1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 114 及答案与解析Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)0 With the possibility that the United States may be withdrawing from the confines of the Kyoto Protocol by the end of this year, it behooves responsible
2、citizens of the world to examine the past and present implications of the international treaty. The 1992 Kyoto Protocol, signed by 174 of the worlds nations, ambitiously sought to reduce worldwide emission levels by the year 2000, aiming to restore them to 1990 levels so as to slow global warming an
3、d begin the slow process of eradicating pollution. It has thus far not been entirely successful, with its noble goals overly vague, resulting in international willingness to comply with its provisions, but lacking a structured method by which to achieve them.Harsh criticism of the Kyoto Protocol oft
4、en involves the relatively short-term nature of the project. By trying to achieve such spectacular environmental goals in such a short span of time, it has been argued that an impossibly difficult challenge has been undertaken. Finding the task impossible, the nations of the world may soon discard t
5、he wider goal of reducing pollution along with the protocol itself. Further, the commitments made by the industrialized nations, such as the United States, Britain and France, are vastly different from those agreed upon by the developing nations, such as Brazil and China, with the industrialized sig
6、natories agreeing to be bound by more concrete, stated plans and goals.This disparity in commitment has been viewed as a necessity, however. Developing nations argue that their more industrialized, wealthier counterparts achieved their power and status by utilizing methods of development that result
7、ed in pollution, and that they have a right to take their turn at using those methods. Also, it has been stated that the richer nations are those who can afford to immediately change their methods of production to comply with the goals of the Kyoto Protocol, while the other nations would find it vir
8、tually impossible to change their ways without seriously disrupting their economies.Whatever ones stance, it is almost universally agreed upon that the Kyoto Protocol is a step in the right direction, in theory and philosophy, at the very least. The reality of practical application and implementatio
9、n, however, is a very different story. With the possibility of a United States withdrawal looming, it must be considered that if the worlds wealthiest and most powerful nation finds it impossible to reasonably comply with the protocol, then perhaps a more conservative and manageable plan must be con
10、sidered.1 The second sentence in paragraph 3 implies that_.（A）pollution-creating methods of progress are efficient ways to industrialize（B） in order to catch up with industrialized nations, developing countries must utilize pollution-creating methods（C） in order for there to be equity between develo
11、ped and developing nations, pollution-creating methods should be allowed for the developing nations（D）current technology in non-industrialized countries favor pollution-creating methods2 In paragraph 2, the “impossibly difficult challenge“ probably refers to_.（A）abiding by the rules laid down in the
12、 Kyoto Protocol（B） achieving the goals stated in the Kyoto Protocol（C） keeping with and maintaining the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol（D）achieving emissions standard reductions in the short span of time allowed in the Kyoto Protocol3 What does the author NOT perceive as a weakness of the Kyoto Protoco
13、l?（A）Its underlying theory and plans for achieving goals.（B） Its short-sighted nature.（C） The lack of equity in the terms assigned to developed and developing nations.（D）International compliance with its provisions.4 The authors attitude and recommendation regarding the nature of the Kyoto Protocol
14、may best be interpreted as_.（A）Look before you leap（B） You cant please everyone（C） Dont throw the baby out with the bath water（D）If at first you dont succeed, try and try again5 The main point of the text is_.（A）the possible exit of the United States could mark the end of the Kyoto Protocol（B） in li
15、ght of its unequal treatment of under-developed nations, the Kyoto Protocol is doomed to failure（C） the terms of the Kyoto Protocol are overly ambitious, and thus inapplicable in reality（D）in order for the Kyoto Protocol to succeed, it must be reviewed and possibly modified5 Rising wagestogether wit
16、h currency fluctuations and high fuel costsare eating away the once-formidable “China price“ advantage, prompting thousands of factory owners to flee the Pearl River Delta. Much has been written about the more than doubling of wages at the Shenzhen factory of Foxconn(2317:TT), the worlds largest ele
17、ctronics contract manufacturer, which produces Apple(AAPL)iPhones and iPads and employs 920,000 people in China alone.Foxconns wage increases are only the most dramatic. Our analysis suggests that, since February, minimum wages have climbed more than 20 percent in 20 Chinese regions and up to 30 per
18、cent in some, including Sichuan. All this is bad news for companies operating in the worlds manufacturing hub, and chief executives should assume that double-digit annual rises are here to stay.Looked at another way, however, wage inflation provides companies with a once-in-a-generation opportunity
19、to rethink radically the way they approach global productionand they should do so sooner rather than later.Why the urgency? After all, wage hikes in China are nothing new. Since 1990 they have risen by an average of 13 percent a year in U.S. dollar terms and 19 percent annually in the past five year
20、s.There are two big reasons the situation is different now. The first has to do with productivity. Over the past 20 years, productivity increases have broadly matched wage increases, negating their impact.The pay rises came from a very low base, so while average wages grew 19 percent a year from 200
21、5 to 2010, this amounted to only $260 a month per employee, a sum that could be offset by more efficient production or switching to cheaper sources of parts and materials.The second reason relates to societal change. Until now, it has been easy to lure a seemingly unlimited number of young, low-wage
22、 workers to the richer coastal regions and house them cheaply in dormitories until they saved enough to return home to their families in the interior provinces. In the future, though, young workers will be harder to recruit. This is partly because there will be fewer of them: the number of Chinese a
23、ged 15 to 29 will start declining in 2011. Moreover, with living standards rising across China, fewer of todays rural youth will want to go to coastal regions to toil for 60 hours a week on an assembly line and live in a cramped dormitory.So what can CEOs do in this fast-changing environment? An ins
24、tinctive reaction is to search for cheaper labor elsewhere. But this is short-sighted and would provideat besta short-term fix. Another option is to stay in China and try to squeeze out greater productivity gains.6 According to Paragraph 1 and 2, we can summarize that_.（A）Foxconn is a manufacturer o
25、f great significance to China（B） soaring wages has imposed a widespread impact on foreign companies（C） China will always boast a very impressive price advantage around the globe（D）Foxconns rising wage is just an one-sided case in China7 In Paragraph 5, the author discusses that_.（A）the wage rises ov
26、er the past 2 decades could be offset by rising production（B） foreign enterprises should switch their manufacturing to cheaper sources（C） if labor costs continue would ripple through the economy（D）average wages grow 19 percent from 2005 to 20108 The reasons why young workers will be harder to recrui
27、t exclude_.（A）the declining number of Chinas youth（B） surging living standards（C） Chinas one-child policy（D）the fact that fewer rural youth want to go to coastal cities9 On which of the following would the author most probably agree?（A）Theres plenty of room to improve efficiency at Chinese plants.（B
28、） Foreign investors should fled to neighboring countries, such as Vietnam.（C） Foreign investors should move their manufacturing capability closer to the consumer.（D）Chinas wage inflation will wreak a political havoc in the future.10 Which of the following would be the best title for the text?（A）As W
29、ages Rise, Time to Leave China?（B） To Rethink Global Production Plans（C） Rising Cost, A Pain in the Neck（D）The Irreversible Wage inflation10 Although it is mankinds inevitable fate to continually progress on the path of technology, there will always be the obstacle of resistance to overcome. Be it i
30、n the form of a protester who deplores implementation of the latest gadget or a dissenting scientist who disagrees with his colleagues methods of research, it is an unavoidable fact that every step toward the future must be a hard-fought one. The latest battleground is one that has to do with the es
31、sence of nature itself: the bioengineering of certain plant species for human consumption.By learning about, isolating and finally manipulating the individual genes and strings of DNA that compose a plant species, geneticists are able to create new breeds of plants in the laboratory. These plants ar
32、e able to live longer in harsher environments, provide better nutrition, and sustain themselves with a minimum of human care. By changing the composition of the plants at a cellular level and chemically combining elements of different plants that dont normally cross-pollinate in nature, science is u
33、shering in a wave of new food items that earth has never seen before. Many argue that they are achieving the best of both worlds, the best that each individual species has to offer, conveniently contained within one product. Some scientists even go so far as to argue that these foods are better for
34、humans than anything nature itself has ever created.The opposition has its own theories, however. Due to the relatively new nature of these experiments, it is questionable whether these items are truly safe for human consumption, despite government approval. Taking a broader view, they contend that
35、by combining species that normally do not go together, we may be achieving the WORST of both worlds, meaning that diseases that are normally contained within one species will combine as well. Thus, they may be made stronger by mutation, possibly endangering earths agricultural food supply if unleash
36、ed upon helpless natural species that have never had to deal with such enemies before.The possibilities that come with such a warning are frightening. A bio-engineered disease could wreak havoc on the delicate balance created by nature, possibly decimating the plant population of earth and depriving
37、 mankind of its food source. Clearly, the words of those opposed to progress must be considered on this issue, for the stakes are simply too high to be taken without an extreme degree of caution.11 The word “cross-pollinate“(line 5, para. 2)in the context probably means “_“.（A）co-exist（B） thrive in
38、the same environment（C） reproduce together（D）survive under the same conditions12 Paragraphs 2 and 3 are written to_.（A）be used in conjunction in order to clearly evaluate the current situation（B） lead the reader to agree with one side of the argument（C） complement one another by countering each othe
39、rs points（D）present the respective arguments of each side on the issue13 Which of the following is definitely true according to the text?（A）Biologically engineered foods are safe for human consumption.（B） Genetically combining different plant species results in new developments, both good and bad.（C
40、） Genetically engineering foods are capable of unleashing destructive diseases on the environment.（D）Science can execute the task of bio-engineering foods, but not fully evaluate its results at the present time.14 The authors attitude toward the issue of genetically engineering foods is_.（A）impartia
41、l（B） subjective（C） biased（D）puzzling15 The last paragraph of the text is mainly utilized to_.（A）indicate the authors opinion on the issue（B） present convincing arguments in favor of one side（C） warn about the possible outcome of one course of action（D）provide a previously unconsidered perspective on
42、 the situation15 Population growth has long been a controversial issue in economic circles, yet, surprisingly enough, the actual study of its effects is fairly well established and universal. One advantage in studying the phenomena is that wild fluctuations of populations have occurred in history, a
43、nd their resulting economic impacts have been accurately recorded for analysis and dissemination by economists of future generations. The most revealing incident, no doubt, is the case of the Black Plague.The Black Plague, which swept through Europe and robbed it of a quarter of its population, was
44、a tragic event of its time, but yielded the ideal environment for retrospective study of population economics. The initial result that was observed was that, with the death of so many, the work force was horrendously reduced, leaving many to believe that productivity would plummet and resources woul
45、d sit idle. By that reasoning, forecasters of the period predicted a catastrophic blow to the European economy from which full recovery was only a slight possibility.The result of the devastation left in the plagues wake, however, was much different. While the labor force did indeed decrease dramati
46、cally in numbers, the efficiency of each individual worker improved, due to the lessened effects of economies of scale. Although total output dropped, output per capita actually increased, since each laborer was now producing more and there were less consumers to share the output. Also, resources di
47、d remain unused, but after an initial period of waste, the costs that those wasted resources represented lowered when businesses adapted to the situation by investing in the policy of buying less resources. Thus, the overall economic result was that workers were more productive, businesses were more
48、 efficient and there was more output per person in Europe.Wages rose as well, since the demand for labor far exceeded the supply. Nevertheless, despite these seemingly positive results, the net effect of the Black Plague in Europe was an almost undisputedly negative one. The per capita increases wer
49、e more than offset by the aggregate loss in total product. From this, the keen economist must learn that the distinction between macro and micro levels of economics must be observed to obtain an accurate picture, especially when dealing with a central element of the economy as population.16 After evaluating the effects of the Black Plague from an economic perspective, it can be concluded that_.（A）on the larger scale, it was a positive event, but on the smaller scale it was a blow to the European ec
