1、武汉大学考博英语模拟试卷 34及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 In such a changing, complex society formerly simple solutions to informational needs become complicated. Many of lifes problems which were solved by asking family members, friends or colleagues are beyond the capability of the extended family to resol
2、ve. Where to turn for expert information and how to determine which expert advice to accept are questions facing many people today. In addition to this, there is the growing mobility of people since World War II. As families move away from their stable community, their friends of many years, their e
3、xtended family relationships, the informal flow of information is cut off, and with it the confidence that information will be available when needed and will be trustworthy and reliable. The almost unconscious flow of information about the simplest aspects of living can be cut off. Thus, things once
4、 learned subconsciously through the casual communications of the extended family must be consciously learned. Adding to societal changes today is an enormous stockpile of information. The individual now has more information available than any generation, and the task of finding that one piece of inf
5、ormation relevant to his or her specific problem is complicated, time-consuming and sometimes even overwhelming. Coupled with the growing quantity of information is the development of technologies which enable the storage and delivery of more information with greater speed to more locations than has
6、 ever been possible before. Computer technology makes it possible to store vast amounts of data in machine-readable files, and to program computers to locate specific information. Telecommunications developments enable the sending of messages via television, radio, and very shortly, electronic mail
7、to bombard people with multitudes of messages. Satellites have extended the power of communications to report events at the instant of occurrence. Expertise can be shared world wide through teleconferencing, and problems in dispute can be settled without the participants leaving their homes and/or j
8、obs to travel to a distant conference site. Technology has facilitated the sharing of information and the storage and delivery of information, thus making more information available to more people. In this world of change and complexity, the need for information is of greatest importance. Those peop
9、le who have accurate, reliable up-to-date information to solve the day-to-day problems, the critical problems of their business, social and family life, will survive and succeed. “Knowledge is power“ may well be the truest saying and access to information may be the most critical requirement of all
10、people. 1 The word “it“(Line 3, Para. 2)most probably refers to_. （ A） the lack of stable communities （ B） the breakdown of informal information channels （ C） the increased mobility of families （ D） the growing number of people moving from place to place 2 The main problem people may encounter today
11、 arises from the fact that_. （ A） they have to learn new things consciously （ B） they lack the confidence of securing reliable and trustworthy information （ C） they have difficulty obtaining the needed information readily （ D） they can hardly carry out casual communications with an extended family.
12、3 From the passage we can infer that_. （ A） electronic mail will soon play a dominant role in transmitting messages （ B） it will become more difficult for people to keep secrets in an information era （ C） people will spend less time holding meetings or conferences （ D） events will be reported on the
13、 spot mainly through satellites 4 We can learn from the last paragraph that_. （ A） it is necessary to obtain as much （ B） people should make the best use of the information （ C） we should realize the importance of accumulating information. （ D） it is of vital importance to acquire needed information
14、 efficiently 4 The American economic system is organized around a basically private-enterprise, market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen, strivi
15、ng to make profits, produce these goods and services in competition with other businessmen; and the profit motive, operating under competitive pressures, largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coup
16、led with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes, that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it. An important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be
17、expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand, the
18、 price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If, on the other hand, producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost, this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the p
19、roduct. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system. The important factor in a private enterprise economy is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources(private property), and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce
20、goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual. 5 In
21、Para 1, “the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes“ means_. （ A） Americans are never satisfied with their incomes （ B） Americans tend to overstate their incomes （ C） Americans want to have their incomes increased （ D） Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes 6 The f
22、irst two sentences in the second paragraph tell us that_. （ A） producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production （ B） consumers can express their demands through producers （ C） producers decide the prices of products （ D） supply and demand regulate prices 7 According to the passage, a pri
23、vate-enterprise economy is characterized by_. （ A） private property and rights concerned （ B） manpower and natural resources control （ C） ownership of productive resources （ D） free contracts and prices 8 The passage is mainly about_. （ A） how American goods are produced （ B） how American consumers
24、buy their goods （ C） how American economic system works （ D） how American businessmen make their profits 8 Personality is to a large extent inherent A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the par
25、ents; it is likely to become a major factor in the lives of their children. One place where children soak up A-characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the “win at all costs“ moral standard and measure their success by sporting
26、 achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system , in which competitive A-types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences; remember that Pheidippides
27、, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying: “Rejoice, we conquer!“ By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by ex
28、amination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful. Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A-youngsters change into Bs. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a childs personality to his p
29、ossible future employment. It is top management. If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children surer values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions, especially medicine, could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by suc
30、h considerations as sensitivity and sympathy. It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A-type stock. Bs are important and should be encouraged. 9 According to the passage, A-type individuals are usually_. （ A） impatient （ B） considerate （ C） aggressive （ D） agreeable 10 The auth
31、or is strongly opposed to the practice of examinations at schools because_. （ A） the pressure is too great on the students （ B） some students are bound to fail （ C） failure rates are too high （ D） the results of examations are doubtful 11 The selection of medical professionals are currently based on
32、_. （ A） candidatessensitivity （ B） academic achievements （ C） competitive spirit （ D） surer values 12 From the passage we can draw the conclusion that_. （ A） the personality of a child is well established at birth （ B） family influence dominates the shaping of ones characteristics （ C） the developme
33、nt of ones personality is due to multiple factors （ D） B-type characteristics can find no place in competitive society 12 Tightlipped elders used to say, “Its not what you want in this world, but what you get. “ Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the
34、right things. You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to co
35、ok first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served. Likewise, if you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself. In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligen
36、tly plan where to sell your services. This account of yourself is actually a sketch of your working life and should include education, experience and references. Such an account is valuable. It can be referred to in filling out standard application blanks and is extremely helpful in personal intervi
37、ews. While talking to you, your could be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience, and other qualifications will pay him to employ you and your “wares“ and abilities must be displayed in an orderly and reasonably connected manner. When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of y
38、our abilities and desires, you have something tangible to sell. Then you are ready to hunt for a job. Get all the possible information about your could be job. Make inquiries as to the details regarding the job and the firm. Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment. Spend a certain am
39、ount of time each day seeking the employment you wish for, and keep in mind: Securing a job is your job now. 13 What do the elders mean when they say, “Its not what you want in this world, but what you get“? （ A） Youll certainly get what you want. （ B） Its no use dreaming. （ C） You should be dissati
40、sfied with what you have. （ D） Its essential to set a goal for yourself. 14 A blueprint made before inviting a friend to dinner is used in this passage as_. （ A） an illustration of how to write an application for a job （ B） an indication of how to secure a good job （ C） a guideline for job descripti
41、on （ D） a principle for job evaluation 15 According to the passage, one must write an account of himself before starting to find a job because_. （ A） that is the first step to please the employer （ B） that is the requirement of the employer （ C） it enables him to know when to sell his services （ D）
42、it forces him to become clearly aware of himself 16 When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something_. （ A） definite to offer （ B） imaginary to provide （ C） practical to supply （ D） desirable to present 16 Discoveries in science and technology are though
43、t by “ untaught minds“ to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold(霉 )on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years bef
44、ore he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score. The point is that the players who score most are the ones who t
45、ake most shots at the goal and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovation and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordi
46、nary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities. “Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that theres no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done, “ wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority. This accounts for our re
47、action to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient: “How come nobody thought of that before?“ The creative approach begins with the proposition that nothing is as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to
48、 do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead
49、to dead ends. Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer. 17 What does the author probably mean by “untaught mind“ in the first paragraph? （ A） A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation. （ B） A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity. （ C） A person who has had no education. （ D） An individual who often comes up with new ideas by accident. 18 According to the author, what distinguishes innovators from non-innovators? （ A） The variety
