1、2017年 武 汉 大 学 考 博 英 语 真 题 及 答 案注 意 ： 所 有 的 答 题 内 容 必 须 写 在 答 案 纸 上 ， 凡 写 在 试 题 或 草 稿 纸 上 的 一 律 无 效 。Part I Reading Comprehension (2 20 = 40 points)Directions: In this part of the test, there will be 5 passages for you to read.Each passage is followed by 4 questions or unfinished statements, and each
2、question or unfinished statement is followed by four choices marked A, B, Cand D. You are to decide on the best choice by blackening the correspondingletter on the ANSWER SHEET.Passage OneMr Gordon is right that the second industrial revolution involved never-to-be-repeated changes. But that does no
3、t mean that driverless cars count fornothing. Messrs Erixon and Weigel are also right to worry about the West sdismal recent record in producing new companies. But many old firms are notrun by bureaucrats and have reinvented themselves many times over: GeneralElectric must be on at least its ninth l
4、ife. And the impact of giant new firmsborn in the past 20 years such as Uber, Google and Facebook should not beunderestimated: they have all the Schumpeterian characteristics the authorsadmire.On the pessimists side the strongest argument relies not on closely watchingcorporate and investor behavior
5、 but rather on macro-level statistics onproductivity. The figures from recent years are truly dismal. Karim Foda, ofthe Brookings Institution, calculates that labor productivity in the richworld is growing at its slowest rate since 1950. Total factor productivity(which tries to measure innovation) h
6、as grown at just 0.1% in advancedeconomies since 2004, well below its historical average.Optimists have two retorts. The first is that there must be something wrongwith the figures. One possibility is that they fail to count the huge consumersurplus given away free of charge on the internet. But thi
7、s is unconvincing.The official figures may well be understating the impact of the internetrevolution, just as they downplayed the impact of electricity and cars in thepast, but they are not understating it enough to explain the recent decline inproductivity growth.Another, second line of argument th
8、at the productivity revolution has onlyjust begun is more persuasive. Over the past decade many IT companies may havefocused on things that were more “ fun than fundamental” in Paul Krugman sphrase. But Silicon Valley s best companies are certainly focusing on thingsthat change the material world.各类
9、考试资料 vx：344647 公众号：顺通考试资料Uber and Airbnb are bringing dramatic improvements to two large industriesthat have been more or less stuck for decades. Morgan Stanley estimates thatdriverless cars could result in $507 billion a year of productivity gains inAmerica, mainly from people being able to stare a
10、t their laptops instead of atthe road.1. What has led to the pessimistic opinion concerning the world s economy?A. It is based on macro-level statistics on productivity.B. It is based on close observation on corporate and investor behavior.C. It is due to the fact that many old firms are not run by
11、bureaucrats.D. It is due to the fact that not enough new firms have been created.2. The first argument on the optimists side is unconvincing because theofficial figures.A. are both wrong and unconvincingB. downplay the internet revolutionC. fail to include the consumer surplusD. can t explain the de
12、cline in productivity growth3. What is true about the IT companies in Silicon Valley?A. They have only focused on the fun part of life.B. They have made a difference in the real world.C. They have more persuasive productivity.D. They have only just begun to develop.4. How can driverless cars benefit
13、 American industries?A. Driverless cars have revived two large American industries.B. The sale of driverless cars can reach hundreds of billion dollars.C. Thanks to them people free from driving can do more creative work.D. Driverless cars have stimulated the development of Uber and Airbnb.Passage T
14、woWinston Churchill was one of the central statesmen of the 20th century and,almost 50 years after his death, remains a subject of enduring fascination.Part of the current interest in this venerable figure can be attributed to twosuperb biographies written in the 1980s by historian William Mancheste
15、r: “ TheLast Lion: Visions of Glory” and “ The Last Lion: Alone.” These two booksexamined the first two-thirds of Churchill s life.Unfortunately, after completing the second volume, Manchester s healthdeclined and the rest of the project stalled. So great was public interestin the long-delayed final
16、 volume that it was the subject of a front pagestory in The New York Times.Eventually, in 2003, Manchester asked his friend Paul Reid to complete thetrilogy. Now, nearly a decade later, Reid has published The Last Lion, thefinal piece of this monumental undertaking. Reid starts when Churchill wasapp
17、ointed prime minister in May 1940 andfollows him through his death in 1965. While most of this volume isappropriately devoted to World War II, it also includes the vast expansionof the British welfare state following the war, the start of the Cold Warand the enormous dangers it carried, and the loss
18、 of the British Empire.Reid has written a thorough and complete analysis of these years, and it isa worthy finale to the first two volumes. Exhaustively researched andcarefully written, it draws on a full range of primary and secondarymaterials. This book will be essential reading for those who enjo
19、yed thefirst two volumes and those with a deep interest in understanding thisseminal figure and his place in history.Reid does a wonderful job of capturing Churchill in all his complexity. Hegives Churchill great praise for his personal courage and inspirationalleadership during the dark days when B
20、ritain stood alone, but he isequally clear about Churchill s poor strategic judgments, such as theefforts to defend Greece and Crete, the Allied assault on Anzio, and thedecision to send the battleship Prince of Wales and battle cruiserRepulse to the South China Sea without adequate air cover where
21、theywere promptly sunk by the Japanese.He highlights Churchill s naivet in dealing with Soviet Premier Stalin inthe early years of the war, but praises his prescience in anticipatingStalin s land grab in Eastern Europe at the end of the conflict. Reid alsogives welcome attention to aspects of the wa
22、r such as Churchill s fearthat the United States might decide to put its primary emphasis on defeatingJapan regardless of the “ Germany first ” understanding he shared withRoosevelt that have received little attention in other books.5. What can be known about the two biographies of Churchill?A. They
23、 were written in an interesting style.B. They were written prior to Churchill s death.C. They are mainly written from a historical point of view.D. They have helped intrigue the readers over a long period.6. Why did the biography once become a front page story in The New York Times?A. People were lo
24、oking forward to the publication of the final volume.B. Readers were angry with the author for the delay of the final volume.C. The publication of the final volume was then a heatedly discussed issue.D. Readers wanted to know who would be the new author of the final volume.7. Why does the third volu
25、me prove to be worthy?A. It is widely read and welcomed by readers.B. It involves enough details in Churchill s life.C. It is based on thorough and reliable research.D. It offers a unique understanding of Churchill.8. What can we know about Churchill through the third volume?A. He is a man with comp
26、lexity.B. He pulled Britain through WWII.C. He made many strategic mistakes.D. He is courageous and inspirational.Passage ThreeAsteroids and comets that repeatedly smashed into the early Earth covered theplanet s surface with molten rock during its earliest days, but still mayhave left oases of wate
27、r that could have supported the evolution of life,scientists say. The new study reveals that during the planet s infancy, thesurface of the Earth was a hellish environment, but perhaps not as hellish asoften thought, scientists added.Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago. The first 500 million ye
28、ars of itslife are known as the Hadean Eon. Although this time amounts to more than 10percent of Earth s history, little is known about it, since few rocks areknown that are older than 3.8 billion years old.For much of the Hadean, Earth and its sister worlds in the inner solar systemwere pummeled wi
29、th an extraordinary number of cosmic impacts. “ It was thoughtthat because of these asteroids and comets flying around colliding with Earth,conditions on early Earth may have been hellish,” said lead study authorSimone Marchi, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute inBoulder, Colo
30、rado. This imagined hellishness gave the eon its name Hadeancomes from Hades, the lord of the underworld in Greek mythology.However, in the past dozen years or so, a radically different picture of theHadean began to emerge. Analysis of minerals trapped within microscopic zirconcrystals dating from t
31、his econ “ suggested that there was liquid water on thesurface of the Earth back then, clashing with the previous picture that theHadean was hellish,” Marchi said. This could explain why the evidence of theearliest life on Earth appears during the Hadean maybe the planet was lessinhospitable during
32、that eon than previously thought.The exact timing and magnitude of the impacts that smashed Earth during theHadean are unknown. To get an idea of the effects of this bombardment, Machiand his colleagues looked at the moon, whose heavily cratered surface helpedmodel the battering that its close neigh
33、bor Earth must have experienced backthen.“ We also looked at highly siderophile elements (elements that bind tightly toiron), such as gold, delivered to Earth as a result of these early collisions,and the amounts of these elements tells us the total mass accreted by Earth asthe results of these coll
34、isions,” Marchi said. Prior research suggests theseimpacts probably contributed less than 0.5 percent of the Earth s present-daymass.The researchers discovered that “ the surface of the Earth during the Hadeanwas heavily affected by very large collisions, by impactors mpkt largerthan 100 kilometers
35、(60 miles) or so really, really big impactors, Marchisaid. “ When Earth has a collision with an object that big, that melts a largevolume of the Earth s crust and mantle, covering a large fraction of thesurface,”Marchi added. These findings suggest that Earth s surface was buried over andover again
36、by large volumes of molten rock enough to cover the surface ofthe Earth several times. This helps explain why so few rock survive from theHadean, the researchers said.9. Why is little known about the Earth s first 500 million years?A. Because it is an imagined period of time.B. Because this period i
37、s of little significance.C. Because it is impossible to know about this period.D. Because no rocks are available as research evidence.10. Why is the early Earth imagined to be hellish?A. Because it was often smashed by asteroids and comets.B. Because back then Hades, the lord of Hell, resigned.C. Be
38、cause it was so according to Greek mythology.D. Because back then there was no life.11. Why was the early Earth in fact less inhospitable than often thought?A. Because minerals of the Hadean have been found suggesting the existenceof life.B. Because the clashing brought by asteroids and comets was n
39、ot completelydamaging.C. Because during the Hadean there already existed the evidence of life.D. Because there had already been liquid water on the Earth back then.12. How can the moon help with the understanding of the impacts that smashed theEarth?A. The moon once smashed into the Earth too.B. The
40、 moon was battered earlier than the Earth.C. The moon, as a close neighbor, is easier to observe.D. The moon s surface is heavily cratered as the Earth s.Passage FourFrom beach balls, pool toys, and jump houses, inflatable technology takes abig step forward for its next frontier: space station. A ne
41、w kind of tech willbe aboard Space X s eighth supply mission to the International Space Station(ISS). A compressed living module will be delivered and attached to thestation where, in the void of space, it will expand into a new habitat forastronauts.Designed by Bigelow Aerospace, the inflatable spa
42、ce habitat is one area NASAis exploring for potential deep space habitats and other advanced spacemissions.“ The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or the BEAM, is anexpandable habitat that will be used to investigate technology andunderstand the potential benefits of such habitats for human missio
43、ns todeep space,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post.The habitats could be a way to “ dramatically increase” the space availablefor astronauts while also offering added protection from the dangers ofspace, like radiation and space debris, the NASA press release says.But how is an
44、 inflatable space station supposed to be a viable means ofhousing for space travelers? BEAMs are far more than balloon-like roomswhere astronauts can take asylum. Technically, the modules don t inflate they expand, according to the company. And beyond just air, the habitatsare reinforced with an int
45、ernal metal structure. The outside is composed ofmultiple layers of material including things like rubber and kevlar toprotect from any speeding debris.Inside SpaceX s Dragon spacecraft on the way to the ISS, the BEAM will beapproximately 8 feet in diameter. It will expand once deployed in space too
46、ffer 565 cubic feet of space for astronauts. “ It ll be the first timehuman beings will actually step inside this expandable habitat in space,”former astronaut George Zamka, who has worked for Bigelow Aerospace, toldUSA Today. “ There won t be this sense of it being like a balloon.”But astronauts wo
47、n t be getting inside the module for some time yet. TheBEAM will be attached to the Tranquility Node and deployed. Inside themodule are a series of tools that will help the crew of the ISS monitordifferent aspects of the expandable area to see how it acts in space. Thecrew will watch heat, radiation
48、, orbital debris, and provide informationabout the viability of using similar modules in the future.The testing is scheduled to go on for a two-year time period, after whichthe module will be released and burn up in the atmosphere. NASA spartnership with Bigelow fits Mr. Bolden s desire to help grow
49、 a robustprivate sector industry to commercialize aspects of space a process hesees as vital if humans want to reach farther cosmic destinations. “ Theworld of low Earth orbit belongs to industry,” Bolden said at a pressconference in January 2015.13. What is special about the new living module on Sp
50、aceX s eighth mission toISS?A) It is expandable. C) It is going to deep space.B) It looks like a toy. D) It will not return to Earth.14. What is the purpose of designing the inflatable space habitat?.A. It is to find out its potential capacity.B. It is to give a try on a new technology.C. It is to s
