1、考研英语模拟试卷 156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 When a disease of epidemic proportions threatens the public, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of aff
2、liction and find ways to combat. Vaccination is one of the effective ways to protect the (1)_ population of a region or country which may be (2)_ grave risk. The process of vaccination allows the patients body to (3)_ immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can fight it (
3、4)_ naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead (5)_ of the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, (6)_ his bodys immune system can learn to fight the invader (7)_. Information (8)_ how to penetrate the diseases defenses is (9)_ to all elements of the pati
4、ents immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. This makes sure that (10)_ the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to (11)_ with it, having already done so before. There are, how
5、ever, dangers (12)_ in the process. (13)_, even the weakened version of the disease contained in the vaccine proves (14)_ much for the body to handle, resulting in the immune system (15)_, and, therefore, the patients death. Such is the case of the smallpox vaccine, (16)_ to eradicate the smallpox e
6、pidemic that nearly (17)_ the whole Native American population and killed massive numbers of settlers. (18)_ l in 10,000 people who receive the vaccine (19)_ the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Consequently, the process, which is truly a (20)_, may indeed hide some hidden
7、curses. Notes: proportions (pl.)规模；程度；大小 affliction (疾病 )痛苦 vaccination n. 接种疫苗 eradicate v. 根除 ,消灭 （ A） entire （ B） total （ C） complete （ D） complex （ A） in （ B） at （ C） under （ D） beyond （ A） eliminate （ B） identify （ C） develop （ D） deliver （ A） up （ B） against （ C） with （ D） off （ A） strain （ B）
8、 spell （ C） series （ D） fit （ A） only if （ B） so that （ C） in case （ D） seeing that （ A） radically （ B） directly （ C） properly （ D） presumably （ A） for （ B） of （ C） to （ D） on （ A） transmitted （ B） transferred （ C） transported （ D） transformed （ A） would （ B） should （ C） if only （ D） even if （ A） ha
9、ndle （ B） familiarize （ C） deal （ D） tackle （ A） available （ B） plausible （ C） accessible （ D） inherent （ A） On occasion （ B） By contrast （ C） In addition （ D） On the contrary （ A） so （ B） too （ C） rather （ D） quite （ A） hurting （ B） hindering （ C） deteriorating （ D） endangering （ A） invented （ B） d
10、iscovered （ C） investigated （ D） designed （ A） wiped out （ B） ruled out （ C） break down （ D） died out （ A） Fortunately （ B） Approximately （ C） Naturally （ D） Specifically （ A） infects （ B） affects （ C） effects （ D） contracts （ A） luck （ B） triumph （ C） blessing （ D） promise Part A Directions: Read t
11、he following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 It may turn out that the “digital divide“ one of the most fashionable political slogans of recent years is largely fiction. As you will recall, the argument went well beyond the unsurprising notion
12、 that the rich would own more computers than the poor. The disturbing part of the theory was that society was dividing itself into groups of technology “haves“ and “have-nots“ and that this segregation would, in turn, worsen already large economic inequalities. It is this argument that is either unt
13、rue or wildly exaggerated. We should always have been suspicious. After all, computers have spread quickly because they have become cheaper to buy and easier to use. Falling prices and skill requirements suggest that the digital divide would spontaneously shrink and so it has. Now, a new study furth
14、er discredits the digital divide. The study, by economists David Card of the University of California, Berkeley, challenges the notion that computers have significantly worsened wage inequality. The logic of how this supposedly happens is straightforward: computers raise the demand for high-skilled
15、workers, increasing their wages. Meanwhile, computerization by automating many routine tasks reduces the demand for low skilled workers and, thereby their wages. The gap between the two widens. Superficially, wage statistics support the theory. Consider the ratio between workers near the top of the
16、wage distribution and those near the bottom. Computerization increased; so did the wage gap. But wait, point out Card and DiNardo. The trouble with blaming computers is that the worsening of inequality occurred primarily in the early 1980s. With computer use growing, the wage gap should have continu
17、ed to expand, if it was being driven by a shifting demand for skills. Indeed, Card and DiNardo find much detailed evidence that contradicts the theory. They conclude that computerization does not explain “the rise in U.S. wage inequality in the last quarter of the 20th century.“ The popular percepti
18、on of computers impact on wages is hugely overblown. Lots of other influences count for as much, or more. The worsening of wage inequality in the early 1980s, for example, almost certainly reflected the deep 1981 1982 recession and the fall of inflation. Companies found it harder to raise prices. To
19、 survive, they concluded that they had to hold down the wages of their least skilled, least mobile and youngest workers. The “digital divide“ suggested a simple solution (computers) for a complex problem (poverty). With more computer access, the poor could escape their lot. But computers never were
20、the source of anyones poverty and, as for escaping, what people do for themselves matters more than what technology can do for them. 21 It is generally believed that the digital divide is something （ A） that is responsible for economic inequalities. （ B） deemed to be positive in poverty relief. （ C）
21、 that results from falling computer prices. （ D） getting worse because of the Internet. 22 According to the author, the notion that computers are to blame for the wage gap is （ A） quite insightful. （ B） very contradictory. （ C） rather shallow. （ D） fairly illuminating. 23 The authors attitude toward
22、 the opinion held by Card and DiNardo is one of （ A） reserved consent. （ B） strong disapproval. （ C） slight contempt. （ D） enthusiastic support. 24 The author seems to believe that widened wage gap can be attributed to （ A） the impact of computers on routine work. （ B） the delayed effects in the ear
23、ly 1980s. （ C） the complexity of poverty problem. （ D） the narrowing of the digital divide. 25 The purpose of the author in writing the text is （ A） to advocate the elimination of poverty. （ B） to justify the influence of the digital divide. （ C） to democratize computer access today. （ D） to expose
24、the myths of the digital divide. 26 The Tuscan town of Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo and home to a museum of his machines, should fittingly put on a show of the television-robot sculptures of Nam Jun Paik. This Korean-born American artist and the Renaissance master are kindred spirits: Leonardo saw
25、humanistic potential in his scientific experiments, Mr. Paik endeavors to harness media technology for artistic purposes. A pioneer of video art in the late 1960s, he treats television as a space for art images and as material for robots and interactive sculptures. Mr. Paik was not alone. He and fel
26、low artists picked on the video cameras because they offered an easy way to record their performance art. Now, to mark video arts coming of age, New Yorks Museum of Modern Art is looking back at their efforts in a film series called “The First Decade“. It celebrates the early days of video by screen
27、ing the archives of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), one of the worlds leading distributors of video and new media art, founded 30 years ago. One of EAIs most famous alumni is Bill Viola. Part of the second generation of video artists, who emerged in the 1970s, Mr. Viola experimented with videos expr
28、essive potential His camera explores religious ritual and universal ideas. The Viola show at the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin shows us moving-image frescoes that cover the gallery walls and envelop the viewer in all-embracing cycles of life and death. One new star is a Californian, Doug Aitken, who
29、 took over Londons Serpentine Gallery last October with an installation called “New Ocean“. Some say Mr. Aitken is to video what Jackson Pollock was to painting. He drips his images from floor to ceiling, creating sequences of rooms in which the space surrounds the viewer in hallucinatory images, of
30、 sound and light. At the Serpentine, Mr. Aitken created a collage of moving images, on the theme of waters flow around the planet as a force of life. “I wanted to create a new topography in this work, a liquid image, to show a world that never stands still,“ he says. The boundary between the physica
31、l world and the world of images and information, he thinks, is blurring. The interplay of illusion and reality, sound and image, references to art history, politics, film and television in this art form that is barely 30 years old can make video art difficult to define. Many call it film-based or mo
32、ving-image art to include artists who work with other cinematic media. At its best, the appeal of video art lies in its versatility, its power to capture the passing of time and on its ability to communicate both inside and outside gallery walls. 26 The birthplace of Leonardo is mentioned in the tex
33、t （ A） to introduce the topic of video art technology. （ B） to pay tribute to this Renaissance master. （ C） to honor his contribution to scientific discoveries. （ D） to outline the development of art television. 27 Toward the novel literary idea, the author% attitude seems to be that of （ A） disappr
34、oval. （ B） neutrality. （ C） appreciation. （ D） suspicion. 28 As pointed out in the text, the video art technology is characterized by its （ A） human ingenuity. （ B） complex definition. （ C） strong appeal. （ D） extreme interactivity. 29 The videos created by Dough Aitken is used to show a combination
35、 of （ A） television and robotics. （ B） illusion and reality, （ C） sculptures and paintings. （ D） space and planets. 30 Which of the following would be the best title for the text? （ A） A New Generation of Artists. （ B） Video Art is Going Nowhere. （ C） A Cradle of Famous Artists. （ D） New Art for the
36、 MTV Generation. 31 The title of the biography The American Civil War Fighting for the Lady could hardly be more provocative. Thomas Keneally, an Australian writer, is unapologetic. In labeling a hero of the American civil war a notorious scoundrel he switches the spotlight from the brave actions of
37、 Dan Sickles at the battle of Gettysburg to his earlier pre-meditated murder, of the lover of his young and pretty Italian-American wife, Teresa. It is not the murder itself that disgusts Mr. Keneally but Sickless treatment of his wife afterwards, and how his behavior mirrored the hypocritical misog
38、yny of 19th-century America. The murder victim, Philip Barton Key, Teresa Sickless lover, came from a famous old southern family. He was the nephew of the chief justice of the American Supreme Court and the son of the writer of the countrys national anthem. Sickles, a Tammany Hall politician in New
39、York turned Democratic congressman in Washington, shot Key dead in 1859 at a corner of Lafayette Square, within shouting distance of the White House. But the murder trial was melodramatic, even by the standards of the day. With the help of eight lawyers, Sickles was found not guilty after using the
40、novel plea of “temporary insanity“. The country at large was just as forgiving, viewing Keys murder as a gallant crime of passion. Within three years, Sickles was a general on the Unionist side in the American civil War and, as a new friend of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, a frequent sleepover guest at
41、the White House. Mrs. Sickles was less fortunate. She was shunned by friends she had made as the wife of a rising politician. Her husband, a serial adulterer whose many mistresses included Queen Isabella of Spain and the madam of an industrialized New York whorehouse, refused to be seen in her compa
42、ny. Laura, the Sickless daughter, was an innocent victim of her fathers vindictiveness and eventually died of drink in the Bowery district of New York. Sickless bold actions at Gettysburg are, in their own way, just as controversial. Argument continues to rage among scholars, as to whether he helped
43、 the Union to victory or nearly caused its defeat when he moved his forces out of line to occupy what he thought was better ground. James Longstreet, the Confederate general who led the attack against the new position, was in no doubt about the brilliance of the move. Mr. Keneally is better known as
44、 a novelist. Here he shows himself just as adept at biography, and achieves both his main aims. He restores the reputation of Teresa Sickles, “this beautiful, pleasant and intelligent girl“, and breathes full and controversial life into a famous military engagement. 31 Keneallys biography is intende
45、d mainly to （ A） launch a surprise attack on Democratic congressman. （ B） show sympathy for an abused but reputed lady, Teresa. （ C） curse bitterly at the hypocrisy of notorious heroes. （ D） expose the true character of a civil war general. 32 The author is of the opinion that Keneallys perspectives
46、 are （ A） insightful. （ B） superficial. （ C） biased. （ D） skeptical. 33 The case of Mrs. Sickles unfortunate story is mentioned to illustrate （ A） Keys murder solely as a gallant crime of passion. （ B） the controversy raised over a notorious hero, Sickles. （ C） the brilliance of strategies as displa
47、yed by Sickles. （ D） the hypocritical misogyny of 19th-century America. 34 It is generally believed that Sickles shot Key, the lover of his wife, （ A） to promote his popularity. （ B） out of an uncontrollable impulse. （ C） to revenge his opponents. （ D） in view of the ladys reputation. 35 This text a
48、ppears to be a digest of （ A） a history textbook. （ B） a magazine feature. （ C） a book review. （ D） a newspaper editorial. 36 In a science-fiction movie called “Species“, a mysterious signal from outer space turns out to describe the genome of an unknown organism. When the inevitable mad scientist s
49、ynthesizes the DNA described by the instructions, the creature he breeds from it turns out to resemble Natasha Henstridge, an athletic actress. Unfortunately, the alien harbors within her delicate form the destructive powers of a Panzer division, and it all ends badly for the rash geneticist and his laboratory. Glen Evans, chief executive of Egea Biosciences in San Diego, California, acknowledges regretfully that despite seeking his expert opinion in return for which he w
