2008年考研英语模拟试题三及答案解析_secret

1、2008年考研英语模拟试题三及答案解析Section 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 ANSWER SHEET 1. （10 points）In October 2002， Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank 1 a new electronic marketfor economic indices that2substantial economic r

2、isks， such as nonfarm payroll （a measure of job availability） and retail sales. This new market was made possible by a3rating technology， developed by Longitude， a New York company providing software for financial markets，4the Parimutuel Digital Call Auction. This is “digital”5of a digital option： i

3、.e.， it pays out only if an underlying index lies in a narrow， discrete range. In effect， Longitude has created a horse race， where each “horse” wins if and6the specified index falls in a specified range. By creating horses for every possible7of the index， and allowing people to bet8any number of ru

4、nners， the company has produced a liquid integrated electronic market for a wide array of options on economic indices.Ten years ago it was9impossible to make use of electronic information about home values. Now， mortgage lenders have online automated valuation models that allow them to estimate valu

5、es and to10the risk in their portfolios. This has led to a proliferation of types of home loan， some of 11 have improved risk-management characteristics.We are also beginning to see new kinds of12for homes， which will make it possible to protect the value of13， for most people， is the single most im

6、portant14of their wealth. The Yale University-Neighbourhood Reinvestment Corporation programme， 15 last year in the city of Syracuse， in New York state， may be a model for home-equity insurance policies that16sophisticated economic indices of house prices to define the17of the policy. Electronic fut

7、ures markets that are based on econometric indices of house prices by city， already begun by City Index and IG Index in Britain and now18developed in the United States， will enable home-equity insurers to hedge the risks that they acquire by writing these policies.These examples are not impressive s

8、uccesses yet. But they19as early precursors of a technology that should one day help us to deal with the massive risks of inequality that20will beset us in coming years.1. A created B generated C initiated D originated2. A reproduce B restore C represent D resume3. A sophisticated B expensive C avai

9、lable D established4. A made B called C asked D read5. A in the course B in the event C in the light D in the sense6. A when B until C now that D only if7. A extent B range C line D area8. A for B in C on D up9. A virtually B admittedly C absolutely D originally10. A assume B assess C dismiss D eras

10、e11. A them B which C that D whom12. A management B insurance C security D technology13. A what B those C where D it14. A guarantee B protectionC component D source15. A secured B sponsored C released D launched16. A look to B set up C lay down D rely on17. A terms B specifications C concepts D cons

11、equences18. A is B being C been D are19. A emerge B appear C stand D arise20. A somehow B anyway C otherwise D therebySection Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections：Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A， B， C or D. Mark your answers on ANWER SHEET 1. （40 po

12、ints）Text 1The study of philosophies should make our own ideas flexible. We are all of us apt to take certain general ideas for granted， and call them common sense. We should learn that other people have held quite different ideas， and that our own have started as very original guesses of philosophe

13、rs.an error occurred while processing this directive A scientist is apt to think that all the problems of philosophy will ultimately be solved by science. I think this is true for a great many of the questions on which philosophers still argue. For example， Plato thought that when we saw something，

14、one ray of light came to it from the sun， and another from our eyes and that seeing was something like feeling with a stick. We now know that the light comes from the sun， and is reflected into our eyes. We dont know in much detail how the changes in our eyes give rise to sensation. But there is eve

15、ry reason to think that as we learn more about the physiology of the brain， we shall do so， and that the great philosophical problems about knowledge are going to be pretty fully cleared up.But if our descendants know the answers to these questions and others that perplex us today， there will still

16、be one field of which they do not know， namely the future. However exact our science， we cannot know it as we know the past. Philosophy may be described as argument about things of which we are ignorant. And where science gives us a hope of knowledge it is often reasonable to suspend judgment. That

17、is one reason why Marx and Engels quite rightly wrote to many philosophical problems that interested their contemporaries.But we have got to prepare for the future， and we cannot do so rationally without some philosophy. Some people say we have only got to do the duties revealed in the past and laid

18、 down by religion， and god will look after the future. Other say that the world is a machine and the course of future events is certain， whatever efforts we may make. Marxists say that the future depends on ourselves， even though we are part of the historical process. This philosophical view certain

19、ly does inspire people to very great achievements. Whether it is true or not， it is powerful guide to actionWe need a philosophy， then， to help us to tackle the future. Agnosticism easily becomes an excuse for laziness and conservatism. Whether we adopt Marxism or any other philosophy， we cannot und

20、erstand it without knowing something of how it developed. That is why knowledge of the history of philosophy is important to Marxists， even during the present critical days.21. What is the main idea of this passage？A The main idea of this passage is the argument whether philosophy will ultimately be

21、 solved by science or not.B The importance of learning philosophies， especially the history of philosophy.C The difference between philosophy and science.D A discuss about how to set a proper attitude towards future.22. The example of what Plato thought in the passage shows thatA the development of

22、science really can solve a great many of the problems on which philosophers still argueB plato knew nothing about PhysicsC the scientists have achieved a lot in terms of light theoryD different people have different ways of perception23. What field can our descendants know？A The origin of human bein

23、gsB Some questions that perplex us today.C Many philosophical problems which Marx and Engels wrote rather little.D The future.24. How many kinds of ideas are there about the future？A Two B Three C Four D Five25. What are the functions of studying philosophies mentioned in the passage？A The study of

24、philosophies would make our own idea flexible.B The study of philosophies would help prepare us for the future and guide our actions.C The study of philosophies would enable us to understand how things develop as to better tackle the future.D All of the above.Text 2This line of inquiry did not begin

25、 until earlier this monthmore than three months after the accidentbecause there were “too many emotions， too many egos，” said retired Adm. Harold Gehman， chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.an error occurred while processing this directive Testifying before the Senate Commerce Comm

26、ittee， Gehman said this part of his inquiry was in its earliest stages， starting just 10 days ago. But Gehman said he already has concluded it is “inconceivable” that NASA would have been unable or unwilling to attempt a rescue for astronauts in orbit if senior shuttle managers and administrators ha

27、d known there was fatal damage to Columbias left wing.Gehman told reporters after the hearing that answers to these important questions could have enormous impact， since they could place in a different context NASAs decisions against more aggressively checking possible wing damage in the days before

28、 Columbias fatal return.Investigators believe breakaway insulating foam damaged part of Columbias wing shortly after liftoff， allowing superheated air to penetrate the wing during its fiery reentry on Feb.1， melt it from inside.Among those decisions was the choice by NASAs senior shuttle managers an

29、d administrators to reject offers of satellite images of possible damage to Columbias left wing before the accident. The subject dominated the early part of Wednesdays hearing.Gehman complained managers and administrators “missed signals” when they rejected those offers for images， a pointedly harsh

30、 assessment of the space agencys inaction during the 16day shuttle mission.“We will attempt to pin this issue down in our report， but there were a number of bureaucratic and administrative missed signals here，” Gehman told senators. “Were not quite so happy with the process.”The investigative board

31、already had recommended that NASA push for better coordination between the space agency and military offices in charge of satellites and telescopes. The U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency in March agreed to regularly capture detailed satellite images of space shuttles in orbit.Still， Gehman sa

32、id it was unclear whether even images from Americas most sophisticated spy satellites might have detected on Columbias wing any damage， which Gehman said could have been as small as two inches square. The precise capabilities of such satellites proved to be a sensitive topic during the Senate hearin

33、g.26.This text is most probably taken from an article entitled “”。A Gehmans Comments on Columbia AccidentB An Inquiry into Columbia AccidentC Shedding Light on Shuttles SafetyD NASAs Problems Being Exposed27.The word “they” in the sentence “since they could place” （Para.3） denotesA “damages”B “answe

34、rs”C “decisions”D “questions”28.According to the writer， what may chiefly be responsible for the Columbia accident？A A supposed damage to the left wing of the spacecraft.B The deliberate rejection of satellite images.C A sense of sentiment and arrogance involved.D The space agencys inaction during i

35、ts mission.29.As mentioned in the text， the Wednesdays hearing revolved aroundA the precise capabilities of spy satellites in orbitB NASAs indecisions against checking upon the ColumbiaC NASAs rejection of satellite images offeredD the coordination between NASA and military offices30.Which of the fo

36、llowing can best describe Gehmans attitude towards satellite images？A Apprehensive. B Credulous. C Indifferent. D Cautious.Text 3Gene therapy and gene based drugs are two ways we could benefit from our growing mastery of genetic science. But there will be others as well. Here is one of the remarkabl

37、e therapies on the cutting edge of genetic research that could make their way into mainstream medicine in the coming years.While its true that just about every cell in the body has the instructions to make a complete human， most of those instructions are inactivated， and with good reason： the last t

38、hing you want for your brain cells is to start churning out stomach acid or your nose to turn into a kidney. The only time cells truly have the potential to turn into any and all body parts is very early in a pregnancy， when socalled stem cells havent begun to specializean error occurred while proce

39、ssing this directive Yet this untapped potential could be a terrific boon to medicine. Most diseases involve the death of healthy cellsbrain cells in Alzheimers， cardiac cells in heart disease， pancreatic cells in diabetes， to name a few； if doctors could isolate stem cells， then direct their growth

40、， they might be able to furnish patients with healthy replacement tissue.It was incredibly difficult， but last fall scientists at the University of Wisconsin managed to isolate stem cells and get them to grow into neural， gut， muscle and bone cells. The process still cant be controlled， and may have

41、 unforeseen limitations； but if efforts to understand and master stemcell development prove successful， doctors will have a therapeutic tool of incredible power.The same applies to cloning， which is really just the other side of the coin； true cloning， as first shown with the sheep Dolly two years a

42、go， involves taking a developed cell and reactivating the genome within， resetting its developmental instructions to a pristine state. Once that happens， the rejuvenated cell can develop into a fullfledged animal， genetically identical to its parent.For agriculture， in which purely physical characte

43、ristics like milk production in a cow or low fat in a hog have real market value， biological carbon copies could become routine within a few years. This past year scientists have done for mice and cows what Ian Wilmut did for Dolly， and other creatures are bound to join the cloned menagerie in the c

44、oming year.Human cloning， on the other hand， may be technically feasible but legally and emotionally more difficult. Still， one day it will happen. The ability to reset body cells to a pristine， undeveloped state could give doctors exactly the same advantages they would get from stem cells： the pote

45、ntial to make healthy body tissues of all sorts， and thus to cure disease. That could prove to be a true “miracle cure.”31.The writer holds that the potential to make healthy body tissues willA aggravate moral issues of human cloningB bring great benefits to human beingsC help scientists decode body

46、 instructionsD involve employing surgical instruments32.The word “rejuvenated” （Para. 5） most probably meansA modifiedB recollectedC classifiedD reactivated33.The research at the University of Wisconsin is mentioned to showA the isolation of stem cellsB the effects of gene therapiesC the advantages

47、of human cloningD the limitations of tissue replacements34.Which of the following is true according to the text？A The principle of gene therapy is applicable to that of cloning.B The isolation of stem cells is too difficult to be feasible.C It is reasonable for all body instructions to be activated.

48、D Cloned animals will eventually take control of the world.35.Towards the genetic research， the authors attitude can best be said to be that ofA frustration B indifferenceC amazementD oppositionText 4Nancy Casey was born in Chicago， Illinois， and left when she was three years old. Her family moved t

49、o Iowa and lived on 900 acres of farmland， where Nancy trained horses and ponies and helped raise all kinds of farm animals. Nancy loved animals then， and still has a big place in her heart for them. She currently has two Siamese cats， Misha and Iman. At sixteen years old， Nancys family moved to Cal

50、ifornia and Nancy became a big city girl. The public was very aware at the uncanny resemblance between the two divas， and Nancy was discovered as Liz at age eighteen.In high school， Nancy was quite popular. She was a cheerleader， a school princess， she took tap， jazz， ballet and played basketball. H

51、er junior year， she met her high school sweetheart and was married a year after graduation. At the time， she was offered a screen test from Warner Brothers films， but Nancy decided marriage was the more important choice.an error occurred while processing this directive Nancy studied interior design

52、at UCLA， and worked as a contract designer doing commercial work for restaurants， hotels and homes. Her interest in design took her to places like Paris and France to study art and architecture. Along the way， she had also worked as a legal secretary in law firms， but her most interesting work has b

53、een as the Elizabeth Taylor LOOKALIKE.In 1988， a friend of Nancys suggested that she send in her photo to a celebrity LOOKALIKE agent. She was immediately called as Liz for corporate functions. The timing couldnt have been more perfect. At the time， Liz was in the public eye with a new fragrance， bo

54、ok and husband. Work poured in for Nancy.Nancy does not mistake her own identity and that of her character Liz. Since Nancy has looked like Elizabeth Taylor her whole life， she has become accustomed to being stared at， or mistaken for the star. However， Nancy says that working as a LOOKALIKE has giv

55、en her the opportunity to feel what it must be like to be a celebrity for a day. LOOKALIKE work has also helped her to play the role. Working in this field has brought many new and wonderful things to Nancys life. She is grateful to the friends she has met， places she has traveled to and the opportu

56、nity to get a glimpse into the entertainment world of film， television and performing.Nancy recalls the time she met her inspiration. Shes a true survivor， her compassion for others in need， her loyalty， her unique and full life while always in the public eye and her ability to cope with judgment an

57、d scrutiny， is amazing， to say the least. I have met her briefly and found her to be very earthy， with a great sense of humor. Shes a very tiny woman for the great amount of clout and power that she possesses.Nancy feels her similarities to Elizabeth are a gift. Nancy has worked almost fulltime as a

58、 celebrity LOOKALIKE for film， television， print， commercials and on the corporate circuit. As a professional actress she has appeared on numerous television shows such as The Joan Rivers Show， Entertainment Tonight， Dream On， Hard Copy and Inside Edition. Her film credits include Dave， Postcards fr

59、om the Edge， Sister Act H and Repossessed.36.It can be known from this passage that NancyA changed her nameB misses the horses on the Iowa farmlandC has two cats with similar looksD has a strong affection for animals37.Which of the following is true according to the passage？A Nancy once turned down

60、a film producers invitation.B Nancy regards marriage the most important thing.C Nancy never engages herself in advertising.D Nancy wrote an autobiography.38.It can be inferred from the passage that Taylor A never got married all her lifeB married at least twiceC got divorced in 1988D got divorced at