1、考研英语模拟试卷 257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 One of the most important results of research into ageing has been to pinpoint the significance of short-term memory. This faculty
2、is easily (1)_ as ageing advances. What seems to (2)_ is that information is received by the brain, (3)_ scans it for meaning in order to decode it at some future time. It looks as if the actual (4)_ of the short-term memory itself may not change too much (5)_ age. A young man and a man in his late
3、fifties may (6)_ be able to remember and repeat a(n) (7)_ of eight numbers recited to them. But what (8)_ change is that when the older man is asked to remember anything (9)_ between the time he is first given the numbers to memorize and the time he is asked to (10)_ them, he will be much less likel
4、y to remember the (11)_ numbers than the young man. This is because the scanning stage is more easily (12)_ by other activities in (13)_ people. In (14)_ living one experiences this as a fairly minor (15)_ a telephone number forgotten while one looks (16)_ an area code, or the first part of (17)_ st
5、reet directions confused with the last because the last turn lefts and turn rights have interfered (18)_ remembering the first directions. In more formal learning, however, the (19)_ of short-term memory is more than just a mild social embarrassment. It can be a serious bar to further (20)_ or indee
6、d to any progress at all. （ A） discovered （ B） strengthened （ C） displayed （ D） disturbed （ A） happen （ B） exist （ C） work （ D） do （ A） as （ B） that （ C） which （ D） what （ A） performance （ B） capacity （ C） action （ D） activity （ A） for （ B） with （ C） over （ D） under （ A） neither （ B） none （ C） eithe
7、r （ D） both （ A） average （ B） percentage （ C） amount （ D） proportion （ A） will （ B） would （ C） does （ D） did （ A） else （ B） more （ C） particular （ D） special （ A） decode （ B） explain （ C） produce （ D） repeat （ A） difficult （ B） different （ C） original （ D） previous （ A） finished （ B） completed （ C）
8、disrupted （ D） erupted （ A） younger （ B） older （ C） most （ D） common （ A） daily （ B） ordinary （ C） normal （ D） usual （ A） offence （ B） irritation （ C） distress （ D） disgrace （ A） up （ B） for （ C） at （ D） over （ A） inconvenient （ B） inadequate （ C） conventional （ D） complicated （ A） by （ B） with （ C）
9、 for （ D） over （ A） collapse （ B） absence （ C） lack （ D） decay （ A） attainment （ B） acquisition （ C） learning （ D） reaching Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Last November, engineers in the healthcare divis
10、ion of GE unveiled something called the “Light-Speed VCT“, a scanner that can create a startlingly good three-dimensional image of a beating heart. This spring Staples, an American office-supplies retailer, will stock its shelves with a gadget called a “wordlock“, a padlock that uses words instead o
11、f numbers. The connection? In each case, the firms customers have played a big part in designing the product. How does innovation happen? The familiar story involves scientist in academic institutes and R they license it. The profit margin on a software license is nearly 100 percent, which is why Mi
12、crosoft gushes billions of dollars every quarter. But whats the value of a license to a customer? A license doesnt deliver the code, provide the utilities to get a piece of software running, or answer the phone when something inevitably goes wrong. The value of software, in short, doesnt lie in the
13、software alone. The value is in making sure the soft-ware does its job. Just as a traveler should look at the overall price of a vacation package instead of obsessing over the price of the plane ticket or hotel mom, a smart tech buyer wont focus on how much the license costs and ignore the support c
14、ontract or the maintenance agreement. Open-source is not that different. If you want the software to work, you have to pay to ensure it will work. The open-source companies have refined the software model by selling subscriptions. They roll together support and maintenance and charge an annual fee,
15、which is a healthy model, though not quite as wonderful as Microsofts money-raking one. Tellingly, even Microsoft is casting an envious eye at aspects of the open-source business model. The company has been taking halting steps toward a similar subscription scheme for its software sales. Microsofts
16、subscription program, known as Soft-ware Assurance, provides maintenance and support together with a software license. It lets you up-grade to Microsofts next version of the software for a predictable sum. But it also contains an implicit threat: If you dont switch to Software Assurance now, who kno
17、ws how much Microsoft will charge you when you decide to upgrade? Chief information officers hate this kind of “assurance“, since theyre often perfectly happy running older versions of software that are proven and stable. Microsoft, on the other hand, rakes in the software-licensing fees only when c
18、ustomers upgrade. Software Assurance is Microsofts attempt to get those same licensing fees but wrap them together with the service and support needed to keep systems running. Thats why Microsoft finds the open-source model so threatening: open-source companies have no vested interest in getting mor
19、e licensing fees and dont have to pad their service contracts with that extra cost. In the end, the main difference between open-source and proprietary software companies may be the size of the check you have to write. 31 The author used the example of a traveler (Para. 3) to show that （ A） the valu
20、e of software should be considered as a whole. （ B） tech buyers should care little about license. （ C） a license doesnt comprise support and maintenance. （ D） customers have to pay a lot to get a license. 32 Which of the following seems to be the overall attitude of Microsoft toward subscription pla
21、n? （ A） Eager. （ B） Doubtful. （ C） Confident. （ D） Hesitant. 33 According to the passage Microsoft （ A） operates a better sales system. （ B） uses open-source business model as a reference. （ C） forces tech buyers to upgrade the software. （ D） charges an annual fee for the service and support. 34 Tha
22、t extra cost(Para. 5) probably refers to （ A） software-licensing fees. （ B） total cost of a software product. （ C） payment for service contracts. （ D） the charge for subscription. 35 Which of the following is true about Microsoft? （ A） It disgusts many chief information officers. （ B） It has develop
23、ed its own open-source software. （ C） Its new program requires its customers pay in advance. （ D） It envies open-source companies for their great profits. 36 Niall FitzGerald would have liked to leave Unilever in a blaze of glory when he retires at the end of September. The co-chief executive of the
24、 Anglo-Dutch consumer-goods group was one of the godfathers of Unilevers “Path to Growth“ strategy of focusing on its brands, which was launched five years ago. But the plan failed to deliver on many of its promises. On September 20th, Unilever warned that it would not report its promised double-dig
25、it growth in profits this year. It is a tough time for producers of branded consumer goods. Unilever and its competitors have to cope with pressure on prices and stiff competition from supermarkets own brands. Colgate-Palmolive warned of lower profits on the same day. Nestle recently disappointed in
26、vestors with its latest results. Even so, Unilever admits the bulk of its troubles are self-inflicted. The “Path to Growth“ strategy aimed to make the firm more efficient. Unilever saved about 4 billion euro ($4.9 billion) in costs over the past five years and reduced its portfolio of brands from 1,
27、600 to some 450. But it still failed to meet its targets for profit and sales, reporting a sales decline of 0.7% for the second quarter of this year. Andrew Wood at Sanford Bernstein, an investment-research firm, thinks the main problem is under-investment in advertising and marketing, an infatuatio
28、n with brands and unrealistic performance targets. Unilever cut its ad and marketing expenditure at the worst moment, says Mr. Wood. Com-moditised products are especially: vulnerable to the onslaught of retailers own brands. In margarine, for instance, retailers own brands now capture as much as one
29、-fifth of the market. Unilever also over-extended some successful brands, for instance Bertollis olive oils and pasta sauces. According to Mr. Wood, Unilever can sustainably grow its business about 3% a year; it was shooting for 5-6%. Unilevers chief financial officer (CFO) counters that consumers l
30、ook for a product and then buy a brand, so his firm needs to focus on brands. Unilever intends to step up its marketing efforts, although ad spending is supposed to remain at current levels. At present, Unilever spends 14.5% of sales on ads. But even the CFO admits the company has “issues of competi
31、tiveness“. After seven quarters of disappointing performance, it needs to regain credibility with investors. Over the next few months, management will rethink its strategy for the next five-year plan. Patrick Cescau, a Frenchman who will take over from Mr. FitzGerald, is inheriting a tricky legacy.
32、36 Which of the following about “Path to Growth“ strategy is true? （ A） It is hard to carry out. （ B） It has a glorious history. （ C） It underlines Unilevers brands. （ D） it brings high growth. 37 According to the passage, Niall FitzGerald （ A） is an incompetent leader. （ B） will retire with great h
33、onor. （ C） will become Patricks predecessor. （ D） is one of Unilevers founders. 38 In the eyes of Unilever, its troubles mainly lie in （ A） fierce competition, （ B） its inefficiency. （ C） the depressing sales. （ D） its strategy. 39 We can learn from the last paragraph that Patrick Cescau （ A） will a
34、bandon the focus on brands. （ B） will face a tough situation. （ C） will acquaint himself with tricky tactics. （ D） will hold on “Path to Growth“ strategy. 40 Unilevers CFO thinks that Woods comments are （ A） not unrealistic, （ B） generally acceptable. （ C） short of logic. （ D） basically erroneous. P
35、art B (10 points) 41 In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list (A、 B、 C、 D、 E、 F、 G) to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are several extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. (10 points) Cardiologists
36、have pioneered the worlds first non-surgical bypass operation to turn a vein into an artery using a new technique to divert blood flow in a man with severe heart disease. (41)_. Although major heart surgery is becoming commonplace, with more than 28,000 bypass operations in the UK annually, it is tr
37、aumatic for patients and involves a long recovery period. The new technique was carried out by an international team of doctors who performed the non-invasive surgery on a 53-year-old German patient. (42)_. According to a special report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, card
38、iologists developed a special catheter(导管 ) which was inserted into one of his leg arteries, threaded up through the aorta(主动脉 ) to the top of the diseased artery, which was the only part still open and receiving blood. (43)_. A thin, flexible wire was threaded through the needle and the needle and
39、catheter were with-drawn, leaving the wire behind and a small angioplasty(血管成形术 ) balloon, which was used to widen the channel. Finally, the vein was blocked off just above the new channel allowing blood from the artery to be re-routed down the vein. (44)_. Dr. Stephen Oasterle, who led the team, sa
40、id: “This milestone marks the first coronary artery bypass performed with a catheter. The technology offers a realistic hope for truly minimally invasive bypass procedures in the future“. Dr. Oasterle is director of cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at
41、Harvard Medical School in Boston. Melanie Haddon, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said it was likely to be many years before the procedure was routinely used in hospitals. “Non-invasive surgery, such as this new method, could help minimize the risks, bringing great benefits to the pat
42、ient“. A clot-busting drug combined with 10-minute spurts of exercise has been found to grow new blood vessels in children with heart disease. (45)_. X-rays showed that over a five month period a network of tiny new blood vessels formed in two of the patients. In all seven individuals, the treatment
43、 was associated with improved blood flow to the heart muscle in the areas around the blockage. A. In every case, the therapy increased the size of the blocked artery allowing more blood to pass through. B. The diabetic patient, who has not been named, had suffered severe chest pains because one of h
44、is coronary arteries was severely blocked and depriving his heart muscle of oxygen, but he was considered by doctors to be unsuitable for traditional bypass surgery. C. Then, guided by ultra-sound a physician pushed a needle from inside the catheter through the artery wall and into the adjacent vein
45、. D. The keyhole procedure, which avoids the extensive invasive surgery of a conventional bypass, will offer hope to tens of thousands of people at risk from heart attacks. Coronary heart disease, where the arteries are progressively silted up with fatty deposits, is responsible in a major industria
46、l country like Britain for more than 160,000 deaths each year. E. After the procedure, the vein effectively became an artery, carrying blood in the reverse direction from the previous way, and feeding the starved heart tissue with oxygen. F. Researchers in Japan studied seven children and teenagers,
47、 aged 6 to 19, who had a totally blocked artery and could not be helped by surgery. They were asked to exercise on a bicycle ma-chine twice a day for 10 days and given the anti-clotting drug before each session. G. It is very premature to suggest that this technique will significantly reduce the nee
48、d for coronary bypass surgery in the near future. It wont be a solution for everyone. The reality is that veins are not always located that close to an artery, so it wouldnt work under certain circumstances. Part C Directions: Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segme
49、nts into Chinese. (10 points) 46 To avoid the various foolish opinions to which man is liable, no superhuman genius is required. A few simple roles will keep you, not from all error, but from silly error. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. (46)Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mou
