1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 409 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 Human language is the subject of endless scientific investigation, but the gestures that accompany speech are a surprisingly neglected area. It is somet
2、imes 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 curiosity. Introspection su
3、ggests 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 Advancement of Science(AAAS), that t
4、hey 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 the same as the last on the right; so
5、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 gestures when explaining how they solve mathem
6、atical 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. Both groups were then given a lesson in
7、 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 with the first two fingers of one hand. Dr
8、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 given the same lesson it was found those gestu
9、ring “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 explain why the arithmetic-intensive profes
10、sion 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 investigation.（C） human language is much more impor
11、tant than meaningful gestures.（D）meaningful gestures are considered to be of help to childrens learning.2 Dr. Goldin-Meadow found that when explaining how they solve mathematical problems, children use gestures（A）purposefully.（B） automatically.（C） suddenly.（D）naturally.3 Dr. Goldin-Meadow conducted
12、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 wrong gestures learn less than non-ges
13、tures.4 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 learning.（D）Correct gestures can h
14、elp 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 For the past five years, Dr. Stephen Post has been funding rese
15、arch projects that test how altruism(selflessness), compassion, and giving affect peoples lives and well-being. As head of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love(IRUL), at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he has sponsored more than 50 studies by scientists from 54 major universiti
16、es. In a wide range of disciplinesfrom public health to human development to neuroscience, sociology, and evolutionary biologythe studies have demonstrated that love and caring expressed in doing good for others lead people to have healthier, happier, and even longer lives.IRUL research is part of a
17、 significant shift under way within key scientific disciplines from focusing just on the deficit or disease model of human nature to studying the positive, virtuous, and thriving aspects. In the process, the research is broadening the understanding of what contributes to health and longevity. Even s
18、ome in evolutionary biology, a field long known for proclaiming “the selfish gene,“ are on board.“A lot of my colleagues view it very positively,“ says David Sloan Wilson, a prominent evolutionary biologist famous for his work on “group selection.“ Dr. Wilson has studied how altruistic teenagers far
19、e within differing social environmentssituations where they thrive and others where they are under great stressas well as group altruism. He praises the institute for identifying and supporting “a neglected set of subjects“ for research.Research on people diagnosed with various illnesseswhether it b
20、e HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, or alcoholism-revealed that those patients involved in counseling or otherwise serving others show greater improvement in their own health. Volunteerism studies have demonstrated such positive results that some people have called for doctors to prescribe volunteer act
21、ivities. Post emphasizes, however, that its not just the activity itself, but the feelings behind the acts that benefit those taking part.Numerous studies on the brain have provided images that confirm the “helpers high“the warm glow that people feel from helping activities. But Post doesnt conclude
22、 that its the selfish pursuit of that high that spurs people to be givers. “Its not just from the chemicals. There is this neurological activity in the human body,“ he says, “but I think there is a spiritual presence that enlivens and elevates this kind of natural substrate.“ The institute will then
23、 turn very practical, Post says, taking all that has been learned about love and seeing “how it can be applied in interventions to make the world a better place.“6 According to the first two paragraphs, we know that IRUL research（A）has been conducted by Dr. Post and scientists from other 54 universi
24、ties.（B） aims to find out what contributes to healthier, happier, and longer lives.（C） has shown altruistic love results in a healthier and happier life.（D）studies how altruistic teenagers get along in various social environments. 7 In the eyes of Dr. Wilson, IRUL research（A）initiates an important c
25、hange.（B） develops evolutionary biology.（C） is positive and evolutionary.（D）is praiseworthy for its efforts.8 The examples of the patients are cited in Paragraph 4 to show that（A）people are helping others in order to improve their own health.（B） volunteer work proves helpful to patients with various
26、 illnesses.（C） altruistic acts and feelings are contributive to a healthier life.（D）doctors should prescribe volunteer activities to patients.9 The phrase “helpers high“(Line 1, Paragraph 5)most probably means（A）the excitement of helping others.（B） the pleasure of doing favors.（C） the thrill of purs
27、uing happiness.（D）the passion of offering help.10 We can learn from the last paragraph that Dr. Post believes（A）altruistic activities are as important as altruistic feelings.（B） people help others in order to experience the “helpers high“.（C） the “helpers high“ mainly results from the chemicals in t
28、he body.（D）the “helpers high“ may be more spiritual.10 When George Bush left the presidency on January 20th, many Americans were keen to turn the page. They have warmly welcomed a new cast of characters, from Barack and Michelle down to Bo the Portuguese water dog. But some members of the Bush crew
29、are much in the news. Karl Rove, an influential adviser, is penning weekly editorials and has been scrapping with Joe Biden, the vice president. Dick Cheney has been on television growling about Mr. Obamas approach to national security. In Spain, a court is deciding whether Alberto Gonzales, the for
30、mer attorney-general, and five other administration officials can be accused of torture.Mr. Bush himself has mostly kept a low profile since returning to Texas. He and Laura settled into their new house, in a select part of Dallas. He threw the first ball at a Texas Rangers baseball game and visited
31、 a hardware shop. He has been jogging and riding his bicycle. He has given one speech, in Canada, at which he declined to criticize the new president. “He deserves my silence,“ said Mr. Bush.But Mr. Bush will not be silent for ever. He has started to write his memoirs, which will skip the usual form
32、at and be organized around a series of 12 momentous decisions. The format makes sense, given Mr. Bushs view of history and his role in it. “Im the decider,“ he said in 2006, defending his decision to keep Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary. It was one of his least popular decisions, and Mr. Bushs
33、many critics thought it was a bull-headed thing to say. But perhaps it was simply an existential comment. The president is the decider. There is no getting round that.The “decider“ idea will extend to the George W. Bush Presidential Centre, to be housed at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Th
34、e centre will include a policy institute as well as the usual library and museum. On April 14th Mr. Bush gathered about 20 of his old employees in Dallas, including the former secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and a former speechwriter, Michael Gerson, to work out strategy.The policy institute w
35、ill be unashamedly ideological. The museum, like the memoirs, will be organized around a series of decisions. The list has not been finalized, though some are obvious choices, such as the decisions to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. Mark Langdale, president of the George W. Bush Foundation, thinks that
36、 Mr. Bushs 2007 decision to pursue immigration reform should make the cut. The effort failed in the Senate, but failure is part of any human story. That goes for presidents, too. “Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they dont, but the journey continues,“ says Mr. Langdale.11 It can be inferred fro
37、m the opening paragraph that（A）the Obama administration takes on some members of the Bush crew.（B） some members of the Bush crew are involved in negative publicity.（C） Obamas approach to national security is proved by Cheney to be a failure.（D）George Bush is not popular with Americans as a president
38、 at all.12 Bushs life is described in the second paragraph to show that（A）Bush is still actively engaged in social and political activities.（B） Bush becomes more popular after his retirement from presidency.（C） Bush is rather silent compared with his former colleagues.（D）Bush shows no interest in Ob
39、amas administration and policies.13 What does the phrase “bull-headed“(Line 5, Paragraph 3)most probably mean?（A）Stubborn.（B） Stupid.（C） Mad.（D）Unpopular.14 Mr. Bush gathered some of his former colleagues（A）to extend the “decider“ idea to the George W. Bush Presidential Centre.（B） to discuss his hou
40、se at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.（C） to formulate strategy with them.（D）to recapture the experience of the “decider“.15 What does Mark Langdale think of Bushs decision to pursue immigration reform?（A）It brought negative influence to the Bush administration.（B） It should be one of the de
41、cisions included in the museum.（C） It should be regarded as part of the human history.（D）It was a failure like the decisions to invade Iraq and Afghanistan.15 How stupid does one need to be to get a job reading the television news? Is it actually beneficial for TV newsreaders to have, instead of a b
42、rain, a plate of lemon jelly? Last week the debate was raging once again about the controversial and important point as to whether the newsreaders write their own copy, read someone elses or simply make it up as they go along. Angela Rippon reckoned that she had never heard of a newsreader writing s
43、tuff, but her modern counterpart, the beautiful Sophie Raworth, claims that they do the writing and adds that she has a postgraduate degree in journalism.This is the core of the issue: what on earth is there to learn about journalism at postgraduate level? The point and purpose of our lowly, occasio
44、nally useful, trade could be scribbled on the back of a postage stamp and would easily be comprehended by a 14-year-old boy with ADHD(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Who has decided that it must be dignified with a doctoral thesis?Nor is reading the news even what one might call “journali
45、sm“. It is an even simpler business called “reading“. All that the BBC demands of its female newsreaders is an ability to read in an impartial way words like “Israel has murdered more Lebanese children again today“ from the teleprompter without belching or lisping. It helps if they have the eminentl
46、y presentable manner of a girl guide leader from Esher. They are forbidden to express an opinion. They are not required to go undercover, analyze the news or add witty asides. They are required to be that which they are known as in the trade“a gob on a stick“. A penetrating intelligence is not merel
47、y unnecessary, it is counterproductive.Newsreaders who are too intelligent soon stop being newsreaders, much as John Humphrys did, stifled by the commonplace of their duties. Or they give the game away by doing what that German newsreader did and end the programme, shaking their heads sadly, mutteri
48、ng, “its all lies, all lies“.Which is not to say BBC newsreaders are bad at their jobs: quite the reverse. But we should not confuse competence with intelligence. Newsreaders believe that because they are reading out serious stuff and everybody is listening to them, they must therefore be creatures
49、possessed of a high IQ. They are confusing the message with the medium.16 The author holds in the first two paragraphs that a postgraduate degree in journalism（A）is quite unnecessary for newsreaders.（B） is vital for a newsreader to write stuff.（C） matters quite a lot for a newsreader.（D）involves no learning about journalism.17 The author cites the example of BBC in Paragraph 3 to show that（A）it is concerned about international affairs and widely reports them.（B） reading the news mainly involves required reading capability.（C） it has laid down a lot of
