[外语类试卷]GMAT（VERBAL）阅读模拟试卷15及答案与解析.doc

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1、GMAT（ VERBAL）阅读模拟试卷 15及答案与解析 0 The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists lor more than two centuries. How such large crea- tures, which weighed in some cases as much as a piloted hang-glider and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters, solved the pr

2、oblems of powered flight, and exactly what these creatures were reptiles or birds are among the questions scientists have puzzled over. Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their

3、 wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a winglike membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consist

4、s primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. When a pterosaur walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward in an extended inverted V-shape along each side of the animal s

5、 body. The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight

6、. In the birds, however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts. Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T. H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warmblooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which i

7、n turn implies a high internal temperature. Hux- ley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hairlike fossil material was

8、the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct. Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became airborne have led to suggestions that they launched themselves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees, or even by rising into light winds from the crests of waves. Each hypothesis has its di

9、fficulties. The first wrongly assumes that the pterosaurs hind feet resembled a bats and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight. The second hypothesis seems un- likely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The thi

10、rd calls for high waves to channel updrafts. The wind that made such waves however, might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to control their flight once airborne. 1 It can be inferred from the passage that scientists now generally agree that the （ A） enormous wingspan of the pterosaurs enabled

11、 them to fly great distances. （ B） structure of the skeleton of the pterosaurs suggests a close evolutionary relationship to bats. （ C） fossil remains of the pterosaurs reveal how they solved the problem of powered flight. （ D） pterosaurs were reptiles. （ E） pterosaurs walked on all fours. 2 The aut

12、hor views the idea that the pterosaurs became airborne by rising into light winds created by waves as （ A） revolutionary. （ B） unlikely. （ C） unassailable. （ D） probable. （ E） outdated. 3 According to the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur can be distinguished from that of a bird by the （ A） size

13、of its wingspan. （ B） presence of hollow spaces in its bones. （ C） anatomic origin of its wing strut. （ D） presence of hooklike projections on its hind feet. （ E） location of the shoulder joint joining the wing to its body. 4 The ideas attributed to T. H. Huxley in the passage suggest that he would

14、most likely agree with which of the following statements? （ A） An animals brain size has little bearing on its ability to master complex behaviors. （ B） An animals appearance is often influenced by environmental requirements and physical capabilities. （ C） Animals within a given family group are unl

15、ikely to change their appearance dramatically over a period of time. （ D） The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaptation. （ E） The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles. 5 It can be inferred from the passage

16、that which of the following is characteristic of the pterosaurs? （ A） They were unable to fold their wings when not in use. （ B） They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight. （ C） They flew in order to capture prey. （ D） They were an early stage in the evolution of the birds. （ E） Th

17、ey lived primarily in a forest-like habitat. 6 Which of the following best describes the organization of the last paragraph of the passage? （ A） New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view. （ B） Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of

18、 specific information. （ C） Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidence supporting each is given. （ D） Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected. （ E） A summary of the material in the preceding paragraphs is presented, and conclusions are drawn. 7 It can

19、 be inferred from the passage that some scientists believe that pterosaurs （ A） lived near large bodies of water. （ B） had sharp teeth for tearing food. （ C） were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles. （ D） had longer tails than many birds. （ E） consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their bo

20、dy temperature. 7 How many really suffer as a result of labor market problems? This is one of the most critical yet contentious social policy questions. In many ways,our so- cial statistics exaggerate the degree of hardship. Unemployment does not have the same dire consequences today as it did in th

21、e 1930s when most of the unemployed were primary breadwinners, when income and earnings were usually much closer to the margin of subsistence, and when there were no countervailing social programs for those failing in the labor market. Increasing afflu- ence, the rise of families with more than one

22、wage earner, the growing predominance of secondary earners among the unemployed, and improved social welfare protection have unquestionably mit- igated the consequences of joblessness. Earnings and income data also overstate the dimensions of hardship. Among the millions with hourly earnings at or b

23、elow the minimum wage level, the over- whelming majority are from multiple-earner, relatively affluent families. Most of those counted by the poverty statistics are elderly or handicapped or have family responsibilities which keep them out of the labor force, so the poverty statistics are by no mean

24、s an accurate indicator of labor market pathologies. Yet there are also many ways our social statistics underestimate the degree of labor-market-related hardship. The unemployment counts exclude the millions of fully employed workers whose wages are so low that their families re- main in poverty. Lo

25、w wages and repeated or prolonged unemployment frequently interact to undermine the capacity for self-support. Since the number experiencing joblessness at some time during the year is several times the number unemployed in any month, those who suffer as a result of forced idleness can equal or exce

26、ed average annual unemployment, even though only a minority of the jobless in any month really suffer. For every person counted in the monthly unemployment tallies, there is another working part-time because of the inability to find full-time work, or else outside the labor force but wanting a job.

27、Finally, income transfers in our country have always focused on the elderly, disabled, and dependent, neglecting the needs of the working poor, so that the dramatic expansion of cash and in-kind transfers does not necessarily mean that those failing in the labor market are adequately protected. As a

28、 result of such contradictory evidence, it is uncertain whether those suffering seriously as a result of thousands or the tens of millions, and, hence, whether high levels of joblessness can be tolerated or must be coun- tered by job creation and economic stimulus. There is only one area of agreemen

29、t in this debate that the existing poverty, employment, and earnings statistics are inadequate for one of their primary applications, measuring the consequences of labor market problems. 8 Which of the following is the principal topic of the passage? （ A） What causes labor market pathologies that re

30、sult in suffering. （ B） Why income measures are imprecise in measuring degrees of poverty. （ C） Which of the currently used statistical procedures are the best for estimating the incidence of hardship that is due to unemployment. （ D） Where the areas of agreement are among poverty, employment, and e

31、arnings figures. （ E） How social statistics give an unclear picture of the degree of hardship caused by low wages and insufficient employment opportunities. 9 The author uses “labor market problems“ in line 2 to refer to which of the following? （ A） The overall causes of poverty. （ B） Deficiencies i

32、n the training of the work force. （ C） Trade relationships among producers of goods. （ D） Shortages of jobs providing adequate income. （ E） Strikes and inadequate supplies of labor. 10 The author contrasts the 1930s with the present in order to show that （ A） more people were unemployed in the 1930s

33、. （ B） unemployment now has less severe effects. （ C） social programs are more needed now. （ D） there now is a greater proportion of elderly and handicapped people among those in poverty. （ E） poverty has increased since the 1930s. 11 Which of the following proposals best responds to the issues rais

34、ed by the author? （ A） Innovative programs using multiple approaches should be set up to reduce the level of unemployment. （ B） A compromise should be found between the positions of those who view joblessness as an evil greater than economic control and those who hold the opposite view. （ C） New sta

35、tistical indices should be developed to measure the degree to which unemployment and inadequately paid employment cause suffering. （ D） Consideration should be given to the ways in which statistics can act as partial causes of the phenomena that they purport to measure. （ E） The labor force should b

36、e restructured so that it corresponds to the range of job vacancies. 12 The authors purpose in citing those who are repeatedly unemployed during a twelve-month period is most probably to show that （ A） there are several factors that cause the payment of low wages to some members of the labor force.

37、（ B） unemployment statistics can underestimate the hardship resulting from joblessness. （ C） recurrent inadequacies in the labor market can exist and can cause hardships for individual workers. （ D） a majority of those who are jobless at any one time to not suffer severe hardship. （ E） there are few

38、er individuals who are without jobs at some time during a year than would be expected on the basis of monthly unemployment figures. 13 The author states that the mitigating effect of social programs involving income transfers on the income level of low-income people is often not felt by （ A） the emp

39、loyed poor. （ B） dependent children in single-earner families. （ C） workers who become disabled. （ D） retired workers. （ E） full-time workers who become unemployed . 14 According to the passage, one factor that causes unemployment and earnings figures to over-predict the amount of economic hardship

40、is the （ A） recurrence of periods of unemployment for a group of low-wage workers. （ B） possibility that earnings may be received from more than one job per worker. （ C） fact that unemployment counts do not include those who work for low wages and remain poor. （ D） establishment of a system of recor

41、dkeeping that makes it possible to compile poverty statistics. （ E） prevalence, among low-wage workers and the unemployed, of members of families in which others are employed. 15 The conclusion stated in lines 43 51 about the number of people who suffer as a result of forced idleness depends primari

42、ly on the point that （ A） in times of high unemployment, there are some people who do not remain unemployed for long. （ B） the capacity for self-support depends on receiving moderate-to-high wages. （ C） those in forced idleness include, besides the unemployed, both underemployed part-time workers an

43、d those not actively seeking work. （ D） at different times during the year, different people are unemployed. （ E） many of those who are affected by unemployment are dependents of unemployed workers. 16 Which of the following, if true, is the best criticism of the authors argument concerning why pove

44、rty statistics cannot properly be used to show the effects of problems in the labor market? （ A） A short-term increase in the number of those in poverty can indicate a shortage of jobs because the basic number of those unable to accept employment remains approximately constant. （ B） For those who ar

45、e in poverty as a result of joblessness, there are social programs available that provide a minimum standard of living. （ C） Poverty statistics do not consistently agree with earnings statistics, when each is taken as a measure of hardship resulting from unemployment. （ D） The elderly and handicappe

46、d categories include many who previously were employed in the labor market. （ E） Since the labor market is global in nature, poor workers in one country are competing with poor workers in another with respect to the level of wages and the existence of jobs. 16 In the eighteenth century, Japans feuda

47、l overlords, from the shogun to the humblest samurai, found themselves under financial stress. In part, this stress can be attributed to the overlords failure to adjust to a rapidly expanding economy, but the stress was also due to factors beyond the overlords control. Concentration of the samurai i

48、n castle- towns had acted as a stimulus to trade. Commercial efficiency, in turn, had put temptations in the way of buyers. Since most samurai had been reduced to idleness by years of peace, encouraged to engage in scholarship and martial exercises or to perform administrative tasks that took little

49、 time, it is not surprising that their tastes and habits grew expensive. Overlords income, despite the in- crease in rice production among their tenant farmers, failed to keep pace with their expenses. Although shortfalls in overlords income resulted almost as much from laxity among their tax col- lectors(the nearly inevitable outcome of hereditary officeholding)as from their higher standards of living, a misfortune like a fire or flood, bringing an increase in expenses or a drop in revenue, could put a domain in debt to the city rice-brokers who handled its finances