1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 492 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 Next to snakes and crocs, Australians imagine sharks to be the countrys most dangerous creature. Tim Winton, an author, calls sharks “substitute for the
2、 Devil“. Seven swimmers in three years have died from shark attacks in Mr. Wintons home state of Western Australia. The states government, led by Colin Barnett, is now taking revenge.In late November a skilled surfer died from a shark attack. A week later a shark killed a 19-year-old in New South Wa
3、les. The tragedies fed public anxieties. Mr. Barnett ordered no-go zones for sharks to be set up offshore, marked by lines of baited hooks. Any shark caught on them more than three metres long was to be shot. The first shark caught in this strategy was shot on January 26th. Mr. Barnett says he has t
4、o “protect the people of Western Australia“.But previously hostile popular attitudes towards sharks are shifting. Plenty of Western Australians , along with environmentalists and shark experts, deplore the new policy. In early January, at the height of the summer holiday season, more than 4,000 prot
5、esters swamped Cottesloe Beach in Perth, with signs reading “Save Our Sharks“ and “Science Not Slaughter“.Of Australias 180 or so shark species, only a few are dangerous to humans: chiefly, bull sharks, tiger sharks and great whites, which are protected under federal law. Their numbers have suffered
6、 from the trade in shark fins for soup in Asia, which Australia and others have banned. Nonetheless, the federal government has given its conservative counterpart in Western Australia an exemption from protecting great whites under its “catch-and-kill“ policy.Despite the recent attacks, deaths from
7、sharks are rarean average of just one person a year for the past half-century around Australias vast coastline, says the Australian Shark Attack File, a research outfit at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. By contrast, an average of 120 people drown each year off beaches and in harbours and rivers. There has b
8、een no fatal shark attack at Bondi beach in Sydney, Australias most popular strand, since 1929.1 Snakes and crocs are mentioned in Paragraph 1 in order to _.（A）show their danger to people in Australia（B） emphasize Australians extreme hatred toward sharks（C） indicate that sharks are more dangerous（D）
9、show that taking revenge against sharks is necessary to ensure safety2 Mr. Barnetts policy includes _.（A）shooting any shark caught on no-go zones（B） setting up restricted areas offshore for swimmers（C） protecting his people from being killed by sharks（D）ensuring safety of both human beings and anima
10、ls3 Many Australians attitude towards the new policy is _.（A）doubtful（B） supportive（C） ambiguous（D）opponent4 According to Paragraph 4, which one is true?（A）Great whites are protected in Western Australia.（B） Shark fin is a delicate course in both Asia and Australia.（C） Some dangerous shark species a
11、re protected by federal law.（D）The number of sharks in Australia has been growing in the past few years.5 We can infer from the last paragraph that _.（A）more people die from drowning every year than from sharks（B） there has not been any shark attack at Bondi beach since 1929（C） attacks from sharks a
12、re rare in the past five decades in Australia（D）incidents of shark attack often happen at the most popular beach5 When a search engine guesses what you want before you finish typing it, or helpfully ignores your bad spelling, that is the result of machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligenc
13、e. Although AI has been through cycles of hype and disappointment before, big technology companies have recently been scrambling to hire experts in the field, in the hope of building machines that can learn even more sophisticated tasks.IBM said this month it would invest $1 billion in a new divisio
14、n to develop uses for Watson, its computer that understands human language. But this week Google enhanced its lead in this field by paying around $660m for DeepMind Technologies, a startup in London that has yet to announce a product. The boss of DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, previously created video ga
15、mes such as “Evil Genius“ and “Theme Park“.DeepMinds 75 geniuses will join the worlds leading group of machine-learning experts, which Google has been assembling in the past few years. Googles main source of income, its search engine and the accompanying ad-placement system, is driven by machine lea
16、rning. The firms self-driving cars rely on it, as do the intelligent thermostats made by Nest, a firm it has just taken over, and the robots made by Boston Dynamics and other robotics outfits it has been buying.The technology is already the backbone of many other internet firms. It is why Facebook a
17、nd Linkedln have that slightly creepy ability to find people you know, and why Amazon and Netflix are good at suggesting books and films you might like. It also helps intelligence agencies to identify terrorist networks.As machine learning leaves the lab and goes into practice, it will threaten whit
18、e-collar, knowledge-worker jobs just as machines, automation and assembly lines destroyed factory jobs in the 19th and 20th centuries. For example, the technique has been applied by researchers at Stanford University to tell whether a biopsy of breast cells is highly cancerous, something that until
19、now has required a human expert to assess.Another of DeepMinds founders, Shane Legg, has predicted that artificial intelligence running wildly will be the biggest existential risk to humans in this century. Its founders have asked Google to set up an “ethics board“ to consider the appropriate use of
20、 machine learning in its products. The creator of “Evil Genius“ is ensuring that his new overlord sticks to its motto, “Dont be evil“.6 The underlined word “hype“ (Para. 1, Line 3) may be closest to _.（A）confusion（B） surprise（C） excitement（D）despair7 DeepMind Technologies is _.（A）a giant like Google
21、 and IBM（B） a new company that develops video games（C） a leading technological company in America（D）a newly started firm that cooperates with Google8 Google has done the following EXCEPT _.（A）gathering talents on machine-learning（B） earning money from its search engine（C） purchasing a large number o
22、f automatic devices（D）taking over firms like Nest and Boston Dynamics9 Technology contributes to all EXCEPT _.（A）stealing into ones personal data（B） discovering peoples acquaintance（C） recommending good books and movies（D）confirming hacker attack for spy agencies10 What can be learned about machine
23、learning?（A）Machine learning in the lab poses a great threat to jobs done by workers.（B） Some jobs may be eaten up when machine knowledge is turned into practice.（C） It can lead to development in automation and diminish all job opportunities.（D）It can tell whether a biopsy of cells is cancerous with
24、out human experts.10 If the worlds education systems have a common focus, it is to turn out school-leavers who are proficient in maths. Governments are impressed by evidence from the World Bank and others that better maths results raises GDP and incomes. That, together with the soul-searching provok
25、ed by the cross-country PISA comparisons of 15-year-olds mathematical attainment produced by the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, is prompting educators in many places to look afresh at what maths to teach, and how to teach it.Those countries fret about how to catch up without turning students
26、 off the subject with boring drill. Top performers, most of them Asian, fear that their focus on technical proficiency does not translate into an enthusiasm for maths after leaving school. And everyone worries about how to prepare pupils for a jobs market that will reward creative thinking ever more
27、 highly.Maths education has been a battlefield before: the American “maths wars“ of the 1980s pitted traditionalists, who emphasized fluency in pen-and-paper calculations, against reformers led by the countrys biggest teaching lobby, who put real-world problem-solving, often with the help of calcula
28、tors, at the centre of the curriculum. A backlash followed as parents and academics worried that the “new maths“ left pupils ill-prepared for university courses in maths and the sciences. But as many countries have since found, training pupils to pass exams is not the same as equipping them to use t
29、heir hard-won knowledge in work and life.Todays reformers think new technology renders this old argument redundant. They include Conrad Wolfram, who worked on Mathematica, a program which allows users to solve equations, visualize mathematical functions and much more. He argues that computers make r
30、ote procedures, such as long division, obsolete. “If it is high-level problem-solving and critical thinking were after, theres not much in evidence in a lot of curriculums,“ he says.11 We can infer from the first paragraph that _.（A）a mans salary may be higher if he is good at maths（B） maths is the
31、most important subject in many countries（C） high scores at school are equal to great achievement at work（D）teachers in rich countries know exactly how to teach maths12 The phrase “fret about“ is closest in meaning to _.（A）care about（B） pay attention to（C） worry about（D）anxious about13 Many countries
32、 have found that _.（A）teaching students to pass exams is much easier（B） there are great differences between the test and practical use（C） knowledge learned at school is rarely used in work and life（D）most pupils are ill-prepared for university courses in maths14 Reformers think new technology is _.（
33、A）redundant（B） ambivalent（C） excessive（D）contributive15 The best tide for the text may be _.（A）Maths Teaching: Time to Reform（B） Technology: Crucial in Teaching（C） Maths Teaching: A Headache in Education（D）Critical Thinking: Important in Education15 Walmart is at an “inflection point“. Those words a
34、re truer now than when Bill Simon, the head of its American operation, uttered them last October. He was talking about Walmarts plan for the first time to open more small and medium-sized stores in 2014 than giant “supercentres“, and all that would mean. Now another big change looms. On February 1st
35、 the company gets a new chief executive, Doug McMillon, until now the head of its international business.In some respects Mr. McMillon looks like a natural choice to manage a huge beast that inspires loathing and loyalty in equal measure. A native of Arkansas, Walmarts home state, he started out in
36、one of the companys warehouses, rose as a specialist in merchandising (deciding how goods are displayed and sold in stores) and was head of the Sams Club unit, stores where members buy in bulk.Genial and approachable, Mr. McMillon may cure the corporate problem that afflicts Walmart when it talks to
37、 its 2. 2m employees, to its giant customer base (90% of Americans shop there at least once a year) and to critics who say it pays miserly wages and sucks life out of town centres. On January 15th the National Labour Relations Board accused Walmart of sacking and disciplining workers who went on str
38、ike in 2012. Walmart says it acted lawfully and claims to promote 160,000 people a year; Mr. McMillons box-shifting calluses make such claims a bit more convincing.Yet the international business, which he has led since 2009, is not thriving. This year it is expected to account for 28% of sales but i
39、t has just achieved 19% of operating income. Walmart has reduced costs in China and Brazil after expanding too fast. Confusing policies on foreign investment in retailing have hampered Walmarts push into India. Walmart is co-operating with investigations into allegations that executives in Mexico br
40、ibed officials; the inquiries have been broadened to the companys operations in India, Brazil and China. Mr. McMillon is not to blame for these setbacks, many of which date from before he took over, but neither has he brought about a turnaround.16 The underlined phrase “inflection point“ (Para. 1, L
41、ine 1) is closest to _.（A）flash point（B） turning point（C） starting point（D）finishing point17 According to Paragraph 2, which one of the following is true?（A）Mr. McMillon looks like a huge beast.（B） Some of Walmarts stores are about to close.（C） At Sams Club, members buy in large quantities.（D）In Wal
42、mart, executives are also experts in merchandising.18 Walmart was charged for _.（A）paying miserly wages（B） going on strike illegally（C） restricting workers with disciplines（D）dismissing and punishing employees19 Which one is NOT true about Walmarts international business?（A）Mr. McMillon has taken it
43、 over since 2009.（B） It accounts for 19% of Walmarts net income.（C） Its sales havent reached original expectation this year.（D）Walmart has to tighten its belt in fast-expanded countries.20 We can conclude from the last two paragraphs that _.（A）McMillon failed to live up to the expectation of a “turn
44、around“（B） McMillon is competent enough to address the issues that troubling Walmart（C） McMillon is to blame for the international businesss not thriving（D）Mr. McMillon is convincing due to his calluses caused by box-shifting考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 492 答案与解析Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answ
45、er the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)1 【正确答案】 B【试题解析】 引用目的题一般必须符合全文主旨，尤其是出现在第一段中的引用目的题。很显然，该文章旨在保护 sharks，而不是消灭 sharks。第一段对 snakes以及 crocs 的引用仅仅是为了表明澳洲人对 sharks 的害怕，并决心要 take revenge，因此选项 B 属于正确选项，即“为了强调澳洲人对鲨鱼的极端仇恨”。选项 A、C、D 都属于肤浅选项，尤其选项 D 偏离了全文“保护鲨鱼”这一主旨。2 【正确答案】 C【
46、试题解析】 根据题干的“Mr. Barnett”可定位到第二段。选项 A 对应该段第三行：Any shark caught on them(指代 no-go zones)more than three metres long was to be shot. 大意为：任何在“鲨鱼禁区”捕获的体长超过 3 米的鲨鱼将会遭到射杀。由此可见 A 项的“any shark” 是不准确的，故该项错误。选项 B 是对“Mr. Barnett ordered nogo zones for sharks to be set up offshore”一句的曲解，原文说的禁区是针对鲨鱼(for sharks)，而不
47、是针对游泳者，该项的“for swimmers”与原文“for sharks”不符，属于偷换概念，故错误。选项 C 对应最后一句：Mr. Barnett says he has to“protect the people of Western Australia”该项正确。选项 D 中的“ensuring safety of human beings”这部分是没错的，但是“and animals”错了，因为巴奈特提倡猎杀鲨鱼，而不是保护。综上所述，答案为选项 C。3 【正确答案】 D【试题解析】 根据题干的“Many Australians”，“new policy”等词定位到第三段。该段第一
48、、二句指出：But previously hostile popular attitudes towards sharks are shifting. Plenty of Western Australians, along with environmentalists and shark experts, deplore the new policy. 大意为：但是之前人们普遍敌对鲨鱼的态度发生了转变。大量澳大利亚西部居民、环保主义者和鲨鱼专家强烈反对这项新政策。其中deplore 这个词明确体现出许多澳大利亚人的态度，如果看不懂这个词，可以根据上下文进行猜测。上文提到人们敌对鲨鱼的观点正在
49、转变，下文提到人们不敌对鲨鱼，反而反对“杀戮鲨鱼的新政策”，由此可见“deplore”这个词和上文的“hostile(敌对的)” 一词是接近的，故答案为 D，opponent(反对的)。4 【正确答案】 C【试题解析】 选项 A 意为：大白鲨在澳大利亚西部受到保护。原文第四段第四行指出：Nonetheless, the federal government has given its conservative counterpart in Western Australia an exemption from protecting great whites under its“catch-and-kill”policy其中关键的是“an exemption from protecting great whites”，意思是“免于保护大白鲨”，也就是说 Western Australia 可以不用保护大白鲨，与该项表述完全相反，故该项错误。选项 B 意为：鱼翅在亚洲和澳大利亚都是一道美味佳肴。该段第二句明确指出：Their num
