1、考研英语-试卷 236 及答案解析(总分：142.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Use of English(总题数：2，分数：80.00)1.Section I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D.（分数：40.00）_All over the earth“s surface is a layer of air which extends upwards for many miles.
2、This air (1)_ the oxygen without which neither plants nor animals (2)_ live. Its movements, temperature and pressure (3)_ the weather, and it is a vehicle (4)_ the clouds of water vapor (5)_ condense and fall as rain. It forms a blanket which (6)_ us from the extreme heat of the sun during the day a
3、nd (7)_ the extreme cold when the sun has (8)_ It is chiefly (9)_ air that sound travels, so that if there were no air we should (10)_ practically nothing. The atmosphere is held (11)_ the earth“s surface by the gravitational pull of the earththat is, it has weight. High up it is thin (12)_ near the
4、 surface it is compressed by the (13)_ of air above, and is more dense. The weight of air pressing (14)_ each square inch of surface at sea-level is nearly (15)_ pounds, which means that the total force (16)_ the skin of an average man is about 30,000 pounds. He is not, (17)_ this because the pressu
5、re is equal in all directions and the pressure inside him is equal (18)_ -that without, but should he go up in a balloon to a height at which the outside- pressure is (19)_ he would suffer acutely. It is (20)_ this reason that the cabins of aeroplanes are “pressurized“.（分数：40.00）A.formsB.containsC.c
6、onsistsD.fillsA.wouldB.shouldC.couldD.neededA.determineB.chooseC.makeD.createA.intoB.nearC.forD.aboveA.whatB.andC.butD.whichA.protectsB.provesC.controlsD.helpsA.aboutB.outC.offD.fromA.sitB.setC.satD.settledA.intoB.upC.throughD.alongA.knowB.hearC.getD.observeA.toB.beforeC.nearD.acrossA.forB.sinceC.be
7、causeD.butA.pressureB.spaceC.weightD.movementA.inB.onC.forD.aroundA.kilometresB.pondsC.milesD.poundsA.insideB.intoC.ofD.onA.aware ofB.sure ofC.afraid ofD.delighted aboutA.atB.toC.againstD.afterA.more or lessB.much littleC.much lessD.more thanA.forB.toC.fromD.by二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：10，分数：58.00)
8、2.Section II Reading Comprehension_3.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D._Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer literate“, in other words, to learn to understand computers and what mak
9、e them tick. But not all experts agree, however, that this is a good idea. One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computer-town UK. Although many people see it that way. He says that Computer-town UK was formed for computer, but David does not see it that way. He
10、says that Computer-town UK was formed for just the opposite reason to bring computer to the people and make them “People-literate“. David first got the idea when he visited one of America“s best-known computer “guru“ figures Bob Albrecht, who had started a project called Computer-town USA in the loc
11、al library. Over here, in Britain, Computer-towns have taken off in a big way, and there are now about 40 scattered, over the country. David Tebbutt thinks they are most successful when tied to a computer club. He insists there is a vast and important difference between the two, although they comple
12、ment each other. The clubs cater for the enthusiasts, with some computer knowledge already, who get together and eventually form an expert computer group. This frightens away non-experts, known as “grockles“(游客) who are happier going to Computer-towns where there are computers available for them to
13、experiment on, with experts available to encourage them and answer any question; they are not told what to do, they find out. David Tebbutt finds it interesting to see the two different approaches working side by side. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have t
14、o be able to explain the answers to the questions that people really want to know. People are not having to learn computer jargon(行话), but the experts are having to translate computer mysteries into easily understood terms; the computers are becoming “peopleliterate“.（分数：10.00）(1).According to the p
15、assage, which of the following is NOT wrong?_（分数：2.00）A.The computer experts should tell people everything about computersB.David insisted that the computer clubs should open to all the people, including those nonexpertsC.The foundation of computer town is a successful attempt to bring people closer
16、 to the computerD.It is unnecessarily for all the people to become “computer-literate“(2).David Tebbutt is a(n)_ computer expert.（分数：2.00）A.EnglishB.AmericanC.JapaneseD.German(3).According to the author, the concept of “people-literate“ in para. 2 means_（分数：2.00）A.to make the computer learn to under
17、stand peopleB.to bring computers closer to the peopleC.that all the people should understand computersD.that all the people should learn to use computers(4).About the computer towns and the computer clubs, David Tebbutt thinks that_（分数：2.00）A.it is just to take trouble to see the two working side by
18、 sideB.the computer towns are more important than the computer clubsC.they can complement each other but there is great difference betweenD.the computer clubs are as important as the computer towns(5).According to the passage, which of the following description about the computer clubs is NOT TRUE?_
19、（分数：2.00）A.The computer clubs are open to the people with some computer knowledge alreadyB.The computer experts in the clubs have to explain everything in easily understoodC.The expert computer group is easily formed in the clubsD.The grockles would rather go to computer towns than go to clubsThere
20、was great public interest when a big hole mysteriously appeared in the middle of a field. Army mechanics and engineers were called in to explain how it had got there. They referred various explanations but were not at all sure how the hole had been caused. It was thought that a large shell which mus
21、t have lain buried under the ground for many years had suddenly exploded, but it was not possible to prove this. A “simple“, but highly improbable, explanation was offered by a man who claims to be especially well-informed about “flying saucersthe strange objects which are round in shape and are sai
22、d to visit the earth occasionally from outer space. The man“s explanation may have been nonsense, but at least it was imaginative. At any rate, it was far more interesting than the one given by the army. After examing the ground carefully, the man claimed to have seen special marks on the soil quite
23、 near the hole. These, he said, could only have been caused by a flying saucer. Moreover, the leaves on some bushes nearby had turned yellow because of a strange hot gas which had come from the saucer just before it landed. Even a small tree some way off appeared to have been burnt slightly. A small
24、 piece of metal found in the hole itself provided further proof that a strange object had been there. According to the man, it was quite clear that people from another world had been circling the earth trying to pick up information, when something had gone wrong. Because of this they had been forced
25、 to land in a field so that the damage could be repaired. The hole had been caused when the saucer struck the earth, while the strange marks nearby were made when it took off again. This, said the man, was the simplest explanation of how the hole had appeared. Judging from the interest the public to
26、ok in the matter, there must be quite a few people who secretly believe or hope that this “simple“ explanation is the true one.（分数：10.00）(1).The author thinks of the explanation given by the army as_（分数：2.00）A.ridiculousB.not capable of proofC.adequateD.scientific though seemingly simple.(2).The aut
27、hor holds that the man“s explanation was_（分数：2.00）A.utterly infeasibleB.lacking in imaginationC.more probable than the one offered by the armyD.creative though not necessarily reasonable(3).By way of explanation the man produced all the following proofs EXCEPT_（分数：2.00）A.strange marks close to the h
28、oleB.strange hot gasC.a slightly burnt small treeD.a tiny piece of metal in the hole(4).In the man“s opinion something happened to the flying saucer when_（分数：2.00）A.it was carrying out a missionB.it was flying back to outer spaceC.it was landing in a fieldD.people aboard were repairing a damage(5).I
29、t is implied but not directly state in the passage that_（分数：2.00）A.the public took a great interest in the big mysterious holeB.army engineers and mechanics were not in the least certain how the hole had appearedC.objects from outer space hold a special attraction, for many peopleD.the man who claim
30、ed to be well-informed about flying saucers turned out to be a cheatThe farm is a major marketplace for millions of tons of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides (杀虫剂),and advanced machinery and the fuel required to run it. The modern super farm, large and highly capitalized, is resource dependent co
31、mpared with the diversified small farms that were once dominant. On diversified farms, major energy needs may be supplied by resident humans and animals. Soil fertility may be maintained by alternating cash crops and restorative crops, and also by returning animal manure(肥料) to the soil. This farmin
32、g model of relatively self- sufficient agriculture, and the way of life associated with it, are still economically viable(可行), as demonstrated by prosperous Amish farmers and other practitioners of “alternative“ agriculture. Particularly relevant to today“s mainstream agriculture are the energy-savi
33、ng practices on large “organic“ farms, which are thoroughly mechanized but which minimize the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. By comparison, mainstream American agriculture has until lately been careless in its use of energy, water, and land. When fossil energy was cheap, applications o
34、f fertilizers and pesticides paid large dividends, so farmers were encouraged to use these products. Soon most farmers used too much fertilizer and pesticide. Farmers in dry regions enjoyed an era of cheap water, obtained from publicly subsidized irrigation systems or from pumping groundwater using,
35、 inexpensive energy. The soil too was expendable as demand grew for U.S. agricultural products. The period of extraordinary profligacy in the use of soil, water, and fossil fuels may well be at an end. The new structure of large farms is quite sensitive to cost factors. These adaptive farms, whose d
36、evelopment was assisted by public tax, subsidy, and research policies, have access to capital, technologies, and management skills, enabling them to switch relatively quickly to resource-conserving practicesfor example, to a low-tillage system that requires less fuel, that shepherds soil moisture, a
37、nd that may reduce soil erosion(侵蚀). It seems likely that federal programs that have enlarged our farms, therefore, have had a further result of creating the potential for a more conserving agriculture. With respect to energy use, for example, energy costs per unit of output are lower for large farm
38、s, mainly because these farms quickly economized on energy as costs rose. In the future, according to one authoritative assessment, “agricultural production is likely to use capital and land more intensively but energy, fertilizer and labor less intensively.“（分数：10.00）(1).The main difference between
39、 the modem superfarm and diversified farms is_（分数：2.00）A.their sizesB.the machinery employedC.the degree of dependence on resourcesD.the kinds of crops cultivated and animals raised(2).What“s the main idea of the second paragraph?_（分数：2.00）A.Fossil energy was once very cheapB.Farms in dry areas coul
40、d get cheap waterC.Most American farmers used too much fertilizer and pesticideD.Mainstream American agriculture used to be wasteful of energy, water and land(3).The word “profligacy“ (line 1, para. 3) most probably means_（分数：2.00）A.wastefulnessB.carefulnessC.profitabilityD.economy(4).According to t
41、he passage, which of the following is NOT true?_（分数：2.00）A.The farming model and the way of life on diversified farms are workableB.Large “organic“ farms use large amounts of pesticides and synthetic fertilizersC.The new adaptive farms are capable of resource-conserving practicesD.To reduce soil ero
42、sion is a resource-conserving practice(5).It can be seen from the passage that the problem of resource conservation in agriculture_（分数：2.00）A.has been solved in the U. S.B.has not yet been paid any attention toC.is being seriously and effectively dealt withD.will soon be solved by using more capital
43、 and landBy the 1980s, according to international but admittedly inconsistent definitions of literacy, about seven out of ten adults in the world were considered literate. The increase in literacy from ancient times to the present has not been a story of unbroken progress. The ability of people with
44、in a given society to read and write has been influenced by a number of factors, including economic well-being, the availability of material to read, the amount of education available, and the basic matter of the usefulness of reading. Of these factors, usefulness has probably been the most decisive
45、. In ancient societies, as people settled into stable patterns of agriculture and trade, it became useful for some of them to read and write in order to keep records, to transact business, and to measure amounts of land, animals, goods, materials, and produce. Since all economic aspects of a society
46、 were closely tied to the operations of government, literacy became useful and even necessary for the keeping of records by officials. The responsibilities of citizenship led to a fairly high level of literacy in ancient Greece and Rome, but in addition to that, there also grew an appreciation of go
47、od literature, poetry, drama, history, and philosophy. During the early Middle Ages, with the general breakdown of society in Europe and the decrease of commerce, literacy became largely confined to the church. But in the late Middle Ages, in the period of the Renaissance, the great expansion of com
48、merce and banking led to a revival in literacy for the same reason that had caused it to increase in the ancient worldusefulness. With the invention of the printing press and inexpensive paper late in the 15th century there was for the first time a great availability of reading material for a much greater number of people. Religious reformers were among the first to utilize the situation, quickly getting translations of the Bible and educational tracts and booklets in
