2008年考研英語真題和答案解析

SectionIUseofEnglish

Directions:

Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumberedblank

andmarkA,B,CorDonANSWERSHEET1.(10points)

Theideathatsomegroupsofpeoplemaybemoreintelligentthan

othersisoneofthosehypothesesthatdarenotspeakitsname.But

GregoryCochranis1tosayitanyway.Heisthat2bird,a

scientistwhoworksindependently3anyinstitution.Hehelped

popularizetheideathatsomediseasesnot4thoughttohavea

bacterialcausewereactuallyinfections,whicharousedmuchcontroversy

whenitwasfirstsuggested.

5he,however,mighttrembleatthe6ofwhatheisabout

todo.Togetherwithanothertwoscientists,heispublishingapaper

whichnotonly7thatonegroupofhumanityismoreintelligent

thantheothers,butexplainstheprocessthathasbroughtthisabout.

Thegroupin8areaparticularpeopleoriginatedfromcentral

Europe.Theprocessisnaturalselection.

ThisgroupgenerallydowellinIQtest,912-15pointsabove

the10valueof100,andhavecontributed11tothe

intellectualandculturallifeoftheWest,asthe12oftheir

elites,includingseveralworld-renownedscientists,13.They

alsosuffermoreoftenthanmostpeoplefromanumberofnastygenetic

diseases,suchasbreastcancer.Thesefacts,14,havepreviously

beenthoughtunrelated.Theformerhasbeen15tosocialeffects,

suchasastrongtraditionof16education.Thelatterwasseen

asa(an)17ofgeneticisolation.Dr.Cochransuggeststhatthe

intelligenceanddiseasesareintimately18.Hisargumentisthat

theunusualhistoryofthesepeoplehas19themtounique

evolutionarypressuresthathaveresultedinthis20stateof

affairs.

1.[A]selected[B]prepared[C]obliged[D]pleased

2.[A]unique[B]particular[C]special[D]rare

3.[A]of[B]with[C]in[D]against

4.[A]subsequently[B]presently[C]previously

[D]lately

5.[A]Only[B]So[C]Even[D]Hence

6.[A]thought[B]sight[C]cost[D]risk

7.[A]advises[B]suggests[C]protests[D]objects

8.[A]progress[B]fact[C]need[D]question

9.[A]attaining[B]scoring[C]reaching[D]calculating

10.[A]normal[B]common[C]mean[D]total

11.[A]unconsciously[B]disproportionate1y

[C]indefinitely[D]unaccountably

12.[A]missions[B]fortunes[C]interests[D]careers

13.[A]affirm[B]witness[C]observe[D]approve

14.[A]moreover[B]therefore[C]however[D]meanwhile

15.[A]givenup[B]gotover[C]carriedon[D]putdown

16.[A]assessing[B]supervising[C]administering[D]valuing

17.[A]development[B]origin[C]consequence[D]instrument

18.[A]linked[B]integrated[C]woven[D]combined

19.[A]limited[B]subjected[C]converted[D]directed

20.[A]paradoxical[B]incompatible[C]inevitable

[D]continuous

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.Answerthequestionsbeloweachtextby

choosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.(40points)

Text1

Whilestillcatching-uptomeninsomespheresofmodernlife,women

appeartobewayaheadinatleastoneundesirablecategory."Womenare

particularlysusceptibletodevelopingdepressionandanxietydisorders

inresponsetostresscomparedtomen,“accordingtoDr.Yehuda,chief

psychiatristatNewYork'sVeteran?sAdministrationHospital.

Studiesofbothanimalsandhumanshaveshownthatsexhormones

somehowaffectthestressresponse,causingfemalesunderstressto

producemoreofthetriggerchemicalsthandomalesunderthesame

conditions.Inseveralofthestudies,whenstressed-outfemaleratshad

theirovaries(thefemalereproductiveorgans)removed,theirchemical

responsesbecameequaltothoseofthemales.

AddingtoawomanJsincreaseddoseofstresschemicals,areher

increased“opportunities”forstress.snotnecessarilythatwomen

don'tcopeaswell.It'sjustthattheyhavesomuchmoretocopewith,“

saysDr.Yehuda.uTheircapacityfortoleratingstressmayevenbe

greaterthanmen,s,“sheobserves,"it'sjustthatthey'redealing

withsomanymorethingsthattheybecomewornoutfromitmorevisibly

andsooner.”

Dr.Yehudanotesanotherdifferencebetweenthesexes."Ithinkthat

thekindsofthingsthatwomenareexposedtotendtobeinmoreofa

chronicorrepeatednature.Mengotowarandareexposedtocombatstress.

Menareexposedtomoreactsofrandomphysicalviolence.Thekindsof

interpersonalviolencethatwomenareexposedtotendtobeindomestic

situations,by,unfortunately,parentsorotherfamilymembers,andthey

tendnottobeone-shotdeals.Thewear-and-tearthatcomesfromthese

longerrelationshipscanbequitedevastating.”

AdelineAlvarezmarriedat18andgavebirthtoason,butwas

determinedtofinishcollege."Istruggledalottogetthecollege

degree.Iwaslivinginsomuchfrustrationthatthatwasmyescape,to

gotoschool,andgetaheadanddobetter.vLater,hermarriageended

andshebecameasinglemother."It'sthehardestthingtotakecare

ofateenager,haveajob,paytherent,paythecarpayment,andpay

thedebt.Ilivedfrompaychecktopaycheck.”

Noteveryoneexperiencesthekindsofseverechronicstresses

Alvarezdescribes.Butmostwomentodayarecopingwithalotof

obligations,withfewbreaks,andfeelingthestrain.Alvarez's

experiencedemonstratestheimportanceoffindingwaystodiffusestress

beforeitthreatensyourhealthandyourabilitytofunction.

21.Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothefirsttwoparagraphs?

[A]Womenarebiologicallymorevulnerabletostress.

[B]Womenarestillsufferingmuchstresscausedbymen.

[C]Womenaremoreexperiencedthanmenincopingwithstress.

[D]Menandwomenshowdifferentinclinationswhenfacedwithstress.

22.Dr.Yehuda'sresearchsuggeststhatwomen

[A]needextradosesofchemicalstohandlestress.

[B]havelimitedcapacityfortoleratingstress.

[C]aremorecapableofavoidingstress.

[D]areexposedtomorestress.

23.AccordingtoParagraph4,thestresswomenconfronttendstobe

[A]domesticandtemporary.

[B]irregularandviolent.

[C]durableandfrequent.

[D]trivialandrandom.

24.Thesentence“Ilivedfrompaychecktopaycheck.”(Line6,Para.

5)showsthat

[A]Alvarezcaredaboutnothingbutmakingmoney.

[B]Alvarez'ssalarybarelycoveredherhouseholdexpenses.

[C]Alvarezgotpaychecksfromdifferentjobs.

[D]Alvarezpaidpracticallyeverythingbycheck.

25.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleforthetext?

[A]StrainofStress:NoWayOut?

[B]ResponsestoStress:GenderDifference

[C]StressAnalysis:WhatChemicalsSay

[D]GenderInequality:WomenUnderStress

Text2

Itusedtobesostraightforward.Ateamofresearchersworking

togetherinthelaboratorywouldsubmittheresultsoftheirresearch

toajournal.Ajournaleditorwouldthenremovetheauthors?namesand

affiliationsfromthepaperandsendittotheirpeersforreview.

Dependingonthecommentsreceived,theeditorwouldacceptthepaper

forpublicationordeclineit.Copyrightrestedwiththejournal

publisher,andresearchersseekingknowledgeoftheresultswouldhave

tosubscribetothejournal.

Nolonger.TheInternet-andpressurefromfundingagencies,who

arequestioningwhycommercialpublishersaremakingmoneyfrom

government-fundedresearchbyrestrictingaccesstoit-ismaking

accesstoscientificresultsareality.TheOrganizationforEconomic

Co-operationandDevelopment(OECD)hasjustissuedareportdescribing

thefar-reachingconsequencesofthis.Thereport,byJohnHoughtonof

VictoriaUniversityinAustraliaandGrahamVickeryoftheOECD,makes

heavyreadingforpublisherswhohave,sofar,madehandsomeprofits.

Butitgoesfurtherthanthat.Itsignalsachangeinwhathas,until

now,beenakeyelementofscientificendeavor.

Thevalueofknowledgeandthereturnonthepublicinvestmentin

researchdepends,inpart,uponwidedistributionandreadyaccess.It

isbigbusiness.InAmerica,thecorescientificpublishingmarketis

estimatedatbetween$7billionand$11billion.TheInternational

AssociationofScientific,TechnicalandMedicalPublisherssaysthat

therearemorethan2,000publishersworldwidespecializinginthese

subjects.Theypublishmorethan1.2millionarticleseachyearinsome

16,000journals.

Thisisnowchanging.AccordingtotheOECDreport,some75%of

scholarlyjournalsarenowonline.Entirelynewbusinessmodelsare

emerging;threemainoneswereidentifiedbythereportJsauthors.There

istheso-calledbigdeal,whereinstitutionalsubscriberspayforaccess

toacollectionofonlinejournaltitlesthroughsite-licensing

agreements.Thereisopen-accesspublishing,typicallysupportedby

askingtheauthor(orhisemployer)topayforthepapertobepublished.

Finally,thereareopen-accessarchives,whereorganizationssuchas

universitiesorinternationallaboratoriessupportinstitutional

repositories.Othermodelsexistthatarehybridsofthesethree,such

asdelayedopen-access,wherejournalsallowonlysubscriberstoread

apaperforthefirstsixmonths,beforemakingitfreelyavailableto

everyonewhowishestoseeit.Allthiscouldchangethetraditionalform

ofthepeer-reviewprocess,atleastforthepublicationofpapers.

26.Inthefirstparagraph,theauthordiscusses

[A]thebackgroundinformationofjournalediting.

[B]thepublicationroutineoflaboratoryreports.

[C]therelationsofauthorswithjournalpublishers.

[D]thetraditionalprocessofjournalpublication.

27.WhichofthefollowingistrueoftheOECDreport?

[A]Itcriticizesgovernment-fundedresearch.

[B]Itintroducesaneffectivemeansofpublication.

[C]Itupsetsprofit-makingjournalpublishers.

[D]Itbenefitsscientificresearchconsiderably.

28.Accordingtothetext,onlinepublicationissignificantinthat

[A]itprovidesaneasieraccesstoscientificresults.

[B]itbringshugeprofitstoscientificresearchers.

[C]itemphasizesthecrucialroleofscientificknowledge.

[D]itfacilitatespublicinvestmentinscientificresearch.

29.Withtheopen-accesspublishingmodel,theauthorofapaperis

requiredto

[A]coverthecostofitspublication.

[B]subscribetothejournalpublishingit.

[C]allowotheronlinejournalstouseitfreely.

[D]completethepeer-reviewbeforesubmission.

30.Whichofthefollowingbestsummarizesthetext?

[A]TheInternetisposingathreattopublishers.

[B]Anewmodeofpublicationisemerging.

[C]Authorswelcomethenewchannelforpublication.

[D]Publicationisrenderedeasierbyonlineservice.

Text3

Intheearly1960sWiltChamberlainwasoneofonlythreeplayers

intheNationalBasketballAssociation(NBA)listedatoversevenfeet.

Ifhehadplayedlastseason,however,hewouldhavebeenoneof42.The

bodiesplayingmajorprofessionalsportshavechangeddramaticallyover

theyears,andmanagershavebeenmorethanwillingtoadjustteam

uniformstofitthegrowingnumbersofbigger,longerframes.

Thetrendinsports,though,maybeobscuringanunrecognizedreality:

Americanshavegenerallystoppedgrowing.Thoughtypicallyabouttwo

inchestallernowthan140yearsago,today'speople-especiallythose

borntofamilieswhohavelivedintheU.S.formanygenerations-

apparentlyreachedtheirlimitintheearly1960s.Andtheyaren'tlikely

togetanytaller."Inthegeneralpopulationtoday,atthisgenetic,

environmentallevel,we'veprettymuchgoneasfaraswecango,“says

anthropologistWilliamCameronChumleaofWrightStateUniversity.In

thecaseofNBAplayers,theirincreaseinheightappearstoresultfrom

theincreasinglycommonpracticeofrecruitingplayersfromalloverthe

world.

Growth,whichrarelycontinuesbeyondtheageof20,demandscalories

andnutrients-notably,protein-tofeedexpandingtissues.Atthe

startofthe20thcentury,under-nutritionandchildhoodinfectionsgot

intheway.Butasdietandhealthimproved,childrenandadolescents

have,onaverage,increasedinheightbyaboutaninchandahalfevery

20years,apatternknownastheseculartrendinheight.Yetaccording

totheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,averageheight-5'

9"formen,5'4"forwomen-hasn,treallychangedsince1960.

Geneticallyspeaking,thereareadvantagestoavoidingsubstantial

height.Duringchildbirth,largerbabieshavemoredifficultypassing

throughthebirthcanal.Moreover,eventhoughhumanshavebeenupright

formillionsofyears,ourfeetandbackcontinuetostrugglewithbipedal

postureandcannoteasilywithstandrepeatedstrainimposedbyoversize

limbs."Therearesomerealconstraintsthataresetbythegenetic

architectureoftheindividualorganism,“saysanthropologistWilliam

LeonardofNorthwesternUniversity.

Geneticmaximumscanchange,butdon,texpectthistohappensoon.

ClaireC.Gordon,senioranthropologistattheArmyResearchCenterin

Natick,Mass.,ensuresthat90percentoftheuniformsandworkstations

fitrecruitswithoutalteration.Shesaysthat,unlikethosefor

basketball,thelengthofmilitaryuniformshasnotchangedforsometime.

Andifyouneedtopredicthumanheightinthenearfuturetodesigna

pieceofequipment,Gordonsaysthatbyandlarge,“youcouldusetoday"

sdataandfeelfairlyconfident.”

31.WiltChamberlainiscitedasanexampleto

[A]illustratethechangeofheightofNBAplayers.

[B]showthepopularityofNBAplayersintheU.S..

[C]comparedifferentgenerationsofNBAplayers.

[D]assesstheachievementsoffamousNBAplayers.

32.Whichofthefollowingplaysakeyroleinbodygrowthaccordingto

thetext?

[A]Geneticmodification.

[B]Naturalenvironment.

[C]Livingstandards.

[D]Dailyexercise.

33.Onwhichofthefollowingstatementswouldtheauthormostprobably

agree?

[A]Non-Americansaddtotheaverageheightofthenation.

[B]Humanheightisconditionedbytheuprightposture.

[C]Americansarethetallestonaverageintheworld.

[D]Largerbabiestendtobecometallerinadulthood.

34.Welearnfromthelastparagraphthatinthenearfuture

[A]thegarmentindustrywillreconsidertheuniformsize.

[B]thedesignofmilitaryuniformswillremainunchanged.

[C]genetictestingwillbeemployedinselectingsportsmen.

[D]theexistingdataofhumanheightwillstillbeapplicable.

35.Thetextintendstotellusthat

[A]thechangeofhumanheightfollowsacyclicpattern.

[B]humanheightisbecomingevenmorepredictable.

[C]Americanshavereachedtheirgeneticgrowthlimit.

[D]thegeneticpatternofAmericanshasaltered.

Text4

In1784,fiveyearsbeforehebecamepresidentoftheUnitedStates,

GeorgeWashington,52,wasnearlytoothless.Sohehiredadentistto

transplantnineteethintohisjaw-havingextractedthemfromthe

mouthsofhisslaves.

That'safardifferentimagefromthecherry-tree-choppingGeorge

mostpeoplerememberfromtheirhistorybooks.Butrecently,many

historianshavebeguntofocusontherolesslaveryplayedinthelives

ofthefoundinggeneration.TheyhavebeenspurredinpartbyDNAevidence

madeavailablein1998,whichalmostcertainlyprovedThomasJefferson

hadfatheredatleastonechildwithhisslaveSallyHemings.Andonly

overthepast30yearshavescholarsexaminedhistoryfromthebottom

up.Worksofseveralhistoriansrevealthemoralcompromisesmadebythe

nation,searlyleadersandthefragilenatureofthecountry'sinfancy.

Moresignificantly,theyarguethatmanyoftheFoundingFathersknew

slaverywaswrong-andyetmostdidlittletofightit.

Morethananything,thehistorianssay,thefounderswerehampered

bythecultureoftheirtime.WhileWashingtonandJeffersonprivately

expresseddistasteforslavery,theyalsounderstoodthatitwaspart

ofthepoliticalandeconomicbedrockofthecountrytheyhelpedto

create.

Foronething,theSouthcouldnotaffordtopartwithitsslaves.

Owningslaveswas“likehavingalargebankaccount,“saysWiencek,

authorofAnImperfectGod:GeorgeWashington,HisSlaves,andthe

CreationofAmerica.Thesouthernstateswouldnothavesignedthe

Constitutionwithoutprotectionsfortheupeculiarinstitution,”

includingaclausethatcountedaslaveasthreefifthsofamanfor

purposesofcongressionalrepresentation.

AndthestatesmenTspoliticallivesdependedonslavery.The

three-fifthsformulahandedJeffersonhisnarrowvictoryinthe

presidentialelectionof1800byinflatingthevotesofthesouthern

statesintheElectoralCollege.Onceinoffice,Jeffersonextended

slaverywiththeLouisianaPurchasein1803;thenewlandwascarvedinto

13states,includingthreeslavestates.

Still,JeffersonfreedHeinings'schildren-thoughnotHemings

herselforhisapproximately150otherslaves.Washington,whohadbegun

tobelievethatallmenwerecreatedequalafterobservingthebravery

oftheblacksoldiersduringtheRevolutionaryWar,overcamethestrong

oppositionofhisrelativestogranthisslavestheirfreedominhiswill.

Onlyadecadeearlier,suchanactwouldhaverequiredlegislative

approvalinVirginia.

36.GeorgeWashington'sdentalsurgeryismentionedto

[A]showtheprimitivemedicalpracticeinthepast.

[B]demonstratethecrueltyofslaveryinhisdays.

[C]stresstheroleofslavesintheU.S.history.

[D]revealsomeunknownaspectofhislife.

37.Wemayinferfromthesecondparagraphthat

[A]DNAtechnologyhasbeenwidelyappliedtohistoryresearch.

[B]initsearlydaystheU.S.wasconfrontedwithdelicate

situations.

[C]historiansdeliberatelymadeupsomestoriesofJefferson's

life.

[D]politicalcompromisesareeasilyfoundthroughouttheU.S.

history.

38.WhatdowelearnaboutThomasJefferson?

[A]Hispoliticalviewchangedhisattitudetowardsslavery.

[B]Hisstatusasafathermadehimfreethechildslaves.

[C]Hisattitudetowardsslaverywascomplex.

[D]Hisaffairwithaslavestainedhisprestige.

39.Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothetext?

[A]SomeFoundingFathersbenefitpoliticallyfromslavery.

[B]Slavesintheolddaysdidnothavetherighttovote.

[C]Slaveownersusuallyhadlargesavingsaccounts.

[D]Slaverywasregardedasapeculiarinstitution.

40.Washingtonrsdecisiontofreeslavesoriginatedfromhis

[A]moralconsiderations.

[B]militaryexperience.

[C]financialconditions.

[D]politicalstand.

PartB

Directions:

Inthefollowingarticle,somesentenceshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions

41一45,choosethemostsuitableonefromthelistA-Gtofitintoeach

ofthenumberedblanks.Therearetwoextrachoices,whichdonotfit

inanyoftheblanks.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.(10points)

Thetimeforsharpeningpencils,arrangingyourdesk,anddoing

almostanythingelseinsteadofwritinghasended.Thefirstdraftwill

appearonthepageonlyifyoustopavoidingtheinevitableandsit,stand

up,orliedowntowrite.(41)

Beflexible.Youroutlineshouldsmoothlyconductyoufromonepoint

tothenext,butdonotpermitittorailroadyou.Ifarelevantand

importantideaoccurstoyounow,workitintothedraft.(42)

Grammar,punctuation,andspellingcanwaituntilyourevise.

Concentrateonwhatyouaresaying.Goodwritingmostoftenoccurswhen

youareinhotpursuitofanidearatherthaninanervoussearchfor

errors.

(43)Yourpageswillbeeasiertokeeptrackof

thatway,and,ifyouhavetoclipaparagraphtoplaceitelsewhere,

youwillnotloseanywritingontheotherside.

Ifyouareworkingonawordprocessor,youcantakeadvantageof

itscapacitytomakeadditionsanddeletionsaswellasmoveentire

paragraphsbymakingjustafewsimplekeyboardcommands.Somesoftware

programscanalsocheckspellingandcertaingrammaticalelementsinyour

writing.(44)Theseprintoutsarealsoeasiertoread

thanthescreenwhenyouworkonrevisions.

Onceyouhaveafirstdraftonpaper,youcandeletematerialthat

isunrelatedtoyourthesisandaddmaterialnecessarytoillustrateyour

pointsandmakeyourpaperconvincing.ThestudentwhowroteuTheA&

PasaStateofMind“wiselydroppedaparagraphthatquestionedwhether

Sammydisplayschauvinisticattitudestowardwomen.(45)

Rememberthatyourinitialdraftisonlythat.Youshouldgothrough

thepapermanytimes-andthenagain-workingtosubstantiateand

clarifyyourideas.Youmayevenendupwithseveralentireversionsof

thepaper.Rewrite.Thesentenceswithineachparagraphshouldberelated

toasingletopic.Transitionsshouldconnectoneparagraphtothenext

sothattherearenoabruptorconfusingshifts.Awkwardorwordyphrasing

orunclearsentencesandparagraphsshouldbemercilesslypokedand

proddedintoshape.

[A]Tomakerevisingeasier,leavewidemarginsandextraspacebetween

linessothatyoucaneasilyaddwords,sentences,andcorrections.

Writeononlyonesideofthepaper.

[B]Afteryouhaveclearlyandadequatelydevelopedthebodyofyour

paper,payparticularattentiontotheintroductoryandconcluding

paragraphs.It'sprobablybesttowritetheintroductionlast,after

youknowpreciselywhatyouareintroducing.Concludingparagraphs

demandequalattentionbecausetheyleavethereaderwithafinal

impression.

[C]It'sworthremembering,however,thatthoughacleancopyfreshoff

aprintermaylookterrific,itwillreadonlyaswellasthethinking

andwritingthathavegoneintoit.Manywritersprudentlystore

theirdataondisksandprinttheirpageseachtimetheyfinisha

drafttoavoidlosinganymaterialbecauseofpowerfailuresorother

problems.

[D]Itmakesnodifferencehowyouwrite,justsoyoudo.Nowthatyou

havedevelopedatopicintoatentativethesis,youcanassembleyour

notesandbegintofleshoutwhateveroutlineyouhavemade.

[E]Althoughthisisaninterestingissue,ithasnothingtodowiththe

thesis,whichexplainshowthesettinginfluencesSammy?sdecision

toquithisjob.Insteadofincludingthatparagraph,sheaddedone

thatdescribedLengelJscrabbedresponsetothegirlssothatshe

couldleaduptotheA&P"policy”heenforces.

[F]Inthefinalparagraphaboutthesignificanceofthesettingin”A

&P,"thestudentbringstogetherthereasonsSammyquithisjob

byreferringtohisrefusaltoacceptLengelJsstorepolicies.

[G]Byusingthefirstdraftasameansofthinkingaboutwhatyouwa