華中師范大學(xué)考博真題

1、2008年華中師范大學(xué)博士研究生入學(xué)考試英語(yǔ)試題（A卷）（注意：答案必須寫在答題紙上，寫在試卷上無(wú)效）Part I Reading Comprehension (40%)Directions: In this part there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the one you think is the best answer, and then write yo

2、ur answer on the Answer Sheet. Passage OneIn Americas fiercely adversarial legal system, a good lawyer is essential. Ask O.J Simpson. In a landmark case 35 years ago, Gideon v. Wainwright, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that indigent defendants must be provided with a lawyer at state expense becaus

3、e there could be no fair trial in a serious criminal case without one. “This seems to us to be an obvious truth,” wrote Justice Hugo Black in his opinion. At the time, the decision was hailed as a triumph for justice, an example of Americas commitment to the ideal of equality before the law.This is

4、the image most Americans still have of their criminal-justice system-the fairest in the world, in which any defendant, no matter how, gets a smart lawyer who, too often, manages to get the culprit off on a technicality. Nothing could be further from the truth. About 80% of people accused of a felony

5、 have to depend on a publicly-provided lawyer; but over the past two decades the eagerness of politicians to look harsh on crime, their reluctance to pay for public defenders, and a series of Supreme Court judgments restricting the grounds for appeal have made a mockery of Gideon. Today many indigen

6、t defendants, including those facing long terms of imprisonment or even death, are treated to a “meetem and pleadem” defense - a brief consultation in which a harried or incompetent lawyer encourages them to plead guilty on if that fail, struggle through a short trial in which the defense is massive

7、ly outgunned by a more experienced, better-paid and better-prepared prosecutor.“We have a wealth-based system of justice,” says Stephen Bright, the director of the Southern Center for Human Rights. “For the wealthy, its gold-plated. For the average poor person, its like being herded to the slaughter

8、-house. In many places the adversarial system barely exists for the poor.”Many lawyers, of course, have made heroic efforts for particular defendants for little or no pay, but the charity of lawyers can be relied on to handle only a tiny fraction of cases. As spending on police, prosecutors and pris

9、ons has steadily climbed in the past decade, increasing the number of people charged and imprisoned, spending on indigent defense has not kept pace overwhelming an already hard-pressed system.1. It can be inferred from the passage that O.J Simpson was probably_.A. a person who was found not guilty b

10、ecause he hired a very good lawyer.B. a person who won his case because he was provided with a lawyer at state expense.C. a person who was denied a lawyer and thus lost his case in the court.D. a brilliant lawyer who won numerous cases for the average poor people.2. What is the authors view of Ameri

11、cas adversarial legal system?A. It is the embodiment of the ideal of equality before the law.B. It is the fairest criminal-justice system in the world.C. As it is, it benefits the rich but works against the poor.D. It is unfair by nature and should be overhauled.3. Which of the following statements

12、is true?A. Lawyers who provide defense for the poor often work heroically for little or no pay at all.B. As crime rate increases, American politicians have become more tolerant towards crime than before.C. In America, if a person refuses to accept the judgment of a lower court, he can always appeal

13、to the Supreme Court.D. Government-provided lawyers tend to go through the formalities of defense and prove to be no match for the prosecutors. 4. What is the authors specific purpose in writing this passage?A. To appeal for more public spending on court defense for the poor.B. To criticize Americas

14、 fiercely adversarial legal system.C. To draw attention to the injustice of the American legal system.D. To make a suggestion on how to mend the criminal-justice system.Passage TwoThe media can impact current events. As a graduate student at Berkeley in the 1960s, I remember experiencing the events

15、related to the Peoples Park that were occurring on campus. Some of these events were given national media coverage in the press and on TV. I found it interesting to compare my impressions of that was going on with perceptions obtained from the news media. I could begin to see events of that time fee

16、d on news coverage. This also provided me with some healthy insights into the distinctions between these realities.Electronic media are having a greater impact on the peoples lives every day. People gather more and more of their impressions from representations. Television and telephone communicatio

17、ns are linking people to a global village, or what one writer calls the electronic city. Consider the information that television brings into your home every day. Consider also the contract you have with others simply by using telephone. These media extend your consciousness and your contact. For ex

18、ample, the video coverage of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake focused on “l(fā)ive action” such as the fires or the rescue efforts. This gave the viewer the impression of total disaster. Television coverage of the Iraqi War also developed any immediacy. CNN reported events as they happened. This covera

19、ge was distributed worldwide. Although most people were far away from these events, they developed some perception of these realities.In 1992, many people watched in horror as riots broke out on a sad Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, seemingly fed by video coverage from helicopters. This event was

20、triggered by the verdict in the Rodney King beating. We are now in an age where the public can have access to information that enables it to make its own judgment, and most people, who had seen the video of this beating, could not understand how the jury was able to acquit the policemen involved. Me

21、dia coverage of events as they occur also provides powerful feedback that influences events. This can have harmful results, as it seemed on that Wednesday night in Los Angeles. By Friday night the public got to see Rodney King on television pleading, “Can we all get along?” By Saturday, television s

22、eemed to provide positive feedback as the Los Angeles riot turned out into a rally for peace. The television showed thousands of people marching with banners and cleaning tools. Because of that, many more people turned out to join the peaceful event they saw unfolding on television. The real healing

23、, of course, will take much longer, but electronic media will continue to be a part of that process.5. The best title for the passage is_.A. The 1992 Los Angeles Riots.B. The Impact of Media on Current Events.C. The 1989 San Francisco Earthquake and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.D. How Media Cover Even

24、ts.6. All the following statements are true EXCEPT that_.A. electronic media can extend ones contact with the world.B. those living far away from a certain event can also have some perception of realities by watching television.C. all the events occurring on the university campus at Berkeley were gi

25、ven national media coverage.D. video coverage of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake gave the viewers the impression of total disaster. 7. The 1992 Los Angeles riots broke out because _.A. the jury acquitted the policemen who had beaten Rodney King.B. people can make their own judgments.C. video cover

26、age from helicopters had made people angry.D. video coverage had provided powerful feedback.8. It can be inferred from the passage that_.A. media coverage of events as they occur can have either good or bad results.B. most people who had seen the video of the Rodney King beating agree with the verdi

27、ct of the jury. C. the 1992 Los Angeles riots lasted a whole week.D. Rodney King seemed very angry when he appeared on television on Friday.Passage ThreeNo one knows for sure when or where the first cow went mad, but the first recorded case occurred in December 1984 when a dairy cow on a farm in Wes

28、t Sussex began to act strange. That cow, identified only as No.133 in a British government report, died two months late, as other on the same farm fell ill. An autopsy on one in 1985 found its brain full of hole, like a sponge. Sick animals turned up on other farms, and by 1986 the British knew they

29、 were facing an epidemic of a terrible new cattle disease.By 1994, the illness had spread to people, probably from eating beef. The disease inspires fear because it is fatal and people have no way to knowing they have been infected until they get sick. Many victims were young, including some in thei

30、r teens and 20s.Later a cow in Washington State was found infected. If the Washington cow was infected by feed, it seems unlikely that only one could have been infected, since feed is shared. But if the cow developed the disease spontaneously, which is theoretically possible though not proved to occ

31、ur in cows, then it may be possible to have one mad cow at a time.Many scientists think Britains mad cow epidemic had its origins in scrape, a spongiform brain disease that occurs in sheep and goats. The name comes from the sick animals tendency to rub against things and scrape off patches of wool.

32、But a widely (though not universally) accepted theory holds that mad cow disease and several other related brain disorders are caused not by bacteria or viruses, but by prion, abnormal proteins that build up and damage the brain.The term prion and the theory were developed by Dr. Stanley B. Prusiner

33、, a neurologist who won a Nobel Prize in 1997. Dr. Prusiner built on the work of another researcher who won a Nobel Prize in 1976, Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek. Dr. Gajdusek proved that members of the Fore tribe in New Guinea contracted a brain disease called kuru from eating the brains of relatives who

34、 had died of the disease. At the time, he thought the disease agent was a “slow virus”, meaning one with an incubation period lasting years or decades. But no virus was ever found for any of the spongiform diseases, and Dr. Prusiner eventually concluded that a prion was responsible.9. When the cow i

35、dentified as No.133 died, _.A. it was found that its brain was full of holes.B. it became the first cow that went mad and died.C. other cows on the farm had already been infected.D. the British knew they were facing a new cattle disease.10. Which of the following statements in NOT true?A. Human mad

36、cow disease can cause death.B. The majority of the victims were of an older age.C. The real cause of human mad cow disease is still unknown.D. People infected with the disease may not immediately know it.11. According to Dr. Prusiner, the mad cow disease was caused by_.A. abnormal protein B. fatal b

37、acteriaC. sheep disease D. slow viruses12. Dr. Prusiners theory_.A. has been questioned by many scientists.B. has benefited from other scientists research.C. is used to breed resistant livestock.D. is used to diagnose whos likely to be infected.Passage FourNext week, as millions of families gather f

38、or their Thanksgiving feasts, many other Americans will go without. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 12 million households lack enough food for everyone in their family at some time during the year-including holidays.Hunger is surprisingly widespread in our country

39、-one of the worlds wealthiest-yet the government estimates that we waste almost 100 billion pounds of food each year, more than one-quarter of our total supply.Reducing this improper distribution of resources is a goal of Americas Second Harvest, the nations largest domestic hunger-relief organizati

40、on. Last year, it distributed nearly 2 billion pounds of food to more than 23 million people in need.Americas Second Harvest is a network of 214 inter-connected food banks and other organizations that gather food from growers, processors, grocery stores and restaurants. In turn, the network distribu

41、tes food to some 50,000 soup kitchens, homeless shelters and old peoples centers in every country of every state.A great deal of work is involved in distributing tons of food from thousands of donors to hundreds of small, nonprofit organizations. Until a few years ago, Americas Second Harvest lacked

42、 any effective way to manage their inventory. Without accurate and timely information, soup kitchens were sometimes empty while food was left to spoil in loading places.In 2000, Americas Second Harvest began to use a new inventory and financial management system-Ceres. It is software designed specif

43、ically for hunger-relief operations. It is used by more than 100 Americas Second Harvest organizations to track food from donation to distribution.Ceres has helped reduce the spoiling of food and improve distribution. An evaluation found that the software streamlined food banks operations by 23 perc

44、ent in the first year alone.With more accurate and timely reports, Ceres saves time, frees staff members to focus on finding new donors, and promises more efficient use of donations.Hunger in America remains a troubling social problem. Technology alone cannot solve it, but in the hands of organizati

45、ons such as Americas Second Harvest, it is a powerful tool that is helping to make a difference and helping more Americans to join in the feast.13. By “this improper distribution of resources” in Para.3, the write means that many Americans lack enough food while_.A. their country is one of the riche

46、st in the world.B. much food is left to spoil.C. others waste too much food.D. others consume too much food.14. A problem for Americas Second Harvest a few years ago was that_.A. it did not get enough food from donors.B. it did not have a large enough network.C. it did not have enough soup kitchens.

47、D. it did not have a good way to manage its food stock.15. With Ceres, Americas Second Harvest is now able to_.A. enlarge its network.B. prevent food from spoiling.C. give out food more efficiently.D. solve the hunger problem in the country.16. The main idea of the passage is that_.A. technology can

48、 help in the fight against hunger.B. Americas Second Harvest has found more donors.C. Americas Second Harvest promotes the development of technology.D. hunger is a problem even in the wealthiest country in the world.Passage FiveSpace is a dangerous place, not only because of meteors but also because

49、 of rays from the sun and other stars. The atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on the earth. Light gets through, and this is essential for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environments tolerable and some ultraviolet rays penetrate the atmosphere. Cosmic rays of

50、various kinds come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation dam

51、age.Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. Doses of radiation are measured in units called “rems”. We all receive radiation here on the Earth from the sun, from cosmic rats and from radioactive minerals. The “normal” dose of radiation that we receive each year is about 100 mil

52、lirems(0.1rem); it varies according to where you live, and this is a very rough estimate. Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than this without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure abo

53、ut radiation damage-a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will not be discovered until the birth of (deformed) children or even grandchildren.Early space probes showed that radiation varies in different parts of space around the Earth. It a

54、lso varies in time because, when great spurts of gas shoot out of the sun (solar flares), they are accompanies by a lot of extra radiation. Some estimates of the amount of radiation in space, based on various measurements and calculations, are as low as 10 rems per year, others are as high as 5 rems

55、 per hour! Missions to the moon (the Apollo fights) have had to cross the Van Allen belts of high radiation and, during the outward and return journeys, the Apollo 8 crew accumulated a total dose of about 200 millirems per man. It was hoped that there would not be any large solar flares during the t

56、imes of the Apollo moon walks because the walls of the LEMs (lunar excursion modules) were not thick enough to protect the men inside, though the command modules did give reasonable protection. So far, no dangerous doses of radiation have been reported, but the Gemini orbits and the Apollo missions

57、have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory or in a base on the moon. Drags might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have

58、 been found so far. At present, radiation seems to be the greatest physical hazard to space travelers, but it is impossible to say just how serious the hazard will turn out to be in the future.17. Scientists have fixed a safety level of_.A. 10 rems per year B. 60 rems per yearC. 100 millirems per year D. 5 rems per year18. How will men protect themselves when they spend long periods in space?A. By taking special drugs.B.