1、同等学力人员申请硕士学位英语-阅读理解(一)及答案解析(总分：30.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、专项练习(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Passage One(总题数：1，分数：6.00)Just over three years old and about four-feet tall. Methuselah is growing well. “It“s lovely.“ Dr. Sarah Sallon said of the date palm，whose parents may have provided food for the besieged Jews at Masada
2、some 2 000 years ago. The little tree was sprouted in 2005 from a seed recovered from Masada, where rebelling Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to Roman attackers. Radiocarbon dating of seed fragments clinging to its root, as well as other seeds found with it that didn“t sprout, indicate
3、they were about 2 000 years oldthe oldest seed known to have been sprouted and grown. Sallon, director of the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel, updates the saga of Methuselah in Friday“s edition of the journal Science. One thing they don“t k
4、now yet is whether it“s a boy or girl. Date palms differ by sex, but experts can“t tell the difference until the tree is six or seven years old, Sallon said. She hopes there“s a chance to use it to restore the extinct Judean date palm, once prized not only for its fruit but also for medicinal uses.
5、The researchers have had a look at the plant“s DNA, however, and found it shares just over half its genes with modern date cultivars(栽培品种) “Part of our project is to preserve ancient knowledge of how plants were used,“ Sallon said in a telephone interview. “To domesticate them so we have a ready sou
6、rce of raw material. “ Her Middle Eastern Medicinal Plant Project is working to conserve and reintroduce plants to the region where they once lived. “Many species are endangered and becoming extinct. Raising the dead is very difficult, so it“s better to preserve them before they become extinct,“ she
7、 said. The oldest documented seed to be grown previously was a 1 300-year-old lotus, Sallon said.（分数：6.00）(1).It can be learned that Methuselah _（分数：1.00）A.is an ancient tree about 2 000 years oldB.is grown from a seed about 2 000 years oldC.had already become extinct 2 000 years agoD.has been the f
8、ood source since 2 000 years ago(2).The word “saga“ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_“.（分数：1.00）A.extraordinary storyB.special functionC.detailed informationD.latest development(3).What do we know about Methuselah“s sex?（分数：1.00）A.It will be made clear within a year or two.B.It will remain
9、a myth for at least a decade.C.It won“t be known until several years later.D.It won“t be decided without ancient knowledge.(4).The author seems to suggest that _.（分数：1.00）A.the attempt to grow the Judean palm date will end in failureB.the effort to reintroduce the Judean palm date is sure to pay off
10、C.the researchers are likely to create a new species of the Judean palm dateD.the researchers stand a chance of success to renew the Judean palm date(5).Which of the following can best summarize Sallon“s Plant Project?（分数：1.00）A.Discovering new species.B.Protecting rare species.C.Restoring extinct s
11、pecies.D.Reforming existing species.(6).The purpose of the passage is to _（分数：1.00）A.enlarge our knowledge of the plantsB.provide latest information on plant usageC.introduce a successful project concerning a plantD.emphasize the importance of rare plant preservation三、Passage Two(总题数：1，分数：6.00)Why i
12、s Valentine“s Day, a holiday dedicated to the sweet bloom of love, celebrated in a cold month more suited to hats and gloves than to thoughts of love? “It“s very mysterious,“ says Henry Kelly, director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of California. Kelly theorize
13、s lovers everywhere can thank two guys from the 14th century: renowned poet Geoffrey Chaucerfamous for penning “The Canterbury Tales“and a not-so-famous saint who went by the name of Valentine. In 1381, Chaucer was busy composing a poem in honor of the arranged marriage between England“s Richard II
14、and Anne of Bohemia. Chaucer was looking for just the right saint to honor on May 3, the day Richard II signed the papers of engagement to his Bohemia beauty. His search ended, Kelly guesses, when Chaucer learned that a Saint Valentine of Genoa had an honorary feast day on May 3. So he wrote the poe
15、m “The Parliament of Fowls“ in the couple“s honor. “The Parliament of Fowls“ literally means “the meeting of birds“ , says Kelly. “Chaucer dreamed up the idea that all birds chose their mates on May 3rd. When the spring brought its sunny smile back to the earth, it was easy to imagine the winged ani
16、mals fluttering about and flirting with their lovers. “ After Chaucer“s death in ld00, Valentine“s Day celebrations got pushed back to February. The date may have changed because the first song birds that traditionally warble(鸟鸣) after a winter tend to debut in mid-February. But the holiday that hon
17、ors lovebirds everywhere with rhymed verse and colored candy hearts has not always been so popular. The very celebration of Valentine“s Day has gone in and out of vogue. In the 16th century in Genoa you have it, but there is not much notice of it in other countries. The sweet-toothed holiday experie
18、nced renewed vigor in England just prior to 1800, and publishing companies came to the aid of tongue-tied lovers by distributing booklets of passages lovers could use to stir hearts. If they couldn“t find the words in their hearts, companies figured, at least these Romeos could find some coins in th
19、eir pocket to make their sweethearts happy. The celebration suffered a popularity plunge in the 19th century, but by the next century, Americans had rescued Valentine“s Day from the trash heap, turning it into a commercial bonanza .（分数：6.00）(1).For Chaucer, May 3 was a special date because it was th
20、e day when _?（分数：1.00）A.Richard II became engaged to Anne of BohemiaB.Richard II married Anne of BohemiaC.Saint Valentine of Genoa was honoredD.all birds chose their mates(2).Henry Kelly“s research on Valentine“s Day _.（分数：1.00）A.is a widely accepted explanationB.is well-based on conclusive evidence
21、C.is a reasonable speculationD.is just a wild and unreliable guess(3).The celebration of Valentine“s Day on February. 14 _.（分数：1.00）A.coincides with the coming of springB.remains unexplained in terms of its originC.was a choice made by Chaucer and Saint ValentineD.started in the 14th century and has
22、 continued till today(4).The celebration of Valentine“s Day became unfashionable in the _ century.（分数：1.00）A.14thB.15thC.17thD.19th(5).The word “bonanza“ in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to _.（分数：1.00）A.mythB.challengeC.celebrationD.success(6).The passage is mainly about _.（分数：1.00）A.how
23、people celebrate Valentine“s DayB.how Valentine“s Day originated and evolvedC.what is the best way to promote Valentine“s DayD.why people have different attitudes toward Valentine“s Day四、Passage Three(总题数：1，分数：6.00)What“s a label worth? A lot, it seems, when it comes to towels in a New York shop. Tw
24、o Harvard University researchers, Michael Hiscox and Nicholas Smyth conducted an experiment on two sets of towels. One lot carried a label with the logo “Fair and Square“ and the following message: These towels have been made under fair labor conditions, in a safe and healthy working environment whi
25、ch is free of discrimination, and where management has committed to respecting the rights and dignity of workers. The other set had no such label. Over five months, the researchers observed the impact of making various changes such as switching the label to the other set of towels and raising prices
26、. The results were striking: not only did sales of towels increase when they carried the Fair and Square label, they carried on increasing each time the price was raised. No wonder companies are keen to appeal to ethically minded consumers, whether on labor standards or green credentials. On greener
27、y, British consumers are divided into four broad groups. About one in ten is passionately green and will go out of their way to shop accordingly . At the other end of the spectrum one-quarter are not interested. In-between are those who care but want green consumption to be easy, and those who are v
28、aguely concerned but don“t see how they can make a difference. That represents an opportunity: three-quarters of British consumers are interested in the green theme in some way. But even the keenest ethical consumer faces complicated trade-offs, and sometimes the apparently obvious ethical choice tu
29、rns out to be the wrong one. Surely it must be greener for Britons to buy roses from the Netherlands than ones air-freighted from Kenya? In fact, a study at Cranfield University showed the carbon footprint of the Dutch roses to be six times as large because they had to be grown in heated greenhouses
30、. Consumers are right to be suspicious of the ethical claims made for many products. A recent study of the labels of 1 018 products in big stores in North America by TerraChoice, an environmental marketing agency, found that almost all of them were guilty of some form of “green washing“. They did no
31、t tell outright lies, but nor did they tell the whole truth.（分数：6.00）(1).According to the experiment, the towels with the “ Fair and Square“ label _.（分数：1.00）A.sold better at a higher priceB.became more popular at a lower priceC.were more competitive even with an increased priceD.were thought to be
32、of higher quality even with a lower price(2).The towel experiment shows that _.（分数：1.00）A.we should appeal to more people to be ethical consumersB.the influence of ethical consumers is increasingly on the riseC.fair working conditions has become the core value in societyD.fair working conditions sho
33、uld be encouraged even at some cost(3).The phrase “go out of their way to shop accordingly“ in paragraph 4 means “to _“ .（分数：1.00）A.enjoy green shopping far away from homeB.make a special effort to buy green productsC.do unusual things to support green consumptionD.go shopping only in places with gr
34、een products(4).The example of the roses emphasizes the _.（分数：1.00）A.the difficulty for ethical consumers to identify green productsB.the necessity of giving more information to ethical consumersC.the importance of making the right choice in green consumptionD.the controversy of whether or not to co
35、ntinue green consumption(5).What point does the author want to make in the last paragraph?（分数：1.00）A.There is no such thing as green shopping.B.Consumers have the right to know the truth.C.The green labels on products are mostly misleading.D.Producers should feel guilty for deceiving consumers.(6).I
36、n the passage the author tries to convey the message that _.（分数：1.00）A.buying ethical may not be as good as it seemsB.buying ethical is the right choice for consumersC.the concept of buying ethical has caught on in the UKD.the question of buying ethical is heatedly debated in the UK五、Passage Four(总题
37、数：1，分数：6.00)Faith in medicine runs deep in America. We spend more per person on health care than any other nation. Whether we eat too much or exercise too little, whether we“re turning gray or feeling blue, we look to some pill or procedure to make us better. We assume that devoting ever more dollar
38、s to medicine will bring us longer, healthier lives. But there is mounting evidence that each new dollar we devote to the current health care system brings small and diminishing returns to public health. Today the United States spends more than $4 500 per person per year on health care. Costa Rica s
39、pends less than $ 300. Yet life expectancy at birth is nearly identical in both countries. Despite the highly publicized“ longevity revolution,“ life expectancy among the elderly in the United States is hardly improving. Yes, we are an aging society, but primarily because of falling birthrates. Youn
40、ger Americans, meanwhile, are far more likely to be disabled than they were 20 years ago. Most affected are people in their thirties, whose disability rates increased by nearly 130 percent, due primarily to overweight. Why has our huge investment in health care left us so unhealthy? Partly it is bec
41、ause so many promised“ miracle cures,“ from Interferon to gene therapies, have proven to be ineffective or even dangerous. Partly it“s because health care dollars are so concentrated on the terminally ill and the very old that even when medical interventions “work,“ the gains to average life expecta
42、ncy are small. And partly it is because of medical errors and adverse reaction to prescription drugs, which cause more deaths than motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer or AIDS. Each year roughly 200 000 seniors suffer fatal or life-threatening “adverse drug events“ due to improper drug use or drug
43、 interaction. Why don“t Americans live any longer than Costa Ricans? Overwhelmingly, it“s because of differences in behavior. Americans exercise less, eat more, drive more, smoke more, and lead more socially isolated lives. Even at its best, modern medicine can do little to promote productive aging,
44、 because by the time most people come in contact with it their bodies are already compromised by stress, indulgent habits, environmental dangers and injuries.（分数：6.00）(1).Americans in general believe that _.（分数：1.00）A.more money spent on health care may not result in better healthB.medicine may prov
45、ide an effective cure for various health problemsC.health problems caused by bad habits can hardly be solved by medicineD.higher birthrate can better solve the problem of aging society than medicine(2).Compared with the Americans, Costa Ricans _.（分数：1.00）A.have a healthier way of lifeB.enjoy a longe
46、r life expectancyC.are more dependent on medicineD.are less concerned about their health(3).The biggest problem affecting the health of younger Americans may be summarized as the problem of _.（分数：1.00）A.overworkB.depressionC.stressD.lifestyle(4).Which of the following is NOT a reason why health care
47、 investment fails to bring a longer life?（分数：1.00）A.Drug reaction due to improper use of drugs.B.Imbalanced distribution of health care money.C.Soaring prices of both drugs and new therapies.D.Failure of many highly-evaluated medical treatments.(5).It is implied in the last paragraph that _.（分数：1.00
48、）A.medicine should be taken timely before it is too lateB.it is reasonable to question the effectiveness of medicineC.poor health conditions leave little room for medicine to workD.great efforts should be made to develop new types of medicine(6).The passage is mainly focused on _.（分数：1.00）A.the limi
49、ts of medicineB.the life hazards in the U.S.C.the harriers to a longer lifeD.the problems in health investment六、Passage Five(总题数：1，分数：6.00)For decades, researchers have grappled with the problem of creating a machine that can tell, definitively, whether a person is lying. Until recently, their work has been far from successful. The past generation of lie-detection technologies has been put under scientific scrutiny and found wanting . But science, ever resourceful, is coming up with new id
