1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 68及答案与解析 0 The government has launched its consultation on better measures of child poverty, but it really has to be asked, better for whom? This is a government that looks set to preside over a truly dramatic increase in child poverty. The Institute for Fiscal Studies projects that a
2、fter a decade of steady reductions in child poverty rates, 300,000 more children will be living in poverty in the U. K. by 2015. Big cuts to tax credits, a three-year freeze in child benefit, uprating out-of-work benefits using CPI rather than the more generous RPI all will make vulnerable families
3、poor over the course of this parliament. So what does the government do about it? Rather than review its policies and ask how it can seek to fulfill its legal commitments under the Child Poverty Act 2010, it launches a consultation on the way that child poverty is measured. Poverty is a complex phen
4、omenon and no single indicator can fully capture the condition. The CPA 2010 recognizes this, urging governments to make progress against four specific measures; relative poverty, absolute poverty, material deprivation and persistent poverty. Alongside this, we also track numerous other indicators o
5、f child well-being in the U. K. such as educational achievement, health outcomes and subjective experience. Both lain Duncan Smith and David Laws sought to convince the audience at the launch of the consultation that the government was not in retreat from the income measures contained in the CPA 201
6、0. But in truth, the consultation document is peppered with digs at the relative measure, suggesting that changes to this indicator do not tell us anything meaningful about “real“ poverty. The consultation also seeks to dilute the relevance of income by developing a “multidimensional indicator“ of c
7、hild poverty. This indicator will blend together measures of worklessness, unmanageable debt and family stability among others to produce a single headline number that can be tracked over time. At best, the government is combining poverty with its many consequences. At worst, it is simply changing t
8、he yardstick against which they will be measured. Consider, for example, the proposal that parental worklessness be a key defining feature of the new child poverty measure. Using current definitions, 60% of children living in poverty today have at least one parent in work. Any measure that insists p
9、overty is about worklessness will simply airbrush these 1.4 million children out of the picture altogether. Equally worryingly, the consultation insists that any new poverty measure must resonate with the public. The latest British Social Attitudes survey shows just how widespread negative views of
10、vulnerable groups in society are, but also makes clear that much of this shift in public opinion has been caused by current and previous government policies. So, should we expect better measures of child poverty as a result of the consultation? Not better for the children growing up in low-income fa
11、milies for sure. And given the broader costs to society of child poverty, not better for anyone else except, perhaps, a government that we suspect may be trying to avoid being held to account. 1 What will NOT lead vulnerable families to poverty according to the first paragraph? （ A） Sharp decline in
12、 tax credits. （ B） A three-year freeze in child benefit. （ C） Increasing unemployment benefits. （ D） The adoption of RPI instead of CPI. 2 The multidimensional indicator adopts the following measures EXCEPT_. （ A） educational accomplishment （ B） unemployment （ C） unpayable debt （ D） family stability
13、 3 The authors attitude towards parental unemployment as a child poverty measure is_. （ A） supporting （ B） opposing （ C） neutral （ D） uncertain 4 It can be inferred from the last paragraph that_. （ A） we can get better measures of child poverty from this consultation （ B） changing the child poverty
14、measures cant help poor children （ C） the government cant benefit from better measures of child poverty （ D） the government avoids taking the responsibility 5 The passage is mainly about_. （ A） poor children in the world （ B） the multidimensional indicator of child poverty （ C） the consultation on c
15、hild poverty yardstick （ D） government policies on child poverty 5 Comedys legendary Monty Python members you know, “Im a lumberjack(伐木工 )and Im okay,“ the Killer Rabbit, the Dead Parrot were tired of seeing their legendary sketches pirated and fuzzily posted on YouTube, free to whoever wanted a qui
16、ck laugh. So they posted their own, higher-quality versions on YouTube also freebut let fans know that complete DVD versions were available for purchase. Sales rose 23,000 percent. “Free worked, and worked brilliantly. People are making lots of money charging nothing. Not nothing for everything, but
17、 nothing for enough that we have essentially created a country-sized economy around the price of $0.00. “ Anderson, 48, the editor of Wired magazine, discussed the allure of zero with Jesse Kornbluth. In the 20th century, “free“ meant giving away one thing to create demand for another. Get a free ce
18、ll phone, for example, by buying a monthly plan. What is “free“ now? Yes, 20th-century “free“ was about real objects made of atoms. Real costs were involved, so the consumer paid one way or another. In the 21st century, “free“ is digital bit with marginal costs. For all practical purposes, they real
19、ly are free. In the digital economy, someone pays, but increasingly its not you. Google and Wikipedia, for example, dont show up on your credit card. So how do you pay? Not with money, but with your time and attention. Some resources, of course, are scarce and getting scarcer; you pay for those. Dig
20、ital goods and services, because they can be reproduced and distributed at almost no cost, are abundant. Once youve given content away on the Web, can you get people to pay? Absolutely. Use “free“ to get an audience, then segment your user base so you have a free version and a premium one. The Wall
21、Street Journal created a clever hybrid some free articles, some available only to paid subscribers. I get the sense that when it comes to news, anyway well soon have two classes of Internet users: 1)people who have money and will pay for quality reporting and analysis, and 2)people who are less well
22、-off or care less about quality and will accept any information thats free. So the elite will be better informed, and others may get trashier media. Im simply observing what happens in economics when marginal costs fall. In economic terms, “free“ is the law of gravity. I dont tell the apple to fall;
23、 it just falls. I dont tell water to flow downhill; it just does. In that way, its simple; As costs approach zero, “free“ prevails. 6 We can infer from the second and third paragraphs that in the 21st century_. （ A） all information is free （ B） digital economy has been the most important （ C） the re
24、al “free“ commodity finally shows up （ D） a free cell phone does not exist any more 7 According to the author, who will pay for you in the digital economy? （ A） The company. （ B） The society. （ C） The government. （ D） Nobody. 8 It can be inferred from the sentence “ I dont tell the apple to fall; it
25、 just falls. “ in the last paragraph that_. （ A） free has been the trend （ B） apple will fall when ripens （ C） the fall of apple is a natural phenomenon （ D） all people will have free lunch 9 According to the passage, which one is CORRECT? （ A） Complete DVD versions were all free on YouTube. （ B） Th
26、e conception of “free“ is the same as that of the 20th century. （ C） In the digital economy you will pay nothing to get information. （ D） You will pay if you require the quality reporting and analysis. 10 The author seems to be mainly concerned with_. （ A） the development of the websites （ B） the di
27、vision of people according to the required information （ C） the trend that “free“ is the future of a radical price （ D） how to get the free information 10 Each of us has abilities, whether physical, mental or social. What most of us dont realize is that teaching these skills to children can help tra
28、nsform their lives. Thats why coaching can have such an enormous impact. For American kids, learning not only a skill but also how to work together is the perfect foundation for their future success. Maybe you dont like athletics or havent pursued them since grade school, but dont give up on coachin
29、g just yet. Neither coaching nor teamwork is the exclusive province of sports. The stunning resurgence in the popularity of spelling bees demonstrates that competition, dedication, and big goals can be part of all childrens lives. In fact, there are all kinds of coaching experiences available that h
30、ave nothing to do with muscles and games. From debating to building robots to making music, team-oriented programs for kids are exploding, and they all need people like us to help. Think about your skills. Are you good at chess? Tennis? Maybe you give a speech like Daniel Webster. Then find out what
31、 programs are at your local schools, library, or community center that align with your specialty. And if there isnt a program, take the next step. For children in areas in which funds are scarce, there arent many activities to choose from at schools or community centers. Stand up for those kids and
32、ask yourself what you can do to create a new “team“ opportunity. Remember also that children who are new to a craft or sport dont need a great master, just some guidance. In other words, you dont have to be Tiger Woods to teach golf or Annie Leibowitz to teach photography. You just have to be willin
33、g to share yourself. Show a child how to play Scrabble, solve crossword puzzles, debate, care for bonsai(盆景 ), build Lego sculptures, work with papier-mche(纸塑 ), or figure out Rubiks Cube. Theres a tournament out there for just about every skill; why not give a child the thrill of being recognized f
34、or a new talent? And yes, coaching baseball, football, basketball, soccer, or any other traditional sport is always an amazing way to give. We cant emphasize it enough: Our societys obsession with popular culture and video games is often in direct conflict with the values of hard work and collaborat
35、ion, and ongoing improvement that we so want our children to have. Absent a counterbalance(平衡物 ), these cultural forces teach kids to become passive spectators in life. Help children learn that they can achieve anything they set their minds on, and not watch life go by from the lonely isolation of a
36、 sofa. 11 According to the author, the American kids_. （ A） have to face their lives impact （ B） cant realize their future success （ C） need to learn how to collaborate （ D） have serious learning problems 12 What does the author think about coaching? （ A） People must possess athletics qualifications
37、. （ B） Sports are the best way to develop it. （ C） Its not suitable for grade school. （ D） It means more experiences besides sports. 13 It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that_. （ A） golf and photography skills dont fit children （ B） there must be a tournament for the skill you teach （ C） getting r
38、eady to share is the basis of helping children （ D） traditional sports are neglected by the children now 14 What can we learn about the popular culture? （ A） It lacks social emphasis. （ B） It has some passive effects on kids. （ C） It equals to video games. （ D） It needs ongoing improvement. 15 What
39、is the passage mainly talking about? （ A） How to transform our lives. （ B） How to fully perform ones skills. （ C） How to help children with coaching. （ D） How to deal with popular culture. 15 Diamonds, sparkling under an African sun, have an attraction commensurate(相称的 )with their high price and bea
40、uty. For Anglo-American the opportunity to get their hands on some more has proved too much to resist. On November 4th the global mining giant announced that it would acquire the 40% of De Beers, a company that mines two-fifths of the worlds diamonds, from the Oppenheimer family for $5.1 billion. Th
41、is takes Anglo-Americans stake in De Beers to 85% ; the rest is owned by the government of Botswana, where the firm digs up its gems. The price looks right. Demand for diamonds has bounced back after the credit crisis in 2008 and the following recession in the rich world. More and more wealthy India
42、ns and Brazilians seem keen to sport a “rock“ to show just how well they are doing. And the shrewd Oppenheimers do not seem to be getting out of the business because its future looks bleak. There is apparently no family member who wants to take on diamond mining. Nicky Oppenheimer, De Beerss chairma
43、n, foresaw the sale in February when he stood down from the board of Anglo-American. For Anglo-American it resolves the issue of its non-controlling stake in De Beers. Analysts have long reckoned it should either sell or try to increase its stake. In fact the firm might yet spin off De Beers with an
44、 IPO. The terms of the deal allow the Oppenheimers to pocket some more cash from a flotation(债券发行 )or sale in the next couple of years, suggesting that such an outcome is not unlikely. It would also make sense. Anglo-American is a different beast to the global diversified mining giants that would co
45、unt as its competitors. It stood apart from the wave of mining mega-mergers over the past decade or so except as a potential target. The consolidation and the emergence of huge markets for the worlds resources have propelled BHP Billiton, for instance, to become one of the worlds biggest listed comp
46、anies. Many would claim that Anglo-American has suffered as a result. Once one of the worlds biggest miners, it now ranks alongside Xstrata, a company just ten years old, which in 2009 even attempted a nil-premium takeover of Anglo. It also has a significant portion of its assets in South Africa. An
47、d unlike its peers it has a large platinum business, as well as all the diamonds. Anglo-Americans recent strategy has been to diversify out of South Africa, where the threat of nationalization, scarcely credible but a fear for investors none the less, hangs over it. Black-empowerment laws, a scarcit
48、y of water and electricity as well as an obstinate workforce make it a difficult place to operate. Botswana is far more accommodating, but it might also make sense to get out of diamonds: it is a business that is more about branding the rocks and less about the savvy(懂行的 )capital deployment and logi
49、stical(物流的 )know-how that are the hallmarks of the mining business. If that is Anglos eventual aim, then the deal looks like a smart move. 16 According to Paragraph 1, we can know that Anglo-American_. （ A） would acquire a 40% holding of De Beers （ B） mines two-thirds of the worlds diamonds （ C） will earn $5.1 billion from Oppenheimer family （ D） digs up most of its gems in South America 17 The Anglo-Americans acquisition results in that_. （ A） Nicky Oppenheimer wants to take o
