07考研英语历年阅读理解真题精析

考研英语历年阅读理解真题精析--2007年

Text 1

If you were to examine the birth certificates of every soccer player in 2006’s World Cup tournament, you would most likely find a noteworthy quirk: elite soccer players are more likely to have been born in the earlier months of the year than in the late months. If you then examined the European national youth teams that feed the World Cup and professional ranks, you would find this strange phenomenon to be ever more pronounced. What might account for this strange phenomenon? Here are a few guesses: a）certain astrological signs confer superior soccer skills; b）winter born babies tend to have higher oxygen capacity, which increases soccer stamina; c）soccer-mad parents are more likely to conceive children in springtime, at the annual peak of soccer mania; d）none of the above. Anders Ericsson, a 58-year-old psychology professor at Florida State University, says he believes strongly in “none of the above.” Ericsson grew up in Sweden, and studied nuclear engineering until he realized he would have more opportunity to conduct his own research if he switched to psychology. His first experiment, nearly 30 years ago, involved memory: training a person to hear and then repeat a random series of numbers. “With the first subject, after about 20 hours of training, his digit span had risen from 7 to 20,” Ericsson recalls. “He kept improving, and after about 200 hours of training he had risen to over 80 numbers.” This success, coupled with later research showing that memory itself is not genetically determined, led Ericsson to conclude that the act of memorizing is more of a cognitive exercise than an intuitive one. In other words, whatever inborn differences two people may exhibit in their abilities to memorize, those differences are swamped by how well each person “encodes” the information. And the best way to learn how to encode information meaningfully, Ericsson determined, was a process known as deliberate practice. Deliberate practice entails more than simply

repeating a task. Rather, it involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome. Ericsson and his colleagues have thus taken to studying expert performers in a wide range of pursuits, including soccer. They gather all the data they can, not just performance statistics and biographical details but also the results of their own laboratory experiments with high achievers. Their work makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert

performers – whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming – are nearly always made, not born.

1. The birthday phenomenon found among soccer players is mentioned to [A] stress the importance of professional training. [B] spotlight the soccer superstars at the World Cup. [C] introduce the topic of what makes expert performance. [D] explain why some soccer teams play better than others. 2. The word “mania” （Line 4, Paragraph 2）most probably means [A] fun. [B] craze. [C] hysteria. [D] excitement. 3. According to Ericsson, good memory

[A] depends on meaningful processing of information. [B] results from intuitive rather than cognitive exercises. [C] is determined by genetic rather than psychological factors. [D] requires immediate feedback and a high degree of concentration. 4. Ericsson and his colleagues believe that

[A] talent is a dominating factor for professional success. [B] biographical data provide the key to excellent performance. [C] the role of talent tends to be overlooked.

[D] high achievers owe their success mostly to nurture.

5. Which of the following proverbs is closest to the message the text tries to convey?

[A] “Faith will move mountains.” [B] “One reaps what one sows.”

[C] “Practice makes perfect.” [D] “Like father, like son.” Unit 14（2007） Part 1

试题解析：

1．【正确答案】【C】

【解析】结构题，题干中的“is mentioned to”表明本题是结构题。本题考查考生对文章第一段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“soccer player”，出自文章第一段第一句话中。文章第一段提到检查足球运动员的出生证明时指出，你最可能发现一种引人注意的巧合——优秀足球运动员更可能出生于每年的前几个月而不是后几个月，第二段接着指出，什么可以解释这种奇怪的现象呢？随后介绍了几种猜测。这说明，提到生日现象是为了引出本文的主题。C为正确选项。第一段中没有提到专业训练，所以A属于无中生有；本文是通过检查世界杯上的足球运动员而得出“生日”现象的，说明B属于本末倒置；文中并没有提到某些足球队比其他足球队表现更好，所以D与文意不符。 2. 【正确答案】【B】

【解析】词义题，题干中的“most probably means”表明本题是词义题。本题考查考生对文章第二段内容的理解。题干中的信号词出自文章第二段最后一句话中。文章第二段首先指出，什么可以解释这种奇怪的现象呢？接着提到了一些猜测，其中的c）指出，热爱足球的父母更可能在春季怀孕，随后提到了该词所在的句子。这说明，该词可能与“soccermad”的意思相近。B是对该词的同义替换，为正确选项。A和C是误解了该词的意思；D不准确。 3. 【正确答案】【A】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“According to Ericsson”表明本题是观点细节题。本题考查考生对文章第三、四段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“Ericsson”和“memory”，出自文章第三、四段。文章第三段提到了有关记忆的试验，第四段介绍了埃里克森有关记忆的结论——记忆过程是一种认知练习，不是一种本能练习；了解如何有目的地解读信息的最佳方法就是一个为人所知的有意练习过程，而有意练习需要的不只是简单地重复一个任务，它涉及到确定明确的目标、获得即时反馈以及注重方法与结果。这说明，他认为，好的记忆力依赖于人们对信息的有目的应用。A为正确选项。B和C明显与文意不符；不准确；与有关的信息是第一段第四句话，而这个假设被一项研究证实是错误的，所以B不对；D是在解释有意练习，与题目的要求不符。 4. 【正确答案】【D】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“Ericsson and his colleagues believe”表明本题是观点细节题。本题考查考生对文章最后一段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“Ericsson and his colleagues”，出自文章最后一段。文章最后一段介绍了埃里克森和他的同事有关成就优秀者的研究，指出，他们的研究得出了一个非常令人惊奇的结论——成就优秀者几乎总是培养的，不是天生的。D为正确选项。A和C与文意相反；B与最后一段第二句话的意思不符。

5. 【正确答案】【C】

【解析】主旨题，题干中的“closest to the message the text tries to convey”表明本题是主旨题。本题考查考生对全文内容的理解。文章通过足球运动员的出生证明引出了本文的主题，随后的段落解释了这种现象，得出的结论是，成就优秀者几乎都是后天培养的，而不是天生的。这说明，本文主要讲的是，优异成就是后天习得的，不是天生的。C为正确选项。A、B和D都是误解了文意。 全文翻译：

如果你打算检查2006年世界杯锦标赛上所有足球运动员的出生证明，那么你最可能发现一种引人注意的巧合：优秀足球运动员更可能出生于每年的前几个月而不是后几个月。如果你检查进入世界杯和职业比赛的欧洲国家青年队的话，那么你会发现这种奇怪的现象甚至更明显。

什么可以解释这种奇怪的现象呢？下面是一些猜测：a）某种占星术征兆使人具备更高的足球技能；b）冬季出生的婴儿往往具有更高的供氧能力，这提高了踢足球的耐力；c）热爱足球的父母更可能在春季（每年足球狂热的鼎盛时期）怀孕；d）以上各项都不是。

安德斯?埃里克森是佛罗里达州立大学的一位58岁的心理学教授，他说，他坚信“以上各项都不是”这一点。埃里克森在瑞典长大，他一直在研究核工程，直到他认识到，如果他转向心理学领域，他会有更多机会从事自己的研究。他的首次试验是在大约30年以前进行的，与记忆有关——训练一个人先听一组任意挑选的数字，然后复述这些数字。“在接受大约20个小时的训练后，第一个试验对象（复述）的数字组合从7个上升到20个，” 埃里克森回忆说。“该试验对象不断进步，在接受大约200个小时的训练后，他复述的数字已经达到80多个。”

这次成功，连同后来证明“记忆本身不是遗传决定的”研究，使得埃里克森得出结论——记忆过程是一种认知练习，不是一种本能练习。换句话说，无论两个人在记忆力方面可能有什么样的天生差异，这些差异都会被每个人如何恰当地“解读”所记的信息所掩盖。埃里克森确信，了解如何有目的地解读信息的最佳方法就是一个为人所知的有意练习过程。有意练习需要的不只是简单地重复一个任务。相反，它涉及到确定明确的目标、获得即时反馈以及注重方法与结果。 因此，埃里克森和他的同事开始研究广泛领域的成就优秀者，包括足球。他们收集了能够收集的所有资料，不只是表现方面的统计数据和传记详细资料，还包括他们自己对取得很高成就的人员进行的实验室实验结果。他们的研究得出了一个非常令人惊奇的结论——我们通常称为才能的特征被高估了。或者，换句话说，成就优秀者（无论是在记忆还是手术方面，在芭蕾还是计算机编程方面）几乎总是培养的，不是天生的。 Text 2

For the past several years, the Sunday newspaper supplement Parade has featured a column called “Ask Marilyn.” People are invited to query Marilyn vos Savant, who at age 10 had tested at a mental level of someone about 23 years old; that gave her an IQ of 228 – the highest score ever recorded. IQ tests ask you to complete verbal and visual analogies, to envision paper after it has been folded and cut, and to deduce numerical sequences, among other similar tasks. So it is a bit confusing when vos Savant fields such queries from the average Joe （whose IQ is 100）as, What’s the difference between love and fondness? Or what is the nature of luck and coincidence? It’s not obvious how the capacity to visualize objects and to figure out numerical patterns suits one to answer questions that have eluded some of the best poets and philosophers.

Clearly, intelligence encompasses more than a score on a test. Just what does it mean to be smart? How much of intelligence can be specified, and how much can we learn about it from neurology, genetics, computer science and other fields?

The defining term of intelligence in humans still seems to be the IQ score, even though IQ tests are not given as often as they used to be. The test comes primarily in two forms: the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales （both come in adult and children’s version）. Generally costing several hundred dollars, they are usually given only by psychologists, although variations of them populate bookstores and the World Wide Web. Superhigh scores like vos Savant’s are no longer possible, because scoring is now based on a statistical population distribution among age peers, rather than simply dividing the mental age by the chronological age and multiplying by 100. Other standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Assessment Test （SAT）and the Graduate Record Exam （GRE）, capture the main aspects of IQ tests. Such standardized tests may not assess all the important elements necessary to succeed in school and in life, argues Robert J. Sternberg. In his article “How Intelligent Is Intelligence Testing?”, Sternberg notes that traditional test best assess analytical and verbal skills but fail to measure creativity and practical knowledge, components also critical to problem solving and life success. Moreover, IQ test do not necessarily predict so well once populations or situations change. Research has found that IQ predicted leadership skills when the tests were given under low-stress conditions, but under high-stress conditions, IQ was negatively correlated with leadership – that is, it predicted the opposite. Anyone who has toiled through SAT will testify that test-taking skill also matters, whether it’s knowing when to guess or what questions to skip.

“twopaycheck”），出自文章第二段第三句话中。文章第二段首先提到了家庭经济状况的变化问题，指出，如今的家庭根据其新的双收入限度安排开支，这就使得它们失去了它们在经济萧条时期曾经有过的缓解举措——如果家庭的主要挣钱者失业了或者病倒了，后备挣钱者可以出去工作，以便帮助家庭渡过难关，但现在不可能这样了。这说明，原因是家庭经济状况的变化更容易影响它们。C为正确选项。文中是说“以前可以维护失业保险或残疾保险提供的安全网”，但并没有说现在没有了安全网，所以A与文意不符；B和D属于无中生有。 12. 【正确答案】【B】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“As a result of...”表明本题是事实细节题。本题考查考生对文章第三段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“President Bush”，出自文章第三段第三句话中。文章第三段首先提到，家庭被要求在其退休收入中承担更多风险，随后指出，在去年的大多数时间里，布什总统一直致力于将社会保险体制转变成一种储蓄存款账户模式，对于更年轻的家庭来说，前景并不是更乐观，卫生保健和家庭承担的份额的绝对成本都上涨了，并且给家庭未来的卫生保健带来许多新投资风险。这说明，退休人员得可靠收入可能更少。B为正确选项。A和D与文意相反；C是误解了该段倒数第二句话中“a large new dose of investment risk for families’future healthcare”这句话的意思。 13. 【正确答案】【D】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“According to the author”表明本题是观点细节题。本题考查考生对文章第三段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“healthsavings plans”，出自文章第三段第五句话中。文章第三段提到健康储蓄计划时指出，最近实施的健康储蓄计划正在从立法机关扩展到沃尔玛的员工，其可减免税高得多，并且给家庭未来的卫生保健带来许多新投资风险。这说明，健康储蓄计划可能增加家庭的卫许多新投资风险。D为正确选项。A与文意相反；B和C属于无中生有。

14. 【正确答案】【C】

【解析】推论题，题干中的“can be inferred”表明本题是推论题。本题考查考生对文章最后一段内容的理解。文章最后一段指出，经济副作用已经开始，政治副作用可能也将开始。由此可知，经济问题可能导致政治问题的出现。C为正确选项。A和B是误解了文意；D属于无中生有。 15. 【正确答案】【B】

【解析】主旨题，题干中的“the best title for this text”表明本题是主旨题。本题考查考生对全文内容的理解。文章第一段指出，中产阶层家庭被经济风险和新现实改变了，如今，一个家庭可能在几个月之内从稳定的中产阶层家庭降格成一个新贫困家庭，随后的段落介绍了造成这种现状的原因。这说明，本文主要是介绍中产阶层面临穷困问题的现象。B为正确选项。本文并不是提请中产阶

层注意什么问题，所以A不能表达本文的主题；本文并没有提到冲突问题，所以C不能表达本文的主题；D属于夸大其词。 全文翻译：

过去十几年里，美国那些曾经可以依靠辛勤劳动和公平条件维持其收入稳定的中产阶层家庭被经济风险和新现实改变了。如今，一份解雇通知书、一个不利的诊断结果或者一个配偶去世都可能在几个月之内将一个家庭从稳定的中产阶层家庭降格成一个新贫困家庭。

就在十几年内，数百万母亲出去工作，改变了根本的家庭经济状况。学者、决策者以及各类批评人士对这些变化的社会意义争论不休，但是，很少有人关注这些变化的副作用——家庭的风险也增加了。如今的家庭根据其新的双收入限度安排开支。因此，它们失去了它们在经济萧条时期曾经有过的缓解举措——一个后备挣钱者（通常是妈妈），如果家庭的主要挣钱者失业了或者病倒了，她可以出去工作。这种“额外工人效应”可以维护失业保险或残疾保险提供的安全网，以便帮助家庭渡过难关。但现在，家庭财产的损失再也不可能通过呆在家里的其他伴侣的额外收入弥补了。

在同一时期，家庭被要求在其退休收入中承担更多风险。钢铁厂的工人、航空公司的职员以及汽车产业的员工成为数百万不得不担心利率、股市波动以及可能比其退休收入存在时间更长的严酷现实的家庭。在去年的大多数时间里，布什总统一直致力于将社会保险体制转变成一种储蓄存款账户模式——要求退休人员将其大多数或所有保障报酬用来交换依靠投资回报所得的报酬。对于更年轻的家庭来说，前景并不是更乐观。卫生保健和家庭承担的份额的绝对成本都上涨了——最近实施的健康储蓄计划正在从立法机关扩展到沃尔玛的员工，其可减免税高得多，并且给家庭未来的卫生保健带来许多新投资风险。甚至人口统计状况也对中产阶层家庭不利，因为有一个体弱、年迈的父（母）亲——以及由此而产生的所有物资和经济援助——的可能性就在十几年内增长了8倍。

从中产阶层家庭的角度来看，大多数情况是可以理解的，这根本不像一种发挥更多支付能力的机会，而是像一种将经济风险大规模转向那些已经负担过重的家庭的令人恐惧的加速。经济副作用已经开始，政治副作用可能也将开始。 Text 4

It never rains but it pours. Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles, and improved their feeble corporation governance, a new problem threatens to earn them – especially in America – the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite: data insecurity. Left, until now, to odd, low-level IT staff to put right, and seen as a concern only of data-rich industries such as banking, telecoms and air travel,

information protection is now high on the boss’s agenda in businesses of every variety.

Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year – from organizations as diverse as Time Warner, the American defense contractor Science Applications International Corp and even the University of California, Berkeley – have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.

“Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other assets, says Haim Mendelson of Stanford University’s business school. “The ability to guard customer data is the key to market value, which the board is responsible for on behalf of shareholders.” Indeed, just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles （GAAP）, perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices, suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School. “Setting the proper investment level for security, redundancy, and recovery is a management issue, not a technical one,” he says. The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss. Surely it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that trust, that most valuable of economic assets, is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore – and that few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands. The current state of affaires may have been encouraged – though not justified – by the lack of legal penalty （in America, but not Europe）for data leakage. Until California recently passed a law, American firms did not have to tell anyone, even the victim, when data went astray. That may change fast: lots of proposed data-security legislation is now doing the rounds in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the theft of information about some 40 million credit-card accounts in America, disclosed on June 17th, overshadowed a hugely important decision a day earlier by America’s Federal Trade Commission （FTC）that puts corporate America on notice that regulators will act if firms fail to provide adequate data security. 16. The statement “It never rains but it pours” is used to introduce [A] the fierce business competition. [B] the feeble boss-board relations.

[C] the threat from news reports. [D] the severity of data leakage.

17. According to Paragraph 2, some organizations check their systems to find out

[A] whether there is any weak point. [B] what sort of data has been stolen.

[C] who is responsible for the leakage. [D] how the potential spies can be located.

18. In bringing up the concept of GASP the author is making the point that [A] shareholders’ interests should be properly attended to. [B] information protection should be given due attention.

[C] businesses should enhance their level of accounting security. [D] the market value of customer data should be emphasized. 19. According to Paragraph 4, what puzzles the author is that some bosses fail to

[A] see the link between trust and data protection. [B] perceive the sensitive of personal data.

[C] realize the high cost of data restoration. [D] appreciate the economic value of trust.

20. It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that [A] data leakage is more severe in Europe.

[B] FTC’s decision is essential to data security. [C] California takes the lead in security legislation.

[D] legal penalty is a major solution to data leakage. Unit 14（2007） Part 4 试题解析：

16. 【正确答案】【D】

【解析】结构题，题干中的“is used to introduce”表明本题是结构题。本题考查考生对文章第一段内容的理解。题干中的信号句出自文章第一段第一句话中。文章第一段首先提到，这里从不下雨，但却下倾盆大雨，随后引出了人们面临的一个新问题——信息的不安全性，接着具体介绍了这个问题。这说明，这个

句子被用来介绍信息不安全的问题。D为正确选项。A、B和C都是误解了作者的意图。

17. 【正确答案】【A】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“According to Paragraph 2”表明本题是事实细节题。本题考查考生对文章第二段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“some

organizations”，出自文章第二段中。文章第二段指出，好几次消费者和员工信息的重大泄密事件使得管理人员匆忙检查其复杂的信息系统和商业程序，以便寻找可能的弱点，接着介绍了发生泄密事件的机构。这说明，这些机构检查系统的目的是为了查明系统是否有弱点。A为正确选项。B和C与文意不符；D属于无中生有。

18. 【正确答案】【B】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“the author is making the point”表明本题是观点细节题。本题考查考生对文章第三段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“GASP”，出自文章第三段第三句话中。文章第三段首先提到，保护消费者信息的能力是市场价值的关键因素，这是董事会应该为了股东的利益而承担的责任，接着指出，正如存在公认的会计原则观念一样，现在可能是采取公认的安全措施的时候了。这说明，作者认为，现在应该采取措施保护消费者的信息。B为正确选项。A和D不准确；C属于无中生有。 19. 【正确答案】【A】

【解析】细节题，题干中的“According to Paragraph 4”表明本题是事实细节题。本题考查考生对文章第四段内容的理解。文章第四段指出，对于所有老板来说，这可能是一个意外，对于最怀疑的管理人员来说，诚信被轻易破坏，而要恢复诚信却代价高昂，此外，很少有什么比一个公司听任敏感的个人信息落入不妥当人之手更可能破坏诚信的了。这说明，作者感到迷惑的是，这些老板宁可让敏感的个人信息落入不妥当人之手，也要保护诚信，说明他们不了解诚信与信息保护之间的关系。A为正确选项。D与文意相反；B和C明显与文意不符。 20. 【正确答案】【D】

【解析】推论题，题干中的“can be inferred”表明本题是推论题。本题考查考生对文章第五段内容的理解。文章前面的段落介绍了信息泄露问题，第五段指出，这类事情的现状可能受到缺乏有关信息泄露的法律处罚的激励，而这种情况可能迅速改变，随后提到了可能实施的相关法律。由此可知，法律手段可能是解决信息泄露问题的关键。D为正确选项。A和C属于无中生有；B与该段最后一句话的意思不符。 全文翻译：

不雨则已，一雨倾盆。就在老板和董事会最终挑选出其最严重的清算帐目和顺从问题、改善其无效的公司管理之际，一个新问题预示着有为他们——尤其是在美国——赢得那种令人不愉快的头条新闻的危险，这些头条新闻不可避免地给这些领导者带来管理方面的附属品——信息的不安全性。迄今为止，信息保护工作一直被留给临时的、低层次的信息技术人员承担，并且只被看成是信息资源丰富产业所关切的一个问题，比如银行业、电信业以及航空旅行产业，如今，信息保护成为各类商业老板的议事日程中需要优先考虑的问题。

今年，好几次消费者和员工信息的重大泄密事件使得管理人员匆忙检查其复杂的信息系统和商业程序，以便寻找可能的弱点——这些泄密事件发生在像时代华纳、美国国防部承包人科学应用国际公司以及加州大学伯克利分校这样的不同机构。

“信息正在成为一种需要像保护其他财产一样而保护的财产，”斯坦福大学商学院的海姆?门德尔森说。“保护消费者信息的能力是市场价值的关键因素，这是董事会应该为了股东的利益而承担的责任”。纽约哥伦比亚商学院的埃尼?诺姆暗示，实际上，正如存在公认的会计原则观念一样，现在可能是采取公认的安全措施的时候了。“为安全、备份以及恢复确定适当的投资标准是一个管理问题，不是技术问题，”他说。

其神秘在于，对于所有老板来说，这可能是一个意外。当然，对于最怀疑的管理人员来说，显而易见的应该是，诚信（最珍贵的经济财产）被轻易破坏，而要恢复诚信却代价高昂，此外，很少有什么比一个公司听任敏感的个人信息落入不妥当人之手更可能破坏诚信的了。

这类事情的现状可能受到缺乏有关信息泄露的法律处罚（在美国，不是在欧洲）的激励，尽管没有证据证明泄露为合法。直到加利福尼亚最近通过了一项法律，美国的公司才不必告知任何人信息何时泄露的，甚至包括受害者的信息。这种情况可能迅速改变：如今，许多被提议的信息保护立法正在华盛顿特区讨论。同时，6月17日有关偷窃大约4000万信用卡账户信息这种事件的披露使得一天前美国商务委员会的一个重要决定黯然失色，该决定提请全美国注意，如果公司没有提供适当的信息安全保护措施，那么管理人员就会采取行动。

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