考研英语(阅读)模拟试卷484.doc

考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷484

(总分：60.00，做题时间：90分钟)

一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)

1.Section II Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.Part B（分数：10.00）

__________________________________________________________________________________________ Many newcomers to the United States find themselves strange to the American ways. It usually takes some time for them to get to know the social customs that are so different from ours. 1. Women of marked individuality It is now becoming more and more common for a female in the U.S. to ask a male for a date or a dance. 2. The world of the young More striking than the changing relationships between men and women is the profound gulf that often separates the old from the young. I have found America to be a very youth-oriented society, in sharp contrast to the importance we attach to age. 3. Attitude towards work Work in general is something that is highly valued in American society. Since hard work is believed to help people get ahead, Americans often work long hours and do not take afternoon naps as we do. 4. Individualism Overall, the most difficult obstacle will be in coping with American individualism and self-reliance. This is because Americans prefer to do things on their own. Even in group activities, there is always unstructured time left for individuals to do what they please. 5. Friendly people In spite of the culture shock I have experienced, I have found Americans to be quite friendly, generous and helpful. [A]In the big cities, especially, people tend to eat quickly and the offices and stores remain open during the lunch hour. While some rush out for a bite, others keep watch over the phones, hold meetings or attend to customers. If Americans seem abrupt and impatient at times, it is often because of the pressure of work and the value they put on getting things done. [B]We, for example, were on a group trip to other cities, yet those traveling together did not always eat together, nor did they spend all of their sightseeing hours as a group. [C]My nephew was recently involved in a case of this kind. He was waiting upon an American young lady in a Chinese restaurant and was astonished when she remarked that he was an attractive man. When she paid her bill, she left a note for him: "If you're not married, I'd like to see you again. Here's my address and phone number!" Later he did call and explained that he had little money and could not pick her up because he did not have a car. She didn' t seem worried: she offered to come to pick him up in her car! [D]I believe that you too, despite some possible unexpected difficulties, will have such positive experiences. With time and patience you will gradually come to understand a society different from ours. [E]For example, we care for the old and infirm in the home, but old people here usually live in separate places either because they do not wish to be a burden to their children or because they prefer to maintain their individual lifestyles. When they cannot take care of themselves, they are often placed in special nursing homes for the aged. [F]I was particularly grateful for the assistance I received when I did a work / study project last summer at Newsday, the major newspaper in the area. Since there was no direct transportation between my home and the newspaper office, a fellow worker drove me back and forth to work. On days when she was unable to do this, she saw to it that someone else provided transportation. All told, seven people were involved in driving me on different occasions.（分数：10.00）

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It's long been known, but little discussed in polite high-tech circles, that information-age technology is not the clean industry it claims to be. Manufacturing a single PC can generate 139 pounds of waste and involves a host of chemicals linked to high rates of cancer and birth defects among workers and communities. 1. Disposal crisis of e-waste Electronic waste(e-waste)—such as obsolete and discarded computers, monitors, printers, cell phones, and televisions—is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the developed world, thanks to the industry's philosophy of "design for immediate obsolescence" and a weak electronics-recycling infrastructure. 2. Public health problems If the full force of the high-tech revolution hits the landfill, its health risks will leave no community untouched. 3. The european solution The European Union is way ahead of the U.S. in recognizing the hazards and moving towards a solution. 4. How will the U.S. proceed? Because the U.S. high-tech industry and its friends in Washington represent the biggest obstacles to the globalization of take-back laws, a broad coalition of environmental, health, labor, and recycling groups and local governments has formed the Computer Take Back Campaign to support EU-style legislation in the U.S. 5. Going global The European approach is more than a minor "software patch" on a fundamentally flawed program. By establishing corporate responsibility for products at the end of their lives, this strategy could have wide-ranging effects on the information technology industry. The EU approach spreads environmental benefits globally rather than shifting pollution to developing nations. [A]If we can adopt the EU's code in the U.S., we can do a bit of reverse engineering on globalization. By downloading Europe' s program to the U.S., we can finally begin to clean up the "clean industry" around the globe. [B]An estimated 300 to 500 million computers will descend on landfills by 2007 in the U.S. alone. Three-quarters of all computers ever sold in this country await disposal in garages and storage facilities because their owners don't know what to do with them. [C]The first European Union directive on e-waste, adopted last year, requires producers to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products. By 2005, companies will either have to take back products directly from consumers or fund independent collectors to do so. Waste that was generated prior to the enactment date will be the responsibility of all existing companies, in proportion to their market share. Future waste is to be the individual responsibility of each company, thereby creating an incentive to redesign products for easier and safer recycling and disposal. No e-waste will be allowed in municipal waste streams. [D]E-waste accounts for 5 percent of all solid waste in America but approximately 40 percent of the lead, 70 percent of the heavy metals, and a significant portion of the organic chemical pollutants in America ' s dumps. This e-waste can leach into the ground, as it did in the Silicon Valley. It was the widespread contamination of the valley's aquifers in the early 1980s that initially punctured the high-tech industry's clean image. Currently:there are more EPA superfund clean up sites in this valley than anywhere else in the U.S. The threat to soil, drinking water and public health will grow as e-waste surges into the waste stream worldwide.

[E]Hundreds of organizations and local governments in the U.S. have already endorsed the campaign's platform. The campaign advocates that the U.S. adopt standards for electronics manufacturers at least as stringent as those adopted by the EU: hazardous materials would be phased out, and all electronics would be designed for reuse and recycling. The campaign has sparked a legislative grounds well. In the past year alone , 20 states have introduced legislation to address e-waste. [F]Local governments and taxpayers now pick up the tab for the disposal of e-waste. The state of California, for example, faces an estimated $1 billion in e-waste disposal costs over the next few years.（分数：10.00）

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The planets seemed like pretty small places. At the same time, Earth seemed a lot larger than it does now. No one had ever seen our planet as a planet: a blue marble on black velvet, coated with water and air. No one knew that the moon was born in an impact. No one fully appreciated that humanity was becoming a geologic force in its own right, capable of changing the environment on a global scale. Whatever else the Space Age has done, it has enriched our view of the natural world and given us a perspective. National Research Council(NRC)panels periodically ask whether the world' s planetary exploration programs are on track. The list of goals that follows synthesizes their priorities. 1. Monitor Earth' s Climate The venerable Landsat series, which has monitored the surface since 1972, has been on the fritz for years, and the U. S. has Department of Agriculture has already had to buy data from Indian satellites to monitor crop productivity. For some types of data, no other nation can fill in. 2. Prepare an Asteroid Defense Like climate monitoring, guarding the planet from asteroids always seems to fall between the cracks. Neither NASA nor the European Space Agency(ESA)has a mandate to stave off human extinction. It would take 15 years or longer to mount a defense against an incoming body, assuming that the technology were ready to go. 3. Seek Out New Life Before Spotnik, scientists thought the solar system might be a veritable Garden of Eden. Earth's sister worlds proved to be hellish, even when the Mariner probes revealed a cratered moonscape and the Viking landers failed to find even a single organic molecule. But lately the plausible venues for life have multiplied. 4. Explain the Genesis of the Planets Studies of the origin of the planets overlap quite a bit with studies of the origins of life. Jakosky puts it thus: "Venus sits at the inner edge of the habitable zone. Mars sits at the outer edge. Earth sits in the middle. And understanding the differences between those planets is central to asking about life beyond our solar system." 5. Break Out of the Solar System A solar sail 200 meters across could carry a 500-kilogram spacecraft. After launch from Earth, it would first swoop toward the sun, going as it dared—just inside Mercury's orbit—to get flung out by the intense sunlight. "Such a mission, be it ESA-or NASA-led, is the next logical step in our exploration of space, " Wim mer-Schweingruber says. "After all, there is more to space than exploring our very, very local neighborhood." The estimated price tag is about $2 billion including three decades' operating expenses. [A]Like the origin of life, the origin of the planets was a complex, multistage process. Jupiter was the first-born. Did it build up slowly, like the other planets? Did it form farther from the sun and move inward? [B]Like a windsurfer, the spacecraft would steer by leaning to one side or the other. Just before pass ing Jupiter's orbit, it would cast off the sail and glide outward. To get ready, engineers need to design a sufficiently lightweight sail and test it on first. [C]So NRC prepares to take some action plans. Extend asteroid search to smaller bodies, perhaps using a dedicated infrared space telescope. Deflect an asteroid in a controlled way as a trial run. Develop an official system for evaluating potential threats.

[D]The NRC panel called for restoring the lost funding, which pay for 17 new missions over the coming decade, such as ones to keep tabs on ice sheets and carbon dioxide levels—essential for predicting climate change and its effects. People sometimes take the mundane yet urgent task of looking after our own planet for granted. [E]Mars is looking hopeful again. Outer-planet moons, notably Europa and Enceladus, appear to have vast underground seas and plenty of life' s raw materials. Even Venus might have been covered in oceans once. The research is not just about finding companionship in the cosmos. It is about divining our own origins. [F]This past spring ESA completed a set of feasibility studies—and promptly shelved them for lack of money. It would take a joint effort with NASA or the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA), or both, to make the plan happen.（分数：10.00）

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Many factors distort the way we interpret the world. Social scientists use the term attribution to describe the process of attaching meaning to behavior. We attribute meaning to both our own actions and to the actions of others, but we often use different yardsticks. Research has uncovered several perceptual errors that can lead to inaccurate attributions. 1. We are influenced by what is most obvious The error of being influenced by what is most obvious is understandable. The most obvious factor is not necessarily the only cause—or the most significant one. 2. We cling to first impressions, even if wrong Labeling people according to our first impressions is an inevitable part of the perception process, problems arise, however, when the labels we attach are inaccurate:once we form an image we tend to hang onto it and make any conflicting information fit our image. Given the almost unavoidable tendency to form first impressions, the best advice we can give is to keep an open mind and to be willing to change your opinion as events prove it mistaken. 3. We tend to assume others are similar to us People with low self-esteem imagine others view them unfavorable, whereas people who like themselves imagine that others like them, too. The frequently mistaken assumption that others'views are similar to our own applies in a wide range of situations. 4. We tend to favor negative impressions of others over positive ones Researches shows that when people are aware of both the positive and negative characteristics of another, they tend to be more influenced by the undesirable traits. 5. We blame innocent victims for their misfortunes The blame we assign for misfortune depends on who the victim is. When others suffer, we often blame the problem on their personal qualities. On the other hand, when we're the victims, we find explanations outside ourselves. Don't misunderstand: We don't always commit the kind of perceptual errors described above. Nonetheless, a large amount of research has proved again and again that our perceptions of others are often distorted in the ways listed above. The moral, then, clear: Don't assume that your first judgment of a person is accurate. [A]Since looking good is so often a personal goal, putting others down can be a cheap way to boost our own self-esteem, stating in effect , 'Tm better than he is." [B]For example, you might blame an unhappy working situation on the boss, overlooking other factors beyond her control such as a change in the economy, the policy of higher management, or demands of customers of other workers. [C]In one study, for example, researchers found that job interviewers were likely to reject candidates who revealed negative information even when the total amount of information highly positive. [D]A boss may think of herself as an excellent manager because her assistants shower her with false praise in order to keep their jobs or gain promotions. Likewise, a child's inflated ego may be based on the praise of doting parents. [E]You've heard a slightly raunchy joke that is pretty funny. You might assume that it won't offend a somewhat straight friend. It does. You might have found out the other person' s real position by asking directly or by checking with others. [F]Suppose, for instance, you mention the name of your new neighbor to a friend. "Oh, I know him, " your friend replies. "He seems nice at first but it's all an act." Perhaps this appraisal is off-base. The neigh bor may have changed since your friend knew him, or perhaps your friend's judgment is simply unfair. Whether the judgment is accurate or not, once you accept your friend's evaluation, it will probably influence the way you respond to the neighbor.（分数：10.00）

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