1、考研英语-654 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)The terms college and university originally had very similar meanings. Only (1) the passing of centuries did “university“ come to (2) an educational (3) composed of more than one college.During the Middle Ages students (4) the u
2、niversities of Paris, Oxford, and Cambridge found (5) convenient to rent houses and share expenses (6) living in private apartments. By the 13th century these “houses of scholars“ were becoming legally recognized corporate institutions. At Oxford the earliest of these (7) were University College, (8
3、) in 1249 by William of Durham; Balliol College, founded by John Balliol in 1263; and Merton College, founded about 1264 by Walter de Merton. A similar (9) took place at Cambridge.In the United States the word college most commonly (10) to four-year institutions that (11) students from secondary sch
4、ools and grant a bachelors (12) after a general (13) of studies.A college may also be a school (14) specialized training that takes place after (15) the bachelors degree-such as a college of law or medicine. Schools (16) in theological training may be called seminaries or schools instead of colleges
5、. A university normally (17) of a group of colleges-one for the liberal arts or general studies and (18) for engineering, law, medicine, education, and (19) . Some of these colleges are for advanced study, (20) the college of liberal arts is the institution in which one earns a bachelors degree.（分数：
6、10.00）A.withB.byC.forD.atA.signifyB.showC.proveD.manifestA.schoolB.organizationC.institutionD.corporationA.aroundB.atC.byD.onA.soB.thatC.itD.thisA.other thanB.as well asC.instead ofD.more thanA.cooperationB.corporationsC.groupsD.partiesA.foundB.foundedC.builtD.constructedA.developmentB.aggressC.regr
7、essD.retrogressA.infersB.refersC.confersD.differsA.letB.allowC.permitD.admitA.levelB.extentC.gradeD.degreeA.causeB.courseC.processD.programmeA.withB.inC.toD.forA.demandingB.askingC.receivingD.keepingA.specializingB.concerningC.workingD.involvingA.consistsB.insistsC.persistsD.resistsA.the otherB.twoC
8、.otherD.othersA.businessB.tradeC.commerceD.purchaseA.onceB.whenC.whileD.whereas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)Few insects have inspired as much fear and hatred as the diminutive fire ants, less than half an inch long but living in colonies of more t
9、han 250,000 others. Everyone in the southern United States gets to know fire ants sooner or later by painful experience. Fire ants live in large earthen mounds and are true social insects-that means they have a caste system (division of labor), with a specialized caste that lays eggs (queen) and a w
10、orker caste of sterile females. There are several reasons that they are considered pests. About 60% of people living in areas where fire ants occur are stung every year. Of these, about 1% have some degree of allergic reaction ( called anaphylaxis ) to the sting. Their large mounds are unsightly and
11、 can damage mowing equipment. Fire ants sometimes enter electrical and mechanical equipment and can short out switches or chew through insulation. Finally, as fire ants move into new areas, they reduce diversity of native ants and prey on larger animals such as ground-nesting birds and turtles.Even
12、though fire ants are pests in many circumstances, they can actually be beneficial in others. There is evidence that their predatory activities can reduce the numbers of some other important pests. In cotton, for example, they prey on important pests that eat cotton plants such as bollworms and budwo
13、rms. In Louisiana sugarcane, an insect called the sugarcane borer used to be a very important pest before fire ants arrived and began preying on it. Fire ants also prey on ticks and fleas.Whether fire ants are considered pest or not depend on where they are found, but one thing is sure-we had best g
14、et used to living with them. Eradication attempts in the 1960s and 1970s failed for a number of reasons, and scientists generally agree that complete elimination of fire ants from the United States is not possible. A new, long-term approach to reducing fire ant populations involves classical biologi
15、cal control. When fire ants were accidentally brought to the United States, most of their parasites and diseases were not. Classical biological control involves identifying parasites and diseases specific to fire ants in South America, testing them to be sure that they dont attack or infect native p
16、lants or animals, and establishing them in the introduced fire ant population in the United States. Since fire ants are about 5 to 7 times more abundant here than in South America, scientists hope to reduce their numbers using this approach.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “caste“ (paragraph 1) most probably
17、means（分数：2.00）A.throwing.B.castle.C.rank.D.level.(2).Which of the following is a reason why fire ants are considered pests?（分数：2.00）A.They may cause possible mechanical breakdowns to mowing equipment.B.A person has a 60% chance to be stung by fire ants every year.C.1% of the fire ants will cause all
18、ergic reactions to the people stung.D.They will disrupt the food chain by killing off other ants and larger animals.(3).That fire ants prey on bollworms and budworms is mentioned to show that（分数：2.00）A.pests often attack each other to maintain a balance of nature.B.fire ants are not always harmful p
19、ests in given situations.C.fire ants are stronger and fiercer than bollworms and budworms.D.pests are either harmful or beneficial to people or plants.(4).Whether fire ants are pests or not largely depends on their（分数：2.00）A.predatory activities.B.temporal distribution.C.spreading speed.D.geographic
20、al distribution.(5).The authors tone in talking about fire ants in the US seems to be（分数：2.00）A.critical.B.indifferent.C.fearful.D.objective.五、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：10.00)If you smoke, you d better hurry. From July 1st pubs all over England will, by law, be no-smoking areas. So will restaurants, offices a
21、nd even company cars, if more than one person uses them. Englands smokers are following a well-trodden path. The other three bits of the United Kingdom have already banned smoking in almost all enclosed public spaces, and there are anti-smoking laws of varying strictness over most of Western Europe.
22、 The smokers journey from glamour through toleration to suspicion is finally reaching its end in pariah status.But behind this pubhc-health success story lies a darker tale. Poorer people are much more likely to smoke than richer ones-a change from the 1950s, when professionals and laborers were equ
23、ally keen. Today only 15% of men in the highest professional classes smoke, but 42% of unskilled workers do. Despite punitive taxation-20 cigarettes cost around 5.00 ( $10.00), three-quarters of which is tax-55% of single mothers on benefits smoke. The figure for homeless men is even higher; for har
24、d-drug users it is practically 100%. The message that smoking kills has been heard, it seems, but not by all.Having defeated the big killers of the past-want, exposure, poor sanitation- governments all over the developed world are turning their attention to diseases that stem mostly from how individ
25、uals choose to live their lives. But the same deafness afflicts the same people when they are strongly encouraged to give up other sorts of unhealthy behavior. The lower down they are on practically any pecking order-job prestige, income, education, background-the more likely people are to be fat an
26、d unfit, and to drink too much.That tempts governments to shout ever louder in an attempt to get the public to listen- and nowhere do they do so more aggressively than in Britain. One reason is that pecking orders matter more than in most other rich countries : income distribution is very unequal an
27、d the unemployed, disaffected, ill-educated rump is comparatively large. Another reason is the frustration of a government addicted to targets, which often aim not only to improve something but to lessen inequality in the process. A third is that the National Health Service is free to patients, and
28、paying for those who have arguably brought their ill-health on themselves grows alarmingly costly.Britains aggressiveness, however, may be pointless, even counter-productive. There is no reason to believe that those who ignore measured voices will listen to shouting. It irritates the majority who ar
29、e already behaving responsibly, and it may also undermine all government pronouncements on health by convincing people that they have an ultra-cautious margin of error built in.Such hectoring may also be missing the root cause of the problem. According to Mr. Marmot, who cites research on groups as
30、diverse as baboons in captivity, British civil servants and Oscar nominees, the higher rates of ill health among those in more modest walks of life can be attributed to what he calls the “status syndrome“. People in privileged positions think they are worth the effort of behaving healthily, and find
31、 the will-power to do so. The implication is that it is easier to improve a persons health by weakening the connection between social position and health than by targeting behavior directly. Some public-health experts speak of social cohesion, support for families and better education for all. These
32、 are bigger undertakings than a bossy campaign; but more effective, and quieter.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “pariah“ ( paragraph 1 ) is closest in meaning to（分数：2.00）A.prohibition.B.strictness.C.pardon.D.punishment.(2).The author seems to be suspicious of the public-health success because（分数：2.00）A.the m
33、essage that smoking kills isnt voiced loudly enough.B.unskilled workers are more willing to pay for the heavy tax in cigarettes.C.single mothers are more likely to use their benefits to buy cigarettes.D.the positive effects are yielded mostly on the richer population.(3).According to the text, why d
34、oes the same deafness afflict the same people?（分数：2.00）A.Because governments all turned their attention to these people.B.Because these people are more likely to have unhealthy behaviors.C.Because these people suffer more from their poor income and education.D.Because governments always neglect the
35、real needs of these people.(4).Which of the following is NOT a reason for Britains aggressiveness in the public-health campaign?（分数：2.00）A.The government is frustrated in curing smoking-related diseases.B.The government is keen on eliminating social unfairness.C.The free health service proves very e
36、xpensive.D.The gap between the rich and the poor is very big.(5).The author seems to believe that status syndrome may be cured（分数：2.00）A.if the measures can actually weaken the relationship between social position and health.B.if the government shouts louder in their campaign against diseases result
37、ing from unhealthy habits.C.if the government helps people find a stronger will power to give up their unhealthy habits.D.if the government undertakes bigger and more effective ad campaigns against poor education.六、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：10.00)A very important world problem, if not the most serious of all
38、the great world problems which affect us at the moment, is the increasing number of people who actually inhabit this planet. The limited amount of land and land resources will soon be unable to support the huge population if it continues to grow at its present rate.In an early survey conducted in 18
39、88, a billion and a half people inhabited the earth. Now, the population exceeds five billion and is growing fast-by the staggering figure of 90 million in 1988 alone. This means that the world must accommodate a new population roughly equal to that of the United States and Canada every three years!
40、 Even though the rate of growth has begun to slow down, most experts believe the population size will still pass eight billion during the next 50 years.So why is this huge increase in population taking place? It is really due to the spread of the knowledge and practice of what is becoming known as “
41、Death Control“. You have no doubt heard of the term “Birth Control“-“ Death Control“ is something rather different. It recognizes the work of the doctors and scientists who now keep alive people who, not very long ago, would have died of a variety of then incurable diseases. Through a wide variety o
42、f technological innovations that include farming methods and sanitation, as well as the control of these deadly diseases, we have found ways to reduce the rate at which we die-creating a population explosion. We used to think that reaching seventy years old was a remarkable achievement, but now eigh
43、ty or even ninety is becoming recognized as the normal life-span for humans. In a sense, this represents a tremendous achievement for our species. Biologically this is the very definition of success and we have undoubtedly become the dominant animal on the planet. However, this success is the very c
44、ause of the greatest threat to mankind.Man is constantly destroying the very resources which keep him alive. He is destroying the balance of nature which regulates climate and the atmosphere, produces and maintains healthy soils, provides food from the seas, etc. In short, by only considering our ne
45、eds of today, we are ensuring there will be no tomorrow.An understanding of mans effect on the balance of nature is crucial to be able to find the appropriate remedial action. It is a very common belief that the problems of the population explosion are caused mainly by poor people living in poor cou
46、ntries who do not know enough to limit their reproduction. This is not true. The actual number of people in an area is not as important as the effect they have on nature. Developing countries do have an effect on their environment, but it is the populations of richer countries that have a far greate
47、r impact on the earth as a whole.The birth of a baby in, for example, Japan, imposes more than a hundred times the amount of stress on the worlds resources as a baby in India. Most people in India do not grow up to own cars or air-conditioners-nor do they eat the huge amount of meat and fish that th
48、e Japanese child does. Their life-styles do not require vast quantities of minerals and energy. Also, they are aware of the requirements of the land around them and try to put something back into nature to replace what they take out.For example, tropical forests are known to be essential to the bala
49、nce of nature yet we are destroying them at an incredible rate. They are being cleared not to benefit the natives of that country, but to satisfy the needs of richer countries. Central American forests are being destroyed for pastureland to make pet food in the United States cheaper; in Papua New Guinea, forests are destroyed to supply cheaper cardboard packaging for Japanese electronic products; in Burma and Thailand, forests have been destroyed to produce more attractive furniture in Singapore and Japan. Therefore, a rich person living thousands of miles awa
