1、考博英语模拟试卷 58及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Despite Denmark s manifest virtues, Danes never talk about how proud they are to be Danes. This would sound weird in Danish. When Danes talk to foreigners about Denmark, they always begin by commenting on its tininess, its unimportance, the difficulty of
2、its language, the general small mindedness and self-indulgence of their countrymen and the high taxes. No Dane would look you in the eye and say, “Denmark is a great country.“ Youre supposed to figure this out for yourself. It is the land of the silk safety net, where almost half the national budget
3、 goes toward something out life s inequalities, and there is plenty of money for schools, day care, retraining programs, job seminarsDanes love seminars: three days at a study center hearing about waste management is almost as good as a ski trip. It is a culture bombarded by English, in advertising,
4、 pop music, the Interact, and despite all the English that Danish absorbsthere is no Danish Academy to defend against itold dialects persist in Jutland that can barely be understood by Copenhageners. It is the land where, as the saying goes, “Few have too much and fewer have too little,“ and a forei
5、gner is struck by the sweet egalitarianism that prevails, where the lowliest clerk gives you a level gaze, where Sir and Madame have disappeared from common usage, even Mr. and Mrs. it s a nation of recyclersabout 55 % of Danish garbage gets made into something newand no nuclear power plants. It s a
6、 nation of tireless planners. Trains run on time. Things operate well in general. Such a nation of overachieversa brochure from the Ministry of Business and Industry says, “Denmark is one of the worlds cleanest and most organized countries, with virtually no pollution, crime, or poverty. Denmark is
7、the most corruption-free society in the Northern Hemisphere.“ So, of course, ones heart lifts at any sighting of Danish sleaze: skinhead graffiti on buildings (“Foreigners Out of Denmark !“ ), broken beer bottles in the gutters, drunken teenagers slumped in the park. Nonetheless, it is an orderly la
8、nd. You drive through a Danish town, it comes to an end at a stone wall, and on the other side is a field of barley, a nice clean line: town here, country there. It is not a nation of jaywalkers. People stand on the curb and wait for the red light to change, even if it s 2 a. m. and there s not a ca
9、r in sight. However, Danes don t think of themselves as a waitingat-2-a, m. -for-the-green-light peoplethat s how they see Swedes and Germans. Danes see themselves as jazzy people, improvisers, more free spirited than Swedes, but the truth is (though one should not say it) that Danes are very much l
10、ike Germans and Swedes. Orderliness is a main selling point. Denmark has few natural resources, limited manufacturing capability; its future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, and distributor of goods. You send your goods by container ship to Copenhagen, and these bright, young, English-speaking
11、, utterly honest, highly disciplined people will get your goods around to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia. Airports, seaports, highways, and rail lines are ultramodern and well-maintained. The orderliness of the society doesn t mean that Danish lives arc less messy or lonely than yours or
12、 mine, and no Dane would tell you so. You can hear plenty about bitter family feuds and the sorrows of alcoholism and about perfectly sensible people who went off one day and killed themselves. An orderly society cannot exempt its members from the hazards of life. But there is a sense of entitlement
13、 and security that Danes grow up with. Certain things are yours by virtue of citizenship, and you shouldn t feel bad for taking what you re entitled to, you re as good as anyone else. The roles of the welfare system are clear to everyone, the benefits you get if you lose your job, the steps you take
14、 to get a new one; and the orderliness of the system makes it possible for the country to weather high unemployment and social unrest without a sense of crisis. 1 The author thinks that Danes adopt a_ attitude towards their country. （ A） boastful （ B） modest （ C） deprecating （ D） mysterious 2 Which
15、of the following is NOT a Danish characteristic cited in the passage? （ A） Fondness of foreign culture. （ B） Equality in society. （ C） Linguistic tolerance. （ D） Persistent planning. 3 The author s reaction to the statement by the Ministry of Business and Industry is_. （ A） disapproving （ B） approvi
16、ng （ C） noncommittal （ D） doubtful 4 According to the passage, Danish orderliness_. （ A） sets the people apart from Germans and Swedes （ B） spares Danes social troubles besetting other peoples （ C） is considered economically essential to the country （ D） prevents Danes from acknowledging existing tr
17、oubles 5 At the end of the passage the author states all the following EXCEPT that _. （ A） Danes are clearly informed of their social benefits （ B） Danes take for granted what is given to them （ C） the open system helps to tide the country over （ D） orderliness has alleviated unemployment 5 The fox
18、really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the early summer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon as evening began to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deep grass; he was difficult as a serpent
19、to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girls deliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white top of his brash, or the ruddy shadow of him in the deep grass, and she had let fire at him. But he made no account of this. The trees on the wood-edge were a darkish, brownish green in the
20、full light, for it was the end of August. Beyond, the naked, copper-like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air. Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all agleam, was full of light. The fowls were round aboutthe ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees
21、. March looked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in the distance and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Her consciousness was, as it were, held back. She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. H
22、is chin was pressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She was spellboundshe knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed her. He knew her, he was not daunted. She straggled, confusedly she came to herself, and saw him making off, with slow l
23、eaps over some fallen boughs, slow, imprudent jumps. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and ran smoothly away. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she saw his white buttocks twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind. She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth,
24、 knowing it was nonsense to pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly, pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was determined to find him. What she would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to fi
25、nd him. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes, and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did net think. In strange mindlessness she walked hither and hither. As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out, without saying why. She took her gun again and
26、 went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing look seemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed by him. She saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt him invisibly master her spirit. She knew
27、 the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew his muzzle, the golden brown, and the grayish white. And again she saw him glance over his shoulder at her, half inviting, half contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her great startled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood ed
28、ge. Meanwhile the night fell, and a great moon rose above the pine trees. 6 At the beginning of the story, the fox seems to be all EXCEPT_. （ A） cunning （ B） fierce （ C） defiant （ D） annoying 7 As the story proceeds, March begins to feel under the spell of_. （ A） the light （ B） the trees （ C） the ni
29、ght （ D） the fox 8 Gradually March seems to be in a state of _. （ A） blankness （ B） imagination （ C） sadness （ D） excitement 9 At the end of the story, there seems to be a sense of _between March and the fox. （ A） detachment （ B） anger （ C） intimacy （ D） conflict 10 The passage creates an overall im
30、pression of_. （ A） mystery （ B） horror （ C） liveliness （ D） contempt 10 Cooperative competition. Competitive cooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travelers scratching their heads over what s going on in the skies. Some folks view alliances as a blessing to travelers, offering seamless trave
31、l, reduced fares and enhanced frequent-flyer benefits. Others see a conspiracy of big business, causing decreased competition, increased fares and fewer choices. Whatever your opinion, there s no escaping airline alliances: the marketing hype is unrelenting, with each of the two mega-groupings. One
32、world and Star Alliance, promoting itself as the best choice for all travelers. And, even if you turn away from their ads, chances are they will figure in any of your travel plans. By the end of the year, one world and Star Alliance will between them control more than 40% of the traffic in the sky.
33、Some pundits predict that figure will be more like 75% in 10 years. But why, after years of often ferocious competition, have airlines decided to band together? Let s just say the timing is mutually convenient. North American airlines, having exhausted all means of earning customer loyalty at home,
34、have been looking for ways to reach out to foreign flyers. Asian carriers are still burring from the region-wide economic downturn that began two years ago just when some of the airlines were taking delivery of new aircraft. Alliances also allow carriers to cut costs and increase profits by pooling
35、manpower resources on the ground ( rather than each airline maintaining its own ground crew) and code-sharing-the practice of two partners selling tickets and operating only one aircraft. So alliances are terrific for airlines, but are they good for the passenger? Absolutely, say the airlines: think
36、 to the lounges, the joint FFP (frequent flyer programme) benefits, the round-the- world fares, and the global service networks. Then there s the promise of “seamless“ travel: the ability to, say, travel form Singapore to Rome to New York to Rio de Janiero, all on one ticket, without having to wait
37、hours for connections or worry about your bags. Sounds utopian? Peter Buecking, Cathay Pacific s director of sales and marketing, thinks that seamless travel is still evolving. “Its fair to say that these links are only in their infancy. The key to seamlessness rests in infrastructure and informatio
38、n sharing. We re working on this.“ Henry Ma, spokesperson for Star Alliance in Hong Kong, lists stone of the other benefits for consumers: “Global travelers have an easier time making connections and planning their itineraries.“ Ma claims alliances also assure passengers consistent service standards
39、. Critics of alliances say the much-touted benefits to the consumer are mostly pie in the sky, that alliances are all about reducing costs for the airlines, rationalizing services and running joint marketing programmes. Jeff Blyskal, associate editor of Consumer Reports magazine, says the promotiona
40、l ballyhoo over alliances is much ado about nothing. “I don t see much of a gain for consumers: alliances are just a marketing gimmick. And as far as seamless travel goes, I II believe it when I see it. Most airlines can t even get their own connections under control, let alone coordinate with anoth
41、er airline.“ Blyskal believes alliances will ultimately result in decreased flight choices and increased costs for consumers. Instead of two airlines competing and each operating a flight on the same route at 70% capacity, the allied pair will share the route and ran one full flight. Since fewer sea
42、ts will be available, passengers will be obliged to pay more for tickets. The truth about alliances and their merits probably lies somewhere between the travel utopia presented by the players and the evil empires portrayed by their critics. And how much they affect you depends on what kind of travel
43、er you are. Those who have already made the elite grade in the FFP of a major airline stand to benefit the most when it joins an alliance: then they enjoy the FFP perks and advantages on any and all of the member carriers. For example, if you re a Marco Polo Club “gold“ member of Cathay Pacific s As
44、ia Miles FFP, you will automatically be treated as a valuable customer by all members, of one world, of which Cathay Pacific is a member, even if you ye never flown with them before. For those who haven t made the top grade in any FFP, alliances might be a way of simplifying the earning of frequent
45、flyer miles. For example, I belong to United Airline s Mileage Plus and generally fly less than 25,000 miles a year. But I earn miles with every flight I take on Star Alliance memberAll Nippon Airways and Thai Airways. If you fly less than I do, you might be smarter to stay out of the FFP game altog
46、ether, Hunt for bargains when booking flights and you might be able to save enough to take that extra trip any way. The only real benefit infrequent flyers can draw from an alliance is an inexpensive round-the-world fare. The bottom line: for all the marketing hype, alliances aren t all things to al
47、l people, but everybody can get some benefit out of them. 11 Which is the best word to describe air travelers reaction to airline alliances? （ A） Delight. （ B） Indifference. （ C） Objection. （ D） Puzzlement. 12 According to the passage, setting up airline alliances will chiefly benefit_. （ A） North A
48、merican airlines and their domestic travelers （ B） North American airlines and their foreign counterparts （ C） Asian airlines and their foreign travelers （ D） Asian airlines and their domestic travelers 13 Which of the following is Not a perceived advantage of alliances? （ A） Baggage allowance. （ B）
49、 Passenger Comfort （ C） Convenience. （ D） Quality 14 One disadvantage of alliances foreseen by the critics is that air travel may be more expensive as a result of_. （ A） less convenience （ B） higher operation costs （ C） less competition （ D） more joint marketing 15 According to the passage, which of the following categories of travelers will gain most from airline alliances? （ A） Travelers who fly frequently economy class. （ B） Travelers who fly frequently business class. （ C） Travelers
