英语专八阅读理解模拟试题(附带翻译及解析)

考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及解析一
The majority of successful senior managers do not closely follow the classical rational model of first clarifying goals, assessing the problem, formulating options, estimating likelihoods of success, making a decision, and only then taking action to implement the decision. Rather, in their day-by-day tactical maneuvers, these senior executives rely on what is vaguely termed intuition to manage a network of interrelated problems that require them to deal with ambiguity, inconsistency, novelty, and surprise； and to integrate action into the process of thinking.
Generations of writers on management have recognized that some practicing managers rely heavily on intuition. In general, however, such writers display a poor grasp of what intuition is. Some see it as the opposite of rationality; others view it as an excuse for capriciousness.
Isenberg's recent research on the cognitive processes of senior managers reveals that managers' intuition is neither of these. Rather, senior managers use intuition in at least five distinct ways. First, they intuitively sense when a problem exists. Second, managers rely on intuition to perform well-learned behavior patterns rapidly. This intuition is not arbitrary or irrational, but is based on years of painstaking practice and hands-on experience that build skills. A third function of intuition is to synthesize isolated bits of data and practice into an integrated picture, often in an Aha！ experience. Fourth, some managers use intuition as a check on the results of more rational analysis. Most senior executives are familiar with the formal decision analysis models and tools, and those who use such systematic methods for reaching decisions are occasionally leery of solutions suggested by these methods which run counter to their sense of the correct course of action. Finally, managers can use intuition to bypass in-depth analysis and move rapidly to engender a plausible solution. Used in this way, intuition is an almost instantaneous cognitive process in which a manager recognizes familiar patterns.
One of the implications of the intuitive style of executive management is that thinking is inseparable from acting. Since managers often know what is right before they can analyze and explain it, they frequently act first and explain later. Analysis is inextricably tied to action in thinking/acting cycles, in which managers develop thoughts about their companies and organizations not by analyzing a problematic situation and then acting, but by acting and analyzing in close concert.
Given the great uncertainty of many of the management issues that they face, senior managers often instigate a course of action simply to learn more about an issue. They then use the results of the action to develop a more complete understanding of the issue. One implication of thinking/acting cycles is that action is often part of defining the problem, not just of

implementing the solution.
1. According to the text, senior managers use intuition in all of the following ways EXCEPT to
[A] Speed up of the creation of a solution to a problem.
[B] Identify a problem.
[C] Bring together disparate facts.
[D] Stipulate clear goals.

2. The text suggests which of the following about the writers on management mentioned in line 1, paragraph 2？
[A] They have criticized managers for not following the classical rational model of decision analysis.
[B] They have not based their analyses on a sufficiently large sample of actual managers.
[C] They have relied in drawing their conclusions on what managers say rather than on what managers do.
[D] They have misunderstood how managers use intuition in making business decisions.

3. It can be inferred from the text that which of the following would most probably be one major difference in behavior between Manager X, who uses intuition to reach decisions, and Manager Y, who uses only formal decision analysis？
[A] Manager X analyzes first and then acts； Manager Y does not.
[B] Manager X checks possible solutions to a problem by systematic analysis； Manager Y does not.
[C] Manager X takes action in order to arrive at the solution to a problem； Manager Y does not.
[D] Manager Y draws on years of hands-on experience in creating a solution to a problem； Manager X does not.
　
4. The text provides support for which of the following statements？
[A] Managers who rely on intuition are more successful than those who rely on formal decision analysis.
[B] Managers cannot justify their intuitive decisions.
[C] Managers'' intuition works contrary to their rational and analytical skills.
[D] Intuition enables managers to employ their practical experience more efficiently.

5. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph of the text？
[A] An assertion is made and a specific supporting example is given.
[B] A conventional model is dismissed and an alternative introduced.
[C] The results of recent research are introduced and summarized.
[D] Two opposing points of view are presented and evaluated.



答案与考点解析
1. 「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道归纳推导题。本题题干中的senior managers暗示本题的答案信息在第三段,因为第三段首句包含题干中的senior managers。通过仔细阅读和理解本段中所谈到的五点,我们可推导出本题的正确选项是选项D.本题选项A、B、C所涉及的内容分别在本段的第五点、第一点和第三点提到。考生在解题时一定要学会认真归纳和总结原文所表达的每一层含义。
2. 「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道句间关系题。题干已将本题的答案信息圈定在第二段。本段中的第二句是本题答案信

息的最主要来源,通过阅读和理解此句,我们可推导出本题的正确选项是D.考生在解题时一定要适当理解上下句之间的关系。
3. 「答案」C
「考点解析」本题是一道审题定位题。题干中的who uses intuition to reach decisions暗示本题的答案信息在第四段,因为第四段首句含有和题干中who uses intuition to reach decisions大致相同的the intuitive style of executive management。通过仔细阅读和理解第四段的每一句话,我们可发现第四段的第一句话都在强调act（行动）,可见本题的正确选项应该是强调行动的选项C.本题的答案信息来源是第四段的第二句话。考生在解题时一定要首先准确地审题定位,然后要善于归纳和理解原文中的中心主旨信息。
4. 「答案」D
「考点解析」本题是一道审题定位题。题干中并没有明确指出本题答案信息在原文的准确位置。在这种情况下,考生往往迷失解题思路。在考生迷失解题思路时一定要牢记全文中心主旨,并且抓住各段的核心句。本文的中心主旨句在第一段的尾句。如果考生能够抓住第一段的尾句,并结合第三段的第四、五句,就可以推导出本题的正确选项应该是D.考生在解题时,尤其是在迷失解题思路时,一定要首先抓全文的中心主旨句,同时还要抓一些明确表示启承转合关系的句子结构。
5. 「答案」B
「考点解析」本题是一道段落结构题。第一句话中的do not和第二句句首的rather是破解本题的关键。抓住这两个关键就可以推导出本题的正确选项应该是B.考生在解题时一定要注意表示否定的词语以及表示启承转合的词语,更要注意句子之间的相互关系。
[参考译文] 大部分成功的高层管理人员并不拘泥于传统的推理模式,即：首先确定目标,然后估定问题,摆出各种可能性,估计成功率,再做决定,最后才付诸行动去实施。相反,在这些人的日常决策过程中,他们靠一种定义模糊的直觉应付大量相关问题,这些问题使他们必须在一堆含糊不清,自相矛盾,奇特无比或者令人惊异的事物中做抉择,而且在考虑过程中就要有相应的行动。
管理学作品的写作者早就注意到了实践当中一些管理者对直觉依赖很强。不过总的来说,这些写作者未曾表达出什么叫做直觉。有些人将其视作理性的对立面,还有人认为它是反复无常的（做法、性格）的一个借口。
Isenberg最近对高层管理人员认知过程的研究揭示了管理者的直觉并不是上述的任何一种情况。高层管理者是在五个不同的方面使用直觉。首先,他们直觉地感到有问题存在。第二,依靠直觉,管理者们能很快表现出有教养的行为方式。这种直觉并不是任意,非理性的,而是在多年实践磨练,和亲身

体验培养出的技能的基础上形成。第三,直觉把一些零散的数据和实际情况组合为一个完整画面,这经常表现为一声Aha式的体验。第四,有些管理者也应用直觉来检验更理性化分析的结果。大部分高层管理人员熟知传统的决策分析模式和工具,那些使用这些正式的系统化方法做出决定的人经常会对一种情况保持警惕,那就是有时此方法得出的结论和他们对正确行为的感觉不符。最后,管理者可通过直觉绕开深奥的分析而快速产生一个可能的解决办法。这么使用时,直觉几乎是一个瞬间的思维过程,这一模式为管理者所熟悉。
这些管理者用直觉方式的一个特点是思考和行动不能分开。由于（在这种方式中）管理者在分析和解释问题之前就已经明白应该怎么去做,他们经常是先行动,后解释。在思考?D行动的循环中,分析是必不可少的。在这其中管理者们不是靠分析他们面对的形势来思考其公司、组织的情况,而是行动和分析在高度一致地进行。
由于管理者们经常面对许多不确定的情况,他们鼓励采取各种行动来对问题作一番深入了解。他们藉此对问题做出更深的体会。这种思考行为循环的一个特点即：行动是确定问题的一部分,而不只是解决问题的步骤。


考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及解析二
Roger Rosenblatt’s book Black Fiction, in attempting to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject, successfully alters the approach taken by most previous studies. As Rosenblatt notes, criticism of Black writing has often served as a pretext for expounding on Black history. Addison Gayle’s recent work, for example, judges the value of Black fiction by overtly political standards, rating each work according to the notions of Black identity which it propounds.
Although fiction assuredly springs from political circumstances，its authors react to those circumstances in ways other than ideological, and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise. Rosenblatt’s literary analysis discloses affinities and connections among works of Black fiction which solely political studies have overlooked or ignored.
Writing acceptable criticism of Black fiction, however, presupposes giving satisfactory answers to a number of questions. First of all, is there a sufficient reason, other than the facial identity of the authors, to group together works by Black authors？Second, how does Black fiction make itself distinct from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous？ Rosenblatt shows that Black fiction constitutes a distinct body of writing that has an identifiable， coherent literary tradition. Looking at novels written by Black over the last eighty years, he discovers recurring concerns and designs independent o

f chronology. These structures are thematic, and they spring, not surprisingly, from the central fact that the Black characters in these novels exist in a predominantly white culture, whether they try to conform to that culture or rebel against it.
Black Fiction does leave some aesthetic questions open. Rosenblatt’s thematic analysis permits considerable objectivity; he even explicitly states that it is not his intention to judge the merit of the various works ?D yet his reluctance seems misplaced, especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results. For instance, some of the novels appear to be structurally diffuse. Is this a defect, or are the authors working out of, or trying to forge, a different kind of aesthetic? In addition, the style of some Black novels, like Jean Toomey’s Cane, verges on expressionism or surrealism; does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate against which Black heroes are pitted, a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic modes of expression？
In spite of such omissions, what Rosenblatt does include in his discussion makes for an astute and worthwhile study. Black Fiction surveys a wide variety of novels, bringing to our attention in the process some fascinating and little-known works like James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Its argument is tightly constructed, and its forthright, lucid style exemplifies levelheaded and penetrating criticism.
1. The author of the text is primarily concerned with __________.
[A] Evaluating the soundness of a work of criticism.
[B] Comparing various critical approaches to a subject.
[C] Discussing the limitations of a particular kind of criticism.
[D] Summarizing the major points made in a work of criticism.
2. The author of the text believes that Black Fiction would have been improved had Rosenblatt __________.
[A] Evaluated more carefully the ideological and historical aspects of Black fiction.
[B] Attempted to be more objective in his approach to novels and stories by Black authors.
[C] Explored in greater detail the recurrent thematic concerns of Black fiction throughout its history.
[D] Assessed the relative literary merit of the novels he analyzes thematically.
3.The author’s discussion of Black Fiction can be best described as __________.
[A] Pedantic and contentious.
[B] Critical but admiring.
[C] Ironic and deprecating.
[D] Argumentative but unfocused.
4.The author of the text employs all of the following in the discussion of Rosenblatt’s book EXCEPT： __________.
[A] Rhetorical questions.
[B] Specific examples.
[C] Comparison and contrast.
[D] Definition of terms.
5. The author of the text refers to James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man most probably in order to __________.
[A] point

out affinities between Rosenblatt’s method of thematic analysis and earlier criticism.
[B] Clarify the point about expressionistic style made earlier in the passage.
[C] Qualify the assessment of Rosenblatt’s book made in the first paragraph of the passage.
[D] give a specific example of one of the accomplishments of Rosenblatt’s work.



　答案与考点解析
「答案」A
「考点解析」这是一道中心主旨题。通过阅读本文各段尤其是首段第一句和尾段第一句，我们可以推断出本题的正确选项应该是突出“evaluating”（评价）一词的选项A.考生在解题时一定要注意段落的中心主旨句，以及每句话所表达的内含和作用。
「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道审题定位与反推题。从本题题干中的“would have been improved”可推断出考生要在原文中寻找到谈论某一方面“不足”的地方。尾段首句的“such omissions”（这样的忽略）暗示本题的答案信息来源应该在倒数第二段。通过仔细阅读和理解倒数第二段，可将本题的答案信息来源确定在倒数第二段的第二句。根据倒数第二段第二句的内容进行反推，就可得出本题的正确选项是D.考生在解题时一定要具备利用上下段之间的关系迅速审题定位的能力，更要具备反推即逆向思维的能力。
「答案」B
「考点解析」这是一道归纳推导题。从本题的题干可以看出本题的答案信息来源不局限于某一段或某一句，而是涉及全文的从头至尾。但是只要抓住全文的中心主旨句就可以得出本题的正确答案B.本文的中心主旨句是第一段的首句和尾段的首句。考生在解题时一定要抓住中心主旨句，并且对它们所表达的内容要进行分析和归纳。
「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道写作手法题型。本题型旨在考察考生的语言基本功。这是一道较难的题目。本题A、B、C所涉及的内容可分别在第三段的第二、三句、第四段的第三句以及第一段的第三句里找到。第一段的第三句涉及B和C两个选项。选项D“definition of terms”（给词语下定义）在原文中没有涉及，故本选项是正确答案。考生在解题时一定要注意英文中常见的写作手段。
「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道例（举）证题。通过题干中的“Weldon Johnson''s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”可将本题的答案信息来源迅速确定在尾段的第二句，本句中的“like”（例如）一词暗示本题的正确选项应该是含有“specific example”的选项D.考生在解题时一定要注意原文中某些关键词的应用和理解。
[参考译文]
罗杰？罗森布莱特的着作《黑人小说》，试图运用文学的而不是社会政治的标准来研究黑人小说，这成功地

改变了大多数早先研究的方法。如罗森布莱特所注意到的，黑人着作的评论经常被充当为一种阐述黑人历史的借口。例如，阿狄森？盖尔的最新着作，就用了公开的政治标准来判定黑人小说的价值，按照作品中所提出的黑人个体的各观念对每个作品进行评价。
虽然小说确实是源于政治环境，但作者反映这些环境的方法是非意识形态的，如把小说和故事的讨论作为意识形态的工具，则会忽视了许多小说的成就。罗森？布莱特对黑人文学的分析揭示了黑人小说着作间的密切关系和联系，而纯粹政治研究中忽视了这些联系。
然而写出为人所接受的黑人小说评论的前提是要对许多问题做出令人满意的回答。首先，除了这些作家的种族身份外，是否有充分的理由可将黑人作家的作品归于一类？其次，黑人小说如何将自己和其他现代小说分开？它们大半属于同一时代的作品。罗森布莱特的研究阐明了黑人小说已构成了一个与众不同的作品群体，它们具有可识别的、连贯的文学传统。着眼于最近八十年黑人创作的小说，罗森布莱特揭示了小说中与时代无关而反复出现的侧重点和布局。这些结构与主题相关，并不让人感到惊奇的是，它们源于这样一个中心事实，即小说中的黑人生存在一个白人文化支配的环境中，不管他们试图迎合这一文化还是反叛这一文化。
《黑人小说》确实对一些美学的问题没有给予回答，罗森布莱特的主题分析允许相当的客观性；他甚至直言，对各个作品的优劣判定不是他工作的意图?D?D然而他的犹豫看起来是不合时宜的，尤其是因为尝试评定可能会导致一些有趣的结果。例如，一些小说所显示的结构散漫冗长。这是否是一个缺陷，或者是作者这样做是出于一种美学考虑，还是作者试图创造一种不同类的美学？另外，象金？图莫的《手杖》那样的黑人小说风格，近于表现主义和超现实主义；难道这个技巧只是用更自然主义的表现方式为表达流行的黑人英勇反抗命运的主题提供一个对应物吗？
尽管存在这些遗漏，罗森布莱特所做的包括他的讨论，已包括了足以构成精明而有价值的研究内容。《黑人小说》考察了广泛的小说，在此过程中我们的注意力被吸引到一些引人入胜但鲜为人知的作品上，如詹姆士？威尔顿？约翰逊的《一个曾是有色人的自传》。这本书的主题结构紧密，直率、明晰的风格例示了一种冷静而敏锐的文学评论。


考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及解析三
Bernard Bailyn has recently reinterpreted the early history of the United States by applying new social research findings on the experiences of European migrants. In his reinterpretation, m

igration becomes the organizing principle for rewriting the history of preindustrial North America. His approach rests on four separate propositions.
The first of these asserts that residents of early modern England moved regularly about their countryside; migrating to the New World was simply a natural spillover. Although at first the colonies held little positive attraction for the English ?D they would rather have stayed home ?D by the eighteenth century people increasingly migrated to America because they regarded it as the land of opportunity. Secondly, Bailyn holds that, contrary to the notion that used to flourish in America history textbooks, there was never a typical New World community. For example, the economic and demographic character of early New England towns varied considerably.
Bailyn's third proposition suggest two general patterns prevailing among the many thousands of migrants: one group came as indentured servants, another came to acquire land. Surprisingly, Bailyn suggests that those who recruited indentured servants were the driving forces of transatlantic migration. These colonial entrepreneurs helped determine the social character of people who came to preindustrial North America. At first, thousands of unskilled laborers were recruited; by the 1730's, however, American employers demanded skilled artisans.
Finally, Bailyn argues that the colonies were a half-civilized hinterland of the European culture system. He is undoubtedly correct to insist that the colonies were part of an Anglo-American empire. But to divide the empire into English core and colonial periphery, as Bailyn does, devalues the achievements of colonial culture. It is true, as Bailyn claims, that high culture in the colonies never matched that in England. But what of seventeenth-century New England, where the settlers created effective laws, built a distinguished university, and published books？ Bailyn might respond that New England was exceptional. However, the ideas and institutions developed by New England Puritans had powerful effects on North American culture.
Although Bailyn goes on to apply his approach to some thousands of indentured servants who migrated just prior to the revolution, he fails to link their experience with the political development of the United States. Evidence presented in his work suggests how we might make such a connection. These indentured servants were treated as slaves for the period during which they had sold their time to American employers. It is not surprising that as soon as they served their time they passed up good wages in the cities and headed west to ensure their personal independence by acquiring land. Thus, it is in the west that a peculiarly American political culture began, among colonists who were suspicious of authority and intensely anti-aristocratic.
1.Which of the following statements about migrants to colonial North America is supported by information in the text？

[A] A larger percentage of migrants to colonial North America came as indentured servants than as free agents interested in acquiring land.
[B] Migrants who came to the colonies as indentured servants were more successful at making a livelihood than were farmers and artisans.
[C] Migrants to colonial North America were more successful at acquiring their own land during the eighteenth century than during the seventeenth century.
[D] By the 1730's,migrants already skilled in a trade were in more demand by American employers than were unskilled laborers.
2.The author of the text states that Bailyn failed to
[A] Give sufficient emphasis to the cultural and political interdependence of the colonies and England.
[B] Describe carefully how migrants of different ethnic backgrounds preserved their culture in the United States.
[C] Take advantage of social research on the experiences of colonists who migrated to colonial North America specifically to acquire land.
[D] Relate the experience of the migrants to the political values that eventually shaped the character of the United States.

3.Which of the following best summarizes the author's evaluation of Bailyn's fourth proposition？
[A] It is totally implausible.
[B] It is partially acceptable.
[C] It is highly admirable.
[D] It is controversial though persuasive.

4.According to the text, Bailyn and the author agree on which of the following statements about the culture of colonial New England？
[A] High culture in New England never equaled the high culture of England.
[B] The cultural achievements of colonial New England have generally been unrecognized by historians.
[C] The colonists imitated the high culture of England， and did not develop a culture that was uniquely their own.
[D] The southern colonies were greatly influenced by the high culture of New England.

5.The author of the text would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about Bailyn's work？
[A] Bailyn underestimates the effects of Puritan thought on North American culture.
[B] Bailyn overemphasizes the economic dependence of the colonies on Great Britain.
[C] Bailyn's description of the colonies as part of an Anglo-American empire is misleading and incorrect.
[D] Bailyn failed to test his propositions on a specific group of migrants to colonial North America.



答案与考点解析
「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道审题定位题。题干中的“migrants”一词暗示本题的答案信息在第一段或第三段，因为这两段的首句都含有“migrants”一词。又根据题干中的“supported”一词，我们可以推断出本题的答案信息来源应该在原文的第三段，因为作者应该在第三段提出相应证据来“支持”（supported）自己的观点。通过仔细阅读和理解第

三段，尤其是第三段的尾句，我们可以推导出本题的正确选项应该是D.考生在解题时一定要有审题定位的能力，更要具备善于理解原文中启承转合所传达的含义。
「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道细节理解题。题干中的“failed”一词暗示本题的答案信息应该在尾段，因为尾段中含有“fails”一词。根据阅读和理解首段尾句，我们可以推导出本题的正确选项是D.考生在解题时一定要善于理解原文中所传达的中心含义。
「答案」B
「考点解析」本题是一道归纳推导题。本题题干中的“Bailyn‘s fourth proposition”将本题的答案信息来源确定在原文的第四段。通过仔细阅读和理解本段的每一句话，尤其是第二、三句话和四、五句话，我们可以推导出本题的正确选项应该是B.考生在解题时一定要善于归纳和推导原文的内容，更要善于体会上下句之间的语意关系。
「答案」A
「考点解析」这是一道细节推导题。题干中的“culture”一词暗示本题的答案信息来源在第四段，因为第四段首句包含“culture”一词。通过仔细阅读和理解第四段的每一句话，尤其是第四句，我们可以推导出本题的正确选项应该是A.考生在解题时一定要注意原文中重点词语所表达的含义，以及重点词语在选项中的替换形式。
「答案」A
「考点解析」这是一道审题定位题。题干并没有明确指出本题答案信息在原文中的准确位置。在这种情况下，考生一定要抓住全文的中心主旨，以及每段的核心句。本题的答案信息来源在第四段的尾句，这是一个由转折词“however”引导的句子。通过仔细阅读理解本句，我们可以推导出本题的正确选项是A.考生在解题时一定要重视原文中表达启承转合的词语，因为这往往是出题的重点。
[参考译文]
Bernard Bailyn最近通过运用关于欧洲移民经历的新的社会研究成果重新解释了美国的早期历史。在他的重新解释中，迁徙成了重写北美前工业化历史的重要依据。其主张可分为四个独立的观点。
第一点断言，近代早期的英国居民经常在乡下流动，因此后来他们迁移到新大陆仅仅是一种“自然外流”。虽然最初时殖民地对英国人没有多少正面的诱惑力?D?D他们宁愿留在本土。到18世纪时，移往美洲的人数却增加了，因为他们将那儿看作是充满机遇的地方。第二，Bailyn认为，和以往美国历史教材中惯用的观念相反，从来就没有过一个典型的新大陆社会，例如，早期新英格兰城镇中的经济和人口特点就很不相同。
Bailyn的第三个观点是，成千上万的移民中最常见的是两种普遍类型：一组是签约的仆人，另一组是为土地

而来。令人惊异的是：Bailyn认为那些征召签约仆人的人是这种跨越大西洋移民迁徙的推动力。这些殖民地的企业主帮助那些来到前工业化北美社会的人确定其社会属性。起初，成千上万未受过培训的劳动力被征召，然而到了18世纪30年代，美洲雇主开始需求技术熟练的技工。
第四，Bailyn提出，殖民地是欧洲文化体系的半开化内地。在坚持殖民地是盎格鲁?D美利坚帝国的一部分这一点上，他无疑是正确的。但是像Bailyn这样，把帝国划分为英国核心和殖民地外围，就贬低了殖民地文化的成就。确实，如Bailyn所说，殖民地的高雅文化不能和英国本土的相比。但是如何看待17世纪的新英格兰呢？移民者在这儿制定了有效的法律，创建了着名的大学，出版了书籍。Bailyn可能会说，新英格兰是个特例。不过，新英格兰清教徒的思想和组织机构对北美文化有着深远的影响。
尽管Bailyn不断关注着数万名刚好在革命前夕迁移过来的签约仆人，但他没能把这些人的经历与美国的政治发展结合起来。他的书中有证据表明，我们本来可以建立这样一种联系。在出卖给美洲雇主的时间里，这些签约仆人被看作是奴隶。毫不奇怪，一旦他们服役期满，就会放弃城市里的高薪而走向西部，通过获得土地来保障个人独立。因此，一种特殊的美国政治文化开始于西部，那些怀疑权威和强烈反对贵族统治的移民者之中。

考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及解析四
As Gilbert White，Darwin， and others observed long ago， all species appear to have the innate capacity to increase their numbers from generation to generation. The task for ecologists is to untangle the environmental and biological factors that hold this intrinsic capacity for population growth in check over the long run. The great variety of dynamic behaviors exhibited by different population makes this task more difficult： some populations remain roughly constant from year to year； others exhibit regular cycles of abundance and scarcity； still others vary wildly， with outbreaks and crashes that are in some cases plainly correlated with the weather， and in other cases not.
To impose some order on this kaleidoscope of patterns， one school of thought proposes dividing populations into two groups. These ecologists posit that the relatively steady populations have density-dependent growth parameters； that is， rates of birth， death， and migration which depend strongly on population density. The highly varying populations have density-independent growth parameters， with vital rates buffeted by environmental events；these rates fluctuate in a way that is wholly independent of population density.
This dichotomy has its uses， but it can cause problems if taken too literally. For one thing， no pop

ulation can be driven entirely by density-independent factors all the time. No matter how severely or unpredictably birth， death， and migration rates may be fluctuating around their long-term averages， if there were no density-dependent effects， the population would， in the long run， either increase or decrease without bound （barring a miracle by which gains and losses canceled exactly）。 Put another way， it may be that on average 99 percent of all deaths in a population arise from density-independent causes， and only one percent from factors varying with density. The factors making up the one percent may seem unimportant， and their cause may be correspondingly hard to determine. Yet， whether recognized or not， they will usually determine the long-term average population density.
In order to understand the nature of the ecologist’s investigation， we may think of the density-dependent effects on growth parameters as the signal ecologists are trying to isolate and interpret， one that tends to make the population increase from relatively low values or decrease from relatively high ones， while the density-independent effects act to produce noise in the population dynamics. For populations that remain relatively constant， or that oscillate around repeated cycles， the signal can be fairly easily characterized and its effects described， even though the causative biological mechanism may remain unknown. For irregularly fluctuating populations， we are likely to have too few observations to have any hope of extracting the signal from the overwhelming noise. But it now seems clear that all populations are regulated by a mixture of density-dependent and density-independent effects in varying proportions.
1. The author of the text is primarily concerned with
[A] Discussing two categories of factors that control population growth and assessing their relative importance.
[B] Describing how growth rates in natural populations fluctuate over time and explaining why these changes occur.
[C] Proposing a hypothesis concerning population size and suggesting ways to test it.
[D] Posing a fundamental question about environmental factors in population growth and presenting some currently accepted answer.
2. It can be inferred from the text that the author considers the dichotomy discussed to be
[A] Applicable only to erratically fluctuating populations.
[B] instrumental， but only if its limitations are recognized.
[C] Dangerously misleading in most circumstances.
[D] A complete and sufficient way to account for observed phenomena.
3.According to the text， all of the following behaviors have been exhibited by different populations EXCEPT
[A] Roughly constant population levels from year to year.
[B] Regular cycles of increases and decreases in numbers.
[C] Erratic increases in numbers correlated with the weather.
[D

] Unchecked increases in numbers over many generations.
4. The discussion concerning population in the third paragraph serves primarily to
[A] Demonstrate the difficulties ecologists face in studying density-dependent factors limiting population growth.
[B] Advocate more rigorous study of density-dependent factors in population growth.
[C] Prove that the death rates of any population are never entirely density-independent.
[D] underline the importance of even small density-dependent factors in regulating long-term population densities.
5. In the text， the author does all of the following EXCEPT
[A] Cite the views of other biologists.
[B] Define a basic problem that the text addresses.
[C] Present conceptual categories used by other biologists.
[D] Describe the results of a particular study.



答案与考点解析
1.「答案」A
「考点解析」这是一道中心主旨题。本文的中心主旨句在第三段的首句。如果考生能够抓住第三段的首句就等于抓住了整篇文章的论述结构。该句中的“dichotomy”（两分法）就是正确选项A中的“two categories”。考生在解题时应首先抓住每篇文章的中心主旨句，因为这决定了对全文结构的认识以及对原文整体的把握。
2.「答案」B
「考点解析」这是一道细节推导题。根据题干中的“dichotomy”可将本题的答案信息来源迅速确定在第二段的首句。如果考生能够正确理解该句中“but”一词前后的内容，就可以找出本题的正确选项B.考生在解题时一定要正确理解原文所传达的含义，即进行正确的细节推导。
3.「答案」D
「考点解析」这是一道审题定位与中心主旨题。根据本题题干中的“different populations”可将本题的答案信息来源确定在首段的第一句，因为该句中的“all species”实际上指的就是题干中的“different populations”。从第一段的首句入手并且仔细阅读首段的第二句，就可以找出本题的正确选项D，因为该选项所传达的信息与原文第一段第一、二句所传达的信息不一致。考生在解题时一定要学会迅速审题定位的能力。
4.「答案」D
「考点解析」本题是一道归纳推导题。题干已明确指出该题的答案信息来源在第三段。第三段主要陈述“density-dependent factors”的作用，通过仔细阅读第三段，尤其是第三段的最后三句话，考生可以得知本文作者在第三段是在强调“density-dependent factors”的作用。可见D是本题的正确选项。考生在理解原文时一定要注意掌握归纳推导的能力。
5.「答案」D
「考点解析」本题是一道写作手法题。这是一道比较难的题目，旨在考察考生的语言功底。本文作者在论述自己的观点时运用了各种写作手段。选

项A、B、C中所涉及的内容分别在第一段、第三段和第二段中出现。考生一定要提高对原文各种写作手段的认识。
[参考译文]
正如吉尔伯特？怀特、达尔文以及其它科学家很久以前观察的那样，所有的物种都具有一种天生的能力来一代一代地增加它们种群的数量。生态学家的使命就是调查清楚环境和生态因素长期以来是如何控制这种致使种群增长的内在能力的。由于不同种群所表现出来的动态行为是如此多样化，致使这项任务显得非常困难：有些种群长期以来大致保持不变；有些表现出周期性的繁荣和稀少；而还有些变化非常大，时而暴增，时而锐减，这种增减有时显然与气候有关，而有时又与气候无关。
为了赋予这些千变万化的模式一种规律，科学家中的一种流派提出将所有种群划分为两类。这部分生态学家假设：那些相对稳定的种群具有和“种群密度相关”的增长参数；也就是说，这些种群的出生率、死亡率以及迁徙规律都大大地依赖于种群的密度。那些变化很大的种群具有“种群密度无关”的增长参数，其生存率随环境因素的变化而变化，并且以一种完全独立于种群密度的方式进行波动。
这种二分法有它的用途，但如果死板地应用也会引发一些问题。一方面，没有任何种群在所有的时间里完全只受“种群密度无关”因素的影响。无论出生、死亡率以及迁徙规律相对于长期的平均值的变化是如何的剧烈和不可预测，如果没有种群密度无关因素，从长远来看，这个种群的数量将无限地增加或减少（从而阻碍了得失正好相消的奇迹的发生）。换一句话讲，也许种群内平均99%的死亡都由“种群密度无关”因素导致的，只有1%由随种群密度变化而变化的因素所导致。导致这1%的因素也许看起来并不重要，而且它们的影响也相应地很难确定。但是，无论认识到或没有认识到，它们都将对该种群密度长期的平均值起决定作用。
为了能够理解生态学家们研究的性质，我们可以把种群密度相关对增长参数的影响视为一种“信号”，生态学家试图分离并解释这些“信号”，这种“信号”将使种群中个体数量从相对低的数值增长或从相对高的数值减少，同时，密度无关因素将作为一种“噪音”来影响种群的动态变化。对于那些数量保持相对不变，或者以一种循环周期进行摆动的种群而言，这种“信号”将会相当容易提取特征并描述它的影响，即使我们仍不知道作为原因的生物机制。对那些变化不规则的种群，我们可能因为观察太小而无法从繁多的“噪音”中提取那一信号。但是，现在显得很清楚的是，所有种群都受“种群密

度相关”和“种群密度无关”两类因素在不同程度上的共同制约。

考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及解析五
Many objects in daily use have clearly been influenced by science, but their form and function, their dimensions and appearance, were determined by technologists, artisans, designers, inventors, and engineers ?D using nonscientific modes of thought. Many features and qualities of the objects that a technologist thinks about cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in the mind by a visual, nonverbal process. In the development of Western technology, it has been nonverbal thinking, by and large, that has fixed the outlines and filled in the details of our material surroundings. Pyramids, cathedrals, and rockets exist not because of geometry or thermodynamics, but because they were first a picture in the minds of those who built them.
The creative shaping process of a technologist’s mind can be seen in nearly every artifact that exists. For example, in designing a diesel engine, a technologist might impress individual ways of nonverbal thinking on the machine by continually using an intuitive sense of rightness and fitness. What would be the shape of the combustion chamber？ Where should be valves be placed？ Should it have a long or short piston？ Such questions have a range of answers that are supplied by experience, by physical requirements, by limitations of available space, and not least by a sense of form. Some decisions such as wall thickness and pin diameter may depend on scientific calculations, but the nonscientific component of design remains primary.
Design courses, then, should be an essential element in engineering curricula. Nonverbal thinking, a central mechanism in engineering design, involves perceptions, the stock-in-trade of the artist, not the scientist. Because perceptive processes are not assumed to entail hard thinking， nonverbal thought is sometimes seen as a primitive stage in the development of cognitive processes and inferior to verbal or mathematical thought. But it is paradoxical that when the staff of the Historic American Engineering Record wished to have drawings made of machines and isometric views of industrial processes for its historical record of American engineering, the only college students with the requisite abilities were not engineering students, but rather students attending architectural schools.
If courses in design, which in a strongly analytical engineering curriculum provide the background required for practical problem-solving, are not provided, we can expect to encounter silly but costly errors occurring in advanced engineering systems. For example, early models of high-speed railroad cars loaded with sophisticated controls were unable to operate in a snowstorm because a fan sucked snow into the electrical system. Absurd random failures that plague automatic control systems are not merely trivial aber

rations; they are a reflection of the chaos that results when design is assumed to be primarily a problem in mathematics.
1.In the text, the author is primarily concerned with
[A] Identifying the kinds of thinking that is used by technologists.
[B] Stressing the importance of nonverbal thinking in engineering design.
[C] Proposing a new role for nonscientific thinking in the development of technology.
[D] Contrasting the goals of engineers with those of technologists.

2. It can be inferred that the author thinks engineering curricula are
[A] Strengthened when they include courses in design.
[B] Weakened by the substitution of physical science courses for courses designed to develop mathematical skills.
[C] Strong because nonverbal thinking is still emphasized by most of the courses.
[D] Strong despite the errors those graduates of such curricula have made in the development of automatic control systems.

3.Which of the following statements best illustrates the main point of the first two paragraphs of the text？
[A] When a machine like a rotary engine malfunctions, it is the technologist who is best equipped to repair it.
[B] Each component of an automobile? D for example, the engine or the fuel tank? D has a shape that has been scientifically determined to be best suited to that component’s function.
[C] A telephone is a complex instrument designed by technologists using only nonverbal thought.
[D] The distinctive features of a suspension bridge reflect its designer''s conceptualization as well as the physical requirements of its site.

4.Which of the following statements would best serve as an introduction to the text？
[A] The assumption that the knowledge incorporated in technological developments must be derived from science ignores the many nonscientific decisions made by technologists.
[B] Analytical thought is no longer a vital component in the success of technological development.
[C] As knowledge of technology has increased, the tendency has been to lose sight of the important role played by scientific thought in making decisions about form, arrangement, and texture.
[D] A movement in engineering colleges toward a technician’s degree reflects a demand for graduates who have the nonverbal reasoning ability that was once common among engineers.
5. The author calls the predicament faced by the Historic American Engineering Record paradoxical (line 6, paragraph 3) most probably because
[A] The publication needed drawings that its own staff could not make.
[B] Architectural schools offered but did not require engineering design courses for their students.
[C] College students were qualified to make the drawings while practicing engineers were not.
[D] Engineering students were not trained to make the type of drawings needed to record the development of their o

wn discipline.


答案与考点解析
1.「答案」B
「考点解析」这是一道中心主旨题。本题的正确答案信息点在原文第一段的倒数第二句，该句强调“nonverbal thinking”的重要性。可见本题的正确选项应该是B.考生在破解中心主旨题时一定要首先找出原文的中心主旨句。
2.「答案」A
「考点解析」这是一道反推题。根据题干中的“engineering curricula”可将本题的正确答案信息来源确定在原文的第三段第一句。该句中“should”一词的理解十分重要。“should”是“应该做”而实际上确“没有做”。根据“should”一词并且结合第三段第一句进行反推即逆向思维，可得出本题的正确选项是A.考生在解题时应该重视关键的语言信号词，更要加强反推的能力。
3.「答案」D
「考点解析」本题是一道细节归纳推导题。其实只要考生抓住第一段中的中心主旨句（倒数第二句）和第二段中的中心主旨句（倒数第一句），就不难寻找出本题的正确答案D.要想知道某一段的主要含义就要首先找出该段的中心主旨句。另外考生在破解此类题型时还要善于根据中心主旨句进行合理的逻辑推导。
4.「答案」A
「考点解析」这是一道中心主旨题。如果考生抓住了全文的中心主旨句（第一段的倒数第二句）以及每段的中心主旨句（例如第二段的倒数第一句），就不难寻找出本题的正确选项A，因为该选项所强调的内容与这些中心主旨句所表达的内容是相互一致的。考生在破解中心主旨题型时一定要具备寻找和理解中心主旨句的能力。
5.「答案」D
「考点解析」本题是一道细节推导题。题干已经将本题的答案信息确定在第三段的尾句，该句强调的是“engineering students”在教育方面的缺陷，因此本题的正确选项应该是D.如果考生在理解此句时有困难，可借助于本段的主题句（第三段第一句）来破解本题。第三段第一句强调的是“engineering curricula”缺乏“design courses”。这句话同样是表明“engineering students”在教育方面的缺失。考生在破解此类题型时一定要善于总结和归纳原文的信息。
[参考译文]
许多日常使用的事物明显受到了科学的影响，但它们的形状和功能，它们的大小和外观，是由工艺人员、工匠、设计师、发明家和工程师运用非科学思维模式来设计的。工艺人员所考虑物体的很多性质和特点不能归结到毫不模糊的字面描述；在思维中，它们以一种视觉上的、非言语的方式被加以处理。在西方科技的发展过程中，大体上是由非言语思维刻画了我们物质环境的轮廓并充实了其中的细节。金字塔、大教堂、火箭之所以存在，不是

因为几何学或热力学的原因，而是因为在它们的制造者的头脑中事先存在了这样一幅画面。
在几乎每一件现存的人造制品身上都能看出工艺人员思维创造性的制作过程。比如说，在柴油发动机的设计中，通过不断使用关于合适感和适当感的直观体会，一个工艺人员得以用他个人的非语言思维来影响到机器本身。燃烧室的形状应怎样？阀门应该放在哪里？它应该有个长的活塞还是应该有个短的？这样的问题有着由经验、物理需要、可用空间的局限以及并非微不足道的形状感等因素提供的一系列答案。某一些决定，比如壁厚和销钉直径，可能需要由科学的计算来定夺，但设计中的非科学成分仍然是主要的。
因此设计课程应该成为工程课程中的基本成份。非语言思维，这一工程设计的核心机制，包括了感受这一属于艺术家的而非科学家的惯用手段。因为人们认为感受的过程不需要“硬思维”，非语言思维被视为认知过程发展的一个原始阶段而且比语言和数学思维差。但令人感到自相矛盾的是，当《美国工程历史名录》的工作人员希望得到为其美国工程历史记录而绘制的机器图和等比例图时，唯一具有所需技能的大学生不是工程学大学生，而是就读于建筑学院的大学生。
如果不能开设设计课程（它能在一个高度分析性工程学课程体系中提供解决实际问题的背景知识），我们就会在先进的工程系统中遇到愚蠢而同时会导致极大损失的错误。比如，装载了精密控制设备的早期高速铁路车辆模型不能在暴风雪中正常运行，原因是一个风扇将雪吸入到电子系统中。干扰着自动控制系统的荒唐的随机故障不是轻微的失常；它们是一种混乱的反映，人们认为这种混乱主要在设计数学方面的问题时就会产生。