1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 159 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 ATrendsBModelsCSelf-CareDDecisionsEConflictsFSelf-PreservationGSpell it outKeith Hewson, a 29-year-old airline pilot, hadnt planned to live with his in-
2、laws after he got married. But he quickly realized that sharing a three-bedroom Houston townhouse with his wifes parents, who offered to let them live there rent free, would allow him and his wife, Katy, to pay off their student loans and credit card debt and save for a house of their own.Hewson is
3、part of a generation that is benefiting from the generosity of its parents, who are approaching retirement or already retired. Almost 4 in 10 adults age 60 or older give money to their adult children, while only about 12 percent get financial help from their kids, according to the Pew Research Cente
4、r.【R1】 _High housing prices, the rising cost of higher education, and the relative affluence of the older generation are among the factors driving the tendency, which experts expect to become more pronounced as more baby boomers enter their golden years over the next two decades. Indeed, the annual
5、cost of a public four-year college has more than doubled over the past 20 years, and housing prices over the same period have more than tripled on average. That has provided more wealth to boomer homeowners while at the same time making it harder for their kids to buy first homes. “Its just more and
6、 more important for kids to get this kind of help,“ Coontz says, noting that families unable to give cash often provide non-monetary help, such as offering to baby-sit their grandchildren or allowing adult children to move in with them.【R2】 _But depending on retired parents can also create family te
7、nsion. “Its embarrassing,“ says Sharon Davey, a single mother of two young daughters in Merrimack, N. H. Since her divorce about four years ago, she has been relying on her mothers help. “It makes me feel like a little kid, and Im 46 years old.Obviously, Im extremely thankful and appreciate that she
8、 helped me when I dont know what I would have done, but its a hard pill to swallow. “ Eileen Gallo, a psychotherapist and coauthor of The Financially Intelligent Parent, recommends that parents ask themselves if giving money makes an adult child more or less independent. Her husband and coauthor, Jo
9、n Gallo, warns that dependence can breed tension: “If you continue to have to be rescued by your parents, you start to resent your parents. “【R3】 _When considering making loans or gifts, experts warn that parents should first protect themselves from financial distress. An Ameriprise Financial survey
10、 found that many baby boomers didnt realize how much the help they were providing was cutting into their own retirement savings. About 30 percent of baby boomers said the money they gave to their adult children negatively affected their own retirement savings, but most were unaware of the impact it
11、was having.【R4】 _If parents do decide to give money, the Gallos recommend discussing the details in advance, including whether the money comes with any strings attached. For example, if money is earmarked for a car, can it be any type of car? If the money is a loan, when does it need to be repaid, a
12、nd at what interest rate? New companies, such as Virgin Money, allow family members as well as friends to lend each other money through a more formal arrangement, which includes automatic monthly payments and deposits.【R5】 _Parents may want to consider the example theyre setting. Frank Furstenberg,
13、professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, says young adults today may watch their parents providing so much support for so longand be wary of becoming parents themselves. And that, of course, would be very bad news for boomers who aspire to become grandparents.1 【R1 】2 【R2 】3 【R3 】4
14、【R4 】5 【R5 】5 Bankers across Europe believe that mobile devices will transform the retail-banking landscape in the next three to five years. In a recent survey of European bankers, however, a majority of the respondents acknowledged that they are not investing sufficiently to take advantage of the o
15、pportunities and that telecommunications companies and other nonbanks are leading the way.These findingsbased on joint research by McKinsey and the European Financial Management and Marketing Association(EFMA)come on top of an additional analysis suggesting that mobile devices overall economic impac
16、t on the banking industry may be neutral at best.【R1 】_Some banks, however, may find that mobile adds to costs and erodes prices unless they offer a truly differentiated product or service.The survey of executives at 150 European banks, conducted earlier this year, confirms that mobile is here to st
17、ay. Most senior executives reject the idea that its a fad and expect the penetration of mobile technology to bring significant benefits for customers.【R2 】_Some 87 percent of banks aim to have a mobile site, and 84 percent are planning to launch some sort of mobile-banking “app“ within the next 12 m
18、onths, compared with 59 percent and 47 percent, respectively, that have them now. The mobile features these institutions currently offer are traditional banking services, such as the ability to check account balances and recent transactions and to conduct simple transactions.【R3】_The majority see th
19、e mobile channel capturing up to a quarter of all transactions within five years as customers shift from branches.Banks are reasonably optimistic about the financial benefits.【R4】_Only 4 percent expect the financial impact of mobile banking to be negative.More than 50 percent see investments in mobi
20、le leading to some(or even a significant)increase in revenues from all products except mortgages. The rest of the respondents dont expect any change. Exactly how the optimists expect to capture these extra revenues as a result of mobile devices, however, was not clear.Upward of 60 percent of banks b
21、elieve that success will hinge on gaining new skills, notably the ability to market through a variety of channels, to integrate IT across them, to develop smart-phone apps, and to convert digital transactions to sales.【R5】_ In other words, so far these companies havent created a new underlying mobil
22、e business model or a clear mobile strategy.The survey gives banks a sharp reminder to have a clear mobile strategy. Could they lead and shape the industry, or should they play a follower roleeven if “wait and see“ is no longer a realistic option?AMobile, these executives believe, will become more r
23、elevant at all stages of the purchasing process.BIndividual banks should be able to increase their revenues and cut costs if they successfully exploit the convenience of mobile, its potential to drive digital commerce, and the opportunity it represents to target the unbanked in emerging markets.CMob
24、ile Banking(WAP)is a range of electronic banking services available through mobile communication network based on WAP technology. These are financial services for mobile users to check accounts, make transfer, pay bills or spending, manage company accounts or process instructions.DAbout half of the
25、executives in the survey think the impact of mobile on bank profits will be positive as satisfied customers show their appreciation through increased loyalty.EOur survey also found that telecommunications, Internet, and other consumer companies are better placed than banks to develop key components
26、of the mobile value proposition. Only a few leading banks appear to be responding to this threat by investing significantly in people, core capabilities, and IT.FA majority, however, also said that they have fewer than ten employees dedicated to mobile, are committed to new investments just for the
27、current year, and have adapted commercial functions, at best, only in minor ways to accommodate mobile.GBut 70 percent of banks said they plan to add more advanced functionality within the next 12 monthsthe same proportion that told us they were planning significant mobile-platform upgrades; 10 perc
28、ent are even contemplating a complete channel overhaul.6 【R1 】7 【R2 】8 【R3 】9 【R4 】10 【R5 】10 【R1 】_There have been many such weeks recently, with nearly as many causesRomneys insult to the British during the London Olympics, Clint Eastwoods bizarre empty-chair monologue at the Republican convention
29、. Each of these has set off an uproar, and then, just as Romney was preparing to “pivot back to the economy“BAM! Hes reeling again.But grim as these episodes have been for the Romney campaign, they have always been accompanied by the fortifying hope that this time, if they can just keep it together,
30、 the dreadful economy will await them at the other end. More than anything, the economy was supposed to smooth his path to the White House.【R2】_No incumbent has won a second term with the unemployment rate above 7.2 percent.【R3 】_But in a more important sense, this strategy is looking awfully shaky.
31、 Despite the disappointing recovery, Obama is leading the race, and by a wider margin than two weeks ago. No question the economy is badbut that might not be enough to elect Romney.The Romney campaign “ missed a couple things when they bought into the conventional wisdom that this would be a ballots
32、 on Obamas handling of the economy,“ says William Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard and a former George H. W. Bush administration official, who has been pushing Romney to be more aggressive. “The economys not great, but its not horrible either. We dont have 18 percent interest
33、rates and gas lines around the block. And the crash came before Obama. Hes not telling an untruth that he inherited an awful mess. “ The numbers, and the publics attitude toward them, back this up.Despite last Fridays tepid jobs figurethe economy added only 96,000 jobs in August, well below forecast
34、ers expectationsU. S. economic confidence shot up 11 points last week to its highest level of the year.【R4】_To be sure, these are moderate numbers. But they dont match the awful recession Romney and most Republicans are trying to depict on the campaign trail. Instead, they reflect the economy as it
35、really is: growing at a frustratingly slow pace, but still growing.Most worrisome in all this for Romney is that voters no longer regard him as the obviously superior candidate to manage the economy.【R5】_Several other polls show a similar split.If Romney has indeed lost this crucial advantage, then
36、it invalidates his theory of the race and buttresses the claims of conservatives like Kristol that hell need to do more to win. This could explain why Romney felt compelled to make a jumpy attack on Obamas handling of Libyaand why the race will be harder for him to win even if he does manage to get
37、his act together.AHis strategy from the outset assumed that the fundamentals are so weak that Obama couldnt win reelection.BRomney helped develop and enact into law the Massachusetts health care reform legislation , the first of its kind in the nation, which provided near-universal health insurance
38、access through state-level subsidies and individual mandates to purchase insurance.CIn one sense, Romneys assumption is likely to be justified: Unemployment will almost certainly be above 8 percent on Election Day, and the economy is expanding at a rate that pales in comparison to the way it was dur
39、ing Reagans campaign.DGallups broader measure of overall American satisfaction also hit a three-year high in August of 30 percent.EWith one ill-advised political statement about the deadly attack on the U. S. consulate in Libya, Mitt Romney ensured that another week would go by when the focus of the
40、 presidential campaign wasnt on the economy.FRomney raised $56? million during 2011, more than double the amount raised by any of his Republican opponents, and refrained from spending his own money on the campaign.GA Fox Opinion Dynamics poll this week showed an even split between him and Obama on w
41、ho would be better at “improving the economy and creating jobs. “11 【R1 】12 【R2 】13 【R3 】14 【R4 】15 【R5 】15 IT has become fashionable in many architectural circles to declare the death of drawing. What has happened to our profession, and our art, to cause the supposed end of our most powerful means
42、of conceptualizing and representing architecture?The computer, of course.【R1】_For centuries, the noun “digit“ has been defined as “finger,“ but now its adjectival form, “digital,“ relates to data. Are our hands becoming obsolete as creative tools? Are they being replaced by machines? And where does
43、that leave the architectural creative process?Today architects typically use computer-aided design software with names like AutoCAD and Revit, a tool for “building information modeling. “ Buildings are no longer just designed visually and spatially; they are “computed“ via interconnected databases.I
44、ve been practicing architecture since 1964, and my office is not immune.【R2】_Theres nothing inherently problematic about that, as long as its not just that. Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive the technology gets.【R3 】_This last statement is absolutely crucial t
45、o the difference between those who draw to conceptualize architecture and those who use the computer.But can the value of drawings be simply that of a collectors artifact or a pretty picture? No. I have a real purpose in making each drawing, either to remember something or to study something. Each o
46、ne is part of a process and not an end in itself. Im personally fascinated not just by what architects choose to draw but also by what they choose not to draw.For decades I have argued that architectural drawing can be divided into three types, which I call the “referential sketch,“ the “preparatory
47、 study“ and the “definitive drawing. “【 R4】_But what about the other two? What is their value in the creative process?The referential sketch serves as a visual diary, a record of an architects discovery. It can be as simple as a shorthand notation of a design concept or can describe details of a lar
48、ger composition. It might not even be a drawing that relates to a building or any time in history. Its not likely to represent “reality,“ but rather to capture an idea. These sketches are thus inherently fragmentary and selective. The drawing is a reminder of the idea that caused me to record it in
49、the first place. That visceral connection, that thought process, cannot be replicated by a computer.The second type of drawing, the preparatory study, is typically part of a progression of drawings that elaborate a design. Like the referential sketch, it may not reflect a linear process. I find computer-aided design much more linear.【R5】_ALike most architects, we routinely use these and other so
