1、北京师范大学博士入学英语试题及答案解析北京师范大学2012年博士入学英语试题与答案详解一、试题部分Part I: Listening Comprehension(略)Part：Reading ComprehensiveDirections: There are six passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A,B,C and D. Choos
2、e the best one and mark your answer on the ANSER SHEET.Passage OneIn 1900 the United States had only three cities with more than a million residents-New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. By 1930,it had ten giant metropolises. The newer ones experienced remarkable growth, which reflected basic changes
3、 in the economy.Line the population of Los Angeles(114000 in 1900)rose spectacularly in the early decades of the twentieth century, increasing a dramatic 1400 percent from 1900 to 1930.A number of circumstances contributed to the meteoric rise of Los Angeles. The agricultural potential of the area w
4、as enormous if water for irrigation could be found, and the city founders had the vision and dating to obtain it by constructing a 225-mile aqueduct, completed in 1913, to tap the water of the Owens River. The city had a superb natural harbor, as well as excellent rail connections. The climate made
5、it possible to shoot motion pictures year-round; hence Hollywood. Hollywood not only supplied jobs; it disseminated an image of the good life in Southern California on screens all across the nation. The most important single industry powering the growth of Los Angeles, however, was directly linked t
6、o the automobile. The demand for petroleum to fuel gasoline engines led to the opening of the Southern California oil fields, and made Los Angeles North Americas greatest refining center. Los Angeles was a product of the auto age in another sense as well: its distinctive spatial organization depende
7、d on widespread private ownership of automobiles. Los Angeles was a decentralized metropolis, sprawling across the desert landscape over an area of 400 square miles. It was a city without a real center. The downtown business district did not grow apace with the city as a whole, and the rapid transit
8、 system designed to link the center with outlying areas withered away from disuse. Approximately 800,000 cars were registered in Los Angeles County in 1930, one per 2.7 residents. Some visitors from the east coast were dismayed at the endless urban sprawl and dismissed Los Angeles as a mere collecti
9、on of suburbs in search of a city. But the freedom and mobility of a city built on wheels attracted floods of migrants to the city. 21. What is the passage mainly about?( )A. The growth of cities in the United States in the early 1900s B. The development of the Southern California oil fields C. Fact
10、ors contributing to the growth of Los Angeles D. Industry and city planning in Los Angeles 22. The author characterizes the growth of new large cities in the United States after 1900 as resulting primarily from ( )A. new economic conditions B. images of cities shown in movies C. new agricultural tec
11、hniques D. a large migrant population 23. The word meteoric in line 6 is closest in meaning to ( )A. rapid B. famous C. controversial D. methodical 24. According to the passage, the most important factor in the development of agriculture around Los Angeles was the ( )A. influx of new residents to ag
12、ricultural areas near the city B. construction of an aqueduct C. expansion of transportation facilities D. development of new connections to the citys natural harbor 25. The visitors from the east coast mentioned in the passage thought that Los Angeles ( )A. was not accurately portrayed by Hollywood
13、 images B. lacked good suburban areas in which to live C. had an excessively large population D. was not really a single city Passage Two Imagine eating everything delicious you want with none of the fat. That would be great , wouldnt it?New “fake fat” products appeared on store shelves in the Unite
14、d States recently, but not everyone is happy about it. Makers of the products, which contain a compound called olestra, sayfood manufacturers can now eliminate fat from certain foods, Critics, however, say that the new compound can rob the body of essential vitamins and nutrients and can also cause
15、unpleasant side effects in some people. So it is up to consumers to decide whether the new fat-free products taste good enough to keep eating. Chemists discovered olestra in the late 1960s, when they were searching for a fat that could be digested by infants more easily. Instead of finding the desir
16、ed fat, the researchers created a fat that cant be digested at all. Normally, special chemicals in the intestines “grab” molecules of regular fat and break them down so they can be used by the body. A molecule of regular fat is made up of three molecules of substances called fatty acids. The fatty a
17、cids are absorbed by the intestines and bring with them the essential vitamins A, D, E and K. When fat molecules are present in the intestines with any of those vitamins, the vitamins attach to the molecules and are carried into the bloodstream. Olestra, which is made from six to eight molecules of
18、fatty acids, is too large for the intestines to absorb. It just slides through the intestines without being broken down. Manufacturers say its that ability to slide unchanged through the intestines that makes olestra so valuable as a fat substitute. It provides consumers with the taste of regular fa
19、t without any bad effects on the body. But critics say olestra can prevent vitamins A, D, E, and K from being absorbed. It can also prevent the absorption of carotenoids, compounds that may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, etc. Manufacturers are adding vitamins A, D, E and K as well as caro
20、tenoids to their products now. Even so, some nutritionists are still concerned that people might eat unlimited amounts of food made with the fat substitute without worrying about how many calories they are consuming. 26. We learn from the passage that olestra is a substance that ( )A. contains plent
21、y of nutrients B. renders foods calorie-free while retaining their vitamins C. makes foods easily digestible D. makes foods fat-free while keeping them delicious 27. The result of the search for an easily digestible fat turned out to be ( )A. commercially useless B. just as anticipated C. somewhat c
22、ontroversial D. quite unexpected 28. Olestra is different from ordinary fats in that ( )A. it passes through the intestines without being absorbed B. it facilitates the absorption of vitamins by the body C. it helps reduce the incidence of heart disease D. it prevents excessive intake of vitamins 29
23、. What is a possible effect of olestra according to some critics? ( )A. It may impair the digestive system. B. It may affect the overall fat intake. C. It may increase the risk of cancer. D. It may spoil the consumers appetite. 30. Why are nutritionists concerned about adding vitamins to olestra? (
24、)A. It may lead to the over-consumption of vitamins. B. People may be induced to eat more than is necessary. C. The function of the intestines may be weakened. D. It may trigger a new wave of fake food production. Passage Three A “scientific” view of language was dominant among philosophers and ling
25、uists who affected to develop a scientific analysis of human thought and behavior in the early part of this century. Under the force of this view, it was perhaps inevitable that the art of rhetoric should pass from the status of being regarded as of questionable worth (because although it might be b
26、oth a source of pleasure and a means to urge people to right action, it might also be a means to distort truth and a source of misguided action) to the status of being wholly condemned. If people are regarded only as machines guided by logic, as they were by these “scientific” thinkers, rhetoric is
27、likely to be held in low regard; for the most obvious truth about rhetoric is that it speaks to the whole person. It presents its arguments first to the person as a rational being, because persuasive discourse, if honestly conceived, always has a basis in reasoning. Logical argument is the plot, as
28、it were, of any speech or essay that is respectfully intended to persuade people. Yet it is a characterizing feature of rhetoric that it goes beyond this and appeals to the parts of our nature that are involved in feeling, desiring, acting, and suffering. It recalls relevant instances of the emotion
29、al reactions of people to circumstancesreal or fictionalthat are similar to our own circumstances. Such is the purpose of both historical accounts and fables in persuasive discourse： they indicate literally or symbolically how people may react emotionally, with hope or fear, to particular circumstan
30、ces. A speech attempting to persuade people can achieve little unless it takes into account the aspect of their being related to such hopes and fears. Rhetoric, then, is addressed to human beings living at particular times and in particular places. From the point of view of rhetoric, we are not mere
31、ly logical thinking machines, creatures abstracted from time and space. The study of rhetoric should therefore be considered the most humanistic of the humanities, since rhetoric is not directed only to our rational selves. It takes into account what the “scientific” view leaves out. If it is a weak
32、ness to harbor feelings, then rhetoric may be thought of as dealing in weakness. But those who reject the idea of rhetoric because they believe it deals in lies and who at the same time hope to move people to action, must either be liars themselves or be very naive;pure logic has never been a motivating force unless it has been subordinated to human purposes, feelings, and desires, and thereby ceased to be pure logic. 31. According to the passage, to reject rhetoric and still hope to persuade people is( )A. an aim of most speakers and writers
