1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 38 及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)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）_More than any other industry, America“s multi-billio
2、n-dollar entertainment business is caught in the crossfire of the country“s culture war. Media firms have always had to walk a fine line between giving adults realistic shows and shielding children from sex and bad language. But thanks to the current political influence of social conservatives, TV a
3、nd radio firms are under more attack than ever for allegedly corrupting America“s youth. Congress is threatening to increase sharply fines for airing indecent material. Over 80% of American homes subscribe either to cable or satellite TV, but only broadcast television, which is technically free, is
4、subject to indecency regulation. The media industry fears that new rules could damage its business model. The Federal Communications Commission(FCC), the media industry“s regulator, defines indecency as language or material that describes sexual actions or organs and which is considered “offensive b
5、y contemporary community standards.“ Solely for the sake of children(present in one-third of American homes), indecency is forbidden from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on broadcast TV and radio. In contrast to “obscenity“illegal all the timeindecency mostly consists of swearing, partial nudity and sexuality. Am
6、erica“s current battles over indecency began in 2003 when Bono, a rock star, said “this is really, really fucking brilliant“ at a live awards show. The FCC decided to do nothing. Then came a glimpse of Janet Jackson“s breast in Super Bowl, outraging some viewers. Pressed by Congress, the FCC reverse
7、d its decision on Bono and said it would get tough on indecency. In 2004 it fined media firms nearly $8m, five times what it had levied in the previous ten years combined. For these firms such fines are puny. Yet fearing what future measures might be deployed against them, they have increasingly cen
8、sored themselves. Last year several TV stations declined to air “Saving Private Ryan“, a war movie with lots of swearing. The media industry faces a powerful bipartisan coalition of politicians who see votes in cleansing the airwaves. Republicans are leading the effort, but some Democrats are joinin
9、g innot surprisingly, as many parents do seem worried. One defensive strategy for the media industry is to play the moralizing wing of the Republican Party off against its substantial libertarian wing, which is opposed to giving the government more power to censor. News Corporation and General Elect
10、ric“s NBC have together enlisted the support of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform and the US Chamber of Commerce. Advances in technology, these groups argue, mean that the government no longer needs to police the airwaves for indecency. Many parents now have V-chips in their
11、TV sets to block out pornographic material. Set-top boxes for cable and satellite TV also give parents control.（分数：10.00）(1).The phrase “walk a fine line“(Line 3, Paragraph 1)most probably indicates（分数：2.00）A.alternate.B.balance.C.transfer.D.distinguish.(2).Which of the following is true according t
12、o the text?（分数：2.00）A.TV and radio firms are corrupting the young people in America.B.Broadcast television other than satellite TV is under indecency regulation.C.America“s battles over indecency have lasted for as long as a decade.D.A fine of 8 million US dollars is such a huge one for media firms.
13、(3).A major difference between indecency and obscenity is that（分数：2.00）A.obscenity involves more swearing, nudity and sexuality.B.obscenity is forbidden on all channels all the time.C.indecency inflicts more harm on children and young adults.D.indecency is more offensive by contemporary standards.(4
14、).The refusal to broadcast “Saving Private Ryan“ by several TV stations shows that（分数：2.00）A.the movie features lots of swearing.B.media firms have intensified censoring.C.media firms were afraid of huge fines.D.the film was defined as indecent.(5).What strategy has the media industry adopted to def
15、end itself?（分数：2.00）A.Creating bitter quarrels between Republican“s two wings.B.Protesting the government“s power over censorship.C.Allying with such groups as the American Conservative Union.D.Arguing that the material is actually under the control of parents.How“s this for a coincidence? Charles D
16、arwin and Abraham Lincoln were born in the same year, on the same day: Feb. 12, 1809. Although people hardly think of them in tandem, yet instinctively, we want to say that they belong together. It“s not just because they were both great men, and not because they happen to be exact contemporaries. R
17、ather, it“s because the scientist and the politician each touched off a revolution that changed the world. They were both revolutionaries in the sense that both men upended realities that prevailed when they were born. They seemand soundmodern to us, because the world they left behind them is more o
18、r less the one we still live in. So, considering the joint greatness of their contributionsand the coincidence of their conjoined birthdaysit is hard not to wonder: who was the greater man? It“s an apples-and-orangesor Superman-vs.-Santacomparison. But if you limit the question to influence, very qu
19、ickly the balance tips in Lincoln“s favor. As great as his book on evolution is, it does no harm to remember that Darwin hurried to publish The Origin of Species because he thought he was about to be scooped by his fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. In other words, there was a certain inevitab
20、ility to Darwin“s theory. Ideas about evolution surfaced throughout the first part of the 19th century, and while none of them was as convincing as Darwin“suntil Wallace came alongit was not as though he was the only man who had the idea. Lincoln, in contrast, is unique. Take him out of the picture,
21、 and there is no telling what might have happened to the country. True, his election to the presidency did provoke secession and, in turn, the war itself, but that war seems inevitablenot a question of if but when. Once in office, he becomes the indispensable man. Certainly we know what happened onc
22、e he was assassinated: Reconstruction was ad-ministered punitively and then abandoned, leaving the issue of racial equality to dangle for another century. If Darwin were not so irreplaceable as Lincoln, that should not negate his accomplishment. No one could have formulated his theory any more elega
23、ntly. Their identical birthdays afford us a superb opportunity to observe these men in the shared context of their timehow each was shaped by his circumstances, how each reacted to the beliefs that steered the world into which he was bom and ultimately how each reshaped his corner of that world and
24、left it irrevocably changed.（分数：10.00）(1).Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln belong together in that（分数：2.00）A.they were born on the same day.B.they lived in the same period of time.C.they brought up revolutions to the world.D.they were born to be successful men.(2).What does the author mean by “an
25、apples-and-orangesor Superman-vs.-Santacomparison“(Lines 4-5, Paragraph 2)?（分数：2.00）A.It is hard to tell which one is greater as they are both outstanding.B.The comparison between Darwin and Lincoln is meaningless.C.It is difficult to compare them as they are as famous as Superman or Santa.D.There i
26、s no point comparing them because both of them are well-known to us.(3).Alfred Russel Wallace is mentioned in order to show（分数：2.00）A.Darwin“s The Origin of Species was about to be scooped.B.Darwin“s evolution theory was accepted among naturalists.C.Darwin might not be the only one who had the idea
27、of evolution.D.Darwin“s achievement was founded upon natural researches.(4).Lincoln“s contribution to the world can be best described as（分数：2.00）A.aggressive.B.ground-breaking.C.dependable.D.legitimate.(5).Which of the following is true of the text?（分数：2.00）A.Lincoln“s success in election had made t
28、he war inevitable.B.Lincoln had strived to address the racial problems.C.Darwin was not unique compared with his contemporaries.D.Darwin“s theory coincided with Lincoln“s beliefs.The operation known as a hemispherectomythe removal of half the brain-sounds too radical to ever consider, much less perf
29、orm. In the past century, however, surgeons have done it hundreds of times for disorders that cannot be controlled any other way. Perhaps surprisingly, the surgery has no apparent effect on personality or memory. Does that mean a person needs only half a brain? Yes and no. People can survive and fun
30、ction pretty well after the procedure, but they will have some physical disabilities. The first known hemispherectomy was performed on a dog in 1888 by German physiologist Friedrich Goltz. Neurosurgeon Walter Dandy pioneered the use of the procedure on humans at Johns Hopkins University in 1923, ope
31、rating on a patient who had a brain tumor. That man lived for more than three years before ultimately dying from cancer. In 1938, after performing a hemispherectomy on a 16-year-old girl, Canadian neurosurgeon Kenneth McKenzie reported that it could stop seizures, a neurological disorder in the brai
32、n. And today brain surgeons perform hemispherectomies on patients who undergo dozens of seizures daily that resist all medication and stem from conditions that primarily afflict one hemisphere. “These disorders are often progressive and damage the rest of the brain if not treated,“ explains neurosur
33、geon Gary W. Mathern of the University of California, Los Angeles. The surgery takes two forms. Anatomical hemispherectomies involve the removal of an entire hemisphere, whereas functional hemispherectomies take out only parts of a hemisphereas well as severing the connections between the two halves
34、 of the brain. Doctors often prefer anatomical hemispherectomies because “leaving even a little bit of brain behind can lead seizures to return,“ says neurologist John Freeman of Johns Hopkins, which specializes in the procedure. On the other hand, functional hemispherectomies, which U.C.LA. surgeon
35、s usually perform, lead to less blood loss. “Our patients are usually under two years of age, so they have less blood to lose,“ Mathern says. Neurosurgeons have performed the functional operation on children as young as three months old. In these tiny patients, memory and personality develop normall
36、y. Most Johns Hopkins hemispherectomy patients are older than five years. A recent study found that 86 percent of the 111 children who underwent the procedure at Johns Hopkins between 1975 and 2001 are either seizure-free or have non-disabling seizures that do not require medication. Another study f
37、ound that children who underwent a hemispherectomy often improved academically once their seizures stopped. “One was champion bowler of her class, one was chess champion of his state, and others are in college doing very nicely,“ Freeman notes.（分数：10.00）(1).The operation known as a hemispherectomy（分
38、数：2.00）A.is misused and out of control.B.is seemingly OK but has certain ill effects.C.is superior to other methods to cure disorders.D.has no harm on personality or memory at all.(2).From Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3, we learn that（分数：2.00）A.hemispherectomy has become a common procedure since 1888.B
39、.the first patient performed with hemispherectomy finally conquered cancer.C.the entire hemisphere must be removed once diagnosed with seizures.D.seizures are hazardous because they can spread to the entire hemisphere.(3).Doctors prefer anatomical hemispherectomy to functional hemispherectomy in tha
40、t（分数：2.00）A.it can completely stop seizures by removing the entire hemisphere.B.it is harmful to sever the connections between the two halves of the brain.C.the patients are old enough to bear the pain of the operation.D.anatomical hemispherectomy causes less blood loss.(4).It can be inferred from t
41、he last paragraph that（分数：2.00）A.patients undergoing a hemispherectomy are very likely to have seizures again.B.anatomical hemispherectomy is better than functional hemispherectomy.C.seizures may cause brain damages and lead to mental impairment.D.patients recovered from seizures are smarter than ot
42、hers.(5).Which of the following best summarizes the text?（分数：2.00）A.Anatomical Hemispherectomy vs. Functional HemispherectomyB.Seizures and HemispherectomyC.Do You Need Only Half Your Brain?D.To Cut or Not to Cut, That“s a Question.What is a woman worth? That is the question that has to be faced by
43、divorcing couples and by their lawyers. The answers seem to be getting curiouser and curiouser. Last week a judge ordered an insurance broker to give his former wife a settlement of 48m. She had earlier refused his offer of about 20m, which is why the matter went to court. No doubt Beverley Charman
44、was an exemplary wife, and it is written in the Book of Proverbs that the price of a virtuous woman is above rubies, but even so, 348m seems a little steep. It would buy a couple of continents“ worth of rubies. What women are really worth is beset with confusion and contradiction. There was a time w
45、hen what women wanted was equal pay for equal work. One of the logical consequences was that no woman was entitled to take out of a marriage any more than she brought into it. That view was later softened by a recognition that childbearing and childcare present a serious opportunity cost to most wom
46、en. So now people tend to agree that at divorce a woman should be compensated both for the real value that she brought to the marriage and for the opportunity cost to herselfher long slide down the career ladder, her loss of a personal pension, her reduced chances of finding another spouse. Then the
47、re is a surprisingly unliberated tendency among women, and among men, to make estimates that are unfairly biased in favor of women. The judge in the Charmans“ hearing said that this was one of the very small category of cases where the wealth created is of extraordinary proportions from extraordinar
48、y talent and energy of the husband and therefore the husband could keep more than half the assets. That still left the wife with 48m(37% of the assets). But then the judge made some odd remarks about old-fashioned attitudes. Discussing John Charman“s determination “to protect what he regards as weal
49、th generated entirely by his efforts“, he said: “In the narrow, old-fashioned sense, that perspective is understandable, if somewhat outdated.“ Wrong. It is the judge who sounds old-fashioned. This country is awash with clever and hardworking men who make huge sums of money while their wives do little to contribute to domestic comfort and not much to advance their husband“s careers. That does not me
