1、考研英语(二)分类真题 8 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)Could a simple memory workout make you smarter? An intriguing new study by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests it cana finding that adds a wrinkle to the prevai
2、ling notion that IQ is largely fixed by genes. The study involved 62 elementary- and middle-school children from southeast Michigan who were randomly assigned to train on one of two video game-like computer tasks. One group performed a mental-training exercise aimed at improving working memory, the
3、ability to hold and retrieve information in the short term. The other group practiced general knowledge and vocabulary skills. Both groups trained for one month, five times a week for 15 minutes per session. At the end of the intervention, many of the kids who had engaged in the working memory task
4、had boosted a key attribute of their intelligenceby some five points. Specifically, they improved their performance on tests of so-called fluid intelligence, the ability to solve new problems and reason abstractly. Researchers have long debated whether fluid intelligenceconsidered a significant pred
5、ictor of educational successcould be reliably improved by training. Fluid intelligence is thought to be independent of learning, experience or education and, therefore, mainly governed by genes. By contrast, the other component of overall intelligence, crystallized intelligence, which involves the a
6、cquisition of discrete bits of knowledge, improves with learning. The Michigan researchers found that kids had not only enhanced their fluid intelligence after training on the working-memory tasks, but that they also maintained the gains for three months after training ended. There were several limi
7、tations to the findings, however. To start, the size of children“s improvements was inconsistent. It“s possible that kids who saw greater gains in fluid intelligence were those who started out at lower ability levels and simply had more room to improve. Further; not every child improved. The authors
8、 suggested that students who failed to benefit from the working-memory training found the task too difficult or boring, and became frustrated and disengaged. Indeed, the training task is a chore, even when dressed up in a video game. The job of the child is to press the space bar whenever the charac
9、ter returns to a spot where it has previously been, and to ignore the other irrelevant locations. As the children advance in the task, these locations move further back in time, forcing them to sort through an increasing amount of information. Perhaps more importantly, it“s not clear whether higher
10、scores on tests of fluid intelligence have any real-world significance: whether they naturally translate to better grades or improvements in other abilitiesor for that matter whether they predict better jobs or more life success down the line. For now, the Michigan researchers are planning to invest
11、igate whether the same training task could benefit children with deficits in working memory and attention. Lead author Susanne Jaeggi and her team are also working on an intervention that can be easily implemented in schools and other educational settings.（分数：20.00）(1).The conventional idea about in
12、telligence is that _（分数：4.00）A.simple memory work makes the mind less responsive to fresh thingsB.mental-training can only improve short-term memoryC.doing mental exercise does not help intelligence to growD.vocabulary exercise contributes little to general knowledge(2).Fluid intelligence is differe
13、nt from crystallized intelligence in that _（分数：4.00）A.the former is a capacity independent of acquired knowledgeB.the former refers to the ability to solve abstract problemsC.the former cannot be improved even with proper trainingD.the former serves as the genetic basis for the latter(3).One of the
14、shortcomings of the research lies in _（分数：4.00）A.its uncertainty about what fluid intelligence isB.the design of the training task to be completedC.the irrelevance of the task to fluid intelligenceD.the use of computer games for real-life activities(4).What is not certain about the findings of the r
15、esearch is _（分数：4.00）A.the influence of school education on themB.their relevance to real-world situationsC.their effect on memory and attentionD.the applicability of them to working memory(5).It can be concluded from the text that _（分数：4.00）A.no mental training can improve intelligenceB.poor memory
16、 can be enhanced by brain trainingC.crystallized intelligence is not “fixed“ at allD.brain training can boost intelligence四、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Charities are facing a multi-billion pound black hole in their finances as companies withdraw sponsorship and individuals cancel standing orders as the ec
17、onomic downturn bites, according to an authoritative study published today. A survey of 362 charities by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Institute of Fundraising and the Charity Finance Directors“ Group reveals that charity incomes are expected to fall in real terms and costs to rise. PwC estimates that
18、 the deficit could reach 2.3bn next year as the UK heads towards recession. The forecast is the clearest sign yet of the crisis facing the charitable sector as a result of the credit crisis and has been met with warnings that charity servicesoften aimed at helping victims of financial hardshipwill b
19、e curtailed, and some may even collapse. The squeeze has already seen the value of corporate donations fall. The British Red Cross was forced to cancel its winter gala ball beside the Thames this month as it could not find a corporate sponsor for an event which usually raises 500,000. Shelter, the h
20、ousing charity, lost 400,000 in the space of six weeks this autumn when corporate sponsors, including the nationalised mortgage lender Bradford it“s a learning resource,“ said Abie Benitez, principal of the Columbus academy. “We“ve created a framework for everybody to find a connection to the art in
21、 the buildingand to the building itself.“ New Haven has emerged at the forefront of a movement to build schools that are aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, and to turn plain brick-and-mortar walls into show-and-tell lessons. Fourteen of the 31 public schools built or renovated here in the
22、 past decade have merged art and architecture with education in some fashion. Educators and architects say that these new schools challenge long-accepted notions dating back to the 1950s of school buildings as no-frills projects designed to fulfill safety specifications and to be completed as quickl
23、y and cheaply as possible, particularly in fast-growing cities and suburbs. Mr. Roger and others say that thinking began to change as health and environmental concerns over indoor air quality and lighting led to higher standards for school buildings. Newer cost-efficient technology also allowed arch
24、itects to customize schools in a way not possible before. And now art has become an integral part of many new and existing schools, supported with donations from parents and local government grants. Here in New Haven, the new Columbus school replaced a building from the early 1970s that resembled a
25、concrete bunker and whose sole piece of arta mural in the cafeteriawas hard to see because of poor lighting. Barry Svigals, the architect in charge of the project, said he envisioned a place that would promote the school“s mission of education through discovery while delighting students. A series of
26、 11 fiberglass panels, which look as if they were made of terra cotta, run along the outside of the building, resembling a children“s puzzle with an array of wind-and water-themed figures, including parachutes, birds and Columbus“s ships. Monica Maldonado, the president of the Columbus parent associ
27、ation, said that more students want to come to school now because they find so many things to look at in the building. Passers-by with no children have also stopped by to ask for tours.（分数：20.00）(1).From the first sentences in the first paragraph we know that in some schools _（分数：4.00）A.students lea
28、rn art by studying astronomyB.students have stopped learning inside classroomsC.buildings have become delighting placesD.teachers have made the teaching of science an art(2).New Haven leads the country in _（分数：4.00）A.building the greatest number of new public schoolsB.incorporating art and architect
29、ure into educationC.formulating a curriculum guide to learning architectureD.creating a framework of education for every school(3).According to the traditional idea, a school should be built with all the following considerations except _（分数：4.00）A.simple but safeB.aesthetically pleasantC.practically
30、 comfortableD.plain and undecorative(4).What Barry Svigals says means that _（分数：4.00）A.the mission of education is to enable students to discoverB.wind- and water-themed figures delight studentsC.students are delighted to see their art works on buildingsD.school buildings should be both useful and b
31、eautiful(5).The best title for the passage is _（分数：4.00）A.Schools Adopt Art as a Building Block of EducationB.Art Should Be Taught to Seventh and Fifth GradersC.Art Education Is Indispensable to School EducationD.Students Are Encouraged to Design Their Own Schools六、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：20.00)How fortuito
32、us that the state budget will undoubtedly preclude the building of yet another state prison. Nebraska can ill afford another one. Oh, it“s not that the state could not promptly fill one; Nebraska seems quite adept at filling prisons. The “new“ 960-bed prison at Tecumseh, opened in 2001, is already n
33、ear capacityand that was the facility designed to alleviate overcrowding elsewhere in the state system. Overall, the Nebraska state prison system is 33 percent above capacity. Nor is that figure likely to drop in the near future. The Department of Corrections estimates the prison system will be 40 p
34、ercent above capacity by 2006 and 61 percent by 2008. That“s only five years away. No, there would be no problem filling yet another state prison were it built. Indeed, these statistics suggest that building more prisons might well be an unending cycle of build-fill, build-fill, build-fill. Somethin
35、g“s amiss. While arguments can rage indefinitely regarding the efficacy of prisons to deter or rehabilitate offenders, the fact remains that Nebraska prisons continue to fill rapidlyand often with repeat offenders. Equally susceptible to argument are questions surrounding inmates“ rights, prison ame
36、nities and work privileges. But the fact remains that in five years, Nebraska“s prison population could exceed capacity by 61 percent. Thus a severely restricted state budget promises to prompt legislators to examine more closely the system as a whole. The nature of a crime, alternative sentencing a
37、nd judicial discretion are all areas that impact the current prison dilemma. For instance, violent or nonviolent crimes often translate to maximum or minimum security prisons. However, if an evolving hierarchy-of sentencing existedespecially for nonviolent crimesthat might well lead to more frequent
38、 and consistent use of alternative sentencing. To some degree, such alternative sentencing options as electronic monitoring, home incarceration, work camps, drug court, intense rehabilitation programs and educational opportunities already exist in the state. They are potentially less costly though e
39、qually valid options to prison sentences. Yet not all judges use them. What does such random and inconsistent use of these alternatives say about the alternatives themselves and about judges“ awareness of or commitment to such options? If the bigger goal is to reduce crime and teach offenders a less
40、on, building prisons and warehousing inmates falls woefully short. Senators and judges alike need to do more than complete surveys and consult think tanks. They need to find the will to alter the system.（分数：20.00）(1).From the first paragraph we learn that _（分数：4.00）A.a new prison has been built in N
41、ebraskaB.Nebraska has no use for another prisonC.Nebraska will not build a new prisonD.Nebraska will build another state prison(2).The statistics in paragraph 2 are presented to show that _（分数：4.00）A.Nebraska is badly in need of another state prisonB.state prisons fail their duty in reforming prison
42、ersC.crime is on the rise in the state of NebraskaD.Nebraska cannot afford new prisons(3).In face of rapid increase of prison inmates, the author advocates _（分数：4.00）A.other sentencing options than imprisonmentB.lighter sentencing for nonviolent criminalsC.a comprehensive examination of the prison s
43、ystemD.the building of another state prison(4).The author insists that alternative sentencing options _（分数：4.00）A.should be made in accordance with the nature of a crimeB.produce better result than prison sentencesC.are equally effective than prison sentencesD.should be made on judicial discretion(5
44、).The main idea of the passage is that _（分数：4.00）A.prison sentence is the only valid means for rehabilitating criminalsB.judges should encourage consistent use of alternative sentencingC.state of Nebraska needs alternatives to prisonD.crime will ever be on the rise unless the judicial system is refo
45、rmed七、Text 5(总题数：1，分数：20.00)It would be enormously convenient to have a single, generally accepted index of the economic and social welfare of the people of the United States. A glance at it would tell us how much better or worse off we had become each year, and we would judge the desirability of an
46、y proposed action by asking whether it would raise or lower this index. Some recent discussion implies that such an index could be constructed. Articles in the popular press even criticize the Gross National Production because it is not such a complete index of welfare, ignoring, on the one hand, th
47、at it was never intended to be, and suggesting, on the other, that with appropriate changes it could be converted into one. The output available to satisfy our wants and needs is one important determinant of welfare. Whatever want, need, or social problem engages our attention, we ordinarily can mor
48、e easily find resources to deal with it when output is large and growing than when it is not. GNP measures output fairly well, but to evaluate welfare we would need additional measures which would be far more difficult to construct. We would need an index of real costs incurred in production, becaus
49、e we are better off if we get the same output at less cost. Use of just man-hours for welfare evaluation would unreasonably imply that to increase total hours by raising the hours of eight women from 60 to 65 a week imposes no more burden than raising the hours of eight men from 40 to 45 a week, or even than hiring one involuntarily unemployed person for 40 hours a week. A measure of real costs of labor would also have to consider working conditions. Most of us spend almost half our waking hours on the
