教育部考试中心考研英语模拟试题.docx

教育部考试中心考研英语模拟试题.docx

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教育部考试中心考研英语模拟试题

一、从鸡蛋中培养流感疫菌

Moderntechnologyhasputmenonthemoonanddecipheredthehumangenome.Butwhenitcomestobrewingupflutomakevaccines,sciencestillturnstotheincredibleedibleegg.Eversincethe1940s,vaccinemakershavegrownlargebatchesofvirusinsidechickeneggs.Butgiventhatsome36,000Americansdieofflueachyear,it’sremarkablethatourfirstlineofdefenseisstillwhatSecretaryofHealthandHumanServicesTommyThompsoncalls“thecumbersomeandarchaicegg-basedproduction.”Newcell-basedtechnologiesareinthepipeline,however,andmayfinallygetthesupporttheyneednowthattheUnitedStatesisfacedwithacriticalshortageoffluvaccine.Althoughexpertsdisagreeonwhethernewwaysofproducingvaccinecouldhavepreventedashortageliketheonehappeningtoday,thereisnodoubtthattheexistingsystemhasseriousflaws.

Eachyear,vaccinemanufacturersplaceadvanceordersformillionsofspeciallygrownchickeneggs.Meanwhile,public-healthofficialsmonitorcirculatingstrainsofflu,andeachMarchtheyrecommendthreestrains—twoinfluenzaAstrainsandoneBstrain—formanufacturerstoincludeinvaccines.Inthelatespringandsummer,automatedmachinesinjectvirusintoeggsandlatersuckouttheinfluenza-richgoop.Virusfromtheeggs’innardsgetskilledandprocessedtoremoveeggproteinsandothercontaminantsbeforebeingpackagedintovialsforfallshipment.

Whyhasthiseggmethodpersistedforsixdecades?

Themainreasonisthatit’sreliable.Buteventhoughtheeggsarereliable,theyhaveseriousdrawbacks.Oneisthelongleadtimeneededtoordertheeggs.Thatmeansit’shardtomakemorevaccineinahurry,incaseofashortageorunexpectedoutbreak.Andeggsmaysimplybetoocumbersometokeepupwiththehundredsofmillionsofdosesrequiredtohandlethedemandforfluvaccine.

What’smore,someflustrainsdon’tgrowwellineggs.Lastyear,scientistswereunabletoincludetheFujianstraininthevaccineformulation.Itwasarelativelynewstrain,andmanufacturerssimplycouldn’tfindaquickwaytoadaptitsothatitgrewwellineggs.“Weknewthestrainwasoutthere,”recallsTheodoreEickhoffoftheUniversityofColoradoHealthSciencesCenter,“butpublic-healthofficialswereleftwithoutavaccine—and,consequently,amoreseverefluseason.”

Worse,thevirusesthatposethegreatestthreatmightbehardesttogrowineggs.That’sbecauseglobalpandemicsliketheonethatkilledover50millionpeoplebetween1918and1920arethoughttooccurwhenabirdinfluenzachangesinawaythatletsitcrossthespeciesbarrierandinfecthumans.Sincehumanshaven’tencounteredthenewvirusbefore,theyhavelittleprotectiveimmunity.ThedeadlybirdflucirculatinginAsiain1997and1998,forexample,worriedpublic-healthofficialsbecauseitspreadtosomepeoplewhohandledbirdsandkilledthem—althoughthebugnevercirculatedamonghumans.Butwhenscientiststriedtomakevaccinetheold-fashionedway,thebirdfluquicklykilledtheeggs.

1.Themoon-landingismentionedinthefirstparagraphtoillustrate_____.

［A］technologycannotsolveallofourhumanproblems

［B］progressinvaccineresearchforinfluenzahaslaggedbehind

［C］greatachievementshavebeenmadebymeninexploringtheunknown

［D］thedevelopmentofvaccineproductionmethodscannotbestopped

2.Whatstepisessentialtothetraditionalproductionoffluvaccine?

［A］Manufacturersimplantthevaccineintoorderedchickeneggs.

［B］Scientistsidentifytheexactstrainsoonafteraflupandemicstarts.

［C］Publichealthmeasuresaretakenasanimportantpandemic-fightingtool.

［D］Virusesaredeadenedandmadecleanbeforebeingputintovaccineuse.

3.Theforemostreasonwhytheegg-basedmethodisdefectiveliesin_____.

［A］thecomplexprocessofvaccineproduction［B］itspotentialthreattohumanbeing

［C］thelowsurvivalratefornewfluvaccines［D］itscontributiontothefluvaccineshortage

4.Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothepassage?

［A］Fluvaccinesnowmainlyuseegg-basedtechnology.

［B］Abirdinfluenzahasoncecirculatedamonghumans.

［C］Safetycanbegreatlyimprovedwithcell-culturevaccines.

［D］Modernvaccineproductionmethodsaretoreplaceegg-basedmethods.

5.Intheauthor’sview,thenewvaccineproductionmethodseemstobe_____.

［A］remarkable［B］criticized［C］efficient［D］accepted

二、美私有化方案

TheNationalAssociationofSecuritiesDealersisinvestigatingwhethersomebrokeragehousesareinappropriatelypushingindividualstoborrowlargesumsontheirhousestoinvestinthestockmarket.Canwepersuadetheassociationtoinvestigatewould-beprivatizersofSocialSecurity?

ForitisnowapparentthattheBushadministration’sprivatizationproposalwillamounttothesamething:

borrowtrillions,putthemoneyinthestockmarketandhope.

Privatizationwouldbeginbydivertingpayrolltaxes,whichpayforcurrentSocialSecuritybenefits,intopersonalinvestmentaccounts.Thegovernmentwouldhavetoborrowtomakeuptheshortfall.Thiswouldsharplyincreasethegovernment’sdebt.“Nevermind”,privatizationadvocatessay,“inthelongrun,peoplewouldmakesomuchonpersonalaccountsthatthegovernmentcouldsavemoneybycuttingretirees’benefits.”

Evenso,ifpersonalinvestmentaccountswereinvestedinTreasurybonds,thiswholeprocesswouldaccomplishpreciselynothing.Theinterestworkerswouldreceiveontheiraccountswouldexactlymatchtheinterestthegovernmentwouldhavetopayonitsadditionaldebt.Tocompensatefortheinitialborrowing,thegovernmentwouldhavetocutfuturebenefitssomuchthatworkerswouldgainnothingatall.However,privatizersclaimthattheseinvestmentswouldmakealotofmoneyandthat,ineffect,thegovernment,nottheworkers,wouldreapmostofthosegains,becauseaspersonalaccountsgrew,thegovernmentcouldcutbenefits.

Wecanargueatlengthaboutwhetherthehighstockreturnssuchschemesassumearerealistic（theyaren’t）,butlet’scuttothechase:

inessence,suchschemesinvolvehavingthegovernmentborrowheavilyandputthemoneyinthestockmarket.That’sbecausethegovernmentwould,ineffect,confiscateworkers’gainsintheirpersonalaccountsbycuttingthoseworkers’benefits.

Onceyourealizewhatprivatizationreallymeans,itdoesn’tsoundtooresponsible,doesit?

Butthedetailsmakeitconsiderablyworse.First,financialmarketswould,correctly,treattherealityofhugedeficitstodayasamuchmoreimportantindicatorofthegovernment’sfiscalhealththanthemerepromisethatgovernmentcouldsavemoneybycuttingbenefitsinthedistantfuture.Afterall,agovernmentbondisalegallybindingpromisetopay,whileabenefitsformulathatsupposedlycutscosts40yearsfromnowisnothingmorethanasuggestiontofutureCongresses.Ifaprivatizationplanpassedin2005calledforsteepbenefitcutsin2045,whataretheoddsthatthosecutswouldreallyhappen?

Second,asystemofpersonalaccountswouldpayhugebrokeragefees.Ofcourse,fromWallStreet’spointofviewthat’sabenefit,notacost.

1.Accordingtotheauthor,“privatizers”arethose_____.

[A]borrowingfrombankstoinvestinthestockmarket[B]whoinvestinTreasurybonds

[C]advocatingthegovernmenttoborrowmoneyfromcitizens[D]whoearnlargesumsofmoneyinpersonalaccounts

2.Inthefirstparagraph,individualborrowingiscitedbecause_____.

[A]itsharessimilaritieswiththegovernment’sSocialSecuritypolicies

[B]thereisnoguaranteethatitwillbeprofitableinthestockmarket

[C]itisnotproperforthebrokeragehousestopersuadepeopletoborrowmoney

[D]itisanindicationoftheBushadministration’sseriousconcernoverthestockmarket

3.Accordingtoitsadvocates,whowillgainfromtheprivatizationofSocialSecurity?

[A]Investorsinstockmarkets.[B]Retiredworkersinthefuture.[C]ThefutureCongresses.[D]Accountinformationbrokers.

4.ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatSocialSecurityprivatizationwill_____.

[A]providehighreturnsforthenewgovernments[B]bestronglyopposedbyWallStreet

[C]bringthefutureretireesmorebenefits[D]allowindividualstoinvestinpersonalaccounts

5.Theauthor’sattitudetowardstheprivatizationproposalis_____.

[A]impartial[B]suspicious[C]neutral[D]approval

三、英学业间断期

Talktoanyparentofastudentwhotookanadventurousgapyear（ayearbetweenschoolanduniversitywhensomestudentsearnmoney,travel,etc.）andamistylookwillcomeintotheireyes.Therearesomedisastersandeventhemostmotivated,organisedgapstudentdoesrequirefamilyback-up,financial,emotionalandphysical.Theparentalmistinessisnotjustaboutthebrilliantexperiencethathasmaturedtheiroffspring;itisvicariousliving.Weallwishpre-universitygapyearshadbeenthefashioninourday.Wecanseehowmuchtougherourkidsbecome;howmuchmorepreparedtobenefitfromuniversityortodecidepositivelythattheyaregoingtodosomethingotherthanadegree.

Gapyearsarefashionable,asisreflectedinthehugegrowthinthenumberofcharitiesandprivatecompaniesofferingthem.PicturesofPrinceWilliamtoilinginChilehavehelped,butthetrendhasbeengatheringsteamforadecade.Therangeofgappackagesstartswithbackpacking,includesworkingwithcharities,buildinghospitalsandschoolsand,verycommonly,workingasalanguageassistant,teachingEnglish.Withthistrend,however,comesadanger.Onceparentsfeelthatawell-structuredyearisessentialtotheirwould-beundergraduate’sprogresstoabetteruniversity,agooddegree,animpressiveCVandwellpaidemployment,asthegapcompanies’blurbssuggestitmightbe,thenpa