineering: when Honda introduced Asimo, a four-foot robot that had been in development for some 15 years, it walked so fluidly that its white, articulated exte
33、rior seemed to conceal a human. Honda continues to make the machine faster, friendlier and more agile. Last October, when Asimo was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, it walked on the stage and accepted its own plaque. At two and a half feet tall, Sonys QRIO is smaller and more toy-
34、like than Asimo. It walks, understands a small number of voice commands, and can navigate on its own. If it falls over, it gets up and resumes where it left off. It can even connect wirelessly to the Internet and broadcast what its camera eyes can see. In 2003, Sony demonstrated an upgraded QRIO tha
35、t could run. Honda responded last December with a version of Asimo that runs at twice the speed. In 2004, Toyota joined the fray with its own family of robots, called Partner, one of which is a four-foot humanoid that plays the trumpet. Its fingers work the instruments valves, and it has mechanical
36、lungs and artificial lips. Toyota hopes to offer a commercial version of the robot by 2010. This month, 50 Partner robots will act as guides at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Despite their sudden proliferation, however, humanoids are still a mechanical minority. Most of the worlds robots are faceless, f
37、ootless and mute. They are bolted to the floors of factories, stamping out car parts or welding pieces of metal, making more machines. According to the United Nations, business orders for industrial robots jumped 18% in the first half of 2004. They may soon be outnumbered by domestic robots, such as
38、 self-navigating vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, and window-washers , which are selling fast. But neither industrial nor domestic robots are humanoid. 13 In Paragraph 1 the author introduces this topic by relating_. （ A） the idea of humanoid robots （ B） Karl Capeks creation of robots （ C） Hollywoods p
39、roduction of robot films （ D） the origin of and popular movies about robots 14 Sonys QRIO could perform all the following tasks EXCEPT_. （ A） walking everywhere freely （ B） understanding some words uttered by people （ C） finding its way （ D） continuing walking after it stumbles 15 From the passage w
40、e may infer that Toyotas Partner_. （ A） is much better than any other robots （ B） is no more than a mechanic device （ C） may be put into mass production （ D） may speak like man 16 Judging from the context, this passage is probably written_. （ A） in 2004 （ B） in 2005 （ C） between 2003 2004 （ D） betwe
41、en 2004 2005 16 For years pediatricians didnt worry much about treating hypertension in their patients. After all, kids grow so fast, its hard keeping up with their shoes size, let alone their blood pressure. Sure, hypertension in adults places them at greater risk of heart, attack and stroke. But n
42、obody likes the idea of starting youngsters on blood-pressure medicine they could wind up taking the rest of their lives. Who knows what previously unheard-of side effects could crop up after five or six decades of daily use? The rationale has been: kids grow out of so many things, maybe theyll grow
43、 out of this too. Now, though, comes word that high blood pressure can be destructive even in childhood. According to a recent report in the journal Circulation, 19 of 30 children with high blood pressure developed a dangerous thickening of the heart muscle that, in adults at least, has been linked
44、to heart failure. “No one knows if this pattern holds true for younger patients as well,“ says Dr. Stephen Daniels, a pediatric cardiologist who led the study at Childrens Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. “But its worrisome. “ Whos most at risk? Boys more than girls, especially boys who
45、are overweight. Their heart works so hard to force blood through extra layers of fat that its walls grow denser. Then, after decades of straining, it grows too big to pump blood very well. Fortunately the abnormal, thickening can be spotted by ultrasound. And in most case, getting that blood pressur
46、e under control through weight loss and exercise or, as a last resort, drug treatment allows the overworked muscle to shrink to normal size. How can you tell if yours are like the 670, 000 American children ages 10 to 18 with high blood pressure? Its not the sort of thing you can catch by putting yo
47、ur childs arm in a cuff at the free monitoring station in your local grocery. You should have a test done by a doctor, who will consult special tables that indicate the normal range of blood pressure for a particular childs age, height and sex. If the doctor finds an abnormal result he will repeat t
48、he test over a period of months to make sure the reading isnt a fake. Hell also check, whether other conditions, like kidney disease, could be the source of the trouble. Because hypertension can be hard to detect the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends annual blood-pressure checks fo
49、r every child over age 3. About half the cases of hypertension stem directly from kids being overweight. And the problem is likely to grow. Over the past 30 years the proportion of children in the U. S. who are overweight has doubled, from 5% to 11% or 4. 7 million kids. You can keep your children from joining their ranks by clearing the junk food from your pantry and hooking you kids the earlier the better on healthy, attractive snakes like fruits(try freezing some grapes or carrot sticks with salsa. Not only will the
