2017考博英语阅读模拟试题及答案 | 考博英语阅读

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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 create 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. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are controlled by tireless robot-drivers. And thanks to the continual miniaturization of electronics and micro-mechanics, there are already robot systems that can perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with submillimeter 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 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 can't yet give a robot enough ‘common sense’ to reliably interact with a dynamic world.”

　　Indeed the quest 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 that forecast by decades if not centuries.

　　What they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brain's 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 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 winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth can't approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still don't know quite how we do it.

　　26. Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in

　　[A]the use of machines to produce science fiction.

　　[B]the wide use of machines in manufacturing industry.

　　[C]the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work.

　　[D]the elite's cunning tackling of dangerous and boring work.

　　27. The word “gizmos" (line 1, paragraph 2) most probably means

　　[A]programs. [B]experts. [C]devices. [D]creatures.

　　28. According to the text, what is beyond man's ability 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.

　　29. Besides reducing human labor, robots can also

　　[A]make a few decisions for themselves.

　　[B]deal with some errors with human intervention.

　　[C]improve factory environments.

　　[D]cultivate human creativity.

　　30. 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 immediately.

　　[C]far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information.

　　[D]best used in a controlled environment.
名师解析

　　26. Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in 人类的创造性最初表现在

　　[A]the use of machines to produce science fiction. 用机器来创作科幻小说。

　　[B]the wide use of machines in manufacturing industry. 制造业对机器的广泛使用。

　　[C]the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work.

　　发明工具以处理困难和危险的工作。

　　[D]the elite’s cunning tackling of dangerous and boring work.

　　精英人士对危险和枯燥的工作的巧妙的处理。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】通过“ Human ingenuity ”和“ initially ”可以定位到第一段开始。“从人类产生智慧初期至今，人们一直在设计越来越巧妙的工具来应付那些危险的、枯燥的、繁重的或者直接就是肮脏的工作。”由于讲的是人类最初的创造力，因此可以排除 [A] 、 [B] 、 [D] 。

　　27. The word “gizmos" (Line 1, Paragraph 2) most probably means

　　单词“ gizmos ” ( 第二段第一行 ) 最有可能的意思是

　　[A]programs. 程序。 [B]experts. 专家。

　　[C]devices. 设备。 [D]creatures. 生物。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】词义题。

　　【分析】本题虽然考查的是词义，但是显然不是希望考生通过储备更大的词汇来回答，而是希望考生能够利用文中出现的细节来推断这个单词的意思。第二段第一句的意思说 “由此引起的结果是，现代世界已经充斥着越来越多的智能 ____ ，尽管我们几乎都注意不到它们，但它们的普遍存在却节省了许多人类劳力。”然后作者提及到了“工厂机械手”、“自动柜员机”以及“机器人驾驶员”等等。由此我们可以认定这些设施都是对“ gizmo ”的例举和解释。而这几样东西具有一个共同的特征，即它们都是“工具”。相比四个选项，只有 [C] 最合适。

　　28. According to the text, what is beyond man's ability now is to design a robot that can

　　根据本文，现在超越人类能力范围的是设计一种能 ________ 的机器人。

　　[A] fulfill delicate tasks like performing brain surgery.

　　完成诸如脑手术这样的精细的工作。

　　[B] interact with human beings verbally.

　　与人类进行口头交流。

　　[C] have a little common sense.

　　有一些常识。

　　[D] respond independently to a changing world.

　　对一个变化的世界独立应付。

　　【答案】 D

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】根据“超越人类能力”这个关键信息，我们可以定位到第三段中“ Dave Lavery ”的第二句话，即“ we can’t yet give a robot enough ‘ common sense ’ to reliably interact with a dynamic world ”。因为该句中的“ dynamic ”就是“动态的、变化的”意思，因此我们可以判定答案 [D] 是正确的。 [A] 文中已经提及。 [B] 的例子就是“自动柜员机”。 [C] 可以在第三段最后一句“我们不能给他足够的常识”中找到被排除的依据。

　　29. Besides reducing human labor, robots can also

　　除了减少人类劳动，机器人还能够

　　[A]make a few decisions for themselves. 为自己做几个决策。

　　[B]deal with some errors with human intervention. 通过人类干预处理一些错误。

　　[C]improve factory environments. 改善工厂环境。

　　[D]cultivate human creativity. 培养人的创造性。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】本题要求考生寻找机器人还能够从事什么工作，这就需要对四个选项进行比较。寻找答案。 [A] 提到机器人能够为自己做几个决策，通过“ decision ”这个单词可以定位到第三段第一句话“但是如果机器人要进入节省劳力的下一个阶段，他们必须能够在更少的人工监控下运行，并且至少能够独立地做一些决定”，这句话表明，目前机器人还不能独立做一些决定。 [B] 的意思符合第三段第三句，“虽然我们知道如何让机器人去纠正一个特定的错误”。至于 [C] ，文中提到机器人是受环境控制的，而不是反之。 [D] 的说法也反了。

　　30. The author uses the example of a monkey to argue that robots are

　　作者使用猴子的例子，为的是说机器人

　　[A] expected to copy human brain in internal structure.

　　被期望复制人脑内部结构。

　　[B] able to perceive abnormalities immediately.

　　能够立即觉察到不正常情况。

　　[C] far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information.

　　在聚焦相关信息方面远远不如人类。

　　[D] best used in a controlled environment.

　　最适合在受控环境下使用。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】作者意图题。

　　【分析】作者最后一段提到“猴子”这个例子，是考查文章最后一段的理解。由于文章举这个例子就是为了说明计算机虽然功能强大，但是仍然无法和人脑的复杂性相比，因为人脑看一眼迅速变化的场景就能够迅速的排除不相干的信息，立即把注意力集中到蜿蜒的森林小路边的一只猴子，这一点计算机是做不到的。因此，可以判断 [C] 正确。

　　难句解析：

　　1. 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.

　　【结构分析】本句前面是“ since ”引导的一个时间状语，后面主句中有一个“ that ”引导的定语从句“ that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty ”用来修饰“ work ”。

　　2. 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.

　　【结构分析】本句的主句是“ the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos ”，后面是两个“ whose ”引导的定语从句，“ but ”连接了这两个定语从句。

　　3. There are already robot systems that can perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with submillimeter accuracy — far greater precision than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone.

　　【结构分析】本句是一个“ there be ”结构，“ robot systems ”后面有一个“ that ”引导的定语从句，而破折号引出一个补充说明部分来修饰“ submillimeter accuracy ”，其中包含一个比较级。

　　4. 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 winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd.

　　【结构分析】本句的主语是“ the human mind ”，并列谓语“ can glimpse ”和“ disregard ”，逗号后面“ instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd ”是现在分词做状语。

　　全文翻译：

　　从人类产生智慧初期至今，人们一直在设计越来越巧妙的工具来应付那些危险的、枯燥的、繁重的或者直接就是肮脏的工作。这种动力产生了机器人科学——一门将人类的能力赋予机器的科学。如果科学家们还没有创造出科幻小说的机械版本，他们也已经很接近这个目标了。

　　由此引起的结果是，现代世界已经充斥着越来越多的智能装置，尽管我们几乎都注意不到他们，但他们的普遍存在却节省了许多人类劳力。我们的工厂里轰鸣着机器人生产线的节奏;我们的金融服务在自动柜员机上完成，它们还会机械地、礼貌地感谢我们使用业务;我们的地铁车辆由不知疲倦的机器人司机驾驶。多亏了电子和微观机械仪器的不断缩小，现在已有一些机器人系统能够进行脑部和骨髓手术，准确性精确到亚毫米，远远超过熟练的医生用他们的双手所能达到的水平。

　　但是如果机器人要进入节省劳力的下一个阶段，他们必须能够在更少的人工监控下运行，并且至少能够独立地做一些决定。这些目标提出了一个真正的挑战。“虽然我们知道如何让机器人去纠正一个特定的错误，” NASA 的一个机器人项目经理戴维 · 拉维里说，“我们仍然不能赋予机器人以足够的‘常识’，使它们能够与动态的世界进行可靠的交流。”

　　实际上对真正的人工智能的探索已经产生了各种各样的结果。虽然刚开始在 20 世纪 60 和 70 年代有过一段乐观的时期，那时候看起来晶体管电路和微处理器的发展将使它们在 2010 年能够模仿人类大脑的活动——但是最近研究人员已经开始将这个预测延后了不是数百年至少也有数十年。

　　在试图建造思维模型的过程中，研究人员发现，人类大脑中的近 1,000 亿个神经细胞要比以前想象得更聪明，人类的感知也比以前想象得更复杂。他们建造出来的机器人在严格控制的工厂环境里，能够在仪表盘上识别一毫米以下的误差。但是人的大脑能够扫描一个快速变化的场景，迅速排除 98% 的不相干的物体，立即聚焦于森林中婉蜒道路旁的一只猴子，或者人群中的一张可疑的脸。地球上最先进的计算机系统也不能达到这种能力，并且神经学科学家仍然不知道我们是怎样做到这一点的。

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21楼发表于: 2016-07-25

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A history of longand effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, itmay become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowingperiod after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight timeslarger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies ofscale. Its scientists were the world's best, its workers the most skilled.America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans andAsians whose economies the war had destroyed.

　　It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as othercountries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance provedpainful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over theirfading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such asconsumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreigncompetition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith.(Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea's LG Electronics in July。)Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market America'smachine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though themaking of semiconductors, which America had which sat at the heart of the newcomputer age, was going to be the next casualty。

　　All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped takingprosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing businesswas failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall aswell. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes ofAmerica's industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filledwith warnings about the growing competition from overseas。

　　How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back onfive years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americansattribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or theturning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. “ Americanindustry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be morequick-witted,” according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard's KennedySchool of Government,“It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businessesare improving their productivity,” says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank inWashington, DC. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believesthat people will look back on this period as “a golden age ofbusiness management in the United States。”

　　11. The U.S. achieved its predominance after World War Ⅱbecause_____。

　　[A]it had made painstaking efforts towards this goal

　　[B]its domestic market was eight times larger than before

　　[C]the war had destroyed the economies of most potentialcompetitors

　　[D]the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus toits economy

　　12. The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980sis manifested in the fact that the American_____。

　　[A]TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market

　　[B]semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreignenterprises

　　[C]machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions

　　[D]auto industry had lost part of its domestic market

　　13. What can be inferred from the passage?

　　[A]It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pride。

　　[B]Intense competition may contribute to economic progress。

　　[C]The revival of the economy depends on international cooperation。

　　[D]A long history of success may pave the way for furtherdevelopment。

　　14. The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy inthe 1990s can be attributed to the____。

　　[A]turning of the business cycle

　　[B]restructuring of industry

　　[C]improved business management

　　[D]success in education
名师解析

　　11. The U.S. achieved its predominance after World War Ⅱbecause_____。

　　美国在二战后取得优势地位是因为_____。

　　[A] it had made painstaking efforts towards this goal。

　　它为该目标付出了艰巨的努力。

　　[B] its domestic market was eight times larger than before。

　　它的国内市场比以前大八倍。

　　[C] the war had destroyed the economies of most potentialcompetitors。

　　战争摧毁了大多数潜在竞争对手的经济。

　　[D] the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus toits economy。

　　它无与伦比的劳动力规模给了经济推动力。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】第一段指出，“二战后，美国就进入了这样的一个辉煌的历史时期。它拥有比任何竞争者大八倍的市场，这使其工业经济规模前所未有。它的科学家是世上最优秀的，它的工人是技术最好的。美国及其民众的富庶是那些经济遭到战争破坏的欧洲人和亚洲人连做梦也不敢想的”。因此利用排除法，确定答案是[A]。

　　12. The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980sis manifested in the fact that the American_____。

　　上个世纪80年代美国优势地位的丧失可以从美国_______事实中看出来。

　　[A] TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market

　　电视工业已经退到国内市场

　　[B] semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreignenterprises

　　半导体产业已经被外国公司接管

　　[C] machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions

　　机床业已经自取灭亡

　　[D] auto industry had lost part of its domestic market

　　汽车工业已经丧失了部分国内市场

　　【答案】 D

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】 [A]选项错误，因为第二段中说“到1987年，美国只剩下Zenith这一家电视生产商。(现在这一家也没有了：Zenith于7月被韩国LG电器公司收购。)”说明它连国内市场也保不住了。[B]选项错误，文中第二段最后一句提到，“在一段时间内，半导体制造业似乎要成为下一个受害者”，可是事实上没有。[C]选项中谈到的机床业已经自取灭亡的说法错误，因为文中提到机床制造业“岌岌可危”(on the ropes)，但是还没有灭亡呢。[D]是合适的，因为第二段第六句提到，“进口车和纺织品横扫国内市场”。

　　13. What can be inferred from the passage?

　　从本文中可以推断出哪个选项?

　　[A] It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pride。

　　在自我怀疑和盲目骄傲之间摇摆是人的本性。

　　[B] Intense competition may contribute to economic progress。

　　激烈的竞争会导致经济的发展。

　　[C] The revival of the economy depends on international cooperation。

　　经济的复苏依靠国际的合作。

　　[D] A long history of success may pave the way for furtherdevelopment。

　　一个长期成功的经历会为进一步的发展铺平道路。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】第三段提到，“所有这一切导致了信心危机。美国人不再视繁荣为理所当然之事。他们开始怀疑自己的商业经营方式出了问题，也怀疑不久他们的收入就会下降。20世纪80年代中期对美国工业衰退的原因作了一次又一次的调查。那些有时耸人听闻的结果中充满着对来自国外的加剧的经济竞争的警告”。第四段提到了“90年代的经济复苏。其中的含义是：在竞争的压力下，美国人在80年代产业结构调整，美国的工业已经改变了结构，消除了滞胀，学会了急智，因此带来了90年代的经济复苏”。因此可以得出激烈的竞争会导致经济的发展。另外三个选项都不合适。

　　14. The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy inthe 1990s can be attributed to the____。

　　作者似乎相信美国经济在上个世纪90年代的复苏可以归结于____。

　　[A]turning of the business cycle 经济周期的转折

　　[B]restructuring of industry 行业重组

　　[C]improved business management 改善了的工商管理

　　[D]success in education 教育的成功

　　【答案】 A

　　【考点】作者观点题。

　　【分析】在第四段，作者指出，“1995年，美国可以对过去5年的稳步发展作一回顾，而日本还在奋力挣扎。很少有美国人将这一巨变单纯归因于美元贬值或商业周期循环这些显而易见的原因。如今，对自身的怀疑已被盲目乐观所取代”。这里作者实际上对当前美国人的盲目乐观情绪进行了批评，认为90年代的增长是由美元贬值或经济周期的转机等因素造成的。[B]是“Richard Cavanaugh”的看法。[C]是“Stephen Moore”的看法。[D]选项文中没有提及。

　　难句解析：

　　For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, whichAmerica had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, wasgoing to be the next casualty。

　　【结构分析】本句的主句是：“it looked as though the making of semiconductors was going to be thenext casualty”。有两个定语从句，分别是：“which America had invented”和“which sat at theheart of the new computer age”。

　　全文翻译：

　　长时间不费力而成功的历史可能成为一种可怕的障碍，但若处理得当，它也有可能转化为一种积极动力。二战后，美国就进入了这样的一个辉煌的历史时期。它拥有比任何竞争者大八倍的市场，这使其工业经济规模前所未有。它的科学家是世上最优秀的，它的工人是技术最好的。美国及其民众的富庶是那些经济遭到战争破坏的欧洲人和亚洲人连做梦也不敢想的。

　　当其他国家逐渐富有，美国从这一领先地位逐渐下降是不可避免的。同样不可避免的是其从领先地位上退出的痛苦。到了20世纪80年代中期，日益衰退的工业竞争力让美国人感到茫然不知所措。一些大型的美国工业，如消费电子产业，在国外竞争面前，已经萎缩或消失。到1987年，美国只剩下Zenith这一家电视生产商。(现在这一家也没有了：Zenith于当年7月被韩国LG电器公司收购。)外国制造的汽车和纺织品正横扫国内市场。美国的机床工业也岌岌可危。有一段时间，好像下一个在海外品牌面前全军覆没的似乎该轮到美国的半导体制造业了，而在新计算机时代有着核心作用的半导体正是美国人发明的。

　　所有这一切导致了信心危机。美国人不再视繁荣为理所当然之事。他们开始怀疑自己的商业经营方式出了问题，也怀疑不久他们的收入就会下降。20世纪80年代中期对美国工业衰退的原因作了一次又一次的调查。那些有时耸人听闻的结果中充满着对来自国外的加剧的经济竞争的警告。

　　情况的变化可真快啊!1995年，美国可以对过去5年的稳步发展作一回顾，而日本还在奋力挣扎。很少有美国人将这一巨变单纯归因于美元贬值或商业周期循环这些显而易见的原因。如今，对自身的怀疑已被盲目乐观所取代。“美国的工业已经改变了结构，消除了滞胀，学会了急智”，哈佛大学肯尼迪管理学院行政院长理查德·卡佛纳如是说。华盛顿特区的智囊团——卡托研究院的史蒂芬·莫尔说：“作为一个美国人我感到自豪，因为看到我们的企业正在提高自身的生产率。”哈佛商学院的威廉·萨尔曼相信人们将会把这一时期视为“美国企业管理的黄金时代”。

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22楼发表于: 2016-07-25

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

Being a man hasalways been dangerous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females,but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal ofmale mortality is being changed. Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girlsdo. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys inthose crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, anotherchance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of ababy(particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram toolight or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost nodifference. Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent ofevolution has gone。

　　There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive,but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the past. Except insome religious communities, very few women have 15 children. Nowadays thenumber of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us haveroughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and theopportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished.India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the greatcities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity oftoday―everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring meansthat natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class Indiacompared to the tribes。

　　For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopiahas arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change. No otherspecies fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100,000 years—even thepast 100 years—our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did notevolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase todescribe those ignorant of evolution: “they look at anorganic being as average looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond hiscomprehension。” No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyondcomprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be athow far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us。

　　15. What used to be the danger in being a man according to thefirst paragraph?

　　[A]A lack of mates。

　　[B]A fierce competition。

　　[C]A lower survival rate。

　　[D]A defective gene。

　　16. What does the example of India illustrate?

　　[A]Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people。

　　[B]Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor。

　　[C]The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of thetribes。

　　[D]India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate。

　　17. The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because____。

　　[A]life has been improved by technological advance

　　[B]the number of female babies has been declining

　　[C]our species has reached the highest stage of evolution

　　[D]the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing

　　18. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

　　[A]Sex Ration Changes in Human Evolution

　　[B]Ways of Continuing Man's Evolution

　　[C]The Evolutionary Future of Nature
名师解析

　　15. What used to be the danger in being a man according to the firstparagraph?

　　根据第一段，做男人以前有什么危险?

　　[A]A lack of mates. 缺少配偶。

　　[B]A fierce competition. 激烈竞争。

　　[C]A lower survival rate. 低存活率。

　　[D]A defective gene. 有缺陷的基因。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】文中第一段提到“做男人从来都充满危险，新生儿男女比例大约是105:100，但到了成年，这一比例基本持平，而在70岁的老人中女性是男性的两倍，但是男性死亡率高这种普遍情况正在改变，现在男婴存活率同女婴的基本一样高”这说明男人的存活率相对是比较低的。

　　16. What does the example of India illustrate?

　　印度的例子证明了什么?

　　[A] Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people。

　　富人往往孩子比穷人少。

　　[B] Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor。

　　自然选择在穷人和富人之间几乎不起作用。

　　[C] The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of thetribes。

　　中产阶级的人口比部落人口少80%。

　　[D] India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate。

　　印度是出生率很高的国家之一。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】使用事例来证明是常见的逻辑思维模式。既然有事例，我们就需要看到它的论点是什么。本文中提到，“进化意义上的自杀还有一种方法：存活，但少生孩子”。首先“现在几乎没有人像过去那样多育。除了在一些宗教社区，几乎没有几名妇女会生15个孩子”表明了“当今出生的数量同死亡年龄一样变得平均化，我们大多数人的子女数量大致相当”，再一次，人与人之间的差异和利用差异进行自然选择的机会降低了。其次，“印度证明了这种情况。这个国家给大城市里的少数人提供财富，而给其余的各部落居民造成了贫困。今天这种每个人的生存机会和子女数量都相同的极其显著的平均化意味着与部落相比，自然选择在印度社会中、上层人群中，已经失去了80%的效力”是为了证明“人与人之间的差异和利用差异进行自然选择的机会降低了”，换言之，“自然选择在穷人和富人之间几乎不起作用”。答案应该是[B]选项。

　　17. The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolvingbecause____。

　　作者认为我们的身体已经停止进化，因为____。

　　[A] life has been improved by technological advance

　　技术进步改善了人的生活

　　[B] the number of female babies has been declining

　　女婴的数量一直在减少

　　[C] our species has reached the highest stage of evolution

　　我们人种已经到达进化最高阶段

　　[D] the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing

　　贫富差距间的区别正在消失

　　【答案】 A

　　【考点】逻辑关系题。

　　【分析】文中提到停止进化是在第三段第一句“对我们来说，这意味着进化已经结束”。第三段中指出，“在过去的10万年——甚至过去的100年中，我们的生活发生了变化，但我们的身体却没变。我们没有进化。因为机器和社会替我们办了这一切”，“机器”代表的就是“技术”，因此我们可以判定[A]是正确答案。

　　18. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

　　以下哪一个最合适做本文标题?

　　[A]Sex Ration Changes in Human Evolution 人类进化中的性别比例变化

　　[B]Ways of Continuing Man's Evolution 继续人类进化的方式

　　[C]The Evolutionary Future of Nature 自然进化的未来

　　[D]Human Evolution Going Nowhere 人类进化无路可走

　　【答案】 D

　　【考点】文章主旨题。

　　【分析】文章中在第一段结尾提到“由于大部分差异是由基因引起的，又一个进化的因素消失了。”第二段中说“再一次，人与人之间的差异和利用差异进行自然选择的机会降低了。”第三段提到“但我们的身体却没变。我们没有进化，因为机器和社会替我们办了这一切。”这些都表明作者认为进化机制已不再起作用，认为自然进化机制已不能再左右人口的出生率。在总结全文的第三段时，作者直截了当地指出，进化已经结束。因此可以认为人类的进化是无路可走的。另外三个选项都不全面或者不对题。

　　[D]Human Evolution Going Nowhere

　　难句解析：

　　1. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but thisratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70-year-oldsthere are twice as many women as men。

　　【结构分析】本句由三个分句构成。第一个分句是“There are about 105 males born for every 100 females”，一个“there be”句型;第二个分句“butthis ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity”是一个简单句;第三个分句是一个“therebe”结构。

　　2. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for naturalselection to take advantage of it have diminished。

　　【结构分析】本句要注意的是有两个主语，分别是“differences between people”和“the opportunityfor natural selection to take advantage of it”。

　　3. The grand mediocrity of today—everyone being thesame in survival and number of offspring—means that naturalselection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to thetribes。

　　【结构分析】本句的主干是“The grand mediocrity means that+宾语从句”。其中“compared tothe tribes”是分词结构作状语。破折号中间“everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring”是典型独立主格结构做插入语，其中“survival”和“number of offspring”都是介词“in”的宾语。

　　全文翻译：

　　做男人从来都充满危险，新生儿男女比例大约是105:100，但到了成年，这一比例基本持平，而在70岁的老人中女性是男性的两倍，但是男性死亡率高这种普遍情况正在改变，现在男婴存活率同女婴的基本一样高。这就意味着男孩到了寻找伴侣的关键年龄将首次出现男孩过剩。更重要的是，又一次自然选择的机会消失了。50年前，婴儿，尤其是男婴，存活的机会取决于体重，过轻一公斤或过重一公斤几乎意味着必死无疑。今日体重几乎没有什么区别。由于大部分差异是由基因引起的，又一个进化的因素消失了。

　　进化意义上的自杀还有一种方法：存活，但少生孩子。现在几乎没有人像过去那样多育。除了在一些宗教社区，几乎没有几名妇女会生15个孩子。当今出生的数量同死亡年龄一样变得平均化，我们大多数人的子女数量大致相当。再一次，人与人之间的差异和利用差异进行自然选择的机会降低了。印度证明了这种情况。这个国家给大城市里的少数人提供财富，而给其余的各部落居民造成了贫困。今天这种每个人的生存机会和子女数量都相同的极其显著的平均化意味着与部落相比，自然选择在印度社会中、上层中已经失去了80%的效力。

　　对我们来说，这意味着进化已经结束;生物学上的乌托邦已经形成。奇怪的是，这一过程几乎丝毫没有造成身体上的改变，而且没有其他物种充斥着自然中如此多的空间。但在过去的10万年——甚至过去的100年中，我们的生活发生了变化，但我们的身体却没变。我们没有进化。因为机器和社会替我们办了这一切。达尔文有一句话描述那些对进化一无所知的人，他们“看有机的生命如同野人看船，好像看某种完全不能理解的东西”。毫无疑问，我们将记住20世纪的生活方式，尽管对其丑陋之处不得其解，但是，不管我们的子孙后代对我们离乌托邦的理想境界还差多远，感到有多么惊讶，他们的样子会同我们差不了多少。

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23楼发表于: 2016-07-27

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

Investigators of monkey’s social behavior have always been struck by monkeys’ aggressive potential and the consequent need for social control of their aggressive behavior. Studies directed at describing aggressive behavior and the situations that elicit it, as well as the social mechanisms that control it, were therefore among the first investigations of monkeys’ social behavior.

　　Investigators initially believed that monkeys would compete for any resource in the environment: hungry monkeys would fight over food, thirsty monkeys would fight over water, and, in general, at time more than one monkey in a group sought the same incentive simultaneously, a dispute would result and would be resolved through some form of aggression. However, the motivating force of competition for incentives began to be doubted when experiments like Southwick’s on the reduction of space or the withholding of food failed to produce more than temporary increases in intragroup aggression. Indeed, food deprivation not only failed to increase aggression but in some cases actually resulted in decreased frequencies of aggression.

　　Studies of animals in the wild under conditions of extreme food deprivation likewise revealed that starving monkeys devoted almost all available energy to foraging, with little energy remaining for aggressive interaction. Furthermore, accumulating evidence from later studies of a variety of primate groups, for example, the study conducted by Bernstein, indicates that one of the most potent stimuli for eliciting aggression is the introduction of an intruder into an organized group. Such introductions result in far more serious aggression than that produced in any other types of experiments contrived to produce competition.

　　These studies of intruders suggest that adult members of the same species introduced to one another for the first time show considerable hostility because, in the absence of a social order, one must be established to control interanimal relationships. When a single new animal is introduced into an existing social organization, the newcomer meets even more serious aggression. Whereas in the first case aggression establishes a social order, in the second case resident animals mob the intruder, thereby initially excluding the new animal from the existing social unit. The simultaneous introduction of several animals lessens the effect, if only because the group divides its attention among the multiple targets. If, however, the several animals introduced a group constitute their own social unit, each group may fight the opposing group as a unit; but, again, no individual is subjected to mass attack, and the very cohesion of the groups precludes prolonged individual combat. The submission of the defeated group, rather than unleashing unchecked aggression on the part of the victorious group, reduces both the intensity and frequency of further attack. Monkey groups therefore seem to be organized primarily to maintain their established social order rather than to engage in hostilities per se.

　　1. The author of the text is primarily concerned with

　　[A] advancing a new methodology for changing a monkey’s social behavior.

　　[B] comparing the methods of several research studies on aggression among monkeys.

　　[C] explaining the reasons for researcher’s interest in monkey’s social behavior.

　　[D] discussing the development of investigators’ theories about aggression among monkeys.

　　2. Which of the following best summarizes the findings reported in the text about the effects of food deprivation on monkeys’ behavior?

　　[A] Food deprivation has no effect on aggression among monkeys.

　　[B] Food deprivation increases aggression among monkeys because one of the most potent stimuli for eliciting aggression is the competition for incentives.

　　[C] Food deprivation may increase long-term aggression among monkeys in a laboratory setting, but it produces only temporary increase among monkeys in the wild.

　　[D] Food deprivation may temporarily increase aggression among monkeys, but it also leads to a decrease in conflict.

　　3. The text suggests that investigators of monkeys’ social behavior have been especially interested in aggressive behavior among monkeys because

　　[A] aggression is the most common social behavior among monkeys.

　　[B] successful competition for incentives determines the social order in a monkey group.

　　[C] situation that elicit aggressive behavior can be studied in a laboratory.

　　[D] most monkeys are potentially aggressive, yet they live in social units that could not function without control of their aggressive impulses.

　　4. The text supplies information to answer which of the following questions?

　　[A] How does the reduction of space affect intragroup aggression among monkeys in an experimental setting?

　　[B] Do family units within a monkey social group compete with other family units for food?

　　[C] What are the mechanisms by which the social order of an established group of monkeys controls aggression within that group?

　　[D] How do monkeys engaged in aggression with other monkeys signal submission?

　　5. Which of the following best describes the organization of the second paragraph?

　　[A] A hypothesis is explained and counter evidence is described.

　　[B] A theory is advanced and specific evidence supporting it is cited.

　　[C] Field observations are described and a conclusion about their significance is drawn.

　　[D] Two theories are explained and evidence supporting each of them is detailed.

　　[答案与考点解析]

　　1. 【答案】D

　　【考点解析】本题是一道中心主旨题。全文从头至尾围绕着 “aggression”一词进行论述和讨论，故本题的正确答案中应含有“aggression”一词。第二段的第二句是本文论述和讨论中的一条分水岭，从该句往后叙述科学家们对“aggression”的新认识和发现;该句以前的部分叙述科学家们以往的认识。这就暗示了科学家有关“aggression”理论的进一步发展(development)。考生在阅读原文时应重视并且善于捕捉和理解有关对立对比对照的信息。

　　2. 【答案】D

　　【考点解析】这是一道归纳推导题。根据题干中的 “food deprivation”这两个单词可以把本题的答案信息来源确定在第二段的倒数第一、二句和第三段的首句，从这三句中可直接归纳推导出本题的正确选项D。考生在解题时要善于利用题干中的词语确定正确答案信息在原文中的准确位置。

　　3. 【答案】D

　　【考点解析】本题是一道审题定位题型。考生可根据题干中的“have been especially interested in…”将本题的答案信息来源确定在第一段的第一句，因为第一句中的 “have always been struck by…”与之含义相同。 “strike”(过去分词是struck)的含义是“吸引”。第一句话中的 “the consequent need for social control of their aggressive behavior” 以及第二句话中的“the social mechanisms that control it”均暗示本题的正确答案是D。考生在解题时一定要首先具备审题定位的能力，其次还要善于理解原文的细节信息。

　　4. 【答案】A

　　【考点解析】这是一道主题句理解题型。从客观上讲，本题的题干没有提供任何可以利用的信息帮助我们去在原文中确定本题的信息来源。但是从另一方面讲，这道题难在表面，易在本质，因为每一个注意到本文重点关键句的同学都不会忽略本文第二段的第二句，正是这句话给出了我们本题的正确答案。考生在解题时，尤其在迷失解题思路时，一定要多想一想全文的中心主旨句以及每段的中心主旨句。这对于破解此类题型是非常重要的。

　　5. 【答案】A

　　【考点解析】这是一道段落结构以及句间关系识别题。第二段的第二句和第三句是对第二段第一句所提出的假设(hypothesis)的否定。第二段第二句利用 “Southwick” 的研究成果作为证据(evidence)来否定以前科学家的假设。故本题的正确答案应该是A。考生在解题时应重视每个段落中每句话之间的相互关系

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24楼发表于: 2016-07-27

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

　It is possible for students to obtain advanced degrees in English while knowing little or nothing about traditional scholarly methods. The consequences of this neglect of traditional scholarship are particularly unfortunate for the study of women writers. If the canon — the list of authors whose works are most widely taught — is ever to include more women, scholars must be well trained in historical scholarship and textual editing. Scholars who do not know how to read early manuscripts, locate rare books, establish a sequence of editions, and so on are bereft of crucial tools for revising the canon.

　　To address such concerns, an experimental version of the traditional scholarly methods course was designed to raise students’ consciousness about the usefulness of traditional learning for any modern critic or theorist. To minimize the artificial aspects of the conventional course, the usual procedure of assigning a large number of small problems drawn from the entire range of historical periods was abandoned, though this procedure has the obvious advantage of at least superficially familiarizing students with a wide range of reference sources. Instead students were engaged in a collective effort to do original work on a neglected eighteenth-century writer, Elizabeth Griffith, to give them an authentic experience of literary scholarship and to inspire them to take responsibility for the quality of their own work.

　　Griffith’s work presented a number of advantages for this particular pedagogical purpose. First, the body of extant scholarship on Griffith was so tiny that it could all be read in a day; thus students spent little time and effort mastering the literature and had a clear field for their own discoveries. Griffith’s play The platonic Wife exists in three versions, enough to provide illustrations of editorial issues but not too many for beginning students to manage. In addition, because Griffith was successful in the eighteenth century, as her continued productivity and favorable reviews demonstrate, her exclusion from the canon and virtual disappearance from literary history also helped raise issues concerning the current canon.

　　The range of Griffith’s work meant that each student could become the world’s leading authority on a particular Griffith text. For example, a student studying Griffith’s Wife in the Right obtained a first edition of the play and studied it for some weeks. This student was suitably shocked and outraged to find its title transformed into A wife in the Night in Watt’s Bibliotheca Britannica. Such experiences, inevitable and common in working on a writer to whom so little attention has been paid, serve to vaccinate the student — I hope for a lifetime — against credulous use of reference sources.

　　1. The author of the text is primarily concerned with

　　[A] revealing a commonly ignored deficiency.

　　[B] proposing a return to traditional terminology.

　　[C] describing an attempt to correct a shortcoming.

　　[D] assessing the success of a new pedagogical approach.

　　2. It can be inferred that the author of the text expects that the experience of the student mentioned as having studied Wife in the Right would have which of the following effects?

　　[A] It would lead the student to disregard information found in the Bibliotheca Britannica.

　　[B] It would teach the student to question the accuracy of certain kinds of information sources when studying neglected authors.

　　[C] It would teach the student to avoid the use of reference sources in studying neglected authors.

　　[D] It would help the student to understand the importance of first editions in establishing the authorship of plays.

　　3. Which of the following best states the “particular pedagogical purpose” mentioned in lines 1-2, paragraph 3?

　　[A] To assist scholars in revising the canon of authors.

　　[B] To minimize the trivial aspects of the traditional scholarly methods course.

　　[C] To provide students with information about Griffith’s work.

　　[D] To encourage scholarly rigor in students’ own research.

　　4. Which of the following best describes the function of the last paragraph in relation to the text as a whole?

　　[A] It summarizes the benefits that students can derive from the experimental scholarly methods course.

　　[B] It provides additional reasons why Griffith’s work raises issues having to do with the cannot of authors.

　　[C] It provides an illustration of the immediate nature of the experiences students can derive from the experimental scholarly methods course.

　　[D] It contrasts the experience of a student in the experimental scholarly methods course with the experience of a student in the traditional course.

　　5. It can be inferred that the author of the text considers traditional scholarly methods courses to be

　　[A] irrelevant to the work of most students.

　　[B] inconsequential because of their narrow focus.

　　[C] unconcerned about the accuracy of reference sources.

　　[D] too wide-ranging to approximate genuine scholarly activity.

　　[答案与考点解析]

　　1. 【答案】C

　　【考点解析】本题是一道中心主旨题。如果抓住了本文第二段第一句与第一段和全文其它段落的关系就不难找出本题的正确答案C。考生在解题时一定要善于找出全文的中心主旨句，并且细致入微地理解中心主旨句在上下文中的作用和关系。当然考生在解题时一定要由表及里地体味和归纳中心主旨句的深层含义，例如：第二段首句中表示目的的不定式短语“address such concerns”就是正确选项C中的“attempt”。

　　2. 【答案】B

　　【考点解析】这是一道审题定位与细节推导题。考生可根据题干中的“Wife in the Right”将本题的答案信息迅速确定在本文的最后一段。又可根据题干中的“experience”一词将本题的正确答案信息具体确定在全文的最后一句。这样考生就可以寻找出本题的正确答案B，选项B中的“question the accuracy”体现了尾段最后一句的中心内容。考生在解题时应重视准确的审题定位能力。

　　3. 【答案】D

　　【考点解析】这是一道指代词与并列平行结构题型。考生在破解此题时一定要注意指代词“this”的准确含义。它的确切含义在第二段的尾句，从这句话中可得出本题的正确答案是D。考生在解题时一定要注意指代词的出现，一定要搞清指代词的具体内容。

　　4. 【答案】C

　　【考点解析】本题是一道例(举)证题型。通过本段中的“for example”以及斜体字不难发现本段是在用具体的例子来举例说明一个论点。正确选项C中的“illustration”一词体现了尾段在全文中的作用。考生在解题时一定要善于辨别抽象叙述和具体举例说明之间的关系。

　　5. 【答案】D

　　【考点解析】本题是一道归纳推导题型。根据题干中的“traditional scholarly methods courses”可迅速将本题的答案信息确定在第二段。本题的具体答案信息在第二段第一、二、三句，尤其是第二、三句。从第二段第二、三句可以“infer”(推断)出本题的正确选是D。这是一道比较难的题目，需要考生在理解第二、三句的基础上进行推导，考生在破解这类题型时应注意由表及里地对原文进行归纳和推导。

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25楼发表于: 2016-07-27

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

Americans today don’t place avery high value on intellect. Our heroes are athletes, entertainers, andentrepreneurs, not scholars. Even our schools are where we send our children toget a practical education—not to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Symptoms ofpervasive anti-intellectualism in our schools aren’t difficultto find。

　　“Schools havealways been in a society where practical is more important than intellectual,”sayseducation writer Diane Ravitch. “Schools could be a counterbalance。” Ravitch’s latestbock, Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms, traces the roots ofanti-intellectualism in our schools, concluding they are anything but acounterbalance to the American distaste for intellectual pursuits。

　　But they could and should be. Encouraging kids to reject the lifeof the mind leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and control. Without theability to think critically, to defend their ideas and understand the ideas ofothers, they cannot fully participate in our democracy. Continuing along thispath, says writer Earl Shorris,“We will become a second-rate country. We will have a less civilsociety。”

　　“Intellect isresented as a form of power or privilege,”writes historian andprofessor Richard Hofstadter in Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, aPulitzer Prize winning book on the roots of anti-intellectualism in USpolitics, religion, and education. From the beginning of our history, saysHofstadter, our democratic and populist urges have driven us to reject anythingthat smells of elitism. Practicality, common sense, and native intelligencehave been considered more noble qualities than anything you could learn from abook。

　　Ralph Waldo Emerson and other Transcendentalist philosophersthought schooling and rigorous book learning put unnatural restraints onchildren: “We are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for 10 or 15years and come out at last with a bellyful of words and do not know a thing。”Mark Twain’sHuckleberry Finn exemplified American anti-intellectualism. Its hero avoidsbeing civilized—going to school and learning to read—so he can preservehis innate goodness。

　　Intellect, according to Hofstadter, is different from nativeintelligence, a quality we reluctantly admire. Intellect is the critical,creative, and contemplative side of the mind. Intelligence seeks to grasp,manipulate, re-order, and adjust, while intellect examines, ponders, wonders,theorizes, criticizes and imagines。

　　School remains a place where intellect is mistrusted. Hofstadtersays our country’s educational system is in the grips of people who “joyfully andmilitantly proclaim their hostility to intellect and their eagerness toidentify with children who show the least intellectual promise。”

　　36. What do American parents expect their children to acquire inschool?

　　[A] The habit of thinking independently。

　　[B] Profound knowledge of the world。

　　[C] Practical abilities for future career。

　　[D] The confidence in intellectual pursuits。

　　37. We can learn from the text that Americans have a history of

　　[A] undervaluing intellect。

　　[B] favoring intellectualism。

　　[C] supporting school reform。

　　[D] suppressing native intelligence。

　　38. The views of Ravish and Emerson on schooling are

　　[A] identical.

　　[B] similar.

　　[C] complementary.

　　[D] opposite。

　　39. Emerson, according to the text, is probably

　　[A] a pioneer of education reform.

　　[B] an opponent of intellectualism。

　　[C] a scholar in favor of intellect.

　　[D] an advocate of regular schooling。

　　40. What does the author think of intellect?

　　[A] It is second to intelligence.

　　[B] It evolves from common sense。

　　[C] It is to be pursued.

　　[D] It underlies power。
名师解析

　　36. What do American parents expect their children to acquire inschool?

　　美国的父母期望他们的孩子在学校里面学到什么?

　　[A] The habit of thinking independently. 独立思考的习惯。。

　　[B] Profound knowledge of the world. 深厚的世界知识。。

　　[C] Practical abilities for future career. 从事未来职业的实用技能。

　　[D] The confidence in intellectual pursuits. 追求学识的信心。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】父母对孩子的期望这一点可以从第一段中找到“即使是学校也只是我们送孩子去接受实用教育的地方，而不是让他们为了知识而去追求知识的地方。”至此，答案选项[C]一目了然。而选项[B]显然错误。选项[A]这个干扰项是出题人故意拿出一个本身没有问题，但是不适合本处的说法来干扰考生。考生一定要警惕先入为主的思维模式，在做阅读理解的时候，不能按照自己的直觉和知识瞎猜，一定要以原文为根据。选项[D]显然也是不符合家长的期望的。

　　37. We can learn from the text that Americans have a history of

　　从原文中我们可以得知美国的历史历来是

　　[A] undervaluing intellect. 贬低学识。

　　[B] favoring intellectualism. 赞成学识至上论。。

　　[C] supporting school reform. 支持学校改革。

　　[D] suppressing native intelligence. 压制天分。

　　【答案】 A

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】第四段“霍夫斯塔特说：自我们的历史之初，我们对民主化和大众化的渴望就驱使我们排斥任何带有精英优越论味道的东西。实用性、常识以及天分这些素质一直被视作比可以从书本里学得的任何东西都高贵。”在这里，我们可以把精英优越论味道的东西以及书本里面学到的东西等同于学识，而实用性、常识以及天分这些素质要比学识来得“高贵”，也就是说，正确答案是选项[A]。选项[B]是与原文意思相反，选项[C]“支持学校改革”在文中找不到出处，选项[D]与霍夫斯塔特的描述也截然相反。

　　38. The views of Ravish and Emerson on schooling are

　　Ravitch and Emerson 对学校的看法是

　　[A] identical. 相同的。

　　[B] similar. 类似的。

　　[C] complementary. 互补的。

　　[D] opposite. 相反的。

　　【答案】 D

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】我们需要在寻找到“Ravitchand Emerson”二人对学校的看法后再将二人的意见进行一番比较，然后得出二人意见的异同。“Ravitch”的意见我们从第二段中可以找到，“Diane Ravitch说：‘学校始终处于实用重于学识的社会之中。’”“学校本来可以是一种抵消的力量。”“Ravitch”最新著作《落后：失败的学校改革的一个世纪》探索学校里反学识至上论的根源，书中的结论是：“美国学校绝对没有抵制美国人对学识追求的厌恶。”从本段可以看出，“Ravitch”批评学校没有起到抵制美国人对学识追求的厌恶的作用，即认为学校应该追求学识。而“Emerson”的意见可以在第五段中找到，他和其他一些先验主义哲学家认为学校教育和严格的书本学习限制了孩子们的天性。“我们被关在中小学和大学的朗诵室里十年或十五年，最后出来满肚子墨水，却啥都不懂。”本段说明爱默生认为学校压制人的天性，追求学识的学校是不正确的。因此可以判定：二人意见刚好相反。

　　39. Emerson, according to the text, is probably

　　根据本文， Emerson可能是一位

　　[A] a pioneer of education reform. 教育改革的先驱。

　　[B] an opponent of intellectualism. 学识主义的反对者。

　　[C] a scholar in favor of intellect. 赞成学识的学者。

　　[D] an advocate of regular schooling. 正规学校教育的倡导者。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】从某人的观点推断出某个人的立场是最常见的考题，上题中已经提到过爱默生的观点，即“学校教育和严格的书本学习限制了孩子们的天性”，也就是说，他是反对学识主义的，选择[B]也就否定了[C]。一个反对学识教育的人，不可能是正规学校教育的倡导者，所以选项[D]也是不正确的。而选项[A]教育改革的先驱这一点在文中都找不到依据。

　　40. What does the author think of intellect?

　　本文作者怎么看待才智?

　　[A] It is second to intelligence. 它没有智力重要。

　　[B] It evolves from common sense. 它从常识发展而来。

　　[C] It is to be pursued. 它是必须被人们追求的东西。

　　[D] It underlies power. 它是权利的基础。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】作者观点题。

　　【分析】作者观点题通常只有在通篇读完才能够得出。第一段作者说今天的美国人不很看重“intellect”，第二段引用教育学作家“Diane Ravitch”的观点来说明这一点，第三段作者表明自己的态度：“鼓励孩子们排斥精神生活使得他们极易被利用和控制。如果不能批判地思考、不能捍卫自己的思想、不能理解他人的思想，他们就不能充分地参与我们的民主”。而且引用作家“Earl Shorris”的话来说明如果不这么做，国家将“沦为二流国家”。至此，我们可以看出，作者是支持“intellect”的。作者本人并没有比较“intellect”和“intelligence”谁优谁劣，所以[A]可以被排除。至于常识和权利，文章中虽然提到了，但是并没有对它们进行探讨。

　　难句解析：

　　1. Even our schools are where we send our children to get apractical education—not to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge。

　　【结构分析】本句是主系表结构。主语为“our schools”，表语从句为“where we send our children to get a practical education—not topursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge”，在表语从句中，破折号后面的内容是补充说明前面从句中的目的状语的。

　　2. Encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind leaves themvulnerable to exploitation and control。

　　【结构分析】本句是简单句。主语由动名词短语“encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind”充当，“vulnerableto exploitation and control”是宾语“them”的补语。

　　3. Hofstadter says our country’s educational systemis in the grips of people who“joyfully and militantly proclaim their hostility to intellect andtheir eagerness to identify with children who show the least intellectualpromise。”

　　【结构分析】本句主句为“Hofstadter says”。宾语从句是主系表结构，其主语是“our country’s educational system”，在表语中存在一个定语从句修饰“people”。
全文翻译：

　　今天的美国人不很看重才智。我们的英雄不是学者，而是运动员、演艺名星和企业家。即使是学校也只是我们送孩子去接受实用教育的地方，而不是让他们为了知识而去追求知识的地方。学校里也不难发现盛行的反才智主义的表现。

　　“学校始终处于实用性重于才智性的社会之中，”教育学作家戴恩·瑞维兹说，“学校可以是一种抵消的力量。”瑞维兹最新著作《落后：学校改革失败的一世纪》探索学校里反才智主义倾向的根源，书中的结论是：美国学校绝对没有抵制美国人对才智追求的厌恶。

　　但学校是能够并应该做到这一点的。鼓励孩子们排斥精神生活使得他们极易被剥削和控制。不能批判地思考、捍卫自己的思想、理解他人的观点，他们就不能充分地参与我们的民主。沿着这条路线发展下去，作家厄尔·少瑞斯说，“我们将沦为二流国家。我们的社会将不再那么文明。”

　　历史学家兼教授理查德·霍夫斯塔特在《美国生活中的反学识主义》中写道：“才智被人们看作一种权利或特权而遭厌恶。”该书探讨美国政治、宗教和教育中的反才智主义的根源，曾获普利策奖。霍夫斯塔特说，自我们的历史之初，我们对民主化和大众化的渴望就驱使我们排斥任何带有精英优越论味道的东西。实用性、常识以及天分这些素质一直被视作比可以从书本里学得的任何东西都高贵。

　　拉尔夫·瓦尔多·爱默生和其他一些先验主义哲学家认为学校教育和严格的书本学习限制了孩子们的天性。“我们被关在中小学和大学的朗诵室里十年或十五年，最后出来满肚子墨水，却啥都不懂。”马克·吐温的小说《哈克弗恩历险记》即是美国反才智主义的例证。该书的主人公逃避教化——不上学认字——因此他才得以保住善良的天性。

　　按照霍夫斯塔特的观点，才智不同于天分，天分是一种我们不太情愿去赞赏的品质。才智是精神世界中的批评性、创造性和沉思性的一面。天分寻求的是掌握、控制、重组和调节，而才智是审视、思考、质疑、归纳、批判和想象。

　　如今学校仍然是才智备受怀疑的地方。霍夫斯塔特说，掌握我们国家教育体系的人“沾沾自喜地、霸气十足地公然宣称敌视才智，迫不及待地认同那些才智发展最差的孩子。”

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26楼发表于: 2016-07-28

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

It is said that inEngland death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional.Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failinghips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population aquality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. Butnot even a great health-care system can cure death—and ourfailure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours。

　　Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate andperish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yetas medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded bythird-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that canpossibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example islate-stage cancer care. Physicians—frustrated by theirinability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient—too oftenoffer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified。

　　In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, thecost will be $1，540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet fewseem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a governmentwith finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustainslife beyond a certain age—say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quotedas saying that the old and infirm “have a duty to dieand get out of the way ” so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential。

　　I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely workthrough their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacomchairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice SandraDay O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairsan Internet start-up in his 80s.These leaders are living proof that preventionworks and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age.As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have。

　　Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit.Ask a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may beineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countriesthat spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives thanwe have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures whileunderfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives。

　　36. What is implied in the first sentence?

　　[A] Americans are better prepared for death than other people。

　　[B] Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before。

　　[C] Americans are over-confident of their medical technology。

　　[D] Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy。

　　37. The author uses the example of cancer patients to show that

　　[A] medical resources are often wasted。

　　[B] doctors are helpless against fatal diseases。

　　[C] some treatments are too aggressive。

　　[D] medical costs are becoming unaffordable。

　　38. The author's attitude to ward Richard Lamm's remark is one of

　　[A] strong disapproval。

　　[B] reserved consent。

　　[C] slight contempt。

　　[D] enthusiastic support。

　　39. In contras to the U.S. ,Japan and Sweden are funding theirmedical care

　　[A] more flexibly。

　　[B] more extravagantly。

　　[C] more cautiously。

　　[D] more reasonably。

　　40. The text intends to express the idea that

　　[A] medicine will further prolong people's lives。

　　[B] life beyond a certain limit is not worth living。

　　[C] death should be accepted as a fact of life。

　　[D] excessive demands increase the cost of health care。

　　名师解析

　　36. What is implied in the first sentence? 第一句话暗示什么?

　　[A] Americans are better prepared for death than other people。

　　美国人对于死亡的准备超过其他人。

　　[B] Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before。

　　美国人比先前享受更高的生活质量。

　　[C] Americans are over-confident of their medical technology。

　　美国人对他们的医学技术过于自信。

　　[D] Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy。

　　美国人对于他们的长寿有一种虚荣的自豪感。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】该题问的是篇首第一句的含义。这句话说的是“据说，在英国死亡是迫在眉睫的，在加拿大死亡是不可避免的，在加利福尼亚死亡是可以选择的。”从这句话中，我们可以看出美国人自认为美国拥有先进医疗技术，死亡是可以控制的。所以[C]项是正确的。[A]项毫无道理，因为从文章中可以看出美国人还是害怕死亡的。[B]项是将美国人的现状与过去相比，与本句无关。[D]项说的是美国人对于他们的长寿有一种虚荣的自豪感，也是不正确的，因为分析第一段就发现，作者谈论的，或者说作者自己进行解释的是美国人对医疗技术的自信，所以[D]不正确。

　　37. The author uses the example of cancer patients to show that

　　作者用癌症病人的例子来说明

　　[A] medical resources are often wasted. 医疗资源常常被浪费。

　　[B] doctors are helpless against fatal diseases. 医生对于致命的疾病也无计可施。

　　[C] some treatments are too aggressive. 有一些治疗过去大胆。

　　[D] medical costs are becoming unaffordable. 医疗费用越来越支付不起。

　　【答案】 A

　　【考点】作者意图题。

　　【分析】在第二段中，作者用晚期癌症患者为例，指出医生们往往采取一些激进的缺乏科学根据的治疗方法。结合文章来看，我们发现它的作用是为了说明人们通常浪费了医疗资源，过度地投入在已经没有用处的的事情上。因此我们可以推断出作者的意图，即不应该浪费医疗资源在那些无可救药的人身上。[B]、[C]选项都不能表达作者意图。文中提及第三方支付人支付很多费用，因此[D]项内容是错误的。

　　38. The author’s attitude toward Richard Lamm’s remark is one of

　　作者对待Richard Lamm所说的话的态度是

　　[A] strong disapproval. 强烈反对。

　　[B] reserved consent. 有保留的赞同。

　　[C] slight contempt. 略有蔑视。

　　[D] enthusiastic support. 热烈支持。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】作者态度题。

　　【分析】通过关键词“Lamm”可以定位到第三段“Lamm”所说的话，“老年人有义务死亡，以免挡住道路”。在第四段，作者对于“Lamm”的观点发表了看法，“I would not go that far。”(我不会走那么远。)接着，作者举出了许多例子，说明老年人可以活得很有价值。这很容易让人认为作者是反对“Lamm”的观点的。但是接下来的一段中，作者从另外一个角度发表了自己的看法。作者说，“最昂贵和最引人注目的医疗手段未必就是高效率的和无疼痛的”。作者举例日本和瑞士，老年医疗开支不高，但是寿命更长，更加健康。作者说“我们在那些无药可救的疾病方面，也许投入过大，但是在那些事关人民生活质量的研究上投入过低”。所以选[B]，作者对“Lamm”的观点基本同意，但有所保留。

　　39. In contrast to the U.S., Japan and Sweden are funding theirmedical care

　　与美国相比，日本和瑞典对医疗的资金投入的方式

　　[A] more flexibly. 更灵活。

　　[B] more extravagantly. 更奢侈。

　　[C] more cautiously. 更谨慎。

　　[D] more reasonably. 更合理。

　　【答案】 D

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】定位到最后一段，作者举例说明了“虽然日本和瑞典在医疗保健上的花费比美国少，但寿命却比美国人长，身体也更健康”。接着作者提到“我们也许在那些无药可救的疾病方面，也许投入过大，但是在那些事关人民生活的研究上投入过低”。因此我们可以推断出，日本和瑞典在医疗保健上的投资比美国“更加合理”，因此选择[D]项，其它选项不能表达出这个意思。

　　40. The text intends to express the idea that 本文试图表达的观点是

　　[A] medicine will further prolong people’s lives.

　　医学将进一步延长人们的生命。

　　[B] life beyond a certain limit is not worth living.

　　超过了一定的(年龄)限度，生命就不值得延续。

　　[C] death should be accepted as a fact of life。

　　死亡应该被当成一种生命的事实来接受。

　　[D] excessive demands increase the cost of health care。

　　过多的要求增加了医疗的成本。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】文章主旨题。

　　【分析】本题要求考生判断文章主旨。这个时候需要通篇浏览。文章第一段说，“即使有一个伟大的医疗卫生体系，死亡也无法战胜，但是如果我们不能面对这样一个事实，就会影响到我们国家的伟大”。第二段又说，“死亡是正常的，但是我们却试图使用一切可能的方法来延缓自己的生命”。第三段作者提出“医疗资源不应该用在一些已经没有挽救意义的人身上”。第四段提到作者承认老年生活可能也是很有价值的。但是第五段作者提出“日本人”和“瑞典人”的例子，指出“生活的质量，寿命的长短，靠的不仅仅是医疗，还有其它办法”。既然如此，不如将有限的资源用于需要的地方上去。因此文章的中心思想应该是[C]选项。[A]项与作者观点相反。[B]项也不正确，因为作者已经提到老年人的晚年也同样可以很有价值，但是只是作者不同意将过多的医疗资源浪费在没有价值地延缓生命上。[D]项是事实，但却不是文章主要表达的思想。

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27楼发表于: 2016-07-28

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

Americans no longerexpect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the Englishlanguage with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. Inhis latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Why We Should,Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberaland conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture asresponsible for the decline of formal English。

　　Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yetanother criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter’s academicspecialty is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearanceof “whom”， for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss ofthe case-endings of Old English。

　　But the cult of the authentic and the personal, “doing ourown thing”， has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music.While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen topaper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then hassought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highlypersonal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness.In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking,spontaneity over craft。

　　Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both highand low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But itis less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care.As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, includingnon-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive—there existsno language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is notarguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do nottalk proper。

　　Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry largechunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend toelaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English speakers. Mr.McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, andproposes no radical education reforms—he is reallygrieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take ourEnglish “on paper plates instead of china”. A shame, perhaps,but probably an inevitable one。

　　36. According to McWhorter, the decline of formal English

　　[A] is inevitable in radical education reforms。

　　[B] is but all too natural in language development。

　　[C] has caused the controversy over the counter-culture。

　　[D] brought about changes in public attitudes in the 1960s。

　　37. The word “talking” (Line 5, Paragraph 3) denotes

　　[A] modesty.

　　[B]personality.

　　[C]liveliness.

　　[D]informality。

　　38. To which of the following statements would McWhorter mostlikely agree?

　　[A] Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk。

　　[B] Black English can be more expressive than standard English。

　　[C] Non-standard varieties of human language are just asentertaining。

　　[D] Of all the varieties, standard English can best convey complexideas。

　　39. The description of Russians’ love of memorizingpoetry shows the author’s

　　[A] interest in their language.

　　[B] appreciation of their efforts。

　　[C] admiration for their memory.

　　[D]contempt for their old-fashionedness。

　　40. According to the last paragraph, “paper plates” is to “china” as

　　[A] “temporary” is to “permanent”。

　　[B] “radical ”is to “conservative”。

　　[C] “functional ” is to “artistic”。

　　[D] “humble” is to “noble”。

　　名师解析

　　36. According to Mc Whorter, the decline of formal English

　　根据麦克沃特所言，正式英语的衰退

　　[A] is inevitable in radical education reforms. 在激进的教育改革中是不可避免的。

　　[B] is but all too natural in language development. 在语言的发展中实属自然。

　　[C] has caused the controversy over the counter-culture. 造成了对反文化潮流的争议。

　　[D] brought about changes in public attitudes in the 1960s. 带来了20世纪60年代公众态度的变化。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】事实细节题。

　　【分析】第二段的第二句中作者提到麦克沃特，诸如“he sees gradual disappearance of ‘whom’, forexample, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of thecase-endings of Old English，”就是要求考生能够理解出正式英语在语言发展中衰退的自然性。选项[A]中提到的激进的教育在文章的最后一段中可以找到“Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictlynecessary, and proposes no radical education reforms—he is reallygrieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful。”这句话具有很强的干扰，主要是因为一些考生喜欢直接阅读，而不是先看题目，看到后面反而重点不够突出，似是而非。出题人常用的一个方法就是将一些文章中出现但是实际上没有必然联系的内容揉杂在一起，起到很大的干扰。其实文章中根本没有提到二者有什么关系，只是顺带说他没有提议用激进的教育来改变正式英语衰退的趋势。选项[C]说对反文化有争议，从文中可以看出，将正式英语的衰退归咎于反文化并不会引起什么争议，没有人会认为反文化使得正式英语得到了发展。选项[D]说正式英语的衰退导致公众态度的变化，这样的说法属于典型的因果倒置。出题人意图利用考生临场考试时不稳定的心理状态来干扰考生，看其能否正确理解文章的大意。如果考生不能够养成良好的考试习惯，往往会花费很多额外的时间，因为很多时候，我们只需要知道正确答案是什么，而无需知道也没有时间来分析其他选项错在哪里。

　　37. The word“talking”(Line 6, Paragraph3) denotes “talking”(第三段第六行)一词表示

　　[A] modesty. 谦虚。

　　[B] personality. 个性。

　　[C] liveliness. 活泼。

　　[D] informality. 非正式。

　　【答案】 D

　　【考点】语义题。

　　【分析】考生必须利用上下文推测单词意思，在原文中首先找到这句话，然后仔细研读，最后才能够体会出这个单词的意思。第三段首先提到“做我们自己的事情”的结果是规范的演讲、作品、诗歌和音乐的死亡。然后提到在20世纪60年代以前那些受过一般教育的人在写作时都用比较高雅的语气，最后又说那些被认为是最重要的作品都试图表现出口语的特色，“talking”战胜了演讲，即兴战胜了技巧。而口语化的特点就是非正式。

　　38. To which of the following statements would Mc Whorter mostlikely agree?

　　下列哪一种说法麦克沃特最有可能会同意?

　　[A] Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk。

　　逻辑思维并不必然与我们说话的方式相关。

　　[B] Black English can be more expressive than standard English。

　　黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。

　　[C] Non-standard varieties of human language are just as entertaining。

　　人类的各种各样非标准的语言一样有趣。

　　[D] Of all the varieties, standard English can best convey complexideas。

　　在英语的各种变体中，标准英语最能表达复杂的思想。

　　【答案】 A

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】在第四段第四句话中，我们可以看到，麦克沃特认为所有人类语言，包括黑人的非标准英语，都具有很强的表现力。[B]选项中提到黑人使用的英语，但是说这种英语比正式英语更具有表现力是显然夸大了范围。[D]选项认为正式英语最能够表达复杂的思想，也犯了同样的错误。紧接着作者提到麦克沃特不认为因为我们不能很好地说话我们就不能正确地进行思考。这句话正好应了[A]选项，即正确的逻辑思维不一定与我们说话的方式有关。因此选项[A]是正确的。[C]的说法与原文完全不符合。

　　39. The description of Russians’ love of memorizingpoetry shows the author’s

　　就俄罗斯人喜欢记忆诗歌的描述显示出作者

　　[A] interest in their language. 对他们的语言感兴趣。

　　[B] appreciation of their efforts. 欣赏他们的努力。

　　[C] admiration for their memory. 对他们记忆力的仰慕。

　　[D] contempt for their old-fashionedness. 对他们的守旧表示蔑视。

　　【答案】 B

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】文章最后一段第一句话提到“俄罗斯人对本国语言的热爱，能够记得很多诗歌，而意大利的政治家们常常发表在大多数英国人看来有点过时的经过精心准备的演讲。麦克沃特认为正式语言并非不可或缺，也没有提出要进行激进的教育改革——他其实只是为那些美好而不是实用品的消逝而感到遗憾。”结合文章主题可以看出这几句话中作者的言下之意：他欣赏俄罗斯人为保持自身语言的优美性所做的努力。但是这并不能够说明他对俄罗斯语感兴趣，或者赞赏他们的记忆力，更不可能是轻视他们。

　　40. According to the last paragraph, “paper plates” is to “china” as

　　根据最后一段，将“纸盘子”和“瓷器”相比就相当于

　　[A] “temporary”is to“permanent””. “暂时的”与“永久的”相比。

　　[B] “radical”is to“conservative”. “激进的”与“保守的”相比。

　　[C] “functional”is to“artistic”. “功能的”与“艺术的”相比。

　　[D] “humble”is to“noble”. “谦卑的”与“高贵的”相比。

　　【答案】 C

　　【考点】推断题。

　　【分析】纸盘子和瓷盘子的区别不止一个，但是最后一段中作者提到优美和实用这层意思，也就是说作者想要说明的不是暂时与永久，不是激进与保守，不是谦卑与高贵，而是能够反映纸盘子和瓷盘子背后的优美和实用这一对概念，也就是功能与艺术的比较。

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28楼发表于: 2016-07-28

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

The once radical notion that birds descended from dinosaurs——or may even be dinosaurs， the only living branch of the family that ruled the earth eons ago——has got stronger and stronger since paleontologists first started taking it seriously a couple of decades ago. Remarkable similarities in bone structure between dinos and birds were the first clue. Then came evidence， thanks to a series of astonishing discoveries in China's Liaoning province over the past five years， that some dinosaurs may have borne feathers. But a few scientists still argued that the link was weak; the bone similarities could be a coincidence， they said. And maybe those primitive structures visible in some fossils were feathers——but maybe not. You had to use your imagination to see them.

　　Not anymore. A spectacularly preserved fossil of a juvenile dinosaur， announced by a team of paleontologists from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and New York City's American Museum of Natural History in the latest issue of Nature， is about as good a missing link as anyone could want. “It has things that are undeniably feathers，” exults Richard Prum， of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum， an expert on the evolution of feathers. “But it is clearly a small， vicious theropod similar to the velociraptors that chased the kids around the kitchen in Jurassic Park.”

　　The find helps cement the dinosaur-bird connection， but it also casts new light on the mystery of why nature invented feathers in the first place. For the better part of a century， biologists have assumed that these specialized structures evolved for flight， but that's clearly not true. “The feathers on these dinosaurs aren't flight-worthy， and the animals couldn't fly，” says paleontologist Kevin Padian， of the University of California， Berkeley. “They're too big， and they don't have wings.” So what was the original purpose of feathers? Nobody knows for sure; they might have been useful for keeping dinos dry， distracting predators or attracting mates， as peacocks do today.

　　But many biologists suspect that feathers originally arose to keep dinosaurs warm. The bone structure of dinosaurs shows that， unlike modern reptiles， they grew as fast as birds and mammals——which dovetails with a growing body of evidence that dinos were， in fact， warm-blooded. Says Padian： “They must have had a high basal metabolic rate to grow that fast. And I wouldn't be surprised if they had some sort of skin covering for insulation when they were small.” Says Norell： “Even baby tyrannosaurs probably looked like this one.”

　　At the rate feathered dinosaurs are turning up， it shouldn't take long to solidify scientists' understanding of precisely how and why feathers first arose and when the first birdlike creature realized they were useful for flight. Meanwhile， kids had better get used to the idea that T. rex may have started life looking an awful lot like Tweety Bird.

　　1. We learn from the beginning of the passage that ________________.

　　[A] scientists are split as to whether birds descended from dinosaurs

　　[B] the bone similarities between birds and dinosaurs are a coincidence

　　[C] fossils have proven that birds evolved from dinosaurs

　　[D] the idea that birds are connected with dinosaurs has always been taken seriously

　　2. Speaking of the recently-announced fossil of a juvenile dinosaur， the author implies that ______.

　　[A] it shows vividly how dinosaur flies

　　[B] it brings new mystery to paleontologists

　　[C] it further proves the link between birds and dinosaurs

　　[D] it solves the puzzle of birds‘ evolution

　　3. In the view of Kevin Padian， the feathers on those dinosaurs ____________.

　　[A] were of no practical value

　　[B] were useful for flight

　　[C] could protect dinosaurs from their natural enemy

　　[D] were good for insulation

　　4. The original purpose of feather was___________.

　　[A] to help dinosaurs fly

　　[B] to keep dinosaurs warm

　　[C] to distract predators

　　[D] a mystery

　　5. We learn from the last paragraph that __________.

　　[A] a baby dinosaur looks like a bird

　　[B] T-rex is a kind of dinosaur figure familiar to kids

　　[C] living feathered dinosaurs can still be found in certain parts of the world

　　[D] scientists understand precisely how and why feathers first arose

　　答案：A C D D B

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29楼发表于: 2016-07-29

只看该作者 ┊ 小中大

　Of a11 the characteristics that man has used to distinguish himself from“lower”animals，the desire to explore the unknown may be the most enduring.As the Norwegian polar explorer and oceanographer Fridtjof Nansen observed，“Man wants to know，and when he ceases to do so，he is no longer man.”

　　The annual migrations of wildfowl and many other animals certainly cannot be regarded as a form of exploration，because such movements are actually only shifts from one habitat to another for the purpose of avoiding seasonal climatic variations.4) Likewise，the gradual expansion by certain animals into new ranges is not exploratory but rather merely a shift to a 1ess crowded or more favourable environmental setting.To be sure，mankind also has been involved in movements of this sort when subjected to population and other pressures.Then，too，economic and military considerations have frequently been major driving factors in human expansion into new realms.5)Nonetheless，in numerous instances，man‘s attempts at exploration have been marked by imaginative leaps across hostile stretches，sometimes at great risks， to reach something undefined simply for its own sake.

　　Much of the history of exploration—certainly of modern geographical exploration—has been European.6) Such has been the case not because Europeans possessed superior curiosity or some other internal force but because whatever events channeled their societies toward an advanced level of technology allowed them to expend more energy on exploration.The rapid growth and consolidation of their kingdoms provided them with an opportunity to exploit new discoveries fully.By contrast，the great Asian kingdoms，though no less capable，turned inward and erected walls between themselves and the“barbarians”of the outside world.

　　The 20th century has witnessed the last stages of exploration of the Earth‘s surface and the initial attempts to explore the deep sea and space.Scientific attention today is primarily directed toward these new frontiers.In addition to this emphasis on undersea and space exploration，efforts are also being made to investigate the interior of the Earth，knowledge of which still remains relatively limited.

　　1. What Nansen said means that____.

　　[A]a man never stops exploring the unknown until he dies

　　[B]exploration of the unknown is a characteristic of man

　　[C]ignorant people are no more than “lower” animals

　　[D]a man is not a brave man unless he shows curiosity about the unknown

　　2. According to the author，true exploration is marked by____.

　　[A]migrating from a familiar area to a new one

　　[B]moving into a less crowded and favourable environmental setting

　　[C]venturing into an unknown，sometimes risky，world

　　[D]gradually expanding into new ranges

　　3. The Europeans were often the pioneers in exploration because____.

　　[A]they had daring spirits and were more curious about the unknown

　　[B]social development offered them the means to explore the world

　　[C]they had more internal driving forces to urge them in such attempts

　　[D]they were more capable of such activities than the Asians

　　4. In the last sentence of Paragraph 3，the word“barbarians”probably refers to____.

　　[A]the fiercest enemies

　　[B]savage and uncivilized people

　　[C]hostile neighboring countries

　　[D]ambitious Europeans powers

　　5. The 20th century explorers are similar to the earlier explorers in their curiosity about____.

　　[A]the deep sea [B]the space

　　[C]the interior of the Earth [D]the surface of the Earth

　　答案及解析

　　1. [B] 意为：对未知领域进行探索是人类的特性。在第一段，Nansen所说的意思是：人类总是想去认识事物，如果他们失去这种欲望，他们就无所谓人了。

　　2. [C] 意为：敢于冒险进人未知的——有时是危险的区域。参阅第二段最后一句，本句中stretches应理解为“区域(或地段)”，undefined应根据上下文理解为“未知的”。本段否定了几种做法，认为这些做法都称不上是探险;在作者看来，只有最后一句提到的情况才算得上是探险活动。

　　3. [B] 根据第三段第二句，探险者多为欧洲人，这并不是因为他们好奇心强或内在的动力大，而是因为历史将他们的社会推向了更高的技术水平，这使得他们可以花更多的精力来从事冒险活动。

　　4. [B] 意为：野蛮而未开化的人。该词意为“野蛮人”，是文明社会对未开化民族带有偏见的称呼。

　　5. [D] 第四段第一句提到，20世纪进入探索地球表面的最后阶段，而开始了对深海区域和太空的探索。由此可以看出，对地球表面的探索在20世纪还在继续。

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