1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 469 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 For hundreds of millions of years, turtles have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries
2、 to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings down to the water s edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their
3、prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you d think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct.But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populat
4、ions of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerheads , which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The fig
5、ures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from “threatened“ to “endangered“meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help.Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway
6、? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land(as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years they spend in the ocean. “The threat is from commercial fishing,“ says Griffin. Trawlers(
7、which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor)and longline fishers(which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles)take a heavy toll on turtles.Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warm
8、ing and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creat
9、ure that outlived the dinosaurs will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection.1 We can learn from the first paragraph that（A）human activities have changed the way turtles survive.（B） efforts have been made to protect
10、 turtles from dying out.（C） government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles extinction.（D）marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles reproduction.2 What does the author mean by “Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness“(Para 2)?（A）Nature is quite fair regarding the survival
11、of turtles.（B） Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities.（C） The course of nature will not be changed by human interference.（D）The turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.3 What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin?（A）T
12、heir inadequate food supply.（B） Unregulated commercial fishing.（C） Their lower reproductive ability.（D）Contamination of sea water.4 How does global warming affect the survival of turtles?（A）It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.（B） The changing climate makes it difficult for their eg
13、gs to hatch.（C） The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow.（D）It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature.5 The last sentence of the passage is meant to（A）persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles.（B） stress that even the most ugly species should
14、 be protected.（C） call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles survival.（D）warn our descendants about the extinction of species.5 In a purely biological sense, fear begins with the bodys system for reacting to things that can harm usthe so-called fight-or-flight response. “An animal that cant d
15、etect danger cant stay alive,“ says Joseph LeDoux. Like animals, humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons deep in the brain known as the amygdala.LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to
16、understand how we form memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdala receives input from many parts of the brain, including regions responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdala appraises a situationI think this charging dog wants to bite meand triggers a resp
17、onse by radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress: trembling, perspiration and fast-moving feet, just to name three.This fear mechanism is critical to the survival of all animals, but no one can say for sure whether beasts other than humans kno
18、w theyre afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, “if you put that system into a brain that has consciousness, then you get the feeling of fear.“Humans, says Edward M. Hallowell, have the ability to call up images of bad things that happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher
19、thought processes with our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry.Thats not necessarily a bad thing, says Hallowell. “When used properly, worry is an incredible device ,“ he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructi
20、ve actionlike having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back.Hallowell insists, though, that there s a right way to worry. “Never do it alone, get the facts and then make a plan.“ He says. Most of us have survived a recession, so were familiar with the belt-tightening strategies needed to surv
21、ive a slump.Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so its been difficult to get fact about how we should respond. That s why Hallowell believes it was okay for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro and buying gas mas
22、ks.6 The “so-called fight-or-flight response“(Para. 1)refers to（A）the biological process in which human beings sense of self-defense evolves.（B） the instinctive fear human beings feel when faced with potential danger.（C） the act of evaluating a dangerous situation and making a quick decision.（D）the
23、elaborate mechanism in the human brain for retrieving information.7 From the studies conducted by LeDoux we learn that（A）reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable.（B） memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress.（C） people s unpleasa
24、nt memories are derived from their feelings of fear.（D）the amygdala plays a vital part in human and animal responses to potential danger.8 From the passage we know that（A）a little worry will do us good if handled properly.（B） a little worry will enable us to survive a recession.（C） fear strengthens
25、the human desire to survive danger.（D）fear helps people to anticipate certain future events.9 Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell?（A）Ask for help from the people around you.（B） Use the belt-tightening strategies for survival.（C） Seek professional a
26、dvice and take action.（D）Understand the situation and be fully prepared.10 In Hallowell s view, people s reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was（A）ridiculous.（B） understandable.（C） over-cautious.（D）sensible.10 How best to solve the pollution problems of a city sunk so deep within sulfurous cl
27、ouds that it was described as hell on earth? Simply answered: Relocate all urban smoke-creating industry and encircle the metropolis of London with sweetly scented flowers and elegant hedges.In fact, as Christine L. Corton, a Cambridge scholar, reveals in her new book, London Fog, this fragrant anti
28、-smoke scheme was the brainchild of John Evelyn, the 17th-century diarist. King Charles II was said to be much pleased with Evelyn s idea, and a bill against the smoky nuisance was duly drafted. Then nothing was done. Nobody at the time, and nobody right up to the middle of the 20th century, was wil
29、ling to put public health above business interests.And yet it s a surprise to discover how beloved a feature of London life these multicolored fogs became. A painter, Claude Monet, fleeing besieged Paris in 1870, fell in love with Londons vaporous, mutating clouds. He looked upon the familiar mist a
30、s his reliable collaborator. Visitors from abroad may have delighted in the fog, but homegrown artists lit candles and vainly scrubbed the grime from their gloom-filled studio windows. “Give us light!“ Frederic Leighton pleaded to the guests at a Lord Mayors banquet in 1882, begging them to have pit
31、y on the poor painter.The more serious side of Corton s book documents how business has taken precedence over humanity where Londons history of pollution is concerned. A prevailing westerly wind meant that those dwelling to the east were always at most risk. Those who could afford it lived elsewhere
32、. The east was abandoned to the underclass. Lord Palmerston spoke up for choking East Enders in the 1850s, pointing a finger at the interests of the furnace owners. A bill was passed, but there was little change. Eventually, another connection was established: between London s perpetual veil of smog
33、 and its citizens cozily smoldering grates. Sadly, popular World War I songs like “Keep the Home Fires Burning“ didnt do much to encourage the adoption of smokeless fuel.It wasn t until what came to be known as the “Great Killer Fog“ of 1952 that the casualty rate became impossible to ignore and the
34、 British press finally took up the cause. It was left to a Member of Parliament to steer the Clean Air Act into law in 1956. Within a few years, even as the war against pollution was still in its infancy, the dreaded fog began to fade.Corton s book combines meticulous social history with a wealth of
35、 eccentric detail. Thus we learn that London s ubiquitous plane trees were chosen for their shiny, fog-resistant foliage. It s discoveries like these that make reading London Fog such an unusual and enlightening experience.11 Which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 2?（A）The fragrant an
36、ti-smoke scheme was inspired by John Evelyn s child.（B） King Charles II was not actually satisfied with Evelyn s idea.（C） The process of drafting the bill against the smoky nuisance was slow.（D）It wasnt until the middle of the 20th century that someone willingly put public health above commercial in
37、terests.12 The word “grime“(Para. 3)is closest in meaning to（A）fog.（B） dirt.（C） frost.（D）paint.13 Which of the following would be most heavily affected by London s pollution according to Corton s book?（A）rich dwellers in the east.（B） the underclass in the west.（C） East London s slum dwellers.（D）serv
38、ants of furnace owners.14 The author mainly shows in the last but one paragraph that（A）Great Killer Fog led to huge mortality.（B） The British press was also playing a big role.（C） It was a long way for the Clean Air Act to be passed.（D）reducing the air pollution worked though it was in the primary s
39、tage15 There were plane trees everywhere in London because they（A）could resist fog and haze.（B） were related to social history.（C） contained a wealth of eccentric detail.（D）were shiny and beautified the environment.15 For centuries in Spain and Latin America, heading home for lunch and a snooze with
40、 the family was some thing like a national right, but with global capitalism standardizing work hours, this idyllic habit is fast becoming an endangered pleasure. Ironically, all this is happening just as researchers are beginning to note the health benefits of the afternoon nap.According to a natio
41、nwide survey, less than 25 percent of Spaniards still enjoy siestas. And like Spain, much of Latin America has adopted Americanized work schedules, too, with shortened lunch times and more rigid work hours. Last year the Mexican government passed a law limiting lunch breaks to one hour and requiring
42、 its employees to work their eight-hour shift between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m Before the mandate , workers would break up the shiftgoing home midday for a long break with the family and returning to work until about 9 or 10 p.m The idea of siesta is changing in Greece, Italy and Portugal, too, as they rush
43、 to join their more “industrious“ counterparts in the global market.Most Americans I know covet sleep, but the idea of taking a nap mid-afternoon equates with laziness, un employment and general sneakiness. Yet according to a National Sleep Survey poll, 65 percent of adults do not get enough sleep.
44、Numerous scientific studies document the benefits of nap taking, including one 1997 study on the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation in the journal Internal Medicine. The researchers found that fatigue harms not only marital and social relations but worker productivity.According to Mark Rosekin
45、d, a former NASA scientist and founder of Solutions in Cupertino, Calif., which educates businesses about the advantages of sanctioning naps, were biologically programmed to get sleepy between 3 and 5 p.m. and 3 and 5 a.m Our internal timekeepercalled the circadian clockoperates on a 24-hour rotatio
46、n and every 12 hours there s a dip. In accordance with these natural sleep rhythms, Rosekind recommends that naps be either for 40 minutes or for two hours. Latin American countries, asserts Rosekind, have had it right all along. Theyve been in sync with their clocks; we havent.Since most of the wor
47、ld is sleep-deprived, getting well under the recommended eight hours a night(adults get an average of 6. 5 hours nightly), we usually operate on a kind of idle midday. Naps are even more useful now that most of us forfeit sleep because of insane work schedules, longer commute times and stress, In a
48、study published last April, Brazilian medical researchers noted that blood pressure and arterial blood pressure dropped during a siesta.16 In the second sentence of Paragraph 1, “all this“ refers to（A）the habit of napping.（B） the standardizing of work hours.（C） the decline of the siesta tradition.（D
49、）the growth of global capitalism.17 We can infer from the second paragraph that Mexican workers now（A）work fewer hours than in the past.（B） get home from work much later than in the past.（C） work more reasonable hours than in the past.（D）finish the workday earlier than in the past.18 The word “covet“ in Paragraph 3 most likely means（A）need.（B） desire.（C） lack.（D）value.19 The author suggests that most Americans feel that（A）Spanish culture is inefficient.（B） nap-taking will put their jobs at risk.（C） nap-taking is a sign of laziness.（D）the
