1、考研英语-试卷 254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）_During recent years we have heard much about “race“: how this race does certain things
2、 and that race believes certain things and so on. Yet, the (1)_ phenomenon of race consists of a few surface indications. We judge race usually (2)_ the coloring of the skin: a white race, a brown race, a yellow race and a black race. But (3)_ you were to remove the skin you could not (4)_ anything
3、about the race to which the individual belonged. There is (5)_ in physical structure, the brain or the internal organs to (6)_ a difference. There are four types of blood. (7)_ types are found in every race, and no type is distinct to any race. Human brains are the (8)_. No scientists could examine
4、a brain and tell you the race to which the individual belonged. Brains win (9)_ in size, but this occurs within every race. (10)_ does size have anything to do with intelligence. The largest brain (11)_ examined belonged to a person of weak (12)_. On the other hand, some of our most distinguished pe
5、ople have had (13)_ brains. Mental tests which are reasonably (14)_ show no differences in intelligence between races. High and low test results both can be recorded by different members of any race. (15)_ equal educational advantages, there will be no difference in average standings, either on acco
6、unt of race or geographical location. Individuals of every race (16)_ civilization to go backward or forward. Training and education can change the response of groups of people, (17)_ enable them to behave in a (18)_ way. The behavior and ideals of people change according to circumstances, but they
7、can always go back or go on to something new (19)_ is better and higher than anything (20)_ the past.（分数：40.00）A.completeB.fullC.totalD.wholeA.inB.fromC.atD.onA.sinceB.ifC.asD.whileA.speakB.talkC.tellD.mentionA.somethingB.everythingC.nothingD.anythingA.displayB.indicateC.demonstrateD.appearA.AllB.Mo
8、stC.NoD.SameA.sameB.identicalC.similarD.alikeA.remainB.increaseC.decreaseD.varyA.OnlyB.OrC.NorD.SoA.everB.thenC.neverD.onceA.healthB.bodyC.mindD.thought.A.bigB.smallC.minorD.majorA.trueB.exactC.certainD.accurateA.ProvidedB.ConcerningC.GivenD.FollowingA.makeB.causeC.moveD.turnA.andB.butC.thoughD.soA.
9、ordinaryB.peculiarC.usualD.commonA.thatB.whatC.whicheverD.whateverA.forB.toC.withinD.in二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：10，分数：58.00)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._Britain no longer dominat
10、es Anglophone education. Students want more, and the old empire is happy to give it to them. A good name and a British campus are no longer enough to pull in high-paying overseas recruits. The competition within the world of English-language higher education is growing increasingly intense. Today“s
11、international students don“t automatically head to the United States or the United Kingdom; they consider a slew of factors before making their pick. Already, Britain is starting to suffer as it finds itself in a fierce three-way contest for market share. On the one hand, U.S. colleges are recoverin
12、g fast in overseas recruitment. On the other, a batch of commonwealth countries is coming on strong and eating into Britain“s market share. Consider Singapore, which four years ago set out to lure branches of foreign colleges. The number of overseas students there has since climbed 46 percent. And i
13、n the first three years of the decade, the number of foreign students in New Zealand almost quadrupled. Then there“s Australia. Foreigners now make up about a quarter of its entire student body. Australia shows that the secret to success often has as much to do with government policy as with academi
14、c philosophy. Lavish grants can offset the Brits“ and the Americans“ edge in prestige. Foreign students at state-run schools in Singapore now get an 80 percent discount. An engineering degree that costs about $30,000 a year at Harvard runs just $2,000 at the University of Malaya, thanks to heavy sub
15、sidies. The biggest factor today seems to be the prospect of employment. A degree from an Australian university now puts graduates on the fast track to permanent residency. And London offers an automatic 12-month work permit to most overseas recruits. But Britain can“t do anything about its location
16、. Why go all the way to the United Kingdomor to the United Stateswhen there“s now a good English- language college just a few hours“ flight from Shanghai or Mumbai? But few countries can match Australia“s main selling point. Its sunny outdoors image works strongly to its advantage among internationa
17、l students. Yet no country can afford to throw in the towel. Cuts in government spending have forced colleges to look elsewhere for money. Overseas recruits have thus become an increasingly critical source of cash: in Britain the average university now looks to foreign students to provide at least 1
18、0 percent of its income. Other trends could soon make things even more desperate. Today China is one of the biggest sources of traveling students. But for how much longer? The country is now busy developing its own elite institution and ordinary colleges. If this trend continues, the developed world
19、 is going to lose its largest client. The scramble for business in the Anglo world is already ferocious(激烈的), while the market is expanding. Just wait till it starts to contract.（分数：10.00）(1).We can infer from the text that students can receive Anglophone education in _（分数：2.00）A.France.B.Canada.C.C
20、ambodia.D.India.(2).Which of the following is true of the text?（分数：2.00）A.Singapore now has 46% of its students from abroad after attracting foreign college branches.B.At the beginning of this decade, overseas students in New Zealand are 4 times as many as before.C.Foreign students at state-run scho
21、ols in Australia now get an 80% discount.D.An engineering degree costs more than 10 times in America than in Singapore.(3).According to the text, “no country can afford to throw in the towel“ probably means _.（分数：2.00）A.No country can admit to be defeated by Australia.B.No country has the resources
22、to beat Australia.C.No country can imitate Australia“s outdoor image.D.No country has the same advantages with Australia.(4).Britain is happy to give the students what they want mainly because _.（分数：2.00）A.They consider foreign students as a major source of money.B.They are facing fierce competition
23、s from many other countries.C.Students consider many factors when choosing an international university.D.British universities are gradually losing its once-proud prestige.(5).According to the last paragraph, which of the statement is true?（分数：2.00）A.China will one day be a strong rival for Britain i
24、n the foreign student market.B.China“s own development of elite institutions and colleges is a blessing for Britain.C.Britain and U.S. will lose their largest client as China“s higher education develops.D.Overseas students in China form a major part of international students.The view from the top of
25、 the luxurious Morgan Centre down onto Beijing“s Olympic Green is breath-taking, There, far below, lies the stunning“ bird nest“ Olympic Stadium. Right next to it is the equally mesmerizing National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube. The Aquatics Center poses one critical question: where will
26、 all the water to fill this bold but massive architectural masterpiece“ and to supply the Games“ come from? One can drive a hundred miles in any direction from Beijing and never cross a healthy river. Heading north to Shanxi province, one passes river after river that has dried up. And in 80 percent
27、 of those Shanxi rivers that are still flowing, water quality is“ unfit for human contact“ or for agricultural or industrial use. As you drive south across Hebei and Henan provinces, the situation is no better. Reaching the famed Marco Polo Bridge over the Yongding River, we crossed our first parche
28、d(干裂的) riverbed. From there to the Yellow River, we traversed many legendary rivers that show as blue lines on the map; all of them are now almost bone dry. All that remains to memorialize these watercourses are highway bridges, left behind like vestigial organs. The Yellow River itself, once known
29、as“ China“s Sorrow“ because of its natural tendency to flood, killing millions, has in Henan been reduced to a modest-size channel. At its lower reaches in Shandong, it is not uncommon for the river to cease flowing into the Bohai Sea altogether. What is the answer for the 250 million thirsty people
30、 who live on the North China Plain? Drought has forced farmers to turn to groundwater. But over extraction has caused water tables to fall by as much as 10 feet a year. Desperate officials have taken to making substantial investments in“ precipitation-inducement(引导水分凝结) technologies“, or cloud seedi
31、ng. Using aircraft, meteorological balloons and even rockets and artillery shells, they“ve been attempting to shoot passing clouds full of rainmaking chemicals. The China Meteorological Administration reports that hundreds of aircraft and thousands of rockets and shells are used each year in the eff
32、ort. Such campaigns have been only modestly successful and have created tensions between different localities, each claiming that clouds are being“ intercepted“ upwind by the other and their precious moisture stolen! Then there is the monumental South-North Water Transfer Project. But some environme
33、ntalists fear that shifting the increasingly polluted water of the Yangtze northward will also introduce a whole host of new toxic pollutants to the breadbasket of China. No one knows what the consequences of all these Promethean(独创的) efforts will be. In the truly magnificent facilities being built
34、for the Olympics, one can see a dear manifestation of this understandable urge to restore Chinese greatness. The question is whether China“s limited natural-resource base can sustain the magnitude of such an ambition. With water, the country is confronting the edge of one very inflexible environment
35、al envelope. Beijing“s glorious Water Cube is a symbol both of China“s remarkable accomplishments, and its all-too-pressing limits.（分数：10.00）(1).By saying“ One can drive a hundred miles in any direction from Beijing and never cross a healthy river“ (Line 1, Paragraph 2), the author implies that _.（分
36、数：2.00）A.for quite a large area surrounding Beijing, there is no healthy river in any direction from it.B.Beijing lacks of water supply as most rivers in nearby provinces are either dried or polluted.C.to find a healthy river near Beijing, one needs to drive beyond a hundred miles from it.D.within a
37、 hundred miles of Beijing, all the rivers are polluted by the wastes from the capital.(2).The phrase“ vestigial organs“ (Line 8, Paragraph 2) refers to _.（分数：2.00）A.traffic infrastructures.B.highway bridges.C.the dried legendary rivers.D.the Yellow River.(3).According to the text, the best way to re
38、lieve the drought of the northern area is _.（分数：2.00）A.to transfer water from south to north.B.to build a water cube in Beijing.C.to pump underground water.D.to develop rainmaking technology.(4).We can infer from the last paragraph that _（分数：2.00）A.the author wants to discuss the possible consequenc
39、es of the great projects.B.Beijing“s glorious Water Cube symbolizes China“s remarkable accomplishments.C.china is facing an environmental crisis when it carries out large constructions.D.china“s environment is not sound enough to sustain these great projects.(5).Which of the following is true accord
40、ing to the text?（分数：2.00）A.The Yellow River stops flowing in Henan and Shandong provinces.B.The use of precipitation4nducement technologies is a great success.C.Beijing“s glorious Water Cube will restore China“s greatness.D.The South-North Water Transfer Project will encounter difficulties.In a new
41、list of the most powerful gay men and women in the country, out magazine has lots of household names at the top. But high among the rich and famous is Tim Gill. Huh? Who is he, and why is he ranked as the fourth most powerful gay person in the country? Gill is a 53-year-old snowboarder, retired comp
42、uter programmer and multimillionaire. He made his fortune by founding Quark, the pioneering desktop publishing software company. After selling the firm, he started the Gill Foundation, which has invested $110 million nationwide in gay causes over the past decade. The Gill Action Fund threw $15 milli
43、on into a dozen states during the 2006 midterm elections, targeting 70 politicians regarded as unhelpful to gay causes: 50 went down. And the fund is helping transform the political face of Colorado. In 2004, Gill“s money helped send Democrat Ken Salazar to the U.S. Senate. His dollars have also hel
44、ped put Democrats in control of the Colorado legislature for the fast time in four decades. That could have an impact on the fate of the Two Parent Adoption Bill, currently being considered by Colorado legislators, which would allow gay couples to adopt. The proposal was rejected twice before, but t
45、hat was before the statehouse switched from red to blue. Now Colorado Democrats have passed the bill in the House and expect it to pass the Senate. Impatient with the lack of gay rights progress this past decade, Gill is pushing hard to end injustice and inequality by the end of the next decade. And
46、 recognizing that most anti-gay initiatives are born at the state level, Gill has developed a national political strategy based on successes in Colorado. They“ve taken an in-state model and applied it to the entire country. Gill and his people are incredibly strategic. They put their funding where t
47、hey can take control of legislatures. They“re putting them brilliantly in legislative environments where a few seats changing will change the entire control of a state. While Gill has recently opened a Washington office, his representatives, in keeping with past strategy, insist that no individual p
48、olitical targets have yet been chosen for 2008. Another formidable element of Gill“s power is his network of deep-pocketed allies in the mountain states. An hour south of Laramie, in Ft. Collins, lives medical equipment heiress Pat Stryker, who is, along with Gill (Actually Stryker is a billionaire; her brother Jon is gay and both give generously to gay causes.) What he has are extremely wealthy individuals who aren“t personally interested in running for anything but have this tremendous passion. Tim Gill is ac
