2010年英语专业考研英语基础测试题

acial differences since research actually shows greater genetic differences within races than between races. However, not all individuals are endowed with the same intelligence and many believe this must have something to do with our genes and the way they interact with the environment. Identical twins are more likely to obtain the same score in an IQ test than twins from two separate eggs that have a different genetic make up。

It is important to remember that genes work by interacting with the environment, so social factors will also influence intelligence. Intelligence tests may be more of an assessment of social factors, such as your educational background. Black children adopted into white middle class families score significantly higher on average than those in working class families-implying a cultural slant to tests. It is impossible to devise questions without some cultural of gender bias; boys tend to do better in spatial tests whereas are believed to have influenced improved IQ scores across the board. Good nutrition means an individual is able to function well both physically and mentally. Although many believe this plays a role in intelligence, it is very difficult to assess。

1.What is the text mainly about?

A. The book of The Bell Curve           

B. Factors that determine or influence intelligence

C. IQ intelligence tests

D. Racial difference and racialism

2. According to paragraph 1, it is widely believed that ________ 。

A. the human race would be control through different ways of upbringing。

B. intelligence is closely related to genes in some degree。

C. biological differences contribute a lot to different IQ scores between races。

D. eugenics employ IQ tests to promote eugenics。

3. The graph in the book of Bell Curve _______。

A. introduce genetic factors as well as social ones in intelligence

B. is criticized by critics as unscientific and incomprehensive

C. is obviously meant to advocate racist ideas

D. strong evidence used by US military in analyzing recruits

4. Which of the following is untrue according to the text?

A. Racists employ the idea of genetic determination in intelligence to propagate racialism。

B. According to the US military analysis, differences in IQ tests scores are caused by genetic factors。

C. Blacks may be more genetically different between themselves than compared with whites。

D. It is believed by many people that intelligence is related to our genes and their interaction with social factors。

5. According to the author, intelligence tests ________ 。

A. can always be impartial

B. evaluate more of the genetic influence rather than social factors

C. may be designed with cultural or gender bias

D. reflect that good nutrition influences intelligence。

Passage Two

Climatic conditions are delicately adjusted to the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. If there were a change in the atmosphere ----- for example, in the relative proportions of atmospheric gases ----- the climate would probably changed also. A slight increase in water vapor, for instance , would increase the heat ------ retaining capacity of the atmosphere and would lead to a rise in global temperatures. In contrast, a large increase in water vapor would increase the thickness and extent of the cloud layer, reducing the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth’s surface。

The level of carbon dioxide, CO2 , in the atmosphere has an important effect on climatic change. Most of the Earth’s incoming energy is short-wavelength radiation, which tends to pass through atmospheric CO2 easily. The Earth, however, reradiates much of the received energy as long-wavelength radiation, which CO2 absorbs and then remits toward the Earth. This phenomenon, known as the greenhouse effect, can result in an increase in the surface temperature of a planet. An extreme example of the effect is shown by Venus, a planet covered by heavy clouds composed mostly of CO2 whose surface temperatures have been measured at 430℃. If the CO2 content of the atmosphere is reduced, the temperature falls. According to one respectable theory, if the atmospheric CO2 concentration were halved, the Earth would become completely covered with ice. Another equally respectable theory, however, states that a halving of the CO2 concentration would lead only to a reduction in global temperatures of 3℃。

If, because of an increase in forest fires or volcanic activity, the CO2 content of the atmosphere increased. A warmer climate would be produced. Plant growth, which relies on both the warmth and the availability of CO2 would probably increase. As a consequence, plants would use more and more CO2 .

Eventually CO2 levels would diminish and the climate, in turn, would become cooler. With reduced temperatures many plants would die; CO2 would thereby be returned to the atmosphere and gradually the temperature would rise again. Thus, if this process occurred there might be a long-term oscillation in the amount of CO2 present in the atmosphere, with regular temperature in creases and decreases of a set magnitude。

Some climatologists argue that the burning of fossil fuels has raised the level of CO2 in the atmosphere and has caused a global temperature increase of at least 1℃.But a supposed global temperature rise of 1℃ may in reality be only several regional temperature increases restricted to areas where there are many meteorological stations and caused simply by shifts in the pattern of atmospheric circulation. Other areas for example the Southern Hemisphere oceanic zone may be experiencing an equivalent temperature decrease that is unrecognized because of the shortage of meteorological recording stations。

6. The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

Why are projections of the effects of changes in water vapor levels on the climate so    inaccurate?

What are the steps in the process that takes place as CO2 absorbs long-wavelength radiation?

How might our understanding of the green house effect be improved if the burning of fossil fuels were decreased?

D. What might cause a series of regular increases and decreases in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere?

7. The author is primarily concerned with

A. explaining the effects that the burning of fossil fuels might have on climate

B. illustrating the effects of CO2 on atmospheric radiation

C. discussing effects that changes in the CO2 level in the atmosphere might have on climate

D. challenging hypotheses about the effects of water vapor and CO2 on climate

8. The passage suggests that a large decrease in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would result in

A. at least a slight decrease in global temperatures

B. at the most a slight increase in short-wavelength radiation reaching the Earth

C. a slight long-term increase in global temperatures

D. a large long-term increase in the amount of volcanic activity

9. The author refers to Venus primarily in order to

A. show the inherent weakness of the greenhouse effect theory

B. show that the greenhouse effect works on other planets but not on Earth

C. show the extent to which Earth’s atmosphere differs from that of Venus

D. support the argument that the CO2 level in the atmosphere has a significant effect on climate

10. The passage suggests that if there were a slight global warming at the present time, it would be

A. easy to measure the exact increase in temperature because of the abundance of temperature recording stations throughout the world

B. difficult to measure the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere because of local variations in amounts

C. easy to demonstrate the effects of the warming on the water vapor in the atmosphere

D. difficult to prove that the warming was caused by the burning of fossil fuels

11. The discussion of climate in the passage suggests which of the following conclusions?

Ⅰ. Climate is not perfectly stable, and slight regional temperature variations can be considered a normal feature of the environment。

Ⅱ. We are unable at present to measure global temperature changes precisely

Ⅲ. The most important cause of regional climatic fluctuations is the change in CO2 levels in the atmosphere。

A. Ⅰonly              

B. Ⅲ. Only  

C. ⅠandⅡ only 

D. Ⅱand Ⅲ.only

12.  All of the following can be found in the author’s discussion of climate Except

A. a statement about the effects of increased volcanic activity on the Earth’s temperatures

B. an indication of the effect of an increase in water vapor in the atmosphere

C. a contrast between two theories about the effects of a lowering of CO2 levels in the atmosphere

D. a generalization of about the efficiency of meteorological recording stations

Passage Three

Americans are probably the most pain-conscious people on the fact of the earth. For years we have had it drummed into us-in print, on radio, over television, in everyday conversation-that any hint of pain is to be banished as though it were the ultimate evil. As a result we are becoming a nation of pill-grabbers, escalating the slightest ache into a searing ordeal。

We know very little-about pain and what we don't know makes it hurt all the more. Indeed, no form of illiteracy in the United States is so widespread or costly as ignorance about pain-what it is, what causes it, how to deal with it without pan