1、考研英语模拟试卷 256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 All Sumerian cities recognized a number of gods in common, including the sky god, the lord of storms, and the morning and evening s
2、tar. (1)_ the Sumerian worshipped the goddess of fertility, love, and war, she was evidently lower (2)_ status than the male gods, indicating that in a more urbanized society the (3)_ that the peoples of previous times had paid to the earth mother goddess had (4)_. The gods seemed hopelessly violent
3、 and (5)_, and ones life a period of slavery at their easy will. The epic poem The Creation emphasizes that (6)_ were created to enable the gods to (7)_ up working. Each city moreover had its own god, who was considered to (8)_ the temple literally and who was in theory the owner of all property wit
4、hin the city. (9)_ the priests who interpreted the will of the god and controlled the (10)_ of the economic produce of the city were favored (11)_ their supernatural and material functions (12)_. When, after 3000 B.C., growing warfare among the cities made military leadership (13)_, the head of the
5、army who became king assumed a(n) (14)_ position between the god, whose agent he was, and the priestly class, whom he had both to use and to (15)_. Thus king and priests represented the upper class in a hierarchical society. (16)_ them were the scribes, the secular attendants of the temple, who (17)
6、_ every aspect of the citys economic life and who developed a rough judicial system. (18)_ the temple officials, society was divided among an elite or (19)_ group of large landowners and military leaders; a mixed group of merchants, artisans, and craftsmen, free peasants who (20)_ the majority of th
7、e population; and slaves. （ A） Unless （ B） As （ C） Lest （ D） Although （ A） on （ B） in （ C） with （ D） about （ A） worship （ B） reverence （ C） admiration （ D） gratitude （ A） vanished （ B） recovered （ C） declined （ D） attained （ A） unpredictable （ B） unforgivable （ C） unlimited （ D） unlikely （ A） creatu
8、res （ B） animals （ C） men （ D） mortals （ A） use （ B） turn （ C） give （ D） hack （ A） inhabit （ B） live （ C） reside （ D） lodge （ A） Hence （ B） Thereafter （ C） Somehow （ D） Incidentally （ A） introduction （ B） transaction （ C） distribution （ D） provision （ A） as （ B） for （ C） under （ D） oF （ A） along （ B
9、） anyway （ C） afterwards （ D） alike （ A） additional （ B） vital （ C） singular （ D） exceptional （ A） alternative （ B） secondary （ C） intermediate （ D） fundamental （ A） pacify （ B） tempt （ C） suppress （ D） manipulate （ A） Beside （ B） Beyond （ C） Below （ D） Before （ A） supervised （ B） held （ C） managed
10、（ D） presided （ A） Around （ B） Under （ C） Above （ D） Outside （ A） leading （ B） noble （ C） controlling （ D） principal （ A） consist （ B） compose （ C） compile （ D） consume Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 The
11、 Japanese government wants women like Taeko Mizuguchi to get married and start doing something about the nations plunging birthrate. But shes not interested. At least, not if her prospective husband is Japanese. A growing number of Japanese women are giving up on their male counterparts, and taking
12、a gamble that looking abroad for love will bring them the qualities in a partner that seem rare at home. “They treat you like equals, and they dont hesitate to express mutual feelings of respect I think Western men are more adept at such things than Japanese men“, says the 36-year-old Ms. Miznguchi,
13、 who works at a top trading firm. “They dont act like women are maids I think they view women as individuals“. Underscoring that Japanese women are losing hope with the local boys, dating agencies to help snag a Western husband have sprung up in Tokyo, some with branches in the US and Europe. Such c
14、ompanies rigorously vet their clients, screening for education, family background, occupation, and life goals. The kind of women who sign up for such services include doctors, lawyers, and other professionals women who have delayed marriage to concentrate on careers and who arent keen to give up har
15、d won gains to become a housewife, as many Japanese men expect. A generation of women who are now entering their 30s dont want to give up single life unless prospective partners are willing to break from traditional gender roles. Government polls conducted to find out why women have put off marriage
16、 until well after 25 years of age known as a womans “best before date“ show that economic independence is key to the change. As most Japanese women have their own income, marriage is no longer a financial necessity and women want to find companionship in a husband. Having ruled out an old-fashioned
17、Japanese husband, many women here think the solution is a Western man. Indeed, some seem so enthralled with the idea that they are willing to spend thousands of dollars to inspect the wares personally. To be fair, not all the blame for female angst here can be laid on Japanese men. The government ha
18、s been slow to enforce equal opportunity laws, and both pay and the glass ceiling in most Japanese corporations remain low for women. Recession has hampered longer maternity leave and other family-friendly policies. As Japans fertility rate drops to new lows, the government is anxiously drawing up p
19、lans to make it easier for young couples to raise children, through such measures as the provision of cheap public housing. 21 Taeko Mizuguchi represents the kind of women who are （ A） unwilling to rear children. （ B） discontented with the traditional idea. （ C） eager to marry a western man for roma
20、nce. （ D） enthusiastic only in career pursuing. 22 In Japanese womens opinion, their male counterparts （ A） axe in lack of sentiments. （ B） do not treat them as women. （ C） are swayed by orthodox conceptions. （ D） dont know how to express themselves. 23 By “glass ceiling.remain low for women“, the a
21、uthor intends to show that in most corporations （ A） more conveniences are provided for females. （ B） females have little chance for promotion. （ C） women work in poor office conditions. （ D） women are always the victims of recession. 24 We can infer from the third paragraph that the dating agency （
22、 A） is supported by government to help raise birthrate. （ B） serves only for certain circle of women. （ C） is the last hope for modern Japanese women. （ D） receives a warm welcome from western men. 25 The major factor that leads Japanese women to postpone their marriage is （ A） the influence of west
23、ern values. （ B） the improvement of economic status. （ C） the lack of equal opportunity laws. （ D） the obsoleteness of “best before date“. 26 Teachers grumble over pay everywhere, but in West Virginia Wesleyan College the anger is acute. Salaries here have barely moved since 2000, and the average as
24、sistant professors pay has fallen below that at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. On a campus with just 86 full-time faculty, a sociology professor said, a few hundred thousand dollars more spent on teaching could make a real difference. Wesleyan President William Haden says th
25、e college plans to raise faculty pay. But he says Wesleyan is nothing without students “they vote with their feet“ and the college has no choice but to address their wants and needs. He says technology has been a big part of that, and some recent graduates agree that its valuable though maybe not es
26、sential. Daniel Simmons, a 1999 graduate and also a middle-school teacher, praised the technology program. “If I had gone to another school it wouldnt have been available to me“, he said. “It was very convenient and it was top of the line“. But as with the faculty, the quality of human instructors i
27、s a big concern among Wesleyan alumni. “A little bit more money should have been put into keeping people“, said Evan Keeling, a 2002 graduate now pursuing a doctorate at the University of Virginia. He found the quality in the classroom uneven, and, notably, neither he nor the Daniel Simmons came to
28、Wesleyan because of technology. The program was a bonus, not the primary draw. Skinner, the director of admission and financial planning, acknowledged that seems widely true. Prospective students pay more attention to more tangible signs of growth. “It did open some doors for us, but would I have li
29、ked to have had a new residence hall or recreational facility? I probably would have preferred that“, Skinner said. His daily struggle remains filling the freshman class, which may be down 50 people or more this year, due to changes in government financial aid programs and the shuttering of the nurs
30、ing program. The college still accepts about 80 percent of its applicants, and no longer requires online applications. Haden acknowledges that, with the benefit of hindsight, he might have handled details of how the program was financed differently. But he makes no apologies for taking bold steps wh
31、ich he says have indeed set Wesleyan apart. “We needed to make a statement about our commitment to technology and our belief that it would enhance the quality of education and the preparation of our students“, he said. “And Im still believing that“. 26 Faculties in Wesleyan have lower salaries mainl
32、y because the college （ A） invests too much in the technology program. （ B） spends a great deal in achieving tangible growth. （ C） fails to attract enough students to fill its classrooms. （ D） cannot get enough government financial aid. 27 By “they vote with their feet“ (Paragraph 2), the author mea
33、ns that the students （ A） vote in their president on their own part. （ B） play-a decisive role in electing their president. （ C） may not enroll in Wesleyan for the discontent with the college. （ D） may refuse to pay the tuition for their unmeetable demands. 28 The quotation of Skinners words(Lines 7
34、 8, Paragraph 3) is used to show that （ A） Wesleyan needs to improve its aging school facilities. （ B） the technology program is not so attractive to the students. （ C） foresighted students concern more about obvious growth. （ D） Skinner prefers to excellent facilities in Wesleyan. 29 According to t
35、he passage, which of the following is true? （ A） It is the teachers needs rather than the students that really count in Wesleyan. （ B） The technology program provides scholarship for high ability freshmen. （ C） The cancel of the nursing program hinders Wesleyan from recruiting students. （ D） Online
36、applications are still required if students want to enter Wesleyan. 30 What is Hadens attitude towards the technology program? （ A） Confident. （ B） Proud. （ C） Regretful. （ D） Doubtful. 31 Search engine Google was aiming to float on Wall Street this week, valued at up to $36 billion. But the Interne
37、t companys advisers are meeting this weekend to discuss possibly delaying the public listing after a sharp fall in share prices in New York on Friday. An insider said last night: “The float is teetering on the brink it really is 50/50 at this stage, although many of us are optimistic“. The initial p
38、ublic offering (IPO) of shares in Google, which could raise nearly $4bn, will amount to one of the biggest IPOs for years. But many US firms have shelved their IPOs amid volatile market conditions and investors appear unwilling to subscribe to new equity. A Wall Street analyst said that the Google I
39、PO “would be a seminal event for the American stock market“ as its real significance was that it would test whether or not the recovery in equity prices since the end of the Iraq war had taken hold. “If this float works, a lot of other companies will be encouraged and come to the market later in the
40、 year“, the insider added. “But it will be bad news if the IPO is pulled or the shares fall sharply after the company is listed. If that happens, it could kill off the IPO market in America and elsewhere for at least 12 months“. Several fund managers have already expressed reservations about Google,
41、 in particular its high valuation and the complex way the shares are being sold. Moreover, the Google flotation is taking place at a time when technology companies in the US have been shunned. On Thursday, the IPO hit a technical hitch over the failure of the company to meet its legal obligations co
42、ncerning its employees stock option plans. But the company did not think that the disclosure would mean a delay to the IPO, which is due on Tuesday. At the top of the suggested price range, Google would be valued not far short of its rival Internet firm Yahoo! and this has raised eyebrows within the
43、 industry. The auction is being conducted over the Internet, and potential buyers will have to register by signing on to a Google website. But only investors who have brokerage accounts with one of the 28 US banks and brokers underwriting the stock sale, will be able to apply. Google suffered a setb
44、ack last month after it re-ported an unexpected slowdown in its huge growth rate. But sources close to Googles founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, said that the tailing-off of growth was due to seasonal factors and would not affect the IPO. 31 According to paragraph 1, the insiders attitude toward
45、s Google IPO can be said to be （ A） doubtful. （ B） confused. （ C） pessimistic. （ D） confident. 32 If Giggle IPO works, （ A） a recovery in equity prices will end. （ B） the IPO market will be propelled by it. （ C） many U.S. firms will purchase new equity. （ D） a sustained economic growth will take pla
46、ce. 33 According to the passage, Googles IPO is to share market recovery as （ A） physical examination is to health conditions. （ B） GDP is to economic development. （ C） diligence is to remarkable success. （ D） civilization is to social prosperity. 34 The fund managers had doubts about Google because
47、 of the following reasons EXCEPT （ A） its high share valuation. （ B） the unfavorable timing. （ C） its method of share selling. （ D） the comedown of its growth rate. 35 By the phrase “raised eyebrows within the industry“ (Paragraph 2), we can learn that Google has （ A） irritated its rivals. （ B） surp
48、rised its counterparts （ C） been praised by its counterparts. （ D） been resented by its rivals. 36 The entertainment industry and technology companies have been warring for years over the dazzling ability of computers and the Internet to copy and transmit music and movies. A crucial battle ended thi
49、s week with a ruling by Americas Supreme Court in favour of copyright holder and against two companies that distribute peer-to-peer (P2P) software, which lets users share files online with others. The courts decision, though ostensibly a victory for content providers, is nevertheless unlikely to stamp out file sharing much of which will continue from outside America or stop the technological innovation that is threatening the current business models of media firm
