1、考研英语模拟试卷 237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 What would happen if consumers decided to simplify their lives and spend less on material goods and services? This (1)_ is taking o
2、n a certain urgency as rates of economic growth continue to decelerate throughout the industrialized world, and (2)_ millions of consumers appear to be (3)_ for more frugal lifestyle. The Stanford Research Institute, which has done some of the most extensive work on the frugality phenomenon, (4)_ th
3、at nearly five million American adults number “(5)_ to and act on some but not all“ of its basic tenets. The frugality phenomenon first achieved prominence as a middle-class (6)_ of high-consumption lifestyle in the industrial world during the 50s and 60s. In the Silent Revolution, Ronald Ingehart o
4、f the University of Michigans Institute of Social Research examined this (7)_ in the United States and 10 Western European nations. He concluded that a change has taken place “from an (8)_ emphasis on material well-being and physical security (9)_ greater emphasis on the quality of life“, that is, “
5、a (10)_ from materialism to post-materialism“. Ingehart calls the 60s the “fat year“. Among their more visible trappings were the ragged blue jeans favored by the affluent young. Most of them (11)_ from materialism; however, this was (12)_. Comfortably fixed Americans were going (13)_, (14)_ making
6、things last longer, sharing things with others, learning to do things for themselves and so on. But (15)_ economically significant, it was hardly (16)_ in a US Gross National Product climbing vigorously toward the $2 thousand billion mark. (17)_, as the frugality phenomenon matured growing out of th
7、e soaring 80s and into the somber 90s it seemed to undergo a (18)_ transformation. American consumers continued to lose (19)_ in materialism and were being joined by new converts who were (20)_ frugality because of the darkening economic skies they saw ahead. （ A） question （ B） problem （ C） issue （
8、D） dilemma （ A） though （ B） as （ C） much as （ D） ever since （ A） answering （ B） making （ C） opting （ D） planning （ A） predicts （ B） discovers （ C） demonstrates （ D） estimates （ A） amount （ B） attend （ C） lead （ D） adhere （ A） rejection （ B） denial （ C） retention （ D） defiance （ A） adventure （ B） mat
9、urity （ C） experience （ D） existence （ A） overwhelming （ B） imaginary （ C） trivial （ D） apparent （ A） about （ B） toward （ C） with （ D） for （ A） relief （ B） variation （ C） range （ D） shift （ A） suffer （ B） differ （ C） diverge （ D） retreat （ A） sound （ B） subtle （ C） superficial （ D） obscure （ A） with
10、out （ B） off （ C） about （ D） with （ A） in general （ B） in effect （ C） for example （ D） in a sense （ A） when （ B） whereas （ C） while （ D） once （ A） decisive （ B） discernible （ C） incredible （ D） negligible （ A） Indeed （ B） Moreover （ C） Therefore （ D） However （ A） elementary （ B） fundamental （ C） com
11、prehensive （ D） primary （ A） faith （ B） doubt （ C） patience （ D） interest （ A） accommodating （ B） discarding （ C） embracing （ D） presenting Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 What our society suffers from mo
12、st today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be; such consensus cannot be gained from societys present stage, or from fantasies about what it ought to be. For that the present is too close and too diversified, and the future too uncertain, to make believable claims abou
13、t it. A consensus in the present hence can be achieved only through a shared understanding of the past, as Homers epics informed those who lived centuries later, what it meant to be Greek, and by what images and ideals they were to live their lives and organize their societies. Most societies derive
14、 consensus from a long history, a language all their own, a common religion, common ancestry. The myths by which they live are based on all of these. But the United States is a country of immigrants, coming from a great variety of nations. Lately, it has been emphasized that an asocial, narcissistic
15、 personality has become characteristic of Americans, and that it is this type of personality that makes for the lack of well-being, because it prevents us from achieving consensus that would counteract a tendency to withdraw into private worlds. In this study of narcissism, Christopher Lash says tha
16、t modern man, “tortured by self-consciousness, turns to new therapies not to free himself of his personal worries hut to find meaning and purpose in life, to find something to live for“. There is widespread distress because national morale has declined, and we have lost an earlier sense of national
17、vision and purpose. Contrary to rigid religions or political beliefs, as are found in totalitarian societies, our culture is one of the great individual differences, at least in principle and in theory; but this leads to disunity, even chaos. Americans believe in the value of diversity, but just bec
18、ause ours is a society based on individual diversity, it needs consensus about some dominating ideas more than societies based on uniform origin of their citizens. Hence, if we are to have consensus, it must be based on a myth a vision about a common experience, a conquest that made us Americans, as
19、 the myth about the conquest of Troy formed the Greeks. Only a common myth can offer relief from the fear that life is without meaning or purpose. Myths permit us to examine our place in the world by comparing it to a shared idea. Myths are shared fantasies that form the tie that binds the individua
20、l to other members of his group. Such myths help to ward off feelings of isolations, guilt, anxiety, and purposelessness in short, they combat isolation and the breakdown of social standards and values. 21 This text is mainly intended to （ A） explore certain ways of making for a consensus. （ B） spot
21、light the role of myths in binding a community. （ C） interpret the meaning and purpose of modern life. （ D） reverse the decline of social standards and values. 22 From the text we learn that Christopher Lash is most probably （ A） a reform advocate. （ B） a social psychologist. （ C） a reputed poet. （
22、D） a historical specialist. 23 Americans may find themselves in a society characterized by （ A） extreme stress. （ B） worry and suffering. （ C） shared beliefs. （ D） void and isolation. 24 Homers epics is mentioned in Paragraph 1 in order to （ A） exemplify the contributions made by ancient poets. （ B）
23、 show an ideal concept of what life ought to be. （ C） illustrate the role of shared myths in society. （ D） make known myths of what a society ought to be. 25 The author concludes that only shared myths can help Americans （ A） to bring about the uniformity of their culture. （ B） to regain their conse
24、nsus about a common experience. （ C） to perceive the effects of consensus about society. （ D） to stay away from negative feelings in their life. 26 In the next century well be able to alter our DNA radically, encoding our visions and vanities while concocting new life-forms. When Dr. Frankenstein ma
25、de his monster, he wrestled with the moral issue of whether he should allow it to reproduce, “Had I the right, for my own benefit, to inflict the curse upon everlasting generations?“ Will such questions require us to develop new moral philosophies? Probably not. Instead, well reach again for a time-
26、tested moral concept; one sometimes called the Golden Rule and which Kant, the millenniums most prudent moralist, conjured up into a categorical imperative, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; treat each person as an individual rather than as a means to some end. Under this moral prec
27、ept we should recoil at human cloning, because it inevitably entails using humans as means to other humans ends and valuing them as copies of others we loved or as collections of body parts, not as individuals in their own right. We should also draw a line, however fuzzy, that would permit using gen
28、etic engineering to cure diseases and disabilities but not to change the personal attributes that make someone an individual (IQ, physical appearance, gender and sexuality). The biotech age will also give us more reason to guard our personal privacy. Aldous Huxley in Brave New World, got it wrong: r
29、ather than centralizing power in the hands of the state, DNA technology has empowered individuals and families. But the state will have an important role, making sure that no one, including insurance companies, can look at our genetic data without our permission or use it to discriminate against us.
30、 Then we can get ready for the breakthroughs that could come at the end of the next century and the technology is comparable to mapping our genes: plotting the 10 billion or more neurons of our brain. With that information we might someday be able to create artificial intelligences that think and ex
31、perience consciousness in ways that are indistinguishable from a human brain. Eventually we might be able to replicate our own minds in a “dry-ware“ machine, so that we could live on without the “wet-ware“ of a biological brain and body. The 20th centurys revolution in infotechnology will thereby me
32、rge with the 21st centurys revolution in biotechnology. But this is science fiction. Lets turn the page now and get back to real science. 26 Dr. Frankensteins remarks are mentioned in the text （ A） to give an episode of the DNA technological breakthroughs. （ B） to highlight the inevitability of a me
33、ans to some evil ends. （ C） to show how he created a new form of life a thousand years ago. （ D） to introduce the topic of moral philosophies concerning biotechnology. 27 It can be concluded from the text that the technology of human cloning should be employed （ A） excessively and extravagantly. （ B
34、） sensibly and cautiously. （ C） aggressively and indiscriminately. （ D） openly and enthusiastically. 28 From the text, we learn that Aldous Huxley is of the opinion that （ A） the power of biotechnology is to be decentralized. （ B） no one is entitled to discriminate against others. （ C） biotechnology
35、 is nothing more than gene-mapping. （ D） artificial intelligence compete with a human brain. 29 According to the last paragraph, “dry-ware“ is to “wet-ware“ as （ A） collective to “individual“. （ B） fictional to “factual“. （ C） mechanical to “biological“. （ D） illegal to “immoral“. 30 Judged from the
36、 information in the last paragraph, we can predict that the author is likely to write which of the following in the next section? （ A） The reflection upon biotechnological morality. （ B） The offensive invasion of our personal privacy. （ C） The inevitable change of IQs for our descendants. （ D） The p
37、resent state of biotechnological research. 31 When a disease of epidemic proportions rips into the populace, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of the affliction and find ways to combat it. Oftentimes, success is achieved, as medical science is able to isolate the parasi
38、te, germ or cell that causes the problem and finds ways to effectively kill or contain it. In the most serious of cases, in which the entire population of a region or country may be at grave risk, it is deemed necessary to protect the entire population through vaccination, so as to safeguard lives a
39、nd ensure that the disease will not spread. The process of vaccination allows the patients body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can ward it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of the disease is actually injected into the patie
40、nt in a controlled environment, so that his bodys immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the diseases defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patients immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from
41、cell to cell. This makes sure that, should the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to deal with it, having already done so before. There are dangers inherent in the process, however. On occasion, even the weakened version of the disease contai
42、ned in the vaccine proves too much for the body to handle, resulting in the immune system succumbing, and, therefore, the patients death. Such is the case of the smallpox vaccine, designed to eradicate the smallpox epidemic that nearly wiped out the entire Native American population and killed massi
43、ve numbers of settlers. Approximately 1 in 10,000 people who receives the vaccine contract the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Thus, if the entire population of the United States were to receive the Smallpox Vaccine today, 3000 Americans would be left dead. Fortunately, th
44、e smallpox virus was considered eradicated in the early 1970s, ending the mandatory vaccination of all babies in America. In the event of a reintroduction of the disease, however, mandatory vaccinations may resume, resulting in more unexpected deaths from vaccination. The process, which is truly a m
45、ixed blessing, may indeed hide some hidden curses. 31 The best title for the text may be （ A） Vaccinations: A Blessing or A Curse. （ B） Principles of Vaccinations. （ C） Vaccines: Methods and Implications. （ D） A Miracle Cure Under Attack. 32 What does the example of the Smallpox Vaccine illustrate?
46、（ A） A possible negative outcome of administering vaccines. （ B） The practical use of a vaccine to control an epidemic disease. （ C） A method by which vaccines are employed against the disease. （ D） The effectiveness of vaccines in curing certain disease. 33 The phrase “ward it off naturally“ (Parag
47、raph 2) most probably means （ A） dispose of it naturally. （ B） combat against it readily. （ C） attend to it reluctantly. （ D） split it up properly. 34 Which of the following is true according to the text? （ A） Saving the majority would necessarily justify the death of the minority. （ B） The immune s
48、ystem can be trained to fight weaker versions of a disease. （ C） Mandatory vaccinations are indispensable to the survival of the populace. （ D） The process of vaccination remains a mystery to be further resolved. 35 The purpose of the author in writing this passage is （ A） to comment and criticize.
49、（ B） to demonstrate and argue. （ C） to interest and entertain. （ D） to explain and inform. 36 Euthanasia is clearly a deliberate and intentional aspect of a killing. Taking a human life, even with subtle rites and consent of the party involved is barbaric. No one can justly kill another human being. Just as it is wrong for a serial killer to murder, it is wrong for a physician to do so as well, no matter what the motive for doing so may be. Many thinkers, including almost all orth
