2011教育部考试中心考研英语模拟试题阅读理解及答案

Ray Shiu 豆丁 /rayshiu2011教育部考试中心考研英语模拟试题阅读理解及答案（共9套）Section Reading Comprehension Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points) 一： Modern technology has put men on the moon and deciphered the human genome. But when it comes to brewing up flu to make vaccines, science still turns to the incredible edible egg. Ever since the 1940s, vaccine makers have grown large batches of virus inside chicken eggs. But given that some 36,000 Americans die of flu each year, its remarkable that our first line of defense is still what Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson calls “the cumbersome and archaic egg-based production.” New cell-based technologies are in the pipeline, however, and may finally get the support they need now that the United States is faced with a critical shortage of flu vaccine. Although experts disagree on whether new ways of producing vaccine could have prevented a shortage like the one happening today, there is no doubt that the existing system has serious flaws. Each year, vaccine manufacturers place advance orders for millions of specially grown chicken eggs. Meanwhile, public-health officials monitor circulating strains of flu, and each March they recommend three strainstwo influenza A strains and one B strainfor manufacturers to include in vaccines. In the late spring and summer, automated machines inject virus into eggs and later suck out the influenza-rich goop. Virus from the eggs innards gets killed and processed to remove egg proteins and other contaminants before being packaged into vials for fall shipment. Why has this egg method persisted for six decades? The main reason is that its reliable. But even though the eggs are reliable, they have serious drawbacks. One is the long lead time needed to order the eggs. That means its hard to make more vaccine in a hurry, in case of a shortage or unexpected outbreak. And eggs may simply be too cumbersome to keep up with the hundreds of millions of doses required to handle the demand for flu vaccine. Whats more, some flu strains dont grow well in eggs. Last year, scientists were unable to include the Fujian strain in the vaccine formulation. It was a relatively new strain, and manufacturers simply couldnt find a quick way to adapt it so that it grew well in eggs. “We knew the strain was out there,” recalls Theodore Eickhoff of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, “but public-health officials were left without a vaccineand, consequently, a more severe flu season.” Worse, the viruses that pose the greatest threat might be hardest to grow in eggs. Thats because global pandemics like the one that killed over 50 million people between 1918 and 1920 are thought to occur when a bird influenza changes in a way that lets it cross the species barrier and infect humans. Since humans havent encountered the new virus before, they have little protective immunity. The deadly bird flu circulating in Asia in 1997 and 1998, for example, worried public-health officials because it spread to some people who handled birds and killed themalthough the bug never circulated among humans. But when scientists tried to make vaccine the old-fashioned way, the bird flu quickly killed the eggs. 1.The moon-landing is mentioned in the first paragraph to illustrate_. A technology cannot solve all of our human problems B progress in vaccine research for influenza has lagged behind C great achievements have been made by men in exploring the unknown D the development of vaccine production methods can not be stopped 2.What step is essential to the traditional production of flu vaccine? A Manufacturers implant the vaccine into ordered chicken eggs. B Scientists identify the exact strain soon after a flu pandemic starts. C Public health measures are taken as an important pandemic-fighting tool. D Viruses are deadened and made clean before being put into vaccine use. 3.The foremost reason why the egg-based method is defective lies in_. A the complex process of vaccine production B its potential threat to human being C the low survival rate for new flu vaccines D its contribution to the flu vaccine shortage 4.Which of the following is true according to the passage? A Flu vaccines now mainly use egg-based technology. B A bird influenza has once circulated among humans. C Safety can be greatly improved with cell-culture vaccines. D Modern vaccine production methods are to replace egg-based methods. 5.In the authors view, the new vaccine production method seems to be_. A remarkable B criticized C efficient D accepted 答案： 1.B 2.D 3.C 4.A 5.D来 核心词汇与超纲词汇(1)decipher(v.)破译，辨认(难认、难解的东西)(2)genome(n.)基因组，染色体组(3)brew(v.)酿制(啤酒)，沏(茶)，煮(咖啡); up酝酿;(常用于进行时)(不愉快的事)即将来临(4)cumbersome(a.)大而笨重的;繁琐的，复杂的(5)archaic(a.)过时的，陈旧的;古代的，早期的(6)in the pipeline在准备中; 在完成中; 在进行中; (货物)运输中; 即将送递(7)circulate(v.)循环;传播，流传;传递，传阅( sth. to sb.)(8)strain(n.)(动、植物的)系，品系，品种(9)innards(n.)内脏，内部结构(10)pandemic(a.)广泛流传的，普遍的，流行的;(大范围)传染病的;(n.)全国全世界性的流行病(11)lead time 前置时间，指完成一个程序或作业所需要的一段时间。全文翻译现代技术已经把人类送上了月球，也破解了人类的基因组。但是当涉及到培养流感病毒生产疫苗时，令人难以置信的是科学家依然在使用可食用鸡蛋。自20世纪40年代以来，疫苗的生产者已经在鸡蛋里培植了大批的病毒。但是，考虑到每年有约3万6千美国人死于流感，有意思的是我们的第一防线依然是被美国健康和人类服务部部长汤米汤普森称作为“麻烦的陈旧的鸡蛋方法的生产”。但是，新的细胞生产技术已经投入使用，并且由于美国现在面临的流感疫苗的严重短缺而可能最终得到它们所需要的支持。虽然专家就生产疫苗的新方法能否阻止现在出现的这种短缺现象无法达成共识，但是可以肯定的是现有的系统有严重的缺陷。每一年疫苗的生产者会提前预定成百万的特别培育的鸡蛋。同时，公共健康官员监督正在流行的流感种类，并于每年3月推荐其中的三种，包括两种A型和一种B型流感，为生产者生产疫苗之用。在春末和夏季，由自动的机器将病毒注射到鸡蛋中，然后将充满流感病毒的粘性物质从中吸出。将鸡蛋内脏中的病毒杀死后加工，取出鸡蛋蛋白和其他的杂质，然而装入小瓶，用于秋季时的运输。为什么这种鸡蛋方法持续了60年?重要原因是它可靠。但是尽管鸡蛋是可靠的，它们也有严重的缺陷。首先是订购鸡蛋所需要的前置时间很长。这意味着在突发的疫苗短缺状况下很难立刻生产更多的疫苗。要满足对流感疫苗的需求需要生产几百万的剂量，而使用鸡蛋也许跟不上这个速度。而且一些种类的流行病毒在鸡蛋中不能很好地生长。去年，科学家没能够把福建型流感种类包括在疫苗的生产中。它是一种较新的病毒种类，生产者不能找到很快适应它的方法使它在鸡蛋中很好地生长。科罗拉多州大学健康科学中心的西奥多艾克福回忆说，“我们知道病毒种类在那里”，但是这些公共健康官员没有疫苗，于是结果迎来了一场更严重的流感。更糟糕的是，产生最大威胁的病毒也许是最难在鸡蛋中生长的。这是因为当禽流感改变方式跨越种族界限感染人类时，像1918年至1920年间杀死5000万人的那种全球性流行病就会爆发。由于人类在这之前没有遭遇这样的新病毒，他们的保护性免疫能力就很差。比如，1997年和1998年在亚洲流行的致命的禽流感使公共健康官员很担忧，因为它传播到一些接触禽类的人类身上并使他们死亡。虽然这种病菌还没有在人类中传播过，但当科学家试图用传统的方式生产疫苗时，禽流感迅速杀死了鸡蛋。二：Talk to any parent of a student who took an adventurous gap year (a year between school and university when some students earn money, travel, etc.) and a misty look will come into their eyes. There are some disasters and even the most motivated, organised gap student does require family back-up, financial, emotional and physical. The parental mistiness is not just about the brilliant experience that has matured their offspring; it is vicarious living. We all wish pre-university gap years had been the fashion in our day. We can see how much tougher our kids become; how much more prepared to benefit from university or to decide positively that they are going to do something other than a degree. Gap years are fashionable, as is reflected in the huge growth in the number of charities and private companies offering them. Pictures of Prince William toiling in Chile have helped, but the trend has been gathering steam for a decade. The range of gap packages starts with backpacking, includes working with charities, building hospitals and schools and, very commonly, working as a language assistant, teaching English. With this trend, however, comes a danger. Once parents feel that a well-structured year is essential to their would-be undergraduates progress to a better university, a good degree, an impressive CV and well paid employment, as the gap companies blurbs suggest it might be, then parents will start organisingand paying forthe gaps. Where there are disasters, according to Richard Oliver, director of the gap companies umbrella organisation, the Year Out Group, it is usually because of poor planning. That can be the fault of the company or of the student, he says, but the best insurance is thoughtful preparation. “When people get it wrong, it is usually medical or, especially among girls, it is that they have not been away from home before or because expectation does not match reality.” The point of a gap year is that it should be the time when the school leaver gets to do the thing that he or she fancies. Kids dont mature if mum and dad decide how they are going to mature. If the 18-year-olds way of maturing is to slob out on Hampstead Heath soaking up sunshine or spending a year working with fishermen in Cornwall, then thats what will be productive for that person. The consensus, however, is that some structure is an advantage and that the prime mover needs to be the student. The 18-year-old who was dispatched by his parents at two weeks notice to Canada to learn to be a snowboarding instructor at a cost of 5,800, probably came back with little more than a hangover. The 18-year-old on the same package who worked for his fare and spent the rest of his year instructing in resorts from New Zealand to Switzerland, and came back to apply for university, is the positive counterbalance. 1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that parents of gap students may_. A help children to be prepared for disasters B receive all kinds of support from their children C have rich experience in bringing up their offspring D experience watching children grow up 2. According to the text, which of the following is true? A the popularity of gap years results from an increasing number of charities. B Prince William was working hard during his gap year. C gap years are not as fashionable as they were ten years ago. D a well-structured gap year is a guarantee of university success. 3. The word “packages” (Line 3, Paragraph 2) means_. A parcels carried in travelling B a comprehensive set of activities C something presented in a particular way D charity actions 4. What can cause the disasters of gap years? A Intervention of parents. B Careful planning. C Good health. D Realistic expectation. 5. An 18-year-old is believed to take a meaningful gap year when he/she_. A lives up to his/her parents expectations B spends time being lazy and doing nothing C learns skills by spending parents money D earns his or her living and gains working experience 答案：1.D 2.B 3.B 4.A 5.D 核心词汇和超纲词汇 (1)a gap year(中学和大学之间)学业间断的一年，间断年 (2)vicarious(a.)间接感受到的，如He got a thrill out of watching his son score the winning goal(他看到儿子射入获胜的一球，也同样感到欣喜若狂) (3)package(n.)包，盒，袋;(必须整体接受的)一套东西，一套建议，一揽子交易，如a benefits 一套福利措施an aid 综合援助计划 (4)backpack(v.)背包旅行 go ing (5)umbrella(n.)综合体，总体，整体，如an group/fund综合团体/基金 (6)fork out(for sth.)(尤指不情愿地)大量花钱，大把掏钱 (7)slob(n.)懒惰而邋遢的人(v.)slob out/around游手好闲，无所事事 (8)structure(n.)结构，构造;精心组织，周密安排，体系 (9)dispatch(v./n.)派遣，调遣，派出;发出，发送 (10)at short notice随时，没有提前很长时间通知，at two weeks notice提前两周通知 (11)hangover(from sth.)(n.)遗留的感觉(或风俗、习惯等)，如the insecure feeling that was a from her childhood(她儿时留下的不安全感) (12)counterbalance(v.)抗衡，抵消;对起平衡作用;(n.)(to sth.)平衡抵消物，抗衡 全文翻译 与度过了新奇的学业间断年的孩子的父母交谈，他们的眼神中会有一种含糊不清的东西。这一年中有一些危机，即使是目的明确、很有条理的学生，在间断年期间也需要家庭从经济上、情感上和体力上给予帮助。父母眼中的含糊不仅仅是因为让他们的孩子成熟起来的美好经历，也是因为他们自己间接感受到的生活方式。我们都希望在我们那个时代大学前的间断年就已经很时兴了。我们能看着孩子们变得更坚强，更好地准备从上大学中有所收获或者积极地决定他们将做一些除了获得学历之外的事情。 学业间断年现在很时兴，这反映在提供它们的慈善团体和私人公司的数目呈巨额增长。威廉王子在智利吃苦的事情发挥了作用，但这种趋势十年来一直在加强。学业间断年期间的一整套活动从背包旅行开始，包括和慈善团体一起工作，修建医院和学校，以及常见的做语言助教、教英语。然而，随着这种趋势而来的也有危险。一旦父母相信那些学业间断年公司介绍的内容，认为精心安排的一个间断年对于想成为本科生的孩子进入更好的大学，获得高学历，得到令人印象深刻的简历和待遇良好的工作是至关重要的，那么他们就会开始组织并资助间断年期间的活动。 按照学业间断年公司综合机构“走出学业间断年团体”的负责人理查德奥利弗埃的观点，出现问题往往是因为计划不周。他说，“这可能是公司或学生的责任，但是最保险的方法是作好审慎的准备。当人们把它搞砸时，往往是因为健康问题，尤其是女孩，因为她们从未离开过家，或者期望与现实不符”。 学业间断年的意义在于它应该是离校生开始做自己喜欢做的事情的时候。如果由父母来决定孩子怎样成熟，那么他们不会真地变成熟。如果18岁时变成熟的方式是在伦敦汉普斯泰德石南园中无所事事地晒太阳，或者花上一年时间和康沃尔郡的渔夫一起工作，那么对于另外一个人来说将是有所收获的。然而，多数人却认为进行某种安排是有利的，而且行动的安排者应是学生自己。 如果18岁的年轻人两周前得到父母的通知，被派去加拿大花5,800英镑学习成为一名滑雪教练，回来后可能只会留下很少的感觉。同样的18岁的年轻人，先通过工作赚钱，再用一年中剩下的时间在从新西兰到瑞士的多个避暑胜地执教，回来后申请大学，这样的经历则是完全不同的积极的做法。三：In the late 1980s, Akio Morita, the co-founder of Sony Corp. , embarked on the most costly shopping expedition of his long career. A visionary who believed that Sonys future lay in the convergence of hardware and “content” such as music and film, Morita eventually set his sights on Columbia Pictures Entertainment, with its two studios and a vast library of movie titles and television series. In September, 1989, after months of on-again, off-again negotiations, Sony agreed to pay the inflated asking price of $3.2 billion and assume $1.6 billion in debt. What was the rationale for such a decision? According to John Nathans Sony: The Private Life, it was motivated only by senior executives desire to please the company patriarch. Even Morita, then Sonys chairman and CEO, believed that Columbias price tag, originally $35 per share, was exorbitant. In a closed-door meeting in August, 1989, details of which have never been fully revealed, he told his seven top aides, who made up the decision-making executive committee, that he was abandoning the idea of the acquisition. That would have been the end of it had Morita not voiced regret over dinner that evening with the committee members. “Its too bad,” he lamented, “Ive always dreamed of owning a Hollywood studio.” The next day, the group reconvened and promptly decided that Sony would purchase Columbia after all. In the weeks that followed, Sony upped its bid from an initial $15 to $27 a share and, by late September, made a deal that was ridiculed by industry experts. In 1994, mismanagement forced Sony to write off $2.7 billion and assume a loss of $510 million for its Hollywood experiment. Sony: The Private Life is filled with such insiders tales, making it the most vivid and detailed account in English of the personalities who built the $50 billion-plus consumer-electronics giant. Nathan, a professor of Japanese cultural studies at the University of California, got access to dozens of executives who had contributed to or witnessed Sonys development since its 1946 founding in war-devastated Tokyo. Nathan offers, however, only limited analysis of Sony, the corporation. And he tends to go over well-trodden ground: how Sony established itself in the U.S. and how it developed famous products or devices. Much of this has appeared before in articles and, to a lesser extent, in books. This is not to say that Nathans book has no point of view. The companys underlying problem, as illustrated in the Columbia case, is that the environment in which the Sony Corporation has historically conducted its affairs is less public than personal, less rational than sentimental. In conclusion, Nathan says that, under the current leadership of President Nobuyuki Idei, Sony is emerging as a rational company. Moreover, Idei and his practical-minded managers are intent on reinventing Sony as an Internet company. From now on, says Nathan, “personal relationships are not likely again to figure decisively.” But how will this Sony fare? Nathan admits that a dazzling future is far from guaranteed. 1. Which of the following is true of Sonys acquisition of Columbia Pictures? A It was motivated by Moritas desire to project an image of success. B Sonys top executives were quite convinced of its benefits for the company. C Entertainment industry insiders believed it was the failure of Hollywood. D It was the expensive expansion from electronics into entertainment. 2. The word “patriarch” (line 2, paragraph 2) most probably means_. A founder B monarch C elder D forerunner 3. It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that_. A Sony: The Private Life is the biography of Akio Morita B Sonys Japanese leaders have been too practical-minded C this management problem of Sony cannot be rectified overnight D Nathan did not write about how Sony established itself as the electronics giant 4. Nathans attitude towards Morita seems to be of_. A strong distaste B implicit criticism C enthusiastic support D reserved consent 5. The best title for the passage may be_. A Sonys Shopping Expedition B Sony: the Private Life C Who Drove Sony to Ground D Sony: Management by Impulse 答案:1.D 2.A 3.C 4.B 5.D时代学 习社区 （http:/bbs.nowxue .com ） 核心词汇和超纲词汇 (1)embark (v.) 上船，装船; on/upon sth.从事，着手，开始(新的或艰难的事情) (2)expedition(n.)远征，探险;探险队;发出，派遣 (3)visionary(n.)空想家，梦想者，好幻想的人vision(n.)幻想，幻影 (4)convergence(n.)集中，收敛converge(v.)聚合，集中于一点 (5)library(n.)系列丛书(或磁带等)，文库，如a of childrens classics儿童文学名著系列丛书 (6)on-again, off-again一上一下，遭遇到种种波折 (7)asking price卖主的开叫价，卖出价 (8)rationale(n)(解释某个特别决定、行动、信仰的)基本原理，根本原因，理论依据 (9)exorbitant(a.)过度的，过高的，昂贵的 (10)lament(v.)悔恨，悲叹，哀悼 (11)reconvene(v.)重新集合，重新召集convene(v.)召集, 集合 (12)tread(v.)trod trodden踩，践踏;行走 (13)ground(n.)(兴趣、知识和思想的)范围、领域，如We have to go over the same(我们得讨论同样的话题)。 (14)fare(n.)费用，旅客，食物(v.)过日子，遭遇，受招待How did youin London?(你在伦敦过得怎样?) 全文翻译 在20世纪80年代后期，索尼公司的联合创始人盛田昭夫开始了他长期事业生涯中最昂贵的购物旅行。梦想家盛田昭夫相信索尼公司的未来在于硬件和音乐、电影这样的“内容”相结合，于是最终将目光投向哥伦比亚电影公司及其两个工作室和大量电影字母和电视剧集的文库。1989年9月，经过几个月几经波折的谈判，索尼公司同意支付飞涨的卖出价32亿美元从而承担16亿美元的债务。 这个决定的理论依据是什么?根据约翰内森所著索尼公司的私人生活，这个决定是出于高级行政人员要取悦公司创始人的愿望。甚至那时担任索尼公司主席和首席执行管的盛田昭夫也认为哥伦比亚的标价(开始是35美元一股)太昂贵。在1989年8月召开的一次从未完全公开的闭门会议中，他告诉组成具有决策权的执行委员会的七位高级助手，他将放弃收购的想法。 那天晚上用餐时如果盛田昭夫没有向委员会成员表示遗憾的话这件事情本应就这么结束了。他哀叹，“太糟了，我一直想拥有一个好莱坞工作室”。第二天，这个团队重新召开会议并仓促决定索尼公司将最终购买哥伦比亚。在接下来的几周内，索尼公司将其标价从开始的15美元一股上升到27美元。到了九月末，成交了一笔为业界专家嘲笑的交易。1994年，管理不善迫使索尼公司为它的好莱坞实验注销掉27亿美元资产和5.1亿美元的损失。 索尼公司的私人生活充满了这样的内幕故事，因此成为对建立价值500亿美元的消费者电子产品巨头的名人们最生动详细的描述。内森是加利福尼亚大学日本文化研究的教授，接触到很多