1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 168 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 Europe is following the Dutch lead and taking the green movement to the manufacturers of white goods and electronics. A spate of legislation emerging fr
2、om Brussels aims ultimately to hold manufacturers responsible for the fate of their products along after theyve left store shelves or car showrooms. Theyre being told they must ensure that as much as 85 percent of their products is recycled or reused, and the remainder disposed of in environmentally
3、 sound ways.Something surely needs to be done. In recent decades consumers have grown used to an ever-speedier turnover of hardware. A computer built in the 1960s lasted 10 years on average; now they are scrapped in just four. In the past more than 9 0 percent of this detritus had been buried in lan
4、dfills. Europes junk heap of electronic goods now weighs 6 million tons and will double in 12 years. All this waste is taking an obvious toll on the planet.Even at this early stage in Europes recycling experiment, though, the new laws have already caused unintended problems. Some European countries
5、have been caught wholly unprepared. Because of the new regulations, waste sites and incinerators throughout Europe are being inundated with hardware. Recycling facilities now coming online face a backlog of six months. Another problem: replacing bad but essential materials. The EU will soon ban the
6、use of the lead, a hazardous substance thats been used for decades to solder circuit boards. Electronics companies are struggling to find alternatives. “This could be a much bigger challenge for us than the waste-disposal regulations,“ says Michelle ONeill, a Hewlett-Packard lobbyist in Brussels.Bus
7、iness leaders also warn of excessive costs. “Society and the politicians have another objective here: to move costs onto industry,“ says Viktor Sundberg, European-affairs director of Swedish manufacturer Electrolux. Inevitably some of those costs will trickle down to the consumer. And theres the sti
8、cky problem of assigning responsibility. Is one manufacturer liable for recycling the products of a former rival that has gone out of business? Should carmakers pay for dismembering vehicles built years before the directive took effect? Europe hasnt worked out these issues.The new recycling laws may
9、 not cost as much as one might think. Many of the new targets are only incrementally tougher than existing ones. Carmakers, for instance, will in five years have to recycle or reuse 80 percent, by weight, of their old cars. But in the more ecoconscious northern states, they already voluntarily recyc
10、le 60 percent. That may be why manufacturers have greeted the new rules meekly. Ford claims that its latest Fiesta hatchback, newly built for the European market, is already 85 percent recyclable. Thats a powerful image for the new ecofriendly manufacturing, provided Europes medicine works without t
11、oo many side effects.1 The author says “something surely needs to be done“ because（A）the environment has already been seriously polluted.（B） some products are replaced at a faster rate than before.（C） Europe doesnt have enough place to bury the discarded goods.（D）some electronic goods will not decay
12、 if they are buried.2 The word “inundate“(Line 4, Paragraph 3)probably means（A）overwhelm.（B） destroy.（C） flood.（D）pollute.3 What disturbs electronics companies most according to Michelle ONeill?（A）The production of recycling facilities falls far short of demand.（B） The destruction of electronic prod
13、ucts will cost a lot of money.（C） The waste-disposal process involves advanced technology.（D）Some essential materials have to be replaced.4 We learn from the passage that（A）manufacturers are reluctant to spend a large sum of money on recycling their products.（B） manufacturers will shoulder a larger
14、proportion of the costs of recycling.（C） innovative European laws dont define clearly how to assign the responsibility.（D）innovative European laws are not applicable in many developing countries.5 What is the authors attitude towards achieving the targets set up in the laws?（A）Confident.（B） Pessimis
15、tic.（C） Suspicious.（D）Indifferent.5 What do consumers really want? Thats a question market researchers would love to answer. But since people dont always say what they think, marketeers would need direct access to consumers thoughts to get the truth.Now, in a way, that is possible. At the “Mind of t
16、he Market“ laboratory at Harvard Business School, researchers are looking inside shoppers skulls to develop more effective advertisements and marketing pitches. Using imaging techniques that measure blood flow to various parts of the brain, the Harvard team hopes to predict how consumers will react
17、to particular products and to discover the most effective ways to present information. Stephen Kosslyn, a professor of psychology at Harvard, and business school professor Gerald Zaltman, oversee the lab. “The goal is not to manipulate peoples preferences,“ says Kosslyn, “just to speak to their actu
18、al desires. “ The groups findings, though still preliminary, could radically change how firms develop and market new products.The Harvard group use positron emission tomography(PET)scans to monitor the brain activity. These PET scans, along with other non-invasive imaging techniques, enable research
19、ers to see which parts of the brain are active during specific tasks(such as remembering a word). Correlations have been found between blood flow to specific areas and future behavior. Because of this, Harvard researchers believe the scans can also predict future purchasing patterns. According to an
20、 unpublished paper the group produced, “It is possible to use these techniques to predict not only whether people will remember and have specific emotional reactions to certain materials, but also whether they will be inclined to want those materials months later. “The Harvard group is now moving in
21、to the next stage of experiments. They will explore how people remember advertisements as part of an effort to predict how they will react to a product after having seen an ad. The researchers believe that once key areas of the brain are identified, scans on about two dozen volunteers will be enough
22、 to draw conclusions about the reactions of specific segments of the population. Large corporationsincluding Coca Cola, General Motors, and Hallmarkhave already signed up to fund further investigations.For their financial support, these firms gain access to the experiments but cannot control them. I
23、f Kosslyn and Zaltman and their team really can read the mind of the market, then consumers may find it even harder to get those advertising jingles out of their heads.6 Harvard researchers use scientific technology in the experiments because they（A）dont believe the surveys done by the marketeers ca
24、n reveal the truth.（B） want to find a direct way to predict future purchasing patterns in different markets.（C） want to find out how the ads influence peoples brain activity and emotional responses.（D）expect their experiments to alter the marketing strategies of products.7 Which of the following is
25、true according to the passage?（A）People will lie when being questioned by the market researchers.（B） Stephen Kosslyn and Gerald Zaltman neglected the experiments and the study.（C） Harvard researchers have found some relation between peoples brain and behavior.（D）Many large organizations withdrew fun
26、d for the Harvard groups further investigations.8 What does “to speak to“(Line 8, Paragraph 2)mean?（A）To talk with.（B） To say to.（C） To communicate with.（D）To respond to.9 The last sentence of this passage implies that（A）if the experiments results work well, customers will be likely to shop things a
27、ccording to the ads.（B） if the Harvard group succeeds in the research, they will attract more consumers into the market（C） corporations like Coca Cola, can employ the experiments in their own marketing.（D）consumers may discover that those ads will always annoy them by jingling and causing headaches.
28、10 Which of the following is the best title for this passage?（A）Reading the Mind of the Market（B） Controlling the Consumers Preferences（C） Improving the Styles of Advertising（D）Finding Out the Way to Predict10 There is no market without income, and the youth segment qualifies on this important dimen
29、sion. Their spending reached about $55 billion, with approximately $11 billion put in savings. Because many jobs are available fast-food restaurants and other businesses that need young people for labor, over 30 percent of high school senior boys and nearly 25 percent of senior girls say they averag
30、e over 20 hours of work a week during the school year.The important facet of teen incomes is that they are almost entirely discretionary; that is, there are few, if any, fixed obligations such as taxes, rent, insurance, and utilities that these youths must meet. A notable result of increasing youth
31、income is the increasing tendency of youths to buy more durable and high-priced products, from radios to designer jeans, cosmetics, and footwear. According to the president of a youth-research company, “Products which were considered luxuries a few years ago are deemed necessities by youths and pare
32、nts alike. “ Thus, some youths are experiencing “premature affluence“ they have a lot of spending money but will not be able to sustain that level of discretionary spending once they have taken on the burdens of paying for their own necessities.Why do youths have such a strong consumption orientatio
33、n? According to one researcher, three significant forces have molded their attitudes and consumer behavior. First, the experience of growing up in a period of economic optimism. A second factor is permissive child rearing, which has been linked by researchers to a reduced capacity for initiative and
34、 independence. Third, the new generation has a higher educational level and heavier exposure to the mass media.These environmental forces have had a significant influence on their consumer-behavior orientations. The result has been that youths tend to be rather optimistic about their future financia
35、l situations and level of living. For example, almost all young people look forward to what has been labeled the “standard package“ the set of durable goods, clothing, food products, and services enjoyed by the majority of Americans. Although they used to be told to save their money, young people in
36、 America today are being raised to spend, according to an authority who conducts a yearly youth poll. It is also important to recognize that the teen market not only spends a great deal of money on its own, but also influences the amount spent by parents. In total, it represents an almost $250 billi
37、on market in direct or indirect spending. Even children aged 4 to 12 directly influence $132 billion of household purchases. Todays parents recognize that their kids are a lot more involved in making family decisions than they were as children, and many teens are doing the family shopping. Corporati
38、ons are recognizing this trend and capitalizing on the fact that children can be very persistent in their search for a particular item.11 The passage can be entitled（A）No Income, No Market.（B） Income and Spending of the Youth.（C） Direct and Indirect Spending of Children.（D）Premature Affluence in Soc
39、iety.12 By saying “the youths incomes are almost entirely discretionary“, the author means that the youths（A）do not need to get parents permission before spending their money.（B） do not have burdens of paying for their own necessities.（C） tend to buy luxuries instead of life necessities.（D）are caref
40、ul in spending their money.13 The youths consumer behavior is strongly consumption-oriented partly because they（A）are with initiative and independent.（B） dont receive good education.（C） are greatly influenced by mass media.（D）spend their childhood in hard times.14 The result of the influence of envi
41、ronmental forces on youths is that they（A）tend to be optimistic about their future.（B） tend to be selfish and arrogant.（C） become more aware of environmental problems.（D）become more active in protecting environment.15 From the last paragraph we can infer that most Americans（A）are more liable to spen
42、d than to save.（B） are optimistic about the national economy.（C） spend a lot of money on the “standard package“.（D）have not recognized their childrens involvement in household purchases.15 Chris Niedenthal, a Warsaw-based photographer, has taken to slathering his cheese with butter. When hes thirsty
43、, sometimes he gulps down a nice tall glass of 30%-fat heavy cream. For breakfast hell have all the bacon and eggs he wantsbut no toast. What is missing from his diet? Fruits, vegetables and all but 50 g of carbohydrates a day. “The best thing, really, is fried pork,“ he says.As sure as a yo-yo goes
44、 down, then right back up, there will always be new diets. There will always be people willing to offer glowing testimonials to add to the bottom line of the estimated $35 billionin the U. S. alonediet industry. Niedenthal says that not only has he lost 12 kg in 18 months on his counterintuitive die
45、t regime, “I have much more energy and my complexion has improved. “ As for his cholesterol levels, well, he hasnt had them checked yet.The diet that Niedenthal follows, the “Optimal Nourishment“ plan, was developed by a Pole named Jan Kwasniewski, a doctor whose books are sold on street corners. Op
46、timal Nourishment also resembles a version of the extreme low-carbohydrate mania now sweeping the United States; rumor has it that television star Jennifer Aniston owes her new skinny frame to it. Several current best sellers including a new edition of the Diet Revolution by Dr. Robert C. Atkins of
47、the 1970s and a new book called Sugar Busters ! by some very clever businessmen and a doctor.The idea behind Sugar Busters! is that anything that raises insulin levels, such as sugar, potatoes, corn, white rice, bread from refined flour, fresh fruits or milk, is bad for you. This notion originally c
48、ame from the writings of Frances favorite diet writer, Michel Montignac. The French may have obesity levels of only around 8%,(three times lower than Americans,)but as their love of anti-cellulite creams reveals, they are not immune from a belief in the miracle cure, and Montignac has benefited hand
49、somely. A former employee of a pharmaceutical firm, he has written 11 books which have sold 9 million copies in 28 countries, espousing the Montignac Method: consume those carbohydrates that reduce the glucose in the blood. “If youre overweight its not that you eat too much but that you dont eat well,“ Montignac says. “Its complete nonsense today to say that in order to lose weight one has to do sports. “But perhaps not as nonsensical as some of the other weird stuff out there. In Britain theres a new product called “X-Fat“ that is derive
