1、考博英语-218 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、B Reading Compe(总题数：6，分数：30.00)Directions: There are 6 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.BPassage One/BTh
2、e table before which we sit may be, as the scientist maintains, composed of dancing atoms, but it does not reveal itself to us as anything of the kind, and it is not with dancing atoms but a solid and motionless object that we live.So remote is this “real“ table-and most of the other “realities“ wit
3、h which science deals-that it cannot be discussed in terms which have any human value, and though it may receive out purely intellectual credence it cannot be woven into the pattern of life as it is led, in contradistinction to life as we attempt to think about it. Vibrations in the either are so to
4、tally unlike, let us say, the color purple that the gulf between them cannot be bridged, and they are, to all intents and purposes, not one but two separate things of which the second and less “real“ must be the most significant for us. And just as the sensation which has led us to attribute an obje
5、ctive reality to a nonexistent thing which we call “purple“ is more important for human life than the conception of vibrations of a certain frequency, so too the belief in God, however ill founded, has been more important in the life of man than the germ theory of decay, however true the latter may
6、he.We may, if we like, speak of consequence, as certain mystics love to do, of the different levels or orders of truth. We may adopt what is essentially a Platonist trick of thought and insist upon postulating the existence of external realities which correspond to the needs and modes of human feeli
7、ng and which, so we may insist, have their being is some part of the universe unreachable by science. But to do so is to make an unwarrantable assumption and to be guilty of the metaphysical fallacy of failing to distinguish between a truth of feeling and that other sort of truth which is described
8、as a “truth of correspondence,“ and it is better perhaps, at least for those of us who have grown up in an age of scientific thought, to steer clear of such confusions and to rest content with the admission that, though the universe with which science deals is the real universe, yet we do not and ca
9、nnot have any but fleeting and imperfect contacts with it ; that the most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions, desires, and aspirations-takes place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate or destroy, but which it is powerless to enrich.（分数：5.00）(1).According to this p
10、assage, a scientist would conceive of a “table“ as being _.（分数：1.00）A.a solid motionless objectB.certain characteristic vibrations in “ether“C.a form fixed in space and timeD.a mass of atoms on motion(2).By “objective reality“ the author means _.（分数：1.00）A.scientific realityB.a phenomenon we can dir
11、ectly experienceC.reality colored by emotionD.a symbolic existence(3).The author suggests that in order to bridge the puzzling schism between scientific truth and the world of illusions, the reader should _.（分数：1.00）A.try to rid himself of his world of illusionB.accept his world as being one of illu
12、sionC.apply the scientific methodD.establish a truth of correspondence(4).The topic of this selection is _.（分数：1.00）A.the distortion of reality by scienceB.the confusion caused by emotionsC.Platonic and contemporary views of truthD.the place of scientific truth in our lives(5).Judging from the ideas
13、 and tone of the selection, one may reasonably guess that the author is _.（分数：1.00）A.a humanistB.a pantheistC.a nuclear physicistD.a doctorBPassage Two/BThese days we hear a lot of nonsense about the “great classless society“. The ideal that the twentieth century is the age of the common man has bec
14、ome one of the great cliches of our time. The same old arguments are put forward in evidence. Here are some of them: monarchy as a system of government has been completely discredited. The monarchies that survive have been deprived of all political power. Inherited wealth has been savagely reduced b
15、y taxation and, in time, the great fortunes will disappear altogether. In a number of countries the victory has been complete. The people rule; the great millennium has become a political reality. But has it? Close examination doesnt bear out the claim.It is a fallacy to suppose that all men are equ
16、al and that society will be leveled out if you provide everybody with the same educational opportunities. (It is debatable whether you can ever provide everyone with the same educational opportunities, but that is another question.) The/act is that nature dispenses brains and ability with a total di
17、sregard for the principle of equality. The old rules of the jungle, “survival of the fittest“, and “might is right“ are still with us. The spread of education has destroyed the old class system and created a new one. Rewards are based on merit. For “aristocracy“ read “meritocracy“; in other respects
18、, society remains unaltered: the class system is rigidly maintained.Genuine ability, animal cunning, skill, the knack of seizing opportunities, all bring material rewards. And what is the first thing people do when they become rich? They use their wealth to secure the best possible opportunities for
19、 their children, to give them a good start in life. For all the lip service we pay to the idea of equality, we do not consider this wrong in the western world. Private schools which offer affair advantages over state schools are not banned because one of the principles in a democracy is that people
20、should be free to choose how they will educate their children. In this way, the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent: an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart. Wealth is also used indiscriminately to further political ends. It wo
21、uld be almost impossible to become the leader of a democracy without massive financial backing. Money is as powerful a weapon as ever it was.In societies wholly dedicated to the principle of social equality, privileged private education is forbidden. But even here people are rewarded according to th
22、eir abilities. In fact, so great is the need for skilled workers that the least able may be neglected. Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers. In the end, all political ideologies boil down to the same thing: class divisions persist whether you are ruled by a f
23、eudal king or an educated peasant.（分数：5.00）(1).What is the main idea of this passage?（分数：1.00）A.Equality of opportunity in the twentieth century has not destroyed the class system.B.Equality means money.C.There is no such society as classless society.D.Nature cant give you a classless society.(2).Ac
24、cording to the author, the same educational opportunities cant get rid of inequality because _.（分数：1.00）A.the principle “survival of the fittest“ existsB.nature ignores equality in dispensing brains and abilityC.material rewards are for genuine abilityD.people have the freedom how to educate their c
25、hildren(3).Who can obtain more rapid success?（分数：1.00）A.Those with wealth.B.Those with the best brains.C.Those with the best opportunities.D.Those who have the ability to catch at opportunities.(4).Why does the author say the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent? Because _.（分数：1
26、.00）A.money decides everythingB.private schools offer advantages over state schoolsC.people are free to choose the way of educating their childrenD.wealth is used for political ends(5).According to the author, “class divisions“ refers to _.（分数：1.00）A.different opportunities for peopleB.the rich and
27、the poorC.oppressor and the oppressedD.genius and stupidityBPassage Three/BThe discovery of the Antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called “the heroic age of Antarctic exploration“. By their tremendous heroism, men such as S
28、hackleton, Scott, and Amundsen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. Modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the techniques of former explorers, and, although still calling for courage and feats of en
29、durance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable.Few realize that this Antarctic continent is almost equal in size to South America, and enormous field of work
30、 awaits geographers and prospectors. The coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the mapping of the whole of interior presents formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. Once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resource
31、s which scientists believe will furnish one of the largest treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, an almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. Such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of th
32、e Antarctic wastes.The polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air fields for the future intercontinental air service by making these areas as light as day. Present flying routes will compl
33、etely change, for the Antarctic refueling bases will make flight fiom Australia to South America comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey.The climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer Admiral Byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely unt
34、rained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. Some of his parties were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the Antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all
35、 countries could live there safely. Byrd even affirms that it is probably the most health climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilized this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree, with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sicknesses and disease
36、from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown.There exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the latter keep indefinitely without any signs of deterioration; it may even be that later generations will come to regard the Antarct
37、ic as the natural storehouse for the whole world. Plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a “dead continent“ now promises to be a most active centre of human life and endeavor.（分数：5.00）(1).When did man begin to ex
38、plore the Antarctic?（分数：1.00）A.About 100 years ago.B.In this century.C.At the beginning of the 19th century.D.In 1798.(2).What must the explorers be, even though they have modern equipment and techniques?（分数：1.00）A.Brave and tough.B.Stubborn and arrogant.C.Well-liked and humorous.D.Stout and smart.(
39、3).What kind of metals and minerals can we find in the Antarctic?（分数：1.00）A.Magnesite, coal and oil.B.Copper, coal and uranium.C.Silver, natural gas and uranium.D.Aluminum, copper and natural gas.(4).The most healthy climate in the world is _.（分数：1.00）A.in South AmericaB.in the Arctic RegionC.in the
40、 Antarctic ContinentD.in the Atlantic Ocean(5).What is planned for the continent?（分数：1.00）A.Building dams along the coasts.B.Setting up several summer resorts along the coasts.C.Mapping the coast and the whole territory.D.Setting up permanent bases on the coasts.BPassage Four/BTelevision is one of t
41、odays most powerful and widespread means of mass communication. It directly influences our lives on both a short and long-term basis; it brings worldwide situations into our homes; it affords extensive opportunities for acquiring higher education; and it performs these tasks in a convenient yet effe
42、ctive manner. We are all aware of the popularly accepted applications of television, particularly those relative to entertainment and news broadcasting. Television, however, has also been a vital link in unmanned deep space exploration (such as the Voyager and missions), in providing visions from ha
43、zardous areas (such as proximity to radioactive materials or environments) in underwater research, in viewing storms moving across a metropolitan area (the camera being placed in a weather-protective enclosure near the top of a tower) , etc. The earths weather satellites also use television cameras
44、for viewing cloud cover and movements from 20, 000 miles in space. Infrared filters are used for night views, and several systems include a spinning mirror arrangement to permit wide-area views from the camera. Realizing the unlimited applications for todays television, one may thus logically ponder
45、 the true benefits of confining most of our video activities to the mass-entertainment field.Conventional television broadcasting within the United States centres around free enterprise and public ownership. This requires funding by commercial sponsors, and thus functions in a revenue-producing busi
46、ness manner. Television in USSR-subjected areas, conversely, is a government-owned and maintained arrangement. While such arrangements eliminate the need for commercial sponsorship, it also has the possibility of limiting the type of programs available to viewers (a number of purely entertainment pr
47、ograms similar to the classic “Bewitched“, however, have been seen on these government-controlled networks. All isnt as gray and dismal as the uninformed might unnecessarily visualize). A highly modified form of television called Slow-Scan TV is presently being used by many Amateur Radio operators t
48、o provide direct visual communications with almost any area of the world. This unique visual mode recently allowed people on the tiny South Pacific country of Pitcairn Island to view, for the first time in their lives, distant areas and people of the world. The chief radio Amateur and communications
49、 officer of Pitcairn, incidentally, is the legendary Tom Christian-great, great grandson of Tom Christian of “Mutiny on the Bounty“ fame. Radio Amateurs in many lands worked together for several months establishing visual capabilities. The results have proven spectacular, yet the visual capabilities have only been used for health education, or welfare purposes. Commercial TV is still unknown to natives of that tiny country. Numerous other forms of television and visual communication have also been u
