1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 39 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）_Harvard thrilled middle-class parents last week by c
2、apping its tuition for families with incomes of up to $180,000 at 10 percent of their earnings. The move sparked hopes of 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 ride
3、s to low-income students. But many point out that these gestures will affect only a few hundred lucky students. The outlays 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
4、stored in tax-free accounts. “It“s an important gesture,“ College Parents of America President James Boyle says of Harvard. 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 en
5、dowment has been reaping 10 percent a year on investments since 2004. But colleges spent an average of just 4.6 percent of their 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 colle
6、ges to spend at least 5 percent of their endowments every year. “Tax-exempt organizations are supposed to provide public benefit 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 rul
7、e changes. While Harvard, Yale, and Princeton all have more than $1 million worth of endowment per student, half of all colleges 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 t
8、he University of Colorado Foundation, racked up almost 23 percent in returns last fiscal year, bringing the school“s endowment 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 t
9、he long-term average of 10 percent. Still, pressure appears to be forcing some changes. In June, Stanford announced it would 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 increa
10、se aid or keep tuition prices down. Or as Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economist, says, “ a small step for mankind .“（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.pro
11、mote the reform of endowment spending of schools greatly.C.result in the tuition raise for some other students.D.give pressure 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
12、 by the law on endowment spending.C.use their tax-free funds to bring social benefits.D.create learning opportunities outside 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 spend
13、ing policies of American colleges should be reformed.C.school“s policy of spending relies on its profits of endowment investment.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 wil
14、l（分数：2.00）A.encourage more public spending.B.contribute to social development.C.harmonize different schools.D.pave the way 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 th
15、e even distribution of wealth.C.College students will be exempt from tuitions of learning.D.Less endowment spending will earn 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 h
16、ave been accused of corrupting the moral fabric of youth. Nor are such accusations without merit. There is a body of research suggesting that violent games can lead to aggressive thoughts, if not to violence itself. But not all games are shoot-them-ups, and what is less examined is whether those tha
17、t reward more constructive behavior also have lingering impacts. That, however, is starting to change. Two studies showing that 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 Experimental Social Psychology, was cond
18、ucted by Douglas Gentile, of Iowa State University“s media research laboratory. He and his colleagues tested the effects of 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 “
19、Ty2“ or “Crash Twinsanity“, both of which involve cartoonish fighting and destruction. Others were assigned “Chibi-Robo!“, which 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 cont
20、rol, played “Pure Pinball“ or “Super Monkey Ball Deluxe“, both of which involve guiding a ball through mazes. Their games over, 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 vouc
21、her if he could complete ten of them. Those who had been playing pro-social games were significantly more likely to help their 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 gr
22、oup of 680 Singaporeans aged 12-14 were asked to list their three favorite games and state the number of hours they played. They 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
23、, 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 character helps others. When questioned three to four mont
24、hs later, those who played these types of games the most were also rated as more helpful to those around them in real life.（分数：10.00）(1).The statement “Video games get a bad press“(Line 1, Paragraph 1)is used to show that video games are（分数：2.00）A.popular.B.dangerous.C.criticized.D.constructive.(2).
25、Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.Video games are usually considered harmful to one“s mind.B.Video games involving shooting will lead to violent behaviors.C.People“s views toward video games have always been controversial.D.Video games will influence the yout
26、h throughout their lives.(3).Douglas Gentile“s research tends to test（分数：2.00）A.whether video games can produce long-term impact on the youth.B.the effect of playing pro-social games on the youth.C.whether the youth are able to classify different video games.D.the effect of playing violent games on
27、the youth“s moral fabric.(4).Pro-social games enable participants to（分数：2.00）A.skillfully accomplish the required tasks.B.select medium puzzles for their partner.C.be integrated into different social groups.D.conduct helping actions to their partner.(5).Dr Gentile“s study on established behavior sho
28、ws that（分数：2.00）A.the longer time people spend on video games, the more they are likely to help.B.some video games are helpful for the youth to form the habit of helping others.C.the more types of games people play, the more likely they are helpful in real life.D.being helpful in video games has not
29、hing to do with being helpful in reality.One of the least appreciated but most remarkable developments of the past 60 years is the extraordinary growth of American agriculture. Farming now accounts for about one tenth of the gross domestic product yet employs less than 1 percent of all workers. It h
30、as accomplished this feat through exceptionally high growth in productivity, which has kept prices of food low and thereby contributed to rising standards of living. Furthermore, the exportable surplus has kept the trade deficit from reaching unsupportable levels. Agriculture not only has one of the
31、 highest rates of productivity growth of all industries, but this growth appears to have accelerated during the past two decades. Over the period 1948 to 2004, total farm production went up by 166 percent. The land used for farming dropped by one quarter over the 56-year period, and investment in he
32、avy farm equipment and other capital expenditures decreased by 12 percent. Several developments drove these changes, beginning with the replacement of the remaining horses by tractors immediately after World War II and with the expanding use of fertilizers and pesticides. Later came the adoption of
33、hybrid seeds, genetic engineering of plants and improved livestock breeding. A key element was the U.S. Department of Agriculture“s(USDA)extension service. Operating through land-grant universities and other organizations, it educated farmers on biotechnology, pest management and conservation. For m
34、any years, critics have claimed that modern agriculture is not sustainable, one of the major assertions being that it encourages erosion, which will eventually wash away most of the topsoil. Lost topsoil, the argument goes, is virtually irreplaceable because it takes up to 300 years for one inch of
35、soil to form. But a detailed study of two large areas, the Southern Piedmont and the Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills, showed that based on 1982 data, soil loss has dropped sharply from the very high rates of the 1930s. The study attributed the decrease in soil erosion to the USDA, which urge
36、d farmers after World War II to adopt conservation practices such as strip cropping, whereby alternating rows are planted, and leaving plant residues in the fields year-round to inhibit water runoff. Despite being a robust contributor to the U.S. economy, modem agriculture is not without a dark side
37、 . Runoff of fertilizers, antibiotics and hormones degrade the environment and can upset the local ecology. If not grown properly, genetically modified crops could spread their DNA to conventional species.（分数：10.00）(1).The growth of American agriculture has been mainly stimulated by（分数：2.00）A.the pr
38、oductivity growth.B.low prices of food.C.rising standards of living.D.the exportable surplus.(2).The U.S. Department of Agriculture played an important role in agricultural developments by（分数：2.00）A.adopting hybrid seeds and genetic engineering of plants.B.advocating the wide use of fertilizers and
39、pesticides.C.improving the environmental conservation of lands.D.providing farmers with extension service of education.(3).Modem agriculture is criticized as unsustainable because（分数：2.00）A.it promotes the erosion of topsoil.B.it cannot provide a long-term planning.C.300 years is not long enough for
40、 the development.D.the lost topsoil is irreplaceable.(4).The sharp decrease of soil erosion in 1982 resulted from（分数：2.00）A.the education of the USDA on farming technology.B.the practices of environmental protection on farming.C.the prevention of water runoff in the two large areas.D.the protection
41、of plant residues around the whole year.(5).The “dark side“(Line 1, Paragraph 5)implies that modern agriculture will（分数：2.00）A.have a great impact on the U.S. economy development.B.lead to ecology pollution, if improperly controlled.C.have to decrease the soil erosion.D.change the DNA of conventiona
42、l species.Familiar as it may seem, gravity remains a mystery to modern physics. Despite several decades of trying, scientists have failed to fit Einstein“s general theory of relativity, which describes how gravity holds big objects together, with the quantum mechanics(an extension of statistical mec
43、hanics based on quantum theory)he pioneered, which describes the tiny fundamental particles of which matter consists and the forces by which they interact Recent discoveries have highlighted further problems. Many physicists are therefore entertaining the idea that Einstein“s ideas about gravity mus
44、t be wrong or at least incomplete. Showing exactly how and where the great man erred is the task of the scientists who gathered at the “Rethinking Gravity“ conference at the University of Arizona in Tucson this week. One way to test general relativity is to examine ever more closely the assumptions
45、on which it rests, such as the equivalence principle: that gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate, regardless of their mass or composition. This principle was famously demonstrated by Galileo Galilei some 400 years ago when he simultaneously dropped cannon and musket balls, and balls made
46、of gold, silver and wood, from the Tower of Pisa. Each appeared to hit the ground at the same time. A more precise test requires a taller tower. In effect, researchers are sending balls all the way to the moon and back. Tom Murphy, of the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues fire
47、laser beams from the deserts of New Mexico at reflectors placed on the moon by American and Russian spacecraft in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They use a telescope to capture the small fraction of the light that returns. Because the speed of light is known, they can calculate the distance between
48、 the Earth and the moon from the time taken for light to pass through it. According to general relativity, because the Earth and the moon orbit the sun, they should “fall“ towards it at the same rate, in the same way as Galileo“s balls fell to the ground. By repeatedly measuring the distance between
49、 them, scientists can calculate the orbits of the Earth and the moon around the sun relative to each other. If the equivalence principle were violated, the moon“s orbit around the Earth would not appear straight, either towards or away from the sun. So far, Dr Murphy told the conference, these experiments have merely confirmed the equivalence principle to one part in 10 trillion. Dr Murphy and his colleagues hope that
