1、考研英语（阅读）-试卷 153 及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)1.Section II Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）_2.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D.（分数：10.00）_Demography, which is about long term trends, may se
2、em an unusual prism through which to view a global crisis sparked by financial sector bubbles. But those seeking a sustainable way out of the crisis would do well to take account of it. This is a crisis not only of too great expectations of asset price growth, but of too great expectations of how fa
3、st the economy of an aging world can grow, leading to massive overinvestment in everything from houses to cars. The global annual average growth of 5 percent in the five years ending in 2007 was bought at a high cost to the future, and a slowing growth in the workforce means expectations must be low
4、ered further. Policies need to be shaped to demographic realities. Think of Japan, the world“s oldest society. Years of fiscal stimulus have had only a modest impact on growth. Infusions of yet more yen borrowed from its citizenry and from companies reluctant to reinvest their profits seem unlikely
5、to have more than short-term impact. Japan“s workforce is declining and age is taking a toll both on innovation and the desire to spend. The only chance for global growth rates to return to previous norms is to find ways of increasing growth in those countries that have more favorable demographics.
6、In theory, that might be Africa. Hut stability issues in many sub Saharan African countries suggest that the more realistic opportunities exist in South Asia, parts of Southeast Asia and the Middle East/ North Africa. Yet in some of the countries with potential Iran is a good example the politics is
7、 forbidding. In others, the financing tools or social infrastructure are inadequate. Still, these countries offer the most hope of compensating for demography-driven slowdowns elsewhere. A trillion or two dollars in credit for them will do more for the global economy than similar stimulus for countr
8、ies with aging populations. As for aging countries, the crisis has clearly shown the need to raise retirement ages by five years to reflect increases in life spans to relieve the state budgets now weighed down by bank bailouts, and to reduce the burden on corporate and other pension schemes. In East
9、 and West alike, most people are willing and able to work longer and remain productive members of society until 70 or beyond. Few are doing so. Only a return to replacement-level fertility rates will provide a lasting solution. Meanwhile, the need for later retirement is urgent. This crisis underlin
10、es the necessity for developed country governments to adjust spending and social policies to demographic realities at home and abroad.（分数：10.00）(1).The author suggests that demography_.（分数：2.00）A.is a critical factor to be considered in coping with the crisisB.clarifies and explains global economic
11、crisis in more depthC.provides a solution for us to get out of crisis in the long runD.inevitably leads to financial sector bubbles on a global scale(2).The global financial crisis might have been caused mainly by_.（分数：2.00）A.the global annual average growth of 5 percentB.the pursuit for unreasonabl
12、e economic growth rateC.the slowing growth in workforce in an aging worldD.the unbalanced investment in everything such as houses(3).The example of Japan is cited to show that _.（分数：2.00）A.fiscal stimulus has limited impact on growthB.an aging population has weak desire to spendC.policies should acc
13、ord with demographic realitiesD.economic stimulus brings about short-term impact(4).It seems that the countries with more favorable demographics _.（分数：2.00）A.lack adequate financial tools and social infrastructureB.provide opportunities for the world to recover growthC.have fiscal headroom to boost
14、demand in the short runD.ensure that global growth rates return to previous level(5).The author urges countries with aging populations_.（分数：2.00）A.to modify their spending and social policiesB.to increase their fertility rates by a large marginC.to persuade productive members to work longerD.to rais
15、e retirement ages to keep economy growingIf you“ve gotten used to smoke-free bars, here“s a new concept to wrap your mind around: smoke-free cigar lounges. This innovation comes to us by courtesy of Washington state“s voters, who recently approved an initiative that bans smoking in nearly every indo
16、or location except for private residences. The ban makes no exception for businesses whose raison d“etre is tobacco consumption, even if they have ventilation systems that whisk smoke away as soon as it“s produced. By forbidding smoking within 25 feet of entrances and windows, it even threatens to e
17、liminate sidewalk smoking sections and quick outdoor cigarette breaks. As these provisions suggest, the real motivation behind government-imposed smoking bans is not to shield customers and employees from secondhand smoke, although that rationale is popular with the general public. For the activists
18、 and government officials who push the bans, the main point is to discourage smoking by making it inconvenient and socially unacceptable, transforming it into a shameful vice practiced only in privacy and isolation. That doesn“t mean everyone who voted for the Washington ban, which will be the most
19、restrictive state law of its kind in the country when it takes effect on December 8, is eager to save smokers from themselves. By and large, I“m sure, the ban“s supporters simply wanted to avoid tobacco smoke without having to make any sacrifices. For example, they did not want to have to choose bet
20、ween tolerating smoke and passing over otherwise appealing bars and restaurants that allow smoking. Instead they decided to force the owners of those establishments to change their policies by threatening to fine them and take away the licenses on which their livelihoods depend. Mow much courage doe
21、s it take, in a state where nonsmokers outnumber smokers by four to one, to declare that the minority“s desires should count for nothing, even when business owners want to accommodate them? How admirable is it, in a state where 80 percent of restaurants already are smoke free, to insist that the res
22、t follow suit? The employee protection excuse does not make this demand any more reasonable. As a nonsmoking Seattle bartender told The Seattle Times, “You know what you“re getting into when you work in a bar. If I had a problem with smoke, I“d get another job. “ Secondhand smoke is, in any case, no
23、t the main concern of those who promote smoking bans in the name of “public health“. Laws like Washington“s are “one of the most effective ways to provide the strong incentive often needed to get smokers to quit“, according to John Banzhaf, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health.（分数：10.0
24、0）(1).The recently approved smoking ban aims at forbidding smoking_.（分数：2.00）A.in tobacco consumption businessesB.in all the sidewalk smoking sectionsC.in smoke-free bars and cigar loungesD.in places except for one“s own houses(2).It is obvious that smoking bans are imposed to_.（分数：2.00）A.get smoker
25、s to quit in all the public placesB.guarantee nonsmokers a clean environmentC.protect nonsmokers from secondhand smokeD.satisfy the eager demand of the general public(3).The people who voted for the smoking ban are eager to_.（分数：2.00）A.save smokers from the bad habit of smokingB.transform smoking in
26、to a disgraceful activityC.protect themselves from the harm of smokingD.make the smoking habit socially unacceptable(4).What a Seattle bartender told The Seattle Times is cited to show that _.（分数：2.00）A.bars are not suitable for nonsmokers to work inB.the desires of smokers should not be neglectedC.
27、businesses are obliged to serve all the customersD.the minority“s desires should be heartily satisfied(5).The author implies that Washington“s smoking ban is_.（分数：2.00）A.deplorableB.appreciableC.dishonorableD.unacceptableLotteries are a regressive tax on those who can“ t do math, runs the famous old
28、 saying. “Nonsense!“ retort critics. “For a dollar, one can purchase the fantasy of being wealthy beyond dreams of avarice. It is cheap at the price. “ Over at Overcoming Bias, Eliezer Yudkowsky says “But isn“t that a waste of hope?“ But consider exactly what this implies. It would mean that you“re
29、occupying your valuable brain with a fantasy whose real probability is nearly zero a tiny line of likelihood which you, yourself, can do nothing to realize. The lottery balls will decide your future. The fantasy is of wealth that arrives without effort without conscientiousness, learning, charisma,
30、or even patience. Which makes the lottery another kind of sink: a sink of emotional energy. It encourages people to invest their dreams, their hopes for a better future, into an infinitesimal probability. If not for the lottery, maybe they would fantasize about going to technical school, or opening
31、their own business, or getting a promotion at workthings they might be able to actually do, hopes that would make them want to become stronger. Their dreaming brains might, in the 20th visualization of the pleasant fantasy, notice a way to really do it. Isn“t that what dreams and brains are for? But
32、 how can such reality-limited fare compete with the artificially sweetened prospect of instant wealth not after herding a dot com startup through to IPO, but on Tuesday? Seriously, why can“t we just say that buying lottery tickets is stupid? Human beings are stupid, from time to time - it shouldn“t
33、be so surprising a hypothesis. Unsurprisingly, the human brain doesn“t do 64-bit floating point arithmetic, and it can“t devalue the emotional force of a pleasant anticipation by a factor of 0. 00000001 without dropping the line of reasoning entirely. Unsurprisingly, many people don“t realize that a
34、 numerical calculation of expected utility ought to override or replace their imprecise financial instincts, and instead treat the calculation as merely one argument to be balanced against their pleasant anticipations an emotionally weak argument, since it“s made up of mere squiggles on paper, inste
35、ad of visions of fabulous wealth. This seems sufficient to explain the popularity of lotteries. Why do so many arguers feel impelled to defend this classic form of self-destruction? This seems rather extreme. The human brain is wired to feel many irrational desires, like love, and the yearning to pr
36、oduce a squalling mess of an infant that will hoover up all your available cash, plus 10%, for the foreseeable future. We don“t try to edit those out. Given that the human being is irrationally unable to discount a potential pleasure down by the exact expected probability, shouldn“t we exploit this
37、trait in order to cheaply produce large utility gains?（分数：10.00）(1).The supporters of lottery argue that_.（分数：2.00）A.it is a waste of hope to buy lottery to become richB.anyone can expect to become wealthy by buying lotteryC.it is inexpensive to fantasize being rich by buying lotteryD.only those who
38、 can“t do math waste their money on lottery(2).By saying “But isn“t that a waste of hope?“ Eliezer Yudkowsky means that_.（分数：2.00）A.few people fantasize wealth arriving easilyB.buying lottery isn“t necessarily a waste of hopeC.lottery is a fantasy with little real probability to realizeD.your future
39、 shouldn“t be decided by random lottery balls(3).By referring to “herding a dot-com startup through to IPO“, the author intends to show that_.（分数：2.00）A.no wealth can arrive without persevering, and conscientious effortB.lottery is something worth trying for anyone who dreams to be wealthyC.the plea
40、sant fantasy can never compete with the prospect of instant wealthD.the fantasy of things with real probability is less desirable than that of instant wealth(4).According to the text, many people argue for lotteries because_.（分数：2.00）A.they are born with imprecise financial instinctsB.becoming wealt
41、hy instantly is more than probableC.the human brain doesn“t do complicated arithmeticD.they would rather think emotionally than logically(5).The author believes that lotteries_.（分数：2.00）A.are nothing hut a popular form of self-destructionB.serves as a potential pleasure for irrational peopleC.reflec
42、t many irrational desires of the human brainD.will hoover up all your available cash for the futureEuthanasia as a legal question is an exercise in futility. A government of the people cannot sanction the right to choose death. Nor can the government prevent it. Legislators can create laws that proh
43、ibit or allow euthanasia or assisted suicide. The laws can be supported by social mores, collective conscience, individual rights. The judicial system can incarcerate those who assist the terminally ill in suicide, but it cannot imprison those who have been released from their pain, their suffering.
44、 To the terminally ill, to those whose pain has become unbearable, to those whose bodies arc withered and decayed beyond repair, any law is irrelevant. To those who care for the terminally ill the pain and suffering are not a legal matter. To watch someone die, someone you love, is a form of death i
45、tself. To hear them beg for relief, for release, and to be unable to provide it is psychically debilitating. You are forever changed. And to you, watching your loved one endure sufferings beyond human capacity, laws become irrelevant as well. The question of euthanasia as a moral or legal matter wil
46、l not be resolved through debate and legislation. No religious dogma or social commentary can encompass the broad spectrum of external and internal events included in the experience and witnessing of physical and mental deterioration. Each person experiences pain and suffering in a different way. No
47、 law can ever define unbearable pain. No law can ever define the parameters of quality of living. The quality of life is no longer the question; life as the victim knows it is long gone. For those whose lives are irrevocably changed, and certain to cease, quality is now a matter of what lies beyond
48、this realm. To determine the quality of one“s death is not a question for lawmakers, for social pundits, for clergy. It is a question for the individual. No one person can determine for another if the quality of his existence is now beyond the confines of this world. There is always the fear of the
49、slippery slope in the question of euthanasia. Just when can you give that loved one the overdose of morphine? At what point, after the diagnosis of certain death, do you say to yourself, “I do not want to go any further; I cannot face the inevitable pain of physical ruin“? This slippery slope is just another reason why no law can ever suffice,
