1、英语阅读(二)自考题-13 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BPART ONE/B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、BPassage One/B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Many people believe that beavers are intelligent animals. After all, their dams are fine examples of engineering. The engineering feats of beavers are well known, but it will be use
2、ful to recall their main features.A pair of beavers will construct a dam across a river. The water held back by the dam overflows the bank on either side of the river, flooding the adjacent ground and forming a pond. At some point in the pond the beavers then build their home, which is called a lodg
3、e. This consists of a conical pile of branches and sticks of two to six feet in length held together with mud and stones, the top of which projects above the waterline. It serves as a shelter from the elements, a refuge from enemies and a base for food supplies to be drawn upon in winter.From an eng
4、ineering point of view the lodge could hardly be improved. Not only does it contain a central chamber just above water level, but it also has one or more escape tunnels, well-insulated walls and a vertical chimney, which regulates the temperature inside and gives air-conditioning. It is altogether a
5、 cunning piece of construction, with all modern conveniences. It is, in fact, better protected against the effects of flooding than many human habitations.Trees are essential to beavers. They eat the bark on the upper branches, and in order to reach these they must fell the trees. Tree-felling is a
6、skilled job, as anyone who has felled even a sapling knows. But beavers fell more than saplings. A pair is said to be able to fell a tree four inches in diameter in 15 minutes. They do it by gnawing all round the trunk, as high up from the ground as they can reach. They often build platforms of mud
7、and earth to enable them to cut through the tree where the trunk is narrower.The engineering skill of beavers is to a large extent a result of their ability to use their front paws as hands. A female will carry her young held under her chin with her front paws walking on her hind legs. A similar met
8、hod is used by all beavers when transporting stones or mud, although they also carry such materials on their broad flat tails. The forepaws are also used for burrowing and for dragging heavier logs.It is easy, therefore, to see why people should talk about the beavers skill, cleverness and intellige
9、nce. However, the structure of the beavers brain gives no indication that the animal is any more intelligent than other rodents. Any of its actions, which appear to be the result of a higher order of reasoning, can be shown to be due to instinct and are suspected of being the outcome of an inborn pa
10、ttern of behavior.（分数：10.00）(1).The passage implies that beavers prefer to build their home in _. A. deep water B. shallow water C. rivers rather than pond D. lakes rather than rivers（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).The word “elements“ in Paragraph 2 means _. A. natural habitations for animals B. environment na
11、tural to an individual C. atmospheric forces as rain, wind or snow D. substances as earth, water, air and fire（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The sentence “From an engineering point of view the lodge could hardly be improved“ means _. A. the lodge was too poor to improve B. the lodge was left much to improve C
12、. the lodge was nearly perfect D. it is easy to improve the lodge（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Beavers fell trees mainly to _. A. build dams B. build their lodges C. gain food D. exercise their jaws（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Which of the following statements is best to describe beavers? _ A. They are clever animal
13、s and learn quickly. B. They are more intelligent than other animals. C. Many of their skills are developed in late life. D. Many of their skills are inborn capabilities.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.四、BPassage Two/B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Packaging is an important form of advertising. A package can sometimes motivate s
14、omeone to buy a product. For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food that comes in a box with a picture of a TV character. The child is more interested in the picture than in the breakfast food. Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or small gifts insid
15、e a box also motivate many children to buy products or to ask their parents for them.Some packages suggest that a buyer will get something for nothing. Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this. Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer
16、 to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe the container is free. However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product.The size of a package also motivates a buyer. Maybe the package has “Economy Size“ printed on it. This suggests that the large size has
17、the most product for the least money. But that is not always true. To find out, a buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit.The information on the package should provide some answers. But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an adve
18、rtisement. The words and pictures do not tell the whole story. Only the product inside can do that.（分数：10.00）(1).Which of the following statements could best summarize the main idea of the passage? _ A. Children are interested in some packages of products. B. Package is one of the important ways of
19、advertising. C. People prefer to buy the products in plain containers. D. The size of a package usually motivates a buyer.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).The phrase “a buyer will get something for nothing“ (Line 1, Para. 2) probably means _. A. a buyer will get something free of charge B. a buyer will get some
20、thing useless C. a buyer will get something useful D. nothing is worth buying（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage? _ A. Sometimes people are easily motivated by packages. B. Small children sometimes are more interested in games printed on a pack
21、age than the product itself. C. A product in a reusable container must be cheaper than a similar product in a plain container. D. “Economy Size“ doesnt always suggest that people can buy the most product for the least money.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).What does the word “them“ (Line 5, Para. 1) refer to? _
22、 A. Small gifts. B. Pictures. C. Games. D. Products.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).What does the author imply in the last paragraph? _ A. Package is just an advertisement. B. Buyers shouldnt believe the information on the package too much. C. The package has nothing to do at all with the product. D. Buyers ca
23、n always find answers in the information on the package.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.五、BPassage Three(总题数：1，分数：10.00)We shall outline the four major subfields of anthropology that have emerged in the twentieth century, physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistics and cultural anthropology.Physical anthropolo
24、gy deals with human biology across space and time. It is divided into two areas, paleontology, the study of the fossil evidence of the primate (including human) evolution, and neontology, the comparative biology of living primates, including population and molecular genetics, body shapes (morphology
25、), and the extent to which behavior is bio-logically programmed.Archaeology is the systematic retrieval and analysis of the physical remains left behind by human beings, including both their skeletal and cultural remains. Both the classical civilizations and prehistoric groups, including our prehuma
26、n ancestors, are investigated.Linguistics is the study of language across space and time. Historical linguistics at-tempts to trace the tree of linguistic evolution and to reconstruct ancestral language forms. Comparative (or structural) linguistics attempts to describe formally the basic elements o
27、f languages and the rules by which they are ordered into intelligible speech.Cultural anthropology includes many different perspectives and specialized sub-disciplines but is concerned primarily with describing the forms of social organization and the cultural systems of human groups. In technical u
28、sage, ethnography is the description of the social and cultural systems of one particular group, whereas ethnology is the comparison of such descriptions for the purpose of generalizing about the nature of all human groups.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “anthropology“ (Line 1, Para. 1) probably means _. A.
29、study of ancient human beings B. study of mankind of its origins, development, beliefs, etc. C. study of human biology D. analysis of the physical remains left behind by human beings（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Linguistics includes _. A. study of language and analysis of physical remains of human beings B.
30、linguistic evolution and ancestral language forms C. historical linguistics and comparative linguistics D. study of language across space and time（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).It can be safely inferred that _. A. cultural anthropology has the most perspectives B. physical anthropology has the most perspectiv
31、es C. ethnography has the most perspectives D. linguistics has the most perspectives（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following statements is not true? _ A. Anthropology can be divided into four major fields. B. This passage is mainly about anthropology. C. Linguistics deals with language as a whole
32、. D. The meaning of “ethnography“ is almost the same as that of “ethnology“.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The passage is probably taken from _. A. a novel B. a science fiction C. a detective story D. a science book（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.六、BPassage Four/(总题数：1，分数：10.00)That experiences influence subsequent behavior
33、 is evidence of an obvious but nevertheless remarkable activity called remembering. Learning could not occur without the function popularly named memory. Constant practice has such an effect on memory as to lead to skilful performance on the piano, to recitation of a poem, and even to reading and un
34、derstanding these words. So-called intelligent behavior demands memory, remembering being a primary requirement for reasoning. The ability to solve any problem or even to recognize that a problem exists depends on memory. Typically, the decision to cross a street is based on remembering many earlier
35、 experiences.Practice (or review) tends to build and maintain memory for a task or for any learned material. Over a period of no practice what has been learned tends to be forgotten; and the adaptive consequences may not seem obvious. Yet, dramatic instances of sudden forgetting can be seen to be ad
36、aptive. In this sense, the ability to forget can be interpreted to have survived through a process of natural selection in animals. Indeed, when ones memory of an emotionally painful experience leads to serious anxiety, forgetting may produce relief. Nevertheless, an evolutionary interpretation migh
37、t make it difficult to understand how the commonly gradual process of forgetting survived natural selection.In thinking about the evolution of memory together with all its possible aspects, it is helpful to consider what would happen if memories failed to fade. Forgetting clearly aids orientation in
38、 time, since old memories weaken and the new tend to stand out, providing clues for inferring duration. Without forgetting, adaptive ability would suffer, for example, learned behavior that might have been correct a decade ago may no longer be. Cases are recorded of people who (by ordinary standards
39、) forgot so little that their everyday activities were full of confusion. This forgetting seems to serve that survival of the individual and the species.Another line of thought assumes a memory storage system of limited capacity that provides adaptive flexibility specifically through forgetting. In
40、this view, continual adjustments are made between learning or memory storage (input) and forgetting (output). Indeed, there is evidence that the rate at which individuals forget is directly related to how much they have learned. Such data offers gross support of contemporary models of memory that as
41、sume an in-put-output balance.（分数：10.00）(1).From the evolutionary point of view _. A. sudden forgetting may bring about adaptive consequences B. forgetting for lack of practice tends to be obviously inadaptive C. if a person gets very forgetful all of a sudden he must be very adaptive D. forgetting
42、is an indication of an individuals adaptability（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).According to the passage, if a person never forgot, _. A. he would survive best B. he would have a lot of trouble C. the evolution of memory would stop D. his ability to learn would be enhanced（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).From the last para
43、graph we know that _. A. forgetfulness is a response to learning B. memory is a compensation for forgetting C. the capacity of a memory storage system is limited D. the memory storage system is balanced（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The tone of the passage can best be described as _. A. humorous B. theoretica
44、l C. exaggerative D. philosophical（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The authors main purpose in writing this passage is to _. A. interpret the function of forgetting B. illustrate the process of adapting C. explain the performance of memory D. emphasize the importance of learning（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.七、BPassage Five/
45、(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Frank Buonanotte was going through some junk mail when he came across a postcard advertising a History Channel documentary. “That pile of mail had been sitting there for weeks,“ he says. “But I noticed the movie was scheduled to air within the hour.“ For some reason, Buonanotte, a se
46、miretired entrepreneur, tuned in.Into the Fire was about firefighters, and Buonanotte was fascinated. “One segment was about what its like to be in a fire,“ he recalls. “The smoke makes it impossible to see, youre crawling along the floor, people are trapped in remote rooms.“ The film explained how
47、a new technology called thermal imaging could “see“ through smoke and walls so fire- fighters could identify victims, fallen colleagues, and the source of a fire.But the portable cameras cost more than $10,000 each, and few fire stations could afford them. About 80,000 firefighters are injured every
48、 year in the line of duty; last year, 114 died. “But its not like cancer,“ says Buonanotte. “A cure exists. The only reason its not used is lack of funds. That bothered me.“The documentary stuck with him. Having recently quit his day-to-day duties as founder and CEO of two companies, Buonanotte had been meeting with a life coach to figure out “what the second half of my life would be about.“At first, Buonanotte thought he would simply donate a few thermal imagers. He contacted the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and one conversation led to another. Buonanotte decided to
