2006 年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题
Section I: Use of English
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)
The homeless make up a growing percentage of America’s population. __1__
homelessness has reached such proportions that local government can’t possibly
__2__. To help homeless people __3__ independence, the federal government must
support job training programs, __4__ the minimum wage, and fund more low-cost
housing.
__5__ everyone agrees on the numbers of Americans who are homeless.
Estimates __6__ anywhere from 600,000 to 3 million. __7__ the figure may vary,
analysts do agree on another matter: that the number of the homeless is __8__. One
of the federal government’s studies __9__ that the number of the homeless will reach
nearly 19 million by the end of this decade.
Finding ways to __10__ this growing homeless population has become
increasingly difficult. __11__ when homeless individuals manage to find a __12__
that will give them three meals a day and a place to sleep at night, a good number
still spend the bulk of each day __13__ the street. Part of the problem is that many
homeless adults are addicted to alcohol or drugs. And a significant number of the
homeless have serious mental disorders. Many others, __14__ not addicted or
mentally ill, simply lack the everyday __15__ skills need to turn their lives __16__.
Boston Globe reporter Chris Reidy notes that the situation will improve only when
there are __17__ programs that address the many needs of the homeless. __18__
Edward Blotkowsk, director of community service at Bentley College in
Massachusetts, __19__ it, “There has to be __20__ of programs. What we need is a
package deal.”
1. [A] Indeed
[B] Likewise
[C] Therefore
[D] Furthermore
2. [A] stand
[B] cope
[C] approve
[D] retain
3. [A] in
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[B] for
[C] with
[D] toward
4. [A] raise
[B] add
[C] take
[D] keep
5. [A] generally
[B] almost
[C] hardly
[D] not
6. [A] cover
[B] change
[C] range
[D] differ
7. [A] Now that
[B] Although
[C] Provided
[D] Except that
8. [A] inflating
[B] expanding
[C] increasing
[D] extending
9. [A] predicts
[B] displays
[C] proves
[D] discovers
10. [A] assist
[B] track
[C] sustain
[D] dismiss
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11. [A] Hence
[B] But
[C] Even
[D] Only
12. [A] lodging
[B] shelter
[C] dwelling
[D] house
13. [A] searching
[B] strolling
[C] crowding
[D] wandering
14. [A] when
[B] once
[C] while
[D] whereas
15. [A] life
[B] existence
[C] survival
[D] maintenance
16. [A] around
[B] over
[C] on
[D] up
17. [A] complex
[B] comprehensive
[C] complementary
[D] compensating
18. [A] So
[B] Since
[C] As
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[D] Thus
19. [A] puts
[B] interprets
[C] assumes
[D] makes
20. [A] supervision
[B] manipulation
[C] regulation
[D] coordination
Section II: Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
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
In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine
for homogenizing people. This is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and
discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference” characteristic of popular
culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of consumption” launched by the
19th-century department stores that offered “vast arrays of goods in an elegant
atmosphere.” Instead of intimate shops catering to “a knowledgeable elite,” these
were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background.” This turned
shopping into a public and democratic act. The mass media, advertising and sports
are other forces for homogenization.
Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be
altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration
Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at
unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8
percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1
immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for
every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation -- language, home
ownership and intermarriage.
The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the
fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English ‘well’ or ‘very well’ after ten
years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in
English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of
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immigrant families.” Hence the description of America as a “graveyard” for
language. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrive before 1970 had a home
ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born
Americans.
Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do
U.S.-born whites and blacks.” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women
are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married
to non-Asians.
Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around world are fans of
superstars like Amold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear
that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the
nation’s assimilative power.”
Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething in America? Indeed. It is big
enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s
turbulent past, today’s social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social
environment.
21. The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means
________.
[A] identifying
[B] associating
[C] assimilating
[D] monopolizing
22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century ________.
[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture
[B] became intimate shops for common consumers
[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite
[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption
23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S. ________.
[A] are resistant to homogenization
[B] exert a great influence on American culture
[C] are hardly a threat to the common culture
[D] constitute the majority of the population
24. Why are Amold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?
[A] To prove their popularity around the world.
[B] To reveal the public’s fear of immigrants.
[C] To give examples of successful immigrants.
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[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture.
25. In the author’s opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is
________.
[A] rewarding
[B] successful
[C] fruitless
[D] harmful
Text 2
Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry -- William
Shakespeare -- but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches.
There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (ASC), which presents superb productions
of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the
townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to
look at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace and the other sights.
The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their
revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC’s actors, them with their long hair and beards
and sandals and noisiness. It’s all deliciously ironic when you consider that
Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself an actor (with a beard) and did his
share of noise-making.
The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus --
and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side -- don’t usually
see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford.
However, the playgoers do manage a little sight-seeing along with their playgoing. It
is the playgoers, the ESC contends, who bring in much of the town’s revenue
because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights) pouring cash into the
hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by
nightfall.
The townsfolk don’t see it this way and local council does not contribute
directly to the subsidy of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford cries poor
traditionally. Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or
cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there, which you may be sure will
be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars, the Lear Lounge, the Banquo
Banqueting Room, and so forth, and will be very expensive.
Anyway, the townsfolk can’t understand why the Royal Shakespeare Company
needs a subsidy. (The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row.
Last year its 1,431 seats were 94 percent occupied all year long and this year they’ll
do better.) The reason, of course, is that costs have rocketed and ticket prices have
stayed low.
It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the
young people who are Stratford’s most attractive clientele. They come entirely for
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the plays, not the sights. They all seem to look alike (though they come from all over)
-- lean, pointed, dedicated faces, wearing jeans and sandals, eating their buns and
bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside the theatre to buy the 20 seats
and 80 standing-room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box
office opens at 10:30 a.m.
26. From the first two Paragraphs, we learn that ________.
[A] the townsfolk deny the RSC’s contribution to the town’s revenue
[B] the actors of the RSC imitate Shakespeare on and off stage
[C] the two branches of the RSC are not on good terms
[D] the townsfolk earn little from tourism
27. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that ________.
[A] the sightseers cannot visit the Castle and the Palace separately
[B] the playgoers spend more money than the sightseers
[C] the sightseers do more shopping than the playgoers
[D] the playgoers go to no other places in town than the theater
28. By saying “Stratford cries poor traditionally” (Line 2-3, Paragraph 4), the
author implies that ________.
[A] Stratford cannot afford the expansion projects
[B] Stratford has long been in financial difficulties
[C] the town is not really short of money
[D] the townsfolk used to be poorly paid
29. According to the townsfolk, the RSC deserves no subsidy because ________.
[A] ticket prices can be raised to cover the spending
[B] the company is financially ill-managed
[C] the behavior of the actors is not socially acceptable
[D] the theatre attendance is on the rise
30. From the text we can conclude that the author ________.
[A] is supportive of both sides
[B] favors the townsfolk’s view
[C] takes a detached attitude
[D] is sympathetic
Text 3
When prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world, something strange
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happened to the large animals. They suddenly became extinct. Smaller species
survived. The large, slow-growing animals were easy game, and were quickly hunted
to extinction. Now something similar could be happening in the oceans.
That the seas are being overfished has been known for years. What researchers
such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are
changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world.
Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living
biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes
in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the
biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery
is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some
long-fished areas, it has halved again since then.
Dr. Worm acknowledges that the figures are conservative. One reason for this is
that fishing technology has improved. Today’s vessels can find their prey using
satellites and sonar, which were not available 50 years ago. That means a higher
proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between
present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes.
In the early days, too, longlines would have been more saturated with fish. Some
individuals would therefore not have been caught, since no baited hooks would have
been available to trap them, leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past.
Furthermore, in the early days of longline fishing, a lot of fish were lost to sharks
after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem, because there are fewer
sharks around now.
Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline, which
future management efforts must take into account. They believe the data support an
idea current among marine biologists, that of the “shifting baseline.” The notion is
that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the
ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past.
That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be
cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of
its original levels. Most fisheries are well below that, which is a bad way to do
business.
31. The extinction of large prehistoric animals is noted to suggest that ________.
[A] large animal were vulnerable to the changing environment
[B] small species survived as large animals disappeared
[C] large sea animals may face the same threat today
[D] slow-growing fish outlive fast-growing ones
32. We can infer from Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm’s paper that ________.
[A] the stock of large predators in some old fisheries has reduced by 90%
[B] there are only half as many fisheries as there were 15 years ago
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