考研英语(一)模拟题2018年(13)_真题-无答案

考研英语(一)模拟题2018年(13) (总分100,考试时间90分钟)

Reading Comprehension

Text 1

Crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tears, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears is likely to apologize, even when a devastating tragedy was the provocation. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional outpouring. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, links between illness and crying and the **position of tears,both those responses to tearsare often inappropriate and may even becounterproductive.

Humans are the only animals definitely known to shed emotiomal tears. Since evolution has given rise to few, if any, purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance survival.

Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to elicit assistance from others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.

Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress. University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the **position of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.

Researchers at several other institutions are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs.

At Tulane University\"s Tear Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse and exposure to medication, to determine whether a contact lens fits properly of why it may be uncomfortable, to study the causes of \"dry eye\" syndrome and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.

At Columbia University Dt. Liasy Faris and colleagues are studying tears for clues to the diagnosis of diseases away from the eyes. Tears can be obtained painlessly without invading the

body and only tiny amounts are needed to perform highly refined analyses. 1. It is known from the first paragraph that

A. crying usually wins sympathy from other people.

B. crying may often imitate people or even result in tragedy. C. shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to Americans. D. one who sheds tears in public will be blamed.

2. What does \"both those responses to tears\" (Para. 1) refer to? A. Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.

B. The tear shedder\"s apology and the observer\"s effort to stop the crying. C. The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers. D. Linking illness with crying and finding the **position of tears. 3. \"Counterproductive\" (Para. 1) very probably means A. \"having no effect at all\". B. \"leading to tension\".

C. \"producing disastrous impact\". D. \"harmful to health\".

4. What does the author say about crying?

A. It must have a role to play in man\"s survival.

B. It is a pointless physiological response to the environment. C. It is meant to get attention and assistance. D. It usually produces the desired effect.

5. What can be inferred from the new studies of tears?

A. Environmental pollutants can induce the shedding of emotional tears. B. Exposure to excessive medication may increase emotional tears. C. Emotional tears can give rise to \"dry eye\" syndrome in some cases. D. Emotional tears have the function of reducing stress.

Text 2

For hundreds of millions of years, turtles have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings down to the water\"s edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you\"d think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct.

ButNature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environ-mental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from \"threatened\" to \"endangered\"—meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional

help.

Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years they spend in the ocean. \"The threat is **mercial fishing,\" says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and longline fishers (which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles.

Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection. 1. We can learn from the first paragraph that

A. human activities have changed the way turtles survive. B. efforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out.

C. government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles\" extinction.

D. marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles\" reproduction.

2. What does the author mean by \"Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness\" (Para. 2)? A. Nature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles. B. Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities.

C. The course of nature will not be changed by human interference. D. The turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.

3. What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin? A. Their inadequate food supply. B. **mercial fishing.

C. Their lower reproductive ability. D. Contamination of sea water.

4. How does global warming affect the survival of turtles? A. It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.

B. The changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch. C. The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow. D. It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature. 5. The last sentence of the passage is meant to

A. persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles. B. stress that even the most ugly species should be protected. C. call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles\" survival. D. warn our descendants about the extinction of species.

Text 3

In a purely biological sense, fear begins with the body\"s system for reacting to things that can harm us—theso-called fight-or-flight response.\"An animal that can\"t detect danger can\"t stay

alive,\" says Joseph LeDoux. Like animals, humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons deep in the brain known as the amygdala.

LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to understand how we form memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdala receives input from many parts of the brain, including regions responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdala appraises a situation—I think this charging dog wants to bite me—and triggers a response by radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress: trembling, perspiration and fast-moving feet, just to name three.

This fear mechanism is critical to the survival of all animals, but no one can say for sure whether beasts other than humans know they\"re afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, \"if you put that system into a brain that has consciousness, then you get the feeling of fear.\"

Humans, says Edward M. Hallowell, have the ability to call up images of bad things that happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher thought processes with our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry. That\"s not necessarily a bad thing, says Hallowell. \"When used properly, worry is an incredible device,\" he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructive action—like having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back.

Hallowell insists, though, that there\"s a right way to worry. \"Never do it alone, get the facts and then make a plan.\" He says. Most of us have survived a recession, so we\"re familiar with the belt-tightening strategies needed to survive a slump.

Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so it\"s been difficult to get fact about how we should respond. That\"s why Hallowell believes it was okay for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro and buying gas masks.

1. The \"so-called fight-or-flight response\" (Para. 1) refers to

A. \"the biological process in which human beings\" sense of self-defense evolves\". B. \"the instinctive fear human beings feel when faced with potential danger\". C. \"the act of evaluating a dangerous situation and making a quick decision\". D. \"the elaborate mechanism in the human brain for retrieving information\". 2. From the studies conducted by LeDoux we learn that

A. reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable. B. memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress. C. people\"s unpleasant memories are derived from their feelings of fear.

D. the amygdala plays a vital part in human and animal responses to potential danger. 3. From the passage we know that

A. a little worry will do us good if handled properly. B. a little worry will enable us to survive a recession. C. fear strengthens the human desire to survive danger. D. fear helps people to anticipate certain future events.

4. Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell? A. Ask for help from the people around you. B. Use the belt-tightening strategies for survival. C. Seek professional advice and take action.

D. Understand the situation and be fully prepared.

5. In Hallowell\"s view, people\"s reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was A. ridiculous. B. understandable. C. over-cautious. D. sensible.

Text 4

How best to solve the pollution problems of a city sunk so deep within sulfurous clouds that it was described as hell on earth? Simply answered: Relocate all urban smoke-creating industry and encircle the metropolis of London with sweetly scented flowers and elegant hedges.

In fact, as Christine L. Corton, a Cambridge scholar, reveals in her new book,London Fog, this fragrant anti-smoke scheme was the brainchild of John Evelyn, the 17th-century diarist. King Charles Ⅱ was said to be much pleased with Evelyn\"s idea, and a bill against the smoky nuisance was duly drafted. Then nothing was done. Nobody at the time, and nobody right up to the middle of the 20th century, was willing to put public health above business interests.

And yet it\"s a surprise to discover how beloved a feature of London life these multicolored fogs became. A painter, Claude Monet, fleeing besieged Paris in 1870, fell in love with London\"s vaporous, mutating clouds. He looked upon the familiar mist as his reliable collaborator. Visitors from abroad may have delighted in the fog, but homegrown artists lit candles and vainly scrubbed thegrimefrom their gloom-filled studio windows. \"Give us light!\" Frederic Leighton pleaded to the guests at a Lord Mayor\"s banquet in 1882, begging them to have pity on the poor painter.

The more serious side of Corton\"s book documents how business has taken precedence over humanity where London\"s history of pollution is concerned. A prevailing westerly wind meant that those dwelling to the east were always at most risk. Those who could afford it lived elsewhere. The east was abandoned to the underclass. Lord Palmerston spoke up for choking East Enders in the 1850s, pointing a finger at the interests of the furnace owners. A bill was passed, but there was little change. Eventually, another connection was established: between London\"s perpetual veil of smog and its citizens\" cozily smoldering grates. Sadly, popular World War I songs like \"Keep the Home Fires Burning\" didn\"t do much to encourage the adoption of smokeless fuel.

It wasn\"t until what came to be known as the \"Great Killer Fog\" of 1952 that the casualty rate became impossible to ignore and the British press finally took up the cause. It was left to a Member of Parliament to steer theClean, Air Actinto law in 1956. Within a few years, even as the war against pollution was still in its infancy, the dreaded fog began to fade.

Corton\"s **bines meticulous social history with a wealth of eccentric detail. Thus we learn that London\"s ubiquitous plane trees were chosen for their shiny, fog-resistant foliage. It\"s discoveries like these that make readingLondon Fogsuch an unusual and enlightening experience. 1. Which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A. The fragrant anti-smoke scheme was inspired by John Evelyn\"s child. B. King Charles Ⅱ was not actually satisfied with Evelyn\"s idea.

C. The process of drafting the bill against the smoky nuisance was slow.

D. It wasn\"t until the middle of the 20th century that someone willingly put public health **mercial interests.

2. The word \"grime\" (Para. 3) is closest in meaning to

A. fog. B. dirt. C. frost. D. paint.

3. Which of the following would be most heavily affected by London\"s pollution according to Corton\"s book?

A. rich dwellers in the east. B. the underclass in the west. C. East London\"s slum dwellers. D. servants of furnace owners.

4. The author mainly shows in the last but one paragraph that A. \"Great Killer Fog\" led to huge mortality. B. The British press was also playing a big role.

C. It was a long way for the Clean Air Act to be passed.

D. reducing the air pollution worked though it was in the primary stage 5. There were plane trees everywhere in London because they A. could resist fog and haze. B. were related to social history.

C. contained a wealth of eccentric detail.

D. were shiny and beautified the environment.

Text 5

For centuries in Spain and Latin America, heading home for lunch and a snooze with the family was some thing like a national right, but with global capitalism standardizing work hours, this idyllic habit is fast becoming an endangered pleasure. Ironically,all thisis happening just as researchers are beginning to note the health benefits of the afternoon nap.

According to a nationwide survey, less than 25 percent of Spaniards still enjoy siestas. And like Spain, much of Latin America has adopted Americanized work schedules, too, with shortened lunch times and more rigid work hours. Last year the Mexican government passed a law limiting lunch breaks to one hour and requiring its employees to work their eight-hour shift between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.. Before the man-date, workers would break up the shift—going home midday for a long break with the family and returning to work until about 9 or 10 p.m.. The idea of siesta is changing in Greece, Italy and Portugal, too, as they rush to join their more \"industrious\" counterparts in the global market.

Most Americans I knowcovetsleep, but the idea of taking a nap mid-afternoon equates with laziness, un employment and general sneakiness. Yet according to a National Sleep Survey poll, 65 percent of adults do not get enough sleep. Numerous scientific studies document the benefits of nap taking, including one 1997 study on the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation in the journalInternal Medicine. The researchers found that fatigue harms not only marital and social relations but worker productivity.

According to Mark Rosekind, a former NASA scientist and founder of Solutions in Cupertino, Calif., which educates businesses about the advantages of sanctioning naps, we\"re biologically programmed to get sleepy between 3 and 5 p.m. and 3 and 5 a.m.. Our internal timekeeper—called the circadian clock—operates on a 24-hour rotation and every 12 hours there\"s a dip. In

accordance with these natural sleep rhythms, Rosekind recommends that naps be either for 40 minutes or for two hours. Latin American countries, asserts Rosekind, have had it right all along. They\"ve been in sync with their clocks; we haven\" t.

Since most of the world is sleep-deprived, getting well under the recommended eight hours a night (adults get an average of 6.5 hours nightly), we usually operate on a kind of idle midday. Naps are even more useful now that most of us forfeit sleep because of insane work schedules, **mute times and stress, In a study published last April, Brazilian medical researchers noted that blood pressure and arterial blood pressure dropped during a siesta. 1. In the second sentence of Paragraph 1, \"all this\" refers to A. the habit of napping.

B. the standardizing of work hours. C. the decline of the siesta tradition. D. the growth of global capitalism.

2. We can infer from the second paragraph that Mexican workers now A. work fewer hours than in the past.

B. get home from work much later than in the past. C. work more reasonable hours than in the past. D. finish the workday earlier than in the past.

3. The word \"covet\" in Paragraph 3 most likely means A. need. B. desire. C. lack. D. value.

4. The author suggests that most Americans feel that A. Spanish culture is inefficient.

B. nap-taking will put their jobs at risk. C. nap-taking is a sign of laziness. D. they get plenty of sleep. 5. This text is mainly about

A. the health benefits of afternoon naps.

B. the negative effects of sleep-deprivation on health and worker productivity. C. the importance of the siesta tradition in Spain and Latin America. D. the siesta tradition and its health benefits.