2008年考研英语考前三套题(二)

文章作者 100test 发表时间 2008:01:11 13:02:37
来源 100Test.Com百考试题网

Section Ⅰ Use of EnglishDirections：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）
In the United States， older people rarely live with their adult children. But in many other cultures children are expected to care1their aged parents. In some parts of Italy， the percentage of adult children who2with their parents 3 65 to 70 percent. In Thailand， too， children are expected to take care of their elderly parents； few Thai elderly live4.What explains these differences in living arrangements5cultures？ Modernization theory6the extended family household to low levels of economic development. In traditional societies， the elderly live with their children in large extended family units for economic reasons. But with modernization， children move to urban areas， leaving old people7in8rural areas. Yet modernization theory cannot explain why extended family households were never common in the United States or England， or why families in Italy， which is fully modernized，9a strong tradition of intergenerational living. Clearly， economic development alone cannot explain10living arrangements.Another theory associated intergenerational living arrangements with inheritance patterns. In some cultures， the stem family pattern of inheritance11.12 this system， parents live with a married child， usually the oldest son， who then13their property when they die. The stem family system was once common in Japan， but changes in inheritance laws，14broader social changes brought15by industrialization and urbanization， have16the17. In 1960 about 80 percent of Japanese over 65 lived with their children； by 1990 only 60 percent did—a figure that is still high18U. S. standards， but which has been19steadily. In Korea， too， traditional living arrangements are 20： the percentage of aged Koreans who live with a son declined from 77 percent in 1984 to 50 percent just 10 years later. Although most elderly Koreans still expect to live with a son， their adult children do not expect to live with their children when they grow old.
1. [A] about [B] after [C] for [D] over
2. [A] reside [B] recite [C] redeem [D] rebel
3. [A] amasses [B] amounts [C] attains [D] reaches
4. [A] lone [B] alone [C] lonesome [D] lonely
5. [A] over [B] across [C] within [D] above
6. [A] associated [B] linked [C] united [D] combined
7. [A] aside [B] after [C] over [D] behind
8. [A] isolated [B] segregated [C] idealized [D] secluded
9. [A] maintain [B] promote [C] reserve [D] support
10. [A] appointed [B] assigned [C] preserved [D] preferred
11. [A] controls [B] overtakes [C] predominates [D] overwhelms
12. [A] at [B] under [C] by [D] over
13. [A] delivers [B] conveys [C] conceives [D] inherits
14. [A] as well as [B] might as well [C] as well [D] well as
15. [A] off [B] up [C] around [D] about
16. [A] undermined [B] decreased [C] diminished [D] defeated
17. [A] authority [B] usage [C] habit [D] tradition
18. [A] by [B] on [C] with [D] in
19. [A] inclining [B] reclining [C] declining [D] reducing
20. [A] receding [B] removing [C] invading [D] eroding
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. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. （40 points）
Text1
The meanings of “science” and “technology” have changed significantly from one generation to another. More similarities than differences， however， can be found between the terms. Both science and technology imply a thinking process， both are concerned with causal relationships in the material world， and both employ an experimental methodology that results in empirical demonstrations that can be verified by repetition. Science， at least in theory， is less concerned with the practicality of its results and more concerned with the development of general laws， but in practice science and technology are inextricably involved with each other. The varying interplay of the two can be observed in the historical development of such practitioners as chemists， engineers， physicists， astronomers， carpenters， potters， and many other specialists. Differing educational requirements， social status， vocabulary， methodology， and types of rewards， as well as institutional objectives and professional goals， contribute to such distinctions as can be made between the activities of scientists and technologists； but throughout history the practitioners of “pure” science have made many practical as well as theoretical contributions. Indeed， the concept that science provides the ideas for technological innovations and that pure research is therefore essential for any significant advancement in industrial civilization is essentially a myth. Most of the greatest changes in industrial civilization cannot be traced to the laboratory. Fundamental tools and processes in the fields of mechanics， chemistry， astronomy， metallurgy， and hydraulics were developed before the laws governing their functions were discovered. The steam engine， for example， was commonplace before the science of thermodynamics elucidated the physical principle underlying its operations. In recent years a sharp value distinction has grown up between science and technology. Advances in science have frequently had their bitter opponents， but today many people have come to fear technology much more than science. For these people， science may be perceived as a serene， objective source for understanding the eternal laws of nature， whereas the practical manifestations of technology in the modern world now seem to them to be out of control. Many historians of science argue not only that technology is an essential condition of advanced， industrial civilization but also that the rate of technological change has developed its own momentum in recent centuries. Innovations now seem to appear at a rate that increase geometrically， without respect to geographical limits or political systems. These innovations tend to transform traditional cultural systems， frequently with unexpected social consequences. Thus technology can be conceived as both a creative and a destructive process.
21. Science is, as the author argues, similar to technology in that .
[A]it involves a long process of change
[B]it focuses on the casual aspects of the material world
[C]it resorts to experiments as an exclusive method of research
[D]it is concerned about the theoretical development
22. Which of the following does the author NOT agree with?
[A]Scientific activities are deeply involved with those of technology.
[B]Industrial civilization is largely based on the scientific progress.
[C]Science and technology move forward at a comparable speed.
[D]Either of science and technology is necessary for the advance of each other.
23. The example of the steam engine is presented to .
[A]refute the belief that industrial progress feeds off scientific ideas
[B]illustrate the remarkable achievements of industrial civilization
[C]indicate that many great inventions originate from the laboratory
[D]laws come out much earlier than related functions
24. What does “the practical manifestations...out of control” (Para.3) mean?
[A]Technology is losing its traditional practicality.
[B]Technology is moving further away from science.
[C]Technological progress is benefiting the whole world.
[D]Technology is threatening the existence of human civilization.
25. The “historians” as mentioned in the last paragraph regard the technology with .
[A]absolute enthusiasm[B]total indifference
[C]obvious resentment[D]reserved approval
Text2
Throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth， citizens of the United States maintained a bias against big cities. Most lived on farms and in small towns and believed cities to be centers of corruption， crime， poverty， and moral degradation. Their distrust was caused， in part， by a national ideology that proclaimed farming the greatest occupation and rural living superior to urban living. This attitude prevailed even as the number of urban dwellers increased and cities became an essential feature of the national landscape. Gradually， economic reality overcame ideology. Thousands abandoned the precarious life on the farm for more secure and better paying jobs in the city. But when these people migrated from the countryside， they carried their fears and suspicions with them. These new urbanites already convinced that cities were overwhelmed with great problems， eagerly embraced the promised to bring order out of the chaos of the city. One of many reforms came in the area of public utilities. Water and sewerage systems were usually operated by municipal governments， but the gas and electric networks were privately owned. Reformers feared that the privately owned utility companies would charge exorbitant rates for these essential services and deliver them only to people who could afford them. Some city and state governments responded by regulating the utility companies， but a number of cities began to supply these services themselves. Proponents of these reforms argued that public ownership and regulation would insure widespread access to these utilities and guarantee a fair price. While some reforms focused on government and public behavior， others looked at the cities as a whole. Civic leaders， convinced that physical environment influenced human behavior， argued that cities should develop master plans to guide their future growth and development. City planning was nothing new， but the rapid industrialization and urban growth of the late nineteenth century took plans to guide their future growth and development. City planning was nothing new， but the rapid industrialization for order. Urban renewal in the twentieth century followed several in the twentieth century followed several courses. Some cities introduced plans to completely rebuild the city core. Most other cities contented themselves with zoning plans for regulating future growth. Certain parts of town were restricted to residential use， while others were set aside for industrial or commercial development.
26. What does the passage mainly discuss?
[A] A comparison of urban and rural life in the early twentieth century.
[B] The role of government in twentiethcentury urban renewal.
[C] Efforts to improve urban life in the early twentieth century.
[D] Methods of controlling urban growth in the twentieth century.
27. In the early twentieth century, many rural dwellers migrated to the city in order to .
[A] participate in the urban reform movement[B] seek financial security
[C] comply with a government ordinance[D] avoid crime and corruption
28. What concern did reformers have about privately owned utility companies?
[A] They feared the services would not be made available to all city dwellers.
[B] They believed private ownership would wow economic growth.
[C] They did not trust the companies to obey the government regulations.
[D] They wanted to ensure that the services would be provided to rural areas.
29. All of the following were the direct result of public utility reforms EXCEPT.
[A] local governments determined the rates charged by private utility companies
[B] some utility companies were owned and operated by local governments
[C] the availability of services was regulated by local governments
[D] private utility companies were required to pay a fee to local governments
30. Why does the author mention “industrialization and urban growth”?
[A] To explain how fast urban growth led to poorly designed cities.
[B] To emphasize the economic importance of urban areas.
[C] To suggest that labor disputes had become an urban problem.
[D] To illustrate the need for construction of new factories.