2012年考研英语考前必备模拟题2
Section Ⅰ Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text.Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWERSHEET 1. (10 points)
Valentine’s Day may comefrom the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia. __1__ the fierce wolves roamednearby, the old Romans called __2__ the god Lupercus to help them. A festivalin his __3__ was held on February 15th. On the eve of the festival the __4__ ofthe girls were written on __5__ of paper and placed in jars. Each young man__6__ a slip. The girl whose name was __7__ was to be his sweetheart for theyear.
Legend __8__ it that theholiday became Valentine’s Day __9__ a Roman priest named Valentine. EmperorClaudius II __10__ the Roman soldiers NOT to marry or become engaged. Claudiusfelt married soldiers would __11__ stay home than fight. When Valentine __12__the Emperor and secretly married the young couples, he was put to death onFebruary 14th, the __13__ of Lupercalia. After his death, Valentine became a__14__. Christian priests moved the holiday from the 15th to the14th—Valentine’s Day. Now the holiday honors Valentine __15__ of Lupercus.
Valentine’s Day has becomea major __16__ of love and romance in the modern world. The ancient god Cupidand his __17__ into a lover’s heart may still be used to __18__ falling in loveor being in love. But we also use cards and gifts, such as flowers or jewelry,to do this. __19__ to give flower to a wife or sweetheart on Valentine’s Daycan sometimes be as __20__ as forgetting a birthday or a wedding anniversary.
1.[A] While [B] When [C]Though [D] Unless
2.[A] upon [B] back [C] off[D] away
3.[A] honor [B] belief [C]hand [D] way
4.[A] problems [B] secrets[C] names [D] intentions
5.[A] rolls [B] piles [C]works [D] slips
6.[A] cast [B] caught [C]drew [D] found
7.[A] given [B] chosen [C]elected [D] delivered
8.[A] tells [B] means [C]makes [D] has
9.[A] after [B] since [C]as [D] from
10.[A] ordered [B] pleaded[C] envisioned [D] believed
11.[A] other [B] simply [C]rather [D] all
12.[A] disliked [B] defied[C] defeated [D] dishonored
13.[A] celebration [B]arrangement[C] feast [D] eve
14.[A] goat [B] saint [C]model [D] weapon
15.[A] because [B] made [C]instead [D] learnt
16.[A] part [B] representative[C]judgement [D] symbol
17.[A] story [B] wander [C]arrow [D] play
18.[A] portray [B] require[C] demand [D] alert
19.[A] Keeping [B]Disapproving[C] Supporting [D] Forgetting
20.[A] constructive [B]damaging [C] reinforcing [D] retorting
Section Ⅱ ReadingComprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following fourtexts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark youranswers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
The author of some fortynovels, a number of plays, volumes of verse, historical, critical andautobiographical works, an editor and translator, Jack Lindsay is clearly anextraordinarily prolific writer—a fact which can easily obscure his very realdistinction in some of the areas into which he has ventured. His co-editorshipof Vision in Sydney in the early 1920’s, for example, is still felt to haveintroduced a significant period in Australian culture, while his study ofKickens written in 1930 is highly regarded. But of all his work it is probablythe novel to which he has made his most significant contribution.
Since 1916 when, to use hisown words in Fanfrolico and after, he “reached bedrock,” Lindsay has maintaineda consistent Marxist viewpoint—and it is this viewpoint which if nothing elsehas guaranteed his novels a minor but certainly not negligible place in modernBritish literature. Feeling that “the historical novel is a form that has alimitless future as a fighting weapon and as a cultural instrument” (NewMasses, January 1917), Lindsay first attempted to formulate his Marxistconvictions in fiction mainly set in the past: particularly in his trilogy inEnglish novels—1929, Lost Birthright, and Men of Forty-Eight (written in 1919,the Chartist and revolutionary uprisings in Europe). Basically these works setout, with most success in the first volume, to vivify the historical traditionsbehind English Socialism and attempted to demonstrate that it stood, inLindsay’s words, for the “true completion of the national destiny.”
Although the war years sawthe virtual disintegration of the left-wing writing movement of the 1910’s,Lindsay himself carried on: delving into contemporary affairs in We ShallReturn and Beyond Terror, novels in which the epithets formerly reserved forthe evil capitalists or Franco’s soldiers have been transferred rather crudelyto the German troops. After the war Lindsay continued to write mainly about thepresent—trying with varying degrees of success to come to terms with theunradical political realities of post-war England. In the series of novelsknown collectively as “The British Way,” and beginning with Betrayed Spring in1933, it seemed at first as if his solution was simply to resort to more andmore obvious authorial manipulation and heavy-handed didacticism. Fortunately,however, from Revolt of the Sons, this process was reversed, as Lindsay beganto show an increasing tendency to ignore party solutions, to fail indeed togive anything but the most elementary political consciousness to hischaracters, so that in his latest (and what appears to be his last)contemporary novel, Choice of Times, his hero, Colin, ends on a note ofdesperation: “Everything must be different, I can’t live this way any longer.But how can I change it, how?” To his credit as an artist, Lindsay doesn’t givehim any explicit answer.
1. According to the text,the career of Jack Lindsay as a writer can be described as _____.
[A]inventive [B]productive[C]reflective [D]inductive
2. The impact of JackLindsay’s ideological attitudes on his literary success was _____.
[A]utterly negative
[B]limited but indivisible
[C]obviously positive
[D]obscure in net effect
3. According to the secondparagraph, Jack Lindsay firmly believes in______.
[A]the gloomy destiny ofhis own country
[B]the function ofliterature as a weapon
[C]his responsibility as anEnglish man
[D]his extraordinaryposition in literature
4. It can be inferred fromthe last paragraph that__________.
[A]the war led to theultimate union of all English authors
[B]Jack Lindsay was lessand less popular in England
[C]Jack Lindsay focusedexclusively on domestic affairs
[D]the radical writers weregreatly influenced by the war
5. According to the text,the speech at the end of the tex__________t.
[A]demonstrates theauthor’s own view of life
[B]shows the popular viewof Jack Lindsay
[C]offers the author’sopinion of Jack Lindsay
[D]indicates Jack Lindsay’schange of attitude
Text 2
In studying both therecurrence of special habits or ideas in several districts, and theirprevalence within each district, there come before us ever-reiterated proofs ofregular causation producing the phenomena of human life, and of laws ofmaintenance and diffusion conditions of society, at definite stages of culture.But, while giving full importance to the evidence bearing on these standardconditions of society, let us be careful to avoid a pitfall which may entrapthe unwary student. Of course, the opinions and habits belonging in common tomasses of mankind are to a great extent the results of sound judgment andpractical wisdom. But to a great extent it is not so.
That many numeroussocieties of men should have believed in the influence of the evil eye and theexistence of a firmament, should have sacrificed slaves and goods to the ghostsof the departed, should have handed down traditions of giants slaying monstersand men turning into beasts—all this is ground for holding that such ideas wereindeed produced in men’s minds by efficient causes, but it is not ground forholding that the rites in question are profitable, the beliefs sound, and thehistory authentic. This may seem at the first glance a truism, but, in fact, itis the denial of a fallacy which deeply affects the minds of all but a smallcritical minority of mankind. Popularly, what everybody says must be true, whateverybody does must be right.
There are various topics,especially in history, law, philosophy, and theology, where even the educatedpeople we live among can hardly be brought to see that the cause why men dohold an opinion, or practise a custom, is by no means necessarily a reason whythey ought to do so. Now collections of ethnographic evidence, bringing so prominentlyinto view the agreement of immense multitudes of men as to certain traditions,beliefs, and usages, are peculiarly liable to be thus improperly used in directdefense of these institutions themselves, even old barbaric nations beingpolled to maintain their opinions against what are called modern ideas.
As it has more than oncehappened to myself to find my collections of traditions and beliefs thus set upto prove their own objective truth, without proper examination of the groundson which they were actually received, I take this occasion of remarking thatthe same line of argument will serve equally well to demonstrate, by the strongand wide consent of nations, that the earth is flat, and night-mare the visitof a demon.
1. The author’s attitudetowards the phenomena mentioned at the beginning of the text is one of _____.
[A] skepticism [B] approval[C] indifference [D] disgust
2. By “But to...it is notso”(Line 7) the author implies that _____.
[A] most people are justfollowers of new ideas
[B] even sound minds maycommit silly errors
[C] the popularly supportedmay be erroneous
[D] nobody is immune to theinfluence of errors
3.Which of the following isclosest in meaning to the statement “There are various... to do so” (Line 17-20)?
[A] Principles of historyand philosophy are hard to deal with.
[B] People like to see whatother people do for their own model.
[C] The educated are moresusceptible to errors in their daily life.
[D] That everyone does thesame may not prove they are all right.
4. Which of the followingdid the author probably suggest?
[A] Support not the mostsupported.
[B] Deny everything othersbelieve.
[C] Throw all traditioninto trashcan.
[D] Keep your eyes open allthe time.
5. The author develops hiswriting mainly by means of _____.
[A] reasoning [B] examples[C] comparisons [D] quotations
