1、考研英语模拟试卷 304（无答案）一、Section I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D. (10 points) 0 American suffers from an overdose of work.【1】who they are or what they do, they spend【2】time at work than at any time since World War.
2、In 1950, the US had fewer working hours than any other【3】country. Today, it【4】every country but Japan, where industrial employees log 2,155 hours a year compared【5】1,951 in the US and 1,603【6 】West employees. Between 1969 and 1989, employed American【7】an average of 138 hours to their yearly work sch
3、edules. The work-week【8】at about 40 hours, but people are working more weeks each year.【9】, paid time off holidays, vacations, sick leave 【10 】15 percent in the 1990s.As Corporations have【 11】stiffer competition and slower growth in productivity, they would【12】employees to work longer. Cost-cutting
4、layoffs in the 1980s【13】the professional and managerial ranks, leaving fewer people to get the job done. In lower-paid occupations,【14】wages have been reduced, workers have added hours【15】overtime or extra jobs to【16】their living standard. The Government estimates that more than seven million people
5、 hold a second job.For the first time, large【17】of people say they want to cut【18】on working hours, even if it means earning less money. But most employers are【19】to let them do so. The government which has stepped back from its traditional【20】as a regulator of work time, should take steps to make s
6、horter hours possible.（A）As regards to（B） Regardless of（C） With regard to（D）In regard to （A）much less（B） abundant（C） a lot more（D）surplus （A）advanced（B） industrialized（C） developed（D）mechanized （A）exceeds（B） outnumbers（C） overtakes（D）outstrips （A）with（B） to（C） in（D）on （A）in the former（B） of the past
7、（C） in the early（D）in the earlier （A）added（B） increased（C） brought（D）totaled （A）arrived（B） stopped（C） set（D）remained （A）However（B） Nevertheless（C） Moreover（D）And （A）lessened to（B） shrank by（C） deduced（D）restrained in （A）suffered（B） experienced（C） undertaken（D）endured （A）squash（B） squeeze（C） urge（D）o
8、blige （A）minimized（B） reduced（C） lessened（D）relieved （A）because（B） though（C） as（D）where （A）by（B） for（C） to（D）in （A）preserve（B） conserve（C） improve（D）protect （A）numbers（B） amounts（C） figures（D）quantities （A）off（B） out（C） back（D）down （A）discouraged（B） unwilling（C） forbidden（D）inclined （A）position（B） f
9、unction（C） task（D）role Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)20 For my proposed journey, the first priority was clearly to start learning Arabic. I have never been a linguist. Though I had traveled widely as a journ
10、alist, I had never managed to pick up more than a smattering of phrases in any tongue other than French, and even my French, was laborious for want of lengthy practice. The prospect of tackling one of the notoriously difficult languages at the age of forty, and trying to speak it well, both deterred
11、 and excited me. It was perhaps expecting a little too much of a curiously unreceptive part of myself, yet the possibility that I might gain access to a completely alien culture and tradition by this means was enormously pleasing.I enrolled as a pupil in a small school in the center of the city. It
12、was run by a Mr Beheit, of dapper appearance and explosive temperament, who assured me that after three months of his special treatment I would speak Arabic fluently. Whereupon he drew from his desk a postcard which an old pupil had sent him from somewhere in the Middle East, expressing great gratit
13、ude and reporting the astonishment of local Arabs that he could converse with them like a native. It was written in English. Mr Beheit himself spent most of his time coaching businessmen in French, and through the thin, partitioned walls of his school one could hear him bellowing in exasperation at
14、some confused entrepreneur: “Non, M. Jones. Jane suis pas francais. Pas, Pas, Pas!“ (No Mr. Jones, Im NOT French, Im not, not, NOT!). I was gratified that my own tutor, whose name was Ahmed, was infinitely softer and less public in approach.For a couple of hours every morning we would face each othe
15、r across a small table, while we discussed in meticulous detail the colour scheme of the tiny cubicle, the events in the street below and, once a week, the hair-raising progress of a window-cleaner across the wall of the building opposite. In between, hearing in mind the particular interest I had in
16、 acquiring Arabic, I would inquire the way to some imaginary oasis, anxiously demand fodder and water for my camels, wonder politely whether the sheikh was prepared to grant me audience now. It was all hard going. I frequently despaired of ever becoming anything like a fluent speaker, though Ahmed a
17、ssured me that my pronunciation was above average for a Westemer. This, I suspected, was partly flattery, for there are a couple of Arabic sounds which not even a gift for mimicry allowed me to grasp for ages. There were, moreover, vast distinctions of meaning conveyed by subtle sound shifts rarely
18、employed in English. And for me the problem was increased by the need to assimilate a vocabulary, that would vary from place to place across five essentially Arabic-speaking countries that practiced vernaculars of their own: so that the word for “people“, for instance, might be nais, sah ab or sooke
19、n.Each day I was mentally exhausted by the strain of a morning in school, followed by an afternoon struggling at home with a tape recorder. Yet there was relief in the most elementary forms of understanding and progress. When merely got the drift of a torrent which Ahmed had just released, I was chi
20、ldishly elated. When I managed to roll a complete sentence off my tongue without apparently thinking what I was saying, and it came out right, I beamed like an idiot. And the enjoyment of reading and writing the flowing Arabic script was something that did not leave me once I had mastered it. By the
21、 end of June, no-one could have described me as anything like a fluent speaker of Arabic. I was approximately in the position of a fifteen-year old who, equipped with a modicum of schoolroom French, nervously awaits his first trip to Paris. But this was something I could reprove upon in my own time.
22、 I bade farewell to Mr Beheit, still struggling to drive the French negative into the still confused mind of Mr Jones.21 Which of the following is not characteristic of Mr Beheit?（A）He had a neat and clean appearance.（B） He was volatile and highly emotional（C） He was very modest about his success in
23、 teaching.（D）He sometimes lost his temper and shouted loudly when teaching. 22 It is known from the passage that the writer_.（A）had a good command of French（B） couldnt make sounds properly when learning Arabic（C） spoke highly of Mr Beheits achievements in language teaching（D）didnt like Ahmeds style
24、of teaching 23 It can be inferred from the passage that Ahmed was_.（A）a fast speaker（B） a boring speaker（C） a laconic speaker（D）an interesting speaker 24 The word “modicum“ in the last paragraph can be replaced by_.（A）competence（B） excellence（C） mimicry（D）smattering 25 Which of the following stateme
25、nts is FALSE according to the passage?（A）The writers intended journey created particular difficulties in his learning of Arabic.（B） The reading and writing of the Arabic script gave the writer lasting pleasure.（C） The writer found learning Arabic was a grueling experience but rewarding.（D）The writer
26、 regarded Ahmeds praise of his pronunciation as tongue-in-cheek 25 Americans usually consider themselves a friendly people. Their friendships, however, tend to be shorter and more casual than friendships among people from other cultures. It is not uncommon for Americans to have only one close friend
27、 during their life-time, and consider other “friends“ to be just social acquaintances. This attitude probably has something to do with American mobility and the fact that Americans do not like to be dependent on other people. They tend to “compartmentalize“ friendships, having “friends at work“ ,“fr
28、iends on the softball team“, “family friends“, etc.Because the United States is a highly active society, full of movement and change, people always seem to be on the go. In this highly charged atmosphere, Americans can sometimes seem brusque or impatient. They want to get to know you as quickly as p
29、ossible and then move on to something else. Sometimes, early on, they will ask you questions that you may feel are very personal. No insult is intended; the questions usually grow out of their genuine interest or curiosity, and their impatience to get to the heart of the matter. And the same goes fo
30、r you. If you do not understand certain American behavior or you want to know more about them, do not hesitate to ask them questions about themselves. Americans are usually eager to explain all about their country or anything “American“ in which you may be interested. So much so in fact that you may
31、 become tired of listening. It doesnt matter, because Americans tend to be uncomfortable with silence during a conversation. They would rather talk about the weather or the latest sports scores, for example, than deal with silence.On the other hand, dont expect Americans to be knowledgeable about in
32、ternational geography or world affairs, unless those subjects directly involve the United States. Because the United States is not surrounded by many other nations, some Americans tend to ignore the rest of the world.26 The general topic of the passage is_.（A）American culture（B） American society（C）
33、Americans activities（D）Americans personality 27 Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?（A）Americans do not like to depend on other people.（B） Friendships among Americans tend to be casual.（C） Americans know a lot about international affairs.（D）Americans always seem to
34、 be on the go. 28 The phrase “highly charged“ (Paragraph 2) most probably means_.（A）extremely free（B） highly responsible（C） very cheerful（D）full of mobility and change 29 It can be inferred from the passage that_.（A）Americans want to participate in all kinds of activities（B） Americans character is a
35、ffected by their social and geographical environment（C） Americans do not know how to deal with silence（D）curiosity is characteristic of Americans 30 According to the passage, Americans tend to ignore the rest of the world because_.（A）they are not interested in other countries（B） they are too proud o
36、f themselves（C） their country does not have many neighboring nations（D）they are too busy to learn about other countries 30 When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isnt cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as shed like to
37、, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “Im a good economic indicator,“ she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when theyre concerned about saving some dollars. “ S
38、o Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillards department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I dont know if other clients are going to abandon me, too“ she says.Even before Alan Greenspans admission that Americas red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working f
39、olks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a
40、 crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last years pace. But dont sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economys long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.C
41、onsumers say theyre not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “theres a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,“ sa
42、ys broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,“ says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and
43、keep a job.Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldnt mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredie
44、nt to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattans hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan Co. may still be worth toasting.31 By “Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet“ (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means_.
45、（A）Spero can hardly maintain her business（B） Spero is too much engaged in her work（C） Spero has grown out of her bad habit（D）Spero is not in a desperate situation 32 How do the public feel about the current economic situation?（A）Optimistic（B） Confused（C） Carefree（D）Panicked 33 When mentioning “the $
46、 4 million to $ 10 million range“ (Lines 3-4, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about_.（A）gold market（B） real estate（C） stock exchange（D）venture investment 34 Why can many people see “silver linings“ to the economic slowdown?（A）They would benefit in certain ways.（B） The stock market shows signs of
47、recovery.（C） Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.（D）The purchasing power would be enhanced. 35 To which of the following is the author likely to agree?（A）A new boom, on the horizon.（B） Tighten the belt, the single remedy.（C） Caution all right, panic not.（D）The more ventures, the more chances. 35
48、 The media can impact current events. As a graduate student at Berkeley in the 1960s,I remember experiencing the events related to the Peoples Park that were occurring on campus. Some of these events were given national media coverage in the press and on TV. I found it interesting to compare my impr
49、essions of what was going on with perceptions obtained from the news media. I could begin to see events of that time feed on news coverage. This also provided me with some healthy insights into the distinctions between these realities.Electronic media are having a greater impact on the peoples lives every day. People gather more and more of their impressions from representations. Television and telephone communications are linking people to a global village, or what one writer calls the electronic c
