1、考研英语(二)分类真题 18 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Should the United States end its three quarters-of-a-century-long prohibition on drugs? Outraged by the seemingly endless deaths, violence, crime, corruption, border searches
2、, and social costs generated by world drug trafficking, a growing number of public officials and scholars are arguing that it is time to consider the possibilities of selective drug legalization. The legalization argument rests on the proposition that drug lawsnot drugs themselvescause the greatest
3、harm to society. If drugs were legal, the argument goes, drug black markets worth tens of billions of dollars would evaporate, the empires of drug traffickers would collapse, and addicts would stop committing street crimes to support their habit. But legalization would not only take the profit out o
4、f drug trafficking. Presumably police officers, courts, and prisons would no longer be overwhelmed with drug cases. And the nation would be spared the poisoning strains on its relations with important and otherwise friendly Latin American and Asian nations. Most advocates of legalization do no toler
5、ate, let alone want to encourage, drug use. Rather they believe that making drugs a criminal matter has made the problem worse. They acknowledge that the nation would still have massive public health problems on its hands, but it would not be compounded by a big crime problem, a big corruption probl
6、em, and a big foreign policy problem. Government could also tax the sale of drugs and use the incomes to finance drug prevention and treatment programs. And civil libertarians cite another benefit: an end to violations of basic individual freedom, such as drug testing, that derive from excessive zea
7、l for winning the drug war. In any event, proponents of legalization say the war on drugs is doomed. So long as there is demand for cocaine, heroin, and other drugs, someone is going to supply them, legally or illegally. Opponents of legalization regard the abandonment of antidrug laws as a frighten
8、ing and dangerous policy, one morally equivalent to giving societal approval to what currently is taboo behaviour. With the legal stigma gone, opponents say, more law-abiding citizens would be tempted to experiment with drugs. Moreover, highly damaging substances would be cheaper, purer, and more wi
9、dely available, thus causing a sharp jump in addiction, hospital costs, overdose deaths, family and social violence, and property damage. Now, at least, the expense and danger of purchasing illegal drugs limit the amount most people use. There is little information available that sheds light on what
10、 would happen to American society if cocaine and heroin were legalized. Indeed, the idea of legalization has been so far outside the realm of popular acceptance that virtually no financing of research into its potential effects has taken place. Of interest, however, is the fact that both advocates a
11、nd opponents of drug legalization look to the nation“s experience with Prohibition as providing evidence for their respective cases.（分数：20.00）(1).The central opposition to drug prohibition is that _（分数：4.00）A.it has caused the crime problemB.it has wasted a lot of legal resourcesC.it has caused bord
12、er disputesD.it has caused social problems(2).It is implied in the first paragraph that _（分数：4.00）A.drug legalization is an impossibly gigantic taskB.Asia is an important provider of drugs in AmericaC.drug-related corruption happens mainly to lawmakersD.drug trafficking is the worst crime in America
13、(3).The advocates of drug legalization as the possible outcome of drug prohibition mention all of the following except _（分数：4.00）A.The crime problem.B.The public health problem.C.The foreign policy problem.D.The corruption problem.(4).According to the opponents of drug legalization, one of the reaso
14、ns for fewer cases of drug abuse is _（分数：4.00）A.the damaging effect of drug additionB.the criminal rate associated with drug useC.the presence of antidrug lawD.the effective execution of government policies(5).We learn from the last paragraph that _（分数：4.00）A.the opponents and advocates of drug lega
15、lization actually share some positionsB.prohibiting drug use will have the same effect as the prohibition of alcoholC.the effect of drug legalization on society is not well borne out yetD.the public will not agree to fund research into the effects of drugs四、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：20.00)There is nothing lik
16、e a good bidding war to lift capitalism“s spirits. And that may be exactly what is about to happen after Kraft made a $17 billion bid for Cadbury on September 7th. The well-known British confectioner straightly rejected the American food giant“s offer, saying it “fundamentally undervalues“ the compa
17、ny, which could continue to thrive on its own. Kraft“s move is one of several in recent days that have raised hopes of a new wave of mergers and acquisitions just as it seemed, after a summer of inactivity, that 2009 would be a declining year for M active, imaginative play; a close relationship to t
18、he rest of the living world; the arts; and lastly timeplenty of time for children to be children. A new respect for childhood itself, in other words, is the gift that will best prepare our children for the future“s unknowns. Empowered by this gift, our children can grow into strong and creative huma
19、n beings, facing tomorrow“s uncertainties with competence and courage. School reform is a social challenge, not a technological problem. The Education Department“s own 1999 study, “Hope in Urban Education,“ offers powerful proof. It tells the story of nine troubled schools in high-poverty areas, all
20、 places resigned to low expectations, low achievement, and high conflict. But all transformed themselves into high-achieving, cohesive communities. In the process, everyone involvedprincipals, teachers, other staff members, parents, and studentsdeveloped high expectations of themselves, and of each
21、other. The strategies that worked in these schools, the study emphasizes, were persistence, creativity in devising new ways of collaborating, maximizing the attention focused on each child, and a shared commitment to meeting the full range of children“s needs. Perhaps what we“re looking for is not a
22、 technology, not a product to be bought and sold at all. Perhaps the gold is something to be dug and refined within ourselves.（分数：20.00）(1).In the passage the author is most critical of _（分数：4.00）A.parents using computers as baby-sittersB.politicians using computers for decision makingC.high-tech co
23、mpanies promoting computers in schoolsD.teachers leaning too much on computers in instruction(2).The author believes the computer-based approach will benefit _（分数：4.00）A.only adults in their educationB.children in elementary schoolsC.children with problems in logical abstractionD.none of the above(3
24、).Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author“s idea?（分数：4.00）A.The uncertainties of the future make the computer literacy all the more necessary.B.The computer-based approach may prove harmful to the development of children.C.It is imperative to empower children with comput
25、er knowledge to tackle life“s problems.D.Computer literacy is an imperative only when it helps the overall development of children.(4).The 1999 study shows that _（分数：4.00）A.meeting the individual child“s needs for natural development is more importantB.teaching children moral values is more importan
26、t than teaching them technologyC.government policies play a decisive role in school reformD.the troubled schools in poor areas should receive more attention in school reform(5).The author asserts that computer skills are less useful for children because _（分数：4.00）A.the children won“t know how to app
27、ly them to future situationsB.these skills have to be renewed with the passage of timeC.computer technology will develop beyond recognition in the futureD.the instruction now takes too much of the normal classroom time六、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Paying $175 for the right to cram into Orlando“s Citrus Bo
28、wl Park with 50,000 other people for two days straight might not sound that appealing to some. But throw in nonstop live music on a number of open-air stages and people will turn up in large crowds, even in a state with one of the highest jobless rates in the country. That“s the thinking behind Los
29、Angeles-based entertainment giant Live Nation“s latest endeavor in the music-festival business. Music festivals are a rare bright spot in the struggling music industry. The festival business has grown from almost nothing a few decades ago to roughly $1.36 billion in Britain, one of the world“s large
30、st festival markets. In the U.S., live-music revenues have nearly doubled over the past decade, to $4.6 billion last year, fueled in part by the growth in festivals. That has shifted the music industry“s focus from recorded albums to live performances. After a decade of dwindling sales of recorded m
31、usic, caused in part by free Internet downloads from music-sharing start-ups like Napster, live entertainment is the industry“s new cash cowone that can“t be infinitely reproduced. According to trade group IFPI, global sales of recorded music have dropped more than 40% in the past 10 years, to $16 b
32、illion in 2010. Ticket sales for live music in Britain, meanwhile, have nearly quadrupled over the same period, to $2.4 billion. In the digital age, people “yearn for actual experiences, like concerts, and they“re willing to pay a premium price for them,“ says Nick George, a media analyst. The festi
33、val boom could mean big changes for the music industry and its customers. Digital media, which lend themselves to endless duplication and piracy, have driven down the value of recorded music over the past decade. But live shows, which are by definition a limited number of one-off events, promise to
34、continue turning profits for years to come. That“s good news not just for big media corporations like Sony and Warner, which have been fishing for ways to redefine their music divisions in the digital age; it could also help boost the incomes of struggling musicians, especially independents who rely
35、 on even the smallest concerts to make a living. For music fans, festivals mean more access to live music in bulk and the chance to discover new bands in the flesh rather than through computer screens or on the radio. Festivals haven“t always held this kind of appeal in the music industry. A decade
36、ago, many musicians viewed live performances as at times tedious marketing plugs for their latest albums. Nowadays the opposite is true. Corporate executives are seeing dollar signs too. For media-savvy companies, festivals have become a form of “experiential“ media, interactive events through which
37、 they can market their brands. Unlike giveaways or ads, enjoyable experiences give brands “long-term engagement with a captive audience,“ says Bryan Duffy, a marketing executive at New York City consulting firm MKTG Inc.（分数：20.00）(1).From the first paragraph we learn _（分数：4.00）A.putting on a show in
38、 the open air does not attract many peopleB.the Citrus Bowl Park is not a place that appears attractive to peopleC.live music festivals begin to earn revenue for media companiesD.Los Angeles leads the United States in the entertainment world(2).The music industry as a whole _（分数：4.00）A.has recovered
39、 owing to live concertsB.is declining due to pirated musicC.may die short of music festivalsD.should improve the quality of recorded music(3).Companies like Sony and Warner have been _（分数：4.00）A.trying to boost revenue by organizing live performancesB.redefining their music in terms of live performa
40、ncesC.considering dividing their businesses into smaller unitsD.enlisting new musicians, especially independent ones(4).To musicians, live performances used to _（分数：4.00）A.fill in their free time between albumsB.be advertising events for their albumsC.be boring things pressed upon themD.be only some
41、thing put on at festivals(5).We can conclude from the text that _（分数：4.00）A.live music has got the upper hand of recorded musicB.recorded music is seeing a silver lining in the cloudC.live performance has put the music industry in safe handsD.the music industry is singing a happier tune now七、Text 5(
42、总题数：1，分数：20.00)It“s a clichebut truethat a huge obstacle to a stronger economic recovery is the lack of confidence in a strong recovery. If consumers and businesses were more confident, they would be spending, hiring and lending more freely. Instead, we“re submerged with reports suggesting that, bec
43、ause the recession was so deep, it will take many years to regain anything like the pre-crisis prosperity. Just last week, for example, the McKinsey Global Institute released a study estimating that the country needs 21 million additional jobs by 2020 to reduce the unemployment rate to 5 percent. Th
44、e study was skeptical that this would happen. Pessimism and slow growth become a vicious cycle. Frustrated confidence most obviously reflects the intensity and shock of the financial collapse and the ensuing recession, including the devastating housing collapse. But there“s another, less appreciated
45、 cause: disillusion with modern economics. Probably without realizing it, most Americans had accepted the fundamental promises of contemporary economics. These were: First, we know enough to prevent another Great Depression; second, although we can“t prevent every recession, we know enough to ensure
46、 sustained and, for the most part, strong recoveries. These propositions, approved by most economists, had worked themselves into society“s belief structure. Embracing them does not rule out economic disappointments, setbacks, worries or risks. But for most people most of the time, it does prevent e
47、conomic disaster. People felt protected. If you stop believing them, then you act differently. You begin shielding yourself, as best you can, against circumstances and dangers that you can“t foresee but that you fear are there. You become more cautious. You hesitate more before making a big commitme
48、ntbuying a home or car, if you“re a consumer; hiring workers, if you“re an employer; starting a new business, if you“re an entrepreneur; or making loans, if you“re a banker. One disturbing fact from the McKinsey report is this. The number of new businesses, a traditional source of jobs, was down 23
49、percent in 2010 from 2007; the level was the lowest since 1983, when America had about 75 million fewer people. Large corporations are not doing anything. They have about $2 trillion of cash and securities, which could be used for hiring and investing in new products. It“s not that economics achieved nothing. The emergency measures taken against the crisis in many countriesexceptionally low interest rates, “stimulus“ programs of extra spending and tax cutsprobably avoided another Depression. But it“s also true tha
