美国法学院入学考试LSAT阅读真题4（含答案）.doc

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1、美国法学院入学考试LSAT阅读真题4（含答案）SECTION ITime 35 minutes 27 QuestionsDirections: Each passage in this section is followed by a group of questions to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. For some of the questions, more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the quest

2、ion. However, you are to choose the best answer, that is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question, and blacken the corresponding space on your answer sheet.Until the 1980s, most scientists believed that noncatastrophic geological processes caused the extinction of dinos

3、aurs that occurred approximately 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. Geologists argued that a dramatic drop in sea level coincided with the extinction of the dinosaurs and could have caused the climatic changes that resulted in this extinction as well as the extinction of many

4、 ocean species.This view was seriously challenged in the 1980s by the discovery of large amounts of iridium in a layer of clay deposited at the end of the Cretaceous period. Because iridium is extremely rare in rocks on the Earths surface but common in meteorites, researchers theorized that it was t

5、he impact of a large meteorite that dramatically changed the earths climate and thus triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs.Currently available evidence, however, offers more support for a new theory, the volcanic-eruption theory. A vast eruption of lava in India coincided with the extinctions th

6、at occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period, and the release of carbon dioxide from this episode of volcanism could have caused the climatic change responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs. Such outpourings of lava are caused by instability in the lowest layer of the Earths mantle, located ju

7、st above the Earths core. As the rock that constitutes this layer is heated by the Earths core, it becomes less dense and portions of it eventually escape upward as blobs or molten rock, called “diapirs,” that can, under certain circumstances, erupt violently through the Earths crust.Moreover, the v

8、olcanic-eruption theory, like the impact theory, accounts for the presence of iridium in sedimentary deposits; it also explains matters that the meteorite-impact theory does not. Although iridium is extremely rare on the Earths surface, the lower regions of the Earths mantle have roughly the same co

9、mposition as meteorites and contain large amounts of iridium, which in the case of a diapir eruption would probably be emitted as iridium hexafluoride, a gas that would disperse more uniformly in the atmosphere than the iridium-containing matter thrown out from a meteorite impact. In addition, the v

10、olcanic-eruption theory may explain why the end of the Cretaceous period was marked by a gradual change in sea level. Fossil records indicate that for several hundred thousand years prior to the relatively sudden disappearance of the dinosaurs, the level of the sea gradually fell, causing many marin

11、e organisms to die out. This change in sea level might well have been the result of a distortion in the Earths surface that resulted from the movement of diapirs upward toward the Earths crust, and the more cataclysmic extinction of the dinosaurs could have resulted from the explosive volcanism that

12、 occurred as material from the diapirs erupted onto the Earths surface.1. The passage suggests that during the 1980s researchers found meteorite impact a convincing explanation for the extinction of dinosaurs, in part because(A) earlier theories had failed to account for the gradual extinction of ma

13、ny ocean species at the end of the Cretaceous period(B) geologists had, up until that time, underestimated the amount of carbon dioxide that would be released during an episode of explosive volcanism(C) a meteorite could have served as a source of the iridium found in a layer of clay deposited at th

14、e end of the Cretaceous period(D) no theory relying on purely geological processes had, up until that time, explained the cause of the precipitous drop in sea level that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period(E) the impact of a large meteorite could have resulted in the release of enough carbo

15、n dioxide to cause global climatic change2. According to the passage, the lower regions of the Earths mantle are characterized by(A) a composition similar to that of meteorites(B) the absence of elements found in rocks on the Earths crust(C) a greater stability than that of the upper regions(D) the

16、presence of large amounts of carbon dioxide(E) a uniformly lower density than that of the upper regions3. It can be inferred from the passage that which one of the following was true of the lava that erupted in India at the end of the Cretaceous period?(A) It contained less carbon dioxide than did t

17、he meteorites that were striking the Earths surface during that period.(B) It was more dense than the molten rock, located just above the Earths core.(C) It released enough iridium hexafluoride into the atmosphere to change the Earths climate dramatically.(D) It was richer in iridium than rocks usua

18、lly found on the Earths surface.(E) It was richer in iridium than were the meteorites that were striking the Earths surface during that period.4. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with doing which one of the following?(A) describing three theories and explaining why the latest of the

19、se appears to be the best of the three(B) attacking the assumptions inherent in theories that until the 1980s had been largely accepted by geologists(C) outlining the inadequacies of three different explanations of the same phenomenon(D) providing concrete examples in support of the more general ass

20、ertion that theories must often be revised in light of new evidence(E) citing evidence that appears to confirm the skepticism of geologists regarding a view held prior to the 1980s5. The author implies that if the theory described in the third paragraph is true, which one of the following would have

21、 been true of iridium in the atmosphere at the end of the Cretaceous period?(A) Its level of concentration in the Earths atmosphere would have been high due to a slow but steady increase in the atmospheric iridium that began in the early Cretaceous period.(B) Its concentration in the Earths atmosphe

22、re would have increased due to the dramatic decrease in sea level that occurred during the Cretaceous period.(C) It would have been directly responsible for the extinction of many ocean species.(D) It would have been more uniformly dispersed than iridium whose source had been the impact of a meteori

23、te on the Earths surface.(E) It would have been more uniformly dispersed than indium released into the atmosphere as a result of normal geological processes that occur on Earth.6. The passage supports which one of the following claims about the volcanic-eruption theory?(A) It does not rely on assump

24、tions concerning the temperature of molten rock at the lowest pan of the Earths mantle.(B) It may explain what caused the gradual fall in sea level that occurred for hundreds of thousands of years prior to the more sudden disappearance of the dinosaurs.(C) It bases its explanation on the occurrence

25、of periods of increased volcanic activity similar to those shown to have caused earlier mass extinctions.(D) It may explain the relative scarcity of iridium in rocks on the Earths surface compared to its abundance in meteorites.(E) It accounts for the relatively uneven distribution of iridium in the

26、 layer of clay deposited at the end of the Cretaceous period.7. Which one of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the theory described in the last paragraph of the passage?(A) Fragments of meteorites that have struck the Earth are examined and found to have only minuscule amounts of

27、iridium hexafluoride trapped inside of them.(B) Most diapir eruptions in the geological history of the Earth have been similar in size to the one that occurred in India at the end of the Cretaceous period and have not been succeeded by periods of climatic change.(C) There have been several periods i

28、n the geological history of the Earth, before and after the Cretaceous period, during which large numbers of marine species have perished.(D) The frequency with which meteorites struck the Earth was higher at the end of the Cretaceous period than at the beginning of the period.(E) Marine species ten

29、d to be much more vulnerable to extinction when exposed to a dramatic and relatively sudden change in sea level than when they are exposed to a gradual change in sea level similar to the one that preceded the extinction of the dinosaurs.参考答案：1-7 CADADBBIt has become something of a truism in folklore

30、 studies that until recently the lore was more often studied than the folk. That is, folklorists concentrated on the folklorethe songs, tales, and proverbs themselvesand ignored the people who transmitted that lore as part of their oral culture. However, since the early 1970s, folklore studies have

31、begun to regard folk performers as people of creativity who are as worthy of attention as are artists who transmit their ideas in writing. This shift of emphasis has also encouraged a growing interest in women folk performers.Until recently, folklorists tended to collect folklore from women on only

32、a few topics such as health and games. In other areas, as Weigle and Farrer have noted, if folklorists “had a choice between a story as told by a man or as told by a woman, the mans version was chosen.” It is still too early to tell how profoundly this situation has changed, but one can point to sev

33、eral recent studies in which women performers play central roles. Perhaps more telling is the focus of the most recently published major folklore textbook, The Dynamics of Folklore. Whereas earlier textbooks gave little attention to women and their folklore, this book devotes many pages to women fol

34、k performers.Recognition of women as important bearers of folklore is not entirely a recent phenomenon. As early as 1903, a few outstanding women folk performers were the focus of scholarly attention. Bur the scholarship devoted to these women tended to focus primarily on presenting the performers r

35、epertoire. Recent works about women folk artists, however, have been more biographically oriented. Juha Pentikainens study of Marina Tokalo, a Finnish healer and narrator of folktales, is especially extensive and probing. Though interested in the problems of repertoire analysis, Pentikainen gives co

36、nsiderable attention to the details of Tokalos life and cultural background, so that a full picture of a woman and her folklore emerges. Another notable work is Roger Abrahams book, which presents a very clear picture of the significance of traditional singing in the life of noted ballad singer Alme

37、da Riddle. Unfortunately, unlike Pentikainens study, Abrahams study contains little repertoire analysis.These recent books reflect the current interest of folklorists in viewing folklore in context and thus answering questions about what folklore means to the people who use it. One unexpected result

38、 of this line of study has been the discovery that women may use the same folklore that men use, but for very different purposes. This realization has potential importance for future folklore studies in calling greater attention to the type of study required if a folklorist wants truly to understand

39、 the role folklore plays in a particular culture.8. Which one of the following best describes the main point of the passage?(A) It is only since the early 1970s that folklore studies have begun to recognize women as important bearers of folklore.(B) A careful analysis of the repertoires of women fol

40、k performers has led to a new discovery with important implications for future folklore studies.(C) Recent studies of women folk performers have focused primarily on the problems of repertoire analysis to the exclusion of a discussion of the culture within which the folklore was developed.(D) The em

41、phasis in folklore studies has shifted from a focus on the life and the cultural background of the folk performers themselves to a broader understanding of the role folklore plays in a culture.(E) A change in the focus of folklore studies has led to increased interest in women folk performers and to

42、 a new understanding of the importance of the context in which folklore is produced.9. The author of the passage refers to The Dynamics of Folklore primarily in order to(A) support the idea that it is too soon to tell whether or not folklorists are giving greater attention to womens folklore(B) refu

43、te Weigle and Farrers contention that folklorists prefer to collect folklore from men rather than from women(C) support the assertion that scholarship devoted to women folk performers tends to focus primarily on repertoire(D) present an example of the new emphasis in folklore studies on the performe

44、r rather than on the folklore(E) suggest that there are some signs that women folk performers are gaining increased critical attention in the field of folklore10. The focus of which one of the following books would most clearly reflect the current interest of the folklorists mentioned in the last pa

45、ragraph?(A) an anthology of tales and songs collected exclusively from women in different cultures(B) a compilation of tales and songs from both men and women covering a great variety of traditional and nontraditional topics(C) a study of the purpose and meaning of a tale or song for the men and wom

46、en in a particular culture(D) an analysis of one particular tale or song that documents changes in the text of the folklore over a period of time(E) a comparison of the creative process of performers who transmit folklore with that of artists who transmit their ideas in writing11. According to the p

47、assage, which one of the following changes has occurred in the field of folklore since the early 1970s?(A) increased recognition of the similar ways in which men and women use folklore(B) increased recognition of folk performers as creative individuals(C) increased emphasis on the need for repertoir

48、e analysis(D) less emphasis on the relationship between cultural influences and folklore(E) less emphasis on the individual performers and more emphasis on the meaning of folklore to a culture12. It can be inferred from the passage that early folklorists assumed that which one of the following was true?(A) The people who transmitted the folklore did not play a creative role in the development of that folklore.(B) The people who transmitted the folklore were not consciously aware of the way in which they creatively shaped that folklore.