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历年GRE习题（一）

时间：2011/6/28

　　SECTION A

　　Because of its accuracy in outlining the Earth’s subsurface, the seismic-reflection method remains the most important tool in the search for petroleum reserves (petroleum reserves: 石油储量). In field practice, a subsurface is mapped by arranging a series of wave-train sources, such as small dynamite explosions, in a grid pattern. As each source is activated, it generates a wave train that moves downward at a speed determined uniquely by the rock’s elastic characteristics. As rock interfaces are crossed, the elastic characteristics encountered generally change abruptly, which causes part of the energy to be reflected back to the surface, where it is recorded by seismic instruments. The seismic records must be processed to correct for positional differences between the source and the receiver, for unrelated wave trains, and for multiple reflections from the rock interfaces. Then the data acquired at each of the specific source locations are combined to generate a physical profile of the subsurface, which can eventually be used to select targets for drilling.

　　17. The passage is primarily concerned with

　　(A) describing an important technique

　　(B) discussing a new method

　　(D) announcing a significant discovery(A)

　　(E) promoting a novel application

　　18. According to the passage, in the seismic-reflection method all of the following have a significant effect on the signal detected by the seismic instruments EXCEPT the

　　(A) presence of unrelated wave trains

　　(B) placement of the seismic instruments

　　(D) nature of the reflectivity of the rock interfaces(C)

　　(E) properties of rocks through which the wave train has traveled

　　19. It can be inferred from the passage that the seismic-reflection method would be likely to yield an inaccurate physical profile of the subsurface in which of the following circumstances?

　　(A) If the speed at which the wave train moved downward changed

　　(B) If the receiver were not positioned directly at the wave-train source

　　(C) If the rock on one side of a rock interface had similar elastic characteristics to those of the rock on the other side

　　(D) If the seismic records obtained for the different sources in a grid were highly similar to each other(C)

　　(E) If there were no petroleum deposits beneath the area defined by the grid of wave-train sources

　　20. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

　　(A) A method is criticized, and an alternative is suggested.

　　(B) An illustration is examined, and some errors are exposed.

　　(D) A series of examples is presented, and a conclusion is drawn.(C)

　　(E) A hypothesis is advanced, and supporting evidence is supplied.

　　Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of ancient literature. For example, forty years ago a survey of the early Greek dramatist Aeschylus’ plays would have started with The Suppliant Women. Many factors internal to the play, but perhaps most especially the prominence of the chorus (which in this play has the main role), led scholars to consider it one of Aeschylus’ earlier works. The consensus was that here was a drama truly reflecting an early stage in the evolution of tragedy out of choral lyric. The play was dated as early as the 490’s B.C., in any event (in any event: 无论如何), well before Aeschylus’ play The Persians of 472 B.C. Then, in 1952, a fragment of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus was published stating the official circumstances and results of a dramatic contest. The fragment announced that Aeschylus won first prize with his Danaid tetralogy, of which The Suppliant Women is the opening play, and defeated Sophocles in the process. Sophocles did not compete in any dramatic contest before 468 B.C., when he won his first victory. Hence, except by special pleading (e. g., that the tetralogy was composed early in Aeschylus’ career but not produced until the 460’s B.C.), the Danaid tetralogy must be put after 468 B.C. In addition, a few letters in the fragment suggest the name Archedemides, archon in 463 B.C., thus perhaps tying the plays to that precise date, almost exactly halfway between Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes of 467 B.C. and his Oresteia.

　　The implication of the papyrus administered a severe shock to the vast majority of classical scholars, who had confidently asserted that not only the role of the chorus but also language, metrics, and characterization all pointed to an early date. The discovery has resulted in no less than a total reevaluation of every chronological criterion that has been applied to or derived from Aeschylus’ plays. The activity has been brisk, and a new creed has now spread. The prominence of the chorus in The Suppliant Women now is seen not as a sign of primitivism but as analogous to the massive choral songs of the Oresteia. Statistics have been formulated, or reformulated, to show that stylistically The Suppliant Women does actually occupy a position after The Persians and Seven Against Thebes, which now become the “primitive” plays, and before the Oresteia. While the new doctrine seems almost certainly correct, the one papyrus fragment raises the specter that another may be unearthed, showing, for instance, that it was a posthumous production of the Danaid tetralogy which bested Sophocles, and throwing the date once more into utter confusion. This is unlikely to happen, but it warns us that perhaps the most salutary feature of the papyrus scrap is its message of the extreme difficulty of classifying and categorizing rigidly the development of a creative artist.

　　21. The author of the passage focuses primarily on

　　(A) discussing a series of modern archaeological finds and their impact on the study of Greek literature

　　(B) recounting the effect of one archaeological find on modern ideas concerning a particular author’s work

　　(D) illustrating the many varieties of difficulties involved in establishing facts concerning ancient literature(B)

　　(E) determining the exact value of archaeological finds in relation to the history of ancient literature

　　22. With respect to the study of ancient literature, which of the following statements best expresses the author’s main point concerning modern archaeological finds?

　　(A) They can profoundly alter accepted views of ancient literary works, and can encourage flexibility in the way scholars look at the creative development of any artist.

　　(B) They can be severely shocking and can have a revivifying effect on the study of ancient literature, which has recently suffered from a lack of interest on the part of scholars.

　　(D) They generally confirm scholars’ ideas about ancient literary works and allow them to dispense with inferences drawn from the works’ internal structure.(A)

　　(E) They often undermine scholarly consensus in certain areas and create utter confusion concerning an author’s work.

　　23. According to the passage, in the absence of definite knowledge concerning the dates of composition of ancient literary works, literary historians do which of the following when trying to establish the chronology of an author’s work?

　　(A) Make assumptions about a single work’s date of composition if such assumptions would not seriously affect interpretations of other works by the same author.

　　(B) Draw inferences concerning the date of a work’s composition based on evidence internal to that work and on the author’s other works.

　　(C) Ignore the date of a work’s composition which is supplied by archaeological research when literary factors internal to the work contradict that date.

　　(D) Refrain from speculation concerning a work’s date of composition unless archaeological finds produce information concerning it.(B)

　　(E) Estimate the date of a work’s composition without attempting to relate it to the author’s development as an artist.

　　24. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following plays or groups of plays is considered the latest in the date of its composition?

　　(A) The Persians

　　(B) The Danaid tetralogy

　　(D) Seven Against Thebes(C)

　　(E) The Suppliant Women

　　25. With which of the following statements regarding the chronological criteria mentioned in line 33-34 would the author be most likely to agree?

　　(A) Such criteria, whether applied to or derived from the plays, should only be used to confirm already existing knowledge.

　　(B) Such criteria, although derived from reliable external and internal evidence, should be changed continually to avoid rigidity in thinking.

　　(D) Such criteria, even when unsupported by external evidence, can resolve most questions.(E)

　　(E) Such criteria, based on often ambiguous internal evidence, can lead to erroneous reconstructions of the chronology of an author’s work.

　　26. The author’s attitude toward the “activity” mentioned in line 35 and its consequences can best be described as one of

　　(A) amused tolerance

　　(B) mocking envy

　　(D) angry disapproval(A)

　　(E) unrestrained enthusiasm

　　27. The allusion to the hypothetical papyrus fragment in line 45-49 does which of the following?

　　(A) Supports an argument concerning the date of The Suppliant Women.

　　(B) Refutes the views of the majority of scholars concerning the Oxyrhynchus papyrus find.

　　(D) Undermines the validity of the currently accepted chronology of Aeschylus’ works.(E)

　　(E) Qualifies (To modify, limit, or restrict, as by giving exceptions.) the author’s agreement with the “new creed” developed since the Oxyrhynchus papyrus find.

　　SECTION B

　　Scholars often fail to see that music played an important role in the preservation of African culture in the United States. They correctly note that slavery stripped some cultural elements from Black people—their political and economic systems—but they underestimate the significance of music in sustaining other African cultural values. African music, unlike the music of some other cultures, was based on a total vision of life in which music was not an isolated social domain. In African culture music was pervasive, serving not only religion, but all phases of life, including birth, death, work, and play. The methods that a community devises to perpetuate itself come into being to preserve aspects of the cultural legacy that that community perceives as essential. Music, like art in general, was so inextricably a part of African culture that it became a crucial means of preserving the culture during and after the dislocations of slavery.

　　17. The primary purpose of the passage is to

　　(A) analyze the impact that slavery had on African political and economic systems

　　(B) review the attempt of recent scholarship to study the influence of African music on other music

　　(D) survey the ways by which people attempt to preserve their culture against the effects of oppression(C)

　　(E) compare the relative importance of music with that of other art forms in culture

　　18. In line 9, the phrase “isolated social domain” refers to

　　(A) African music in relation to contemporary culture as a whole

　　(B) music as it may be perceived in non-African cultures

　　(D) an aspect of the African cultural legacy(B)

　　(E) the influence of music on contemporary culture

　　19. Which of the following statements concerning the function of African music can be inferred from the passage?

　　(A) It preserved cultural values because it was thoroughly integrated into the lives of the people.

　　(B) It was more important in the development of African religious life than in other areas of culture.

　　(D) Its pervasiveness in African culture hindered its effectiveness in minimizing the impact of slavery.(A)

　　(E) Its isolation from the economic domains of life enabled it to survive the destructive impact of slavery.

　　20. According to the author, scholars would err in (err in: v.犯错误, 弄错) drawing which of the following conclusions?

　　I. Slavery stripped the slaves of their political and economic systems.

　　II. African music was similar to all other traditions of music in that it originated in a total vision of life.

　　III. Music was a crucial part of the African cultural legacy.

　　(A) I only

　　(B) II only

　　(D) II and III only(B)

　　(E) I, II, and III

　　Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive process marked by random events in which the vagaries (vagary: an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion) of the wind are compensated for by the generation of vast quantities of pollen, so that the ultimate production of new seeds is assured at the expense of producing much more pollen than is actually used. Because the potential hazards pollen grains are subject to as they are transported over long distances are enormous, wind-pollinated plants have, in the view above, compensated for the ensuing loss of pollen through happenstance by virtue of producing an amount of pollen that is one to three orders of magnitude greater than the amount produced by species pollinated by insects.

　　However, a number of features that are characteristic of wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste. For example, many wind-pollinated species fail to release pollen when wind speeds are low or when humid conditions prevail. Recent studies suggest another way in which species compensate for the inefficiency of wind pollination. These studies suggest that species frequently take advantage of (take advantage of: v.利用) the physics of pollen motion by generating specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their female reproductive organs. It is the morphology of these organs that dictates the pattern of airflow disturbances through which pollen must travel. The speed and direction of the airflow disturbances can combine with the physical properties of a species’ pollen to produce a species-specific pattern of pollen collision on the surfaces of female reproductive organs. Provided that these surfaces are strategically located, the consequences of this combination can significantly increase the pollen-capture efficiency of a female reproductive organ (reproductive organ: 生殖器).

　　A critical question that remains to be answered is whether the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated species are evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination or are merely fortuitous. A complete resolution of the question is as yet impossible since adaptation must be evaluated for each species within its own unique functional context. However, it must be said that, while evidence of such evolutionary adaptations does exist in some species, one must be careful about attributing morphology to adaptation. For example, the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on ovule-bearing pine cones, where the female reproductive organs of conifers are located, is important to the production of airflow patterns that spiral over the cone’s surfaces, thereby passing airborne pollen from one scale to the next. However, these patterns cannot be viewed as an adaptation to wind pollination because the spiral arrangement occurs in a number of non-wind-pollinated plant lineages and is regarded as a characteristic of vascular plants, of which conifers are only one kind, as a whole. Therefore, the spiral arrangement is not likely to be the result of a direct adaptation to wind pollination.

　　21. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with discussing

　　(A) the current debate on whether the morphological attributes of wind-pollinated plants are evolutionary adaptations

　　(B) the kinds of airflow patterns that permit wind-pollinated plants to capture pollen most efficiently

　　(D) a recently proposed explanation of a way in which wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste(D)

　　(E) a specific morphological attribute that permits one species of wind-pollinated plant to capture pollen

　　22. The author suggests that explanations of wind pollination that emphasize the production of vast quantities of pollen to compensate for the randomness of the pollination process are

　　(A) debatable and misleading

　　(B) ingenious and convincing

　　(D) intriguing but controversial(C)

　　(E) plausible but unverifiable

　　23. According to the passage, the “aerodynamic environments” mentioned in line 23, when they are produced, are primarily determined by the

　　(A) presence of insects near the plant

　　(B) physical properties of the plant’s pollen

　　(D) amount of pollen generated by the plant(C)

　　(E) number of seeds produced by the plant

　　24. According to the passage, true statements about the release of pollen by wind-pollinated plants include which of the following?

　　I. The release can be affected by certain environmental factors.

　　II. The amount of pollen released increases on a rainy day.

　　III. Pollen is sometimes not released by plants when there is little wind.

　　(A) II only

　　(B) III only

　　(D) I and III only(D)

　　(E) I, II, and III

　　25. The passage suggests that the recent studies cited in lines 19-21 have not done which of the following?

　　(A) Made any distinctions between different species of wind-pollinated plants.

　　(B) Considered the physical properties of the pollen that is produced by wind-pollinated plants.

　　(D) Included investigations of the physics of pollen motion and its relationship to the efficient capture of pollen by the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants.(E)

　　(E) Demonstrated that the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants are usually evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination.

　　26. It can be inferred from the passage that the claim that the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on an ovule-bearing pine cone is an adaptation to wind pollination would be more convincing if which of the following were true?

　　(A) Such an arrangement occurred only in wind-pollinated plants.

　　(B) Such an arrangement occurred in vascular plants as a whole.

　　(D) The number of bracts could be shown to have increased over time.(A)

　　(E) The airflow patterns over the cone’s surfaces could be shown to be produced by such arrangements.

　　27. Which of the following, if known, is likely to have been the kind of evidence used to support the view described in the first paragraph?

　　(A) Wind speeds need not be very low for wind-pollinated plants to fail to release pollen.

　　(B) The female reproductive organs of plants often have a sticky surface that allows them to trap airborne pollen systematically.

　　(C) Grasses, as well as conifers, generate specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their reproductive organs.

　　(D) Rain showers often wash airborne pollen out of the air before it ever reaches an appropriate plant.(D)

　　(E) The density and size of an airborne pollen grain are of equal importance in determining whether that grain will be captured by a plant.

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