1、考研英语(阅读)模拟试卷 20 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 The Changes of American College Students Enrollment SystemIn an ideal world, the nations elite schools would enroll the most qualified students. But that
2、s not how it works. Applicants whose parents are alums get special treatment, as do athletes and rich kids. Underrepresented minorities are also given preference. Thirty years of affirmative action have changed the complexion of mostly white universities; now about 13 percent of all undergraduates a
3、re black or Latino. But most come from middle and upper-middle-class families. Poor kids of all ethnicities remain scarce. A recent study by the Century Foundation found that at the nations 146 most competitive schools, 74 percent of students came from upper-middle-class and wealthy families, while
4、only about 5 percent came from families with an annual income of roughly $ 35,000 or less.Many schools say diversityracial, economic and geographicis key to maintaining intellectually vital campuses. But Richard Kahlenberg of the Century Foundation says that even though colleges claim they want poor
5、 kids, “they dont try very hard to find them.“ As for rural students, many colleges dont try at all. “Unfortunately, we go where we can generate a sizable number of potential applicants,“ says Tulane admissions chief Richard Whiteside, who recruits aggressively and in personfrom metropolitan areas.
6、Kids in rural areas get a glossy brochure in the mail.Even when poor rural students have the grades for top colleges, their high schools often dont know how to get them there. Admissions officers rely on guidance counselors to direct them to promising prospects. In affluent high schools, guidance co
7、unselors often have personal relationships with both kids and admissions officers. In rural areas, a teacher, a counselor or even an alumnus “can help put rural students on our radar screen“, says Wesleyan admissions dean Nancy Meislahn. But poor rural schools rarely have college advisers with those
8、 connections; without them, admission “can be a crapshoot“, says Carnegie Mellons Steidel.In the past few years some schools have begun to open that door a little wider. At MIT its something of a mission for Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions. Twenty years ago, 25 percent of each MIT class were f
9、irst-generation college goers from poor backgrounds who used the celebrated engineering school as a ticket out of the blue-collar world. Five years ago, when that number dipped below 10 percent, Jones began scouring the country for bright kids, and then paired the potential applicants with MIT facul
10、ty and students who could answer questions about college life. In four years Jones has doubled the number of poor first-generation students at MIT.1 According to the passage, American schools_.(A)favor the most competent students(B) enroll the children of their alumni(C) dont conform to some nationa
11、l law(D)discriminate against lower-class students2 Colleges go to cities to enroll students because_.(A)they think students in urban areas have more intellectual potential(B) they dont want to travel far to search for applicants in rural areas(C) students in rural areas may have many economic proble
12、ms(D)it is much easier to find enough prospective students in cities3 By saying “can be a crapshoot“ (Line 1415,Para.3) ,the author suggests_.(A)rural students have an access to college(B) it is very hard for rural students to go to college(C) poor rural students cant afford admission fees(D)poor ru
13、ral schools are not on good terms with colleges4 At MIT,many first-generation poor students_.(A)were grateful to the college for their enrollment(B) regarded the college as an opportunity to change fate(C) were glad to get away from their poor families(D)got some help from MIT faculty and students5
14、Which of the following might Marilee Jones agree with?(A)Renowned universities certainly attract brilliant poor students.(B) Colleges should spare no efforts to look for brilliant poor students.(C) Colleges can benefit greatly from the enrollment of poor students.(D)Many colleges have realized the i
15、mportance of enrolling poor students.5 Europe s Response to the Introduction of Immigration Population DeclineU.S. immigration policy isnt really a disaster. In fact, Europe has recently begun studying it enviouslyor was studying it anyway. Then the recession struck. Now its open season on foreigner
16、s across much of the continent. Italys interior minister has sent armed force to clear out camps of jobless migrants in some parts of the south. In Britain, Conservative leader David Cameron recently promised that if his party wins upcoming elections hell slash immigration by 75 percent. Ahead of ke
17、y regional elections in France, President Nicolas Sarkozy has launched a noisy debate about “French identity“.As bad as the surge of intolerance is for the foreigners who are its targets, its a disaster for Europe. The continent is heading for serious long-term economic trouble unless it learns to m
18、anage immigration intelligently. Businesses across Europe are already facing severe shortages of engineers, technicians, craftsperson, and other skilled professionals. And the problem will only worsen as the job market recovers. By 2050 the EU will have 52 million fewer people of working age, the Eu
19、ropean Commission warns.The trouble isnt a shortage of immigrants. The European Union has attracted 26 million migrants in the past two decadesa full 30 percent more than Americas 20million over the same span. But most European countries tried to protect homegrown labor by shutting out foreign worke
20、rs. And for decades most European countries have consigned immigrants to the margins: take Germany for example, some professions were restricted to German citizens well into the 1990s, while eligibility for citizenship itself was based on bloodlines until a landmark reform in 2001. The danger is tha
21、t Europes worsening hostility toward foreigners will halt or even reverse efforts to assimilate those who are already there, breeding a fast-growing, permanent underclass. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, immigrants have been losing jobs at almost twice the rat
22、e of native-born citizens during the current crisis, and in many countries the socioeconomic gap between immigrants and natives has begun to grow again.All this comes at a critical moment for the global economy. Economists predict that global GDP will double in the next 20 years, and as many as 1 bi
23、llion new, skilled jobs will be created. To avert being left behind, Europe will need to upgrade its workforce to compete in knowledge-intensive sectors. It cant afford to neglect the education of its immigrant populations or to give up competing for its share of the global talent pool as before. If
24、 it makes the wrong choice, Europe will become smaller, poorer, and angrier. Instead of attracting newcomers, the continent will watch its own best and brightest depart for better opportunities.6 If Europe tries to avert serious economic trouble,it has to_.(A)handle immigration reasonably(B) supplem
25、ent more skilled professionals(C) cut immigrant population drastically(D)tackle the shortages of immigrants7 What causes present severe shortages of skilled workers in Europe according to the passage?(A)The qualities of European immigrants are quite low.(B) The number of immigrants to Europe is rela
26、tively small.(C) Most European countries preclude foreign workers.(D)Lots of native workers flow away from Europe.8 Europes increasing hostility toward foreigners may_.(A)aggravate natives economic conditions(B) reduce the education of its immigrant populations(C) result in failure in global competi
27、tion(D)compromise the existing assimilation efforts9 Which of the following is TRUE according to the whole passage?(A)As the job market recovers, the shortages of skilled workers will be alleviated.(B) Europe has attracted the same quantify of immigrants as America in the last 20 years.(C) Europe pr
28、eviously shows no interest in competing for talents globally.(D)Immigrants are as likely as native workers to lose their jobs. 10 Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?(A)The Divided Situation of European Societies(B) Immigration Policy of Europe Needs a Change(C) A Change of E
29、uropeans opinion on immigration(D)The Importance of Assimilating Immigrants10 Hudson River Qredging Project of Toxic ChemicalsThe first phase of the long-delayed dredging of toxic chemicals from the Hudson River is over. The polluter, General Electric, and the Environmental Protection Agency have is
30、sued separate reports evaluating the six-month cleanup, which was designed as a trial run for a much larger second phase that will finally rid the river of the industrial wastes have poisoned its mud and fish for generations.Both reports acknowledge unexpected problems. In many places in the dredgin
31、g zone the contaminated layers of deposit were far thicker than sampling probes had predicted. The volume of industrial residues released into the water and air was higher than expected. At times, dredges got hung up on debris, their jaws unable to seal in toxic contents. Removal was slowed by storm
32、s, rising water and a shortage of vessels.The reports will now go through peer review and comment. But it already seems clear that before the dredging resumes, both G.E. and the E. P. A, will have to make some adjustments in order to meet the goal of having the river cleaned up within the next five
33、years. What shouldnt change is G. E. s commitment to finish the job. The E. P, A, must make sure that happens, no matter how dire-sounding the companys version of the first phase.G, E, fought in court for years to take the cheapest way out of the industrial waste problem. It argued for letting the p
34、otential cancer-causing substance lies in the river, decaying on their own, because it said dredging would stir them up and make the problem worse. G. E. s new report has similarly dire language. It said that the dredging had released “nearly 25 times more industrial wastes“ than expected, and that
35、waste levels had spiked in fish in the dredging zone. The E. P. A. s findings strike a very different tone. The agency said its own examination of the data show that the percentage of unexpected industrial wastes was actually far lower than G, E. reported and rising waste levels in nearby fish would
36、 be temporary. Most importantly, it said that the percentage of stirred-up industrial wastes that spilled over the last dam from the dredging hot spot into the cleaner lower river was actually lower than expected.This is one of the most expensive and complicated environmental cleanups in American hi
37、story. But G. E. s engineers have the skills to do it. The only question is whether the company is willing to learn from Phase One and meet its responsibility, without any more delay, to clean up the Hudson, the E. P. A. must see that it does.11 We can learn from the passage that Phase One cleanup_.
38、(A)has been proceeding successfully(B) should have started much earlier(C) is actually a failure to some degree(D)is on the same scale as Phase Two12 What does G, E, need to do before Phase Two according to the passage?(A)Make some adaptation to its report.(B) Wait for peer review and comment.(C) Li
39、ghten the burden it has shouldered.(D)Solve the problems found in Phase One.13 In the second phase, the E. P. A. holds the responsibility to_.(A)supervise G. E. to achieve the cleanup goal(B) help G. E. deal with the difficulties(C) push G. E. forward to rewrite its report(D)urge G. E. to do some ad
40、justments14 Whats the main difference between G. E. s report and that of E. P. A. s?(A)The way of dealing with industrial wastes.(B) The difficulties of the waste dredging.(C) The expenses to be spent for chemicals cleanup.(D)The percentage of industrial waste in Hudson.15 What is crucial for the su
41、ccess of toxic chemicals cleanup?(A)Peer review and comment.(B) G. E. s dredging capability.(C) G. E. s positive action.(D)E. P. As supervising.15 Alleviate the Bad Reaction of Flying Jet LagWith the global economy now taking more executives to far-away places like Beijing and Mumbai.jet lag is beco
42、ming a bigger problem, leading sleep researchers to work harder than ever to find suitable remedies.Trips to the other side of the globe make adjusting a travelers body clock a more lasting process. Jet-lag experts say they believe it takes one day for each time zone away from home,up to a maximum o
43、f six or seven days, to get fully in sync with local time.There is no easy remedy. One problem in developing solutions is all the variation in travelers ability to handle jet lag. Sleep researchers have found that people who have dealt with sleep loss over long periodson night shifts, for examplecan
44、 tolerate jet lag better than most. And older travelers also tend to get harder hit than the young by jet lag. About eight million corporate travelers made overseas trips last year, most of whom were flying to Europe or the Pacific area, throwing their body clocks off kilter and the effects are cons
45、idered greater going East than West.Using a combination of nap and caffeine is better than using them separately, if you can believe it. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for caffeine to kick in. So you do the two together. All it takes is a cup of coffeenot even a pill. By the time the caffeine is working,
46、your nap is over.Sleep experts are also working with professional and amateur athletes who, of course, change time zones to play “away“ games or perform at international meets. A proper amount of sleep can boost all athletes performance as much as 30 percent. They are broadening their research to in
47、clude the disconnection between flying fatigue and work patterns called “journey management“. For example, when companies bring together staff from all over the world for a project,the experts will help coordinate the trips to help make sure everyone is productive when they arrive.Jet lag may be lar
48、gely sleep interruption, but its really a complex mixture of being out of sync with your normal pattern of behavior, plus other factors, even including airline food. If youre going to be abroad for only a few days, why fool around with so many solutions? If you keep resetting your body clock, youll
49、end up confusing your feelings.16 Which of the following statements is true according to Para. 3?(A)Travelers different ability contributes to finding solutions to jet lag.(B) Longer trips make it more difficult to adjust to the changes of time zone.(C) The older the travelers are, the worse the effect of jet lag.(D)Travelers going to Mumbai from America experience no jet lag.17 What is the most probable meaning of the word “kilter“ (Line 12, Para. 3)?(A)A killer who will kill o