1、考研英语模拟试卷 258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 Illiteracy may be considered more as an abstract concept than a condition. When a famous English writer used the (1)_ over two hund
2、red years ago, he was actually (2)_ to people who could (3)_ read Greek or Latin. (4)_,it seems unlikely that university examiners had this sort of (5)_ in mind when they reported on “creeping illiteracy“ in a report on their students final examination in 1988. (6)_ the years, university lecturers h
3、ave been (7)_ of an increasing tendency towards grammatical sloppiness, poor spelling and general imprecision (8)_ their students ways of writing; and sloppy writing is all (9)_ often a reflection of sloppy thinking. Their (10)_ was that they had (11)_ to do teaching their own subject (12)_ teaching
4、 their undergraduates to write. Some lecturers believe that they have a (n) (13)_ to stress the importance of maintaining standards of clear thinking (14)_ the written word in a world dominated by (15)_ communications and images. They (16)_ on the connection between clear thinking and a form of writ
5、ing that is not only clear, but also sensitive to (17)_ of meaning. The same lecturers argue that undergraduates appear to be the victims of a “softening process“ that begins (18)_ the teaching of English in schools, but this point of view has, not (19)_, caused a great deal of (20)_. （ A） concept （
6、 B） condition （ C） word （ D） idea （ A） complaining （ B） referring （ C） talking （ D） addressing （ A） clearly （ B） merely （ C） fairly （ D） barely （ A） Therefore （ B） So （ C） However （ D） Thus （ A） disability （ B） faculty （ C） condition （ D） significance （ A） Over （ B） For （ C） During （ D） Within （ A）
7、afraid （ B） aware （ C） warned （ D） tired （ A） about （ B） around （ C） with （ D） in （ A） very （ B） much （ C） too （ D） quite （ A） complaint （ B） request （ C） appeal （ D） assertion （ A） little （ B） nothing （ C） plenty （ D） enough （ A） with （ B） without （ C） for （ D） by （ A） duty （ B） Jim （ C） plan （ D）
8、engagement （ A） by （ B） as （ C） for （ D） via （ A） verbal （ B） visual （ C） oral （ D） factual （ A） focus （ B） press （ C） elaborate （ D） insist （ A） accuracy （ B） appropriateness （ C） subtleties （ D） differences （ A） by （ B） with （ C） through （ D） for （ A） surprisingly （ B） overwhelmingly （ C） exaggera
9、tingly （ D） unknowingly （ A） appraisal （ B） admiration （ C） perplexity （ D） controversy 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 planets wild creatures face a new threat from yuppies, empty nesters, singletons
10、 and one parent families. Biologists studying the pressure on the planets dwindling biodiversity today report on a new reason for alarm. Although the rate of growth in the human population is decreasing, the number of individual households is exploding. Even where populations have actually dwindled
11、in some regions of New Zealand, for instance the number of individual households has increased, bemuse of divorce, career choice, smaller families and longer lifespans. Jianguo Liu of Michigan State University and colleagues from Stanford University in California report in Nature, in a paper publish
12、ed online in advance, that a greater number of individual households, each containing on average fewer people, meant more pressure on natural resources. Towns and cities began to sprawl as new homes were built. Each household needed fuel to heat and light it; each household required its own plumbing
13、, cooking and refrigeration. “In larger households, the efficiency of resource consumption will be a lot higher, because more people share things“, Dr. Liu said. He and his colleagues looked at the population patterns of life in 141 countries, including 76 “hotspot“ regions unusually rich in a varie
14、ty of endemic wildlife. These hot spots included Australia, New Zealand, the US, Brazil, China, India, Kenya, and Italy. They found that between 1985 and 2000 in the “hotspot“ parts of the globe, the annual 3.1% growth rate in the number of households was far higher than the population growth rate o
15、f 1.8%. “Had the average household size remained at the 1985 level“, the scientists report, “there would have been 155m fewer households in hotspot countries in 2000. Paradoxically, smaller households do not mean smaller homes. In Indian River County, Florida, the average area of a one-storey, singl
16、e family house increased 33% in the past three decades“. Dr. Lius work grew from the alarming discovery that the giant pandas living in Chinas Wolong reserve were more at risk now than they were when the reserve was first established. The local population had grown, but the total number of homes had
17、 increased more swiftly, to make greater inroads into the bamboo forests. Gretchen Daily of Stanford, one of the authors, said: “We all depend on open space and wild places, not just for peace of mind but for vital services such as crop pollination, water purification and climate stabilization. The
18、alarming thing about this study is the finding that, if family groups continue to become smaller and smaller, we might continue losing biodiversity even if we get the aggregate human population size stabilized“. 21 The first paragraph mainly tells us that （ A） the amount of wildlife is diminishing.
19、（ B） the population of human is decreasing. （ C） New Zealanders live an unstable life. （ D） the structure of families is changing. 22 According to Dr. Lius paper, the dwindling of biodiversity is due to （ A） the reduction in average home size. （ B） the improvement of living conditions. （ C） the incr
20、easing number of residences. （ D） the decline of population growth rate. 23 Hotspot regions(Para. 2) refer to （ A） tropical, zones. （ B） places of scenic beauty. （ C） areas with high population density. （ D） regions rich in a variety of creatures. 24 The significance of open space and wild places li
21、es in that （ A） they can relax our minds. （ B） they provide dwellings for us. （ C） they keep the ecosystem balanced. （ D） they act as animal reserves. 25 Which of the following might be the best title for this passage? （ A） Smaller Households, Larger Damage. （ B） Wildlife, Also Right to Live. （ C） S
22、oaring Population, Rising Hazard to Wildlife. （ D） Environmental Pollution, Enormous Threat to Wildlife. 26 Browse through the racks of dresses, skirts, and tops in almost any trendy clothing store in fashion-savvy Argentina, and whether you find something that fits depends on your size. But shops c
23、arry few if any options for curvaceous women. When you go into a store and find an extra large, you know that it is really the equivalent of a medium or even a small based on American standards. You feel frustrated because you start to think that everybody is like this, and that you are big. But tha
24、ts not true. In this beauty-conscious nation, which has the worlds second-highest rate of anorexia, many are partially blaming the countrys clothing industry for offering only tiny sizes of the latest fashions. The result is a dangerous paradox of girls and women adapting to the clothes rather than
25、clothes adapting to them. The Argentine legislature is considering whether to force clothing manufacturers to cover “all the anthropometric measurements of the Argentine woman“ up to extra large size. The bill also addresses the related problem of so-called “tricky“ labeling in which S, M, and L des
26、ignations vary by brand and are smaller than international standards. The proposal has raised eyebrows in a historically flirtatious society skeptical of government and well known for its obsession with beauty. “Argentina has the worlds highest rates of aesthetic surgery“, says Mabel Bello, founder
27、of the Association for the Fight against Anorexia. “When you are talking about how preoccupied with beauty our society is, that is the most telling statistic“. For experts such statistics spell futility for legal remedies. “These types of laws are not going to cause lasting changes“, says Susana Sau
28、lquin, a sociologist of fashion. “A better way to address the problem is through public education that emphasizes balanced eating habits over an unrealistic ideal of beauty“. Currently, companies try to preserve brand image by catering to young and extremely thin customers, but over time, she believ
29、es, a more balanced view of beauty will emerge. For their part, industry groups condemn the hill as overreaching state intervening. They say their business decisions are guided by consumer demand. “We are not in favor of anything that regulates the market“, says Laura Codda, a representative of majo
30、r clothing manufacturers. “Every clothing company has the right to make anything they can sellany color, any sizes“. She says her group is not opposed to measures that would standardize sizing, but she notes that many, if not most, clothes in Argentine stores already carry the numerical designations
31、 called for in the bill. If history is a guide, the fate of the proposed law is somewhat bleak. However, in 2005, the provincial government of Buenos Aires managed to pass a similar law although the governor failed to sign it. 26 What kind of women do “curvaceous women“(Para. 1) most probably refer
32、to? （ A） Well-proportioned and full-figured. （ B） Beautiful and charming. （ C） Slender and tall. （ D） Full-grown and healthy. 27 Aesthetic surgery is mentioned to show that （ A） every woman has her rights to pursue beauty. （ B） aesthetic surgery is terribly popular. （ C） the unrealistic pursuit of b
33、eauty is popular. （ D） aesthetic surgery is just a tricky trap. 28 According to the passage, Susana Saulquin （ A） disbelieves the statistics of aesthetic surgery. （ B） thinks the proposed law will work over time. （ C） regards the legal remedies as inadvisable. （ D） has developed good and balanced ea
34、ting habits. 29 In the authors opinion, this kind of bill （ A） has cleared the legislature. （ B） still has a faint light of hope. （ C） is actually not necessary. （ D） is none of governments business. 30 The best title for this passage may be （ A） Women Adapting to Cloths or Vice Versa. （ B） Who is t
35、he Arbiter, Manufactures or Customers. （ C） How to Standardize Clothes Sizing. （ D） Why So Few Large Size Clothes. 31 The global reputation of Japans animation industry an animated cartoon industry has never been higher, and at first glance it would appear to be in rude health. In the opening weeken
36、d of Miyazakis new film, Howls Moving Castle, a record 1.1 million Japanese crammed into cinemas nationwide. It has since been seen at home by nearly 10 million people, and has made Japan the only country in which the incredibles has been kept out of the top slot. Yet Japans animators are full of gl
37、oom. They fear that the future is bleak and that the success enjoyed by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, which makes his films, is actually masking a sad decline. Industry experts say that not only is there a lack of creative talent on a par with Miyazaki, but the overall standard of animators has fallen
38、 over the past decade as low pay and poor working conditions force many to quit. “Miyazaki cant be replaced, hes a one-off“, says Jonathan Clements, a British animation expert, “Miyazaki isnt 100 percent of Ghibli, but when he goes, the party is over“. The creative and commercial success enjoyed by
39、Ghibli has afforded it a unique breathing space. For other studios, however, commercial pressures force work to be done at breakneck speed and on shoestring budgets. Veterans of the industry say quality has been sacrificed as television cartoon episodes are made for as little as 10,000. Many young a
40、nimators rely on parental support to put them through animation schools and continue to need financial help just to afford to work in Tokyo, the worlds most expensive city. Yet, remarkably, animation has little problem attracting recruits. Dozens of students pore over desks painstakingly producing p
41、age after page of drawings. Most say they are aware that pay is low but desperately want to work in the industry they fell in love with as children through cartoons such as Doraemon, the blue talking cat, and Battle of the Planets. But reality often bites as animators reach their thirties, by which
42、time they typically earn around a third of the average pay for Japanese their age and at lower hourly rates than supermarket clerks. Clements believes that the soul of animation is at stake. “Animation is, by definition, from Japan, but its only a matter of time before the number of foreign contribu
43、tors tips the balance, and what used to be animation becomes plain old cartoons“, he says. “It may ultimately remove much of what makes animation appeal to its current foreign audience base: its exoticism“. 31 For the time being, Japans animation industry is （ A） in a state of inactivity. （ B） somew
44、hat promising. （ C） going from bad to worse. （ D） seemingly glorious. 32 By “.is there a lack of creative talent on a par with Miyazaki.“(Paragraph 2) the author means （ A） Miyazaki is at his wits end. （ B） few are as inherently creative as Miyazaki. （ C） Miyazakis achievements are overestimated. （
45、D） there is lack of fresh blood in Japanese animation. 33 In Clements eyes, Japanese animation （ A） charms foreigners with its alien style. （ B） was founded by Miyazaki. （ C） is in lack of a soul. （ D） will be substituted by foreign contributions. 34 Many young animators pursue the career because th
46、ey want to （ A） answer their parents expectation. （ B） fulfill their childhood dream. （ C） prosper animation industry. （ D） achieve economic success. 35 The best title for the passage might be （ A） Japanese Animation, Why is It to Decline? （ B） Japanese Animation, Who is the Giant? （ C） Japanese Ani
47、mation, What does It Need? （ D） Japanese Animation, How to Stick Out? 36 It is hard to box against a southpaw, as Apollo Creed found out when he fought Rocky Balboa in the first of an interminable series of movies. While “Rocky“ is fiction, the strategic advantage of being left-handed in a fight is
48、very real, simply because most right-handed people have little experience of fighting left-handers, but not vice versa. The orthodox view of human handedness is that it is connected to the bilateral specialisation of the brain that has concentrated language-processing functions on the left side of t
49、hat organ. Because, long ago in the evolutionary past, an ancestor of humans underwent a contortion that twisted its head around 180relative to its body, the left side of the brain controls the fight side of the body, and vice versa. In humans, the left brain is usually dominant. And on average, left-handers are smaller and lighter than right-handers. That should put them at an evolutionary disadvantage. Sporting advantage notwithstanding, therefore, the existence
