1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 290 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 All men are created equal, or so reckoned Thomas Jefferson as he drafted Americas Declaration of Independence in 1776. Subsequent Americans have had rea
2、son to question the founding father. So too have people in the land from which the new nation gained its freedom. America and Britain are among the most unequal countries in the rich world and Britain, at any rate, is more unequal now than it was a generation ago. That is the conclusion of a study c
3、ommissioned by Harriet Harman, the equalities minister.Class and money have always strongly affected how people do in life in Britain, with well-heeled families breeding affluent children just as the offspring of the desperately poor tend to remain poor. All that was supposed to have ceased at the e
4、nd of the Second World War, with the birth of a welfare state designed to meet basic needs and promote social mobility. But despite devoting much thought and more money to improving the lot of the poor, governments have failed to boost those at the bottom of the pile as much as those at the top have
5、 boosted themselves.The new study, led by John Hills of the London School of Economics, found, for example, that the richest tenth of households received income more than four times that of the poorest tenth; just a generation ago, it was three times as much. Internationally, only six of the 30 memb
6、ers of the OECD, a club of mainly rich countries, show greater inequality. Wealth is distributed far more unequally than income, with the richest tenth in Britain holding assets worth almost 100 times those of the poorest.Although the study found that some of the widest gaps between social groups ha
7、ve diminished over time, deep-seated differences between haves and have-nots persist, ruining the life chances of the less fortunate. Politicians of all stripes talk up equality of opportunity, arguing that it makes for a fairer and more mobile society, and a more prosperous one. The goal of greater
8、 equality of outcomes also has its boosters. In “The Spirit Level“, epidemic disease experts Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson claim that more equal societies are healthier than unequal ones, as well as happier. Not all agree, but in a country where the National Health Service accounts for almost a
9、 fifth of public spending, it is worth considering.The difficulty arises in putting these notions into practice, through severe tax increases for the middleclass and wealthy, or expanding government intervention. These have not recently been vote-winning propositions, but the recession that Britain
10、is now limping away from may have changed things.1 According to Harriet Harman, in Britain,（A）inequality has disappeared.（B） the rich-poor gap has narrowed.（C） various social inequalities spring up.（D）the unequal situation has worsened.2 Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?（A）Cla
11、ss and money determine everything in Britain.（B） Gap between poor and rich remains after World War II.（C） Basic needs are met in Britain thanks to the welfare policy.（D）The British government makes few efforts to help the poor.3 John Hills study has found that（A）the richest receive income four times
12、 more than the poorest.（B） Britain is an OECD member with the highest rate of inequality.（C） wealth distribution is more unequal than income distribution.（D）most gaps between social groups have disappeared over time.4 It is indicated in Paragraph 4 that British politicians（A）only indulge in empty ta
13、lks.（B） advocate fairer opportunities.（C） boost the equality of outcomes.（D）ignore the real need of the poor.5 Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson hold that fairer countries（A）enjoy a higher level of well-being.（B） are often more mobile and prosperous.（C） feature stronger government intervention.（D）c
14、an be realized by severe tax increases.5 On 26 March, the Italian Senate approved a bill that would give physicians in the country the right to override the living wills of people who are in a persistent vegetative state, and to try to keep the patients alive through artificial nutrition. The measur
15、e has caused intense controversy. Many countries have laws, or established codes of medical practice, that protect the expressed wishes of an individual to decline treatment if they become severely incapacitated and incapable of communicating. In most US states, for example, a doctor must negotiate
16、with relatives via an ethics committee if he or she believes that a patient incapacitated in this way could benefit from additional treatment. The Italian bill, however, explicitly allows physicians to overrule such living wills. It also declares that artificial nutrition is not a clinical intervent
17、ion.Curiously, the proposed law applies only to patients in the type of prolonged, deep coma known as a persistent vegetative state, and not to those with other, similarly incapacitating illnesses. This is because the bill has been prompted by the recent and much-publicized death of Eluana Englaro,
18、who spent 17 years in a vegetative state after a car accident at the age of 21. Her father, arguing that his daughter had voiced a desire to be allowed to die if incapacitated, had pressed her reluctant doctors to cease artificial feeding. He eventually took legal action, winning in one court after
19、the next in fighting off all the doctors appeals. In February, he finally had her moved to a hospital that was prepared to remove the feeding tube. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi issued an emergency decree to block the process, but the Italian president refused to sign it. The constitutional crisi
20、s was averted when Englaro died on 9 February.Surveys have indicated that a large majority of Italians do not support the idea that living wills could be ignored But most relevant scientific societies have been quiet The Federation of Italian Physicians published only a mild statement, after the Sen
21、ate vote, suggesting that it should have been consulted.As tragic as Englaros situation was, media-fuelled emotion is not a good basis for lawmaking. The Italian constitution says that no one can be forced to undergo medical treatment without his or her approval. The Italian parliament must now ensu
22、re that the bill is imbued with a suitable level of scientific and legal sophistication, and that it meets this constitutional provision. Discussion needs to embrace the requested wider consultation with the medical community and provisions should be made for care-givers conscientious objection. But
23、 a physician whose conscience precludes his or her personally removing a feeding tube should not have the last say in the life or death of a patient whose wishes are clearly stated.6 The word “override“(Line 2, Paragraph 1)most probably means（A）protect.（B） scorn.（C） ignore.（D）respect.7 In Paragraph
24、2, US states are cited as an example to show that（A）the expressed wishes of an individual are protected by laws or codes of medical practice.（B） a doctor must discuss with relatives of the patient when providing additional treatment.（C） a doctor has the right to let the patient who declines treatmen
25、t continue to be treated medically.（D）intense controversy about the living will of the patient has been caused. 8 It can be inferred from the third paragraph that（A）Eluana Englaro died because a hospital removed her feeding tube.（B） the bill could be applied to patients with all kinds of incapacitat
26、ing illnesses.（C） the Senate passed the bill in honor of Eluana Englaro.（D）the bill could be applied to patients suffering deep coma.9 A physician does not have the right to decide the life or death of a patient if（A）there is no suitable level of scientific and legal sophistication.（B） the patient e
27、xpresses his own living will in a clear way.（C） the physician does not have clear conscience.（D）there is no wider consultation with the medical community.10 Which of the following is the best title for this text?（A）The Living Will of Patients（B） The Death of Eluana Englaro（C） A Bill against Rights（D
28、）The Intense Controversy10 When it comes to jealousy, men and women arent always on the same page. Previous studies have shown that, while men are more likely to see red over a partners sexual infidelity, women are more upset by emotional cheating. Evolutionary psychologists theorize that the differ
29、ence is rooted in the sexes historical rolesmen wanted to guarantee that their partners were carrying their children, while women needed to feel secure that they and their children would be cared for by a committed partner. Yet, that evolutionary explanation doesnt account for a large group of men w
30、ho say that emotional disloyalty is more upsetting than sexual infidelity, and women who are more upset by sexual betrayal.To gain a more thorough understanding of gender and jealousy, researchers from Pennsylvania State University(PSU)approached the issue with some modern psychology. In a study pub
31、lished in the journal Psychological Science, researchers found that, while generally speaking, the evolutionary explanation of gender and jealousy held up; when viewed through the lens of attachment theorybroadly, the psychological theory about our tendency to foster intimate relationships with othe
32、r peopleboth men and women with secure emotional histories were more likely to experience jealousy over emotional infidelity, and those who were insecure or dismissing, were more likely to be vexed by sexual cheating.To tackle the issue, researchers recruited 416 college students from New York City,
33、 whose attachment styles were assessed through questionnaires containing a series of vignettes(short descriptions or pictures)each reflecting either secure, fearful, preoccupied, or dismissing attachment styles. Participants were instructed to select the story that most accurately reflected their ow
34、n attitude about romantic relationships, and were categorized accordingly. In a subsequent questionnaire, participants were asked whether they would be more upset by their partner “having passionate sexual intercourse with another person,“ or “forming a deep emotional attachment to another person.“T
35、hey found that, regardless of gender, 77.3% of securely attached participants viewed emotional infidelity as more upsetting, while 64.8% of insecure or dismissing participants thought sexual cheating was worse. These findings, the authors say, shed light on the intricate psychological nature of jeal
36、ousy, and may help to develop techniques to determine the underlying dynamics of sexual jealousya well-documented cause of spousal abuse, beating and even murder. The authors suggest that, gaining a better understanding of not only the broad differences in jealousy between the sexes, but of the diff
37、erences in jealousy within genders, may help to identify methods for interrupting abuse by fostering stable, secure attachments.11 The theory put forward by evolutionary psychologists（A）maintains that men and women are different when it comes to jealousy.（B） asserts that the gender difference in jea
38、lousy shaped the sexes historical roles.（C） fails to obtain a thorough understanding of gender and jealousy.（D）is by and large influenced by Darwins evolutionary theory.12 The study conducted by researchers from PSU has shown that（A）the evolutionary theory of gender and jealousy is valid and true.（B
39、） more participants(77.3% to 64.8%)viewed emotional infidelity as more upsetting.（C） the evolutionary explanation is untrue when viewed from the angle of attachment theory.（D）aside from gender, attachment styles contribute to the difference in terms of jealousy.13 The word “vexed“(Line 7, Para. 2)mo
40、st probably means（A）bewildered.（B） haunted.（C） irritated.（D）troubled.14 What can be inferred from the last paragraph?（A）Jealousy has nothing to do with gender, but with attachment styles.（B） The findings help to explain the nature of jealousy, especially sexual jealousy.（C） Records have shown that s
41、exual jealousy is a cause of marital violence.（D）A better knowledge of jealousy can avoid spousal abuse and domestic violence.15 Which of the following would be the best title for this text?（A）Emotional Disloyalty vs. Sexual Infidelity（B） Gender and Jealousy（C） Attachment Styles and Jealousy（D）Dynam
42、ics of Jealousy15 Here you are. Every morning, you reluctantly return to the same 6x6 cube. You grab a coffee, surf a news site, and chitchat with a peer. Then its onto that attack of calls and e-mails coming your way. But the workload doesnt bother you. Staying busy saves you from something worse.
43、And that something worse happens each month when the promotion announcements come out. You read what your peers have accomplished, here and elsewhere. Reflecting on what you did during that same time, you realize how far youve fallen behind. Sometimes you whisper, “That shouldve been me.“Years ago,
44、you marched into this cube dreaming of being a big shot. You didnt plan to stay here long; it was a place to learn the ropes and build your reputation. Early on, the higher-ups raved about your natural talent and upside. But those qualities only take you so far. Now, you hold a ceremonial “Senior“ t
45、itle. Your place is secure and you make a decent living. Still, you feel trapped and restless. You follow the same tired routines. And you wonder if youve settled, if this is all there is and all youll ever be. You once lived like you had all the time in the world. Then you lost track of it as years
46、 passed. Now, you feel its weight and passing more intimately, knowing how much youve wasted.We want to believe our careers will unfold logically. We see ourselves as special, possessing a manifest destiny to someday create, change, and lead. So we put our lives on hold and sacrifice for the greater
47、 good at work, certain our efforts will eventually be rewarded. We imagine climbing the proverbial ladder, not wandering through a maze.So what happened? Youd like to believe it was one momenta major oversight or missed opportunity that led you here. Deep inside, you know the truth. You wrote lists
48、and plans, knowing youd never put them into motion. You waited for something to happen to you. and got left behind. Despite the grueling hours, you went through the motions, subconsciously knowing your path was welcome scenery and exercise. But led nowhere.In our personal narratives, we naturally ma
49、ke ourselves the heroes. We seek out villains and scapegoats to justify why our lives havent panned out Unfortunately, the truth is far less melodramatic. It is usually a series of evasions, bad habits, fears, compromises, and mentalities that have led us to this point. Sure, you can spend time reflecting on the past, questioning your path, and figuring out whats missing. But are you really being honest with yourself?16 What does “6x6 cube“ refer to?（A）A square pipe.（B） A kind of computer.（C） A square office.（D）An office desk.17 According to Paragraph 2,
