1、考研英语（一）模拟试卷 2 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 celebration of the New Year is the oldest one of all holidays. It was first【1】in【2】Babylon about 4,000 years ago. New Years Day
2、is an【3】national holiday, and banks and offices will be closed. Many families have New years Day【4】. Traditionally, it was thought that it could【5】the luck they would have【6】the coming year by【7】they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for【8】to celebrate th
3、e first few minutes of a【9】new year in the【10】with the family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Years Day would bring【11】good luck or bad luck to the rest of the year. It was particularly l
4、ucky if that visitor【 12】to be a tall dark-haired man. Traditional New Years【13】are also thought to bring luck. People in many parts of the US celebrate the New Year by【14】black-eyed peas and cabbage. Black-eyed peas have been considered good luck in many cultures. Cabbage leaves are considered a【15
5、】of prosperity, being【16】of paper currency. Other traditions of the season include the making of New Years resolutions. That tradition also【17】back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the【18】to lose weight or quit smoking. The song, “Auld Lang Syne“, is sung at the【19】
6、of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year. “Auld Lang Syne“ literally【20】“yearning for the old days.“（A）remarked（B） commented（C） observed（D）viewed（A）prehistoric（B） ancient（C） past（D）old（A）official（B） regional（C） private（D）financial（A）expenses（B） sacri
7、fices（C） get-togethers（D）pursuits（A）recall（B） affect（C） compromise（D）enhance（A）throughout（B） during（C） through（D）within（A）which（B） means（C） when（D）what（A）folks（B） adults（C） ghosts（D）farmers（A）logo（B） trademark（C） calendar（D）brand（A）firm（B） company（C） corporation（D）venture（A）neither（B） not（C） either（
8、D）but（A）happened（B） occurred（C） took place（D）broke out（A）beverage（B） feedback（C） banquets（D）foods（A）steaming（B） picking（C） consuming（D）roasting（A）symbol（B） mark（C） hint（D）sign（A）genetic（B） representative（C） gorgeous（D）strict（A）emerges（B） exempts（C） dates（D）departs（A）pronunciation（B） revenge（C） revie
9、w（D）promise（A）stroke（B） status（C） stereotype（D）stride（A）fuses（B） means（C） coincides（D）generatesPart ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)20 On the ground floor of the Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC, there is
10、 an electronic game which tests a visitors skill at setting interest rates. You have to decide how to respond to events such as rising inflation or a stockmarket crash. If you get all the answers right, the machine declares you the next Fed chairman. In real life, because of huge uncertainties about
11、 data and how the economy works, there is no obviously right answer to the question of when to change interest rates. Nor is there any easy test of who will make the best Fed chairman. So who would The Economist select for the job? Alan Greenspan will retire as Fed chairman on January 31st, after a
12、mere 181/2 years in the job. So George Bush needs to nominate a successor soon. Mr. Bush has a penchant for picking his pals to fill top jobs: last week he nominated his personal lawyer Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. But his personal bank manager really would not cut the mustard as Fed chairman
13、. This is the most important economic-policy job in Americaindeed in the whole world. The Fed chairman sets interest rates with the aim of controlling inflation, which in turn helps determine the value of the dollar, the worlds main reserve currency. It is hardly surprising that financial markets wo
14、rldwide can rise or fall on his every word. Financial markets are typically more volatile during the first year after the handover to a new chairman than during the rest of his tenure. In October 1987,barely two months after Mr. Greenspan took office, the stock market crashed. Current conditions for
15、 a handover are hardly ideal. Americas economy has never looked so unbalanced, with a negative household savings rate, a housing bubble, a hefty budget deficit, a record current-account deficit and rising inflation. Figures due on October 14th are expected to show that the 12-monthrate of inflation
16、has risen above 4% its highest since 1991.21 Which of the following questions does the text discuss?（A）What is the content of the electronic game?（B） Who could fill Alan Greenspans shoes?（C） How to respond to events such as rising inflation?（D）Who could change interest rates?22 The phrase “cut the m
17、ustard“ in the second paragraph most probably means_.（A）be qualified（B） lower interest rate（C） be acquisitive（D）spend spree23 Which of the following words best defines the relationship between the value of dollar and setting of interest rates?（A）Counteractive.（B） Naive.（C） Interactive.（D）Novel.24 Wh
18、ich of the following, according to the text, is a common phenomenon?（A）Financial markets and stock markets crash due to the handover.（B） Comment by the Fed chairman are invalid in the world financial markets.（C） Inflation rises above 4% record high level.（D）Remarks by the Fed chairman can sway the w
19、orld financial markets.25 The author mentions “a housing bubble“ in the last paragraph so as to_.（A）clarify the fact that Alan Greenspan will retire as Fed chairman（B） exemplify the rumor that Mr. Bush has a penchant for picking his pals to fill top jobs（C） illustrate the notion that the present sit
20、uations for a handover are hardly ideal（D）refute the theory that American economy has never looked so unbalanced25 “The essential qualities of a true Pan-Americanism“, remarked Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, “must be the same as those which constitute a good neighbour, namely mutual understanding and a
21、 sympathetic appreciation of the others point of view.“ That is advice which the United States would do well to heed in its relations with its immediate neighbours, Canada and Mexico. Most Americans may not be aware of it, but frustrations and resentments are building just across their borders to bo
22、th south and north.Of course, neighbourly ties in North America are closer than in Roosevelts day. Under the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA), trade among the three countries has more than doubled since 1994 and cross-border investment climbed even faster. In the aftermath of the terroris
23、t attacks of September 11th 2001, the United States moved quickly to sign “smart border“ agreements with both Canada and Mexico, to try to ensure that the demands of security did not interrupt trade. By the standards of much of the 20th century, political ties between the United States and Mexico ar
24、e warm. Yet go to either border and you wouldnt know all this. Fed up with the flow of illegal migrants from the south, the governors of Arizona and New Mexico this month declared a state of emergency. Violence between drug gangs recently led the United States temporarily to close its consulate in N
25、uevo Laredo, the busiest border-crossing point. The American ambassador bluntly criticises Mexico for its failure to prevent drug-related violence along the border. That has prompted retaliatory verbal blasts from Mexican officials. Canadas mood is not much more cordial. Since September 11th, Canadi
26、ans and Americans alike have become less keen on popping over what they liked to call “ the worlds longest undefended border“ for shopping or recreation. Canadians increasingly disagree with Americans over matters as varied as the Iraq war and gay marriage. They are disillusioned with NAFTA, claimin
27、g it has failed to prevent the United States from unlawfully punishing their exports of, for example, lumber. So what? Friction is in the nature of international relations, and the problems on the northern border are different from those in the south. Yet there is a common denominator. Americans ten
28、d to see security, migration, drugs, even trade, as domestic political issues. But so they are for Canada and Mexico too. Like it or not, Americans rely on their neighbours for prosperity, energy and help with security. It behoves all three countries to show some “sympathetic understanding“. 26 It c
29、an be inferred from the first paragraph that_.（A）the essential qualities of a true Pan-Americanism were defined by Franklin Roosevelt（B） mutual understanding is one of the most far-reaching elements in North America（C） few Americans may be aware of otherspoint of view（D）Americas friendship with Cana
30、da and Mexico risks going sour27 Political relationship is discussed in the text so as to_.（A）illustrate Canadas cordial mood toward Mexico and America（B） interpret the improved neighbourly ties in North America（C） foretell the prospect of international relations（D）gauge the flow of illegal migrants
31、 from Mexico28 The term “the south“ in the third paragraph most probably refers to_.（A）the Southern part of America（B） Mexico（C） the Southern hemisphere（D）the South Africa29 According to the text, America and Canada have yet to reach consensus on_.（A）lumber export（B） the Iraq reconstruction（C） homo
32、marriage（D）defense of the worlds longest border30 In the last paragraph of the text, the author intends to define_.（A）the friction of the northern border（B） the significance of international ties（C） the difference between Canadians and Mexicans（D）the importance of being good neighbours30 It has long
33、 been the subject of speculation among the police and criminologists: what would happen if all the officers who now spend so much of their time taking statements, profiling criminals and moving pieces of paper around were suddenly put on the streets? Crime figures released by Londons Metropolitan Po
34、lice this week provide the best answer yet. Following the bombings of July 7th and 21st, thousands of police officers materialised on Londons pavements, many of them sporting brightly coloured jackets. Drawn from all over the city, they were assigned to guard potential targets such as railway statio
35、ns. The police presence was especially heavy in the bombed boroughs: Camden (which was struck three times), Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, Tower Hamlets, Westminster and the City of London. The show of force did not just scare off terrorists. There was less crime in July than in May or June, which
36、 is unusual: the warmer month tends to bring out criminal tendencies, as windows are left open and alcohol is imbibed alfresco. But the chilling effect was much stronger in the six boroughs that were targeted by terrorists. There, overall crime was down by 12% compared with July 2004.In inner London
37、 as a whole, crime fell by 6%. But in outer London, where the blue line was thinner, it went up slightly. Simon Foy, who tracks such trends at the Metropolitan Police, says that crime fell particularly steeply on the days of the attacks, partly because of the overwhelming police presence and partly
38、because “even criminals were watching their televisions“. What is significant is that crime barely rose thereafter. That was a change from the aftermath of September 11th 2001, when crime quickly soared just about everywherepossibly because officers were deployed only in the very centre of London. “
39、The received wisdom among criminologists is that marginal changes invisible patrolling have little or no effect on crime,“ says Mike Hough, a criminologist at Kings College London. Julys experiment should put that argument to rest. Even if offenders do not make rational calculations about the odds o
40、f being caughtwhich was low both before and after the bombingsthey will be moved by a display of overwhelming force.31 What does the word “materialise“ mean in the second paragraph?（A）Bomb.（B） Investigate.（C） Provoke.（D）Appear.32 Which of the following facts, according to third paragraph of the text
41、, will betaken for granted by British?（A）The warmer month tends to result in criminal tendency.（B） Crime went up slightly in July.（C） The show of force did put an end to terrorists.（D）Bombings are inevitable in outer London.33 It can be inferred from the text that the crime occurrence may be associa
42、ted with_.（A）the trends which can be tracks（B） the deployment of the blue line（C） the overwhelming presence of criminals in London（D）the number of the days of terrorist attacks34 The authors attitude toward Mike Houghs remark is_.（A）consent（B） ambivalent（C） denial（D）approval35 Which of the following
43、 would be the best title for the text?（A）London Bombings Are Severe（B） Terrorists Are Scared Off（C） Terrorism Cuts Crime（D）Marginal Changes Take Place35 Last weekend, sportsmen and women of an unusually hardy disposition descended on Sherborne, a pretty Dorset town. There, they swam twice around She
44、rborne Castles lake, cycled 180km and then ran a marathon. The winners of this gruelling raceBritains inaugural Ironman triathlonwere rewarded with a spot in a prestigious race in Hawaii, where yet more pain awaits. For a sport barely known in Britain five years ago, triathlon has grown at a sprinte
45、rs pace. This year the British Triathlon Association, the governing body, will sanction some 450 triathlons, duathlons (running and biking ) and aquathlons (running and swimming). These vary from tough races aimed at endurance junkies to shorter events designed to lure newcomers. By far the most suc
46、cessful is the London triathlon, which, three weeks ago, brought 8,000half of them first-timersto the Royal Victoria Dock in east London. That made it the worlds biggest. There are echoes of the jogging craze of the early 1980s. Both sports are American exports; both have grown partly thanks to tele
47、vision coverage. Inclusion in the Olympic and Commonwealth games has conferred credibility and state funding on triathlon. Even better, Britains professional triathletes are doing rather well on the international circuit. There are practical reasons for the growth of the sport, too. Nick Rusling, ev
48、ent director of the London triathlon, points out that established events such as the London marathon and Great North Run are hugely over-subscribed (this year the marathon received 98500 applications for 36000 places). Triathlon offers amore reliable route to exhaustion, and a fresh challenge to ath
49、letes who are likely to cross-train anyway. The sport will not soon supplant “the great suburban Everest“, as Chris Brasher, founder of the London marathon, described his event. The sports tripartite nature means that putting on events is fiendishly complex, a fact reflected in high entry fees: competitors at last weekends Ironman race forked out 220. Shorter events are cheaper, but participants must still provide their own bicycles and wetsuits and pay for training. Compared with the inhabitant
