1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 489 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 Now that the economy is at last growing again, the burning issue in Britain is the cost of living. Prices have exceeded wages for the past six years. Bu
2、t the thing that is really out of control is the cost of housing. In the past year wages have risen by 1%; property prices are up by 8.4%. This is merely the latest in a long surge. If since 1971 the price of groceries had risen as steeply as the cost of housing, a chicken would cost 51 ($83).By sub
3、sidising mortgages, and thus boosting demand, the government is aggravating the problem. But that is not the main reason for rising prices. Driven by a baby-boom, immigration and longer lives, Britains population is growing by around 0.8% per year, faster than in most rich countries. Foreign wealth,
4、 in the meantime, is pouring into London.If supply were rising fast too, increasing demand would not matter; but it is not. Though some 221,000 additional households are formed in England annually, just 108,000 homes were built in the year to September 2013.The lack of housing is an economic drag. A
5、bout three-quarters of English job growth last year was in London and its inland, but high prices make it hard for people to move there from less favoured spots. It also damages lives. New British homes are smaller than those anywhere else in Europe, household size is rising in London and slums are
6、spreading as immigrants squash into shared houses (and, sometimes, garden sheds). Inequality is growing, because the higher property prices are, the greater the advantage that belongs to those whose parents own their homes.This is all the result of deliberate policymaking. Since the 1940s house-buil
7、ding in Britain has been regulated by a system designed to prevent urban sprawl, something it has achieved well. It is almost impossible to construct any new building anywhere without permission from the local council. In the places where people most want to livesuburbs at the edge of big citiescoun
8、cils tend not to give it.1 We know from the first paragraph that _.（A）at present, a chicken in Britain costs 51（B） the urgent problem in Britain is the cost of housing（C） prices of goods have gone up by 8.4% in the past year（D）housing prices grow much faster than peoples income2 The population in Br
9、itain is growing because all EXCEPT _.（A）more babies were born than any time in history（B） people live longer than before due to several reasons（C） a large number of foreigners have swarmed into the country（D）the government encourages families to have more than one baby3 What can be inferred from Pa
10、ragraph 4?（A）There will be fewer poor people in London.（B） British houses are bigger than other places in Europe.（C） Economy may be stagnant because of housing problem.（D）Employment rate has increased by 75% everywhere in Britain.4 Which of the following is true of Britains house-building policy?（A）
11、The policy has to some degree tackled the problem of rapid urbanization.（B） The policymaking led to many social problems in Britain.（C） The local councils are responsible for building houses.（D）Councils may give the permission to build houses in the suburban area.5 The best title of the text may be
12、_.（A）Economy Is Coming Back（B） Housing Problem in Britain（C） Housing Price: High Everywhere（D）Britain: An Expensive Place to Live in5 In the old, days parents followed a simple rule: spare the rod and spoil the child. These days less violent forms of discipline are favoured. Supernanny, a television
13、 toddler-tamer, recommends the “naughty step“, to which ill-behaved naughty children are temporarily banished. Yet even this is too harsh, some psychologists say. But advocates of “positive discipline“ say “naughty step“ does nothing to encourage one to solve problems (and thus build character). Som
14、e even suggest it may be psychologically damaging.Positive discipline, which is becoming a fad in America, aims to teach children self-control and empathy. Rather than screaming at them to pick up the toys they have thrown on the floor, parents or teachers ask them to suggest their own way of tackli
15、ng the problem. Adults are encouraged to think harder about the causes of bad behaviour. Families meet regularly to discuss all of the above.The Ravenswood School in Chicago has embraced positive discipline. When children quarrel, they are allowed to pick an option from a “wheel of choice“ poster. T
16、hese include “share and take turns“, “balloon breath“ and a spell in the “calm-down corner“. In one classroom this has a tiny chair, some fairy lights and an inviting box of picture books.Positive discipline is not new; Jane Nelson, a family consultant and child-care guru, first published a book wit
17、h that title in 1981. No reliable statistics show how many parents or schools use it, but the Positive Discipline Association, a non-profit that ran 18 training workshops in 2005, found itself running 51 in 2010.Doubters fear that positive really means permissive. Not so, says Maria Vannucci of the
18、Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. The goal is to connect with a child, rather than simply barking “Shut up!“ or “Go to your room!“ For example, a child who is getting underfoot in the kitchen may need to feel involved and be given something to do, such as rolling pastry or folding
19、napkins. One who has given up on his homework may need to have the task broken down. A toddler who hits another may not know why he is angry; he may be removed or told: “Use your gentle hands.“ Bribes are out: positive disciplinarians fear they may prevent a child from developing pride in a job well
20、 done.6 According to Paragraph 1, which one of the following is true?（A）Positive discipline is absolutely superior to “naughty step“.（B） Parents used to choose more violent ways to teach their children.（C） Supernanny advises parents to use “naughty step“ and “positive discipline“.（D）Some people sugg
21、est “naughty step“ is both physically and mentally damaging.7 Which one of the behaviors may be “positive discipline“?（A）Scream at children and then reason with them.（B） Scold children and let them reflect upon themselves.（C） Gently ask children to find a way to solve the problem.（D）Ask children to
22、put their toys away and punish them.8 The underlined word “guru“ (Para.4, Line 1) most probably means _.（A）an expert（B） a teacher（C） a doctor（D）a writer9 Maria Vannucci suggests that _.（A）positive discipline means permissive（B） positive discipline may do harm to children（C） positive discipline will
23、deprive children of confidence（D）the aim of positive discipline is to communicate with a child10 Whats the authors attitude towards “positive discipline“?（A）Permissive.（B） Supportive.（C） Objective.（D）Doubtful.10 In the Second World War a “blockbuster“ was a bomb that could eliminate whole streets. T
24、oday it is the kind of hit creation that every media executive prays for. Popular films, books, music albums and sports teams that bring in huge audiencesand vast profitscan determine whether a year is profitable or loss-making, and break a bosss career.The entertainment industrys search for the gol
25、den release is the focus of “Blockbusters“ by Anita Elberse, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Conventional corporate wisdom maintains that spreading resources across many smaller properties is sounder than pushing money into a few big, concentrated bets. Ms Elberse
26、uses case studies from the film, television, music and sporting worlds to argue that, counterintuitively, “the idea of smaller bets being safer is a myth.“ Nurturing a few choice works and helps firms create superstars and super products, and is the key to far higher profits. Ms Elberse cites Grand
27、Central Publishing as one example: the top 10% of its titles account for 64% of the publishers costs, but 126% of its profits.The thesis that popular products earn more money might seem as obvious as the plot of the latest Hollywood film you saw. But it is not what business experts predicted would h
28、appen. In 2006 Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired and a former journalist at The Economist, wrote “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More“, in which he argued that the internet would change the demand curve for entertainment products. With unlimited “shelf“ space availabl
29、e online and more refined search algorithms to direct people to songs and books they might be interested in, niche products would attract more attention and a greater share of spending.Ms Elberse originally disagreed on Mr. Andersons work in a 2008 article for the Harvard Business Review, which is t
30、he basis for her book. The tail has become longer, but the internet has helped bestsellers become even bigger, because people follow the recommendations of friends and casual consumers choose known quantities. In 2011 just 102 of the 8m digital musical tracks sold generated nearly a sixth of all sal
31、es. Blockbusters tend to be self-reinforcing, because firms spend more to promote products they think stand a better chance of becoming popular.11 “Blockbuster“ was mentioned in the first paragraph to _.（A）introduce the topic of the text（B） introduce the powerful weapon（C） show linguistic difference
32、s of modern words（D）show various meanings of some English words12 Traditional enterprises believe that _.（A）Ms Elberses studies are ridiculous（B） Ms Elberses theory is beyond doubt（C） its better to concentrate fund on a few big bets（D）its safer to put small amount of money into different areas13 Ms
33、Elberse holds the view that _.（A）the idea of smaller bets being safer is undoubted（B） cultivating a few choices and putting money in them are not wise（C） creating superstars and super products helps to acquire more profits（D）spreading resources across many smaller properties is definitely sounder14
34、Anderson argues that the Internet _.（A）will bring benefits to popular products（B） may reshape consumers demand for products（C） will direct people to the most popular books and songs（D）will attract more attention and greater share of spending15 What can be inferred from the last paragraph?（A）Ms Elber
35、se didnt agree on Mr. Andersons work.（B） Ms Elberse changed her opinion on Mr. Andersons work.（C） People follow friends advice in that bestsellers become bigger.（D）More investment in promotion increased sales dramatically.15 When people talk about a “north-south divide“ in Britain, they usually refe
36、r to house prices, employment and the ratio of private-sector to public-sector jobs. The south scores higher on all such measures. But new data from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), a research charity, implies the growth of another north-south dividethis time to the norths benefit.Every 20 y
37、ears the BTO produces a detailed picture of bird life in Britain and Ireland. The 2007 to 2011 edition is cheery: more species are recorded than in previous pictures, and many birds are increasing in number. Compared with two decades ago, 45% of regular native species are ranging more widely while 3
38、2% are living in smaller areas; the rest have stayed put. But the most striking news comes from the north.The overall populations of woodland, farmland and migrant perching birds are up in northern England and Scotland but down in the south. The same is true of individual species such as the garden
39、warbler, bullfinch and swallow. The number of cuckoos, a closely-watched species, declined by 63% in England between 1995 and 2010 but by only 5% in Scotland. Raptors are faring especially well in the south, but their numbers are rising in most parts of Britain.Partly this reflects climate change, s
40、uggests Simon Gillings of the BTO. Some birds are drawn to warmer winters in Scotland and northern England; visiting migrants may stick around for longer. Hard though it may be to believe during a week of rain, the south is becoming drier, pushing snipe northward. More efficient farming has squeezed
41、 some farmland species.Some birds find it harder to make homes in the south, too. Pressure on housing means deserted buildings and barns, handy for nesting, have been converted into human dwellings. Between 2006 and 2012 the number of vacant dwellings fell by 17% in London and by 12% in Kent. Over t
42、he same period the number of empty houses increased by 16% in Derbyshire and by 10% in Lancashire. Northern mining villages once full of workers are now sparsely populated, points out Ian Bartlett, a birdwatcher in Hartlepool, in north-east England. They have become hot spots for birds and the peopl
43、e who watch them.Cultural difference also plays a part, thinks Mark Cocker, an expert on birds. The “obsession with tidiness“ is stronger in the south, he says. Fewer people cultivate gardens; they prefer to cover them in decking and remove weeds from between concrete slabs. Village greens are mowed
44、 short. In contrast, Scotland and northern England have more trees, grassland and wind-swept moors. Less popular with humans, rugged parts of the countryside are filling up with a winged population instead.16 Which of the following is true about the BTO?（A）Its a non-profit organization that research
45、es on birds in Britain.（B） Its a charity which protects and offers shelters to birds in Britain.（C） It implies birds prefer living in southern part to living in northern part in Britain.（D）Every 20 years it draws a detailed picture of bird population in the world.17 The number of species like garden
46、 warbler, bullfinch and swallow _.（A）goes up in southern England（B） increases in most parts of Britain（C） decreases dramatically in England（D）rises in the north and declines in the south18 The following reasons may drive birds away EXCEPT _.（A）warmer winter（B） climate change（C） efficient farming（D）c
47、ontinuous rainfall19 Some birds can hardly find shelters in the south because _.（A）it is so sparsely populated that few people can watch them（B） the environment and ecosystem have been damaged in this area（C） places suitable for nesting have been occupied by human beings（D）deserted buildings and bar
48、ns are not suitable for birds to make homes20 What can be learned from the last paragraph?（A）Culture elements are decisive according to experts on birds.（B） The role played by different cultures is obvious according to Mark Cocker.（C） Northerners care more about tidiness than southerners.（D）Southern
49、ers care only about tidiness when it comes to housing style.考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 489 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)1 【正确答案】 D【试题解析】 选项 A 对应第一段最后一句：If since 1971 the price of groceries had risen as steeply as the cost of housing，a chicken would cost 51 ($83). 其中ifhad risenwould这样的结构提示我们这是虚拟语气，因此 A 项的表述是错误的。选项 B“the urgent problem(当务之急)” 。对应第一句的“the burning issue(燃眉之急)”，而该项的“the cost of housing”与原文的“the cost
