1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 446 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 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 st
2、one of paper and a small bucket of ink. Technically, 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 s
3、earch engine, “to organize the worlds information 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 f
4、ound; others, including a number of worried publishers 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
5、, to digitize collections and make millions of 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
6、access not just the classics, but also much more 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 digi
7、tally stacked on an endless virtual shelf, to 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 availab
8、le for download through Book Search are all out 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 dig
9、ital download as the thin end of a very large wedge that could split literature by undernuning 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 copyrig
10、ht, even if only a small excerpt is then available for free.Silence is golden in a library; but the law of copyright is beyond price.1 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 digit
11、al books.（C） that books downloaded and printed are cheaper than ordinary books.（D）that it is environmentally friendlier to download digital books.2 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 Di
12、gitalized Dante.（C） opinions vary towards free downloading of online books.（D）people embrace the idea of making books online for free download.3 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） disas
13、trous.（D）problematic.4 What does “the thin 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） Goo
14、gles new service has caused huge damages to copyright and split literature.（D）Googles new service will divide literature into online literature and offline literature.5 Which of the following is the best title for this text?（A）Googles Book Search Service（B） Bingo! Digitalization of Books（C） Digitali
15、zation: Pros and Cons（D）Silence! Author under Threat5 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 th
16、e smallest possible number of snap-together Lego bricks. Similarly, at Google Games, a recruiting event first staged by the search-engine giant 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 creati
17、ve, fun working environment. “It was as 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 color
18、ed plastic bricks. As part of a scheme 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 r
19、uns the scheme. Hisham El-Gamal of Quest, 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 Leg
20、o workshops, says Francois de Boissezon 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 m
21、ost“. One chief executive was modeled 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 i
22、n Buenos Aires. This produces “Eureka“ 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 heade
23、d into battle. Even in the office, it seems, Lego has a part to play.6 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.7 PricewaterhouseCoopers and Google Games incorporate Lego workshops in
24、to their recruitments mainly to（A）check 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.8 Whi
25、ch of the following is closest in meaning to “clogging up“(Line 6, Paragraph 4)?（A）corrupting.（B） obstructing.（C） raining.（D）betraying.9 According to Lucio Margulis, a persons behavior in Lego workshops is characterized by being（A）effective.（B） childish.（C） natural.（D）conscious.10 What can we know f
26、rom the last paragraph about the “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.10 Venture capitalists have found
27、it difficult to make investments 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 in
28、dividual homes and businesses. “It will unlock an extraordinary 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
29、in 2015, according to Clean Edge, 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 isolate
30、d to be connected to the electric 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 gri
31、d-connected homes and businesses 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
32、within the body of the generator, 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 o
33、f regular electricity, which in the 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 billio
34、n. The company made revenues of “just 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.11 Why
35、have venture capitalists found it 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.12
36、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 SWWP br
37、ings wind power to individual customers.13 Wind power has not been widely used by grid-connected homes and businesses in that（A）it is more expensive and noisier.（B） the technology involved is complex.（C） they are not allowed to use wind power.（D）they dont get subsidies in many states.14 According to
38、 Mr. Greco, SWWPs new tribune（A）has already dominated the “off-grid“ market.（B） will fail in the grid-connected market.（C） is inclusive, economical and easy to operate.（D）will become a more profitable product than others.15 What does the author mean by saying the last sentence of the passage?（A）We h
39、ope Mr. Grecos prediction will become true.（B） Mr. Grecos prediction will vanish like a gust of wind.（C） The new technology will not necessarily bring about benefits.（D）The new turbine will not necessarily increase SWWPs profits.15 It was just a footnote compared with the more infectious disaster th
40、at killed millions more people in 1918, but the 1957 influenza pandemic that sickened some 25 to 30 percent of the American population was a medical watershed for the clues that it offered about how a new strain of influenza could spread. Americans first got a whiff of the so-called Asian flu when M
41、aurice Hilleman, a physician at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., read about an unusually large number of peoplesome 250,000who had come down with flu-like symptoms in Hong Kong. Concerned, he immediately requested samples from American servicemen in Asia and within days had his answer. The
42、genetic structure of this strain was like nothing immunologists had ever seen before.When the virus finally hit America: “It went like a house on fire,“ recalls D. A Henderson, then the chief of the United States Epidemic Intelligence Service. Worsened by school openings that fall, the flu spread so
43、 rapidly from a few counties in Louisiana that just eight weeks later it had heavily infected more than half the counties in nearly all 50 states. Although it wasnt particularly potent, the 1957 strain killed about 80,000 Americans. The victims were predominantly the very old and the very young, alt
44、hough the infection occasionally killed otherwise healthy adults as well.Pharmaceutical companies worked furiously to produce a vaccine, ultimately distributing some 40 million doses. But “they were just a little bit too late,“ says Arnold Monto, an influenza specialist at the University of Michigan
45、. “They only had significant doses available when the pandemic was peaking.“ Earlier, scarcities raised questions about who deserved the vaccine first. A set of official rules gave priority to military personnel and necessary civic workers, but that didnt stop members of the San Francisco 49ers foot
46、ball team from getting vaccinated before police and firemen.Despite some manufacturing improvements, experts say the same shortages could occur with a pandemic today. And that concern has caused preparedness officials to plan for community interventions such as school closings and isolation of sick
47、people. But Henderson says, “It wont work. And you dont need a better example than 57. When you go from just a few scattered outbreaks in the end of August to the whole country infected in eight weeks, at a time when people didnt travel as much as they do today and cities were not as densely populat
48、ed, what do you think were going to see today?“ Better, he says, to have good vaccines and to ensure that the medical system can handle the extra load.16 The word “footnote“(Line 1, Paragraph 1)means that the influenza in 1957（A）was less important in American medical history.（B） imposed little influ
49、ence on American population.（C） was less serious in terms of death toll.（D）got less attention of American medical experts.17 It can be inferred from the first paragraph that（A）the 1957 influenza infected 250,000 people in America（B） Asia was the cradle of the 1957 influenza pandemic in America.（C） Maurice Hilleman went to Asia to Collect the sample of the influenza（D）it was quite time-consuming to study the genetic structure of the influenza18 According to the second paragraph, the 1957 influenza（A）had victims throughout all the states of the USA.（B）
