1、考博英语模拟试卷 70及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 As the horizons of science have expanded, two main groups of scientists have emerged. One is the pure scientist; the other, the applied scientist. The pure or theoretical scientist does original research in order to understand the basic laws of nature tha
2、t govern our world. The applied scientist adapts this knowledge to practical problems. Neither is more important than the other, however, for the two groups are very much related. Some times, however, the applied scientist finds the “problem“ for the theoretical scientist to work on. Let s take a pa
3、rticular problem of the aircraft industry: heat-resistant metals. Many of the metals and alloys which perform satisfactorily in a car cannot be used in a jet-propelled plane. New alloys must be used, because the jet engine operates at a much higher temperature than an automobile engine. The turbine
4、wheel in a turbojet must withstand temperatures as high as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, so aircraft designers had to turn to the research metallurgist for the development of metals and alloys that would do the job in jet-propelled planes. Dividing scientists into two groups is only one broad way of cla
5、ssifying them, however. When scientific knowledge was very limited, there was no need for men to specialize. Today, with the great body of scientific knowledge, scientists specialize in many different fields. Within each field, there is even further subdivision. And, with finer and finer subdivision
6、s, the various sciences have become more and more interrelated until no one branch is entirely independent of the others. Many new specialties-geophysics and biochemistry, for example-have resulted from combining the knowledge of two or more sciences. 1 The applied scientist _. （ A） is not always in
7、terested in practical problems （ B） provides the basic knowledge for practice （ C） applies the results of research to practice （ D） does original research to understand the basic laws of nature 2 The example given in the passage illustrates how _. （ A） pure science operates independently of applied
8、science （ B） the applied scientist discovers the basic laws of nature （ C） applied science defines all the areas in which basic research is done （ D） applied science suggests problems for the basic scientist 3 The problem discussed in the second paragraph called for _. （ A） selecting the best hear-r
9、esistant metal from existing metals （ B） developing a turbine wheel capable of generating hear up to 1, 600 degrees Fahrenheit （ C） developing metals and alloys that would withstand terrific temperatures （ D） causing the jet engine to operate at higher temperatures 4 Finer and finer subdivision in t
10、he field of science has resulted in _. （ A） greater independence of each science （ B） greater interdependence of all the various sciences （ C） the eradication of the need for specialists （ D） the need for only on classification of scientists 5 “The horizons of science have expanded“ means that _. （
11、A） the horizon changes its size from year to year （ B） science has developed more fields of endeavor （ C） scientists have made great progress in studying the horizon （ D） scientists can see further out into space 5 In The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society, Revised and Enl
12、arged Edition (W. W. Norton) Schlesinger provides deep insights into the crises of nationhood in America. A new chapter assesses the impact both of radical multiculturalism and radical monoculturalism on the Bill of rights. Written with his usual clarity and force, the book brings a noted historian
13、s wisdom and perspective to bear on America s “culture wars“. Schlesinger addresses the questions: What holds a nation together? And what does it mean to be an American? Describing the emerging cult of ethnicity, Schlesinger praises its healthy effect on a nation long shamed by a history of prejudic
14、e and narrow-mindedness. But he warns against the campaign of multicultural advocates to divide the nation into separate ethnic and racial communities. From the start, he observes, the United States has been a multicultural nation, rich in its diversity but held together by a shared commitment to th
15、e democratic process and by the freedom of intermarriage. It was this national talent for assimilation that impressed foreign visitors like Alexis de Tocqueyille and James Bryce, and it is this historic goal that Schlesinger champions as the best hope for the future. Schlesinger analyzes what he see
16、s as grim consequences of identity politics: the widening of differences. Attacks on the First Amendment, he argues, threaten intellectual freedom and, ultimately, the future of the ethnic groups. His criticisms are not limited to the left. As a former target of McCarthyism, be understands that the
17、radical right is even more willing than the radical left to re strict and weaken the Bill of Rights. The author does not minimize the injustices concealed by the “melting pot“ dream. The Disuniting of America is both academic and personal, forceful in argument, balanced in judgment. It is a book tha
18、t will no doubt anger some readers, but it will surely make all of them think again. The winner of Pulitzer Prizes for history and for biography, an authoritative voice of American liberalism, Schlesinger is uniquely positioned to bring bold answers and healing wisdom to this passionate debate over
19、who we are and what we should become. 6 According to Schlesinger, the United States is _. （ A） a melting pot （ B） a nation with diverse cultures held together by the democratic process （ C） a federation of ethnic and racial communities （ D） a nation with various ethnic and racial groups 7 We can inf
20、er from the passage that Schlesinger _. （ A） advocates the assimilation of different cultures into one nationhood （ B） prefers multiculturalism to monoculturalism （ C） gives full support to the emerging cult of ethnicity （ D） holds that each racial group should keep its distinct identity 8 The autho
21、r wants to tell us that America _. （ A） is experiencing a crisis of nationhood （ B） is trying to restrict the Bill of Right （ C） has ended its history of racial prejudice （ D） has tried to obstruct intellectual freedom 9 According to the author, Schlesinger s book will _. （ A） cause anger among the
22、radical right （ B） cause anger among the radical left （ C） put an end to the culture wars in America （ D） provoke thinking among the readers 10 This passage is most probably taken from _. （ A） a history book （ B） a book introduction （ C） a book review （ D） a journal of literary criticism 10 The El N
23、ino (“little boy“ in Spanish) that pounded the globe between the summers of 1997 and 1998 was in some measure the most destructive in this century. Worldwide damage estimates exceed 20 billion-not to mention the human death toll caused by resulting droughts, floods and bushfires. El Nino and La Nina
24、 ( “little girl“ ) are part of a seesawing of winds and currents in the equatorial Pacific called ENSO ( El Nino Southern Oscillation) that appears every two to eight years. Normally, westward-blowing trade winds caused by the rotation of the earth and conditions in the Tropics push surface water ac
25、ross the Pacific towards Asia. The warm water piles up along the coasts of Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines, raising sea levels more than a foot above those on the South American side of the Pacific. As El Nino builds the normal east-to-west trade winds wane. Like water splashing in a giant
26、bathtub, the elevated pool of warm water washes from Asian shores back towards South America. In last season s cycle, surface temperatures off the west coast of South America soared from a normal high of 23 degrees to 28 degrees. This area of warm water, twice the size of the continental US, interac
27、ted with the atmosphere, creating storms and displacing high-altitude winds. El Nino brought rain that flooded normally dry coastal areas of Ecuador, Chile and Peru, while droughts struck Australia and Indonesia. Fires destroyed some five million acres of Indonesian for est. The drought, along with
28、the economic crisis, left about five million people desperate for food and water. These conditions helped set the stage for riots that led to the downfall of President Suharto. El Nino also took the blame for extreme temperatures in Texas last summer-over 38 degrees for a record 30 days in a row. In
29、 Florida, lush vegetation turned to tinder and bushfires raged. Even Britain has been sweltering with our hottest year on record in 1997. 11 As El Nino builds, _. （ A） the normal westward trade winds weaken （ B） the normal eastward trade winds weaken （ C） the normal westward trade winds strengthen （
30、 D） the normal eastward trade winds strengthen 12 Which of the following statements is true? （ A） El Nino results from droughts, floods and bushfires. （ B） El Nino brought rain to most areas that were affected. （ C） When El Nino appeared, some of the world s rainforests were attacked by droughts. （
31、D） Most areas that were affected by El Nino got droughts. 13 Once El Nino even played a role in the political world. What was it? （ A） President Suharto was overthrown by the drought caused by El Nino. （ B） El Nino caused riots that led to the downfall of President Suharto. （ C） President Suharto re
32、signed because of the drought caused by El Nino. （ D） The drought caused by El Nino together with the economic crisis prevailing in Indonesia helped to overthrow President Suharto. 14 The phrase “in a row“ in the last paragraph means _. （ A） continuously （ B） in a line （ C） awfully （ D） now and then
33、 15 The writer of this passage is most likely to be _. （ A） an Australia observer （ B） a British national （ C） all American geographer （ D） an Indonesia journalist 15 In patients with Huntington s disease, it s the part of the brain called the basal ganglia that s destroyed. While these victims have
34、 perfectly intact explicit memory systems, they can t learn new motor skills. An Alzheimer s patient can learn to draw in a mirror but can t remember doing it: a Huntington s patient can t do it but can remember trying to learn. Yet another region of the brain, an almond-size knot of neural tissue s
35、eems to be crucial in forming and triggering the recall of a special subclass of memories that is tied to strong emotion, especially fear. These are just some of the major divisions. Within the category of implicit memory, for example, lie the subcategories of associative memory-the phenomenon that
36、famously led Parlov s dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell which they had learned to associate with food-and of habituation, in which we unconsciously file a way unchanging features of the environment so we can pay closer attention to what s new and different upon encountering a new experience. W
37、ithin explicit, or declarative memory, on the other hand, there are specific subsystems that handle shapes, textures such as faces, names-even distinct systems to remember nouns vs. verbs. All of these different types of memory are ultimately stored in the brain s cortex, within its deeply furrowed
38、outer layer-a component of the brain dauntingly more complex than comparable parts in other species. Experts in brain imaging are only beginning to understand what goes where, and how the parts are reassembled into a coherent whole that seems to be a single memory is actually a complex construction.
39、 Think of a hammer, and your brain hurriedly retrieves the tools name, its appearance, its function, its heft and the sound of its clang, each extracted from a different region of the brain. Fail to connect person s name with his or her face, and you experience the breakdown of that assembly process
40、 that many of us begin to experience in our 20s and that becomes downright worrisome when we reach our 5Os. It was this weakening of memory and the parallel loss of ability to learn new things easily that led biologist Joe Tsien to the experiments reported last week. “This age-dependent loss of func
41、tion.“ he says, “appears in many animals, and it begins with the onset of sexual maturity.“ What s happening when the brain forms memories-and what fails with aging, injury and disease-involves a phenomenon know as “plasticity“. Its obvious that something in the brain changes as we learn and remembe
42、r new things, but it s equally obvious that the organ doesn t change its overall structure or grow new nerve cells wholesale. Instead, it s the connections between new cells and particularly the strength of these connections that are altered by experience. Hear a word over and over, and the repeated
43、 firing of certain cells in a certain order makes it easier to repeat the firing pattern later on. It is the pattern that represents each specific memory. 16 Which of the following symptoms can be observed in a person who suffers from the Hunting ton s disease? （ A） He cannot remember what he has do
44、ne but can remember trying to learn. （ B） He cannot do something new but he can remember doing it. （ C） He suffers from a bad memory and lack of motor skills. （ D） He suffers from a poor basal ganglia and has intact explicit memory 17 According to the passage, which of the following memories has not
45、hing to do with implicit memory? （ A） Associating a signal with an action. （ B） Recognizing of new features. （ C） Focusing on new environment. （ D） Remembering a familiar face of a friend. 18 Which of the following may happen to a patient who suffered from damages to his explicit memory? （ A） When h
46、e is in a new environment, he is always frightened. （ B） When he plays football, he cannot learn new tricks. （ C） When he sees a friend, it s hard for him to remember his name. （ D） When he finds a hammer, he cannot tell anything about it. 19 The word “extract“ in the second paragraph means _. （ A）
47、obtain （ B） remove （ C） pull （ D） derive 20 We can draw a conclusion from the passage that _. （ A） scientists have found the mechanism underlying the memorizing activities （ B） more research must be done to determine the brain structure. （ C） some researchers are not content with the findings. （ D）
48、it is obvious that something in the brain changes as we learn and remember 20 Mobility of individual members and family groups tends to split up family relationships. Occasionally the movement of a family away from a situation which has been the source of friction results in greater family organizat
49、ion, but on the whole mobility is disorganizing. Individuals and families are involved in three types of mobility: movement in space, movement up or down in social status, and the movement of ideas. These are termed respectively spatial, vertical and ideational mobility. A great increase in spatial mobility bas gone along with improvements in rail and water transportation, the invention and use of the automobile, and the availability of airplane passenger service. Sp
