2011年秋季MBA联考英语阅读练习题附答案.doc

2011年秋季MBA联考英语阅读练习题附答案Passage 1Some houses designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.Located on the shore of Sullivans Island off the coast of South Carolina,the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo 10 years ago.In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina ,killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.Before Hugo,many new houses built along South Carolinas shoreline were poorly constructed and enforcement of building codes wasnt strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Hugos wake,all new shoreline houses are required to meet sricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivans Island should be able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.At first sight,the house on Sullivans Island looks anything but hurricane-poor.Its redwood shell makes it resemble a large party lanntern at night, according to one observer.But looks can be deceiving.The houses wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods give it extra strength.To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7meters off the ground on timber pilings-long, slender columns wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house .They also elevate the house aboe storm surges. The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it. These swells of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings, said Huff.Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed by the houses ground-to-roof shell.The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesnt look like its standing with its pant legs pulled up,said Huff. In the event of a storm surge,the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.1. After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo，new houses built along South Carolinas shoreline are required_ .A. to be easily reinforced.B. to look smarter in design.C. to meet stricter building standards.D. to be designed in the shape of cubes.2. The award-winning beach house is quite strong because_.A. it is strengthened by steel rods.B. it is made of redwood.C. it is in the shape of a shell.D. it is built with timber and concrete.3. Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to_.A. withstand peak winds of about 200km/hr.B. anchor stronger pilings deep in the sand.www .kaoyee .comC. break huge sea waves into smaller ones.D. prevent water from rushing into the house.4. The main function of the shell is_.A. to strengthen the pilings of the house.B. to give the house a better appearance.C. to protect the the wooden frame of the house.D. to slow down the speed of the swelling water.5. It can be inferred from the passage that the shell should be_.A. fancy-looking. B. waterproof.C. easily breakable. D. extremely strong.Passage 2When school officials in Kalkaska, Michigan , closed classes last week, the media flocked to the story, portraying the towns 2,305 students as victims of stingy（吝啬的）taxpayers .There is some truth to that: the property-tax rate here is one-third lower than the state average.But shutting their schools also allowed Kalkaskas educators and the states largest teachers union,the Michigan Education Association, to make a political point.Their aim was to spur passage of legislation Michigan lawmakers are debating to increase the states share of school funding.It was no coincidence that Kalkaska shut its schools two weeks after residents rejected a 28 percent property-tax increase.The school board argued that without the increase it lacked the $1.5 million needed to keep schools open.But the school system had not done all it could to keep the schools open .Officials declined to borrow against next years state aid ,they refused to trim extracurricular activities and they did not conisder seeking a smaller-perhaps more acceptable-tax increase.In fact,closing early is costing Kalkaska a significant amount, including $600,000 in unempolyment payments to teachers and staff and $250,000 in lost state aid .In February,the school system promised teachers and staff two months of retirement payments in case schools colsed early , a deal that will cost the district $275,000 more.Other signs suggest school authorities were at least as eager to make a political statement as to keep schools open .The Michigan Education Association hired a public relations firm to stage a rally marking the school closings,which attracted 14 local and national television stations and networks.The president of the National Education Association,The MEAs parent organization, flew from Washington, D.C., for the event. And the union tutored school officials in the art of television interviews.School supervisor Doyle Disbrow acknowledges the district could have kept schools open by cutting programs but denies the moves were politically motivated.Michigan lawmakers have reacted angrily to the closings .The state Senate has already voted to put the system into receivership（破产管理）and reopen .schools immediately;the Michigan House plans to consider the bill this week.6. We learn from the passage that schools in Kalkaska,Michigan,are funded_.A) by both the local and state governmentsB) exclusively by the local governmentC) mainly by the state governmentD) by the National Education Association7. One of the purposes for which school officials colsed classes was_.A) to avoid paying retirement benefits to teachers and staffB) to draw the attention of local taxpayers to political issuesC) to make the financial difficulties of their teachers and staff known to the publicD) to pressure Michigan lawmakers into increasing state funds for local schools8. The author seems to disapprove of_.A) the Michigan lawmakers endless debatingB) the shutting of schools in KalkaskaC) the involvement of the mass mediaD) delaying the passage of the school funding legislation9. We learn from the passage that school authorities in Kalkaska are more concerned about_.A) a raise in the property-tax rate in MichiganB) reopening the schools there immediatelyC) the attitude of the MEAs parent organizationD) making a political issue of closing of the schools10. According to the passage, the closing of the schools developed into a crisis because of_.A) the complexity of the problemB) the political motives on the part of the educatorsC) the weak response of the state officialsD) the strong protest on the part of the students parents答案及解析Passage11.答案为C。细节题。文章第三段第二句话指出：all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter,better enforced codes。选项C中的standard与文中的code是一个意思，都是说要依照更严格的标准，所以C正确。文中提到的enforced是指better enforced codes,修饰的是code，而不是house，所以A不对；文章列举的例子指的是第二类的房子，而第二类的房子是smart designed，而不是looks smart，所以B不对；文中只是说这所房子看上去像立方体，但没有强调所有的房子都要这样，所以D也不对。2.答案为A。细节题。文章第四段最后一句话指出，这些房子的木结构还用钢筋进一步加固了。这与A项符合。文中只是说房子是用红木做的，并没有说这是房子坚固的原因，所以B不对。文中说房子像一个壳，也没有说这是原因，所以C也不对；文中只是说房子用钢筋进行了加固，没有提到房子是用了混泥土，所以D也不对。3.答案为D。细节题。根据第四段中的The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it可知，这种设计使浪潮不会冲向房子，这与D项意思相符。抵抗飓风是房子的特点，但文中没有说这是因为抬高房子的设计所带来的，所以A不对；B只是文中陈述的一个事实，并不是文中指出的原因；文中没有提到C。4.答案为B。细节题。最后一段建筑师指出：shell让房子显得更漂亮、更好看一些。这说明B正确。A、C、D都是文中提到的内容，但与题目的意思不符。5.答案为C。归纳题。文章最后一句话指出：在出现风暴时，shell会分开，让风浪在房子下面冲过。这与选项C中的easilybreakable意思相符。A项看起来花哨、B项防水以及D项极为坚固都与文章的意思不符。Passage26.选A细节题。题干大意：从文章归纳出Kalkaska地区的学校是由谁提供资金的。可在文章的第一段定位，即Their aim was to spur passage of legislation Michigan lawmakers are debating to increase the states of school funding.由此可知，当地的学校资金一半是由州政府提供的，另一半资金则是通过税收。因此答案为A。7.选D细节题。题干大意是：学校官员关闭学校的目的之一是什么。定位信息是Their aim was tospurpassageoflegislationMichiganlawmakersaredebatingtoincreasethestatesshareofschoolfunding.D项是本句的同义转述，他们的目的是施加压力迫使Michigan的立法者增加对当地学校的资金投入。因此答案为D。8.选B作者观点题。在文章的第三段定位，即Buttheschoolsystemhadnotdoneallitcouldtokeeptheschoolsopen.可以推断出作者对关闭当地学校这一举措不赞成。因此答案为B。9.选D细节题。题干大意是：Kalkaska学校当局更关心什么，在文章的第四段定位，即Othersignssuggestschoolauthoritieswereatleastaseagertomakeapolitifalstatementastokeepschoolsopen.也就说学校官方的真正用心是政治性的。因此答案为D。10.选B推理题。题干大意是：根据全文内容推断出为什么学校关闭演变成一场危机的原因所在。综观全文，我们可以推断出学校当局并没有真正的从学校、学生、当地财政状况第鞥多方面考虑，而是具有政治动机，从而使该事件变成危机。因此答案为B。Passage 3Lead depoits,which accumulated in soil and snow during the 1960s and 70s, were primarily the result of leaded gasoline emissions originating in the United States. In the twenty years that the Clean Air Act has mandated significantly unleaded gas use in the United States,the lead accumulation worldwide has decreased significantly.A study published recently in the journal Nature shows that air-borne leaded gas emissions from the United States were the leading contributor to the high concentration of lead in the snow in Greenland. The new study is a result of the continued research led by Dr. Charles Boutron,an expert on the impact of heavy metals on the environment at the National Center for Scientific Research in France.A study by Dr. Boutron published in 1992 showed that lead levels in arctic(北极的)snow were declining.In his new study, Dr. Boutron found the ratios of the different forms of lead in the leaded gasolinge used in the United States were different from the ratios of European, Asian and Canadian gasolines and thus enabled scientists to differentiate the lead sources. The dominant lead ratio found in Greenland snow matched that found in gasoline from the United States.In a study published in the journal Ambio, scientists found that levels in soil in the Northeastern United States had decreased markedly since the introduction of unleaded gasoline.Many scientists had believed that the lead would stay in soil and snow for a longer period.The authors of the Ambio study examined samples of the upper layers of soil taken from the same sites of 30 forest floors in New England, New York and Pennsylvania in 1980 and 1990. The forest environment processed and reistributed the lead faster than the scientists had expected.Scientists say both studies demonstrate that certain parts of the ecosystem respond rapidly to license to pollute.11. The study published in the journal Nature indicates that_A. the Clean Air Act has not produced the desired results.B. lead deposits in arctic snow on the increase.C. lead will stay in soil and snow longer than expected.D. the U.S. is the major source of lead pollution in arctic snow.12. Lead accumulation worldwide decreased significantly after the use of unleaded gas in the U.S._.A. was discouraged. B. was enforced by law.C. was prohibited by law. D. was introduced.13. How did scientists discover the source of lead pollution in Greenland?A. By analyzing the data published in journals like Nature and Ambio.B. By observing the lead accumulations in different parts of the arctic area.C. By studying the chemical elements soil and snow in Northeastern America.D. By comparing the chemical compositions of leaded gasoline used in various countries.14. The authors of the Ambio study have found that_.A. forests get rid of lead pollution faster than /makes exam easier!B. lead accumulations in forests are easily polluted by lead emissions.C. lead deposits are widely distributed in the forests of the U.S.D. the upper layers of soil in forests are easily polluted by lead emissions.15. It can be inferred from the last paragraph in that scientists_.A. are puzzled by the mystery of forest pollution.B. feel relieved by the use of unleaded gasoline.C. still consider lead pollution a problem.D. lack sufficient means to combat lead pollution.Passage 4It came as something of a surprise when Diana,Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997,to support the Red Crosss campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines.Within hours of arriving in Angola television screens around the world were filled with images of her comporting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines. “I knew the statistics,”she said, “But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra,a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg,and people like her.”The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government,which refused to support a ban on these weapons.Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the press.They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “loose cannon(乱放炮的人)。”The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: “This is a distraction we do not need. All Im trying to do is help.”Opposition parties ,the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess.To make matters worse for the government ,it soon emerged that the Princesss trip had been approved by the Foreign Office,and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British governments policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the government .To try and limit the damage ,the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind , claimed that the Princesss views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was “working towards”a worldwide ban. The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo,claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or misunderstanding”.For the Princess ,the trip to this war-torn country was an cxcellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause .She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.16. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997_.A. to voice her support for a total ban of landmines.B. to clarify the British governments stand on landmines.C. to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims.D. to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims.17. What did Diana mean when she said“putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me”(Para.1)?A. She just couldnt bear to meet the landmine victims face to face.B. The actual situation in Agola made her feel like going back home.C. Meeting the landmine victims in person made her believe the statistics.D. Seeing the pain of the victims made her realize the seriousness of the situation.18. Some members of the British government criticized Diana because_.A. she was ill-informed of the governments policy.B. they were actually opposed to banning landmines.C. she had not consulted the government before the visit.D. they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola.19. How did Diana respond to the criticisms?A. She paid no attention to them.B. She made more appearances on TV.C. She met the 13-year-old girl as planned.D. She rose to argue with her opponents.20. What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?A. It had caused embarrassment to the British government.B. It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.C. It had greatly promoted her popularity.D. It had affected her relations with the British government.答案解析Passage311.答案为D。细节题。根据原文第二段第一句：最近，科学期刊自然杂志上发表的一篇研究文章指出，空气中的含铅废弃的排放是创造格林兰岛的雪中含铅量高的主要原因，这些废气都来自美国。“leadingcontributor”所指的就是来自美国的废气，因此美国便是格林兰岛污染的“罪魁祸首”，可以得出D项答案。从后文可知，洁净条例对抑制、降低铅污染起到了至关重要的作用，所以A违背原意；CharlesBoutron博士1991年发布的一项研究显示，北极雪中的铅含量正在逐年减少，所以B违背原意；从文中第五段可知，科学家们曾经以为，铅会在soil和snow中长时间滞留，文中还指出，关于铅在土壤中滞留的研究是发表在期刊Ambio上的，所以C违背原意。12.答案为B。细节题。根据第一段末句：自从美国实行空气洁净条例后，20年间，全世界的沉积都大大降低。理解mandate的意思，强制执行，同义转述，实行空气洁净条例便是立法通过，所以B正确。无铅汽油的使用是被提倡的，所以A违背原意；无铅汽油的使用是被立法通过，而不是禁止使用，所以C违背原意，D不够具体明确，应该是通过立法的途径，而不是简单的引入。13.答案为D。细节题。根据原文第三段第一句“theratiosofthedifferentformsofleadintheleadedgasolines”可知，不同国家和地区的汽油中含铅量不同；根据“thusenabledscientiststodifferentiatetheleadsources.”可知，专家可以通过汽油中的铅含量来判断此种铅来自于何地。显然，就是利用判断汽油中铅含量的方法得出格林兰岛的铅污染主要来