1、考博英语模拟试卷 157及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 We all associate colors with feelings and attitudes. In politics, dark blue often means “tradition“, and red means “social change“. But blue can also mean sadness (Im feeling blue). White is often for purity, although in China white is worn for funerals,
2、 and red is used to express the joy of a wedding, in western Europe white is worn at weddings and black for funerals. Advertisers are aware of the importance of selecting colors according to the way people react to them. Soap powders come in white and light blue packets ( clean and cold, like ice);
3、cereals often come in brown packets (tike wheat fields), but cosmetics never come in brown jars (dirty). Where do these ideas come from? Max Luscher from the University of Geneva believes that in the beginning life was dictated by two factors beyond our control: night and day. Night brought passivit
4、y, and a general slowing down of metabolism; day brought with it the possibility of action, and increased in the metabolic rate, thus providing us with energy and initiative. Dark blue, therefore, is the color of quietness and passivity, bright yellow the color of hope and activity. In prehistoric t
5、imes, activity as a rule took one of two forms: either we were hunting and at- tacking, or we were being hunted and defending ourselves against attack. Attack is universally re- presented by the color red; serf-preservation by its complement green. 1 In Lusehers view, the association of colors with
6、feeling and attitudes can be traced back to_. （ A） the association of day and night with passivity and action in ancient time （ B） the association of black with funerals in western Europe （ C） the association of white with purity in some countries （ D） the association of red with joy in China 2 Whic
7、h of the following statements is NOT true? （ A） Dark blue means tradition. （ B） Dark blue represents night. （ C） Dark blue brings tragedy. （ D） Dark blue indicates quietness. 3 Soap powders come in white and light blue packets to_. （ A） resemble ice （ B） show quality （ C） attract customers （ D） sugg
8、est purity 4 According to the passage, what kind of people would probably favor yellow? （ A） People who are passive and conservative. （ B） People who are hopeful and active. （ C） People who are creative and aggressive. （ D） People who are ideal and dreamy. 4 Americans no longer expect public figures
9、, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed
10、 liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English. Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorters academic specialty is language history and
11、change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of “whom“, for example, to be natural and no more regreuable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English. But the cult of the authentic and the personal, “doing our own thing“, has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While e
12、ven the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, per- formative genre is the only form that could claim real livelin
13、ess. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft. Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the quietist of his subtitle, W
14、hy We Should, Like, Care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressivethere exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey compex ideas, lie is not arguing, as many do, that we can no
15、longer think straight because we do not talk properly. Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges tha
16、t formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reformshe is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English “on paper plates instead of china“. A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. 5 To which of the following
17、 statements would McWhorter most likely agree? （ A） Logical thinking is not necessarily related lo the way we talk. （ B） Black English can be more expressive than standard English. （ C） Non-standard varieties of human language are just as entertaining. （ D） Of all the varieties, standard English can
18、 best convey complex ideas. 6 The description of Russians love of memorizing poetry shows the authors _. （ A） interest in their language （ B） contempt for their old-fashioned ness （ C） admiration for their memory （ D） appreciation of their efforts 7 According to the last paragraph, “paper plates“ is
19、 to “china“ as _. （ A） temporary is to “permanent“ （ B） radical is to “conservative“ （ C） functional is to “artistic“ （ D） humble is to “noble“ 7 Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabc
20、tism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet. It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their p
21、hone directories. Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zoe Zysman. English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K. Thus the American president
22、and vice-president have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bushs predecessors ( including his father) had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are al
23、phabetically advantaged ( Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirae, Chretien and Koizumi). The worlds three top central bankers ( Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characten;. As are the worlds five richest men (Gates, Buffett
24、, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht). Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easi
25、er to remember their names. So short-sighted Zysman junior gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, bec
26、ause they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly. The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews,
27、 election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them. 8 What does the author intend to illustrate with AAAA cars and Zodiac cars? （ A） A kind of overlooked inequality. （ B） A type o
28、f conspicuous bias. （ C） A type of personal prejudice. （ D） A kind of brand discrimination. 9 What can we infer from the first three paragraphs? （ A） In both East and West, names are essential to success. （ B） The alphabet is to blame for the failure of Zoe Zysman. （ C） Customers often pay a lot of
29、attention to companies names. （ D） Some form of discrimination is too subtle to recognize. 10 The 4th paragraph suggests that_. （ A） questions are often put to the more intelligent students （ B） alphabetically disadvantaged students often escape from class （ C） teachers should pay attention to all o
30、f their students （ D） students should be seated according to their eyesights 11 What does the author mean by “most people are literally having a ZZZ“ (Lines 23, Para- graph 5 ) ? （ A） They are getting impatient. （ B） They are noisily dozing off. （ C） They are feeling humiliated. （ D） They are busy w
31、ith word puzzles. 11 When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spiro isnt biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isnt cutting, filing or polish, ag as many nails as shed like to, either. Most of her clients spend $ 12 to $ 50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenl
32、y stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “I m a good economic indicator,“ she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when they re concerned about saving some dollars.“ So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillards department store near her suburban Clevela
33、nd home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I dont know if other clients are going to abandon me, too,“ she says: Even before Alan Greenspans admission that Americas red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to gap out- lets, sa
34、les have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last years pace. But
35、dont sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economys long-term prospects even as they do some modest belt-tightening. Consumers say theyre not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own for- tune
36、s still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “theres a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,“ says broker Barbara Corcoran. to San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbi
37、dding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 Offers, now maybe you only get two or three,“ says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job. Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer
38、 for lower interest rates. Employers wouldnt mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattans hot n
39、ew Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting. 12 By “Ellen Speroisnt biting her nails just yet“ Line 1-2, Paragraph 1 ), the author means （ A） Spero can hardly maintain her business （ B） Spero is too much engaged in her work （
40、C） Spero has grown out of her bad habit （ D） Spero is not in a desperate situation 13 How de the public feel about the current economic situation? （ A） Confused. （ B） Optimistic. （ C） Carefree. （ D） Panicked. 14 Why can many people see “silver linings“ to the economic slowdown? （ A） They would benef
41、it in certain ways. （ B） The stock market shows signs of recovery. （ C） Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom. （ D） The purchasing power would be enhanced. 15 To which of the following statements is the author likely to agree? （ A） A new boom, on the horizon. （ B） Tighten the belt, the single reme
42、dy. （ C） Caution all right, panic not. （ D） The more ventures, the more chances. 15 Everybody loves a fat pay rise. Yet pleasure at your own can vanish if you learn that a colleague has been given a bigger one. Indeed, if he has a reputation for slacking, you might even be outraged. Such behaviors i
43、s regarded as “all too human“, with the underlying assumption that other animals would not be capable of this finely developed sense of grievance. But a study by Sarah Bronson and Franks de Wail of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which has just been published in Nature, suggests that it is all
44、 too monkey, as well. The researchers studied the behaviors of female brown capuchin monkeys. They look cute. They are good-natured, co-operative creatures, and they share their food readily. Above all, like their female human counterparts, they tend to pay much closer attention to the value of “goo
45、ds and services“ than males. Such characteristics make them perfect candidates for Dr. Bronsons and Dr. de Waals study. The researchers spent two years teaching their monkeys to exchange tokens for food. Normally, the monkeys were happy enough to exchange pieces of rock for slices of cucumber. Howev
46、er, when two monkeys were placed in separate but adjoining chambers, so that each could observe what the other was getting in return for its rock, their behaviour became markedly different. In the world of capuchins grapes are luxury goods (and much preferable to cucumbers). So when one monkey was h
47、anded a grape in exchange for her token, the second was reluctant to hand hers over for a mere piece of cucumber. And if one received a grape without having to provide her token in exchange at all, the other either tossed her own token at the researcher or out of the chamber, or refused to accept th
48、e slice of cucumber. Indeed, the mere presence of a grape in the other chamber ( without an actual monkey to eat it) was enough to induce resentment in a female capuchin. The researchers suggest that capuchin monkeys, tike humans, are guided by social emotions. In the wild, they are a co-operative,
49、group-living species. Such co-operation is likely to be stable only when each animal feels it is not being cheated. Feelings of righteous indignation, it seems, are not the preserve of people alone. Refusing a lesser reward completely makes these feelings abundantly clear to other members of the group. However, whether such a sense of fairness evolved independently in capuchins and humans, or whether it stems from the common ancestor that the species had 35 million years ago, is, as yet, an unanswered question. 16 In the openin
