1、GMAT（ VERBAL）阅读模拟试卷 2及答案与解析 0 The questions in this group are based on the content of a passage. After reading the passage, choose the best answer to each question, Answer all questions following the passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Forget hostile aliens. According t
2、o a forthcoming book by noted astrophysicist Egbert Larson, the intrepid humans who first attempt interstellar space travel will face far more daunting challenges before they ever meet the Little Green Men. Larson begins with the problem of relativistic time dilation. If you travel all the way to Al
3、pha Centauri, youd like to come back and tell your friends about it, right? Its not too likely to happen, though. If Mr. Einstein was right about relativity-and were not going to say he wasnt-then time slows down when you approach the speed of light. A person traveling at any velocity near the speed
4、 of light will age only days for every week, month, or even year that passes on earth. Relativity does not present a problem for interstellar space travel, per se, but it does mean that interstellar civilizations or even just interstellar communications will require a mind-boggling amount of calenda
5、r juggling. Did we mention that youd have to travel at near the speed of light? Thats because the distance between stars is so vast that even if you could travel at the speed of light-which, Larson reminds us, you cant-it would take more than four years to reach our closest star neighbors, Alpha Pro
6、xima and Alpha Centauri, and decades or centuries to reach the other stars in our “immediate neighborhood.“ And if you tried to accelerate directly to the speed of light like they do in the movies, youd be instantly splattered on the back of your theoretical spacecraft. Achieving anything close to l
7、ight speed will require sustained accelera- tion at a level that human bodies can withstand-say, a crushing two gravities-for over a year. Better hope somebody brings some chips. Speaking of chips, food is going to be a problem. Since it is economically, if not physically, impossible to accelerate 2
8、00 years worth of food to nearly the speed of light, and since youre not likely to find any grocery stores along the way, someone will have to figure out how to make food in space. Keeping a crew alive on the way turns out to be the trickiest part of all. Once youve got the nearly impossible physics
9、 of space travel worked out, you still have to figure out the chemistry and biology of keeping your air and water clean and keeping your crew fed and safe from radiation and infection, and-did we mention the 200 years?-youll probably need several generations of crew members to complete the trip. Eve
10、r been on a bus for more than 24 hours? Its not a pretty picture. We applaud Larson for his insightful writing and his scrupulous attention to scientific detail. For those of you seeking a cold, hard look at the reality of interstellar space travel, this is a stellar read. But be warned: Larson does
11、nt let you down gently. For those of you sincerely hoping to beam up with Scotty-and you know who you are-you might want to give this one a pass. 1 Which of the following would make the most appropriate title for this passage? （ A） Going Boldly Where No One Has Gone Before: The Promise and Peril of
12、Interstellar Space Travel （ B） The Day the Earth Stood Still: Why Interstellar Space Travel Is Essential to Human Survival （ C） The Wrath of Larson: Egbert Larsons Quest to Build an Interstellar Spacecraft （ D） Busted Flat in Beta Regulus: The Crushing Challenges of Interstellar Space Travel （ E） Sa
13、y It Isnt So, Mr. Einstein: Egbert Larsons Challenge to the Theory of Relativity 2 Based on the tone and content of the passage, it is most likely which of the following? （ A） A book review in a journal intended for astrophysics professionals （ B） A movie review in an entertainment industry publicat
14、ion （ C） A book review in a science magazine aimed at a general audience （ D） A book review in a newspaper （ E） A transcript of a talk given at a science fiction convention dedicated to “the poetry of space“ 3 The passage implies that all except which of the following could be threats to human healt
15、h during extended interstellar voyages? （ A） Meteor impact （ B） Radiation poisoning （ C） Accelerating too fast （ D） Starvation （ E） Old age 4 According to the passage, which of the following will present the most difficult challenge for humans attempting interstellar space travel? （ A） Achieving vel
16、ocities near the speed of light （ B） Withstanding the acceleration necessary for traversing interstellar distances （ C） Maintaining clean air and water on a journey that could last centuries （ D） Accommodating the effects of relativistic time dilation （ E） Enabling the humans on board to survive dur
17、ing the journey 5 According to the information given in the passage, if two 20-year-old twins lived on earth, and one of them left on a journey for Alpha Centauri at very close to the speed of light, then managed to survive the journey and return to earth having aged 40 years during the journey, wha
18、t could she expect to find upon her return to earth? （ A） Her great-grandmother （ B） Her twin at the age of 20 （ C） Her twin at the age of 40 （ D） Her twin at the age of 60 （ E） Her twins great-grandchildren 6 Which of the following inventions, if it could be perfected and manufactured at a viable c
19、ost, would address the most challenges to human interstellar space travel, as presented in the passage? （ A） A ram-scoop drive that can accelerate a spacecraft of any size to four-fifths of the speed of light within 24 hours （ B） A cold-sleep capsule that essentially halts the passage of time for hu
20、man inhabitants while protecting them from all physical harm （ C） A sustainable biosphere that reliably generates healthy food and automatically cleans air and water （ D） A neutrino-based communications system that permits instantaneous communication across any distance without any relativistic time
21、 dilation （ E） An impervious force field that protects the ship and its inhabitants from radiation, meteor strikes, or hostile alien attacks 7 The author of the passage most likely mentions “Little Green Men“ in the first paragraph for what purpose? （ A） To poke fun at the ignorance of most science
22、fiction readers （ B） To introduce a daunting challenge that will have to be addressed before human interstellar space travel can become possible （ C） To draw a comparison between the attempts of humans to voyage in space and the more successful attempts of other civilizations （ D） To draw an amusing
23、 distinction between supposed danger of space travel, as presented in the popular media, and the actual challenges posed by interstellar space travel, as perceived by scientists （ E） To suggest that the concept of human interstellar space travel is as much of a myth as the “Little Green Men“ that ap
24、pear in science fiction movies and television programs 8 A wholesale fruit distributor, in an effort to increase its profit margins, has proposed cutting the tops off of the pineapples it ships in order to increase the number of pineapples it can ship in a standard-size truck. Which of the following
25、, if true, gives the strongest evidence that the fruit distributors plan will increase its profit margins? （ A） Pineapples with the tops cut off have been shown to rot three times faster than uncut fruit. （ B） Customers buy whole pineapples in part because of their exotic, spiky appearance. （ C） Cut
26、ting the tops off of pineapples may inadvertently remove some of the fruit within. （ D） The fruit distributor ships primarily to a fruit canning company that has no use for pineapple tops. （ E） Pineapple juice has been shown to be an even more potent source of vitamin C than orange or cranberry juic
27、e. 9 A brand of cough syrup comes with a measuring cup attached so that customers can measure the proper dosage. A consultant has pointed out that this cup is unnecessary, since most customers have measuring cups at home. Since the cups increase the cost of packaging the cough syrup and reduce the t
28、otal number of units that can be shipped in a standard package, the consultant advises that the company can increase its net revenue on this product (total revenue minus total costs) by selling the cough syrup without the measuring cups. Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest eviden
29、ce that the company should not follow the consultants advice? （ A） Studies have shown that customers who use cough syrup without a measuring cup frequently take either too little or too much of the medicine, rendering the dosage either ineffective or, in cases of overdose, dangerous. （ B） The compan
30、y has included a measuring cup with each bottle of cough syrup for the last 18 years. （ C） Studies have shown that 85 percent of consumers possess at home either a measuring cup, a set of measuring spoons, or both. （ D） Many customers neglect to follow the recommended dosage of cough syrup even when
31、 the measuring cup is packaged along with the bottle of cough syrup. （ E） Shipping the cough syrup bottles without the measuring cups will provide a marginal improvement in the number of cough syrup bottles that can be shipped in a standard package. 9 The following two questions are based on the fol
32、lowing passage: A study by a group of dentists has concluded that regular use of a certain brand of mouthwash is as effective as flossing in preventing gum disease. The mouthwash company has released a television ad suggesting that people who do not like flossing can now rely solely on mouthwash and
33、 brushing to maintain good dental health. A leading manufacturer of dental floss brought a lawsuit against the mouthwash company demanding that the advertisement be discontinued on the grounds that it is misleading. 10 Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the dental fl
34、oss companys claim that the advertisement is misleading? （ A） The dental floss manufacturer is concerned that it will lose market share in the dental health market because the advertisement encourages people to switch from dental floss to mouthwash. （ B） The dental floss company claims in its own ad
35、vertisements that brushing and flossing after every meal is the most effective way to maintain good dental health. （ C） Although mouthwash is an effective deterrent to gum disease, it is less effective than dental floss at removing plaque and preventing cavities between teeth. （ D） Per usage, mouthw
36、ash is three times more expensive than dental floss, if the recommended amounts of both products are used. （ E） The dentists who conducted the study on the effectiveness of mouthwash in preventing gum disease obtained their funding for the study from a company that manufactures mouthwash. 11 Which o
37、f the following, if true, most supports the mouthwash companys defense that its advertisement promotes greater public health? （ A） Since the dental floss company is protesting the advertisement only to protect its own economic self-interest, it cannot be seen as representing greater public health. （
38、 B） Greater public health is best served if people use both mouthwash and dental floss, a combination that has been shown to be more effective than either method used alone. （ C） Many people object to flossing because it is painful and causes their gums to bleed. （ D） Since, on average, people are t
39、wice as likely to use mouthwash regularly as to floss regularly, the advertisement will increase the number of people who take effective action against gum disease, a serious public health problem. （ E） Gum disease has been proven to have links with the early onset of heart disease, one of the top t
40、hree threats to public health in terms of mortality. 12 An electrical appliance company has submitted a new model of washing machine for stress and durability testing. After the conventional round of tests, 26 of the 90 machines tested no longer functioned. Observing these results, the company deter
41、mined that the washing machine model was acceptable for the consumer market. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the companys decision regarding the washing machine? （ A） When the number one rated washing machine was submitted for stress and durability testing, 96 out of 100 mach
42、ines were still functioning at the end of the test. （ B） Because of the extreme stress of the testing process, any model that has more than two-thirds of its machines functioning at the end of the test process is considered sufficiently durable for the consumer market. （ C） Most consumers will toler
43、ate a washing machine that functions only 64 times out of 90 attempts. （ D） Although the model tested is less durable than other models on the market, its projected price is considerably lower than that of the most durable models. （ E） The electrical failure that brought down most of the 26 washing
44、machines that ceased functioning could probably be avoided if the machine were redesigned. 12 The following questions present a sentence, part of which or all of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence, you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the origina
45、l; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to g
46、rammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical error. 13 Having accounted for only 13 percent of the student body at Northlake High, stu
47、dents who attended Megalopolis Middle School dominate the Northlake High student government. （ A） Having accounted for （ B） With （ C） Despite having been （ D） Although accounting for （ E） As 14 Because the key witness died just prior to the start of the trial, Detectives Mack and Smith were not able
48、 in determining the extent of administrative corruption. （ A） Detectives Mack and Smith were not able in determining the extent of （ B） therefore the detectives, Mack and Smith, were unable to determine the extent of （ C） Mack and Smith, the detectives, were not able of determining the extent to （ D
49、） Detectives Mack and Smith were not able to determine the extent of （ E） the extent was unable to be determined by Detectives Mack and Smith of 15 Health Department statistics demonstrate that children reading high on glucose with family histories of diabetes are twice as likely as the general population to develop diabetes. （ A） reading high on glucose with family histories of diabetes （ B） with high glucose readings whose families have a history of diabetes （ C） with high glucose readings and who have a diabetic history in the family （ D） having high gluc
