1、考博英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷 109及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 What accounts for the great outburst of major inventions in early America-breakthroughs such as the telegraph, the steamboat and the weaving machine? Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the countrys excellent elementary schools; a la
2、bor force that welcomed the new technology; the practice of giving premiums to inventors; and above all the American genius for nonverbal, “spatial“ thinking about things technological. Why mention the elementary schools? Because thanks to these schools our early mechanics, especially in the New Eng
3、land and Middle Atlantic states, were generally literate and at home in arithmetic and in some aspects of geometry and trigonometry. Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage. As a member of a British commission visiting here in 1853 report
4、ed, “With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman.“ A further stimulus to invention came from the “premium“ system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This approach, originated abroad, offered invento
5、rs medals, cash prizes and other incentives. In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities. Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technol
6、ogical advance. Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking required in mechanical technology. As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out, “A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous ve
7、rbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process. The designer and the inventor. are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist.“ This nonverbal “spatial“ thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing. Robert Fulton onc
8、e wrote, “The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc., like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea.“ When all these shaping forces schools, open attitudes, the premium sy
9、stem, a genius for spatial thinking interacted with one another on the rich U.S. mainland, they produced that American characteristic, emulation. Today that word implies mere imitation. But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fame and excellence. 1 According to the auth
10、or, the great outburst of major inventions in early America was in a large part due to_. （ A） elementary schools （ B） enthusiastic workers （ C） the attractive premium system （ D） a special way of thinking 2 It is implied that adaptiveness and inventiveness of the early American mechanics_. （ A） bene
11、fited a lot from their mathematical knowledge （ B） shed light on disciplined school management （ C） was brought about by privileged home training （ D） owed a lot to the technological development 3 A technologist can be compared to an artist because_. （ A） they are both winners of awards （ B） they ar
12、e both experts in spatial thinking （ C） they both abandon verbal description （ D） they both use various instruments 4 The best title for this passage might be_. （ A） Inventive Mind （ B） Effective Schooling （ C） Ways of Thinking （ D） Outpouring of Inventions 4 The most thoroughly studied intellectual
13、s in the history of the New World are the ministers and political leaders of seventeenth-century New England. According to the standard history of American philosophy, nowhere else in colonial America was “so much important attached to intellectual pursuits“. According to many books and articles, Ne
14、w Englands leaders established the basic themes and preoccupations of an unfolding, dominant Puritan tradition in American intellectual life. To take this approach to the New Englanders normally means to start with the Puritans theological innovations and their distinctive ideas about the church imp
15、ortant subjects that we may not neglect. But in keeping with our examination of southern intellectual life, we may consider the original Puritans as carriers of European culture, adjusting to New World circumstances. The New England colonies were the scenes of important episodes in the pursuit of wi
16、dely understood ideals of civility and virtuosity. The early settlers of Massachusetts Bay included men of impressive education and influence in England. Besides the ninety or so learned ministers who came to Massachusetts churches in the decade after 1629, there were political leaders like John Win
17、throp, an educated gentleman, lawyer, and official of the Crown before he journeyed to Boston. There men wrote and published extensively, reaching both New World and Old World audiences, and giving New England an atmosphere of intellectual earnestness. We should not forget, however, that most New En
18、glanders were less well educated. While few crafts men or farmers, let alone dependents and servants, left literary compositions to be analyzed. Their thinking often had a traditional superstitions quality. A tailor named John Dane, who emigrated in the late 1630s, left an account of his reasons for
19、 leaving England that is filled with signs. Sexual confusion, economic frustrations, and religious hope all name together in a decisive moment when he opened the Bible, told his father the first line he saw would settle his fate, and read the magical words: “come out from among them, touch no unclea
20、n thing, and I will be your God and you shall be my people.“ One wonders what Dane thought of the careful sermons explaining the Bible that he heard in puritan churched. Meanwhile, many settles had slighter religious commitments than Danes, as one clergyman learned in confronting folk along the coas
21、t who mocked that they had not come to the New World for religion. “Our main end was to catch fish.“ 5 The author notes that in the seventeenth-century New England_. （ A） Puritan tradition dominated political life （ B） intellectual interests were encouraged （ C） politics benefited much from intellec
22、tual endeavors （ D） intellectual pursuits enjoyed a liberal environment 6 It is suggested in paragraph 2 that New Englanders_. （ A） experienced a comparatively peaceful early history （ B） brought with them the culture of the Old World （ C） paid little attention to southern intellectual life （ D） wer
23、e obsessed with religious innovations 7 The early ministers and political leaders in Massachusetts Bay_. （ A） were famous in the New World for their writings （ B） gained increasing importance in religious affairs （ C） abandoned high positions before coming to the New World （ D） created a new intelle
24、ctual atmosphere in New England 8 The story of John Dane shows that less well-educated New Englanders were often_. （ A） influenced by superstitions （ B） troubled with religious beliefs （ C） puzzled by church sermons （ D） frustrated with family earnings 9 The text suggests that early settlers in New
25、England_. （ A） were mostly engaged in political activities （ B） were motivated by an illusory prospect （ C） came from different backgrounds. （ D） left few formal records for later reference 9 Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to assist a rapid dis
26、tribution of goods at reasonable price, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for la
27、bour, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television licence would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or tube would cost 20 percent more. And per
28、haps most important of all, advertising provides a guarantee of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Apart from the fact that twenty-seven acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare promote a product that fails to live up to the promise of his ad
29、vertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for mercifully the public has the good sense not to buy the inferior article more than once. If you see an article consistently advertised, it is the surest proof I know that the ar
30、ticle does what is claimed for it, and that it represents good value. Advertising does more for the material benefit of the community than any other force I can think of. There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television personality declare that he was agai
31、nst advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was drawing excessively fine distinctions. Of course advertising seeks to persuade. If its message were confined merely to information and that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice
32、 of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasive advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants. 10 By the first sentence of the passage the author means that_. （ A） he is fairly familiar with the cost of adverti
33、sing （ B） everybody knows well that advertising is money consuming （ C） advertising costs money like everything else （ D） it is worthwhile to spend money on advertising 11 In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the advantages of advertising? （ A） Securing greater fame. （ B） Provid
34、ing more jobs. （ C） Enhancing living standards. （ D） Reducing newspaper cost. 12 The author deems that the well-known TV personality is_. （ A） very precise in passing his judgement on advertising （ B） interested in nothing but the buyers attention （ C） correct in telling the difference between persu
35、asion and information （ D） obviously partial in his views on advertising 13 In the authors opinion,_. （ A） advertising can seldom bring material benefit to man by providing information （ B） advertising informs people of new ideas rather than wins them over （ C） there is nothing wrong with advertisin
36、g in persuading the buyer （ D） the buyer is not interested in getting information from an advertisement 13 There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external result or product that can easily be identified and
37、 measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts. By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since by defi
38、nition it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they encounter new experiences and unexpected obstacles. In this process, the journey never really end
39、s; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept. In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to confront the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail“ at first. How we see ourselves as we t
40、ry a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow. Do we perceive ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think were shy and indecisive? Then our sense of timidity can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly,
41、and not to take a step until we know the ground is safe. Do we think were slow to adapt to change or that we re not smart enough to cope with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all. These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necess
42、ary if we are to change and grow. If we do not confront and overcome these internal fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we cease to grow. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making. 14 A person is generally believed to achieve personal growth when_. （ A） he has given up
43、his smoking habit （ B） he has made great efforts in his work （ C） he is keen on learning anything new （ D） he has tried to determine where he is on his journey 15 In the authors eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would_. （ A） succeed in climbing up the social ladder （ B） judge his abil
44、ity to glow from his own achievements （ C） face difficulties and take up challenges （ D） aim high and reach his goal each time 16 When the author says “a new way of being“(Line 3, Para. 3)he is referring to_. （ A） a new approach to experiencing the world （ B） a new way of taking risks （ C） a new met
45、hod of perceiving ourselves （ D） a new system of adaptation to change 17 For personal growth, the author advocates all of the following except_. （ A） curiosity about more chances （ B） promptness in self-adaptation （ C） open-mindedness to new experiences （ D） avoidance of internal fears and doubts 考博
46、英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷 109答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 【知识模块】 阅读理解 1 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 本题中， A、 B、 C三项都只 是一般原因，不是主要原因。从文章第 2段的内容可知，在许多决定性因素中，作者特别提到美国优秀的初等学校、欢迎新技术的劳动力以及奖励发明者的做法这些因素；最重要的是美国人的天赋处理技术性事务的非语言的 “立体 ”思维。据此可知， D项与文中的意思相符，因此 D项为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读理解 2 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 本题中， B项不正确，文中没有提到学校管理。 C项不正确，文章第 3段第 2句
47、话中提到了 at home in arithmetic and ，但句子中的 at home in是词 组，意为 “通晓 ”，并不是 “在家 ”之意。 D项不正确，是适应能力和创造能力的发展推动了技术的发展，并不是技术的发展推动了适应能力和创造能力的发展。从文章第 4段的第 1句话可知，敏锐的外国观察家把美国人的适应能力以及创造能力与这种教育优势联系起来；而这种教育优势指的就是第 3段第 2句话中的 “通晓了算术以及部分几何和三角知识 ”，这些都是数学知识。据此可知，早期美国技工的适应能力和创造能力得益于数学知识。 A项符合文章的意思，因此 A项为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读理解 3 【正确
48、答案】 B 【试题解析】 本题中， A项不正确，文中没有提到。 C项明显与第 8段第 2句话的意思不符。 D项不正确，文中没有提到。从文章第 7段的第 2句话可知，技术专家在思考那些不能用明确的语言描述的东西时，在头脑中以直观的、非语言的过程处理这些东西；从文章第 8段的第 1句话可知，这种非语言的 “立体 ”思维能够像绘画和写作一样具有创造性；随后文章指出：技术工人应该坐在杠杆、螺杆、楔子和轮子等之间，像诗人沉浸于字母表中的字母一样，把这些东西看作他们的思想展示，展示中的每一种新组合都会传达一种新思想。据此可知，技术专家同艺术家一样，具有非语言 “立体 ”思维。 B项与文章的意思相符，因此
49、B项为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读理解 4 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 本题中， B项和 C项只是文章两个段落的意思，不能代表文章的中心意思。 D项 “发明的涌现 ”之意也不能代表文章的意思，本文只是以 “早期的美国为何发明涌现 ”这一问题引出文章，并没有刻意说明发明的涌现。文章询问早期的美国涌现出一些重大发明的主要原因。文章第 2段对此作了分析，指出了几个因素，学校教育、劳动者对新技术的热情、奖励制度，最主要的是具有发明创造的思想；在随后的几段中，作者分别探讨了初级学 校教育带来的影响、奖励制度带来的影响、美国人特有的立体思维方式所起的作用；最后一段得出结论：这些因素相互影响，形成了创造性意识，因而早期的美国涌现出一些重大发明。据此可知，本文主要讲的就是美国人的创造性意识及其根源。 A项与文章的意思相符，因此 A项为正确答案。 【知识模块】 阅读理解 【知识模块】 阅读理解 5 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 本题的依据句是文章第 1段的第 2句： According to the standard history of American philoso
