1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 495 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 About 3 billion people live within 100 miles of the sea, a number that could double in the next decade as humans flock to coastal cities like gulls. The
2、 oceans produce $3 trillion of goods and services each year and untold value for the Earths ecology. Life could not exist without these vast water reservesand, if anything, they are becoming even more important to humans than before.Mining is about to begin under the seabed in the high seasthe regio
3、ns outside the exclusive economic zones administered by coastal and island nations, which stretch 200 nautical miles offshore. Nineteen exploratory licences have been issued. New summer shipping lanes are opening across the Arctic Ocean. The genetic resources of marine life promise a pharmaceutical
4、bonanza: the number of patents has been rising at 12% a year. One study found that genetic material from the seas is a hundred times more likely to have anti-cancer properties than that from terrestrial life.But these developments are minor compared with vaster forces reshaping the Earth, both on la
5、nd and at sea. It has long been clear that people are damaging the oceanswitness the melting of the Arctic ice in summer, the spread of oxygen starved dead zones and the death of coral reefs. Now, the consequences of that damage are starting to be felt onshore.Thailand provides a vivid example. In t
6、he 1990s it cleared coastal mangrove swamps to set up shrimp farms. Ocean storm surges in 2011, no longer cushioned by the mangroves, rushed in to flood the countrys industrial heartland, causing billions of dollars of damage.More serious is the global mismanagement of fish stocks. About 3 billion p
7、eople get a fifth of their protein from fish, making it a more important protein source than beef. But a vicious cycle has developed as fish stocks decline and fishermen race to grab what they can of the remainder. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a third of fish stocks in t
8、he oceans are over-exploited; some estimates say the proportion is more than half. One study suggested that stocks of big predatory speciessuch as tuna, swordfish and marlinmay have fallen by as much as 90% since the 1950s. People could be eating much better, were fishing stocks properly managed.1 A
9、ccording to the first paragraph, which one is NOT true?（A）The oceans produce numerous benefits for the Earths ecology.（B） A large number of people enjoy living by the sea or in coastal cities.（C） The oceans would produce $6 trillion of goods and services in the next decade.（D）The number of people li
10、ving by the sea could probably be 6 billion in ten years.2 The oceans are about to be explored because _.（A）marine life has more medical value than land life（B） human beings have the right to explore the nature（C） they are unknown and mysterious to human being（D）the exploration will bring great econ
11、omic benefits3 Consequences of damaging the oceans include all EXCEPT _.（A）vanishing of marine organisms（B） emergence of ocean storm surges（C） expansion of areas of oxygen deficit（D）change of climate and rise of temperature4 Thailand is mentioned in the text to _.（A）reveal the importance of coastal
12、mangrove（B） serve as an example of the power of nature（C） show the results of damaging the environment（D）prove Thailand is not suitable for breeding shrimp5 We can learn from the last paragraph that _.（A）a fifth of people in the world get their protein from fish（B） FAO predicts that a third of ocean
13、 resources are over-exploited（C） many predatory species in the ocean have disappeared since 1950s（D）the number of fish has fallen greatly because of human exploitation5 WHERE do the worlds poor live? The obvious answer: in poor countries. But in a recent series of articles Andy Sumner of Britains In
14、stitute of Development Studies showed that the obvious answer is wrong. Four-fifths of those surviving on less than $2 a day, he found, live in middle-income countries with a gross national income per head of between $1,000 and $12,500, not poor ones. His finding reflects the fact that a long but in
15、equitable period of economic growth has lifted many developing countries into middle-income status but left a minority of their populations mired in poverty. Since the countries involved include giants like China and India, even a minority amounts to a very large number of people.That matters becaus
16、e middle-income countries can afford to help their own poor. If most of the poverty problem lies within their borders, then foreign aid is less relevant to poverty reduction. A better way to help would be to make middle-income countries domestic policies more “pro-poor“.Now Mr. Sumners argument face
17、s a challenge. According to Homi Kharas of the Brookings Institution and Andrew Rogerson of Britains Overseas Development Institute, “by 2025 most absolute poverty will once again be concentrated in low-income countries.“ They argue that as middle-income countries continue to make progress against p
18、overty, its incidence there will fall. However, the number of poor people is growing in “fragile“ states, which the authors define as countries which cannot meet their populations expectations or manage these through the political process (sounds like some European nations, too). The pattern that Mr
19、. Sumner describes, they say, is a passing phase.Messrs Kharas and Rogerson calculate that the number of poor in “non-fragile“ states has fallen from almost 2 billion in 1990 to around 500m now; they think it will go on declining to around 200m by 2025. But the number of poor in fragile states is no
20、t fallinga testament both to the growing number of poor, unstable places and to their fast population growth. This total has stayed flat at about 500m since 1990 and, the authors think, will barely shift until 2025. As early as next year, the number of poor in what are sometimes called FRACAS (fragi
21、le and conflict-affected states) could be greater than the number in stable ones. That would imply something different to Mr. Sumners view: instead of being irrelevant to poverty reduction, foreign aid will continue to be vital, since fragile states (unlike middle-income ones) cannot afford to help
22、the poor but instead need help themselves.6 According to Andy Sumner, where do most of the worlds poor ones live?（A）In poor countries.（B） In middle-income countries.（C） In many developing countries with middle income.（D）In China and India.7 Which of the following is true according the second sentenc
23、e of Paragraph 2?（A）Foreign aid is useless for poverty reduction.（B） Foreign aid is irrelevant to poverty reduction.（C） Foreign aid is less relevant to poverty reduction.（D）Foreign aid is less relevant to the within-border poverty problem.8 What can we learn from Paragraph 3?（A）Mr. Sumners argument
24、is wrong according to Kharas and Rogerson.（B） Most of the worlds poor people will live in low-income countries again by 2025.（C） The number of poor people is growing in European nations.（D）European nations cannot meet their populations expectations.9 According to Kharas and Rogerson, what will happe
25、n to the number of poor in “non-fragile“ states?（A）Now there are 2 billion poor people.（B） The number of poor in fragile states is not falling.（C） It has reduced by 500m now.（D）It reduced to 200m in the past quarter-century.10 What does the author mean by saying “As early as next year, the number of
26、 poor.ones.“?（A）It is irrelevant to poverty reduction.（B） International help will still be indispensable.（C） Middle-income states need help themselves.（D）Fragile states dont need help themselves.10 Climate change is supposed to unfold slowly, over decades. But that is not true up in the great white
27、north, as those attending the AAAS meetings session on climate change in the Arctic were reminded. Temperatures there are 2C higher than their long-term average, and the upper layers of parts of the Arctic Ocean are hotter than they have been for at least 2,000 years. Summer sea ice has been vanishi
28、ng faster than even the gloomiest researchers thought likely, with some now predicting the first completely ice-free summer as soon as the 2020s.The Arctic is not, though, isolated from the rest of the world; rapid changes there could have knock-on effects elsewhere. Whether or not that is happening
29、 was a question addressed by Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at Rutgers University. It is a topical subject. Along with much of the rest of America, Chicago endured a fierce and prolonged cold snap in January, in which temperatures fell to -27C, the lowest since 1884. Meanwhile, Brits at
30、the conference were fleeing a country that had been soaked by the heaviest winter rains in two and a half centuries, and battered by a seemingly endless succession of Atlantic storms and gales.Campaigners in both countries have been quick to blame climate change for the rotten weather. But things ar
31、e rarely so straightforward in climatology. The best Dr Francis could offer was a theory as to why a warmer Arctic might be expected to lead to wilder weather in mid-latitudes, and some tentative but suggestive evidence that this is already happening.Her idea rests on the jet stream, a powerful, per
32、sistent, high-altitude “river of air“ which flows around the world from west to east, affecting the weather as it goes. The jet stream is driven in part by the temperature difference between cold Arctic air and the warmer air of middle latitudes. Because the Arctic is warming more rapidly than the r
33、est of the planet, that difference is shrinking. This ought to produce a less potent jet stream. And a less potent jet stream is a more unpredictable one.11 Pessimistic researchers foretell that _.（A）climate change will slowly show up in decades（B） ice of the Arctic may melt in summer very soon（C） t
34、he Arctic temperature has been the hottest in 2,000 years（D）global temperatures are 2C higher than long-term average12 What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?（A）Climate change of the ocean may have an impact on the land as well.（B） Chicagos cold temperature is unrelated to the warming of the Arctic.（
35、C） The whole America has experienced the lowest temperature since 1884.（D）Britain has been suffering from the heaviest storms and rains in history.13 Dr Francis suggests that _.（A）climate change causes bad weather in England（B） things are seldom straightforward in climatology（C） human beings are to
36、blame for the change of climate（D）ocean warming may result in bad weather on land14 We learn from the text that jet stream _.（A）is a river at high altitude（B） gives rise to climate change（C） causes temperature difference（D）is to blame for global warming15 The best tide for the text may be _.（A）Clima
37、te Change: Slow in Coming（B） Jet Stream: The Cause of Climate Change（C） Climate Change: Quicker Than What We Think（D）Global Warming: More Serious Than Before15 No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. “Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?
38、“ Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. “You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?“ At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the
39、company was born in 1990. Its a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is unde
40、r pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the companys mountainous debt, which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.The flap over rap is not making life
41、 any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the companys rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-Ts violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as lawful expression of street culture , which deserves an outlet. “The test of any
42、 democratic society,“ he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, “lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We wont retreat in the face of any th
43、reats.“Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last months stockholders meeting. Levin asserted that “music is not the cause of societys ills“
44、 and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the “balanced struggle“ between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution a
45、nd labeling of potentially objectionable music.The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. “Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendme
46、nt are not totally unlimited,“ says Luce. “I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this.“16 What does the author intend to imply by mentioning the two questions asked by Senator Robert Dole?（A）The corporation is making self-refle
47、ction to be responsible and creative.（B） The questions are the corporate bottom lines.（C） The company is responsible for moral decline of the nation.（D）The company threatened our children.17 What can we learn from the first sentence of the second paragraph?（A）Steve Ross is late for the debate.（B） St
48、eve Ross is no longer alive.（C） Gerald Levin has been taken over by Steve Ross.（D）Gerald Levin is no longer alive.18 What did Levin do to defend the company when it was under fire?（A）Rap was described as a kind of lawful expression of street culture by him.（B） He defended the companys rap music.（C）
49、He wrote what he thought in a Wall Street Journal column.（D）He wont retreat in the face of any threats.19 According to the author, the chairman _.（A）commented on the debate last week（B） changed his political stand（C） softened his tone and changed his attitude（D）asserted that music is the cause of societys ills20 Which of the following is true according to the last paragraph?（A）Freedoms are not totally conditioned.（B） Several insiders concern themselves with freedom.（C） The 15-member Time Warner board rest
