7.19 考研英语阅读模拟试题【难度8.0】

Section II Reading Comprehension 

Part A 

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. 

Text 3

A hospital is rarely a desirable place to be. In a heat wave, it’s even less so.

Not only are vulnerable patients more at risk from the impacts of heat, but the recent extreme temperatures — the result of fossil-fuel emissions — have disrupted critical hospital functions, too.

During the May and June hot spells, hospitals across the UK reported failures of vital equipment such as MRI scanners and radiotherapy machines. Operating theaters are one of the few medical spaces that are reliably air-conditioned, yet surgeries still had to be canceled because cooling units couldn’t cope with the heat and humidity. Sleep-deprived staff struggled to work in wards where the temperature sometimes exceeded 35C (95F). And it all happened as parts of the health service faced unprecedented demand, with the London Ambulance Service seeing its busiest day on record at the end of June.

The problem isn’t Britain’s alone. Europe faces many of the same issues, which is why France is spending €100 million ($114.7 million) to rush 30,000 air-conditioning units into hospitals. But properly addressing the problem will require far more than ordering a bunch of ACs.

Why are hospitals so hot? In the UK, it’s largely thanks to aging infrastructure, with some buildings dating back more than 150 years. As new facilities have been sutured onto the old ones, many lost original cooling features such as internal courtyards and high ceilings. Hospital windows are now blocked from opening wider than 100mm, a concession to patient safety that restricts ventilation. At the same time, outdated heating systems mean radiators can be blasting throughout the summer. Even certain kinds of fans are banned for infection control.

NHS data began tracking overheating and flood-related incidents — both of which have become more likely thanks to climate change — in 2021. So far, the 2022/23 financial year has seen the most overheating incidents. That’s not a surprise when you consider that parts of the UK reached 40C in 2022, leading the UK Health Security Agency to issue a red heat-health warning for the first time ever. This year is likely to be on par with 2022/23, if not surpass it.

Still, there’s a lot we don’t know about the scale and impact of overheating in healthcare facilities. For example, how do internal building temperatures interact with external weather conditions, and at what temperature thresholds do problems begin to bite? The answers will vary by patient, building and location.

There are several projects working to fill these knowledge gaps. Chengzhi Peng, a senior lecturer in architectural science at the University of Sheffield, is leading a couple of pilot studies that aim to model how care facilities perform in extreme heat.

Sarah Wise, an associate professor at University College London’s Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, is studying how heat waves and flooding could affect the UK’s blood network. The NHS requires about 5,000 blood donations every day to maintain the necessary supply and relies on a fiendishly complicated supply chain.

Summer is a particularly vulnerable time for blood supplies. An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesperson told me that “the number of people unable to donate because of low hemoglobin increases by around 50% in the warmer months.” Add the disruptions of extreme heat to the equation and the odds of a shortage jump. Even if there are sufficient donations, red blood cells have to be stored between 2C and 6C, transported to a regional manufacturing center, where they’re processed before being sent to a hospital. If MRI scanners are going down in heat waves, blood chiller units could too.

Both Peng and Wise hope to gather enough information to create plans for hospitals to boost resilience and counter the impacts of heat. Peng imagines site-specific early warning systems and guidelines.

But why go to all this trouble when you could just make like the French and churn out air conditioning? Susie Vernon, associate director of sustainability at Care Without Carbon, an NHS initiative based in Sussex, told me that it’s not always possible to add AC units — wards need suitable ventilation, for example. Plus, as Peng explained, installation has to allow for continuity of treatment; hospital wings can’t just shut down for renovations. Then there’s energy use and costs to consider.

Of course, it doesn’t help that the NHS’s buildings require significant maintenance: Clearing the current repair backlog would cost an estimated £15.9 billion ($21.5 billion). That’s an eye-watering sum even before accounting for the cost of retrofitting climate-adaptation measures.

Vernon is co-lead on a project documenting heat interventions and their effectiveness. While infrastructure updates — from active measures (fans and AC) to passive ones such as window films, green roofs and shading — will be key, behavioral changes such as scheduling vulnerable patients for morning appointments, promoting hydration and adding cooling measures such as cold-water foot baths are important, too. Even giving staff lighter, cooler uniforms could help.

There are opportunities here to improve health outcomes in more than one way. Trees not only provide shade, but multiple studies have shown that patients with views of greenery have shorter hospital stays and need less pain medication. Sounds like a win-win.

More air conditioning is almost certainly part of the answer for the NHS. But failing to take a more holistic view of how to keep patients and medical workers cool and comfortable would be an expensive mistake.

31. Why do UK hospitals inherently struggle with elevated temperatures according to Paragraph 5?[A] Unintended thermal consequences stem from continuous structural patchwork and stringent safety mandates.[B] The progressive deterioration of historical ventilation systems is exacerbated by modern energy constraints.[C] Medical professionals inadvertently prioritize strict infection control over foundational climate adaptation.[D] The deliberate phase-out of traditional architectural designs aims to accommodate advanced medical equipment.

32. What can be inferred about the UK's blood supply network during heatwaves?[A] A dramatic reduction in donor participation primarily accounts for the imminent collapse of medical logistics.[B] It encounters compounding logistical and physiological vulnerabilities when subjected to severe thermal stress.[C] The mandatory centralization of manufacturing centers directly exacerbates the fragility of local blood reserves.[D] Its logistical complexities largely immunize it against the sporadic power outages associated with extreme weather.

33. Why is a mass deployment of air-conditioning units deemed an inadequate primary solution for the NHS?[A] The outdated electrical grids of century-old buildings lack the capacity to sustain continuous cooling operations.[B] Medical administrators prioritize passive environmental interventions over technologically intensive cooling mechanisms.[C] The exorbitant costs of retrofitting air conditioners would fundamentally bankrupt the national healthcare budget.[D] It presents prohibitive infrastructural and financial hurdles alongside the risk of interrupting ongoing patient care.

34. How does the author perceive the integration of greenery into hospital environments?[A] As a multifaceted intervention yielding both environmental mitigation and tangible therapeutic dividends.[B] As a superficial aesthetic enhancement intended to distract patients from systemic infrastructure flaws.[C] As a promising yet economically unviable substitute for conventional pharmaceutical pain management.[D] As a predominantly psychological comfort measure that unfortunately requires extensive architectural modifications.

35. Which of the following best encapsulates the author's primary argument?[A] The escalating climate crisis exposes the irreversible obsolescence of European healthcare infrastructure.[B] Safeguarding healthcare systems against extreme heat necessitates a comprehensive, multi-tiered adaptation strategy.[C] Behavioral modifications offer a more financially sustainable alternative to massive infrastructural overhauls in hospitals.[D] The implementation of site-specific early warning systems is the most critical step in preventing hospital equipment failures.

附注：根据历年考研英语真题阅读题源外刊等，摘选最新文章，模拟仿真出题。

参考答案见以下。

Quick look: ABDAB

31.【正确答案】A【解析】题型：因果细节题定位： 第五段“As new facilities have been sutured onto the old ones, many lost original cooling features... Hospital windows are now blocked from opening wider than 100mm, a concession to patient safety... Even certain kinds of fans are banned for infection control.”分析： 原文剖析了英国医院异常闷热的几个底层原因：新建筑像缝补丁一样加在老建筑上（structural patchwork）导致失去了原有的庭院和高天花板；窗户为了病人的“安全让步（concession to safety）”而被限制打开宽度；风扇因感染控制被禁用。选项 A“意想不到的生热后果源于持续的结构性修补和严格的安全指令（Unintended thermal consequences stem from continuous structural patchwork and stringent safety mandates）”极其精准地用高阶学术语言概括了这一系列物理与制度上的无奈妥协。干扰项：[B] 历史通风系统的逐渐恶化因现代能源限制而加剧（张冠李戴，原文是说由于“新增建筑的拼接”导致失去了原有通风特色，而非其自身在恶化，且未提及“现代能源限制”）；[C] 医疗专业人员无意中将严格的感染控制置于基础气候适应之上（实体错位，禁用风扇是“制度/规定（banned for infection control）”，将其归咎于“医疗专业人员无意中（inadvertently）”的个人行为属于主体偷换）；[D] 故意逐步淘汰传统建筑设计以容纳先进的医疗设备（强加因果，传统建筑特征的丧失是因为扩建拼接，而非为了给先进医疗设备腾地方）。

32.【正确答案】B【解析】题型：推理判断题定位： 第九、十段。“...relies on a fiendishly complicated supply chain.”，“the number of people unable to donate because of low hemoglobin increases by around 50%...”，“red blood cells have to be stored between 2C and 6C... If MRI scanners are going down in heat waves, blood chiller units could too.”分析： 原文指出，血液供应网络在热浪中面临双重打击：一是献血者因血红蛋白偏低导致无法献血的人数增加（生理性问题/physiological）；二是原本就极其复杂的冷链物流中，血液冷却装置可能像MRI一样发生故障（物流问题/logistical）。选项 B“当遭受严重的极端热压力时，它会遇到复合的物流和生理脆弱性（It encounters compounding logistical and physiological vulnerabilities...）”是对这两层困境的完美上位词提炼。干扰项：[A] 捐献者参与度的急剧下降主要说明了医疗物流即将崩溃（概念偷换与因果倒置，献血者并非“主观上不参与/donor participation”，而是客观上因血红蛋白低“无法献血/unable to donate”）；[C] 制造中心的强制集权化直接加剧了地方血液储备的脆弱性（无中生有，原文提到血液被运往区域制造中心，但并未批判这种集权化加剧了脆弱性，罪魁祸首是“热浪导致冷却器宕机”）；[D] 其物流的复杂性在很大程度上使其免受极端天气相关的零星停电的影响（事实相反，原文明确指出复杂的供应链在热浪中极易崩溃/odds of a shortage jump）。

33.【正确答案】D【解析】题型：因果细节题定位： 第十二、十三段。“...it’s not always possible to add AC units — wards need suitable ventilation... installation has to allow for continuity of treatment; hospital wings can’t just shut down for renovations. Then there’s energy use and costs to consider. Of course, it doesn’t help that the NHS’s buildings require significant maintenance: Clearing the current repair backlog would cost an estimated £15.9 billion...”分析： 作者在第十二段借专家之口反问“为什么不直接像法国人那样大量安装空调”，随后给出了原因：病房需要特定通风（基建障碍）；安装不能中断现有治疗（干扰患者护理）；此外还有能源成本，以及NHS背负的高达159亿英镑的维修积压账单（巨大的财务障碍）。选项 D“它带来了令人望而却步的基础设施和财务障碍，以及中断正在进行的患者护理的风险（prohibitive infrastructural and financial hurdles alongside the risk of interrupting ongoing patient care）”全方位涵盖了上述三大原因。干扰项：[A] 百年建筑过时的电网缺乏维持持续冷却运行的容量（过度推断，虽然提到了维护积压，但并未具体点明是“电网容量/electrical grids”的问题）；[B] 医疗管理者优先考虑被动环境干预，而不是技术密集的冷却机制（与作者态度背离，最后一段明确指出“更多的空调几乎肯定是答案的一部分”，管理者并非只优先被动干预）；[C] 改造空调的高昂成本将从根本上使国家医疗保健预算破产（程度夸大，“使预算破产/bankrupt”的表述过于严重，原文只说这是一个“令人瞠目的数字/eye-watering sum”和“昂贵的错误/expensive mistake”）。

34.【正确答案】A【解析】题型：观点态度题定位： 第十五段“Trees not only provide shade, but multiple studies have shown that patients with views of greenery have shorter hospital stays and need less pain medication. Sounds like a win-win.”分析： 原文指出，绿植（树木）不仅能提供物理上的遮阳降温（environmental mitigation），还能让患者住院时间更短、所需止痛药更少，这是一场“双赢（win-win）”。选项 A“作为一种多方面的干预措施，既能缓解环境问题，又能带来切实可见的治疗红利（tangible therapeutic dividends）”是对这一“双赢”局面的精确学术性升华。干扰项：[B] 作为一种肤浅的审美强化，旨在分散患者对系统性基础设施缺陷的注意力（态度相反，原文高度肯定绿植的实际医疗功效，绝非“肤浅的/superficial”）；[C] 作为一种有前途但经济上不可行的常规药物疼痛管理的替代品（修饰错位，原文说它能减少止痛药的使用，但并未说它“经济上不可行/economically unviable”或能“替代/substitute”止痛药）；[D] 作为一种主要在心理层面提供舒适的措施，遗憾的是它需要广泛的建筑修改（无中生有，原文未提及种树需要“广泛的建筑修改”）。

35.【正确答案】B【解析】题型：主旨大意题定位： 全文逻辑结构及最后一段总结。“More air conditioning is almost certainly part of the answer for the NHS. But failing to take a more holistic view of how to keep patients and medical workers cool and comfortable would be an expensive mistake.”分析： 文章以热浪瘫痪医院为切入点，剖析了英国医院闷热的历史结构原因，随后不仅讨论了硬件设施的更新（空调、绿植、反光膜），还强调了行为习惯的改变（早晨就诊、发轻薄制服等）。末段作者盖棺定论：只加空调是不够的，必须采取更“整体的视角（holistic view）”。选项 B“保护医疗系统免受极端高温的影响需要采取全面、多层次的适应战略（a comprehensive, multi-tiered adaptation strategy）”完美提炼了作者呼吁的“整体视角（holistic view）”的核心内涵。干扰项：[A] 不断升级的气候危机暴露了欧洲医疗基础设施不可逆转的老化（局部细节与过度消极，“不可逆转/irreversible”违背了作者后半篇积极提出整改方案的建设性基调）；[C] 行为修改为医院大规模的基础设施大修提供了一种财务上更可持续的替代方案（强加对立，文章第十四段明确指出基础设施更新和行为改变是“并重/too”的关系，而非“替代/alternative”）；[D] 实施针对特定地点的预警系统是防止医院设备故障的最关键步骤（局部细节，“预警系统”只是第十一段中一位学者提出的初步构想之一，无法统摄全文庞大的应对体系）。

【词汇注释】

【长难句】

While infrastructure updates — from active measures (fans and AC) to passive ones such as window films, green roofs and shading — will be key, behavioral changes such as scheduling vulnerable patients for morning appointments, promoting hydration and adding cooling measures such as cold-water foot baths are important, too.

拆解：

1. While 引导让步状语从句，主干为 infrastructure updates... will be key（虽然基础设施的更新……将是关键）。破折号中间的成分 from active measures... to passive ones... 是对基础设施更新的具体举例补充。

2. 主句主干为 behavioral changes... are important, too（行为上的改变……也很重要）。

3. 主句中 such as 引导了三个并列的动名词短语，作为 behavioral changes 的具体同位语例证：scheduling..., promoting..., adding...。

【参考译文】

医院鲜少是一个令人向往的地方。而在热浪中，它就更不讨喜了。

脆弱的患者不仅面临着更高的极热影响风险，而且近期因化石燃料排放导致的极端高温，也扰乱了医院的关键功能。

在5月和6月的酷热期，英国各地的医院均报告了诸如核磁共振（MRI）扫描仪和放疗设备等重要仪器的故障。手术室是少数能够可靠供空调的医疗区域之一，但由于冷却装置无法应对高温和高湿，手术依然被迫取消。睡眠不足的医护人员在温度有时超过35°C（95°F）的病房中苦苦挣扎。这一切都发生在该医疗服务系统的部分部门面临着史无前例的需求之际——伦敦救护车服务中心在6月底迎来了有史以来最繁忙的一天。

这个问题并非英国独有。欧洲也面临着许多相同的问题，这也是法国斥资1亿欧元（1.147亿美元）向医院紧急部署3万台空调的原因。但要妥善解决这个问题，所需的远不止订购一堆空调那么简单。

医院为什么会这么热？在英国，这在很大程度上归咎于老化的基础设施，有些建筑的历史甚至超过了150年。随着新设施像补丁一样拼接到老建筑上，许多地方失去了最初的降温特色，比如内部庭院和高天花板。医院的窗户现在被限制开启不超过100毫米，这是为了患者安全做出的让步，却限制了通风。与此同时，过时的供暖系统意味着暖气片可能在整个夏天都在轰鸣。为了控制感染，甚至连某些类型的风扇也被禁用。

英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）的数据从2021年开始追踪与过热和洪水相关的事件——这两种事件都因气候变化而变得更为频繁。迄今为止，2022/23财年发生的过热事件最多。考虑到英国部分地区在2022年达到了40°C，导致英国卫生安全局有史以来首次发布了红色高温健康预警，这也就不足为奇了。今年即便没有超过2022/23年的水平，也很可能与之持平。

尽管如此，关于医疗设施过热的规模和影响，我们仍有许多未知之处。例如，建筑内部温度如何与外部天气条件相互作用？问题在什么温度阈值下开始恶化？答案将因患者、建筑和地点的不同而异。

目前有几个项目致力于填补这些知识空白。谢菲尔德大学建筑科学高级讲师程智·彭（Chengzhi Peng）正领导着几个试点研究，旨在建立护理设施在极端高温下如何运作的模型。

伦敦大学学院巴特莱特高级空间分析中心副教授莎拉·怀斯（Sarah Wise）正在研究热浪和洪水可能对英国血液网络产生何种影响。NHS每天需要大约5000份血液捐赠来维持必要的供应，并且依赖于一个极其复杂的供应链。

夏季对于血液供应来说是一个特别脆弱的时期。一位NHS血液和移植部门的发言人告诉我：“在较暖的月份，因为血红蛋白低而无法献血的人数增加了大约50%。”如果再把极端高温带来的干扰算进去，出现短缺的概率就会飙升。即使有足够的捐赠，红细胞也必须储存在2°C到6°C之间，并运送到区域制造中心，在那里进行处理后再送往医院。如果MRI扫描仪在热浪中宕机，血液冷却装置也同样可能罢工。

彭和怀斯都希望收集足够的信息，为医院制定计划，以提升韧性并应对高温影响。彭设想了针对特定地点的早期预警系统和指导方针。

但是，既然可以像法国人那样大批量制造空调，为什么还要费这么大劲呢？苏塞克斯的NHS倡议“无碳护理”项目可持续发展副主任苏西·弗农（Susie Vernon）告诉我，增加空调并不总是可行的——例如，病房需要合适的通风。此外，正如彭所解释的，安装必须考虑到治疗的连续性；医院侧翼不可能为了翻新就直接关门。而且还有能源使用和成本问题需要考虑。

当然，NHS的建筑需要大量维护这一事实也无济于事：清理目前的维修积压账单估计需要159亿英镑（215亿美元）。即使不把加装气候适应措施的成本算在内，这也是一个令人瞠目的数字。

弗农是一个记录防暑干预措施及其有效性的项目的联合负责人。虽然基础设施的更新——从主动措施（风扇和空调）到被动措施（如窗膜、绿色屋顶和遮阳）——将是关键，但行为上的改变，如将脆弱患者的预约安排在早晨、鼓励补充水分以及增加冷水足浴等降温措施也同样重要。甚至给员工发放更轻薄、更凉爽的制服也能有所帮助。

这里存在以不止一种方式改善健康结果的机会。树木不仅能提供阴凉，多项研究表明，能看到绿化的患者住院时间更短，所需的止痛药也更少。听起来这是个双赢的局面。

增加空调几乎肯定会是NHS解决方案的一部分。但如果未能采取更具全局性的视角来考虑如何让患者和医务人员保持凉爽舒适，那将是一个昂贵的错误。

附注：