资料来源：《考博英语真题解析》育明教育出品，北外夏衍教授主编
更多考博资讯、资料获取、考博课程QQ：547063862 电话：153-1148-1034
针对北京地区院校的考博开设的辅导课程包括：专业课小班课程·一对一课程·视频班·定向保录班·复试保过班。欢迎你的加入，为自己的考博成功打下坚实的基础。
Part II: Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are six passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET.
Passage 1
In 1900 the United States had only three cities with more than a million residents — New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. By 1930, it had ten giant metropolises. The newer ones experienced remarkable growth, which reflected basic changes in the economy.
The population of Los Angeles (114,000 in 1900) rose spectacularly in the early decades of the twentieth century, increasing a dramatic 1,400 percent from 1900 to 1930. A number of circumstances contributed to the meteoric rise of Los Angeles. The agricultural potential of the area was enormous if water for irrigation could be found, and the city founders had the vision and dating to obtain it by constructing a 225-mile aqueduct, completed in 1913, to tap the water of the Owens River. The city had a superb natural harbor, as well as excellent rail connections. The climate made it possible to shoot motion pictures year-round; hence Hollywood. Hollywood not only supplied jobs; it disseminated an image of the good life in Southern California on screens all across the nation. The most important single industry powering the growth of Los Angeles, however, was directly linked to the automobile. The demand for petroleum to fuel gasoline engines led to the opening of the Southern California oil fields, and made Los Angeles North America's greatest refining center.
Los Angeles was a product of the auto age in another sense as well: its distinctive spatial organization depended on widespread private ownership of automobiles. Los Angeles was a decentralized metropolis, sprawling across the desert landscape over an area of 400 square miles. It was a city without a real center. The downtown business district did not grow apace with the city as a whole, and the rapid transit system designed to link the center with outlying areas withered away from disuse. Approximately 800,000 cars were registered in Los Angeles County in 1930, one per 2.7 residents. Some visitors from the east coast were dismayed at the endless urban sprawl and dismissed Los Angeles as a mere collection of suburbs in search of a city. But the freedom and mobility of a city built on wheels attracted floods of migrants to the city.
21. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The growth of cities in the United States in the early 1900's
B. The development of the Southern California oil fields
C. Factors contributing to the growth of Los Angeles
D. Industry and city planning in Los Angeles
22. The author characterizes the growth of new large cities in the United States after 1900 as resulting primarily from ________.
A. new economic conditions
B. images of cities shown in movies
C. new agricultural techniques
D. a large migrant population
23. The word “meteoric” is closest in meaning to ________.
A | rapid | B | famous | C | controversial | D | methodical |
24. According to the passage, the most important factor in the development of agriculture around Los Angeles was the ________.
A. influx of "new residents to agricultural areas near the city
B. construction of an aqueduct
C. expansion of transportation facilities
D. development of new connections to the city's natural harbor
25. The visitors from the east coast mentioned in the passage thought that Los Angeles ________.
A. was not accurately portrayed by Hollywood images
B. lacked good suburban areas in which to live
C. had an excessively large population
D. was not really a single city
Passage 2
Imagine eating everything delicious you want with none of the fat. That would be great, wouldn't it?
New “fake fat” products appeared on store shelves in the United States recently, but not everyone is happy about it. Makers of the products, which contain a compound called olestra, say food manufacturers can now eliminate fat from certain foods, Critics, however, say that the new compound can rob the body of essential vitamins and nutrients and can also cause unpleasant side effects in some people. So it is up to consumers to decide whether the new fat-free products taste good enough to keep eating.
Chemists discovered olestra in the late 1960s, when they were searching for a fat that could be digested by infants more easily. Instead of finding the desired fat, the researchers created a fat that can’t be digested at all.
Normally, special chemicals in the intestines “grab” molecules of regular fat and break them down so they can be used by the body. A molecule of regular fat is made up of three molecules of substances called fatty acids.
The fatty acids are absorbed by the intestines and bring with them the essential vitamins A, D, E and K. When fat molecules are present in the intestines with any of those vitamins, the vitamins attach to the molecules and are carried into the bloodstream.
Olestra, which is made from six to eight molecules of fatty acids, is too large for the intestines to absorb. It just slides through the intestines without being broken down. Manufacturers say it’s that ability to slide unchanged through the intestines that makes olestra so valuable as a fat substitute. It provides consumers with the taste of regular fat without any bad effects on the body. But critics say olestra can prevent vitamins A, D, E, and K from being absorbed. It can also prevent the absorption of carotenoids, compounds that may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, etc.
Manufacturers are adding vitamins A, D, E and K as well as carotenoids to their products now. Even so, some nutritionists are still concerned that people might eat unlimited amounts of food made with the fat substitute without worrying about how many calories they are consuming.
26. We learn from the passage that olestra is a substance that ________.
A. contains plenty of nutrients
B. renders foods calorie-free while retaining their vitamins
C. makes foods easily digestible
D. makes foods fat-free while keeping them delicious
27. The result of the search for an easily digestible fat turned out to be ________.
A. commercially useless
B. just as anticipated
C. somewhat controversial
D. quite unexpected
28. Olestra is different from ordinary fats in that ________?
A. it passes through the intestines without being absorbed
B. it facilitates the absorption of vitamins by the body
C. it helps reduce the incidence of heart disease
D. it prevents excessive intake of vitamins
29. What is a possible effect of olestra according to some critics?
A. It may impair the digestive system.
B. It may affect the overall fat intake.
C. It may increase the risk of cancer.
D. It may spoil the consumers’ appetite.
30. Why are nutritionists concerned about adding vitamins to olestra?
A. It may lead to the over-consumption of vitamins.
B. People may be induced to eat more than is necessary.
C. The function of the intestines may be weakened.
D. It may trigger a new wave of fake food production.