1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 501 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 “Nanny“, “tyrant“these were among the charges hurled at Michael Bloomberg, New Yorks mayor, when he proposed a ban on big fizzy-drink bottles last May.
2、The billionaire shrugged and pushed forward. However even Mr Bloomberg must heed a court order. The American Beverage Association, which represents Coca-Cola and other soda companies, has sued. Mr Bloombergs ban is due to start on March 12th, but a judge may intervene.Three years after Michelle Obam
3、a launched her Lets Move! campaign, the fight against childhood obesity faces a tactical problem. Recent years have been dipping obesity rates in a few places, including New York, Mississippi and Philadelphia. But 17% of American children are still obese. The question is how to speed up progress. Fu
4、rther bans look increasingly unlikely.Voluntary programs remain politically much easier. Mrs Obama has exhorted firms to take action. Many companies have. On March 6th the Partnership for a Healthier America, a business group, published a report praising its members for putting more grocers in poor
5、areas and healthier foods at restaurants. Sixteen food and beverage companies have promised to slash a combined 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015. Their first progress report is due in June. The long-term effect of these efforts may be slim. For example, even if the food and drink fi
6、rms keep their promise , they would cut just 14 calories from the average Americans daily diet.Regulations might bring bigger change, but recent years suggest that such rules will come slowly, if at all. Congress did pass a law requiring healthier school lunches, though its effects are limited. Othe
7、r attempts at national regulation have stalled. Four federal agencies studied voluntary guidelines to limit junk-food advertisements to children. Under pressure from Congress, the agencies dropped the effort. Obamacare requires that all restaurants and cinemas post the number of calories in their fo
8、ods. The Food and Drug Administration proposed a rule for menus in 2011, but has yet to finalise the regulation.Cities and states are more likely to act than Congress (hardly a high bar) , but they face their own challenges. Last year the beverage lobby spent more than $2.8m to defeat a soda tax in
9、the small city of Richmond, California. Even Mr Bloomberg, the anti-obesity crusades most fervent warrior, can only do so much.1 We know from the first paragraph that Michael Bloomberg is _.（A）a director of a soda company（B） a judge of the New York City（C） an advocate of big fizzy-drink bottles（D）an
10、 enthusiast of banning junk food and drinks2 Michelle Obamas Lets Move campaign aims at _.（A）fighting against the problem of obesity（B） solving the problem of high divorce rate（C） handling the problem of children obesity（D）addressing the problem of racial discrimination3 We learn from Paragraph 3 th
11、at _.（A）many firms have answered Mrs Obamas call（B） Partnership for a Healthier America is a political organization（C） the efforts of the food and drink companies may seem effective in the long term（D）sixteen food and drink companies have cut down 1.5 trillion calories from their products4 Four fede
12、ral agencies dropped their efforts because of _.（A）the pressure from the public（B） the pressure from Congress（C） the requirement from Obamacare（D）the Food and Drug Administration5 We can infer from the last paragraph that _.（A）there is no soda tax in the city of Richmond（B） cities and states are les
13、s likely to take action（C） cities and states face fewer challenges than Congress（D）Mr Bloomberg helps to cancel soda tax in Richmond5 A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also fre
14、quently made of Canada and Canadians , and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.For a long per
15、iod of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the o
16、utside world.The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the p
17、art of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didnt take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary travel
18、er. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. “I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinneramazing. “Such observations
19、 reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition. As is true of any developed society, i
20、n America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. For example, when an American uses the word “friend“, the cultural i
21、mplications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitors language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from b
22、oth neighbors and strangers.6 What can we learn from the first paragraph?（A）All of the North Americans are friendly.（B） All of the Americans are friendly.（C） Visitors consider most Americans to be friendly.（D）Canadians are not so friendly as Americans.7 The families in frontier settlements _.（A）welc
23、ome the visitors to break their dull existence.（B） usually travel a long distance.（C） dont like to communicate with each other.（D）bring news of the outside world.8 According to Paragraph 3, the frontier settlement is hospitable because _.（A）of their harshness of daily life（B） it is a remote place（C）
24、 of their charitable impulse（D）the travelers are always alone9 Which of the following is not true according to Paragraph 4?（A）Many Americans friendliness is a result of historically cultural tradition（B） Tired travelers are often assisted by some charitable organizations.（C） The tradition of hospita
25、lity is still well kept in America.（D）Remote cities and towns dont like to entertain strangers.10 What does the author want to reveal by the example of “friend“?（A）The travelers who dont know the cultural implication always draw a wrong conclusion.（B） Speaking a language isnt equal to understanding
26、its cultural patterns.（C） Being friendly is a virtue of many Americans.（D）Cultural gaps exist everywhere.10 The question facing Swiss voters on March 3rd was called the “peoples initiative against fat-cat pay“. With a billing like that, who wouldnt vote yes? As it happened, 68% of the electorate did
27、, passing a measure that requires listed companies to offer shareholders a binding vote on senior managers pay and appointments at each annual general meeting. The penalty for bosses who fail to comply is up to three years in jail or the forfeit of up to six years salary. Switzerlands penchant for d
28、irect democracy has trumped its tolerance for tycoons.Swiss business is shaken. It had backed a “counter-initiative“ giving shareholders more voting powers without threatening criminal sanction. That was rejected by voters. The new law, which will be written into the constitution, endangers Switzerl
29、and as an investment destination, the business lobby claims. Economiesuisse, the Swiss Business Federation, now accepts the popular verdict but warns that such complex and highly charged changes must be implemented carefully. The laws needed to put the vote into practice will take ten years to write
30、, some cynics suggest.The initiative is the brainchild of Thomas Minder, who runs his familys toiletries business. He has apparently never forgiven Swissair for backing out of a contract when it nearly went bankrupt 12 years ago and then awarding its former boss a big pay-off. Mr Minders campaign ga
31、ined momentum last month on news that Novartis, a Swiss drug firm, intended to pay its departing chairman, Daniel Vasella, a severance package of SFr72m ($76m). Mr Vasella later refused the package.After Mr Minders victory it will become harder to extend such corporate generosity. Some of the new re
32、strictions seem sensible. Shareholder votes on executive pay, hitherto ad hoc and advisory, will become routine and binding. Pension funds will be required to vote in the interests of their members and make their votes public. Board members will not be permitted to have consulting or other contracts
33、 with firms in the same group.But other provisions are more burdensome. The law will ban incentives that can be useful, such as “golden hellos“ and severance packages for board members. It will also bar them from accepting rewards for buying or selling company divisions.11 The underlined phrase “fat
34、-cat pay“ (Para. 1, Line 1-2) refers to _.（A）the payment for a fat cat（B） senior executives salaries（C） shareholders high salaries（D）governors invisible incomes12 What can be implied from the second paragraph?（A）Swiss has accepted the public accusation.（B） Swiss has given voters more voting powers.（
35、C） It will take a decade to write a law in Swiss.（D）Switzerland used to be an investment destination.13 According to the text, Thomas Minder _.（A）is a mental worker who has a child（B） has gained compensation from Novartis（C） runs his own business concerning cosmetic（D）works for a Swiss pharmaceutica
36、l company14 The new bindings include all EXCEPT that _.（A）stakeholder determines managers salary through voting（B） members of board are banned from making internal deal（C） board members are not allowed to contact with other companies（D）the amount of retirement money should be voted and announced15 T
37、he authors attitude towards new rules and restrictions seems to be _.（A）objective（B） supportive（C） contradictory（D）suspicious15 The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers and acquisitions ever witnessed. The process sweeps from hyperactive America to Europe and reaches the emerging count
38、ries with unsurpassed might. Many in these countries are looking at this process and worrying: “Wont the wave of business concentration turn into an uncontrollable anti-competitive force?“Theres no question that the big are getting bigger and more powerful. Multinational corporations accounted for l
39、ess than 20% of international trade in 1982. Today the figure is more than 25% and growing rapidly. International affiliates account for a fast-growing segment of production in economies that open up and welcome foreign investment. In Argentina, for instance, after the reforms of the early 1990s, mu
40、ltinationals went from 43% to almost 70% of the industrial production of the 200 largest firms. This phenomenon has created serious concerns over the role of smaller economic firms, of national businessmen and over the ultimate stability of the world economy.I believe that the most important forces
41、behind the massive M&A wave are the same that underlie the globalization process: falling transportation and communication costs, lower trade and investment barriers and enlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customers demands. All these are beneficial, not detrimental,
42、 to consumers. As productivity grows, the worlds wealth increases.Examples of benefits or costs of the current concentration wave are scanty. Yet it is hard to imagine that the merger of a few oil firms today could re-create the same threats to competition that were feared nearly a century ago in th
43、e US, when the Standard Oil trust was broken up. The mergers of telecom companies, such as World Com, hardly seem to bring higher prices for consumers or a reduction in the pace of technical progress. On the contrary, the price of communications is coming down fast. In cars, too, concentration is in
44、creasingwitness Daimler and Chrysler, Renault and Nissanbut it does not appear that consumers are being hurt.Yet the fact remains that the merger movement must be watched. A few weeks ago, Alan Greenspan warned against the megamergers in the banking industry. Who is going to supervise, regulate and
45、operate as lender of last resort with the gigantic banks that are being created? Wont multinationals shift production from one place to another when a nation gets too strict about infringements to fair competition? And should one country take upon itself the role of “defending competition“ on issues
46、 that affect many other nations, as in the U.S. vs. Microsoft case?16 What can be learned from the first paragraph?（A）This wave of mergers and acquisitions has been witnessed before.（B） People in many countries are anxious about the process of acquisition.（C） This wave of business concentration will
47、 become an uncontrollable anti-competitive force.（D）The new rising nations will be free from the impact of the concentration wave.17 The numbers mentioned in the second paragraph are meant to _.（A）show that the corporations are getting bigger and bigger through concentration（B） demonstrate that mult
48、inational corporations account for more than 25% now（C） this phenomenon worries the smaller economic firms（D）this phenomenon might affect the stability of the world economy18 Which of the following does not belong to the forces behind the M&A wave?（A）The transportation and communication costs are be
49、coming lower.（B） The trade and investment barriers are becoming fewer.（C） The markets are enlarged.（D）The worlds wealth increases.19 Which of the following is not true according to Paragraph 4?（A）The merger of World Com will not harm the consumers.（B） The communication cost is lower.（C） Concentration in cars will be sure to harm the consumers.（D）The merger of the oil firms might threaten competition.20 What is the authors attitude toward the concentration wave?（A）Cautious.（B） Objective
