1997—2001年考研英语阅读真题

1997—2001年 考研英语 考研英语大纲5500词汇考研英语常用词根词缀考研英语二真题及答案考研英语词汇大全英语考研高频词汇 阅读真题 1997年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语阅读试题 Reading Comprehension Text 1 It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia?s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group?s on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: “We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn?t just something that happened in Australia. It?s world history.” The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally III law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia -- where an aging population, life extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part -- other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia. In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling. Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death -- probably by a deadly injection or pill -- to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a “cooling off” period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54 year old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. “I?m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I?d go, because I?ve watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks,” he says. 51. From the second paragraph we learn that ________. [A] the objection to euthanasia is slow to come in other countries [B] physicians and citizens share the same view on euthanasia [C] changing technology is chiefly responsible for the hasty passage of the law [D] it takes time to realize the significance of the law?s passage 52. When the author says that observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling, he means ________. [A] observers are taking a wait and see attitude towards the future of euthanasia [B] similar bills are likely to be passed in the US, Canada and other countries [C] observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes [D] the effect-taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop 53. When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will ________. [A] face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia [B] experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient [C] have an intense fear of terrible suffering [D] undergo a cooling off period of seven days 54. The author?s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of ________. [A] opposition [B] suspicion [C] approval [D] indifference Text 2 A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment. For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world. The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn?t take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation. Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. “I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner -- amazing.” Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition. As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to “translate” cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word “friend,” the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor?s language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers. 55. In the eyes of visitors from the outside world, ________. [A] rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US [B] small minded officials deserve a serious comment [C] Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors [D] most Americans are ready to offer help 56. It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ________. [A] culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship [B] courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated [C] various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends [D] social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions 57. Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers ________. [A] to improve their hard life [B] in view of their long distance travel [C] to add some flavor to their own daily life [D] out of a charitable impulse 58. The tradition of hospitality to strangers ________. [A] tends to be superficial and artificial [B] is generally well kept up in the United States [C] is always understood properly [D] was something to do with the busy tourist trails Text 3 Technically, any substance other than food that alters our bodily or mental functioning is a drug. Many people mistakenly believe the term drug refers only to some sort of medicine or an illegal chemical taken by drug addicts. They don?t realize that familiar substances such as alcohol and tobacco are also drugs. This is why the more neutral term substance is now used by many physicians and psychologists. The phrase “substance abuse” is often used instead of “drug abuse” to make clear that substances such as alcohol and tobacco can be just as harmfully misused as heroin and cocaine. We live a society in which the medicinal and social use of substances (drugs) is pervasive: an aspirin to quiet a headache, some wine to be sociable, coffee to get going in the morning, a cigarette for the nerves. When do these socially acceptable and apparently constructive uses of a substance become misuses? First of all, most substances taken in excess will produce negative effects such as poisoning or intense perceptual distortions. Repeated use of a substance can also lead to physical addiction or substance dependence. Dependence is marked first by an increased tolerance, with more and more of the substance required to produce the desired effect, and then by the appearance of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the substance is discontinued. Drugs (substances) that affect the central nervous system and alter perception, mood, and behavior are known as psychoactive substances. Psychoactive substances are commonly grouped according to whether they are stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogens. Stimulants initially speed up or activate the central nervous system, whereas depressants slow it down. Hallucinogens have their primary effect on perception, distorting and altering it in a variety of ways including producing hallucinations. These are the substances often called psychedelic (from the Greek word meaning “mind-manifesting”) because they seemed to radically alter one?s state of consciousness. 59. “Substance abuse” (Line 5, Paragraph 1) is preferable to “drug abuse” in that ________. [A] substances can alter our bodily or mental functioning if illegally used [B] “drug abuse” is only related to a limited number of drug takers [C] alcohol and tobacco are as fatal as heroin and cocaine [D] many substances other than heroin or cocaine can also be poisonous 60. The word “pervasive” (Line 1, Paragraph 2) might mean ________. [A] widespread [B] overwhelming [C] piercing [D] fashionable 61. Physical dependence on certain substances results from ________. [A] uncontrolled consumption of them over long periods of time [B] exclusive use of them for social purposes [C] quantitative application of them to the treatment of diseases [D] careless employment of them for unpleasant symptoms 62. From the last paragraph we can infer that ________. [A] stimulants function positively on the mind [B] hallucinogens are in themselves harmful to health [C] depressants are the worst type of psychoactive substances [D] the three types of psychoactive substances are commonly used in groups Text 4 No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. “Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?” Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. “You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?” At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It?s a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line. At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company?s mountainous debt, which will increase to 17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently. The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company?s rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice T?s violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. “The test of any democratic society,” he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, “lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won?t retreat in the face of any threats.” Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month?s stockholders? meeting, Levin asserted that “music is not the cause of society?s ills” and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the “balanced struggle” between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music. The 15 member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. “Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited,” says Luce. “I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this.” 63. Senator Robert Dole criticized Time Warner for ________. [A] its raising of the corporate stock price [B] its self-examination of soul [C] its neglect of social responsibility [D] its emphasis on creative freedom 64. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? [A] Luce is a spokesman of Time Warner. [B] Gerald Levin is liable to compromise. [C] Time Warner is united as one in the face of the debate. [D] Steve Ross is no longer alive 65. In face of the recent attacks on the company, the chairman ________. [A] stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression [B] softened his tone and adopted some new policy [C] changed his attitude and yielded to objection [D] received more support from the 15-member board 66. The best title for this passage could be ________. [A] A Company under Fire [B] A Debate on Moral Decline [C] A Lawful Outlet of Street Culture [D] A Form of Creative Freedom Text 5 Much of the language used to describe monetary policy, such as “steering the economy to a soft landing” or “a touch on the brakes,” makes it sound like a precise science. Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain. And there are long, variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy. Hence the analogy that likens the conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen, a cracked rear view mirror and a faulty steering wheel. Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s. It is also less than most forecasters had predicated. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America?s inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and expected to average only about 3% for the year as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America. Economists have been particularly surprised by favorable inflation figures in Britain and the United States, since conventional measures suggest that both economies, and especially America?s, have little productive slack. America?s capacity utilization, for example, hit historically high levels earlier this year, and its jobless rate (5.6% in August) has fallen bellow most estimates of the natural rate of unemployment -- the rate below which inflation has taken off in the past. Why has inflation proved so mild? The most thrilling explanation is, unfortunately, a little defective. Some economists argue that powerful structural changes in the world have up-ended the old economic models that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation. 67. From the passage we learn that ________. [A] there is a definite relationship between inflation and interest rates [B] economy will always follow certain models [C] the economic situation is better than expected [D] economists had foreseen the present economic situation 68. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? [A] Making monetary policies is comparable to driving a car [B] An extremely low jobless rate will lead to inflation [C] A high unemployment rate will result from inflation [D] Interest rates have an immediate effect on the economy 69. The sentence “This is no flash in the pan” (Line 5, Paragraph 3) means that ________. [A] the low inflation rate will last for some time [B] the inflation rate will soon rise [C] the inflation will disappear quickly [D] there is no inflation at present 70. The passage shows that the author is ________ the present situation. [A] critical of [B] puzzled by [C] disappointed at [D] amazed at 1998年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语阅读试题 Reading Comprehension Text 1 Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind?s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good. The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn?t help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt?s leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey?s bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam. But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left -- all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity. And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself. Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed. Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don?t need a dam to be saved. 51. The third sentence of paragraph 1 implies that ________. [A] people would be happy if they shut their eyes to reality [B] the blind could be happier than the sighted [C] over-excited people tend to neglect vital things [D] fascination makes people lose their eyesight 52. In paragraph 5, “the powerless” probably refers to ________. [A] areas short of electricity [B] dams without power stations [C] poor countries around India [D] common people in the Narmada Dam area 53. What is the myth concerning giant dams? [A] They bring in more fertile soil. [B] They help defend the country. [C] They strengthen international ties. [D] They have universal control of the waters. 54. What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as ________. [A] “It?s no use crying over spilt milk” [B] “More haste, less speed” [C] “Look before you leap” [D] “He who laughs last laughs best” Text 2 Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real. The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction” between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics. Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace -- all that re-engineering and downsizing -- are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much. Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose. Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much “re-engineering” has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long term profitability. BBDO?s Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish -- “the worst sort of ambulance cashing.” 55. According to the author, the American economic situation is ________. [A] not as good as it seems [B] at its turning point [C] much better than it seems [D] near to complete recovery 56. The official statistics on productivity growth ________. [A] exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle [B] fall short of businessmen?s anticipation [C] meet the expectation of business people [D] fail to reflect the true state of economy 57. The author raises the question “what about pain without gain?” because ________. [A] he questions the truth of “no gain without pain” [B] he does not think the productivity revolution works [C] he wonders if the official statistics are misleading [D] he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses 58. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage? [A] Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity. [B] New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity. [C] The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long term profitability. [D] The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings. Text 3 Science has long had an uneasy relationship with other aspects of culture. Think of Gallileo?s 17th century trial for his rebelling belief before the Catholic Church or poet William Blake?s harsh remarks against the mechanistic worldview of Isaac Newton. The schism between science and the humanities has, if anything, deepened in this century. Until recently, the scientific community was so powerful that it could afford to ignore its critics -- but no longer. As funding for science has declined, scientists have attacked “antiscience” in several books, notably Higher Superstition, by Paul R. Gross, a biologist at the University of Virginia, and Norman Levitt, a mathematician at Rutgers University; and The Demon-Haunted World, by Carl Sagan of Cornell University. Defenders of science have also voiced their concerns at meetings such as “The Flight from Science and Reason,” held in New York City in 1995, and “Science in the Age of (Mis) information,” which assembled last June near Buffalo. Antiscience clearly means different things to different people. Gross and Levitt find fault primarily with sociologists, philosophers and other academics who have questioned science?s objectivity. Sagan is more concerned with those who believe in ghosts, creationism and other phenomena that contradict the scientific worldview. A survey of news stories in 1996 reveals that the antiscience tag has been attached to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research. Few would dispute that the term applies to the Unabomber, whose manifesto, published in 1995, scorns science and longs for return to a pre-technological utopia. But surely that does not mean environmentalists concerned about uncontrolled industrial growth are antiscience, as an essay in US News & World Report last May seemed to suggest. The environmentalists, inevitably, respond to such critics. The true enemies of science, argues Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, a pioneer of environmental studies, are those who question the evidence supporting global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer and other consequences of industrial growth. Indeed, some observers fear that the antiscience epithet is in danger of becoming meaningless. “The term „antiscience? can lump together too many, quite different things,” notes Harvard University philosopher Gerald Holton in his 1993 work Science and Anti-Science. “They have in common only one thing that they tend to annoy or threaten those who regard themselves as more enlightened.” 59. The word “schism” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) in the context probably means ________. [A] confrontation [B] dissatisfaction [C] separation [D] contempt 60. Paragraphs 2 and 3 are written to ________. [A] discuss the cause of the decline of science?s power [B] show the author?s sympathy with scientists [C] explain the way in which science develops [D] exemplify the division of science and the humanities 61. Which of the following is true according to the passage? [A] Environmentalists were blamed for antiscience in an essay. [B] Politicians are not subject to the labeling of antiscience. [C] The “more enlightened” tend to tag others as antiscience. [D] Tagging environmentalists as “antiscience” is justifiable. 62. The author?s attitude toward the issue of “science vs. antiscience” is ________. [A] impartial [B] subjective [C] biased [D] puzzling Text 4 Emerging from the 1980 census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition, as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill. This development -- and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead -- has enthroned the South as America?s most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation?s head counting. Altogether, the US population rose in the 1970s by 23.2 million people -- numerically the third largest growth ever recorded in a single decade. Even so, that gain adds up to only 11.4 percent, lowest in American annual records except for the Depression years. Americans have been migrating south and west in larger number since World War II, and the pattern still prevails. Three sun-belt states -- Florida, Texas and California -- together had nearly 10 million more people in 1980 than a decade earlier. Among large cities, San Diego moved from 14th to 8th and San Antonio from 15th to 10th -- with Cleveland and Washington. D. C. dropping out of the top 10. Not all that shift can be attributed to the movement out of the snow belt, census officials say, Nonstop waves of immigrants played a role, too -- and so did bigger crops of babies as yesterday?s “baby boom” generation reached its child bearing years. Moreover, demographers see the continuing shift south and west as joined by a related but newer phenomenon: More and more, Americans apparently are looking not just for places with more jobs but with fewer people, too. Some instances -- ?Regionally, the Rocky Mountain states reported the most rapid growth rate -- 37.1 percent since 1970 in a vast area with only 5 percent of the US population. ?Among states, Nevada and Arizona grew fastest of all: 63.5 and 53.1 percent respectively. Except for Florida and Texas, the top 10 in rate of growth is composed of Western states with 7.5 million people -- about 9 per square mile. The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates. Nowhere do 1980 census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West. There, California added 3.7 million to its population in the 1970s, more than any other state. In that decade, however, large numbers also migrated from California, mostly to other parts of the West. Often they chose -- and still are choosing -- somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State. As a result, California?s growth rate dropped during the 1970s, to 18.5 percent -- little more than two thirds the 1960s? growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states. 63. Discerned from the perplexing picture of population growth the 1980 census provided, America in 1970s ________. [A] enjoyed the lowest net growth of population in history [B] witnessed a southwestern shift of population [C] underwent an unparalleled period of population growth [D] brought to a standstill its pattern of migration since World War II 64. The census distinguished itself from previous studies on population movement in that ________. [A] it stresses the climatic influence on population distribution [B] it highlights the contribution of continuous waves of immigrants [C] it reveals the Americans? new pursuit of spacious living [D] it elaborates the delayed effects of yesterday?s “baby boom” 65. We can see from the available statistics that ________. [A] California was once the most thinly populated area in the whole US [B] the top 10 states in growth rate of population were all located in the West [C] cities with better climates benefited unanimously from migration [D] Arizona ranked second of all states in its growth rate of population 66. The word “demographers” (Line 1, Paragraph 8) most probably means ________. [A] people in favor of the trend of democracy [B] advocates of migration between states [C] scientists engaged in the study of population [D] conservatives clinging to old patterns of life Text 5 Scattered around the globe are more than 100 small regions of isolated volcanic activity known to geologists as hot spots. Unlike most of the world?s volcanoes, they are not always found at the boundaries of the great drifting plates that make up the earth’s surface; on the contrary, many of them lie deep in the interior of a plate. Most of the hot spots move only slowly, and in some cases the movement of the plates past them has left trails of dead volcanoes. The hot spots and their volcanic trails are milestones that mark the passage of the plates. That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute. Africa and South America, for example, are moving away from each other as new material is injected into the sea floor between them. The complementary coastlines and certain geological features that seem to span the ocean are reminders of where the two continents were once joined. The relative motion of the plates carrying these continents has been constructed in detail, but the motion of one plate with respect to another cannot readily be translated into motion with respect to the earth?s interior. It is not possible to determine whether both continents are moving in opposite directions or whether one continent is stationary and the other is drifting away from it. Hot spots, anchored in the deeper layers of the earth, provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question. From an analysis of the hot-spot population it appears that the African plate is stationary and that it has not moved during the past 30 million years. The significance of hot spots is not confined to their role as a frame of reference. It now appears that they also have an important influence on the geophysical processes that propel the plates across the globe. When a continental plate come to rest over a hot spot, the material rising from deeper layer creates a broad dome. As the dome grows, it develops seed fissures (cracks); in at least a few cases the continent may break entirely along some of these fissures, so that the hot spot initiates the formation of a new ocean. Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents, so hot spots may explain their mutability (inconstancy). 67. The author believes that ________. [A] the motion of the plates corresponds to that of the earth?s interior [B] the geological theory about drifting plates has been proved to be true [C] the hot spots and the plates move slowly in opposite directions [D] the movement of hot spots proves the continents are moving apart 68. That Africa and South America were once joined can be deduced from the fact that ________. [A] the two continents are still moving in opposite directions [B] they have been found to share certain geological features [C] the African plates has been stable for 30 million years [D] over 100 hot spots are scattered all around the globe 69. The hot spot theory may prove useful in explaining ________. [A] the structure of the African plates [B] the revival of dead volcanoes [C] the mobility of the continents [D] the formation of new oceans 70. The passage is mainly about ________. [A] the features of volcanic activities [B] the importance of the theory about drifting plates [C] the significance of hot spots in geophysical studies [D] the process of the formation of volcanoes 1999年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语阅读试题 Reading Comprehension Text 1 It?s a rough world out there. Step outside and you could break a leg slipping on your doormat. Light up the stove and you could burn down the house. Luckily, if the doormat or stove failed to warn of coming disaster, a successful lawsuit might compensate you for your troubles. Or so the thinking has gone since the early 1980s, when juries began holding more companies liable for their customers? misfortunes. Feeling threatened, companies responded by writing ever-longer warning labels, trying to anticipate every possible accident. Today, stepladders carry labels several inches long that warn, among other things, that you might -- surprise! -- fall off. The label on a child?s Batman cape cautions that the toy “does not enable user to fly.” While warnings are often appropriate and necessary -- the dangers of drug interactions, for example -- and many are required by state or federal regulations, it isn?t clear that they actually protect the manufacturers and sellers from liability if a customer is injured. About 50 percent of the companies lose when injured customers take them to court. Now the tide appears to be turning. As personal injury claims continue as before, some courts are beginning to side with defendants, especially in cases where a warning label probably wouldn?t have changed anything. In May, Julie Nimmons, president of Schutt Sports in Illinois, successfully fought a lawsuit involving a football player who was paralyzed in a game while wearing a Schutt helmet. “We?re really sorry he has become paralyzed, but helmets aren?t designed to prevent those kinds of injuries,” says Nimmons. The jury agreed that the nature of the game, not the helmet, was the reason for the athlete?s injury. At the same time, the American Law Institute -- a group of judges, lawyers, and academics whose recommendations carry substantial weight -- issued new guidelines for tort law stating that companies need not warn customers of obvious dangers or bombard them with a lengthy list of possible ones. “Important information can get buried in a sea of trivialities,” says a law professor at Cornell law School who helped draft the new guidelines. If the moderate end of the legal community has its way, the information on products might actually be provided for the benefit of customers and not as protection against legal liability. 51. What were things like in 1980s when accidents happened? [A] Customers might be relieved of their disasters through lawsuits. [B] Injured customers could expect protection from the legal system. [C] Companies would avoid being sued by providing new warnings. [D] Juries tended to find fault with the compensations companies promised. 52. Manufacturers as mentioned in the passage tend to ________. [A] satisfy customers by writing long warnings on products [B] become honest in describing the inadequacies of their products [C] make the best use of labels to avoid legal liability [D] feel obliged to view customers? safety as their first concern 53. The case of Schutt helmet demonstrated that ________. [A] some injury claims were no longer supported by law [B] helmets were not designed to prevent injuries [C] product labels would eventually be discarded [D] some sports games might lose popularity with athletes 54. The author?s attitude towards the issue seems to be ________. [A] biased [B] indifferent [C] puzzling [D] objective Text 2 In the first year or so of Web business, most of the action has revolved around efforts to tap the consumer market. More recently, as the Web proved to be more than a fashion, companies have started to buy and sell products and services with one another. Such business-to-business sales make sense because business people typically know what product they?re looking for. Nonetheless, many companies still hesitate to use the Web because of doubts about its reliability. “Businesses need to feel they can trust the pathway between them and the supplier,” says senior analyst Blane Erwin of Forrester Research. Some companies are limiting the risk by conducting online transactions only with established business partners who are given access to the company?s private intranet. Another major shift in the model for Internet commerce concerns the technology available for marketing. Until recently, Internet marketing activities have focused on strategies to “pull” customers into sites. In the past year, however, software companies have developed tools that allow companies to “push” information directly out to consumers, transmitting marketing messages directly to targeted customers. Most notably, the Pointcast Network uses a screen saver to deliver a continually updated stream of news and advertisements to subscribers? computer monitors. Subscribers can customize the information they want to receive and proceed directly to a company?s Web site. Companies such as Virtual Vineyards are already starting to use similar technologies to push messages to customers about special sales, product offerings, or other events. But push technology has earned the contempt of many Web users. Online culture thinks highly of the notion that the information flowing onto the screen comes there by specific request. Once commercial promotion begins to fill the screen uninvited, the distinction between the Web and television fades. That?s a prospect that horrifies Net purists. But it is hardly inevitable that companies on the Web will need to resort to push strategies to make money. The examples of Virtual Vineyards, Amazon.com, and other pioneers show that a Web site selling the right kind of products with the right mix of interactivity, hospitality, and security will attract online customers. And the cost of computing power continues to free fall, which is a good sign for any enterprise setting up shop in silicon. People looking back 5 or 10 years from now may well wonder why so few companies took the online plunge. 55. We learn from the beginning of the passage that Web business ________. [A] has been striving to expand its market [B] intended to follow a fanciful fashion [C] tried but in vain to control the market [D] has been booming for one year or so 56. Speaking of the online technology available for marketing, the author implies that ________. [A] the technology is popular with many Web users [B] businesses have faith in the reliability of online transactions [C] there is a radical change in strategy [D] it is accessible limitedly to established partners 57. In the view of Net purists, ________. [A] there should be no marketing messages in online culture [B] money making should be given priority to on the Web [C] the Web should be able to function as the television set [D] there should be no online commercial information without requests 58. We learn from the last paragraph that ________. [A] pushing information on the Web is essential to Internet commerce [B] interactivity, hospitality and security are important to online customers [C] leading companies began to take the online plunge decades ago [D] setting up shops in silicon is independent of the cost of computing power Text 3 An invisible border divides those arguing for computers in the classroom on the behalf of students? career prospects and those arguing for computers in the classroom for broader reasons of radical educational reform. Very few writers on the subject have explored this distinction -- indeed, contradiction -- which goes to the heart of what is wrong with the campaign to put computers in the classroom. An education that aims at getting a student a certain kind of job is a technical education, justified for reasons radically different from why education is universally required by law. It is not simply to raise everyone?s job prospects that all children are legally required to attend school into their teens. Rather, we have a certain conception of the American citizen, a character who is incomplete if he cannot competently assess how his livelihood and happiness are affected by things outside of himself. But this was not always the case; before it was legally required for all children to attend school until a certain age, it was widely accepted that some were just not equipped by nature to pursue this kind of education. With optimism characteristic of all industrialized countries, we came to accept that everyone is fit to be educated. Computer-education advocates forsake this optimistic notion for a pessimism that betrays their otherwise cheery outlook. Banking on the confusion between educational and vocational reasons for bringing computers into schools, computer-education advocates often emphasize the job prospects of graduates over their educational achievement. There are some good arguments for a technical education given the right kind of student. Many European schools introduce the concept of professional training early on in order to make sure children are properly equipped for the professions they want to join. It is, however, presumptuous to insist that there will only be so many jobs for so many scientists, so many businessmen, so many accountants. Besides, this is unlikely to produce the needed number of every kind of professional in a country as large as ours and where the economy is spread over so many states and involves so many international corporations. But, for a small group of students, professional training might be the way to go since well-developed skills, all other factors being equal, can be the difference between having a job and not. Of course, the basics of using any computer these days are very simple. It does not take a lifelong acquaintance to pick up various software programs. If one wanted to become a computer engineer, that is, of course, an entirely different story. Basic computer skills take -- at the very longest -- a couple of months to learn. In any case, basic computer skills are only complementary to the host of real skills that are necessary to becoming any kind of professional. It should be observed, of course, that no school, vocational or not, is helped by a confusion over its purpose. 59. The author thinks the present rush to put computers in the classroom is ________. [A] far-reaching [B] dubiously oriented [C] self-contradictory [D] radically reformatory 60. The belief that education is indispensable to all children ________. [A] is indicative of a pessimism in disguise [B] came into being along with the arrival of computers [C] is deeply rooted in the minds of computer-education advocates [D] originated from the optimistic attitude of industrialized countries 61. It could be inferred from the passage that in the author?s country the European model of professional training is ________. [A] dependent upon the starting age of candidates [B] worth trying in various social sections [C] of little practical value [D] attractive to every kind of professional 62. According to the author, basic computer skills should be ________. [A] included as an auxiliary course in school [B] highlighted in acquisition of professional qualifications [C] mastered through a life-long course [D] equally emphasized by any school, vocational or otherwise Text 4 When a Scottish research team startled the world by revealing 3 months ago that it had cloned an adult sheep, President Clinton moved swiftly. Declaring that he was opposed to using this unusual animal husbandry technique to clone humans, he ordered that federal funds not be used for such an experiment -- although no one had proposed to do so -- and asked an independent panel of experts chaired by Princeton President Harold Shapiro to report back to the White House in 90 days with recommendations for a national policy on human cloning. That group -- the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) -- has been working feverishly to put its wisdom on paper, and at a meeting on 17 May, members agreed on a near-final draft of their recommendations. NBAC will ask that Clinton?s 90-day ban on federal funds for human cloning be extended indefinitely, and possibly that it be made law. But NBAC members are planning to word the recommendation narrowly to avoid new restrictions on research that involves the cloning of human DNA or cells -- routine in molecular biology. The panel has not yet reached agreement on a crucial question, however, whether to recommend legislation that would make it a crime for private funding to be used for human cloning. In a draft preface to the recommendations, discussed at the 17 May meeting, Shapiro suggested that the panel had found a broad consensus that it would be “morally unacceptable to attempt to create a human child by adult nuclear cloning.” Shapiro explained during the meeting that the moral doubt stems mainly from fears about the risk to the health of the child. The panel then informally accepted several general conclusions, although some details have not been settled. NBAC plans to call for a continued ban on federal government funding for any attempt to clone body cell nuclei to create a child. Because current federal law already forbids the use of federal funds to create embryos (the earliest stage of human offspring before birth) for research or to knowingly endanger an embryo?s life, NBAC will remain silent on embryo research. NBAC members also indicated that they will appeal to privately funded researchers and clinics not to try to clone humans by body cell nuclear transfer. But they were divided on whether to go further by calling for a federal law that would impose a complete ban on human cloning. Shapiro and most members favored an appeal for such legislation, but in a phone interview, he said this issue was still “up in the air.” 63. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________. [A] federal funds have been used in a project to clone humans [B] the White House responded strongly to the news of cloning [C] NBAC was authorized to control the misuse of cloning technique [D] the White House has got the panel?s recommendations on cloning 64. The panel agreed on all of the following except that ________. [A] the ban on federal funds for human cloning should be made a law [B] the cloning of human DNA is not to be put under more control [C] it is criminal to use private funding for human cloning [D] it would be against ethical values to clone a human being 65. NBAC will leave the issue of embryo research undiscussed because ________. [A] embryo research is just a current development of cloning [B] the health of the child is not the main concern of embryo research [C] an embryo?s life will not be endangered in embryo research [D] the issue is explicitly stated and settled in the law 66. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________. [A] some NBAC members hesitate to ban human cloning completely [B] a law banning human cloning is to be passed in no time [C] privately funded researchers will respond positively to NBAC?s appeal [D] the issue of human cloning will soon be settled Text 5 Science, in practice, depends far less on the experiments it prepares than on the preparedness of the minds of the men who watch the experiments. Sir Isaac Newton supposedly discovered gravity through the fall of an apple. Apples had been falling in many places for centuries and thousands of people had seen them fall. But Newton for years had been curious about the cause of the orbital motion of the moon and planets. What kept them in place? Why didn?t they fall out of the sky? The fact that the apple fell down toward the earth and not up into the tree answered the question he had been asking himself about those larger fruits of the heavens, the moon and the planets. How many men would have considered the possibility of an apple falling up into the tree? Newton did because he was not trying to predict anything. He was just wondering. His mind was ready for the unpredictable. Unpredictability is part of the essential nature of research. If you don?t have unpredictable things, you don?t have research. Scientists tend to forget this when writing their cut and dried reports for the technical journals, but history is filled with examples of it. In talking to some scientists, particularly younger ones, you might gather the impression that they find the “scientific method” a substitute for imaginative thought. I?ve attended research conferences where a scientist has been asked what he thinks about the advisability of continuing a certain experiment. The scientist has frowned, looked at the graphs, and said “the data are still inconclusive.” “We know that,” the men from the budget office have said, “but what do you think? Is it worthwhile going on? What do you think we might expect?” The scientist has been shocked at having even been asked to speculate. What this amounts to, of course, is that the scientist has become the victim of his own writings. He has put forward unquestioned claims so consistently that he not only believes them himself, but has convinced industrial and business management that they are true. If experiments are planned and carried out according to plan as faithfully as the reports in the science journals indicate, then it is perfectly logical for management to expect research to produce results measurable in dollars and cents. It is entirely reasonable for auditors to believe that scientists who know exactly where they are going and how they will get there should not be distracted by the necessity of keeping one eye on the cash register while the other eye is on the microscope. Nor, if regularity and conformity to a standard pattern are as desirable to the scientist as the writing of his papers would appear to reflect, is management to be blamed for discriminating against the “odd balls” among researchers in favor of more conventional thinkers who “work well with the team.” 67. The author wants to prove with the example of Isaac Newton that ________. [A] inquiring minds are more important than scientific experiments [B] science advances when fruitful researches are conducted [C] scientists seldom forget the essential nature of research [D] unpredictability weighs less than prediction in scientific research 68. The author asserts that scientists ________. [A] shouldn?t replace “scientific method” with imaginative thought [B] shouldn?t neglect to speculate on unpredictable things [C] should write more concise reports for technical journals [D] should be confident about their research findings 69. It seems that some young scientists ________. [A] have a keen interest in prediction [B] often speculate on the future [C] think highly of creative thinking [D] stick to “scientific method” 70. The author implies that the results of scientific research ________. [A] may not be as profitable as they are expected [B] can be measured in dollars and cents [C] rely on conformity to a standard pattern [D] are mostly underestimated by management 2000年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语阅读试题 Reading Comprehension Text 1 A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly handled, it may become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale. Its scientists were the world?s best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed. It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as other countries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance proved painful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. 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?s machine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had invented and which sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty. All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing business was failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fall as well. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes of America?s industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas. How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back on five years of solid growth while Japan has been struggling. Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. “American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be more quick-witted,” according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard?s Kennedy School of Government. “It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businesses are improving their productivity,” says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank in Washington, DC. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believes that people will look back on this period as “a golden age of business management in the United States.” 51. The U.S. achieved its predominance after World War II because ________. [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 potential competitors [D] the unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus to its economy 52. The loss of U.S. predominance in the world economy in the 1980s is manifested in the fact that the American ________. [A] TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market [B] semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreign enterprises [C] machine-tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions [D] auto industry had lost part of its domestic market 53. What can be inferred from the passage? [A] It is human nature to shift between self-doubt and blind pried. [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 further development. 54. The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy in the 1990s can be attributed to the ________. [A] turning of the business cycle [B] restructuring of industry [C] improved business management [D] success in education Text 2 Being a man has always 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 among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girls do. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent of evolution 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 in some religious communities, very few women have 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today -- everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring -- means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes. For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the pass 100,000 years -- even the pass 100 years -- our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they “look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.” No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us. 55. What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph? [A] A lack of mates. [B] A fierce competition. [C] A lower survival rate. [D] A defective gene. 56. 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 the tribes. [D] India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate. 57. 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 58. 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 [D] Human Evolution Going Nowhere Text 3 When a new movement in art attains a certain fashion, it is advisable to find out what its advocates are aiming at, for, however farfetched and unreasonable their principles may seem today, it is possible that in years to come they may be regarded as normal. With regard to Futurist poetry, however, the case is rather difficult, for whatever Futurist poetry may be -- even admitting that the theory on which it is based may be right -- it can hardly be classed as Literature. This, in brief, is what the Futurist says: for a century, past conditions of life have been conditionally speeding up, till now we live in a world of noise and violence and speed. Consequently, our feelings, thoughts and emotions have undergone a corresponding change. This speeding up of life, says the Futurist, requires a new form of expression. We must speed up our literature too, if we want to interpret modern stress. We must pour out a large stream of essential words, unhampered by stops, or qualifying adjectives, or finite verbs. Instead of describing sounds we must make up words that imitate them; we must use many sizes of type and different colored inks on the same page, and shorten or lengthen words at will. Certainly their descriptions of battles are confused. But it is a little upsetting to read in the explanatory notes that a certain line describes a fight between a Turkish and a Bulgarian officer on a bridge off which they both fall into the river -- and then to find that the line consists of the noise of their falling and the weights of the officers: “Pluff! Pluff! A hundred and eighty-five kilograms.” This, though it fulfills the laws and requirements of Futurist poetry, can hardly be classed as Literature. All the same, no thinking man can refuse to accept their first proposition: that a great change in our emotional life calls for a change of expression. The whole question is really this: have we essentially changed? 59. This passage is mainly ________. [A] a survey of new approaches to art [B] a review of Futurist poetry [C] about merits of the Futurist movement [D] about laws and requirements of literature 60. When a novel literary idea appears, people should try to ________. [A] determine its purposes [B] ignore its flaws [C] follow the new fashions [D] accept the principles 61. Futurists claim that we must ________. [A] increase the production of literature [B] use poetry to relieve modern stress [C] develop new modes of expression [D] avoid using adjectives and verbs 62. The author believes that Futurist poetry is ________. [A] based on reasonable principles [B] new and acceptable to ordinary people [C] indicative of basic change in human nature [D] more of a transient phenomenon than literature Text 4 Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don?t know where they should go next. The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teenagers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan?s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with 67.2 percent of students in the United States. In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed. While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression. “Those things that do not show up in the test scores -- personality, ability, courage or humanity -- are completely ignored,” says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party?s education committee. “Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild.” Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World War II had weakened the “Japanese morality of respect for parents.” But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles. “In Japan,” says educator Yoko Muro, “it?s never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure.” With economic growth has come centralization; fully 76 percent of Japan?s 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work) and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter. 63. In the Westerner?s eyes, the postwar Japan was ________. [A] under aimless development [B] a positive example [C] a rival to the West [D] on the decline 64. According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society? [A] Women?s participation in social activities is limited. [B] More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. [C] Excessive emphasis his been placed on the basics. [D] The life-style has been influenced by Western values. 65. Which of the following is true according to the author? [A] Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder. [B] Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity. [C] More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity. [D] Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking. 66. The change in Japanese Life-style is revealed in the fact that ________. [A] the young are less tolerant of discomforts in life [B] the divorce rate in Japan exceeds that in the U.S. [C] the Japanese endure more than ever before [D] the Japanese appreciate their present life Text 5 If ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambition -- health, distinction, control over one?s destiny -- must be deemed worthy of the sacrifices made on ambition?s behalf. If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be highly regarded by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among them. In an odd way, however, it is the educated who have claimed to have given up on ambition as an ideal. What is odd is that they have perhaps most benefited from ambition -- if not always their own then that of their parents and grandparents. There is heavy note of hypocrisy in this, a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped -- with the educated themselves riding on them. Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer homes, European travel, BMWs -- the locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago. What has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams, as easily and openly as once they could, lest they be thought pushing, acquisitive and vulgar. Instead, we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supply: the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home; the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three-star restaurants; the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools. For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional, the proper formulation is, “Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitious.” The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive, where they are not extremely unattractive. As a result, the support for ambition as a healthy impulse, a quality to be admired and fixed in the mind of the young, is probably lower than it has ever been in the United States. This does not mean that ambition is at an end, that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings, but only that, no longer openly honored, it is less openly professed. Consequences follow from this, of course, some of which are that ambition is driven underground, or made sly. Such, then, is the way things stand: on the left angry critics, on the right stupid supporters, and in the middle, as usual, the majority of earnest people trying to get on in life. 67. It is generally believed that ambition may be well regarded if ________. [A] its returns well compensate for the sacrifices [B] it is rewarded with money, fame and power [C] its goals are spiritual rather than material [D] it is shared by the rich and the famous 68. The last sentence of the first paragraph most probably implies that it is ________. [A] customary of the educated to discard ambition in words [B] too late to check ambition once it has been let out [C] dishonest to deny ambition after the fulfillment of the goal [D] impractical for the educated to enjoy benefits from ambition 69. Some people do not openly admit they have ambition because ________. [A] they think of it as immoral [B] their pursuits are not fame or wealth [C] ambition is not closely related to material benefits [D] they do not want to appear greedy and contemptible 70. From the last paragraph the conclusion can be drawn that ambition should be maintained ________. [A] secretly and vigorously [B] openly and enthusiastically [C] easily and momentarily [D] verbally and spiritually 2001年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语阅读试题 Text 1 Specialization can be seen as a response to the problem of an increasing accumulation of scientific knowledge. By splitting up the subject matter into smaller units, one man could continue to handle the information and use it as the basis for further research. But specialization was only one of a series of related developments in science affecting the process of communication. Another was the growing professionalisation of scientific activity. No clear-cut distinction can be drawn between professionals and amateurs in science: exceptions can be found to any rule. Nevertheless, the word “amateur” does carry a connotation that the person concerned is not fully integrated into the scientific community and, in particular, may not fully share its values. The growth of specialization in the nineteenth century, with its consequent requirement of a longer, more complex training, implied greater problems for amateur participation in science. The trend was naturally most obvious in those areas of science based especially on a mathematical or laboratory training, and can be illustrated in terms of the development of geology in the United Kingdom. A comparison of British geological publications over the last century and a half reveals not simply an increasing emphasis on the primacy of research, but also a changing definition of what constitutes an acceptable research paper. Thus, in the nineteenth century, local geological studies represented worthwhile research in their own right; but, in the twentieth century, local studies have increasingly become acceptable to professionals only if they incorporate, and reflect on, the wider geological picture. Amateurs, on the other hand, have continued to pursue local studies in the old way. The overall result has been to make entrance to professional geological journals harder for amateurs, a result that has been reinforced by the widespread introduction of refereeing, first by national journals in the nineteenth century and then by several local geological journals in the twentieth century. As a logical consequence of this development, separate journals have now appeared aimed mainly towards either professional or amateur readership. A rather similar process of differentiation has led to professional geologists coming together nationally within one or two specific societies, whereas the amateurs have tended either to remain in local societies or to come together nationally in a different way. Although the process of professionalisation and specialization was already well under way in British geology during the nineteenth century, its full consequences were thus delayed until the twentieth century. In science generally, however, the nineteenth century must be reckoned as the crucial period for this change in the structure of science. 51. The growth of specialization in the 19th century might be more clearly seen in sciences such as ________. [A] sociology and chemistry [B] physics and psychology [C] sociology and psychology [D] physics and chemistry 52. We can infer from the passage that ________. [A] there is little distinction between specialization and professionalisation [B] amateurs can compete with professionals in some areas of science [C] professionals tend to welcome amateurs into the scientific community [D] amateurs have national academic societies but no local ones 53. The author writes of the development of geology to demonstrate ________. [A] the process of specialization and professionalisation [B] the hardship of amateurs in scientific study [C] the change of policies in scientific publications [D] the discrimination of professionals against amateurs 54. The direct reason for specialization is ________. [A] the development in communication [B] the growth of professionalisation [C] the expansion of scientific knowledge [D] the splitting up of academic societies Text 2 A great deal of attention is being paid today to the so-called digital divide -- the division of the world into the info (information) rich and the info poor. And that divide does exist today. My wife and I lectured about this looming danger twenty years ago. What was less visible then, however, were the new, positive forces that work against the digital divide. There are reasons to be optimistic. There are technological reasons to hope the digital divide will narrow. As the Internet becomes more and more commercialized, it is in the interest of business to universalize access -- after all, the more people online, the more potential customers there are. More and more governments, afraid their countries will be left behind, want to spread Internet access. Within the next decade or two, one to two billion people on the planet will be netted together. As a result, I now believe the digital divide will narrow rather than widen in the years ahead. And that is very good news because the Internet may well be the most powerful tool for combating world poverty that we?ve ever had. Of course, the use of the Internet isn?t the only way to defeat poverty. And the Internet is not the only tool we have. But it has enormous potential. To take advantage of this tool, some impoverished countries will have to get over their outdated anti-colonial prejudices with respect to foreign investment. Countries that still think foreign investment is an invasion of their sovereignty might well study the history of infrastructure (the basic structural foundations of a society) in the United States. When the United States built its industrial infrastructure, it didn?t have the capital to do so. And that is why America?s Second Wave infrastructure -- including roads, harbors, highways, ports and so on -- were built with foreign investment. The English, the Germans, the Dutch and the French were investing in Britain?s former colony. They financed them. Immigrant Americans built them. Guess who owns them now? The Americans. I believe the same thing would be true in places like Brazil or anywhere else for that matter. The more foreign capital you have helping you build your Third Wave infrastructure, which today is an electronic infrastructure, the better off you?re going to be. That doesn?t mean lying down and becoming fooled, or letting foreign corporations run uncontrolled. But it does mean recognizing how important they can be in building the energy and telecom infrastructures needed to take full advantage of the Internet. 55. Digital divide is something ________. [A] getting worse because of the Internet [B] the rich countries are responsible for [C] the world must guard against [D] considered positive today 56. Governments attach importance to the Internet because it ________. [A] offers economic potentials [B] can bring foreign funds [C] can soon wipe out world poverty [D] connects people all over the world 57. The writer mentioned the case of the United States to justify the policy of ________. [A] providing financial support overseas [B] preventing foreign capital?s control [C] building industrial infrastructure [D] accepting foreign investment 58. It seems that now a country?s economy depends much on ________. [A] how well developed it is electronically [B] whether it is prejudiced against immigrants [C] whether it adopts America?s industrial pattern [D] how much control it has over foreign corporations Text 3 Why do so many Americans distrust what they read in their newspapers? The American Society of Newspaper Editors is trying to answer this painful question. The organization is deep into a long self-analysis known as the journalism credibility project. Sad to say, this project has turned out to be mostly low-level findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes, combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want. But the sources of distrust go way deeper. Most journalists learn to see the world through a set of standard templates (patterns) into which they plug each day?s events. In other words, there is a conventional story line in the newsroom culture that provides a backbone and a ready-made narrative structure for otherwise confusing news. There exists a social and cultural disconnect between journalists and their readers, which helps explain why the “standard templates” of the newsroom seem alien to many readers. In a recent survey, questionnaires were sent to reporters in five middle-size cities around the country, plus one large metropolitan area. Then residents in these communities were phoned at random and asked the same questions. Replies show that compared with other Americans, journalists are more likely to live in upscale neighborhoods, have maids, own Mercedeses, and trade stocks, and they?re less likely to go to church, do volunteer work, or put down roots in a community. Reporters tend to be part of a broadly defined social and cultural elite, so their work tends to reflect the conventional values of this elite. The astonishing distrust of the news media isn?t rooted in inaccuracy or poor reportorial skills but in the daily clash of world views between reporters and their readers. This is an explosive situation for any industry, particularly a declining one. Here is a troubled business that keeps hiring employees whose attitudes vastly annoy the customers. Then it sponsors lots of symposiums and a credibility project dedicated to wondering why customers are annoyed and fleeing in large numbers. But it never seems to get around to noticing the cultural and class biases that so many former buyers are complaining about. If it did, it would open up its diversity program, now focused narrowly on race and gender, and look for reporters who differ broadly by outlook, values, education, and class. 59. What is the passage mainly about? [A] needs of the readers all over the world [B] causes of the public disappointment about newspapers [C] origins of the declining newspaper industry [D] aims of a journalism credibility project 60. The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be ________. [A] quite trustworthy [B] somewhat contradictory [C] very illuminating [D] rather superficial 61. The basic problem of journalists as pointed out by the writer lies in their ________. [A] working attitude [B] conventional lifestyle [C] world outlook [D] educational background 62. Despite its efforts, the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its ________. [A] failure to realize its real problem [B] tendency to hire annoying reporters [C] likeliness to do inaccurate reporting [D] prejudice in matters of race and gender Text 4 The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers and acquisitions ever witnessed. The process sweeps from hyperactive America to Europe and reaches the emerging countries with unsurpassed might. Many in these countries are looking at this process and worrying: “Won?t the wave of business concentration turn into an uncontrollable anti-competitive force?” There?s no question that the big are getting bigger and more powerful. Multinational corporations accounted for less than 20% of international trade in 1982. Today the figure is more than 25% and growing rapidly. International affiliates account for a fast-growing segment of production in economies that open up and welcome foreign investment. In Argentina, for instance, after the reforms of the early 1990s, multinationals went from 43% to almost 70% of the industrial production of the 200 largest firms. This phenomenon has created serious concerns over the role of smaller economic firms, of national businessmen and over the ultimate stability of the world economy. I believe that the most important forces behind the massive M&A wave are the same that underlie the globalization process: falling transportation and communication costs, lower trade and investment barriers and enlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customer?s demands. All these are beneficial, not detrimental, to consumers. As productivity grows, the world?s wealth increases. Examples of benefits or costs of the current concentration wave are scanty. Yet it is hard to imagine that the merger of a few oil firms today could recreate the same threats to competition that were feared nearly a century ago in the U.S., when the Standard Oil trust was broken up. The mergers of telecom companies, such as WorldCom, hardly seem to bring higher prices for consumers or a reduction in the pace of technical progress. On the contrary, the price of communications is coming down fast. In cars, too, concentration is increasing -- witness Daimler and Chrysler, Renault and Nissan -- but it does not appear that consumers are being hurt. Yet the fact remains that the merger movement must be watched. A few weeks ago, Alan Greenspan warned against the megamergers in the banking industry. Who is going to supervise, regulate and operate as lender of last resort with the gigantic banks that are being created? Won?t multinationals shift production from one place to another when a nation gets too strict about infringements to fair competition? And should one country take upon itself the role of “defending competition” on issues that affect many other nations, as in the U.S. vs. Microsoft case? 63. What is the typical trend of businesses today? [A] to take in more foreign funds [B] to invest more abroad [C] to combine and become bigger [D] to trade with more countries 64. According to the author, one of the driving forces behind M&A wave is ________. [A] the greater customer demands [B] a surplus supply for the market [C] a growing productivity [D] the increase of the world?s wealth 65. From paragraph 4 we can infer that ________. [A] the increasing concentration is certain to hurt consumers [B] WorldCom serves as a good example of both benefits and costs [C] the costs of the globalization process are enormous [D] the Standard Oil trust might have threatened competition 66. Toward the new business wave, the writer?s attitude can be said to be ________. [A] optimistic [B] objective [C] pessimistic [D] biased Text 5 When I decided to quit my full time employment it never occurred to me that I might become a part of a new international trend. A lateral move that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress prompted me to abandon my relatively high profile career although, in the manner of a disgraced government minister, I covered my exit by claiming “I wanted to spend more time with my family”. Curiously, some two-and-a-half years and two novels later, my experiment in what the Americans term “downshifting” has turned my tired excuse into an absolute reality. I have been transformed from a passionate advocate of the philosophy of “having it all,” preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the page of She magazine, into a woman who is happy to settle for a bit of everything. I have discovered, as perhaps Kelsey will after her much-publicized resignation from the editorship of She after a build up of stress, that abandoning the doctrine of “juggling your life,” and making the alternative move into “downshifting” brings with it far greater rewards than financial success and social status. Nothing could persuade me to return to the kind of life Kelsey used to advocate and I once enjoyed: 12-hour working days, pressured deadlines, the fearful strain of office politics and the limitations of being a parent on “quality time”. In America, the move away from juggling to a simpler, less materialistic lifestyle is a well-established trend. Downshifting -- also known in America as “voluntary simplicity” -- has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termed anti-consumerism. There are a number of best-selling downshifting self-help books for people who want to simplify their lives; there are newsletters, such as The Tightwad Gazette, that give hundreds of thousands of Americans useful tips on anything from recycling their cling-film to making their own soap; there are even support groups for those who want to achieve the mid-?90s equivalent of dropping out. While in America the trend started as a reaction to the economic decline -- after the mass redundancies caused by downsizing in the late ?80s -- and is still linked to the politics of thrift, in Britain, at least among the middle-class downshifters of my acquaintance, we have different reasons for seeking to simplify our lives. For the women of my generation who were urged to keep juggling through the ?80s, downshifting in the mid-?90s is not so much a search for the mythical good life -- growing your own organic vegetables, and risking turning into one -- as a personal recognition of your limitations. 67. Which of the following is true according to paragraph 1? [A] Full-time employment is a new international trend. [B] The writer was compelled by circumstances to leave her job. [C] “A lateral move” means stepping out of full-time employment. [D] The writer was only too eager to spend more time with her family. 68. The writer?s experiment shows that downshifting ________. [A] enables her to realize her dream [B] helps her mold a new philosophy of life [C] prompts her to abandon her high social status [D] leads her to accept the doctrine of She magazine 69. “Juggling one?s life” probably means living a life characterized by ________. [A] non-materialistic lifestyle [B] a bit of everything [C] extreme stress [D] anti-consumerism 70. According to the passage, downshifting emerged in the U.S. as a result of ________. [A] the quick pace of modern life [B] man?s adventurous spirit [C] man?s search for mythical experiences [D] the economic situation