1、考博英语模拟试卷 133（无答案）一、Reading Comprehension0 In the United States, 36 states currently allow capital punishment for serious crimes such as murder. Americans have always argued about the death penalty. Today, there is a serious question about this issue: Should there be a minimum age limit for executing
2、 criminals? In other words, is it right for convicted murderers who kill when they are minors-i, e. , under the age of 18-to receive the death penalty?In most other countries of the world, there is no capital punishment for minors. In the United States, though, each state makes its own decision. Of
3、the 36 states that allow the death penalty, 30 permit the execution of minors.In the state of South Carolina, a convicted murderer was given the death penalty for a crime he committed while he was a minor. In 1977, when he was 17 years old, James Terry Roach and two friends brutally murdered three p
4、eople. Roachs lawyer fought the decision to execute him. The young murderer remained on Death Row (a separate part of prison for convicted criminals who are sentenced to death) for ten years while his lawyer appealed to the governor. The lawyer argued that it is wrong to execute a person for a crime
5、 he committed while he was a minor. In the United States, the governor of a state has the power to change a sentence from the death penalty to life in prison. Nonetheless, the governor of South Carolina refused to stop the execution. Roach was finally executed by electrocution in 1986. This is not t
6、he first time a criminal was executed in South Carolina for a crime he committed when he was a minor. In 1944, a 14-year-old boy died in that states electric chair.In Indiana, a 16-year-old girl was on Death Row for a crime she committed when she was 15. Paula Cooper and three friends stabbed an eld
7、erly woman to death in 1986. They robbed the old woman to get money to play video games. At the time of the murder, the minimum age limit for executions in that state was 10. Coopers lawyer appealed to the governor of Indiana to stop the execution because the convicted killer was very young and beca
8、use she was abused in childhood. The Indiana governor, who favors the death penalty, said that he had to let the courts do their job.1 According to the passage, Coopers lawyer _.（A）asked the governor for help（B） stopped the execution（C） let the courts do their job（D）fought with the governor 2 Which
9、of the following is true?（A）All states in the U.S. allow the death penalty for serious crimes such as murder.（B） South Carolina does not allow capital punishment for minors.（C） the governor of a state can stop an execution.（D）Americans agree that it is wrong to execute convicted criminals who are mi
10、nors. 3 The author mentioned a 14-year-old boy in paragraph 3 to show _.（A）the boy died in an electric chair（B） Roach was not the first minor criminal executed in South Carolina（C） the boy committed a crime（D）the boy was 14 years old when he died 4 Which of the following could be the best title for
11、the passage?（A）Two Lawyers.（B） Roach and Paula Cooper.（C） No Capital Punishment for Minors.（D）The Death Penalty in tile U. S.: Old Enough to Kill, Old Enough to Die? 4 National Parks have more and more visitors each year. In the last ten years the number of campers using the camp sites has more than
12、 doubled. Camping as a family vacation has suddenly become extremely popular in America. It is a cheap way to travel; its simple pleasures are a pleasant change from hectic urban life; and it can be enjoyed by children of all ages.In car trunks or in racks on top of cars, families load a tent, sleep
13、ing bags, inflatable mattresses, cooking pans and eating utensils, and an ice chest for storing food. When they arrive at a camping ground they find a cleared space in which to pitch their tent, a fireplace for cooking, and usually a picnic table and benches-water and firewood nearby. By evening the
14、y are settled under the stars, the campsite around them dotted with lights from cooking fires and lanterns hung from trees.Vacations are not all in resorts or in the wilderness. Swarms of vacationing Americans visit New York and Washington each year. They visit New York because there is no place in
15、the world like this tremendous, exciting city, the busiest port in the world, with its great steel and glass skyscrapers, its theaters and shops, its beauty of skyline and shoreline, and its thrilling five-cent ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty. They visit Washington because it is the nations ca
16、pital, where they can see their government at work, tour the public rooms of their Presidents home, the White House, and walk along the wide avenues to the art galleries and museums. Here they can see exhibits of the native peoples of their land-the Indians and the Eskimos. They can look at Lindberg
17、hs small, fragile plane in which he crossed the Atlantic Ocean. They can ride the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument, visit Washingtons Mount Vernon home, and feel the shiver of national pride as they stand at the foot of the great Lincoln Monument and read the stirring words of his Gett
18、ysburg Address.For Americans vacation time ends on Labor Day-the first Monday in September. Labor Day is the day when summer cottages are closed, when families head back to their homes. The highways are jammed with cars. The cars are jammed with families and belongings and treasures of the summer. B
19、y the time the drivers are back home they sometimes feel that what they need is a vacation.5 Which of the following is not a reason for which camping has suddenly become extremely popular in America?（A）National Parks provide camp sites.（B） Camping is a cheap way to travel.（C） Camping makes city peop
20、le have a change.（D）People of all ages enjoy camping. 6 Which of the following is not mentioned about New York?（A）Very great and exciting city.（B） Very wide avenues.（C） Great skyscrapers.（D）Beautiful skyline and shoreline. 7 Which of the following is not an attraction of Washington?（A）Tile public ro
21、oms of the White House.（B） The great Lincoln Monument.（C） The Statue of Liberty.（D）Exhibits of the native people of America. 8 Which of the following is the best title for the passage?（A）Vacations in America.（B） Big Cities in America.（C） American Family Life.（D）Camping as a Family Vacation. 8 The qu
22、estion of whether war is inevitable is one which has concerned many of the worlds great writers. Before considering this question, it will be useful to introduce some related concepts. Conflict, defined as opposition among social entities (实体) directed against one another, is distinguished from comp
23、etition, defined as opposition among social entities independently striving for something which is in inadequate supply. Competitors may not be aware of one another, while the parties to a conflict are. Conflict and competition are both categories of opposition, which has been defined as a process b
24、y which soical entities function in the disservice of one another. Opposition is thus contrasted with cooperation, the process by which social entities function in the disservice of one another. These definitions are necessary because it is important to emphasize that competition between individuals
25、 or groups is inevitable in a world of limited resources, but conflict is not. Conflict, nevertheless, is very likely to occur, and is probably an essential and desirable element of human societies.Many authors have argued for the inevitability of war from the premise that in the struggle for existe
26、nce among animal species, only the fittest survive. In general, however, this struggle in nature is competition, not conflict. Social animals, such as monkeys and cattle, fight to win or maintain leadership of the group. The struggle for existence occurs not in such fights, but in the competition fo
27、r limited feeding areas and for the occupancy of areas free from meat eating animals. Those who fail in this competition starve to death or become victims to other species. This struggle for existence does not resemble human war, but rather the competition of individuals for jobs, markets, and mater
28、ials. The essence of the struggle is the competition for the necessities of life that are insufficient to satisfy all.Among nations there is competition in developing resources, trades, skills, and a satisfactory way of life. The successful nations grow and prosper, the unsuccessful decline. While i
29、t is true that this competition may include efforts to expand territory at the expense of others, and thus lead to conflict, it cannot be said that, war-like conflict among nations is inevitable, although competition is. 9 The author holds the opinion that _.（A）like animal fights, competition is a n
30、ecessity and war is inevitable（B） competition becomes war when it grows more and more fierce（C） when social entities serve one another, opposition means cooperation（D）while competition is unavoidable, war is not a necessary outcome 10 The author cites animal fights _.（A）to argue for the inevitabilit
31、y of war（B） to support the theory that the fittest survive（C） to show that animals are free to eat animals（D）to indicate the nature of animal struggle 11 The tone of this essay is _.（A）serious and resolute（B） humorous and ironical（C） persuasive and convincing（D）subjective and positive 12 In which bo
32、ok will this passage most suitably be edited?（A）Sociology.（B） The Animal World.（C） The History of War.（D）The Making of a Nation. 12 In the art of the Middle Ages, we never encounter the personality of the artist as an individual; rather, it is diffused through the artistic genius of centuries embodi
33、ed in the rules of religious art. Art of the Middle Ages is a sacred script, the symbols and meanings of which were well settled. The circular halo placed vertically behind the head signifies sainthood, while the halo impressed with a cross signifies divinity. By bare feet, we recognize God, the ang
34、els, Jesus Christ and the apostles, but for an artist to have depicted the Virgin Mary with bare feet would have been tantamount to heresy. Several concentric, wavy lines represent the sky, while parallel lines represent water or the sea. A tree, which is to say a single stalk with two or three styl
35、ized leaves, informs us that the scene is laid on earth. A tower with a window indicates a village; and should an angel be watching from the battlements, that city is thereby identified as Jerusalem. Saint Peter is always depicted with curly hair, a short beard and a tonsure, while Saint Paul always
36、 has a bald head and a long beard.Through this system, even the most mediocre talent was elevated by the genius of the centuries. The artist of the early Renaissance broke with tradition at their own peril. When they are not outstanding, they are scarcely able to avoid insignificance and banality in
37、 their religious works; and even when they are great, they are no more than the equals of the old masters who passively followed the sacred rules.13 The primary purpose of the passage is to _.（A）theorize about the immediate influences on art of tile Middle Ages（B） explain why artists of the Middle A
38、ges followed the rules of a sacred script（C） discuss some of the important features of art of the Middle Ages（D）contrast the art of the Middle Ages with that of the Renaissance 14 All of the following are mentioned in the passage as elements of the sacred script EXCEPT _.（A）abstract symbols such as
39、lines to represent physical features（B） symbols such as halos and crosses（C） clothing used to characterize individuals（D）symmetrical juxtaposition of figures 15 The passage would most likely be found in a _.（A）sociological analysis of the Middle Ages（B） treatise on the influence of the Church in the
40、 Middle Ages（C） scholarly analysis of art in the Middle Ages（D）preface to a biography of a Renaissance artist 16 By the phrase “diffused through the artistic genius of centuries,“ the author most likely means _.（A）the individual artists of the Middle Ages did not have serious talent（B） great works o
41、f art from the Middle Ages have survived until now（C） an artist who faithfully followed the rules of religious art was not recognized during his lifetime（D）the rules of religious art, developed over time, left little freedom for the artist 16 At the present time, 98 percent of the world energy consu
42、mption comes from stored sources, such as fossil fuels or nuclear fuel. Only hydroelectric and wood energy represent completely renewable sources on ordinary time scales. Discovery of large additional fossil fuel reserves, solution of the nuclear safety and waste disposal problems, or the developmen
43、t of controlled thermonuclear fusion will provide only a short-term solution to the worlds energy crisis. Within about 100 years, the thermal pollution resulting from our increased energy consumption will make solar energy a necessity at any cost.Mans energy consumption is currently about one part i
44、n ten thousand that of the energy we receive from the sun. However, it is growing at a 5 percent rate, of which about 2 percent represents a population growth and 3 percent a per capita energy increase. If this growth continues, within 100 years our energy consumption will be about 1 percent of the
45、absorbed solar energy, enough to increase the average temperature of the earth by about one degree centigrade if stored energy continues to be our predominant source. This will be the point at which there will be significant effects in our climate, including the melting of the polar ice caps, a phen
46、omenon which will raise the level of the oceans and flood parts of our major cities. There is positive feedback associated with this process, since the polar ice cap contributes to the partial reflectivity of the energy arriving from the sun: As the ice caps begin to melt, the reflectivity will decr
47、ease, thus heating the earth still further.It is often stated that the growth rate will decline or that energy conservation measures will preclude any long-range problem. Instead, this only postpones the problem by a few years. Conservation by a factor of two together with a maintenance of the 5 per
48、cent growth rate the problem by only 14 years. Reduction of the growth rate to 4 percent postpones the problem by only 25 years; in addition, the inequities in standards of living throughout the world will provide pressure toward an increase in growth rate, particularly if cheap energy is available.
49、 The problem of a changing climate will not be evident until perhaps ten years before it becomes critical due to the nature of an exponential growth rate together with the normal annual weather variations. This may be too short a period to circumvent the problem by converting to other energy sources, so advance planning is a necessity.The only practical means of avoiding the problem of thermal pollution appears to be the use of solar energy. (Schemes to “air-condition“ the earth do not appear to be feasible before the twen
