1、考博英语模拟试卷 218及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 The table before which we sit may be, as the scientist maintains, composed of dancing atoms, but it does not reveal itself to us as anything of the kind, and it is not with dancing atoms but a solid and motionless object that we live. So remote is this “
2、real“ table-and most of the other “realities“ with which science deals-that it cannot be discussed in terms which have any human value, and though it may receive out purely intellectual credence it cannot be woven into the pattern of life as it is led, in contradistinction to life as we attempt to t
3、hink about it. Vibrations in the either are so totally unlike, let us say, the color purple that the gulf between them cannot be bridged, and they are, to all intents and purposes, not one but two separate things of which the second and less “real“ must be the most significant for us. And just as th
4、e sensation which has led us to attribute an objective reality to a nonexistent thing which we call “purple“ is more important for human life than the conception of vibrations of a certain frequency, so too the belief in God, however ill founded, has been more important in the life of man than the g
5、erm theory of decay, however true the latter may he. We may, if we like, speak of consequence, as certain mystics love to do, of the different levels or orders of truth. We may adopt what is essentially a Platonist trick of thought and insist upon postulating the existence of external realities whic
6、h correspond to the needs and modes of human feeling and which, so we may insist, have their being is some part of the universe unreachable by science. But to do so is to make an unwarrantable assumption and to be guilty of the metaphysical fallacy of failing to distinguish between a truth of feelin
7、g and that other sort of truth which is described as a “truth of correspondence,“ and it is better perhaps, at least for those of us who have grown up in an age of scientific thought, to steer clear of such confusions and to rest content with the admission that, though the universe with which scienc
8、e deals is the real universe, yet we do not and cannot have any but fleeting and imperfect contacts with it ; that the most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions, desires, and aspirations-takes place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate or destroy, but which it is po
9、werless to enrich. 1 According to this passage, a scientist would conceive of a “table“ as being _. （ A） a solid motionless object （ B） certain characteristic vibrations in “ether“ （ C） a form fixed in space and time （ D） a mass of atoms on motion 2 By “objective reality“ the author means _. （ A） sc
10、ientific reality （ B） a phenomenon we can directly experience （ C） reality colored by emotion （ D） a symbolic existence 3 The author suggests that in order to bridge the puzzling schism between scientific truth and the world of illusions, the reader should _. （ A） try to rid himself of his world of
11、illusion （ B） accept his world as being one of illusion （ C） apply the scientific method （ D） establish a truth of correspondence 4 The topic of this selection is _. （ A） the distortion of reality by science （ B） the confusion caused by emotions （ C） Platonic and contemporary views of truth （ D） the
12、 place of scientific truth in our lives 5 Judging from the ideas and tone of the selection, one may reasonably guess that the author is _. （ A） a humanist （ B） a pantheist （ C） a nuclear physicist （ D） a doctor 5 These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the “great classless society“. The ideal tha
13、t the twentieth century is the age of the common man has become one of the great cliches of our time. The same old arguments are put forward in evidence. Here are some of them: monarchy as a system of government has been completely discredited. The monarchies that survive have been deprived of all p
14、olitical power. Inherited wealth has been savagely reduced by taxation and, in time, the great fortunes will disappear altogether. In a number of countries the victory has been complete. The people rule; the great millennium has become a political reality. But has it? Close examination doesnt bear o
15、ut the claim. It is a fallacy to suppose that all men are equal and that society will be leveled out if you provide everybody with the same educational opportunities. (It is debatable whether you can ever provide everyone with the same educational opportunities, but that is another question. ) The/a
16、ct is that nature dispenses brains and ability with a total disregard for the principle of equality. The old rules of the jungle, “survival of the fittest“, and “might is right“ are still with us. The spread of education has destroyed the old class system and created a new one. Rewards are based on
17、merit. For “aristocracy“ read “meritocracy“; in other respects, society remains unaltered: the class system is rigidly maintained. Genuine ability, animal cunning, skill, the knack of seizing opportunities, all bring material rewards. And what is the first thing people do when they become rich? They
18、 use their wealth to secure the best possible opportunities for their children, to give them a good start in life. For all the lip service we pay to the idea of equality, we do not consider this wrong in the western world. Private schools which offer affair advantages over state schools are not bann
19、ed because one of the principles in a democracy is that people should be free to choose how they will educate their children. In this way, the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent: an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart. Wealth
20、 is also used indiscriminately to further political ends. It would be almost impossible to become the leader of a democracy without massive financial backing. Money is as powerful a weapon as ever it was. In societies wholly dedicated to the principle of social equality, privileged private education
21、 is forbidden. But even here people are rewarded according to their abilities. In fact, so great is the need for skilled workers that the least able may be neglected. Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers. In the end, all political ideologies boil down to the
22、same thing: class divisions persist whether you are ruled by a feudal king or an educated peasant. 6 What is the main idea of this passage? （ A） Equality of opportunity in the twentieth century has not destroyed the class system. （ B） Equality means money. （ C） There is no such society as classless
23、society. （ D） Nature cant give you a classless society. 7 According to the author, the same educational opportunities cant get rid of inequality because _. （ A） the principle “survival of the fittest“ exists （ B） nature ignores equality in dispensing brains and ability （ C） material rewards are for
24、genuine ability （ D） people have the freedom how to educate their children 8 Who can obtain more rapid success? （ A） Those with wealth. （ B） Those with the best brains. （ C） Those with the best opportunities. （ D） Those who have the ability to catch at opportunities. 9 Why does the author say the ne
25、w meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent? Because _. （ A） money decides everything （ B） private schools offer advantages over state schools （ C） people are free to choose the way of educating their children （ D） wealth is used for political ends 10 According to the author, “class divi
26、sions“ refers to _. （ A） different opportunities for people （ B） the rich and the poor （ C） oppressor and the oppressed （ D） genius and stupidity 10 The discovery of the Antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called “the heroic
27、 age of Antarctic exploration“. By their tremendous heroism, men such as Shackleton, Scott, and Amundsen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. Modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the techniques of
28、 former explorers, and, although still calling for courage and feats of endurance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable. Few realize that this Antarctic con
29、tinent is almost equal in size to South America, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. The coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the mapping of the whole of interior presents formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. Once their labo
30、rs are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the largest treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, an almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to
31、 man. Such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the Antarctic wastes. The polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air fields for the future intercontinental air ser
32、vice by making these areas as light as day. Present flying routes will completely change, for the Antarctic refueling bases will make flight fiom Australia to South America comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey. The climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer Ad
33、miral Byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. Some of his parties were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the Antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the
34、 appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all countries could live there safely. Byrd even affirms that it is probably the most health climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilized this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree,
35、with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sicknesses and disease from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown. There exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the latter keep indefinitely without any signs of deteri
36、oration; it may even be that later generations will come to regard the Antarctic as the natural storehouse for the whole world. Plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a “dead continent“ now promises to be a most
37、active centre of human life and endeavor. 11 When did man begin to explore the Antarctic? （ A） About 100 years ago. （ B） In this century. （ C） At the beginning of the 19th century. （ D） In 1798. 12 What must the explorers be, even though they have modern equipment and techniques? （ A） Brave and toug
38、h. （ B） Stubborn and arrogant. （ C） Well-liked and humorous. （ D） Stout and smart. 13 What kind of metals and minerals can we find in the Antarctic? （ A） Magnesite, coal and oil. （ B） Copper, coal and uranium. （ C） Silver, natural gas and uranium. （ D） Aluminum, copper and natural gas. 14 The most h
39、ealthy climate in the world is _. （ A） in South America （ B） in the Arctic Region （ C） in the Antarctic Continent （ D） in the Atlantic Ocean 15 What is planned for the continent? （ A） Building dams along the coasts. （ B） Setting up several summer resorts along the coasts. （ C） Mapping the coast and
40、the whole territory. （ D） Setting up permanent bases on the coasts. 15 Television is one of todays most powerful and widespread means of mass communication. It directly influences our lives on both a short and long-term basis; it brings worldwide situations into our homes; it affords extensive oppor
41、tunities for acquiring higher education; and it performs these tasks in a convenient yet effective manner. We are all aware of the popularly accepted applications of television, particularly those relative to entertainment and news broadcasting. Television, however, has also been a vital link in unm
42、anned deep space exploration (such as the Voyager and missions), in providing visions from hazardous areas (such as proximity to radioactive materials or environments) in underwater research, in viewing storms moving across a metropolitan area (the camera being placed in a weather-protective enclosu
43、re near the top of a tower) , etc. The earths weather satellites also use television cameras for viewing cloud cover and movements from 20, 000 miles in space. Infrared filters are used for night views, and several systems include a spinning mirror arrangement to permit wide-area views from the came
44、ra. Realizing the unlimited applications for todays television, one may thus logically ponder the true benefits of confining most of our video activities to the mass-entertainment field. Conventional television broadcasting within the United States centres around free enterprise and public ownership
45、. This requires funding by commercial sponsors, and thus functions in a revenue-producing business manner. Television in USSR-subjected areas, conversely, is a government-owned and maintained arrangement. While such arrangements eliminate the need for commercial sponsorship, it also has the possibil
46、ity of limiting the type of programs available to viewers (a number of purely entertainment programs similar to the classic “Bewitched“, however, have been seen on these government-controlled networks. All isnt as gray and dismal as the uninformed might unnecessarily visualize). A highly modified fo
47、rm of television called Slow-Scan TV is presently being used by many Amateur Radio operators to provide direct visual communications with almost any area of the world. This unique visual mode recently allowed people on the tiny South Pacific country of Pitcairn Island to view, for the first time in
48、their lives, distant areas and people of the world. The chief radio Amateur and communications officer of Pitcairn, incidentally, is the legendary Tom Christian-great, great grandson of Tom Christian of “Mutiny on the Bounty“ fame. Radio Amateurs in many lands worked together for several months esta
49、blishing visual capabilities. The results have proven spectacular, yet the visual capabilities have only been used for health education, or welfare purposes. Commercial TV is still unknown to natives of that tiny country. Numerous other forms of television and visual communication have also been used on a semi-restricted basis. This indicates the many untapped areas of video and television which may soon be exploited on a more widespread basis. The old clich of a picture being worth a thousand words truly has merit. 16 Accordin
