1、考研英语(二)-12 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：4，分数：100.00)At the present time, 98 percent of the world energy consumption comes from stored sources, such as fossil fuels or nuclear fuel. Only hydroelectric and wood energy represent completely renewable sources on ordinary time sca
2、les. Discovery of large additional fossil fuel reserves, solution of the nuclear safety and waste disposal problems, or the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion will provide only a short-term solution to the world“s energy crisis. Within about 100 years, the thermal pollution resulting fro
3、m our increased energy consumption will make solar energy a necessity at any cost. Man“s energy consumption is currently about one part in 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
4、3 percent a per capita energy increase. If this growth continues, within 100 years our energy consumption will be about 1 percent of the 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 sour
5、ce. This will be the point at which there will be significant effects in our climate, including the melting of the polar ice caps, a phenomenon 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 c
6、ap contributes to the partial reflectivity of the energy arriving from the sun. As the ice caps begin to melt, the reflectivity will decrease, 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
7、problem. Instead, this only postpones the problem by a few years. Conservation by a factor of two together with a maintenance of the 5 percent growth rate delays the problem by only 14 years. Reduction of the growth rate to 4 percent postpones the problem by only 25 years; in addition, the inequitie
8、s in standards of living throughout the world will provide pressure toward an increase in growth rate, particularly if cheap energy is available. 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 t
9、ogether 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. Using th
10、e solar energy before it is dissipated to heat does not increase the earth“s energy balance. The cost of solar energy is extremely favorable now, particularly when compared to the cost of relocating many of our major cities.（分数：25.00）(1).All of the following are factors which will tend to increase t
11、hermal pollution EXCEPT _.（分数：5.00）A.the earth“s increasing populationB.the increase in per capita energy consumptionC.expected anomalies in weather patternsD.the melting of the polar ice caps(2).The positive feedback mentioned in the second paragraph means that the melting of the polar ice caps wil
12、l _.（分数：5.00）A.reduce per capita energy consumptionB.accelerate the transition to solar energyC.intensify the effects of thermal pollutionD.necessitate a shift to alternative energy sources(3).The possibility of energy conservation is mentioned in order to _.（分数：5.00）A.refute a possible objection to
13、 the author“s positionB.support directly the central idea of the textC.prove that such measures are ineffectiveD.provide the reader with additional background information(4).Which of the following would be the most logical topic for the author to address in a succeeding paragraph?（分数：5.00）A.The prob
14、lems of nuclear safety and waste disposal.B.The availability and cost of solar energy technology.C.The practical effects of flooding of coastal cities.D.A history of the development of solar energy.(5).The tone of the text is best described as one of _.（分数：5.00）A.optimismB.indignationC.suspicionD.pe
15、ssimismMinorities often get separate and unequal mental health care: They“re less likely than whites to receive needed treatment, and the care they do get is of lower quality, says a Surgeon General“s report out Sunday. Among the key causes of the “striking disparities“ in care for U.S. whites and m
16、inorities are financial barriers, racism, mistrust of doctors and language problems. “Our failure to address these disparities is playing out in homeless shelters, in foster care in prisons and jails,“ says Surgeon General David Satcher. Poverty greatly raises the risk of serious mental disorders, s
17、o some minority groups are especially vulnerable. Blacks and Hispanics have about triple the poverty rate of whites. And 37% of Hispanics have no health insurance, more than double the rate for whites. Lack of private insurance throws mentally ill people at the mercy of a thinning “safety net“ of pu
18、blic treatment centers. In many cities, such as Detroit, the net is so thin, “it“s barely there,“ says psychologist James Jackson of the Institute for Social Research at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Minority kids pose special concerns. Hispanic youth have significantly poorer mental health than
19、 whites, Satcher says. Some 45% of children in foster care are black, as are more than half awaiting adoption. Many have serious mental disorders, research suggests. Even when they can afford care, feelings of stigma may get in the way. “Within many Asian cultures, mental illness is heavily stigmati
20、zed. I know, because there“s mental illness in my family,“ says Richard Nakamura, deputy director at the National Institute of Mental Health. Mistrust of therapists isn“t totally off the mark. There“s evidence of racial and ethnic bias by counselors, the report says. Minorities are more likely than
21、whites to rely on their primary care doctors for detecting emotional disorders. But “it“s an uphill battle to get treatment for mental problems under managed care,“ says Ronald Kessler, a health policy expert at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “You have to be very sophisticated. Doctors are not li
22、kely to diagnose a mental disorder in the eight minutes they“re allowed with the patient,“ Kessler Says. The report recommends integrating mental health and medical services. Research on the mental health of minorities is sparse, because until the past few years, studies didn“t indicate a subject“s
23、race or included mostly whites. In 1994, the National Institutes of Health started to require that its funded studies include minorities. Satcher remains hopeful, partly because federal grants will soon be funding programs to target the disparities. “I“m very optimistic, but I don“t believe it“s goi
24、ng to be easy,“ he says.（分数：25.00）(1).The “striking disparities“ in the passage refer to _.（分数：5.00）A.the marked differences in mental health care between whites and nonwhitesB.the financial barriers to high quality treatment of minority patientsC.the unequal insurance coverage between the whites an
25、d minoritiesD.the thinning safety net of public treatment centers for the minorities(2).According to Doctor Satcher, lack of high quality mental health care causes special concern in _. A. public treatment centers B. the treatment of minority children C the treatment of the homeless patients D. fost
26、er care in prisons and jails（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following is not mentioned as a major cause for unequal mental health care?（分数：5.00）A.Discriminatory medical practice.B.Mistrust of therapists.C.Lack of access to public treatment centers.D.Humble feelings before white doctors.(4).What Ri
27、chard Nakamura said emphasizes the _ cause for the disparities in mental health care.（分数：5.00）A.culturalB.financialC.psychologicalD.personal(5).Satcher“s attitude to narrowing the disparities in mental health care is _.（分数：5.00）A.reservedB.detachedC.mixedD.matter-of-factMost American politicians say
28、 they support marriage, but few do much about it, except perhaps to sound off about the illusory threat to it from gays. The public are divided. Few want to go back to the attitudes or divorce laws of the 1950s. But many at both ends of the political spectrum lament the fragility of American familie
29、s and would change, at least, the way the tax code penalises many couples who marry. And some politicians want the state to draw attention to benefits of marriage, as it does to the perils of smoking. George Bush is one. Since last year, his administration has been handing out grants to promote heal
30、thy marriages. This is a less preachy enterprise than you might expect. Sidonie Squier, the bureaucrat in charge, does not argue that divorce is wrong: “If you“re being abused, you should get out.“ Nor does she think the government should take a view on whether people should have pre-marital sex. He
31、r budget for boosting marriage is tiny: $100m a year, or about what the Defence Department spends every two hours. Some of it funds research into what makes a relationship work well and whether outsiders can help. Most of the rest goes to groups that try to help couples get along better, some of whi
32、ch are religiously-inspired. The first 124 grants were disbursed only last September, so it is too early to say whether any of this will work. But certain approaches look hopeful. One is “marriage education“. The army already does this. About 35,000 soldiers this year will get a 12-hour course on ho
33、w to communicate better with their partners, and how to resolve disputes without throwing plates. It costs about $300 per family. Given that it costs $50,000 to recruit and train a rifleman, and that marital problems are a big reason why soldiers quit, you don“t have to save many marriages for this
34、to be cost-effective, says Peter Frederich, the chaplain in charge. Several studies have shown that such courses do indeed help couples communicate better and quarrel less bitterly. As to whether they prevent divorce, a meta-analysis by Jason Carroll and William Doherty concluded that the jury was s
35、till out. The National Institutes of Health is paying for a five-year study of Mr Frederich“s soldiers to shed further light on the issue. At the end of the day, says Ms Squier, the government“s influence over the culture of marriage will be marginal. Messages from movies, peers and parents matter f
36、ar more. But she does not see why, for example, the government“s only contact with an unmarried father should be to demand that he pay child support. By not even mentioning marriage, the state is implying that no one expects him to stick around. Is that a helpful message?（分数：25.00）(1).President Geor
37、ge Bush would try to save the married life by _.（分数：5.00）A.calling for an updated version of divorce lawsB.resuming the values of the 1950sC.specifying the merits of marriageD.proposing tax incentives to married couples(2).When mentioning Sidonie Squier“s efforts, the author“s attitude is _.（分数：5.00
38、）A.negativeB.impersonalC.positiveD.matter-of-fact(3).On the whole the soldiers _.（分数：5.00）A.ignore the marriage educationB.respond favorably to the educationC.are inclined to quit the coursesD.are less likely to be religiously inspired(4).By saying “the jury was still out“ the author means that _.（分
39、数：5.00）A.disputes between couples should be resolved at courtB.cases of divorce should be settled out of courtC.taking soldiers to court can not save their marriageD.the effects of the courses are to be verified(5).It is implied in the last paragraph that the government should _.（分数：5.00）A.do more t
40、hings to encourage marriageB.take over the responsibility from unmarried fathersC.respect the marriage conventions of different culturesD.ask unmarried people to watch more moviesWhen our children are born, we study their every eyelash and marvel at the perfection of their toes, and in no time becom
41、e experts in all that they do. But then the day comes when we are expected to hand them over to a stranger standing at the head of a room full of bright colors and small chairs. Well aware of the difference a great teacher can makeand the damage a bad teacher can doparents turn over their kids and h
42、ope. Please handle with care. Please don“t let my children get lost. They“re breakable. And precious. Oh, but push them hard and don“t let up, and make sure they get into Harvard. But if parents are searching for the perfect teacher, teachers are looking for the ideal parent, a partner but not a pes
43、t, engaged but not obsessed, with a sense of perspective and patience. And somehow just at the moment when the experts all say the parent-teacher alliance is more important than ever, it is also becoming harder to manage. At a time when competition is rising and resources are strained, when battles
44、over testing and accountability force schools to adjust their priorities, when cell phones and e-mail speed up the information flow and all kinds of private ghosts and public quarrels creep into the parent-teacher conference, it“s harder for both sides to step back and breathe deeply and look at the
45、 goals they share. Ask teachers about the best part of their job, and most will say how much they love working with kids. Ask them about the most demanding part, and they will say dealing with parents. In fact, a new study finds that of all the challenges they face, new teachers rank handling parent
46、s at the top. According to preliminary results from the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, parent management was a bigger struggle than finding enough funding or maintaining discipline or enduring the toils of testing. It“s one reason that 40% to 50% of new teachers leave the profession within
47、five years. Even master teachers who love their work call this “the most treacherous part of their jobs.“ “Everyone says the parent-teacher conference should be pleasant, civilized, a kind of dialogue where parents and teachers build alliances,“ Lawrence-Lightfoot observes. “But what most teachers f
48、eel, and certainly what all parents feel, is anxiety, panic and vulnerability.“ While teachers worry most about the parents they never see, the ones who show up faithfully pose a whole different set of challenges. “I could summarize in one sentence what teachers hate about parents,“ says the head of
49、 a private school. “We hate it when parents undermine the education and growth of their children. That“s it, plain and simple.“（分数：25.00）(1).The word “pest“ (first sentence, Para.2) probably refers to _.（分数：5.00）A.a crop-damaging insectB.an insane personC.an arrogant personD.an annoying person(2).In the last sentence of the second paragraph the author mentions some situations to make the point that _.（分数：5.00）A.parent-teacher relationship is complicated by the changes of timeB.both teachers and parents attach too much
