1、考研英语模拟试卷 217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 More and more residences, businesses, and even government agencies are using telephone answering machines to take messages or give
2、information or instructions. Sometimes these machines give (1)_ instructions, or play messages that are difficult to understand. If you (2)_ telephone calls, you need to be ready to respond if you get a (3)_. The most common machine is the (4)_ used in residence. If you call a home (5)_ there is a t
3、elephone answering machine in operation you (6)_ hear several rings and then a recorded message (7)_ usually says something (8)_ this: “Hello. We cant come to the (9)_ right now. If you want us to call you back, please leave your name and number after the beep“. Then you will hear a “beep“, (10)_ is
4、 a brief, high-pitched (11)_. Alter the beep, you can say who you are, whom you want to speak to, and what number the person should call to (12)_ you, or you can leave a (13)_. Some telephone answering machines (14)_ for only 20 or 30 seconds after the beep, so you must respond quickly. Some large b
5、usinesses and government agencies are using telephone answering machines to provide information on (15)_ about which they receive a large volume of (16)_. Using these systems (17)_ you to have a touch-tone phone (a phone with buttons rather than a rotary dial). The voice on the machine will tell you
6、r to push a certain button on your telephone if you want information on Topic A, another button for Topic B, and so on. You listen (18)_ you hear the topic you want to learn about, and then you push the (19)_ button. After making your (20)_, you will hear a recorded message on the topic. （ A） obscur
7、e （ B） wrong （ C） confusing （ D） clear （ A） take （ B） make （ C） do （ D） get （ A） machine （ B） message （ C） instruction （ D） recording （ A） type （ B） kind （ C） sort （ D） character （ A） which （ B） where （ C） why （ D） when （ A） probably （ B） certainly （ C） will （ D） may （ A） who （ B） what （ C） it （ D）
8、that （ A） like （ B） in （ C） for （ D） about （ A） place （ B） phone （ C） home （ D） room （ A） that （ B） who （ C） one （ D） which （ A） turtle （ B） noise （ C） voice （ D） tone （ A） catch （ B） tell （ C） reach （ D） meet （ A） note （ B） record （ C） message （ D） speech （ A） record （ B） speak （ C） receive （ D） wo
9、rk （ A） topics （ B） things （ C） arguments （ D） concerns （ A） questions （ B） inquiries （ C） problems （ D） complaints （ A） commands （ B） requires （ C） asks （ D） requests （ A） when （ B） after （ C） until （ D） before （ A） correct （ B） told （ C） best （ D） appropriate （ A） selection （ B） solution （ C） expe
10、riment （ D） decision Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Bilingual education in New York City was originally viewed as a transitional program that would teach foreign-born children in their native languages u
11、ntil they were fluent enough in English to enter the educational mainstream. But over the last 25 years, bilingual programs at many schools have become foreign-language ghettos from which many children never escape. The need to expose foreign-born students to more English during the school day and t
12、o move them as quickly as possible into the mainstreamwas underscored this week in a pair of reports, one from Mayor Rudolph Giulianis task force on bilingual education and one form Schools Chancellor Harold Levy. The push to reform bilingual education has intensified across the country since the Si
13、licon Valley millionaire Ron K. Unz championed a ballot initiative that ended bilingual education in California two years ago. Opponents of bilingual education want it replaced with the so-called immersion method, in which students are forced to “sink or swim“ in classes taught entirely in English.
14、Immersion has at least a chance of success in the early grades, where children are mainly being taught to read and write. But it is a recipe for failure in the upper grades, where older foreign-born students must simultaneously learn English and master complex subjects like math, science and literat
15、ure. Mayor Giuliani and Schools Chancellor Levy have wisely called for reforming special education instead of dismantling it. Both reports want to end the practice of dragooning children into the system, and call on administrators to offer parents a range of choices. Instead of automatically assigni
16、ng students to bilingual classes where they take subjects like mathematics and social studies in their native languages parents would be allowed to choose other options, including the strategy of English as a second language, in which most instruction is offered in English. Children would be moved i
17、nto the mainstream as quickly as possible, preferably within three years. But these sensible reforms have little chance of succeeding unless the city and the state act quickly to train and recruit teachers who can perform the needed task. Nearly 30 percent of bilingual instructors are uncertified. S
18、ome have not even mastered the languages they have been hired to teach. True reform will require dollars, determination and a qualified teacher in every classroom. 21 Which word can best describe the authors attitude to the two reports frequently mentioned? （ A） Supportive. （ B） Negative. （ C） Indif
19、ferent. （ D） Objective. 22 According to the passage, “sink or swim“(Sentence 2, Paragraph 2)is_. （ A） absolutely wrong. （ B） partly right. （ C） a good idea. （ D） a proven method. 23 Which of the following is NOT included in the two reports concerned? （ A） rents and children should have more right to
20、 choose courses. （ B） English may.be taught as a second language. （ C） Schools should establish a system so that students may be moved into the mainstream as soon as possible. （ D） Bilingual education is out of date and should be replaced by a brand-new teaching system. 24 The word “dragoon“(Sentenc
21、e 2, Paragraph 3) probably means_. （ A） deceive （ B） lead （ C） force （ D） manage 25 At the end of the passage, suggestions are made EXCEPT_. （ A） that the city and state take actions to improve bilingual education. （ B） that teachers who make contributions in this field be rewarded. （ C） that school
22、s be in great need of qualified teachers. （ D） that measures be taken to change the current situation. 26 In a perfectly free and open market economy, the type of employer government or private-should have little or no impact on the earnings differentials between women and men. However, if there is
23、discrimination against one sex, it is unlikely that the degree of discrimination by government and private employers will be the same. Differences in the degree of discrimination would result in earnings differentials associated with the type of employer. Given the nature of government and private e
24、mployers, it seems most likely that discrimination by private employers would be greater. Thus, one would expect that, if women are being discriminated against, government employment would have a positive effect on womens earnings as compared with their earnings from private employment. The results
25、of a study by Fuchs support this assumption. Fuchss results suggest that the earnings of women in an industry composed entirely of government employees would be 14.6 percent greater than the earnings of women in an industry composed exclusively of private employees. Other things being equal. In addi
26、tion, both Fuchs and Sanborn have suggested that the effect of discrimination by consumers on the earnings of self-employed women may be greater than the effect of either government or private employer discrimination on the earnings of women employees. To test this hypothesis, Brown selected a large
27、 sample of white male and female workers from the 1970 Census and divided them into three categories: private employees, government employees, and self-employed. (Black workers were excluded from the sample to avoid picking up earnings differentials that were the result of racial disparities.) Brown
28、s research design controlled for education, labor force participation, mobility, motivation, and age in order to eliminate these factors as explanations of the studys results. Browns results suggest that men and women are not treated the same by employers and consumers. For men, self-employment is t
29、he highest earnings category, with private employment next, and government lowest. For women, this order is reversed. One can infer from Browns results that consumers discriminate against self-employed women. In addition, self-employed women may have more difficulty than men in getting good employee
30、s and may encounter discrimination from suppliers and from financial institutions. Browns results are clearly consistent with Fuchss argument that discrimination by consumers has a greater impact on the earnings of women than does discrimination by either government or private employers. Also, the f
31、act that women do better working for government than for private employers implies that private employers axe discriminating against women. The results do not prove that government does not discriminate against women. They do, however, demonstrate that if government is discriminating against women,
32、its discrimination is not having as much effect on womens earnings as is discrimination in the private sector. 26 The passage mentions all of the following as difficulties that self-employed women may encounter EXCEPT_. （ A） discrimination from consumers （ B） discrimination from financial institutio
33、ns （ C） problems in obtaining good employees （ D） problems in obtaining government assistance 27 The author would be most likely to agree with the following conclusion about discrimination against women by private employers and by government employers:_. （ A） Both private employers and government em
34、ployers discriminate, with equal effects on women s earnings. （ B） Both private employers and government employers discriminate, but the discrimination by private employers has.a greater effect on womens earnings. （ C） Both private employers and government employers discriminate, but the discriminat
35、ion by government employers has a greater effect on womens earnings. （ D） Private employers discriminate; it is possible that government employers discriminate. 28 According to Browns study, womens earnings categories occur in which of the following orders, from highest earnings to lowest earnings?
36、（ A） Government employment, self-employment. （ B） Private employment, private employment, self-employment. （ C） Private employment, self-employment, government employment. （ D） Private employment, government employment, self-employment. 29 Which of the following questions does the passage answer exp
37、licitly? （ A） Why were Black workers excluded from the sample used in Browns study? （ B） Why do private employers discriminate more against women than do government employers? （ C） Why do self-employed women have more difficulty than men in hiring high quality employees? （ D） Why do suppliers discri
38、minate against self-employed women? 30 Which of the following titles best describes the content of the passage as a whole? （ A） The Necessity for Earnings Differentials in Free Market Economy. （ B） Why Discrimination Against Employed Women by Government Employers and Private Employers Differs from D
39、iscrimination Against Self-Employed Women by Consumers. （ C） The Relative Effect of Discrimination by Government Employers, Private Employers, and Consumers on Womens Earnings. （ D） The Relative Effect of Private Employer Discrimination on Womens Earnings. 31 Something big is happening to the human
40、race something that could be called The Great Transformation. The Transformation consists of all the changes that are occurring m human life due to advancing technology. For thousands of years such progress occurred slowly. Now, everything is changing so fast that you may find yourself wondering whe
41、re all this progress is really leading. Nobody knows what all these changes really will mean in the long run. But this mysterious Transformation is the biggest story of all time. It is the story of the human race itself. Some people worry about what will happen when the deposits of petroleum are gon
42、e, but already researchers are finding all kinds of new ways to obtain energy. Someday, solar power collected by satellites circling the earth of fission power manufactured by mankind may give us all the energy we need for an expanding civilization. Space exploration promises to open up many new ter
43、ritories for human settlement, as well as leading to the harvest of mineral resources like the asteroids. Scientific research continues to open up previously undreamed-of possibilities. Fifty years ago, few people could even imagine things like computers, lasers, and holography. Today, a host of new
44、ly emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering are opening up all kinds of new paths for technologists. Like it or not, our advancing technology has made us masters of the earth. We not only dominate all the other animals, but we are reshaping the worlds plant life
45、and even its soil and rocks, its waters and surrounding air. Mountains are being dug up to provide minerals and stone for buildings. The very ground under our feet is washing away as we chop down the forests, plow up the fields, and excavate foundations for our buildings. Human junk is cluttering up
46、 not only the land but even the bottom of the sea. And so many chemicals are being released into the air by human activities that scientists worry that the entire globe may warm, causing the polar icecaps to melt and ocean waters to flood vast areas of the land. During the twentieth century, advanci
47、ng technology has enabled man to reach thousands of feet into the ocean depths and to climb the highest mountains. Mount Everest, the highest mountain of all, resisted all climbers until the 1950s. Now man is reaching beyond Earth to the moon, Mars, and the stars. No one knows what the Great Transfo
48、rmation means or where it will ultimately lead. But one thing is sure: Human life 50 years from now will be very different from what it is today. Its also worth noting that our wondrous technology is posing an increasingly insistent question: When we can do so many things, how can we possibly decide
49、 what we really should do? When humans were relatively powerless, they didnt have to make the choices they have to make today. Technology gives us the power to build a magnificent new civilization if we can just agree on what we want it to be. But today, there is little global agreement on goals and how we should achieve them. So it remains to be seen what will happen as a result of our technology. Pessimists worry that we will use the technology event
