1、在职艺术硕士（MFA ）全国联考英文阅读理解模拟试卷 17 及答案与解析一、英文阅读理解题0 British universities, groaning under the burden of a huge increase in student numbers, are warning that the tradition of a free education is at risk. The universities have threatened to impose an admission fee on students to plug a gap in revenue if the
2、 government does not act to improve their finances and scrap some public spending cutbacks.The government responded to the universities threat by setting up the most fundamental review of higher education for a generation, under a non-party troubleshooter (调 停人)， Sir Ron Dearing.One in three school-
3、leavers enters higher education, five times the number when the last review took place thirty years ago.Everyone agrees a system that is feeling the strain after rapid expansion needs a lot more moneybut there is little hope of getting it from the taxpayer and not much scope for attracting more fina
4、nce from business.Most colleges believe students should contribute to tuition costs, something that is common elsewhere in the world but would mark a revolutionary change in Britaia Universities want the government to introduce a loan scheme for tuition fees and have suspended their own threatened a
5、ction for now. They await Dearings advice, hoping it will not be too latesome are already reported to be in financial difficulty.As the century nears its end, the whole concept of what a university should be is under the microscope. Experts ponder how much they can use computers instead of classroom
6、s, talk of the need for lifelong learning and refer to students as “consumers“.The Confederation (联盟) of British Industry, the key employers organization, wants even more expansion in higher education to help fight competition on world markets from booming Asian economies. But the government has dou
7、bts about more expansion. The Times newspaper agrees, complaining that quality has suffered as student numbers soared, with close tutorial supervision giving way to “mass production methods more typical of European universities. “ (324 words)1 The chief concern of British universities is_.（A）how to
8、tackle their present financial difficulty（B） how to expand the enrollment to meet the needs of enterprises（C） how to improve their educational technology（D）how to put an end to the current tendency of quality deterioration2 We can learn from the passage that in Britain_.（A）the government pays dearly
9、 for its financial policy（B） universities are mainly funded by businesses（C） higher education is provided free of charge（D）students are ready to accept loan schemes for tuition3 What was the percentage of high school graduates admitted to universities in Britain thirty years ago?（A）20% or so.（B） Abo
10、ut 15%.（C） Above 30%.（D）Below 10%.4 It can be inferred from the passage that_.（A）the British government will be forced to increase its spending on higher education（B） British employers demand an expansion in enrollment at the expense of quality（C） the best way out for British universities is to foll
11、ow their European counterparts（D）British students will probably have to pay for their higher education in the near future5 Which of the following is the viewpoint of The Times newspaper?（A）Expansion in enrollment is bound to affect the quality of British higher education.（B） British universities sho
12、uld expand their enrollment to meet the needs of industry.（C） European universities can better meet the needs of the modern world.（D）British universities should help fight competition on world markets.5 Theres a simple premise behind what Larry Myers does for a living: If you can smell it, you can f
13、ind it.Myers is the founder of Auburn Universitys Institute for Biological Detection Systems , the main task of which is to chase the ultimate in detection devicesan artificial nose.For now, the subject of their research is little more than a stack of gleaming chips tucked away in a laboratory drawe
14、r. But soon, such a tool could be hanging from the belts of police, arson (纵火) investigators and food-safety inspectors.The technology that they are working in would suggest quite reasonably that, within three to five years, well have some workable sensors ready to use. Such devices might find wide
15、use in places that attract terrorists. Police could detect drugs, bodies and bombs hidden in cars, while food inspectors could easily test food and water for contamination.The implications for revolutionary advances in public safety and the food industry are astonishing. But so, too, are the possibi
16、lities for abuse: Such machines could determine whether a woman is ovulating (排卵), without a physical examor even her knowledge.One of the traditional protectors of American liberty is that it has been impossible to search everyone. Thats getting not to be the case.Artificial biosensors created at A
17、uburn work totally differently from anything ever seen before. Aroma Scan, for example, is a desktop machine based on a bank of chips sensitive to specific chemicals that evaporate into the air. As air is sucked into the machine, chemicals pass over the sensor surfaces and produce changes in the ele
18、ctrical current flowing through them. Those current changes are logged into a computer that sorts out odors based on their electrical signatures.Myers says they expect to load a single fingernail-size chip with thousands of odor receptors (感受器)， enough to create a sensor thats nearly as sensitive as
19、 a dogs nose. (325 words)6 Which of the following is within the capacity of the artificial nose being developed?（A）Performing physical examinations.（B） Locating places which attract terrorists.（C） Detecting drugs and water contamination.（D）Monitoring food processing.7 A potential problem which might
20、 be caused by the use of an artificial nose is（A）negligence of public safety（B） an abuse of personal freedom（C） a hazard to physical health（D）a threat to individual privacy8 The word “logged“ (Line 5, Para. 7) most probably means “_“.（A）preset（B） entered（C） processed（D）stimulated9 To produce artific
21、ial noses for practical use, it is essential_.（A）to develop microchips with thousands of odor receptors（B） to invent chips sensitive to various chemicals（C） to design a computer program to sort out smells（D）to find chemicals that can alter the electrical current passing through10 The authors attitud
22、e towards Larry Myers works is_.（A）cautious（B） approving（C） suspicious（D）overenthusiastic10 There are some earth phenomena you can count on, but the magnetic field, someday is not of them. It fluctuates in strength, drifts from its axis, and every few 100,000 years undergo, dramatic polarity reversa
23、la period when North Pole becomes South Pole and South Pole becomes North Pole. But how is the field generated, and why is it so unstable?Groundbreaking research by two French geophysicists promises to shed some light on the mystery. Using 80 meters of deep sea sediment (沉淀物) core, they have obtaine
24、d measurements lots of magnetic-field intensity that span 11 polarity reversals and four million years. The analysis reveals that intensity appears to fluctuate with a clear, well-defined rhythm. Although the strength of the magnetic field varies irregularly during the short term, there seems to be
25、an inevitable long-term decline preceding each polarity reversal. When the poles flipa process that takes several hundred thousand yearsthe magnetic field rapidly regains its strength and the cycle is repeated.The results have caused a stir among geophysicists. The magnetic field is thought to origi
26、nate from molten (熔化的) iron in the outer core, 3, 000 kilometers beneath the earths surface. By studying mineral grains found in material ranging from rocks to clay articles, previous researchers have already been able to identify reversals dating back 170 million years, including the most recent sw
27、itch 730, 000 years ago. How and why they occur, however, has been widely debated. Several theories link polarity flips to external disasters such as meteor (陨星) impacts. But Peter Olson, a geophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, says this is unlikely if the French researchers are
28、 right. In fact, Olson says intensity that predictably declines from one reversal to the next contradicts 90 percent of the models currently under study. If the results prove to be valid geophysicists will have a new theory to guide them in their quest to understand the earths inner physics. It cert
29、ainly points the direction for future research. (333 words)11 Which of the following titles is most appropriate to the passage?（A）Polarity Reversal; A Fantastic Phenomenon of Nature（B） Measurement of the Earths Magnetic-Field Intensity（C） Formation of the Two Poles of the Earth（D）A New Approach to t
30、he Study of Geophysics12 The word “flip“ (Line 7, Para. 2) most probably means “_“.（A）decline（B） intensify（C） fluctuate（D）reverse13 What have the two French geophysicists discovered in their research?（A）Some regularity in the changes of the earths magnetic field.（B） Some causes of the fluctuation of
31、 the earths magnetic field.（C） The origin of the earths magnetic field.（D）The frequency of polarity reversals.14 The French geophysicists study is different from currently prevailing theories in（A）its identification of the origin of the earths magnetic field（B） the way the earths magnetic intensity
32、is measured（C） its explanation of the shift in the earths polarity（D）the way the earths fluctuation rhythm is defined15 In Peter Oslos opinion the French experiment_.（A）is likely to direct further research in the inner physics of the earth（B） has successfully solved the mystery of polarity reversals
33、（C） is certain to help predict external disasters（D）has caused great confusion among the worlds geophysicists15 The rise of multinational corporations (跨国公司 ), global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public
34、relations or PRSurprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the worlds top five public relations agencies were American-owned In 1991, only one was. The Briti
35、sh in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate (公司的) planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the
36、capital of PR.Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European a
37、nd Asian counterparts (相对应的人) in knowing a second language. Less than five percent of Burson-Marshalls U.S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage. Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people
38、 involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in thi
39、s country.Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN (Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the word “foreign“ would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that th
40、ere is no longer any such thing as foreign. (341 words)16 According to the passage, U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened because of_.（A）an unparalleled increase in the number of public relations companies（B） shrinking cultural differences and new communications technologies（C） the
41、 decreasing number of multinational corporations in the U.S.（D）increased efforts of other countries in public relations17 London could soon replace New York as the center of PR because_.（A）British companies are more ambitious than U.S. companies（B） British companies place more importance on PR than
42、U.S. companies（C） British companies are heavily involved in planning activities（D）four of the worlds top public relations agencies are British-owned18 The word “provincial“ (Line 2, Para. 3) most probably means “_“.（A）limited in outlook（B） like people from the provinces（C） rigid in thinking（D）intere
43、sted in world financial affairs19 We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry（A）speak at least one foreign language fluently（B） are ignorant about world geography（C） are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts（D）enjoy reading a great variety of English bu
44、siness publications20 What lesson might the PR industry take from Ted Turner of CNN?（A）American PR companies should be more internationally-minded.（B） The American PR industry should develop global communications technologies.（C） People working in PR should be more fluent in foreign languages.（D）Peo
45、ple involved in PR should avoid using the word “foreign“.在职艺术硕士（MFA ）全国联考英文阅读理解模拟试卷 17 答案与解析一、英文阅读理解题1 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解2 【正确答案】 C【知识模块】 英文阅读理解3 【正确答案】 D【知识模块】 英文阅读理解4 【正确答案】 D【知识模块】 英文阅读理解5 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解6 【正确答案】 C【知识模块】 英文阅读理解7 【正确答案】 D【知识模块】 英文阅读理解8 【正确答案】 B【知识模块】 英文阅读理解9 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解10 【正确答案】 B【知识模块】 英文阅读理解11 【正确答案】 D【知识模块】 英文阅读理解12 【正确答案】 D【知识模块】 英文阅读理解13 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解14 【正确答案】 C【知识模块】 英文阅读理解15 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解16 【正确答案】 D【知识模块】 英文阅读理解17 【正确答案】 B【知识模块】 英文阅读理解18 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解19 【正确答案】 B【知识模块】 英文阅读理解20 【正确答案】 A【知识模块】 英文阅读理解
