1、考研英语模拟试卷 259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 Digital photography is still new enough that mast of us have yet to form an opinion about it, much less (1)_ a point of view. But t
2、his hasnt stopped many film and computer fans from agreeing (2)_ the early (3)_ wisdom about digital cameras theyre neat (4)_ for your PC, but theyre not suitable for everyday picture-taking. The fans are wrong: more than anything else, digital cameras are radically (5)_ what photography means and w
3、hat it can be. The venerable medium of photography as we know (6)_ is beginning to seem out of (7)_ with the way we live. In our computer and camcorder culture, saving pictures (8)_ digital files and watching them on TV is no less (9)_ and in many ways more (10)_ than fumbling with rolls of film tha
4、t must be sent off to be (11)_. Paper is also terribly (12)_. Pictures that are incorrectly framed, focused, or lighted are nonetheless (13)_ to film and ultimately processed into prints. The digital medium changes the (14)_. Still images that are (15)_ digitally can immediately be shown on a comput
5、er monitor, TV screen, or a small liquid-crystal display (LCD) built right into the camera. And since the points of light that (16)_ an image are saved as a series of digital bits in (17)_ memory, (18)_ being permanently etched onto film, they can be erased, retouched, and transmitted on-line. Whats
6、 it like to (19)_ with one of these digital cameras? Its a little like a first date exciting, confusing and fraught with (20)_. （ A） refute （ B） evaluate （ C） represent （ D） develop （ A） of （ B） to （ C） with （ D） on （ A） conventional （ B） profound （ C） collective （ D） perfect （ A） auxiliaries （ B） c
7、omponents （ C） hardwares （ D） apparatus （ A） prescribing （ B） adjusting （ C） redesigning （ D） redefining （ A） it （ B） that （ C） which （ D） as （ A） action （ B） step （ C） touch （ D） place （ A） like （ B） as （ C） for （ D） into （ A） valuable （ B） useful （ C） economical （ D） practical （ A） common （ B） com
8、plex （ C） appealing （ D） annoying （ A） loaded （ B） processed （ C） exposed （ D） rewound （ A） unnecessary （ B） uncharitable （ C） unworthy （ D） unforgiving （ A） faithful （ B） loyal （ C） dedicated （ D） committed （ A） directions （ B） rules （ C） disciplines （ D） doctrines （ A） viewed （ B） captured （ C） di
9、splayed （ D） drawn （ A） comprise （ B） consist （ C） constitute （ D） include （ A） electronic （ B） limited （ C） short （ D） photographic （ A） less than （ B） much less （ C） apart from （ D） rather than （ A） discharge （ B） shoot （ C） manipulate （ D） work （ A） feasibilities （ B） possibilities （ C） lucks （ D
10、） chances Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Americans are now flying the crowded, cranky skies. Flight delays in January were the worst for that month since 1999. Weather is always the primary cause of dela
11、ys. Add to that the US Airways Christmas baggage meltdown and Comairs computer failure, the combination of which left hundreds of thousands of fliers stranded at airports. But airline employees see a deeper reason for both the increase in delays and passenger complaints: a demoralized and frustrated
12、 workforce thats being asked to do more even as its getting paid lass. The airlines and unions are quick to praise their workers for rising to the challenge during these very difficult times, as well as for carrying the brunt of the cost cutting. But unease is growing within the ranks. And passenger
13、s have noticed. For instance, some of the so-called older carriers now require gate agents to clean the planes as well as check people in. So some passengers have found themselves without a customer-service agent to talk to until just before the plane leaves. Pilots find themselves stuck at the gate
14、 because their Crew of flight attendants has already worked as long as the FAA would allow them to. “Theyve cut employees to such a degree that they dont have enough employees to do the job and serve the customers properly“, says one pilot. The major airlines contend thats not the case at all. Jeff
15、Green, a spokesman for United Airlines, says the major carriers have shrunk significantly since 9/11. While there are far fewer employees, the airline also has far fewer flights. He also notes that United has had its best on-time performance in the past two years and that internal gauges of customer
16、 satisfaction are up. “What our employees are going through is not having an effect on our customer service“, says Mr. Green. Employees on the front line tell a different story. “Theyre just closing the doors and releasing the brake so they can report an on-time departure, when in reality they may s
17、till be loading cargo for 30 minutes“. Aviation experts contend that if thats the case, the major airlines may find even more challenges ahead. As their fare structures and prices come closer to those of the successful low-cost carriers, customer service will become even more crucial in determining
18、which airlines succeed. “The way youre treated on the plane speaks a lot as to whether youll fly that airline again“, says Helane Becker, an airline analyst. “Its not the be-all and end-all. Its not going to put an airline out of business. But its not going to help it a lot either if theyre already
19、in trouble“. 21 Airline delays may result in （ A） Christmas baggage meltdown. （ B） the sharp reduction of flights. （ C） airline companies bankruptcy. （ D） the interruption of passenger flow. 22 The employees might think, if airline delay is to be avoided, the key factor is （ A） cost-cutting. （ B） so
20、phisticated workers. （ C） high-spirited crew. （ D） good customer service. 23 The example mentioned in paragraph 3 shows that （ A） largely reducing staff is not wise. （ B） cost cutting is not necessary. （ C） customers are not taken seriously. （ D） flight attendants are overloaded by FAA. 24 In the ey
21、es of Green, United Airlines （ A） is not experiencing a difficult time. （ B） faces rising customer demands. （ C） has fewer opponents after 9/11. （ D） provides good service despite fewer workers. 25 Aviation experts believe that the customer service of the major airlines （ A） is of little importance.
22、 （ B） is close to that of low cost carriers. （ C） decides whether they will survive. （ D） should not be ignored. 26 This election year, the debate over cloning technology has become a circus and hardly anybody has noticed the gorilla hiding in the tent. Even while President Bush has endorsed throwin
23、g scientists in jail to stop “reckless experiments“, its just possible the First Amendment will protect researchers who want to perform cloning research. Dr. Leon Kass, the chairman of the Presidents Council on Bioethics, would like to keep that a secret. “I dont want to encourage such thinking“, he
24、 said. But the notion that the First Amendment creates a “right to research“ has been around for a long time, and Kass knows it. In 1977, four eminent legal scholars Thomas Emerson, Jerome Barron, Walter Berns and Harold P. Green were asked to testify before the House Subcommittee on Science, Techno
25、logy and Space. At the time, there was alarm in the country over recombinant DNA. Some people feared clones, designer babies, a plague of superbacteria. The committee wanted to know if the federal government should, or could, restrict the science. “Certainly the overwhelming tenor of the testimony w
26、as in favor of protecting it“, Barron, who now teaches at George Washington University, recalls. Barns, a conservative political scientist, was forced to agree. He didnt like this conclusion, because he feared the consequences of tinkering with nature, but even after consulting with Kass before his
27、testimony, he told Congress that “the First Amendment protected this kind of research“. Today, he believes it protects cloning experiments as well. Law-review articles written at the time supported Barns, and so would a report issued by Congresss Office of Technology Assessment (O. T.A). But the cou
28、rts never got the chance to face the right-to-research issue squarely. An oversight body called the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, formed by the National Institutes of Health, essentially allowed science to police itself. So the discussion was submerged until now. Why legal scholars would defen
29、d the right to research is hardly mysterious. The founding fathers passionately defended scientific and academic freedom, and the Supreme Court has traditionally had a high regard for it. But why would the right to read, write and speak as you please extend to the tight to experiment in the lab? Neo
30、conservatives like Kass have emphasized the need to maintain a fixed conception of human nature. But the O.T.A. directly addressed this in a 1981 report. “Even if the rationale, were expanded to include situations where knowledge threatens fundamental cultural values about the nature of man, control
31、 of research for such a reason probably would not be constitutionally permissible“, The government can restrict speech if it can prove a “compelling interest“, like public safety or national security. But courts have set that bar very high. Unlike, say, an experiment that releases smallpox into the
32、wind to study how it spreads, which could be banned, embryo research presents no readily apparent danger to public health or security. And if thats the case, scientists who wish to create stem cells by cloning might have a new source of succor: the U.S. Constitution. 26 The views of Kass and O.T.A.
33、on cloning research are （ A） identical. （ B） similar. （ C） complementary. （ D） opposite. 27 Which of the following is strongly against cloning research? （ A） The National Institutes of Health. （ B） The federal government. （ C） The supreme court. （ D） Congresss office of Technology-Assessment. 28 The
34、 word “it“ (Line 8, Para. 2) most probably refers to （ A） the First Amendment. （ B） cloning experiment. （ C） the US government. （ D） recombinant DNA. 29 It is broadly accepted that by the First Amendment, cloning experiments should be （ A） funded by the government. （ B） restricted by laws. （ C） prot
35、ected to some extent. （ D） discussed thoroughly. 30 The author considers that in the case of cloning experiments, the First Amendment （ A） plays a crucial supporting role. （ B） derives from scientific development. （ C） is highly spoken of by the government. （ D） ignores the danger of a restless soci
36、ety. 31 Without an oversized calendar tacked to their kitchen wall, Fern Reiss and her family could never keep track of all the meetings, appointments, home-schooling lessons, and activities that fill their busy days. “Im not sure they make a calendar large enough for us“, says Ms. Reiss of Newton,
37、Mass., explaining that her life revolves around “two companies, three children, a spouse, a lot of community involvement, a social life, the kids social life, and volunteering in a soup kitchen every week“. “Everybody we know is leading a frenetic life“, she adds. “Ours is frenetic, too, but were sp
38、ending the bulk of our time with our kids. Even though were having a crazy life, were having it in the right way“. Although extreme busyness is hardly a new phenomenon, the subject is getting renewed attention from researchers. “A good life has to do with life having a direction, life having a narra
39、tive with the stories we tell ourselves“, Chuck Darrah, an anthropologist, says. “Busyness fragments all that. Were absolutely focused on getting through the next hour, the next day, the next week. It does raise questions: If not busyness, what? If we werent so busy, what would we be doing? If peopl
40、e werent so busy, would they be a poet, a painter?“ For the Reisses, part of living a good life, however busy, means including the couples children in volunteer work and community activities. “We want the kids to see that thats a priority“, she says, Between working full time as a publicist, caring
41、for her home, spending time with her husband and extended family, and helping her grandmother three times a week, a woman says, “I am exhausted all the time“. Like others, she concedes that she sets “somewhat unrealistic expectations“ for what she can accomplish in a day, Being realistic is a goal D
42、arrah encourages, saying, “We can do everything, but we cant do everything well and at the same time“. He cautions that busyness can result in “poor decisions, sloppy quality, and neglect of the things and people that matter most in the long run“. He advises: “Stop taking on so much, and keep in per
43、spective whats most important to you“. Darrahs own schedule remains full, but he insists he does not feel busy. His secret? Confining activities to things he must do and those he wants to do. He and his wife do not overschedule their children. To those with one eye on the calendar and the other on t
44、he deck, Darrah offers this advice: “Before you take anything on, ask yourself: Do you have to do this? Do you want to do this? Live with a kind of mindfulness so you dont wake up and discover that your life is a whirl of transportation and communication, and youve hollowed yourself out“. 31 The aut
45、hor would describe the Reisses life as （ A） crazy and meaningless. （ B） tedious but orderly. （ C） hasty and messy. （ D） busy but sensible. 32 What does the author mean by saying “If people werent so busy, would they be a poet, a painter“? （ A） It will take pains to become an artist as poet or painte
46、r. （ B） Life will become tedious if people are not so busy. （ C） Poets and painters are usually considered to be idle. （ D） People may fulfill their personal dreams if not so busy. 33 The example of the publicist is used to show most peoples （ A） enthusiasm for diligence. （ B） chaos in their schedul
47、e. （ C） desire to achieve too much. （ D） hardships in daily life. 34 As for their children, parents are supposed by Darrah to （ A） involve them in volunteer work as much as they can. （ B） teach them how to arrange their schedule. （ C） give them sufficient spare time. （ D） make full arrangement for t
48、heir after-school time. 35 In Darrahs opinion, people should （ A） abandon things of little importance. （ B） take on things they believe they can do. （ C） get rid of their selfish greed. （ D） avoid some exhausting tasks. 36 What is less well understood by the general public is that-there have been a
49、number of trends which have further contributed to the diminishment of excavation as an activity. As Bahn puts it “there have been two major trends over time: first, excavation has become far slower and more painstakingThe work is incredibly meticulous.Secondly, we can learn far more from what we have“. The conclusions to be drawn from this would appear to be contradictory. As technology improves we are able to undertake a wide variety of analysis from
