1、考博英语模拟试卷 63及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 At no time in history has there been such a mass movement of people from countryside to city as is happening now. By the year 2030, it s estimated that more than two thirds of the word s population will be living in cities, twice as many as today. This me
2、ans that the problems faced by cities to day-overcrowding, poor housing, unemployment, poverty, and lack of food water-will be twice as had in the next century, unless we find solutions soon. Another serious issue is how to provide good transport to their citizens. Many world s major cities are alre
3、ady struggling with out-of-date transport infrastructures. How can they deal with the additional demands in the 21stcentury? London is a good example. It was the world s first big city-the first with a population of a mil lion people. Its enlargement was made possible by the invention of the steam e
4、ngine, which powered the worlds first underground railway. But its transport systems are now hopelessly out-of-date, and need urgent modernization. London s future success depends very much on transport. Over a million people travel into central London every day from outside the city. They, and the
5、people who live in London, want a public transport system that is fragment, safe and environmentally friendly. What they often get, however, falls far short of that ideal. Commuters complain about disorder, cost and pollution, while businesses worry about the problems their staff have in getting to
6、work on time. Yet, the proportion of London households that own a car grew from just over 10 per cent in the early 1950s to over 60 percent today. As the city has become increasingly crowded and polluted, there has been a growing realization that action is needed. 1 It is believed that _. （ A） overp
7、opulation causes the problems in cities （ B） two-thirds of the world s population are living in cities today （ C） it isn t difficult to solve the problems faced by cities today （ D） with fewer people, we would be free from any problems 2 The pronoun “They“ (Line 1, Para. 4) refers to _. （ A） the Lon
8、don citizens （ B） those who commute to London from other places （ C） managers who are anxious about their staff getting to work （ D） passengers who make complaints 3 “Environmentally friendly“ (Line 2, Para. 4) is closest in meaning to _. （ A） cheap and convenient （ B） fair to all passengers （ C） li
9、ke a friendly neighbor （ D） pleasant and unpolluted 4 _ of the households in London owned a car in the early 1950s. （ A） Exactly 10% （ B） A little more than 10% （ C） Far less than 10% （ D） Over 60% 5 The following paragraph would most probably deal with _. （ A） train and air travel （ B） traffic jams
10、 in London （ C） possible solutions to London s poor transportation （ D） car ownership that continues to grow 5 Debbie is a divorcee who lives with her children. She works in a doctor s office and enjoys the contact with people. Her son, John, age ten, stays with a neighbor both before and after scho
11、ol. Jennifer, her daughter, age five, goes to a day-care center. Debbie s daily responsibility often seems overwhelming. Each morning she prepares breakfast, fixes bag lunches and organizes things she and the children need to take for the day. Debbie insists her children make their beds before leavi
12、ng in the morning. Neither child, however, is able to meet her standards, so she usually makes the beds while they are eating. The children watch television and usually are not ready to leave when they should be. Debbie has been late to work several times during the last few months. Debbie feels gui
13、lty for not being more a part of her children s day. John s teacher recently sent a note home that expressed concern about his behavior. Debbie is often too tired to give the children much attention during the evening. There is dinner to decide upon and prepare, laundry to do, and John s homework to
14、 check. Also once a week it is Debbie s turn to bake cookies for the day-care center s afternoon snack. Most evenings, all Debbie really wants to do is have a glass of wine and relax. During her childhood, Debbie s mother devoted all of her time to homemaking. Debbie resents her role as a single par
15、ent. She projects her unhappiness to people she meets, Tardiness and stress are affecting her performance at work and she has been told that unless things improve, she will be terminated. She likes her job and the money meets her needs, but she feels trapped by her responsibilities at home and the e
16、xpectations at work. 6 What is the main idea of this passage? （ A） How Debbie, a divorcee, raises her two children. （ B） How Debbie manages to do her work well. （ C） How Debbie feels both as a responsible mother and a devoted worker. （ D） How Debbie tries to be a single mother. 7 The word “overwhelm
17、ing“ in Line 1 Para. 2 is closest in meaning to _. （ A） great in amount （ B） annoying （ C） troublesome （ D） uncontrolled 8 We learn from the second paragraph that _. （ A） the children learn how to make their beds （ B） the Debbie s leave home without making the beds （ C） one of the children watches T
18、V while eating breakfast （ D） the children fail to do what their mother wants them to do 9 How does John behave in school? （ A） He does not behave well in school. （ B） He is concerned about others. （ C） He is disliked by everyone. （ D） He disobeys his teacher. 10 If Debbie cannot manage family and w
19、ork, she will _. （ A） be dismissed from her job （ B） be transferred to another job （ C） have a cut in her salary （ D） devote all her time to homemaking 10 Man has become master of the earth s surface. He is constantly probing into the earth s depths and into the atmosphere s upper reaches. Yet it is
20、 doubtful whether man, with all of his intelligence and vigor, holds his planetary seat with greater assurance than a vast tribe of small, many-legged animals that pass their lives at his feet-the spiders. Spiders are among the miracles of science. They dwell at higher altitudes than any other creat
21、ure their size or lager. On the slopes of Mount Everest, at an altitude of twenty-two thousand feet- five thousand feet above the vegetation line-lives a species of black spider only a quarter of an inch long. This is an incredible environment for creatures so delicately constructed. To protect them
22、selves from the chill of night, they take shelter in crevices where the twenty-four-hour variation in temperature is only twelve degrees, as against forty-four on the outside. Spiders inhabit others unlikely places-rabbit burrows, flowers, anthills, and the desolate, drafty aeries of eagles. They ha
23、ve been found soaring through the air five miles above the earth. One species has been discovered in an African cavern move than two thousand feet underground. 11 The author thinks that spiders _. （ A） rival man as master of the earth （ B） are as firmly established on the earth as man （ C） are more
24、vigorous than man （ D） are more firmly established on the earth than man 12 The writer is amazed by the black spider s _. （ A） delicate construction （ B） ability to live in such varied environments （ C） unusual intelligence （ D） ability to withstand extreme cold 13 Spiders “hold their planetary seat
25、 with assurance“ because they are _. （ A） more numerous than any other species （ B） able to adapt to hostile environments （ C） masters of the earths surface （ D） all of the above 14 The species of black spiders discovered on Mount Everest is _. （ A） the smallest species of spiders （ B） the highest a
26、ltitude dweller among creatures of that size or larger （ C） the only creature that lives at that altitude （ D） capable of surviving in any environment 15 The selection says that spiders have been discovered _. （ A） five miles above earth （ B） more than 2000 feet underground （ C） everywhere that man
27、has reached （ D） both A and B 16 From the selection, we may conclude that _. （ A） spiders have adapted to many unlikely environments （ B） on the whole spiders are delicate creatures （ C） a species of black spiders can live anywhere （ D） spiders are the greatest marvel of natural science 16 Every ani
28、mal is a living radiator-heat formed in its cells is given off through its skin. Warm blooded animals maintain a steady temperature by constantly replacing lost surface heat; smaller animals, which have more skin for every ounce of body weight, must produce heat faster than bigger ones. Because smal
29、ler animals burn fuel faster, scientists say they live faster. The speed at which an animal lives is determined by measuring the rate at which it uses oxy gen. A chicken, for example, uses one-half cubit centimeter of oxygen every hour for each gram it weights. The tiny shrew uses four cubit centime
30、ters of oxygen every hour for each gram it weights. Because it uses oxygen eight times as fast, it is said that the mouse-like shrew is living eight times as fast as the chicken. The smallest of the warm-blooded creatures, tile humming-bird, lives a hundred times as fast as an elephant. There is a l
31、imit to how small a warm-blooded animal can be. A mammal or bird that weighted only two and a half grams would starve to death, h would bum up its food too rapidly and would not be able to eat fast enough to supply more fuel. 17 The selection says that every animal is a living radiator because it _.
32、 （ A） produces heat in its body cells （ B） burns fuel to produce heat （ C） gives off heat through its skin （ D） requires oxygen to produces heat 18 Warm-blooded animals maintain a steady temperature by _. （ A） storing heat in their body cells （ B） regulating the amount of heat produced （ C） regulati
33、ng the amount of heat given off （ D） constantly replacing lost surface heart 19 Small animals are said to live faster than big ones because they _. （ A） have more skin for every ounce of body weight （ B） replace lost heat faster （ C） bum fuel faster （ D） maintain a higher body temperature 20 The spe
34、ed at which an animal lives is determined by measuring _. （ A） the amount of food it eats （ B） its body temperature （ C） the rate at which it uses oxygen （ D） the amount of oxygen it uses 21 An animal weighing less than 2.5 grams would starve because it would not be able to _. （ A） get enough oxygen
35、 （ B） maintain its body temperature （ C） bum its food fast enough （ D） eat fast enough to supply fuel 21 Criticism of research lays a significant foundation for future investigative work, but when students begin their own projects, they are likely to that the standards of validity in fieldwork are c
36、onsiderably more rigorous than the standards for most library research. When students are faced with the concrete problem of proof by field demonstration, they usually discover that many of the “important relationships“ they may have criticized other researchers for failing to demonstrate are very e
37、lusive indeed. They will find, if they submit an outline or questionnaire to their classmates for criticism, that other students make comments similar to some they themselves may have made in discussing previously published research. For example, student researchers are likely to begin with a genera
38、l question but find themselves forced to narrow its focus. They may learn that question whose meanings seem perfectly obvious to them are not clearly understood by others, or that question which seem entirely objective to them appear to be highly biased to someone else. They usually find that the fo
39、rmulation of good research questions is a much more subtle and frustrating task than is generally believed by these who have not actually attempted it. 22 What does the author think about trying to find weaknesses in other people s research? （ A） It should only be attempted by experienced researcher
40、s. （ B） It may cause researchers to avoid publishing good work. （ C） It is currently being done to excess. （ D） It can be useful in planning future research. 23 According to the passage, what is one major criticism students often make of published research? （ A） The research has not been written in
41、an interesting way. （ B） The research has been done in unimportant fields. （ C） The researchers did not adequately establish the relationships involved. （ D） The researchers failed to provide an appropriate summary. 24 According to the passage, how do students in class often react to another student
42、 s re search? （ A） They react the way they do to any other research. （ B） They are especially critical of the quality of the research. （ C） They offer unusually good suggestions for improving the work. （ D） They show a lot of sympathy for the student researcher. 25 According to the passage, what do
43、student researchers often learn when they discuss their work in class? （ A） Other students rarely have objective comments about it. （ B） Other students do not believe the researchers did the work. （ C） Some students feel that the conclusions are too obvious. （ D） Some students do not understand the
44、meaning of the researchers questions. 26 According to the passage, student researchers may have to change their research projects because （ A） their budgets are too high （ B） their original questions are too broad （ C） their teachers do not give adequate advice （ D） their time is very limited 26 Hun
45、dreds of species of marine life manage to survive even in the darkest depths of the ocean. These tenants of the deep have evolved some extremely ingenious devices for locating their food and enemies. Where the light is very dim, some of these species have developed enormous eyes with almost telescop
46、ic lenses, very much like those of owls. Others, especially the fish that survive where there is no light at all, are quite blind but have developed long feelers that enable them to identify and collect stray bits of food that come within a considerable radius of them. Some inhabitants of the deep s
47、upply their own light. They have built-in torches that they can switch on and off depending on whether they are pursuing of being pursued. Some have regular lamps, spots of steady light, which spread a faint glow through the water around them. One deepwater squid can squirt a luminous fluid that lig
48、hts up its immediate vicinity, a neat variation on the ink ejected by its cousins nearer the surface to becloud and darken water. It is supposed that about half of the varieties of fish living in the dark depths of the ocean have some power of illumination. 27 Most of the marine species living in th
49、e darkest depths have _. （ A） learned to live without light （ B） evolved ingenious devices to help them （ C） found ways to supply their own light （ D） developed extremely sensitive eyes 28 According to the selection some species that live where there is no light have _. （ A） long, sensitive feelers （ B） luminous fins （ C） enormous owl-like eye （ D） no actual eyes 29 The fish that have developed long feelers use them to _. （ A） recognize foo
