1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 26 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 Gestures Help People to ThinkHuman language is the subject of endless scientific investigation, but the gestures that accompany speech are a surprisingly
2、 neglected area. It is sometimes jokingly said that the way to render an Italian speechless is to tie his wrists together, but almost everyone moves their hands in meaningful ways when they talk. Susan Goldin-Meadow of the University of Chicago, however, studies gestures carefullyand not out of idle
3、 curiosity. Introspection suggests that gesturing not only helps people communicate but also helps them to think. She set out to test this, and specifically to find out whether gestures might be used as an aid to childrens learning. It turns out, as she told the American Association for the Advancem
4、ent of Science (AAAS), that they can.The experiment she conducted involved balancing equations. Presented with an equation of the form 2 + 3 + 4 = x + 4, written on a blackboard, a child is asked to calculate the value of x. In the equations Dr. Goldin-Meadow always made the last number on the left
5、the same as the last on the right; so x was the sum of the first two numbers. Commonly, however, children who are learning arithmetic will add all three of the numbers on the left to arrive at the value of x. In her previous work.Dr. Goldin-Meadow had noted that children often use spontaneous gestur
6、es when explaining how they solve mathematical puzzles. So to see if these hand-movements actually help a child to think, or are merely descriptive, she divided a group of children into two and asked them to balance equations.One group was asked to gesture while doing so. A second was asked not to.
7、Both groups were then given a lesson in how to solve problems of this sort. As Dr. Goldin-Meadow suspected, the first group learnt more from the lesson than the second. By observing their gestures she refined the experiment. Often, a child would touch or point to the first two numbers on the left wi
8、th the first two fingers of one hand. Dr. Goldin-Meadow therefore taught this gesture explicitly to another group of children. Or, rather, she taught a third of them, taught another third to point to the second and third numbers this way, and told the remainder to use no gestures. When all were give
9、n the same lesson it was found those gesturing “correctly“ learnt the most. But those gesturing “incorrectly“ still outperformed the non-gesturers.Gesturing, therefore, clearly does help thought. Indeed, it is so thought provoking that even the wrong gestures have some value. Perhaps this helps to e
10、xplain why the arithmetic-intensive profession of banking was invented in Italy.1 We can learn from the first paragraph that_.（A）Italians cannot talk with others if they dont move their hands in meaningful ways（B） gesturing going with speech is rarely chosen as the subject of the scientific investig
11、ation（C） human language is much more important than meaningful gestures（D）meaningful gestures areconsidered to be of help to childrens learning2 Dr. Goldin-Meadow found that when explaining how they solve mathematical problems, children use gestures_.（A）purposefully（B） automatically（C） suddenly（D）na
12、turally3 Dr. Goldin-Meadow conducted the experiment so as to_.（A）help children to learn how to communicate with others effectively（B） prove that gestures might be used as an aid to childrens learning（C） figure out that hand-movements of children are descriptive as well（D）prove that children doing wr
13、ong gestures learn less than non-gestures4 Which of the following is true according to the text?（A）Most scholars study gestures because they are curious about them.（B） Italians are good at arithmetic because they gesture in meaningful ways.（C） Wrong gestures as well as correct ones can aid childrens
14、 learning.（D）Correct fingers can help children to solve most mathematical problems.5 What would be the best title for the text?（A）Gesturing and Human Language（B） A Handwaving Approach to Arithmetic（C） How to Solve Arithmetic Problems?（D）Gesture: An Aid to Communication5 The Tapping of Cellular Phone
15、 SoftwareElectronic gadgets have changed a great deal in the past few years. Most obviously, they have become smaller sleeker, smarter and more versatile. Billions of people now carry around tiny devices that are more powerful than the desktop computers of a few years ago. But these gadgets have als
16、o changed in a less obvious way. Once they were lumps of hardware brought to life by a layer of software; today they might be more accurately described as services in a box.It was ever thus with mobile phones, of course: the handset is useless without a network operator, and mobile phones are, in ef
17、fect, the container in which operators sell their services. But the handset and the network service have hitherto come from different companies. Operators do not manufacture their own phones, and handset-makers are not operators.But now device-makers are increasingly providing the services that powe
18、r their devicesor, to look at things the other way around, building devices that encapsulate services they wish to offer. Apples iPod started off as a piece of hardware in 2001, but it really took off in 2003 when Apple launched the iTunes Music Store, a service that makes it easy for iPod owners to
19、 download music, video and games to their devices, and which is now the leading online music retailer.There are several motivations for the gadget-makers shift into services. First, margins on hardware are generally lower than margins on services. Second, saturated markets in many parts of the world
20、 mean that hardware sales are slowing in some categories. Soon, everyone in western Europe who wants a satellite navigation will have bought one; what will the manufacturers do then? Make money from subscriptions and updates, of course. At least, thats the plan. Finally, services provide a way to ho
21、ld on to customers. If you have signed up for a service tied to a particular gadget-maker, the thinking goes, you are less likely to switch to a different manufacturers device in future.The worlds most successful gadget-makers are those that have been quickest to recognize the importance of offering
22、 accompanying services. Makers of stand-alone music-players, such as Rio, have been unable to compete with Apple; and Motorola, once the top dog in mobile phones, let RIM, once an obscure Canadian start-up, grab the mobile e-mail market.With elaborate branding and advertising campaigns, gadget-maker
23、s have long promoted the idea that they were selling some-thing more than just a bundle of electronics in a snazzy case. Now, funnily enough, some of them really are.6 What is the fundamental change of electronic gadgets?（A）They have been improved in shape and appearance.（B） They have more powerful
24、functions than the desktop.（C） They have less hardware but more software now.（D）They have been integrated with more services now.7 According to the passage, which of the following can describe the relationship between the handset and network service best?（A）They are independent but intertwined.（B） T
25、hey are collaborative partners.（C） They are competitive rivals.（D）They are of the mutual benefit.8 According to the passage Apple launched the iTunes Music Store in 2003 to_.（A）appeal to more potential customers who love music（B） meet the infinite needs of its demanding customers（C） power its device
26、s in order to promote market shares（D）make extra profit in new area such as online music retail9 According to the author customers are likely to stick to a particular gadget-maker if_.（A）they are satisfied with the services provided（B） they have used its former services（C） they are hooked by the ser
27、vices provided（D）they never try services tied to other gadget-makers10 What can be inferred from the last paragraph?（A）Branding and advertising are the main strategy for pushing sales.（B） Gadget-makers have confronted difficulties in promoting their idea.（C） Some gadget-makers fail to offer services
28、 as they have promised.（D）Some gadget-makers are cheating the customers by inferior goods.10 The United States Enlarges the Punishment to the MediaMore than any other industry, Americas multi-billion-dollar entertainment business is caught in the crossfire of the countrys culture war. Media firms ha
29、ve always had to walk a fine line between giving adults realistic shows and shielding children from sex and bad language. But thanks to the current political influence of social conservatives, TV and radio firms are under more attack than ever for allegedly corrupting Americas youth.Congress is thre
30、atening to increase sharply fines for airing indecent material. Over 80% of American homes subscribe either to cable or satellite TV, but only broadcast television, which is technically free, is subject to indecency regulation. The media industry fears that new rules could damage its business model.
31、The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ,the media industrys regulator,defines indecency as language or material that describes sexual actions or organs and which is considered “ offensive by contem-porary community standards“. Solely for the sake of children (present in one-third of American ho
32、mes) , indecency is forbidden from 6 a.m. to 10 p. m. on broadcast TV and radio. In contrast to “ obscenity “illegal all the timeindecency mostly consists of swearing, partial nudity and sexuality.Americas current battles over indecency began in 2003 when Bono, a rock star, said “this is really, rea
33、lly fucking brilliant“ at a live awards show. The FCC decided to do nothing. Then came a glimpse of Janet Jacksons breast in Super Bowl, outraging some viewers. Pressed by Congress, the FCC reversed its decision on Bono and said it would get tough on indecency. In 2004 it fined media firms nearly $8
34、 milion, five times what it had levied in the previous ten years combined.For these firms such fines are puny. Yet fearing what future measures might be dep-loyed against them, they have increasingly censored themselves. Last year several TV stations declined to air “Saving Private Ryan“, a war movi
35、e with lots of swearing. The media industry faces a powerful bipartisan coalition of politicians who see votes in cleansing the airwaves. Republicans are leading the effort, but some Democrats are joining innot surprisingly, as many parents do seem worried.One defensive strategy for the media indust
36、ry is to play the moralizing wing of the Re-publican Party off against its substantial libertarian wing, which is opposed to giving the government more power to censor. News Corporation and General Electrics NBC have together enlisted the support of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax
37、 Reform and the US Chamber of Commerce. Advances in technology, these groups argue, mean that the government no longer needs to police the airwaves for indecency. Many parents now have V-chips in their TV sets to block out pornographic material. Set top boxes for cable and satellite TV also give par
38、ents control.11 The phrase “walk a fine line“ (Line 5, Para. 1) most probably indicates_.（A）alternate（B） balance（C） transfer（D）distinguish12 A major difference between indecency and obscenity is that_.（A）obscenity involves more sweating, nudity and sexuality（B） obscenity is forbidden on all channels
39、 all the time（C） indecency inflicts more harm on children and young adults（D）indecency is more offensive by contemporary standards13 The refusal to broadcast “Saving Private Ryan“ by several TV stations shows that_.（A）the movie features lots of swearing（B） media firms have intensified censoring（C） m
40、edia firms were afraid of huge titles（D）the film was defined as indecent14 What strategy has the media industry adopted to defend itself?（A）Creating bitter quarrels between Republicans two wings.（B） Protesting the governments power over censorship.（C） Allying with such groups as the American Conserv
41、ative Union.（D）Arguing that the material is actually under the control of parents.15 Which of the following is true according to the text?（A）TV and radio firms are corrupting the young people in America.（B） Broadcast television other than satellite TV is under indecency regulation.（C） Americas battl
42、es over indecency have lasted for as long as a decade.（D）A fine of 8 million US dollars is such a huge one for media firms.15 Comment on Darwins Biography of Copy of Verse BodyBiographies can be wearisome contrivances , often too long and too detailed for their own good. Biographers make the mistake
43、 of spending too much time worshipping their subjects. Think of the authoritative three-volume life of Robert Frost by Lawrence Thompson, for example, and how the biographer passed, over the many years of. its making, from hero worship to intense dislike of the poet he shadowed for almost a quarter
44、of a century. Yes, too long and intense an acquaintance can lead to sourness.As the bicentunary of Charles Darwins birth on February 12th approaches, it is good to welcome a biography which is relatively small, but in no way superficial or meager. Ruth Padel has achieved this feat by writing her gre
45、at-great-grandfathers life in a sequence of often quite short poems. Through her verses she seeks to capture the “voice“ of Darwin. Ms Padel embeds many of Darwins own wordsfrom his books or his lettersin her poems, and the results tend to give the sense of being jointly authored. Sometimes she shap
46、es entire pieces of quotation into her own poetic passages. If this seems to be a bit of sly plagiarism, it doesnt feel like it. It feels more like a skillful act of collaboration between the living and the dead, one melding easily with the other.Why does this book work so well? How does it manage t
47、o say so much in so few words? Ms Padel seems to have caught the essence of the mans character, as if in a butterfly net. She enters into his cast of mind, bringing across his hyper-sensitivity, his sense of fragility, his lifelong boldness, and the poems are a sequence of snapshots often small, int
48、ermittent and delicately ima-gisticof particularly crucial incidents in his life; of moments of intellectual illumination.It is not easy to describe a whole life in relatively few words. You need to find some way of filling in the background. Ms Padel has overcome this problem by having paragraphs o
49、f notes run, in a single column, beside the texts of the poems so that they can be read side by side.And why are poems a good way of illuminating a life such as Darwins? The best lyric poemsthink of Keats or Shelley, for exampleare moments of sudden insight. And Darwin, throughout, was in the grip of something very similar: a terrible, destabilizing sense of wonder. He sensed hints of the marvelous everywhere he looked. All the sadder then and this is something that Ms Padel does no
