资源描述
考研英语真题预测（1990－）
1990
l Reading
Passage 1
In May l989, space shuttle "Atlantis" released in outer space the space probe “Magellan”, which is now on her 15-month and one-billion-kilometer flight to Venus. A new phase in space
exploration has begun .
The planet Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth; it is the only other object in the solar
system, in fact, that even comes close to earth’s size. Venus has a similar density, so it is probably made of approximately the same stuff, and it has an atmosphere, complete with clouds. It is also the closest planet to earth, and thus the most similar in distance from the sun. In short, Venus seems to justify its long-held nickname of “earth’s twin.”
The surface temperature of Venus reaches some 900F. Added to that is an atmospheric pressure about 90 times Earth' s: High overhead in the carbon dioxide that passes for air is a layer of clouds, perhaps IO to 20 miles thick, whose little drops consist mostly of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) . Water is all but nonexistent.
Born with so many fundamental similarities to earth, how did Venus get to be so radically different: It is not just an academic matter. For all its extremes, Venus is a valuable laboratory for researchers studying the weather and climate of earth. It has no earth’s oceans, so the heat transport and other mechanisms are greatly simplified. In addition, the planet Venus takes 243 earth-days to turn once on its axis, so incoming heat from the sun is added and distributed at a more leisurely, observable pace.
16. Venus is similar to Earth in __
A. size and density B. distance from the sun
C. having atmosphere D. all of the above
17. The greatest value in studying Venus should be to__
A. allow us to visit there B. understand Earth better
C. find a new source of energy D. promote a new space program
18. The main idea of this passage is about _
A. problems of space travel B. scientific methods in space exploration
C. the importance of Venus to Earth D. conditions on Venus
Passage 2
Tourists were surprised to see a woman driving a huge orange tractor down one of Rome’s main avenues. Italy' s political leaders and some of its male union chiefs are said to have been even more puzzled to see that the tractor was followed by about 200,OOO women in a parading procession that took more than three hours to snake through central Rome.
Shouting slogans, waving flags and dancing to drumbeats, the women had come to the capital from all over Italy to demonstrate for "a job for each of us, a different type of job, and a society without violence”. So far, action to improve women’s opportunities in employment has been the province of collective industrial bargaining. " But there is a growing awareness that this is not enough, " says a researcher on female labor at the government-funded Institute for the Development of Professional Training for Workers.
Women, who constitute 52 per cent of Italy’s population, today represent only 35 per cent of Italy’s total workforce and 33 per cent of the total number of Italians with jobs. However, their presence in the workplace is growing. The employment of women is expanding considerably in services, next to the public administration and commerce as their principal workplace. Official statistics also show that women have also made significant strides in self-employment. More and more women are going into business for themselves. Many young women are turning to business because of the growing overall in employment. It is also a fact that today many prejudices have disappeared , so that banks and other financial institutes make judgements on purely business considerations without caring if it is a man or a woman.
Such changes are occurring in the professions too. The number of women doctors, dentists, lawyers, engineers and university professors increased two to three fold. Some of the changes are immediately visible. For example, women have appeared on the scene for the first time as state police , railway workers and street cleaner.
However, the present situation is far from satisfactory though some progress has been made. A breakthrough in equal opportunities for women is now demanded.
19. The expression "snake through central Rome" probably means "to move_
A. quietly through central Rome"
B. violently through central Rome"
C. in a long winding line through central Rome"
D. at a leisurely pace through central Rome"
20. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. There are more women than men in Italy.
B. In Italy, women are chiefly employed in services.
C. In Italy, women are still at a disadvantage in employment.
D. In Italy, about two-thirds of the jobs are held by men.
21. About 200 ,OOO women in Rome demonstrated for_
A. more job opportunities B. a greater variety of jobs
C. "equal job, equal pay" D. both A and B
22. The best title for this passage would be_
A. The Role of Women is Society
B. Women Demonstrate for Equality in Employment
C. Women as Self-employed Professionals
D. Women and the Jobs Market
Passage 3
"The old idea that talented children "burn themselves out" in the early years, and, therefore, are subjected to failure and at worst, mental illness if unfounded. As a matter of fact, the outstanding thing that happens to bright kids is that they are very likely to grow into bright adults.
To find this out, l,500 gifted persons were followed up to their thirty-fifth year with these results :
On adult intelligence tests, they scored as high as they had as children. They were, as a group, in good health, physically and mentally. 84 per cent of their group were married and seemed content with their lives.
About 70 per cent had graduated from college, though only 30 per cent had graduated with honors. A few had even dropped out, but nearly half of these had returned to graduate.
Of the men, 80 per cent were in one of the professions or in business management or semiprofessional jobs. The women who had remained single had office , business , or professional occupations .
The group had published 90 books and 1, 500 articles in scientific, scholarly, and literary magazines and had collected more than 100 patents.
In a material way they did not do badly either. Average income was considerably higher among the gifted people, especially the men, than for the country as a whole, despite their comparative youth .
In fact, far from being strange, most of the gifted were turning their early promise into practical reality.
23. The old idea that talented children "bum themselves out" in the early years is_
A. true in all senses B. refuted by the author
C. medically proven D. a belief of the author
24. The survey of bright children was made to
A. find out what had happened to talented children when they became adults
B. prove that talented children "burn themselves out" in the early years
C. discover the percentage of those mentally ill among the gifted
D. prove that talented children never bum themselves out
25 . Intelligence tests showed that_
A. bright children were unlikely to be mentally healthy
B. between childhood and adulthood there was a considerable loss of intelligence
C. talented children were most likely to become gifted adults
D. when talented children grew into adults, they made low scores
l Translation
People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behaviors are formed. It is not easy to explain why me person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.
Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of questions. (61) They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors. There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from each other. The controversy is often conveniently referred to as "nature as nurture.”
(62 ) Those who support the "nature" side of the conflict believe that our personalities and
behavior patterns are largely determined by biological factors. (63) That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics and behavior is central to this theory. Taken to an extreme, this theory maintains that our behavior is pre-determined to such a great degree that we are almost completely governed bv our instincts.
Those who support the "nurture" theory, that is, they advocate education, are often called behaviorists. They claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act. A behaviorist, B. F. Skinner, sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings. (64) The behaviorists maintain that, like machines, humans respond to environmental stimuli as the basis of their behavior.
Let us examine the different explanations about one human characteristic, intelligence, offered by the two theories. (65) Supporters of the "nature" theory insist that we are born with a certain capacity for learning that is biologically determined. Needless to say. They don't believe that factors in the environment have much influence on what is basically a predetermined characteristic. On the other hand, behaviorists argue that our intelligence levels are the product of our experiences. (66) Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greater intellectual development .
The social and political implications of these two theories are profound. (67) In the United States, blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligence tests. This leads some “nature" proponents to conclude that blacks are biologically inferior to whites. (68) Behaviorists, in contrast , say that differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often deprived of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy. .
Most people think neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior.
1991
l Reading
Passage 1
A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a police officer, I have some urgent things to say to good people.
Day after day my men and I struggle to hold back a tidal wave of crime. Something has gone terribly wrong with our once-proud American way of life. It has happened in the area of values. A key ingredient is disappearing, and I think I know what it is: accountability.
Accountability isn't hard to define. It means that every person is responsible for his or her actions and liable for their consequences.
Of the many values that hold civilization together--honesty, kindness, and so on--account-ability may be the most important of all. Without it, there can be no respect, no trust, no law--and, ultimately, no society.
My job as a police officer is to impose accountability on people who refuse, or have never learned, to impose it on themselves. But as every policeman knows, external controls on people's behavior are far less effective than internal restraints such as guilt, shame and embarrassment.
Fortunately there are still communities--smaller towns, usually--where schools maintain discipline and where parents hold up standards that proclaim: "In this family certain things are not tolerated--they simply are not done!”
Yet more and more, especially in our larger cities and suburbs, these inner restraints are loosening. Your typical robber has none. He considers your property his property; he takes what he wants, including your life if you enrage him.
The main cause of this break-down is a radical shift in attitudes. Thirty years ago, if a crime
was committed, society was considered the victim. Now, in a shocking reversal, it’s the criminal who is considered victimized: by his underprivileged upbringing, by the school that didn't teach him to read, by the church that failed to reach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn't provide a stable home.
I don’t believe it. Many others in equally disadvantaged circumstances choose not to engage in criminal activities. If we free the criminal, even partly, from accountability, we become a society of endless excuses where no one accepts responsibility for anything.
We in America desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.
31. What the wise man said suggests that _____.
A. it' s unnecessary for good people to do anything in face of evil
B. it' s certain that evil will prevail if good men do nothing about it
C. it's only natural for venue to defeat evil
D. it's desirable for good men to keep away from evil
32. According to the author, if a person is found guilty of a crime, _____.
A. society is to be held responsible
B. modern civilization is rnponsible for it
C. the criminal himself should bear the blame
D. the standards of living should be improved
33. Compared with those in small towns, people in large cities have _____.
A. less self-discipline B. better sense of discipline
C. more mutual respect . D. less effective government
34. The writer is sorry to have noticed that _____.
A. people in large cities tend to excuse criminals
B. people in small towns still stick to old discipline and standards
C. today ' s society lacks sympathy for people in difficulty
D. people in disadvantaged circumstances are engaged in criminal activities
35. The key point of the passage is that _____.
A. stricter discipline should be maintained in schools and families
B. more good examples should be set for people to follow
C. more restrictions should be imposed on people' s behavior
D. more people should accept the value of accountability
Passage 2
The period of adolescence, i. e., the person between childhood and adulthood, may be long or short, depending on social expectations and on society’s definition as to what constitutes maturity and adulthood. In primitive societies adolescence is frequently a relatively short period of time, while in industrial societies with patters of prolonged education coupled with laws against child labor, the period of adolescence is much longer and may include most of the second decade of one's life. Furthermore, the length of the adolescent period and the definition of adulthood status may change in a given society as social and economic conditions change. Examples of this type of change are the disappearance of the frontier in the latter part of the nineteenth century in the U-noted States, and more universally, the industrialization of an agricultural society.
In modern society, ceremonies for adolescence have lost their formal recognition and symbolic significanc
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