1、考研英语 296 及答案解析(总分：36.00，做题时间：180 分钟)一、Section Use of (总题数：1，分数：1.00)News reports often focus on disputes among scientists over the validity of preliminary (untested) data, hypotheses, and models (which by definition are tentative). This aspect of science- 1 because it has not been widely 2 and accep
2、ted-is called frontier science. The media 3 to focus on frontier science because its so-called “breakthroughs“ make good news stories. Just because something is in the 4 of frontier science, 5 , does not mean that it isnt worthy of serious consideration; 6 , such matters need further study to determ
3、ine their 7 . 8 contrast, consensus science consists of data, models, theories, and laws that are widely accepted. This aspect of science is very reliable but is 9 considered newsworthy. The trouble is that the word science is used to 10 both frontier and consensus science, without 11 The media pref
4、erence 12 frontier science gives the public the 13 impression that frontier science 14 very certain conclusions, which may or may not be correct. However, 15 some frontier science is later shown to be unreliable, members of the public often falsely 16 that consensus science is also quite uncertain.
5、We need to take both frontier and consensus science 17 but recognize their differences. One way to find out what scientists generally agree 18 is to seek out reports by scientific bodies that attempt to 19 consensus in 20 areas of science and technology. （分数：1.00）(1).News reports often focus on disp
6、utes among scientists over the validity of preliminary (untested) data, hypotheses, and models (which by definition are tentative). This aspect of science- 1 because it has not been widely 2 and accepted-is called frontier science. The media 3 to focus on frontier science because its so-called “brea
7、kthroughs“ make good news stories. Just because something is in the 4 of frontier science, 5 , does not mean that it isnt worthy of serious consideration; 6 , such matters need further study to determine their 7 . 8 contrast, consensus science consists of data, models, theories, and laws that are wi
8、dely accepted. This aspect of science is very reliable but is 9 considered newsworthy. The trouble is that the word science is used to 10 both frontier and consensus science, without 11 The media preference 12 frontier science gives the public the 13 impression that frontier science 14 very certain
9、conclusions, which may or may not be correct. However, 15 some frontier science is later shown to be unreliable, members of the public often falsely 16 that consensus science is also quite uncertain. We need to take both frontier and consensus science 17 but recognize their differences. One way to f
10、ind out what scientists generally agree 18 is to seek out reports by scientific bodies that attempt to 19 consensus in 20 areas of science and technology. （分数：0.05）A.controversialB.suspiciousC.debatableD.untrustworthyA.checkedB.testedC.approvedD.confirmedA.therebyB.howeverC.moreoverD.notwithstanding
11、A.ratherB.otherwiseC.anywayD.thereforeA.integrityB.availabilityC.reliabilityD.stabilityA.ByB.ToC.OnD.InA.merelyB.oddlyC.fairlyD.rarelyA.referB.indicateC.modifyD.describeA.discriminationB.distinctionC.exceptionD.presumptionA.toB.onC.forD.withA.fancyB.falseC.vividD.virtualA.presentsB.reachesC.provides
12、D.grantsA.preferB.temptC.intendD.tendA.untilB.unlessC.whenD.whileA.imagineB.concludeC.predictD.perceiveA.identicallyB.uniformlyC.cautiouslyD.seriouslyA.onB.toC.withD.inA.summarizeB.systematizeC.recognizeD.revitalizeA.latentB.intactC.oddD.keyA.hedgeB.circleC.realmD.scope二、Section Writing(总题数：1，分数：1.0
13、0)1.Directions: Study the following picture carefully and write an essay in which you should 1) describe the picture, 2) analyze the causes of the problem, and 3) propose possible solutions. You should write about 160200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points) Directions: Study the following pic
14、ture carefully and write an essay in which you should 1) describe the picture, 2) analyze the causes of the problem, and 3) propose possible solutions. You should write about 160200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)* （分数：1.00）_三、Section Reading(总题数：4，分数：4.00)Half the worlds population will
15、 be speaking or learning English by 2015, researchers say. Two billion people are expected to start learning English within a decade and three billion will speak it,says a British Council estimate. Other languages, such as French, risk becoming the casualties of this “linguistic globalization“. But
16、the boom will be over by 2050 and the English-language teaching industry will have become a victim of its own success, says David Graddol, author of the report, The Future of English. Mr. Graddols research was based on a computer model developed to estimate demand for English-language teaching aroun
17、d the world. The lecturer, who has worked in education and language studies at the Open University for the past 25 years, said the model charted likely student numbers through to 2050. It was compiled by looking at various estimates from the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organiza
18、tion (Unesco) on education provision, demographic projections, government education policies and international student mobility figures. The impact of educational innovations and other developments affecting the world population including the Chinese governments policy of one baby per family were al
19、so factored in. Based on its findings, Mr. Graddol has predicted that the world is about to be hit by a tidal wave of English. “Many governments, especially in countries which have relatively recently gained independence, are introducing the teaching of English under a utilitarian banner.“ “But Engl
20、ish predominates in the business world, and for such countries to be able to compete for work, including lucrative (profitable) outsourcing contracts, English is being pushed heavily from kindergarten on.“ The potential bonanza (source of wealth) on offer from outsourcing means even maths and scienc
21、e are being taught in English at secondary schools in Malaysia. But demand for English teaching would drop as children progress through academia, and more universities across the world choose to teach in the language. Mr. Graddol also estimated that the boom would be over by 2050. “English-language
22、students will be down from two billion to 500 million then,“ he said,“ Increasingly, as English spread across the globe,more people will become bilingual, even multi-lingual and such skills are highly prized in business. But Britain has not got the best reputation for learning other languages.“ The
23、report also showed that English was not the only language spreading, and the world, far from being dominated by English, was to become more multi-lingual. Mr. Graddol said,“ Chinese, Arabic and Spanish are all popular, and likely to be languages of the future.“ （分数：1.00）(1). It is estimated that in
24、a decade English will be（分数：0.20）A.actively studied by over 200 million people.B.freely spoken by global English learners.C.popular with over 80% of world inhabitants.D.really mastered by 50% of people worldwide.(2). According to the text,“linguistic globalization“ will（分数：0.20）A.eliminate French fr
25、om the globe.B.defeat other European languages.C.fail all languages except English.D.make English the biggest winner.(3).The writer of the report deems that outsourcing is to（分数：0.20）A.result in the increase of English subjects.B.result in the increase of English subjects.C.account for the further s
26、pread of English.D.bring about transition in college curricula.(4). David Graddol predicts that the thriving period of English will（分数：0.20）A.terminate within half a century.B.climax in the middle of the century.C.endure for no less than five decades.D.quit till the beginning of the 2050s.(5).The re
27、port “The Future of English“ factored in all of the following EXCEPT（分数：0.20）A.the educational condition and policy.B.the directions and designs of Unesco.C.the statistics about populationD.the movements of overseas students.Americans today don t place a very high value on intellect. Our heroes are
28、athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs, not scholars. Even our schools are where we send our children to get a practical educationnot to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Symptoms of pervasive anti- intellectualism in our schools arent difficult to find. “Schools have always been in a s
29、ociety where practical is more important than intellectual,“ says education writer Diane Ravitch. “Schools could be a counterbalance.“ Ravitch s latest book, Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms, traces the roots of anti-intellectualism in our schools, concluding they are anything but a cou
30、nterbalance to the American distaste for intellectual pursuits. But they could and should be. Encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and control. Without the ability to think critically, to defend their ideas and understand the ideas of others, they ca
31、nnot fully participate in our democracy. Continuing along this path, says writer Earl Shorris, “We will become a second-rate country. We will have a less civil society.“ “Intellect is resented as a form of power or privilege,“ writes historian and professor Richard Hofstadter in Anti-Intellectualism
32、 in American Life, a Pulitzer-Prize winning book on the roots of anti- intellectualism in US politics, religion, and education. From the beginning of our history, says Hofstadter, our democratic and populist urges have driven us to reject anything that smells of elitism. Practicality, common sense,
33、and native intelligence have been considered more noble qualities than anything you could learn from a book. Ralph Waldo Emerson and other Transcendentalist philosophers thought schooling and rigorous book learning put unnatural restraints on children: “We are shut up in schools and college recitati
34、on rooms for I0 or 15 years and come out at last with a bellyful of words and do not know a thing.“ Mark Twain s Huckleberry Finn exemplified American anti-intellectualism. Its hero avoids being civilized going to school and learning to readso he can preserve his innate goodness. Intellect, accordin
35、g to Hofstadter, is different from native intelligence, a quality we reluctantly admire. Intellect is the critical, creative, and contemplative side of the mind. Intelligence seeks to grasp, manipulate, re-order, and adjust, while intellect examines, ponders, wonders, theorizes, criticizes, and imag
36、ines. School remains a place where intellect is mistrusted. Hofstadter says our country s educational system is in the grips of people who “joyfully and militantly proclaim their hostility to intellect and their eagerness to identify with children who show the least intellectual promise.“ （分数：1.00）(
37、1). What do American parents expect their children to acquire in school?（分数：0.20）A.The habit of thinking independently.B.Profound knowledge of the world.C.Practical abilities for future careerD.The confidence in intellectual pursuits.(2) We can learn from the text that Americans have a history of（分数
38、：0.20）A.undervaluing intellect.B.favoring intellectualism.C.supporting school reform.D.suppressing native intelligence.(3).The views of Ravitch and Emerson on schooling are（分数：0.20）A.identical.B.similar.C.complementary.D.opposite.(4). Emerson, according to the text, is probably（分数：0.20）A.a pioneer o
39、f education reform.B.an opponent of intellectualism.C.a scholar in favor of intellect.D.an advoeate of regular schooling.(5).What does the author think of intellect?（分数：0.20）A.It is second to intelligence.B.It evolves from common sense.C.It is to be pursued.D.It underlies power.Being a man has alway
40、s been dangerous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-old there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girls
41、 do. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight
42、. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent of evolution has gone. There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile
43、as in the past. Except in some religious communities, very few women have 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take a
44、dvantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today-everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring-means that natural selection has lost 80% of
45、its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes. For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100,000 years-even the past 100 years-our li
46、ves have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they“ look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension. “No doubt we wil
47、l remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us. （分数：1.00）(1).What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph?（分数：0.25）A.A lack of mates.B.A f
48、ierce competition.C.A lower survival rate.D.A defective gene.(2).What does the example of India illustrate?（分数：0.25）A.Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people.B.Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor.C.The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of the
49、 tribes.D.India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate.(3).The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because_.（分数：0.25）A.life has been improved by technological advanceB.the number of female babies has been decliningC.our species has reached the highest stage of evolutionD.the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing(4).Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?（分数：0.25）A.Sex
