历年考研英语阅读真题及答案

For the past severalyears, the Sunday newspaper supplement Paradehas featured a column called "Ask Marilyn." People are invited to query Marilynvos Savant, who at age 10 had tested at a mental level of someone about 23years old; that gave her an IQ of 228 - the highest score ever recorded. IQtests ask you to complete verbal and visual analogies, to envision paper afterit has been folded and cut, and to deduce numerical sequences, among othersimilar tasks. So it is a bit confusing when vos Savant fields such queriesfrom the average Joe (whose IQ is 100) as, What's the difference between loveand fondness? Or what is the nature of luck and coincidence? ①It'snot obvious how the capacity to visualize objects and to figure out numericalpatterns suits one to answer questions that have eluded some of the best poetsand philosophers.

Clearly, intelligenceencompasses more than a score on a test. Just what does it mean to be smart?How much of intelligence can be specified, and how much can we learn about itfrom neurology, genetics, computer science and other fields?

The defining term ofintelligence in humans still seems to be the IQ score, even though IQ tests arenot given as often as they used to be. The test comes primarily in two forms:the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales(both come in adult and children's version). Generally costing several hundreddollars, they are usually given only by psychologists, although variations ofthem populate bookstores and the World Wide Web. ②Superhigh scores like vos Savant's are nolonger possible, because scoring is now based on a statistical populationdistribution among age peers, rather than simply dividing the mental age by thechronological age and multiplying by 100. Other standardized tests,such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Exam(GRE), capture the main aspects of IQ tests.

Such standardized testsmay not assess all the important elements necessary to succeed in school and inlife, argues Robert J. Sternberg. In his article "How Intelligent IsIntelligence Testing?", ③Sternberg notes that traditionaltest best assess analytical and verbal skills but fail to measure creativityand practical knowledge, components also critical to problem solving and lifesuccess. Moreover, IQ test do not necessarilypredict so well once populations or situations change. Research has found thatIQ predicted leadership skills when the tests were given under low-stressconditions, but under high-stress conditions, IQ was negatively correlated withleadership - that is, it predicted the opposite. Anyone who has toiled throughSAT will testify that test-taking skill also matters, whether it's knowing whento guess or what questions to skip.

1. Which of the following may be required in anintelligent test?

[A] Answeringphilosophical questions.

[B] Foldingor cutting paper into different shapes.

[C] Tellingthe difference between certain concepts.（D）

[D] Choosingwords or graphs similar to the given ones.

2. What can be inferred about intelligence testingfrom Paragraph 3?

[A] People nolonger use IQ scores as an indicator of intelligence.

[B] Moreversions of IQ tests are now available on the Internet.

[C] The testcontents and formats for adults and children may be different.（C）

[D]Scientists have defined the important elements of human intelligence.

3. People nowadays can no longer achieve IQ scoresas high as vos Savant's because

[A] thescores are obtained through different computational procedures.

[B]creativity rather than analytical skills is emphasized now.

[C] vosSavant's case is an extreme one that will not repeat.（A）

[D] thedefining characteristic of IQ tests has changed.

4. We can conclude from the last paragraph that

[A] testscores may not be reliable indicators of one's ability.

[B] IQ scoresand SAT results are highly correlated.

[C] testinginvolves a lot of guesswork.（A）

[D]traditional test are out of date.

5. What is the author's attitude towards IQ test?

[A]Supportive.

[B]Skeptical.

[C]Impartial.（B）

[D] Biased.