1、考研英语模拟试卷 251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 The amount of sunlight reaching Earths surface appears to be growing. The phenomenon, which some dub “global brightening“, (1)_ sci
2、entists with a puzzle. If the (2)_ is real and global, how long will it last and what are the consequences for climate change, the planets water cycle, and other (3)_ that draw energy from sunlight? (4)_, the answer might seem obvious: More sunlight reaching the ground in a warming world means that
3、temperatures will get warmer (5)_. Not so fast, some researchers say. Additional warming would be certain (6)_ nothing else in the climate system changes. And the climate system is (7)_ static. Some combinations of changes could reinforce the heating; others could (8)_ it. Unraveling these interacti
4、ons and forecasting their course require an accurate accounting of the sunlight reaching the surface and the (9)_ the surface sends skyward. Moreover, researchers say, measurements of the suns strength at Earths surface are potentially powerful tools for (10)_ human influences on the climate. Earths
5、 radiation “budget“ (11)_ an “extremely important parameter that is (12)_ known“, says Robert Charlson, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington at Seattle. “It needs to be (13)_ much better than it is“. (14)_ about the amount of sunlight reaching Earths surface were first raised in
6、1974. Researchers from the United States and Israel recorded a 12% drop (15)_ sunlight over 40 years at a (16)_ station in the southern Sinai Peninsula. Since then, others have used a variety of techniques to try to track (17)_ sunlight. Three years ago, for example, a (18)_ led by Beate Liepert at
7、Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory gathered data from ground (19)_ around the world and found that solar radiation reaching the surface fell (20)_ 4% from 1961 to 1990. （ A） presents （ B） offers （ C） grants （ D） provides （ A） trend （ B） tread （ C） trench （ D） treaty （ A） creatures
8、 （ B） resources （ C） processes （ D） activities （ A） At the best （ B） At first glance （ C） At all events （ D） At any rate （ A） much （ B） far （ C） ever （ D） still （ A） now that （ B） in case （ C） only if （ D） even after （ A） nothing but （ B） nothing than （ C） anything else （ D） anything but （ A） offset
9、 （ B） disrupt （ C） restore （ D） relieve （ A） reflection （ B） radiation （ C） illumination （ D） illustration （ A） blocking （ B） escaping （ C） gauging （ D） manifesting （ A） commits （ B） demonstrates （ C） reveals （ D） represents （ A） rarely （ B） badly （ C） actually （ D） poorly （ A） indicated （ B） emphas
10、ized （ C） described （ D） quantified （ A） Attention （ B） Worries （ C） Concerns （ D） Puzzles （ A） in （ B） of （ C） to （ D） with （ A） monitoring （ B） observing （ C） measuring （ D） recording （ A） ongoing （ B） outgoing （ C） incoming （ D） upcoming （ A） faculty （ B） team （ C） group （ D） staff （ A） points （
11、B） stations （ C） establishments （ D） bases （ A） down （ B） around （ C） to （ D） by Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Until recently, the main villains of the piece had seemed to be the teachers unions, who ha
12、ve opposed any sort of reform or accountability. Now they face competition from an unexpectedly destructive force: the court. Fifty years ago, it was the judges who forced the schools to desegregate through Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Now the courts have moved from broad principles to microm
13、anagement, telling schools how much money to spend and where -right down to the correct computer or textbook. Twenty four states are currently stuck in various court cases to do with financing school systems, and another 21 have only recently settled various suits. Most will start again soon. Only f
14、ive states have avoided litigation entirely. Nothing exemplifies the power of the courts better than an 11-year-old case that is due to be settled (sort of) in New York City, the home of Americas biggest school system with 1.lm students and a budget nearing $13 billion. At the end of this month, thr
15、ee elderly members of the New York bar serving as judicial referees are due to rule in a case brought By the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a leftish advocacy group, against the state of New York: they will decide how much more must Be spent to provide every New York City pupil with a “sound basic“ edu
16、cation. Rare is the politician willing to argue that more money for schools is a bad thing. But are the courts doing any good? Two suspicions arise. First, judges are making a lazy assumption that more money means better schools. As the international results show, the link between “inputs“ and “outp
17、uts“ is vague something well documented by, among others, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. Second, the courts are muddling an already muddled system. Over time, they have generally made it harder to get rid of disruptive pupils and bad teachers. The current case could be even wo
18、rse. The courts have already said that, in order to determine the necessary spending, they may consider everything from class size to the availability of computers, textbooks and even pencils. This degree of intervention is all the more scandalous because the courts have weirdly decided to ignore an
19、other set of “inputs“ the archaic work practices of school teachers and janitors. David Schoenbrod and Ross Sandier of New York Law School reckon the demands of the court will simply undermine reform and transform an expensive failure into a more expensive one. And of course, the litigation never en
20、ds. Kentucky, for example, is still in court 16 years after the first decision. A lawsuit first filed against New Jersey for its funding of schools in 1981 was “decided“ four years later but it has returned to the court nine times since, including early this year, with each decision pushing the cour
21、t deeper into the management of the states schools. Bad judges are even harder to boot out of school than bad pupils. 21 The author seems to believe that _. （ A） the courts intervention of the school micromanagement is undesirable （ B） it is inappropriate for the courts to shift from principles to d
22、aily management （ C） teachers used to support the school reform and assume the responsibility （ D） schools were usually at a loss how and where to spend their money 22 The third paragraph is intended mainly to _. （ A） reveal the problems in the American school system （ B） show the importance of the
23、case against New York state （ C） exemplify the value of a “sound basic“ education （ D） indicate the courts power over the school management 23 Senator D.P. Moynihan would probably agree that _. （ A） more money for schools will damage the further advancement （ B） better schools will not necessarily r
24、esult from more money （ C） the relationship between input and output is widely ignored （ D） politicians argue against more money for the schools 24 Inputs as used in the text refers to all of the following Except _. （ A） money budget for the school （ B） teaching practices of teachers （ C） computers
25、and textbooks （ D） performance of school janitors 25 What does the lawsuit filed against New Jersey indicate? （ A） Such lawsuits usually stay undecided for an extremely long time. （ B） Bad judges intend to render the school management a total chaos. （ C） The courts get more involved into school rout
26、ine as the lawsuits last. （ D） The lawsuits are always deeply combined with the funding of schools. 26 In recent years, Microsoft has focused on three big tasks: building robust security into its software, resolving numerous antitrust complaints against it and upgrading its Windows operating system.
27、 These three tasks are now starting to collide. On August 27th the firm said that the successor to its Windows XP operating system, code-named Longhorn, will go on sale in 2007 without one of its most impressive features, a technique to integrate elaborate search capabilities into nearly all desktop
28、 applications. (On the bright side, Longhorn will contain advances in rendering images and enabling different computing platforms to exchange data directly between applications.) It is a big setback for Microsoft, which considers search technology a pillar of its future growth not least as it compet
29、es against Google. The firms focus on security championed by Bill Gates himself took resources away from Longhorn, admits Greg Sullivan, a lead product manager in the Windows client division. Programmers have been fixing Windows XP rather than working on Longhorn. In mid-August, Microsoft released S
30、ervice Pack 2, a huge set of free software patches and enhancements to make Windows XP more secure. Though some of the fixes turned out to have vulnerabilities of their own, the patches have mostly been welcomed. Microsofts decision to forgo new features in return for better security is one that mos
31、t computer users will probably applaud. Yet ironically, as Microsoft slowly improves the security of its products-by, for instance, incorporating firewall technology, anti-virus systems and spam filters its actions increasingly start to resemble those that, in the past, have got the firm into troubl
32、e with regulators. Is security software an “adjacent software market“, in which case Microsoft may be leveraging its dominance of the operating system into it? Integrating security products into Windows might be considered “bundling“ which, with regard to web browsing, so excited Americas trustbuste
33、rs in the 1990s. And building security directly into the operating system seems a lot like “commingling“ software code, on which basis the European Commission ruled earlier this year that Microsoft abused its market power through the Windows Media Player. Microsoft is appealing against that decision
34、, and on September 30th it will argue for a suspension of the commissions remedies, such as the requirement that it license its code to rivals. Just last month, the European Unions competition directorate began an investigation into Microsoft and Time Warner, a large media firm, on the grounds that
35、their proposed joint acquisition of Content Guard, a software firm whose products protect digital media files, might provide Microsoft with, undue market power over digital media standards. The commission will rule by January 2005. Microsoft, it seems, in security as elsewhere, is going to have to g
36、et used to being punished for its success. Its Windows monopoly lets it enjoy excessive profits but the resulting monoculture makes it an obvious target for viruses and regulators alike. 26 That Microsofts three tasks are colliding is reflected in the fact that _. （ A） the new operating system will
37、be marketed at a discount （ B） search will be removed from the new operating system （ C） all search capabilities will be combined into the desktop （ D） images and data will be exchanged more directly 27 It is implied in the third paragraph that _. （ A） computer users care a lot about the security of
38、 the operating system （ B） programmers are disappointed about the shift of the firms focus （ C） more resources are being engaged in the development of Longhorn （ D） patches and enhancements are perfect and popular with the users 28 The ironical point is that Microsofts improvement of security （ A） i
39、s getting along at a pace dissatisfying to regulators （ B） brings itself a total control over the operating system （ C） will lead to European Commissions stricter licence （ D） may be accused of abusing its dominance of the market 29 Which of the following does not belong to the “regulators“(Para. 4)
40、? （ A） European Commission. （ B） EUs competition directorate. （ C） ContentGuard. （ D） Americas trusthusters. 30 It can be concluded from the text that _. （ A） viruses and regulators are invariably aimed at Windows （ B） Microsoft both benefits and suffers from its huge success （ C） European Unions in
41、quiry into the acquisition is ungrounded （ D） punishments imposed on Windows are mostly justified 31 The Inland Revenue on Thursday accused the British film industry of abusing government aid, with every production of recent years deliberately over-claiming tax relief. Revenue officials called in ab
42、out 20 members of the film industry and warned them of severe consequences if the “exploitation“ of tax-relief schemes did not immediately stop. The move, which affects the including low to high-budget film-makers and financiers, is the latest in a series of attempts by the Revenue to clamp down on
43、tax loopholes in an attempt to raise more money for the Exchequer, But the film industry responded on Thursday night, saying the Revenue could drive productions overseas and would confuse investors. A series of tax relief schemes, introduced in 1997, enables those involved in the financing of qualif
44、ying British-made films to claim the costs of production against future income. The schemes have Become popular with investors seeking a tax shelter, with an estimated 400m invested in the schemes in 1997 rising to about 2bn last year. But the Revenue said the industry was exploiting rules on tax re
45、lief by “double dipping“, that is, by claiming relief more than once against a single piece of expenditure. While not illegal, the Revenue said, the industry was “not playing fair“. It said double-dipping was “against the spirit“ of legislation designed to encourage investment in the British film in
46、dustry. The Revenue said the practice of double dipping was “virtually universal“, with “every qualifying film it had seen financed on the basis of double dipping“. It warned it would “take all steps to counter such abuse including, where necessary, advising ministers on introducing legislation to p
47、ut matters beyond doubt“. “Both the Revenue and the government are becoming increasingly exasperated at the extent to which some parts of the industry are exploiting the film reliefs“, the Revenue said. “The government remains committed to encouraging film production in the UK through use of the rel
48、iefs in the way in which the legislation allows but this does not extend to deliberate exploitation of those reliefs“. Large film financiers said on Thursday night that the Revenues action could undermine growth prospects for the British film industry. Peter James, managing director of Movision Ente
49、rtainment, which has produced 16 British-made films in recent years, including the soon-to-be released “Merchant of Venice“, said while the effect of the Revenues clamp down would not Be “devastating“, it could drive many independent film-makers overseas. Industry observers said on Thursday the Revenues move was likely to confuse investors, who have been accustomed to the benefits of double-dipping. 31 We can learn from the first three
