1、考研英语模拟试卷 131及答案与解析 一、 Section I Use of English Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D. (10 points) 1 With Airbuss giant A380 airliner about to take to the skies, you might think planes could not get much bigger and you would be righ
2、t. For a given design, it turns (1)_, there comes a point where the wings become too heavy to generate (2)_ lift to carry their own weight. (3)_ a new way of designing and making materials could (4)_ that problem. Two engineers (5)_ University College London have devised an innovative way to customi
3、se and control the (6)_ of a material throughout its three dimension al structure. In the (7)_ of a wing, this would make possible a material that is dense, strong and load-bearing at one end, close to the fuselage, (8)_ the extremities could be made less dense, lighter and more (9)_. It is like mak
4、ing bespoke materials, (10)_ you can customise the physical properties of every cubic millimetre of a structure. The new technique combines existing technologies in a(n) (11)_ way. It starts by using finite-element-analysis software, of the type commonly used by engineers, (12)_ a virtual prototype
5、of the object. The software models the stresses and strains that the object will need to (13)_ throughout its structure. Using this information it is then (14)_ to calculate the precise forces acting on millions of smaller subsections of the structure. (15)_ of these subsections is (16)_ treated as
6、a separate object with its own set of forces acting on it and each subsection (17)_ for a different microstructure to absorb those local forces. Designing so many microstructures manually (18)_ be a huge task, so the researchers apply an optimisation program, called a genetic algorithm, (19)_. This
7、uses a process of randomisation and trial-and-error to search the vast number of possible microstructures to find the most (20)_ design for each subsection. （ A） off （ B） out （ C） away （ D） in （ A） many （ B） much （ C） enough （ D） necessary （ A） But （ B） And （ C） Or （ D） Yet （ A） find （ B） discover （
8、 C） get down （ D） get around （ A） of （ B） at （ C） in （ D） from （ A） properties （ B） nature （ C） qualities （ D） characteristics （ A） sample （ B） case （ C） condition （ D） situation （ A） while （ B） which （ C） what （ D） where （ A） easy （ B） flexible （ C） reflective （ D） compatible （ A） as （ B） since （ C
9、） because （ D） so long as （ A） novel （ B） strange （ C） odd （ D） peculiar （ A） creates （ B） and creates （ C） creating （ D） to create （ A） stand （ B） sustain （ C） understand （ D） withstand （ A） possible （ B） impossible （ C） likely （ D） unlikely （ A） Each （ B） One （ C） Every （ D） All （ A） next （ B） the
10、n （ C） after （ D） since （ A） asks （ B） calls （ C） demands （ D） requires （ A） is to （ B） should （ C） would （ D） has to （ A） in order （ B） in place （ C） in spite （ D） instead （ A） perfect （ B） complete （ C） suitable （ D） proper Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions bel
11、ow each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Shortly after dawn on February 17th 2003, the worlds most ambitious road-pricing experiment will start in London. Though cordon toll schemes have been operating in Nor-way for years, and Singapore has an electronic system, no one has ever tried t
12、o charge motorists in a city of the size and complexity of London. For decades, transport planners have been demanding that motorists should pay directly for the use of roads. According to the professionals, it is the only way of civilizing cities and restraining the growth of inter-urban traffic. P
13、oliticians have mostly turned a deaf ear, fearing that charging for something what was previously free was a quick route to electoral suicide. But Londons initiative suggests that the point where road pricing he-comes generally accepted as the most efficient way to restrain traffic is much nearer th
14、an most drivers realize. The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has pinned his political reputation on the schemes success. If it works, cities around the world will rush to copy it. If it fails, he will be jeered from office when he seeks reelection in 2004. But how will success be judged? The mayor
15、 claims that congestion charging will produce 130m in net annual revenues, reduce traffic in central London by 15% and reduce traffic delays by about a quarter. Unfortunately these ambitious targets are unlikely to be met. For a start, the low level at which the charge has been set owes more to poli
16、tics than traffic planning. Its impact, modest in comparison with the already high 4 an hour on-street parking charges in the area, may be less than anticipated. But most transport experts are cautiously optimistic that it will help improve the capitals chaotic transport system. As for the mayor, hi
17、s political prospects look good. Those who drive cars in the center of London during the day are a tiny fraction of the millions who walk or use public transport to get to work. Londons willingness to take the plunge has moved congestion charging from the realm of transport planners into mainstream
18、politics. Yet the low-tech solution it has adopted has been overtaken by modern microwave radio systems allowing cars to communicate with roadside charging units. The next generation of technology will use global positioning satellites (GPS) to track the position of vehicles wherever they are, on a
19、second-to-second basis. The brave new world of paying as you go is not far away. For those who drive in rural areas, the cost will come down. But for motorists who spend most of their time in congested urban areas, travel is rightly going to become much more expensive. 21 We can learn from the first
20、 paragraph that in the world the scheme of tolling systems is （ A） out of the question. （ B） anything but new. （ C） for the sake of safety. （ D） nowhere near success. 22 The implementation of road pricing in London is primarily intended to （ A） restrain the capital% traffic growth. （ B） produce net
21、annual municipal revenues. （ C） remove on-street parking lots. （ D） meet ambitious political aims. 23 We learn from the text that traffic planners are more concerned about （ A） the attitude of drivers in London. （ B） taking a political standpoint. （ C） sophisticated toiling systems. （ D） imposing co
22、ngestion charging. 24 According to the text, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone seems to be very supportive of the congestion charging scheme because of （ A） his interest in traffic. （ B） the weak response of politicians. （ C） his political motives. （ D） the complexity of the problem. 25 The best
23、title for Sis passage may be （ A） More Expensive Trips in London. （ B） Road Pricing: Queue or Pay? （ C） A Return to the Mass Transit. （ D） Traffic Planning: a Dilemma? 26 Plans for buildings that are not just big but truly huge adorn the walls of Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), an architectural firm in New
24、 York. Few people aspire to 200 storeys. In the aftermath of the World Trade Centres collapse 18 months ago, such towering schemes seemed to have no chance of becoming reality. Yet in April KPF will complete work on a Tokyo complex with a central skyscraper that will feature one of the highest floor
25、s in Japan. Submissions are being readied for still bigger projects in several different countries. Whether “bigness“ makes business sense is the subject of intense debate. Europe has largely stayed out of the skyscraper race. A proposed 66-storey London Bridge Tower, which would be the continents l
26、argest building, may eventually go up. It would not stand out in Manhattan. Executives in the City of London, Europes largest financial market, contend that even in a non-earthquake-prone area, once a building rises much above 50 storeys the demand for additional elevators, stairwells and structural
27、 supports makes them unacceptably inefficient. True, up to a point, says Paul Katz, the architect at KPF, but the most efficient building is not necessarily the most valuable. There are some explicit benefits from skyscrapers, notably efficient energy usage, plus less tangible ones such as the savin
28、gs and benefits that come from clustering employees in one place. Typically, where firms most like to operate, sites are scarce. As a result, it often makes sense to add floors, even at ever greater cost. Skyscrapers have risen slowly in Japan due to earthquake fears, but now they are going up. With
29、 New Yorks economy suffering, redundancies mounting and continuing fear of terrorism, it is hard to imagine anybody financing new construction in the city, let alone a vast new skyscraper on a site that many believe should be used only as a memorial. But even before the events of September 11th, con
30、struction techniques were changing to resolve shortcomings that existed in the 1960s when work began on the World Trade Center. Rather than being supported merely by steel curtain walls, the new skyscrapers have concrete cores linked to strong columns in the outer walls. Nobody now underestimates th
31、e devastation that would be caused if an aircraft strikes a building; but at the least, the new crop of tall buildings are designed so that they would not collapse if hit by even the largest passenger plane. That may not sound particularly reassuring to anyone asked to work on the 100th floor. But t
32、he business of building to the sky dates back at least to the tower of Babel and no disaster has stopped it for long. 26 The best title for this passage may be （ A） A Construction Company under Fire. （ B） Fears Haunted in the World. （ C） A Debate on Building Upwards. （ D） Skyscrapers on the Boom. 27
33、 When the writer says that the London Bridge Tower would not stand in Manhattan, he means （ A） its residents are unlikely to embrace skyscrapers. （ B） Europe is one of the largest financial markets. （ C） Americans hold a continuing fear of terrorism. （ D） KPF has been subjected to strong criticisms.
34、 28 In the wake of September 11th, the construction techniques of skyscrapers are innovated so as to make them （ A） look incredibly smart in design. （ B） more resistant to potential disasters. （ C） sound particularly luxurious. （ D） more protective to their occupants. 29 It can be inferred from Para
35、graph 5 that in Japan skyscrapers （ A） are already under construction. （ B） prove to be quake-resistant. （ C） are absolutely prohibited. （ D） turn out to be energy-efficient. 30 The authors attitude toward the construction of skyscrapers seems to be that of （ A） opposition. （ B） indifference, （ C） a
36、pproval. （ D） suspicion. 31 Could money cure sick health-care systems in Britain, which will be the place to look for proof in 2003. The National Health Service (NHS), which offers free health care financed by taxes, is receiving an emergency no-expense-spared injection of cash. By 2007, total healt
37、h spending in Britain will reach over 9% of GDP the same share France had when it was rated the worlds best health service by the World Health Organization in 2000. The Labor governments response was not to conduct a fundamental review about how best to reform health care for the 21st century. Rathe
38、r, it concluded that shortage of money, not the form of financing or provision, was the main problem. In 2002, Gordon Brown, the powerful chancellor of the exchequer, used a review of the NHSs future financing requirements to reject alternative funding models that would allow patients to sign up wit
39、h competing insurers and so exercise greater control over their own health care. Alan Milburn, the health minister, has made some tentative steps back towards the internal market introduced by the Conservative government. It means that a dozen top-ranking hospitals will also have been given greater
40、freedom to run their own affairs. However, these reforms will not deliver real consumer power to patients. As a result, the return on the money pouring into the NHS looks set to be disappointingly meager. Already there are worrying signs that much of the cash cascade will be soaked up in higher pay
41、and shorter hours for staff and bear little relation to extra effort, productivity and quality. Some improvements will occur but far less than might be expected from such a financial windfall. Health-care systems in the developed world share a common history, argues David Cutler at Harvard Universit
42、y. First governments founded generous universal systems after the Second World War. With few controls over the demand for medical care or its supply, costs then spiraled up. Starting in the 1980s there was a drive to contain expenditure, often through crude constraints on medical budgets which ran c
43、ounter to rising patient expectations Now this strategy has run its course: a third wave of reforms is under way to increase efficiency and restrain demand through cost-sharing between insurers and patients. Viewed from this perspective, the governments plan to shower cash on a largely unreformed NH
44、S looks anomalous. But before more fundamental change can be contemplated in Britain, the old system must be shown to be incapable of cure through money. This harsh lesson is likely to be learnt as early as 2003. 31 In contrast to Britain, France is funding their medical care （ A） more extravagantly
45、. （ B） more cautiously. （ C） more consistently. （ D） more reasonably. 32 Concerning health-care systems in Britain, the author is likely to agree to the statement that （ A） the Labor government conducted a review about how to cut down on costs. （ B） the money pouring into the NHS did bring with it p
46、roductivity and quality. （ C） the problem of funds put into medical care should be thoroughly reexamined. （ D） the health-care systems in Britain will become the envy of the rest of the world. 33 The proposed “alternative funding models“ (Paragraph 2) might be more clearly based on （ A） cost-sharing
47、 between insurers and patients. （ B） moderate constraints on medical budgets. （ C） delivering consumers costs to tax-payers. （ D） generous allocations of money to hospitals. 34 The views of Alan Milburn and David Culter on the reforms of health-care systems are （ A） compatible. （ B） opposite. （ C） c
48、omplementary. （ D） identical. 35 The basic problem of health-care systems in Britain as pointed out by the writer seems to lie in （ A） restrained freedom. （ B） shortage of funds. （ C） patients complaints. （ D） radical changes. 36 During the 1990s boom Dell Computers customers got hooked on speed. Mo
49、st were willing to pay a premium to have their computers shipped by overnight air express. But today, the equation has flipped. Customers prize cost savings over speed. “Now, most of our computers (in the U.S.) are shipped on the ground and we can still reach just about everyone within two days,“ says Fred Montoya, Dells vice-president for worldwide logistics. Express air shipping isnt in a death spiral. But recession-spooked consumers and manufacturers are less willing to pay
