考研英语(阅读)-试卷21.doc

考研英语（阅读）

-

试卷

21

(

总分：

60.00

，做题时间：

90

分钟

)

一、

Reading Comprehensio(

总题数：

6

，分数：

60.00)

1.

Section II Reading Comprehension

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_____________________ __________________________________________________ ___________________

2.

Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by

choosing A, B, C or D.

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）

_ __________________________________________________ _______________________________________

The US $$ 3 -million Fundamental Physics Prize is indeed an interesting experiment, as Alexander

Polyakov said when he accepted this year

its type. As a News Feature article in Nature discusses, a string of lucrative awards for

researchers

have

joined

the

Nobel

Prizes

in

recent

years.

Many,

like

the

Fundamental

Physics

Prize,

are funded from the telephone-number -sized bank accounts of Internet entrepreneurs. These

benefactors have succeeded in their chosen fields, they say, and they want to use their wealth

to

draw

attention

to

those

who

have

succeeded

in

science.

What

not

to

like?

Quite

a

lot,

according

to a handful of scientists quoted in the News Feature. You cannot buy class, as the old saying

goes, and these upstart entrepreneurs cannot buy their prizes the prestige of the Nobels. The

new awards are an exercise in self-promotion for those behind them, say scientists. They could

distort the achievement-based system of peer-review-led research. They could cement the status

quo

of

peer- reviewed

research.

They

do

not

fund

peer-reviewed

research.

They

perpetuate

the

myth

of the lone genius. The goals of the prize-givers seem as scattered as the criticism. Some want

to

shock,

others

to

draw

people

into

science,

or

to

better

reward

those

who

have

made

their

careers

in

research.

As

Nature

has

pointed

out

before,

there

are

some

legitimate

concerns

about

how

science

prizes

—

both

new

and

old

—

are

distributed.

The

Breakthrough

Prize

in

Life

Sciences,

launched

this

year,

takes

an

unrepresentative

view

of

what

the

life

sciences

include.

But

the

Nobel

Foundation

s limit of three recipients per prize, each of whom must still be living, has long been outgrown

by the collaborative nature of modern research

—

as will be demonstrated by the inevitable row

over who is ignored when it comes to acknowledging the discovery of the Higgs boson. The Nobels

were, of course, themselves set up by a very rich individual who had decided what he wanted to

do with his own money. Time, rather than intention, has given them legitimacy. As much as some

scientists

may

complain

about

the

new

awards,

two

things

seem

clear.

First,

most

researchers

would

accept such a prize if they were offered one. Second, it is surely a good thing that the money

and attention

come to science rather than

go

elsewhere.

It

is

fair to criticize

and

question

the

mechanism

—

that is the culture of research, after all

—

but it is the prize- givers

with as they please. It is wise to take such gifts with gratitude and grace.

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(1).The Fundamental Physics Prize is seen as

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A.a symbol of the entrepreneurs

B.a possible replacement of the Nobel Prizes.

example of bankers

D.a handsome reward for researchers.

(2).The critics think that the new awards will most benefit

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profit-oriented scientists.

founders of the new awards.

achievement-based system.

-review-led research.

(3).The discovery of the Higgs boson is a typical case which involves

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versies over the recipients

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joint effort of modern researchers.

mate concerns over the new prizes.

demonstration of research findings.

(4).According to Paragraph 4, which of the following is true of the Nobels?

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endurance has done justice to them.

legitimacy has long been in dispute.

are the most representative honor.

y has never cast doubt on them.

(5).The author believes that the new awards are

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able despite the criticism.

l to the culture of research.

t to undesirable changes.

hy of public attention.

The mythology of a culture can provide some vital insights into the beliefs and values of that

culture.

By

using

fantastic

and

sometimes

incredible

stories

to

create

an

oral

tradition

by

which

to explain the wonders of the natural world and teach lessons to younger generations, a society

exposes those ideas and concepts held most important. Just as important as the final lesson to

be gathered from the stories, however, are the characters and the roles they play in conveying

that message. Perhaps the epitome of mythology and its use as a tool to pass on cultural values

can

be

found

in

Aesop

Fables,

told

and

retold

during

the

era

of

the

Greek

Empire.

Aesop,

a

slave

who

won

the

favor

of

the

court

through

his

imaginative

and

descriptive

tales,

almost

exclusively

used animals to fill the roles in his short stories. Humans, when at all present, almost always

played the part of bumbling fools struggling to learn the lesson being presented. This choice

of characterization allows us to see that the Greeks placed wisdom on a level slightly beyond

humans,

implying

that

deep

wisdom

and

understanding

is

a

universal

quality

sought

by,

rather

than

stealing from, human beings. Aesop

self-reliance, reflecting the importance of those traits in early Greek society. The folly of

humans

was

used

to

contrast

against

the

ultimate

goal

of

attaining

a

higher

level

of

understanding

and

awareness of

truths

about

nature

and

humanity. For example,

one notable fable

features a

fox

repeatedly

trying

to

reach

a

bunch

of

grapes

on

a

very

high

vine.

After

failing

at

several

attempts,

the

fox

gives

up,

making

up

its

mind

that

the

grapes

were

probably

sour

anyway.

The

fable

lesson,

that we often play down that which we can

the reader or listener in an entertaining way about one of the weaknesses of the human psyche.

The mythology of other cultures and societies reveal the underlying traits of their respective

cultures just as Aesop

all

served

to

train

ancient

generations

those

lessons

considered

most

important

to

their

community,

and today they offer a powerful looking glass by which to evaluate and consider the contextual

environment in which those culture existed.

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(1).The author appears to view fables as

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most interesting and valuable form of mythology.

aining yet serious subjects of study.

C.a remnant tool of past civilizations, but not often used in the modern age.

primary method by which ancient values and ideas were transmitted between generations.

(2).The way that fables were used in the past is most similar to today

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tales that entertain children at home.

s in children

e documentaries that explain how nature works.

that depict animals as having human characteristics.

(3).The main purpose of Paragraph 3 is to

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