1、考博英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷 81及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Some of the concerns surrounding Turkeys application to join the European Union, to be voted on by the EUs Council of Ministers on December 17th, are economic in particular, the countrys relative poverty. Its GDP per head is less than a third of the
2、 average for the 15 pre-2004 members of the EU. But it is not far off that of one of the ten new members which joined on May 1st 2004(Latvia), and it is much the same as those of two countries, Bulgaria and Romania, which this week concluded accession talks with the EU that could make them full memb
3、ers on January 1st 2007. Furthermore, the countrys recent economic progress has been, according to Donald Johnston, the secretary-general of the OECD, “ stunning“. GDP in the second quarter of the year was 13. 4% higher than a year earlier, a rate of growth that no EU country comes close to matching
4、. Turkeys inflation rate has just fallen into single figures for the first time since 1972, and this week the country reached agreement with the IMF on a new three-year, $ 10 billion economic programme that will, according to the IMFs managing director, Rodrigo Rato, “help Turkey. reduce inflation t
5、oward European levels, and enhance the economys resilience“. Resilience has not historically been the countrys economic strong point. As recently as 2001, GDP fell by over 7% . It fell by more than 5% in 1994, and by just under 5% in 1999. Indeed, throughout the 1990s growth oscillated like an elect
6、rocardiogram recording a violent heart attack. This irregularity has been one of the main reasons(along with red tape and corruption)why the country has failed dismally to attract much-needed foreign direct investment. Its stock of such investment(as a percentage of GDP)is lower now than it was in t
7、he 1980s, and annual inflows have scarcely ever reached $ 1 billion(whereas Ireland attracted over $ 25 billion in 2003, as did Brazil in every year from 1998 to 2000). One deterrent to foreign investors is due to disappear on January 1st 2005. On that day, Turkey will take away the right of virtual
8、ly every one of its citizens to call themselves a millionaire. Six noughts will be removed from the face value of the lira; one unit of the local currency will henceforth be worth what lm are now ie, about 0. 53euro($ 0. 70). Goods will have to be priced in both the new and old lira for the whole of
9、 the year, but foreign bankers and investors can begin to look forward to a time in Turkey when they will no longer have to juggle mentally with indeterminate strings of zeros. 1 What is Turkeys economic situation now? （ A） Its GDP per head is far lagging behind that of the EU members. （ B） Its infl
10、ation rate is still rising. （ C） Its economy grows faster than any EU member. （ D） Its economic resilience is very strong. 2 We can infer from the second paragraph that_. （ A） Turkey will soon catch the average GDP level of the 15 pre-2004 EU members （ B） inflation rate in Turkey used to be very hig
11、h （ C） Turkeys economy will keep growing at present rate （ D） IMFs economic program will help Turkey join the EU 3 The word “oscillated“(Paragraph 3)most probably means_. （ A） fell （ B） climbed （ C） developed （ D） swang 4 Speaking of Turkeys foreign direct investment, the author implies that_. （ A）
12、its stock is far less than that of other countries （ B） it does not have much influence on Turkeys economic progress （ C） steady GDP growth will help Turkey attract more foreign direct investment （ D） Turkeys economic resilience relies on foreign direct investment 5 We can draw a conclusion from the
13、 text that_. （ A） foreign investment environment in Turkey will become better （ B） Turkeys citizens will suffer heavy loss due to the change of the face value of the lira （ C） the local currency will depreciate with the removal of six noughts from the face value （ D） prices of goods will go up 5 It
14、was a ruling that had consumers see thing with anger and many a free trader crying foul. On November 20th the European Court of Justice decided that Tesco, a British supermarket chain, should not be allowed to import jeans made by Americas Levi Strauss from outside the European Union and sell them a
15、t cut-rate prices without getting permission first from the jeans maker. Ironically, the ruling is based on an EU trademark directive that was designed to protect local, not American, manufacturers from price dumping. The idea is that any brand-owning firm should be allowed to position its goods and
16、 segment its markets as it sees fit: Levis jeans, just like Gucci handbags, must be allowed to be expensive. Levi Strauss persuaded the court that, by selling its jeans cheaply alongside soap powder and bananas, Tesco was destroying the image and so the value of its brands which could only lead to l
17、ess innovation and, in the long run, would reduce consumer choice. Consumer groups and Tesco say that Levis case is specious. The supermarket argues that it was just arbitraging the price differential between Levis jeans sold in America and Europe a service performed a million times a day in financi
18、al markets, and one that has led to real benefits for consumers. Tesco has been selling some 15, 000 pairs of Levis jeans a week, for about half the price they command in specialist stores approved by Levi Strauss. Christine Cross, Tescos head of global non-food sourcing, says the ruling risks “crea
19、ting a Fortress Europe with a vengeance“. The debate will rage on, and has implications well beyond casual clothes(Levi Strauss was joined in its lawsuit by Zino Davidoff, a perfume maker). The question at its heart is not whether brands need to control how they are sold to protect their image, but
20、whether it is the job of the courts to help them do this. Gucci, an Italian clothes label whose image was being destroyed by loose licensing and over-exposure in discount stores, saved itself not by resorting to the courts but by ending contracts with third-party suppliers, controlling its distribut
21、ion better and opening its own stores. It is now hard to find cut-price Gucci anywhere. Brand experts argue that Levi Strauss, which has been losing market share to hipper rivals such as Diesel, is no longer strong enough to command premium prices. Left to market forces, so-so brands such as Levis m
22、ight well fade away and be replaced by fresher labels. With the courts protecting its prices, Levi Strauss may hang on for longer. But no court can help to make it a great brand again. 6 Which of the following is not true according to Paragraph 1 ? （ A） Consumers and free traders were very angry. （
23、B） Only the Levis maker can decide the prices of the jeans. （ C） The ruling has protected Levis from price dumping. （ D） Levis jeans should be sold at a high price . 7 Guccis success shows that_. （ A） Gucci has successfully saved its own image. （ B） It has changed its fate with its own effort. （ C）
24、Opening its own stores is the key to success. （ D） It should be the courts duty to save its image. 8 The word “specious“(line 12, paragraph 2)in the context probably means_. （ A） responsible for oneself （ B） having too many doubts （ C） not as it seems to be （ D） raising misunderstanding 9 According
25、to the passage, the doomed fate of Levis is caused by such factors except that_. （ A） the rivals are competitive （ B） it fails to command premium prices （ C） market forces have their own rules （ D） the court fails to give some help 10 The authors attitude towards Levis prospect seems to be_. （ A） bi
26、ased （ B） indifferent （ C） puzzling （ D） objective 10 Carmen Arace Middle School is situated in the pastoral town of Bloomfield, Conn. , but four years ago it faced many of the same challenges as inner-city schools in nearby Hartford: low scores on standardized tests, dropping enrollment and high ra
27、tes of detention. Then the schools hard-driving principal, Delores Bolton, persuaded her board to shake up the place by buying a laptop computer for each student and teacher to use, in school and at home. For good measure, the board provided wireless Internet access at school. Total cost: $2. 5 mill
28、ion. Now, an hour before classes start, every seat in the library is taken by students eager to get online. Fifth-grade teacher Jen Friday talks about sedimentary rocks as students view them at a colorful website. After school, students on buses pull laptops from backpacks to get started on homework
29、. Since the computers arrived, enrollment is up 20%. Disciplinary suspensions are down 80%. Scores on state achievement tests are up 35%. Bolton, who is black, is proud to run “a school with 90% black enrollment that is on the cutting edge. “ Indeed, school systems in rural Maine and New York City a
30、re eager to follow Arace Middle Schools example. Governor Angus King has proposed using $50 million from an unexpected budget surplus to buy a laptop for all of Maines 17, 000 seventh-graders and for new seventh-graders each fall. The funds would create a permanent endowment whose interest would hel
31、p buy the computers. The plan, scaled back to $ 30 million in a compromise with the legislature, is scheduled to be voted on this week. In the same spirit, the New York City board of education voted unanimously on April 12 to create a school Internet portal, which would make money by selling ads and
32、 licensing e-commerce sites. The portal will also provide e-mail service for the citys 1.1 million public school students. Profits will be used to buy laptops for each of the school systems 87, 000 fourth-graders. Within nine years, all students in grades 4 and higher will have their own computers.
33、Back in Bloomfield, the school board is seeking federal grant money to expand its laptop program to high school students. In the meantime, most of the kinks have been worked out. Some students were using their computers to goof off or visit unauthorized websites. But teachers have the ability to tra
34、ck where students have been on the Web and to restrict them. “That is the worst when they disable you,“ says eighth-grade honors student Jamie Bassell. “You go through laptop withdrawal. “ The habit is rubbing off on parents. “I taught my mom to use e-mail,“ says another eighth-grader, Katherine Hyp
35、olite. “And now shes taking computer classes. Im so proud of her!“ 11 The example of Carmen Arace Middle School in the text is used to_. （ A） show the challenges schools are faced with today （ B） prove that a school with high black enrollment can do well （ C） emphasize the importance of computers an
36、d the Internet in modern education （ D） indicate that laptops can help improve students school performance 12 According to the author, students in New York Citys public schools will_. （ A） all have their own laptops within nine years （ B） become more interested in their class activities with the app
37、lication of laptop （ C） spend more time visiting unauthorized websites with the expansion of the laptop program （ D） enjoy e-mail service provided by the citys school system in the near future. 13 By introducing the laptop program, Delore Bolton has_. （ A） shaken the beliefs of both teachers and stu
38、dents （ B） witnessed a remarkable improvement in enrollment and students test scores （ C） found herself followers all over the country （ D） revolutionized class-room teaching in public schools 14 The word “kink“(line 2, paragraph 4)most probably means_. （ A） plan （ B） method （ C） problem （ D） proces
39、s 15 From the passage we learn that_. （ A） the laptop program also has a positive influence on parents （ B） the laptop program in public schools is sponsored mainly by endowment （ C） a school Internet portal is the key to a laptop program （ D） students generally like the idea of having their online
40、activities tracked 15 When I applied under Early Decision to the University of Pennsylvania four years ago, I was motivated by two powerful emotions: ambition and fear. The ambition was to fulfill my lifelong expectation of attending an Ivy League school; the fear was that without the advantage offe
41、red by Early Decision, I wouldnt make the cut. A Penn admissions officer told me that the previous year they had accepted 45 percent of Early Decision applicants and just 29 percent of total applicants. The implication was clear: applying under Early Decision dramatically improves your chances of ac
42、ceptance. At Brown University, my other favorite, applying early did not confer any advantage. While Brown was my No. 1 choice, Penn was a close second, and I desperately wanted to make sure I got into one of the two. I applied just before the Nov. 1 deadline, and six weeks later I got my acceptance
43、 package. I was thrilled and relieved. While my friends spent winter vacation finishing as many as 18 applications each, I relaxed. On a school trip to France over spring break, I drank wine while everyone else struggled with international calling cards to phone home and find out where theyd been ac
44、cepted. People cried about getting rejected, or began the difficult and agonizing process of choosing between two or more schools. Strangely, none of this made me feel better about having applied early. It made me feel worse. When a lot of people from my class got into Brown, I wondered if I, too, c
45、ould have. Penn sent a discombobulating array of material to incoming freshmen over the summer. As the pile of mail mounted, so did my concerns that I had made the wrong choice. I had been to Penn only one day, in October of my senior year. I realize now I did not know nearly enough about myself or
46、the school. Picking classes was far more arcane than I had expected(or than it would have been at a smaller school). And when I got to the campus, I found that fraternities and sororities were a more noticeable and obnoxious presence than the 30 percent student membership had suggested to me. It was
47、nt long before I knew Penn was not right for me and I looked into transferring. For me, it was about more than just changing schools. I wanted to have the traditional application experience Id missed out on during my first go-round. The only school on my list that allowed transfers during the second
48、 semester of freshman year was Wesleyan, so I waited out the whole year, then applied to Yale, Brown and Wesleyan. I got into Wesleyan. The irony that I could have gotten in sooner, without getting rejected by the other schools, was not lost on me. But I know I made the right decision. To high-schoo
49、l seniors who want to avoid making the same mistake I did, my advice is simple: dont apply under Early Decision unless you are absolutely sure that the school is your first choice. And, just as important, dont let your parents or college-guidance counselor persuade you to apply under Early Decision. They may have their own agenda, or at least their own perception of who you are and what you want. As I discovered, no one can really know what you want better than yo
