[研究生入学考试题库]考研英语(二)分类模拟题5.docx

[研究生入学考试题库]考研英语(二)分类模拟题5Reading Comprehension No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying often attributed to the late Duchess of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times. Being thin is deemed as such a virtue. The problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it. I myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer clothes. Consequently, I have been on a diet for the better—or worse—part of my life. Being rich wouldn't be bad either, but that won't happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land, leaving me millions of dollars. Where did we go off the track? When did eating butter become a sin, and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing, if not repellent? All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating and excessive eating is one of Christianity's seven deadly, sins. However, until quite recently, most people had a problem getting enough to eat. In some religious groups, wealth was a symbol of probable salvation and high morals, and fatness a sign of wealth and well-being. Today the opposite is true. We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue. The result is that being fat—or even only somewhat overweight—is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength. Our obsession with thinness is also fueled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more overweight people than ever before, and that, in many cases, being overweight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. These diseases, however, may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excess weight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem—too much fat and a lack of fiber—than a weight problem. The real concern, then, is not that we weigh too much, but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well. Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced diet without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases. We should surely stop paying so much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough. It is actually hazardous if those who get (or already are) thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from paying attention to their overall life-style. Thinness can be pure vainglory. 1. In the eyes of the author, an odd phenomenon nowadays is that ______.A.the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtueB.looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortuneC.being thin is viewed as a much desired qualityD.religious people are not necessarily virtuous答案:C2. Swept by the prevailing trend, the author ______.A.had to go on a diet for the greater part of her lifeB.could still prevent herself from going off the trackC.had to seek help from rich distant relativesD.had to wear highly fashionable clothes答案:A3. In human history, people's views on body weight ______.A.were closely related to their religious beliefsB.changed from time to timeC.varied between the poor and the richD.led to different moral standards答案:A4. The author criticizes women's obsession with thinness ______.A.from an economic and educational perspectiveB.from sociological and medical points of viewC.from a historical and religious standpointD.in the light of moral principles答案:B5. What's the author's advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?A.They should be more concerned with their overall lifestyle.B.They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.C.They should gain weight to look healthy.D.They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.答案:A When global warming finally came, it stuck with a vengeance. In some regions, temperatures rose several degrees in less than a century. Sea levels shot up nearly 400 feet, flooding coastal settlements and forcing people to migrate inland. Deserts spread throughout the world as vegetation shifted drastically in North America, Europe and Asia. After driving many of the animals around them to near extinction, people were forced to abandon their old way of life for a radically new survival strategy that resulted in widespread starvation and disease. The adaptation was farming: the global-warming crisis that gave rise to it happened more than 10,000 years ago. As environmentalists convene in Rio de Janeiro this week to ponder the global climate of the future, earth scientists are in the midst of a revolution in understanding how climate has changed in the past—and how those changes have transformed human existence. Researchers have begun to piece together an illuminating picture of the powerful geological and astronomical forces that have combined to change the planet's environment from hot to cold, wet to dry and back again over a time period stretching back hundreds of millions of years. Most important, scientists are beginning to realize that the cli。