1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 206 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 Familiar as it may seem, gravity remains a mystery to modern physics. Despite several decades of trying, scientists have failed to fit Einsteins general
2、 theory of relativity, which describes how gravity holds big objects together, with the quantum mechanics (an extension of statistical mechanics based on quantum theory) he pioneered, which describes the tiny fundamental particles of whichmatter consists and the forces by which they interact.Recent
3、discoveries have highlighted further problems.Many physicists are therefore entertaining the idea that Einsteins ideas about gravity must be wrong or at least incomplete. Showing exactly how and where the great man erred is the task of the scientists who gathered at the “Rethinking Gravity“ conferen
4、ce at the University of Arizona in Tucson this week.One way to test general relativity is to examine ever more closely the assumptions on which it rests, such as the equivalence principle: that gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate, regardless of their mass or composition. This principle
5、was famously demonstrated by Galileo Galilei some 400 years ago when he simultaneously dropped cannon and musket balls, and balls made of gold, silver and wood, from the Tower of Pisa. Each appeared to hit the ground at the same time.A more precise test requires a taller tower. In effect, researcher
6、s are sending balls all the way to the moon and back. Tom Murphy, of the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues fire laser beams from the deserts of New Mexico at reflectors placed on the moon by American and Russian spacecraft in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They use a telescope
7、 to capture the small fraction of the light that returns. Because the speed of light is known, they can calculate the distance between the Earth and the moon from the time taken for light to pass through it.According to general relativity, because the Earth and the moon orbit the sun, they should “f
8、all“ towards it at the same rate, in the same way as Galileos balls fell to the ground. By repeatedly measuring the distance between them, scientists can calculate the orbits of the Earth and the moon around the sun relative to each other. If the equivalence principle were violated, the moons orbit
9、around the Earth would not appear straight, either towards or away from the sun So far, Dr Murphy told the conference, these experiments have merely confirmed the equivalence principle to one part in 10 trillion. Dr Murphy and his colleagues hope that even more precise measurements could ultimately
10、show general relativity to be only approximately correct. This would usher in a new revolution in physics.1 It is stated in Paragraph 1 that the theory of relativity（A）is beyond all the current scientists understanding.（B） has failed Albert Einstein for years.（C） seems at odds with the quantum mecha
11、nics.（D）is useful in holding big things together.2 Scientists present at the “Rethinking Gravity“ conference（A）unanimously believe that Einsteins general theory of relativity is wrong.（B） have found further problems about the general theory of relativity.（C） question the assumptions of the general t
12、heory of relativity.（D）are trying to find out the possible flaws of the gravity theory.3 Galileo Galileis experiment at the Tower of Pisa around 400 years ago（A）was one way of testing Einsteins general theory of gravity.（B） illustrated the insignificance of mass and composition of an object.（C） acte
13、d as a well-known example to testify the equivalence principle.（D）showed that all objects on Earth were influenced by gravity.4 Tom Murphy and his colleagues fire laser beams at reflectors on the moon with the aim to（A）measure the distance between the moon and the Earth.（B） calculate the speed of li
14、ght.（C） check how long it takes light to cross it.（D）prove the equivalence principle more accurately.5 What can we infer from the last paragraph?（A）General relativity is actually ungrounded at all.（B） The calculation of the orbits shows that equivalence principle is violated（C） More should be done t
15、o prove the correctness of equivalence principle.（D）A new revolution in physics has already arrived.5 Today, at the push of a button, you can download and print the whole of Dantes Divine Comedy, using only a computer, an Internet connection, a paving stone of paper and a small bucket of ink. Techni
16、cally, the service is free, although it would be easier and cheaper simply to buy the book, which could then be read in the bath, while saving on printer cartridges and trees.The new service is the latest step in the stated goal of Google, the Internet search engine, “to organize the worlds informat
17、ion and make it universally accessible and useful“ and, although few may be rushing to print out the Digitized Dante, it marks an important development in world literature. For some, making books available online for free download represents a paradise found; others, including a number of worried pu
18、blishers and writers, fear it may point the way to the ninth circle of hell. Googles Book Search service is just one part of the Library Project, in which the Internet engine has teamed up with libraries around the world, including the Bodleian in Oxford, to digitize collections and make millions of
19、 books available and searchable online.At first sight, the notion of a limitless digital library seems irresistible, a single, free repository accessible from every corner of the globe. Partners in the Library Project say the system will enable users to access not just the classics, but also much mo
20、re obscure works: forgotten novels, scientific accounts, illustrations and neglected poetry. Moribund books may be brought back to life. Librarians are often frustrated at the unseen gems in their collections gathering dust. Now the whole lot can be digitally stacked on an endless virtual shelf, to
21、be browsed by anyone with a computer mouse.The problem lies not with digitalizing dead or undead books, but the potential danger to those that still have commercial life in them in the form of copyright. Google is quick to point out that the books available for download through Book Search are all o
22、ut of copyright. Indeed, while European law allows copyright to expire 70 years after an authors death, the new service does not offer anything published later than the mid-19th century. Some publishers, however, see the availability of free books for digital download as the thin end of a very large
23、 wedge that could split literature by undermining copyright itself. Last year the Association of American Publishers filed suit against Google claiming that by scanning 100 per cent of a book (to make it searchable by word) the company is infringing copyright, even if only a small excerpt is then av
24、ailable for free.Silence is golden in a library; but the law of copyright is beyond price.6 Dantes Divine Comedy is mentioned in Paragraph 1 to illustrate（A）the easy accessibility of online digital books.（B） the convenience of downloading and printing digital books.（C） that books downloaded and prin
25、ted are cheaper than ordinary books.（D）that it is environmentally friendlier to download digital books.7 It can be inferred from the second paragraph that（A）Googles new service is going to be a smashing success.（B） people are helplessly obsessed with the Digitalized Dante.（C） opinions vary towards f
26、ree downloading of online books.（D）people embrace the idea of making books online for free download.8 We know from the text that the author perceives the concept of “a limitless digital library“ (Line 1, Paragraph 3) as（A）irresistible.（B） convenient.（C） disastrous.（D）problematic.9 What does “the thi
27、n end of a very large wedge“ (Line 6, Paragraph 4) most probably imply?（A）Googles new service will gradually infringe on copyright and eventually ruin literature.（B） Books should not be digitalized and downloaded for the sake of copyright and literature.（C） Googles new service has caused huge damage
28、s to copyright and split literature.（D）Googles new service will divide literature into online literature and offline literature.10 Which of the following is the best title for this text?（A）Googles Book Search Service（B） Bingo! Digitalization of Books（C） Digitalization: Pros and Cons（D）Silence! Autho
29、r under Threat10 When recruiting at British universities, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four auditing firms with its headquarters in the New York City, presents candidates with an unusual exercise. They are asked to build a tall and sturdy tower using the smallest possible number of snap-to
30、gether Lego bricks. Similarly, at Google Games, a recruiting event first staged by the search-enginegiant in April, candidates are invited to build Lego bridgesthe stronger the better.In each case, the company is trying to convey the idea that it offers a creative, fun working environment. “It was a
31、s much advertising as a way of trying to get recruits,“ says Brett Daniel, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who built the Google Games weakest bridge.A Danish firm, based in Billund, Denmark, has embraced the corporate use of its colored plastic bricks. As part of a scheme
32、 called “Serious Play“ it is certifying a growing number of professional Lego consultants, now present in 25 countries. They coach managers by getting them to build “metaphorical abstractions“ of such things as corporate strategy, says Legos Jesper Jensen, who runs the scheme. Hisham El-Gamal of Que
33、st, a management consultancy based in Cairo that offers Serious Play workshops, says demand for the two-day, $7,000 courses is booming.Firms in crisis, such as those corrupted by scandal or in the pains of a takeover, tend to be most receptive to the idea of Lego workshops, says Francois de Boissezo
34、n of Imagics, a consultancy based in Brussels. The results can be embarrassing, particularly for senior managers. Tsai Yu-Chen of UGene Mentor, a Serious Play consultancy based in Taipei, says a common exercise is modeling, but not naming, “the people you hate most“. One chief executive was modeled
35、as a figure so fat that he blocked a hallway, suggesting he was clogging up the company.Lego workshops are effective because child-like play is a form of instinctive behavior not regulated by conscious thought, says Lucio Margulis of Juego Serio, a consultancy in Buenos Aires. This produces “Eureka“
36、 moments: a perfectionist who realizes the absurdity of frustration over an imperfect Lego construction; the owner of a firm with dismal customer relations who models headquarters as a fort under siege; or an arrogant boss who depicts his staff as soldiers headed into battle. Even in the office, it
37、seems, Lego has a part to play.11 In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by（A）posing a contrast.（B） making a comparison.（C） stating a phenomenon.（D）illustrating a hypothesis.12 PricewaterhouseCoopers and Google Games incorporate Lego workshops into their recruitments mainly to（A）c
38、heck whether the candidates get the required operation skills.（B） test whether the candidates are innovative and funny.（C） advertise themselves as well as get the most talented recruits.（D）attract the candidates with their creative and easy working atmosphere.13 Which of the following is closest in
39、meaning to “clogging up“ (Line 6, Paragraph 4)?（A）corrupting.（B） obstructing.（C） ruining.（D）betraying.14 According to Lucio Margulis, a persons behavior in Lego workshops is characterized by being（A）effective.（B） childish. （C） natural.（D）conscious.15 What can we know from the last paragraph about th
40、e “Eureka“ moments?（A）They are effective but unconscious.（B） They are the sudden realizations and discoveries in our life.（C） They are the frustrated and depressed moments in our life.（D）They are common and unsurprising in work places.15 Venture capitalists have found it difficult to make investment
41、s in wind power for the fact that most wind power demands quite large-scale wind farms to produce electricity. New technology could change that Earlier this month, Southwest Windpower(SWWP) raised $8 million to launch a small generator that could bring wind power to individual homes and businesses.
42、“It will unlock an extraor-dinary market“ says Hap Ellis, a general partner at RockPort Capital Partners, which led the round.Its easy to see why Mr.Ellis is excited. Global wind markets grew 47 percent to $11.8 billion in 2005, and are expected to reach $48.5 billion in 2015, according to Clean Edg
43、e, a market research firm. With this deal, RockPort and its partner companies may have found a way to harness a wind storm that was once the sole domain of big utilities.While SWWP already makes small wind turbines for “off-grid“ customersthat is, customers too isolated to be connected to the electr
44、ic networkit has only sold some 95,000 in the last seven years. The grid-connected market is potentially far larger, as Mr.Greco estimates 13 million homes could use the grid-connected technology in the United States alone. But wind power hasnt been widely used in grid-connected homes and businesses
45、 because the technology requires a number of inverters and controllers, and installation is complicated, he says.SWWPs new turbine is much easier to use. It includes all the inverters, controllers, and other parts needed to connect to the grid. They are all contained within the body of the generator
46、, lowering the production and installation costs, says Mr.Greco, who expects a retail price of around $5,500. At that price, the average cost per kilowatt hour would be $0.08not including subsidies available in many states, he says.That means wind can beat the cost of regular electricity, which in t
47、he U.S. averages $0.09 per kilowatt hour, he says. The turbine also produces electricity at lower wind speeds and the blades top out at only 300 rotations per minute to reduce noise, he says.SWWP estimates the potential grid-connected market is worth about $1 billion. The company made revenues of “j
48、ust under“ $10 million in 2005, and expects a 70 percent growth rate this year because of the new product, Mr. Greco says. “We will be extremely profitable this year,“ he says. Lets hope that Mr. Grecos prediction turns out to be more than just a lot of wind.16 Why have venture capitalists found it
49、difficult to invest in wind power?（A）Investment in the wind power market is highly risky.（B） Development of wind power calls for new technologies.（C） Wind power industry did not develop as fast as expected.（D）Investment in wind power may not be so cost effective.17 By saying “It will unlock an extraordinary market“, Mr. Ellis indicates that（A）the wind power market was not explored in the past.（B） new technology enables SWWP to tap the potentially huge market.（C） the new turbine gives SWWP a cutting edge in the market competition.（D）the new generator of SWW
