1、GRE（ VERBAL）模拟试卷 50及答案与解析 一、 SECTION 1 Directions: Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five lettered or sets of words. Choose the word or set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a
2、 whole. 1 While not_the arguments in favor of the proposal for new highway construction, the governor nevertheless decided to veto the proposal. 2 The childrens_natures were in sharp contrast to the even-tempered dispositions of their parents. 3 The first major exhibits of modern art left the public
3、(i)_, its(ii)_ intensified by the response of art critics, who stooped to vituperation to express their disgust with the new art. 4 While many outside the company attributed the companys success to its president s(i)_, insiders realized that this success owed more to the presidents inflexibility tha
4、n to any(ii)_that the president might be supposed to have displayed. 5 With the rate of technological(i)_accelerating many people now consider a personal computer(ii)_after three years the question of how to properly dispose of old equipment is no small matter. 6 In the nineteenth century the(i)_adv
5、anced mechanical printing techniques made it possible for newspaper owners to print newspapers cheaply and in mass quantities, but unlike many other mechanized industries, where machines(ii)_workers, the new printing machines required trained compositors to run them, thereby(iii)_the demand for skil
6、led printing labor. 7 It may be that a kind of pendulum is built into United States politics: if a particular interest group scores a major victory, its supporters(i)_and its adversaries (ii)_their efforts, so that the victory is soon(iii)_.二、 SECTION 2 Directions: In each of the following questions
7、, a related pair of words or phrases is followed by five lettered pairs of words or phrases. Select the lettered pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair. 8 If big sums are to be spent on cleaning up environmental disasters, it is better to spend them on
8、 unglamorous but_problems such as unsanitary water in Third World countries. A futile B ephemeral C pressing D controversial E transitory F critical 9 The process of establishing a literary canon is seen by some as, in part, an attempt by certain scholars to make their own labors central and to rele
9、gate the work of others to_status. A orthodox B marginal C mainstream D definitive E conditional F peripheral 10 The mayor is more ideologically consistent than is widely believed: her long-term commitment to tax reform, for example, is not indicative of_. A perspicacity B capriciousness C callousne
10、ss D fickleness E clearheadedness F insensitivity 11 At first glance Watkins Park, with its meandering stream and its thicket of greenery, seems_; however, upon closer inspection one is quickly reminded that the park is in the middle of a major city. A bucolic B remarkable C urban D noteworthy E pas
11、toral F spurious 12 Although relying on much of the recent scholarship on the bison, Lotts book is a distinctly_and even idiosyncratic contribution to the field. A derivative B original C innovative D imitative E insightful F surprising 12 The binary planet hypothesis that Earth and the Moon formed
12、simultaneously by the accretion of smaller objects does not explain why the Moons iron core is so small relative to the Moons total volume, compared with Earths core relative to Earths total volume. According to the giant-impact hypothesis, the Moon was created during a collision between Earth and a
13、 large object about the size of Mars. Computer simulations of this impact show that both of the objects would melt in the impact and the dense core of the impactor would fall as molten rock into the liquefied iron core of Earth. The ejected matter mantle rock that had surrounded the cores of both ob
14、jects would be almost devoid of iron. This matter would become the Moon. 13 According to the passage, the binary planet hypothesis holds that （ A） Earth and the Moon were formed at the same time （ B） smaller objects joined together to form Earth and the Moon （ C） the Moons core is the same absolute
15、size as Earths core 14 The giant-impact hypothesis as described in the passage answers all of the following questions EXCEPT: （ A） What happened to the rock that surrounded the impactor s core after the impactor hit Earth? （ B） What happened to the impactor s core after the impactor hit Earth? （ C）
16、Where did the impactor that collided with Earth originate? （ D） Why is the Moons iron core small relative to that of Earth? （ E） What was the size of the impactor relative to that of Mars? 15 Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage? （ A） The development of one theory in
17、to another is outlined. （ B） Two explanations are provided, both of which are revealed as inadequate. （ C） A theory is presented, and then evidence that undermines that theory is discussed. （ D） Similarities and differences between two theories are described. （ E） A flawed hypothesis is introduced,
18、and then an alternative hypothesis is presented. 15 Most recent work on the history of leisure in Europe has been based on the central hypothesis of a fundamental discontinuity between preindustrial and industrial societies. According to this view, the modern idea of leisure did not exist in medieva
19、l and early modern Europe: the modern distinction between the categories of work and leisure was a product of industrial capitalism. Preindustrial societies had festivals(together with informal and irregular breaks from work), while industrial societies have leisure in the form of weekends and vacat
20、ions. The emergence of leisure is therefore part of the process of modernization. If this theory is correct, there is what Michel Foucault called a conceptual rupture between the two periods, and so the very idea of a history of leisure before the Industrial Revolution is an anachronism. To reject t
21、he idea that leisure has had a continuous history from the Middle Ages to the present is not to deny that late medieval and early modern Europeans engaged in many pursuits that are now commonly considered leisure or sporting activities jousting, hunting, tennis, card playing, travel, and so on or th
22、at Europe in this period was dominated by a privileged class that engaged in these pursuits. What is involved in the discontinuity hypothesis is the recognition that the people of the Middle Ages and early modern Europe did not regard as belonging to a common category activities(hunting and gambling
23、, for example)that are usually classified together today under the heading of leisure. Consider fencing: today it maybe considered a “sport,“ but for the gentleman of the Renaissance it was an art or science. Conversely, activities that today may be considered serious, notably warfare, were often de
24、scribed as pastimes. Serious pitfalls therefore confront historians of leisure who assume continuity and who work with the modern concepts of leisure and sport, projecting them back onto the past without asking about the meanings contemporaries gave to their activities. However, the discontinuity hy
25、pothesis can pose problems of its own. Historians holding this view attempt to avoid anachronism by means of a simple dichotomy, cutting European history into two eras, preindustrial and industrial, setting up the binary opposition between a “festival culture“ and a “leisure culture.“ The dichotomy
26、remains of use insofar as it reminds us that the rise of industrial capitalism was not purely a phenomenon of economic history, but had social and cultural preconditions and consequences. The dichotomy, however, leads to distortions when it reduces a great variety of medieval and early modern Europe
27、an ideas, assumptions, and practices to the simple formula implied by the phrase “festival culture.“ 16 The primary purpose of the passage is to （ A） refute the idea that the history of leisure is discontinuous （ B） show why one of two approaches is more useful in studying the history of leisure （ C
28、） suggest the need for a new, more inclusive concept to replace the concept of leisure （ D） trace the development of a theory about the history of leisure （ E） point out the basis for, and the limits of, an approach to the history of leisure 17 The author of the passage asserts that the “dichotomy“(
29、line 26)can lead to which of the following? （ A） Reliance on only one of several equally valid theoretical approaches （ B） The imposition of modern conceptions and meanings on past societies （ C） Failure to take into account the complexity of certain features of European culture （ D） Failure to util
30、ize new conceptual categories in the study of the history of leisure （ E） Failure to take account of the distinction between preindustrial and industrial societies 18 According to the passage, the “simple dichotomy“(line 26)is useful primarily because it serves as （ A） a way of calling historians at
31、tention to certain facts about the Industrial Revolution （ B） an antidote to the oversimplification encouraged by such terms as “festival culture“ （ C） a device for distinguishing between the work and the leisure activities of preindustrial Europeans （ D） a way of understanding the privileged class
32、of medieval Europe by viewing its activities in modern terms （ E） a tool for separating social history, including the history of leisure, from economic history 19 Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage as a whole? （ A） Two hypotheses are discussed, and evidence in supp
33、ort of one is presented. （ B） A hypothesis is presented and discussed, and a limitation to the hypothesis is identified. （ C） A hypothesis is proposed, its supposed advantages are shown to be real, and its supposed disadvantages are shown to be illusory. （ D） A problem is identified, two hypotheses
34、are advanced to resolve it, and both are rejected. （ E） A problem is identified, two resolutions are proposed, and a solution combining elements of both is recommended. 20 James W. Colemans book on John Edgar Widemans literary career addresses the needs of a general, if well-read, public rather than
35、 the esoteric vanities of scholarly specialists, whom he neither ignores nor flatters. To assume the former audience was familiar with every work Wideman ever penned would have been pretentious. Instead, Coleman furnishes more than ample descriptive criticism and background information, avoiding the
36、 cryptic allusiveness that is favored by some academic critics but that discourages the undergraduate audience he likely envisioned. Unfortunately, this accent on bringing serious Wideman criticism to a broader audience often frustrates the reader who wishes that announced themes, techniques, and st
37、ylistic devices would not whisk by as quickly as world capitals on a seven-day package tour of the globe. The reference to “a seven-day package tour of the globe“(line 10)is most likely meant to suggest a treatment that is （ A） inclusive （ B） cursory （ C） focused （ D） broad based （ E） substantial 21
38、 The painter Peter Brandon never dated his works, and their chronology is only now beginning to take shape in the critical literature. A recent dating of a Brandon self-portrait to 1930 is surely wrong. Brandon was 63 years old in 1930, yet the painting shows a young, dark-haired man obviously Brand
39、on, but clearly not a man of 63. Which of the following, if justifiably assumed, allows the conclusion to be properly drawn? （ A） There is no securely dated self-portrait of Brandon that he painted when he was significantly younger than 63. （ B） In refraining from dating his works, Brandon intended
40、to steer critical discussion of them away from considerations of chronology. （ C） Until recently, there was very little critical literature on the works of Brandon. （ D） Brandon at age 63 would not have portrayed himself in a painting as he had looked when he was a young man. （ E） Brandon painted se
41、veral self-portraits that showed him as a man past the age of 60. 21 Experts have differed about where the genus Varanus(monitor lizards)originated. Because most existing species live in Australia, early researchers concluded that Varanus originated in Australia and subsequently island hopped westwa
42、rd along the Indo-Australian archipelago. Herpetologist Robert Mertens later argued that Varanus probably originated in the archipelago. Chromosomal analysis has since supported Mertens contention, and in addition, geologic evidence points to a collision between the archipelago and the Australian la
43、ndmass after Varanus evolved a fact that could account for the genus present distribution. A related puzzle for scientists is the present distribution of Varanus largest surviving species, the Komodo dragon. These carnivores live only on four small islands in the archipelago where, scientists note,
44、the prey base is too small to support mammalian carnivores. But the Komodo dragon has recently been shown to manage body temperature much more efficiently than do mammalian carnivores, enabling it to survive on about a tenth of the food energy required by a mammalian carnivore of comparable size. 22
45、 It can be inferred from the passage that the geographical distribution of the Komodo dragon is （ A） currently less restricted than it was at the time researchers first began investigating the origins of the genus Varanus （ B） currently more restricted than it was at the time researchers first began
46、 investigating the origins of the genus Varanus （ C） less restricted than is the distribution of the genus Varanus as a whole （ D） more restricted than is the distribution of the genus Varanus as a whole （ E） viewed as evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the genus Varanus originated in the Indo
47、-Australian archipelago 23 Which of the following elements in the debate over the origin of Varanus is NOT provided in the passage? （ A） The evidence that led Mertens to argue that Varanus originated in the Indo-Australian archipelago （ B） The evidence that led early researchers to argue that Varanu
48、s originated in Australia （ C） A possible explanation of how Varanus might have spread to the Indo-Australian archipelago if it had originated in Australia （ D） A possible explanation of how Varanus might have spread to Australia if it had originated in the Indo-Australian archipelago （ E） An indica
49、tion of the general present-day distribution of Varanus species between Australia and the Indo-Australian archipelago 24 It can be inferred that which of the following is true of the “geologic evidence“(line 6)? （ A） It was first noted by Mertens as evidence in favor of his theory about the origins of Varanus. （ B） It cannot rule out either one of the theories about the origins of Varanus discussed in the passage. （ C） It accounts for the present distribution of the Komodo dragon.
