1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 54 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 Work/life balance was the buzz-phrase of the late 1990s. Apparently too many people who were cash rich and time poor were becoming fed up with the long h
2、ours culture and wanted more balance in their life. For students, the issue is not work/life balance but work/study balance.With ever increasing fees, working while studying is the normal for many students. Faced with potentially huge debts, some students may be tempted to take part time jobs that i
3、nvolve working lots of hours, but this may have a detrimental impact on their studies.University is more than just about getting a degree extracurricular activities and a social life are also important. How can students balance studying with working partime and also ensure that they do not miss out
4、on university life?Develop a study planOnce you have your timetable, and an idea of when your assignments are due, develop a plan of the best times for you to study, whether this be evenings, mornings or weekends. This will help you determine which hours and days you can work.Choose a job that is fl
5、exibleYou may need time off from your job during exams or if you have deadlines for coursework, so choosing the right job, where the employer is understanding and willing to be flexible, is important.You can mention this at interview, but Brian Staines of Bristol University Careers Office says:“It m
6、ay be better to wait until you have been offered the job, have worked for a while, and have had the opportunity to prove yourself before mentioning that you might need time off. “41.Choose a job that fits in with your study patternWorking out your study pattern, i.e.whether youre at your best in the
7、 mornings, evenings or late. Some students are night owls preferring to study late at night, others are larks.42.Dont take a job thats too demandingThe type of job you look for will depend on your skill set. Apart from the usual student-type jobs, there are roles in offices which can be done at week
8、ends and evenings-jobs such as being a presentation operator using PowerPoint or even evening and weekend secretarial work.43.Be industrious in your search for workThere may be part-time jobs available in call centers or as photocopy clerks in banks and law firms.44.Know your limitsThere isnt a figu
9、re for the maximum number of hours that students can work before it impacts negatively on their studies since this will vary from student to student.However, Brian Staines says: “At Bristol, we believe that if students work more than 12 hours a week during term time, this could have a negative effec
10、t on their studies. We have a job shop at Bristol offering part-time jobs and all the jobs are a maximum of 12 hours. “45.Balancing part-time work with studying is a challenge that more and more students will face.“A part-time job, which involves long hours, may help their finance in the short term
11、but could have a negative impact on long-term job prospects if they dont get a good degree, “ adds Brian.A “When you look for a job, its best to start with working a few hours and then once you get used to the job and know how much you can cope with, you can increase the hours. Its always easier to
12、increase rather than decrease the number of hours you work, “ says Cary Cooper, professor of psychology and health at Lancaster University Management School.B There may even be jobs in security, which give you the opportunity to study “on the job“, perhaps on sit at an unoccupied building, so its a
13、good idea to cast the net a bit wider when looking for part-time work.C Although these jobs pay well.it may be a challenge to balance studying with these types of job. “A job develping PowerPoint presentations may be too mentally demanding and tiring because you will be looking at a screen most of t
14、he time, “ says Cary.D “If students for example work 20 hours a week, then their work could suffer unless they are incredibly disciplined, “ he explains: “Also university is about more than just studying. Social time and extracurricular activities are also important.“E Relaxation is also very import
15、ant.F Some students may prefer to work a few evenings a week, others at weekends. “Although work is important, they need to find a job with hours that fit around their optimal times for studying rather than the other way round, “ says Professor Cooper.5 Imaginative works such as novels, plays, films
16、, fairy tales, and legends present a more accurate and meaningful picture of human experience than do factual accounts. Because the creators of fiction shape and focus reality rather than report on it literally, their creations have a more lasting significance.41.Do imaginative works hold more lasti
17、ng significance than factual accounts, for the reasons the speaker cites? To some extent the speaker overstates fictions comparative significance. On balance, however, I tend to agree with the speaker. By recounting various dimensions of the human experience, a fictional work can add meaning to and
18、appreciation of the times in which the works is set. Even where a fictional work amounts to pure fantasy, with no historical context, it can still hold more lasting significance than a factual account. Examples from literature and film serve to illustrate these points.42.By informing us about underl
19、ying political, economic, and social conditions, factual accounts provide a frame of reference needed to understand and appreciate imaginative works. Fact is the basis for fiction, and fiction is no substitute for fact. I would also concede that factual accounts are more “accurate“ than fictional on
20、es - insofar as they are more objective. But this does not mean that factual accounts provide a “more meaningful picture of the human experience“. To the contrary, only imaginative works can bring a historical period alive - by way of creative tools such as imagery and point of view. And, only imagi
21、native works can provide meaning to historical events- through the use of devices such as symbolism and metaphor.43.Twains novels afford us a sense of how nineteenth-century Missouri would have appeared through the eyes of 10-year-old boys. Melvilles “Billy Budd“ gives the reader certain insights in
22、to what travel on the high seas might have been like in earlier centuries, through the eyes of a crewman. And the epic poems “Beowulf“ and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight“ provide glimpses of the relationships between warriors and their kings in medieval times. Bare facts about these historical era
23、s are easily forgettable, whereas creative stories and portrayals such as the ones mentioned above can be quite memorable indeed. In other words, what truly lasts are our impressions of what life must have been like in certain places, at certain times, and under certain conditions. Only imaginative
24、works can provide such lasting impressions.44.Consider four of our most memorable and influential films: Citizen Kane, Schindlers List, The Wizard of Oz, and Star Wars. Did Welles fictional portrayal of publisher William Randolph Hearst or Spielbergs fictional portrayal of a Jewish sympathizer durin
25、g the holocaust provide a more “ meaningful picture of human experience“ than a history textbook? Did these accounts help give “shape and focus“ to reality more so than newsreels alone could? If so, will these works hold more “lasting significance“ than bare factual accounts of the same persons and
26、events? I think anyone who has seen these films would answer all three questions affirmatively. Or consider The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars. Both films, and the novels from which they were adapted, are pure fantasy. Yet both them with symbolism and metaphor relating to lifes journey, the human spirit
27、, and our hopes, dreams, and ambitions- in short, the human experience. Therein lies the reason for their lasting significance.45.Yet only through the exercise of artistic license can we convey human experience in all its dimensions, and thereby fully understand and appreciate life in other times an
28、d places. And it is human experience, and not bare facts and figures, that endures in our minds and souls.A Examples of important films underscore the point that creative accounts of the human experience hold more lasting significance than bare factual accounts.B It is hardly surprisingly to say the
29、 imagination can give a full story of some interesting historical events.C Most fictional works rely on historical settings for plot, thematic, and character development.D Imaginative works hold more lasting significance than factual accounts.E Without prior factual accounts fictional works set in h
30、istorical periods lose much of their meaning.F Several examples from literature serve to illustrate imagination can provide meaning to historical events.10 In any realm of life - whether academic, social, business, or political - the only way to succeed is to talke a practical, rather than an ideali
31、stic, point of view. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic views tend to be superceded by simpler, more immediate options.41.I agree with the speaker in so far as that a practical, pragmatic approach toward our endeavors can help us survive in the short term. However, idealism i
32、s just as crucial - if not more so - for long-term success in any endeavor, whether it be in academics, business, or political and social reform.42.The students tend to cut whatever corners are needed to optimize their grade average and survive the current academic term. But, is this approach the on
33、ly way to succeed academically? Certainly not. Students who earnestly pursue intellectual paths that truly interest them are more likly to come away with a meaningful and lasting education. In fact, a sense of mission about ones area of fascination is strong motivation to participate actively in cla
34、ss and to study earnestly, both of which contribute to better grades in that area. Thus, although the idealist-student might sacrifice a high overall grade average, the depth of knowledge, academic discipline, and sense of purpose the student gains will serve that student well later in life.43.What
35、about the business world? After all, isnt business fundamentally about pragmatism - that is, “getting the job done“ and paying attention to the “bottom line“? Emphatically, no. Admittedly, the everyday machinations of business are very much about meeting mundane short-term goals: deadlines for produ
36、ction, sales quotas, profit margins, and so forth. Yet underpinning these activities is the vision of the companys chief executivea vision that might extend far beyond mere profit maximization to the ways in which the firm can make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the community, to the broad
37、er economy, and to the society as a whole. Without a dream or vision - that is, without strong idealist leadershipa firm can easily be cast about in the sea of commerce without clear direction, threatening not only the firms bottom line but also its very survival.44.Most politicians seem driven by t
38、heir interest in being elected and reelected - that is, in surviving - rather than by any sense of mission, or even obligation to their constituency or country. Diplomatic and legal maneuverings and negotiations often appear intended to meet the practical needs of the parties involved - minimizing c
39、osts, preserving options, and so forth. But, it is idealists- not pragmatists - who sway the masses, incite revolutions, and make political ideology reality. Consider idealists such as Americas founders, Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King. Had these idealists concerned themselves with short-term
40、survival and immediate needs rather than with their notions of an ideal society, the United States and India might still be British colonies, and African Americans might still be relegated to the backs of buses.45.Meeting ones immediate needs, while arguably necessary for short-term survival, accomp
41、lishes little without a sense of mission, a vision, or a dream for the long term.A When it comes to the political area, again at first blush it might appear that pragmatism is the best, if not the only, way to succeed.B A practical, pragmatic approach toward our aim can help us survive in the short
42、term.C When it comes to academics, students who we would consider pragmatic tend not to pursue an education for its own sake.D Imaginative works hold more lasting significance than factual accounts.E It might be more tempting to agree with the speaker in business world.F The statement fails to recog
43、nize that idealism - keeping ones eye on an ultimate prize is the surest path to long-term success in any endeavor.15 Most people choose a career on the basis of such pragmatic considerations as the needs of the economy, the relative ease of finding a job, and the salary they can expect to make. Har
44、dly anyone is free to choose a career based on his or her natural talents or interest in a particular kind of work.41.The speaker believes that economic and other pragmatic concerns are what drive peoples career decisions, and that very few people are free to choose their careers based on their tale
45、nts and interests. I tend to disagree; although practical considerations often play a significant role in occupational trends, ultimately the driving forces behind peoples career decisions are individual interest and ability.42.At first glance the balance of empirical evidence would seem to lend con
46、siderable credence to the speakers claim. The most popular fields of study for students today are the computer sciences - fields characterized by a relative glut of job opportunities. Graduates with degrees in liberal arts often abandon their chosen fields because they cannot find employment, and re
47、enter school in search of more “practical“ careers. Even people who have already achieved success in their chosen field are often forced to abandon them due to pragmatic concerns. For example, many talented and creative people from the entertainment industry find themselves looking for other, less s
48、atisfying, kinds of work when they turn 40 years of age because industry executives prefer younger artists who are “tuned in“ to the younger demographic group that purchases entertainment products.43.However, upon further reflection it becomes clear that the relationship between career-seekers and t
49、he supply of careers is an interdependent one, and therefore it is unfair to generalize about which one drives the other. Consider, for example, the two mainstream fields of computer science and law. In the computer industry it might appear that supply clearly drives job interestand understandably so, given the highly lucrative financial rewards, But, would our legions of talented programmers, engineers, scientists, and technicians really pursue their careers without a genuine fascination, a passion, or at least an interes
