《2016福建医大英语考博试题》.doc

福建医大 博士研究生入学英语考试试卷 (2010. 5) Part I. Reading Comprehension Directions: Read the following four passages. Answer the questions below each passage by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET. ( 40 % ) For the first two-thirds of the 20th century, chemistry was seen by many as the science of the future. The potential of chemical products for enriching society appeared to be unlimited. Increasingly, however, and especially in the public mind, the negative aspects of chemistry have come to the fore. Disposal of chemical by-products at waste-disposal sites of limited capacity has resulted in environmental and health problems of enormous concern. The legitimate use of drugs for the medically supervised treatment of diseases has been tainted by the growing misuse of mood altering drugs. The very word chemical has come to be used all too frequently in a pejorative sense. There is, as a result, a danger that the pursuit and application of chemical knowledge may be seen as bearing risks that outweigh the benefits. It is easy to underestimate the central role of chemistry in modern society, but chemical products are essential if the world’s population is to be clothed, housed and fed. The world’s reserves of fossil fuels (e.g. natural gas and coal) will eventually be exhausted, some as soon as the 21st century, and new chemical processes and materials will provide a crucial alternative energy source. The conversion of solar energy to more concentrated, useful forms, for example, will rely heavily on discoveries in chemistry. Long-term, environmentally acceptable solutions to pollution problems are not attainable without chemical knowledge. There is much truth in the aphorism that “chemical problems require chemical solutions”. Chemical inquiry will lead to a better understanding of the behavior of both natural and synthetic materials and to the discovery of new substances that will help future generations better supply their needs and deal with their pro