1、考研英语模拟试卷 204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 Generally speaking, a British is widely regarded as a quiet, shy and conservative person who is (1)_ only among those with whom he
2、is acquainted. When a stranger is at present, he often seems nervous, even (2)_. You have to take a commuter train any morning or evening to (3)_ the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a comer; hardly anybody talks, since to do so would be
3、considered quite (4)_. (5)_, there is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, once broken, makes the offender immediately the object of (6)_. It has been known as a fact that a British has a (7)_ for the discussion of their weather and that, if given a chance, he will talk about
4、it (8)_. Some people argue that it is because the British weather seldom (9)_ forecast add hence becomes a source of interest and (10)_ to everyone. This may be so. (11)_ a British cannot have much (12)_ in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often pro
5、ved wrong (13)_ a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather to all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate or as inaccurate as the weathermen in his (14)_. Foreigners may be surprised at the number of references (15)_ weather that the British (16)_ to each other in the course of
6、a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (17)_ by comments on the weather. “Nice day, isnt it?“ “Beautiful!“ may well be heard, instead of “Good morning, how are you?“ Although the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is (18)_ pointing out that it could be used to his a
7、dvantage. If he wants to start a conversation with a British but is at a loss to know (19)_ to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20)_ an answer from even the most reserved of the British. （ A） relaxed （ B） frustrated （ C） amused （ D） exhaus
8、ted （ A） reserved （ B） urgent （ C） embarrassed （ D） anxious （ A） experience （ B） witness （ C） watch （ D） undergo （ A） impolite （ B） defensive （ C） deliberate （ D） offensive （ A） Deliberately （ B） Apparently （ C） Frequently （ D） Consequently （ A） compassion （ B） opposition （ C） criticism （ D） assault
9、 （ A） emotion （ B） fancy （ C） likeliness （ D） judgment （ A） at length （ B） to a great extent （ C） from his heart （ D） by all means （ A） follows （ B） obeys （ C） defies （ D） supports （ A） dedication （ B） suspicion （ C） contemplation （ D） speculation （ A） Usually （ B） Generally （ C） Certainly （ D） Fund
10、amentally （ A） faith （ B） hope （ C） honor （ D） credit （ A） since （ B） once （ C） when （ D） while （ A） propositions （ B） predictions （ C） proposal （ D） prophecy （ A） about （ B） on （ C） in （ D） to （ A） take （ B） forecast （ C） make （ D） predict （ A） started （ B） replaced （ C） conducted （ D） proposed （ A
11、） reasonable （ B） useful （ C） worthwhile （ D） meaningful （ A） where （ B） how （ C） what （ D） which （ A） stimulate （ B） constitute （ C） furnish （ D） provoke Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Prudent investors
12、 learned long ago that putting your eggs into lots of baskets reduces risk. Conservationists have now hit on a similar idea: a population of endangered animals will have a better chance of survival if it is divided into interconnected groups. The prospects of the species will be better because the c
13、hance that all the constituent subpopulations will die out at the same time is low. And, in the long term, it matters little if one or two groups do disappear, because immigrants from better-faring patches will eventually re-establish the species old haunts. One endangered species divided in just th
14、is way is the worlds rarest carnivore, the Ethiopian wolf, which lives high in the meadows of the Bale Mountains. Just 350 exist in three pockets of meadow connected by narrow valleys in the Bale Mountains National Park, with a further 150 outside this area. Two of the main threats to the Ethiopian
15、wolf come from diseases carried by domestic dogs. One of these, rabies, is of particular concern because it is epidemic in the dog population. At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. It would be ambitious, because the prevailing thinking that all individuals ma
16、tter and therefore all outbreaks of disease should be completely halted implies that a large proportion of wolves would need to be vaccinated. Dan Haydon, of the University of Glasgow, and his colleagues believe that conservation biologists should think differently. With the exception of humans, spe
17、cies are important but individuals are not. Some outbreaks of disease can be tolerated. In a paper published this week in Nature, they recast the mathematics of vaccination with this in mind. On epidemiologists standard assumption that every individual counts, vaccination programmes are intended to
18、prevent epidemics by ensuring that each infected animal, on average, passes the disease on to less than one healthy animal. This implies that around two-thirds of all the wolves would need to be vaccinated. A programme that sought to save a species rather than individuals would allow each infected w
19、olf to pass the disease on to more than one healthy animal and hence require fewer vaccinations. Dr Haydon and his colleagues have calculated, using data from a rabies outbreak in 2003, that vaccinating between 10% and 25% would suffice, provided veterinarians gave jabs to those wolves living in the
20、 narrow valleys that connect the subpopulations. If the threat of rabies arose every five years, targeting all the wolves in the corridors would cut the risk of extinction over a 20-year period by fourfold. If this were backed up by vaccinating a mere 10% of the wolves in the three connected meadows
21、, the chance of extinction would drop to less than one in 1,000. Saving a few seems to be an efficient way of protecting the many. 21 By citing prudent investors idea, the author wants to illustrate that （ A） conservationists got inspirations from it. （ B） endangered animals can be protected in a si
22、milar way. （ C） the prospects of some species depend on conservation. （ D） the subpopulations will die without being put into different groups. 22 The Ethiopian wolf （ A） is facing the risk of extinction as the rarest carnivore. （ B） is separated into three groups to achieve survival. （ C） lives in
23、narrow valleys in the Bale Mountains. （ D） has altogether 350 alive in the world. 23 The idea that nearly all the wolves would need to be vaccinated （ A） is due to that rabies carried by dogs is epidemic. （ B） is very easy to be realized by local medical administration. （ C） is based on the thinking
24、 that every wolf is necessarily protected. （ D） is supported by Dan Haydon of the University of Glasgow. 24 From the last two paragraphs, we know that （ A） if each individual counts, one-third of wolves have to be vaccinated. （ B） Dr. Haydon proved epidemiologists standard assumption is right. （ C）
25、to vaccinate 10% to 25% of wolves living in the connected meadows is enough. （ D） it takes 20 years to reduce risk of extinction if all the wolves are targeted. 25 The main purpose of the text is to （ A） show the dangers Ethiopian wolves are facing with. （ B） inform people of the prospects Ethiopian
26、 wolves. （ C） teach how to divide Ethiopian wolves into groups. （ D） tell how to protect Ethiopian wolves from rabies. 26 Conventional wisdom says trees are good for the environment. They absorb carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and store it as carbon while releasing oxygen. The ro
27、ots of trees have been thought to trap sediments and nutrients in the soil, keeping nearby rivers free flowing. Trees have also been credited with steadying the flow of these rivers, keeping it relatively constant through wet and dry seasons, thus preventing both drought and flooding. Pernicious non
28、sense, conclude two pieces of research published this week. The first, a four-year international study led by researchers at the University of Newcastle, in Britain, and the Free University of Amsterdam, identifies several myths about the link between forests and water. For example, in arid and semi
29、-arid areas, trees consume far more water than they trap. And it is not the trees that catch sediment and nutrients, and steady the flow of the rivers, but the fact that the soil has not been compressed. The World Commission on Water estimates that the demand for water will increase by around 50% in
30、 the next 30 years. Moreover, around 4 billion people one half of the worlds population will live in conditions of severe water stress, meaning they will not have enough water for drinking and washing to stay healthy, by 2025. The government of South Africa has been taking a tough approach to trees
31、since it became the first to treat water as a basic human right in 1998. In a scheme praised by the hydrologists, the state penalizes forestry companies for preventing this water reaching rivers and underground aquifers. In India, large tree-planting schemes not only lose valuable water but dim the
32、true problem identified by the hydrologists: the unregulated removal of water from aquifers to irrigate crops. Farmers need no permit to drill a borehole and, as most farmers receive free electricity, there is little economic control on the volume of water pumped. So a report of Britains Department
33、for International Development concludes that there is no scientific evidence that forests increase or stabilize water flow in arid or semi-arid areas. It recommends that, if water shortages are a problem, governments should impose limits on forest plantation. The second piece of research looked at h
34、ow long the forests of the Amazon basin cling on to carbon. Growing trees consume carbon dioxide and it was thought that only when the tree died, perhaps hundreds of years later, would the carbon be returned to the atmosphere. No such luck. In a paper published in Nature this week, a team of America
35、n and Brazilian scientists found that trees were silently returning the carbon after just five years. Before taking an axe to trees, however, consider the merits of the tropical rainforests. 26 It is thought traditionally that trees （ A） can improve the quality of atmosphere. （ B） may lead to slow f
36、lowing of rivers. （ C） will help wet and dry seasons to be unchanged. （ D） are able to remove carbon from the soil. 27 What result has the first research found? （ A） The roots of trees can save nutrients in the soil. （ B） The trees can steady the flow of the rivers. （ C） In the next 30 years, the wa
37、ter demand will add by around 50%. （ D） Trees trap much less water than they consume in arid areas. 28 Which of the following is true according to the text? （ A） South Africa regards planting trees as a basic human right. （ B） India had a lot of problems when carrying out the tree-planting schemes.
38、（ C） South Africa will punish those forestry companies that cut trees. （ D） Indian farmers can drill as many boreholes as they want. 29 The second research proved that （ A） the life span of trees in the Amazon basin is much longer than others. （ B） trees consume carbon dioxide until they die. （ C） i
39、t takes hundreds of years for trees to purify atmosphere. （ D） the carbon that trees consumed may return to the atmosphere in five years. 30 The main idea of the text is that （ A） trees return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere after they consume them. （ B） planting trees can worsen drought and fail t
40、o tackle climate change. （ C） water demand will increase and many people will live in conditions of severe water stress. （ D） South Africa and India need to limit planting trees and forestry industry to save water. 31 For most of us, work is the central, dominating fact of life. We spend more than h
41、alf our conscious hours at work, preparing for work, traveling to and from work. What we do there largely determines our standard of living and to a considerable extent the status we are accorded by our fellow citizens as Well. It is sometimes said that because leisure has become more important the
42、indignities and injustices of work can be pushed into a corner; that because work is intolerable, the people who do it should compensate for its boredoms and frustrations by concentrating their hopes on the other part of their lives. I reject that as a counsel of despair. For the foreseeable future
43、the material and psychological rewards which work can provide will continue to play a. vital part in determining the satisfaction that life can offer. Yet only a small minority can control the pace at which they work or the conditions in which their work is done; only for a small minority does work
44、offer scope for creativity, imagination, or initiative. Inequality at work and in work still is one of the cruelest and most glaring forms of inequality in our society. We can not hope to solve the more obvious problems of industrial life, many of which arise directly or indirectly from the inequali
45、ty at work. Still less can we hope to create a decent and humane society. The most glaring inequality is that between managers and the rest. For most managers, work is an opportunity and a challenge. Their jobs engage their interest and allow them to develop their abilities. They are able to exercis
46、e responsibility; they have a considerable degree of control over their own and the others working lives. Most important of all, they have the opportunity to initiate. By contrast, for most manual workers, work is a boring, monotonous, even painful experience. They spend all their working lives in c
47、onditions which would be regarded as intolerable for themselves by those who take the decisions which let such conditions continue. The majority have little control over their work; it provides them with no opportunity for personal development. Often production is so designed that workers are simple
48、 part of the technology. In offices, many jobs are so routine that workers justifiably feel themselves to be mere cogs in the bureaucratic machine. As a direct consequence of their work experience, many workers feel alienated from their work and their firm, whether it is in public or in private owne
49、rship. 31 Its true about work that （ A） whether you are happy in life largely depends on whether your work is rewarding. （ B） leisure becomes more and more important than work. （ C） people should try to avoid the intolerable unfairness of work. （ D） concentrating on your work is a counsel when you are in despair. 32 To solve our industrial problems, the author thinks we need （ A） equality in salaries. （ B） a reduction in the work time. （ C） an improvement in moral standards. （ D） a more e
