1、考研英语模拟试卷 289 及答案与解析一、Section I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D. (10 points) 0 It is often observed that the aged spend much time thinking and talking about their past lives,【1】about the future. These reminiscenc
2、es are not simply random or trivial memories,【2】is their purpose merely to make conversation. The old persons recollections of the past help to【3】an identity that is becoming increasingly fragile:【4】 any role that brings respect or any goal that might provide【5】to the future, the individual mentions
3、 his past as a reminder to listeners, that here was a life【6 】living. 【7】, the memories form part of a continuing life【8】, in which the person【9】the events and experiences of the-years gone by and【10】on the overall meaning of his or her own almost completed life.As the life cycle【11】to its close, th
4、e aged must also learn to accept the reality of their own impending death.【12】this task is made difficult by the fact that death is almost a【13 】subject in the United States. The mere discussion of death is often regarded as【 14】.As adults many of us find the topic frightening and are【15】to think ab
5、out it and certainly not to talk about it【16】the presence of someone who is dying. Death has achieved this taboo【17】only in the modern industrial societies. There seems to bean important reason for our reluctance to【18】the idea of death. It is the very fact that death remains【19】our control; it is a
6、lmost the only one of the natural processes【20】is so.（A）better than（B） rather than（C） less than（D）other than （A）so（B） even（C） nor（D）hardly （A）preserve（B） conserve（C） resume（D）assume （A）performing（B） playing（C） undertaking（D）lacking （A）orientation（B） implication（C） succession（D）presentation （A）worthy
7、（B） worth（C） worthless（D）worthwhile （A）In a word（B） In brief（C） In addition（D）In particular （A）prospect（B） impetus（C） impression（D）review （A）integrates（B） incorporates（C） includes（D）interacts （A）reckons（B） counts（C） reflects（D）conceives （A）keeps（B） draws（C） inclines（D）tends （A）Therefore（B） And（C） Ye
8、t（D）Otherwise （A）taboo（B） dispute（C） contempt（D）neglect （A）notorious（B） indecent（C） obscure（D）desperate （A）ready（B） willing（C） liable（D）reluctant （A）at（B） on（C） with（D）in （A）status（B） circumstance（C） environment（D）priority （A）encounter（B） confront（C） tolerate（D）expose （A）under（B） above（C） beyond（D）w
9、ithin （A）which（B） what（C） as（D）that Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)20 The Commercial Revolution was not confined, of course, to the growth of trade and banking. Included in it also were fundamental changes in
10、 methods of production. The system of manufacture developed by the craft guilds in the later Middle Ages was rapidly becoming defunct. The guilds themselves, dominated by the master craftsmen, had grown selfish and exclusive. Membership in them was commonly restricted to a few privileged families. B
11、esides, they were so completely choked by tradition that they were unable to make adjustments to changing conditions. Moreover, new industries had sprung up entirely outside the guild system. Characteristic examples were mining and smelting and the woolen industry. The rapid development of these ent
12、erprises was stimulated by technical advances, such as the invention of the spinning wheel and the discovery of a new method of making brass, which saved about half of the fuel previously used. In the mining and smelting industries a form of organization was adopted similar to that which has prevail
13、ed ever since.But the most typical form of industrial production in the Commercial Revolution was the domestic system, developed first of all in the woolen industry. The domestic system derives its name from the fact that the work was done in the homes of industrial artisans instead of in the shop o
14、f a master craftsman. Since the various jobs in the manufacture of a product were given out on contract, the system is also known as the putting out system. Notwithstanding the petty scale of production, the organization was basically capitalistic. The raw material was purchased by an entrepreneur a
15、nd assigned to individual worker, each of whom would complete his allotted task for a stipulated payment. In the case of the woolen industry the yarn would be given out first of all to the spinners, then to the weavers, fullers, and dyer in succession. When the cloth was finally finished, it would b
16、e taken by the clothier and sold in the open market for the highest price it would bring.21 According to the article, what changes did the Commercial Revolution bring about?（A）Methods of production（B） Appearance of craft guilds（C） Increased trade volume（D）Growth of trade, banking and methods of prod
17、uction 22 The word “defunct“ in the first paragraph most probably means_.（A）popular（B） obsolete（C） potential（D）flourishing 23 According to the article, in which area was it more energy-efficient?（A）Smelting industry（B） Mining industry（C） Banking（D）Weaving 24 The author implies that_.（A）The guild sys
18、tem was more efficient（B） The domestic system was capitalistic（C） The technical advances stimulated the guild system（D）The domestic system was not as efficient as the guild system 25 According to the article, which one of the following statements is NOT true?（A）Technical advances stimulated the deve
19、lopment of enterprises（B） In the woolen industry, weavers would pass on their products to spinners（C） The domestic system is also known as the putting out system（D）The word “clothier“ is synonymous to “entrepreneur“ in this context 25 In some ways, the United States has made spectacular progress. Fi
20、res no longer destroy 18,000 buildings as they did in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, or kill half a town of 2,400 people, as they did the same night in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Other than the Beverly Hill Supper Club fire in Kentucky in 1977, it has been four decades since more than 100 Americans died
21、in a fire.But even with such successes, the United States still has one of the worst fire death rates in the world. Safety experts say the problem is neither money nor technology, but the indifference of a country that just will not take fires seriously enough. American fire departments are some of
22、the worlds fastest and best-equipped. They have to be. The United States has twice Japans population, and 40 times as many fires. It spends far less on preventing fires than on fighting them. And American fire-safety lessons are aimed almost entirely at children, who die in disproportionately large
23、numbers in fires but who, contrary to popular myth, start very few of them.Experts say the fatal error is an attitude that fires are not really anyones fault. That is not so in other countries, where both public education and the law treat fires as either a personal failing or a crime. Japan has man
24、y wood houses; of the estimated 48 fires in world history, that burned more than 10,000 buildings, Japan has had 27. Penalties for causing a severe fire by negligence can be as high as life imprisonment.In the United States, most education dollars are spent in elementary schools. But the lessons are
25、 aimed at a too limited audience; just 9 percent of all fire deaths are caused by children playing with matches.The United States continues to rely more on technology than laws or social pressure. There are smoke detectors in 85 percent of all homes. Some local building codes now require home sprink
26、lers. New heaters and irons shut themselves off if they are tipped.26 The reason why so many Americans die in fires is that_.（A）They took no interest in new technology（B） they did not attach great importance to preventing fires（C） they showed indifference to fighting fires（D）they did not spend enoug
27、h money on fire facilities 27 Although the fire death rate has declined, the United States_.（A）still has the worst fire death rate in the world（B） is still alert to the fire problem（C） is still training a large number of safety experts（D）is still confronted with the serious fire problem 28 It can be
28、 inferred from the passage that_.（A）fire safety lessons should be aimed at American adults（B） American children have not received enough education of fire safety lesson（C） Japan is better equipped with fire facilities than the United States（D）Americas large population accounts for hight fire frequen
29、cy 29 In what aspects should the United States learn from Japan?（A）Architecture and building material.（B） Education and technology.（C） Laws and attitude.（D）All of the above. 30 To narrow the gap between the fire death rate in the United States and that in other countries, the author suggests_.（A）dev
30、eloping new technology（B） counting more on laws and social pressure（C） placing a fire extinguisher in every family（D）reinforcing the safeness of household appliances 30 In old days, when a glimpse of stocking was looked upon as something far too shocking to distract the serious work of an office, se
31、cretaries were men.Then came the first World War and the male secretaries were replaced by women. A mans secretary became his personal servant, charged with remembering his wifes birthday and buying her presents; taking his suits to the dry cleaners; telling lies on the telephone to keep people he d
32、id not wish to speak to at bay and, of course, typing and filing and taking shorthand.Now all this may be changing again. The microchip and high technology is sweeping the British office, taking with it much of the routine clerical work that secretaries did.“Once office technology takes over general
33、ly, the status of the job will rise again because it will involve only the high-powered work-and then men will want to do it again.“That was said by one of the executives(male) of one of the biggest secretarial agencies in this country. What he has predicted is already under way in the US. One girl
34、described to me a recent temporary job placing men in secretarial jobs in San Francisco. She noted that all the men she dealt with appeared to be gay so possibly that is just a new twist to the old story.Over here, though, there are men coming onto the job market as secretaries. Classically, girls h
35、ave learned shorthand and typing and gone into a company to seek their fortune from the bottomand thats what happened to John Bowman. Although he joined a national grocery chain as secretary to its first woman senior manager, he has since been promoted to an administration job.“I filled in the appli
36、cation form and said I could do audio/typing, and in fact I was the only applicant. The girls were reluctant to work for this young, glamorous new woman with all this power in the firm. “I did typing at school, and then a commercial course. I just thought it would be useful finding a job. I never go
37、t any funny treatment from the girls, though I admit Ive never met another male secretary. But then I joined the Post Office as a clerk and carelessly played with the typewriter, and wrote letters, and thought that after all secretaries were getting a good 1,000 a year more than clerks like me. Ther
38、e was a shortage at that time, you see. “It was simpler working for a woman than for a man. I found she made decisions, she told everybody what she thought, and there was none of that stuff ring this number for me dear, which men go in for.“Dont forget, we were a teamthats how I about itnot boss and
39、 servant but two people doing different things for the same purpose.“Once high technology has made the job of secretary less routine, will there be male takeover? Men should beware of thinking that they can walk right into the better jobs. There are a lot of women secretaries who will do the job as
40、well as they because they are as efficient and well trained to cope with word processors and computers, and men.31 Before the first World War, female secretaries were rare because they_.（A）wore stockings（B） were not as serious as men（C） were less efficient than men（D）would have disturbed the other o
41、ffice workers 32 A secretary in the future will（A）be better paid（B） have less work to do（C） have higher status（D）have more work to do 33 John Bowman was given his first job as a secretary because（A）he was lucky（B） no one else applied（C） he had the best qualifications（D）he wanted to work for a woman
42、34 When he was a post office clerk, secretaries were better paid because_.（A）they were in shortage（B） they were better trained（C） they worked longer hours（D）they had greater responsibility 35 The writer believes that before long_.（A）men and women will compete for secretarial work（B） men will take ov
43、er womens jobs as secretaries（C） women will operate most office machines（D）men will be better with machines 35 Though it is mere 1 to 3 percent of the population, the upper class possesses at least 25 percent of the nations wealth. This class has two segments: upper-upper and lower-upper. Basically,
44、 the upper-upper class is the “old rich“families that have been wealthy for several generationsan aristocracy of birth and wealth. Their names are in the Social Register, a listing of acceptable members of high society. A few are known across the nation, such as the Rockefellers, Roosevelts, and Van
45、derbilts. Most are not visible to the general public. They live in grand seclusion, drawing their income from the investment of their inherited wealth. In contrast, the lower-upper class is the “new rich“. Although they may be wealthier than some of the old rich; the new rich have hustled to make th
46、eir money like everybody else beneath their class. Thus their prestige is generally lower than that of the old rich, who have not found it necessary to lift a finger to make their money, and who tend to look down upon the new rich.However its wealth is acquired, the upper class is very, very rich. T
47、hey have enough money and leisure time to cultivate an interest in the arts and to collect rare books, painting, and sculpture. They generally live in exclusive areas, belong to exclusive social clubs, communicate with each other, and marry their own kindall of which keeps them so distant from the m
48、asses that they have been called the out-of-sight class. More than any other class, they tend to be conscious of being members of a class. They also command an enormous amount of power and influence here and a broad, as they hold many top government positions, run the Council on Foreigh Relations, a
49、nd control multinational corporations. The actions affect the lives of millions. 36 All the following statements are true EXCEPT that_.（A）the upper-upper class is of aristocratic origin（B） the “old rich“ enjoy higher prestige than the “new rich“（C） the “old rich“ isolate themselves and lead a lonely life（D）the upper class owns at least a quarter of the countrys wealth 37 The “old rich“ get richer_.（A）through the Social Register（B） through their reputation（C） by investing their inherited wealth（D）by
