1、GMAT（ VERBAL）阅读模拟试卷 4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. Congressman Hastings has proposed
2、that Congress should abolish the Electoral College system for electing the president and replace it with a system of direct popular election. The Electoral College system is flawed, he argues, because it runs directly counter to the democratic principle that every citizens vote should count equally.
3、 Because of the winner-take-all system in which the candidate who receives the most popular votes in a state receives all of that states electoral votes, the citizens who voted for the losing candidate are effectively disenfranchised from the national election, even if their candidate lost the state
4、 by only a handful of votes. Moreover, because each states number of electors is the same as its number of members of Congress, the citizens of small states get a disproportionately larger vote than citizens of more populous states. In the 1988 election, for example, the combined voting-age populati
5、on of the six least populous states-Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming-was 3,119,000. These six states held 21 electoral votes among them. Florida, with a voting-age population of 9,614,000, also had 21 electoral votes. Because of inequities of this nature, there have
6、 been four presidential elections in which the candidate who won the Electoral College actually lost the popular vote: 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000. Congressman Markham has argued that Hastingss proposed changes are unnecessary and even dangerous. First of all, he argues, the Electoral College system,
7、 whatever its flaws, has resulted in a stable democratic government for more than 200 years, which shows that it is doing something right. Second, the winner-take-all system helps create decisive majorities in the Electoral College, thereby reducing the problem of disputed elections that we might se
8、e in the event of direct popular elections. Third, the current system of allocating electors helps protect the interests of small states, which would be largely neglected in favor of large states if the Electoral College were based entirely on population. Protecting these states rights is essential
9、to upholding the principle of federalism (in which the states and the federal government maintain distinct powers). When the Electoral College system was first formalized by the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, a direct popular vote would have been impossible to implement, and the Electoral College was pr
10、obably the best way to approximate the will of the people. Advances in technology and communication, however, now mean that a direct popular vote would be as simple, if not simpler, to administer than the current Electoral College system. Alternative ways to reform the system would be to do away wit
11、h the winner-take-all system of state electors, to base the numbers of electors strictly on state populations, or to have a direct popular election but to weight the votes from different states differently in order to preserve the influence of small states. 1 The passage is primarily concerned with
12、which of the following? （ A） Evaluating the merits of the Electoral College system as a means of protecting federalism （ B） Examining the impact of the Twelfth Amendment on the history of the American presidency （ C） Disputing the validity of the American democratic process （ D） Presenting arguments
13、 regarding the best way to elect the president of the United States （ E） Comparing arguments regarding the nature of democratic processes 2 Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage? （ A） It presents a critique of an institution, then provides a defense of that institution,
14、and then offers possible compromises between the two positions. （ B） It presents an argument, lists problems with that argument, and then ultimately refutes the argument. （ C） It discusses both sides of a controversial topic and then chooses the side with the stronger arguments. （ D） It analyzes fla
15、ws in a traditional institution and then provides a series of steps to remedy the flaws. （ E） It presents two competing viewpoints and then shows the logical errors in both positions. 3 From the information provided in the paragraph, what can be inferred about the election of 1892? （ A） Its result w
16、as disputed on the grounds that smaller states had a disproportionate influence on the outcome. （ B） The winner of the election received more popular votes than his opponent. （ C） The winner-take-all system of state electoral votes led to a decisive majority for the winner in the Electoral College.
17、（ D） Reforming the Electoral College system was an issue of contention in this election. （ E） This election led to the formalization of the Electoral College by the Twelfth Amendment. 4 Hastingss response to Markhams argument that the history of the American government “shows that it the Electoral C
18、ollege is doing something right“ would most likely be which of the following? （ A） Under the current system, each voter in Alaska has proportionately three times as much voting power as each candidate in Florida. （ B） We do not know whether or not the American government would have been equally stab
19、le had the president been elected by a direct popular election since the beginning. （ C） If the candidate who lost the popular election won the presidency four times in 200 years, there is something wrong with the system. （ D） Maintaining a strong federal system is less important than upholding the
20、principle that each vote should count equally. （ E） A process that maintained the Electoral College but removed the winner-take-all system would substantially reduce the disenfranchisement that occurs under the current system. 5 According to the passages presentation of Markhams sentiments regarding
21、 federalism, which of the following systems for electing the president would be most objectionable to him? （ A） An Electoral College system identical to the one currently in use （ B） An Electoral College in which each states number of electors was based strictly on population, but the winner-take-al
22、l system was maintained （ C） An Electoral College in which each states number of electors was based strictly on that states number of members of Congress, but in which the winner-take-all system was replaced by a divided electoral vote proportional to the states popular vote （ D） A direct popular el
23、ection in which the votes from citizens of smaller states were given more weight than citizens from larger states （ E） A direct popular election 6 Which of the following examples from international politics, if true, would give Markham the most support in his argument against Hastings? （ A） A nation
24、 in Africa that modeled its government on the American governmental system after achieving independence from a European colonial power recently entered into a civil war that has effectively ended any true democratic processes. （ B） The ancient city-state of Athens had a form of direct popular electi
25、on in the fifth centuryB.C., but this government fell as a result of the Peloponnesian War that Athens fought against Sparta. （ C） A South American nation that deposed its long-standing military dictatorship and instituted in its place a democratic government with a president elected through a direc
26、t popular election has experienced both economic growth and improved relations with th （ D） A nation in Central Europe that recently changed its government from a long- standing parliamentary monarchy to a government led by a popularly elected premier was recently thrown into chaos when the popularl
27、y elected premier declared a dictatorship. （ E） The system of proportional power sharing by the members of the European Union has resulted in a number of thorny disputes between member states that will probably grow more severe as new nations from Eastern Europe enter the EU. 7 According to the info
28、rmation given in the passage, which of the following statements about Florida and South Dakota is most accurate? （ A） Florida is a larger state in area than South Dakota. （ B） South Dakota has a larger population than Florida. （ C） The ratio of members of Congress to electors in the Electoral Colleg
29、e is lower for the state of Florida than it is for South Dakota. （ D） South Dakota has more members of Congress per voting-age citizen than Florida does. （ E） A higher percentage of the voting-age population in South Dakota exercises its constitutional right to vote than is observed among the voting
30、-age population of Florida. 7 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 original; the other four are different. If you think the original is be
31、st, 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 grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the a
32、nswer that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical error. 8 Although it has not been confirmed such proteins in whole milk are inducing in children under 12 months milk allergies, most pediatricians advis
33、e waiting until the child is one year old before introducing whole milk into his or her diet. （ A） such proteins in whole milk are inducing in children under 12 months milk allergies （ B） that under 12 months the proteins in whole milk can induce milk allergies in children （ C） of proteins in whole
34、milk inducing milk allergies in children under 12 months （ D） the proteins in whole milk can induce milk allergies in children under 12 months （ E） that the proteins in whole milk can induce milk allergies in children under 12 months 9 The tango club, which appeared moribund five years ago, has pick
35、ed up a new step; its numbers are now three times more than when the club president decided to bring in a live band. （ A） step; its numbers are now three times more than （ B） step; its numbers are now three times greater than （ C） step, their numbers now threefold that which they had been （ D） step;
36、 now with numbers three times greater than （ E） step, now with three times the number they had 10 During the bronze sculpture boom of the late 1950s, more than 20 tons of bronze were shipped to the SoHo district of Manhattan so as they might sculpt countless bronze statues, busts, abstract shapes, a
37、nd whimsical figurines. （ A） so as they might sculpt （ B） in order that they might be sculpted into （ C） so that there could be sculpted （ D） for the sculpting of （ E） such that they could be sculpted into 11 James Watson, who later headed the Human Genome Project, along with Englishman Francis Cric
38、k discovered the double helix in 1953, the basic structure of DNA, when the two were young scientists. （ A） James Watson, who later headed the Human Genome Project, along with Englishman Francis Crick discovered the double helix in 1953, the basic structure of DNA, when the two were young scientists
39、. （ B） The double helix, the basic structure of DNA, was discovered in 1953 by two young scientists, the Englishman Francis Crick and James Watson, who later headed the Human Genome Project. （ C） The basic structure of DNA, the double helix, was discovered in 1953 by the Englishman Francis Crick and
40、 James Watson, later head of the Human Genome Project, two young scientists. （ D） The Englishman Francis Crick and James Watson, later heading the Human Genome Project, were the young scientists who discovered the basic structure of DNA in 1953, which was the double helix. （ E） The basic structure o
41、f DNA, the double helix, was discovered by James Watson, later head of the Human Genome Project, along with another of two young scientists, the Englishman Francis Crick, in 1953. 12 Atmospheric scientists in recent years have observed increasing concentrations of chlorofluorocarbons in the tertiary
42、 layer of the stratosphere, findings consistent with the documented growth in chlorofluorocarbon emissions from industrial activity. （ A） findings consistent with the documented growth in chlorofluorocarbon emissions from industrial activity （ B） which are consistent with the documented growth in ch
43、lorofluorocarbon emissions from industrial activity （ C） a finding consistent with growth in chlorofluorocarbon emissions from industrial activity, as documented （ D） finding documented growth consistent with chlorofluorocarbon emissions from industrial activity （ E） which findings are consistent wi
44、th industrial activitys documented growth in chlorofluorocarbon emissions 13 The medical board, concerned by the drop in insurance payments and the failure of the accounting department to obtain the anticipated funds, resolved to pursue legal action against the insurance company. （ A） concerned by t
45、he drop in insurance payments and the failure of the accounting department to obtain （ B） concerning the drop in payments by insurance and the failure of the accounting department to obtain （ C） because of its concern for the dropping insurance payments and the accounting departments failure at obta
46、ining （ D） in its concern that the drop in insurance payments and the failure of the accounting department to obtain （ E） being concerned about the drop in insurance payments and the accounting department failing to obtain 14 The number of violent crimes committed in the greater metropolitan area of
47、 Sao Paolo, Brazil, more than doubled from 1975 to 1990 by the influx of drugs. （ A） more than doubled （ B） increased by more than twice （ C） increased more than two times （ D） was increased more than double （ E） was more than doubled 15 One of the biggest threats to a companys productivity is absen
48、teeism. Studies have shown that companies with in-house childcare programs see fewer absences among their employees who are parents than companies without such programs. Therefore, many companies could boost their productivity by starting in-house childcare programs. Which of the following, if true,
49、 most weakens the above argument? （ A） Companies that reimburse outside childcare programs actually see less absenteeism among working parents than companies with in-house programs. （ B） In-house childcare programs create distractions for nonparents that can harm their productivity. （ C） Absenteeism is not a serious problem for companies that impose harsh penalties on employees who miss work. （ D） Studies have shown that employees with children are more likely than those without children to remain in the same job for more than five years. （ E） Potential employees generally
