1、考博英语-503 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Part Vocabulary(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Section A(总题数：10，分数：10.00)1.The day was crisp and sharp, but suddenly a misty rain began to fall and _ the landscape.（分数：1.00）A.hidB.blurredC.relievedD.belittled2._this coming Thursday, it will be too late to enrol for the course.
2、（分数：1.00）A.As ofB.As forC.As toD.As on3.The speaker went on and on, _ to his listeners obvious boredom.（分数：1.00）A.obligatedB.obsessiveC.obviousD.oblivious4.Such _ as self-respect and industriousness merit the full backing of an employer.（分数：1.00）A.advantagesB.traitsC.interestsD.shortcomings5._popula
3、rity of subject matter and frequency of use, the books on the two middle shelves will be the most helpful to you.（分数：1.00）A.As ofB.As regardsC.As fromD.As against6._ flees if one is constantly subjected to demeaning orders.（分数：1.00）A.PrimeB.HarassmentC.ConceitD.Pride7.Those who let uncertainty _ rar
4、ely achieve much.（分数：1.00）A.turn them downB.send them downC.weigh them downD.huddle down8.I was _ in my reading, and didnt at first hear the doorbell ring.（分数：1.00）A.immuredB.immersedC.busyD.infatuated9.An intelligent TV viewer may occasionally become enraged by the _ argumentation in commercials.（分
5、数：1.00）A.imperativeB.fallaciousC.persuasiveD.fabulous10.The police inspector, having received new information from a confidential source, decided to enlarge the _ of his enquiry.（分数：1.00）A.scopeB.magnitudeC.dimensionD.volume三、Section B(总题数：10，分数：10.00)11.The play was hilarious!（分数：1.00）A.a merry one
6、B.a prudish oneC.sedateD.prodigious12.Chaos theory stresses the magnitude of the results produced by so small an event as the fluttering of a butterflys wings.（分数：1.00）A.sizeB.volumeC.resultD.fame13.Serial murderers rarely deviate from a certain type of prey.（分数：1.00）A.attackerB.nourishmentC.victimD
7、.enemy14.He is constantly late, and ill-prepared when he does finally arrive. He is jeopardizing his future.（分数：1.00）A.developingB.endangeringC.assuringD.destroying15.The jungles of the sub-Sahara, afflicted with tse-tse and mosquitos, is an unhealthy are（分数：1.00）A.A. requiring inoculation againstB.
8、 heated byC. flooded byD. plagued by16.He covered the fish lavishly with sauce.（分数：1.00）A.sparinglyB.completelyC.generouslyD.simply17.The Salk polio vaccine provides immunity from that disease.（分数：1.00）A.securityB.publicityC.liabilityD.help18.The new guppies I bought have just a tinge of yellow.（分数：
9、1.00）A.dotB.markC.touchD.tingle19.Machiavelli cautions the prince not to relinquish power under passing duress.（分数：1.00）A.gainB.holdC.controlD.abandon20.The Smithsonian houses a miscellaneous collection of aircraft, artifacts, butterflies, stones both precious and common, and so on.（分数：1.00）A.a hete
10、rogenousB.an overwhelmingC.a unifiedD.a vast四、Part Reading Compr(总题数：0，分数：0.00)五、Passage One(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Thousands of years ago man used handy rocks for his surgical operations. Later he used sharp bone or horn, metal knives and more recently, rubber and plastic. And that was where we stuck, in s
11、urgical instrument terms, for many years. In the 1960s a new tool was developed, one which was, first of all, to be of great practical use to the armed forces and industry, but which was also, in time, to revolutionize the art and science of surgery.The tool is the laser and it is being used by more
12、 and more surgeons all over the world, for a very large number of different complaints. The word laser means: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Light. As we all know, light is hot; any source of light from the sun itself down to a humble match burning will give warmth. But light is usual
13、ly spread out over a wide area. The light in a laser beam, however, is concentrated. This means that a light with no more power than that produced by an ordinary electric light bulb becomes intensely strong as it is concentrated to a pinpoint-sized beam.Experiments with these pinpoint beams showed r
14、esearchers that different energy sources produce beams that have a particular effect on certain living cells. It is now possible for eye surgeons to operate on the back of the human eye without harming the front of the eye, simply by passing a laser beam right through the eyeball. No knives, no stit
15、ches (刀口缝合), no unwanted damage a true surgical wonder.Operations which once left patients exhausted and in need of long periods of recovery time now leave them feeling relaxed and comfortable. So much more difficult operations can now be tried.The rapid development of laser techniques in the past t
16、en years has made it clear that the future is likely to be very exciting. Perhaps some cancers will be treated with laser in a way that makes surgery not only safer but more effective. Altogether, tomorrow may see more and more information coming to light on the diseases which can be treated medical
17、ly.（分数：10.00）(1).Up until the 1960s the instruments used to perform surgical operations were _.（分数：2.00）A.fashionableB.extraordinaryC.specialD.basic(2).After the development of the laser in the 1960s, we find that _.（分数：2.00）A.medical help became available for industrial workers.B.the study of art w
18、ent through a complete revolution.C.more and more surgeons began using surgical instruments.D.mans whole approach to surgery changed completely(3).The laser beam is so strong because _.（分数：2.00）A.it is composed of a concentrated beam of lightB.its heat is increased by the heat of the sunC.it can be
19、plugged into an ordinary light fittingD.it sends out heat in many different directions(4).Surgeons can now carry out operations which _.（分数：2.00）A.can be performed successfully only on the human eyeB.result in long periods of recovery time for patientsC.are made much more complicated by using the la
20、ser beamD.result in very little damage to the patients themselves(5).The rapid development of laser techniques has meant that _.（分数：2.00）A.in another ten years we shall be able to cure cancerB.surgery is likely to improve considerablyC.we shall be able to treat all the diseases we suffer fromD.we ar
21、e now able to treat most forms of cancer六、Passage Two(总题数：1，分数：10.00)In 1885 Owen Wister (18501938) recorded that “it wont be a century before the West is simply the true America, with thought, type, and life of its own“ and he wanted “to be the hand that once, for all, chronicled and laid bare the
22、virtues and the vices of this extraordinary phase of American social progress.“ He never became that self-envisioned Tolstoi of the old West, but in 1902 The Virginian was published. It won instant success and skyrocketed its author to fame. It is still the most popular “Western“ novel ever publishe
23、d and the master design for the fiction of the Wild West.The Virginian established a literary form, a formula popularly known as “horse opera“, whose conventions, cliches, and values have reappeared in novels and short stories, in movies and television serials, ever since. The romantic cowboy is the
24、 hero and gentleman, one of those “good men in the humbler walks of life“, who sees through shams, defends justice and a ladys honor, shoots it out with the villain and conquers evil. Because of The Virginian, Wister created a character who is the original type for the Western folk hero. He represen
25、ts the embodiment of certain American ideals-a man who is equal to all occasions, who shows independence of action, a man who keeps his word who is “a broad-guage fellow living among narrow-guage folk“. But the literary device and cowboy code which Wister established dictated that the hero must kill
26、 the bad man. This necessity for sanctioning murder and romanticizing of the cowboy as a gentleman prohibited The Virginian and the genre it created from becoming serious fiction, or even an authentic product of the western experience. Instead of achieving his ambition, therefore, Wister gave us a s
27、ort of American folk epic, the cowboy story.（分数：10.00）(1).Owen Wister believed _.（分数：2.00）A.the way of life in the West in 1885 was a passing phaseB.the cowboy in 1885 symbolized the typical American male.C.the West would be always isolated from the rest of the country by its moral code.D.none of th
28、es(2).The reference to Wister as a self-envisioned Tolstoi implies that _.（分数：2.00）A.The Virginian is as great a novel as War and PeaceB.Wister underestimated himself as an authorC.Wister wanted to be a writer of light novelsD.as Tolstoi had laid bare the virtues and vices of Russian society, so Wis
29、ter would do for the society of the American West.(3).Stylistically, The Virginian is noted for the fact that it _.（分数：2.00）A.was written according to a pre-established formula.B.established the formula known as “horse opera“.C.followed the literary conventions of the day.D.abandoned American conven
30、tions in favor of foreign ones.(4).The popularity which was accorded The Virginian indicates that Wister _.（分数：2.00）A.realized his stated ambitionB.gave us an authentic account of the western experienceC.became the American TolstoiD.had written an account of the cowboy which appealed to American asp
31、irations(5).The author of the article believes that _.（分数：2.00）A.The Virginian did not deserve the success it wonB.Wister made a definite contribution to American literatureC.Wister was a hackD.cowboy stories should be considered serious fiction七、Passage Three(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Death comes quickly in t
32、he mountains. Each winter holiday makers are caught unawares as they happily ski away from the fixed runs, little realizing that a small avalanche can send them crashing in a bone-breaking fall down the slope and leave them buried under tons of crisp white snow. There are lots of theories about how
33、to avoid disaster when hit by an avalanche. Practice is normally less cheerful.The snow in the Salzburg of Austria where a recent disaster took place was typical avalanche material: For several days before the incident I had skied locally. Early winter snow was wearing thin and covered with ice. On
34、top of that new, warmer flakes were gently falling to produce a dangerous carpet. To the skier who enjoys unmarked slopes it is tempting stuff, deep new power snow on a hard base-the skiing that dreams are made of And sometimes nightmares.Snow falls in sections like a cake. Different sections have d
35、ifferent densities because of the temperatures at the time of the fall and in the weeks afterwards. Problems come when any particular section is too thick and not sticking to the section beneath. The snow of the past few weeks had been falling in rather higher temperatures than those of December and
36、 early January. The result of these conditions is that even a slight increase in the temperatures sends a thin stream of water between the new snow and the old. Then the new snow simply slides off the mountain.Such slides are not unexpected. Local citizens know the slopes which tend to avalanche and
37、 the weather in which such slides are likely. Traps are set to catch the snow or prevent it slipping; bombs are placed and exploded from time to time to set off small avalanches before a big one has time to build up; and above all, skiers are warned not to ski in danger areas.In spite of this, avala
38、nches happen in unexpected areas and, of course, skiers ignore the warnings. The one comfort to recreational skiers, however, is that avalanche incidents on the marked ski slopes are quite rare. No ski resort wants the image of being a death trap.（分数：10.00）(1).Each winter holiday makers in the mount
39、ains come face to face with death because _.（分数：2.00）A.they fail to realize how dangerous avalanches can beB.they are not expert enough at skiing on the fixed runsC.they are trying to avoid areas where avalanches happenD.they ski great distances down the mountainsides(2).According to the writer, ski
40、ing conditions in the Salzburg area of Austria before the accident happened were _.（分数：2.00）A.perfect for the inexperienced skierB.unsafe because the new snow was covered with iceC.typical of conditions resulting in avalanchesD.suitable only for skiing locally(3).It would appear from the text that a
41、valanches are brought about because _.（分数：2.00）A.a particular section of snow is not thick enoughB.there is a slight fall in the temperatureC.heavy snowfalls turn into rainD.the ice between different sections of snow melts(4).In areas where avalanches are known to happen _.（分数：2.00）A.local residents
42、 stay indoors when the weather is badB.measures are taken to prevent serious avalanchesC.small avalanches can easily be preventedD.skiers form themselves into a wall to keep the snow in position(5).Although accidents do happen, skiers will be reasonably safe if _.（分数：2.00）A.they stay on the official
43、ly approved slopesB.they ski only for pleasureC.they ski only at resortsD.they choose less crowded ski slopes八、Passage Four(总题数：1，分数：10.00)The English, as a race, are very different from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, Belgians and Dutch. It is claimed that li
44、ving on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who i
45、s fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners she often seems inhibited, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having
46、 a light sleep in a corner; no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage shake hands with all the passengers.“ Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwri
47、tten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspect.In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gestures. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of cours
48、e, an Englishman feels no less deeply than any other nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. Whereas a more emotional man might describe her as “an excellent jewel“, “extremely
49、 beautiful“, “precious“, the Englishman will flatly state “Urn, shes all right“. An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “Its not bad, you know,“ or on seeing very unusual scenery he might convey his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.“ The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement; he must realize that “all right“, “not had“
