2009考研英語

1、2009年考研英語真題和答案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)Research on animal intelligence always makes me wonder just how smart humansare. 1 the fruit- fly experiments described in Car

2、l Zimmer s piece in the Science Times on Tuesday. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than the average fruit fly 2 to live shorter lives. This suggests that 3 bulbs burn longer, that there is an 4 in not being too terrifically bright.Intelligence, it 5 out, is a high-priced option. It takes mo

3、re upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow 6 the starting line because it depends on learning a gradual 7 instead of instinct. Plenty of other speciesare able to learn, and one of the things they' ve apparently learned iswhen to 8 .Is there an adaptive value to 9 intelligence? That' s the questi

4、on behind this new research. I like it. Instead of casting a wistful glance 10 at all the species we ve le ft in the dust I.Q.-wise, it implicitly asks what the real 11 of our ownintelligence might be. This is 12 the mind of every animal I ' ve ever met.Research on animal intelligence also makes

5、 me wonder what experiments animals would 13 on humansif they had the chance. Every cat with an owner, 14 , is running a small-scale study in operant conditioning. we believe that 15 animals ran the labs, they would test us to 16 the limits of our patience, our faithfulness, our memory for terrain.

6、They would try to decide what intelligence in humans is really 17 , not merely how much of it there is. 18 , they_would hope to study a 19 question:_Are humans actually aware of the world they live in? 20 the results are inconclusive.1. A Suppose B Consider C Observe D Imagine2. A tended B feared C

7、happened D threatened3. A thinner B stabler C lighter D dimmer4. A tendency B advantage C inclination D priority5. A insists on B sums up C turns out D puts forward6. A off B behind C over D along7. A incredible B spontaneous ©inevitable D gradual8. A fight B doubt C stop D think9. A invisible

8、B limited C indefinite D different10. A upward B forward C afterward D backward11. A features B influences C results D costs12. A outside B on C by D across13. A deliver B carry C perform D apply14. A by chance B in contrast C as usual D for instance15. A if B unless C as D lest16. A moderate B over

9、come C determine D reach17. A at B for C after D with18. A Above all B After all C However D Otherwise19. A fundamental B comprehensive C equivalent D hostile20. A By accident B In time C So far D Better stillSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the

10、questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)Text1Habits are a funny thing. Wereach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiarroutine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting

11、 herd,“ WilliamWordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit " carries a negative connotation.So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. But brain researchers have discovered that whenwe consciou

12、sly develop new habits, wecreate parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.But don ' t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they' re there to stay. I

13、nstead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,'says Dawna Markova, author of “The Open Mind" and an executive change consultant for Professional Think

14、ing Partners.“But we are taughtinstead to 'decide, ' just as our president calls himself'theDecider. ' " She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities. ”All of us work thr

15、ough problems in ways of which we re unaware, she says. Researchers in the late 1960 covered that humansare born with the capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively. At puberty, however, the brain shuts down ha

16、lf of that capacity, preserving only those modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and collaborative modes of thought. “T

17、his breaks the major rule in the American belief system that anyone can do anything, " explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book “This Year I Will. ” and Ms. Markova' s business partner. "That' s a lie that we have perpetuated, and it fosters commonness.Knowing what you' re

18、good at and doing even more of it creates excellence. " This is w here developing new habits comes in.21. The view of Wordsworth habit is claimed by beingA. casual B. familiar C. mechanical D. changeable.22. The researchers have discovered that the formation of habit can beA. predicted B. regul

19、ated C. traced D. guided23. “ ruts "(in line one, paragraph 3) has closest meaning toA. tracks B. series C. characteristics D. connections24. Ms. Markova ' s comments suggest that the practice of standard testing ?A, prevents new habits form being formedB, no longer emphasizes commonnessC,

20、maintains the inherent American thinking modelD, complies with the American belief system25. Ryan most probably agree thatA. ideas are born of a relaxing mindB. innovativeness could be taughtC. decisiveness derives from fantastic ideasD. curiosity activates creative mindsText 2It is a wise father th

21、at knows his own child, but today a man can boost his paternal (fatherly) wisdom or at least confirm that he' s the kid ' s dad. All he needs to do is shell our $30 for paternity testing kit (PTK) at his local drugstore - and another $120 to get the results.More than 60,000 people have purch

22、ased the PTKs since they first become available without prescriptions last years, according to Doug Fog, chief operating officer of Identigene, which makes the over-the-counter kits.More than two dozen companies sell DNA tests Directly to the public , ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to m

23、ore than $2500.Among the most popular : paternity and kinship testing , which adopted children can use to find their biological relatives and latest rage a many passionate genealogists-and supports businesses that offer to search for a family ' s geographic roots .Most tests require collecting c

24、ells by webbing saliva in the mouth and sending it to the company for testing. All tests require a potential candidate with whom to compare DNA.But some observers are skeptical, “There is a kind of false precision being hawked by people claiming they are doing ancestry testing," saysTrey Duster

25、, a New York University sociologist. He notes that each individual has many ancestors-numbering in the hundreds just a few centuries back. Yet most ancestry testing only considers a single lineage, either the Y chromosome inherited through men in a father' s line ormitochondrial DNA, which a pas

26、sed down only from mothers. This DNA can reveal genetic information about only one or two ancestors, even though, for example, just three generations back people also have six other great-grandparents or, four generations back, 14 other great-great-grandparents.Critics also argue that commercial gen

27、etic testing is only as good as the reference collections to which a sample is compared. Databases used by some companies don ' t rely on data collected systematically but rather lump together information from different research projects. This means that a DNA database may differ depending on th

28、e company that processes the results. In addition, the computer programs a companyuses to estimate relationships may be patented and not subject to peer review or outside evaluation.26.In paragraphs 1 and 2 , the text shows PTK ' s.Aeasy availabilityBflexibility in pricingC successful promotionD

29、 popularity with households27. PTK is used to.Alocate one ' s birth placeBpromote genetic researchC identify parent-child kinshipD choose children for adoption28. Skeptical observers believe that ancestry testing fails to.Atrace distant ancestorsB rebuild reliable bloodlinesC fully use genetic i

30、nformationD achieve the claimed accuracy29. In the last paragraph ,a problem commercial genetic testing faces isAdisorganized data collection8 overlapping database building30. An appropriate title for the text is most likely to be.AFors and Againsts of DNA testingB DNA testing and It ' s problem

31、sCDNA testing outside the labD lies behind DNA testingText 3The relationship between formal education and economic growth in poor countries is widely misunderstood by economists and politicians alike progress in both area is undoubtedly necessary for the social, political and intellectual developmen

32、t of these and all other societies; however, the conventional view that education should be one of the very highest priorities for promoting rapid economic development in poor countries is wrong. Weare fortunate that is it, because new educational systems there and putting enough people through them

33、 to improve economic performance would require two or three generations. The findings of a research institution have consistently shown that workers in all countries can be trained on the job to achieve radical higher productivity and, as a result, radically higher standards of living.Ironically, th

34、e first evidence for this idea appeared in the United States. Not long ago, with the country entering a recessing and Japan at its pre-bubble peak. The U.S. workforce was derided as poorly educated and one of primary cause of the poor U.S. economic performance. Japan was, and remains, the global lea

35、der in automotive-assembly productivity. Yet the research revealed that the U.S. factories of HondaNissan, and Toyota achieved about 95 percent of the productivity of their Japanese countere pants a result of the training that U.S. workers received on the job.More recently, while examing housing con

36、struction, the researchers discovered that illiterate, non-English- speaking Mexican workers in Houston, Texas, consistently met best-practice labor productivity standards despite the complexity of the building industry' s work.Whatis the real relationship between education and economic developm

37、ent? We have to suspect that continuing economic growth promotes the development of education even whengovernments don' t force it. After all, that ' s how education got started. When our ancestors were hunters and gatherers 10,000 years ago, they didn ' t have time to wonder much about

38、anything besides finding food. Only when humanity began to get its food in a more productive way was there time for other things.As education improved, humanity ' s productivity potential, they could in turn afford more education. This increasingly high level of education is probably a necessary

39、, but not a sufficient, condition for the complex political systems required by advanced economic performance. Thus poor countries might not be able to escape their poverty traps without political changes that maybe possible only with broader formal education. A lack of formal education, however, do

40、esn ' t constrain the ability of the developing world ' s workforce to substantially improve productivity for the forested future. On the contrary, constraints on improving productivity explain why educat ion isn ' t developing more quickly there than it is.31. The author holds in paragr

41、aph 1 that the important of education in poor countries.A is subject groundless doubtsB has fallen victim of biasC is conventional downgradedD has been overestimated32. It is stated in paragraph 1 that construction of a neweducation systemAchallenges economists and politiciansBtakes efforts of gener

42、ationsC demands priority from the governmentD requires sufficient labor force33.A major difference between the Japanese and U.S workforces is that .A the Japanese workforce is better disciplinedB the Japanese workforce is more productiveCthe U.S workforce has a better educationD the U.S workforce is

43、 more organize34. The author quotes the example of our ancestors to show that education emerged.A when people had enough timeB prior to better ways of finding foodC when people on longer went hungD as a result of pressure on government35. According to the last paragraph , development of education .A

44、 results directly from competitive environmentsB does not depend on economic performanceC follows improved productivityD cannot afford political changesText 4The most thoroughly studied in the history of the new world are the ministers and political leaders of seventeenth-century New England. Accord

45、ing to the standard history of American philosophy, nowhere else in colonial Amer ica was “So much important attached to intellectual pursuits “ According to many books and articles, NewEngland' s leaders established the basic themes and preoccupations of an unfolding, dominant Puritan tradition

46、 in American intellectual life.To take this approach to the New Englanders normally mean to start with the Puritans ' theological innovations and their distinctive ideas about the church-important subjects that we maynot neglect. But in keeping with our examination of southern intellectual life,

47、 we may consider the original Puritans as carriers of European culture adjusting to Newworld circumstances. The New England colonies were the scenes of important episodes in the pursuit of widely understood ideals of civility and virtuosity.The early settlers of Massachusetts Bay included men of imp

48、ressive education and influence in England. 'Besides the ninety or so learned ministers who cameto Massachusetts church in the decade after 1629,There were political leaders like John Winthrop, an educated gentleman, lawyer, and official of the Crown before he journeyed to Boston. There men wrot

49、e and published extensively, reaching both NewWorld and Old World audiences, and giving New England an atmosphere of intellectual earnestness.We should not forget , however, that most New Englanders were less well educated. While few crafts men or farmers, let alone dependents and servants, left lit

50、erary compositions to be analyzed, The in thinking often had a traditional superstitions quality. A tailor named John Dane, who emigrated in the late 1630s, left an account of his reasons for leaving England that is filled with signs. sexual confusion, economic frustrations , and religious hope-all

51、nametogether in a decisive moment whenhe opened the Bible, told his father the first line he saw would settle his fate, and read the magical words:"come out from among them, touchno unclean thing , and I will be your God and you shall be my people.”O(jiān)newonders what Dane thought of the careful se

52、rmons explaining the Bible that he heard in puritan churched.Meanwhile , manysettles had slighter religious commitments than Dane; s, as one clergyman learned in confronting folk along the coast who mocked that they had not come to the Newworld for religion . “Our main end was to ca tch fish. ”36. T

53、he author notes that in the seventeenth-century New England.A Puritan tradition dominated political life.B intellectual interests were encouraged.C Politics benefited much from intellectual endeavors.D intellectual pursuits enjoyed a liberal environment.37. It is suggested in paragraph 2 that New En

54、glanders.A experienced a comparatively peaceful early history.B brought with them the culture of the Old WorldC paid little attention to southern intellectual lifeD were obsessed with religious innovations38. The early ministers and political leaders in Massachusetts Bay.A were famous in the New Wor

55、ld for their writingsB gained increasing importance in religious affairsC abandoned high positions before coming to the New WorldD created a new intellectual atmosphere in New England39. The story of John Dane shows that less well-educated New Englanders were often.A influenced by superstitionsB tro

56、ubled with religious beliefsC puzzled by church sermonsD frustrated with family earnings40. The text suggests that early settlers in New England.A were mostly engaged in political activitiesB were motivated by an illusory prospectC came from different backgrounds.D left few formal records for later

57、referencePart BDirections:Directions: In the following text, somesentences have been removed. For Questions (41-45), choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.Mark your answers on ANSWERHEET

58、1. (10 points)Coinciding with the groundbreaking theory of biological evolution proposed by British naturalist Charles Darwin in the 1860s, British social philosopher Herbert Spencer put forward his own theory of biological and cultural evolution. Spencer argued that all worldly phenomena, including human societies, changed over time, advancing toward perfection.41. .American social scientist Lewis Henry Morgan introduced another theory of cultural evolution