考研英语真题

SectionI

Useof

English

Directions:

Foreachnumberedblankinthefollowingpassage,therearefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C],and[D].ChoosethebestoneandmarkyouransweronANSWERSHEET1byblackeningthe

correspondingletterinthebracketswithapencil.(10points)

Industrialsafetydoesnotjusthappen.Companies

1

lowaccidentratesplantheirsafety

programs,workhardtoorganizethem,andcontinueworkingtokeepthem_2_andactive.Whentheworkiswelldone,a 3 ofaccidentfreeoperationsisestablished 4 timelostduetoinjuriesiskeptataminimum.

Successfulsafetyprogramsmay5_greatlyintheemphasisplacedoncertainaspectsoftheprogram.Someplacegreatemphasisonmechanicalguarding.Othersstresssafeworkpracticesby_6rulesorregulations.7othersdependonanemotionalappealtotheworker.But,therearecertainbasicideasthatmustbeusedineveryprogramifmaximumresultsaretobeobtained.

Therecanbenoquestionaboutthevalueofasafetyprogram.Fromafinancialstandpointalone,

safety8.Thefewertheinjury9

,thebettertheworkman'sinsurancerate.Thismaymeantheorataloss.

differencebetweenoperatingat

10

[AJ

[BJ

[BJ

[CJ

[CJ

[DJ

[DJ

1.

at

alive

m

vivid

on

mobile

with

diverse

2.[AJ

6.[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

constituting

aggravating

observing

justifying

8.[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

comesoff

turnsup

paysoff

holdsup

10.[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

anadvantage

abenefit

aninterest

aprofit

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Eachofthepassagesbelowisfollowedbysomequestions.Foreachquestiontherearefouranswersmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D].Readthepassagescarefullyandchoosethebestanswertoeachofthequestions.ThenmarkyouranswerontheANSWERSHEET1byblackeningthecorrespondingletter

inthebrackets.(40points)

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Text1

It'saroughworldoutthere.Stepoutsideandyoucouldbreakalegslippingonyourdoormat.Lightupthestoveandyoucouldbumdownthehouse.Luckily,ifthedoormatorstovefailedtowarnofcomingdisaster,asuccessfullawsuitmightcompensateyouforyourtroubles.Orsothethinkinghasgonesincetheearly1980s,whenjuriesbeganholdingmorecompaniesliablefortheircustomers'misfortunes.

Feelingthreatened,compamesrespondedbywritingeverlongerwammglabels,tryingtoanticipateeverypossibleaccident.Today,stepladderscarrylabelsseveralincheslongthatwarn,amongotherthings,thatyoumight-surprise!-falloff.Thelabelonachild'sBatmancapecautionsthatthetoy"doesnotenableusertofly".

Whilewarningsareoftenappropriateandnecessary-thedangersofdruginteractions,forexample-andmanyarerequiredbystateorfederalregulations,itisn'tclearthattheyactuallyprotectthemanufacturersandsellersfromliabilityifacustomerisinjured.About50percentofthecompanieslosewheninjuredcustomerstakethemtocourt.

Nowthetideappearstobeturning.Aspersonalinjuryclaimscontinueasbefore,somecourtsarebeginningtosidewithdefendants,especiallyincaseswhereawarninglabelprobablywouldn'thavechangedanything.InMay,JulieNimmons,presidentofSchuttSportsinIllinois,successfullyfoughta

lawsuitinvolvingafootballplayerwhowasparalyzedinagamewhilewearingaSchutthelmet.

"We'rereallysorryhehasbecomeparalyzed,buthelmetsaren'tdesignedtopreventthosekindsof

injuries,"saysNimmons.Thejuryagreedthatthenatureofthegame,notthehelmet,wasthereasonfortheathlete'sinjury.Atthesametime,theAmericanLawInstitute-agroupofjudges,lawyers,andacademicswhoserecommendationscarrysubstantialweight-issuednewguidelinesfortortlawstatingthatcompaniesneednotwarncustomersofobviousdangersorbombardthemwithalengthylistofpossibleones."Importantinformationcangetburiedinaseaoftrivialities,"saysalawprofessoratCornellLawSchoolwhohelpeddraftthenewguidelines.Ifthemoderateendofthelegalcommunityhasitsway,theinformationonproductsmightactuallybeprovidedforthebenefitof

customersandnotasprotectionagainstlegalliability.

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11.Whatwerethingslikein1980swhenaccidentshappened?

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

Customersmightberelievedoftheirdisastersthroughlawsuits.Injuredcustomerscouldexpectprotectionfromthelegalsystem.Companieswouldavoidbeingsuedbyprovidingnewwarnings.

Juriestendedtofindfaultwiththecompensationscompaniespromised.

12.Manufacturersasmentionedinthepassagetendto

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

satisfycustomersbywritinglongwarningsonproducts.becomehonestindescribingtheinadequaciesoftheirproducts.makethebestuseoflabelstoavoidlegalliability.

feelobligedtoviewcustomers'safetyastheirfirstconcern.

13.ThecaseofSchutthelmetdemonstratedthat

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

someinjuryclaimswerenolongersupportedbylaw.helmetswerenotdesignedtopreventinjuries.productlabelswouldeventuallybediscarded.

somesportsgamesmightlosepopularitywithathletes.

14.Theauthor'sattitudetowardstheissueseemstobe

----

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

biasedindifferentpuzzling

objective

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Text2

InthefirstyearorsoofWebbusiness,mostoftheactionhasrevolvedaroundeffortstotaptheconsumermarket.Morerecently,astheWebprovedtobemorethanafashion,companieshavestartedtobuyandsellproductsandserviceswithoneanother.Suchbusinesstobusinesssalesmakesensebecausebusinesspeopletypicallyknowwhatproductthey'relookingfor.

Nonetheless,manycompaniesstillhesitatetousetheWebbecauseofdoubtsaboutitsreliability."Businessesneedtofeeltheycantrustthepathwaybetweenthemandthesupplier,"sayssenioranalystBlaneErwinofForresterResearch.Somecompaniesarelimitingtheriskbyconductingonlinetransactionsonlywithestablishedbusinesspartnerswhoaregivenaccesstothecompany'sprivateintranet.

AnothermajorshiftinthemodelforInternetcommerceconcernsthetechnologyavailableformarketing.Untilrecently,Internetmarketingactivitieshavefocusedonstrategiesto"pull"customersintosites.Inthepastyear,however,softwarecompanieshavedevelopedtoolsthatallowcompaniesto"push"informationdirectlyouttoconsumers,transmittingmarketingmessagesdirectlytotargetedcustomers.Mostnotably,thePointcastNetworkusesascreensavertodeliveracontinuallyupdatedstreamofnewsandadvertisementstosubscribers'computermonitors.Subscriberscancustomizetheinformationtheywanttoreceiveandproceeddirectlytoacompany'sWebsite.CompaniessuchasVirtualVineyardsarealreadystartingtousesimilartechnologiestopushmessagestocustomersaboutspecialsales,productofferings,orotherevents.ButpushtechnologyhasearnedthecontemptofmanyWebusers.Onlineculturethinkshighlyofthenotionthattheinformationflowingontothescreencomestherebyspecificrequest.Oncecommercialpromotionbeginstofillthescreenuninvited,thedistinctionbetweentheWebandtelevisionfades.That'saprospectthathorrifiesNetpurists.

ButitishardlyinevitablethatcompaniesontheWebwillneedtoresorttopushstrategiestomakemoney.TheexamplesofVirtualVineyards,Amazon.corn,andotherpioneersshowthataWebsitesellingtherightkindofproductswiththerightmixofinteractivity,hospitality,andsecuritywillattractonlinecustomers.Andthecostofcomputingpowercontinuestofreefall,whichisagoodsignforanyenterprisesettingupshopinsilicon.Peoplelookingback5or10yearsfromnowmaywell

wonderwhysofewcompaniestooktheonlineplunge.

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15.WelearnfromthebeginningofthepassagethatWebbusiness

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

hasbeenstrivingtoexpanditsmarket.intendedtofollowafancifulfashion.triedbutinvaintocontrolthemarket.

hasbeenboomingforoneyearorso.

16.Speakingoftheonlinetechnologyavailableformarketing,theauthorimpliesthat

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

thetechnologyispopularwithmanyWebusers.

businesseshavefaithinthereliabilityofonlinetransactions.thereisaradicalchangeinstrategy.

itisaccessiblelimitedlytoestablishedpartners.

17.IntheviewofNetpurists,

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

thereshouldbenomarketingmessagesinonlineculture.moneymakingshouldbegivenprioritytoontheWeb.theWebshouldbeabletofunctionasthetelevisionset.

thereshouldbenoonlinecommercialinformationwithoutrequests.

18.Welearnfromthelastparagraphthat

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

pushinginformationontheWebisessentialtoInternetcommerce.interactivity,hospitalityandsecurityareimportanttoonlinecustomers.leadingcompaniesbegantotaketheonlineplungedecadesago.

settingupshopsinsiliconisindependentofthecostofcomputingpower.

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Text3

Aninvisibleborderdividesthosearguingforcomputersintheclassroomonthebehalfofstudents'careerprospectsandthosearguingforcomputersintheclassroomforbroaderreasonsofradicaleducationalreform.Veryfewwritersonthesubjecthaveexploredthisdistinction-indeed,

contradiction-whichgoestotheheartofwhatiswrongwiththecampaigntoputcomputersintheclassroom.

Aneducationthataimsatgettingastudentacertainkindofjobisatechnicaleducation,justifiedforreasonsradicallydifferentfromwhyeducationisuniversallyrequiredbylaw.Itisnotsimplytoraiseeveryone'sjobprospectsthatallchildrenarelegallyrequiredtoattendschoolintotheirteens.Rather,wehaveacertainconceptionoftheAmericancitizen,acharacterwhoisincompleteifhecannotcompetentlyassesshowhislivelihoodandhappinessareaffectedbythingsoutsideofhimself.Butthiswasnotalwaysthecase;beforeitwaslegallyrequiredforallchildrentoattendschooluntilacertainage,itwaswidelyacceptedthatsomewerejustnotequippedbynaturetopursuethis

kindofeducation.Withoptimismcharacteristicofallindustrializedcountries,wecametoaccept

thateveryoneisfittobeeducated.

Computer-educationadvocatesforsakethisoptimistic

notionforapessimismthatbetraystheirotherwisecheeryoutlook.Bankingontheconfusionbetweeneducationalandvocationalreasonsforbringingcomputersintoschools,computeredadvocatesoftenemphasizethejobprospectsofgraduatesovertheireducationalachievement.

Therearesomegoodargumentsforatechnicaleducationgiventherightkindofstudent.ManyEuropeanschoolsintroducetheconceptofprofessionaltrainingearlyoninordertomakesurechildrenareproperlyequippedfortheprofessionstheywanttojoin.Itis,however,presumptuoustoinsistthattherewillonlybesomanyjobsforsomanyscientists,somanybusinessmen,somanyaccountants.Besides,thisisunlikelytoproducetheneedednumberofeverykindofprofessionalinacountryaslargeasoursandwheretheeconomyisspreadoversomanystatesandinvolvessomanyinternationalcorporations.

But,forasmallgroupofstudents,professionaltrainingmightbethewaytogosmcewell-developedskills,allotherfactorsbeingequal,canbethedifferencebetweenhavingajobandnot.Ofcourse,thebasicsofusinganycomputerthesedaysareverysimple.Itdoesnottakealifelongacquaintancetopickupvarioussoftwareprograms.Ifonewantedtobecomeacomputerengineer,thatis,ofcourse,anentirelydifferentstory.Basiccomputerskillstake-attheverylongest-acoupleofmonthstolearn.Inanycase,basiccomputerskillsareonlycomplementarytothehostofrealskillsthatarenecessarytobecominganykindofprofessional.Itshouldbeobserved,ofcourse,thatno

school,vocationalornot,ishelpedbyaconfusionoveritspurpose.

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19.Theauthorthinksthepresentrushtoputcomputersintheclassroomis

[A][BJ[C]

[D]

farreachingdubiouslyorientedselfcontradictory

radicallyreformatory

20.Thebeliefthateducationisindispensabletoallchildren

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

isindicativeofapessimismindisguise.

cameintobeingalongwiththearrivalofcomputers.

isdeeplyrootedinthemindsofcomputer-edadvocates.originatedfromtheoptimisticattitudeofindustrializedcountries.

21.Itcouldbeinferredfromthepassagethatintheauthor'scountry

professionaltrainingis

the

European

model

of

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

dependentuponthestartingageofcandidates.worthtryinginvarioussocialsections.

oflittlepracticalvalue.

attractivetoeverykindofprofessional.

22.Accordingtotheauthor,basiccomputerskillsshouldbe

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

includedasanauxiliarycourseinschool.

highlightedinacquisitionofprofessionalqualifications.masteredthroughalife-longcourse.

equallyemphasizedbyanyschool,vocationalorotherwise.

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Text4

WhenaScottishresearchteamstartledtheworldbyrevealing3monthsagothatithadclonedanadultsheep,PresidentClintonmovedswiftly.Declaringthathewasopposedtousingthisunusual

animalhusbandrytechniquetoclonehumans,heorderedthatfederalfundsnotbeusedforsuchan

experiment-althoughnoonehadproposedtodoso-andaskedanindependentpanelofexperts

chairedbyPrincetonPresidentHaroldShapirotoreportbacktotheWhiteHousein90dayswithrecommendationsforanationalpolicyonhumancloning.Thatgroup-theNationalBioethics

AdvisoryCommission(NBAC)-hasbeenworkingfeverishlytoputitswisdomonpaper,andata

meetingon17May,membersagreedonanearfinaldraftoftheirrecommendations.

NBACwillaskthatClinton's90daybanonfederalfundsforhumancloningbeextendedindefinitely,andpossiblythatitbemadelaw.ButNBACmembersareplanningtowordtherecommendationnarrowlytoavoidnewrestrictionsonresearchthatinvolvesthecloningofhumanDNAorcells-routineinmolecularbiology.Thepanelhasnotyetreachedagreementonacrucialquestion,however,whethertorecommendlegislationthatwouldmakeitacrimeforprivatefundingtobeusedforhumancloning.

Inadraftprefacetotherecommendations,discussedatthe17Maymeeting,Shapirosuggestedthatthepanelhadfoundabroadconsensusthatitwouldbe"morallyunacceptabletoattempttocreateahumanchildbyadultnuclearcloning."Shapiroexplainedduringthemeetingthatthemoraldoubtstemsmainlyfromfearsabouttherisktothehealthofthechild.Thepaneltheninformallyacceptedseveralgeneralconclusions,althoughsomedetailshavenotbeensettled.

NBACplanstocallforacontinuedbanonfederalgovernmentfundingforanyattempttoclone

bodycellnucleitocreateachild.Becausecurrentfederallawalreadyforbidstheuseoffederalfundstocreateembryos(theearlieststageofhumanoffspringbeforebirth)forresearchortoknowingly

endangeranembryo'slife,NBACwillremainsilentonembryoresearch.

NBACmembersalsoindicatedthattheywouldappealtoprivatelyfundedresearchersandclinics

nottotrytoclonehumansbybodycellnucleartransfer.Buttheyweredividedonwhethertogo

furtherbycallingforafederallawthatwouldimposeacompletebanonhumancloning.Shapiroand

mostmembersfavoredanappealforsuchlegislation,butinaphoneinterview,hesaidthisissuewas

still"upintheair".

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23.Wecanlearnfromthefirstparagraphthat

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

federalfundshavebeenusedinaprojecttoclonehumans.theWhiteHouserespondedstronglytothenewsofcloning.

NBACwasauthorizedtocontrolthemisuseofcloningtechnique.

theWhiteHousehasgotthepanel'srecommendationsoncloning.

24.Thepanelagreedonallofthefollowingexceptthat

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

thebanonfederalfundsforhumancloningshouldbemadealaw.thecloningofhumanDNAisnottobeputundermorecontrol.itiscriminaltouseprivatefundingforhumancloning.

itwouldbeagainstethicalvaluestocloneahumanbeing.

25.NBACwillleavetheissueofembryoresearchundiscussedbecause

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

embryoresearchisjustacurrentdevelopmentofcloning.

thehealthofthechildisnotthemainconcernofembryoresearch.

anembryo'slifewillnotbeendangeredinembryoresearch.theissueisexplicitlystatedandsettledinthelaw.

26.Itcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthat

[A]

[B]

[C]

[D]

someNBACmembershesitatetobanhumancloningcompletely.alawbanninghumancloningistobepassedinnotime.

privatelyfundedresearcherswillrespondpositivelytoNBAC'sappeal.

theissueofhumancloningwillsoonbesettled.

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Texts

Science,inpractice,dependsfarlessontheexperimentsitpreparesthanonthepreparednessofthemindsofthemenwhowatchtheexperiments.SirIsaacNewtonsupposedlydiscoveredgravitythroughthefallofanapple.Appleshadbeenfallinginmanyplacesforcenturiesandthousandsofpeoplehadseenthemfall.ButNewtonforyearshadbeencuriousaboutthecauseoftheorbitalmotionofthemoonandplanets.Whatkepttheminplace?Whydidn'ttheyfalloutofthesky?Thefactthattheapplefelldowntowardtheearthandnotupintothetreeansweredthequestionhehadbeenaskinghimselfaboutthoselargerfruitsoftheheavens,themoonandtheplanets.

Howmanymenwouldhaveconsideredthepossibilityofanapplefallingupintothetree?Newtondidbecausehewasnottryingtopredictanything.Hewasjustwondering.Hismindwasreadyfortheunpredictable.Unpredictabilityispartoftheessentialnatureofresearch.Ifyoudon'thaveunpredictablethings,youdon'thaveresearch.Scientiststendtoforgetthiswhenwritingtheircutanddriedreportsforthetechnicaljournals,buthistoryisfilledwithexamplesofit.

Intalkingtosomescientists,particularlyyoungerones,youmightgathertheimpressionthattheyfindthe"scientificmethod"asubstituteforimaginativethought.I'veattendedresearchconferenceswhereascientisthasbeenaskedwhathethinksabouttheadvisabilityofcontinuingacertainexperiment.Thescientisthasfrowned,lookedatthegraphs,andsaid,"thedataarestillinconclusive.""Weknowthat,"themenfromthebudgetofficehavesaid,"butwhatdoyouthink?Isitworthwhilegoingon?Whatdoyouthinkwemightexpect?"Thescientisthasbeenshockedathavingevenbeenaskedtospeculate.

Whatthisamountsto,ofcourse,isthatthescientisthasbecomethevictimofhisownwritings.Hehasputforwardunquestionedclaimssoconsistentlythathenotonlybelievesthemhimself,buthasconvincedindustrialandbusinessmanagementthattheyaretrue.Ifexperimentsareplannedandcarriedoutaccordingtoplanasfaithfullyasthereportsinthesciencejournalsindicate,thenitisperfectlylogicalformanagementtoexpectresearchtoproduceresultsmeasurableindollarsandcents.Itisentirelyreasonableforauditorstobelievethatscientistswhoknowexactlywheretheyaregoingandhowtheywillgetthereshouldnotbedistractedbythenecessityofkeepingoneeyeonthecashregisterwhiletheothereyeisonthemicroscope.Nor,ifregularityandconformitytoastandardpatternareasdesirabletothescientistasthewritingofhispaperswouldappeartoreflect,ismanagementtobeblamedfordiscriminatingagainstthe"oddballs"amongresearchersinfavorof

moreconventionalthinkerswho"workwellwiththeteam".

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27.TheauthorwantstoprovewiththeexampleoflsaacNewtonthat

[AJ

inquiringmindsaremoreimportantthanscientificexperiments

scienceadvanceswhenfruitfulresearchesareconductedscientistsseldomforgettheessentialnatureofresearch

unpredictabilityweighslessthanpredictioninscientificresearch

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

28.Theauthorassertsthatscientists

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

shouldn'treplace"scientificmethod"withimaginativethoughtshouldn'tneglecttospeculateonunpredictablethings

shouldwritemoreconcisereportsfortechnicaljournals

shouldbeconfidentabouttheirresearchfindings

29.Itseemsthatsomeyoungscientists

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

[DJ

haveakeeninterestinpredictionoftenspeculateonthefuturethinkhighlyofcreativethinking

stickto"scientificmethod"

30.Theauthorimpliesthattheresultsofscientificresearch

[AJ

[BJ

[CJ

maynotbeasprofitableastheyareexpectedcanbemeasuredindollarsandcents

relyonconformitytoastandardpattern

aremostlyunderestimatedbymanagement

[DJ

-11-

PartB

Directions:

ReadthefollowingpassagecarefullyandthentranslatetheunderlinedsentencesintoChinese.Your

translationmustbewrittenclearlyontheANSWERSHEET2.(15points)

31)Whiletherearealmostasmanydefinitionsofhistoryastherearehistorians,modempractice

mostcloselyconformstoonethatseeshistoryastheattempttorecreateandexplainthesignificant

eventsofthepast.Caughtinthewebofitsowntimeandplace,eachgenerationofhistorians

determinesanewwhatissignificantforitinthepast.Inthissearchtheevidencefoundisalwaysincompleteandscattered;itisalsofrequentlypartialorpartisan.Theironyofthehistorian'scraftisthatitspractitionersalwaysknowthattheireffortsarebutcontributionstoanunendingprocess.

32)Interestinhistoricalmethodshasarisenlessthroughexternalchallengetothevalidityofhistoryasanintellectualdisciplineandmorefrominternalquarrelsamonghistoriansthemselves.Whilehist