[新航道考研英语]新航道2006考研英语命题预测题三及答案1

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北京新航道学校考研阅读主讲 印建坤

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)
STOP fretting about recession. That is the message from America\"s R-word index. For each quarter, we  1  how many stories in the New York Times and the Washington Post include the word "recession".   2   bells were set()  3   by the sharp jump in the "R-count" in the first quarter of this year, at a rate that in the past has   4   the start of a recession. In the second quarter,   5  , the number of articles 6     by more than one-third. A conspiracy theorist might suggest that newspaper editors,  7   about dwindling advertising revenues, have  8   the R-word.
The Economist has found that  9   the past two decades, the R- word index has been good at 10 turning-points in the American economy.   11   GDP figures which appear  12  after a lag, the numbers are instantly available. But how does the index perform in Germany,  13  there have also been  14   fears of recession? Using our idea, HypoVereinsbank has  15  an R-word index for Germany, counting the number of times the word recession  16   in Handelsblatt.
Worryingly, Germany\"s R-count for the first quarter of 2001 showed the second-steepest  17   in the past two decades. But in the second quarter, the index dropped by one-third,  18  in America.  19  the world economy has nothing to worry about, or journalists are more  worried about a 20 than a mere recession. A D-word index?
1.A. count B. calculate  C. account  D. reckon
2. A. warning B alarm  C. siren  D.danger
3.A. up  B out  C.off  D.about
4.A hint at  B. gestured C. sign  D. signaled
5.A but  B.yet  C. however  D. although
6,A. reduced  B.fell  C. drop  D.descended
7.A. bothered  B. harassed  C. troubled  D. worried
8.A. prohibited  B. proscribed C.banned D. interdicted  
9.A.over  B.in  C. through  D.by
10. A. pointing  B setting  C. placing  D.spotting
11.A. Unlike  B.Like  C. As  D.Not as
12.A. generally  B.usually C.always  D. only
13A.whicn  B.where  C.who  D. what
14.A. grown  B grow  C grew  D growing
15.A. coined  B built C. constructed   D. set up
16.A. appearing B.appeared  C.appearance  Dappears
17.A. growth  Brise  C. rising  D.climb
18.A. as  B. like  C. as if  D. as that
19.A.Either  B.Whichever  C. Neither  D Whatever
20 A. depression B decline  C despair  D. dejection

Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A
TEXT 1
EVEN to his contemporaries, Rochester was a legendary figure. One of the youngest and most handsome courtiers of the restored Charles II, he was the favorite of a king whose wit, lasciviousness and serious intellectual interests he shared. He was banished from court several times, but Charles\"s pleasure in his conversation always resulted in his recall. His authentic adventures included the attempted abduction of an heiress (whom he later married), smashing a phallic-shaped sundial in the royal gardens during a drunken spree, and a violent affray with the watch at Epsom in which one of his companions was killed.
Quite apart from his reputation as a poet, he was feted in the writings of his friends, notably in Sir George Etherege\"s comedy, "The Man of Mode". Just before he died in 1680, at the age of 33, destroyed by alcoholism and syphilis, Rochester\"s legend took a surprising turn. After a series of conversations with an Anglican rationalist divine, Gilbert Burnet, the skeptical libertine made a death-bed conversion which was celebrated in the devotional literature of the succeeding century.
Engaging as it is, the Rochester legend has always been a distraction. It has resulted in many apocryphal stories and dubious attributions, and it can still divert attention from the poetry. It is Rochester\"s achievement as a poet which commands our interest and makes him something more than a luridly colorful period figure. For all the brevity of his career, Rochester is a crucial figure in the development of English verse satire and the Horatian epistle, a student of his elder French contemporary Boileau, and an important exemplar for later poets as different as Alexander Pope and Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea.
Cephas Goldsworthy\"s "The Satyr" gives us the legend. Although there are no footnotes to sources, the book shows some acquaintance with modern Rochester scholarship and its rejection of spurious verse from his canon-but only intermittently. Anecdotes concerning Rochester and his crony George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, are retailed without any indication that they have, in fact, been discredited; poems no longer attributed to Rochester are cited as if they were authentic. Mr. Goldsworthy quotes liberally from the poetry, but repeatedly reads it as straightforward autobiography. For example, we are told that "My dear mistress has a heart" is addressed to. Elizabeth Barry, an actress, which is incautious given the uncertain dating of this song, and indeed of most of Rochester\"s poems. More generally, while of course some of the satires include references to actual persons, as often as not in 17th-century love poetry the emotion is genuine but the addressee is fictitious.
A less simplistic way to relate Rochester\"s poetry to his life would be to read the former as an exploration of what it means to live according to libertine values. In his best satires and even some of the lyrics he articulated an anti-rational nihilistic vision scarcely found elsewhere in English verse. Such a task belongs to a critical biography. There is no mistaking Mr. Goldsworthy\"s enthusiasm for his subject, but his book is essentially biography as entertainment.

21. Rochester was not
A a troublemaker.
B a fictional legendary figure.
C an excellent Solomon.
D the favorite of Charles II.

22. Rochester didn’t have a reputation of
A  comedian
B  legend
C  libertine
D  poet

23. The word “nihilistic” (line 4, para 5)means
A  rational
B  practical
C  opposed moral beliefs
D  pro-government

24. Rochester’s legend gave others a surprising turn when
A  he was dying
B  he got syphilis
C  he appeared in an anti-rational state
D  he changed his life-style

25. Rochester was not 
A  crucial  in the development of English verse satire
B  a comedy writer
C  Boileau’s student
D  am important model for later poets

Text 2
WHERE is the second centre of Hollywood film making in Europe, after London? Paris, or perhaps Berlin? Try Prague. Last year, Hollywood spent over $2OOm on shooting movies, commercials and pop videos in the Czech capital. This year, all the big studios will be in town. MGM has "Hart\"s War" starring Bruce Willis, Disney is shooting "Black Sheep" with Anthony Hopkins, and Fox has just finished filming "From Hell", a Jack the Ripper saga starring Johnny Depp.
Praguers take Tinseltown in their stride. Old ladies looked only slightly bemused last month when the cobbled streets of Mala Strana, Prague\"s old quarter, were cleared of real snow and sprayed with a more cinematically pleasing chemical alternative for Universal\"s "Bourne Identity", a $50m thriller starring Matt Damon. The film\"s producer, Pat Crowley, reckons a day filming in Prague costs him $l00，000, against $250,000 in Paris. Czech crews, he says, are professional, English-speaking and numerous. They are also a bargain-40% cheaper than similar crews in London or Los Angeles, points out Matthew Stillman, the British boss of Stillking, a Prague-based production firm.
Mr. Stillman founded Stillking in 1993 after arriving in Prague with $500 and a typewriter. Today, Hollywood producers come to the company for crews, catering, lights and much more. It claims to have about half of the local film-production business and this year hopes for revenues of over $50m.
The biggest draw to Prague, however, is Barrandov - one of the largest film studios in Europe, with 11 sound-stages, onsite photo labs and top-notch technicians. It was founded during Czechoslovakia\"s pre-war first republic by Milos Havel, an uncle of the present Czech president, Vaclav Havel. The Nazis expanded it as a production centre for propaganda flicks - the sound-stages are courtesy of Joseph Goebbels. Then came the Communists with their own propaganda and, admittedly, a few impressive homegrown directors such as Milos Forman, who began Hollywood\"s march to Prague by filming "Amadeus" there.
But it is partly thanks to Barrandov that Prague remains some way behind London as a film centre. The studio has suffered from iffy management and is already stretched to capacity ("You can\"t even get an office there," moans one producer). Its present owner, a local steel company, is keen to sell but talks with a Canadian consortium have been thorny, not least because the Czech government holds a golden share. Should the Canadian deal fall through, Stillking says it would consider a bid of its own.

26．Which one is not true about Prague?
A It’s a gathering place for big studio to make film-stars.
B It’s the Czech capital.
C It’s a very popular place for Hollywood film making.
D It’s an attractive place for both film makers and the stars.

27.Pat Crowley has chosen Prague to be the place for his new film just because
A  this place is covered with snow, which is what they want.
B  he takes  costs  into consederation.
C Matt Damon loves the place.
D it has the cobbled streets.
 
28. Czech Film workers are not
A  skilled
B  able to speak foreign languages
C  professional
D  bargaining ?

29. Stillking is a company
A  providing instruments and workers for studios
B  providing actors
C  involved in film-making
D  gathering money from local film studios

30. Prague remains behind London because
A  the studio leader grasped all the capitals.
B  of bad strategies of selling studios.
C  Canadian consortium can not get the golden share from the government.
D  the studio leaders didn’t do a good job on booming it.

TEXT 3
THE elephants of Thailand used never to be short of work hauling timber. But most of the country\"s forests have been cut down, and logging is now banned to save the few that are left. The number of domesticated elephants left in the country is now only 2,500 or so, down from about 100,000 a century ago. Though being the national animal of Thailand earns an elephant plenty of respect, this does not put grass on the table. Thai elephants these days take tourists on treks or perform in circuses, and are sometimes to be seen begging for bananas on the streets of Bangkok.
Some of the 46 elephants living at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, a former government logging camp near Lampang, have found a new life in music. The Thai Elephant Orchestra is the creation of two Americans, Richard Lair, who has worked with Asian elephants for 23 years, and David Soldier, a musician and neuroscientist with a taste for the avant-garde. They provided six of the center’s elephants, aged seven to 18, with a variety of percussion and wind instruments. Those familiar with Thai instruments will recognize the slit drums, the gong, the bow bass, the xylophone-like rants, as well as the thunder sheet. The only difference is that the elephant versions are a bit sturdier.
The elephants are given a cue to start and then they improvise. They clearly have a strong sense of rhythm. They flap their ears to the beat, swish their tails and generally rock back and forth. Some add to the melody with their own trumpeting. Elephant mood-music could have a commercial future, Mr. Soldier believes. He has even produced a CD on the Mulatta label-it is available at ..mulatta.org-with 13elephant tracks. It is real elephant music, he says, with only the human noises removed by sound engineers. But is it music? Bob Halliday, music critic of the Bangkok Post, says it is. He commends the elephants for being "so communicative". Anyone not knowing that it was elephant music, he says, would assume that humans were playing.
Some of the elephants in the band have also tried their hand at painting, tending to favor the abstract over the representational style. Their broad-stroke acrylic paintings last year helped raise some $25,000 at a charity auction at Christie\"s in New York, and a London gallery has also taken some of their work. These art sales, together with profits from the CD, are helping to keep the centre going. A second CD is on the way. It will be less classical, more pop.
31. The elephants of Thailand now are short of the  work they used to do because
A they are trained to take tourists on trek.
B they are trained to play music.
C the forest-cutting is illegal
D there is not enough timber for them to haul.

32. The author’s attitude towards these elephants is
A  astonished
B  indescribable
C  supportive
D  appreciative

33. The two American created the Orchestra in order to
A  earn money
B  protect elephants
C  enjoy themselves
D  none of the above

34. “trumpet” in the 3rd paragraph refers to
A  jump
B  shriek
C  move
D  shake

35. The elephants do not make money  from
A  getting charity from visitors
B  selling their paintings
C  selling their own CDs
D  all their entertainment work

TEXT 4
DURING the 17 years of Sri Lanka\"s civil war, ceasefires have been arranged from time to time in the hope that permanent peace would follow. The difference about the present one, called by the separatist Tamil Tigers in December and due to end on January 24th, is that it has not been matched by the government. It believes that the Tigers sought only a breathing-space. As in the past, after recovering they would resume their attacks with renewed ferocity. The government forces have continued to kill Tigers with abandon, and held their fire only on Christmas day.
While the government can claim some consistency for its policy of all-out war on the Tigers, formally adopted six months ago, its rejection of the Tigers\" offer has upset the Norwegians, who for 18 months have been trying to find a way to end the conflict. The Norwegians are among the most peaceable people on earth these days, whatever they may have got up to during Viking times. They find it difficult to understand why the president of this little island, Chandrika Kumaratunga, and the Tigers\" leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, cannot settle their differences. Britain, the United States and India, the regional superpower, share the Norwegians\" disappointment. A meeting in Paris in December of Sri Lanka\"s aid donors ended, unusually, without any pledges being made for the next financial year.
Sensing Sri Lanka\"s growing isolation, Mrs. Kumaratunga broadcast on January 8th specifically to the people of the north-east, where most Tamils live, and which has been the main cockpit of the war. She said there was no point in having a ceasefire unless the Tigers were prepared to negotiate. Once they agreed to negotiations, the government would be ready for a ceasefire.
In this poker game it is difficult to see which side has the better hand. The Tigers\" publicity machine, centered in London, has drawn international attention to the government\"s hardline position. Militarily the government seems to have done well during the lull, regaining control of an important road linking two large towns, Jaffna and Chavakachcheri. But its generals must be nervous that the Tigers will eventually renew their attacks in the Jaffna peninsula, which they came close to capturing in May last year.
If Norway does get the two sides together, what will they talk about? The Norwegians would like the Tigers to stop attacking southern areas of the island, dominated by the Sinhalese majority; in return, they want the government to lift its restrictions on supplies of food and medicine to rebel-controlled towns. Beyond that, the Norwegians appear vague. Raymond Johansen, Norway\"s deputy foreign minister, said last week that "Tamil aspirations must be met in a substantial manner." But he ruled out a separate state for the Tamils, which the Tigers have demanded.
Erik Solheim, who handles most of the Norwegian negotiations, has mentioned Switzerland as a model federation. A Swiss Sri Lanka?

36. The author calls this ceasefire a different one because
A Sri Lanka’s civil war is different from the other country.
B the government will never adhere to its precious ? policy.
C Tamil Tigers appealed while the government is suspicious its motivation.?
D the government completely agrees with the ceasefire.

37. The word “consistency” means
A continuous action
B appreciation
C rejection
D indifference

38. According to the text, Sri Lanka’s isolation is partly because
A its leader broadcasts to the people of the Tamils.
B the Tiger gave an active gesture but not the government
C the Tiger’s machine exaggerated the government.
D. some western countries approved of its refusal.

39.  Some government generals are nervous when they have done well in military action just because
A they continued to kill too much Tiger’s with abandon.
B Tamil aspirations wouldn’t be met in a practical form..
C they are unsure about its future.
D they are afraid of the Tiger’s continuous attack for grabbing the towns

40.  The author quoted the Raymand Johonson’s words in order to imply
A he wanted the Tamil to have a separate state.
B he just did an authority talk.
C the peace process still has a long way to go.
D he was dissatisfied with the current government.
Part B
Directions:
In the following text, some sentences have removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into 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)
FOR months now, ministers have been blaming Britain\"s archaic and expensive planning laws for many of the country\"s ills, from high house prices to poor productivity. Lord Falconer, a close ally of the Prime Minister, describes the planning system as "a quagmire". It is certainly a lawyer\"s paradise. The national planning guidance alone runs to 800 pages.
(41)                              . The green paper, a consultative document, hardly lives up to the hype. But it does contain a number of sensible proposals for reforming a system which deals with 150,000 business and 300,000 domestic planning applications each year.
(42)                                     . The government also wants developers to be able to build more easily in designated business zones. The process for planning appeals is to be speeded up. All these measures should make the system work a little faster.
The case for change is hard to deny. The chancellor, Gordon Brown, is convinced that Britain\"s poor productivity performance is in part due to its restrictive planning system. That was the thesis of a hefty report published by McKinsey\"s consultants three years ago which argued that every British household could be  2,500 pounds a year better off if Britain was able to match American levels of productivity. (43)                                          .
(44)                                                . Even much smaller projects are subject to lengthy delay. Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, complained to a Confederation of British Industry conference recently, "I know Rome wasn\"t built in a day, but why does it take four years to get a positive decision on one moderately-sized inner city store?"
A project to build a new freight railway, financed solely by private investment, from Liverpool via Manchester, Sheffield and London to the Channel Tunnel has been mired in planning problems for more than a decade. Andrew Gritten, chairman of Central Railway, says this scheme would take 3m lorry journeys a year off the roads. But without the government\"s backing, it has little chance of getting through Parliament, let alone surviving a public inquiry.
(45)                                                . Ministers believe that delays could be cut if the government were to set out its views in advance of a public inquiry. These would then be subject to parliamentary debate and approval. The planning system could thus deal with local issues rather than issues of principle.
Environmental and other lobby groups say they will resist such a change, which they see as short-circuiting democratic accountability. Certainly, the faster things happen, the worse it will be for them. It took more than a quarter of a century and three public inquiries before the bulldozers could start ploughing through beautiful Twyford Down to build a bitterly-fought extension to the M3 motorway near Winchester. In future, Swampy and his friends will have a much harder task opposing big new developments.
[A] For large projects, planning sometimes borders on the absurd. The inquiry into Heathrow\"s Terminal Five inquiry spent two days discussing whether some fish displaced by the proposed terminal would or would not be able to swim up a culvert. No wonder the inquiry occupied 33 barristers, cost pounds 100m and took four years to complete.                            [B]The Government\"s Planning Green Paper, Planning: delivering a fundamental change, was published on 12 December 2001. Related \"daughter documents\" - on major infrastructure projects, planning obligations, the Use Classes Order and compulsory purchase powers - were published soon afterwards.                                                                    [C]The Green Paper seeks a planning system which addresses economic, social, cultural and environmental objectives, in which people have confidence and which is efficient.                                              [ D] The government is to publish a document next week advocating new parliamentary procedures for major projects.                                                                                       [E] A report which recently emerged from the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions estimated that the cost of planning delays to business was at least pounds 600m a year. Currently more than half of all commercial planning applications take longer than two months to be decided.                                                                                        [F] This week the government unveiled its proposals for reform claiming that they represented the biggest shake-up in the planning system for half a century.                                     [G] A report which recently emerged from the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions estimated that the cost of planning delays to business was at least pounds 600m a year. Currently more than half of all commercial planning applications take longer than two months to be decided.

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