2018考研英语阅读经典试题及答案(12)
2018年考研英语真题及答案解析
2018年考研英语真题及答案解析考研英语最重要的就是做好真题的题海战，只有将真题啃透，才能在实战中得到更高分。
下面是小编分享的考研英语真题及答案解析，一起来看看吧。
考研英语真题及答案解析一Directions: 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)In Cambodia, the choice of a spouse is a complex one for the young male. It may involve not only his parents and his friends, __1__those of the young woman, but also a matchmaker. A young man can __2__ a likely spouse on his own and then ask his parents to __3__the marriage negotiations, or the young man’s parents may take the choice of a spouse, giving the child little to say in the selection. __4__, a girl may veto the spouse her parents have chosen. __5__ a spouse has been selected, each family investigates the other to make sure its child is marrying __6__ a good family.The traditional wedding is a long and colorful affair. Formerly it lasted three days, __7__1980s it more commonly lasted a day and a half. Buddhist priests offer a short sermon and __8__ prayers of blessing. Par--ts of the ceremony involve ritual hair cutting,__9__cotton threads soaked in holy water around the bride's and groom's wrists, and __10__a candle around a circle of happily married and respected couples to bless the __11__. Newlyweds traditionally move in with the wife's parents and may__12__ with them up to a year, __13__they can build a new house nearby.Divorce is legal and easy to __14__, but not common.Divorced persons are __15__ with some disapproval. Each spouse retains ___16___ property he or she __17__ into the marriage, and jointly-acquired property is __18__ equally. Divorced persons may remarry, but a gender prejudice __19__up. The divorced male doesn't have a waiting period before he can remarry __20__the woman must wait ten months.1. A. by way of B. with regard to C. on behalf of D. as well as2. A. decide on B. provide for C. compete with D. adapt to3. A. close B. arrange C. renew D. postpone4. A. In theory B. Above all C. In time D. For example5. A. Unless B. Less C. After D. Although6. A. into B. within C. from D. through7. A. or B. since C. but D. so8. A. test B. copy C. recite D. create9. A. folding B. piling C. wrapping D. tying10. A. passing B. lighting C. hiding D. serving11. A. association B. meeting C. collection D. union12. A. deal B. part C. grow D. live13. A. whereas B. until C. for D. if14. A. avoid B. follow C. challenge D. obtain15. A. isolated B. persuaded C. viewed D. exposed16. A. wherever B. whatever C. whenever D. however17. A. changed B. brought C. shaped D. pushed18. A. invested B. divided C. donated D. withdrawn19. A. warms B. clears C. shows D. breaks20. A. while B. so that C. once D. in that1.[标准答案] [D]as well as[考点分析] 本题考察逻辑关系[选项分析] 因为考察逻辑关系，所以需要我们先对填空前后的原文信息做定位分析：文章身处大环境not only…..but also之中，这是一个明显的并列关系，表示“不仅……而且……”该空与前一句“his parents and his friends”也是并列关系，表示“与他本人以及伴侣的父母朋友相关” 所以答案只能是D. as well as.A. by way of通过B. with regard to 关于C. on behalf of 代表2.[标准答案] [A] decide on[考点分析] 上下文语义[选项分析] 根据该句的主语a young man与宾语a likely spouse 的关系，答案只能是A. decide on 决定。
2018考研英语二真题及答案及解析
2018考研英语二真题及答案及解析2018年考研英语二真题及答案解析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 the ANSWER SHEET.(10 points)why do people read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painfulBecause humans have an inherent need to 1 uncertainty, according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people wiill 2 to satisfy their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will 3.In a series of four experiments, behavioral scientists at the University of Chicago and the Wisconsin School of Business tested students' willingness to 4 themselves to unpleasant stimuli in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one 5 each participant was shown a pile of pens that the researcher claimed were from a previous experiment. The twistHalf of the pens would 6 an electric shock when clicked. Twenty-seven students were told which pens were electrified;another twe nty-seven were told only that some were electrified 7 left alone in the room, the students who did not know which ones would shock th em clicked more pens and incurred more shocks than the students who knew what would 8 .Subsequent experiments reproduced this effect wit h other stimuli, 9 the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and pho tographs of disgusting insects.The drive to 10 is deeply rooted in humans,much the same as the ba sic drives for 11 or shelter,says Christopher Hsee of theUniversityof Chicago. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct-it can 12 new scientific advances, for instance-but sometimes such 13 can in sight that curiosity can drive you to do 14 things is a profound curiosity is possible to 15 ,however. In a final experiment,particip ants who were encouraged to 16 how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to 17 to see such an results suggest that imagining the 18 of following through on one's curiosi ty ahead of time can help determine 19 it is worth the endeavor. T hinking about long-term 20 is key to reducing the possible negative effects of curiosity."Hsee other words,don't read online comments.1.8.9. than as of to10. B. forgive11.with on from to. withdrawal B. inquiry C .persistenceself-evident18.. whether20.1. 【答案】A【解析】句首作者提出疑问，“为什么人们会读互联网的负面评论和明显很让人伤心的其它事情呢”随后作者给出答案，“因为人们都有___不确定性的内在需求”。
2018考研英语阅读练习题(附答案)
2018考研英语阅读练习题（附答案）Text 1Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. received one for its “one-click” online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box.Now the nation’s top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz the U.S. court of Appeals for the federal circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In Bilski , as the case is known , is “a very big deal”, says Dennis’D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It “has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents.”Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face; because it was the federal circuit itself that introduced such patents with its 1998 decision in the so-called state Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging internet companies trying to stake out exclusive pinhts to specific types of online transactions. Later, move established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might bent them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice.The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court’s judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should” reconsider” its state street Bank ruling.The Federal Circuit’s action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the Supreme Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for “inventions” that are obvious. The judges on the Federal circuit are “reacting to the anti-patient trend at the supreme court”, says Harole C.wegner, a patent attorney and professor at Jorge Washington University Law School.1. Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of[A] their limited value to business[B] their connection with asset allocation[C] the possible restriction on their granting[D] the controversy over authorization选C. 细节推理题。
2018考研英语阅读经典试题及答案
2018 考研英语阅读经典试题及答案(3)新东方在线推荐：Between the eighth and eleventh centuries A. D., the Byzantine Empire staged an almost unparalleled economic and cultural revival, a recovery that is all the more striking because it followed a long period of severe internal decline. By the early eighth century, the empire had lost roughly two-thirds of the territory it had possessed in the year 600, and its remaining area was being raided by Arabs and Bulgarians, who at times threatened to take Constantinople and extinguished the empire altogether. The wealth of the state and its subjects was greatly diminished, and artistic and literary production had virtually ceased. By the early eleventh century, however, the empire had regained almost half of its lost possessions, its new frontiers were secure, and its influence extended far beyond its borders. The economy had recovered, the treasury was full, and art and scholarship had advanced.To consider the Byzantine military, cultural, and economic advances as differentiated aspects of a single phenomenon is reasonable. After all, these three forms of progress have gone together in a number of states and civilizations. Rome under Augustus and fifth-century Athens provide the most obvious examples in antiquity. Moreover, an examination of the apparent sequential connections among military, economic, and cultural forms of progress might help explain the dynamics of historical change.The common explanation of these apparent connections in the case of Byzantium would run like this: when the empire had turned back enemy raids on its own territory and had begun to raid and conquer enemy territory, Byzantine resources naturally expanded and more money became available to patronize art and literature. Therefore, Byzantine military achievements led to economic advances, which in turn led to cultural revival.No doubt this hypothetical pattern did apply at times during the course of the recovery. Yet it is not clear that military advances invariably came first. Economic advances second, and intellectual advances third. In the 860 's the Byzantine Empire began to recoverfrom Arab incursions so that by 872 the military balance with the Abbasid Caliphate had been permanently altered in the empire 's favor. The beginning of the empire 's economic revival, however, can beplaced between 810 and 830. Finally, the Byzantine revival oflearning appears to have begun even earlier. A number of notable scholars and writers appeared by 788 and, by the last decade of the eighth century, a cultural revival was in full bloom, a revival that lasted until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Thus the commonly expected order of military revival followed by economic andthen by cultural recovery was reversed in Byzantium. In fact, the revival of Byzantine learning may itself have influenced the subsequent economic and military expansion.1. Which of the following best states the central idea of the text?[A] The Byzantine Empire was a unique case in which the usual order of military and economic revival preceding cultural revival was reversed.[B] The economic, cultural, and military revival in the Byzantine Empire between the eighth and eleventh centuries was similar in its order to the sequence of revival in Augustan Rome and fifth-century Athens.[C] After 810 Byzantine economic recovery spurred a military and, later, cultural expansion that lasted until 1453.[D] The revival of the Byzantine Empire between the eighth and eleventh centuries shows cultural rebirth preceding economic and military revival, the reverse of the generally accepted sequence of progress.2. It can be inferred from the text that the Byzantine Empire sustained significant territorial losses[A] in 600.[B] during the seventh century.[C] a century after the cultural achievements of the Byzantine Empire had been lost.[D] soon after the revival of Byzantine learning.3. In the third paragraph, the author most probably provides an explanation of the apparent connections among economic, military, and cultural development in order to[A] suggest that the process of revival in Byzantium accords with this model.[B] set up an order of events that is then shown to be not generally applicable to the case of Byzantium.[C] cast aspersions on traditional historical scholarship about Byzantium.[D] suggest that Byzantium represents a case for which no historical precedent exists.4. Which of the following does the author mention as crucial evidence concerning the manner in which the Byzantine revival began?[A] The Byzantine military revival of the 860 ' s led to economic and cultural advances.[B] The Byzantine cultural revival lasted until 1453.[C] The Byzantine economic recovery began in the 900 's.[D] The revival of Byzantine learning began toward the end of the eighth century.5. According to the author, “ The common explanation ” (line 1,paragraph 3) of connections between economic, military, and cultural development is[A] revolutionary and too new to have been applied to the history of the Byzantine Empire.[B] reasonable, but an antiquated theory of the nature of progress.[C] not applicable to the Byzantine revival as a whole, but does perhaps accurately describe limited periods during the revival.[D] equally applicable to the Byzantine case as a whole and to the history of military, economic, and cultural advances in ancient Greece and Rome.。
2018考研英语阅读理解练习题及答案
2018考研英语阅读理解练习题及答案2018考研英语阅读理解的复习，做练习题是必不可少的。
今天，店铺准备了2018考研英语阅读理解练习题，以供考生练习。
2018考研英语阅读理解练习题：【原文】When I decided to quit my full time employment it never occurredto me that I might become a part of a new international trend. A lateral movethat hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress prompted me to abandonmy relatively high profile career although, in the manner of a disgracedgovernment minister, I covered my exit by claimi ng “I wanted to spend more time with my family".Curiously, some two-and-a-half years and two novels later, myexperiment in what the Americans term "downshifting" has turned mytired excuse into an absolute reality. I have been transformed from apassionate advocate of the philosophy of “ have itall", preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the pages ofShe magazine, into a woman who is happy to settle for a bit of everything.I have discovered, as perhaps Kelsey will after hermuch-publicized resignation from the editorship of She after a build-up ofstress, that abandoning the doctrine of "juggling your life", andmaking the alternative move into “ downshifting ” brings with it far greater rewards than financial success andsocial status. Nothing could persuade me to return to the kind of life Kelseyused to advocate and I once enjoyed: 12-hour working days, pressured deadlines,the fearful strain of office politics and the limitations of being a parent on “ quality time ” .In America, the move away from juggling to a simpler, lessmaterialistic lifestyle is a well-established trend. Downshifting—also known in America as “voluntarysimplicity”—has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termedanti-consumerism. There are a number of best-selling downshifting self-helpbooks for people who want to simplify their lives; there are newsletters, suchas The Tightwad Gazette, that give hundreds of thousands of Americans usefultips on anything from recycling their cling-film to making their own soap;there are even support groups for those who want to achieve the mid-'90sequivalent of dropping out.While in America the trend started as a reaction to the economicdecline ― after the massredundancies caused by downsizing in the late’ 80s ― and is still link ed to the politics of thrift, in Britain, atleast among the middle-class downshifters of my acquaintance, we have differentreasons for seeking to simplify our lives.For the women of my generation who were urged to keep jugglingthrough the '80s, downshifting in the mid-'90s is not so much a search for themythical good life —growing your ownorganic vegetables, and risking turning into one —as apersonal recognition of your limitations.2018考研英语阅读理解练习题：【题目】37. Which of the following is true according to paragraph 1??[A]Full-time employment is a new international trend.[B]The writer was compelled by circumstances to leave her job.[C] “ A lateral move ” means stepping out of full-time employment.[D]The writer was only too eager to spend more time with herfamily.38. The writer's experiment shows that downshifting_________.[A]enables her to realize her dream[B]helps her mold a new philosophy of life[C]prompts her to abandon her high social status[D]leads her to accept the doctrine of She magazine39. “ Juggling one'slife ” probably meansliving a life characterized by _________.[A]non-materialistic lifestyle[B]a bit of everything[C]extreme stress[D]anti-consumerism40. According to the passage, downshifting emerged in the U.S. asa result of _________.[A]the quick pace of modern life[B]man's adventurous spirit[C]man's search for mythical experiences[D]the economic situation2018考研英语阅读理解练习题：【答案】名师解析37. Which of the following is true according to paragraph 1?根据第一段，下文哪一个是正确的?[A] Full-time employment is a new international trend.全职工作是一个新的国际趋势。
2018考研英语（一）真题及答案解析
2018 年研究生入学统一考试试题（英语一）Section I Use ofEnglishDirections：Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blankandmark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10points)WhydopeoplereadnegativeInternetcommentsanddootherthingsthatwillobviouslybe painful? Because humans have an inherent need to (1)uncertainty, accordingtoarecentstudyinPsychologicalScience.Thenewresearchrevealsthattheneedto knowissostrongthatpeoplewill (2)tosatisfytheircuriosityevenwhen it is clear the answer will (3).In a series of four experiments, behavioral scientists at the University ofChicago Booth School of Business and the Wisconsin School of Business testedstudents'willingnessto(4)themselvestounpleasantstimuliinanefforttosatisfycuriosity. Forone(5),eachparticipantwasshownapileofpensthattheresearcherclaimedwerefromapreviouse xperiment.Thetwist?Halfofthepenswould (6)an electric shock whenclicked.Twenty-seven students were told which pens were rigged; anothertwenty-seven were told only that some were electrified. (7) left alone in the room, thestudents who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and incurredmorejoltsthanthestudentswhoknewwhatwould(8).Subsequentexperiments replicated this effect with other stimuli, (9) the sound of fingernails onachalkboardand photographs of disgustinginsects.The drive to (10) is deeply ingrained in humans, much the same as thebasicdrivesfor (11) or shelter, says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago,aco-authorofthepaper.Curiosityisoftenconsideredagoodinstinct－itcan (12) new scientific advances, for instance－but sometimes such (13) canbackfire.The insight that curiosity can drive you todo _ (14) things is a profoundone.Unhealthy curiosity is possible to (15), however. In a finalexperiment,participants who were encouraged to (16) how they would feel after viewingan unpleasant picture were less likely to (17) to see such an image. These resultssuggest that imagining the(18) of following through on one's curiosity aheadof timecanhelpdetermine(19)itisworththeendeavor."Thinkingaboutlong-term(20)iskeytomitigatingthepossiblenegativeeffectsofcuriosity,"Hseesays.In other words, don't read onlinecomments.1.A．on B．like C．for D．from2.A．faith B．concern C．attention D．interest3.A．benefit B．debt C．hope D．price4.A．Therefore B．Then C．Instead D．Again5.A．Until B．Unless C．Although D．When6.A．selects B．produces C．applies D．maintains7.A．consult B．compete C．connect D．compare8.A．at B．by C．of D．to9.A．context B．mood C．period D．circle10.A．counterparts B．substitutes C．colleagues D．supporters11.A．Funny B．Lucky C．Odd D．Ironic12.A．monitor B．protect C．surprise D．delight13.A．between B．within C．toward D．over14.A．transferred B．added C．introduced D．entrusted15.A．out B．back C．around D．inside16.A．discovered B．proved C．insisted D．remembered17.A．betrayed B．wronged C．fooled D．mocked18.A．forced B．willing C．hesitant D．entitled19. A．Incontrast B．As aresult C．On thewhole D．Forinstance20.A．inflexible B．incapable C．unreliable D．unsuitable1.【答案】C【解析】该题选择的是介词，与后面的many worthwhile things一块做后置定语修饰前面的condition,表明对于许多重要事情来说是一个必要的条件。
2018年考研英语真题答案及解析
2018年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(一)试题答案详解Section I Use of English全文翻译：你的大脑与信任：为什么我们天生信任别人信任是一件棘手的事，一方面，（1）对很多重要的事情来说，这是一个必要条件：托儿、友情等，另一方面，把你的（2）信任放在错误的地方通常伴有高昂的（3）代价。
（4）那么，我们究竟为什么要相信别人呢？嗯，因为这样感觉很好。
（5）当人们相信一个人或一个机构时，他们的大脑会释放催产素，这是一种会（6）制造愉悦情感和激发群体集本能的激素，这种本能促使人们彼此（7）联系。
科学家发现，接触（8）到这种激素让我们处于信任的（9）情绪中：在一项瑞士的研究中，研究人员将催产素喷洒进半数受试者的鼻子里；这些人准备借给陌生人的钱的数额比吸入了其他物品的（10）对应受试者高得多。
对我们来说（11）幸运的是，我们还有识别不诚实的第六感，这可以（12）保护我们。
一项加拿大的研究发现，仅14个月大的孩子就能够将可靠的人和不诚实的人区分开来。
60个刚学步的小孩每人都被（14）介绍给一个拿着塑料容器的成人测试人员。
测试人员在看向容器里之前会问：“这里面有什么呢？”然后笑着惊叹：“哇哦！”然后邀请每一个受试者看向容器（15）里面。
一半的小孩发现有玩具；另一半（16）发现容器里是空的——然后意识到测试人员（17）欺骗了他们.在没有被戏弄的孩子中，大部分都（18）愿意同测试人员合作学习一项新技能，说明他们相信他的领导地位，（19）相比之下，同（20）“不可靠的”测试人员被配对的30个孩子中，只有5个参与了后续活动。
1、【答案】[C]for【解析】此处考察介词的用法。
it’s a necessary condition____many worthwhile things(信任是一个必要条件_____许多重要事情)此处应该是说，信任对许多重要事情来说是一个必要条件。
C选项for(对...来说)符合语义，故为正确答案;D选项from(来自于)，B选项like(像...)，A选项on(关于)语义不恰当，故排除。
2018考研英语阅读理解练习题附答案
2018考研英语阅读理解练习题附答案2018考研英语阅读理解练习题附答案2018考研英语阅读理解的复习，做练习题必不可少。
今天，店铺准备了2018考研英语阅读理解练习题，以供考生练习。
2018考研英语阅读理解练习题：【原文】The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers andacquisitions ever witnessed. The process sweeps from hyperactive America toEurope and reaches the emerging countries with unsurpassed might. Many in thesecountries are looking at this process and wo rrying: “Won't the wave of business concentration turn into an uncontrollableanti-competitive force?"There's no question that the big are getting bigger and morepowerful. Multinational corporations accounted for less than 20% ofinternational trade in 1982. Today the figure is more than 25% and growingrapidly. International affiliates account for a fast-growing segment ofproduction in economies that open up and welcome foreign investment. InArgentina, for instance, after the reforms of the early 1990s, multinationalswent from 43% to almost 70% of the industrial production of the 200 largestfirms. This phenomenon has created serious concerns over the role of smallereconomic firms, of national businessmen and over the ultimate stability of theworld economy.I believe that the most important forces behind the massive M&Awave are the same that underlie the globalization process: fallingtransportation and communication costs, lower trade and investment barriers andenlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customers'demands. All these are beneficial, not detrimental, to consumers. Asproductivity grows,the world's wealth increases.Examples of benefits or costs of the current concentration waveare scanty. Yet it is hard to imagine that the merger of a few oil firms todaycould re-create the same threats to competition that were feared nearly acentury ago in the U.S., when the Standard Oil trust was broken up. The mergersof telecom companies, such as WorldCom, hardly seem to bring higher prices forconsumers or a reduction in the pace of technical progress. On the contrary,the price of communications is coming down fast. In cars, too, concentration isincreasing—witness Daimler andChrysler, Renault and Nissan—but it does notappear that consumers are being hurt.Yet the fact remains that the merger movement must be watched. Afew weeks ago, Alan Greenspan warned against the megamergers in the bankingindustry. Who is going to supervise, regulate and operate as lender of lastresort with the gigantic banks that are being created? Won't multinationalsshift production from one place to another when a nation gets too strict aboutinfringements to fair competition? And should one country take upon itself therole of“defendingcompetition" on issues that affect many other nations, as in the U.S. vs.Microsoft case?2018考研英语阅读理解练习题：【题目】33. What is the typical trend of businesses today?[A]To take in more foreign funds[B]To invest more abroad[C]To combine and become bigger[D]T o trade with more countries34. According to the author, one of the driving forces behindM&A wave is _________.[A]the greater customer demands[B]a surplus supply for the market[C]a growing productivity[D]the increase of the world's wealth35. From paragraph 4 we can infer that _________.[A]the increasing concentration is certain to hurt consumers[B]WorldCom serves as a good example of both benefits and costs[C]the costs of the globalization process are enormous[D]the Standard Oil trust might have threatened competition36. Toward the new business wave, the writer's attitude can besaid to be _________.[A]optimistic[B]objective[C]pessimistic[D]biased2018考研英语阅读理解练习题：【答案】名师解析33. What is the typical trend of businesses today? 今天的商业典型的发展趋势是什么?[A]To take in more foreign funds 吸收更多外资[B]To invest more abroad 进行更多对外投资[C]To combine and become bigger 合并做强[D]T o trade with more countries 与更多国家贸易【答案】 C【考点】事实细节题。
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2018考研英语阅读经典试题及答案(12)新东方在线推荐：Flatfish, such as the flounder, are among the few vertebrates that lack approximate bilateral symmetry (symmetry in which structures to the left and right of the body’s midline are mirror images). Most striking among the many asymmetries evident in an adult flatfish is eye placement: before maturity one eye migrates, so that in an adult flatfish both eyes are on the same side of the head. While in most species with asymmetries virtually all adults share the same asymmetry, members of the starry flounder species can be either left-eyed (both eyes on the left side of head) or right-eyed. In thewaters between the United States and Japan, the starry flounder populations vary from about 50 percent left-eyed off the UnitedStates West Coast, through about 70 percent left-eyed halfway between the United States and Japan, to nearly 100 percent left-eyed off the Japanese coast.Biologists call this kind of gradual variation over a certain geographic range a “cline” and interpret clines as strongindications that the variation is adaptive, a response to environmental differences. For the starry flounder thisinterpretation implies that a geometric difference (between fish that are mirror images of one another) is adaptive, that left-eyedness in the Japanese starry flounder has been selected for, which provokes a perplexing question: what is the selective advantage in having both eyes on one side rather than on the other?The ease with which a fish can reverse the effect of thesidedness of its eye asymmetry simply by turning around has caused biologists to study internal anatomy, especially the optic nerves,for the answer. In all flatfish the optic nerves cross, so that the right optic nerve is joined to the brain’s left side and vice versa. This crossing introduces an asymmetry, as one optic nerve must cross above or below the other. G. H. Parker reasoned that if, for example, a flatfish’s left eye migrated when the right optic nerve was on top, there would be a twisting of nerves, which might be mechanically disadvantageous. For starry flounders, then, the left-eyed variety would be selected against, since in a starry flounder the left optic nerve is uppermost.The problem with the above explanation is that the Japanesestarry flounder population is almost exclusively left-eyed, andnatural selection never promotes a purely less advantageous variation. As other explanations proved equally untenable, biologists concluded that there is no important adaptive difference between left-eyedness and right-eyedness, and that the two characteristics are genetically associated with some other adaptively significant characteristic.This situation is one commonly encountered by evolutionary biologists, who must often decide whether a characteristic is adaptive or selectively neutral. As for the left-eyed and right-eyed flatfish, their difference, however striking, appears to be an evolutionary red herring.1. According to the text, starry flounder differ form most other species of flatfish in that starry flounder[A] are not basically bilaterally symmetric.[B] do not become asymmetric until adulthood.[C] do not all share the same asymmetry.[D] have both eyes on the same side of the head.2. Which of the following best describes the organization of the text as a whole?[A] A phenomenon is described and an interpretation presented and rejected.[B] A generalization is made and supporting evidence is supplied and weighed.[C] A contradiction is noted and a resolution is suggested and then modified.[D] A series of observations is presented and explained in termsof the dominant theory.3. The text supplies information for answering which of the following questions?[A] Why are Japanese starry flounder mostly left-eyed?[B] Why should the eye-sidedness in starry flounder be considered selectively neutral?[C] Why have biologists recently become interested in whether a characteristic is adaptive or selectively neutral?[D] How do the eyes in flatfish migrate?4. Which of the following is most clearly similar to a cline asit is described in the second paragraph of the text?[A] A vegetable market in which the various items are grouped according to place of origin.[B] A wheat field in which different varieties of wheat are planted to yield a crop that will bring the maximum profit.[C] A flower stall in which the various species of flowers are arranged according to their price.[D] A housing development in which the length of the front struts supporting the porch of each house increases as houses are built up the hill.5. Which of the following phrases from the text best expresses the author’s conclusion about the meaning of the difference between left-eyed and right-eyed flatfish?[A] “Most striking” (line 3, paragraph 1)[B] “variation is adaptive” (line 2, paragraph 2)[C] “mechanically disadvantageous” (line 7, paragraph 3)[D] “evolutionary red herring” (line 9, paragraph 4)。