1、考博英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷 126及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Wild Bill Donovan would have loved the Internet. The American spymaster who built the Office of Strategic Services in the World War II and later laid the roots for the CIA was fascinated with information. Donovan believed in using whatever tools ca
2、me to hand in the “great game“ of espionage spying as a “profession“. These days the Net, which has already remade pastimes as buying books and sending mail, is reshaping Donovans vocation as well. The last revolution isnt simply a matter of gentlemen reading other gentlemens e-mail. That kind of el
3、ectronic spying has been going on for decades. In the past three or four years, the World Wide Web has given birth to a whole industry of point-and-click spying. The spooks call it “open source intelligence“, and as the Net grows, it is becoming increasingly influential. In 1995 the CIA held a conte
4、st to see who could compile the most data about Burundi. The winner, by a large margin, was a tiny Virginia company called Open-Source Solutions, whose clear advantage was its mastery of the electronic world. Among the firms making the biggest splash in the new world is Straitford, Inc., a private i
5、ntelligence-analysis firm based in Austin, Texas. Straitford makes money by selling the results of spying (covering nations from Chile to Russia) to corporations like energy-services firm McDermott International. Many of its predictions are available online at “.“ Straitford president George Friedma
6、n says he sees the online world as a kind of mutually reinforcing tool for both information collection and distribution, a spymasters dream. Last week his firm was busy vacuuming up data bits from the far corners of the world and predicting a crisis in Ukraine. “As soon as that report runs, well sud
7、denly get 500 new internet sign-ups from Ukraine,“ says Friedman, a former political science professor. “And well hear back from some of them.“ Open-source spying does have its risks, of course, since it can be difficult to tell good information from bad. Thats where Straitford earns its keep. Fried
8、man relies on a lean staff with twenty in Austin. Several of his staff members have military intelligence backgrounds. He sees the firms outsider status as the key to its success. Straitfords briefs dont sound like the usual Washington back-and-forthing, whereby agencies avoid dramatic declarations
9、on the chance they might be wrong. Straitford, says Friedman, takes pride in its independent voice. 1 The emergence of the Net has _. （ A） received support from fans like Donovan （ B） remolded the intelligence services （ C） restored many common pastimes （ D） revived spying as a profession 2 Donovans
10、 story is mentioned in the text to _. （ A） introduce the topic of online spying （ B） show how he fought for the U.S. （ C） give an episode of the information war （ D） honor his unique services to the CIA 3 The phrase “making the biggest splash“ (Line 1, Para. 3) most probably means _. （ A） causing th
11、e biggest trouble （ B） exerting the greatest effort （ C） achieving the greatest success （ D） enjoying the widest popularity 4 It can be learned from Para. 4 that _. （ A） Straitfords prediction about Ukraine has proved true （ B） Straitford guarantees the truthfulness of its information （ C） Straitfor
12、ds business is characterized by unpredictability （ D） Straitford is able to provide fairly reliable information 5 Straitford is most proud of its _. （ A） official status （ B） nonconformist image （ C） efficient staff （ D） military background 5 To paraphrase 18th-century statesman Edmund Burke, “All t
13、hat is needed for the triumph of a misguided cause is that good people do nothing.“ One such cause now seeks to end biomedical research because of the theory that animals have rights ruling out their use in research. Scientists need to respond forcefully to animal rights advocates, whose arguments a
14、re confusing the public and thereby threatening advances in health knowledge and care. Leaders of the animal rights movement target biomedical research because it depends on public funding, and few people understand the process of health care research. Hearing allegations of cruelty to animals in re
15、search settings, many are perplexed that anyone would deliberately harm an animal. For example, a grandmotherly woman staffing an animal rights booth at a recent street fair was distributing a brochure that encouraged readers not to use anything that comes from or is tested in animals no meat, no fu
16、r, no medicines. Asked if she opposed immunizations, she wanted to know if vaccines come from animal research. When assured that they do, she replied, “Then I would have to say yes.“ Asked what will happen when epidemics return, she said, “Dont worry, scientists will find some way of using computers
17、.“ Such well-meaning people just dont understand. Scientists must communicate their message to the public in a compassionate, understandable way in human terms, not in the language of molecular biology. We need to make clear the connection between animal research and a grandmothers hip replacement,
18、a fathers bypass operation, a babys vaccinations, and even a pets shots. To those who are unaware that animal research was needed to produce these treatments, as well as new treatments and vaccines, animal research seems wasteful at best and cruel at worst. Much can be done. Scientists could “adopt“
19、 middle school classes and present their own research. They should be quick to respond to letters to the editor, lest animal rights misinformation go unchallenged and acquire a deceptive appearance of truth. Research institutions could be opened to tours, to show that laboratory animals receive huma
20、ne care. Finally, because the ultimate stakeholders are patients, the health research community should actively recruit to its cause not only well-known personalities such as Stephen Cooper, who has made courageous statements about the value of animal research, but all who receive medical treatment.
21、 If good people do nothing there is a real possibility that an uninformed citizenry will extinguish the precious embers of medical progress. 6 The author begins his article with Edmund Burkes words to _. （ A） call on scientists to take some actions （ B） criticize the misguided cause of animal rights
22、 （ C） warn of the doom of biomedical research （ D） show the triumph of the animal rights movement 7 Misled people tend to think that using an animal in research is _. （ A） cruel but natural （ B） inhuman and unacceptable （ C） inevitable but vicious （ D） pointless and wasteful 8 The example of the gra
23、ndmotherly woman is used to show the publics _. （ A） discontent with animal research （ B） ignorance about medical science （ C） indifference to epidemics （ D） anxiety about animal rights 9 The author believes that, in face of the challenge from animal rights advocates, scientists should _. （ A） commu
24、nicate more with the public （ B） employ hi-tech means in research （ C） feel no shame for their cause （ D） strive to develop new cures 10 From the text we learn that Stephen Cooper is _. （ A） a well-known humanist （ B） a medical practitioner （ C） an enthusiast in animal rights （ D） a supporter of ani
25、mal research 10 In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merging into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of merge
26、rs is completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight moved by major rail carriers. Supporters of the new super systems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is remov
27、ed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commodities traveling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat. The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most s
28、hippers are served by only one rail company. Railroads typically charge such “captive“ shippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal governments Surface Transportat
29、ion Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme cases. Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyones cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate,
30、they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. Its theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determini
31、ng which companies will flourish and which will fail. “Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?“ asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper. Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of hu
32、ge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on.
33、Consider the 1.02 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year. Conrails net railway operating income in 1996 was just 427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Whos going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that they will,
34、as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market. 11 According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is unlikely because _. （ A） cost reduction is based on competition （ B） services call for cross-trade coordination （ C） outside competitors will continue to exist （ D） shippers w
35、ill have the railway by the throat 12 What is many captive shippers attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry? （ A） Indifferent. （ B） Supportive. （ C） Indignant. （ D） Apprehensive. 13 It can be inferred from Para. 3 that _. （ A） shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad （
36、B） there will soon be only one railroad company nationwide （ C） overcharged shippers are unlikely to appeal for rate relief （ D） a government board ensures fair play in railway business 14 The word “arbiters“ (Line 6, Para. 4) most probably refers to those _. （ A） who work as coordinators （ B） who f
37、unction as judges （ C） who supervise transactions （ D） who determine the price 15 According to the text, the cost increase in the rail industry is mainly caused by _. （ A） the continuing acquisition （ B） the growing traffic （ C） the cheering Wall Street （ D） the shrinking market 15 It is said that i
38、n England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, cataracts removed in a 30-minutes surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of li
39、fe that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death, and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours. Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions
40、. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if its useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physici
41、ans frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified. In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is
42、 unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and
43、infirm “have a duty to die and get out of the way“, so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential. I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be
44、 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish
45、to age as productively as they have. Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieve
46、d longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve peoples lives. 16 What is implied in the first sentence? （ A） Americans are better prepared for death than other people. （ B） Am
47、ericans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before. （ C） Americans are over-confident of their medical technology. （ D） Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy. 17 The author uses the example of cancer patients to show that _. （ A） medical resources are often wasted （ B） doctors
48、are helpless against fatal diseases （ C） some treatments are too aggressive （ D） medical costs are becoming unaffordable 18 The authors attitude toward Richard Lamms remark is one of _. （ A） strong disapproval （ B） reserved consent （ C） slight contempt （ D） enthusiastic support 19 In contrast to the
49、 U.S., Japan and Sweden are funding their medical care _. （ A） more flexibly （ B） more extravagantly （ C） more cautiously （ D） more reasonably 20 The text intends to express the idea that _. （ A） medicine will further prolong peoples lives （ B） life beyond a certain limit is not worth living （ C） death should be accepted as a fact of life （ D） excessive demands increase the cost of health care 考博英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷 126答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehensio
