2008考研英语真题阅读A型四篇(背诵用)

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Whilestillcatching-uptomeninsomespheresofmodernlife,womenappeartobewayaheadinatleastoneundesirablecategory.Womenareparticularlysusceptibletodevelopingdepressionandanxietydisordersinresponsetostresscomparedtomen,accordingtoDr.Yehuda,chiefpsychiatristatNewYork'sVeteran'sAdministrationHospital.

Studiesofbothanimalsandhumanshaveshownthatsexhormonessomehowaffectsthestressresponse,causingfemalesunderstresstoproducemoreofthetriggerchemicalsthandomalesunderthesameconditions.Inseveralofthestudies,whenstressed-outfemaleratshadtheirovaries（thefemalereproductiveorgans）removed,theirchemicalresponsesbecameequaltothoseofthemales.

Addingtoawoman'sincreaseddoseofstresschemicals,areherincreasedopportunitiesforstress.It'snotnecessarilythatwomendon'tcopeaswell.It'sjustthattheyhavesomuchmoretocopewith,saysDr.Yehuda.Theircapacityfortoleratingstressmayevenbegreaterthanmen's,sheobserves,It'sjustthatthey'redealingwithsomanymorethingsthattheybecomewornoutfromitmorevisiblyandsooner.

Dr.Yehudanotesanotherdifferencebetweenthesexes.Ithinkthatthekindsofthingsthatwomenareexposedtotendtobeinmoreofachronicorrepeatednature.Mengotowarandareexposedtocombatstress.Menareexposedtomoreactsofrandomphysicalviolence.Thekindsofinterpersonalviolencethatwomenareexposedtotendtobeindomesticsituations,by,unfortunately,parentsorotherfamilynumbers,andtheytendnottobeone-shotdeals.Thewear-and-tearthatcomesfromtheselongerrelationshipscanbequitedevastating.

AdelineAlvarezmarriedat18andgavebirthtoason,butwaddeterminedtofinishcollege.Istruggledalottogetthecollegedegree.Iwaslivinginsomuchfrustrationthatthatwasmyescape,togotoschool,andgetaheadanddobetter.Laterhermarriageendedandshebecameasinglemother.It'sthehardestthingtotakecareofateenager,haveajob,paytherent,paythecarpayment,andpaythedebt.Ilivedfrompaychecktopaycheck.

NoteveryoneexperiencesthekindsofseverechronicstressesAlvarezdescribes.Butmostwomentodayarecopingwithalotofobligations,withfewbreaks,andfeelingthestrain.Alvarez'sexperiencedemonstratestheimportanceoffindingwaystodiffusestressbeforeitthreatensyourhealthandyourabilitytofunction.

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Itusedtobesostraightforward.Ateamofresearchersworkingtogetherinthelaboratorywouldsubmittheresultsoftheirresearchtoajournal.Ajournaleditorwouldthenremovetheauthorsnamesandaffiliationsfromthepaperandsendittotheirpeersforreview.Dependingonthecommentsreceived,theeditorwouldacceptthepaperforpublicationordeclineit.Copyrightrestedwiththejournalpublisher,andresearchersseekingknowledgeoftheresultswouldhavetosubscribetothejournal.

Nolonger.TheInternetandpressurefromfundingagencies,whoarequestioningwhycommercialpublishersaremakingmoneyfromgovernment-fundedresearchbyrestrictingaccesstoit-ismakingaccesstoscientificresultsareality.TheOrganizationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment（OECD）hasjustissuedareportdescribingthefar-reachingconsequencesofthis.Thereport,byJohnHoughtonofVictoriaUniversityinAustraliaandGrahamVickeryoftheOECD,makesheavyreadingforpublisherswhohave,sofar,madehandsomeprofits.Butitgoesfurtherthanthat.Itsignalsachangeinwhathas,untilnow,beenakeyelementofscientificendeavor.

Thevalueofknowledgeandthereturnonthepublicinvestmentinresearchdepends,inpart,uponwidedistributionandreadyaccess.Itisbigbusiness.InAmerica,thecorescientificpublishingmarketisestimatedatbetween$7billionand$11billion.TheInternationalAssociationofScientific,TechnicalandMedicalPublisherssaysthattherearemorethan2,000publishersworldwidespecializinginthesesubjects.Theypublishmorethan1.2millionarticleseachyearinsome16,000journals.

Thisisnowchanging.AccordingtotheOECDreport,some75%ofscholarlyjournalsarenowonline.Entirelynewbusinessmodelsareemerging;threemaininstitutionalsubscriberspayforaccesstoacollectionofonlinejournaltitlesthroughsite-licensingagreements.Thereisopen-accesspublishing,typicallysupportedbyaskingtheauthor（orhisemployer）topayforthepapertobepublished.Finally,thereareopen-accessarchives,whereorganizationssuchasuniversitiesorinternationallaboratoriessupportinstitutionalrepositories.Othermodelsexistthatarehybridsofthesethree,suchasdelayedopen-access,wherejournalsallowonlysubscriberstoreadapaperforthefirstsixmonths,beforemakingitfreelyavailabletoeveryonewhowishestoseeit.Allthiscouldchangethetraditionalformofthepeer-reviewprocess,atleastforthepublicationofpapers.

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Intheearly1960sWiltChamberlainwasoneofonlythreeplayersintheNationalBasketballAssociation（NBA）listedatoversevenfeet.Ifhehadplayedlastseason,however,hewouldhavebeenoneof42.Thebodiesplayingmajorprofessionalsportshavechangeddramaticallyovertheyears,andmanagershavebeenmorethanwillingtoadjustteamuniformstofitthegrowingnumbersofbigger,longerframes.

Thetrendinsports,though,maybeobscuringanunrecognizedreality:Americanshavegenerallystoppedgrowing.Thoughtypicallyabouttwoinchestallernowthan140yearsago,today'speople-especiallythoseborntofamilieswhohavelivedintheU.S.formanygenerations-apparentlyreachedtheirlimitintheearly1960s.Andtheyaren’tlikelytogetanytaller.Inthegeneralpopulationtoday,atthisgenetic,environmentallevel,we'veprettymuchgoneasfaraswecango,saysanthropologistWilliamCameronChumleaofWrightStateUniversity.InthecaseofNBAplayers,theirincreaseinheightappearstoresultfromtheincreasinglycommonpracticeofrecruitingplayersfromallovertheworld.

Growth,whichrarelycontinuesbeyondtheageof20,demandscaloriesandnutrients–notably,protein–tofeedexpandingtissues.Atthestartofthe20thcentury,under-nutritionandchildhoodinfectionsgotintheway.Butasdietandhealthimproved,childrenandadolescentshave,onaverage,increasedinheightbyaboutaninchandahalfevery20years,apatternknownastheseculartrendinheight.YetaccordingtotheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,averageheight-5′9〞formen,5′4〞forwomen-hasn'treallychangedsince1960.

Geneticallyspeaking,thereareadvantagestoavoidingsubstantialheight.Duringchildbirth,largerbabieshavemoredifficultypassingthroughthebirthcanal.Moreover,eventhoughhumanshavebeenuprightformillionsofyears,ourfeetandbackcontinuetostrugglewithbipedalpostureandcannoteasilywithstandrepeatedstrainimposedbyoversizelimbs.Therearesomerealconstraintsthataresetbythegeneticarchitectureoftheindividualorganism,saysanthropologistWilliamLeonardofNorthwesternUniversity.

Geneticmaximumscanchange,butdon'texpectthistohappensoon.ClaireC.Gordon,senioranthropologistattheArmyResearchCenterinNatick,Mass,ensuresthat90percentoftheuniformsandworkstationsfitrecruitswithoutalteration.Shesaysthat,unlikethoseforbasketball,thelengthofmilitaryuniformshasnotchangedforsometime.Andifyouneedtopredicthumanheightinthenearfuturetodesignapieceofequipment,Gordonsaysthatbyandlarge,youcouldusetoday’sdataandfeelfairlyconfident.

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In1784,fiveyearsbeforehebecamepresidentoftheUnitedStates,GeorgeWashington,52,wasnearlytoothless.Sohehiredadentisttotransplantnineteethintohisjaw–havingextractedthemfromthemouthsofhisslaves.

That’safardifferentimagefromthecherry-tree-choppingGeorgemostpeoplerememberfromtheirhistorybooks.Butrecently,manyhistorianshavebeguntofocusontherolesslaveryplayedinthelivesofthefoundinggeneration.TheyhavebeenspurredinpartbyDNAevidencemadeavailablein1998,whichalmostcertainlyprovedThomasJeffersonhadfatheredatleastonechildwithhisslaveSallyHemings.Andonlyoverthepast30yearshavescholarsexaminedhistoryfromthebottomup.Worksofseveralhistoriansrevealthemoralcompromisesmadebythenation’searlyleadersandthefragilenatureofthecountry’sinfancy.Moresignificantly,theyarguethatmanyoftheFoundingFathersknewslaverywaswrong–andyetmostdidlittletofightit.

Morethananything,thehistorianssay,thefounderswerehamperedbythecultureoftheirtime.WhileWashingtonandJeffersonprivatelyexpresseddistasteforslavery,theyalsounderstoodthatitwaspartofthepoliticalandeconomicbedrockofthecountrytheyhelpedtocreate.

Foronething,theSouthcouldnotaffordtopartwithitsslaves.Owningslaveswas“likehavingalargebankaccount,”saysWiencek,authorofAnImperfectGod:GeorgeWashington,HisSlaves,andtheCreationofAmerica.Thesou