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北京师范大学 2012 年 3 月考博英语真题
Part I: Listening Comprehension
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Part II: Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are six passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by five questions or
unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best
one and mark your answer on the ANSER SHEET.
Passage One
In 1900 the United States had only three cities with more than a million residents‐New York,
Chicago, and Philadelphia. By 1930, it had ten giant metropolises. The newer ones experienced
remarkable growth, which reflected basic changes in the economy.
Line The population of Los Angeles (114,000 in 1900) rose spectacularly in the early decades of
the twentieth century, increasing a dramatic 1,400 percent from 1900 to 1930. A number of
circumstances contributed to the meteoric rise of Los Angeles. The agricultural potential of the area
was enormous if water for irrigation could be found, and the city founders had the vision and dating
to obtain it by constructing a 225‐mile aqueduct, completed in 1913, to tap the water of the Owens
River. The city had a superb natural harbor, as well as excellent rail connections. The climate made it
possible to shoot motion pictures year‐round; hence Hollywood. Hollywood not only supplied jobs; it
disseminated an image of the good life in Southern California on screens all across the nation. The
most important single industry powering the growth of Los Angeles, however, was directly linked to
the automobile. The demand for petroleum to fuel gasoline engines led to the opening of the
Southern California oil fields, and made Los Angeles North America's greatest refining center.
Los Angeles was a product of the auto age in another sense as well: its distinctive spatial
organization depended on widespread private ownership of automobiles. Los Angeles was a
decentralized metropolis, sprawling across the desert landscape over an area of 400 square miles. It
was a city without a real center. The downtown business district did not grow apace with the city as
a whole, and the rapid transit system designed to link the center with outlying areas withered away
from disuse. Approximately 800,000 cars were registered in Los Angeles County in 1930, one per 2.7
residents. Some visitors from the east coast were dismayed at the endless urban sprawl and
dismissed Los Angeles as a mere collection of suburbs in search of a city. But the freedom and
mobility of a city built on wheels attracted floods of migrants to the city.
21. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The growth of cities in the United States in the early 1900's
B. The development of the Southern California oil fields
C. Factors contributing to the growth of Los Angeles
D. Industry and city planning in Los Angeles
22. The author characterizes the growth of new large cities in the United States after 1900 as
resulting primarily from
A. new economic conditions
B. images of cities shown in movies
C. new agricultural techniques
D. a large migrant population
23. The word "meteoric" in line 6 is closest in meaning to
A. rapid B. famous C. controversial D. methodical
24. According to the passage, the most important factor in the development of agriculture
around Los Angeles was the
A. influx of "new residents to agricultural areas near the city
B. construction of an aqueduct
C. expansion of transportation facilities
D. development of new connections to the city's natural harbor
25. The visitors from the east coast mentioned in the passage thought that Los Angeles
A. was not accurately portrayed by Hollywood images
B. lacked good suburban areas in which to live
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