1998考研英语真题

1998年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section I: Structure and V ocabularyPart ADirections:Beneath each of the following sentences, there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (5 points)Example:I have been to the Great Wall three times ________ 1979.[A] from[B] after[C] for[D] sinceThe sentence should read, “I have been to the Great Wall three times since 1979.” Therefore, you should choose [D].1.I worked so late in the office last night that I hardly had time ________ the last bus.[A] to have caught[B] to catch[C] catching[D] having caught2.As it turned out to be a small house party, we ________ so formally.[A] needn’t dress up[B] did not need have dressed up[C] did not need dress up[D] needn’t have dressed up3.I apologize if I ________ you, but I assure you it was unintentional.[A] offend[B] had offended[C] should have offended[D] might have offended4.Although a teenager, Fred could resist ________ what to do and what not to do.[A] to be told[B] having been told[C] being told[D] to have been told5.Greater efforts to increase agricultural production must be made if food shortage ________ avoided.[A] is to be[B] can be[C] will be[D] has been6.Doing your homework is a sure way to improve your test scores, and this is especially true ________ it comes to classroom tests.[A] before[B] as[C] since[D] when7.There are over 100 night schools in the city, making it possible for a professional to be re-educated no matter ________ he does.[A] how[B] where[C] what[D] when8.I’ve kept up a friendship with a girl whom I was at school ________ twenty years ago.[A] about[B] since[C] till[D] with9.He wasn’t asked to take on the chairmanship of the society, ________ insufficiently popular with all members.[A] being considered[B] considering[C] to be considered[D] having considered10.________ for the timely investment from the general public, our company would not be so thriving as it is.[A] Had it not been[B] Were it not[C] Be it not[D] Should it not bePart BDirections:Each of the following sentences has four underlined parts marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Identify the part of the sentence that is incorrect and mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (5 points)Example:A number of [A] foreign visitors were taken [B] to the industrial exhibition which [C] they saw [D] many new products.Part [C] is wrong. The sentence should read, “A number of foreign visitors were taken to the industrial exhibition where they saw many new products.” So you should choose [C].11.According to Darwin, random changes that enhance a species’[A] ability for surviving [B] are[C] naturally selected and passed on to succeeding [D] generations.12.Neither rain nor snow keeps [A] the postman from delivering our letters which [B] we so much[C] look forward to receive [D].13.If they will not accept [A] a check, we shall have [B] to pay the cash [C], though it would be[D] much trouble for both sides.14.Having been [A] robbed off [B] economic importance, those states are not [C] likely to countfor very much [D] in international political terms.15.The message will be [A] that [B] neither the market nor the government is capable of dealing with all of their [C] uncontrollable practices [D].16.The logic of scientific development is such [A] that separates [B] groups of men working on[C] the same problem in far-scattered [D] laboratories are likely to arrive at the same answer at the same time.17.Yet not all of these races are intellectual inferior to [A] the European races, and [B] some may even have a [C] freshness and vitality that can renew the energies [D] of more advanced races.18.The [A] more than 50,000 nuclear weapons in the hands of various nations today are more than[B] ample destroying [C] every city in the world several times over [D].19.The universe works in a way so far remove [A] from what common sense would [B] allow that[C] words of any kind must necessarily be inadequate to explain it [D].20.The integration of independent states could best be [A] brought about by first [B] creating a central organization with authorities [C] over technical [D] economic tasks.Part CDirections:Beneath each of the following sentences, there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (10 points)Example:The lost car of the Lees was found ________ in the woods off the highway.[A] vanished[B] scattered[C] abandoned[D] rejectedThe sentence should read, “The lost car of the Lees was found abandoned in the woods off the highway.” Therefore, you should choose [C].21.The machine needs a complete ________ since it has been in use for over ten years.[A] amending[B] fitting[C] mending[D] renovating22.There were many people present and he appeared only for a few seconds, so I only caught a ________ of him.[A] glance[B] glimpse[C] look[D] sight23.I don’t think it’s wise of you to ________ your greater knowledge in front of the director, for it may offend him.[A] show up[B] show out[C] show in[D] show off24.The returns in the short ________ may be small, but over a number of years the investment will be well repaid.[A] interval[B] range[C] span[D] term25. A thorough study of biology requires ________ with the properties of trees and plants, and the habit of birds and beasts.[A] acquisition[B] discrimination[C] curiosity[D] familiarity26.She worked hard at her task before she felt sure that the results would ________ her long effort.[A] justify[B] testify[C] rectify[D] verify27.I’m very glad to know that my boss has generously agreed to ________ my debt in return for certain services.[A] take away[B] cut out[C] write off[D] clear up28.Some journalists often overstate the situation so that their news may create a great ________.[A] explosion[B] sensation[C] exaggeration[D] stimulation29.According to what you have just said, am I to understand that his new post ________ no responsibility with it at all?[A] shoulders[B] possesses[C] carries[D] shares30.Sometimes the student may be asked to write about his ________ to a certain book or article that has some bearing on the subject being studied.[A] comment[B] reaction[C] impression[D] comprehension31.Please ________ yourself from smoking and spitting in public places, since the law forbids them.[A] restrain[B] hinder[D] prohibit32.Without telephone it would be impossible to carry on the functions of ________ every business operation in the whole country.[A] practically[B] preferably[C] precisely[D] presumably33.Preliminary estimation puts the figure at around $110 billion, ________ the $160 billion the President is struggling to get through the Congress.[A] in proportion to[B] in reply to[C] in relation to[D] in contrast to34.He is planning another tour abroad, yet his passport will ________ at the end of this month.[A] expire[B] exceed[C] terminate[D] cease35.All the off-shore oil explorers were in high spirits as they read ________ letters from their families.[A] sentimental[B] affectionate[C] intimate[D] sensitive36.Several international events in the early 1990s seem likely to ________, or at least weaken, the trends that emerged in the 1980s.[A] revolt[B] revolve[C] reverse[D] revive37.I was unaware of the critical points involved, so my choice was quite ________.[A] arbitrary[B] rational[C] mechanical[D] unpredictable38.The local people were joyfully surprised to find the price of vegetables no longer ________ according to the weather.[A] altered[B] converted[C] fluctuated[D] modified39.The pursuit of leisure on the part of the employees will certainly not ________ their prospect of promotion.[B] further[C] induce[D] reinforce40.In what ________ to a last minute stay of execution, a council announced that emergency funding would keep alive two aging satellites.[A] applies[B] accounts[C] attaches[D] amountsSection II: Cloze TestDirections:For each numbered blank in the following passage, there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C], [D]. Choose the best one and mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (10 points)Until recently most historians spoke very critically of the Industrial Revolution. They __41__ that in the long run industrialization greatly raised the standard of living for the __42__ man. But they insisted that its __43__ results during the period from 1750 to 1850 were widespread poverty and misery for the __44__ of the English population. __45__ contrast, they saw in the preceding hundred years from 1650 to 1750, when England was still a __46__ agricultural country, a period of great abundance and prosperity.This view, __47__, is generally thought to be wrong. Specialists __48__ history and economics, have __49__ two things: that the period from 1650 to 1750 was __50__ by great poverty, and that industrialization certainly did not worsen and may have actually improved the conditions for the majority of the populace.41.[A] admitted[B] believed[C] claimed[D] predicted42.[A] plain[B] average[C] mean[D] normal43.[A] momentary[B] prompt[C] instant[D] immediate44.[A] bulk[B] host[C] gross[D] magnitude45.[A] On[B] With[C] For46.[A] broadly[B] thoroughly[C] generally[D] completely47.[A] however[B] meanwhile[C] therefore[D] moreover48.[A] at[B] in[C] about[D] for49.[A] manifested[B] approved[C] shown[D] speculated50.[A] noted[B] impressed[C] labeled[D] markedSection III: Reading ComprehensionDirections:Each of the passages below is followed by some questions. For each question there are four answers marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions. Then mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets. (40 points)Text 1Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn’t help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt’s leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey’s bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left -- all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself. Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headedNarmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don’t need a dam to be saved.51.The third sentence of paragraph 1 implies that ________.[A] people would be happy if they shut their eyes to reality[B] the blind could be happier than the sighted[C] over-excited people tend to neglect vital things[D] fascination makes people lose their eyesight52.In paragraph 5, “the powerless” probably refers to ________.[A] areas short of electricity[B] dams without power stations[C] poor countries around India[D] common people in the Narmada Dam area53.What is the myth concerning giant dams?[A] They bring in more fertile soil.[B] They help defend the country.[C] They strengthen international ties.[D] They have universal control of the waters.54.What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as ________.[A] “It’s no use crying over spilt milk”[B] “More haste, less speed”[C] “Look before you leap”[D] “He who laughs last laughs best”Text 2Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction” between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace -- all that re-engineering and downsizing -- are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companiesmake are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much “re-engineering” has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long term profitability. BBDO’s Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish -- “the worst sort of ambulance cashing.”55.According to the author, the American economic situation is ________.[A] not as good as it seems[B] at its turning point[C] much better than it seems[D] near to complete recovery56.The official statistics on productivity growth ________.[A] exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle[B] fall short of businessmen’s anticipation[C] meet the expectation of business people[D] fail to reflect the true state of economy57.The author raises the question “what about pain without gain?” because ________.[A] he questions the truth of “no gain without pain”[B] he does not think the productivity revolution works[C] he wonders if the official statistics are misleading[D] he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses58.Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?[A] Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity.[B] New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity.[C] The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long term profitability.[D] The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings.Text 3Science has long had an uneasy relationship with other aspects of culture. Think of Gallileo’s 17th century trial for his rebelling belief before the Catholic Church or poet William Blake’s harsh remarks against the mechanistic worldview of Isaac Newton. The schism between science and the humanities has, if anything, deepened in this century.Until recently, the scientific community was so powerful that it could afford to ignore its critics -- but no longer. As funding for science has declined, scientists have attacked “antiscience” in several books, notably Higher Superstition, by Paul R. Gross, a biologist at the University of Virginia, and Norman Levitt, a mathematician at Rutgers University; and The Demon-Haunted World, by Carl Sagan of Cornell University.Defenders of science have also voiced their concerns at meetings such as “The Flight from Science and Reason,” held in New York City in 1995, and “Science in the Age of (Mis) information,” whichassembled last June near Buffalo.Antiscience clearly means different things to different people. Gross and Levitt find fault primarily with sociologists, philosophers and other academics who have questioned science’s objectivity. Sagan is more concerned with those who believe in ghosts, creationism and other phenomena that contradict the scientific worldview.A survey of news stories in 1996 reveals that the antiscience tag has been attached to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research.Few would dispute that the term applies to the Unabomber, whose manifesto, published in 1995, scorns science and longs for return to a pre-technological utopia. But surely that does not mean environmentalists concerned about uncontrolled industrial growth are antiscience, as an essay in US News & World Report last May seemed to suggest.The environmentalists, inevitably, respond to such critics. The true enemies of science, argues Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, a pioneer of environmental studies, are those who question the evidence supporting global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer and other consequences of industrial growth.Indeed, some observers fear that the antiscience epithet is in danger of becoming meaningless. “The term ‘antiscience’ can lump together too many, quite different things,” notes Harvard University philosopher Gerald Holton in his 1993 work Science and Anti-Science. “They have in common only one thing that they tend to annoy or threaten those who regard themselves as more enlightened.”59.The word “schism” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) in the context probably means ________.[A] confrontation[B] dissatisfaction[C] separation[D] contempt60.Paragraphs 2 and 3 are written to ________.[A] discuss the cause of the decline of science’s power[B] show the author’s sympathy with scientists[C] explain the way in which science develops[D] exemplify the division of science and the humanities61.Which of the following is true according to the passage?[A] Environmentalists were blamed for antiscience in an essay.[B] Politicians are not subject to the labeling of antiscience.[C] The “more enlightened” tend to tag others as antiscience.[D] Tagging environmentalists as “antiscience” is justifiable.62.The author’s attitude toward the issue of “science vs. antiscience” is ________.[A] impartial[B] subjective[C] biased[D] puzzlingText 4Emerging from the 1980 census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition, as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill.This development -- and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead -- hasenthroned the South as America’s most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation’s head counting.Altogether, the US population rose in the 1970s by 23.2 million people -- numerically the third largest growth ever recorded in a single decade. Even so, that gain adds up to only 11.4 percent, lowest in American annual records except for the Depression years.Americans have been migrating south and west in larger number since World War II, and the pattern still prevails.Three sun-belt states -- Florida, Texas and California -- together had nearly 10 million more people in 1980 than a decade earlier. Among large cities, San Diego moved from 14th to 8th and San Antonio from 15th to 10th -- with Cleveland and Washington. D. C. dropping out of the top 10. Not all that shift can be attributed to the movement out of the snow belt, census officials say, Nonstop waves of immigrants played a role, too -- and so did bigger crops of babies as yesterday’s “baby boom” generation reached its child bearing years.Moreover, demographers see the continuing shift south and west as joined by a related but newer phenomenon: More and more, Americans apparently are looking not just for places with more jobs but with fewer people, too. Some instances --■Regionally, the Rocky Mountain states reported the most rapid growth rate -- 37.1 percent since 1970 in a vast area with only 5 percent of the US population.■Among states, Nevada and Arizona grew fastest of all: 63.5 and 53.1 percent respectively. Except for Florida and Texas, the top 10 in rate of growth is composed of Western states with 7.5 million people -- about 9 per square mile.The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates. Nowhere do 1980 census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West. There, California added 3.7 million to its population in the 1970s, more than any other state.In that decade, however, large numbers also migrated from California, mostly to other parts of the West. Often they chose -- and still are choosing -- somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State. As a result, California’s growth rate dropped during the 1970s, to 18.5 percent -- little more than two thirds the 1960s’ growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states.63.Discerned from the perplexing picture of population growth the 1980 census provided, America in 1970s ________.[A] enjoyed the lowest net growth of population in history[B] witnessed a southwestern shift of population[C] underwent an unparalleled period of population growth[D] brought to a standstill its pattern of migration since World War II64.The census distinguished itself from previous studies on population movement in that ________.[A] it stresses the climatic influence on population distribution[B] it highlights the contribution of continuous waves of immigrants[C] it reveals the Americans’ new pursuit of spacious living[D] it elaborates the delayed effects of yesterday’s “baby boom”65.We can see from the available statistics that ________.[A] California was once the most thinly populated area in the whole US[B] the top 10 states in growth rate of population were all located in the West[C] cities with better climates benefited unanimously from migration[D] Arizona ranked second of all states in its growth rate of population66.The word “demographers” (Line 1, Paragraph 8) most probably means ________.[A] people in favor of the trend of democracy[B] advocates of migration between states[C] scientists engaged in the study of population[D] conservatives clinging to old patterns of lifeText 5Scattered around the globe are more than 100 small regions of isolated volcanic activity known to geologists as hot spots. Unlike most of the world’s volcanoes, they are not always found at the boundaries of the great drifting plates that make up the earth’s surface; on the contrary, many of them lie deep in the interior of a plate. Most of the hot spots move only slowly, and in some cases the movement of the plates past them has left trails of dead volcanoes. The hot spots and their volcanic trails are milestones that mark the passage of the plates.That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute. Africa and South America, for example, are moving away from each other as new material is injected into the sea floor between them. The complementary coastlines and certain geological features that seem to span the ocean are reminders of where the two continents were once joined. The relative motion of the plates carrying these continents has been constructed in detail, but the motion of one plate with respect to another cannot readily be translated into motion with respect to the earth’s interior. It is not possible to determine whether both continents are moving in opposite directions or whether one continent is stationary and the other is drifting away from it. Hot spots, anchored in the deeper layers of the earth, provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question. From an analysis of the hot-spot population it appears that the African plate is stationary and that it has not moved during the past 30 million years.The significance of hot spots is not confined to their role as a frame of reference. It now appears that they also have an important influence on the geophysical processes that propel the plates across the globe. When a continental plate come to rest over a hot spot, the material rising from deeper layer creates a broad dome. As the dome grows, it develops seed fissures (cracks); in at least a few cases the continent may break entirely along some of these fissures, so that the hot spot initiates the formation of a new ocean. Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents, so hot spots may explain their mutability (inconstancy).67.The author believes that ________.[A] the motion of the plates corresponds to that of the earth’s interior[B] the geological theory about drifting plates has been proved to be true[C] the hot spots and the plates move slowly in opposite directions[D] the movement of hot spots proves the continents are moving apart68.That Africa and South America were once joined can be deduced from the fact that ________.[A] the two continents are still moving in opposite directions[B] they have been found to share certain geological features[C] the African plates has been stable for 30 million years[D] over 100 hot spots are scattered all around the globe69.The hot spot theory may prove useful in explaining ________.。

1998年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section Ⅰ Use of EnglishDirections:For each numbered blank in the following passage, there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (10 points)Until recently most historians spoke very critically of the Industrial Revolution. They 1 that in the long run industrialization greatly raised the standard of living for the 2 man. But they insisted that its 3 results during the period from 1750 to 1850 were widespread poverty and misery for the 4 of the English population. 5 contrast, they saw in the preceding hundred years from 1650 to 1750, when England was still a 6 agricultural country, a period of great abundance and prosperity.This view, 7 , is generally thought to be wrong. Specialists 8 history and economics, have 9 two things: that the period from 1650 to 1750 was 10 by great poverty, and that industrialization certainly did not worsen and may have actually improved the conditions for the majority of the populace.[A] admitted[B] believed[C] claimed[D] predicted2. [A] plain [B] average[C] mean[D] normal3. [A] momentary[B] prompt[C] instant[D] immediate4. [A] bulk[B] host[C] gross[D] magnitude5. [A] On[B] With[C] For[D] By6. [A] broadly[B] thoroughly[C] generally[D] completely7. [A] however[B] meanwhile[C] therefore[D] moreover8. [A] at[B] in[C] about[D] for9. [A] manifested[B] approved[C] shown[D] speculatedi10. [A] noted[B] impressed [C] labeled[D] markedSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Each of the passages below is followed by some questions. For each question there are four answers marked A, B, C and D. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions. Then mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening thecorresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (40 points)Text 1Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the idea of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn’t help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt’s leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey’s bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left -- all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself. Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don’t need a dam to be saved.11.The third sentence of Paragraph 1 implies that ________.[A] people would be happy if they shut their eyes to reality[B] the blind could be happier than the sighted[C] over-excited people tend to neglect vital things[D] fascination makes people lose their eyesight12.In Paragraph 5, “the powerless” probably refers to ________.[A] areas short of electricity[B] dams without power stations[C] poor countries around India[D] common people in the Narmada Dam area13.What is the myth concerning giant dams?[A] They bring in more fertile soil.[B] They help defend the country.[C] They strengthen international ties.[D] They have universal control of the waters.14.What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as ________.[A] “It’s no use crying over spilt milk” [B] “More haste, less speed”[C] “Look before you leap” [D] “He who laughs last laughs best”Text 2Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-87 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction” between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace -- all that re-engineering and downsizing -- are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much “re-engineering” has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability. BBDO’s Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish -- “the worst sort of ambulance chasing.”15.According to the author, the American economic situation is ________.[A] not as good as it seems [B] at its turning point[C] much better than it seems [D] near to complete recovery16.The official statistics on productivity growth ________.[A] exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle[B] fall short of businessmen’s anticipation[C] meet the expectation of business people[D] fail to reflect the true state of economy17.The author raises the question “what about pain without gain?” because ________.[A] he questions the truth of “no gain without pain”[B] he does not think the productivity revolution works[C] he wonders if the official statistics are misleading[D] he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses18.Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?[A] Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity.[B] New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity.[C] The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long-term profitability[D] The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings.Text 3Science has long had an uneasy relationship with other aspects of culture. Think of Gallileo’s 17th-century trial for his rebelling belief before the Catholic Church or poet William Blake’s harsh remarks against the mechanistic worldview of Isaac Newton. The schism between science and the humanities has, if anything, deepened in this century.Until recently, the scientific community was so powerful that it could afford to ignore its critics -- but no longer. As funding for science has declined, scientists have attacked “anti-science” in several books, notably Higher Superstition, by Paul R. Gross, a biologist at the University of Virginia, and Norman Levitt, a mathematician at Rutgers University; and The Demon-Haunted World, by Carl Sagan of Cornell University.Defenders of science have also voiced their concerns at meetings such as “The Flight from Science and Reason,” held in New York City in 1995, and “Science in the Age of (Mis) information,” which assembled last June near Buffalo.Anti-science clearly means different things to different people. Gross and Levitt find fault primarily with sociologists, philosophers and other academics who have questioned science’s objectivity. Sagan is more concerned with those who believe in ghosts, creationism and other phenomena that contradict the scientific worldview.A survey of news stories in 1996 reveals that the anti-science tag has been attached to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research. Few would dispute that the term applies to the Unabomber, whose manifesto, published in 1995, scorns science and longs for return to a pretechnological utopia. But surely that does not mean environmentalists concerned about uncontrolled industrial growth are anti-science, as an essay in US News & World Report last May seemed to suggest.The environmentalists, inevitably, respond to such critics. The true enemies of science, argues Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, a pioneer of environmental studies, are those who question the evidence supporting global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer and other consequences of industrial growth.Indeed, some observers fear that the anti-science epithet is in danger of becoming meaningless. “The term ‘anti-science’ can lump together too many, quite different things,” notes Harvard University philosopher Gerald Holton in his 1993 work Science and Anti-Science. “They have in common only one thing that they tend to annoy or threaten those who regard themselves as more enlightened.”The word “schism” (Line 3, Paragraph 1) in the context probably means ________.[A] confrontation [B] dissatisfaction [C] separation [D] contempt20.Paragraphs 2 and 3 are written to ________.[A] discuss the cause of the decline of science’s power[B] show the author’s sympathy with scientists[C] explain the way in which science develops[D] exemplify the division of science and the humanities21.Which of the following is true according to the passage?[A] Environmentalists were blamed for anti-science in an essay.[B] Politicians are not subject to the labeling of anti-science.[C] The “more enlightened” tend to tag others as anti-science.[D] Tagging environmentalists as “anti-science” is justifiable.22.The author’s attitude toward the issue of “science vs. anti-science” is ________.[A] impartial [B] subjective[C] biased [D] puzzlingText 4Emerging from the 1980 census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition, as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill. This development -- and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead -- has enthroned the South as America’s most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation’s head counting.Altogether, the US population rose in the 1970s by 23.2 million people -- numerically the third-largest growth ever recorded in a single decade. Even so, that gain adds up to only 11.4 percent, lowest in American annual records except for the Depression years.Americans have been migrating south and west in larger numbers since World War II, and the pattern still prevails.Three sun-belt states -- Florida, Texas and California -- together had nearly 10 million more people in 1980 than a decade earlier. Among large cities, San Diego moved from 14th to 8th and San Antonio from 15th to 10th -- with Cleveland and Washington. D. C., dropping out of the top 10.Not all that shift can be attributed to the movement out of the snow belt, census officials say. Nonstop waves of immigrants played a role, too -- and so did bigger crops of babies as yesterday’s “baby boom” generation reached its child-bearing years.Moreover, demographers see the continuing shift south and west as joined by a related but newer phenomenon: More and more, Americans apparently are looking not just for places with more jobs but with fewer people, too. Some instances—■Regionally, the Rocky Mountain states reported the most rapid growth rate -- 37.1 percent since 1970 in a vast area with only 5 percent of the US population.■Among states, Nevada and Arizona grew fastest of all: 63.5 and 53.1 percent respectively. Except for Florida and Texas, the top 10 in rate of growth is composed of Western states with 7.5 million people -- about 9 per square mile.The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates.Nowhere do 1980 census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West. There, California added 3.7 million to its population in the 1970s, more than any other state.In that decade, however, large numbers also migrated from California, mostly to other parts of the West. Often they chose -- and still are choosing-somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State.As a result, California’s growth rate dropped during the 1970s, to 18.5 percent -little more than two thirds the 1960s’ growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states.23.Discerned from the perplexing picture of population growth the 1980 census provided, America in 1970s ________.[A] enjoyed the lowest net growth of population in history[B] witnessed a southwestern shift of population[C] underwent an unparalleled period of population growth[D] brought to a standstill its pattern of migration since World War II24.The census distinguished itself from previous studies on population movement in that ________.[A] it stresses the climatic influence on population distribution[B] it highlights the contribution of continuous waves of immigrants[C] it reveals the Americans’ new pursuit of spacious living[D] it elaborates the delayed effects of yesterday’s “baby boom”25.We can see from the available statistics that ________.[A] California was once the most thinly populated area in the whole US[B] the top 10 states in growth rate of population were all located in the West[C] cities with better climates benefited unanimously from migration[D] Arizona ranked second of all states in its growth rate of population26.The word “demographers” (Line 1, Paragraph 8) most probably means ________.[A] people in favor of the trend of democracy[B] advocates of migration between states[C] scientists engaged in the study of population[D] conservatives clinging to old patterns of lifeText 5Scattered around the globe are more than 100 small regions of isolated volcanic activity known to geologists as hot spots. Unlike most of the world’s volcanoes, they are not always found at the boundaries of the great drifting plates that make up the earth’s surface; on the contrary, many of them lie deep in the interior of a plate. Most of the hot spots move only slowly, and in some cases the movement of the plates past them has left trails of dead volcanoes. The hot spots and their volcanic trails are milestones that mark the passage of the plates.That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute. Africa and South America, for example, are moving away from each other as new material is injected into the sea floor between them. The complementary coastlines and certain geological features that seem to span the ocean are reminders of where the two continents were once joined. The relative motion of the plates carrying these continents has been constructed in detail, but the motion of one plate with respect to another cannot readily be translated into motion with respect to the earth’s interior. It is not possible to determine whether both continents are moving in opposite directions or whether one continent is stationary and the other is drifting away from it. Hot spots, anchored inthe deeper layers of the earth, provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question. From an analysis of the hot-spot population it appears that the African plate is stationary and that it has not moved during the past 30 million years.The significance of hot spots is not confined to their role as a frame of reference. It now appears that they also have an important influence on the geophysical processes that propel the plates across the globe. When a continental plate come to rest over a hot spot, the material rising from deeper layers creates a broad dome. As the dome grows, it develops deep fissures (cracks); in at least a few cases the continent may break entirely along some of these fissures, so that the hot spot initiates the formation of a new ocean. Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents, so hot spots may explain their mutability (inconstancy).27.The author believes that ________.[A] the motion of the plates corresponds to that of the earth’s interior[B] the geological theory about drifting plates has been proved to be true[C] the hot spots and the plates move slowly in opposite directions[D] the movement of hot spots proves the continents are moving apart28.That Africa and South America were once joined can be deduced from the fact that ________.[A] the two continents are still moving in opposite directions[B] they have been found to share certain geological features[C] the African plate has been stable for 30 million years[D] over 100 hot spots are scattered all around the globe29.The hot spot theory may prove useful in explaining ________.[A] the structure of the African plates [B] the revival of dead volcanoes[C] the mobility of the continents [D] the formation of new oceans30.The passage is mainly about ________.[A] the features of volcanic activities[B] the importance of the theory about drifting plates[C] the significance of hot spots in geophysical studies[D] the process of the formation of volcanoesPart BDirections:Read the following passage carefully and then translate the underlined sentences into Chinese. Your translation must be written clearly on the ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)They were, by far, the largest and most distant objects that scientists had ever detected: a strip of enormous cosmic clouds some 15 billion light-years from earth. 31) But even more important, it was the farthest that scientists had been able to look into the past, for what they were seeing were the patterns and structures that existed 15 billion years ago. That was just about the moment that the universe was born. What the researchers found was at once both amazing and expected: the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Cosmic Background Explorer satellite -- Cobe -- had discovered landmark evidence that the universe did in fact begin with the primeval explosion that has become known as the Big Bang (the theory that the universe originated in an explosion from a single mass of energy).32) The existence of the giant clouds was virtually required for the Big Bang, first put forward in the 1920s, to maintain its reign as the dominant explanation of the cosmos. According to the theory, the universe burst into being as a submicroscopic, unimaginably dense knot of pureenergy that flew outward in all directions, emitting radiation as it went, condensing into particles and then into atoms of gas. Over billions of years, the gas was compressed by gravity into galaxies, stars, plants and eventually, even humans.Cobe is designed to see just the biggest structures, but astronomers would like to see much smaller hot spots as well, the seeds of local objects like clusters and superclusters of galaxies. They shouldn’t have long to wait. 33) Astrophysicists working with ground-based detectors at the South Pole and balloon-borne instruments are closing in on such structures, and may report their findings soon.34) If the small hot spots look as expected, that will be a triumph for yet another scientific idea,a refinement of the Big Bang called the inflationary universe theory. Inflation says that very early on, the universe expanded in size by more than a trillion trillion trillion trillionfold in much less than a second, propelled by a sort of antigravity. 35) Odd though it sounds, cosmic inflation is a scientifically plausible consequence of some respected ideas in elementary particle physics, and many astrophysicists have been convinced for the better part of a decade that it is true.Section Ⅰ Writing36.Directions:A .Study the following cartoon carefully and write an essay in no less than 150 words.B .Your essay must be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.C .Your essay should meet the requirements below:1. Write out the messages conveyed by the cartoon.2. Give your comments. (15 points)。

1998-1Text41-Emerging from the1980census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition,as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill.This development-and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead-has enthroned the South as America’s most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation’s head counting.Altogether,the US population rose in the1970s by23.2million people-numerically the third-largest growth ever recorded in a single decade.Even so,that gain adds up to only11.4percent,lowest in American annual records except for the Depression years.Americans have been migrating south and west in larger numbers since World War II,and the pattern still prevails.Three sun-belt states-Florida,Texas and California-together had nearly10million more people in1980 than a decade earlier.Except for Florida and Texas,the top10in rate of growth is composed of Western states with7.5million people-about9per square mile.The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates.Nowhere do1980census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West.There,California added3.7million to its population in the1970s,more than any other state.In that decade,however,large numbers also migrated from California,mostly to other parts of the West.Often they chose-and still are choosing-somewhat colder climates such as Oregon,Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog,crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State.As a result,California’s growth rate dropped during the1970s,to18.5percent-little more than two thirds the1960s’growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states.23.Discerned from the perplexing picture of population growth the1980census provided,America in1970s________.[A]enjoyed the lowest net growth of population in history[B]witnessed a southwestern shift of population[C]underwent an unparalleled period of population growth[D]brought to a standstill its pattern of migration since World War II24.The census distinguished itself from previous studies on population movement in that________.[A]it stresses the climatic influence on population distribution[B]it highlights the contribution of continuous waves of immigrants[C]it reveals the Americans’new pursuit of spacious living[D]it elaborates the delayed effects of yesterday’s“baby boom”25.We can see from the available statistics that________.[A]California was once the most thinly populated area in the whole US[B]the top10states in growth rate of population were all located in the West[C]cities with better climates benefited unanimously from migration[D]Arizona ranked second of all states in its growth rate of population26.The word“demographers”(Line1,Paragraph8)most probably means________.[A]people in favor of the trend of democracy[B]advocates of migration between states[C]scientists engaged in the study of population[D]conservatives clinging to old patterns of life。

(11~20略:新大纲不再考查的部分)21.C 22.B 23.D 24.D 25.D 26.A 27.C 28.B 29.C 30.B31.A 32.A 33.D 34.A 35.B 36.C 37.A 38.C 39.B 40.D41.A 42.B 43.D 44.A 45.D 46.D 47.A 48.B 49.C 50.D51.C 52.D 53.D 54.C 55.A 56.B 57.B 58.A 59.C 60.D61.A 62.A 63.B 64.C 65.D 66.C 67.B 68.B 69.D 70.CPart Ⅰ Structure and Vocabulary Section A1.the last bus.A. to have caughtB. to catchC. catchingD. having caught【句意】昨晚我在办公室工作得太晚，差一点儿没赶上最后一趟公交车。

【答案】B【考核知识点】非谓语动词【解析】动词不定式和分词都可作后置定语，动词不定式表示将来的动作；分词表示一般容易”。

故应该选B。

2. As it turned out to be a small house party, we so formally.A. needn’t dress upB. did not need have dressed upC. did not need dress upD. needn’t have dressed up【句意】原来那只不过是一个小小的家庭聚会，我们真没有必要穿戴得那么正式。

【答案】D【考核知识点】情态动词【解析】一般情况下，“do not need to do sth.”或“need not do sth.”意为“没有必要去做某事”，表示某事还没有做；“do not need to do sth.”中的“need”是行为动词，“need not do sth.”中的“need”是情态动词；“needn’t have done sth.”意为“原本没有必要做某事”，表示某事已经做了；根据“it turned out to be(原来是)”可知，我们已经参加了那个聚会，所以A、C不对；B的表达方式明显不对，应该为“did not need to have dressedup”。

1988年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section I Close TestFor each numbered blank in the following passage there are four choices labeled ［A］, ［B］, ［C］, and ［D］. Choose the best one and put your choice in the ANSWER SHEET. Read the whole passage before making your choice. (10 points)①In 1620, a small sailboat named the Mayflower left England for the New World. ②The Mayflower headed for the Jamestown colony on the warm shore of Virginia. ③Its one hundred passengers were the Pilgrims. ④They were looking for a place where they could worship God 1 . ⑤Because of strong winds and severe storms, the Mayflower lost its 2 . ⑥The brave group of colonists finally had to land at Plymouth on the rocky coast of Massachusetts in December 1620. ⑦It was the middle of the stern northern winter. ⑧ 3 months of starvation, disease, and death were ahead of them. ⑨Only the strongest of the pilgrims 4 that winter. ⑩Many women gave their own pitiful rations to their children and died for lack of food for themselves. ○11Living 5 began to improve in the spring of 1621. ○12There were wild vegetables. ○13There were berries and fruit. ○14Fish and game were plentiful. ○15Therefore, they were able to get enough fresh meat despite their lack of skill or experience in hunting and fishing. ○16The colonists’ health 6 with the warm weather and their better diet.○17In the fall, they look back 7 the past year. ○18They were both regretful and thankful. ○19Only fifty of the original one hundred passengers remained. ○20The price in human life and tragedy had been great. ○21On the other hand, they saw new hope for the future. ○22A splendid harvest was8 them. ○23They were ready for the second winter with confidence. ○24They had eleven crude houses for protection against the severe winter. ○25Seven were for families, and four were for communal use. ○269 , they had established a treaty of friendship with their Indian neighbors under Chief Massasoit in the summer.○27The woods and forests became safe. ○28When the Mayflower returned to England that summer, there were no colonists 10 . ○29At the end of their first year in their new home, the Pilgrims wanted to celebrate with a real holiday. ○30It was their first Thanks giving Day. [328 words]1. ［A］in their own style［B］in their own way［C］on their own［D］of their own2. ［A］course［B］route［C］passage［D］channel3. ［A］Uncomfortable［B］Bad［C］Unfavourable［D］Terrible4. ［A］passed［B］sustained［C］survived［D］spent5. ［A］situations［B］environments ［C］conditions［D］circumstances6. ［A］strengthened［B］regained［C］recovered［D］improved7. ［A］in［B］of［C］over［D］at8. ［A］on［B］behind［C］for［D］beyond9. ［A］Best of all［B］For the best［C］To their best［D］All in all10.［A］ashore［B］around［C］about［D］aboardSection II Reading ComprehensionEach of the two passages below is followed by five questions. For each question there are four answers. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions. Put your choice in the brackets on the left. (10 points)Text 1①It doesn’t come as a surprise to you to realize that it makes no difference what you read or study if you can’t remember it. ②You just waste your valuable time. ③Maybe you have already discovered some clever ways to keep yourself from forgetting.①One dependable aid that does help you remember what you study is to have a specific purpose or reason for reading. ②You remember better what you read when you know why you’re reading.①Why does a clerk in a store go away and leave you when your reply to her offer to help is, “No, thank you. I’m just looking”? ②Both you and she know that if you aren’t sure what you want, you are not likely to find it. ③But suppose you say instead, “Yes, thank you. I want a pair of sun glasses.” ④She says, “Right this way, please.” ⑤And you and she are off -- both eager to look for exactly what you want.①It’s quite the same with your studying. ②If you chose a book at random, “just looking” for nothing in particular, you are likely to get just that -- nothing. ③But if you do know what you want, and if you have the right book, you are almost sure to get it. ④Your reasons will vary; they will include reading or studying “to find out more about”, “to understand the reasons for”, “to find out how”. ⑤A good student has a clear purpose or reason for what he is doing.①This is the way it works. ②Before you start to study, you say to yourself something like this, “I want to know why Stephen Vincent Benet happened to write about America. I’m reading this article to find out.” ③Or, “I’m going to skim this story to see what life was like in medieval England.” ④Because you know why you are reading or studying, you relate the information to your purpose and remember it better.①Reading is not one single activity. ②At least two important processes go on at the same time. ③As you read, you take in ideas rapidly and accurately. ④But at the same time you express your own ideas to yourself as you react to what you read. ⑤You have a kind of mental conversation with the author. ⑥If you expressed your ideas orally, they might sound like this: “Yes, I agree. That’s my opinion too.” or “Ummmm, I thought that record was broken much earlier. I’d better check those dates,” or “But there are some other facts to be considered!” ⑦You don’t just sit there taking in ideas -- you do something else, and that something else is very important.①This additional process of thinking about what you read includes evaluating it, relating it to what you already know, and using it for your own purposes. ②In other words, a good reader is a critical reader. ③One part of critical reading, as you have discovered, is distinguishing between facts and opinions. ④Facts can be checked by evidence.⑤Opinions are one’s own personal reactions.①Another part of critical reading is judging sources. ②Still another part is drawing accurate inferences.Text 2①If you live in a large city, you are quite familiar with some of the problems of noise, but because of some of its harmful effects, you may not be aware of the extent of its influence on human behavior. ②Although everyone more or less knows what noise is, i.e., it is sounds that one would rather not hear, it is perhaps best to define it more precisely for scientific purposes. ③One such definition is that noise is sounds that are unrelated to the task at hand. ④Thus stimuli that at one time might be considered relevant will at another time be considered noise, depending on what one is doing at the moment. ⑤In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the effects of noise on human behavior, and concepts such as “noise pollution” have arisen, together with movements to reduce noise.①Exposure to loud noises can definitely produce a partial or complete loss of hearing, depending on the intensity, duration, and frequency composition of the noise. ②Many jobs present noise hazards, such as working in factories and around jet aircraft, driving farm tractors, and working (or sitting) in music halls where rock bands are playing. ③In general, continuous exposure to sounds of over 80 decibels (a measure of the loudness of sound) can be considered dangerous. ④Decibel values correspond to various sounds. ⑤Sounds above about 85 decibels may, if exposure is for a sufficient period of time, produce significant hearing loss. ⑥Actual loss will depend upon the particular frequencies to which one is exposed, and whether the sound is continuous or intermittent.Noise can have unexpected harmful effects on performance of certain kinds of tasks, for instance, if one is performing a watch keeping task that requires vigilance, in which he is responsible for detecting weak signals of some kind (e.g., watching a radar screen for the appearance of aircraft).①Communicating with other people is unfavorably affected by noise. ②If you have ridden in the rear of a jet transport, you may have noticed that it was difficult to carry on a conversation at first, and that, eventually, you adjusted the loudness of your speech to compensate for the effect. ③The problem is noise.Text 3①The traditional belief that a woman’s place is in the home and that a woman ought not to go out to work can hardly be reasonably maintained in present conditions. ②It is said that it is a woman’s task to care for the children, but families today tend to be small and with a year or two between children. ③Thus a woman’s whole period of childbearing may occur within five years. ④Furthermore, with compulsory education from the age of five or six her role as chief educator of her children soon ceases. ⑤Thus, even if we agree that a woman should stay at home to look after her children before they are of school age, for many women, this period would extend only for about ten years.①It might be argued that the house-proud woman would still find plenty to do about the home. ②That may be so, but it is certainly no longer necessary for a woman to spend her whole life cooking, cleaning, mending and sewing.③Washing machines take the drudgery out of laundry, the latest models being entirely automatic and able to wash and dry a large quantity of clothes in a few minutes. ④Refrigerators have made it possible to store food for long periods and many pre-cooked foods are obtainable in tins. ⑤Shopping, instead of being a daily task, can be completed in one day a week. ⑥The new man-made fibers are more hardwiring than natural fibers and greatly reduce mending, while good ready-made clothes are cheap and plentiful.①Apart from women’s own happiness, the needs of the community must be considered. ②Modern society cannot do well without the contribution that women can make in professions and other kinds of work. ③There is a serious shortage of nurses and teachers, to mention only two of the occupations followed by women. ④It is extremely wastefulto give years of training at public expense only to have the qualified teacher or nurse marry after a year or two and be lost forever to her profession. ⑤The training, it is true, will help her in duties as a mother, but if she continued to work, her service would be more widely useful. ⑥Many factories and shops, too, are largely staffed by women, many of them married. ⑦While here the question of training is not so important, industry and trade would be seriously shortSection III English-Chinese TranslationTranslate the following passage into Chinese. Only the underlined sentences are to be translated. (20 points) Seated behind the front desk at a New York firm, the receptionist was efficient.Stylishly dressed, the firm’s newest employee had a pleasant telephone voice and a natural charm that put clients at ease. The company was pleased: (21) Clearly, this was a person who took considerable pride in personal appearance. David King, the receptionist, is unusual, but by no means unique. (22) Just as all truck drivers and construction workersare no longer necessarily men, all secretaries and receptionists are no longer automatically women. The number of men in women-dominated fields is still small and they haven’t attracted the attention that has often followed women advancing into male-dominated fields, but men are moving into more and more jobs that have traditionally been held by women.Strictly speaking, the phenomenon is not new. For the past several decades, men have been quietly entering fields such as nursing, social work and elementary education. But today no job seems off-limits. Men serve coffee in offices and meals on airplanes. (23) These changes are helping to influence some of the long-standing traditions about the types of work men and women can do -- but they also produce some undeniable problems for the men who are entering those fields formerly dominated by women.What kinds of men venture into these so-called “women’s fields”? All kinds. (24) “I don’t know of any definite answers I’d be comfortable with,” explains Joseph Pleck, Ph.D., of the Wellesley College Centre for Research on Women.Sam Ormont, for example, a thirty-year-old nurse at a Boston hospital, went into nursing because the army had trained him as a medical worker. (25) “I found that work very interesting.” he recalled, “and when I got out of the service it just seemed natural for me to go into something medical. I wasn’t really interested in becoming a doctor.” Thirty-five-year-old David King, an out-of-work actor, found a job as a receptionist because he was having trouble landing roles in Broadway plays and he needed to pay the rent.(26) In other words, men enter “female” jobs out of the same consideration for personal interest and economic necessity that motivates anyone looking for work. But similarities often end there. Men in female-dominated jobs are conspicuous. As a group, their work histories differ in most respects from those of their female colleagues, and they are frequently treated differently by the people with whom they are in professional contact.The question naturally arises: Why are there still approximately ninety-nine female secretaries for every one male? There is also a more serious issue. Most men don’t want to be receptionists, nurses, secretaries or sewing workers. Put simply, these are not generally considered very masculine jobs. (27) To choose such a line of work is to invite ridicule.“There was kidding in the beginning,” recalls Ormont. “Kids coming from school ask what I am, and when I say ‘A nurse,’ they laugh at me. I just smile and say, ‘You know, there are female doctors, too.’”Still, there are encouraging signs. Years ago, male grade school teachers were as rare as male nurses. Today more than one elementary school teacher in six is male.(28)Can we anticipate a day when secretaries will be an even mix of men and women — or when the mention ofa male nurse will no longer raise eyebrows? It’s probably coming -- but not very soon.Section VII: English-Chinese TranslationDirections:Translate the following passage into Chinese. Only the underlined sentences are to be translated. (20 points) Seated behind the front desk at a New York firm, the receptionist was efficient.Stylishly dressed, the firm’s newest employee had a pleasant telephone voice and a natural charm that put clients at ease. The company was pleased: (61) Clearly, this was a person who took considerable pride in personal appearance. David King, the receptionist, is unusual, but by no means unique. (62) Just as all truck drivers and construction workers are no longer necessarily men, all secretaries and receptionists are no longer automatically women. The number of men in women-dominated fields is still small and they haven’t attracted the attention that has often followed women advancing into male-dominated fields, but men are moving into more and more jobs that have traditionally been heldby women.Strictly speaking, the phenomenon is not new. For the past several decades, men have been quietly entering fields such as nursing, social work and elementary education. But today no job seems off-limits. Men serve coffee in offices and meals on airplanes. (63) These changes are helping to influence some of the long-standing traditions about the types of work men and women can do -- but they also produce some undeniable problems for the men who are entering those fields formerly dominated by women.What kinds of men venture into these so-called “women’s fields”? All kinds. (64) “I don’t know of any definite answers I’d be comfortable with,” explains Joseph Pleck, Ph.D., of the Wellesley College Centre for Research on Women.Sam Ormont, for example, a thirty-year-old nurse at a Boston hospital, went into nursing because the army had trained him as a medical worker. (65) “I found that work very interesting.” he recalled, “and when I got out of the service it just seemed natural for me to go into something medical. I wasn’t really interested in becoming a doctor.” Thirty-five-year-old David King, an out-of-work actor, found a job as a receptionist because he was having trouble landing roles in Broadway plays and he needed to pay the rent.(66) In other words, men enter “female” jobs out of the same consideration for personal interest and economic necessity that motivates anyone looking for work. But similarities often end there. Men in female-dominated jobs are conspicuous. As a group, their work histories differ in most respects from those of their female colleagues, and they are frequently treated differently by the people with whom they are in professional contact.The question naturally arises: Why are there still approximately ninety-nine female secretaries for every one male? There is also a more serious issue. Most men don’t want to be receptionists, nurses, secretaries or sewing workers. Put simply, these are not generally considered very masculine jobs. (67) To choose such a line of work is to invite ridicule.“There was kidding in the beginning,” recalls Ormont. “Kids coming from school ask what I am, and when I say ‘A nurse,’ they laugh at me. I just smile and say, ‘You know, there are female doctors, too.’”Still, there are encouraging signs. Years ago, male grade school teachers were as rare as male nurses. Today more than one elementary school teacher in six is male.(68) Can we anticipate a day when secretaries will be an even mix of men and women -- or when the mention of a male nurse will no longer raise eyebrows? It’s probably coming -- but not very soon.。

考研英语历年阅读理解真题精析--1998年part2Part TwoWell, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978 87 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a "disjunction" between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace all that re engineering and downsizing - are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was welldone, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much "re engineering" has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long term profitability. BBDO's Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re engineering consultants as mere rubbish - "the worst sort of ambulance cashing."5. According to the author, the American economic situation is _____ .A）not as good as it seemsB）at its turning pointC）much better than it seems D）near to complete recovery6. The official statistics on productivity growth _____ .A）exclude the usual rebound in a business cycleB）fall short of businessmen's anticipationC）meet the expectation of business people D）fail to reflect the true state of economy7. The author raises the question "what about pain without gain?" because _____ .A）he questions the truth of "no gain without pain"B）he does not think the productivity revolution worksC）he wonders if the official statistics are misleadingD）he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses8. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?A）Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity.B）New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity.C）The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long term profitability.D）The consultants are a bunch of good for nothings.Unit 5 （1998） Part2重点词汇：1.assume （v.假定；承担；呈现）。

1998年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section II Cloze TestDirections:For each numbered blank in the following passage, there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C], and [D]. Choose the best one and mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (10 points)Until recently most historians spoke very critically of the Industrial Revolution. They 41that in the long run industrialization greatly raised the standard of living for the 42man. But they insisted that its 43results during the period from 1750 to 1850 were widespread poverty and misery for the 44of the English population. 45contrast, they saw in the preceding hundred years from 1650 to 1750, when England was still a 46agricultural country, a period of great abundance and prosperity.This view, 47, is generally thought to be wrong. Specialists 48history and economics, have 49two things: that the period from 1650 to 1750 was 50by great poverty, and that industrialization certainly did not worsen and may have actually improved the conditions for the majority of the populace.41.[A] admitted[B] believed[C] claimed[D] predicted42.[A] plain[B] average[C] mean[D] normal43.[A] momentary[B] prompt[C] instant[D] immediate44.[A] bulk[B] host[C] gross[D] magnitude45.[A] On[B] With[C] For[D] By46.[A] broadly[B] thoroughly[C] generally[D] completely47.[A] however[B] meanwhile[C] therefore[D] moreover48.[A] at[B] in[C] about[D] for49.[A] manifested[B] approved[C] shown[D] speculated50.[A] noted[B] impressed[C] labeled[D] markedSection III Reading ComprehensionDirections:Each of the passages below is followed by some questions. For each question there are four answers marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions. Then mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET 1 by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets with a pencil. (40 points)Text 1Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the idea of forcing the waters to do our biddingso fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn’t help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt’s leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey’s bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left -- all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself.Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don’t need a dam to be saved.51.The third sentence of Paragraph 1 implies that ________.[A] people would be happy if they shut their eyes to reality[B] the blind could be happier than the sighted[C] over-excited people tend to neglect vital things[D] fascination makes people lose their eyesight52.In Paragraph 5, “the powerless” probably refers to ________.[A] areas short of electricity[B] dams without power stations[C] poor countries around India[D] common people in the Narmada Dam area53.What is the myth concerning giant dams?[A] They bring in more fertile soil.[B] They help defend the country.[C] They strengthen international ties.[D] They have universal control of the waters.54.What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as ________.[A] “It’s no use crying over spilt milk”[B] “More haste, less speed”[C] “Look before you leap”[D] “He who laughs last laughs best”Text 2Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-87 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction” between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace -- all that re-engineering and downsizing -- are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much “re-engineering” has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability. BBDO’s Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish -- “the worst sort of ambulance chasing.”55.According to the author, the American economic situation is ________.[A] not as good as it seems[B] at its turning point[C] much better than it seems[D] near to complete recovery56.The official statistics on productivity growth ________.[A] exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle[B] fall short of businessmen’s anticipation[C] meet the expectation of business people[D] fail to reflect the true state of economy57.The author raises the question “what about pain without gain?” because ________.[A] he questions the truth of “no gain without pain”[B] he does not think the productivity revolution works[C] he wonders if the official statistics are misleading[D] he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses58.Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?[A] Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity.[B] New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity.[C] The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long-term profitability.[D] The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings.Text 3Science has long had an uneasy relationship with other aspects of culture. Think of Gallileo’s17th-century trial for his rebelling belief before the Catholic Church or poet William Blake’s harsh remarks against the mechanistic worldview of Isaac Newton. The schism between science and the humanities has, if anything, deepened in this century.Until recently, the scientific community was so powerful that it could afford to ignore its critics -- but no longer. As funding for science has declined, scientists have attacked “anti-science” in several books, notably Higher Superstition, by Paul R. Gross, a biologist at the University of Virginia, and Norman Levitt, a mathematician at Rutgers University; and The Demon-Haunted World, by Carl Sagan of Cornell University.Defenders of science have also voiced their concerns at meetings such as “The Flight from Science and Reason,” held in New York City in 1995, and “Science in the Age of (Mis) information,” which assembled last June near Buffalo.Anti-science clearly means different things to different people. Gross and Levitt find fault primarily with sociologists, philosophers and other academics who have questioned science’s objectivity. Sagan is more concerned with those who believe in ghosts, creationism and other phenomena that contradict the scientific worldview.A survey of news stories in 1996 reveals that the anti-science tag has been attached to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research.Few would dispute that the term applies to the Unabomber, whose manifesto, published in 1995, scorns science and longs for return to a pre-technological utopia. But surely that does not mean environmentalists concerned about uncontrolled industrial growth are anti-science, as an essay in US News & World Report last May seemed to suggest.The environmentalists, inevitably, respond to such critics. The true enemies of science, argues Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, a pioneer of environmental studies, are those who question the evidence supporting global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer and other consequences of industrial growth.Indeed, some observers fear that the anti-science epithet is in danger of becoming meaningless. “The term ‘anti-science’ can lump together too many, quite different things,” notes Harvard University philosopher Gerald Holton in his 1993 work Science and Anti-Science. “They have in common only one thing that they tend to annoy or threaten those who regard themselves as more enlightened.”59.The word “schism” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) in the context probably means ________.[A] confrontation[B] dissatisfaction[C] separation[D] contempt60.Paragraphs 2 and 3 are written to ________.[A] discuss the cause of the decline of science’s power[B] show the author’s sympathy with scientists[C] explain the way in which science develops[D] exemplify the division of science and the humanities61.Which of the following is true according to the passage?[A] Environmentalists were blamed for anti-science in an essay.[B] Politicians are not subject to the labeling of anti-science.[C] The “more enlightened” tend to tag others as anti-science.[D] Tagging environmentalists as “anti-science” is justifiable.62.The author’s attitude toward the issue of “science vs. anti-science” is ________.[A] impartial[B] subjective[C] biased[D] puzzlingText 4Emerging from the 1980 census is the picture of a nation developing more and more regional competition, as population growth in the Northeast and Midwest reaches a near standstill.This development --and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead --has enthroned the South as America’s most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation’s head counting.Altogether, the US population rose in the 1970s by 23.2 million people -- numerically the third-largest growth ever recorded in a single decade. Even so, that gain adds up to only 11.4 percent, lowest in American annual records except for the Depression years.Americans have been migrating south and west in larger numbers since World War II, and the pattern still prevails.Three sun-belt states -- Florida, Texas and California -- together had nearly 10 million more people in 1980 than a decade earlier. Among large cities, San Diego moved from 14th to 8th and San Antonio from 15th to 10th -- with Cleveland and Washington. D. C., dropping out of the top 10.Not all that shift can be attributed to the movement out of the snow belt, census officials say. Nonstop waves of immigrants played a role, too -- and so did bigger crops of babies as yesterday’s “baby boom” generation reached its child-bearing years.Moreover, demographers see the continuing shift south and west as joined by a related but newer phenomenon: More and more, Americans apparently are looking not just for places with more jobs but with fewer people, too. Some instances—■Regionally, the Rocky Mountain states reported the most rapid growth rate -- 37.1 percent since 1970 in a vast area with only 5 percent of the US population.■Among states, Nevada and Arizona grew fastest of all: 63.5 and 53.1 percent respectively. Except for Florida and Texas, the top 10 in rate of growth is composed of Western states with 7.5 million people --about 9 per square mile.The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates.Nowhere do 1980 census statistics dramatize more the American search for spacious living than in the Far West. There, California added 3.7 million to its population in the 1970s, more than any other state.In that decade, however, large numbers also migrated from California, mostly to other parts of the West. Often they chose -- and still are choosing -- somewhat colder climates such as Oregon, Idaho and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden State.As a result, California’s growth rate dropped during the 1970s, to 18.5 percent -- little more than two thirds the 1960s’ growth figure and considerably below that of other Western states.63.Discerned from the perplexing picture of population growth the 1980 census provided, America in1970s ________.[A] enjoyed the lowest net growth of population in history[B] witnessed a southwestern shift of population[C] underwent an unparalleled period of population growth[D] brought to a standstill its pattern of migration since World War II64.The census distinguished itself from previous studies on population movement in that ________.[A] it stresses the climatic influence on population distribution[B] it highlights the contribution of continuous waves of immigrants[C] it reveals the Americans’ new pursuit of spacious living[D] it elaborates the delayed effects of yesterday’s “baby boom”65.We can see from the available statistics that ________.[A] California was once the most thinly populated area in the whole US[B] the top 10 states in growth rate of population were all located in the West[C] cities with better climates benefited unanimously from migration[D] Arizona ranked second of all states in its growth rate of population66.The word “demographers” (Line 1, Paragraph 8) most probably means ________.[A] people in favor of the trend of democracy[B] advocates of migration between states[C] scientists engaged in the study of population[D] conservatives clinging to old patterns of lifeText 5Scattered around the globe are more than 100 small regions of isolated volcanic activity known to geologists as hot spots. Unlike most of the world’s volcanoes, they are not always found at the boundaries of the great drifting plates that make up the earth’s surface; on the contrary, many of them lie deep in the interior of a plate. Most of the hot spots move only slowly, and in some cases the movement of the plates past them has left trails of dead volcanoes. The hot spots and their volcanic trails are milestones that mark the passage of the plates.That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute. Africa and South America, for example, are moving away from each other as new material is injected into the sea floor between them. The complementary coastlines and certain geological features that seem to span the ocean are reminders of where the two continents were once joined. The relative motion of the plates carrying these continents has been constructed in detail, but the motion of one plate with respect to another cannot readily be translated into motion with respect to the earth’s interior. It is not possible to determine whether both continents are moving in opposite directions or whether one continent is stationary and the other is drifting away from it. Hot spots, anchored in the deeper layers of the earth, provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question. From an analysis of the hot-spot population it appears that the African plate is stationary and that it has not moved during the past 30 million years.The significance of hot spots is not confined to their role as a frame of reference. It now appears that they also have an important influence on the geophysical processes that propel the plates across the globe. When a continental plate come to rest over a hot spot, the material rising from deeper layers creates a broad dome. As the dome grows, it develops deep fissures (cracks); in at least a few cases the continent may break entirely along some of these fissures, so that the hot spot initiates the formation of a new ocean. Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents, so hot spots may explain their mutability (inconstancy).67.The author believes that ________.[A] the motion of the plates corresponds to that of the earth’s interior[B] the geological theory about drifting plates has been proved to be true[C] the hot spots and the plates move slowly in opposite directions[D] the movement of hot spots proves the continents are moving apart68.That Africa and South America were once joined can be deduced from the fact that ________.[A] the two continents are still moving in opposite directions[B] they have been found to share certain geological features[C] the African plate has been stable for 30 million years[D] over 100 hot spots are scattered all around the globe69.The hot spot theory may prove useful in explaining ________.[A] the structure of the African plates[B] the revival of dead volcanoes[C] the mobility of the continents[D] the formation of new oceans70.The passage is mainly about ________.[A] the features of volcanic activities[B] the importance of the theory about drifting plates[C] the significance of hot spots in geophysical studies[D] the process of the formation of volcanoesSection IV English-Chinese TranslationDirections:Read the following passage carefully and then translate the underlined sentences into Chinese. Your translation must be written clearly on the ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)They were, by far, the largest and most distant objects that scientists had ever detected: a strip of enormous cosmic clouds some 15 billion light-years from earth. 71) But even more important, it was the farthest that scientists had been able to look into the past, for what they were seeing were the patterns and structures that existed 15 billion years ago. That was just about the moment that the universe was born. What the researchers found was at once both amazing and expected: the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Cosmic Background Explorer satellite -- Cobe -- had discovered landmark evidence that the universe did in fact begin with the primeval explosion that has become known as the Big Bang (the theory that the universe originated in an explosion from a single mass of energy).72) The existence of the giant clouds was virtually required for the Big Bang, first put forward in the 1920s, to maintain its reign as the dominant explanation of the cosmos. According to the theory, the universe burst into being as a submicroscopic, unimaginably dense knot of pure energy that flew outward in all directions, emitting radiation as it went, condensing into particles and then into atoms of gas. Over billions of years, the gas was compressed by gravity into galaxies, stars, plants and eventually, even humans.Cobe is designed to see just the biggest structures, but astronomers would like to see much smaller hot spots as well, the seeds of local objects like clusters and superclusters of galaxies. They shouldn’t have long to wait. 73) Astrophysicists working with ground-based detectors at the South Pole and balloon-borne instruments are closing in on such structures, and may report their findings soon.74) If the small hot spots look as expected, that will be a triumph for yet another scientific idea, a refinement of the Big Bang called the inflationary universe theory. Inflation says that very early on, the universe expanded in size by more than a trillion trillion trillion trillionfold in much less than a second, propelled by a sort of antigravity. 75) Odd though it sounds, cosmic inflation is a scientifically plausible consequence of some respected ideas in elementary particle physics, and many astrophysicists have been convinced for the better part of a decade that it is true.71.更为重要的是，这是科学家们所能观测到的最遥远的过去的景象，因为他们看到的是150亿年前宇宙云的形状和结构。