[研究生入学考试题库]考研英语(一)阅读理解分类模拟题96Reading ComprehensionPart AText 1 In the last ten years, the Internet has opened up incredible amounts of information to ordinary citizens. But using the Internet can be like walking into a library where the books are all lying on the floor in piles. While tools like Google allow some structured search, much of the data from such searches is outdated or of questionable value. Some Web enthusiasts, have taken up the task of organizing information through a democratic means that only the Interne t allows: an encyclopedia of the people, by the people, and completely free to copy and distribute. This "people's encyclopedia" of the Web—a free site called Wikipedia—has provided a unique solution by inviting individuals to participate in the process of rationalizing and updating Web content. At the heart of this movement are wikis, Web sites that allow users to directly edit any Web page with one click of the mouse. Wikipedia—the largest example of these collaborative efforts—is a functioning, user-contributed online encyclopedia that has become a popular and highly regarded reference in just three years of existence. The goal of Wikipedia was to create an encyclopedia that could be shared and copied freely while encouraging people to change and improve the content. Each and every article has an "Edit this page" button, allowing anyone, even anonymous passers-by, to add or delete any content on the page. It seems like a recipe for disaster and chaos, but it has produced surprisingly credible content that has been evaluated and revised by the thousands of international visitors to the site. For many, it finally realizes the original concept of World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee—an online environment where people not only browse content, but freely and actively exchange information. The Wikipedia project was started by Jimmy Wales, head of Internet startup Bomis. corn, after his original project for a volunteer, but strictly controlled, free encyclopedia ran out of money and resources after two years. Editors with PhD degrees were at the helm of the project then, but it produced only a few hundred articles. Not wanting the content to languish, Wales placed the pages on a wiki website in January 2001 and invited any Internet visitor to edit or add to the collection. The site became a runaway success in the first year and gained a loyal following, generating over 20,000 articles and spawning over a dozen language translations. After two years, it had 100,000 articles, and in April 2004, it exceeded 250,000 articles in English and 600,000 articles in 50 other languages. Over 2,000 new articles are added each day across all the various languages. And according to website rankings at Alexa. com, it has become more popular than traditional online encyclopedias such as Britannica. com and is one of the top 600 most heavily visited websites on the Internet. 1. The author called Wikipedia "people's encyclopedia" because ______.A.it is accessible to all the passers-byB.it can be edited by everyoneC.it is run by ordinary peopleD.it is built to the taste of common citizens答案:B[解析] 本题是推理判断题，根据题干定位到全文第二段。
该段第二个破折号之后的部分对people's encyclopedia的功能做了详细的解释：provided a unique solution by inviting individuals to participate in the process of rationalizing and updating Web content. 可以推知其主要特性是允许每个人对网站内容进行编辑2. What's the goal of Wikipedia according to the text?A.To create a people's encyclopedia that is free to share and copy.B.To produce a credible and authoritative reference tool.C.To create an online environment where people freely exchange information.D.To create a volunteer, but strictly controlled, free encyclopedia.答案:A[解析] 本题是事实细节题，根据题干定位在第三段。
第二句指出“The goal of Wikipedia was to create an encyclopedia that could be shared and copied freely...”，可知维基百科的目标是创造一部能够被免费共享和复制的百科全书，A项是对该句的同义复现3. The word "languish" (Line 4, Para. 4) is closest in meaning to ______.A.witherB.abortC.lose vigorD.lose appeal答案:B[解析] 本题是语义理解题，根据题干定位到第四段该段第一句和第二句指出威尔士为了这个项目投入了很多资源，很多编辑还都拥有博士学位，可以推知威尔士并不想让这个项目流产4. According to the text, Jimmy Wales initiated Wikipedia project in order to ______.A.create a people's encyclopediaB.produce huge amounts of articlesC.make available resources useful againD.promote a wiki website答案:C[解析] 本题是推理判断题，根据题干定位到第四段，文中提到威尔士看到自己最初的项目无法实现，但又不想浪费既有的工作成果，于是将之前的成果放到了维基网站上。
由此可以推知威尔士是想要让那些有价值的成果再次发挥作用5. Which of the following is true about Wikipedia?A.It, has once run into trouble.B.There existed disaster and chaos in the beginning.C.Many articles of it are outdated or of questionable value.D.It has been a great success from the beginning.答案:D[解析] 本题是事实细节题，根据选项定位到最后一段，最后一段首句指出The site became a runaway success in the first year，由此可知维基百科一开始就大获成功Text 2 Jonathan Swift made a famous Modest Proposal in 1729 that the babies of the Irish poor should be eaten to prevent them growing up to。