1、考研英语模拟试卷 265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 Punishment depends as much on politics as it does on crime: crime rates have been stable in recent years but theres been a striking
2、 increase in the prison population, And because populism is coming so much to (1)_ the political agendas, politicians are advocating sharp increases in penalties to take (2)_ of public unease. The question is how far this will get. In the 21st century weak governments might try to win legitimacy by
3、being especially (3)_ on crime. That could mean high prison populations and draconian (4)_ such as those adopted in the United States in recent years. Luckily, there remain significant differences between the UK and the USA: social divisions are less extreme and racial (5)_ are not as high. (6)_ the
4、re is a great deal of minor violent crime here, rates of murder (7)_ particularly fuel public anxieties are much (8)_ because guns have not been so widely (9)_. Its unlikely that this will change greatly: the (10)_ to tighten up the gun laws in Britain will continue, and all (11)_ the toughest crimi
5、nals will still have a view about what is and what isnt “acceptable violence“. So I dont believe we will see a huge (12)_ in violent crime, but I (13)_ rates of property crime and crimes of opportunity to remain high. There will also be much more electronic fraud because its so hard to (14)_ and pre
6、vent. This is an important problem for business, but not one that (15)_ much popular agitation. Its unlikely well see the return of the death penalty: the police are (16)_ about its effectiveness and its reintroduction would be highly problematic (17)_ the recent Council of Europe protocol outlawing
7、 its use. (18)_ punishment remains a pretty accurate temperature gauge, though: (19)_ there is significant political pressure for the death penalty, its a (20)_ of harsher attitudes towards crime generally. （ A） govern （ B） dominate （ C） control （ D） manipulate （ A） responsibility （ B） place （ C） me
8、asures （ D） advantage （ A） tough （ B） tight （ C） lenient （ D） malignant （ A） convictions （ B） principles （ C） punishments （ D） arrangements （ A） pressures （ B） depressions （ C） tensions （ D） stresses （ A） Because （ B） Although （ C） Since （ D） However （ A） what （ B） that （ C） whether （ D） which （ A）
9、lower （ B） higher （ C） more （ D） less （ A） diffused （ B） dispersed （ C） divided （ D） defected （ A） fashion （ B） direction （ C） trend （ D） orientation （ A） but （ B） that （ C） only （ D） virtually （ A） change （ B） rise （ C） drop （ D） decline （ A） expect （ B） suppose （ C） assume （ D） conceive （ A） scan
10、（ B） monitor （ C） observe （ D） detect （ A） rises （ B） raises （ C） arouses （ D） arises （ A） suspicious （ B） skeptical （ C） arrogant （ D） indignant （ A） given （ B） provided （ C） concerned （ D） considered （ A） Major （ B） Critical （ C） Capital （ D） Significant （ A） however （ B） whenever （ C） whatever （
11、D） wherever （ A） symbol （ B） sign （ C） signature （ D） symptom Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Few insects have inspired as much fear and hatred as the diminutive fire ants, less than half an inch long but
12、 living in colonies of more than 250,000 others. Everyone in the southern United States gets to know fire ants sooner or later by painful experience. Fire ants live in large earthen mounds and are true social insects that means they have a caste system (division of labor), with a specialized caste t
13、hat lays eggs (queen) and a worker caste of sterile females. There are several reasons that they are considered pests. About 60% of people living in areas where fire ants occur are stung every year. Of these, about 1% have some degree of allergic reaction (called anaphylaxis) to the sting. Their lar
14、ge mounds are unsightly and can damage mowing equipment. Fire ants sometimes enter electrical and mechanical equipment and can short out switches or chew through insulation. Finally. as fire ants move into new areas, they reduce diversity of native ants and prey on larger animals such as ground-nest
15、ing birds and turtles. Even though fire ants are pests in many circumstances, they can actually be beneficial in others. There is evidence that their predatory activities can reduce the numbers of some other important pests. In cotton, for example, they prey on important pests that eat cotton plants
16、 such as bollworms and budworms. In Louisiana sugarcane, an insect called the sugarcane borer used to be a very important pest before fire ants arrived and began preying on it. Fire ants also prey on ticks and fleas. Whether fire ants are considered pest or not depend on where they are found, but on
17、e thing is sure we had best get used to living with them. Eradication attempts in the 1960s and 1970s failed for a number of reasons, and scientists generally agree that complete elimination of fire ants from the United States is not possible. A new, long-term approach to reducing fire ant populatio
18、ns involves classical biological control. When fire ants were accidentally brought to the United States, most of their parasites and diseases were not. Classical biological control involves identifying parasites and diseases specific to fire ants in South America, testing them to be sure that they d
19、ont attack or infect native plants or animals and establishing them in the Introduced fire ant population In the United States. Since fire ants are about 5 to 7 times more abundant here than in South America, scientists hope to reduce their numbers using this approach. 21 The word “caste“(paragraph
20、1) most probably means （ A） throwing. （ B） castle. （ C） rank. （ D） level. 22 Which of the following is a reason why fire ants are considered pests? （ A） They may cause possible mechanical breakdowns to mowing equipment. （ B） A person has a 60% chance to be stung by fire ants every year. （ C） 1% of t
21、he fire ants will cause allergic reactions to the people stung. （ D） They will disrupt the food chain by killing off other ants and larger animals. 23 That fire ants prey on bollworms and budworms is mentioned to show that （ A） pests often attack each other to maintain a balance of nature. （ B） fire
22、 ants are not always harmful pests in given situations. （ C） fire ants are stronger and fiercer than bollworms and budworms. （ D） pests are either harmful or beneficial to people or plants. 24 Whether fire ants are pests or not largely depends on their （ A） predatory activities. （ B） temporal distri
23、bution. （ C） spreading speed. （ D） geographical distribution. 25 The authors tone in talking about fire ants in the US seems to be （ A） critical. （ B） indifferent. （ C） fearful. （ D） objective. 26 If you smoke, youd better hurry. From July 1st pubs all over England will, by law, be no-smoking areas.
24、 So will restaurants, offices and even company cars, if more than one person uses them. Englands smokers are following a well-trodden path. The other three bits of the United Kingdom have already banned smoking in almost all enclosed public spaces, and there are anti-smoking laws of varying strictne
25、ss over most of Western Europe. The smokers journey from glamour through toleration to suspicion is finally reaching its end in pariah status. But behind this public-health success story lies a darker tale. Poorer people are much more likely to smoke than richer ones a change from the 1950s, when pr
26、ofessionals and laborers were equally keen. Today only 15% of men in the highest professional classes smoke, but 42% of unskined workers do. Despite punitive taxation 20 cigarettes cost around 5.00($10.00), three-quarters of which is tax 55% of single mothers on benefits smoke. The figure for homele
27、ss men is even higher; for hard-drug users it is practically 100%. The message that smoking kills has been heard, it seems, but not by all. Having defeated the big killers of the past want, exposure, poor sanitationgovernments all over the developed world are turning their attention to diseases that
28、 stem mostly from how individuals choose to live their lives. But the same deafness afflicts the same people when they are strongly encouraged to give up other sorts of unhealthy behavior. The lower down they are on practically any pecking order job prestige, income, education, background-the more l
29、ikely people are to be fat and unfit, and to drink too much. That tempts governments to shout ever louder in an attempt to get the public to listen and nowhere do they do so more aggressively than in Britain. One reason is that pecking orders matter more than in most other rich countries: income dis
30、tribution is very unequal and the unemployed, disaffected, ill-educated rump is comparatively large. Another reason is the frustration of a government addicted to targets, which often aim not only to improve something but to lessen inequality in the process. A third is that the National Health Servi
31、ce is free to patients, and paying for those who have arguably brought their ill-health on themselves grows alarmingly costly. Britains aggressiveness, however, may be pointless, even counter-productive. There is no reason to believe that those who ignore measured voices will listen to shouting. It
32、irritates the majority who are already behaving responsibly, and it may also undermine all government pronouncements on health by convincing people that they have an ultra-cautious margin of error built in. Such hectoring may also be missing the root cause of the problem. According to Mr. Marmot, wh
33、o cites research on groups as diverse as baboons in captivity, British civil servants and Oscar nominees, the higher rates of ill health among those in more modest walks of life can be attributed to what he calls the “status syndrome“. People in privileged positions think they are worth the effort o
34、f behaving healthily, and find the will-power to do so. The implication is that it is easier to improve a persons health by weakening the connection between social position and health than by targeting behavior directly. Same public-health experts speak of social cohesion, support for families and b
35、etter education for all. These are bigger undertakings than a bossy campaign; but more effective, and quieter. 26 The word “pariah“(paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to （ A） prohibition. （ B） strictness. （ C） pardon. （ D） punishment. 27 The author seems to be suspicious of the public-health success
36、 because （ A） the message that smoking kills isnt voiced loudly enough. （ B） unskilled workers are more willing to pay for the heavy tax in cigarettes. （ C） single mothers are more likely to use their benefits to buy cigarettes. （ D） the positive effects are yielded mostly on the richer population.
37、28 According to the text, why does the same deafness afflict the same people? （ A） Because governments all turned their attention to these people. （ B） Because these people are more likely to have unhealthy behaviors. （ C） Because these people suffer more from their poor income and education. （ D） B
38、ecause governments always neglect the real needs of these people. 29 Which of the following is NOT a reason for Britains aggressiveness in the public-health campaign? （ A） The government is frustrated in curing smoking-related diseases. （ B） The government is keen on eliminating social unfairness. （
39、 C） The free health service proves very expensive. （ D） The gap between the rich and the poor is very big. 30 The author seems to believe that status syndrome may be cured （ A） if the measures can actually weaken the relationship between social position and health. （ B） if the government shouts loud
40、er in their campaign against diseases resulting from unhealthy habits. （ C） if the government helps people find a stronger will power to give up their unhealthy habits. （ D） ff the government undertakes bigger and more effective ad campaigns against poor education. 31 A very important world problem,
41、 if not the most serious of all the great world problems which affect us at the moment, is the increasing number of people who actually inhabit this planet. The limited amount of land and land resources will soon be unable to support the huge population if it continues to grow at its present rate. I
42、n an early survey conducted in 1888, a billion and a half people inhabited the earth. Now, the population exceeds five billion and is growing fast by the staggering figure of 90 million in 1988 alone. This means that the world must accommodate a new population roughly equal to that of the United Sta
43、tes and Canada every three years! Even though the rate of growth has begun to slow down, most experts believe the population size will still pass eight billion during the next 50 years. So why is this huge Increase in population taking place? It is really due to the spread of the knowledge and pract
44、ice of what is becoming known as “Death Control“. You have no doubt heard of the term “Birth Control“ “Death Control“ is something rather different. It recognizes the work of the doctors and scientists who now keep alive people who, not very long ago, would have died of a variety of then incurable d
45、iseases. Through a wide variety of technological innovations that include farming methods and sanitation, as well as the control of these deadly diseases, we have found ways to reduce the rate at which we die creating a population explosion. We used to think that reaching seventy years old was a rem
46、arkable achievement, but now eighty or even ninety is becoming recognized as the normal life-span for humans. In a sense, this represents a tremendous achievement for our species. Biologically this is the very definition of success and we have undoubtedly become the dominant animal on the planet. Ho
47、wever, this Success is the very cause of the greatest threat to mankind. Man is constantly destroying the very resources which keep him alive. He is destroying the balance of nature which regulates climate and the atmosphere, produces and maintains healthy soils, provides food from the seas, etc. In
48、 short, by only considering our needs of today, we are ensuring there will be no tomorrow. An understanding of mans effect on the balance of nature is crucial to be able to find the appropriate remedial action. It is a very common belief that the problems of the population explosion are caused mainl
49、y by poor people living in poor countries who do not know enough to limit their reproduction. This is not true. The actual number of people in an area is not as important as the effect they have on nature. Developing countries do have an effect on their environment, but it is the populations of richer countries that have a far greater impact on the earth as a whole. The birth of a baby in, for example, Japan, imposes more than a hundred times the amount of stress on the wor
