1、2008年厦门大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Forum for the Future, working with Tesco and Unilever, reckon that by 2022 what we buy, how we buy it and who from will have changed radically. In their report, Retail Futures, they look ahead 15 years to see what lies in store for shoppers and the
2、retail groups. They see not only new or bigger store chains, more sprawling retail parks, and more poultry products and pasta sauces. Their visions range from multi-storey car parks converted into city centre allotments or “vertical farms“ with produce markets where the parking payment booths once w
3、ere, to a nation of stay-at-home shoppers who let their fingers do the walking to order in almost everything they need or let their refrigerators do the talking, with automatic, direct-to-store reordering and home delivery every time yoghurt, salad or beer stocks run low. Forum for the Future, a sus
4、tainable development charity founded by veteran environmentalist Sir Jonathan Porritt and which now advises more than 100 organizations in the public and private sector, says the reality of 2022 is probably somewhere between the two extremes. “It will be a mixture,“ said Tom Berry, the Forums main s
5、ustainability adviser. The high street is vital to the economy and the environment; nearly three million people work in retail which generates 6%of UK GDP and 2. 5% of the countrys carbon dioxide emissions. The Forum says stores and retail groups have “a disproportionate influence over society“ as a
6、 result of marketing campaigns and daily dealings with consumers. The Forums researchers identified a range of factors which will affect what we buy, how we buy and who we will buy from in the next 15 years. They include; climate change, which is likely to affect agricultural production? higheror lo
7、weroil prices; new technology) advances in energy production; more globalization and demographic changes that will mean more immigrant labor and more elderly and single person households. They could prompt new shopping formats, says the Forum, like “Tesco Silver“ outlets with customized products for
8、 retired baby boomers. They also reckon the bell could be tolling for endless aisles of utility products like toilet paper and bin liners, which might only be sold online, or from a utility section at the back of a store, alongside vast vats of liquids like fabric conditioner, where shoppers could f
9、ill reusable containers. The long queue at the checkout could also be history when bar codes are read for prices immediately an item is dropped into a trolley. The online revolution, says the Forum, has only just started; “We can anticipate innovations such as entering your postcode for hyper-local
10、sourcing. “ Consumers, however, might also use the internet to cut out the middleman and source direct from farms and manufacturers “so posing a threat to major retailers. “ The explosion in the number of TV channels and the rise of the internet to download entertainment means store chains will have
11、 to work far harder to build, and keep, consumers trust. One retailer told the researchers; “We wont be able to rely on hitting millions of people at 7: 45 pm on a Wednesday night with a Coronation Street advertising slot. “ The Forum came up with four different visions of the future depending on hi
12、gh or low economic growth and changing consumer outlooks; whether shoppers want more convenience or to do more for themselves; perhaps buying more locally sourced products with more information about what their families are eating and wearing. 1 What does the passage mainly talk about? （ A） The big
13、retailers and experts have forecast an individualistic, optimistic society where technology is held in very high regards. （ B） The big retailers and experts have gazed into the future and seen a new world of shopping. （ C） The big retailers and experts have recognized that the economy is buoyant and
14、 big business will meet shoppers demands. （ D） The big retailers and experts have predicted that consumer confidence will be low and people rely on big business for security. 2 Which of the following behaviors has been carried out by Forum for the Future according to the passage? （ A） It provides me
15、thods for consumers to measure their energy use and carbon emission. （ B） It promotes campaigns for the big retailers to build up consumer confidence. （ C） It provides counsels for some public and private organizations. （ D） It predicts that the big retailers would become more powerful in 2022. 3 Ac
16、cording to the report, the shopping scenario for shoppers and retailers in 15 years time will include the followings, except_. （ A） vertical farms （ B） orders from home refrigerators （ C） home delivery （ D） fingers doing the walking 4 Which of the following aspects has influence on peoples shopping
17、behaviors according the researchers? （ A） The changes of the population. （ B） The emission of the countrys carbon dioxide. （ C） The emerging of the baby boomers. （ D） The rearrangement at the back of the stores. 5 When the Forum advances four kinds of future consumption, the condition not taken into
18、 consideration is_. （ A） smart package products （ B） purchasing more local products （ C） economic growth （ D） consumers perspectives 5 Its often hard to see your mistakes as youre making them. When it comes to living arrangements, a humdinger is being made in this country right now and few have noti
19、ced it yet. “Yikes! The kids are moving back in!“ Thus goes the mantra of the baby boom generation, circa 2007. Analysts estimate that some 18 million adults between the ages of 20 and 34 live with their parents. Thats roughly a third of that age group. But letting the kids move back in is not the s
20、ocietal error were talking about. Instead, the big mistake is the loudly voiced chagrin of the boomers. Most mistakenly decry the notion of the boomerang generation. In order to fully appreciate the depth of the error being made here, we all need to step back a bit and look at the bigger picture. Th
21、is epidemic of kids moving back home is first, not “unprecedented,“ and second, its not a bad thing. The precedent for this trend can be found among the other 6. 2 billion non-Americans on the planet, many of whom happily live with their adult children, often in three-generation households. Then the
22、res the growing number of non-Anglo Americans, including many recent immigrants, who see no problem in having adult kids contribute to the household. Finally, the agrarian history of this country before World War II allowed kids to live and work around the farm well into adulthood. Adult kids moving
23、 back home is merely the most noticeable symptom of a larger, fundamental transformation of American society. We are nationally beginning to recognize the costs of the independence the so-called greatest generation foisted on us. We cant blame them. They did have to grow up fast. Kids in their gener
24、ation went off to World War II and grew up on the bloody beaches of distant lands. After the war, the survivors had factories to build and the wealth to buy their white-picket-fence dream out West. They designed a social and fiscal system that has served their retirement years very well. But their h
25、istorically unique retirement system mistakenly celebrated independence and ignored the natural state of human beingsthat is, interdependence. Moreover, their system breaks down with the onslaught of their kids retirement. We can already see the pension systems, both private and public, beginning to
26、 disintegrate under the weight of the baby boomers. We are now just starting to understand the substantial fiscal and psychological costs of separating the generations into so-called single-family homes with the ideal of a mother, father and two kids. But times change and so do cultures. Regarding b
27、oomerang kids, most demographers focus on the immediate explanations for the changes, such as the growing immigrant population, housing shortages and high prices, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Many psychologists have noted that baby-boomer parents enjoy closer relationships with their fewer child
28、ren that allow extended cohabitation. A recent survey conducted for Del Webb (a division of Pulte Homes Inc. ) reports that only about one-quarter of baby boomers are happier once the kids move out. However, all these explanations are simply symptoms of the larger, more fundamental reuniting of Amer
29、icans into households that include extended familiesadult kids, grandparents, grandchildren and other relativesrather than just nuclear families. The rate at which our American culture is adapting will accelerate as baby boomers begin retiring in waves. Creative housing arrangements are necessitatin
30、g and allowing three generations to live together againunder one roof or in close proximity. Now some 6 million American grandparents are living under one roof with their grandchildren. Whether grandparents live in accessory apartments on the property or houses next door, these flexible housing opti
31、ons provide privacy and companionship at the same time. Grandparents can interact with their grandchildren while the parents work, and all benefit from the new togetherness. These 21st century housing arrangements are a creative way to handle the financial needs of the generation that is retiring an
32、d, yes, the adult children who are coming home. Such multigenerational households dont make sense for everyone. Personality conflicts or family characteristics preclude such arrangements for some. Legal constraints such as building and zoning codes are formidable obstacles in most communities across
33、 the country. Often more room is mandated for parking your car than parking your grandmother. Home builders have been more interested in selling houses that satisfy immediate needs rather than anticipating the needs of the growing numbers of aging Americans. The culture itself frequently gets in the
34、 way, reinforcing the perception of a stigma attaching to lack of independencethe adult child who just wont move out (and grow up) or the aging grandparent who eschews “being a burden. “ Despite these problems, once you begin talking with your friends about three-generation households, you will begi
35、n hearing stories about how such obstacles are being overcome. You also will begin hearing stories about the wonderful benefits of thinking about housing and family arrangements in creative ways. And youll hear stories about the fundamental satisfaction of living together again. 6 What is the main i
36、dea of the passage? （ A） The trend of kids moving back home has negative effect to American culture. （ B） The symptom of adult kids moving back home is extraordinary. （ C） Back to the nest is by no means the precedent. （ D） The family unit and individual independence are damaging in the society. 7 W
37、hich of the statements is true according to the passage? （ A） The trend of adults move back home is since 2007. （ B） The epidemic of kids moving back home in USA is unparalleled in the world. （ C） The United States was an agriculture country before World War II （ D） One-third of baby boomers are sor
38、rowful once the kids move out. 8 Which of the statements is NOT true about the greatest generation? （ A） They imposed the idea of independence on the successive offspring. （ B） They make loud complaints about their childrens prolonged staying at home. （ C） Their social and finance scheme for their r
39、etirement disregard the interdependence. （ D） Their retirement system is collapsing with the overwhelming outpouring of their childrens retirement. 9 The factor holds back adult children moving back home is_. （ A） fiscal and psychological costs （ B） adults unwillingness of growing up （ C） the distur
40、bing conventional ideas （ D） the legal constraints of multigenerational households 10 What is not the reason for adult moving back home according to researchers of US populations? （ A） Aging grandparents would eschew. （ B） Childbearing without matrimony. （ C） Housing shortages. （ D） The increasing i
41、mmigrant population. 10 First there was a Washington Post article published shortly after the elections on the presumptive new House speaker, “Muted Tones of Quiet Authority: A Look Suited to the Speaker. “ It offered the information that “Pelosis suit was by Giorgio Armanithe Italian master of neut
42、ral tones and modern power dressingand she wore it well. “ The article at least appeared in the newspapers Style section, but was chock-full of psychoanalytic forays into Pelosis wardrobe choices, asserting that “an Armani suit, for a woman, is a tool for playing with the boys without pretending to
43、be one. “ I would wager that Pelo-si is one woman who doesnt play around with anyone. Then there was a New York Times article in January in its Thursday Styles section titled “Speaking Chic to Power. “ While noting that Pelosi, barely in her new job a month, had brought the House to votes on a minim
44、um wage increase, stem cell research and Medicare drug prices, the article said “she did it looking preternaturally fresh, with a wardrobe that, while still subdued and over-reliant on suits, has seldom spruced the halls of Congress. “ Similar articles appeared in the Baltimore Sun and Chicago Tribu
45、ne. Mentioned were other women politicians and their fashion choices, such as Sen. Hillary Clintons hair style and preference for black pantsuits or Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultzs haircut. The question is whether focusing on the clothing choices of serious female political players risks rend
46、ering them less than serious. Another question is whether such reports warrant precious space. After all, with rare exceptions, male politicians are seldom scrutinized for their choice of suits. Some reporters and editors havent figured out a way to cover female politicians that doesnt rely on the o
47、ld stereotypes, says Gail Dines, sociology and womens studies professor at Wheelock College in Boston. “To be a woman politician, you have to strategize and work hard, and yet what matters is what designer youre wearing. Its a way to make women in power less scary,“ Dines notes. “Its putting women i
48、nto a comfort zone for those who are still baffled by how to treat strong women. “ The articles seem a throwback to a time when women were only spouses, not players,says Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. “To focus on their attire, the cut of their clo
49、thes.is to be in danger of trivializing who they are, the important role they play and the meaning behind womens advancement to positions of power; That is, were moving to a true democracy of shared leadership. “ The problem is the media havent quite caught up. “A woman who rises to a leadership position at any level is going to dress appropriately,“ says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, professor at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. “It underscores her competence and is not a distraction. You t
