考博英语(阅读理解)模拟试卷115(题后含答案及解析)

考博英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷115(题后含答案及解析)
题型有： 3. Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Female applicants to postdoctoral positions in geoscience were nearly half as likely to receive excellent letters of recommendation, compared with their male counterparts Christopher Intagliata reports. As in many other fields, gender bias is widespread in the sciences. Men score higher starting salaries, have more mentoring (指导) , and have better odds of being hired. Studies show they’re also perceived as more competent than women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. And new research reveals that men are more likely to receive excellent letters of recommendation, too. “Say, you know, this is the best student I’ve ever had,” says Kuheli Dutt, a social scientist and diversity officer at Columbia University’s Lamont campus. “Compare those excellent letters with a merely good letter: ‘The candidate was productive, or intelligent, or a solid scientist or something that’s clearly solid praise,’ but nothing that singles out the candidate as exceptional or one of a kind.”Dutt and her colleagues studied more than 1,200 letters of recommendation for postdoctoral positions in geoscience. They were all edited for gender and other identifying information, so Dutt and her team could assign them a score without knowing the gender of the student. They found that female applicants were only half as likely to get outstanding letters, compared with their male counterparts. That includes letters of recommendation from all over the world, and written by, yes, men and women. The findings are in the journal Nature Geoscience. Dutt say they were not able to evaluate the actual scientific qualifications of the applicants using the data in the files. But she says the results still suggest women in geoscience are at a potential disadvantage from the very beginning of their careers starting with those less than outstanding letters of recommendation. “We’re not trying to assign blame or criticize anyone or call anyone consciously sexist. Rather, the point is to use the results of this study to open up meaningful dialogues on implicit gender bias, be it at a departmental level or an institutional level or even a discipline level,” which may lead to some recommendations for the letter writers themselves.
1．What do we learn about applicants to postdoctoral positions in geoscience?
A．There are many more men applying than women.
B．Chances for women to get the positions are scarce.
C．More males than females are likely to get outstanding letters of recommendation.
D．Male applicants have more interest in these positions than their female counterparts.
正确答案：C
解析：本题可参照文章的第1段。

从文章的第1段可知，与男性申请者相比，地球科学博士后职位的女性申请者获得优秀推荐信的几率大概是男性的一半。

据此可知，女性的机会大概是男性的一半，所以男性更有可能获得优秀的推荐信。

C项正确。

A、D两项不正确，文中未提及。

B项不正确，文中说正如许多其他领域L样，性别偏见在科学研究中也很普遍。

男性的起薪更高，获得的指导更多，被录用的几率更高，而题目问的是关于地球科学博士后职位的申请者。

C项与文章的意思相符，因此C项为正确答案。

2．What do studies about men and women in scientific research show?
A．Women engaged in postdoctoral work are quickly catching up.
B．Fewer women are applying for postdoctoral positions due to gender bias.
C．Men are believed to be better able to excel in STEM disciplines.
D．Women who are keenly interested in STEM fields are often exceptional.
正确答案：C
解析：本题可参照文章的第2段。

从文章的第2段可知，研究表明，在科学、技术、工程和数学领域，他们也被认为比女性更有能力。

据此可知，C项正确。

A、B、D三项在文中未提及。

C项与文章的意思相符，因此C项为正确答案。

3．What do the studies find about the recommendation letters for women applicants?
A．They are hardly ever supported by concrete examples.
B．They contain nothing that distinguishes the applicants.
C．They provide objective information without exaggeration.
D．They are often filled with praise for exceptional applicants.
正确答案：B
解析：本题可参照文章的第3段。

从文章的第3段可知，将这些优秀的推荐信与一封仅仅是良好的推荐信比较一下：“申请人富有成效，或者具有才智，或者是一位可信赖的科学家，或者是很明确的赞扬，”但这并没有让申请者从众多申请人中脱颖而出。

据此可知，B项正确。

A、C两项在文中未提及。

D项不正确，文中是说推荐信里可能是很明确的赞扬。

B项与文章的意思相符，因此B 项为正确答案。

4．What did Dutt and her colleagues do with the more than 1,200 letters of recommendation?
A．They asked unbiased scholars to evaluate them.
B．They invited women professionals to edit them.
C．They assigned them randomly to reviewers.
D．They deleted all information about gender.
正确答案：D
解析：本题可参照文章的第4段。

从文章的第4段可知，Dutt和她的同事们
研究了超过1 200封地球科学博士后职位推荐信。

这些推荐信里的性别和其他身份信息都被编辑过，所以Dutt和她的团队能在不知道学生性别的情况下为他们打分。

据此可知，D项正确。

A项不正确，文中是说他们无法评估文件中使用数据的申请人的实际科学资格。

B、C两项在文中未提及。

D项与文章的意思相符，因此D项为正确答案。

5．What does Dutt aim to do with her study?
A．Raise recommendation writers’ awareness of gender bias in their letters.
B．Open up fresh avenues for women post doctors to join in research work.
C．Alert women researchers to all types of gender bias in the STEM disciplines.
D．Start a public discussion on how to raise women’s status in academic circles.
正确答案：A
解析：本题可参照文章的最后两段。

从文章的最后两段可知，Dutt说，他们无法评估文件中使用数据的申请人的实际科学资格。

但她说，研究结果仍然表明，从那些并不优秀的推荐信开始，学习地球科学的女性在职业生涯刚开始时就存在着潜在的劣势。

“我们并不是在试图指责或批评任何人，或者将任何人称为性别歧视者。

相反，关键是要利用这项研究成果，在不管是部门层次、机构层次，甚至是学科层次，展开有意义的、关于隐晦的性别偏见的对话。

”这可能会给推荐者本人提供一些建议。

A项表述与此意思一致。

B、C两项在文中未提及。

文中提及的公开讨论并非针对女性在学术界地位的提高，故D项错误。

A项与文章的意思相符，因此A项为正确答案。

Tight-lipped elders used to say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get.” Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things. You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to have Mends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served. Likewise, if you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself. In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your services. This account of yourself is actually a sketch of your working life and should include education, experience and references. Such an account is valuable. It can be referred to in filling out standard application blanks and is extremely helpful in personal interviews. While talking to you, your could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience, and other qualifications will pay him to employ you and your “wares” and abilities must be displayed in an orderly and reasonably connected manner. When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something tangible to sell. Then you are ready to hunt for a job. Get all the possible information about your could-be job, make inquiries as to the details regarding the job and the firm. Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgement. Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking the employment you
wish for, and keep in mind: Securing a job is your job now.
6．What do the elders mean when they say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get”?
A．You’ll certainly get what you want.
B．It’s no use dreaming.
C．You should be dissatisfied with what you have.
D．It’s essential to set a goal for yourself.
正确答案：B
解析：本题中，A项“你肯定会得到你想要的东西”之意与文章第2段的意思不符；
7．A blueprint made before inviting a friend to dinner is used in this passage as ______.
A．an illustration of how to write an application for a job
B．an indication of how to secure a good job
C．a guideline for job description
D．a principle for job evaluation
正确答案：A
解析：本题中，B项“如何获得一份好工作的暗示”不是作者使用该例子的目的。

本文作者提倡的是“要现实，不要想那些不合乎情理的东西”。

C项“描述工作的方针”不是作者使用该例子的目的，文中没有描述过工作。

D项“评估工作的原则”之意不是作者使用该例子的目的，文中并没有评估过工作。

从文章第3段的内容可知，如果我们想请朋友吃饭，我们就要定菜谱，列购物清单，并决定先做哪道菜；对于要招待的任何一种饭局来说，这样的计划都是必要的；从第4段的内容可知，同样，如果你想找到一份工作，你就应该取一张纸，写下你的自我简介。

据此可知，作者列举请朋友吃饭前所制订的计划这个例子，是为了说明找工作时应该怎样制订计划这个问题。

A项的“如何写求职申请的例证”与文章的意思相符，因此A项为正确答案。

8．According to the passage, one must write an account of himself before starting to find a job because ______.
A．that is the first step to please the employer
B．that is the requirement of the employer
C．it enables him to know when to sell his services
D．it forces him to become clearly aware of himself
正确答案：D
解析：本题中，A项“那是取悦雇主的第一步”和B项“那是雇主的要求”两项之意明显与文章的意思不符；C项的“自我简介能够使他知道何时推销自己的服务”之意不对，文中是说“你才能明智地计划到哪儿去求职”，不是说何时去
求职。

从文章第4段的内容可知：同样，如果你想找到一份工作，你就应该取一张纸，写下你的自我简介；为寻找工作制订计划时，应该以自己的实际情况为出发点，因为，只有当你确切地知道你可以提供什么时，你才能明智地计划到哪儿去求职。

据此可知，找工作前之所以要写自我简介，是因为自我简介可以让你清楚地了解你自己。

D项的“自我简介促使他清楚地了解他自己”与文中的“when you know exactly what you have to offer，you can intelligently plan where to sell your services(只有当你确切地知道你可以提供什么时，你才能明智地计划到哪儿去求职)”的意思相符，因此D项为正确答案。

9．When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something _____.
A．definite to offer
B．imaginary to provide
C．practical to supply
D．desirable to present
正确答案：A
解析：本题中，B、C、D三项都与文意不符。

从文章最后一段的内容可知，精心制订好了你的才干和愿望计划后，你就有了具体的东西可推销了；这样，你就可以寻找工作了。

据此可知，制订好了自己的才干和愿望计划后，你就可以向可能的雇主提供确切的东西了。

A项的“确切的东西可以提供”与文中的“you have something tangible to sell(有了具体的东西可推销了)”的意思相符，因此A项为正确答案。

The stability of the U.S. banking system is maintained by means of supervision and regulation, inspections, deposit insurance, and loans to troubled banks. For over 50 years, these precautions have prevented banking panics. However, there have been some close calls. The collapse of Continental Illinois Bank & Trusted Company of Chicago in 1984 did not bring down the banking system, but it certainly rattled some windows. In the late 1970s, Continental soared to a leadership position among Midwestern banks. Parts of its growth strategy were risky, however. It made many loans in the energy field, including $1 billion that it took over from Perm Square Bank of Oklahoma City. To obtain the funds it needed to make these loans, Continental relied heavily on short term borrowing from other banks and large 30-day certificates of deposit—”hot money”, in banking jargon. At least one Continental officer saw danger signs and wrote a warning memo to her superiors, but the memo went unheeded. Although the Comptroller of the Currency inspected Continental on a regular basis, it failed to see how serious its problems were going to be. Penn Square Bank was closed by regulators in July 1982. When energy prices began to slip, most of the $1 billion in loans that Continental had taken over from the smaller banks turned out to be bad. Other loans to troubled companies such Chrysler, International Harvester, and Braniff looked questionable. Seeing these problem, “hot money”owners began to pull their funds out of Continental. By the spring of 1984, a run on Continental had begun. In May, the bank had to borrow $3.5 billion from the Fed
to replace overnight funds it had lost. But this was not enough. To try to stem the outflow of deposits from Continental, the FDIC agreed to guarantee not just the first $100,000 of each depositor’s money but all of it. Nevertheless, the run continued. Federal regulators tried hard to find a sound bank that could take over Continental—a common way of rescuing failing banks. But Continental was just too big for anyone to buy. By July, all hope of a private sector rescue was dashed. Regulators faced a stark choice: Let Continental collapse, or take it over themselves. Letting the bank fail seemed too risky. It was estimated that more than 100 other banks had placed enough funds in Continental to put them at risk if Continental failed. Thus, on a rainy Thursday at the end of July, the FDIC in effect nationalized Continental Illinois at a cost of $4.5 billion. This kept the bank’s doors open and prevented a chain reaction. However, in all but a technical sense, Continental had become the biggest bank failure in U.S. history.
10．In the spring of 1984, Continental experienced ______.
A．a fast growth period
B．a stability period
C．a run
D．an oil price decrease
正确答案：C
解析：本题的依据是文章第4段第l句：By the spring of 1984，a run on Continental had begun，从中可知，C项为正确答案。

11．By July, all hope of a private sector rescue was ______.
A．destroyed
B．absurd
C．desperate
D．damaged
正确答案：A
解析：本题可参照文章第5段。

依据是第5段第3句：By July, all hope of a private sector rescue was dashed. Regulators faced a stark choice：Let Continental collapse，or take it over themselves。

从句中的collapse(垮台，崩溃)一词可看出事态的严重性，因此A项为正确答案。

12．The nationalization of Continental ______.
A．saved it
B．made “hot money” owners continue to pull their funds out of Continental
C．almost brought down the banking system
D．fired many high-ranking officers
正确答案：A
解析：本题的依据是最后一段第3句：Thus，on a rainy Thursday at the end of July, the FDIC in effect nationalized Continental Illinois at a cost of $4.5 billion. This kept the bank’s doors open and prevented a chain reaction。

从中可知，将Continental 国有化后，该银行能继续开门营业。

因此A项为正确答案。

13．Banking panics may be prevented by means of ______.
A．deposit insurance
B．growth strategy
C．long-term borrowing
D．warning memo
正确答案：A
解析：本题的依据是第1段第1句：banking system is maintained by means of supervision and regulation, inspections, deposit insurance, and loans to troubled banks, 从中可知，四个选项中只有A项为正确答案。

If sustainable competitive advantage depends on work-force skills, American firms have a problem. Human resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered as an individual responsibility. Labor is simply another factor of production to be hired or rented at the lowest possible cost much as one buys raw materials or equipment. The lack of importance attached to human resource management can be seen in the corporation hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human resource managements is usually a specialized job, often at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human resource management is central—usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm’s hierarchy. While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work-forces, in fact they invest less in the skill of their employees than do the Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies. As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers in Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United Stated. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can’t effectively staff the processes that have to be operated,
the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.
14．Which of the following applies to the management of human resources in American companies?
A．They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skills.
B．They see the gaining of skills as their employees own business.
C．They attach more importance to workers than to equipment.
D．They only hire skilled workers because of keen competition.
正确答案：B
解析：本题的依据是文章第1段第3句：Skill acquisition is considered as an individual responsibility，从中可知B项为正确答案。

15．What is the position of the head of human resource management in an American firm?
A．He is one of the most important executives in the firm.
B．His post is likely to disappear when new technologies are introduced.
C．He is directly under the chief financial executive.
D．He has no authority in making important decisions in the firm.
正确答案：D
解析：本题可参照文章第2段第3句、第4句。

从中可知，在美国的公司里人力资源部门的主管在管理层中没有什么地位，在重大决策中没有发言权。

因此D项为正确答案。

16．The money most American firms spend in training mainly goes to ______.
A．workers who can operate new equipment
B．technological and managerial staff
C．workers who lack basic background skills
D．top executives
正确答案：B
解析：依据文章第3段第2句：The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees，选项B符合文章的内容，是本题的正确答案。

17．What is the main idea of the passage?
A．American firms are different from Japanese and German firms in human resource management.
B．Extensive retraining is indispensable to effective human resource management.
C．The head of human resource management must be in the central position in a firm’s hierarchy.
D．The human resource management strategies of American firms affect their competitive capacity.
正确答案：D
解析：综观全文，只有D项能概括文章的中心思想，A、B、C三个选项只能概括文章部分段落的内容。

因此正确答案为D。