1、考博英语模拟试卷 16及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 All animals must rest, but do they really sleep as we know it? The answer to this question seems obvious, If an animal regularly stops its activities and stays quiet and unmovingif it looks as though it is sleepingthen why not simply assume that it is in
2、fact sleeping? But how can observers be sure that an animal is sleeping? They can watch the animal and notice whether its eyes are open or closed, whether it is active or lying quietly, and whether it responds to light or sound. These factors are important clues, but they often are not enough. Horse
3、s and cows, for example, rarely close their eyes, and fish and snakes cannot close them. Yet this does not necessarily mean that they do not sleep. Have you ever seen a cat dozing with an eye partly open? Even humans have occasionally been observed to sleep with one or both eyes partially open. Anim
4、als do not necessarily lie down to sleep either. Elephants, for example, often sleep standing up, with their tusks resting in the fork of a tree. Finally, while “sleeping“ animals often seem unaware of changes in the sounds and light and other stimuli around them, that does not really prove they are
5、 sleeping either. Observations of animal behavior alone cannot fully answer the question of whether or not animals sleep. The answers come from doing experiments in “sleep laboratories“ using a machine called the electroencephalograph (EEC). The machine is connected to animals and measures their bra
6、in signals, breathing, heartbeat, and muscle activity. The measurements are different when the animals appear to be sleeping than when they appear to be awake. Using the EEC, scientists have confirmed that all birds and mammals studied in laboratories do sleep. There is some evidence that reptiles,
7、such as snakes and turtles, do not truly sleep, although they do have periods of rest each day, in which they are quiet and unmoving. They also have discovered that some animals, like chimpanzees, cats, and moles (who live underground), are good sleepers while others, like sheep, goats, and donkeys,
8、 are poor sleepers. Interestingly, the good sleepers are nearly all hunters with resting places that are safe from their enemies. Nearly all the poor sleepers are animals hunted by other animals: they must always be watching for enemies, even when they are resting. 1 According to the author, all ani
9、mals _. （ A） spend some time resting （ B） close their eyes when sleeping （ C） are good sleepers （ D） are poor sleepers 2 The statement,“ Horses and cows, for example, rarely close their eyes“ aims to show that _. （ A） these animals rarely need any rest （ B） they almost always keep alert to danger （
10、C） they often stay awake （ D） their eyes are rarely closed even when they are asleep 3 How can researchers in “sleep laboratories“ tell that the animals they are observing are asleep or not? （ A） They see if the animals respond to light and sound. （ B） They do this by observing changes in the animal
11、s brain signals, breathing, heartbeat, and muscle activity. （ C） They see if the animals eyes are closed. （ D） They can tell this by seeing if the animals lie down or not. 4 According to the research findings mentioned in the passage, reptiles _. （ A） such as turtles and snakes cannot close their ey
12、es （ B） cannot be studied with an EEC. （ C） do not sleep in the tree sense of the word （ D） do not need to rest 5 Animals that are good sleepers _. （ A） need to have a good sleep after they have exhausted themselves by getting rid of hunting animals （ B） need to have a good sleep after they get tire
13、d from hunting other animals （ C） are all mammals （ D） almost always have a safe resting place 5 Analysts have had their go at humor, and I have read some of this interpretative literature, but without being greatly instructed. Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process
14、 and the innards (内在部分 ) are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind. In a newsreel theatre the other day I saw a picture of a man who had developed the soap bubble to a higher point than it had ever before reached. He had become the ace soap bubble blower of America, had perfected the busi
15、ness of blowing bubbles, refined it, doubled it, squared it, and had even worked himself up into a convenient lather. The effect was not pretty. Some of the bubbles were too big to be beautiful, and the blower was always jumping into them or out of them, or playing some sort of unattractive trick wi
16、th them. It was, if anything, a rather repulsive sight. Humor is a little like that: it wont stand much blowing up, and it wont stand much poking. It has a certain fragility, an evasiveness, which one had best respect. Essentially, it is a complete mystery. A human frame convulsed with-laughter, and
17、 the laughter becoming mysterious and uncontrollable, is as far out of balance as one shaken with the hiccoughs or in the throes of a sneezing fit. One of the things commonly said about humorist is that they are really very sad people-clowns with a breaking heart. There is some truth in it, but it i
18、s badly stated. It would be more accurate, I think, to say that there is a deep vein of melancholy running through everyones life and that the humorist, perhaps mere sensible of it than some others, compensates for it actively and positively. Humorists fatten on trouble. They have always made troubl
19、e pay. They struggle along with a good will and endure pain cheerfully, knowing how well it will serve them in the sweet by and by. You find them wrestling with foreign languages, fighting folding ironing boards and swollen drainpipes, suffering the terrible discomfort of tight boot (or as Josh Bill
20、ings wittily called them, “tire boots“). They pour out their sorrows profitably, in a form that is not quite a fiction not quite a fact either. Beneath the sparking surface of these dilemmas flows the strong tide of human woe. Practically everyone is a manic-depressive of sorts, with his up moments
21、and his down moments, and you certainly dont have to be a humorist to taste the sadness of situation and mood. But there is often a rather fine line between laughing and crying, and if a humorous piece of writing brings a person to the point where his emotional responses are untrustworthy and seem l
22、ikely to break over into the opposite realm, it is because humor, like poetry, has an extra content. It plays close to the bit hot fire, which is Truth, and sometimes the reader feels the heat. 6 In the first paragraph the author wants to say that _. （ A） just as scientists can dissect a frog, so an
23、alysts can dissect humor （ B） detailed, scientific analysis is not appropriate for humor, for it may make humor lose its aesthetic value （ C） some people s analysis of humor are too scientific （ D） analysts attempts at humor are not instructive enough to interest the author 7 The author uses the exa
24、mple of the soap bubble blower to show that _. （ A） skill is required to produce humor （ B） neither too much exaggeration nor absolute explicitness is fit for humor （ C） people should perfect the art of humor just as the bubble blower does to the bubbles （ D） humor should make people frantic for a w
25、hile 8 According to the author, humorists differ from ordinary people in the sense that _. （ A） they give vent to their sorrows in a laughable way （ B） they have much trouble in their life and they are melancholy （ C） they are more sensible of the sadness of life and they endure and express the pain
26、 cheerfully （ D） they are mostly clowns with a breaking heart 9 A humorous piece of writing can make the readers emotional responses untrustworthy because _. （ A） it expresses the truth of the sadness of human life with a sparkling surface （ B） everyone has his happy moments and unhappy moments （ C）
27、 there is an obvious line between laughing and crying （ D） it is like poetry, very rhythmic 10 The passages success lies in its extensive use of _. （ A） parallelism （ B） metaphors （ C） metonymy （ D） similes 10 The word science is heard so often, in modem times that almost everybody has some notion o
28、f its meaning. On the other hand, its definition is difficult for many people. The meaning of the term is confused, but everyone should understand its meaning and objectives. Just to make the explanation as simple as possible, suppose science is defined as classified knowledge(facts). Even in the tr
29、ue sciences distinguishing fact from fiction is not always easy. For this mason great care should be taken to distinguish between beliefs and truths. There is no danger as long as a clear difference is made between temporary and proved explanations. For example, hypotheses and theories are attempts
30、to explain natural phenomena. From these positions the scientist continues to experiment and observe until they are proved or discredited. The exact statue of any explanation should be clearly labeled to avoid confusion. The objectives of science are primarily the discovery and the subsequent unders
31、tanding of the unknown. Man cannot be satisfied with recognizing that secrets exist in nature or that questions are unanswerable; he must solve them. Toward that end specialists in the field of biology and related fields of interest are directing much of their time and energy. Actually, two basic ap
32、proaches lead to the discovery of new information. One, aimed at satisfying curiosity, is referred to as pure science. The other is aimed at using knowledge for specific purposes for instance, improving health, raising standards of living, or creating new consumer products. In this case knowledge is
33、 put to economic use. Such an approach is referred to as applied science. Sometimes practical-minded people miss the point of pure science in thinking only of its immediate application for economic rewards. Chemists responsible for many of the discoveries could hardly have anticipated that their fin
34、dings would one-day result in application of such a practical nature as those directly related to life and death. The discoveries of one bit of information opens the door to the discovery of another. Some discoveries seem so simple that one is amazed they were not made years ago, however, one should
35、 remember that the construction of the microscope had to precede the discovery of the cell. The host of scientists dedicating their lives to pure science are not apologetic about ignoring the practical side of their discoveries; they know from experience that most knowledge is eventually applied. 11
36、 To define science we may simply call it _. （ A） the study of unrelated subjects （ B） an attempt to explain natural phenomena （ C） the study of unrelated fields （ D） classified knowledge 12 Pure science, leading to the construction of a microscope, _. （ A） may lead to antiscientific, “impure“ result
37、s （ B） necessarily precedes applied science, leading to the discovery of a cell （ C） is not always as pure as we suppose （ D） necessarily results from applied science and the discovery of a cell 13 A scientist interested in adding to our general knowledge about oxygen would probably call his approac
38、h _. （ A） applied science （ B） agriculture science （ C） pure science （ D） environmental science 14 Which of the following statements does the author imply? （ A） Scientists engaged in theoretical research should not be blamed for ignoring the practical side of their discoveries. （ B） Today few people
39、 have any notions of the meaning of science. （ C） In science, it is not difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. （ D） Practical-minded people can understand the meaning and objectives of pure science. 15 The best title for the passage is _. （ A） The Nature of Science and Scientists （ B） Biology a
40、nd the Scientific Age （ C） Hypotheses and Theories （ D） On Distinguishing Fact from Fiction 15 In most American cities, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment was 250 or more per month in recent years. In some smaller cities such as Louisville, Kentucky or Jacksonville, Florida the rent was less, but
41、in larger cities it was more. For example, if you lived in Los Angeles, you had to pay 400 or more to rent a one-bedroom apartment, and the Same apartment rented for 625 and up in Chicago. The most expensive rents in the U.S. were in New York City, where you had to pay at least 700 a month to rent a
42、 one-bedroom apartment in most parts of the city. Renters and city planners are worried about the high cost of renting apartments. Many cities now have rent-control laws to keep the cost of renting low. These laws help low-income families who cannot pay high rents. Rent control in the United States
43、began in 1943 when the government imposed rent controls on all American cities to help workers and the families of soldiers during World War . After the war, only one cityNew Yorkcontinued these World War H controls. Recently, more and more cities have returned to rent controls. At the beginning of
44、the 1980s, nearly one fifth of the people in the United States lived in cities with rent-control laws. Many cities have rent-control laws, but why are rents so high? Builders and landlords blame rent controls for the high rents. Rents are high because there are not enough apartments to rent, and the
45、y blame rent controls for the shortage of apartments. Builders want more money to build more apartment buildings, and landlords want more money to repair their old apartment buildings. But they cannot increase rents to get this money because of the rent-control laws. As a result, landlords are not r
46、epairing their old apartments, and builders are not building new apartment buildings to replace the old apartment buildings. Builders are building apartments for high-income families, not low-income families, so low-in- come families must live in old apartments that are in disrepair. Builders and la
47、ndlords claim that rent-control laws really hurt low-income families. Many renters disagree with them. They say that rent control is not the problem. Even without rent controls, builders and landlords will continue to ignore low-income housing because they can make more money from high-income housin
48、g. The only answer, they claim, is more rent controls and government help for low-income housing. 16 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? （ A） The Highest Rent （ B） Rent Controls （ C） Building Apartments for low-Income Families （ D） Rent-Control Laws 17 The aim of the U.S.
49、 government in imposing rent controls on American cities in 1943 was to help _. （ A） workers and the families of soldiers （ B） low-income families （ C） up-middle-income families （ D） high-income families 18 This passage implies that the high cost of renting apartments is worried by _. （ A） some city governments （ B） low-income families （ C） renters and city planners （ D） all of the above 19 It can be inferred from the passage that rent controls _. （ A） seems unable to control hi
