1、考研英语模拟试卷 49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 The majority of people, about nine out of ten, are right-handed. (1)_ until recently, people who were left-handed were considered (2
2、)_ and once children showed this tendency they were forced to use their right hands. Today left-handedness is generally (3)_, but it is still a disadvantage in a world (4)_ most people are right-handed. For example, most tools and implements are still (5)_ for right-handed people. In sports (6)_ con
3、trast, doing things with the left hand or foot, is often an advantage. Throwing, kicking, punching or batting from the“ (7)_ “side may result in throwing (8)_ many opponents who are more accustomed to dealing with the (9)_ of players who are right-handed. This is why, in many (10)_ at a professional
4、 level, a (11)_ proportion of players are left-handed than in the population as a whole. The word “right“ in many languages means “correct“ or is (12)_ with lawfulness, whereas the words associated (13)_ “left“, such as “sinister“, generally have (14)_ associations. Moreover, among a number of primi
5、tive peoples, there is (15)_ close association between death and the left hand. In the past, in (16)_ western societies, children were often forced to use their right hands, especially to write with. In some cases the left hand was (17)_ behind the childs back so that it could not be used. If, in th
6、e future, they are allowed to choose, (18)_ will certainly be more left-handers, and probably (19)_ people with minor psychological disturbances as a result of being forced to use their (20)_ hand. （ A） Down （ B） Never （ C） Up （ D） Not （ A） unique （ B） eccentric （ C） normal （ D） abnormal （ A） accept
7、ed （ B） admitted （ C） approved （ D） acknowledged （ A） when （ B） that （ C） where （ D） which （ A） ordered （ B） designed （ C） planned （ D） supposed （ A） by （ B） for （ C） at （ D） with （ A） proper （ B） indirect （ C） correct （ D） wrong （ A） away （ B） down （ C） off （ D） up （ A） minority （ B） majority （ C）
8、plenty （ D） lack （ A） games （ B） hobbies （ C） activities （ D） rounds （ A） more （ B） higher （ C） better （ D） smaller （ A） related （ B） mixed （ C） connected （ D） combined （ A） by （ B） with （ C） to （ D） at （ A） negative （ B） positive （ C） similar （ D） equal （ A） the （ B） any （ C） some （ D） a （ A） all （
9、 B） mostly （ C） any （ D） most （ A） tied （ B） attached （ C） brought （ D） removed （ A） those （ B） these （ C） there （ D） they （ A） on （ B） more （ C） greater （ D） fewer （ A） left （ B） right （ C） either （ D） correct Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by
10、 choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 The history of English is conventionally, if perhaps too neatly, divided into three periods usually called old (or Anglo-Saxon) English, Middle English, and Modern English. The earliest period begins with the migration of certain Germanic tribes from the contin
11、ent to Britain in the fifth century A.D, though no records of their language survive from before the seventh century, and it continues until the end of the seventh century or a bit later. By that time, Latin, Old Norse (the language of the Viking invaders), and especially the Anglo-Norman French of
12、the dominant class after the Norman Conquest in 1066 had begun to have a substantial impact on the vocabulary, and the well-developed inflectional system that typifies the grammar of Old English had begun to break down. The period of Middle English extends roughly form the twelfth century through th
13、e fifteenth. The influence of French (and Latin, often by way of French) upon the vocabulary continued throughout the period, the loss of some inflections and the reduction of others accelerated, and many changes took place within the grammatical systems of the language. A typical prose passage, spe
14、cially one from the later part of the period, will not have such a foreign look to us as the prose of Old English, but it will not be mistaken for contemporary writing either. The period of Modern English extends from the sixteenth century to our own day. The early part of this period saw the comple
15、tion of a revolution in vowel distribution that had begun in late Middle English and that effectively brought the language to something resembling its present pattern. Other important early developments include the stabilizing effect on spelling of the printing press and the beginning of the direct
16、influence of Latin, and to a lesser extent, Greek on the vocabulary. Later, as English came into contact with other cultures around the world and distinctive dialects of English developed in the many areas which Britain had colonized, numerous other languages made small but interesting contributions
17、 to our word-stock. 21 The earliest written record of English available to us started_. （ A） from the seventh century （ B） from the fifth century （ C） from the twelfth century （ D） from the ninth century 22 What is the main feature of the grammar of Old English? （ A） The influence of Latin. （ B） A r
18、evolution in vowel distribution. （ C） A well-developed inflectional system. （ D） Loss of some inflections. 23 What can be inferred from the passage? （ A） Even an educated person can not read old English without special training. （ B） A person who knows French well can understand old English. （ C） An
19、 educated person can understand old English but can not pronounce it. （ D） A person can pronounce old English words but cant understand them. 24 Which of the following is NOT mentioned? （ A） French. （ B） Latin. （ C） Greek. （ D） German. 25 What is the most remarkable characteristic of Modern English?
20、 （ A） Numerous additions to its vocabulary. （ B） Completion of a revolution in vowel distribution. （ C） Gradual changes in its grammatical system. （ D） The direct influence of Latin. 26 Whether work should be placed among the causes of happiness or among the causes of unhappiness may perhaps be rega
21、rded as a doubtful question. There is certainly much work which is exceedingly weary and an excess of work is always very painful. I think, however, that, provided work is not excessive in amount, even the dullest work is to most people less painful than idleness. There are in work all grades, from
22、mere relief of tedium up to the profoundest delights, according to the nature of the work and the abilities of the worker. Most of the work that most people have to do is not in itself interesting, but even such work has certain great advantages. To begin with, it fills a good many hours of the day
23、without the need of deciding what one shall do. Most people, when they are left free to fill their own time according to their own choice, are at a loss to think of anything sufficiently pleasant to be worth doing. And whatever they decide, they are troubled by the feeling that something else would
24、have been pleasanter. To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level. Moreover the exercise of choice is in itself tiresome. Except to people with unusual initiative it is positively agreeable to be told what to do
25、 at each hour of the day, provided the orders are not too unpleasant. Most of the idle rich suffer unspeakable boredom as the price of their freedom from toil. At times they may find relief by hunting big game in Africa, or by flying round the world, but the number of such sensations is limited, esp
26、ecially after youth is past, Accordingly the more intelligent rich men work nearly as hard as if they were poor, while rich women for the most part keep themselves busy with innumerable trifles of those earth-shaking importance they are firmly persuaded. Work therefore is desirable, first and foremo
27、st, as a preventive of boredom, for the boredom that a man feels when he is doing necessary though uninteresting work is as nothing in comparison with the boredom that he feels when he has nothing to do with his days. With this advantage of work another is associated, namely that it makes holidays m
28、uch more delicious when they come. Provided a man does not have to work so hard as to impair his vigor, he is likely to find far more zest in his free time than an idle man could possibly find. The second advantage of most paid work and of some unpaid work is that it gives chances of success and opp
29、ortunities for ambition. In most work success is measured by income, and while our capitalistic society continues, this is inevitable. It is only where the best work is concerned that this measure ceases to be the natural one to apply. The desire than men feel to increase their income is quite as mu
30、ch a desire for success as for the extra comforts that a higher income can acquire. However dull work may be, it becomes bearable if it is a means of building up a reputation, whether in the world at large or only in ones own circle. 26 What is the authors opinion about work? （ A） Work can keep peop
31、le busy as if they were poor. （ B） Work is a cause of the greatest delight of life. （ C） Work is very tiresome, especially when too excessive. （ D） Work can at least give relief from boredom. 27 In the authors opinion, what is the last product of civilization? （ A） To make wise use of leisure. （ B）
32、To be free from hard work. （ C） To keep oneself busy with trifles. （ D） To work to some extent. 28 According to the passage, to be told to do something is generally_. （ A） respectable （ B） acceptable （ C） insulting （ D） disgusting 29 According to the passage, success can mostly be measured in terms
33、of_. （ A） relationship （ B） enjoyment （ C） income （ D） promotion 30 As put by the author, most of the work that most people have to do is_. （ A） delightful but time consuming （ B） exceedingly dull and always painful （ C） not worth doing and bearable at all （ D） not interesting but very rewarding 31
34、Ask any employee at an level in any company what they dislike about their job and somewhere on the list you will find a complaint about the system of performance appraisals. It does seem strange that an idea which was supposed to benefit both individuals and the company should be so universally disl
35、iked, but the staff appraisal is now one of the biggest causes of dissatisfaction at work. In the United States there have even been cases of unhappy workers taking their employers to court over appraisal interviews. It is in a companys interest to combat this situation, but, before reversing the ap
36、praisals negative associations, an organization needs to pinpoint the underlying reasons which have contributed to them. Problems with appraisals can fall into two main areas those arising from the scheme itself and those arising from the implementation and understanding of that scheme. Naturally it
37、 is easier to tackle those in the former category; indeed, some companies have developed schemes following legal guidelines. These guidelines suggest that a successful scheme should have a clear appeal process, that any negative feedback should be accompanied by “evidence“ such as dates, times and o
38、utcomes and that, most importantly, ratings should reflect specific measurable elements of the job requirements. It is not always necessary to resort to legal advice however. Some changes to current schemes are simply a matter of logic. For instance, if employees are constantly encouraged to work in
39、 teams and to assume joint responsibility for their successes and failures, it makes little sense for the appraisals to focus on individuals, as this may lead to resentments and create divisions within the group. It is possible, and in some cases more suitable, to arrange appraisals where performanc
40、e is rated for the group. Staff also need to be educated about the best way to approach appraisals. Managers often find that they are uncomfortable being asked to take on a more supportive role than they are used to without having had any training. Those being appraised may see it as a chance to air
41、 their grievances and highlight the companys failings rather than consider their own role. Both parties view the process as a necessary evil, to be gone through once or twice a year, and then forgotten about. The importance given to the appraisal stems from the fact that, despite all the talk of the
42、 interview being a chance for management and employees to come together and exchange ideas, set joint targets and improve the way decisions are reached, the reality is that they are often nothing more than the pretext on which pay rises are given, or not given. Pay is, of course, a subject that alwa
43、ys leads to problems. Given the problems associated with staff appraisals, why is it that, with no legal requirement, companies continue to run them? The answer is simple, it is impossible to manage something you know nothing about. As any Human Resources manager can tell you, the best way to learn
44、about someone is to talk to them. Effective people management relies on knowledge and appraisals are still the best way to build up that bank of knowledge. 31 Why are there so many problems with appraisals? （ A） People think that there are too many categories. （ B） People are not sure how the system
45、 works. （ C） People think that the feedback is too negative. （ D） People are not happy with the legal aspects. 32 Individual appraisals are not always very effective because_. （ A） teams much prefer to be awarded a group rating （ B） everybody works in teams these days （ C） team members share liabili
46、ty for results （ D） team leaders sense resentment between members 33 What do senior staff find difficult about doing appraisals? （ A） Relating to their staff in a different manner than usual. （ B） Having to listen to staff complaining about the company. （ C） Managing to find time to attend proper tr
47、aining sessions. （ D） Knowing the best way to educate staff about their role. 34 In an ideal world an appraisal is an opportunity to_. （ A） improve your salary （ B） moan about the boss （ C） discuss and agree goals （ D） meet every six months 35 How are personal appraisals important for companies? （ A
48、） They help HR managers to talk to staff. （ B） They provide the best way to build new targets. （ C） They help the company meet legal requirements. （ D） They provide valuable information to the employer. 36 The mid-sixties saw the start of a project that, along with other similar research, was to tea
49、ch us a great deal about the chimpanzee mind. This was Project Washoe, conceived by Trixie and Allen Gardner. They purchased an infant chimpanzee and began to teach her the signs of ASL, the American Sign Language used by the deaf. Twenty years earlier another husband and wife team, Richard and Cathy Hayes, had tried, with an almost total lack of success, to teach a young chimp, Vikki, to talk. The Hayess undertaking taught us a lot about the chimpanzee mind, but Vi
