考研英语冲刺试卷

考研英语冲刺试卷

考试时间：180分钟满分：100分

Section I Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark [A], [B], [C] or [D] on the ANSWER SHEET.(10 points)

You probably have a long mental list of moments and facts you wish you could remember---but actually you cannot. The good news, 1 , is that while such memories may be currently 2 , they are not entirely gone, and could theoretically be 3 ,according to a new brain research.

In the study, biologist Jeffrey Johnson 4 16 college participants through an FMRI machine (which 5 nervous activity via blood flow) to compare brain patterns 6 memory formation and recall. First, he showed the students various common words and had them 7 a few tasks: say the word backwards in your head, 8 its uses, and picture how an artist would 9 it. Then, 20 minutes later, after the students re-entered the FMRI machine, Johuson showed them the list of words and asked them to recall 10 they could from before. Finally, he compared brain activity from both 11 and what he found will surprise you.

Using 12 is called “pattern analysis”, it’s possible to13 a unique pattern of brain activity to every individual thing we do. This means that when a participant says the word “apple”backwords the 14 pattern of brain activity is different than when he pictures the fruit. 15 interestingly, there is close similarity between the pattern that emerges when we 16 an activity and when we later recall it. The stronger our memory, the 17 the pattern, but as Johnson found, even at a moment 18 we cannot remember anything, our nerve cells still fire in a way that 19 the activity of when we formed the memory. This 20 that sometime in the future we may be able to retrieve the memories we thought we’d lost forever.

1. [A]although [B]rather [C]though [D]therefore

2. [A]forgetful [B]absent [C]faultless [D]unavailable

3. [A]retrieved [B]recognized [C]claimed [D]accumulated

4. [A]let [B]put [C]ran [D]got

5. [A]measures [B]calculates [C]assesses [D]evaluates

6. [A]between [B]during [C]across [D]throughout

7. [A]assign [B]display [C]perform [D]overtake

8. [A]bring forward [B]think of [C]check out [D]catch on

9. [A]predict [B]manifest [C]depict [D]specify

10. [A]however [B]whenever [C]whatever [D]whichever

11. [A]procedures [B]sessions [C]progresses [D]sections

12. [A]which [B]that [C]as [D]what

13. [A]attach [B]subject [C]submit [D]stick

14. [A]controversial [B]relevant [C]particular [D]associated

15. [A]Even [B]But [C]So [D]As

16. [A]set about [B]sit for [C]engage in [D]go through

17. [A]stronger [B]closer [C]further [D]weaker

18. [A]when [B]that [C]which [D]as

19. [A]hampers [B]distinguishes [C]duplicates [D]resembles

20. [A]highlights [B]implies [C]entails [D]exclaims

Section II Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing [A], [B], [C] or [D]. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

Text 1

Communication has changed dramatically over the past half-century. The term “Global Village” was first used in the early 1960’s to descr ibe the ways in which the electronic age was reshaping the rapidity and pervasiveness with which information is disseminated across the world. Now, with the enormous growth of the Internet and other forms of digital communication, that idea is all the more applicable. New technology has changed the ways we receive information and the ways we collect and store it.

If you look to past centuries, people have had to rely on word-of-mouth as a way of finding out news beyond their own towns. History itself was passed along through specialized individuals who memorized names and events from the previous centuries. The most well known form of history is myth, which comes from the Greek word for “a spoken or written story.” Many of these stories have been very influential and continue to be read and studied in our own times: the famous examples are the works of the Greek poet Homer.

Many techniques are used to preserve a story, event, history, or myth from generation to generation. Symbols are used as devices to trigger a common connection in the listeners. Repetition of names and families throughout a single story are used as a way to keep important information fresh in the mind. The reliance on a common tradition or reference within a particular culture allows the storyteller to get more meaning across with the fewest words said. These are all memory aids that serve to allow both the teller and the listener to fully realize a story that may have its origins hundreds of years in the past. For instance, native peoples in North America’s Northwest Territory have passed down detailed methods for hunting and storing of reindeer and whale that include geographic information that still hold relevance today.

The need for an oral tradition has diminished in practical value with the advent of the written text and the rapid growth of computers as a means of disseminating information. There are many harmful side effects to the loss of this practice. Younger generations can become alienated from their cultural identity and knowledge about customs, tradition, mores, the natural world and history will disappear. This is especially true in aboriginal cultures such as in Native American, Native Australian and South American peoples, where assimilation into the dominant culture can come at the cost of historical customs.

Since the prevalence of the written word, and later inventions that have made passing along the printed word easier, the demands on our memory as a means of cataloging facts and historical data has been considerably reduced. However, the techniques used for hundreds of years by those whose job it was to keep these histories alive have a deeply ingrained influence on us today. Keeping that knowledge and those traditions alive is very important. Spend a moment recalling a memory of an oral tradition in your family history that has impacted your education. How has this oral tradition affected you?

21. The term “Global Village” implies that_____________.

[A] the electronic technology is developing rapidly

[B] the 1960s witnessed the birth of electronic rapidly

[C] modern IT has eliminated geographical barriers

[D]digital technique has found diverse application

22. Centuries ago, information distribution was_____________.

[A] carried out by mouth-to-mouth messages

[B] conducted more by speaking than by writing

[C] confined in small and enclosed districts

[D]dependent on specialized individuals

23. The text indicates that myth_____________.

[A] is the true record of ancient history

[B] is handed down by means of various symbols

[C] saves key information for later generations

[D]characterizes a nation’s common tradition

24. The author asserts that modern communication means can_____________.

[A] result in the alienation of younger generation

[B]deprive the youth of their national identity

[C] lead to the extinction of myth and customs

[D]cause destruction of myth and customs

25. The best title for the text may be_____________.

[A] The Drastic Change in Communication

[B] The Impact of Computer on Our Life

[C] The primary Value of Oral Tradition

[D] The Function of Myth and History

Text 2

Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects--and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that’s good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.

Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the pat ients’ bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be revealed. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, “an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records.”

While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was “health-care operations.” That, physicians said, was a loophole throu gh which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by “business partners” such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules’ enforcement provisions.

One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality, thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information, such as paying cash for services.

26.The author begins his article with “technology is a two-edged sword” to _____________.

[A] warn of the harm patients are prone to suffer

[B] call on people’s attention to the potential danger technology can bring to us

[C] show that doctor’s improper use of technology can end up in bad results

[D] show the advantages and disadvantages of technology

27.According to the proposal made by President Clinton, patients will be able to do the following EXCEPT _____________.

[A] enjoy more rights to their medical records

[B] be open with their doctors

[C] decide how to use their medical information

[D] sue their insurers for improper use of their medical records

28.Doctors tend to think that the rules _____________.

[A] may ruin doctor-patient relationship

[B] can do more harm than good

[C] will prevent doctors from doing medical research

[D] will end up in more health care cost and poorer medical service

29.The example of the January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates is used to show that __________________.

[A] American patients’ concealment of their medical information has become a big concern

[B] a large portion of patients would rather leave their diseases untreated

[C] concealing medical information is widespread in the U.S.

[D] paying cash for medical service is a common practice among American patients

30.From the article we can learn that ________________.

[A] American government will tighten its control over the use of patients’ personal information. [B] doctors and insurers are both against the rules for the same reasons

[C] patients are entitled to have complete control of their medical information

[D] the new rules put insurers in a very disadvantageous position

Text 3

A new malady is running rampantly in corporate America: management phobia. Many people don’t want to be a manager, and many people who are managers are desired to jump off the management track—or have already. “I hated all the meetings,” says a 10-year award-winning manager, “And I found the more you did for people who worked for you, the more they expected. I was a counselor, motivator, financial adviser and psychologist. ”

With technology changing in a wink, you can never slack off 4 these days if you’re on the technical side. It’s a rare person who can manage to keep up on the technical side and handle a management job, too. In addition, with Scott Adams’s popular cartoon character as well as many television situation comedies routinely portraying managers as idiots or enemies, they just don’t get much respect anymore.

Supervising others was always a tough task, but in the past that stress was offset by hopes for career mobility and financial rewards. Along with a sizable pay raise, people chosen as managers would begin a nearly automatic climb up the career ladder to lucrative executive perks: stock options, company cars, club memberships, plus the key to the executive washroom. But in today’s global, more competitive arena, a manager sits on an insecure perch. Restructuring have eliminated layer after layer of management as companies came to view their organizations as collections of competencies rather than hierarchies. There are far fewer rungs on the corporate ladder for managers to climb. In addition, managerial jobs demand more hours and headaches than ever before but offer slim, if any, financial paybacks and perks.

In an age of entrepreneurship, when the most praised people in business are those launching something new, management seems like an invisible, thankless role. Employers are looking for people who can do things, not for people who make other people do things. Management layoffs have done much to erode interest in managerial jobs.

With more people wary of joining management, are corporations being hurt or worrying about developing future leaders? Not many are. While employers have dismissed a lot of managers, they believe a surplus lingers on at many companies. Another reason companies aren’t short of managers, contends Robert Kelley, a Carnegie Mellon University business professor, “is that so many workers today are self-managed, either individually or via teams, you don’t need a manager.”

31. The 10-year award-winning manager suggests that__________.

[A] managerial jobs demand more hours and offer more headaches

[B] managers should not do too much beyond the scope of his job

[C] being a manager requires many other skills besides management

[D] a person can get a lot of development in a management role.

32. The word “perk”(Line3, Paragraph 3) probably means___________.

[A] privileges

[B] status

[C] mobility

[D] rungs

33. Which one of the following statements applies to today’s manage rs?

[A] Their stress can be reduced by the financial and emotional rewards.

[B] They are beginning to neglect their development on the technical side.

[C] They feel more insecure in their positions because of the reduction in company hierarchies.

[D] They are not respected any more by the media despite their hard efforts.

34. Which skill do employers value most in this age of entrepreneurship?

[A] Management

[B] Creativity

[C] Cooperation

[D] Diligence

35. We can learn from the last paragraph that______________.

[A] the loss of interest in the managerial jobs would damage America corporate culture

[B] more and more managers would be laid off in order to relieve the financial burden

[C] those who are still lingering on managerial jobs are not foresighted.

[D] many employees are to some extent a managers of themselves

Text 4

Thanks to slumping markets, investment banks are shedding many of their highly-paid traders. When markets recover, the banks might be tempted to replace them with rather cheaper talent. One alternative has been around for a while but has yet to catch on: autonomous trading agents-computers programmed to act like the human version without such pesky costs as holidays, lunch breaks or bonuses. Program trading has, of course, been done before; some blamed the 1987 stockmarket crash on computers instructed with simple decision-making rules. But robots can be smarter than that.

Dave Cliff, a researcher at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in Bristol, England, has been creating trading robots for seven years. In computer s imulations he lets them evolve “genetically”, and so allows them to adapt and fit models of real-world financial markets. His experiments have suggested that a redesign of some markets could lead to greater efficiency. Last year, a research group at IBM showed that Mr. Cliff’s artificial traders could consistently beat the human variety, in various kinds of market. Nearly all take the shape of an auction. One well-known type is the English auction, familiar to patrons of the salesrooms of Christie’s and Sotheby’s, where sellers keep mum on their offer price, and buyers increase their bids by stages until only one remains.

At the other extreme is the Dutch auction, familiar to 17th-century tulip-traders in the Netherlands as well as to bidders for American Treasury bonds. Here, buyers remain silent, and a seller reduces his price until it is accepted. Most markets for shares, commodities, foreign exchange and derivatives are a hybrid of these two types: buyers and sellers can announce their bid or offer prices at any time, and deals are constantly being closed, a so-called “continuous double auction”.

Mr. Cliff’s novel idea was to apply his evolutionary computer programs to marketplaces themselves. Why not, he thought, try and see what types of auction would let traders converge most quickly towards an equilibrium price? The results were surprising. In his models, auctions that let buyers and sellers bid at any time like most of today’s financial exchanges were less efficient than ones that required relatively more bids from e ither buyers or sellers. These “evolved auctions” also withstood big market shocks, such as crashes and panics, better than today’s real-world versions. Mr. Cliff’s most recent results, which will be presented in Sydney, Australia, on December 10th, show that the best type of auction for any market depends crucially on even slight differences in the number of buyers and sellers.

Bank of America has been investigating these new auctions, along with robotic traders, for possible use in electronic exchanges. The hope is that today’s financial auctions and online marketplaces might work better by becoming more like their English and Dutch forebears. But what to call such multi-ethnic h ybrids? Here’s introducing the “Cliffhanger”.

36.The passage is mainly_____________.

[A] an introduction of trading robots

[B] a review of two kinds of auctions

[C] a survey of the trading market

[D] about trading alternatives

37.Which of the following is true according to the text?

[A] David’s robot traders have now been used in real-world markets.

[B] Robot traders can evolve like creatures.

[C] There is room for improvement in efficiency in trading markets.

[D] The English auction is the most popular trading form.

38.If you were trading American Treasury bonds, you would most likely take the trading

form of_____________.

[A] the English auction

[B] the continuous double auction

[C] the Dutch auction

[D] the evolved auction

39.We can infer from the text that_____________.

[A] existing auctions can not withstand market shocks

[B] the Dutch auction is better than the continuous double auction

[C] it’s hard for traders to reach an equilibrium price

[D] the best type of auction takes place when the number of the buyers is equal to that of sellers

40.Toward robot traders, the writer’s attitude can be said to be_____________.

[A] biased [B] objective [C] pessimistic [D] optimistic

Part B

Directions:

In the following text, some segments have been removed. For Questions 41- 45, choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the blanks.Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

The patriotic outpouring that followed the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks—80 percent of Americans displayed the flag on their car, house, or lapel—brought hopes of renewed voter interest. Yet turnout in this year’s congressional primaries was a mere 17 percent, no better than four year. No doubt, ordinarily Americans share responsibility for their lapse in participation; it is always easier to leave the work of democracy to others. 41 .

America’s politicians have also managed to invent the most unappetizi ng campaigns imaginable. 42 . Many of the attacks are so twisted that even a whiff of fresh air would topple them.

True leadership has become so rare that politicians may no longer even dream of stepping forward to say something other than what polls tell them is safe. Tuesday’s electio n will surely pass without much of a debate on the momentous foreign and domestic issues facing the nation.

And where are the news media? 43 . And it’s failing again—a comparison of news coverage in 10 states shows the midterm election is getting 13 percent less coverage this year than in 1998.

When journalists deign to cover elections, they magnify the very things they rail against. Candidates are ignored or portrayed as boring if they run issue-based campaigns. Attack sound bites get airtime; positive statements land on the cutting-room floor. As for trivial issues, why did candidate Bush’s 1970s drunk-driving arrest get more time on the network newscasts in the final days of the 2, 000 election than Go re’s foreign policy statements got in the entire general elect ion?

It’s not surprising voters are disenchanted with campaigns. During the 2, 000 election, as part of the Vanishing V oter Project at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, we interviewed 100, 000 Americans to discover why they’re disengaging from elections. 44 .

Officials unfailingly urge citizens “to do your duty and vote.” Yet, these officials embrace policies that make it harder to do that. Today, 87 percent of Americans reside in states that close registration two weeks or more before the election. The majority of unregistered Americans who otherwise would cast a vote are out of luck. Only six states allow election-day registration.

45 .

[A] Electoral competition is key to democracy, and America’s voters aren’t getting the full benefit of that. Only a couple of dozen of this year’s 435 US House races are competitive. Two years ago, 98.5 percent of incumbents won, typically by margins of 70 percent or more.

[B] If equivalent offerings were served at restaurants, Americans would never eat out. Attack ads have doubled in frequency since the 1, 770s and now account for a majority of the ads featured prominently in campaigns.

[C] Amid the uproar over Florida’s ballot irregularities, no commentator has seen fit to ask why polls there close at 7 p. m. Florida is one of 26 states that close their polls before 8 p. m. Unsurprisingly, turnout in these states is several percentage points below that of states where polls are open until 8 p. m. or later.

[D] They’re so enamored of infotainment and sensationalism that they can’t find time for the midterm elections. In the 1998 midterms, coverage was down by more than half over 1994.

[E] But it’s time to stop blaming the citizens. Candidates, public officials, and journalists are not giving Americans the type of campaign they deserve.

[F] So look for a small turnout Tuesday, but don’t ask citizens to look in the mirr or. Some of them have cast their eye on what’s going on in candidate—land media—land and are asking why they should be bit players in that artifice.

[G] Their responses tell the story: 81 percent believe “most political candidates will say almost anything to get themselves elected”; 75 percent feel “political candidates are more concerned with fighting each other than with solving the nation’s problems”.

Part C

Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written

neatly on the Answer Sheet. (10 points)

Light pollution now has become a big problem and led to much waste in our society. It has been estimated that 30% of the electricity generated for outdoor illumination is wasted. Important, too, are the environmental costs of producing the energy to power wasted light. For example, for every kilowatt-hour of electricity used, almost two pounds of carbon dioxide and almost two grams of sulphur dioxide are emitted into the environment. 46) Thus by simply eliminating wasted light, those amounts can be substantially reduced with no negative effect on necessary lightning and with decidedly positive environmental benefits for the region.

For individuals and families another significant issue is that of light intrusion, the spilling of unwanted light onto private property. This concern is already addressed in some local zoning codes where maximum light levels at property lines are established; 47) but as the problem becomes more common, homeowners may also sense that the intrusion of unwanted light keeps them from using their outside property at night as they wish or may even interfere with indoor activities by shining into the house interior. Indeed, legal proceedings could result from unwanted intrusion as a violation of property rights. Furthermore, poor quality lighting, whether commercial, municipal, or residential, can lessen the appeal of a neighborhood, lowering property values if the area begins to look too bright and gaudy.

Yet the problem of light pollution is easily remedied. In general, good lighting uses only the amount of light necessary for a specific purpose, and that light is directed properly. 48) Lights allowing no illumination above the horizontal plane of fixed objects and mounted at the proper height to do their job while avoiding glare and light intrusion are the ideal. In recent years, there has been a conscious effort by many municipalities, businesses, and individuals to better address the ways lightning is used.

So the next time you are out at night, make a note of the way things are lit. 49) Remember, regardless of how we achieve the goal of reducing light pollution, the simple fact remains that we all win when sensible lightning is used. Good lightning energy saves energy and money, it produces pollution, it improves the appearance of neighborhoods and maintains property values, it enhances the scientific and aesthetic appreciation of the glories of the night sky, and it preserves that beauty and inspiration for us and for our children. 50) So when you find yourself

lucky enough to be in a place where it is still dark enough to see the sky sparkling with stars, think how much less beauty there would be in the world without it! And become an advocate for sensible and efficient lightning.

Section III Writing

Part A

51. Directions:

You have made an appointment with Prof. Wang, but failed to keep it. Write a letter to your teacher to

1)apologize for your failure to keep the appointment,

2)explain your reason to your teacher, and

3)express your wish to make another appointment.

You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead. You do not need to write the address. (10 points)

Part B

52. Directions:

Study the following drawing carefully and write an essay in which you should

1) describe the drawing,

2) interpret its meaning and implications, and

3) give your comments.

You should write 160--200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)

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