2010年11月6日学位北京英语考试A卷真题

2010年11月6日学位北京英语考试A卷真题Questions1to5arebasedonthefollowingpassage:Archaeology,likemanyacademicwords,comesfromGreekandmeans,moreorless,“thestudyofoldthings”.So,itisreallyapartofthestudyofhistory.However,mosthistoriansusepaperevidence,suchasletters,paintingsandphotographs，butarchaeologists(考古学家)learnfromtheobjectsleftbehindbythehumansoflongago.Normally,thesearethehardmaterialsthatdon'tbreakdownordisappearveryquickly—thingslikehumanbonesandobjectsmadefromstoneandmetal.Itisveryunusualtofindanythingmorethanthehardevidenceofhistory--normally,thebacteria(细菌)intheaireatawayatsoftmaterials,likebodies,clothesandthingsmadeofwood.Occasionally,thingsaredifferent.In1984,twomenmadeanamazingdiscoverywhileworkinginabogcalledLindowMoss,inthenorthofEngland.Abogisaverywetareaofearth,withalotofplantsgrowinginit.Itcanbelikeaverybigandverythickvegetablesoup—walkinthewrongplaceandyoucansinkanddisappearforever.Themenwereworkingwhenoneofthemsawsomethingstickingout—ahumanfoot!Naturally,themencalledthepolice，whothenfoundtherestofthebody.Wasitacaseofmurder?Possibly--butitwasadeathnearlytwothousandyearsold.ThetwomenhadfoundabodyfromthetimeoftheRomaninvasionofBritain.Despitebeingsoold,thisbodyhadskin,muscles,hairandinternalorgans—thescientistswhoexaminedhimwereabletolookinsidetheman'sstomachandfindthefoodthathehadeatenforhislastmeal!Whywasthismansowellpreserved?(76)Itwasbecausehewasinaverywateryenvironment,safefi:omthebacteriathatneedoxygentolive.Also,thewaterinthebogwasveryacidic.Theacidpreservedtheman'sskininthewaythatanimalskinispreservedforleathercoatsandshoes.Howdidhedie?Understandably,archaeologistsandotherscientistswantedtoknowmoreaboutthepersonthattheycalled,“LindowMan”.(77)Hishandsandfingernailssuggestedthathehadn'tdoneheavymanualworkinhislife—hecouldhavebeenarichman.Theyfoundthathehadn'tdiedbyaccident.Thearchaeologistsbelievethathewassacrificedtothreedifferentgods.1.Whichlanguagedoestheword“archaeology”comefrom?A.French.B.Greek.C.Roman.D.German.2.Theword“these”inthefirstparagraphrefersto_______.A.lettersB.photographsC.paintingsD.objects3.Whichofthefollowinghelpedtopreserve“LindowMan”?A.IceandIowtemperature.B.Bacteriaandoxygen.C.Soilandenergy.D.Acidandwater.4.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE?A.“LindowMan”wasnamedafterthepersonwhofirstfoundhim.B.Historiansusuallyusepaperevidence,whilearchaeologistsusehardevidence.C.“LindowMan”wasfoundbytwoarchaeologistsinthesouthofEngland.D.“LindowMan”wasgoodatmanualwork.5.Whichisthebesttitleforthepassage?A.WhatIsArchaeology?B.ArchaeologyandHistoryC.AnAmazingArchaeologicalDiscoveryD.TheDeathof“LindowMan”Passage2Questions6to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage:Thecityhasalwaysbeenanengineofintellectuallife,fromthe18th-centurycafesofLondon,wherecitizensgatheredtodiscusschemistryandpolitics,totheLeftBankbarsofmodernParis,wherePicassotalkedaboutmodemart.Withoutthemetropolis,wemightnothavehadthegreatartofShakespeare.Andyet,citylifeisn'teasy.Nowscientistshavebeguntoexaminehowthecityaffectsthebrain,andtheresultsaredepressing.Justbeinginanurbanenvironment,theyhavefound,impairs(损害)ourbasicmentalprocesses.(78)Afterspendingafewminutesonacrowdedcitystreet,thebrainislessabletoholdthingsinmemory,andsuffersfromreducedself-control.Whileit'slongbeenrecognizedthatcitylifeisexhausting,thisnewresearchsuggeststhatcitiesactuallydullourthinking,sometimesdramaticallyso.Oneofthemainforcesatworkisacompletelackofnature,whichissurprisinglybeneficialforthebrain.Studieshavedemonstrated,forinstance,thathospitalpatientsrecovermorequicklywhentheycanseetreesfromtheirwindows,andthatwomenlivinginpublichousingarebetterabletofocuswhentheirapartmentsoverlookalawn.Eventheseglimpsesofnatureimprovebrainperformance,itseems,becausetheyprovideamentalbreakfromtheurbanlife.Thisresearcharrivesjustashumanscrossanimportantmilestone(里程碑).Forthefirsttimeinhistory,themajorityofpeopleliveincities.Insteadofinhabitingwide-openspaces,we'recrowdedintoconcretejungles,surroundedbytrafficandmillionsofStrangers.Inrecentyears,it'sbecomeclearthatsuchunnaturalsurroundingshaveimportantimplicationsforourmentalandphysicalhealth,andcanpowerfullyalterhowwethink.Thisresearchisalsoleadingsomescientiststodabble(涉足)inurbandesign,astheylookforwaystomakethecitylessdamagingtothebrain.(79)Thegoodnewsisthatevenslightalterations,suchasplantingmoretreesintheinnercityorcreatingurbanparkswithagreatervarietyofplants,cansignificantlyreducethenegativesideeffectsofcitylife.Themindneedsnature,andevenalittlebitcanbeabighelp.6.Whichofthefollowingisthemainideaofthispassage?A.Thecityinspirestalentedpeople.B.Thecityhurtsyourbrain.C.Thecityhasmanypleasuresandbenefits.D.Thecityseriouslyaffectsthenaturalbalance.7.Theword“metropolis”inthefirstparagraphisclosestinmeaningto_______.A.citizenB.natureC.cityD.stress8.Peoplehavejustcometorealizethat_______.A.humanattentionisascarceresourceB.citylifecanmakepeopleverytiredC.thecityisanengineofintellectuallifeD.anurbanenvironmentisdamagingtothebrain9.Whatisthefactormentionedinthethirdparagraphthathelpsthehospitalpatientsrecovermoreq