1、2012年武汉大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 A hundred years ago it was assumed and scientifically “proved“ by economists that the laws of society made it necessary to have a vast army of poor and jobless people in order to keep the economy going. Today, hardly anybody would dare to voice this
2、 principle. It is generally accepted that nobody should be excluded from the wealth of the nation, either by the laws of nature or by those of society. The opinions, which were current a hundred years ago, that the poor owed their conditions to their ignorance and lack of responsibility, are outdate
3、d. In all Western industrialized counties, a system of insurance has been introduced which guarantees everyone a minimum of subsistence in case of unemployment, sickness and old age. I would go one step further and argue that, even if these conditions are not present, everyone has the right to recei
4、ve the means to subsist; in other words, he can claim this subsistence minimum without having to have any “reason“. I would suggest, however, that is should be limited to a definite period of time, lets say two years, so as to avoid the encouraging of an abnormal attitude which refuses any kind of s
5、ocial obligation. This may sound like a fantastic proposal, but so, I think, our insurance system would have sounded to people a hundred years ago. The main objection to such a scheme would be that if each person were entitled to receive minimum support, people would not work. This assumption rests
6、on the fallacy of the inherent laziness in human nature, actually, aside from abnormally lazy people, there would be very few who would not want to earn more than the minimum, and who would prefer to do nothing rather than work. However, the suspicions against a system of guaranteed subsistence mini
7、mum are not groundless from the standpoint of those who want to use ownership of capital for the purpose of forcing others to accept the work conditions they offer. If nobody were forced to accept work in order not to starve, work would have to be sufficiently interesting and attractive to induce on
8、e to accept it. Freedom of contract is possible only if both parties are free to accept and reject it; in the present capitalist system this is not the case. But such a system would not only be the beginning of real freedom of contract between employers and employees, its principal advantage would b
9、e the improvement of freedom in interpersonal relationships in every sphere of daily life. 1 people used to think that poverty and unemployment were due to_. （ A） the slow development of the economy （ B） the poor and jobless peoples own faults （ C） the lack of responsibility on the part of society （
10、 D） the large number of people who were not well-educated 2 Now it is widely accepted that_. （ A） the present system of social insurance should be improved （ B） everybody should be granted a minimum of subsistence without any “reason“ （ C） everybody has the right to share in the wealth of the countr
11、y （ D） people have to change their attitude towards the poor 3 The writer argues that a system of social insurance should_. （ A） provide benefits for the sick, old and unemployed （ B） encourage people to take on more social obligations （ C） guarantee everyone the right to be employed （ D） provide ev
12、eryone with the right to a minimum subsistence for a certain period 4 According to the writer, a system of guaranteed subsistence minimum_. （ A） demands too much from society （ B） makes freedom of contract impossible （ C） helps people take interest in their work （ D） helps bring about changes in the
13、 relationship among people 4 Public speaking fills most people with dread. Humiliation is greatest fear; self-exposure and failing to appeal to the audience come a close second. Women hate it most, since girls are pressurized from an early age to be concerned with appearances of all kinds. Most peop
14、le have plenty of insecurities, and this seems like a situation that will bring them out. If you were under pressure to be perfect, you are terrified of falling in the most public of ways. Extroverts, on the contrary, will feel less fear before the ordeal. It does not mean they will necessarily do i
15、t better. Some very shy people manage to shine. When I met the British comedian Julian Clary, he was shy and cautious, yet his TV performances are perfect. In fact, personality is not the best predictor of who does it well. Regardless of what you are like in real life, the key seems to be to act you
16、rself. Actual acting, as in performing the scripted lines of a character other than yourself, does not do the job. While politicians may limit damage by having carefully written and rehearsed scripts to speak from, there is always a hidden awareness among the audience that the words might not be tru
17、e. Likewise, the incredibly perfect speeches of many American academics are far from natural. You may end up buying their book on the way out, but soon afterwards, it is much like fast food, and you get a nameless sense that youve been cheated. But, being yourself doesnt work either. If you spoke as
18、 if you were in your own kitchen, it would be too authentic, too unaware of the need to communicate with an audience. I remember going to see British psychiatrist R. D. Laing speak in public. He behaved like a seriously odd person, talking off the top of his head. Although he was talking about madne
19、ss and he wrote on mental illness, he seemed to be exhibiting rather than explaining it. The best psychological place from which to speak in public is an unselfconscious self-consciousness, providing the illusion of being natural. Studies suggest that this state of “flow“, as psychologists call it,
20、is very satisfying. 5 Women hate public speaking most mainly because of_. （ A） their upbringing very early on （ B） their inability to appeal to the audience （ C） their sense of greater public pressure （ D） their sense of greater humiliation 6 Which of the following is NOT the authors viewpoint ? （ A
21、） Acting like performers spoils the message in a speech. （ B） Perfection of scripts is necessary in making good impressions. （ C） Acting naturally means less dependence on the prepared script. （ D） There should be a balance between actual acting and acting naturally. 7 What is the authors view on pe
22、rsonality? （ A） Personality is the key to success in public speaking. （ B） Extroverts are better public speakers. （ C） Introverts have to learn harder to be good speakers. （ D） Factors other than personality ensure better performance. 8 In the last paragraph the author recommends that you_. （ A） for
23、get about your nervousness （ B） feel natural and speak naturally （ C） may feel nervous, but appear naturally （ D） may imagine yourself to be natural 8 I am afraid to sleep. I have been afraid to sleep for the last few weeks. 1 am so tired that, finally, I do sleep, but only for a few minutes. It is
24、not a bad dream that wakes me; it is the reality I took with me into sleep. I try to think of something else. Immediately the woman in the marketplace comes into my mind. I was on my way to dinner last night when I saw her. She was selling skirts. She moved with the same ease and loveliness I often
25、saw in the women of Laos. Her long black hair was as shiny as the black silk of the skirts she was selling. In her hair, she wore three silk ribbons, blue, green, and white. They reminded me of my childhood and how my girlfriends and I used to spend hours braiding ribbons into our hair. I dont know
26、the word for “ribbons“ , so I put my hand to my own hair and, with three fingers against my head. I looked at her ribbons and said “Beautiful“. She lowered her eyes and said nothing. I wasnt sure if she understood me(I dont speak Laotian very well). I looked back down at the skirts. They added desig
27、ns in them: squares and triangles and circles of pink and green silk. They were very pretty. I decided to buy one of those skirts, and I began to bargain with her over the price. It is the custom to bargain in Asia. In Laos bargaining is done in soft voices and easy moves with the sort of quiet peac
28、efulness. She smiled, more with her eyes than with her lips. She was pleased by the few words I was able to say in her language, although they were mostly numbers, and she saw that I understood something about the soft playfulness of bargaining. We shook our heads in disagreement over the price; the
29、n, immediately, we made another offer and then another shake of the head. She was so pleased that unexpectedly, she accepted the last offer I made. But it was too soon. The price was too low. She was being too generous and wouldnt make enough money. I moved quickly and picked up two more skirts and
30、paid for all three at the price set; that way I was able to pay her three times as much before she had a chance to lower the price for the larger purchase. She smiled openly then, and, for the first time in months, my spirit lifted. I almost felt happy. The feeling stayed with me while she wrapped t
31、he skirts in a newspaper and handed them to me. When I left, though, the feeling left, too. It was as though it stayed behind in marketplace. I left tears in my throat. I wanted to cry. I didnt, of course. I have learned to defend myself against what is hard; without knowing it, I have also learned
32、to defend myself against what is soft and what should be easy. I get up, light a candle and want to look at the skirts. They are still in the newspaper that the woman wrapped them in. I remove the paper, and raise the skirts up to look at them again before I pack them. Something falls to floor. I re
33、ach down and feel something cool in my hand. I move close to the candlelight to see what I have. There are five long silk ribbons in my hand, all different colours. The woman in the marketplace! She has given these ribbons to me! There is no defense against a generous spirit, and this time I cry, an
34、d very hard, as if I could make up for all the months that I didnt cry. 9 Which of the following in NOT correct? （ A） The writer was not used to bargaining. （ B） People in Asia always bargain when buying things. （ C） Bargaining in Laos was quiet and peaceful. （ D） The writer was ready to bargain wit
35、h the woman. 10 The writer assumed that the woman accepted the last offer mainly because woman_. （ A） thought that the last offer was reasonable （ B） thought she could still make much money （ C） was glad that the writer knew their way of bargaining （ D） was tired of bargaining with the writer any mo
36、re 11 Why did the writer finally decide to buy three skirts? （ A） The skirts were cheap and pretty. （ B） She liked the patterns on the skirts. （ C） She wanted to do something as compensation. （ D） She was fed up with further bargaining with the woman. 12 Why did the writer cry eventually when she lo
37、oked at the skirts again? （ A） She suddenly felt very sad. （ B） She liked the ribbons so much. （ C） She was overcome by emotion. （ D） She felt sorry for the woman. 12 Definition of “culture“ are multiple, broad, and notably ambiguous. While there is no agreed-upon definition of culture, the classic
38、definition by E. B. Tylor in 1871 is widely cited: “Culture. is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, moral, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. “ Most definitions of culture emphasize that it is complex and dynamic, comprised
39、 of the shared solutions to problems faced by the group. These solutions include technologies, beliefs, and behaviors. Culture does not determine behavior, but affords group members a repertoire of ideas and possible actions, providing the framework through which they understand themselves, their en
40、vironment, and their experiences. Culture is a complex set of relationships, responses, and interpretations that must be understood, not as a body of discrete traits, but as an integrated system of orientations and practices generated within a specific socioeconomic context. Culture is ever changing
41、 and always being revised within the dynamic context of its enactment. Culture is neither a blueprint nor an identity; individuals choose between various cultural options, and in our multicultural society, many times choose widely between the options offered by a variety of cultural traditions. It i
42、s not possible to predict the beliefs and behaviors of individuals based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin. Individuals group membership cannot be assumed to indicate their culture because those who share a group label may variously enact culture. In its zeal to encourage respect for cult
43、ural difference, the cultural competency movement has sometimes lost sight of these important features of the concept of culture. Instead it has too often represented culture as a decontextualized set of traits providing a template for the perceptions and behaviors of group members. A burgeoning lit
44、erature on cultural diversity presents the reader with veritable laundry lists of traditional beliefs and practices ostensibly characteristic of particular ethnic groups. This approach encourages the questionable notion that immigrants and certain ethnic and racial minorities are particularly driven
45、 by traditionalism. The emphasis in this genre is on difference, pitting the exotic and esoteric against mainstream or conventional beliefs that remain unnamed and unexplored. The misconception, common in clinical settings, that culture can be understood as a set of discrete traits, has led some mis
46、takenly to treat culture as an explanatory variable, subject to prediction and control. In such applications, specific ethnic cultures are represented as a codified body of characteristics that can be identified and then either modified or manipulated to facilitate clinical goals. Paradoxically, in
47、such approaches, what originated in a desire to promote respect for individual differences may instead promote stereotyping and essential zing. This process of reifying presumed difference may have the unintended consequence of bolstering a sense of group boundaries. It may also reinforce the belief
48、 that culture can be diagnosed and treated, that exotic or unfamiliar beliefs and behaviors of members of already disempowered subgroups should be controlled and adjusted to resemble norms of the dominant group. 13 Which statement is NOT true according to this passage? （ A） Definitions of culture ar
49、e usually difficult, varied and ambiguous. （ B） There is no agreed-upon definition of culture so far. （ C） There is no common ground in different definitions of culture. （ D） Most definitions of culture emphasize that it is complex and dynamic. 14 Culture is not an identity because culture_. （ A） does determine behavior （ B） does not provide possible actions （ C） can predict the beliefs and behaviors of individuals （ D） is optional and ever changing within the dynamic context 15 Emphasizing cultural differences too much would_.
