1996年全国硕士研究生考试英语试卷及答案

　　Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinklng required in mechanical technology. As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out , "A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process . . . The designer and the inventor . . . are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist. "

　　This nonverbal "spatial" thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing. Robert Fulton once wrote, "The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc. ,like a poet among the letters of the alphabet , considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea. "

　　When all these shaping forces——schools, open attitudes, the premium system, a genius for spatial thinking——interacted with one another on the rich U. S. mainland, they produced that American characteristic , emulation . Today that word implies mere imitation. But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fame and excellence.

　　63. According to the author, the great outburst of major inventions in early America was in a

　　large part due to__

　　(A) elemental'y schools ( B) enthusiastic workers

　　(C) the attractive premium system (D) a special way of thinking

　　64 . It is implied that adaptiveness and inventiveness of the early American mechanics__

　　(A) benefited a lot from their mathematical knowledge

　　(B) shed light on disciplined school management

　　(C) was brought about by privileged home training

　　(D) owed a lot to the technological development

　　65 . A technologist can be compared to an artist because __

　　(A) they are both winners of awards

　　(B) they are both experts in spatial thinking

　　(C) they both abandon verbal description

　　(D) they both use various instruments

　　66. The best title for this passage might be__

　　(A) Inventive Mind (B) Effective Schooling

　　(B) Ways of Thinking (D) Outpouring of Inventions 转贴于：博学在线_考研

责任编辑:慧慧

　　Passage 5

　　Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publisher ' s pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a confused and often unenlightened citizenry that there are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology , geology , and biology have provided a consistent , unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. "Scientific" creationism, which is being pushed by some for "equal time" in the classrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are eivel, is based on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of nonfundamentalist religious leaders have come to regard "scientific" creationism as bad science and bad religion.

　　The first four chapters of Kitcher's book give a very brief introduction to evolution. At ap-

　　propriate places, he introduces the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last

　　three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their

　　programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have expected more Christian behavior.

　　Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of

　　his arguments. The non-specialist wiU be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and

　　argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapter on the creationists will be extremely

　　clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: "This book stands for

　　reason itself. "And so it does-and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creation-

　　ism/evolution debate .

　　67. "Creationism" in the passage refers to__

　　(A) evolution in its true sense as to the origin of the universe

　　(B) a notion of the creation of religion

　　(C) the scientific explanation of the earth formation

　　(D) the deceptive theory about the origin of the universe

　　68. Kitcher's book is intended to __.

　　(A) recommend the views of the evolutionists

　　(B) expose the true features of creationists

　　(C) curse bitterly at this opponents

　　(D) launch a surprise attack on creationists

　　69 From the passage we can infer that__

　　(A) reasoning has played a decisive role in the debate

　　(B) creationists do not base their argument on reasoning

　　(C) evolutionary theory is too difficult for non-specialists

　　(D) creationism is supported by scientific findings

　　70. This passage appears to be a digest of__

　　(A) a book review (B) a scienti