1、北京航空航天大学考博英语模拟试卷 15及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids(小行星 )now.one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it,say some scientists. Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星 )that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far
2、from Earth and dont threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth. Buy $ 40 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one,the scient
3、ists say.well have a way to change its course. Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldnt be cheap. Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1. How likely the event is; and 2. How bad the consequences if the event occur
4、s. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 400,000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall.it would be the end of the world. “If we dont take care of these big asteroids,theyII take care of us,“says one scientist. “Its that simple.“ The cure,t
5、hough,might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(毁灭性的 )rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them,“ said a New York Times article. 1 What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroi
6、ds? （ A） They are heavenly bodies different in composition. （ B） They are heavenly bodies similar in nature. （ C） There are more asteroids than meteoroids. （ D） Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids. 2 What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth? （ A） It is very unli
7、kely but the danger exists. （ B） Such a collision might occur once every 25 years. （ C） Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected. （ D） Its still too early to say whether such a collision might occur. 3 What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons t
8、o alter the course of asteroids? （ A） It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem. （ B） It may create more problems than it might solve. （ C） It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely. （ D） Further research should be done before it is proved applica
9、ble. 4 We can conclude from the passage that_. （ A） while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world （ B） asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future （ C） the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely t
10、o happen in our lifetime （ D） workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth. 5 Which of the following best describes the authors tone in this pass age? （ A） Optimistic （ B） Critical （ C） Objective （ D） Arbitrary 5 Believe it or not,optical illusion(错觉 )can
11、cut highway crashes. Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent stripes,called chevrons(人字形 )painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are,and thus drivers slow down.
12、 Now the American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japans success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes. Excessi
13、ve speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation To help reduce those accidents,the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest-curves,exit slopes,traffic circles,and bridges. Some studies sugg
14、est that straight,horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bar. Chevrons,scientists say,not only give drivers the impress on that they are drivi
15、ng faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents. 6 The passage mainly discusses_. （ A） a new way of highway speed control （ B） a new pattern for painting highways （ C） a new appro
16、ach to training drivers （ D） a new type of optical illusion 7 On roads painted with chevrons drivers tend to feel that_. （ A） they should avoid speed-related hazards （ B） they are driving in the wrong lane （ C） they should slow down their speed （ D） they are approaching the speed limit 8 The advanta
17、ge of chevrons over straight,horizontal bars is that the former_. （ A） can keep drivers awake （ B） can cut road accidents in half （ C） will have a longer effect on drivers （ D） will look more attractive 9 The American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to_. （ A） try out the Japanese met
18、hod in certain areas （ B） change the road signs across the country （ C） replace straight,horizontal bars with chevrons （ D） repeat the Japanese road patterns 10 What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads? （ A） They are falling out of use in the United States. （ B）
19、They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time. （ C） They are applicable only on broad roads. （ D） They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles. 10 What do consumers really want? Thats a question market researchers would love to answer. But since people dont always say what t
20、hey think, marketers would need direct access to consumers thoughts to get the truth. Now, in a way, that is possible. At the “Mind of the Market“ laboratory at Harvard Business School, researchers are looking inside shoppers skulls to develop more effective advertisements and marketing pitches. Usi
21、ng imaging techniques that measure blood flow to various parts of the brain, the Harvard team hopes to predict how consumers will react to particular products and to discover the most effective ways to present information. Stephen Kosslyn, a professor of psychology at Harvard, and business school pr
22、ofessor Gerald Zaltman, oversee the lab. “The goal is not to manipulate peoples preferences,“ says Kosslyn, “just to speak to their actual desires.“ The groups findings, though still preliminary, could radically change how firms develop and market new products. The Harvard group use position emissio
23、n topography(PET)scans to monitor the brain activity. These PET scans, along with other non-invasive imaging techniques; enable researchers to see which parts of the brain are active during specific tasks(such as remembering a word). Correlations have been found between blood flow to specific areas
24、and future behavior. Because of this, Harvard researchers believe the scans can also predict future purchasing patterns. According to an unpublished paper the group produced, “It is possible to use these techniques to predict not only whether people will remember and have specific emotional reaction
25、s to certain materials, but also whether they will be inclined to want those materials months later.“ The Harvard group is now moving into the next stage of experiments. They will explore how people remember advertisements as part of an effort to predict how they will react to a product after having
26、 seen an ad. The researchers believe that once key areas of the brain are identified, scans on about two dozen volunteers will be enough to draw conclusions about the reactions of specific segments of the population. Large corporationsincluding Coca Cola, Eastman Kodak, General Motors, and Hallmarkh
27、ave already signed up to fund further investigations. For their financial support, these firms gain access to the experiments but cannot control them. If Kosslyn and Zaltman and their team really can read the mind of the market, then consumers may find it even harder to get those advertising jingles
28、 out of their heads. 11 Which of the following statements can be the best title for this passage? （ A） Reading the Mind of the Market （ B） Controlling the Consumers Preferences （ C） Improving the Styles of Advertising （ D） Finding Out the Way to Predict 12 Why do the Harvard researchers use scientif
29、ic technology in the experiments? （ A） Because they dont believe the surveys done by the marketers can lead to the truth. （ B） Because they are asked by the marketers to find a direct way to read the consumers thoughts. （ C） Because they want to find out how the ads influence peoples brain activity
30、and emotional responses etc. （ D） Because they expect that their experiments can basically alter the marketing strategies of products. 13 Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? （ A） Sometimes people will conceal what they think when being questioned by the market researchers. （
31、 B） Stephen Kosslyn and Gerald Zaltman overlook the experiments and criticize the purpose of the study. （ C） Harvard researchers have found the corresponding relations between peoples brain and behavior. （ D） There are many large organizations endorsing and financing the Harvard groups further inves
32、tigation. 14 What does “to speak to“in the last sentence of the second paragraph mean? （ A） to talk to （ B） to say to （ C） to communicate to （ D） to respond to 15 The last sentence of this passage implies that_. （ A） if the experiments results can be applied to the practice, the customers will be ve
33、ry likely to buy things according to the ads （ B） if the Harvard group can succeed in finishing the research, they will use it in attracting more and more consumers into the market （ C） the financial supporting corporations such as Coca Cola, General Motors can employ the experiments in their own ma
34、rketing （ D） the consumers may discover that those ads will always annoy them by jingling out of their heads and cause them headaches 15 To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against rain. Its fir
35、st use was as a shade against the sun. Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, way back in the eleventh century B.C. We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there wa
36、s a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor and authority. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high offices. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in comm
37、on use in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against rain were the ancient Romans. During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in I-taly in the late sixteenth century. And against i
38、t was considered a symbol of power and authority. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later on in England. By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lig
39、hter in weight. It wasnt until the twentieth century that womens umbrellas began to be made in a whole variety of colors. 16 The first use of umbrella was as_. （ A） protection against rain （ B） a shade against the sun （ C） a symbol of power （ D） a symbol of honor 17 _were the people who first used u
40、mbrellas. （ A） Chinese （ B） Romans （ C） Greeks （ D） Egyptians 18 The umbrella was used only by royalty or by those in high offices_. （ A） in Europe in the 18th century （ B） in ancient Egypt and Babylon （ C） in the Far East in ancient times （ D） during the Middle Ages 19 According to the passage, whi
41、ch of the following is NOT true ? （ A） Women enjoy using umbrellas with varied kinds of colors nowadays. （ B） The inventor of the umbrella is unknown. （ C） Once ordinary people had no right to use umbrellas. （ D） Umbrellas were popular and cheap in ancient times. 20 Which of the following is the bes
42、t title of the passage? （ A） When Was the Umbrella Invented? （ B） The History of Umbrella （ C） Umbrella A Symbol of Honor （ D） Who Used Umbrella First? 二、 Structure and Vocabulary 21 Not until the game had begun_at the sports ground. （ A） should he have arrived （ B） had he arrived （ C） did he arrive
43、 （ D） would he had arrived 22 Neither at this meeting nor at the previous one_the proposal. （ A） they did not discuss （ B） did they discuss （ C） do they discuss （ D） would they discuss 23 The molecules of gases move more freely than_. （ A） do liquids and solids （ B） liquids and solids do （ C） do tho
44、se of liquids and solids （ D） those do of liquids and solids 24 The taller the container,_at the bottom. （ A） the greater will the water pressure be （ B） the water pressure will be greater （ C） the greater will be the water pressure （ D） greater the water pressure will be 25 _from the tenth floor wh
45、en the policeman pointed his pistol at him. （ A） Jumped down the burglar （ B） Down the burglar jumped （ C） The burglar jumped down （ D） Down jumped the burglar 26 To the north of the city_a small island. （ A） lain （ B） lies （ C） was there （ D） there lays 27 _she first heard of the man referred to as
46、 a specialist. （ A） That was from Stephen （ B） It was Stephen whom （ C） It was from Stephen that （ D） It was Stephen that 28 Was it_the professor regarded with such contempt? （ A） them who （ B） them whom （ C） he who （ D） those 29 the Europeans began to learn how to use the compass on their ships. （
47、A） It was not until the 12th century when （ B） Hardly it was the 12th century than （ C） No sooner it was the 12th century when （ D） It was not until the 12th century that 30 When I try to understand_that prevents so many Americans from being as happy as one might expect.it seems to me that there are
48、 two causes. （ A） why it does （ B） what it does （ C） what it is （ D） why it is 31 More often it is the President,and not the members of his cabinet,_the populace. （ A） who appeal to （ B） to whom appeal to （ C） whom appeals to （ D） who appeals to 32 On the large board in the main hall of the airport.
49、you can easily find the different Destinations_which airlines can take you. （ A） in （ B） of （ C） to （ D） by 33 Not until actually faced with water scarcity_appreciate the value of water to a region. （ A） one can （ B） one cannot （ C） can one （ D） cannot one 34 Most people dont think of a stamp as a receipt,but that is_it really is-a proof of just how much money you have paid in advance for mail delivery. （ A） what （ B） why （ C） how （ D） who 35 Without water from the Nile River,Egyp
