考博英语(阅读理解)历年真题试卷汇编7.doc

考博英语（阅读理解）历年真题试卷汇编7(总分：30.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：3，分数：30.00)We have known for a long time that the organization of any particular society is influenced by the definition of the sexes and the distinction drawn between them. But we have realized only recently that the identity of each sex is not so easy to pin down, and that definitions evolve in accordance with different types of culture known to us, that is, scientific discoveries and ideological revolutions. Our nature is not considered as immutable, either socially or biologically. As we approach the beginning of the 21st century, the substantial progress made in biology and genetics is radically challenging the roles, responsibilities and specific characteristics attributed to each sex, and yet, scarcely twenty years ago, these were thought to be " beyond dispute". We can safely say, with a few minor exceptions, that the definition of the sexes and their respective functions remained unchanged in the West from the beginning of the 19th century to the 1960s. The role distinction, raised in some cases to the status of uncompromising dualism on a strongly hierarchical model, lasted throughout this period, appealing for its justification to nature, religion and customs alleged to have existed since the dawn of time. The woman bore children and took care of the home. The man set out to conquer the world and was responsible for the survival of his family, by satisfying their needs in peacetime and going to war when necessary. The entire world order rested on the divergence of the sexes. Any overlapping or confusion between the roles was seen as a threat to the time-honored order of things. It was felt to be against nature, a deviation from the norm. Sex roles were determined according to the "place" appropriate to each. Women's place was, first and foremost, in the home. The outside world, i.e. workshops, factories and business firms, belonged to men. This sex-based division of the world(private and public)gave rise to a strict dichotomy between the attitudes, which conferred on each is special identity. The woman, sequestered at home, "cared, nurtured and conserved. " To do this, she had no need to be daring, ambitious, tough or competitive. The man, on the other hand, competing with his fellow men, was caught up every day in the struggle for survival, and hence developed those characteristics which were thought natural in a man. Today, many women go out to work, and their reasons for doing so have changed considerably. Besides the traditional financial incentives, we find ambition and personal fulfillment motivating those in the most favorable circumstances, and the wish to have a social life and to get out of their domestic isolation influencing others. Above all, for all women, work is invariably connected with the desire for independence.（分数：10.00）(1).It is only in recent years that we have recognized that______.（分数：2.00）A.there is almost no clue to the identity of both sexesB.the role distinction between different sexes is conspicuousC.the different definitions of sexes bears on the development of cultureD.the progress of civilization greatly influences the role definitions of sexes(2).From paragraph 1 we can infer that it is now possible for women to embark on a career because______.（分数：2.00）A.the change in sex roles is out of the questionB.women's lib has been going on for many yearsC.ideas about the roles of women have been changingD.the expansion of sciences scarcely remolds the women's roles(3).The author believes that sex discrimination in the West before the 1960s was______.（分数：2.00）A.preferableB.prevalentC.presumableD.precedent(4).According to the 4th paragraph, the author seems to think that______.（分数：2.00）A.female passivity is naturalB.men and women are physically identicalC.men are born competitive and aggressiveD.some different sex identity is acquired(5).According to the author, which of the following is the most important reason for women to go to work?（分数：2.00）A.Wish to claim their rights and freedom.B.Ambition and self-fulfillment.C.Financial incentives.D.Desire for a social life.BBC's Casualty programme on Saturday evening gave viewers a vote as to which of two patients should benefit from a donation. But it failed to tell us that we would not need to make so manylife-and-death decisions if we got to grip with the chronic organ shortage. Being pussyfooting around in its approach to dead bodies, the Government is giving a kicking to some of the most vulnerable in our society. One depressing consequence of this is that a significant number of those on the waiting list take off to foreign countries to purchase an organ from a living third-world donor, something that is forbidden in the United Kingdom. The poor have no option but to wait in vain. The Human Tissue Authority's position on the retention of body parts for medical research after a post-mortem examination is equally flawed. The new consent forms could have been drafted by some evil person seeking to stop the precious flow of human tissue into the pathological laboratory. The forms are so lengthy that doctors rarely have time to complete them and, even if they try, the wording is so graphic that relatives tend to leg it before signing. In consequence, the number of post mortems has fallen quickly. The wider worry is that the moral shortsightedness evident in the Human Tissue Act seems to infect every facet of the contemporary debate on medical ethics. Take the timid approach to embryonic stem cell research. The United States, for example, refuses government funding to scientists who wish to carry out potentially ground-breaking research on the surplus embryos created by IVF treatment. Senators profess to be worried that embryonic research fails to respect the dignity of "potential persons". Rarely can such a vacuous concept have found its way into a debate claiming to provide enlightenment. When is this "potential" supposed to kick in? In case you were wondering, these supposedly precious embryos are at the same stage of development as those that are routinely terminated by the Pill without anyone crying. Thankfully, the British Government has refused the position of the United States and operates one of the most liberal regimes in Europe, in which licences have been awarded to researchers to create embryos for medical research. It is possible that, in years to come, scientists will be able to grow organs in the lab and find cures for a range of debilitating diseases. The fundamental problem with our approach to ethics is our inability to separate emotion from policy. The only factor that should enter our moral and legal deliberations is that of welfare, a concept that is meaningless when applied to entities that lack self-consciousness. Never forget that the research that we are so reluctant to conduct upon embryos and dead bodies is routinely carried out on living, pain-sensitive animals.（分数：10.00）(1).What has caused the chronic organ shortage?（分数：2.00）A.A decrease in donation rates.B.Inefficient governmental policy.C.Illegal trade in human organs.D.News media's indifference.(2).The expression "pussyfooting around"(Paragraph 1)might mean______.（分数：2.00）A.unfairB.hesitantC.secretD.strict(3).The moral shortsightedness is revealed in the fact that______.（分数：2.00）A.the government has stopped the experiment on human tissueB.the donation consent forms are difficult to understandC.the Human Tissues Act is an obstacle to important medical researchD.embryonic research shows disregard for human life(4).To which of the following is the author most likely to agree?（分数：2.00）A.The rich and the poor are equal in the face of death.B.More scientists are needed for the medical advancement.C.There is a double standard in medical ethics.D.The dead deserve the same attention as the living.(5).The author is most critical of______.（分数：2.00）A.the mediaB.doctorsC.U. S. LegislatorsD.the British governmentWhen a disease of epidemic proportions rips into the populace, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of the affliction and find ways to combat it. Oftentimes, success is achieved, as medical science is able to isolate the parasite, germ or cell that causes the problem and finds ways to effectively kill or contain it. In the most serious of cases, in which the entire population of a region or country may be at grave risk, it is deemed necessary to protect the entire population through vaccination, so as to safeguard lives and ensure that the disease will not spread. The process of vaccination allows the patient's body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can ward it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, so that his body's immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the disease's defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patient's immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. This makes sure that, should the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to deal with it, having already done so before. There are dangers inherent in the process, however. On occasion, even the weakened version of the disease contained in the vaccine proves too much for the body to handle, resulting in the immune system succumbing, and therefore, the patient's death. Such is the case of the smallpox vaccine, designed to eradicate the smallpox epidemic that nearly wiped out the entire Native American population and killed massive numbers of settlers. Approximately 1 in 10, 000 people who receives the vaccine contract the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Thus, if the entire population of the United States were to receive the Smallpox Vaccine today, 3, 000 Americans would be left dead. Fortunately, the smallpox virus was considered eradicated in the early 1970s, ending the mandatory vaccination of all babies in America. In the event of a reintroduction of the disease, however, mandatory vaccinations may resume, resulting in more unexpected deaths from vaccination. The process, which is truly a mixed blessing, may indeed hide some hidden curses.（分数：10.00）(1).The best title for the text may be______.（分数：2.00）A.Vaccinations; A Blessing or a CurseB.Principles of VaccinationsC.Vaccines: Methods and ImplicationsD.A Miracle Cure under Attack(2).What does the example of the Smallpox Vaccine illustrate?（分数：2.00）A.The possible negative outcome of administering vaccines.B.The practical use of a vaccine to control an epidemic disease.C.The effectiveness of vaccines in eradicating certain disease.D.The method by which vaccines are employed against the disease.(3).The phrase "ward it off naturally"(Paragraph 3)most probably means______.（分数：2.00）A.dispose of it naturallyB.fight it off with easeC.see to it reluctantlyD.split it up properly(4).Which of the following is true according to the text?（分数：2.00）A.Saving the majority would necessarily justify the death of the minority.B.The immune system can be trained to fight weaker versions of a disease.C.Mandatory vaccinations are indispensable to the survival of the populace.D.The process of vaccination remains a mystery to be further resolved.(5).The purpose of the author in writing this passage is______.（分数：2.00）A.to comment and criticizeB.to demonstrate and argueC.to interest and entertainD.to explain and inform。