考研英语第15套题

第十五套题Part ADirections: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)Text 1 06.8Scholastic thinkers held a wide variety of doctrines in both philosophy and theology, the study of religion. What gives unity to the whole Scholastic movement, the academic practice in Europe from the 9th to the 17th centuries, are the common aims, attitudes, and methods generally accepted by all its members. The chief concern of the Scholastics was not to discover new facts but to integrate the knowledge already acquired separately by Greek reasoning and Christian revelation. This concern is one of the most characteristic differences between Scholasticism and modern thought since the Renaissance.The basic aim of the Scholastics determined certain common attitudes, the most important of which was their conviction of the fundamental harmony between reason and revelation. The Scholastics maintained that because the same God was the source of both types of knowledge and truth was one of his chief attributes, he could not contradict himself in these two ways of speaking. Any apparent opposition between revelation and reason could be traced either to an incorrect use of reason or to an inaccurate interpretation of the words of revelation. Because the Scholastics believed that revelation was the direct teaching of God, it possessed for them a higher degree of truth and certainty than did natural reason. In apparent conflicts between religious faith and philosophic reasoning, faith was thus always the supreme arbiter; the theologians decision overruled that of the philosopher. After the early 13th century, Scholastic thought emphasized more the independence of philosophy within its own domain. Nonetheless, throughout the Scholastic period, philosophy was called the servant of theology, not only because the truth of philosophy was subordinated to that of theology, but also because the theologian used philosophy to understand and explain revelation.This attitude of Scholasticism stands in sharp contrast to the so-called double-truth theory of the Spanish-Arab philosopher and physician Averroёs. His theory assumed that truth was accessible to both philosophy and Islamic theology but that only philosophy could attain it perfectly. The so-called truths of theology served, hence, as imperfect imaginative expressions for the common people of the authentic truth accessible only to philosophy. Averroёs maintained that philosophic truth could even contradict, at least verbally, the teachings of Islamic theology.As a result of their belief in the harmony between faith and reason, the Scholastics attempted to determine the precise scope and competence of each of these faculties. Many early Scholastics, such as the Italian ecclesiastic and philosopher St. Anselm, did not clearly distinguish the two and were overconfident that reason could prove certain doctrines of revelation. Later, at the height of the mature period of Scholasticism, the Italian theologian and philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas worked out a balance between reason and revelation.［457 words］1.With the Scholastics, the search for new knowledge.［A］stopped completely［B］slowed down［C］advanced rapidly［D］awaked gradually2.Which of the following best illustrates the relation between reason and revelation?［A］They are simply identical.［B］Revelation guides reason.［C］They are occasionally contradictory.［D］Reason is used to perfect revelation.3.It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 of the text that.［A］the position of philosophy as a humble servant was accepted［B］religion had turned into a hamper to the functioning of philosophy［C］philosophers often quoted revelation to support themselves［D］philosophers were sometimes referred to in religious practice4.Averroёs held that.［A］Islamic theology was often subordinate to philosophy［B］religious truth was nothing but imaginative fantasy［C］real truth was inaccessible to many common people［D］imperfect expressions were result of flawed religion5.Which of the following is most likely to be discussed in the part succeeding this text?［A］Relations of St. T. Aquinas’ achievements to previous efforts.［B］How St. T. Aquinas worked out in the balance in discussion.［C］Other endeavors on the relationship of reason and revelation.［D］Outstanding features of the mature period of Scholasticism.Text 2 06.5There have been rumors. There’s been gossip. All Hollywood is shocked to learn that Calista Flockhart, star of Fox’s hit TV show Ally McBeal, is so thin. And we in the media are falling all over ourselves trying to figure out whether Flockhart has an eating disorder, especially now that she has denied it. Well, I’m not playing the game. If the entertainment industry really cared about sending the wrong message on body image, it wouldn’t need so many slender celebrities in the first place.But the fact remains that 2 million Americans—most of them women and girls—do suffer from eating disorders. In the most extreme cases they literally starve themselves to death. And those who survive are at greater risk of developing brittle bones, life-threatening infections, kidney damage and heart problems. Fortunately, doctors have learned a lot over the past decade about what causes eating disorders and how to treat them.The numbers are shocking. Approximately 1 in 150 teenage girls in the U. S. falls victim to anorexia nervosa, broadly defined as the refusal to eat enough to maintain even a minimal body weight. Not so clear is how many more suffer from bulimia, in which they binge on food, eating perhaps two or three days’worth of meals in 30 minutes, then remove the excess by taking medicine to move the bowels or inducing vomiting. Nor does age necessarily protect you. Anorexia has been diagnosed in girls as young as eight. Most deaths from the condition occur in women over 45.Doctors used to think eating disorders were purely psychological. Now they realize there’s some problematic biology as well. In a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry recently, researchers found abnormal levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, in women who had been free of bulimia for at least a year. That may help explain why drugs have allowed a lot of people to stop swallowing in large doses of food. Unfortunately, the pills don’t work as well for denial of food. Nor do they offer a simple one-stop cure. Health-care workers must re-educate their patients in how to eat and think about food.How can you tell if someone you love has an eating disorder? “Bulimics will often leave evidence around as if they want to get caught.”Says Tamara Pryor, director of an eating-disorders clinic at the University of Kansas in Wichita. Anorexics, by contrast, are more likely to go through long periods of denial.［430 words］6. We can infer from the first paragraph that .［A］the media has mislead the public’s view of celebrities［B］there is much misunderstanding about eating disorders［C］body image concerns are an indication of eating disorders［D］the entertainment industry is combating eating disorders7. The victims of eating disorders, more often than not, will.［A］starve themselves to death ［B］suffer greatly from the complications［C］puzzle doctors in the years to come ［D］recover completely with no aftereffects 8. The word “binge” (Paragraph 3) most probably means.［A］eat excessively ［B］refuse to eat［C］fail to digest ［D］enjoy a good appetite9. Bulimia is found to be.［A］related to the level of serotonin［B］psychological rather than biological［C］identical with anorexia nervosa in the cure［D］a leading cause of death among middle-aged women10. The way to find a person with eating disorders.［A］focuses on hidden symptoms ［B］varies with type of the condition［C］is oriented at the victim’s response ［D］remains perplexing despite efforts made Text 3 07.8Songs can have a powerful effect on people. Play “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves”to many baby boomers, for example, and chances are they’ll run off, hands over their ears. Songs can have a powerful effect among birds, too. Consider the black-capped chickadee. When it sings its “chick-a-dee”song, its flock mates come running. The song is a warning that a hawk, owl or other predator is perched nearby, and the other chickadees arrive to harass the enemy until it leaves.Researchers from the University of Montana have discovered that this warning call is a coded signal. By varying the call, a bird communicates to other birds the size of the predator, and thus the scope of the danger. “This is so far the most finely detailed alarm call system that we’ve found,”said the lead researcher, Christopher N. Templeton, who is now a doctoral student at the University of Washington. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Science.Mr. Templeton and his colleagues exposed chickadees to 15 different species of predators and recorded and analyzed the calls the birds made. In addition to “chick-a-dee”, the birds make a high-pitched “seet”call when they spy a predator flying in the air. Upon hearing this call, the other birds either dive for cover or remain motionless so as not to be spotted. But it’s the “chick-a-dee”call that the researchers focused on. “They change a number of different features about these calls,”Mr. Templeton said. “But most are not audible to us except the number of …dees‟ at the end.”They found that the birds varied the number of “dee”sounds depending on the size of thepredator. More “dees”—as many as 21 in one case—were sounded for smaller predators like the Northern pygmy-owl. Because chickadees are small and fast, smaller, more agile predators are more of a threat than larger ones.The more “dees”, the more chickadees show up to harass the predator, by dive-bombing it or making noises in its face. “The goal is to drive it out of their territory so that it is no longer a threat,”Mr. Templeton said. This “mobbing”response to the calls is probably learned behavior, he said, a way that birds teach their young about risks. “It’s a means by which adults tell the kids in the flock, ‘These guys are dangerous,’”Mr. Templeton said. ［416 words］11. It can be inferred from the article that “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” is.［A］Gypsie’s song ［B］an alarm call to hint at danger［C］ a bad song referring to crimes ［D］ a warning that the police is nearby12.When a black-capped chickadee sings its song,.［A］some predator’s habitat must have been nearby［B］all of its flock mates arrive to drive the enemy out［C］the song carries exact information about threat of predator［D］the song warns other species to stay out of the territory13.Mr. Templeton and his colleagues conduct their research to find.［A］the responses of birds when they hear the alarming songs［B］the way birds locate where the predator is［C］the relationship between birds’ call pitch and predator size［D］the way adult chickadees teach their young to escape the danger14.Which of the following is Not true about chickadees?［A］Their songs not only warn but also communicate.［B］A smaller type of hawk is more dangerous than a larger one.［C］They mob the enemy by native instinct.［D］Their calls mostly cannot be heard by human being.15.Which of the following is Not an example of “coded signal” (Line 1, Paragraph 2)?［A］Bees perform dances to convey that the food source is not far away from the hive.［B］Parrots imitate human speech and whistle when kept in captivity.［C］Huntsmen use horns to indicate the presence of a fox in a field or to call the hunting party together.［D］Bats and dolphins use high frequency sounds for communication and navigation.Text 4 07.8The rapid house-price inflation of recent years is clearly unsustainable, yet most economists in most countries still cling to the hope that house prices will flatten rather than collapse. It is true that, unlike share prices, house prices tend to be somew hat “sticky” downwards. People have to live somewhere and owners are loth to accept a capital loss. As long as they can afford their mortgage payments, they will stay put until conditions improve. The snag is that eventually some owners have to sell—because of relocation, or job loss—and they will be forced to accept lower prices.Indeed, a drop in nominal prices is today more likely than after previous booms for three reasons: homes are more overvalued; inflation is much lower; and many more people have been buying houses as an investment. If house prices stop rising or start to fall, owner-occupiers will largelystay put, but over-exposed investors are more likely to sell, especially if rents do not cover their interest payments. House prices will not collapse overnight like stockmarkets. But over the next five years, several countries are likely to experience price falls of 20% or more.While America’s housing market is still red hot, others—in Britain, Australia and the Netherlands—have already cooled. What lessons might they offer the United States? The first is that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it does not require a trigger, such as a big rise in interest rates or unemployment, for house prices to decline. Since 2002, the Reserve Bank of Australia has raised rates by a modest one and a quarter percentage points and unemployment is at a 30-year low, yet home prices have fallen. The Federal Reserve’s gradual increase in rates by two percentage-points over the past year has done little to scare away buyers, because most still have fixed-rate mortgages and long-term bond yields have remained unusually low.British and Australian prices have stalled mainly because first-time buyers have been priced out of the market and demand from buy-to-let investors has slumped. British first-timers now account for only 29% of buyers, down from 50% in 1999. And, according to the National Association of Estate Agents, buy-to-let purchases are running 50% lower than a year ago. As prices become more and more heady in America, the same will happen there.Another worrying lesson from abroad for America is that even a mere levelling-off of house prices can trigger a sharp slowdown in consumer spending. A modest weakening of house prices in America would hurt consumer spending, because homeowners have been cashing out their capital gains at a record pace. Goldman Sachs estimates that total housing-equity withdrawal rose to 7.4% of personal disposable income in 2004. If prices stop rising, this “income”from capital gains will vanish. ［479 words］16.From the first two paragraphs, we learn that.［A］economists have realistic expectations for housing market［B］owner-occupiers will benefit from a housing collapse［C］investors are vulnerable to house price declines［D］most countries will experience a quick slide in house prices17. What can be inferred about the impact of interest rates on house prices?［A］Rising interest rates will calm house prices sooner or later.［B］House prices may rise despite the increase in interest rates.［C］High house prices can coexist with low interest rates.［D］House prices are sensitive to interest rates.18. It is true of Britain and Australia that .［A］their house prices have hit record levels［B］their supply of houses could not keep up with demand［C］they have found a decline in first-time home buyers［D］they have the weakest growth in consumer spending19. When house prices keep rising in America, .［A］investment will drop［B］inflation will rise［C］economic growth will slow［D］customer spending will go up20. According to the author, the global housing market is .［A］cooling down ［B］at a turning point［C］enjoying a boom ［D］near to recoveryPart B 07.8Directions:You are going to read a list of headings and a text about a park naturalist. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for each numbered paragraph (21-25). The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)［A］Becoming a naturalist［B］Seeing wonder in the ordinary［C］A changing role［D］Disgusting and embarrassing moments［E］What does a park naturalist do?［F］What does it take to be a park naturalist?I have the best job in the Wisconsin State Park System. As a park naturalist at Peninsula State Park, I am busy writing reports, creating brochures about trees or flowers, and sometimes visiting schools. And, of course, I make sure Peninsula’s feathered friends are well fed.21.As a park naturalist I am a writer, a teacher, a historian and, if not a social worker, at least a mentor to young people interested in the environment. I love the diversity of my job. Every day is different. Most tasks require creativity. Now that I am an experienced naturalist, I have the freedom to plan my own day and make decisions about the types of programs that we offer at Peninsula.22.In my first naturalist job, I spent four out of five days leading school field trips and visiting classrooms. As a state park naturalist I still work with students, but more often lead programs like bird walks, nature crafts, outdoor skills, and trail hikes. I also find myself increasingly involved in management decisions. For example, sometimes the park naturalist is the person who knows where rare orchids grow or where ravens nest. When decisions are made about cutting trees, building trails, or creating more campsites, naturalists are asked to give the “ecological perspective.”23.Perhaps the grossest thing I’ve done as a naturalist is to boil animal skulls. Visitors like seeing bones and skins—at least after they have been cleaned up! Once, our nature center needed more skulls. A trapper gave me muskrat, raccoon and fox skulls but I had to clean them. First, I boiled the skin and meat off. Boy, did that stink! Then I used dissecting tools and old toothbrushes to clean out the eyeballs. Finally, I soaked the skulls in a bleach solution. I’ve had some embarrassing experiences, too. On my first hike as Peninsula’s new naturalist, I was so excited that I identified a white pine tree as a red pine tree! That’s quite a mistake since the trees are so easy to tell apart. White pine needles are in bundles of five and red pine needles are in bundles of two.24.Not all state parks are as busy or as big as Peninsula. Not all park naturalists spend the seasons as I do. Nevertheless, park naturalists share certain common interests and responsibilities: A park naturalist might notice that branches of a red maple growing in a field reach out to the side while those of a red maple in a thick forest reach up, and wonder why the trees look different. Anaturalist makes things happen. It might be working with workers to clean up part of a river. Park naturalists share knowledge in different ways, but all of them communicate with people. A love of learning—from other people, from plants and animals, from books, and more—is an essential quality. Most naturalists don’t work in places of rare beauty. Many work in city parks or in places that show “wear and tear.” If you can wonder about an inchworm, a juniper bush, or a robin and cause others to wonder, too, then you are ready to become a park naturalist.25.If you think you want to become a park naturalist, do the following:Explore your home landscape. Knowing how people have shaped the land where you live—and how the land has shaped them—will lend a comparison that will serve you well.Start a field sketch book. Sketch what you see, where and when. The reason is not to practice art skills (though you may discover you have a talent) but, rather, to practice observation skills.Go to college. You will need a 4-year degree. There are several academic routes that lead to the naturalist’s road. I have found ornithology, plant taxonomy and human growth and development to be among my most helpful courses.Listen and learn. A college degree is like a ticket. It lets you board the plane but is only the beginning of the journey. Look and listen to those who have already traveled the road for ideas, knowledge and inspiration.［685 words］Part C 06.8Directions:Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.(10 points)Within economic theory, there are in any case quite different assumptions about individual behaviour. Some neoclassical models assume that individuals’ expectations are rational, that is, they draw economically optimal conclusions from available information. In other models, expectations are more slowly“adaptive”, or there is uncertainty about the future. Yet experimental research shows that most people are remarkably bad at assessing their own economic best interest, even when they are given clear information and time to learn. Faced with a simple economic dilemma, people are quite likely to make the wrong decision because of “bounded rationality”(the effect of misleading preconceptions or emotions) or basic computational mistakes (the inability to calculate probabilities and discount rates). Psychologists have also identified the phenomenon of “myopic discounting”: our tendency to prefer a large reward later to a small reward soon—a preference we then switch as the small reward becomes irresistibly imminent. (26) Prospect theorists have shown that people are risk-averse when choosing between a certain gain and a possible bigger gain—they will choose the certain but smaller gain—but not when offered a choice between a certain loss and a possible bigger loss.Most economic institutions, if they depend on credit, also depend in some measure on credibility. But credibility can be based on credulity. (27)In late nineteenth-century France, Therese Humbert enjoyed a glittering career on the basis of a chest supposedly containing a hundred million francs in bearer bonds, which it was claimed she had inherited from her natural father, a mysterious Portuguese (later American) millionaire named Crawford. Borrowing against these securities, she and her husband were able to buy a luxurious hotel in the avenue de la Grande Armée, to gain a controlling interest in a Parisian newspaper and to engineer his election as a socialist deputy. Tenthousand people gathered outside the house when the box was finally opened in May 1902. It was found to contain“nothing but an old newspaper, an Italian coin and a trouser button.”(28)Even when we are not miscalculating—as the Humberts’creditors plainly did—our economic calculations are often subordinated to our biological impulses: the desire to reproduce, rooted(according to neo-Darwinian theories) in our“selfish genes”, the capacity for violence against rivals for mates and sustenance—to say nothing of the erotic or morbid forms of behaviour analysed by Freud, which cannot always be explained by evolutionary biology. Man is a social animal whose motivations are inseparable from his cultural milieu. (29)As Max Weber argued, even the profit motive has its roots in a not wholly rational asceticism, a desire to work for its own sake which is as much religious as economic. Under different cultural conditions, human beings may prefer leisure to toil. Or they may win the esteem of their fellows by economically irrational behaviour; for social status is seldom the same as mere purchasing power.And man is also a political animal. The groups into which human beings divide themselves—kinship groups, tribes, faiths, nations, classes and parties (not forgetting firms)—satisfy two fundamental needs: the desire for security (safety, both physical and psychological, in numbers) and what Nietzsche called the will to power: the satisfaction that comes from dominating other weaker groups. No theory has adequately described this phenomenon, not least because individuals are plainly capable of sustaining multiple, overlapping identities; and of tolerating the proximity of quite different groups, and indeed co-operating with them. (30)Only occasionally, and for reasons which seem historically specific, are people willing to accept an exclusive group identity. Only sometimes—but often enough—does the competition between groups descend into violence.［611 words］答案1.A2.B3.D4.C5.C6.C7.B8.A9.A10.B11.C12.C13.A14.A15.B16.C17.B18.C19.D20.A21.E22.C23.D24.F25.A26 研究未来的理论家们证明，人们在既定收益和可能的更大收益之间取舍时往往规避风险，总会选择确定性大但数量较小的收益，但在面对既定损失和可能更大的损失时，却不会如此选择。