2016年中南大学博士入学考试试题（阅读部分）
Passage 1
Why does the Foundation concentrate its support on basic rather than applied research？Basic research is the very heart of science，and its cumulative product is the capital of scientific progress，a capital that must be constantly increased as the demands upon it rise. The goal of basic research is understanding for its own sake.Understanding of the structure of the atom or the nerve cell，the explosion of a spiral nebula or the distribution of cosmic dust，the causes of earthquakes and droughts，or of man as a behaving creature and of the social forces that are created whenever two or more human beings come into contact with one another—the scope is staggering，but the commitment to truth is the same.If the commitment were to a particular result，conflicting evidence might be overlooked or，with the best will in the world，simply not appreciated.Moreover，the practical applications of basic research frequently cannot be anticipated.When Roentgen，the physicist，discovered X-rays，he had no idea of their usefulness to medicine.
Applied research，undertaken to solve specific practical problems，has an immediate attractiveness because the results can be seen and enjoyed.For practical reasons，the sums spent on applied research in any country always far exceed those for basic research，and the proportions are more unequal in the less developed countries.Leaving aside the funds devoted to research by industry—which is naturally far more concerned with applied aspects because these increase profits quickly—the funds the US Government allots to basic research currently amount to about 7 percent of its overall research and development funds.Unless adequate safeguards are provided，applied research invariably tends to drive out basic research.Then，as Dr.Waterman has pointed out，“Developments will inevitably be undertaken prematurely，career incentives will gravitate strongly toward applied science，and the opportunities for making major scientific discoveries will be lost.Unfortunately，pressures to emphasize new developments，without corresponding emphasis upon pure science，tend to degrade the quality of the nation’s technology in the long run rather than to improve it.”
41.The title below that best expresses the ideas of this passage is____.
A.Roentgen’s Ignorance of X-rays
B.The Attractiveness of Applied Research
C.The Importance of Basic Research
D.Basic Research vs Applied Research
42.Industry is primarily interested in applied research because it____.
A.provides better understanding B.is frowned upon by the Foundation
C.offers immediate profit D.solves practical problems
43.The federal government____.
A.devotes more than 90%of its research and development funds to applied research
B.spends far more on applied research than military problems
C.opposes the Foundation’s grants to basic search
D.is not concerned about the nature of the search being done by the scientists it employs
44.Less developed countries____.
A.devote a large portion of their budget to applied research
B.realize that progress depends on basic research
C.encourage their career scientists to experiment
D.devote less than 7%of their scientific budget to basic research
Passage 2
The Cardinal and Daniel de Bosola enter from the right.In appearance，the Cardinal is something between an El Greco cardinal and a Van Dyke noble lord.He has the tall，spare form—the elongated hands and features—of the former；the trim pointed beard，the imperial repose，the commanding authority of the latter.But the EI Greco features are not really those of asceticism or inner mystic spirituality.They are the index to a cold，refined but ruthless cruelty in a highly civilized controlled form.Neither is the imperial repose an aloof mood of proud detachment.It is a refined expression of a satanic pride of place and talent.
To a degree，the Cardinal’s coldness is artificially cultivated.He has defined himself against his younger brother the Duke and is the opposite to the overwrought emotionality of the latter.But the Cardinal’s aloof mood is not one of bland detachment.It is the deliberate detachment of a methodical man who collects his thoughts and emotions into the most compact and formidable shape that when he strikes，he may strike with the more efficient and devastating force.His easy movements are those of the slowly circling eagle just before the swift descent with the exposed talons.Above all else，he is a man who never for a moment doubts his destined authority as a governor.He derisively and sharply rebukes his brother the Duke as easily and readily as his mistress Julia.If he has betrayed Bosola，he uses his brother as the tool to recover his“familiar”.His court dress is a long brilliant scarlet cardinal’s gown with white cuffs and a white collar turned back over the red，both collar and cuffs being elaborately scalloped and embroidered.He wears a small cape，reaching only to the elbows.His cassock is buttoned to the ground，giving a heightened effect to his already tall presence.Richelieu would have adored his neatly trimmed beard.A richly jeweled and ornamented cross lies on his breast，suspended from his neck by a gold chain.
Bosola is the Renaissance“familiar”dressed conventionally in somber black with a white collar.He wears a chain about his neck，a suspended ornament and a sword. Although a“bravo”，he must not be thought of as a leather jacketed，heavy-booted tough，squat and swarthy.Still less is he a sneering，leering，melodramatic villain of the Victorian gaslight tradition.Like his black-and-white clothes，he is a colorful contradiction，a scholar-assassin，a humanist-hangman；introverted and introspective，yet ruthless in action；moody and reluctant，yet violent.He is a man of scholarly taste and subtle intellectual discrimination doing the work of a hired ruffian.In general effect，his impersonator must achieve suppleness and subtlety of nature，a highly complex，compressed，yet well restrained intensity of temperament.Like Duke Ferdinand，he is inwardly tormented，but not by undiluted passion.His dominant emotion is an intellectualized one：that of disgust at a world filled with knavery and folly，but in which he must play a part and that a lowly，despicable one.He is the kind of rarity that Browning loved to depict in his Renaissance monologues.
45.The actor portraying Bosola must depict the character____.
A.as a highly civilized individual
B.as a sneering villain
C.as a complicated yet restrained individual
D.with subtlety and intensity
46.The writer of this passage assumes that the reader is____.
A.familiar with Renaissance poetry
B.disgusted with a world filled with knavery and folly
C.familiar with the paintings of El Greco
D.familiar with the writings of Van Dyke and El Greco
47.The reference to Browning in the last sentence is intended to compare____.
A.Bosola with Duke Ferdinand B.Bosola with a Browning character
C.Duke Ferdinand with Bosola D.Bosola with Browning
48.In his description of Bosola，the author of this passage makes extensive use of the device of____.
A.metaphor B.onomatopoeia
C.exaggeration D.paradox
Passage 3
The atmosphere is a mixture of several gases.There are about ten chemical elements which remain permanently in gaseous form in the atmosphere under all natural conditions.Of these permanent gases，oxygen makes up about 21 percent and nitrogen about 78 percent.Several other gases，such as argon，carbon dioxide，hydrogen，neon，krypton and xenon，comprise the remaining one percent of the volume of dry air.The amount of water vapor and its variations in amount and distribution is of extraordinary importance in weather changes.Atmospheric gases hold in suspension great quantities of dust，pollen，smoke，and other impurities which are always present in considerable，but variable amounts.
The atmosphere has no definite upper limits but gradually thins until it becomes imperceptible.Until recently it was assumed that the air above the first few miles gradually grew thinner and colder at a constant rate.It was also assumed that upper air had little influence on weather changes.Recent studies of the upper atmosphere，currently being conducted by earth satellites and missile probing，have shown these assumptions to be incorrect.The atmosphere has three well-defined strata.
The layer of the air next to the earth，which extends upward for about ten miles，is known as the troposphere.On the whole，it makes up about 75 percent of all the weight of the atmosphere.It is the warmest part of the atmosphere because most of the solar radiation is absorbed by the earth’s surface which warms the air immediately surrounding it.A steady decrease of temperature with increasing elevation is a most striking characteristic.The upper layers are colder because of their greater distance from the earth’s surface and rapid radiation of heat into space.The temperatures within the troposphere decrease about 3.5 degrees per 1，000 feet increase in altitude.Within the troposphere，winds and air currents distribute heat and moisture.Strong winds，called jet streams，are located at the upper levels of the troposphere.These jet streams are both complex and widespread in occurrence.They normally show a wave-shaped pattern and move from west to east at velocities of 1-150 mph，but velocities as high as 400 mph have been noted.The influences of changing locations and strengths of jet streams upon weather conditions and patterns are no doubt considerable.Current intensive research may eventually reveal their true significance.
Above the troposphere to a height of about 50 miles is a zone called the stratosphere.The stratosphere is separated from the troposphere by a zone of uniform temperatures called the tropopause.Within the lower portions of the stratosphere is a layer of ozone gases which filters out most of the ultraviolet rays from the sun.The ozone layer varies with air pressure.If this zone were not there，the full blast of the sun’s ultraviolet light would burn our skins，blind our eyes，and eventually result in our destruction.Within the stratosphere，the temperature and atmospheric composition are relatively uniform.
The layer upward of about 50 miles is the most fascinating but the least known of the three strata.It is called the ionosphere because it consists of electrically charged particles called ions，thrown from the sun.The northern lights（aurora borealis）originate within this highly charged portion of the atmosphere.Its effect upon weather conditions，if any，is as yet unknown.
49.A jet plane will usually have its best average rate of speed on its run from____.
A.New York to San Francisco B.Los Angeles to New York
C.London to Washington D.C. D.Bermuda to New York
50.At the top of Jungfrau，which towers 12，000 feet above the town of Interlaken in Switzerland，the temperature is usually____.
A.about 75 degrees colder than in Interlaken
B.about 42 degrees colder than on the ground
C.warmer than in Interlaken
D.affected by the ionosphere
51.Life as we know it exists on the earth because the atmosphere____.(https://www.daowen.com)
A.contains a layer of ozone gases
B.contains electrically charged particles
C.carries the ultraviolet rays of the sun
D.provides the changes in weather
52.The troposphere is the warmest part of the atmosphere because it____.
A.contains electrically charged particles
B.radiates heat into space
C.has winds and air current that distribute the heat
D.is warmed by the earth’s heat
53.Studies of the atmosphere may reveal____.
A.the source of the sun’s energy B.its true effect upon the earth’s weather
C.the nature of the aurora borealis D.how to control ultraviolet rays
Passage 4
Ragtime is a musical form that synthesizes folk melodies and musical techniques into a brief quadrille-like structure，designed to be played—exactly as written—on the piano. A strong analogy exists between European composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams，Edvard Grieg，and Anton Dvorak who combined folk tunes and their own original materials in larger compositions and the pioneer ragtime composers in the United States.Composers like Scott Joplin and James Scott were in a sense collectors or musicologists，collecting dance and folk music in Black communities and consciously shaping it into brief suites or anthologies called piano rags.
It has sometimes been charged that ragtime is mechanical.For instance，Wilfred Mellers comments，“Rags were transferred to the Pianola roll and，even if not played by a machine， should be played like a machine，with meticulous precision.”However，there is no reason to assume that ragtime is inherently mechanical simply because commercial manufacturers applied a mechanical recording method to ragtime，the only way to record pianos at that date.Ragtime’s is not a mechanical precision，and it is not precision limited to the style of performance.It arises from ragtime’s following a well-defined form and obeying simple rules within that form.
The classic formula for the piano rag disposes three to five themes in sixteenth-bar strains，often organized with repeats.The rag opens with a bright，memorable strain or theme，followed by a similar theme，leading to a trio of marked lyrical character，with the structure concluded by a lyrical strain that parallels the rhythmic developments of the earlier themes.The aim of the structure is to rise from one theme to another in a stair-step manner，ending on a note of triumph or exhilaration.
Typically，each strain is divided into two 8-bar segments that are essentially alike，so the rhythmic-melodic unit of ragtime is only eight bars of 2/4 measure.Therefore，themes must be brief with clear，sharp melodic figures.Not concerned with development of musical themes，the ragtime composer instead sets a theme down intact in finished form，and links it to various related themes.Tension in ragtime compositions arises from a polarity between two basic ingredients：a continuous bass—called by jazz musicians a boom-chick bass—in the pianists’left hand，and its melodic，syncopated counterpart in the right hand.
Ragtime remains distinct from jazz both as an instrumental style and as a genre.Ragtime style stresses a pattern of repeated rhythms，not the constant inventions and variations of jazz.As a genre，ragtime requires strict attention to structure，not inventiveness or virtuosity.It exists as a tradition，a set of conventions，a body of written scores，separate from the individual players associated with it.In this sense ragtime is more akin to folk music of the nineteenth century than to jazz.
54.According to the passage，each of the following is a characteristic of ragtime compositions that follow the classic ragtime formula EXCEPT____.
A.syncopation B.a bass line distinct from the melodic line
C.rising rhythmic-melodic intensity D.full development of musical themes
55.The author rejects the argument that ragtime is a mechanical music because that argument____.
A.improperly identifies commercial ragtime music with the subtler classic ragtime style
B.does not accurately describe the sound of ragtime Pianola music
C.confuses the means of recording and the essential character of the music
D.exaggerates the influence of the performance style of professional ragtime players on the reputation of the genre
56.It can be inferred from the passage that the essential nature of ragtime has been obscured by commentaries based on____.
A.the way ragtime music was first recorded
B.the musical sources used by Scott Joplin and James Scott
C.the dance fashions that were contemporary ragtime
D.early reviewers’accounts of characteristic structure
57.Which of the following is most nearly analogous in source and artistic character to a ragtime composition as described in the passage？
A.Symphonic music derived from complex jazz motifs.
B.An experimental novel based on well-known cartoon characters.
C.A dramatic production in which actors invent scenes and improvise lines.
D.A ballet whose disciplined choreography is based on folk-dance steps.
Passage 5
A little more than a century ago，Michael Faraday，the noted British physicist， managed to gain audience with a group of high government officials，to demonstrate an electrochemical principle，in the hope of gaining support for his work.
After observing the demonstration closely，one of the officials remarked bluntly，“It’s a fascinating demonstration，young man，but just what practical application will come of this？”
“I don’t know，”replied Faraday，“but I do know that 100 years from now you’ll be taxing them.”
From the demonstration of a principle to the marketing of products derived from that principle is often a long，involved series of steps.The speed and effectiveness with which these steps are taken are closely related to the history of management，the art of getting things done.Just as management applies to the wonders that have evolved from Faraday and other inventors，so it applied some 4，000 years ago to the workings of the great Egyptian and Mesopotamian import and export firms，to Hannibal’s remarkable feat of crossing the Alps in 218 B.C.，with 90，000 foot soldiers，12，000 horsemen and a“conveyor belt”of 40 elephants or to the early Christian Church，with its world-shaking concepts of individual freedom and equality.
These ancient innovators were deeply involved in the problems of authority，division of labor，discipline，unity of command，clarity of direction and the other basic factors that are so meaningful to management today.But the real impetus to management as an emerging profession was the Industrial Revolution.Originating in 18th-century England，it was triggered by a series of classic inventions and new processes，among them John Kay’s“Flying Shuttle”in 1733，James Hargreave’s“Spinning Jenny”in 1770，Samuel Crompton’s“Mule Spinner”in 1779 and Edmund Cartwright’s“Power Loom”in 1785.
58.The anecdote about Michael Faraday indicates that____.
A.politicians tax everything
B.people are skeptical about the value of pure research
C.taxes are uppermost in scientists’minds
D.he was rejected by his government
59.According to the passage，management is defined as____.
A.accomplishing wonders
B.the creator of the Industrial Revolution
C.the art of getting things done
D.supervising subordinates
60.In the passage we can see that management came into its own____.
A.in the Egyptian and Mesopotamian import and export firms
B.in the development of the early Christian Church
C.at the time of Michael Faraday
D.in the eighteenth century