考研英语模拟卷|2006版考研英语模拟考场10套第二套2

【shitiku.jxxyjl.com--考研】

Sample One

 
　　Directions:In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

　　As more and more material from other cultures became available, European scholars came to recognize even greater complexity in mythological traditions. Especially valuable was the evidence provided by ancient Indian and Iranian texts such as the Bhagavad-Gita and the Zend-A-vesta. From these sources it became apparent that the character of myths varied widely, not only by geographical region but also by historical period. (41) . He argued that the relatively simple Greek myth of Persephone reflects the concerns of a basic agricultural community, whereas the more involved and complex myths found later in Homer are the product of a more developed society.

　　Scholars also attempted to tie various myths of the world together in some way. From the late 18th century through the early 19th century, the comparative study of languages had led to the reconstruction of a hypothetical parent language to account for striking similarities among the various languages of Europe and the Near East. These languages, scholars concluded, belonged to an Indo-European language family. Experts on mythology likewise searched for a parent mythologythatpresumablystoodbehindthemythologiesofalltheEuropean peoples. (42). For example, an expression like “maiden dawn” for “sunrise” resulted first in personification of the dawn, and then in myths about her.

　　Later in the 19th century the theory of evolution put forward by English naturalist Charles Darwin heavily influenced the study of mythology. Scholars researched on the history of mythology, much as they would dig fossil-bearing geological formations, for remains from the distant past. (43). Similarly, British anthropologist Sir James George Frazer proposed a three-stage evolutionary scheme in The Golden Bough. According to Frazer’s scheme, human beings first attributed natural phenomena to arbitrary supernatural forces ( magic), later explaining them as the will of the gods (religion), and finally subjecting them to rational investigation (science).

　　The research of British scholar William Robertson Smith, published in Lectures on the Religion of the Semites (1889), also influenced Frazer. Through Smith’s work, Frazer came to believe that many myths had their origin in the ritual practices of ancient agricultural peoples, for whom the annual cycles of vegetation were of central importance. (44). This approach reached its most extreme form in the so-called functionalism of British anthropologist A. R. Radcliffe-Brown, who held that every myth implies a ritual, and every ritual implies a myth.

　　Most analyses of myths in the 18th and 19th centuries showed a tendency to reduce myths to some essential core-whether the seasonal cycles of nature, historical circumstances, or ritual. That core supposedly remained once the fanciful elements of the narratives had been stripped away. In the 20th century, investigators began to pay closer attention to the content of the narratives themselves. (45).

　　[A] German-born British scholar Max Muller concluded that the Rig-Veda of ancient India — the oldest preserved body of literature written in an Indo-European language — reflected the earliest stages of an Indo-European mythology. Muller attributed all later myths to misunderstandings that arose from the picturesque terms in which early peoples described natural phenomena.

　　[B] The myth and ritual theory, as this approach came to be called, was developed most fully by British scholar Jan Ellen Harrison. Using insight gained from the work of French sociologist Emile Durkheim, Harrison argued that all myths have their origin in collective rituals of a society.

　　[C] Austrian psycho-analyst Sigmund Freud held that myths — like dreams — condense the material of experience and represent it in symbols.

　　[D] This approach can be seen in the work of British anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor. In Primitive Culture (1871), Tylor organized the religious and philosophical development of humanity into separate and distinct evolutionary stages.

　　[E] The studies made in this period were consolidated in the work of German scholar Christian Gottlob Heyne, who was the first scholar to use the Latin term myths ( instead of fabular , meaning “fable”) to refer to the tales of heroes and gods.

　　[F] German scholar Karl Offried Muller followed this line of inquiry in his Prolegomena to a Scientific Mythology, 1825.

　　Sample Two

　　Directions:The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A-G to fill in each numbered box. The first and the last paragraphs have been placed for you in Boxes. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

　　[A] These issues cut right across traditional religious dogma. Many people cling to the belief that the origin of life required a unique divine act. But if life on Earth is not unique, the case for a miraculous origin would be undermined. The discovery of even a humble bacterium on Mars, if it could be shown to have arisen independently from Earth life would support the view that life emerges naturally.

　　[B] Contrary to popular belief, speculation that we are not alone in the universe is as old as philosophy itself. The essential steps in the reasoning were based on the atomic theory of the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus. First, the laws of nature are universal. Second, there is nothing special or privileged about Earth. Finally, if something is possible, nature tends to make it happen. Philosophy is one thing, filling in the physical details is another. Although astronomers increasingly suspect that bio-friendly planets may be abundant in the universe, the chemical steps leading to life remain largely mysterious.

　　[C] There is, however, a contrary view — one that is gaining strength and directly challenges orthodox biology. It is that complexity can emerge spontaneously through a process of selforganization. If matter and energy have an inbuilt tendency to amplify and channel organized complexity, the odds against the formation of life and the subsequent evolution of intelligence could be drastically shortened. The relevance of self-organization to biology remains hotly debated. It suggests, however, that although the universe as a whole may be dying, an opposite, progressive trend may also exist as a fundamental property of nature. The emergence of extraterrestrial life, particularly intelligent life, is a key test for these rival paradigms.

　　[D] Similar reasoning applies to evolution. According to the orthodox view, Darwinian selection is utterly blind. Any impression that the transition from microbes to man represents progress is pure chauvinism of our part. The path of evolution is merely a random walk through the realm of possibilities. If this is right, there can be no directionality, no innate drive forward; in particular, no push toward consciousness and intelligence. Should Earth be struck by an asteroid, destroying all higher life-forms, intelligent beings, still less humanoids, would almost certainly not arise next time around.

　　[E] Traditionally, biologists believed that life is a freak — the result of a zillion-to-one accidental concatenation of molecules. It follows that the likelihood of its happening again elsewhere in the cosmos is infinitesimal. This viewpoint derives from the second law of thermodynamics, which predicts that the universe is dying-slowly and inexorably degenerating toward a state of total chaos. Life stumbles across this trend only because it is a pure statistical luck.

　　[F] Historically, the Roman Catholic church regarded any discussion of alien life as heresy. Speculating about other inhabited worlds was one reason philosopher Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in 1600. Belief that mankind has a special relationship with God is central to the monotheistic religions. The existence of alien beings, especially if they were further advanced than humans intellectually and spiritually, would disrupt this cozy view.

　　[G] The discovery of life beyond earth would transform not only our science but also our religions, our belief systems and our entire world view. For in a sense, the search for extraterrestrial life is really a search for ourselves — who we are and what our place is in the grand sweep of the cosmos.

　　Order:

　　G4142434445F

　Sample Three

 
　　Direction:You are going to read a text about the season for relief, followed by a list of examples. Choose the best example from the list A-F for each numbered subheading (41-45). There is one extra example which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

　　Winter’s harsh weather, shorter hours of daylight and family demands can all aggravate feelings of stress. According to Dr. Paul Rosch, president of the American Institute of Stress, one Midwestern headache clinic reported that complaints of tension and migraine headaches increased 40 percent from Thanksgiving to Christmas, compared with other sixweek periods during the year.

　　Many physicians are now trained in techniques to relieve tension and stress. But which strategies do they themselves use? Here top health professionals reveal their favorite stressbusters. Six in all, they are:

　　(41) Soothe with food. When nutritional biochemist Judith Wurtman is stressed out, she does what a lot of people do this time of year: she reaches for food. But in her case, it’s a healthy rice cake or two.

　　(42) Run from your problem. Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper handles his own stress with a daily afterwork run.

　　(43) Check your perspective. Driving in for a busy day as a MayoClinic stress-management expert, psychologist John Taylor saw the oil-maintenance light pop on in his minivan. He faced a nonstop schedule of patients and had to pick up his three-year-old after work. “I felt myself tense up,” recalls Taylor, who then tried his quick stress-busting strategy. He asked himself, Is this a matter of life or death? No. The oil could safely be changed the next week.

　　(44) Look to the light side. On his way to the hospital where his father was to undergo surgery, author and educator Joel Goodman shared a hotel courtesy van with the anxious relatives of several patients. The driver began telling his stressed-out passengers a few jokes. “Then he did some magic tricks that had my mother and me laughing,” Goodman says. “In that five-minute ride he taught us that humor can relieve our stress.” The surgery was successful.

　　(45) Take a timeout. A major cause of anxiety is an overloaded schedule. It’s one source of stress you can ward off by preparing ahead.

　　Say a little prayer. Psychologist and medical scientist Joan Bprysenko of Boulder, Colo., maintains that since most people spend too much time agonizing over the past or worrying about the future, the key to lessening stress is learning how to live emotionally in the present.

　　“It helps to have some ritual to do this,” says Borysenko. For her the most relaxing ritual is “each morning when I pray.” Prayer has been shown to reduce the impact of stress hormones such as noradrenaline and adrenaline.

　　But remember, says Borysenko, doctors can’t turn on their patient’ “internal healing system”. That inner clam is up to you. So you’re sick of stress, heal thyself.

　　[A] Williams counts himself among the 20 percent of adults whose susceptibility to anger is high enough to threaten their health. But everyone can try his approach to handling the stressors that set anger off — and it needn’t be in a work environment.

　　[B] “Aerobic exercise is the best way to dissipate stress and make the transition into family time,” says the expert. But, he cautions, don’t let exercise itself become a stress. Even moderate activity — such as a daily 30 minute walk can improve health and mood. “That’s why I tell my patients to be sure to walk their dog every day,” he says with a chuckle, “even if they don’t have one.”

　　[C] “My research suggests that carbohydrates raise levels of the mood-regulating brain chemical serotonin, which exerts a calming effect on the entire body,” says the M.I.T research scientist. “So symptoms of stress — such as anger, tension, irritability and inability to concentrate — are eased.”

　　[D] He tells patients to do only those tasks that would have serious consequences if left undone. “Will you die if you don’t do the laundry?” he asks. Taking at least half an hour a day to do something you enjoy, he notes, lets you recharge you batteries. Especially around the holidays, skip some routine chores to make time for family and friends.

　　[E] When cardiologist Ray Rosenman was associate chief of medicine at San Francisco’s Mount Zion Hospital, he would block off half an hour a day on his schedule. “If an emergency came up, I moved patients into that slot,” says Rosenman, co-author of Type A Behavior and Your Heart. “Or used that half-hour to return calls or go through my mail. You can’t control everything, but you can control your schedule to create some breathing space for yourself.”

　　[F] He was so moved by his experience that he researched laughter’s power. “A good laugh relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, suppresses stress-related hormones and enhances the immune system,” he says. In his workshops he tells clients to ask themselves how their favorite comedian would see this stressful situation.

　Sample Four

 
　　Directions:You are going to read a list of headings and a text about explorations into maple lores. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for each numbered paragraph (41-45). The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

　　[A] The influence of maples on the Canadian culture.

　　[B] The token of maples in Canada.

　　[C] Contemplation of global distribution of maples.

　　[D] The triumph of Nokomis over the devils with the help of maples.

　　[E] The popularity of the maple in a favorite myth.

　　[F] The maple signals the approach of fall.

　　The maple smoke of autumn bonfires is incense to Canadians. Bestowing perfume for the nose, color for the eye, sweetness for the spring tongue, the sugar maple prompts this sharing of a favorite myth and original etymology of the word maple.

41
 
 

　　The maple looms large in Ojibwa folk tales. The time of year for sugaringoff is “in the Maple Moon.” Among Ojibwa, the primordial female figure is Nokomis, a wise grandmother. In one tale about seasonal change, cannibal wendigos-creatures of evil — chased old Nokomis through the autumn countryside. Wendigos throve in icy cold. When they entered the bodies of humans, the human heart froze solid. Here wendigos represent oncoming winter. They were hunting to kill and eat poor Nokomis, the warm embodiment of female fecundity who, like the summer, has grown old.

42
 
 

　　Knowing this was a pursuit to the death, Nokomis outsmarted the cold devils. She hid in a stand of maple trees, all red and orange and deep yellow. This maple grove grew beside a waterfall whose mist blurred the trees’ outline. As they peered through the mist, slavering wendigos thought they saw a raging fire in which their prey was burning. But it was only old Nokomis being hidden by the bright red leaves of her friends, the maples. And so, drooling ice and huffing frost, the wendigos left her and sought easier prey. For their service in saving the earth mother’s life, these maples were given a special gift: their water of life would be forever sweet, and Canadians would tap it for nourishment.

43
 
 

　　Maple and its syrup flow sweetly into Canadian humor. Quebeckers have the standard sirop d’ erable for maple syrup, but add a feisty insult to label imitation syrups that are thick with glucose glop. They call this sugary imposter sirop de Poteau “telephonepole syrup” or dead tree syrup.

44
 
 

　　The contention that maple syrup is unique to North America is suspect, I believe. China has close to 10 species of maple, more than any country in the world. Canada has 10 native species. North America does happen to be home to the sugar maple, the species that produces the sweetest sap and the most abundant flow. But are we to believe that in thousands of years of Chinese history, these inventive people never tapped a maple to taste its sap? I speculate that they did. Could Proto-Americas who crossed the Bering land bridge to populate the Americas have brought with them a knowledge of maple syrup? Is there a very old Chinese phrase for maple syrup? Is maple syrup mentioned in Chinese literature? For a non-reader of Chinese, such questions are daunting but not impossible to answer.

45
 
 

　　What is certain is the maple’s holdfast on our national imagination. Its leaf was adopted as an emblem in New France as early as 1700, and in English Canada by the mid-19th century. In the fall of 1867, a Toronto schoolteacher named Alexander Muir was traipsing a street at the city, all squelchy underfoot from the soft felt of falling leaves, when a maple leaf alighted to his coat sleeve and stuck there. At home that evening, he wrote a poem and set it to music, in celebration of Canada’s Confederation. Muir’s song, “The Maple Leaf Forever,” was wildly popular and helped fasten the symbol firmly to Canada.

　　The word “maple” is from “mapeltreow”, the Old English term for maple tree, with “mapl”— as its ProtoGermanic root, a compound in which the first “m”— is, I believe, the nearly worldwide “ma”, one of the first human sounds, the pursing of a baby’s lips as it prepares to suck milk from mother’s breast. The “ma” root gives rise in many world languages to thousands of words like “mama”, “mammary”, “maia”, and “Amazon.” Here it would make “mapl” mean “nourishing mother tree,” that is, tree whose maple sap in nourishing. The second part of the compound, “apl”, is a variant of IndoEuropean able “fruit of any tree” and the origin of another English fruit word, apple. So the primitive analogy compares the liquid sap with another nourishing liquid, mother’s milk.

本文来源：https://shitiku.jxxyjl.com/kaoyan/2228.html