1、考研英语模拟试卷 157及答案与解析 一、 Section I Use of English Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D. (10 points) 1 What Will Be is an impressive and visionary guide to the future, filled with insights on how information technology will transform
2、our lives and our world in the new century. The author, Michael Dertouzos, stands (1)_ from many of the forecasters and commentators who bombard us daily with (2)_ of this future. For twenty years he has led one of the worlds (3)_ research laboratories, whose members have brought the world (4)_ comp
3、uters, the Ether Net, and start-up companies. As a visionary, his (5)_ have been on the mark: In 1981, he described the (6)_ of an Information Marketplace as “a twenty-first-century village marketplace where people and computers buy, sell, and freely exchange information and information services.“ T
4、hats a (7)_ description of the Internet as we know it today. Naturally, we do not agree on all the (8)_ ways the new world will (9)_ or affect us. This is as it should be. There is plenty of room for (10)_ ideas and debate concerning the rich and promising setting ahead. Whats more important is that
5、 people become (11)_, and form their own opinions, about the changes (12)_. When it (13)_ to that future world, what we do (14)_ far outweighs our differences New businesses will be created and new (15)_ will be made in the (16)_ areas of activity this book describes. More important, radical changes
6、 in hardware, software, and infrastructure will (17)_ in ways large and small our social lives, our families, our jobs, our health, our environment, our economy, and even the (18)_ we see for ourselves in the universe. Whoever (19)_ the coming Information Revolution? thats (20)_ all of us needs to k
7、now What Will Be. （ A） beyond （ B） behind （ C） apart （ D） out （ A） highlights （ B） perceptions （ C） adventures （ D） speculations （ A） empirical （ B） wearisome （ C） tentative （ D） pioneering （ A） updated （ B） fair-minded （ C） underprivileged （ D） well-defined （ A） transactions （ B） interpretations （
8、C） reflections （ D） predictions （ A） thought （ B） concept （ C） view （ D） angle （ A） desirable （ B） inaccurate （ C） monetary （ D） dismayed （ A） mere （ B） typical （ C） specific （ D） odd （ A） evolve （ B） assemble （ C） betray （ D） depress （ A） ingenuous （ B） pervasive （ C） democratic （ D） original （ A）
9、informed （ B） acquainted （ C） confined （ D） reassured （ A） past （ B） inwards （ C） ahead （ D） upside-down （ A） adds （ B） amounts （ C） leads （ D） comes （ A） scorn （ B） consent （ C） encounter （ D） surpass （ A） dooms （ B） fortunes （ C） destinies （ D） prophecies （ A） lofty （ B） supreme （ C） alien （ D） no
10、vel （ A） reign （ B） alter （ C） chock （ D） breed （ A） scope （ B） context （ C） range （ D） territory （ A） anticipates （ B） justifies （ C） dominates （ D） foretells （ A） plausibly （ B） thoroughly （ C） virtually （ D） radically Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below ea
11、ch text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 At some point during their education, biology students are told about a conversation in a pub that took place over 50 years ago. J.B.S. Haldane, a British geneticist, was asked whether he would lay down his life for his country. After doing a quick ca
12、lculation on the back of a napkin, he said he would do so for two brothers or eight cousins. In other words, he would die to protect the equivalent of his genetic contribution to the next generation. The theory of kin selection the idea that animals can pass on their genes by helping their close rel
13、atives is biologys explanation for seemingly altruistic acts. An individual carrying genes that promote altruism might be expected to die younger than one with “selfish“ genes, and thus to have a reduced contribution to the next generations genetic pool But if the same individual acts altruistically
14、 to protect its relatives, genes for altruistic behavior might nevertheless propagate. Acts of apparent altruism to non-relatives can also be explained away, in what has become a cottage industry within biology. An animal might care for the offspring of another that it is unrelated to because it hop
15、es to obtain the same benefits for itself later on (a phenomenon known as reciprocal altruism). The hunter who generously shares his spoils with others may be doing so in order to signal his superior status to females, and ultimately boost his breeding success. These apparently selfless acts are the
16、refore disguised acts of self-interest. All of these examples fit economists arguments that Homo sapiens is also Homo economics maximizing something that economists call utility, and biologists fitness. But there is a residuum of human activity that defies such explanations: people contribute to cha
17、rities for the homeless, return lost wallets, do voluntary work and tip waiters in restaurants to which they do not plan to return. Both economic rationalism and natural selection offer few explanations for such random acts of kindness. Nor can they easily explain the opposite: spiteful behavior, wh
18、en someone harms his own interest in order to damage that of another. But people are now trying to find answers. When a new phenomenon is recognized by science, a name always helps. In a paper in Human Nature, Dr. Fehr and his colleagues argue for a behavioral propensity they call “strong reciprocit
19、y“. This name is intended to distinguish it from reciprocal altruism. According to Dr. Fehr, a person is a strong reciprocator if he is willing to sacrifice resources to be kind to those who are being kind, and to punish those who are being unkind. Significantly, strong reciprocators will behave thi
20、s way even if doing so provides no prospect of material rewards in the future. 21 The story of J.B.S. Haldane is mentioned in the text _. （ A） to honor his unusual altruistic acts. （ B） to show how he contributed to the country. （ C） to introduce the topic of human altruism. （ D） to give an episode
21、of his calculation abilities. 22 According the theory of kin selection, humans tend to act altruistically _. （ A） for the sake of desired reproduction. （ B） out of self-interest. （ C） on the request of natural selection. （ D） because of kind nature. 23 As pointed out in the text, “reciprocal altruis
22、m theory“ and “strong reciprocity theory“ are _. （ A） complementary. （ B） contradictory. （ C） superficial. （ D） over-simplified. 24 The writer mentioned the case of “the hunter who shares his spoils with others“ to demonstrate _. （ A） innate human hostility. （ B） his privileged status. （ C） apparent
23、 human altruism. （ D） his sacrifice resources. 25 It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that _. （ A） human behavior is confined to the exclusive concern of psychologists. （ B） economists utility is only the explanations for random acts of kindness. （ C） altruism is developed during the long process of
24、 human evolution. （ D） biologists can help economists explain some human behavior deviations. 26 Can this be the right time to invest in luxury goods? Miuccia Prada was obviously biting her nails. The granddaughter of the founder of the Italian fashion group has just opened spectacular new stores in
25、 quick succession in New York and London. With its magic mirrors, silver displays and computer-controlled changing rooms, Pradas two-month-old shop in Manhattan cost a staggering $40m, sits just a mile from Ground Zero, and sells practically nothing. The luxury-goods business has been in despair in
26、hasty succession against a background of a weakening global economy, an enduring slump in Japanese spending, and the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Japanese, who used to buy a third of the worlds luxury goods, cut their foreign travel in half after the attacks and tightened their Louis Vuitto
27、n purse-strings. At the same time, wealthy Americans stopped flying, which has a dramatic effect on the luxury-goods purveyors of London, Paris and Rome. At home too, Americans attitudes to luxury changed, at least temporarily. “Conspicuous abstention“ replaced greedy consumerism among the fast-grow
28、ing, younger breed of newly rich. The decline in job security, the lower bonuses in financial services, and the stock market bust that wiped out much of the paper wealth generated in the late 1990s, bred a new frugality. Sales of expensive jewelry, watches and handbagsthe products that make the juic
29、iest profits for the big luxury-goods groups dropped sharply. The impact has been most striking among the handful of large, quoted luxury-goods companies. Frances Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), the industry leader, issued four profits warnings after September 11th and ended up reporting a 20% d
30、ecline in operating profit for 2001, after having repeatedly promised its investors double-digit growth; and Italys Gucci Group, the third largest, announced this week that second-half profits dropped by 33%. Meanwhile, privately held Prada had to postpone its stock market flotation and was forced t
31、o sell a recently acquired stake in Fendi, a prestigious Italian bag maker, in order to reduce its debts. Luxury is an unusual business. A luxury brand cannot be extended indefinitely: if it becomes too common, it is devalued, as Pierre Cardin and Ralph Lauren proved by sticking their labels on ever
32、ything from T-shirts to paint. Equally, a brand name can be undermined if it is not advertised consistently, or if it is displayed and sold poorly. Sagra Maceira de Rosen, a luxury-goods analyst at J.P. Morgan, argues that, “Luxury companies are primarily retailers. In retailing, the most important
33、thing is execution, and execution is all about management. You may have the best designed product, but if you dont get it into the right kind of shop at the right time, you will fail.“ 26 By “Miuccia Prada was obviously biting her nails“(Paragraph 1), the author means _. （ A） Prada is in a desperate
34、 situation. （ B） Prada is notorious for her hasty execution. （ C） Prada is always in her bad habit. （ D） Prada is too much engaged in her work. 27 What is the attitude of consumers towards luxury goods in the present situation? （ A） Carefree. （ B） Panicked. （ C） Cautious. （ D） Confused. 28 It can le
35、arned from the text that _. （ A） excessive advertisement resulted in the failure of Pradas investment. （ B） luxury-goods companies must give thought to the impact of terrorist attacks. （ C） execution is nothing but an auxiliary part of business management. （ D） outsiders always hold some misconcepti
36、ons of luxury-goods business. 29 When mentioning “double-digit growth“(Paragraph 4), the author is talking about _. （ A） rewards reaped from investment in real estate. （ B） bonuses generated in the stock market flotation. （ C） estimated assets of newly-opened stores. （ D） operating profits in luxury
37、-goods business. 30 To which of the following is the author likely to agree? （ A） Opening new stores, on the horizon. （ B） More ventures bring more rewards. （ C） Tight the belt, the single remedy. （ D） Not every cloud has silver linings. 31 On a weekday night this January, thousands of flag-waving y
38、ouths packed Olaya Street, Riyadhs main shopping strip, to cheer a memorable Saudi victory in the GCC Cup football final. One car, rock music blaring from its stereo, squealed to a stop, blocking an intersection. The passengers leapt out, clambered on to the roof and danced wildly in front of the ho
39、nking crowd. Having paralyzed the traffic across half the city, they sped off before the police could catch them. Such public occasion was once unthinkable in the rigid conformist kingdom, but now young people there and in other Gulf States are increasingly willing to challenge authority. That does
40、not make them rebels: respect for elders, for religious duty and for maintaining family bonds remain preeminent values, and premarital sex is generally out of the question. Yet demography is beginning to put pressure on ultra-conservative norms. After all, 60% of the Gulfs native population is under
41、 the age of 25. With many more of its citizens in school than in the workforce, the region faces at least a generation of rocketing demand for employment. In every single GCC country the native workforce will double by 2020. In Saudi Arabia it will grow from 3.3m now to over Sm. The task of managing
42、 this surge would be daunting enough for any society, but is particularly forbidding in this region, for several reasons. The first is that the Gulf suffers from a lopsided labor structure. This goes back to the 1970s, when ballooning oil incomes allowed governments to import millions of foreign wor
43、kers and to dispense cozy jobs to the locals. The result is a two-tier workforce, with outsiders working mostly in the private sector and natives monopolizing the state bureaucracy. Private firms are as productive as any. But within the government, claims one study, workers are worth only a quarter
44、of what they get paid. Similarly, in the education sector, 30 years spent keeping pace with soaring student numbers has taken a heavy toll on standards. The Saudi school system, for instance, today has to cope with 5m students, eight times more than in 1970. And many Gulf countries adapted their cur
45、ricula from Egyptian models that are now thoroughly discredited. They continue to favor rote learning of “facts“ intended to instill patriotism or religious values. Even worse, the system as a whole discourages intellectual curiosity. It channels students into acquiring prestige degrees rather than
46、gaining marketable skills. Of the 120,000 graduates that Saudi universities produced between 1995 and 1999, only 10,000 had studied technical subjects such as architecture or engineering. They accounted for only 2% of the total number of Saudis entering the job market. 31 The wild behavior depicted
47、in the first paragraph is intended to _. （ A） advocate traditional values in Saudi. （ B） introduce the change of Saudi youths. （ C） criticize their nonconformist image. （ D） praise Saudi youth tactical retreat. 32 The basic problem of people pressure facing the Saudi authority lies in _. （ A） its su
48、rging workforce. （ B） its religious values. （ C） its private firms. （ D） its rebellious youths. 33 The word “lopsided“(Paragraph 4) most probably means _. （ A） detrimental. （ B） misguided. （ C） outdated. （ D） disproportionate. 34 According to the author, the Saudi education system is characterized b
49、y its excessive emphasis on _. （ A） marketable skills. （ B） intellectual curiosity. （ C） traditional values. （ D） creative thinking. 35 What would the section following this text probably deal with? （ A） The higher proportion of local youths in the workforce. （ B） More restrictions placed on the private firms in Saudi. （ C） Another reason for the difficulty in managing people pressure. （ D） The commitment to motivating yout
