1、考研英语二（阅读）模拟试卷 24 及答案与解析Part B (10 points) 0 A. Gender differentiatorB. Mark of PersonalityC. Adoption of foreign drinksD. Statement of affiliationE. Situation definerF. Classification of drinking patternG. Status indicatorIt is clear that in all cultures where more than one type of alcoholic beverag
2、e is available, drinks are classified in terms of their social meaning, and the classification of drinks is used to define the social world. Few, if any, alcoholic beverages are “socially neutral“: every drink is loaded with symbolic meaning, every drink conveys a message. Alcohol is a symbolic vehi
3、cle for identifying, describing, constructing and manipulating cultural systems, values, interpersonal relationships, behavioral norms and expectations. Choice of beverage is rarely a matter of personal taste.【R1 】_At the simplest level, drinks are used to define the nature of the occasion. The type
4、 of drink served defines both the nature of the event and the social relationship between the drinkers. The choice of drink also dictates behavior. In many Western cultures, champagne is synonymous with celebration, such that if champagne is ordered or served at an otherwise “ordinary“ occasion, som
5、eone will invariably ask “What are we celebrating?“【R2 】_Choice of beverage is also a significant indicator of social status. In Poland, for example, wine is regarded as a high-status, middle-class drink, while native beers and vodkas are “ordinary“ or working-class.【R3 】_Choice of beverage may also
6、 be a statement of affiliation, a declaration of membership in a particular group, generation, class, “tribe“, sub-culture or nation and its associated values, attitudes and beliefs. Certain drinks, for example, have become symbols of national identity: Guinness for the Irish, tequila for Mexicans,
7、whisky for Scots, ouzo for Greeks etc. Ones national beverage can be a powerful expression of ones loyalties and cultural identity.【R4 】_While differences in age, class, status, aspirations and affiliations are frequently expressed through beverage choice, the most consistent and widespread use of a
8、lcohol as a social “differentiator“ is in the gender-based classification of drinks. Almost all societies make some distinction between “masculine“ and “feminine“ beverages: even where no other differentiation is found, this primary division is likely to be evident, and, often, to be rigidly observe
9、d. Even in societies where only one alcoholic beverage is available, such as palm wine among the Lele of Zaire, a weaker, sweeter version, Mana ma piya, is considered suitable for women, while Mana ma kobo, described as “strong“ and “fierce“, is a mans drink.【R5 】_It appears that the adoption of for
10、eign drinks also involves the adoption of the drinking patterns, attitudes and behavior associated with the alien culture, while other societies absorb foreign drinks without “taking in“ any of the associated cultural approaches. When the British go to France, they exhibit a tendency to drink wine i
11、n beer quantities and display all of the behavioral excesses associated with their native drinking patterns, with the result that young British tourists “are now renowned in France and elsewhere in Europe for their drinking and drunkenness“. In Spain, by contrast, the young males appear more sensiti
12、ve to alien cultural influences.In spite of many areas covered, information on the symbolic meanings of different types of alcoholic drink is still incomplete. Therefore, further and more precise research on the symbolic functions of alcoholic beverages is needed.1 【R1 】2 【R2 】3 【R3 】4 【R4 】5 【R5 】5
13、 All men are created equal, or so reckoned Thomas Jefferson as he drafted Americas Declaration of Independence in 1776. Subsequent Americans have had reason to question the founding father. So too have people in the land from which the new nation gained its freedom. America and Britain are among the
14、 most unequal countries in the rich world and Britain, at any rate, is more unequal now than it was a generation ago. That is the conclusion of a study commissioned by Harriet Harman, the equalities minister. Class and money have always strongly affected how people do in life in Britain, with well-h
15、eeled families breeding affluent children just as the offspring of the desperately poor tend to remain poor. All that was supposed to have ceased at the end of the Second World War, with the birth of a welfare state designed to meet basic needs and promote social mobility. But despite devoting much
16、thought and more money to improving the lot of the poor, governments have failed to boost those at the bottom of the pile as much as those at the top have boosted themselves. The new study, led by John Hills of the London School of Economics, found, for example, that the richest tenth of households
17、received income more than four times that of the poorest tenth; just a generation ago, it was three times as much. Internationally, only six of the 30 members of the OECD, a club of mainly rich countries, show greater inequality. Wealth is distributed far more unequally than income, with the richest
18、 tenth in Britain holding assets worth almost 100 times those of the poorest. Although the study found that some of the widest gaps between social groups have diminished over time, deep-seated differences between haves and have-nots persist, ruining the life chances of the less fortunate. Politician
19、s of all stripes talk up equality of opportunity, arguing that it makes for a fairer and more mobile society, and a more prosperous one. The goal of greater equality of outcomes also has its boosters. In “The Spirit Level“, epidemic disease experts Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson claim that more
20、equal societies are healthier than unequal ones, as well as happier. Not all agree, but in a country where the National Health Service accounts for almost a fifth of public spending, it is worth considering. The difficulty arises in putting these notions into practice, through severe tax increases f
21、or the middle-class and wealthy, or expanding government intervention. These have not recently been vote-winning propositions, but the recession that Britain is now limping away from may have changed things. So Gordon Brown, at any rate, must be hoping. Recently the prime minister said he would put
22、social mobility at the heart of his campaign for re-election. The trouble is that he has had 13 years to work on it already. Despite his pledge to invest in education to “make a reality of genuine equality of opportunity for all“, opinion polls suggest that his prospects are poor. 10 Youve finally f
23、inished the book your co-worker recommended, so what to read next? If it is 5 a.m., chances are that youre reaching for a romance novelespecially if youre in Texas or Georgia. By early morning, thrillers might start to look more appealing. These are some of the insights from Scribd Inc. and Oyster,
24、two startups that offer unlimited e-book rentals for a monthly subscription fee. Scribd, Oyster and Entitle Bookswhich just launched in Decemberare tracking reader behavior in hopes of figuring out recommendations of exactly what youll want to pick up next. Subscription services are popular because
25、they “reduce the emotional burden“ of purchasing, says Julie Haddon, Scribd vice president of marketing. Buying a book creates pressure to finish and get your moneys worth, she adds. In addition, people might try to save money by buying a cheaper book instead of the one they really want. An all-acce
26、ss subscription “lowers the activation energy for reading,“ says Oyster CEO Eric Stromberg. Reading often has a high “activation energy“ because theres a time gap between wanting to read a book and then actually getting your hands on it, he says. “When you can order a book and instantly get it on yo
27、ur tablet, you can hear about the book and then read it right there,“ says Willem van Lancker, Oysters chief product officer. “From the publishing perspective, the biggest problem is how to get people to care about a new book,“ says Otis Chandler, CEO of Goodreads, a site where people share what the
28、yre reading and post recommendations. Goodreads, which was acquired by Amazon in March, uses an algorithm that recommends books that users with similar taste have enjoyed. Oyster and Scribd ask readers to rate books, what they call an “active signal.“ They also track “passive signals,“ such as the p
29、ercentage of a book that a reader finishes and the click rate, or how many people who are shown a book click through to learn more. The companies use that information among other factors to recommend books. Active signals represent what we wish we read, while passive signals are more honest, says Ja
30、red Friedman, Scribd chief technology officer. A lot of people give a 5-star rating to “The Great Gatsby,“ while they read greedily, but dont necessarily rate, thrillers like “The Da Vinci Code,“ for example. Personalized recommendations drive 10 times more browsing traffic than lists based on theme
31、s such as “globe-trotting memoirs“ or “bad role models“ that copy racks at the front of bookstores, Scribds Mr. Friedman says. The company is interested in combining algorithms with lists to create a list of best sellers that someone would, based on past reading behavior, find interesting. Another p
32、ossible approach is to suggest different books or genres depending on time of day to take advantage of what the company knows about time-based preferences. These services, of course, compete with the library. But libraries have had limited e-book offerings and there are often waits for the books. Wh
33、ile libraries budget for e-books has been growing, licensing restrictions mean that popular titles often arent available, says Laura Girmscheid, research manager for the trade publication Library Journal. This, combined with holds on e-books, is the largest hurdle preventing people from using librar
34、y e-books more. “Its just not convenient for instant access,“ Ms. Girmscheid says. 15 A. Plan for the Financial TransitionB. Examine Your Investment PortfolioC. Contribute to an IRAD. Save before You SpendE. Max out Your Retirement PlansF. Set a Retirement Savings GoalG. Review Your Own Retirement P
35、lanOne month into the new year, its time to check in on your promises to yourself to start saving more for retirement. Fully 70 percent of Americans are concerned about not having enough money for a comfortable retirement, a recent Fidelity Investments study found. Here are strategies to boost your
36、retirement savings this year.【R1 】_“Pay yourself first, and find ways to invest automatically,“ says Heather Dzielak of Lincoln Financial Group. “Get in the discipline of setting aside money for your retirement“ Many companies will let you automatically deposit part of your paycheck into savings or
37、investment accounts.【R2 】_Most Americans are counting on individual retirement accounts (IRA) to help fund their retirement. But as of 2004, only 29 percent of families owned an IRA or Keogh, with a median value of $30,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The deadline fo
38、r making a 2006 contribution to a tax-advantaged IRA is April 17, the date your federal tax return is due.【R3 】_Be sure to contribute enough to get your employers full match. “The way to really do well,“ says Ed Slott, author of Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map, “is to keep putting more mo
39、ney in as much as you can. I try to fund all the retirement accounts I can to the max.“ You should also account for all 401(k) plans youve had at previous employers and consolidate them in your current employers plan or transfer them into a rollover IRA, says Dallas Salisbury, EBRI president. Rollin
40、g a 401 (k) over into anIRA allows you to avoid most fees and penalties.【R4 】_Only 4 in 10 workers have actually calculated how much they need to save for retirement, according to EBRI. And many of those created their own estimate or guessed. Its a good idea to sit down with a financial adviser or u
41、se an online calculator or retirement worksheet. You should review your retirement accounts annually to make sure you are getting a good return on your investments. “Over the long term, diversified stocks and bonds should return you 7 percent,“ says Jonathan Pond, the author of You Can Do It! The Bo
42、omers Guide to a Great Retirement. “The average investor makes about 4 percent.“ Pondrecommends constructing a diversified portfolio and regularly monitoring it.【R5 】_Youll need a plan to convert retirement savings into a stream of income. “Its the way you take it out that will determine how much yo
43、u and your family keep and how much goes to the government,“ says Slott. “If you take it out the wrong way, it all goes back to the government.“ A financial adviser can help you determine the most tax-advantaged way to withdraw money from retirement accounts. Youll also want to double-check the bene
44、ficiary forms on all your retirement accounts. Says Slott: “Most people think that somebody else took care of this. . The beneficiary form is the key document thats going to determine who gets all this money youve saved.“16 【R1 】17 【R2 】18 【R3 】19 【R4 】20 【R5 】考研英语二（阅读）模拟试卷 24 答案与解析Part B (10 points
45、) 【知识模块】 阅读 B 节1 【正确答案】 E【试题解析】 根据中心句中的 define the nature of the occasion，可确定第二段讲的是酒能对场合作出定义，故选 E“定义场合”。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节2 【正确答案】 G【试题解析】 根据首句中的 a significant indicator of social status“一个重要的社会地位象征”可以确定 G“显示地位”为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节3 【正确答案】 D【试题解析】 D 项复现了首句中的关键词 a statement of affiliation，故确定为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅
46、读 B 节4 【正确答案】 A【试题解析】 本段的关键词是 gender-based classification“性别的分类”，且出现了 masculine“男性的”及 feminine“女性的”，结合最后一句的例子可知本段的主题与区分性别有关，故确定 A“区分性别”为正确答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节5 【正确答案】 C【试题解析】 由首句的关键词 adoption of foreign drinks、foreign drinks 及英国的事例可知，本段与接收外国的饮料或文化有关，故确定 C 项“引进外国饮料”正确。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节【知识模块】 阅读 B 节6 【正确答案】 D
47、【试题解析】 全文的第一句就提到了 Thomas Jefferson，文中提到他在起草独立宣言时认为“众生是平等的”。D 项中的 principle of equality 与原文的 All men are created equal 对应，且复现了关键词 Declaration of Independence，故为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节7 【正确答案】 A【试题解析】 第一段最后两句提到英美社会的贫富不平等问题。倒数第二句提到英国现在的贫富差距比一代人之前加剧了，而这是 Harriet Harman 得出的结论。综合这两句可知 A 项为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节8 【
48、正确答案】 F【试题解析】 第三段提到由 John Hills 主持的一项研究，该研究表明 10%最富有的人的收入现在是 10最贫穷的人的四倍，而之前只是三倍。由此可推断，他们之间的收入差距扩大了，故确定 F 为答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节9 【正确答案】 B【试题解析】 第四段第四句讲述了流行病专家 Kate Pickett 和 Richard Wilkinson的观点。他们认为，公平的社会更健康，也更幸福。B 项复现了原文的 an equal society，healthier，happier 等关键信息，为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节10 【正确答案】 G【试题解析】 最后一
49、段末句提到，Gordon Brown 曾作出资助教育的承诺(pledge)，使所有人都能获得真正均等的机会(genuine equality of opportunity)。G 项复现了遣一信息，promised 对应文中的 pledge，故 G 为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节【知识模块】 阅读 B 节11 【正确答案】 C【试题解析】 第三段提到了 Julie Haddon 的几个观点，其中最后一句提到了他认为人们在买纸质书时，会为了省钱而买较便宜的书，而非实际所需要的书。C 项所述与此相符，故为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节12 【正确答案】 G【试题解析】 第四段前两句提到 Eric Stromberg 认为无限量订阅“会减少激发阅读所需的能量”。而阅读往往需要很强的“激发能量”，因为从你想读一本书到真正着手去读它之间有个时间差。G 项复现了该部分的关键词 high activation energy及 time gap，为本题答案。【知识模块】 阅读 B 节13 【正确答案】 E【试题解析】 Otis Chandler 认为从出版的角度来看，最大的问题就是如何让读者关心一本新书，E 项中
