2013考研法硕最新英语模拟试题及答案之阅读理解

　　Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes, 40 points)

　　Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passage is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.

　　Passage One

　　He is a rare celebrity scientist. He's even had a TV cameo role (小角色) in Star Trek in which he plays poker with scientific icons (偶像) Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Yet when asked about comparisons between himself and the two scientists, he calls it all "media hype (炒作)" Once asked how he felt about being labeled the world's smartest person, he responded: "It is very embarrassing. It is rubbish, just media hype. They just want a hero, and I fill the role model of a disabled genius. At least I am disabled, but I am no genius."

　　Hawking has ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neuromuscular disease that progressively weakens muscle control. He gets around in a wheelchair, and after completely losing the use of his vocal chords in an operation to assist his breathing in 1985, he communicates through a computer. A speech synthesizer "speaks" for him after he punches in what he wants to say, selecting words in the computer software by pressing a switch with his hand. Unfortunately, it makes him sound like he has an American accent, he says.

　　Despite his humorous, self-effacing manner, Hawking is one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. Many consider him to be the most brilliant since Einstein. Since 1979, he's held the post of Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University — which was once held by Isaac Newton no less — and has twelve honorary degrees. He's also a best-selling author. His book, A Brief History of Time, has been translated into 33 languages and has sold nine million copies.

　　For much of his academic life, Hawking has been among a group of theoretical physicists searching for a "theory of everything" — one unified scientific theory that explains the big cosmological questions like How did the universe begin? Why is the universe the way it is? and How will it end?

　　You are probably familiar with the existing theories, such as the Big Bang theory. However, these theories are inconsistent with each other. So Hawking — among a group of theoretical physicists---has been on a quest to come up with a theory of quantum (量子) gravity that would incorporate these theories---the theory of everything (TOE) — which would solve the problem of what caused the universe to start expanding.

　　How successful have the world's leading cosmologists been? Hawking predicts we'll have the TOE in the next 20 years.

　　31. From the first paragraph we can see that Hawking ______________.

　　A. is a very famous scientist

　　B. can be compared with Newton and Einstein

　　C. is a very good actor

　　D. has surpassed any scientists known in the world

　　32. In this passage, Hawking appears to be ____________.

　　A. silent and hard working B. humorous, modest and industrious

　　C. confident and proud D. diffident and shy

　　33. Why does Hawking communicate with others through a computer?

　　A. He is too weak to speak.

　　B. He is a computer addict.

　　C. An operation to help his breathing made him unable to pronounce.

　　D. His illness makes him unable to speak.

　　34. The leading theoretical physicists are searching for a "theory of everything" because ____________.

　　A. the existing theories are out of date

　　B. the theories are not enough

　　C. some of the theories are wrong

　　D. the existing theories are somewhat contradictory to each other

　　35. Hawking and his colleagues are working hard to try to find ____________.

　　A. a new theory to replace the Big Bang theory

　　B. a new theory to replace Einstein's general theory of relativity

　　C. a theory that can incorporate the existing theories

　　D. an all-powerful theory that can explain everything in the world

　　Passage Two

　　I have an infatuation (迷恋) with autumn. The colors of the season and the smells, have always thrilled me. I have always found joy in this time of year. The last few autumns of my life, however, I recollect in shades of gray rather than cheerful oranges and yellows.

　　When I became a single mother, every aspect of life took on new meaning. Since I was used to carrying out most of the parental duties without much help during my marriage, I truly did not foresee how different parenting would become after the marriage was over. But suddenly I realized I was a statistic. The daily routine was not changed so much; it was the angle at which I had begun to look at life.

　　I believed my ex-husband's lawyer was tracking every grade the children made, and I was under a microscope in this new town where the children and I moved our "broken home." I feared having to eventually establish my family with each new teacher and each new term as a single-parent family. I just wanted to be us again, without the stigma (耻辱) of the label put on us.

　　During those few gray years, I would reassure myself that soon things would be better, and that I would someday be able to feel whole again. There is no mathematical equation of adults proportioned to children to equal a stable, loving family. Every family has its strengths. In fact, studies show that in families who read together, eat together and communicate openly, children are likely to succeed academically, as well as socially and emotionally. I am sure these habits are just as effective when practiced in single-parent families. I realize now that I am not a statistic. We are an active, vital family in this charming community, where we are not marked by any stigma of any statistics of any focus groups.

　　We are given opportunity, all of us. We are surrounded by beauty and immersed in possibility. There is joy to be found here, in what we see around us and in creating our own rendition of how we want to be seen. There is strength and grace in our own willingness to break free from conformity without falling behind the barriers of self-imposed limitations or preconceived notions of where we should fit in this world according to research.

　　36. What does the last sentence of paragraph one imply?

　　A. The author moved to a new place.

　　B. The climate changed greatly in the last few years.

　　C. In the last few years, the author's mood changed.

　　D. There were some natural disasters.

　　37. After the divorce, ___________.

　　A. there wasn't any change, since she used to play a main part in taking care of the children

　　B. she became interested in statistics

　　C. everything in her life was changed

　　D. it was the way by which she looked at life that changed

　　38. According to the passage, ______________ brought the unpleasant change in her life.

　　A. a kind of discrimination against single-parent families

　　B. her ex-husband

　　C. social scientists

　　D. the feeling about autumn

　　39. In the few gray years, the author __________.

　　A. felt helpless and sad

　　B. had the help from her friends

　　C. never lost hope, and believed that everything would change someday

　　D. became very nervous and silent

　　40. What is the author's main point?

　　A. Every family has its happiness and unhappiness.

　　B. Her family has suffered a lot.

　　C. Her ex-husband is not a good man.

　　D. Every family has its strength and can create its happiness.