1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 13 及答案与解析Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)0 Surive in the Global Economic ErisisAbout one-third of Americans who qualify for public assistance havent signed up. That amounts to millions of people n
2、eedlessly going without food stamps, low-income housing or health insurance.This predicament is what RealBenefits, a Boston-based software start-up, was created to solve. The five-person firms Web database avoids complicated government paperwork with easy-to-use screening and enrollment tools. So fa
3、r RealBenefits has connected nearly 100,000 families to more than $ 37 1 million in government aid since 2000.Yet amid this success, RealBenefits, which began life as a nonprofit, faced the same dilemma that many social enterprises do: how to scale up without selling out. “No software firm is going
4、to attract donors easily, even a nonprofit,“ says Sharon Oster, dean of the Yale School of Management and an expert on social entrepre-neurship. “And to grow, you need access to capital. “So in 2006, RealBenefits went commercial. Still tucked under the umbrella of founder Community Catalyst, the sal
5、es staff began slowly refocusing its energy on paying customers like hospital chains, governments and school districts rather than the community organizations and nonprofits that had previously peppered its client list. A subscription-based service, RealBenefits charges a fee that ranges from $ 10,0
6、00 for, say, a homeless-services group to six figures on the high end. “ Our model was to find large health-care providers whod be willing to pay because they were actually increasing reimbursements and minimizing uncompensated care by using our technology,“ says CEO Enrique Balaguer.Nonetheless, Re
7、alBenefits was still struggling to expand because of the difficulty of accessing capital. So the firm set out to find a buyer willing to continue its social mission. It eventually settled on TriHealix, a Connecticut-based health-care IT company. The June 2008 deal was worth $3 million to $ 4 million
8、, Balaguer says.For RealBenefits, the transaction allowed it to tap into a larger sale and marketing force, The firm now aims to expand into at least 15 states over the next two to three years. “Our three core goalsto maximize benefits to families, effect policy change and to create additional capac
9、ityremain in place,“ Balaguer says. “And being profitable is a major component of that.“ Its a target that will most likely pay dividends to the whole community.1 According to the passage, RealBenefits was created_.（A）to deal with complicated government paperwork（B） to help those who are needy to ge
10、t government aid（C） to check on whether people are qualified for public assistance（D）to help people get food stamps2 Which of the following is TRUE about RealBenefits?（A）Its a large company with a lot of employees.（B） It exploits advantage of complicated government papers.（C） The firm has earned mor
11、e than $ 371 million profits.（D）It has helped a lot of families to get government aid.3 What is the problem RealBenefits is facing?（A）Without capital, how can it expand its business.（B） The firm can not make a profit for its had service.（C） The firm suffers a lot from the fierce competition.（D）The f
12、irm can not get enough fund from government.4 What happened to RealBenefits after it went commercial in 2006?（A）The firm became independent of its founder and began to make profits.（B） It focused its energy on paying the community organizations and nonprofits.（C） RealBenefits charges a fee of $ 100,
13、000 for a homeless-services group.（D）The firm was to find large health-care providers whod be willing to pay.5 Which one is TRUE about the development of RealBenefits now?（A）The firm has expanded its business into 15 states.（B） The only goal of the firm is to make money.（C） The firm still doesnt try
14、 to make any profits.（D）The firms aim will benefit the whole community.5 The Oil ProducesWorld oil production is about to reach a peak and go into its final decline. For years, a handful of petroleum geologists, including me, have been predicting peak oil before 2007, but in an era of cheap oil, few
15、 people listened. Lately, several major oil companies seem to have got the message. One of Chevrons ads says the world is currently burning 2 bbl. of oil for every barrel of new oil discovered. Exxon Mobil says 1987 was the last year that we found more oil worldwide than we burned. Shell reports tha
16、t it will expand its Canadian oil-sands operations but elsewhere will focus on finding natural gas and not oil. It sounds as though Shell is kissing the oil business goodbye. M. King Hubbert, a geophysicist, correctly predicted in 1956 that oil production in the U.S. would peak in the early 1970sthe
17、 moment now known as “Hubberts Peak“, I believe world oil production is about to reach a similar peak.Finding oil is like fishing in a pond. After several months, you notice that you are not catching as many fish. You could buy an expensive fly rod-new technology. Or you could decide that you have a
18、lready caught most of the fish in the pond. Although increased oil prices (which ought to spur investment in oil production) and new technology help, they cant work magic. Recent discoveries are modest at best. The oil sands in Canada and Venezuela are extensive, but the Canadian operations to conve
19、rt the deposits into transportable oil consume large amounts of natural gas, which is in short supply.And technology cannot eliminate the difficulty Hubbert identified: the rate of producing oil depends on the fraction of oil that has not yet been produced. In other words, the fewer the fish in the
20、pond, the harder it is to catch one. Peak production occurs at the halfway point. Based on the available data about new oil fields, there are 2,013 billion bbl. of total producible oil. Adding up the oil produced from the birth of the industry until today, we will reach the dreaded 1, 006. 5-billion
21、-bbl. halfway mark late this year. For two years, Ive been predicting that world oil production would reach its peak on Thanksgiving Day 2005. Today, with high oil prices pushing virtually all oil producers to pull up every barrel they can sweat out of the ground, I think it might happen even earlie
22、r.6 Why are some major oil companies mentioned in the first paragraph?（A）To show the concern of these companies about oil problem.（B） To prove what the author said is true.（C） To illustrate the importance of these companies.（D）To explain the cause of the oil problem.7 The phrase “Hubberts Peak“ (Lin
23、es 20, Para. 1) refers to_.（A）the time when the oil production of the world would peak（B） the time when the oil found in the world would peak（C） the time when the oil burning of the U. S. would peak（D）the time when the oil production of the U. S. would peak8 We may infer from “recent discoveries are
24、 modest“ (Line 10, para.2) that_.（A）people stop searching for oil（B） people decrease the production of oil（C） people use less oil than they used to（D）the oil exploitation is limited9 The author uses the simile of fish and pond to explain that_.（A）new technologies can help in finding oil（B） we should
25、 not search for oil only in one plate（C） oil can be reproduced like fish in the pond（D）there is a peak point in oil production10 From the passage we can conclude that the author_.（A）is sympathetic to shell（B） worries about the oil industry（C） takes a neutral attitude towards oil industry（D）is optimi
26、stic about the oil production10 Obama Declares New Autocar Tail Gas Emissions and Economy Energy StandardAs he stood in the rose garden on May 19 with state governors and auto executives, Obama announced tough new national standards for automobile emissions and fuel efficiency that essentially settl
27、ed a long-running battle between environmentalists and the ear industry in favor of the greens. Under the proposed rules, which would begin to take effect in 2012, new cars and trucks will need to have an average fuel efficiency of 35.5 m. p. g. (6.6 L/100 km) by 2016 almost 40% cleaner than they ar
28、e today. The regulations would be the first national limit on U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions and could presage further action to curb climate change.For years, U. S. automakers have fought tougher regulations by arguing that Americans tend to prefer larger, gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks. Thats not alw
29、ays true: when gas prices were at an all-time high last summer, sales of SUVs were down considerably, while hybrids flew off dealer lots. Since then, prices at the pump have droppedand so has the appetite for small cars. As long as the price of gas remains fluctuating, its far from certain that Amer
30、icans will buy the more efficient cars and trucks the new standards will require automakers to produce. In the long run, though, a gas tax that puts a floor on fuel prices may be the only way to break Americas SUV addiction. But Obama has said hes not interested. “You need a price signal. Regulation
31、s alone wont do it,“ says Lester Lave, director of the Carnegie Mellon Green Design Initiative.Even more important is the ongoing debate in Congress over carbon cap-and-trade legislation. Democratic Representatives Henry Waxman and Edward Markey have hammered out a bill that would reduce U.S. carbon
32、 emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. It faces an uphill battle in Congress, opposed by nearly all Republicans and many Democrats from coal-dependent states. Pushing it through will require an act of political will, but while Obama has praised the controversial bill, some environmentalists co
33、mplain the White House has done too little behind the scenes to defend it. “The world was hopeful that Obama would care about global warming, but he has been completely missing in action on this,“ says Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace U.S.A.Radford is not being entirely fair: Obama has
34、 increased alternative-energy funding to record levels and assembled a green team of advisers. They include his Energy Secretary, the Nobel Prize-winning Steven Chu, who told me recently that “the climate-change problem is at least equal in magnitude“ to World War II. Hes right. And if Obama wants t
35、o win this war, hes going to have to fight, not just make peace.11 What is true about the new national standards of auto emission and fuel efficiency?（A）Cars and trucks will be 40% cleaner by 2012 than they are today.（B） The new standards will be put into practice in the year 2016.（C） It was the fir
36、st time that the U. S. set limit on greenhouse gas emission.（D）The standards were meant to push auto industry to grow healthily.12 What is the most important factor pushing Americans to buy fuel-efficient autos according to the passage?（A）Steadily high gas prices.（B） Attractive prices of these autos
37、.（C） Governments encouraging policy.（D）The regulation on car emission.13 What is Americans appetite today for autos according to the passage?（A）Hybrids have come into fashion in some places.（B） They dont share any common appetite for autos.（C） New fuel-efficient autos will be great attraction to the
38、m.（D）They still love gas-consuming SUVs and trucks.14 What do we know about the carbon cap-and-trade legislation according to the passage?（A）Democratic representatives are all for it.（B） It has not been passed yet by the Congress.（C） Obama is neutral in the debate over it.（D）It would reduce U.S. car
39、bon emissions by 17% .15 Which of the following is the authors view on President Obama?（A）He is trying to keep his promise to cope with global warming.（B） He is not doing anything to solve climate change problem.（C） He is not capable of solving the global warming problem.（D）He is not taking the righ
40、t step to cope with global warming.15 The Decline of U.S. Immigration ApplicationImmigrants arent seeking U.S. citizenship as often these daysnot since the Ameri- can dream became more expensive.Following a 69 percent increase last summer in citizenship fees, about 281,000 immigrants have applied to
41、 become U. S. citizens in the first half of 2008less than half the number of applicants in the same period last year, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The decline follows a rush of applications when immigrants hurried to get their paperwork filed before fees shot up at the
42、 end of July 2007. In that month alone, more than 460,00 immigrants applied for citizenship. They paid $400. The new fee is $ 675a price some people believe is a barrier to citizenship.Thu Tran, director of a citizenship program at Catholic Charities of Orange County, said she helped more than 100 p
43、eople a month fill out citizenship papers in the last few years.This year she helps about 50 a month. “ I have people who make appointments and cancel,“ Tran said. “We follow up and they say they dont have the money to for that.“While immigrant advocates blame higher and a wobbly economy, a federal
44、official said a variety of reasons could have caused the decline. “For everyone, its different,“ said Sharon Rummery, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services. The agency has not had so few applicants to open a year since 2003, when nearly 270, 000 people applied for U. S. citizen
45、ship. Flavia Jimenez, director of the citizenship program at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said some immigrants in Chicago are taking out loans to pay the fees or designating, one family member who gets to apply for citizenship.Helen Ravasdy, a 30-year-old who immigrated t
46、o Southern California from China, said, she wished she could have applied when it was cheaper but she hadnt lived in the U. S. long enough. She s now applying because she wants to vote. “I have to do it now-not later,“ said Ravasdy, who is taking classes at a community college in Orange to prepare f
47、or her, citizenship test.Herminia Kindelan, a program specialist at a citizenship program at Santa Ana College, said she is worried that applications could decline further. She said more immigrants might be discouraged about upcoming revisions to the U.S. citizen test, which they must pass before be
48、coming citizens. The changes, which aim to gauge immigrants understanding of concepts in U.S. citizen and avoid rote memorization, take effect for applications received after Sept. 30.16 According to the federal official, the decline of application for citizenship was caused by_.（A）the increase of c
49、itizenship fee（B） unstable economy（C） various reasons（D）the upcoming revisions to the U. S. citizen test17 Helen Ravasdy_.（A）immigrated to Southern California when she was 30 years old（B） would have applied if it were cheaper（C） is worried that the fee will increase more（D）is preparing for her citizenship test18 According to Herminia Kindelan, the new citizen test_.（A）is too difficult for immigrants（B） is not difficult enough（C） should be cancelled（D）may lead to a further decline of
