1、北京理工大学考博英语模拟试卷 18及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Despite Denmarks manifest virtues, Danes never talk about how proud they are to be Danes. This would sound weird in Danish. When Danes talk to foreigners about Denmark, they always begin by commenting on its tininess, its unimportance, the difficult
2、y of its language, the general small-mindedness and self-indulgence of their countrymen and the high taxes. No Dane would look at you in the eye and say, “Denmark is a great country. “ Youre supposed to figure this out for yourself. It is the land of the silk safety net, where almost half the nation
3、al budget goes toward smoothing out lifes inequalities, and there is plenty of money for schools, day care, retraining programmes, job seminarsDanes love seminars: three days at a study centre hearing about waste management is almost as good as a ski trip. It is a culture bombarded by English, in ad
4、vertising, pop music, the Internet, and despite all the English that Danish absorbsthere is no Danish Academy to defend against itold dialects persist in Jutland that can barely be understood by Copenhageners. It is the land where, as the saying goes, “ Few have too much and fewer have too little,“
5、and a foreigner is struck by the sweet egalitarianism that prevails, where the lowliest clerk gives you a level gaze, where Sir and Madame have disappeared from common usage, even Mr. and Mrs. Its a nation of recyclersabout 55% of Danish garbage gets made into something newand no nuclear power plant
6、s. Its a nation of tireless planners. Trains run on time. Things operate well in general. Such a nation of overachieversa brochure from the Ministry of Business and Industry says, “Denmark is one of the worlds cleanest and most organized countries, with virtually no pollution, crime, or poverty. Den
7、mark is the most corruptionfree society in the Northern Hemisphere. “ So, of course, ones heart lifts at any sighting of Danish sleaze: skinhead graffiti on buildings(“Foreigners Out of Denmark!“), broken beer bottles in the gutters, drunken teenagers slumped in the park. Nonetheless, it is an order
8、ly land. You drive through a Danish town, it comes to an end at a stone wall, and on the other side is a field of barley, a nice clean line: town here, country there. It is not a nation of jaywalkers. People stand on the curb and wait for the red light to change, even if its 2 am and theres not a ca
9、r in sight. However, Danes dont think of themselves as a waiting at 2 am for the green light peoplethats how they see Swedes and Germans. Danes see themselves as jazzy people, improvisers, more free spirited than Swedes, but the truth is(though one should not say it)that Danes are very much like Ger
10、mans and Swedes. Orderliness is a main selling point. Denmark has few natural resources, limited manufacturing capability; its future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, and distributor of goods. You send your goods by container ship to Copenhagen, and these bright, young, English-speaking, utter
11、ly honest, highly disciplined people will get your goods around to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia. Airports, seaports, highways, and rail lines are ultramodern and well-maintained. The orderliness of the society doesnt mean that Danish lives are less messy or lonely than yours or mine, a
12、nd no Dane would tell you so. You can hear plenty about bitter family feuds and the sorrows of alcoholism and about perfectly sensible people who went off one day and killed themselves. An orderly society cannot exempt its members from the hazards of life. But there is a sense of entitlement and sec
13、urity that Danes grow up with. Certain things are yours by virtue of citizenship, and you shouldnt feel bad for taking what youre entitled to, youre as good as anyone else. The rules of the welfare system are clear to everyone, the benefits you get if you lose your job, the steps you take to get a n
14、ew one; and the orderliness of the system makes it possible for the country to weather high unemployment and social unrest without a sense of crisis. 1 The author thinks that Danes adopt a_attitude towards their country. （ A） boastful （ B） modest （ C） deprecating （ D） mysterious 2 Which of the follo
15、wing is NOT a Danish characteristic cited in the passage? （ A） Fondness of foreign culture. （ B） Equality in society. （ C） Linguistic tolerance. （ D） Persistent planning. 3 The authors reaction to the statement by the Ministry of Business and Industry is_. （ A） disapproving （ B） approving （ C） nonco
16、mmittal （ D） doubtful 4 According to the passage, Danish orderliness_. （ A） sets the people apart from Germans and Swedes （ B） spares Danes social troubles besetting other peoples （ C） is considered economically essential to the country （ D） prevents Danes from acknowledging existing troubles 5 At t
17、he end of the passage the author states all the following EXCEPT that_. （ A） Danes are clearly informed of their social benefits （ B） Danes take for granted what is given to them （ C） the open system helps to tide the country over （ D） orderliness has alleviated unemployment 5 Cooperative competitio
18、n. Competitive cooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travelers scratching their heads over whats going on in the skies. Some folks view alliances as a blessing to travelers, offering seamless travel, reduced fares and enhanced frequent-flyer benefits. Others see a conspiracy of big businesse
19、s, causing decreased competition, increased fares and fewer choices. Whatever your opinion, theres no escaping airline alliances; the marketing hype is unrelenting, with each of the two mega-groupings, One world and Star Alliance, promoting itself as the best choice for all travelers. And, even if y
20、ou turn away from their ads, chances are they will figure in any of your travel plans. By the end of the year, One world and Star Alliance will between them control more than 40% of the traffic in the sky. Some pundits predict that figure will be more like 75% in 10 years. But why, after years of of
21、ten ferocious competition, have airlines decided to band together? Lets just say the timing is mutually convenient. North American airlines, having exhausted all means of earning customer loyalty at home, have been looking for ways to reach out to foreign flyers. Asian carriers are still hurting fro
22、m the region-wide economic downturn that began two years agojust when some of the airlines were taking delivery of new aircraft. Alliances also allow carriers to cut costs and increase profits by pooling manpower resources on the ground(rather than each airline maintaining its own ground crew)and co
23、de-sharingthe practice of two partners selling tickets and operating only one aircraft. So alliances are terrific for airlinesbut are they good for the passenger? Absolutely, say the airlines; think of the lounges, the joint FFP(frequent flyer programme)benefits, the round-the-world fares, and the g
24、lobal service networks. Then theres the promise of “seamless“ travel: the ability to, say, travel from Singapore to Rome to New York to Rio de Janeiro, all on one ticket, without having to wait hours for connections or worry about your bags. Sounds Utopian? Peter Buecking, Cathay Pacifics director o
25、f sales and marketing, thinks that seamless travel is still evolving. “Its fair to say that these links are only in their infancy. The key to seamlessness rests in infrastructure and information sharing. Were working on this. “ Henry Ma, spokesperson for Star Alliance in Hong Kong, lists some of the
26、 other benefits for consumers: “ Global travelers have an easier time making connections and planning their itineraries. “ Ma claims alliances also assure passengers consistent service standards. Critics of alliances say the much-touted benefits to the consumer are mostly pie in the sky that allianc
27、es are all about reducing costs for the airlines, rationalizing services and running joint marketing programmes. Jeff Blyskal, associate editor of Consumer Reports magazine, says the promotional ballyhoo over alliances is much ado about nothing. “I dont see much of a gain for consumers; alliances ar
28、e just a marketing gimmick. And as far as seamless travel goes, Ill believe it when I see it. Most airlines cant even get their own connections under control, let alone coordinate with another airline. “ Blyskal believes alliances will ultimately result in decreased flight choices and increased cost
29、s for consumers. Instead of two airlines competing and each operating a flight on the same route at 70% capacity, the allied pair will share the route and run one full flight. Since fewer seats will be available, passengers will be obliged to pay more for tickets. The truth about alliances and their
30、 merits probably lies somewhere between the travel utopia presented by the players and the evil empires portrayed by their critics. And how much they affect you depends on what kind of traveler you are. Those whove already made the elite grade in the FFP of a major airline stand to benefit the most
31、when it joins an alliance: then they enjoy the FFP perks and advantages on any and all of the member carriers. For example, if youre a Marco Polo Club “gold“ member of Cathay Pacifics Asia Miles FFP, you will automatically be treated as a valuable customer by all members of one world, of which Catha
32、y Pacific is a membereven if youve never flown with them before. For those who havent made the top grade in any FFP, alliances might be a way of simplifying the earning of frequent flyer miles. For example, I belong to United Airlines Mileage Plus and generally fly less than 25, 000 miles a year. Bu
33、t I earn miles with every flight I take on Star Alliance member-All Nippon Airways and Thai Airways. If you fly less than I do, you might be smarter to stay out of the FFP game altogether. Hunt for bargains when booking flights and you might be able to save enough to take that extra trip anyway. The
34、 only real benefit infrequent flyers can draw from an alliance is an inexpensive round the world fare. The bottom line: for all the marketing hype, alliances arent all things to all peoplebut everybody can get some benefit out of them. 6 Which is the best word to describe air travelers reaction to a
35、irline alliances? （ A） Delight. （ B） Indifference. （ C） Objection. （ D） Puzzlement. 7 According to the passage, setting up airline alliances will chiefly benefit_. （ A） North American airlines and their domestic travelers （ B） North American airlines and their foreign counterparts （ C） Asian airline
36、s and their foreign travelers （ D） Asian airlines and their domestic travelers 8 Which of the following is NOT a perceived advantage of alliances? （ A） Baggage allowance. （ B） Passenger comfort. （ C） Convenience. （ D） Quality. 9 One disadvantage of alliances foreseen by the critics is that air trave
37、l may be more expensive as a result of_. （ A） less convenience （ B） higher operation costs （ C） less competition （ D） more joint marketing 10 According to the passage, which of the following categories of travelers will gain most from airline alliances? （ A） Travelers who fly frequently economy clas
38、s. （ B） Travelers who fly frequently business class. （ C） Travelers who fly occasionally during holidays. （ D） Travelers who fly economy class once in a while. 10 In a society where all aspects of our lives are dictated by scientific advances in technology, science is the essence of our existence. W
39、ithout the vast advances made by chemists, physicists, biologist, geologist, and other diligent scientists, our standards of living would decline, our flourishing, wealthy nation might come to an economic depression, and our people would suffer from disease that could not be cured. As a society we i
40、gnorantly take advantage of the amenities provided by science, yet our lives would be altered interminably without them. Health care, one of the aspects of our society that separates us from our archaic ancestors, is founded exclusively on scientific discoveries and advances. Without the vaccines cr
41、eated by doctors, disease such as polio, measles, hepatitis, and the flu would pose a threat to our citizens, for although some of these disease may not be deadly, their side effects can be a vast detriment to an individual affected with the disease. In addition, science has developed perhaps the mo
42、st awe-inspiring, vital invention in the history of the world, the computer. Without the presence of this machine, our world could exist, but the conveniences brought into life by the computer are unparalleled. Despite the greatness of present-day innovators and scientists and their revelations, it
43、is requisite to examine the amenities of science that our culture so blatantly disregards. For instance, the light bulb, electricity, the telephone, running water, and the automobile are present-day staples of our society; however, they were not present until scientists discovered them. Because of t
44、he contribution of scientist, our world is ever metamorphosing, and this metamorphosis economically and personally comprise our society, whether our society is cognizant of this or not. 11 In the first paragraph the author implies that we_. （ A） would not survive without science （ B） take the amenit
45、ies of science for granted （ C） could have raised the standards of living with science （ D） would be free of disease because of scientific advances 12 The author uses health care and vaccines to illustrate_. （ A） how science has been developed （ B） what science means to society （ C） what the nature
46、of science is （ D） how disease affects society 13 Nothing, according to the author, can match the invention of the computer in term of_. （ A） power （ B） novelty （ C） benefits （ D） complexity 14 The author seems to be unhappy about_. （ A） peoples ignorance of their culture （ B） peoples ignoring the a
47、menities of science （ C） peoples making no contributions to society （ D） peoples misunderstanding of scientific advance 15 The authors tone in the passage is_. （ A） critical （ B） cognizant （ C） appreciative （ D） paradoxical 15 During the past generation, the American middle-class family that once co
48、uld count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure had been transformed by economic risk and new realties. Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class to newly poor in a few months. In just one generation, millions of m
49、others have gone to work, transforming basic family economics. Scholars, policymakers, and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes, but few have looked at the side effect; family risk has risen as well. Todays families have budgeted to the limits of theirs new two-paycheck status. As a result, they have lost the parachuted they once had in times of financial setbacka back-up earner(usually Mom)who could go into the workforce if the primary ea
