1、考博英语模拟试卷 275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 un-movingif it looks as though it is sleepingthen why not simply assume that it is i
2、n 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. Hor
3、ses 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. An
4、imals 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 a
5、re 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 anim
9、als_. （ 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 （ C） t
10、hey 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 animals br
11、ain 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 eyes （
12、B） cannot be studied with an EEC （ C） do not sleep in the true sense of 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 tired from hunt
13、ing 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 and the in
14、nards(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 business of blowi
15、ng 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 with them. It w
16、as, 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 the laughter
17、 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 humorists is that they are really very sad peopleclowns with a breaking heart. There is some truth in it, but it is badly state
18、d. 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 more sensible of it than some others, compensates for it actively and positively. Humorists fatten on trouble. They have always made trouble pay. They s
19、truggle 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 Billings wittily c
20、alled 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 and his down m
21、oments, 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 likely to break
22、 over into the opposite realm, it is because humor, like poetry, has an extra content. It plays close to the big 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 analysts can diss
23、ect humor （ B） detailed, scientific analysis is not appropriate for humor, for it may make humor lose its aesthetic value （ C） some peoples analysis of humor are too scientific （ D） analysts attempts at humor are not instructive enough to interest the author 7 The author uses the example of the soap
24、 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 while 8 According
25、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 cheerfully （ D） t
26、hey 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） there is an obviou
27、s 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 modern times that almost everybody has some notion of its meaning. On th
28、e 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 true sciences distingu
29、ishing fact from fiction is not always easy. For this reason 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 to explain natural
30、phenomena. From these positions the scientist continues to experiment and observe until they are proved or discredited. The exact status of any explanation should be clearly labeled to avoid confusion. The objectives of science are primarily the discovery and the subsequent understanding of the unkn
31、own. 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 approaches lead to th
32、e discovery of new information. One, aimed at satisfying curiosity, is referred to as pure science. The other is aimed at using knowledge for specific purposesfor instance, improving health, raising standards of living, or creating new consumer products. In this case knowledge is put to economic use
33、. 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 findings would one day
34、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 remember that the c
35、onstruction 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 To define science w
36、e 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“ results （ B） necessarily pr
37、ecedes 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 approach_. （ A） applied scie
38、nce （ 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 have any notions of t
39、he 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 and the Scientific Age （
40、 C） Hypotheses and Theories （ D） On Distinguishing Fact from Fiction 15 Everyone has a moment in history, which belongs particularly to him. It is the moment when his emotions achieve their most powerful sway over him, and afterward when you say to this person “the world today“ or “life“ or “reality
41、“ he will assume that you mean this moment, even if it is fifty years past. The world, through his unleashed(释放的 )emotions, imprinted itself upon him, and he carries the stamp of that passing moment forever. For me, this momentfour years in a moment in historywas the war. The war was and is reality
42、for me. I still instinctively live and think in its atmosphere. These are some of its characteristics. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the president of the United States, and he always has been. The other two eternal world leaders are Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. America is not, never has been,
43、 and never will be what the song and poems call it, a land of plenty. Nylon, meat, gasoline, and steel are rare. There are too many jobs and not enough workers. Money is very easy to earn but rather hard to spend, because there isnt very much to buy. Trains are always late and always crowded with “s
44、ervice men“ . The war will always be fought very far from America, and it will never end. Nothing in America stands still for very long, including the people who are always either leaving or on leave. People in America cry often. Sixteen is the key and crucial and natural age for a human being to be
45、, and people of all other ages are ranged in an orderly manner ahead of and behind you as a harmonious setting for the sixteen-year-olds of the world. When you are sixteen, adults are slightly impressed and almost intimidated by you. This is a puzzle finally solved by the realization that they fores
46、ee your military future: fighting for them. You do not foresee it. To waste anything in America is immoral. String and tinfoil are treasures. Newspapers are always crowed with strange maps and names of towns, and every few months the earth seems to lurch(突然倾斜 )from its path when you see something in
47、 the newspapers, such as the time Mussolini, who almost seemed one of the eternal leaders, is photographed hanging upside down on a meat hook. 16 Which statement best depicts the main idea of the first paragraph? （ A） Reality is what you make of it. （ B） Time is like a river. （ C） Emotions are power
48、ful. （ D） Every person has a special moment. 17 Why does the author still clearly remember the war? （ A） Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President. （ B） It was his personal reality and part of his life. （ C） There was not much to buy. （ D） The war would never end. 18 Which statement best describes the
49、 authors feelings about the war? （ A） It was ever real for him, yet he was not actively involved. （ B） It was real for him because he was a soldier at that time. （ C） It was very unreal to him. （ D） The war was very disruptive to the people at home. 19 Why does the author think that adults are impressed with sixteen-year-olds? （ A） Adults would like to be young. （ B） Sixteen-year-olds do not waste things. （ C） Sixteen-year-olds read newspapers. （ D） They will be fighting soon for adults. 20 Why does the
