2013年考研法硕英语最新模拟题之阅读理解

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　　Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes, 40 points)
        　　Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passage is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.
        　　Passage One
        　　Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust. Other authorities, however, think the auto is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of travel in the foreseeable future.
        　　The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller, safer, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.
        　　Regardless of its power source, the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion(拥挤). One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system.
        　　When the auto enters the highway system, a retractable (可伸缩的) arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once attached to the rail, the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the car's movements.
        　　The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best mute, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer(蜂鸣器) that will warn of his coming exit. It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to ban 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,400 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.
        　　31. One significant improvement in the future car will probably be ______________.
        　　A. its power source B. its driving system
        　　C. its monitoring system D. its seating capacity
        　　32. What is the author's main concern?
        　　A. How to render automobiles pollution-free.
        　　B. How to make smaller and safer automobiles.
        　　C. How to solve the problem of traffic jams.
        　　D. How to develop an automated subway system.
        　　33. What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?
        　　A. A rail. B. An engine.
        　　C. A retractable ann. D. A computer controller.
        　　34. In an automated highway system, all the driver needs to do is ____________.
        　　A. keep in the right lane
        　　B. wait to arrive at his destination
        　　C. keep in constant touch with the computer center
        　　D. inform the system of his destination by phone
        　　35. What is the author's attitude toward the future of autos?
        　　A. Enthusiastic. B. Pessimistic.
        　　C. Optimistic. D. Cautious.
        　　Passage Two
        　　Do you know that all human beings have a "comfortable zone" regulating the distance they stand from someone when they talk? This distance varies in interesting ways among people of different cultures.
        　　Greeks, others of the Eastern Mediterranean, and many of those from South America normally stand close together when they talk, often moving their faces even closer as they warm up in a conversation. North Americans find this awkward and often back away a few inches. Studies have found that they tend to feel most comfortable at about 21 inches apart. In much of Asia and Africa, there is even more space between two speakers in conversation. This greater space subtly lends an air of dignity and respect. This matter of space is nearly always unconscious, but it is interesting to observe.
        　　This difference applies also to the closeness with which people sit together, the extent which they lean over one another in conversation, how they move as they argue, or make an emphatic point. In the United States, for example, people try to keep their bodies apart even in a crowded elevator; in Paris they take it as it comes!
        　　Although North Americans have a relatively wide "comfortable zone" for talking, they communicate a great deal with their hands — not only with gestures but also with touch. They put a sympathetic hand on a person's shoulder to demonstrate warmth of feeling or an arm around him in sympathy; they nudge a man in the ribs to emphasize a funny story; they pat an arm in reassurance or stroke a child's head in affection, they readily take someone's arm to help him across a street or direct him along an unfamiliar route. To many people — especially those from Asia or the Moslem countries — such bodily contact is unwelcome, especially if inadvertently done with the left hand. (The left hand carries no special significance in the U. S. Many Americans are simply left handed and use that hand more. )
        　　36. In terms of bodily distance, North Americans ____________.
        　　A. are similar to South Americans
        　　B. stand farthest apart
        　　C. don't feel at ease when too close
        　　D. move nearer during conversations
        　　37. For Asians, the comfortable zone _____________.
        　　A. is deliberately determined
        　　B. measures 21 inches
        　　C. varies according to status
        　　D. implies esteem
        　　38. It can be inferred from the passage that in a crowded elevator, a Frenchman would __________.
        　　A. behave in the same way as an American would
        　　B. make no particular effort to distance himself
        　　C. be afraid of bodily contact
        　　D. do his best to leave
        　　39. When Americans tell a joke, they often ___________.
        　　A. pat people on the head
        　　B. give people a hug
        　　C. dig people in the ribs
        　　D. touch people on the arm
        　　40. What does the passage mainly concern?
        　　A. It concerns distance and bodily contact.
        　　B. It concerns body language.
        　　C. It concerns cultural differences between the East and the West.
        　　D. It concerns hand signals.

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        　　Passage Three
        　　For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the nation's elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 40 years. By 2040, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change poses profound questions for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. "In addition to the doctors, we're going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers," says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California's ( USC ) School of Gerontology (老年学).
        　　Lawyers can specialize in "elder law", which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge opportunities in tile elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history.. "Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money," one professor says.
        　　Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found She was "really bored with bacteria." So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it. She says, "I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying."
        　　41. "... Old is suddenly in"(Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means __________.
        　　A. America has suddenly become a nation of old people
        　　B. gerontology has suddenly become popular
        　　C. name elderly professors are found on American campuses
        　　D. American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students
        　　42. With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit ____________.
        　　A. from the adoption of the "elder law"
        　　B. from rendering special services to the elderly
        　　C. by enriching their professional knowledge
        　　D. by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests
        　　43. Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?
        　　A. Retirees are more generous in spending money.
        　　B. They can employ more gerontologists.
        　　C. The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.
        　　D. There are more elderly people working than before.
        　　44. Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage?
        　　A. Retirees who are business-minded.
        　　B. The volunteer workers in retirement homes.
        　　C. College graduates with an MBA or law degree.
        　　D. Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology.
        　　45. It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America's elderly population ___________.
        　　A. will provide good job opportunities in many areas
        　　B. will impose an unbearable burden on society
        　　C. may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination
        　　D. will create new fields of study in universities
        　　Passage Four
        　　The decline in moral standards — which has long concerned social analysts — has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.
        　　The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation's moral climate, says this ethics(伦理学) professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.
        　　But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that I'm in it for me has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness," Ms. Elshtain says.
        　　Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today's greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.
        　　In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1940s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.
        　　The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament (挽歌) for some nonexistent "golden
        　　age", Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful (一厢情愿的) longing for a time that denied opportunities
        　　to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.
        　　Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can't be bought.'
        　　46. Professor Elshtain is pleased to see that Americans
        　　A. have adapted to a new set of moral standards
        　　B. am longing for the return of the good old days
        　　C. have realized the importance of material things
        　　D. are awakening to the lowering of their moral standards
        　　47. The moral decline of American society is caused mainly by
        　　A. its growing wealth
        　　B. the self-centeredness of individuals
        　　C. underestimating the impact of social changes
        　　D. the prejudice against women and minorities
        　　48. Which of the following characterizes the traditional communities?
        　　A. Great mobility. B. Concern for one's neighbors.
        　　C. Emphasis on individual effort. D. Ever-weakening social bonds.
        　　49. In the 1940s, classroom violence ____________.
        　　A. was something unheard of B. was by no means a rare occurrence
        　　C. attracted a lot of public attention D. began to appear in analysts' data
        　　50. According to Elshtain, the current moral decline may be reversed ____________.
        　　A. if people can return to the "golden age"
        　　B. when women and men enjoy equal rights
        　　C. when people rid themselves of prejudice
        　　D. if less emphasis is laid on material things