1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 85及答案与解析 Section C 0 There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of parrying, as well as studying, can con
2、sole themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends. A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor-market premium to skill“ or the amount college graduates earned thats greater than what high-school graduate earne
3、d decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance(报复性地 )since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma. There s no question
4、that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University(tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007-08)yield a 40% greater retur
5、n than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student($35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student($17,380)there? Not likely. No, in this consumerist age,
6、most buyers arent evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider. As with automobiles, consumers in today s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search
7、 for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences(such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-bio
8、logy program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students(or, more accurately, their parents)often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product l
9、ike a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive worlds hottest consumer trend, maybe its best to characterize it as a hybrid(混合动 力汽车 ):an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends. 1 Students who attend an in-state university can_in Colorado. （
10、A） take more science courses （ B） get a better education （ C） save a half than out-state students on tuition （ D） stay near with home 2 Studies of two Harvard economists show that for much of the 20th century,_. （ A） enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities （ B）
11、 competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today （ C） the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed （ D） the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates 3 The relation between the tuition of college and graduates salary is that_. （ A） the
12、 more they pay for college, the higher salary they will get （ B） the relation between them is little to see （ C） out-state students will receive a salary that is twice of in-state students （ D） going to Columbia University will yield a greater return than attending the University of Colorado 4 In th
13、is consumerist age, most parents_. （ A） consider college education a consumer product （ B） place a premium on the prestige of the College （ C） think it crucial to send their children to college （ D） regard college education as a wise investment 5 What does the author think about college education? （
14、 A） Their employment prospects after graduation are brighter. （ B） It s an expensive consumer product that may have rich dividends. （ C） It has facilities and learning environment. （ D） It will pay rich dividends soon after graduation. 5 Man still has a lot to learn about the most powerful and compl
15、ex part of his body the brain. In ancient times men did not think that the brain was the center of mental activity. Aristotle, the philosopher of ancient Greece, thought that the mind was based in the heart. It was not until the 18th century that man realized that the whole of the brain was involved
16、 in the workings of the mind. During the 19th century scientists found that when certain parts of the brain were damaged, men lost the ability to do certain things. And so, people thought that each part of the brain controlled a different activity. But modern research has found that this is not so.
17、It is not easy to say exactly what each part of the brain does. In the past 50 years there has been a great increase in the amount of research being done on the brain. Chemists and biologists have found that the way the brain works is far more complicated than they had thought. In fact many people b
18、elieve that we are only now really starting to learn the truth about how the human brain works. The more scientists find out, the more questions they are unable to answer. For instance, chemists have found that over 100,000 chemical reactions take place in the brain every second. Mathematicians who
19、have tried to use computers to copy the way the brain works have found that even using the latest electronic equipment they would have to build a computer which weighed over 10,000 kilos. Some recent research also suggests that we remember everything that happens to us. We may not be able to recall
20、this information, but it is all stored in our brains. Scientists hope that if we can discover how the brain works, the better use we will be able to put it to. For example, how do we learn language? Some children learn to speak, read and write when they are very young compared to average children. B
21、ut scientists are not sure why this happens. They are trying to find out whether there is something about the way we teach language to children which in fact prevents children from learning sooner. 6 What does the author want to convey in the passage? （ A） The author describes the latest findings ma
22、de in this field. （ B） The history and future of brain researches. （ C） The complexity of our brain. （ D） What we can get from researching the brain. 7 What does the author mention in the history of the brain study? （ A） Ancient people thought the brain was much more important than the heart. （ B） S
23、cientists in 19th century believe that all parts of the brain work together to control one activity. （ C） Aristotle thought that our heart is the controlling center of the activity. （ D） People gradually noticed the importance of the brain over time. 8 The sentence “that man realized that the whole
24、of the brain was involved in the workings of the mind“ implicates all the statements below EXCEPT_. （ A） the brain, instead of the heart, is in charge of our thinking （ B） the whole brain takes part in our mind activity （ C） the brain is all we need when our mind is working （ D） every part of the br
25、ain is used when we are thinking 9 What is NOT true according to the author? （ A） Mathematicians built a computer to copy the way the brain works. （ B） We are far from knowing the truth of the brain. （ C） Before we can fully use the brain, we should discover how it works. （ D） We cannot recall every
26、thing that is stored in the brain. 10 Which of the following best describes the authors tone in this passage? （ A） Optimistic. （ B） Arbitrary. （ C） Critical. （ D） Objective. 10 Global warming may or not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but regardless of whether it is or isn t,
27、we won t do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed. Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth“, as if mere
28、ly recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don t know enough to believe global warming, and without major technological breakthroughs we cant do much about it. From 2003 to 2050, the worlds population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a
29、42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions(mainly, CO2)will be 42% higher in 2050. But that s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn the worlds poor to their pres
30、ent poverty and freeze everyone else s living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050. No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom(limits on electricity usage, driving and travel)that might cut back global wa
31、rming. Still, politicians want to show theyre “doing something.“ Consider the Kyoto Protocol(京都议定书 ). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn t. But it hasn t reduced CO2 emissions(up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories didn t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-
32、2012 targets. The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it. The trouble with the global warming debate
33、 is that it has become a moral problem when its really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we dont solve the engineering problem, we re helpless. 11 What is said about global warming in the first paragraph? （ A） It may not prove an environmental crisis at all. （ B） It is an issue r
34、equiring worldwide commitments. （ C） Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it. （ D） Very little will be done to bring it under control. 12 According to the authors understanding, what is AL Gores view on global warming? （ A） It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of. （ B） I
35、t is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences. （ C） It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized. （ D） It is area we actually have little knowledge about. 13 Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of_. （ A） economic growth （ B） wasteful use of energy （ C） the w
36、idening gap between the rich and poor （ D） the rapid advances of science and technology 14 The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol,_. （ A） politicians have started to do something to better the situation （ B） few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use
37、（ C） reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warming （ D） international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems 15 What is the message the author intends to convey? （ A） Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one. （ B） The ultimate soluti
38、on to global warming lies in new technology. （ C） The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs. （ D） People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming. 15 By “some people“ I mean me. Why is it that an evening stroll leaves me feeling eaten alive while
39、 my companions are left blissfully un-bitten? Studies suggest that about 20 percent of people are “high attractor types“ who are especially appealing to the female mosquitoes seeking out blood for the extra protein they need to lay eggs. Of course, not all mosquitoes are the same. But let s consider
40、 some of the more general properties that affect your mosquito appeal. Clothing Color Its true, mosquitoes have discerning fashion taste. Or at least, theyre more likely to spot you as a target if you stand out from your environment. Dark colors, especially, will attract more of the insect. Body Hea
41、t Visual clues allow the mosquito to locate you from relatively far away, but as she approaches, its your body heat that draws her in. This puts pregnant women, who average about 1.26 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than others, at a particular risk a fact which has been substantiated by a number of studi
42、es. Carbon Dioxide This is another reason pregnant women are at a disadvantage. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide using a special organ called a maxillary palp from as far as 164 feet away. Unfortunately for mothers-to-be, pregnancy causes women to emit 21 percent more CO2. This is also why kids
43、are often safe from bites, when bigger, more CO2-emitting adults are around. Alcohol Intake On the flip side, pregnant women are(presumably)avoiding another mosquito attractor: alcohol. Although it s unclear how mosquitoes go about detecting the presence of ethanol, studies show that drinking even j
44、ust 12 ounces of beer will significantly increase the attention you receive from the pests. The Properties of Your Skin and Sweat Up to 85 percent of your susceptibility to mosquito bites has nothing to do with what you re drinking, wearing or how much heat your body emits it s just genetic. Specifi
45、cally, the composition of your skin bacteria the kind that naturally and healthily exists there can serve as an attractor. Blood Type Another factor you cant control? Your blood type. And it stands to reason that, if the mosquito is there to suck your blood, she cares what kind shes getting. People
46、with blood type O are more prone to mosquito bites than those with type B, with type A folks bringing up the rear. 16 According to the author, which factor below serves as the most influencing one in mosquito appealing? （ A） Alcohol drinking. （ B） Clothing color （ C） The properties of the skin and s
47、weat. （ D） The body heat. 17 What is false about the “clothing color“ and “body heat“ factors? （ A） The heat surrounding you helps to attract the mosquito far away. （ B） The mosquito easily detects people who wear different colors from others. （ C） Mosquitos like warm places. （ D） The pregnant women
48、 get bitten much easier because they are warmer. 18 What is NOT the reason why the pregnant women have a high risk of mosquito appeal? （ A） They emit more CO2 than normal people. （ B） The air surrounding them are much warmer than others. （ C） They drink alcohol. （ D） They emit more heat than people
49、around. 19 What is the best title for this passage? （ A） Properties That Affect Your Mosquito Appeal （ B） Why Pregnant Women Attract Mosquitos Easily? （ C） Your Gene Make You More Attractive to Mosquitos （ D） Why Are Some People More Prone to Mosquito Bites? 20 Which statement is NOT true according to the author? （ A） People with blood type A are more attractive than those with type O. （ B） Take baths more often lower the risks of mosquito biting. （ C） Kids get less bites because they emit less CO2. （ D） The
