1、考研英语（一）模拟试卷 164 及答案与解析一、Section I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D. (10 points) 0 The Earths daily clock, measured in a single revolution, is twenty-four hours. The human clock,【B1】_, is actually about twenty-fiv
2、e hours. Thats【B2 】 _scientists who study sleep have determined from human subjects who live for several weeks in observation chambers with no 【B3】_ of day or night. Sleep researchers have 【B4】_ other surprising discoveries as well.We spend about one-third of our lives asleep, a fact that suggests s
3、leeping,【B5】_eating and breathing, is a fundamental life process. Yet some people almost never sleep, getting by on as 【B6】_ as fifteen minutes a day. And more than seventy years of【B7】_into sleep deprivation, in which people have been kept 【B8】_ for three to ten days, has 【B9】_ only one certain fin
4、ding: Sleep loss makes a person sleepy and thats about all; it causes no lasting ill【 B10】_. Too much sleep, however, may be【B11】_for you.These findings【B12】_some long-held views of sleep, and they【B13】_questions about its fundamental purpose in our lives. In【B14】_, scientists dont know just why sle
5、ep is necessary.Some scientists think sleep is more the result of evolutionary habit than【B15】_actual need, Animals sleep for some parts of the day perhaps because it is the【B16】_thing for them to do: it keeps them【B17】_and hidden from predators; its a survival tactic. Before the advent of electrici
6、ty, humans had to spend at least some of each day in【B18】_and had little reason to question the reason or need for【B19】_. But the development of the electroencephalograph and the resulting discovery in 1937 of dramatic【B20】_in brain activity between sleep and wakefulness opened the way for scientifi
7、c inquiry in the subject.1 【B1 】（A）however（B） otherwise（C） likewise（D）therefore2 【B2 】（A）the（B） what（C） because（D）many3 【B3 】（A）idea（B） feeling（C） sense（D）judgment4 【B4 】（A）come up against（B） come down to（C） come up with（D）come up to5 【B5 】（A）with（B） like（C） unlike（D）as6 【B6 】（A）little（B） much（C） fe
8、w（D）long7 【B7 】（A）probe（B） investigation（C） research（D）examination8 【B8 】（A）asleep（B） sleepy（C） active（D）awake9 【B9 】（A）ignored（B） yielded（C） recognized（D）excluded10 【B10 】（A）effects（B） affections（C） influences（D）impacts11 【B11 】（A）useful（B） good（C） bad（D）harmful12 【B12 】（A）challenge（B） deny（C） doub
9、t（D）dispute13 【B13 】（A）evade（B） settle（C） raise（D）release14 【B14 】（A）addition（B） fact（C） line（D）short15 【B15 】（A）from（B） an（C） the（D）of16 【B16 】（A）worst（B） best（C） only（D）natural17 【B17 】（A）comfortable（B） calm（C） quiet（D）excited18 【B18 】（A）coldness（B） warmth（C） darkness（D）shade19 【B19 】（A）sleep（B） w
10、ork（C） food（D）clothes20 【B20 】（A）differences（B） similarities（C） resemblance（D）oppositesPart ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)20 Much of continental Europe is in poor shape. True, the aggregate wealth of people is li
11、ttle changed and the social capital in museums, parks and other amenities is still intact. Yet, in the western part, the economy is failing society. Inclusion of ethnic minorities and youth in the economy is more lacking than ever. Among those who do participate, fewer are prospering. It is a measur
12、e of the decline that, in almost every country, the growth of wage rates has steadily slowed since 1995. What has gone wrong?European economists speak of a loss of competitiveness in southern Europe. They suggest that output and employment are down, relative to the past trend, because wages leapt ah
13、ead of productivity, making labour too expensive and forcing employers to cut back. Taking this perspective, some German economists argue that wages need to fall in the affected economies. Others argue instead for monetary stimulusfor instance, asset purchases by central banksto raise prices and mak
14、e current wage rates affordable.Economists of a classical bent lay a large part of the decline of employment, and thus lagging output, to a contraction of labour supply. And they lay that contraction largely to outbreaks of fiscal profligacyas happened in Europe from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s.
15、Disciples of Keynes, who focus on aggregate demand, view any increase in household wealth as raising employment because they say it adds to consumer demand. They say Europe needs a lot more fiscal “profligacy“ if it is to bring unemployment down. Some evidence favours the classics.Yet both sides of
16、this debate miss the critical force at work. The main cause of Europes deep fallthe losses of inclusion, job satisfaction and wage growthis the devastating slowdown of productivity that began in the late 1990s and struck large swathes of the continent. It holds down the growth of wages rates and it
17、depresses employment.That slowdown resulted from narrowing innovation. Even in the postwar years, innovation in Europe was feeble by past standards. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, much of Europe is still suffering a slump on top of its post-1990s fall. The slump will pass but the fall wil
18、l not be easily overcome. The continent is losing its best talent. It needs to fight for an economic life worth living.21 That the growth of wage rates has steadily slowed indicates that_.（A）less and less ethnic minorities and youth participate in the economy（B） the economy in Europe is on the decli
19、ne（C） the wages in Europe are low（D）the prospering participants in the economy are declining22 In European economists opinion, southern Europe lose competitiveness because_.（A）the output and employment are losing balance（B） the wages in affected economies are too low（C） the increase of wages goes be
20、yond that of productivity（D）monetary stimulus cant make current wage rates affordable23 Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 3?（A）The outbreaks of fiscal profligacy are regarded as the cause of labour-supplys contraction.（B） Disciples of Keynes attach more importance to aggregat
21、e demand.（C） More fiscal “profligacy“ is helpful to bring unemployment down.（D）There is no evidence to support the opinions of classics.24 The critical factor of Europe s deep fall neglected by both sides of the debate is_.（A）the rapid slowdown of productivity（B） the decline of wage growth（C） the de
22、pression of employment（D）the decrease of job satisfaction25 What is the passage mainly about?（A）Economists opinions on the decline of Europe.（B） Narrowing innovation: responsible for the decline of Europe.（C） The development trend of European countries.（D）The troubles of European countries.25 Yawnin
23、g can be a problem at the office for Lindsay Eierman, which makes her embarrassed. “I ve explained, Im sorry, I didn t get much sleep last night.“ says Ms Eierman, a 26-year-old social worker from Durham, North Carolina. But a lack of sleep may not be the problem.Researchers are starting to unravel
24、the mystery surrounding the yawn, one of the most common and often embarrassing behaviours. Yawning, they have discovered, is much more complicated than previously thought. Although all yawns look the same, they appear to have many different causes and to serve a variety of functions.Yawning is beli
25、eved to be a means to keep our brains alert in times of stress. Contagious yawning appears to have evolved in many animal species as a way to protect family and friends, by keeping everyone in the group vigilant. Changes in brain chemistry trigger yawns, which typically last about six seconds and of
26、ten occur in clusters.To unravel the mystery of yawning, scientists built upon early, observed clues. Yawning tends to occur more in summer. Most people yawn upon seeing someone else do it, but infants and people with autism or schizophrenia arent so affected by this contagion effect. And certain pe
27、ople yawn at surprising times, like parachutists who are about to jump out of a plane or Olympic athletes getting ready to compete.A leading hypothesis is that yawning plays an important role in keeping the brain at its cool, optimal working temperature. The brain is particularly sensitive to overhe
28、ating, according to Andrew Gallup, an assistant professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Oneonta. Reaction times slow and memory wanes when the brain s temperature varies even less than a degree from the ideal 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.There are some practical applications. Dr. G
29、allup said managers might want to keep in mind the brain-cooling role of yawning when a meeting is long and boring. “One way to diminish yawning frequency in an office would be to keep it air-conditioned. If it s very cold in the room, yawning rates are going to be quite low.“ Dr. Gallup said.26 Lin
30、dsay Eierman says she didn t sleep well last night because_.（A）yawning is her problem（B） her colleague doesnt forgive her（C） she feels very sorry for yawning at the office（D）she regards sleep deprivation as the reason of yawning27 According to Paragraph 3, which of the following is NOT true about ya
31、wning?（A）it always happens in groups.（B） it makes people relax under pressure.（C） it is caused by changes in brain chemistry.（D）it usually lasts approximately six seconds.28 The word “contagion“(Para. 4)most probably means_.（A）spreading（B） learning（C） protection（D）imitation29 According to Dr. Gallup
32、, people in a meeting may yawn when_.（A）the meeting room is overheated（B） other people around them yawn（C） a meeting is brief and interesting（D）the air-conditioner temperature is lowered30 The passage mainly discusses_.（A）the rates of yawning（B） the misconceptions of yawning（C） the secrets of yawnin
33、g（D）the applications of yawning30 Helping teachers to lift student achievement more effectively has become a major theme in US education. Most efforts that are now in their early stages or being planned focus either on building the skills of teachers already in the classroom or on retaining the best
34、 and dismissing the least effective performers. The question of who should actually teach and how the nations schools might attract more young people from the top tier of college graduates, as part of a systematic effort to improve teaching in the United States, has received comparatively little att
35、ention.McKinseys experience with school systems in more than 50 countries suggests that there is an important gap in the US teaching. In a new report, Closing the talent gap: Attracting and Retaining Top-third Graduates to Careers in Teaching, we review the experiences of the worlds topperforming sy
36、stems, in Finland, Singapore, and South Korea. These countries recruit 100 percent of their teacher corps from the top third of the academic cohort. Along with strong training and good working conditions, this extraordinary selectivity is part of an integrated system that promotes the prestige of te
37、achingand has achieved extraordinary results. In the United States, by contrast, only 23 percent of new teachers come from the top third, and just 14 percent of new teachers who come from the top third work in high-poverty schools, where attracting and retaining talented people is particularly diffi
38、cult. The report asks what it would take to emulate nations that systematically recruit top students to teaching if the United States decided that it was worthwhile to do so.McKinseys survey of nearly 1,500 top-third US college students and current teachers, high-lighted in the report, shows that a
39、major effort would be needed to attract and retain the best students to teaching. The stakes are high: recent McKinsey research found that a persistent achievement gap between US students and those in top-performing nations imposes the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession.Research o
40、n whether the academic background of teachers is a useful predictor of classroom effectiveness has had mixed results, and no single reform can be depicted as a silver bullet. But the success of the best-performing national systems suggests that an effort to attract the countrys top students to teach
41、ing deserves serious examination as part of a comprehensive human-capital strategy for the US education system.31 What measures has the US considered to take to increase the students achievement?（A）Investing more money on teaching facilities.（B） Providing various training for students.（C） Attracting
42、 good graduates in teaching.（D）Firing the incompetent teachers.32 The word “cohort“(Para. 2)most probably means_.（A）group（B） achievement（C） order（D）region33 It can be inferred from the recent McKinsey research that_.（A）schools in poor areas have difficulty in attracting good teachers（B） only around
43、1,500 top-third students choose to be teachers（C） improving the students performance may have positive effect on economy（D）teachers in the US have lower prestige than those in other top-performing nations34 According to the passage, the academic background of teachers is_.（A）part of the useful syste
44、m that can predict the classroom effectiveness（B） worth the serious consideration of US government and educators（C） the biggest difference between the US and other top-performing nations（D）the key to the success of the best-performing national systems35 What is the main idea of the passage?（A）There
45、is still a long way to go before the US can recruit the top talent in teaching.（B） Teachers with strong academic background and good working conditions make an ideal teaching system.（C） The US should learn from other countries experience and attract top graduates to teach.（D）More research should be
46、made on the relationship between teachers academic background and students performance.35 Nationally, an ageing population is a problem. But locally it can be a boon. The over-50s control 80% of Britain s wealth, and like to spend it on houses and high-street shopping. The young “generation rent“, b
47、y contrast, is poor, distractible and liable to shop online.People aged between 50 and 74 spend twice as much as the under-30s on cinema tickets. Between 2000 and 2010 restaurant spending by those aged 65-74 increased by 33%, while the under-30s spent 18% less. And while the young still struggle to
48、find work, older people are retiring later. During the financial crisis full-time employment fell for every age group but the over-65s, and there has been a rash of older entrepreneurs. Pensioners also support the working population by volunteering: some 100 retirees in Christchurch help out as busi
49、ness mentors.Even if they wanted to, most small towns and cities could not capture the cool kids. Mobile young professionals cluster, and greatly prefer to cluster in London. Even supposed meccas like Manchester are ageing: clubs in that city are becoming members-only. Towns that aim too young, like Bracknell and Chippenham, can find their high streets full of closed La Senzas(a lingerie chain)and
