2014考研英语模拟测试题七

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　　Section I Use of English
　　Directions:
　　Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on
　　ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)
　　It is often observed that the aged spend much time thinking and talking about their past lives, rather than about
　　the future. These reminiscences are not simply random or trivial memories, 1 is their purpose merely to
　　make conversation. The old person’s recollections of the past help to 2 an identity that is becoming
　　increasingly fragile: 3 any role that brings respect or any goal that might provide 4 to the future, the
　　individual mentions their 5 as a reminder to listeners, that here was a life 6 living. 7 , the
　　memories form part of a continuing life 8 , in which the old person 9 the events and experiences of the
　　years gone by and 10 on the overall meaning of his or her own almost completed life.
　　As the life cycle 11 to its close, the aged must also learn to accept the reality of their own impending
　　death. 12 this task is made difficult by the fact that death is almost a 13 subject in the United States. The
　　mere discussion of death is often regarded as 14 . As adults, many of us find the topic frightening and are
　　15 to think about it and certainly not to talk about it 16 the presence of someone who is dying. Death
　　has achieved this taboo 17 only in the modern industrial societies. There seems to be an important reason
　　for our reluctance to 18 the idea of death. It is the very fact that death remains 19 our control; it is
　　almost the only of the natural processes 20 is so.
　　Notes: reminiscence n.回忆。 fragile adj. 脆弱的。 Impending adj.即将发生的。
　　1. [A] so [B] even [C] nor [D] hardly
　　2. [A] preserve [B] conserve [C] resume [D] assume
　　3. [A] performing [B] playing [C] undertaking [D] lacking
　　4. [A] orientation [B] implication [C] succession [D] presentation
　　5. [A] present [B] past [C] experience [D] fate
　　6. [A] worthy [B] worth [C] worthless [D] worthwhile
　　7. [A] In a word [B] In brief [C] In addition [D] In particular
　　8. [A] prospect [B] impetus [C] impression [D] review
　　9. [A] integrates [B] incorporates [C] includes [D] interacts
　　10. [A] reckons [B] counts [C] reflects [D] conceive
　　11. [A] keeps [B] draws [C] inclines [D] tends
　　12. [A] Therefore [B] And [C] Yet [D] Otherwise
　　13. [A] taboo [B] dispute [C] contempt [D] neglect
　　14. [A] notorious [B] indecent [C] obscure [D] desperate
　　15. [A] ready [B] willing [C] liable [D] reluctant
　　16. [A] at [B] on [C] with [D] in
　　17. [A] status [B] circumstance [C] environment [D] priority
　　18. [A] encounter [B] confront [C] tolerate [D] expose
　　19. [A] under [B] above [C] beyond [D] within
　　20. [A] which [B] what [C] as [D] that
　　Section II Reading Comprehension
　　Part A
　　Directions:
　　Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D.
　　Text 1
　　Those who welcomed the railway saw it as more than a rapid and comfortable means of passing. They actually
　　saw it as a factor in world peace. They did not foresee that the railway would be just one more means for the
　　rapid movement of aggressive armies. None of them foresaw that the more we are together, the more chances
　　there are of war. Any boy or girl who is one of a large family knows that.
　　Whenever any new invention is put forward, those for it and those against it can always find medical men to
　　approve or condemn. The anti-railway group produced doctors who said that tunnels would be most dangerous to
　　public health: they would produce colds, catarrhs and consumptions. The deafening noise and the glare of the
　　engine fire would have a bad effect on the nerves. Further, being moved through the air at a high speed would do
　　grave injury to delicate lungs. In those with high blood-pressure, the movement of the train might produce
　　apoplexy(中风). The sudden plunging of a train into the darkness of a tunnel, and the equally sudden rush into
　　full daylight, would cause great damage to eyesight. But the pro-railway group was of course able to produce
　　equally famous medical men to say just the opposite. They said that the speed and swing of the train would
　　equalize the circulation, promote digestion, tranquilize the nerves, and ensure good sleep.
　　The actual rolling-stock was anything but comfortable. If it was a test of endurance to sit for four hours outside
　　a coach in rain, or inside in dirty air, the railway offered little more in the way of comfort. Certainly the
　　first-class carriages had cushioned seats; but the second-class had only narrow bare boards, while the third-class
　　had nothing at all; no seats and no roof; they were just open trucks. So that third-class passengers gained nothing
　　from the few mode except speed. In the matter of comfort, indeed they lost; they did, on the coaches, have a seat,
　　but now they had to stand all the way, which gave opportunities to the comic press. This kind of thing:” A man
　　was seen yesterday buying a third-class ticket for the new London and Birmingham Railway. The state of his
　　mind is being enquired into.”
　　A writer in the early days of railways wrote feelingly of both second-and third-class carriages. He made the
　　suggestion that the directors of the railways must have sent all over the world to find the hardest possible wood.
　　Of the open third-class trucks he said that they had the peculiar property of meeting the rain from whatever
　　quarter it came. He described them as horizontal shower-baths, from whose searching power there was no
　　escape.
　　21. All boys and girls in large families know that .
　　[A] a boy and a girl usually fight when they are together
　　[B] people tend to be together more than they used to be
　　[C] a lot of people being together makes fights likely
　　[D] railway leads the world to peace
　　22. Those who wanted railways .
　　[A] claimed the railways would make people nervous
　　[B] said people would sleep well if they traveled in trains
　　[C] found the trucks as comfortable as the coaches
　　[D] said sleeping well would become impossible without railways
　　23. The anti-railway group think that .
　　[A] tunnels are certain to cause colds
　　[B] the noise and the glare of the engine fire may affect people’s nerves
　　[C] it is a convenient way of making a change
　　[D] to those with high blood-pressure, the rapid speed of the train causes them to die
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kyfive

　　35. The author’s suggestion to the problem is .
　　[A] to make elementary schools an extension of the home for children
　　[B] to make classrooms look better
　　[C] to employ more men to teach in elementary schools
　　[D] men should be encouraged to teach in elementary schools with more pay
　　Text 4
　　The simple act of surrendering a telephone number to a store clerk may seem innocuous---so much so that
　　many consumers do it with no questions asked. Yet that one action can set in motion a cascade of silent events,
　　as that data point is acquired, analyzed, categorized, stored and sold over and over again. Future attacks on your
　　privacy may come from anywhere, from anyone with money to purchase that phone number you surrendered. If
　　you doubt the multiplier effect, consider your e-mail inbox. If it’s loaded with spam, it’s undoubtedly because at
　　some point in time you unknowingly surrendered your e-mail to the wrong Web site.
　　Do you think your telephone number of address are handled differently? A cottage industry of small
　　companies with names you’ve probably never heard of---like Acxiom or Merlin---buy and sell your personal
　　information the way other commodities like corn or cattle futures are bartered. You may think your cell phone is
　　unlisted, but if you’ve ever ordered a pizza, it might not be. Merlin is one of many commercial data brokers that
　　advertises sale of unlisted phone numbers compiled from various sources---including pizza delivery companies.
　　These unintended, unpredictable consequences that flow from simple actions make privacy issues difficult to
　　grasp, and grapple with.
　　In a larger sense, privacy also is often cast as a tale of “Big Brother”---the government is watching you or a
　　big corporation is watching you. But privacy issues don’t necessarily involve large faceless institutions: A spouse
　　takes a casual glance at her husband’s Blackberry, a co-worker looks at e-mail over your shoulder or a friend
　　glances at a cell phone text message from the next seat on the bus. While very little of this is news to
　　anyone---people are now well aware there are video cameras and Internet cookies everywhere---there is abundant
　　evidence that people live their lives ignorant of the monitoring, assuming a mythical level of privacy. People
　　write e-mails and type instant messages they never expect anyone to see. Just ask Mark Foley or even Bill Gates,
　　whose e-mails were a cornerstone of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against Microsoft.
　　And polls and studies have repeatedly shown that Americans are indifferent to privacy concerns. The general
　　defense for such indifference is summed up a single phrase: ”I have nothing to hide.” If you have nothing to hide,
　　why shouldn’t the government be able to peek at your phone records, your wife see your e-mail or a company
　　send you junk mail? It’s a powerful argument, one that privacy advocates spend considerable time discussing and
　　strategizing over.
　　It is hard to deny, however, that people behave different when they’re being watched. And it is also
　　impossible to deny that Americans are now being watched more than at any time in history.
　　36. The email example shows
　　[A] email has become the predominant means of communication.
　　[B] careless surrendering of personal information can be harmful.
　　[C] the communication via email is replacing that via telephone.
　　[D] email will become an area for potential attacks on privacy.
　　37. Companies like Acxiom or Merlin
　　[A] make a profit by acquiring and selling personal information.
　　[B] compile telephone directories for local business transaction.
　　[C] are law firms specializing in dealing with privacy issues.
　　[D] are agencies whose major mission is to protect privacy.
　　38. We can infer from the third paragraph that
　　[A] cases of intrusion on privacy the most serious in large institutions.
　　[B] people are now clearly aware how their privacy can be invaded.
　　[C] the Justice Department has done nothing about privacy issues so far.
　　[D] Bill Gates’ email messages have been used against him in his lawsuit.
　　39. To the popular saying “I have nothing to hide”, the author’s response is one of
　　[A] admiration. [B] contempt.
　　[C] disapproval. [D] puzzlement.
　　40. What advice might the author give to the ordinary people?
　　[A] Never leave your telephone number anywhere.
　　[B] Raise your awareness of self-protection.
　　[C] Use your cell phone and email wisely.
　　[D] Don’t respond too readily to telephone messages.
　　Part B
　　Directions:
　　In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For questions 41-45, choose the most
　　suitable one from the list A-G to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices, which do
　　not fit in any of the blanks.
　　We’ve all seen the headlines about mobile phones. If you believed everything you read, you’d throw your
　　mobile away immediately for fear of everything from cancer to infertility. And that’s before we even start to
　　think about mobile phone base stations. 40 percent of people surveyed believed that masts are likely to cause
　　health problems. So what’s the truth? Should we worry about our mobile phones?
　　A vast amount of research has been done into mobile phone handsets. A few studies have claimed that
　　some phones can cause higher raters of brain tumors.
　　(41)
　　In 1999, the government commissioned an independent group of experts to look into the potential risks
　　of phones. The result was the “Stewart Report”, published in April 2000. This report advised that gaps in our
　　current knowledge mean we should take a “precautionary approach” to phone use.
　　(42)
　　In 2000, the Department of Health published a leaflet summarizing the recommendations from the
　　“Stewart Report”. This leaflet is supposed to be distributed by every mobile phone retailer. Sadly not all of the
　　retailers are doing this.
　　(43)
　　However, the dispute is still out on mobile phone handsets, especially the mobile phone base stations.
　　Is there any clearer evidence that they cause health problems? Again there is conflicting information. The
　　“Stewart Report” does not state implicitly any adverse health effects when exposed to a mobile phone. However,
　　many people up and down the country are suspicious.
　　(44)
　　The Should I Worry About team decided to carry out a test. They put ten students in a house for ten
　　days and erected a mobile mast in the garden. They weren’t entirely honest with them though; they told the
　　students the mast was on at the start of the experiment and off at the end. In fact it was off at the start and on at
　　the end. What’s interesting is that the only time any of the students felt ill was when the mast was OFF but they
　　thought it was ON.
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