1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 15 及答案解析(总分：70.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：7，分数：70.00)1.Section II Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）_2.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D.（分数：10.00）_It is not quite Benidorm yet, but Antarctica has bec
2、ome an increasingly popular destination for the more adventurous tourist. In this year“s southern-hemisphere summer season, running from November to March, as many as 39,000 visitors are expected to make the trip from Tierra del Fuego, the nearest jumping-off point to the world“s emptiest continent.
3、 That amounts to a fourfoldincrease in a decade. officials in both Chile and Argentina are getting increasingly worried about the risk of a fatal accident“a new Titanic“ as one Chilean naval officer puts it. Nobody has died so far, but there have been some near-collisions. In 2007 more than 150 peop
4、le were evacuated when their ship, the Explorer, sank after hitting an iceberg near the South Shetland Islands. They were “very lucky with the weather“, says Chile“s deputy minister for the navy, Carolina Echeverria. That was one of only two accidents last season, with a similar number the previous
5、year and one so far this season. Help is usually not far away. Although cruise ships plan their route so as to keep out of each other“s sight, there are generally 20 to 30 boats heading to or from the Antarctic Peninsula on any one day. Even so, surviving an accident is something of a lottery. It de
6、pends partly on the weather. Not all the ships have the covered lifeboats recommended for polar conditions. Small boats, like the Explorer, have a better chance of being able to transfer their passengers if they get into difficulties. But some cruise ships visiting Antarctica now carry almost 3,000
7、passengersmore than ten times the limit that offers a reasonable chance of timely rescue, according to Chile“s navy. The navy is annoyed about the cost of patrols, rescue operations and cleaning up fuel spills. It wants legally binding rules, backed by penalties, for Antarctic cruise ships. But that
8、 is hard to achieve. Under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty no country can exercise sovereignty over any part of the continent and its waters are international. Some rules on tourism have been written under the treaty: cruise ships carrying over 500 passengers cannot make landings, for example. But these a
9、re not legally enforceable. Neither will be rules being debated by the United Nations“ International Maritime Organization on safety requirements. Some tour operators say they would welcome tighter regulation and higher safety standards. Others insist that safety is already adequate. The world reces
10、sion may place a temporary brake on the trade. But Chilean officials reckon that the trend to big cruise ships, with their cheaper fares, will resume once recovery comes. If so, a tragedy may be only a matter of time.（分数：10.00）(1).We learn from the first paragraph that Antarctica has（分数：2.00）A.becom
11、e a Benidorm-like tourist destination.B.witnessed more fatal accidents than before.C.attracted more bold guests than before.D.experienced a new Titanic period.(2).The Explorer is mentioned in Paragraph 2 to show that（分数：2.00）A.it“s perfectly safe to visit AntarcticaB.the weather will help people sur
12、vive.C.nobody has died from accidents so far.D.accidents occur occasionally in this area.(3).“Help is usually not far away“ (line 1, Paragraph 3) suggests that（分数：2.00）A.cruise ships plan to keep themselves away from other boats.B.surviving an accident depends largely on the weather.C.boats sail fre
13、quently around the visiting area of the cruise ships.D.cruise ships are equipped with lifeboats for passengers.(4).According to the Antarctic Treaty,（分数：2.00）A.the navy should rescue as many survivors as possible in spite of high cost.B.no country is entitled to the rights of Antarctic continent and
14、 its waters.C.Antarctica should be open to the world without any form of restrictions.D.rules concerning Antarctica should be approved by the United Nations.(5).It can be inferred from the last paragraph that（分数：2.00）A.tour operators are eager to see more regulations concerning Antarctica.B.safety i
15、ssues should not be worried about no matter how many cruise ships come.C.the world recession helps tour operators to reduce their fares.D.when more and more visitors come to Antarctica, a tragedy is foreseeable.Women“s fertility is determined in large part at birth. They are bom with their total num
16、ber of reproductive cells, which normally influences the age at which menopausethe shutting down of female reproductive systembegins. But in the 1990s, researchers proposed that if a child“s energy is depleted by malnutrition, disease, or other factors, he or she would be less fertile as anadult. By
17、 using the natural experiment of migration, researchers demonstrated how differences during childhood do alter the course of reproduction in adult women. Biological anthropologist Gillian Bentley of Durham University in the UK and colleagues compared levels of reproductive hormones in 250 Bangladesh
18、i women, including women who migrated from Sylhet, Bangladesh to London; women who stayed in Sylhet; and Bangladeshi women born in London. In the first stage of their study, they found that women who migrated from Bangladesh as children had higher levels of reproductive hormones in their saliva than
19、 women who lived in Sylhet, but less than women bom in London. This had a direct effect on fertility: Migrant women in London had an 11% higher rate of ovulationdischarging of mature ovumduring their lives than did women in Sylhet, the team reported in 2007. The team has now studied 900 women betwee
20、n the ages of 35 and 60 to see if the beginning of menopause varies between migrants and women in Sylhet. Bentley presented preliminary results from their measurement of hormones that regulate the maturation of reproductive cells and are indirect indices of how many ova they can still produce. Her t
21、eam found that migrants enter menopause later than did women who stayed in Bangladesh but earlier than did those born in London. “The adult migrants seem to be sensitive to improved conditions,“ says Bentley. The group is trying to find out which environmental factors in Bangladesh lower growing gir
22、ls“ fertility. All the Bangladeshi women in the study came from middle-class, land-owning families, who grew up with adequate calories. However, girls growing up in Bangladesh were probably exposed to more infectious diseases during crucial developmental years. So, they may have had to make tradeoff
23、s among using energy to grow, to maintain their bodies, or to maximize their reproductive potential as adults. Bentley plans to test that idea next year when her team returns to Bangladesh to see if girls there suffer from more diseases than do those in London. “In other words,“ says Bentley, “where
24、 you spend your childhood influences adult reproductive function.“（分数：10.00）(1).According to the text, which of the following factor in childhood will probably cause an adult to be less fertile?（分数：2.00）A.Menopause period.B.Infectious disease.C.Vigorous exercise.D.Reproductive hormones.(2).In Paragr
25、aph 2, Gillian Bentley“s research showed us that（分数：2.00）A.women staying in Sylhet had a high level of reproductive hormones.B.women born in London were less fertile than those migrates from Sylhet.C.reproduction level of adult women varied in different regions.D.where you spend your childhood might
26、 affect the fertility of adult women.(3).Migration here in the experiment is（分数：2.00）A.a measuring tool.B.a research methodology.C.an independent variable.D.a controlled condition.(4).What could be concluded from the research on the menopause of women?（分数：2.00）A.Environment changes would make a diff
27、erence of one“s reproduction.B.The beginning of menopause symbolized the lessening of hormones.C.The period of menopause demonstrated an adult women“s maturation.D.Migrants entered menopause later than those who stayed in their birth place.(5).Which of the following is the best title for this text?（
28、分数：2.00）A.More Energy, More FertilityB.Childhood and AdulthoodC.Reproductive Fate vs. EnvironmentD.Migration Might Be a ChoiceHarvard thrilled middle-class parents last week by capping its tuition for families with incomes of up to $180,000 at 10 percent of their earnings. The move sparked hopes of
29、a donation race that could ease the soaring costs of college. Earlier this month, Duke joined a group of schools including Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford that promise free rides to low-income students. But many point out that these gestures will affect only a few hundred lucky students. The outlay
30、s are so comparatively small that they are unlikely to divert pressure for reforms in the ways colleges spend their moneyespecially the estimated $380 billion of endowment funds stored in tax-free accounts. “It“s an important gesture,“ College Parents of America President James Boyle says of Harvard
31、 But colleges should do more now with the money they“ve socked away for a rainy day, he says The numbers are smaller, but the story is similar at other colleges. The average endowment has been reaping 10 percent a year on investments since 2004. But colleges spent an average of just 4.6 percent of t
32、heir endowments last year while raising tuition faster than the rate of inflation. That troubles folks like Sen. Chuck Grassley, who“s pushing Congress to require wealthy colleges to spend at least 5 percent of their endowments every year. “Tax-exempt organizations are supposed to provide public ben
33、efit in exchange for their special status,“ he said. “Helping the next generation afford college is a public benefit. “ Many college officials, of course, are battling such rule changes. While Harvard, Yale, and Princeton all have more than $1 million worth of endowment per student, half of all coll
34、eges have no more than $2,000 per student saved up. Even high-earning schools say they already are spending as much as they should. Chris Bittman, chief investment officer of the University of Colorado Foundation, racked up almost 23 percent in returns last fiscal year, bringing the school“s endowme
35、nt to nearly $800 million. He supports the school“s policy of spending 4.5 percent. Recent big profits can“t last forever, he says. Instead, endowments should plan on earning the long-term average of 10 percent. Still, pressure appears to be forcing some changes. In June, Stanford announced it would
36、 increase its endowment spending to 5.5 percent, or $160 million a year. If every school followed suit, that would free up about $4 billion a year (or $200 per student) to increase aid or keep tuition prices down. Or as Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economist, says, “a small step for mankind.“（
37、分数：10.00）(1).According to the first two paragraphs, the “free rides“ to famous schools will probably（分数：2.00）A.affect a good many students with excellent academic records.B.promote the reform of endowment spending of schools greatly.C.result in the tuition raise for some other students.D.give pressu
38、re to school administrators on money policy.(2).Sen. Chuck Grassley suggests that the schools should（分数：2.00）A.increase their endowments to suit their particular status.B.abide by the law on endowment spending.C.use their tax-free funds to bring social benefits.D.create learning opportunities outsid
39、e school for young people.(3).According to Paragraph 4, Chris Bittman believes that（分数：2.00）A.endowment funds should be invested in business to make money.B.the endowment spending policies of American colleges should be reformed.C.school“s policy of spending relies on its profits of endowment invest
40、ment.D.the gap between rich schools and poor ones still remains.(4).The phrase “a small step for mankind“ (Last line, Paragraph 5) shows that the increased endowment spending will（分数：2.00）A.encourage more public spending.B.contribute to social development.C.harmonize different schools.D.pave the way
41、 for free education.(5).What can we infer from the text?（分数：2.00）A.Some rich universities feel pressure to share more of their wealth.B.Harvard is leading the way in promoting the even distribution of wealth.C.College students will be exempt from tuitions of learning.D.Less endowment spending will e
42、arn more long-term benefits.Video games get a bad press. Many are unquestionably violent and, as has been the way with new media from novels to comic books to television, they have been accused of corrupting the moral fabric of youth. Nor are such accusations without merit. There is a body of resear
43、ch suggesting that violent games can lead to aggressive thoughts, if not to violence itself.But not allgames are shoot-them-ups, and what is less examined is whether those that reward more constructive behavior also have lingering impacts. That, however, is starting to change. Two studies showing th
44、at video games have a bright side as well as a dark one have been carried out recently. One, to be published in June by the Journal of Experirnental Social Psychology, was conducted by Douglas Gentile, of Iowa State University“s media research laboratory. He and his colleagues tested the effects of
45、playing so-called “pro-social“ games on children and young adults in three countries. A group of 161 American students played one of six games for 20 minutes. Some were given“Ty2“ or “Crash Twinsanity“, both of which involve cartoonish fighting and destruction. Others were assigned “Chibi-Robo!“, wh
46、ich involves helping characters in the game by doing their chores, or “Super Mario Sunshine“, in which players clean up pollution and graffiti. A third group, acting as a control, played “Pure Pinball“ or “Super Monkey Ball Deluxe“, both of which involve guiding a ball through mazes. Their games ove
47、r, the participants were asked to choose 11 of 30 easy, medium or hard shape-based puzzles for a partner to complete, and told that their partner would receive a $10 gift voucher if he could complete ten of them. Those who had been playing prosocial games were significantly more likely to help their
48、 partner by selecting easy puzzles. The opposite was true for those assigned violent games. The other parts of Dr Gentile“s study looked at established behavior. In one, a group of 680 Singaporeans aged 12-14 were asked to list their three favorite games and state the number of hours they played. Th
49、ey were then given questionnaires, the answers to which suggested that those who spent the longest playing games which involved helping others were most likely to help, share, co-operate and empathize with others. They also had lower scores in tests for hostile thoughts and the acceptance of violence as normal. In the second, Japanese aged 10-17 were asked how much time they spent playing games in which the main
