1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 52及答案与解析 0 Theres this great recurring “Saturday Night Live“ skit from several years back where Phil Hartman plays an unfrozen caveman who goes to law school. He pontificates(发表武断的意见 )on the American judicial system while marveling at modern technology like “the tiny people in the mag
2、ic box“(a TV). It fits a common stereotype; Human ancestors were, well, cavemen, and not as smart as we are today. A new hypothesis from a Stanford geneticist tries to turn this stereotype upside down. Human intelligence may have actually peaked before our ancient predecessors ever left Africa, Gera
3、ld Crabtree writes in two new journal articles. Genetic mutations during the past several millennia are causing a decline in overall human intellectual and emotional fitness, he says. Evolutionary pressure no longer favors intellect, so the problem is getting worse. He is careful to say that this is
4、 taking quite a long time, so its not like your grandparents are models of brilliance while your children will be cavemen rivaling Hartmans SNL character. But he does maintain that an ancient Athenian, plucked from 1000 BC, would be “among the brightest and most intellectually alive of our colleague
5、s and companions. “ His central thesis is that each generation produces deleterious(有害的 )mutations, so down the line of human history, our intelligence is ever more impaired compared to that of our predecessors. Not surprisingly, the hypothesis, published in the journal Trends in Genetics, has sever
6、al geneticists scratching their heads. “It takes thousands of genes to build a human brain, and mutations in any one of those can impair that process, thats absolutely true. Its also true that with each new generation, new mutations arise.but Crabtree ignores the other side of the equation, which is
7、 selection,“ said Kevin Mitchell, associate professor at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. “Natural selection is incredibly powerful, and it definitely has the ability to weed out new mutations that significantly impair intellectual ability. There are various aspects in th
8、ese papers that I think are really just thinking about things in a wrong way. “ Crabtree said he wanted to examine the cumulative effect of generation-to-generation mutation on intelligence, which is thought to be controlled by many genes. Using indexes that measure X-chromosome(染色体 )-related mental
9、 retardation, he comes up with between 2,000 and 5,000 genes related to human intellectual ability. Using another index measuring average mutations that arise in each generation of children, he calculates that within 3,000 years, “we have all sustained two or more mutations harmful to our intellectu
10、al or emotional stability. “ “There is a general feeling that evolution constantly improves us, but it only does that if there is selection applied,“ Crabtree said in an interview. “In this case, it is questionable about how much selection is occurring now compared to the process of optimizing those
11、 genes, which occurred in the jungles of Africa 500,000 years ago. “ Theres already evidence for this in other areas, he argues: Take our sense of smell. Humans have far fewer olfactory receptors than other animals, he said were guided by our intellect now, not by smell. We can think about where a p
12、iece of food came from, how it was processed, which plant its from, who has been around it, and so on. A dog, on the other hand, simply sniffs something and either eats it or doesnt. Similarly, he believes evolution now selects for other traits namely, the most healthy and the most immune, not the m
13、ost intelligent. But geneticists took issue with his claims, not to mention his citations and methods. Mitchell took issue with Crabtrees characterization of genes he describes them as links in a chain, with incredible overall disruptive power. Theyre like a bulb on a string of Christmas tree lights
14、 that suddenly fails to work, taking out the entire strand with it: “ It can be concluded that genes related to intelligence do not operate as a robust network, but rather as links in a chain, failure of any one of which leads to intellectual disability,“ he writes. Mitchell countered that this igno
15、res other genes that dont cause intellectual disability. “Biological systems are robust to degradation of several different components,“ Mitchell said. “Evolution has gone to a lot of trouble to craft your genome so its finely honed to do its job, and it doesnt make sense that you would have all thi
16、s random mutation in your brain cells. Also, you would have a very high rate of brain cancer. “ 1 According to the passage, “Saturday Night Live“ skit is a_. （ A） TV series with a playful spirit （ B） documentary on human ancestors （ C） talk show on exotic experiences （ D） radio program on modern tec
17、hnology 2 Which of the following would Gerald Crabtree most likely DISAGREE with? （ A） Genetic mutations play a significant part in the decline of human intelligence. （ B） Harmful mutations tend to be unchangeable and easy to get rid of. （ C） Human beings today are no longer pressured to improve the
18、ir intellect. （ D） Natural selection is useful in the process of evolution only on some occasions. 3 Kevin Mitchell raises doubts about Gerald Crabtrees hypothesis in all of the following aspects EXCEPT its_. （ A） self-contradictory nature （ B） neglect of the power of natural selection （ C） research
19、 methodology and references （ D） characterization of genes 4 At the end of the passage, Kevin Mitchell implies that_. （ A） the biological system is very delicate and its balance is easily broken （ B） after a long and hard process, human genes come to what they are today （ C） genetic mutations in the
20、 human body are developed in a casual manner （ D） some people may have a higher risk of brain cancer than others 5 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? （ A） A New Hypothesis Against a Common Stereotype （ B） The Pros and Cons of Genetic Mutations （ C） Human Intelligence Dec
21、lined or Not? （ D） Evolution Process and Human Intellect 5 Social mobility in the U. K. could be reversed unless the government and universities make changes to encourage and pay for more students from disadvantaged backgrounds to take degrees, according to the governments independent adviser on the
22、 issue. Alan Milburn said in a report that social mobility was now “flatlining at best“ after gains in the early part of the last decade. “Given the headwinds that universities and higher education institutions are facingtuition fees, student caps, public funding constraints theres a real danger thi
23、ngs will go backwards, rather than forwards,“ Milburn told the Guardian. “As the economy changes, who gets into university does become a very important driver of social mobility. “ The report recommends changes across government policy and the way universities select, fund and encourage students fro
24、m more disadvantaged areas, who he argues have been shown to do better at university than pupils from private schools with the same grades. Suggestions include offering all students from poorer backgrounds an interview and considering offering places to those with lower grades. Acknowledging pressur
25、e on public spending during the recession, Milburn calls on all parties to commit to government funding for higher education rising from 1. 2% currently to 1.5% , the average for the OECD group of advanced economies. The former Labour MP and cabinet member, who was the first person in his family to
26、go to university, said social mobility created “falters as well as risers“, echoing candid comments by the Liberal Democrat business secretary, Vince Cable, who told an audience on Wednesday that social mobility was often a “two-way street“ and “a zero-sum game“. “We want everyone to move up and no
27、one to move down,“ said Cable. “But in the real world not everyone can be a star. Social mobility is often embodied in the comprehensive school pupil who reaches Oxbridge, but what about the school dropout who finished up in a lowly menial job? That is also social mobility. But this is surely what m
28、eritocracy is all about success through hard work, not through birth.“ Milburns report says universities spend more than 400m to soften the impact of higher tuition fees on students from poorer backgrounds, but says there is little evidence that it is well spent, and calls for deep changes. It advoc
29、ates that money is spent not just on reducing fees but helping to fund poorer students, and calls for a new version of the scrapped Educational Maintenance Allowance, intended to help poorer pupils remain in school to do A-levels. Universities are asked to agree to use “contextual data“ when assessi
30、ng applications to give pupils from worse schools a better chance, even if they have lower grades. Because some universities especially from the Russell Group of higher ranked institutions have objected to such a move in the past, Milburn offers them alternatives, including running new programmes to
31、 assess and prepare school-leavers, such as summer schools, and guaranteeing interviews to pupils from schools in disadvantaged areas. Ministers are urged to scrap a cap on student numbers, which Milburn calls an artificial limit on aspiration, and to better explain the tuition fees policy, under wh
32、ich students start repaying their loans when their earnings rise above a certain threshold. One option would be to rename the policy a graduate tax, which it is “in all but name“, says Milburn, though he says it might be too late for that. He also calls for more funding for post-graduates, probably
33、through upfront loans, saying the issue is “in danger of becoming a social mobility timebomb“. The proposal to re-introduce the EMA was widely welcomed by social and education organizations, including the childrens charity Barnados, which said it had evidence that children were having to choose betw
34、een the cost of breakfast and their bus fare to school. The left-of-centre IPPR thinktank welcomed the reports suggestion that “we should look at applying the lessons of the pupil premium in schools to the university sector, with more funding being provided to institutions if they recruit from disad
35、vantaged backgrounds“. 6 According to Alan Milburns report, which of the following is the current situation of social mobility? （ A） It has been reversed. （ B） It hasnt any changes nowadays. （ C） It hasnt had any changes since the past decades. （ D） Government and universities pay for more students
36、to take degrees. 7 What does the former Labour MP mean by saying “social mobility created falters as well as risers“ in Paragraph Four? （ A） Social mobility was a “two-way street“ and “a zero-sum game“. （ B） All students from comprehensive school can reach the Oxford by hard work. （ C） School dropou
37、ts always work with lower payments. （ D） Social mobility was a mirror to constant efforts from different people. 8 Which of the following is INCORRECT according to Milburns report? （ A） Universities spend more money in softening the impact of higher tuition fees on poorer students. （ B） Money has al
38、ready been spent not just in reducing fees but in helping fund for poorer students. （ C） Universities were asked to use superior standard when assessing applications. （ D） Some higher ranked universities do not refuse to change any more. 9 What can be inferred from Milbums comment on “tuition fees p
39、olicy“ in Paragraph Six? （ A） The suggestion for Ministers obeys the aspiration of the public. （ B） Students dont have to repay the loan until they earn a certain amount of money. （ C） Tuition fees policy is better than graduate tax. （ D） Graduate tax can help post-graduates through upfront loans. 1
40、0 What is this passage mainly concerned? （ A） Education fund needs social mobility. （ B） Education needs new policy and reform. （ C） Children pay more premiums in schools, so there are difficulties in their lives. （ D） Children were recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they are very poor. 10
41、 Cambridge has taken the top spot in this years Guardian University Guide league table, breaking its arch rival Oxfords six-year stint as the U. K. s leading institution. Oxford has come second and St Andrews third, while the London School of Economics has climbed four places from last year to take
42、fourth place. University College London, Warwick, Lancaster, Durham, Loughborough and Imperial College make up the top 10. Our analysis shows that universities with low rankings are almost as likely to be planning to charge maximum tuition fees of 9,000 in autumn 2012 as those with high rankings. Lo
43、ndon Metropolitan University, which comes bottom of the Guardian tables, intends to charge between 4,500 and 9,000 for its degrees. Salford, Liverpool John Moores, Manchester Metropolitan and the University of East London all of which rank in the bottom 20 want to charge 9,000 for at least some of t
44、heir courses. The governments access watchdog, the Office for Fair Access, is looking at the fees each university in England wants to charge and will announce in July whether it approves. All the English universities in our top 20 intend to charge 9,000 fees, apart from London School of Economics, w
45、hich has not yet decided. The first university that proposes to charge less than 9,000 for all of its courses is Sunderland, which is ranked 48th There are a total of 120 institutions in the tables: 38 in the top half intend to charge 9,000 for at least some of their courses, while 18 in the bottom
46、half propose to do the same. Universities are ranked according to how much they spend per student; their student/staff ratio; the career prospects of their graduates; what grades applicants need; a value-added score that compares the academic achievements of first-years and their final degree result
47、s; and how content final-year students are with their courses, based on the annual National Student Survey. Birmingham City University has fallen most since last year 24 places, from 66th to 90th while Middlesex is the biggest climber, reaching 75th place this year compared with 112th last year. Dur
48、ham has risen from 17th place to eighth. While the oldest universities dominate the top positions in the tables, the newest have improved their rankings since last year. Winchester has leapt from 96th place to 69th. The tables, compiled by an independent consultancy firm, Intelligent Metrix, are wei
49、ghted in favour of the National Student Survey. As part of the survey, final-year students are asked to score their universities for overall satisfaction, feedback and contact hours. Other league tables concentrate more on research ratings. The Guardian publishes an overall ranking table, separate tables to show which universities are best and worst for each subject and another table for specialist institutions. The more a university spends on each student, the more likely it is to have a high ranking and the
