1、考研英语-551 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Government officials reported three new cases of mad cow, bringing the total so far this year to 99. Last year, France recorded just 31 cases of the mad cow disease. The rising numbers are in part 1 a new testing program that fo
2、cuses on cows that are most 2 . That program has 3 39 cases. But still 60 new cases were identified in the usual way, 4 were found in 1999. Many scientists 5 that this year, five years after safety precautions were 6 , the number of cases would be 7 . The rise in cases has 8 some scientists to quest
3、ion whether the disease can be transmitted in ways not yet understood. Scientists are still 9 the disease, first recognized in cows in 1986. It appears that it is not caused by a bacteria, virus or fungus, but 10 infectious particles called prion, perhaps 11 a virus or other agent. The disease kills
4、 cells in the brain, 12 it spongy and full of holes. France has taken more steps to 13 safety than most European countries, 14 refusing to take English beef 15 the European Union. But some scientists believe that France has not been 16 in imposing the ban on feed that 17 animal parts. Some French of
5、ficials hope that the sudden interest in mad cow disease will mean that French consumers will become educated about it, thereby recognizing that French beef is actually 18 controlled. Every cow is given a passport at birth, and extensive information about its parentage and 19 it was raised must be 2
6、0 to any slaughterhouse. When a diseased animal is found, the entire herd is destroyed.（分数：10.00）A.asB.becauseC.sinceD.due toA.riskingB.in riskC.at riskD.at dangerA.discoveredB.inventedC.identifiedD.disclosedA.moreB.far moreC.far more thanD.less thanA.expectB.expectedC.have expectedD.had expectedA.p
7、ut to placeB.put a placeC.put in placeD.put in the placeA.decliningB.incliningC.increasingD.reclaimingA.attemptedB.intendedC.luredD.promptedA.disappointed atB.puzzled byC.amazed atD.critical ofA.stems fromB.developed inC.grew out ofD.generated fromA.grew withB.agree withC.coincide withD.in concert w
8、ithA.to leaveB.leftC.leavesD.leavingA.be sureB.ensureC.make sureD.assureA.includingB.excludingC.containingD.enclosingA.abiding byB.in defiance ofC.according toD.in accordance withA.affectiveB.efficientC.effectiveD.affectA.containsB.consists ofC.is made fromD.is made up ofA.stiffB.rigidlyC.hardD.roug
9、hlyA.whereB.howC.whenD.whyA.subjectedB.submittedC.reportedD.registered二、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Though pundits were quick to declare that the election of Barack Obama represented the emergence of a “post- racial“ America, the macroeconomy has p
10、rovided a corrective. During the American economy“s last deep recession, in the early 1980s, black unemployment soared to twice the level among whites, passing 21% in 1983. And according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, time has changed little. The current unemployment rate a
11、mong black Americans is almost 16%; among whites the figure is under 10%. The yawning gap between blacks and whites persists across demographic lines. The current “mancession“ has hit male-dominated professions hardest. But white men face a relatively mild unemployment rate of just over 10% compared
12、 with over 18% among black men. For the worst-off, the data are catastrophic. Among young black men without a high-school diploma, nearly half have no jobs. These rates are based on a labour-force number which excludes those in prison; if there were not five times as many blacks behind bars as white
13、s, the figures would look even worse. There is no shortage of explanations for the gap. States with weaker labour markets, like South Carolina and Michigan, also tend to have larger black populations than low-unemployment states like Iowa and Montana. Predominantly black neighbourhoods are often a l
14、ong way from where jobs are concentrated, in largely white suburbs, so those without cars cannot get to them. Blacks are also at a disadvantage when it comes to relying on friends and family connections to find jobs; there is not the same network of family businesses that whites and Latinos have. So
15、me studies have found that this factor may explain as much as 70% of the difference in black and white unemployment rates, and may also explain the difference between black and Latino jobless rates. Among young men, for instance, the near-20% Hispanic unemployment rate is much closer to that for whi
16、tes (17%) than blacks (30%). And discrimination, too, plays a part. What is clear is that the unemployment problem in black communities will not end with the recession. The employment-to-population ratio among black adults is only just above 50%, and it is closer to a shocking 40% for young black me
17、n; for adult whites it is 59%. Black workers are also unemployed for about five weeks longer, on average, than the rest of the population. Some 45% of unemployed blacks have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, compared with just 36% of unemployed whites. That means continued loss of skills, and
18、 a longer and harder road back into the workforce.（分数：10.00）(1).In the passage, the author mainly discusses about _.（分数：2.00）A.the situation of a “post-racial“ America brought by ObamaB.the influence of racial discrimination on U.S. employmentC.the impact of the economic recession on U.S. employment
19、D.the employment gap between blacks and whites in America(2).What does the word “mancession“ (Line 1, Para.2) refer to in the passage?（分数：2.00）A.Gap between blacks and whites.B.The rate of male employment.C.The economic recession.D.The male unemployment.(3).According to the passage, the unemployment
20、 rate of the blacks might be higher if _.（分数：2.00）A.female blacks are counted inB.there were more jailed blacksC.the blacks in jail are counted inD.well-educated blacks are included(4).What is the main reason for the gap between black and white unemployment rates?（分数：2.00）A.Blacks live far away from
21、 job concentrated places.B.Most of blacks do not finish high-school education.C.Blacks have no dependable network of family businesses.D.Racial discrimination impacts the employment of blacks.(5).What does the author think of the prospect of black employment?（分数：2.00）A.The current unemployment will
22、last for a long time and be worse.B.If blacks can acquire skills, their employment rate will be higher.C.The unemployment rate will be lessened after the recession.D.The unemployment of blacks might never be improved.五、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：10.00)The amount of greenhouse gases we“ve already pumped into th
23、e atmosphere has irreversibly bound us to a certain amount of warming over the next several decades. That means climate change isn“t a problem for tomorrowthe effects are happening now. Already raining patterns seem to be changing, making some drier areas even drier, and rainy regions even wetter. A
24、s warmer temperatures creep northward, so do insects and other pests that are adapted to the heat. The population of the tiny mountain pine beetle, which infests pine trees in the Rocky Mountain region, used to be controlled by freezing winters. But as temperatures have warmed over the past decade,
25、the mountain pine beetle“s territory has spread, destroying millions of acres of Canadian pines. The pine beetle infestation represents the unique challenges that warming will pose for land conservation managers on the front lines of the battle against it. Generations of American conservationists ha
26、ve fought to preserve wildlife and to keep nature pure in the face of a growing population and pollution. But global warming threatens to change all that, by altering the very foundation on which the conservation movement was built. What good is a wildlife reserve if the protected animals can“t live
27、 there, because climate change pushes them out? What difference does it make to defend trees from logging, if global warming will allow a new pest to ruin the whole forests? The answer is to adapt the way we practice wildlife and land conservation to climate change. There“s a term for thisadaptive m
28、anagement. We need to begin making moves today to adapt to changes that warming will bring decades hence. “Climate change will affect anything, you name it,“ said Lara Hansen of EcoAdapt. “We need to change the way we allocate resources and protect livelihoods.“ That means that the way we“ve been ca
29、rrying out conservationpicking the right land spaces and playing goaliewon“t work anymore, as climate change keeps moving the target. Conservationists will have to work even harder, trying to minimize non-climate-related threats to land and species even as the human population grows by billions. Reg
30、ardless of what we do, the changes will be coming fast and the future will bring increased drought, heat waves, rainstorms, extinctions and more. We need to begin cutting our carbon immediately, but we need to adapt now as well. The world is changing because of us; to save what“s left, we“ll have to
31、 change too.（分数：10.00）(1).From the passage we can learn that the pine beetle _.（分数：2.00）A.mainly lives in AmericaB.can hardly survive coldnessC.adapts to extreme weatherD.has no natural enemies(2).What is the basic change caused by warming to the conservationists?（分数：2.00）A.The foundation of their m
32、ovement.B.The objects within their protection.C.The purpose of their movement.D.The effects of their protection.(3).Which of the following can be an answer to the current climate change according to the author?（分数：2.00）A.To give up their movement.B.To take some adaptive measures.C.To do nothing but
33、wait and see.D.To change their protecting objects.(4).What does the author imply by saying “the way we“ve been carrying out conservationpicking the right land spaces and playing goalie-won“t work anymore“ (Lines 1-2, Para.4)?（分数：2.00）A.Conservationists should keep changing their land spaces.B.Conser
34、vationists won“t find any land spaces to protect.C.Conservationists“ role will have to be changed.D.Conservationists“ work will become much harder.(5).According to the author, what should be done in the face of climate change?（分数：2.00）A.To control the growth of human population.B.To shift the focus
35、to climate-related threats.C.To adapt ourselves to the climate change.D.To do something to delay the climate change.六、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：10.00)It“s generally been said that history is written by the winners. This was never more true than on March 12, when the Texas board of education voted 10-5 in favo
36、ur of curriculum standards that would promote conservative takes on controversial issues in the pages of the state“s textbooks. The changes, expected to win final approval in May, include an increased emphasis on and sympathetic treatment of such Republican standards as the National Rifle Associatio
37、n and the Moral Majority. They also boast the advantage of capitalism and the role of Christianity in the nation“s founding. Even Thomas Jefferson“s profile will be reduced; some board members were less than fond of his ideas about the division of church and state. This is not Texas“ first such skir
38、mish. Since the 1970s, the state has tried to drop books that were seen as too liberal or anti-Christian, to omit passages on the gay-rights movement and to tone down global-warming arguments. But the nation“s battle over textbooks stretches back almost half a century earlier. In 1925, Tennessee“s B
39、utler Act (which was abolished in 1967) made it illegal to teach “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible .“ The Scopes “monkey trial“ famously followed. In 1974, a clash erupted in Kanawha County, West Virginia, over the controversial writings of such a
40、uthors as George Orwell, Arthur Miller and Allen Ginsberg. Opposition was so heated that some schools were firebombed. As one of America“s largest textbook buyers, the Longhorn State has a good deal of sway over what is sold to schools nationwide. And while Napoleon may have maintained that “history
41、 is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon,“ getting Texans to come together on the past may prove to be their Waterloo.（分数：10.00）(1).It can be learned from the first paragraph that _.（分数：2.00）A.the Texas board of education voted to decide whether to teach history in schoo
42、lsB.the problems of the capitalist society are criticized in the Texan textbooksC.the political standard in Texan textbooks is more similar to that of the RepublicansD.most Texas education board members are for the division of church and state(2).The word “skirmish“ (Line 1, Para.2) most probably me
43、ans _.（分数：2.00）A.accidentB.conflictC.challengeD.disaster(3).Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.The Texans hold a favourable attitude towards religion.B.The Texans are sympathetic with the gay-rights movement.C.It was illegal to teach religion in Tennessean sc
44、hools in 1920s.D.George Orwell was widely hailed by West Virginians in 1970s.(4).What can be learned from the last paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.Longhorn State is the largest textbook printer in the U.S.B.The textbook choice in many American schools is affected by Longhorn State.C.The Texans share the same o
45、pinion with Napoleon about past events.D.The Texans would eventually reach an agreement on the choice of textbooks.(5).What“s the author“s main purpose in writing this passage?（分数：2.00）A.To describe the winners in history.B.To reveal the social problem in America.C.To give a brief account of Napoleo
46、n“s opinion.D.To illustrate the textbook wars in the U.S.七、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：10.00)More than 40 million Americans between the ages of 5 and 18 attend schools throughout the United States. About 2 million school-age children are taught at home. While home schooling offers an alternative to the school e
47、nvironment, it has become a controversial issue. Many public school advocates take a harsh attitude toward home schoolers, perceiving their actions as the ultimate slap in the face of public education and a damaging move for the children. Yet, as public school officials realize they stand little to
48、gain by remaining hostile to the home-school population, the hard lines seem to be softening a bit. Some public schools have moved closer to tolerance, and, even in some cases, are seeking cooperation with home schoolers. “We are becoming relatively tolerant of home schoolers. Let“s give the kids ac
49、cess to public school so they“ll see it“s not as terrible as they“ve been told, and they“ll want to come back,“ says John Marshall, an education official. Perhaps, but don“t count on it, say home-school advocates. Some home schoolers oppose that public school system because they have strong convictions that their approach to educationwhether fueled by religious belief or the individual child“s interests and natural paceis best. Other home schoolers contend “not so much that the schools teach heresy, but that schools teach whatever they teach inappropriately
