四川大学2012考博英语真题及答案详解（上）

四川大学2012考博英语真题及答案详解

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1）Signhas become a scientific hot button. Only in the past 20 years have specialistsin language study realized that signed languages are unique—a speech of thehand. They offer a new way to probe how the brain generates and understandslanguage, and throw new light on an old scientific controversy: whetherlanguage, complete with grammar, is something that we are born With, or whetherit is a learned behavior. The current interest in sign language has roots inthe pioneering work of one rebel teacher at Gallaudet Universityin Washington, D. C., the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf people.
When Bill Stokoe went to Gallaudet to teach English, the school enrolled him ina course in signing. But Stokoe noticed something odd: among themselves,students signed differently from his classroom teacher.
Stokoe had been taught a sort of gestural code, each movement of the handsrepresenting a word in English. At the time, American Sign Language (ASL) wasthought to be no more than a form of pidgin English (混杂英语). ButStokoe believed the “hand talk” his students used looked richer. He wondered:Might deaf people actually: have a genuine language? And could that language beunlike any other on Earth? It was 1955, when even deaf people dismissed theirsigning as “substandard”. Stokoe’s idea was academic heresy (异端邪说).
It is 37 years later. Stokoe—now devoting his time to writing and editing booksand journals and to producing video materials on ASL and the deaf culture—ishaving lunch at a cafe near the Gallaudet campus and explaining how he starteda revolution. For decades educators fought his idea that signed languages arenatural languages like English, French and Japanese. They assumed language mustbe based on speech, the modulation (调节) ofsound. But sign language is based on the movement of hands, the modulation ofspace. “What I said,” Stokoe explains, “is that language is not mouthstuff—it’s brain stuff.”
21. The study of sign language is thought to be _____C___.
A) a new way to look at the learning of language
B) a challenge to traditional, views on the nature of language
C) an approach: to simplifying the grammatical structure of a language
D) an attempt to clarify misunderstanding about the origin of language（C）
22. The, present growing interest in sign language was stimulated by ___C_____.
A) a famous scholar in the study of the human brain
B) a leading specialist in the study of liberal arts
C) an English teacher in a university for the deaf
D) some senior experts in American Sign Language（C）
23. According to Stokoe, sign language is _____B___.
A) a Substandard language
B) a genuine language
C) an artificial language
D) an international language（B）
24. Most educators objected to Stokoe’s idea because they thought _____D___.
A) sign language was not extensively used even by deaf people
B) sign language was too artificial to be widely accepted
C) a language should be easy to use and understand
D) a language could only exist in the form of speech sounds（D）
25. Stokoe’s argument is based on his belief that ____D____.
A) sign language is as efficient as any other language
B) sign language is derived from natural language
C) language is a system of meaningful codes
D) language is a product of the brain（D）

2）Itwas the worst tragedy in maritime history, six times more deadly than theTitanic. When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoesfired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than10,000 people-mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Armypush into Nazi Germany-werepacked aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that senthundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted and began to godown. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded foughtoff those in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard.Most people froze immediately. I’ll never forget the screams,” says ChristaNtitzmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship,brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave-and into seeming nothingness, rarelymentioned for more than half a century.
Now Germany’sNobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000dead, including more than 4,000 children-with his latest novel Crab Walk,published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesn’tdwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives thecatastrophe only to say later: “Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in theWest (of Germany)and not at all in the East.” The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in arecent interview with the weekly Die Woche: “Because the crimes we Germans areresponsible for were and are so dominant, we didn’t have the energy left totell of our own sufferings.”
The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probablyunavoidable-and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their country’smonstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to winacceptance abroad, marginalize the neo-Nazis at home and make peace with theirneighbors. Today’s unified Germanyis more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history.For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful memories like theGerman Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the mostpolitically correct Germans believe that they’ ye now earned the right todiscuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that ofits victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy.
31. Why does the author say the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was the worsttragedy in maritime history? （B）
A) It was attacked by Russian torpedoes.
B) It caused the largest number of casualties.
C) Most of its passengers were frozen to death.
D) Its victims were mostly women and children.
32. Hundreds of families dropped into the sea when ___（A）_____.
A) the badly damaged ship leaned toward one side
B) a strong ice storm tilted the ship
C) the cruise ship sank all of a sudden
D) the frightened passengers fought desperately for lifeboats
33. The Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy was little talked about for more than half acentury because Germans _____（D）___.
A) were eager to win international acceptance
B) had been pressured to keep silent about it
C) were afraid of offending their neighbors
D) felt guilty for their crimes in World War II
34. How does Gunter Grass revive the memory of the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy? （D）
A) By describing the ship’s sinking in great detail.
B) By giving an interview to the weekly Die Woche.
C) By presenting the horrible scene of the torpedo attack.
D) By depicting the survival of a young pregnant woman.
35. It can be learned from the passage that Germans no longer think that ____（C）____.
A) the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy is a reasonable price to pay for the nation’spast misdeeds
B) Germany is responsible for the horrible crimes it committed in World War II
C) they will be misunderstood if they talk about the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy
D) it-is wrong to equate their sufferings with those of other countries

）Thereare people in Italy who can’t stand soccer. Not all Canadians love hockey. Asimilar situation exists in America,where there are those individuals you may be one of them who yawn or even frownwhen somebody mentions baseball. 『Baseballto them means boring hours watching grown men in funny tight outfits standingaround in a field staring away while very little of anything happens.』①They tell you it’s a game better suited to the 19th century, slow, quiet,gentlemanly. These are the same people you may be one of them who love footballbecause there’s the sport that glorifies “the hit”.
Bycontrast, baseball seems abstract, cool, silent, still.

OnTV the game is fractured into a dozen perspectives, replays, closeups. Thegeometry of the game, however, is essential to understanding it. You willcontemplate the game from one point as a painter does his subject; you may, ofcourse, project yourself into the game. It is in this projection that the gameaffords so much space and time for involvement. The TV won’t do it for you.

Take,for example, the third baseman. You sit behind the third base dugout and youwatch him watching home plate. His legs are apart, knees flexed. His arms hangloose. He does a lot of this. The skeptic still cannot think of any othersports so still, so passive. 『But watch what happens everytime the pitcher throws: the third baseman goes up on his toes, flexes his armsor bring the glove to a point in front of him, takes a step right or left,backward or forward, perhaps he glances across the field to check his firstbaseman’s position.』②Suppose the pitch is a ball. “Nothing happened,” you say. “I could have had myeyes closed.”

Theskeptic and the innocent must play the game. And this involvement in the standsis no more intellectual than listening to music is. Watch the third baseman.Smooth the dirt in front of you with one foot; smooth the pocket in your glove;watch the eyes of the batter, the speed of the bat, the sound of horsehide onwood. If football is a symphony of movement and theatre, baseball is chambermusic, a spacious interlocking of notes, chores and responses.

1.The passage is mainly concerned with .
A.the different tastes of people for sports
B.the different characteristics of sports
C.the attraction of football
D.the attraction of baseball

2.Those who don’t like baseball may complain that .
A.it is only to the taste of the old
B.it involves fewer players than football
C.it is not exciting enough
D.it is pretentious and looks funny

3.The author admits that .
A.baseball is too peaceful for the young
B.baseball may seem boring when watched on TV
C.football is more attracting than baseball
D.baseball is more interesting than football

4.By stating “I could have had my eyes closed. ” the author means (4th paragraphlast sentence):
A.The third baseman would rather sleep than play the game.
B.Even if the third baseman closed his eyes a moment ago, it could make nodifferent to the result.
C.The third baseman is so good at baseball that he could finish the game witheyes closed all the time and do his work well.
D.The consequent was too bad he could not bear to see it.

5.We can safely conclude that the author .
A.likes footballB. hates football
C.hates baseballD. likes baseball

Vocabulary
1.dugout n.　棒球场边供球员休息的地方
2.pitcher n.　投手
3.symphony n.　交响乐
4.chamber n.　室内
5.contemplate vt.沉思，注视

　　长难句解析
①【解析】此句的主干是“Baseball…means…watching…”，其中“infunny tight outfits”用来修饰“grown men”,“standing…”和“staring”用来做“grownmen”的定语。
　　【译文】对于他们来说，棒球就是在无聊的几个小时中几个身着紧身衣的大人伫立在场地周围没事可做地东张西望。
②【解析】这是一个复合句，“goesup…”，“flexes…”“takes…”，“glances…”做“thethird baseman”的并列谓语。
　　【译文】但每当投球手掷出球的那一瞬间，你再看吧，三垒运动员脚尖点地，屈臂或把接球手套直指前方，左右移动步伐，或前或后，或许他还要越过场地盯着一垒球手的动作。

　　答案与详解
　　【短文大意】本文主要讲述垒球的特征及欣赏。
1.D主旨题。文章第一段简述了人们对垒球所持的偏见——认为它毫无活力、从容和缓，不像橄榄球那样高潮迭起、令人激动。文章的第二、三、四、五段探讨了垒球的根本特征及欣赏角度，文章的最后一句话用一个比喻概括了垒球的魅力：“如果橄榄球是一曲交响乐的话，那么，垒球中所表现出来的运动恰似一曲优美的室内乐。”可见，本文主要探讨的是垒球的特点及其欣赏。A不对，第一段也确实提到了不同观众对不同运动形式的偏好，但这只是用以引出对垒球的特征及欣赏的讨论。
2.C细节题。文章第一段指出：许多人不喜欢垒球，一提起垒球这些人就打哈欠甚至皱眉头。对他们来说，看垒球意味着眼巴巴地观望着身着运动装(outfit)的人呆立在球场上，东瞧瞧西望望，很少有什么(激动人心的)事发生——没意思透了。他们认为这样的运动更适合上个世纪的人的口味，不像橄榄球那样充满活力。A意为：“它只适合老年人的口味。”注意：原文说的是适合上个世纪的人的口味，二者意味不一样。D意为：“它矫揉造作、滑稽可笑。”这与说它gentlemanly(具有绅士风度，矜持，即：没有冲撞或拼抢)不一样。
3.B推断题。第三段指出，在电视上，垒球运动被切换成不同角度的画面，而且不断地使用重放、特写等电视制作技术，这破坏了该运动的整体运动感，使观众无法将自己投入(project)到运动中去，以体会到这种寓动于静的运动之美。电视做不到这一点(TheTV won’t do it for you)，因此，电视上的垒球比赛看上去(seems)孤孤单单、冷冷清清、沉沉静静、慢慢腾腾。C、D不对，作者仅指出了不同运动有不同运动的特征，并未说哪种运动优于哪种。参阅文章最后一句。
4.B推断题。第四段整个都在描述垒球场上的一个场景：拿三垒的运动员假设对方全投出好球，作好了一切准备，但是对方投出的并不是好球。所以在那时候他的准备做不做都不会影响比赛结果。他说本来可以闭上眼睛，意思就是B项所写的。A、C、D都不符合作者的意图。这道题需要完整地了解第四段内容才能作好选择。
5.D推断题。在本文中，作者主要探讨了垒球的特征及欣赏，作者着重指出的是：只有根据垒球的特征来欣赏它，才能体会到它的魅力。在他看来，观察到垒球比赛中运动员的各种动作、垒球位之间的关系等是欣赏它的关键(第三段第二句)。只有从整体来把握它，才能看到每一个小的动作、每一个眼神乃至于“静止”的意义，也只有这样，才能全身心地投入比赛中，欣赏到它的魅力。可见，作者对垒球有很深的理解而且非常喜爱垒球。主要参考第三、四、五段。
Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W.Taborand his second wife,Elizabeth McCourt,better known as “Baby Doe”.Their historyis fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West.Horace Austin Warner Taborwas a school teacher in Vermont.With his first wife and two children he leftVermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas.Perhaps he did not findfarming to his liking,or perhaps he was lured by rumors of fortunes to be madein Colorado mines.At any rate,a few years later he moved west to the smallColorado mining camp known as California Gulch,which he later renamed Leadvillewhen he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to befound here.”he said.

Asit turned out,it was silver,not lead,that was to make Leadville’s fortune andwealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself,so he opened a generalstore,which sold everything from boots to salt,flour,and tobacco.『It washis custom to “grubstake” prospective miners,in other words,to supply them withfood and supplies,or “grub”, while they looked for ore,in return for which hewould get a share in the mine if one was discovered.』①Hedid this for a number of years,but no one that he aided ever found anything ofvalue.

Finallyone day in the year 1878,so the story goes,two miners came in and asked for“grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too muchmoney that way.These were persistent, however,and Tabor was too busy to arguewith them. “Oh help yourself.One more time won’t make any difference,” He saidand went on selling shoes and hats to other customers.the two miners took $17worth of supplies,in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest intheir findings.They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began todig.After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver.Tabor bought the sharesof the other two men,and so the mine belonged to him alone.This mine,known asthe “Pittsburgh Mine,” made 1 300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17investment.

LaterTabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside thetown for $117 000.This turned out to be even more fabulous than thePittsburgh,yielding $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time.Leadvillegrew.Tabor became its first mayor,and later became lieutenant governor of thestate.

1.Leadvillegot its name for the following reasons EXCEPT.
A.becauseTabor became its leading citizen
B.becausegreat deposits of lead is expected to be found there
C.becauseit could bring good fortune to Tabor
D.becauseit was renamed

2.Theword “grubstake” in paragraph 2 means.
A.tosupply miners with food and supplies
B.toopen a general store
C.todo one’s contribution to the development of the mine
D.tosupply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine,ifone was discovered

3.Tabormade his first fortune.
A.bysupplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest inthe findings
B.becausehe was persuaded by the two miners to quit supplying
C.bybuying the shares of the other
D.asa land speculator

4.The underlying reason for Tabor’s life career is.
A.purely accidental
B.based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility ofdiscovering profitable mining site
C.through the help from his second wife
D.he planned well and accomplished targets step by step

5.Ifthis passage is the first part of an article,who might be introduced in thefollowing part?
A.Tabor’slife.
B.Tabor’ssecond wife,Elizabeth McCourt.
C.Othercolorful characters.
D.Tabor’sother careers.

Vocabulary
1.barrenadj. 贫瘠的
2.fabulousadj. 神话般的，难以置信的
3.lurevt.诱惑，引诱
4.depositn.沉淀，储蓄
5.grubstakev.下注

　　长难句解析
①【解析】“It”是形式主语，真正的主语是“to”后面的句子，“while”引导时间状语从句。
　　【译文】他的通常做法是对来采矿的人“下注”，说得更明确一点就是泰勃供给这些人食品、用品等物品，作为回报，当他们采到矿后就会分给他一部分股份。

　　答案与详解
　　【短文大意】本文主要讲述霍塞斯·奥斯汀·沃纳·泰勃发家的故事。
1.C细节题。因为Leadville可以为Tabor带来巨富。这一点不是Leadville得名的原因，因为在文章第二段中，讲到这一点时，提及三个原因：A.因为Tabor成为当地的居民代表人物，B.因为在Leadville有丰富的铅的储藏量。D.因为Leadville是因为Tabor重要而起的名，唯独C没有，因为到后来发现是银矿才给他带来巨富。
2.D词汇题。第二段中grubstake的词义与D所述内容是相同的，即“供给探矿者资金，衣物，食品以及其他物品”。(可参阅英华大辞典修订第二版64页)但此处还补充地讲，作为回报，供给者可以获得矿中资源一定份额。(见文章第二段第4行)
3.A细节题。Tabor第一次真正发财是他为两名矿工提供资助，为此他获得他们矿资源三分之一的股份。见文章第三段4-9行内容：两名开矿者从Tabor那儿借走价值17美元的物品，作为回报，Tabor获得他们矿资源三分之一股份。于是两位开矿者在一座山旁的不毛之地开始挖掘，九天之后，发现了银的富矿，于是Tabor又将两人的股份全买下，这样，银矿属于Tabor一个人所有，这个矿就是后来著名的“匹兹堡”矿。Tabor用17美元的投资换来了130万美元的收获。
4.B推断题。由原文可知泰勃的财产来源是有一定偶然性的，但是毕竟也是基于他开创的“grubstake”模式，因为A、D都不对，C更是没有根据，因为他还没有娶第二位夫人这一切就发生了。分析泰勃的做法，会得出B选项所示的结论。
5.B推断题。如果本文是一篇文章的第一部分，那么在文章的第二部分将介绍谁呢?key可以从文章第一句分析出来，在Leadville的黄金年代，其多彩的特点当中，Tabor及其第二任妻子ElizabethMcCourt是值得大书特书的，接着，文章都在讲述有关H.A.W.Tabor发家致富的历史，如先买下匹兹堡矿，后又买下Matchless矿，最后成为市长，代理州长，等等，所以涉及到的全是男主人公，因此下边再讲的话，应成为女主人公即ElizabethMcCourt的天地了，她是Tabor的第二任妻子。这是顺理成章的事
5)

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四川大学2012考博英语真题及答案详解（上）

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