1、2014年北京师范大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Taken together, income, occupation, and education are good measures of peoples social standing. Using a layered model of stratification, most sociologists describe the class system in the United States as divided into several classes: upper, upper
2、 middle, middle, lower middle, and lower class. Each class is defined by characteristics such as income, occupational prestige, and educational attainment. The different groups are arrayed along a continuum with those with the most money, education, and prestige at the top and those with the least a
3、t the bottom. In the United States, the upper class owns the major share of corporate and personal wealth; it includes those who have held wealth for generations as well as those who have recently become rich. Only a very small proportion of people actually constitute the upper class, but they contr
4、ol vast amounts of wealth and power in the United States. They exercise enormous control throughout society. Most of their wealth is inherited. Despite social myths to me contrary, the best predictor of future wealth is the family into which you are born. Each year, the business magazine Forbes publ
5、ishes a list of the “Forbes 400“ the four hundred wealthiest families and individuals in the country. Of all the wealth represented on the Forbes 400 list, more than half is inherited. Those on the list who could be called “ self-made“ were not typically of modest origins; most inherited significant
6、 assets(Forbes, 1997; Sklar and Collins, 1997). Those in the upper class with newly acquired wealth are known as the nouveau niche. Although they may have vast amounts of money, they are often not accepted into “old rich“ circles. The upper middle class includes those with high incomes and high soci
7、al prestige. They tend to be well-educated professionals or business executives. Their earnings can be quite high indeed successful business executives can earn millions of dollars a year. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people fall into this group because of the difficulty of drawing l
8、ines between the upper, upper middle, and middle class. Indeed, the upper middle class is often thought of as “middle class“ because their lifestyle sets the standard to which many aspire, but this lifestyle is simply beyond the means of a majority of people in the United States. The middle class is
9、 hard to define; in part, being “middle class“ is more than just economic position. By far the majority of Americans identity themselves as middle class even though they vary widely in lifestyle and in resources at their disposal. But the idea that the United States is an open-class system leads man
10、y to think that the majority have a middle-class lifestyle because, in general, people tend not to want to recognize class distinctions in the United States. Thus, the middle class becomes the ubiquitous norm even though many who call themselves middle class have a tenuous hold on this class positio
11、n. In the hierarchy of social class, the lower middle class includes workers in the skilled trades and low-income bureaucratic workers, many of whom may actually define themselves as middle class. Examples are blue-collar workers(those in skilled trades who do manual labor)and many service workers,
12、such as secretaries, hairdressers, waitresses, police, and firefighters. Medium to low income, education, and occupational prestige define the lower middle class relative to the class groups above it. The term “ lower“ in this class designation refers to the relative position of the group in the str
13、atification system, but it has a pejorative sound to many people, especially to people who are members of this class. The lower class is composed primarily of the displaced and poor. People in this class have little formal education and are often unemployed or working in minimum-wage jobs. Forty per
14、cent of the poor work; 10 percent work year-round and full time a proportion that has generally increased over time. Recently, the concept of the underclass has been added to the lower class. The underclass includes those who have been left behind by contemporary economic developments. Rejected from
15、 the economic system, those in the underclass may become dependent on public assistance or illegal activities. 1 Why does the author mention the “Forbes 400“ in Paragraph 3? （ A） To explain the meaning of the listing that appears every year. （ B） To cast doubt on the claim that family income predict
16、s individual wealth. （ C） To give examples of successful people who have modest family connections. （ D） To support the statement that most wealthy people inherit their money. 2 The author states that business and professional people with educational advantages are most often members of the_. （ A） l
17、ower middle class （ B） upper middle class （ C） nouveau riche （ D） upper class 3 Why do most people identify themselves as middle class in the United States? （ A） They have about the same lifestyle as everyone else in the country. （ B） They dont really know how to define their status because it is un
18、clear. （ C） They prefer not to admit that there are class distinctions in the United States. （ D） They identify themselves with the majority who have normal lifestyles. 4 What can be inferred about poor people in the United States? （ A） They are not able to find entry-level jobs. （ B） They work in j
19、obs that require little education. （ C） They are service workers and manual laborers. （ D） They do not try to find employment. 5 According to Paragraph 7, why has the underclass emerged? （ A） The new term was necessary because the lower class enjoyed a higher lifestyle than it had previously. （ B） T
20、he increase in crime has supported a new class of people who live by engaging in illegal activities. （ C） Changes in the economy have caused an entire class of people to survive by welfare or crime. （ D） Minimum-wage jobs no longer support a class of people at a standard level in the economic system
21、. 5 “The word protection is no longer taboo“. This short sentence, uttered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy late last month, may have launched a new era in economic history. Why? For decades, Western leaders have believed that lowering trade barriers and tariffs was a natural good. Doing so, they
22、 reasoned, would lead to greater economic efficiency and productivity, which in turn would improve human welfare. Championing free trade thus became a moral, not just an economic, cause. These leaders, of course, werent acting out of unselfishness. They knew their economics were the most competitive
23、, so theyd profit most from liberalization. And developing countries feared that their economics would be swamped by superior Western productivity. Today, however, the tables have turned though few acknowledge it. The west continues to preach free trade, but practices it less and less. Asia, meanwhi
24、le, continues to plead for special protection but practices more and more free trade. Thats why Sarkozys word was so important: he finally injected some honesty into the trade debate. The truth is that large parts of the West are losing faith in free trade, though few leaders admit it. Some economis
25、ts are more honest. Paul Krugman is one of the few willing to acknowledge that protectionist arguments are returning. In the short run, there will be winners and losers will be in the West. Economists in the developed world used to love quoting Joseph Schumpeter, who said that “creative destruction“
26、 was an essential part of capitalist growth. But they always assumed that destruction would happen over there. When Western workers began losing jobs, suddenly their leaders began to lose faith in their principles. Things have yet to reverse completely. But theres clearly a negative trend in Western
27、 theory and practice. A little hypocrisy is not in itself a serious problem. The real problem is that Western governments continue to insist that they retain control of the key global economic and financial institutions while drifting away from global liberalization. Look at whats happening at the I
28、MF(International Monetary Fund). The Europeans have demanded that they keep the post of managing director. But all too often, Western officials put their own interests above everyone elses when they dominate these global institutions. The time has therefore come for the Asians who are clearly the ne
29、w winners in todays global economy to provide more intellectual leadership in supporting free trade. Sadly, they have yet to do so. Unless Asians speak out, however, theres a real danger that Adam Smiths principles, which have brought so much good to the world, could gradually die. And that would le
30、ave all of us worse off, in one way or another. 6 It can be inferred that “protection“(Line 1, Para. 1)means_. （ A） improving economic efficiency （ B） ending the free-trade practice （ C） lowering moral standard （ D） raising trade tariffs 7 The Western leaders preach free trade because_. （ A） it is b
31、eneficial to their economics （ B） it is supported by developing countries （ C） it makes them keep faith in their principles （ D） it is advocated by Joseph Schumpeter and Adam Smith 8 By “the tables have turned“(Line 3-4, Para. 2)the author implies that_. （ A） the Western leaders have turned self-cen
32、tered （ B） the Asian leaders have become advocates of free trade （ C） the developed economics have turned less competitive （ D） the developing economics have become more independent 9 The Western economists used to like the idea of “creative destruction“ because it_. （ A） set a long-term rather than
33、 short-term goal （ B） was an essential part of capitalist development （ C） entailed a positive rather than negative mentality （ D） was meant to be the destruction of developing economics 10 The author uses “IMF“ as an example to illustrate the point that_. （ A） European leaders are reluctant to admi
34、t they are hypocritical （ B） there is an inconsistency between Western theory and practice （ C） global institutions are not being led by true globalization advocates （ D） European countries interests are being ignored by economic leaders 10 Growth, reproduction, and daily metabolism all require an o
35、rganism to expend energy. The expenditure of energy is essentially a process of budgeting, just as finances are budgeted. If all of ones money is spent on clothes, mere may be none left to buy food or go to the movies. Similarly, a plant or animal cannot squander all its energy on growing a big body
36、 if none would be left over for reproduction, for this is the surest way to extinction. All organisms, therefore, allocate energy to growth, reproduction, maintenance, and storage. No choice is involved; this allocation comes as part of the genetic package from the parents. Maintenance for a given b
37、ody design of an organism is relatively constant. Storage is important, but ultimately that energy will be used for maintenance, reproduction, or growth. Therefore the principal differences in energy allocation are likely to be between growth and reproduction. Almost all of an organisms energy can b
38、e diverted to reproduction, with very little allocated to building the body. Organisms at this extreme are “ opportunists.“ At the other extreme are “competitors“, almost all of whose resources are invested in building a huge body, with a bare minimum allocated to reproduction. Dandelions are good e
39、xamples of opportunists. Their seed heads raised just high enough above the ground to catch the wind, the plants are no bigger than they need be, their stems are hollow, and all the rigidity comes from their water content. Thus, a minimum investment has been made in the body that becomes a platform
40、for seed dispersal. These very short-lived plants reproduce prolifically; that is to say they provide a constant rain of seed in the neighborhood of parent plants. A new plant will spring up wherever a seed falls on a suitable soil surface, but because they do not build big bodies, they cannot compe
41、te with other plants for space, water, or sunlight. These plants are termed opportunists because they rely on their seeds falling into settings where competing plants have been removed by natural processes, such as along an eroding riverbank, on landslips, or where a tree falls and creates a gap in
42、the forest canopy. Opportunists must constantly invade new areas to compensate for being displaced by more competitive species. Human landscapes of lawns, fields, or flowerbeds provide settings with bare soil and a lack of competitors that are perfect habitats for colonization by opportunists. Hence
43、, many of the strongly opportunistic plants are the common weeds of fields and gardens. Because each individual is short-lived, the population of an opportunist species is likely to be adversely affected by drought, bad winters, or floods. If their population is tracked through time, it will be seen
44、 to be particularly unstable soaring and plummeting in irregular cycles. The opposite of an opportunist is a competitor. These organisms tend to have big bodies, are long-lived, and spend relatively little effort each year on reproduction. An oak tree is a good example of a competitor. A massive oak
45、 claims its ground for 200 years or more, outcompeting all other would-be canopy trees by casting a dense shade and drawing up any free water in the soil. The leaves of an oak tree taste foul because they are rich in tannins, a chemical that renders them distasteful or indigestible to many organisms
46、. The tannins are part of the defense mechanism that is essential to longevity. Although oaks produce thousands of acoms, the investment in a crop of acorns is small compared with the energy spent on building leaves, trunk, and roots. Once an oak tree becomes established, it is likely to survive min
47、or cycles of drought and even fire. A population of oaks is likely to be relatively stable through time, and its survival is likely to depend more on its ability to withstand the pressures of competition or predation than on its ability to take advantage of chance events. It should be noted, however
48、, that the pure opportunist or pure competitor is rare in nature, as most species fall between the extremes of a continuum, exhibiting a blend of some opportunistic and some competitive characteristics. 11 The word “squander“ in the passage is closest in meaning to_. （ A） extend （ B） transform （ C）
49、activate （ D） waste 12 According to the passage, the classification of organisms as “opportunists“ or “competitors“ is determined by_. （ A） how the genetic information of an organism is stored and maintained （ B） the way in which the organism invests its energy resources （ C） whether the climate in which the organism lives is mild or extreme （ D） the variety of natural resources the organism consumes in its environment 13 All of the following are mentioned in Paragraph 7 as contribution to the longevity of oak trees EXCEPT
