2019年考研英语基础测试题5_第5页

　　Passage Four

　　I needed to get some money, so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget。

　　I could never understand why there were many things in the sales; where did they come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter sack and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds”( clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply。

　　When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there were already queues around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous。

　　When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd crowded in. I couldn’t believe my eyes: this wasn’t shopping, it was a battlefield. One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind。

　　Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to craw through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves。

　　Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper ! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s is happy to turn the expensive store into a battlefield like this。

　　In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was bargain it was OK。

　　You won’t believe this, but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, feeling the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale。

　　36. What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?

　　A. Last summer’s clothes。

　　B. Clothes not in perfect condition。

　　C. Clothes bought in specially for the sales。

　　D. Clothes for winter。

　　37. Which of the following statements is true?

　　A. The customers gave up the manners, which the English are famous for。

　　B. The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted。

　　C. Small children enjoyed crawling through people’s legs。

　　D. The security guards were fearless of the crowd。

　　38. In the author’s opinion, why is Graham’s happy to make the expensive store into a “battlefield”?

　　A. There are too many clothes and they want to clear them in the sales。

　　B. They are eager to show that they are clever at doing business。

　　C. They can take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes。

　　D. They want to make more money by having sales。

　　39. The expression “crashed out ” means 。

　　A. chatted with friends B. slept soundly

　　C. broke down D. dined out

　　40. What would be the best title for the passage?

　　A. The Best Bargain B. Hunting for a Job

　　C. Sale Fever D. A Pleasant FortnighteSectionB

　　Directions: Reading the following text and answer questions by finding a subtitle for each of the marked parts or paragraphs. There are two extra items in the subtitle. Mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET . (10 points)

　　A. The consequence of losing bones

　　B. A better lab than on earth

　　C. Two different cases

　　D. Multiple effects form weightlessness

　　E. How to overcome weightlessness

　　F. Factors that are not so sure

　　During weightlessness, the forces within the body undergo dramatic change. Because the spine is no longer compressed, people grow taller. The lungs, heart and other organs within the chest have no weight, and as a result, the rib cage and chest relax and expand. Similarly, the weights of the liver, kidneys, stomach and bowels disappear. One astronaut said after his flight: “You feel your guts floating up. I found myself tightening my belly, sort of pushing things back。”

　　41.

　　Meanwhile muscles and bones come to be used in different ways. Our muscles are designed to support us when stand or sit upright and to move body parts. But in space, muscles used for support on the ground are no longer needed for that purpose; moreover, the muscles used for movement around a capsule differ from those used for walking down a hall. Consequently, some muscles rapidly weaken. This doesn’t present a problem to space travelers as long as they perform only light work. But preventing the loss of muscle tissue required for heavy work during space walks and preserving muscle for safe return to Earth are the subject of many current experiments。

　　Studies have shown that astronauts lose bone mass from the lower spine, hips and upper leg at a rate of about 1 percent per month for the entire duration of their time in space. Some sites, such as the heel, lose calcium faster than others. Studies of animals taken into space suggest that bone formation also declines。

　　42.

　　Needless to say, these data are indeed cause for concern. During space flight, the loss of bone elevates calcium levels in the body, potentially causing kidney stones and calcium crystals to form in other tissues. Back on the ground, the loss of bone calcium stops within one month, but scientists do not yet know whether the bone recovers completely: too few people have flown in space for long periods. Some bone loss may be permanent, in which case ex-astronauts will always be more prone to broken bones。

　　43.

　　These questions mirror those in our understanding of how the body works here on Earth. For example, elderly women are prone to a loss of bone mass. Scientists understand that many different factors can be involved in this loss, but they do not yet know how the factors act and interact; this makes it difficult to develop an appropriate treatment. So it is with bone loss in space, where the right prescription still awaits discovery。

　　44.

　　Many other body systems are affected directly and indirectly. One example is the lung. Scientists have studied the lung in space and learned much they could not have learned in laboratories on earth. On the ground the top and bottom parts of the lung have different patterns of air flow and blood flow. But are these patterns the result only of gravity, or also of the nature of the lung itself? Only recently have studies in space provided clear evidence for the latter. Even in the absence of gravity, different parts of the lung have different levels of air flow and blood flow。

　　45.

　　Not everything that affects the body during space flight is related solely to weightlessness. Also affected, for example, are the immune system and the multiple systems responsible for the amount and quality of sleep(light levels and work schedules disrupt the body’s normal rhythms). Looking out the spacecraft window just before going to sleep(an action difficult to resist, considering the view) can let enough bright light into the eye to trigger just the wrong brain response, leading to poor sleep. As time goes on, the sleep debt accumulates。

　　For long space voyages, travelers must also face being confined in a tight volume, unable to escape, isolated from the normal life of Earth, living with a small, fixed group of companions who often come from different cultures. These challenges can lead to anxiety, depression, crew tension and other social issues, which affect astronauts just as much as weightlessness—perhaps even more. Because these factors operate at the same time the body is adapting to other environmental changes, it may not be clear which physiological changes result from which factors. Much work rem ains to be done。