1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 230 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 battle to prevent or at least slow global warming has intensified in the past year as scientists have learned more about the magnitude of the proble
2、m. One of the leading climate experts, Inez Y. Fung, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Center at the University of California, Berkeley, recently showed that the earth may soon lose its ability to absorb much of the greenhouse gas that israising temperatures. The oceans and continents currently s
3、oak up about half the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuels. In the oceans, the gas combines with water to form carbonic acid; on land, plants take in more carbon dioxide and grow faster.But computer modeling done by Fung and her colleagues indicates that these carbon sinks will bec
4、ome less effective as the earth continues to warm. For example, as the tropics become hotter and drier in the summer, plants will reduce their respiration of carbon dioxide to avoid water loss. Atmospheric measurements over the past decade have confirmed this effect. If the oceans and land take in l
5、ess carbon dioxide, more will remain in the atmosphere and global warming could accelerate catastrophically.Despite these warning signs, the government administration has opposed approval of the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty mandating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But nine state
6、s in the northeastern U.S. are attempting to sidestep the federal governments opposition by taking action on their own. Last August the group reached a preliminary agreement to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 10 percent by 2020. The plan requires approval by the state legislatures, but environ
7、mentalists are already hoping that other regions of the U.S. will follow suit. If adopted nationwide, the proposal would lower greenhouse gas emissions by roughly as much as the Kyoto Protocol would have.Steve Howard, chief executive of the Climate Group, is tackling the global-warming problem from
8、a different angle. Founded in 2004, the Climate Group is a coalition of corporations and local governments that have voluntarily committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Members include oil giant BP (British Petroleum Co. PLC), drug-maker Johnson BP, for instance, slashed its energy bil
9、ls by $650 million over 10 years. “We have seen important evidence about successful emission reduction scattered here and there in the most surprising places all over the globe,“ Howard says. “We are working to bring all of it together so that it forms a body of evidence.“1 Inez Y. Fung has found in
10、 the study that _.（A）the problem of global warming has attracted great attention（B） the earth cannot accommodate the mounting greenhouse gas（C） the carbon dioxide is the main component of the greenhouse gas（D）the oceans and continents are able to take in more gas2 What does “carbon sinks“ (Para. 2)
11、mean?（A）The process of producing greenhouse gas.（B） The gradual process of land submersion.（C） The absorbers of carbon dioxide.（D）The process of forming carbonic compounds.3 Which of the following is true of the reactions of authorities to the global warming?（A）The government decides to rewrite the
12、Kyoto Protocol.（B） Parts of the U.S. will follow the federal governments advice.（C） The U.S. has approved the new plan of gas emissions.（D）Nine states in the U.S. will paddle their own canoe.4 It is suggested in the last paragraph that_.（A）the government profited from the Climate Groups gas emission
13、 reduction（B） energy used more efficiently will bring benefits to economy as well as nature（C） energy bills should be slashed in order to maintain a low level of gas emission（D）the Climate Group is tackling the problem through accumulating strong evidence5 Which of the following would be the best ti
14、tle for the text?（A）The Climate Groups Combat（B） Less Fossil Fuels, More Plants（C） Clean Air and Blue Sky（D）Protections for the Climate5 In the first years of the 21st century, no area of the American economy has excited more emotion than the property market. First came the excitement of soaring pri
15、ces. Then spirits came crashing down with the subprime crisis, and now homeowners are agonizing over how far values could fall. An even bigger story, however, may be yet to come.America should be bracing itself for the end of the “generational housing bubble“, according to a new study by Dowell Myer
16、s and SungHo Ryu of the University of Southern California. As the countrys 78 million baby-boomers retire, the report argues, the housing market will change dramatically. For three decades baby-boomers have helped push prices up: they settled down, and then bought bigger houses and second homes. But
17、 as the first of them celebrate their 65th birthdays in 2011, this may change. The old sell more homes than they buy. The ratio of old to working-age people is expected to grow by 67% over the next two decades. Will the younger generation be able to buy all the homes on the market?Young adults make
18、up the bulk of new demand, with most purchasing homes when they reach their early 30s. The flood of elderly people selling their homes, Mr. Myers suggests, may lead to a drawn-out buyers market. Prices may fall further as younger people, perceiving a downturn, delay purchasing.This phenomenon will u
19、nfold differently across the country. Some states will begin the sell-off later than others. In 15 southern and western statesincluding the retirement magnets of Florida and Arizona the elderly do not become net sellers until their 70s. Expensive states such as California and the cold states of the
20、mid-west and northeast are likely to lose them more quickly. The mismatch between buyers and sellers may be most acute in the rustbelt, where numbers of young people and immigrants are rising slowly, if at all, says William Frey of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank.Of course, there may be othe
21、r outcomes. Suburbs, which swelled with the baby-boomers, may begin to decline. If the building industry contracts, home prices may remain more stable. Or developers may switch to serving the old, building more compact housing near amenities. Towns may make new efforts to attract immigrants, who alr
22、eady accounted for 40% of the growth in homeownership between 2000 and 2006. Among these unknowns, one thing is more certain: the housing market is about to enter a long period of transition. The youngest baby-boomers will not turn 65 until 2029.6 “An even bigger story“ in Paragraph 1 implies that A
23、merican property market will _.（A）continue to be the most exciting field in the American economy（B） experience more dramatic changes in the following years（C） make spirits go up with the decreased housing prices（D）have greater impact on the feelings of homeowners7 According to Dowell, the baby-boome
24、rs _.（A）have been more likely to buy bigger and more homes（B） may celebrate their birthdays at the age of 65（C） should welcome the future change by selling more houses（D）have made housing bubbles in the past three decades8 The word “drawn-out“ (Para. 3) most probably means _.（A）prolonged（B） declined
25、（C） delayed（D）enlarged9 William Frey believes that _.（A）people in southern states would not lose their homes until their 70s（B） people in expensive states would lose their money more quickly（C） young people and immigrants hardly increase in the rustbelt areas（D）elderly people would not like to retir
26、e in Florida and Arizona until their 70s10 It could be concluded from the passage that _.（A）suburbs would decline with increased baby-boomers（B） housing prices would keep steady in the crisis（C） the housing market will experience a period of transformation（D）immigrants will be the majority of homeow
27、nership in towns10 Mercedes estate cars and Fiat runarounds are being used to test up to 22 different monitors designed to detect if a driver is falling asleep at the wheel and trigger a series of devices designed to wake them up.The aim of the project, funded by 4 million of European Union money as
28、 well as private investment, is to reduce the estimated 30% of fatal accidentswhich are caused in Europe each year by drivers drifting off at the wheel. The test cars have been fitted with infrared cameras which monitor eye movement, touch-pad sensors that measure the drivers grip on the steering wh
29、eel and chassis monitors which check for veer. Should drivers start to doze off they can be quickly woken by a sudden blast of air-conditioned cold air. At the same time a vibrating alarm will sound and the drivers seat will be made to shake.Daimler Chrysler, owner of Mercedes, as well as Fiat, will
30、 own the patent of the awake system,which could be installed in cars as soon as this year. If the trials are successful the EU is considering introducing a directive which would make the system compulsory in long-distance lorriesa leading cause of road accidents.According to transport department fig
31、ures, more than 300 people die each year in Britain in accidents thought to be caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Ten people died in the Selby rail crash last year when a car driver fell asleep on a motor-way, crashed onto a railway line and derailed a passenger train. Motoring organizat
32、ions said the new system might prevent accidents such as Selby but were cautious as to whether it would prove practical.The safety system also monitors braking frequency and can detect eye movement towards the rear and side mirrors. As no one drives in exactly the same way, the system must “learn“ t
33、he individual characteristics of its owner or owners.The researchers had considered systems that squirted a refined version of smelling salts at the dozy motorist, opened the windows and activated the brakes automatically. However, such ideas have been abandoned as potentially dangerous, startling a
34、 driver and leading to sudden changes in steering.11 According to the text, if a driver falls asleep in one of the test cars,_.（A）the car brake will be activated automatically to prevent an accident（B） a refined version of smelling salt will be sprayed at the driver（C） the window will be opened to l
35、et in fresh air（D）a vibrating alarm will sound to wake the driver up12 Paragraph 2 mainly talks about _.（A）the causes of fatal road accidents（B） the mechanism of the awake system（C） the ways to awake the dozing drivers（D）the schedule of developing the awake system13 We can learn from the text that r
36、oad accidents in Europe are mainly caused by _.（A）drivers falling asleep at the wheel（B） long-distance lorry driving（C） cars without a safety system（D）drivers sudden changes in steering14 The author may agree that the Selby crash _.（A）triggered the development of the awake system（B） happened because
37、 the train driver drifted off at the wheel（C） highlighted the advantages of installing the awake system（D）caused researchers concern about the practicality of the awake system15 The EUs attitude towards the awake system is one of_.（A）cautious optimism（B） insufficient support（C） sheer confidence（D）gr
38、eat skepticism15 During uncertain times, people tend to look back and wonder how it got to this. They feel more keenly their missed opportunities and failures in judgment. Regretthe sense that things could have turned out better if only a different choice had been madebecomes pervasive. However, reg
39、ret neednt be a garment rending, self-whipping emotion. Instead,it can be something to value and use. According to a recent study by Colleen Saffrey at the University of Victoria in Canada and colleagues at the University of Illinois, most people hold regret in high regard. Of all the negative emoti
40、ons, regret was identified as the most valued in that it helped people make sense of life events and remedy what went wrong. Regret is hardwired into human biology, underscoring its importance in behavior. Advances in neuro-imaging show that when a person experiences regret, a part of the brain invo
41、lved in both reasoning and emotion becomes active. Neuroscience also tells us that learning probably works best when there is an intense emotional component to it, so it could be that regret bolsters our ability to learn from experience. Suggestions listed below may help you manage this emotion and
42、turn it into a tool for growth. Beware of hindsight bias. What you should have done always seems clearer in retrospect than it was at the time. As the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard put it, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.“ He might have said, “So dont be so har
43、d on yourself.“ Use regrets to improve decision making and clarify values. Instead of thinking over what might have been, let what happened point the way. The regret might help you prioritize your investments in relationships, service to the community, health, and time, as well as help you set reaso
44、nable financial goals. Balance regret and risk. Instead of choosing a less risky option that you are least likely to regret, choose the one that will maximize your chance of reaching realistic goals. In fact, past experiences of regret may have given you a better appreciation of risk, which is a sig
45、n of growth. Dont worry alone, especially if you are drowning in regret. If misery loves company, its because perspective helps. Its good to know youre not the only “idiot“ in the neighborhood. On some level, were all idiots. The most successful people are those who have been resolute in the face of
46、 failure. If your thoughts turn morbid, get professional help so you can go back to striving toward your personal and career goals.16 According to the first two paragraphs, regret _.（A）can be avoided if we make a different choice（B） occurs when we look back（C） is the most pervasive negative emotion（
47、D）can help people learn and improve life17 Colleen Saffrey would most probably agree that_.（A）people should learn to avoid regret（B） regret is no longer a negative emotion（C） though negative, regret is of value to people（D）regret can help people find the problems18 The word “underscoring“ (Para. 3)
48、is closest in meaning to _.（A）undermining（B） decreasing（C） emphasizing（D）devaluing19 The philosopher Kierkegaard is quoted to _.（A）show his philosophical ideas about life and regret（B） give people suggestion on management of regret（C） tell people not to be too hard on themselves in life（D）explain wh
49、y people should beware of hindsight bias20 Regret can be valued and used to _.（A）help people to choose a less risky option（B） help you make better decisions（C） help you prioritize your relationships（D）help people to achieve their personal and career goals20 Manufacturers of everything from running shoes to deodorants, a substance to remove unpleasant odors, design products specifically for women. One of the latest entries: the first artificial joint created forand heavily advertised tofemale
