1、GMAT（ VERBAL）阅读练习试卷 3及答案与解析 1 Milankovitch proposed in the early twentieth century that the ice ages were caused by variations in the Earths orbit around the Sun. For sometime this theory was considered untestable, largely because there was no suffi- (5) ciently precise chronology of the ice ages wi
2、th which the orbital variations could be matched. To establish such a chronology it is necessary to determine the relative amounts of land ice that existed at various times in the Earths past. A recent discovery (10) makes such a determination possible: relative land-ice volume for a given period ca
3、n be deduced from the ratio of two oxygen isotopes, 16 and 18, found in ocean sedi- ments. Almost all the oxygen in water is oxygen 16, but a few molecules out of every thousand incorporate the (15) heavier isotope 18. When an ice age begins, the conti- nental ice sheets grow, steadily reducing the
4、amount of water evaporated from the ocean that will eventually return to it. Because heavier isotopes tend to be left behid when water evaporates from the ocean surfaces, (20) the remaining ocean water becomes progressively enriched in oxygen 18. The degree of enrichment can be determined by analyzi
5、ng ocean sediments of the period, because these sediments are composed of calcium carbonate shells of marine organisms, shells that were (25) constructed with oxygen atoms drawn from the sur- rounding ocean. The higher the ratio of oxygen 18 to oxygen 16 in a sedimentary specimen, the more land ice
6、there was when the sediment was laid down. As an indicator of shifts in the Earths climate, the (30) isotope record has two advantages. First, it is a global record: there is remarkably little variation in isotope ratios in sedimentary specimens taken from different continental locations. Second, it
7、 is a more continuous record than that taken from rocks on land. Because of (35) these advantages, sedimentary evidence can be dated with sufficient accuracy by radiometric methods to establish a precise chronology of the ice ages. The dated isotope record shows that the fluctuations in global ice v
8、olume over the past several hundred thousand years (40) have a pattern: an ice age occurs roughly once every 100,000 years. These data have established a strong connection between variations in the Earths orbit and the periodicity of the ice ages. However, it is important to note that other factors,
9、 (45) such as volcanic particulates or variations in the amount of sunlight received by the Earth, could potentially have affected the climate. The advantage of the Milankovitch theory is that it is testable: changes in the Earths orbit can be calculated and dated by applying Newtons laws (50) of gr
10、avity to progressively earlier configurations of the bodies in the solar system. Yet the lack of information about other possible factors affecting global climate does not make them unimportant. 1 In the passage, the author is primarily interested in_ （ A） suggesting an alternative to an outdated re
11、search method （ B） introducing a new research method that calls an accepted theory into question （ C） emphasizing the instability of data gathered from the application of a new scientific method （ D） presenting a theory and describing a new method to test that theory （ E） initiating a debate about a
12、 widely accepted theory 2 The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about the Milankovitch theory? （ A） It is the only possible explanation for the ice ages. （ B） It is too limited to provide a plausible explanation for the ice ages, despite recen
13、t research findings. （ C） It cannot be tested and confirmed until further research on volcanic activity is done. （ D） It is one plausible explanation, though not the only one, for the ice ages. （ E） It is not a plausible explanation for the ice ages, although it has opened up promising possibilities
14、 for future research. 3 It can be inferred from the passage that the isotope record taken from ocean sediments would be less useful to researchers if which of the following were true? （ A） It indicated that lighter isotopes of oxygen predominated at certain times. （ B） It had far more gaps in its se
15、quence than the record taken from rocks on land. （ C） It indicated that climate shifts did not occur every 100,000 years. （ D） It indicated that the ratios of oxygen 16 and oxygen 18 in ocean water were not consistent with those found in fresh water. （ E） It stretched back for only a million years.
16、4 According to the passage, which of the following is true of the ratios of oxygen isotopes in ocean sediments? （ A） They indicate that sediments found during an ice age contain more calcium carbonate than sediments formed at other times. （ B） They are less reliable than the evidence from rocks on l
17、and in determining the volume of land ice. （ C） They can be used to deduce the relative volume of land ice that was present when the sediment was laid down. （ D） They are more unpredictable during an ice age than in other climatic conditions. （ E） They can be used to determine atmospheric conditions
18、 at various times in the past. 5 It can be inferred from the passage that precipitation formed from evaporated ocean water has_ （ A） the same isotopic ratio as ocean water （ B） less oxygen 18 than does ocean water （ C） less oxygen 18 than has the ice contained in continental ice sheets （ D） a differ
19、ent isotopic composition than has precipitation formed from water on land （ E） more oxygen 16 than has precipitation formed from fresh water 6 It can be inferred from the passage that calcium carbonate shells_ （ A） are not as susceptible to deterioration as rocks （ B） are less common in sediments fo
20、rmed during an ice age （ C） are found only in areas that were once covered by land ice （ D） contain radioactive material that can be used to determine a sediments isotopic composition （ E） reflect the isotopic composition of the water at the time the shells were formed 7 Many United States companies
21、 have, unfortunately, made the search for legal protection from import competition into a major line of work. Since 1980 the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) (5) has received about 280 complaints alleging damage from imports that benefit from subsidies by foreign governments. Anoth
22、er 340 charge that foreign compa- nies “dumped” their products in the United States at “less than fair value.” Even when no unfair practices (10) are alleged, the simple claim that an industry has been injured by imports is sufficient grounds to seek relief. Contrary to the general impression, this
23、quest for import relief has hurt more companies than it has helped. As corporations begin to function globally, they (15) develop an intricate web of marketing, production, and research relationships, The complexity of these relation- ships makes it unlikely that a system of import relief laws will
24、meet the strategic needs of all the units under the same parent company. (20) Internationalization increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against the very companies the laws were designed to protect. Suppose a United States-owned company establishes an overseas plant
25、 to manufacture a product while its competitor (25) makes the same product in the United States. If the competitor can prove injury from the imports-and that the United States company received a subsidy from a foreign government to build its plant abroadthe United States companys products will be un
26、competi- (30) tive in the United States, since they would be subject to duties. Perhaps the most brazen case occurred when the ITC investigated allegations that Canadian companies were injuring the United States salt industry by dumping (35) rock salt, used to de-ice roads. The bizarre aspect of the
27、 complaint was that a foreign conglomerate with United States operations was crying for help against a United States company with foreign operations. The “United States” company claiming injury was a subsidiary of a (40) Dutch conglomerate, while the “Canadian” companies included a subsidiary of a C
28、hicago firm that was the second-largest domestic producer of rock salt. 7 The passage is chiefly concerned with_ （ A） arguing against the increased internationalization of United States corporations （ B） warning that the application of laws affecting trade frequently has unintended consequences （ C）
29、 demonstrating that foreign-based firms receive more subsidies from their governments than United States firms （ D） receive from the United States government （ E） advocating the use of trade restrictions for “dumped” products but not for other imports 8 It can be inferred from the passage that the m
30、inimal basis for a complaint to the International Trade Commission is which of the following? （ A） A foreign competitor has received a subsidy from a foreign government. （ B） A foreign competitor has substantially increased the volume of products shipped to the United States. （ C） A foreign competit
31、or is selling products in the United States at less than fair market value. （ D） The company requesting import relief has been injured by the sale of imports in the United States. （ E） The company requesting import relief has been barred from exporting products to the country of its foreign competit
32、or. 9 The last paragraph performs which of the following functions in the passage? （ A） It summarizes the discussion thus far and suggests additional areas of research. （ B） It presents a recommendation based on the evidence presented earlier. （ C） It discusses an exceptional case in which the resul
33、ts expected by the author of the passage were not obtained. （ D） It introduces an additional area of concern not mentioned earlier. （ E） It cites a specific case that illustrates a problem presented more generally in the previous paragraph. 10 The passage warns of which of the following dangers? （ A
34、） Companies in the United States may receive no protection from imports unless they actively seek protection from import competition. （ B） Companies that seek legal protection from import competition may incur legal costs that far exceed any possible gain. （ C） Companies that are United States-owned
35、 but operate internationally may not be eligible for protection from import competition under the laws of the countries in which their plants operate. （ D） Companies that are not United States-owned may seek legal protection from import competition under United States import relief laws. （ E） Compan
36、ies in the United States that import raw materials may have to pay duties on those materials. 11 The passage suggests that which of the following is most likely to be true of United States trade laws? （ A） They will eliminate the practice of “dumping” products in the United States. （ B） They will en
37、able manufacturers in the United States to compete more profitably outside the United States. （ C） They will affect United States trade with Canada more negatively than trade with other nations. （ D） Those that help one unit within a parent company will not necessarily help other units in the compan
38、y. （ E） Those that are applied to international companies will accomplish their intended result. 12 It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which of the following about the complaint mentioned in the last paragraph? （ A） The ITC acted unfairly toward the complainant in its inves
39、tigation. （ B） The complaint violated the intent of import relief laws. （ C） The response of the ITC to the complaint provided suitable relief from unfair trade practices to the complainant. （ D） The ITC did not have access to appropriate information concerning the case. （ E） Each of the companies i
40、nvolved in the complaint acted in its own best interest. 13 At the end of the nineteenth century, a rising interest in Native American customs and an increasing desire to understand Native American culture prompted ethnolo- gists to begin recording the life stories of Native Amer- (5) ican. Ethnolog
41、ists had a distinct reason for wanting to hear the stories: they were after linguistic or anthropo- logical data that would supplement their own field observations, and they believed that the personal stories, even of a single individual, could increase their (10) understanding of the cultures that
42、they had been observing from without. In addition many ethnologists at the turn of the century believed that Native Amer- ican manners and customs were rapidly disappearing, and that it was important to preserve for posterity as (15) much information as could be adequately recorded before the cultur
43、es disappeared forever. There were, however, arguments against this method as a way of acquiring accurate and complete informa- tion. Franz Boas, for example, described autobiogra- (20) phies as being “of limited value, and useful chiefly for the study of the perversion of truth by memory,” while Pa
44、ul Radin contended that investigators rarely spent enough time with the tribes they were observing, and inevitably derived results too tinged by the investi- (25) gators own emotional tone to be reliable. Even more importantly, as these life stories moved from the traditional oral mode to recorded w
45、ritten form, much was inevitably lost. Editors often decided what elements were significant to the field research on a (30) given tribe. Native Americans recognized that the essence of their lives could not be communicated in English and that events that they thought significant were often deemed un
46、important by their interviewers. Indeed, the very act of telling their stories could force (35) Native American narrators to distort their cultures, as taboos had to be broken to speak the names of dead relatives crucial to their family stories. Despite all of this, autobiography remains a useful to
47、ol for ethnological research: such personal reminis- (40) cences and impressions, incomplete as they may be, are likely to throw more light on the working of the mind and emotions than any amount of speculation from an ethnologist or ethnological theorist from another culture. 13 Which of the follow
48、ing best describes the organization of the passage? （ A） The historical backgrounds of two currently used research methods are chronicled. （ B） The validity of the data collected by using two different research methods is compared. （ C） The usefulness of a research method is questioned and then a ne
49、w method is proposed. （ D） The use of a research method is described and the limitations of the results obtained are discussed. （ E） A research method is evaluated and the changes necessary for its adaptation to other subject areas are discussed. 14 Which of the following is most similar to the actions of nineteenth-century ethnologists in their editing of the life stories of Native Americans? （ A） A witness in a jury trial invokes the Fifth Amendment in order to avoid relating personally incriminating evidence. （ B） A stockbroker refuses to divulge the source o
