考研英语阅读理解-(七)

考研英语阅读理解-（七）

（总分：100.00,做题时间：90分钟）

一、{{B}}SectionIReadingComprehension{{/B}}（总题数：4,分数：100.00）

Musicisamystery.Itisuniquetothehumanrace:nootherspecies

produceselaboratesoundfornoparticularreason.Ithasbeen,and

remains,partofeveryknowncivilizationonEarth.Lengthsofbone

fashionedintofluteswereinuse40,000yearsago.Anditengagespeople，s

attentionmorecomprehensivelythanalmostanythingelse:scansshowthat

whenpeoplelistentomusic,virtuallyeveryareaoftheirbrainbecomes

moreactive.

Yetitservesnoobviousadaptivepurpose.CharlesDarwin,in〃'The

DescentofMan”,notedthat“neithertheenjoymentnorthecapacityof

producingmusicalnotesarefacultiesoftheleastdirectusetomanin

referencetohisordinaryhabitsoflife.Then,whatisthepointofnmsic.

StevenPinker,acognitivepsychologist,hascalledmusic〃auditory

cheesecake,anexquisiteconfectioncraftedtoticklethesensitivespots

ofatleastsixofourmentalfaculties.Ifitvanishedfromourspecies,

hesaid"therestofourlifestylewouldbevirtuallyunchanged.z，Others

havearguedthat,onthecontrary,music,alongwithartandliterature,

ispartofwhatmakespeoplehuman;itsabsencewouldhaveabrutalizing

effect.

PhilipBall,aBritishsciencewriterandanavidmusicenthusiast,comes

downsomewhereinthemiddle.Hesaysthatmusicisingrainedinour

auditory,cognitiveandmotorfunctions.Wehaveamusicinstinctasmuch

asalanguageinstinct,andcouldnotridourselvesofit.Hegoesthrough

eachcomponentofmusictoexplainhowandwhyitworks,usingplentiful

examplesdrawnfromarefreshinglywiderangeofdifferentkindsofmusic,

fromBachtotheBeatles,andfromnurseryrhymestojazz.

Hisbasicmessageisencouraginganduplifting:peopleknowmuchmore

aboutmusicthantheythink.Theystartpickinguptherulesfromtheday

theyareborn,perhapsevenbefore,byhearingitallaroundthem.Very

youngchildrencantellifatuneorharmonyisnotquiterightandmost

adultscandifferentiatebetweenkindsofmusiceveniftheyhavehadno

training.

Musiciscompletely{{U}}suigeneris{{/U}}.Itshouldnottella

non-musicalstory;thelistenerwilldecodeitforhimself.Many,perhaps

most,peoplehaveexperiencedasuddenrushofemotiononhearinga

particularpieceofmusic;athrillorchill,asenseofexcitementor

exhilaration,afeelingofbeingsweptawaybyit.Theymayevenbemoved

totears,withoutbeingabletotellwhy.Musicalanalystshavetriedhard

tofindouthowthishappens,butwithlittlesuccess.Perhapssome

mysteriesarebestpreserved.(分数：25.00)

(1).Itcanbeinferredfromthefirstparagraphthat

•A.exceptmankindspeciesproducesoundswithspecificpurposes.

•B.theearliestflutesweremadeofbones40,000yearsago.

•C.people,sattentionismoreattentivelyattractedbymusic.

•D.people'sbrainsgoinactiveinanenvironmentwithnomusic.

(分数：5.00)

A.

B.

C.J

D.

解析：

(2).TowhichofthefollowingstatementswouldStevenPinkermostprobablyagree?

•A.Musicselvesnofacilityfortheformationofpeople*shabits.

•B.Musicandexquisitedessertsharegreatsimilarities.

•C.Theabsenceofmusicbringslittleeffecttohumanlife.

•D.Musichelpstoerasethebrutalcharacteristicsinhuman.

(分数：5.00)

A.

B.

C.V

D.

解析：

(3).AccordingtoPhilipBall'sresearch,whichofthefollowingistrue?

•A.Humanbeingsareborntobeprofessionalmusicians.

•B.Thereexistnosharpdifferencesamongvarioustypesofmusic.

•C.Peopleusuallylearnmusicbymeansofhearingaround.

•D.Mankindpossesanaturalmusicinstinctandcan'twipeitoff.

(分数：5.00)

A.

B.

C.

D.J

解析：

(4).Thesaying“suigeneris”(Line1,Para.5)isclosestinmeaningto

•A.unique.

•B.touching.

•C.overwhelming.

•D.mysterious.

(分数：5.00)

A.J

B.

C.

D.

解析：

(5).Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleofthetext?

•A.SoundsWonderful-TheScienceofMusic

•B.MissionImpossible-TheMysteryofMusic

•C.TouchingAlways-ThePowerofMusic

•D.Anti-Brutalization-TheEffectofMusic

(分数：5.00)

A.J

B.

C.

D.

解析：

Aspeopleinrichcountriesknowverywell,eatingtoomuchfoodand

burningtoofewcaloriesiswhyasubstantialnumberofusareoverweight

orobese.Now,however,aremarkablechangeinperspectivehascomefrom

thediscoverythatobesityactuallyprovidespeoplewithtemporary

protectionfromtheharmfuleffectsoffat.

Theinsighthascomefromre-examiningthecommonassumptionthatfatness

itselfdrivesthedevelopmentofmetabolicsyndrome,whichiswhatcauses

somuchoftheactualdamage.Thesyndromecomeswithamixtureof

fife-threateningeffects,withcardiovasculardisease(diseasesrelating

totheheartandbloodvessels)andtype2diabetesbeingamongthemost

serious.Infact,itnowseemsthatbodyfatmaybeabarrierthatstops

millionsofAmericansandfattycitizenselsewherefromgoingonto

developthesyndrome.Andtherealdamageiscausedbytheinflammatory

effectofhighlevelsoffatinthebloodstream.Andironically,it'sfat

cellsthatprotectusfromthisbyservingastoxicdumps,lockingaway

therealvillainsofthemodemdiet.

Theproblemisthatthisprotectiononlylastssolong,untilthereis

simplynomoreroominsidethefatcells.That，swhentheystarttobreak

down,leadingtoatoxicspillintothebloodstream.Thissetsoffan

inflammatoryresponsethatcausesvariouskindsofdamagetobodytissues.

Inthisway,everyexcesscalorietakespeopleclosertometabolic

syndrome.

Sowhatcanwedotostopasuperabundanceoffattriggeringthesyndrome?

Ofcoursethere'snosubstituteforahealthydietandexercise,but

incitationtothiseffectseemtobeoflimiteduse.Aswithcigarettes

andalcohol,ataxoncalories-pricingfoodsbytheirenergycontent-is

increasinglyseenasanother"lever"tochangebehaviourbymalting

obesitytoocostly.

Thenewresearchmayevensuggesttreatmentstocombatmetabolicsyndrome,

suchasantiinflammatorydrugs.Onepromisingcandidateissalsalate,an

arthritisdrugrelatedtoaspirin,andtheJoslinDiabetesCenterin

Bostonisnowconsideringlarge-scaletrials.

Whatmightbemorehelpful,though,issimplyawiderrecognitionthat

fattyandsugaryfoodsaremoredirectlytoxicthanwehadassumed.Ideally,

peopleshouldbeaswellinformedabouttheharmfuleffectsofwhatthey

eatas,forexample,pregnantwomenareaboutdrinkingandsmoking.

Thereisaconsolation-youhaveyourfattissuetoprotectyouwhenyou

consumethatextraburgerorsweetenedsoda.Butnowyouknowtheperils

ofpushingyourfriendlyfatcellsbeyondtheirnaturallimits.（分数：

25.00）

⑴.It'simpliedinthefirstparagraphthatthereasonsforobesityincludeovereatingand

•A.lackingexercise.

•B.absorbingfats.

•C.keepingunhealthydiets.

•D.burningcalories.

（分数：5.00）

A.V

B.

C.

D.

解析：

（2）.FromParagraph2weknowthattherealvillainofactualdamagesis

•A.fatcells.

•B.metabolicsyndrome.

•C.cardiovasculardisease.

•D.bloodstreamfats.

（分数：5.00）

A.

B.J

C.

D.

解析：

(3).Theprotectivefunctionoffatcellsstopworkingonce

•A.theircapacityreachesalimit.

•B.toxinspillsintothebloodstream.

•C.aninflammatoryresponseappears.

•D.metabolicsyndromeisdeveloped.

(分数：5.00)

A.V

B.

C.

D.

解析：

(4).Theauthorindicatesinthetextthatobesitycanberestrictedby

•A.puttingfat'sprotectivefunctiontoful1use.

•B.unifyingpeople*sdietandexercisehabits.

•C.raisingthepricesofcigarettesandalcohol.

•D.manipulatingfoodpricesbytheircaloriecontent.

(分数：5.00)

A.

B.

C.

D.J

解析：

(5).Tocombatmetabolicsyndrome,theauthor*ssuggestionisto

•A.developmoreanti-inflammatorydrugs.

•B.askpeopletokeepawayfromfattyfood.

•C.strengthentheawarenessoftheharmsoffattyfood.

•D.protectpregnantwomenfromtobaccoandwine.

(分数：5.00)

A.

B.

C.V

D.

解析：

Thetechnologyrevolutionmaybecomingtopoorcountriesviathemobile

phone,notthepersonalcomputer,asitdidinrichones.Andjustasthe

Internetencouragedanentrepreneurialphilosophy,andwithitthe

creationofafewtoomanydotcomfirms,Africa'ssurgeinmobile-phone

usemay{{U}}unleash{{/U}}thesamesortofbusinessenergy,buttailored

tolocalneeds.

Onesuchinitiativeisabouttobegin.TradeNet,asoftwarecompanybased

inAccra,Ghana,willunveilasimplesortofeBayforagricultural

productsacrossadozencountriesinWestAfrica.Itletsbuyersand

sellersindicatewhattheyareafterandtheircontactinformation,which

issenttoallrelevantsubscribersasanSMStextmessageinoneoffour

languages.Interestedpartiescanthenreachothersdirectlytodoadeal.

Listingoffersisfree,asisreceivingthetexts.TradeNetplanstoearn

revenuebyputtingadvertisementsinthemessages,thoughithopesthe

servicewillbecomesousefulthatrecipientswilleventuallywanttopay.

Forthemoment,though,thecompanyisbusysigningupusersandswallowing

thecostofsendingthemessages.

Mobile-phoneuseinsub-SaharanAfricaissoaring.Whereasonly10%of

thepopulationhadnetworkcoveragein1999,todaymorethan60%haveit,

afigureexpectedtoexceed85%inthecomingyear,accordingtotheGSM

Association,anindustrytradegroup.Thisprovidestheinfrastructure

forbusinesseslikeTradeNettofunction.

TradeNetisthebrainchildofMarkDavies,aBritishdotcomtycoonwho

gaveuptheratraceandwenttoAfricain2000.In2005,hestartedthe

prototypeforTradeNetusingaround$600,000ofhisownmoneyandabout

$200,000fromaidagencies.Anearlysetoftrialslastyeargenerated

asurplusoftrades,suchasasaleoforganicfertilizerbetweenaperson

inYemenandanotherinNigeria.

Anumberofothermobile-phonemarket-placestakingshapealsostarted

asaidprojects.Forexample,TradeatHand,aprojectfundedbytheUN's

InternationalTradeCentreinGeneva,providesdailypriceinformation

forfruitandvegetableexportsinBurkinaFasoandMali,withplansto

addmorecountries.AndManobi,atelecomsfirmbasedinSenegal,

providingreal-timeagriculturalandfishpricestofee-paying

subscribers,isalsobackedbyaidmoney.ButTradeNet'sapproachis

uniquesofarbecauseitcollectsvaluableeconomicdata-names,locations,

businessinterestsandtelephonenumbers-andthensellsthemto

advertisers.Thepriceofeconomicdevelopmentmaybejunkmailbymobile

phone.(分数：25.oo)

(1).Theword“unleash”(Line4,Paragraph1)isclosestinmeaningto

•A.generate.

•B.intensify.

•C.create.

•D.loosen.

（分数：5.00）

A.J

B.

C.

D.

解析：

（2）.WhichofthefollowingaboutTradeNetistrue?

•A.TradeNetistoagriculturalproductswhateBayistomanufacturedproducts.

•B.TheultimategoalofTradeNetistoletitsuserspayfortheservices.

•C.Users*paymentforTradeNet*sservicesformsTradeNet*srevenue.

•D.TradeNetispossibleduetohighnetworkcoverageandcell-phoneavailability.

（分数：5.00）

A.

B.

C.

D.J

解析：

（3）.WhatdowelearnaboutMarkDavies?

•A.HisdotcomfirmhaddominatedtheBritishmarket.

•B.HewasthepersonwhobenefitedmostfromtheAfricanmarket.

•C.HehadbeentiredofthefiercecompetitionamongBritishdotcomfirms.

•D.HecreatedandfoundedthefirmTradeNetallbyhimself.

（分数：5.00）

A.

B.

C.J

D.

解析：

（4）.Whatcanweinferfromthelastparagraphofthetext?

•A.WiththeUN'ssupport,TradeatHandisboundtospreadtothewho1eAfricancontinent.

•B.Aidprojectsplayedanimportantroleinfosteringmobile-phonemarket-placesin

Africa.

•C.TradeNetisthemostsuccessfuloneofallthemobile-phonemarket-placesinAfrica.

•D.ThejunkmailbymobilephonewillruintheeconomicdevelopmentinAfrica.

（分数:5.00）

A.

B.V

c.

D.

解析：

(5).Whatistheauthor*sattitudetowardsmobile-phonemarket-places?

•A.Objective.

•B.Ambiguous.

•C.Optimistic.

•D.Skeptical.

(分数：5.00)

A.

B.

C.V

D.

解析：

HOWsoonyourperformancewillberatedmayinfluencehowwellyoudo,

accordingtoanewstudypublishedinthejournalPsychologicalScience.

Inthestudy,researchersKeriL.KettleandGeraldHaublfromthe

UniversityofAlbertasetouttodeterminewhetherthetimingoffeedback

influencesperformance.Becauseearlierfeedbackmeansamoreproximate

possibilityofdisappointment,theresearchershypothesizedthat

studentstoldtheywouldbelearningtheirgradesoonerwouldbemore

likelytoperformwell,comparedwiththosewhowouldn'tfendouttheir

gradeuntillater.

Of501studentstakingaparticularcourse,271agreedtoparticipatein

thestudy.Allstudentswereassignedafourminuteoralpresentation,

whichtheyhadtodeliverinfrontofabout10classmates.Their

performancewasrankedonascaleofl-10byclassmates,andtheaverage

ofthosescoresmadeuptheirgradefortheassignment.Priortogiving

theiroralpresentation,studyparticipantswereaskedtopredicthowwell

theywoulddo,andwerealsotoldhowsoontheywouldlearntheirgrade.

Theresearchersfoundthatstudyparticipantswho,dbeentoldtheywould

begiventheirscoresearlierperformedfarbetterthanthosetoldthey'd

receivetheirscoreslater.What'smore,despitethefactthat,onaverage,

studentswhoanticipatedfendingouthowthey，ddoneearlier

significantlyoutperformedclassmateswhoweregiventheirscoreslater,

theyweremorelikelytopredictlowmarksforthemselves.Incontrast,

thosewhoweretoldtheywouldn，tlearntheirscoresuntillaterweremore

likelytopredictveryhighmarks-whichtheyseldomactuallywentonto

earn.Asacontrol,theresearchersalsoassessedthescoresofthe230

studentswhohaddeclinedtoparticipateinthestudy.Whilestudentswith

theearliestfeedbackscoredinthe60thpercentileonaverage,andthose

withthelatestfeedbackscoredinthe40thpercentileonaverage,those

notincludedinthestudy(andwhosefeedbacktimehadn，tbeenmanipulated)

consistentlyscoredinthe50thpercentile.

Thefindingssuggestthat"mereanticipationofmorerapidfeedback

improvesperformance,z，theauthorsconclude,andthat,interestingly,

proximityoffeedbackinfluencespredictedperformanceandactual

performancedifferently.Astheauthorssumup:"Peopledobestprecisely

whentheirpredictionsabouttheirownperformanceareleastoptimistic.z/

Theinfluenceoffeedbackanticipationonperformancehasimplications

beyondtheclassroomaswell,theresearchersargue-inthewaythat

managersrespondtoemployeework,forexampl