1、考博英语模拟试卷 18及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Youre busy filling out the application form for a position you really need; lets assume you once actually completed a couple of years of college work or even that you completed your degree, isnt it tempting to lie just a little, to claim on the form that
2、your diploma represents a Harvard degree? Or that you finished an extra couple of years back at the State University? More and more people are turning to utter deception like this to land their job or to move ahead in their careers, for personnel officers, like most Americans, value degrees from fam
3、ous schools. A job applicant may have a good education anyway, but he or she assumes that chances of being hired are better with a diploma from a well-known university. Registrars at most well-known colleges say they deal with deceitful claims like these at the rate of about one per week. Personnel
4、officers do check up on degrees listed on application forms, then. If it turns out that an applicant is lying, most colleges are reluctant to accuse the applicant directly. One Ivy league school calls them “impostors“; another refers to them as “special cases“. One well-known West Coast school, in p
5、erhaps the most delicate phrase of all, says that these claims are made by “no such people“. To avoid complete lies, some job-seekers claim that they “attended“ or “were associated with“ a college or university. After carefully checking, a personnel officer may discover that “attending“ means being
6、dismissed after one semester. It may be that “being associated with“ a college means that the jobseeker visited his younger brother for a football weekend. One school that keeps records of false claims says that the practice dates back at least to the turn of the century - that s when they began kee
7、ping records, anyhow. If you don t want to lie or even stretch the truth, there are companies that will sell you a fake diploma. One company, with officers in New York and on the West Coast, will put your name on a diploma from any number of nonexistent colleges. The price begins at around twenty do
8、llars for a diploma from “Smoot State University.“ The prices increase rapidly for a degree from the “University of Purdue“. As there is no Smoot State and the real school in Indiana is properly called Purdue University, the prices seem rather high for one sheet of paper. 1 The main idea of this pas
9、sage is that _. （ A） employers are checking more closely on applicants now （ B） lying about college degrees has become a widespread problem （ C） college degrees can now be purchased easily （ D） employers are no longer interested in college degrees 2 According to the passage, “special cases refers to
10、 cases where _. （ A） students attend a school only part-time （ B） students purchase false degrees from commercial firms （ C） students never attended a school they listed on their application （ D） students attended a famous school 3 We can infer from the passage that _. （ A） performance is a better j
11、udge of ability that a college degree needs （ B） experience is the best teacher （ C） past work histories influence personnel officers more than degrees do （ D） degree from a famous school enables an applicant to gain advantage over others in job competition 4 This passage implies that _. （ A） buying
12、 a false degree is not moral （ B） personnel officers only consider applicants from famous schools （ C） most people lie on applications because they were dismissed from school （ D） society should be greatly responsible for lying on applications 5 As used in the first line of the second paragraph, the
13、 word “utter“ means _. （ A） thorough （ B） fundamental （ C） ultimate （ D） decisive 5 Science is a dominant theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of
14、 the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist. For the person who has been p
15、resented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who sees the chief objective of science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course t
16、hat attempts to give an understanding of the modern work, or-independently of any course-simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and wha
17、t they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosop
18、hies that are pervasive in our culture. We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populate it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subcu
19、lture is not a unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contribution, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist,
20、one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far from being ideal, but it is at least
21、an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally. We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldnt take ourselves too seriously. As the reade
22、r may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living. 6 According to the passage, “scientific subculture“ means _. （ A） cultural groups that are formed by scientists （ B） people whose knowledge of science is very limited （ C） the scientific comm
23、unity （ D） people who make good contribution to science 7 We need to know something about the structure and operation of science because _. （ A） it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate the scientist （ B） science affects almost every aspect of our life （ C） scientists live i
24、n a specific subculture （ D） it is easier to understand general characteristics of science 8 The book mentioned in this passage is written for readers who _. （ A） are intelligent college students and lay persons who do not know much about science （ B） are good at producing various gadgets （ C） work
25、in a storehouse of dried facts （ D） want to have a superficial understanding of science 9 According to this passage, _. （ A） English is a sexist language （ B） only in the scientific world is the role of women increasing rapidly （ C） women are making significant contributions to eliminating the inade
26、quacy of our language （ D） male nouns or pronouns should not be used to refer to the scientists 10 lifts passage most probably is _. （ A） a book review （ B） the preface of a book （ C） the postscript of a book （ D） the concluding part of a book 10 Of all the areas of learning the most important is th
27、e development of attitudes. Emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people. “The burnt child fears the fire“ is one instance; another is the rise of despots like Hitler. Both of these examples also point up the fact that attitudes stem from experience. In
28、 the one ease the experience was direct and impressive; in the other case it was indirect and cumulative. The Nazis were formed largely by the speeches they heard and the books they read. The classroom teachers in the elementary school are in a strategic position to influence attitudes. This is true
29、 partly because children acquire attitudes from those adults whose opinion they respect. Another reason is that pupils often delve somewhat deeply into a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who had previously acquired li
30、ttle knowledge of Mexico, his teachers method of handling such a unit would greatly affect his attitude towards Mexicans. The media through which the teacher can develop wholesome attitudes are innumerable. Social attitudes (with special reference to races and nationalities), science matters of heal
31、th and safety, the very atmosphere of the classroom-these are a few of the fertile fields for the induction of proper emotional reactions. However, when children come to school with undesirable attitudes, it is unwise for the teacher to attempt to change their feelings by cheating or scolding them.
32、She can achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain constructive experience. Finally, a teacher must constantly evaluate her own attitudes, because her influence can be harmful if she has personal prejudices. This is especially true in respect to controversial issues and questions on which chil
33、dren should be encouraged to reach their own decisions as a result of objective analysis of all the facts. 11 In the second paragraph, the author gives two examples to show _. （ A） the development of attitudes is most important （ B） peoples behavior can be shaped by direct or indirect experience （ C
34、） conscious instruction is important in shaping peoples behavior （ D） unpleasant experience leaves a greater impression on people 12 Most often attitudes are shaped by _. （ A） how the teacher introduces knowledge （ B） what children learn at home （ C） whether knowledge is learned from books of other
35、sources （ D） what children learn in the classroom 13 The author advises teachers to _. （ A） correct the pupils incorrect attitude whenever they have （ B） ignore the pupils incorrect attitude altogether （ C） give the proper criticism to the pupils incorrect attitude （ D） try to use positive experienc
36、e to develop proper attitude in the pupils 14 The word “harmful“ in the last paragraph most probably means _. （ A） bad-affecting （ B） ill-effective （ C） widespread （ D） irritating 15 What is the passage mainly about? （ A） How to develop the desired attitude in children. （ B） What role emotional reac
37、tions play in education. （ C） How childrens attitude affect their study. （ D） Why undesirable attitudes are hard to eliminate. 15 The marvelous telephone and television network that has now enmeshed the whole world, making all men neighbors, cannot be extended into space. It will never be possible t
38、o converse with anyone on another planet. Even with todays radio equipment, the messages will take minutes sometimes hours on their journey, because, radio and light waves travel at the same limited speed of 186, 000 miles a second. Twenty years from now you will be able to listen to a friend on Mar
39、s, but the words you hear will have left his mouth at least three minutes earlier, and your reply will take a corresponding time to reach him. In such circumstances, an exchange of verbal messages is possible-but not a conversation. To a culture which has come to take instantaneous communication for
40、 granted, as part of the very structure of civilized life, this “time barrier“ may have a profound psychological impact. It will be a perpetual reminder of universal laws and limitations against which not all our technology can ever prevail. For it seems as certain as anything can be that no signal
41、still less any material object can ever travel faster than light. The velocity of light is the ultimate speed limit, being part of the very structure of space and time. Within the narrow confines of the solar system, it will not handicap us too severely. At the worst, these will amount to twenty hou
42、rs the time it takes a radio signal to span the orbit of Pluto, the outer most planet. It is when we move out beyond the confines of the solar system that we come face to face with an altogether new group of cosmic reality. Even today, many otherwise educated men- like those savages who can count to
43、 three but lump together all numbers beyond four-cannot grasp the profound distinction between solar and stellar space. The first is the space enclosing our neighbor-ring worlds, the planets; the second is that which embraces those distant suns, the stars, and it is literally millions of times great
44、er. There is not such abrupt change of scale in the terrestrial affairs. Many conservative scientists, shocked by these cosmic gulfs, have denied that they can ever be crossed. Some people never learn; those who sixty years ago laughed at the possibility of flight, and ten years ago laughed at the i
45、dea of travel to the planets, are now quite sure that the stars will always be beyond our reach. And again they are wrong, for they have failed to grasp the great lesson of our age that if something is possible in theory, and no fundamental scientific laws oppose its realization, then sooner or late
46、r it will be achieved. One day we shall discover a really efficient means of propelling our space vehicles. Every technical device is always developed to its limit and the ultimate speed for spaceships is the velocity of light. They will never reach that goal, but they will get very near it. And the
47、n the nearest star will be less than five years of voyaging from the earth. 16 For light to travel across the solar system, it will take _. （ A） a year （ B） nearly a day （ C） two months （ D） thirty minutes 17 The fact that it will never be possible to converse with someone on another planet shows th
48、at _. （ A） certain universal laws cannot be prevailed against （ B） no object can ever travel faster than light （ C） western culture has a special idea of communication （ D） radio messages do not travel fast enough 18 Confronted with the new groups of cosmic reality, many educated men _. （ A） become
49、ignorant savages again （ B） find the “time barrier“ unbearable （ C） will not combine solar and stellar space （ D） cannot adapt to the abrupt change of scale 19 Conservative scientists who deny that cosmic gulfs can ever be crossed will _. （ A） laugh at the very idea of flight （ B） learn a lesson as they did ten years ago （ C） find space travel beyond their reach （ D） oppose the fundamental scientific laws 20 The author of the passage, readers can infer, intends to show
