1、考研英语模拟试卷 29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 These are tough times for Wal-Mart, Americas biggest retailer. Long accused of (1)_ small-town America mad condemned for the selfish
2、ness of its pay, the company has lately come under (2)_ for its meanness over employees health-care benefits. The charge is arguably (3)_: the firms health coverage, while (4)_ less extensive than the average for big companies, is on equal terms (5)_ other retailers. But bad publicity, coupled with
3、rising costs, has (6)_ the Bentonville giant to action. WalMart is making changes that should shift the ground in Americas healthcare debate. One (7)_ is to reduce the prices of many generic, or out-of-patent, prescription drugs. Wal-Marts critics dismiss the move as a publicity (8)_. The list of dr
4、ugs includes only 143 different medicines and excludes many popular group. True, but short-sighted. Wal-Mart has (9)_ retailing by using its size to squeeze suppliers and (10)_ the gains on to consumers. It could (11)_ the same with drugs. A “Wal-Mart effect“ in drugs will not solve Americas health-
5、costs problem: group account for only a small share of drug costs, which in turn make (12)_ only 10% of overall health spending. But it would (13)_. The firms other initiative is more (14)_. Wal-Mart is joining the small but fast-growing group of employers (15)_ are controlling costs by shifting to
6、health insurance with high deductibles. Early evidence (16)_ these plans do help firms control the cost of health insurance. But critics say that the savings are (17)_. They argue that the plans shift costs to sicker workers, discourage preventative care and will anyway do little to (18)_ overall he
7、alth spending, (19)_ most of the $2 trillion that America (20)_ health care each year goes to people with multiple chronic diseases. （ A） wrecked （ B） wrecks （ C） wreck （ D） wrecking （ A） dismission （ B） fire （ C） force （ D） agitation （ A） illegal （ B） unfair （ C） unreasonable （ D） incorrect （ A） us
8、ually （ B） admittedly （ C） obviously （ D） specially （ A） with （ B） to （ C） of （ D） by （ A） caused （ B） expelled （ C） stirred （ D） raised （ A） problem （ B） management （ C） intrigue （ D） strategy （ A） demonstration （ B） cheat （ C） attention （ D） stunt （ A） transformed （ B） translated （ C） transported
9、（ D） transacted （ A） passes （ B） passed （ C） passing （ D） pass （ A） make （ B） do （ C） get （ D） form （ A） for （ B） into （ C） out （ D） up （ A） receive （ B） solve （ C） fit （ D） help （ A） considerable （ B） principal （ C） controversial （ D） available （ A） who （ B） which （ C） what （ D） where （ A） suggests
10、 （ B） proposes （ C） reminds （ D） explains （ A） interesting （ B） misleading （ C） expressing （ D） illustrating （ A） organize （ B） regulate （ C） verify （ D） control （ A） since （ B） then （ C） when （ D） because of （ A） hangs on （ B） takes on （ C） spends on （ D） goes on Part A Directions: Read the followi
11、ng four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) 21 Whoever said that victory has many fathers and defeat is an orphan, surely had never heard of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In the case of the hapless multilateral trade body and its long suffering rep
12、resentatives, the total failure of the opening meeting of the so called Millennium trade round has lots of people boasting of their roles in the violent physical struggle. Well. Thats just brilliant. They are proud of being part of a movement that wants to wreck the most important engine of economic
13、 growth, prosperity and overall global rising living standards we have the freedom of trade and movement of people and goods between nations. The 135-member WTO is composed of sovereign governments wishing to further this goal and ease the settlement of international trade disputes. From the sounds
14、emanating from Seattle, though, it would now seem the WTO has now replaced the Trilateral Commission and the Freemasons as candidate No. 1 to take over the World. Everybody has his favorite Seattle story. The citys police chief will have plenty of time to think about his, having now resigned in disg
15、race over the loss of control of downtown Seattle. The Seattle business community may be more inclined to brood over theirs the poor fools invested $9 million to attract the meeting to their fine city. What stands out more? I would nominate the union of steel workers who were marching in protest. It
16、s an image that will boggle the mind for years to come. The debate now is over just how effective this anti-globalist coalition will turn out to be. In the heat of the moment, it always looks as though the world as we know it is coming to an end. But the overwhelming likelihood is that we have not a
17、ctually seen a replay of the anti Vietnam War movement, which had much clearer focus, obviously, though its consequences were far-reaching. How long, after all, can you protest against cheap imports when those same imports are all over your house? No, the real reason for the disaster in Seattle is p
18、olitical, and reports coming out of the meeting point to President Clinton as a major culprit, which may be both good and bad. Taking the long view, other trade rounds have had difficult beginnings, too. It took years to get the Uruguay Round under way, which finally happened in 1986. Thankfully, we
19、 will soon be electing another president, and it should be someone whose actions match his rhetoric. Still, it is a disgrace that the worlds greatest trading nation, i.e. the United States, is currently led by a man whose motivations are so narrowly political and egocentric that he has now wrecked a
20、ny chance of entering the history books as a champion of free trade. 21 The statement “victory has many fathers and defeat is an orphan“ (Para. 1) is used to introduce _. （ A） the victory of suffering representatives. （ B） the failure of WTOs opening meeting. （ C） the role of international free trad
21、e. （ D） the dynamics of economic growth. 22 It is implied in the first sentence that the failure of Millennium trade round could be attributed to _. （ A） factors other than a movement. （ B） violent labor disputes. （ C） mislead political motivations. （ D） troubled trade unions. 23 By saying that “Its
22、 an image that will boggle the mind for years to come“, (Paragraph 3) the author means that the debate in Seattle proves to be _. （ A） dubiously-oriented. （ B） quite transient. （ C） self-contradictory. （ D） fairly consequential. 24 The author is obviously critical of President Clinton for _. （ A） hi
23、s failure to match his words with his actions. （ B） his lack of historical knowledge about the WTO. （ C） his putting the issue in a wrong perspective. （ D） his exaggeration of WTOs economic role. 25 From the text we can see that the writer seems _. （ A） optimistic. （ B） gloomy. （ C） disgraced. （ D）
24、proud. 26 “Popular art“ has a number of meanings, impossible to define with any precision, which range from folklore to junk. The poles are clear enough, but the middle tends to blur. The Hollywood Western of the 1930s for example, has elements of folklore, but is closer to junk than to high art or
25、folk art. There can be great trash, just as there is bad high art. The musicals of George Gershwin are great popular art, never aspiring to high art. Schubert and Brahms, however, used elements of popular music folk themes in works clearly intended as high art. The case of Verdi is a different one:
26、he took a popular genre-bourgeois melodrama set to music (an accurate definition of nineteenth-century opera) and, without altering its fundamental nature, transmuted it into high art. This remains one of the greatest achievements in music, and one that cannot be fully appreciated without recognizin
27、g the essential trashiness of the genre. As an example of such a transmutation, consider what Verdi made of the typical political elements of nineteenth-century opera. Generally in the plots of these operas, a hero or heroine usually portrayed only as an individual, unfettered by class is caught bet
28、ween the immoral corruption of the aristocracy and the doctrinaire rigidity or secret greed of the leaders of the proletariat. Verdi transforms this naive and unlikely formulation with music of extraordinary energy and rhythmic vitality, music more subtle than it seems at first hearing. There are sc
29、enes and arias that still sound like calls to arms and were clearly understood as such when they were first performed. Such pieces lend an immediacy to the otherwise veiled political message of these operas and call up feelings beyond those of the opera itself. Or consider Verdis treatment of charac
30、ter. Before Verdi, there were rarely any characters at all in musical drama, only a series of situations which allowed the singers to express a series of emotional states. Any attempt to find coherent psychological portrayal in these operas is misplaced ingenuity. The only coherence was the singers
31、vocal technique: when the cast changed, new arias were almost always substituted, generally adapted from other operas. Verdis characters, on the other hand, have genuine consistency and integrity. Even if, in many cases, the consistency is that of pasteboard melodrama, the integrity of the character
32、 is achieved through the music: once he had become established. Verdi did not rewrite his music for different singers or countenance alterations or substitutions of somebody elses arias in one of his operas, as every eighteenth-century composer had done. When he revised an opera, it was only for dra
33、matic economy and effectiveness. 26 This passage is mainly _. （ A） a survey of drama music. （ B） about the elements in popular music. （ C） a review of popular art. （ D） about dramatic economy and effectiveness. 27 The writer asserts that the definition of popular art is _. （ A） quite accurate. （ B）
34、rather elusive. （ C） fairly clear. （ D） very dubious. 28 it can be inferred from the text that the achievements by Verdi _. （ A） are too subtle to recognize. （ B） defy any precise definition. （ C） are the envy of his times. （ D） earn him great reputation. 29 The writer mentions the political element
35、s in 19th century opera to illustrate _. （ A） the political messages exposed. （ B） the universal recognition of high art. （ C） the intended changes in popular art. （ D） heroes and heroines mental states. 30 According to the text, Verdis creative treatment of characters is performed through _. （ A） h
36、is frequent re-writing of an opera. （ B） his coherent psychological portrayal. （ C） his consistent aspiration to high art. （ D） his effective maneuvers of music. 31 Biologically, there is only one quality which distinguishes us from animals: the ability to laugh. In a universe which appears to be ut
37、terly devoid of humor, we enjoy this supreme luxury. And it is a luxury, for unlike any other bodily process, laughter does not seem serve a biologically useful purpose. In a divided world, a laughter is a unifying force. Human beings oppose each other on a great many issues. Nations may disagree ab
38、out systems of government and human relations may be plagued by ideological factions and political camps, but we all share the ability to laugh. And laughter, in turn, depends on the most complex and subtle of all-human qualities: a sense of humor. Certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal.
39、This can best be seen from the world-wide popularity of Charlie Chaplains early films. The little man at odds with society never fails to amuse no matter which country we come from. As that great commentator on human affairs, Dr. Samuel Johnson, once remarked, “Men have been wise in very different m
40、odes; but they have always laughed in the same way“. A sense of humor may take various forms and laughter may be anything from refined tinkle to an earthquaking roar, but the effect is always the same. Humor helps us to maintain a correct sense of values. It is the one quality which political fanati
41、cs appear to lack. If we can see the funny side, we never make the mistake of taking ourselves too seriously. We are always reminded that tragedy is not really far removed from comedy, so we never get a lopsided view of things. This is one of the chief functions of satire and irony. Human pain and s
42、uffering are so grim; we hover so often on the brink of war, political realities are usually enough to plunge us into total despair. In such circumstances, cartoons and satirical accounts of somber political events redress the balance. They take the wind out of pompous and arrogant politicians who h
43、ave lost their sense of proportion. They enable us to see that many of our most profound actions are merely comic or absurd. We laugh when a great satirist like Swift writes about wars in Gullivers Travels. The Lilliputians and their neighbors attack each other because they cant agree which end to b
44、reak an egg. We laugh because we are meant to laugh; hut we are meant to weep too. It is no wonder that in totalitarian regimes any satire against the Establishment is wholly banned. It is too powerful weapon to be allowed to flourish. The sense of humor must be singled out as mans most important qu
45、ality because it is associated with laughter. And laughter, in turn, is associated with happiness. Courage, determination, initiative these are qualities we share with other forms of life. But the sense of humor is an unique human quality. If happiness is one of the great goals of life, then it is t
46、he sense of humor that provides the key. 31 The author quotes Dr. Samuel Johnsons words to _. （ A） spotlight the unifying force of a sense of humor. （ B） stress the harmony between individuals and society. （ C） highlight the incomparable luxury of humor. （ D） show the distinction between humans and
47、animals. 32 According to the author, “political fanatics“ (Para. 2) more often than not fall victim to _. （ A） political realities. （ B） wild illusions. （ C） adverse comments. （ D） noble qualities. 33 According to the 4th paragraph, what interests the author is that some politicians fail to _. （ A）
48、perceive the value of humor. （ B） gain a correct sense of values. （ C） distinguish comedy from tragedy. （ D） realize dangers of hypocrisy. 34 To which of the following is the author likely to agree? （ A） Government agencies are often an inappropriate subject for humor. （ B） A sense of humor inevitab
49、ly prompts us to take ourselves seriously. （ C） Many issues on trivialities may arise for lack of a sense of humor. （ D） The pursuit for happiness is one of the greatest goals in our life. 35 The best title for the text may be _. （ A） Various functions of humor. （ B） Develop all-human qualities. （ C） Different solutions to conflicts. （ D） Make use of humor wisely. 36 The housing market has been for tw
