1、考研英语二（阅读）模拟试卷 2（无答案）Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)0 Now that the economy is at last growing again, the burning issue in Britain is the cost of living. Prices have exceeded wages for the past six years. But t
2、he thing that is really out of control is the cost of housing. In the past year wages have risen by 1% ; property prices are up by 8.4%. This is merely the latest in a long surge. If since 1971 the price of groceries had risen as steeply as the cost of housing, a chicken would cost 51($ 83).By subsi
3、dising mortgages, and thus boosting demand, the government is aggravating the problem. But that is not the main reason for rising prices. Driven by a baby-boom, immigration and longer lives, Britains population is growing by around 0. 8% per year, faster than in most rich countries. Foreign wealth,
4、in the meantime, is pouring into London.If supply were rising fast too, increasing demand would not matter; but it is not. Though some 221,000 additional households are formed in England annually, just 108,000 homes were built in the year to September 2013.The lack of housing is an economic drag. Ab
5、out three-quarters of English job growth last year was in London and its inland, but high prices make it hard for people to move there from less favoured spots. It also damages lives. New British homes are smaller than those anywhere else in Europe, household size is rising in London and slums are s
6、preading as immigrants squash into shared houses(and, sometimes, garden sheds). Inequality is growing, because the higher property prices are, the greater the advantage that belongs to those whose parents own their homes.This is all the result of deliberate policymaking. Since the 1940s house-buildi
7、ng in Britain has been regulated by a system designed to prevent urban sprawl, something it has achieved well. It is almost impossible to construct any new building anywhere without permission from the local council. In the places where people most want to livesuburbs at the edge of big citiescounci
8、ls tend not to give it.1 We know from the first paragraph that_.（A）At present, a chicken in Britain costs 51（B） The urgent problem in Britain is the cost of housing（C） Prices of goods have gone up by 8.4% in the past year（D）Housing prices grow much faster than peoples income2 The population in Brita
9、in is growing because all EXCEPT_.（A）more babies were born than any time in history（B） people live longer than before due to several reasons（C） a large number of foreigners have swarmed into the country（D）the government encourages families to have more than one baby3 What can be inferred from Paragr
10、aph 4?（A）There will be fewer poor people in London.（B） British houses are bigger than other places in Europe.（C） Economy may be stagnant because of housing problem.（D）Employment rate has increased by 75% everywhere in Britain.4 House-building in Britain is difficult because of_.（A）government regulat
11、ion（B） limited space（C） lack of fund（D）urbanization5 The best title of the text may be_.（A）Economy Is Coming Back（B） Housing Problem in Britain（C） Housing Price: High Everywhere（D）Britain: An Expensive Place to Live in5 In the old days parents followed a simple rule: spare the rod and spoil the chil
12、d. These days less violent forms of discipline are favoured. Supernanny, a television toddler-tamer, recommends the “naughty step“ , to which ill-behaved naughty children are temporarily banished. Yet even this is too harsh, some psychologists say. But advocates of “positive discipline“ say “naughty
13、 step“ does nothing to encourage one to solve problems(and thus build character). Some even suggest it may be psychologically damaging.Positive discipline, which is becoming a fad in America, aims to teach children self-control and empathy. Rather than screaming at them to pick up the toys they have
14、 thrown on the floor, parents or teachers ask them to suggest their own way of tackling the problem. Adults are encouraged to think harder about the causes of bad behaviour. Families meet regularly to discuss all of the above.The Ravenswood School in Chicago has embraced positive discipline. When ch
15、ildren quarrel, they are allowed to pick an option from a “wheel of choice“ poster. These include “share and take turns“ , “balloon breath“ and a spell in the “calm-down corner“. In one classroom this has a tiny chair, some fairy lights and an inviting box of picture books.Positive discipline is not
16、 new; Jane Nelson, a family consultant and child-care guru, first published a book with that title in 1981. No reliable statistics show how many parents or schools use it, but the Positive Discipline Association, a non-profit that ran 18 training workshops in 2005, found itself running 51 in 2010.Do
17、ubters fear that positive really means permissive. Not so, says Maria Vannucci of the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. The goal is to connect with a child, rather than simply barking “ Shut up!“ or “ Go to your room!“ For example, a child who is getting underfoot in the kitchen ma
18、y need to feel involved and be given something to do, such as rolling pastry or folding napkins. One who has given up on his homework may need to have the task broken down. A toddler who hits another may not know why he is angry; he may be removed or told: “ Use your gentle hands. “ Bribes are out:
19、positive disciplinarians fear they may prevent a child from developing pride in a job well done.6 According to Paragraph 1, which one of the following is true?（A）Positive discipline is absolutely superior to “naughty step“.（B） Parents used to choose more violent ways to teach their children.（C） Supe
20、rnanny advises parents to use “naughty step“ and “positive discipline“.（D）Some people suggest “naughty step“ is both physically and mentally damaging.7 Which one of the behaviors may be “positive discipline“?（A）Scream at children and then reason with them.（B） Scold children and let them reflect upon
21、 themselves.（C） Gently ask children to find way to solve the problem.（D）Ask children to put their toys away and punish them.8 The underlined word “guru“(Para 4, Line 1)most probably means_.（A）an expert（B） a teacher（C） a doctor（D）a writer9 Maria Vannucci suggests that_.（A）positive discipline means pe
22、rmissive（B） positive discipline may do harm to children（C） positive discipline will deprive children of confidence（D）the aim of positive discipline is to communicate with a child10 Whats the authors attitude towards “positive discipline“?（A）Permissive.（B） Supportive.（C） Objective.（D）Doubtful.10 In t
23、he Second World War a “blockbuster“ was a bomb that could eliminate whole streets. Today it is the kind of hit creation that every media executive prays for. Popular films, books, music albums and sports teams that bring in huge audiencesand vast profitscan determine whether a year is profitable or
24、loss-making, and break a bosss career.The entertainment industrys search for the golden release is the focus of “ Blockbusters“ by Anita Elberse, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Conventional corporate wisdom maintains that spreading resources across many smaller pr
25、operties is sounder than pushing money into a few big, concentrated bets. Ms Elberse uses case studies from the film, television , music and sporting worlds to argue that, counterintuitively, “ the idea of smaller bets being safer is a myth. “ Nurturing a few choice works and helps firms create supe
26、rstars and super products , and is the key to far higher profits. Ms Elberse cites Grand Central Publishing as one example: the top 10% of its titles account for 64% of the publishers costs, but 126% of its profits.The thesis that popular products earn more money might seem as obvious as the plot of
27、 the latest Hollywood film you saw. But it is not what business experts predicted would happen. In 2006 Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired and a former journalist at The Economist, wrote “The Long Tail; Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More“ , in which he argued that the internet would
28、 change the demand curve for entertainment products. With unlimited “ shelf“ space available online and more refined search algorithms to direct people to songs and books they might be interested in, niche products would attract more attention and a greater share of spending.Ms Elberse originally di
29、sagreed on Mr Andersons work in a 2008 article for the Harvard Business Review, which is the basis for her book. The tail has become longer, but the internet has helped bestsellers become even bigger, because people follow the recommendations of friends and casual consumers choose known quantities.
30、In 2011 just 102 of the 8m digital musical tracks sold generated nearly a sixth of all sales. Blockbusters tend to be self-reinforcing, because firms spend more to promote products they think stand a better chance of becoming popular.11 “ Blockbuster“ was mentioned in the first paragraph to_.（A）intr
31、oduce the topic of the text（B） introduce the powerful weapon（C） show linguistic differences of modern words（D）show various meanings of some English words12 Traditional enterprises believe that_.（A）Ms Elberses studies are ridiculous（B） Ms Elberses theory is beyond doubt（C） its better to concentrate f
32、und on a few big bets（D）its safer to put small amount of money into different areas13 Ms Elberse holds the view that_.（A）the idea of smaller bets being safer is undoubted（B） cultivating a few choices and putting money in is not a wise way（C） creating superstars and super products helps to acquire mo
33、re profits（D）spreading resources across many smaller properties is definitely sounder14 Anderson argues that the Internet_.（A）will bring benefits to popular products（B） may reshape consumers demand for products（C） will direct people to the most popular books and songs（D）will attract more attention a
34、nd greater share of spending15 The Internet will make bestsellers become more popular because_.（A）casual consumers choose the products they like（B） most consumers follow friends recommendations（C） companies spend more money to promote products（D）most people follow the recommendation of the Internet1
35、5 When people talk about a “north-south divide“ in Britain, they usually refer to house prices, employment and the ratio of private-sector to public-sector jobs. The south scores higher on all such measures. But new data from the British Trust for Ornithology(BTO), a research charity, implies the gr
36、owth of another north-south dividethis time to the norths benefit.Every 20 years the BTO produces a detailed picture of bird life in Britain and Ireland. The 2007 to 2011 edition is cheery: more species are recorded than in previous pictures, and many birds are increasing in number. Compared with tw
37、o decades ago, 45% of regular native species are ranging more widely while 32% are living in smaller areas; the rest have stayed put. But the most striking news comes from the north.The overall populations of woodland, farmland and migrant perching birds are up in northern England and Scotland but d
38、own in the south. The same is true of individual species such as the garden warbler, bullfinch and swallow. The number of cuckoos, a closely-watched species, declined by 63% in England between 1995 and 2010 but by only 5% in Scotland. Raptors are faring especially well in the south, but their number
39、s are rising in most parts of Britain.Partly this reflects climate change, suggests Simon Gillings of the BTO. Some birds are drawn to warmer winters in Scotland and northern England; visiting migrants may stick around for longer. Hard though it may be to believe during a week of rain, the south is
40、becoming drier, pushing snipe northward. More efficient farming has squeezed some farmland species.Some birds find it harder to make homes in the south, too. Pressure on housing means deserted buildings and barns, handy for nesting, have been converted into human dwellings. Between 2006 and 2012 the
41、 number of vacant dwellings fell by 17% in London and by 12% in Kent. Over the same period the number of empty houses increased by 16% in Derbyshire and by 10% in Lancashire. Northern mining villages once full of workers are now sparsely populated, points out Ian Bart-lett, a birdwatcher in Hartlepo
42、ol, in north-east England. They have become hot spots for birds and the people who watch them.Cultural difference also plays a part, thinks Mark Cocker, an expert on birds. The “obsession with tidiness“ is stronger in the south, he says. Fewer people cultivate gardens; they prefer to cover them in d
43、ecking and remove weeds from between concrete slabs. Village greens are mowed short. In contrast, Scotland and northern England have more trees, grassland and wind-swept moors. Less popular with humans, rugged parts of the countryside are filling up with a winged population instead.16 Which of the f
44、ollowing is true about the BTO?（A）Its a non-profit organization that researches on birds in Britain.（B） Its a charity which protects and offers shelters to birds in Britain.（C） It implies birds prefer living in southern part to northern part in Britain.（D）Every 20 years it draws a detailed picture o
45、f bird population in the world.17 The number of species like garden warbler, bullfinch and swallow_.（A）goes up in southern England（B） increases in most parts of Britain（C） decreases dramatically in England（D）rises in the north and declines in the south18 The following reasons may drive birds away EX
46、CEPT_.（A）warmer winter（B） climate change（C） efficient farming（D）continuous rainfall19 Some birds can hardly find shelters in the south because_.（A）it is so sparsely populated that few people can watch them（B） the environment and ecosystem have been damaged in this area（C） places suitable for nesting
47、 have been occupied by human beings（D）deserted buildings and barns are not suitable for birds to make homes20 We know from the last paragraph that_.（A）people in the north are more obsessed with tidiness（B） where there are less human beings, there are more birds（C） cultural difference is not clear from south to north in England（D）people in the south enjoy decorating their gardens with green plants
