1、考博英语（阅读理解）历年真题试卷汇编 5及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 For 150 years scientists have tried to determine the solar constant, the amount of solar constant energy that reaches the Earth. Yet, even in the most cloud-free regions of the planet, the solar constant cannot be measured precisely. Gas molecule
2、s and dust particles in the atmosphere absorb and scatter sunlight and prevent some wavelengths of the light from ever reaching the ground. With the advent of satellites, however, scientists have finally been able to measure the Suns output without being impeded by the Earths atmosphere. Solar Max,
3、a satellite from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), has been measuring the Suns output since February 1980. Although a malfunction in the satellites control system limited its observation for a few years, the satellite was repaired in orbit by astronauts from the space-shuttle
4、in 1984. Maxs observations indicate that the solar constant is not really constant after all. The satellites instruments have detected frequent, small variations in the Suns energy output, generally amounting to no more than 0. 05 percent of the Suns mean energy output and lasting from a few days to
5、 a few weeks. Scientists believe these fluctuations coincide with the appearance and disappearance of large groups of sunspots on the Suns disk. Sunspots are relatively dark regions on the Suns surface that have strong magnetic fields and a temperature about 2, 000 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the
6、 rest of the Suns surface. Particularly large fluctuations in the solar constant have coincided with sightings of large sunspot groups. In 1980, for example, Solar Maxs instruments registered 0. 3 percent drop in the solar energy reaching the Earth. At that time a sunspot group covered about 0. 6 pe
7、rcent of the solar disk, an area 20 times larger than the Earths surface. Long-term variations in the solar constant are more difficult to determine. Although Solar Maxs data have indicated a slow and steady decline in the Suns output, some scientists have thought that the satellites aging detectors
8、 might have become less sensitive over the years, thus falsely indicating a drop in the solar constant. This possibility was dismissed, however, by comparing Solar Maxs observations with data from a similar instrument operating on NASAs Nimbus 7 weather satellite since 1978. 1 Why is it not possible
9、 to measure the solar constant accurately without a satellite? （ A） the Earth is too far from the Sun. （ B） Some areas on Earth receive more solar energy than others. （ C） There is not enough sunlight during the day. （ D） the Earths atmosphere interferes with the sunlight. 2 Why did scientists think
10、 that Solar Max might be giving unreliable information? （ A） Solar Max did not work for the first few years. （ B） Solar Maxs instruments were getting old. （ C） The space shuttle could not fix Solar Maxs instruments. （ D） Nimbus 7 interfered with Solar Maxs detectors. 3 The attempt to describe the so
11、lar constant can best be described as_. （ A） an ongoing research effort （ B） a question that can never be answered （ C） an issue that has been resolved （ D） historically interesting, but irrelevant to contemporary concerns 4 What does this passage mainly discuss? （ A） The components of the Earths at
12、mosphere. （ B） The launching of a weather satellite. （ C） The measurement of variations in the solar constant. （ D） The interaction of sunlight and air pollution. 4 The human ear contains the organ for hearing and the organ for balance. Both organs involve fluid-filled channels containing hair cells
13、 that produce electrochemical impulses when the hairs are stimulated by moving fluid. The ear can be divided into three regions: outer, middle, and inner. The outer ear collects sound waves and directs them to the eardrum separating the outer ear from the middle ear. The middle ear conducts sound vi
14、brations through three small bones to the inner ear. The inner ear is a network of channels containing fluid that moves in response to sound or movement. To perform the function of hearing, the ear converts the energy of pressure waves moving through the air into nerve impulses that the brain percei
15、ves as sound. Vibrating objects, such as the vocal cords of a speaking person, create waves in the surrounding air. These waves cause the eardrum to vibrate with the same frequency. The three bones of the middle ear amplify and transmit the vibrations to the oval window, a membrane on the surface of
16、 the cochlea, the organ of hearing. Vibrations of the oval window produce pressure waves in the fluid inside the cochlea. Hair cells in the cochlea convert the energy of the vibrating fluid into impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. The organ for balance is also located in the
17、inner ear. Sensations related to body position are generated much like sensations of sound. Hair cells in the inner ear respond to changes in head position with respect to gravity and movement. Gravity is always pulling down on the hairs, sending a constant series of impulses to the brain. When the
18、position of the head changes as when the head bends forward the force on the hair cells changes its output of nerve impulses. The brain then interprets these changes to determine the heads new position. 5 What can be inferred about the organs for hearing and balance? （ A） Both organs evolved in huma
19、ns at the same time. （ B） Both organs send nerve impulses to the brain. （ C） Both organs contain the same amount of fluid. （ D） Both organs are located in the ears middle region. 6 Hearing involves all of the following EXCEPT_. （ A） motion of the vocal cords so that they vibrate. （ B） stimulation of
20、 hair cells in fluid-filled channels. （ C） amplification of sound vibrations. （ D） conversion of wave energy into nerve impulses. 7 It can be inferred from paragraphs 2 and 3 that the cochlea is a part of_. （ A） the outer ear （ B） the eardrum （ C） the middle ear （ D） the inner ear 8 What can be infe
21、rred from paragraph 4 about gravity? （ A） Gravity has an essential role in the sense of balance. （ B） The ear converts gravity into sound waves in the air. （ C） Gravity is a force that originates in the human ear. （ D） The organ for hearing is not subject to gravity. 9 What does “membrane“ most prob
22、ably mean? （ A） member （ B） part （ C） thin cover （ D） hole 9 The geology of the Earths surface is dominated by the particular properties of water. Present on Earth in solid, liquid, and gaseous states, water is exceptionally reactive. It dissolves, transports, and precipitates many chemical compound
23、s and is constantly modifying the face of the Earth. Evaporated from the oceans, water vapor forms clouds, some of which are transported by wind over the continents. Condensation from the clouds provides the essential agent of continental erosion; rain. Precipitated onto the ground, the water trickl
24、es down to form brooks, streams, and rivers, constituting what is called the hydrographic network. This immense polarized network channels the water toward a single receptacle; an ocean. Gravity dominates this entire step in the cycle because water tends to minimize its potential energy by running f
25、rom high altitudes toward the reference point that is sea level. The rate at which a molecule of water passes through the cycle is not random but is a measure of the relative size of the various reservoirs. If we define residence time as the average time for a water molecule to pass through one of t
26、he three reservoirs atmosphere, continent, and ocean we see that the times are very different. A water molecule stays, on an average, eleven days in the atmosphere, one hundred years on a continent and forty thousand years in the ocean. This last figure shows the importance of the ocean as the princ
27、ipal reservoir of the hydrosphere but also the rapidity of water transport on the continents. A vast chemical separation process takes places during the flow of water over the continents. Soluble ions such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and some magnesium are dissolved and transported. Insoluble ion
28、s such as aluminum, iron, and silicon stay where they are and form the thin, fertile skin of soil on which vegetation can grow. Sometimes soils are destroyed and transported mechanically during flooding. The erosion of the continents thus results from two closely linked and interdependent processes,
29、 chemical erosion and mechanical erosion. Their respective interactions and efficiency depend on different factors. 10 According to the passage, clouds are primarily formed by water_. （ A） precipitating onto the ground （ B） changing from a solid to a liquid state （ C） evaporating from the oceans （ D
30、） being carried by wind 11 The passage suggests that the purpose of the “ hydrographic network“ is to_. （ A） determine the size of molecules of water （ B） prevent soil erosion caused by flooding （ C） move water from the Earths surface to the oceans （ D） regulate the rate of water flow from streams a
31、nd rivers 12 What determines the rate at which a molecule of water moves through the cycle, as discussed in the third paragraph? （ A） The potential energy contained in water. （ B） The effects of atmospheric pressure on chemical compounds. （ C） The amounts of rainfall that fall on the continents. （ D
32、） The relative size of the water storage areas. 13 All of the following are examples of soluble ions EXCEPT_. （ A） magnesium （ B） iron （ C） potassium （ D） calcium 14 The word “efficiency“ in last sentence is closest in meaning to_. （ A） relationship （ B） growth （ C） influence （ D） effectiveness 14 S
33、cientists have long understood that supermassive black holes weighing millions or billions of suns can tear apart stars that come too close. The black hotels gravity pulls harder on the nearest part of the star, an imbalance that pulls the star apart over a period of minutes or hours, once it gets c
34、lose enough. Scientists say this uneven pulling is not the only hazard facing the star. The strain of these unbalanced forces can also trigger a nuclear explosion powerful enough to destroy the star from within. Matthieu Brassart and Jean-Pierre Luminet of the Observatoire de Paris in Meudon, France
35、, carried out computer simulations of the final moments of such an unfortunate stars life, as it veered towards a supermassive black hole. When the star gets close enough, the uneven forces flatten it into a pancake shape. Some previous studies had suggested this flattening would increase the densit
36、y and temperature inside the star enough to trigger intense nuclear reactions that would tear it apart. But other studies had suggested that the picture would be complicated by shock waves generated during the flattening process and that no nuclear explosion should occur. The new simulations investi
37、gated the effects of shock waves in detail, and found that even when their effects are included, the conditions favor a nuclear explosion. “There will be an explosion of the star it will be completely destroyed,“ Brassart says. Although the explosion obliterates the star, it saves some of the stars
38、matter from being devoured by the black hole. The explosion is powerful enough to hurl much of the stars matter out of the black holes reach, he says. The devouring of stars by black holes may already have been observed, although at a much later stage. It is thought that several months after the eve
39、nt that rips the star apart, its matter starts swirling into the hole itself. It heats up as it does so, releasing ultraviolet light and X-rays. If stars disrupted near black holes really do explode, then they could in principle allow these events to be detected at a much earlier stage, says Jules H
40、atpern of Columbia University in New York, US2. “ It may make it possible to see the disruption of that star immediately if it gets hot enough,“ he says. Brassart agrees. “ Perhaps it can be observed in the X-rays and gamma rays, but its something that needs to be more studied,“ he says. Supernova r
41、esearcher Chris Fryer of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, US3, says the deaths of these stars are difficult to simulate, and he is not sure whether the researchers have proven their case that they explode in the process. 15 Something destructive could happen to a star th
42、at gets too close to a black hole. Which of the following destructive statements is NOT mentioned in the passage? （ A） The black hole could tear apart the star. （ B） The black hole could trigger a nuclear explosion in the star. （ C） The black hole could dwindle its size considerably. （ D） The black
43、hole could devour the star. 16 According to the third paragraph, researchers differed from each other in the problem of_. （ A） whether nuclear reaction would occur. （ B） whether the stars would increase its density and temperature. （ C） whether shock waves would occur. （ D） whether the uneven forces
44、 would flatten the stars. 17 According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is NOT true? （ A） No nuclear explosion would be triggered inside the star. （ B） The star would be destroyed completely. （ C） Much of the stars matter thrown by the explosion would be beyond the black holes reach.
45、（ D） The black hole would completely devour the star. 18 What will happen several months after the explosion of the star? （ A） The stars matter will move further away from by the black hole. （ B） The black holes matter will heat up. （ C） The torn stars matter will swirl into the black hole. （ D） The
46、 black holes matter will release ultraviolet light and X-rays. 19 According to the context, the word “disruption“ in Paragraph 6 means_. （ A） Confusion. （ B） Tearing apart. （ C） Interruption. （ D） Flattening. 考博英语（阅读理解）历年真题试卷汇编 5答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 1 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 细节题。答案在第一段最后一句话，大意是即便是
47、在地球上云层最少的地方，也很难测量准确，因为除了云层，还有气分子和灰尘粒子会影响阳光到达地球的量，因而对常数测量制作造成的影响。所以答案选 D(地球大气层干扰了阳光的传播 )。 2 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节题。答案在第二段 thought the satellites(Solar Max)aging detectorsmight have less sensitive over the years ”科学家认为不可靠是因为他们认为这颗卫星的探测器老化了，测量不准，因此答案选 B。 3 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 细节题。从文章的表述我们可以知道虽然并没有取得很大的突破，科学家们
48、仍然在努力，并且这种研究是有意义的。因而排除 A选项 “仍在努力中 ”是正确答案。 4 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 主旨题。这篇文章主要讲的是太阳常数的测量方法，答案选 C。 5 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 选项 A与 C在文中都没有涉及，而根据第四段第 一句 “the organ forbalance is also located in the inner ear”可以排除 D。从首段中 “both organs involveelectrochemical impulses” 可选出 B。 6 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 A选项不是 hearing的内容而是 speaking
49、的组成部分，而其余三项都与 hearing有关。 “fluidfilled channels containing hair cells that produce electrochemicalimpulses when the hairs are stimulated“ 对应 B选项： “bones of the middle earamplify and transmit the vibrations” 对应 C选项： “the ear conveys the energy ofpressure waves moving through the air into nerve impulse”对应 D选项。 7 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 第二段最后一句 “The inner ear is a network of channels containing fluid” ，第三段中 “the cochlea ， the organ of hearing”和 “the fluid inside the cochlea Haircells in the coc
