1、考博英语模拟试卷 153及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 At the Kyoto conference on global warming in December 1997, it became abundantly clear how complex it has become to work out international agreements relating to the environment be- cause of economic concerns unique to each country. It is no longer enoug
2、h to try to forbid certain activities or to reduce emissions of certain substances. The global challenges of the interlink between the environment and development caressingly bring us to the core of the economic life of the states. During deep cuts in emissions harmful to the ozone layer, these redu
3、ctions were made possible because substitutions had been found for many of the harmful chemicals and, more important, because the harmful substances could be replaced without negative effects on employment and the economies of states. Although the threat of global warming has been known to the world
4、 for decades and all countries and leaders agree that we need to deal with the problem, we also know that the effects of measures, especially harsh measures taken in some countries, would be nullified if other countries do not control their emissions. Whereas the UN team calls on the emissions to be
5、 cut globally by 60% to stabilize the content of CO2 in the atmosphere, this path is not feasible for several reasons. Such deep cuts would cause a breakdown of the world economy. Important and populous low- or medium-income countries are not yet willing to undertake legal commitments about their en
6、ergy uses. In addition, the state of world technology would not yet permit us to make such a big leap. We must, however, find a solution to the threat of global warming early in the 21st century. Such a commitment would require a degree of shared vision and common responsibilities new to humanity. S
7、uccess lies in the force of imaginations, in imagining what would happen if we fail to act. Although many living in cold regions would welcome the global warming effect of a warmer summer, few would cheer the arrival of the subsequent tropical diseases, especially where there had been one. 1 The mai
8、n purpose of this passage is to_. （ A） convince people that global warming is a real threat （ B） argue against making deep cuts in emissions （ C） analyze the problem of global warming （ D） criticize some countries for refusing to cut down harmful emissions 2 The reason why it is difficult to get rid
9、 of the threat of global warming is that_. （ A） not all the countries are willing to make deep cuts in emissions （ B） many people welcome the global-warming effect of a warmer summer （ C） the leaders of many countries are not fully aware of the gravity of the problem （ D） the world technology is not
10、 able to solve the problem 3 In the passage, the author implies that_. （ A） the world has recently become aware of the threat of global warming （ B） the problem of global warming has largely been solved （ C） it is not easy to work out international agreements to cut down harmful emissions （ D） it is
11、 no longer easy to reach international agreements relating to the environment 4 According to the author, it is impossible at present to cut 60% of carbon dioxide emissions globally because_. （ A） some people are irresponsible （ B） it would cause a collapse of the world economy （ C） it is only a goal
12、 to be reached in the future （ D） some people are lacking in imagination 5 What should all countries do to help solve the problem of global warming? （ A） They should hold another world conference on climate change. （ B） They should provide advanced technology. （ C） They should replace all the harmfu
13、l substances. （ D） They should willingly undertake legal commitments about their energy uses. 5 The media can impact current events. As a graduate student at Berkeley in the 1960s, I re member experiencing the events related to the Peoples Park that were occurring on campus. Some of these events wer
14、e given national media coverage in the press and on TV. I found it interesting to compare my impressions of what was going on with perceptions obtained from the news media. I could begin to see events of that time feed on news coverage. This also provided me with some healthy insights into the disti
15、nctions between these realities. Electronic media are having a greater impact on the peoples lives every day. People gather more and more of their impressions from representations. Television and telephone communications are linking people to a global village, or what one writer calls the Electronic
16、 City. Consider the information that television brings into your home every day. Consider also the contact you have with others simply by using telephone. These media extend your consciousness and your contact. For example, the video coverage of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake focused on “Live Act
17、ion“ such as the fires or the rescue efforts. This gave the viewer the impression of total disaster. Television coverage of the Iraqi War also developed an immediacy. CNN reported events as they happened. This coverage was distributed worldwide. Although most people were far away from these events,
18、they developed some perception of these realities. In 1992, many people watched in horror as riots broke out on a sad Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, seemingly fed by video coverage Rodney King beating. We are now in an age where the public can have access to information that enables it to make it
19、s own judgments, and most people, who had seen the video of this beating, could not understand how the jury was able to ac- quit the policemen involved. Media coverage of events as they occur also provides powerful feed- back that influences events. This can have harmful results, as it seemed on tha
20、t Wednesday night in Los Angeles. By Friday night the public got to that Wednesday night in Los Angeles. By Friday night the public got to see Rodney King on television pleading. “Can we all get along?“ By Saturday, television seemed to provide positive feedback as the Los Angeles riot turned out in
21、to a rally for peace. The television showed thousands of people marching with banners and cleaning tools. Because of that, many more people turned out to join the peaceful event they saw unfolding on television. The real healing, of course, will take much longer, but electronic media will continue t
22、o be a part of that process. 6 The best title for the passage is_. （ A） The 1992 Los Angeles Riots （ B） The Impact of Media on Current Events （ C） The 1989 San Francisco Earthquake and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots （ D） How Media Cover Events 7 All the following statements are true EXCEPT that _. （ A）
23、electronic media can extend ones contact with the world （ B） those living far away from a certain event can also have some perception of realities by watching television （ C） all the events occurring on the university campus at Berkeley were given national media coverage （ D） video coverage of the 1
24、989 San Francisco earthquake gave the viewers the impression of total disaster 8 The term “electronic city“ in Paragraph 2 refers to_. （ A） Los Angeles （ B） San Francisco （ C） Berkeley （ D） the earth 9 The 1992 Los Angeles riots broke out because_. （ A） the jury acquitted the policemen who had beate
25、n Rodney King （ B） people can make their own judgments （ C） video coverage from helicopters had made people angry （ D） video coverage had provided powerful feedback 10 It can be inferred from the passage that_. （ A） media coverage of events as they occur can have either good or bad results （ B） most
26、 people who had seen the video of the Rodney King beating agree with the verdict of the jury （ C） the t992 Los Angeles riots lasted a whole week （ D） Rodney King seemed very angry when he appeared on television on Friday 10 Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Ever
27、ywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real. The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services toget
28、her, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978 - 1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due
29、to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction“ between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the pic
30、ture reflected by the statistics. Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace-all that re-engineering and downsizing-are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and mac
31、hinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much. Two other explanatio
32、ns are speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been unsuitably done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose. Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bon Pain, a rapidly growing
33、 chain of bakery cafes, says that much “re-engineering“ has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs
34、 without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability. BBDO s Al Rosen Shine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish “the worst sort of ambulance-chasing.“ 11 It can be inferred form the passage that the American economic situation is_. （ A） n
35、ot as good as it seems （ B） at its turning point （ C） encouraging （ D） on the way to complete recovery 12 The official statistics on productivity growth_. （ A） exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle （ B） fall short of businessmens anticipation （ C） meet the expectation of business people （ D）
36、 fail to reflect the true state of economy 13 The author raises the question “what about pain without gain“ because_. （ A） he questions the truth of “no gain without pain“ （ B） he does not think the productivity revolution works （ C） he wonders if the official statistics are misleading （ D） he is su
37、re of the occurrence of the revival of businesses 14 Which of the following statements is NOT true in the passage? （ A） The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings. （ B） New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity. （ C） The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain lo
38、ng-term profitability. （ D） Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity. 15 The authors attitude towards the revival of businesses is_. （ A） biased （ B） indifferent （ C） objective （ D） not clear 15 About a decade ago, then-Republican House leader Newt Gingrich raised a big stir wh
39、en he implied that a mothers drowning of her two children in South Carolina was the result of years of permissive rule by the Democrats. His political enemies struck back, and it became a major moment in the morality plays of the 1990s. Gingrich is gone, relegated to the sidelines of the talking-hea
40、d circuit. But after a decade of his Republicans in control, the headlines dont seem all that different. In the same month of an election in which a fifth or so of the voters said they were most concerned about fuzzily defined “moral values“, Americans cringed at the news at home. A hunter slaughter
41、ing other hunters in Wisconsin. A mother hacking off her childs limbs in Texas. A woman locking two little girls in a storage unit in Maryland. Then, the sad spectacles of out-of- control “athletes“ and “fans“ in hand-to-hand combat in Michigan and South Carolina sullied the week leading into Thanks
42、giving. But in this season of thankfulness, all of those episodes of failed civilization demand context. There remain significant things to be thankful for. This can be said even in the shadow of terrorism and an Iraqi War that has claimed the lives of more than 100 Americans and countless Iraqis ju
43、st this month. Consider: The brave and selfless 18% 19- and 20-somethings who have fought and died or were maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan, including those who endured the hell of Fallujah. Whether you believe in the war in Iraq or not, the pictures of mothers and fathers, siblings and friends mourni
44、ng over caskets at Arlington National Cemetery deserve to be remembered this holiday season. Their sacrifice is unmatched, and beyond our ability to repay. Remember them the next time you see a foot- ball player flex his muscles at the 50-yard line or an entertainer complain about not getting the re
45、spect he or she deserves. Remember Pat Tillman, who quit the Arizona Cardinals football team to join the military? He died in Afghanistan. Thats real tragedy and sacrifice, not some pro basketball player getting kicked off the court for a year for trying to take a spectators head off. The political
46、system. OK, list your grievances first: billionaires trying to buy the election of 2004; lawyers cynically exploiting loopholes of a freshly passed campaign finance law; nasty words flying on the Internet and talk TV. About as many people remain distressed that President Bush won re-election as thos
47、e who are glad he won. But despite all these caveats, youd also have to agree that much of the world still changes leaders at the point of a gun or remains governed by blood or entitlement. Yet this country just persevered through one of its most bitter, hard- fought elections without violence or re
48、tribution. That must be worth something in these uncertain times. 16 The best title of this passage is_. （ A） Human Threats, Disasters Compete for World Attention （ B） Election: the Struggle between the Democrats and the Republicans （ C） Despite Bad Behaviors, Theres Plenty to Be Thankful for （ D） P
49、resident Bush Has More to Worry about than Iraqi War 17 The argument between the Democrats and the Republicans concerns the topic of_. （ A） ethics （ B） political system （ C） election （ D） crime 18 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? （ A） Americans are horrified by the bad news around their homes. （ B） After years of quarrel, the Democrats and the Republicans reconciled. （ C） Lots of Americans and countless Iraqis are killed in the shadow of terrorism and Iraqi
