1、2008年北京航空航天大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 There has been a lot of hand-wringing over the death of Elizabeth Steinberg. Without blaming anyone in particular, neighbors, friends, social workers, the police and newspaper editors have struggled to define the communitys responsibility to Eli
2、zabeth and to other battered children. As the collective soul-searching continues, there is a pervading sense that the system failed her. The fact is, in New York State the system couldnt have saved her. It is almost impossible to protect a child from violent parents, especially if they are white, m
3、iddle-class, well-educated and represented by counsel. Why does the state permit violence against Children? There are a number of reasons. First, parental privilege is a rationalization. In the past, the law was giving its approval to the biblical injunction against sparing the rod. Second, while ev
4、eryone agrees that the state must act to remove children from their homes when there is danger of serious physical or emotional harm, many child advocates believe that state intervention in the absence of serious injury is more harmful than helpful. Third, courts and legislatures tread carefully whe
5、n their actions intrude or threaten to intrude on a relationship protected by the Constitution. In 1923, the Supreme Court recognized the “liberty of parent and guardian to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control“. More recently, in 1977, it upheld the teachers privilege
6、to use corporal punishment against schoolchildren. Read together, these decisions give the constitutional imprimatur to parental use of physical force. Under the best conditions, small children depend utterly on their parents for survival. Under the worst, their dependency dooms them. While it is qu
7、estionable whether anyone or anything could have saved Elizabeth Steinberg, it is plain that the law provided no protection. To the contrary, by justifying the use of physical force against children as an acceptable method of education and control, the law lent a measure of plausibility and legitima
8、cy to her parents conduct. More than 80 years ago, in the teeth of parental resistance and Supreme Court doctrine, the New York State Legislature acted to eliminate child labor law. Now, the state must act to eliminate child abuse by banning corporal punishment. To break the vicious cycle of violenc
9、e, nothing less will answer. If there is a lesson to be drawn from the death of Elizabeth Steinberg, it is this: spare the rod and spare the child. 1 The New York State law seems to provide least protection of a child from violent parents of_ （ A） a family on welfare （ B） a poor uneducated family （
10、C） an educated black family （ D） a middle-class white family 2 “Sparing the rod“ means_ （ A） spoiling children （ B） punishing children （ C） not caring about children （ D） not beating children 3 Corporal punishment against schoolchildren is _ （ A） taken as illegal in the New York State （ B） considere
11、d being in the teachers province （ C） officially approved by law （ D） disapproved by school teachers 4 From the article we can infer that Elizabeth Steinberg is probably the victim of （ A） teachers corporal punishment （ B） misjudgment of the court （ C） parents ill-treatment （ D） street violence 5 Th
12、e writer of this article thinks that banning corporal punishment will in the long run （ A） prevent violence of adults （ B） save more children （ C） protect children from ill-treatment （ D） better the system 5 For laymen ethnology is the most interesting of the biological sciences for the very reason
13、that it concerns animals in their normal activities and therefore, if we wish, we can assess the possible dangers and advantages in our own behavioral roots. Ethnology also is interesting methodologically because it combines in new ways very scrupulous field observations with experimentation in labo
14、ratories. The field workers have had some handicaps in winning respect for themselves. For a long time they were considered as little better than amateur animal-watchers-certainly not scientists, since their facts were not gained by experimental procedures: they could not conform to the hard-and-fas
15、t rule that a problem set up and solved by one scientist must be tested by other scientists, under identical conditions and reaching identical results. Of course many situations in the lives of animals simply cannot be rehearsed and controlled in this way. The fall flocking of wild free birds cant b
16、e, or the roving animals over long distances, or even the details of spontaneous family relationships. Since these never can be reproduced in a laboratory, they are then not worth knowing about? The ethnologists who choose field work have got themselves out of this impasse by greatly refining the te
17、chniques of observing. At the start of a project all the animals to be studied are live-trapped, marked individually, and released. Motion pictures, often in color, provide permanent records of their subsequent activities. Recording of the animals voices by electrical sound equipment is considered e
18、ssential, and the most meticulous notes are kept of all that occurs. With this material other biologists, far from the scene, later can verify the reports. Moreover, two field observers often go out together, checking each others observations right there in the field. Ethnology, the word, is derived
19、 from the Greek ethos, meaning the characteristic traits or features which distinguish a group-any particular group of people or, in biology, a group of animals such as a species. Ethnologists have the intention of studying “the whole sequence of acts which constitute an animals behavior“. In abridg
20、ed dictionaries ethnology is sometimes defined simply as “the objective study of animal behavior,“ and ethnologists do emphasize their wish to eliminate myths. 6 In the first sentence, the word “laymen“ means_ （ A） people who stand aside （ B） people who are not trained as biologists （ C） people who
21、are amateur biologists （ D） people who love animals 7 According to the passage, ethnology is _ （ A） a new branch of biology （ B） an old Greek science （ C） a pseudo-science （ D） a science for amateurs 8 “The field workers have handicaps in winning respect for themselves.“ This sentence means_ （ A） et
22、hnologists when working in the field are handicapped （ B） ethnologists have problems in winning recognition as scientists （ C） ethnologists are looked down upon when they work in the field （ D） ethnologists meet with lots of difficulties when doing field work 9 According to the explanation of the sc
23、ientific rule of experiment in the passage, “hard-and-fast“ means experiment procedures_ （ A） are difficult and quick to follow （ B） must be carried out in a strict and quick way （ C） must be followed strictly to avoid false and loose results （ D） hard and unreasonable for scientists to observe 10 T
24、he meaning of the underlined words in “the details of spontaneous family relationships“ can be expressed as_ （ A） natural family relationships （ B） quickly occurring family relationships （ C） animals acting like a natural family （ D） animal family behavior that cannot be preplanned or controlled 10
25、Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty. That compulsion has resulted in robotics- the science of conferring various human capabilities on machines. And if scientists have yet to creat
26、e the mechanical version of science fiction, they have begun to come close. As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor. Our factories hum to the rhythm of robot assembly arms
27、. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are control led by tireless robot-drivers. And thanks to the continual miniaturization of electronics and micro-mechanics, there are already robot systems that can perf
28、orm some kinds of brain and bone surgery with sub-millimeter accuracy- far greater precision than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone. But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with less human supervision and be able to make
29、at least a few decisions for themselves-goals that pose a real challenge. “While we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error,“ says Dave Lavery, manager of a robotics program at NASA, “we cant yet give a robot enough common sense to reliably interact with a dynamic world.“ Indeed the ques
30、t for true artificial intelligence has produced very mixed results. Despite a spell of initial optimism in the 1960s and 1970s when it appeared that transistor circuits and microprocessors might be able to copy the action of the human brain by the year 2010, researchers lately have begun to extend t
31、hat forecast by decades if not centuries. What they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brains roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talented- and human perception far more complicated-than previously imagined. They have built robots that can recognize the error
32、of a machine panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment. But the human mind can glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 percent that is irrelevant, instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a forest road or the single suspicious face
33、 in a big crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth cant approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still dont know quite how we do it. 11 Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in_ （ A） the use of machines to produce science fiction （ B） the wide use of machines in manufacturin
34、g industry （ C） the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work （ D） the elites cunning tackling of dangerous and boring work 12 The word “gizmos“ (line 1, paragraph 2) most probably means_ （ A） programs （ B） experts （ C） devices （ D） creatures 13 According to the text, what is beyond mans a
35、bility now is to design a robot that can _ （ A） fulfill delicate tasks like performing brain surgery （ B） interact with human beings verbally （ C） have a little common sense （ D） respond independently to a changing world 14 Besides reducing human labor, robots can also _ （ A） make a few decisions fo
36、r themselves （ B） deal with some errors with human intervention （ C） improve factory environments （ D） cultivate human creativity 15 The author uses the example of a monkey to argue that robots are _ （ A） expected to copy human brain in internal structure （ B） able to perceive abnormalities immediat
37、ely （ C） far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information （ D） best used in a controlled environment 15 When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isnt cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as shed like to,
38、 either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “Im a good economic indicator,“ she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when theyre concerned about saving some dollars.“ So
39、Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillards department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I dont know if other clients are going to abandon me, too“, she says. Even before Alan Greenspans admission that Americas red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working f
40、olks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a
41、 crucial time. Already, expels say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last years pace. But dont sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economys long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening. Consumer
42、s say theyre not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “theres a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,“ says brok
43、er Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,“ says john Deadly, a Bay Area real-estate broke. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a j
44、ob. Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldnt mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a
45、 sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattans hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting. 16 By “Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet“ (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means_ （ A）
46、 Spero can hardly maintain her business （ B） Spero is too much engaged in her work （ C） Spero has grown out of her bad habit （ D） Spero is not in a desperate situation 17 How do the public feel about the current economic situation? （ A） Optimistic. （ B） Confused. （ C） Carefree. （ D） Panicke 18 When
47、mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range“ (Lines 3-4, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about_ （ A） gold market （ B） real estate （ C） stock exchange （ D） venture investment 19 Why can many people see “silver linings“ to the economic slowdown? （ A） They would benefit in certain ways. （ B） The
48、 stock market shows signs of recovery. （ C） Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom. （ D） The purchasing power would be enhance 20 To which of the following idea is the author likely to agree? （ A） A now boom, around the corner. （ B） Tighten the belt, the single remedy. （ C） Caution all right, panic
49、 not. （ D） The more ventures, the more chances. 二、 Structure and Vocabulary 21 The statement was an allusion to recent troubles with the agencys computers. （ A） an explanation （ B） a contradiction （ C） a reference （ D） a rejection 22 A judge who is lenient will not punish people severely. （ A） merciful （ B） loose （ C） sincere （ D） lunatic 23 A balmy breeze came in and made us all feel refreshed. （ A） gentle （ B） strong （ C） warm （ D） fairy 24 There is a controversy even a
