【红宝书】考研英语——考前模拟试题(第一套)

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c o m

（红宝书 网上附赠）

2012年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语模拟试题（第一套）

Section I Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

It is acknowledged that the modern musical show is America’s most original and dynamic contribution toward theater ．In the last quarter of a century ，America has produced large 1 of musical plays that have been popular abroad 2 at home. 3 ，it is very difficult to explain 4 is new or 5 American about them ，for the 6 are centuries old ． Perhaps the uniqueness of America’s contribution to the 7 can best be characterized through brief descriptions of several of the most important and best -known musicals ．One of these is surely Oklahoma by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hamerstein ．It burst 8 popularity in

1943．Broadway audience and critics were 9 by its 10 ，

vitality and excitement ．This “new ”type of musical was 11 as kind of 12 theater in which the play ，the music and lyrics ，the dancing ，and the scenic background were assembled not merely to provide entertainment and 13

，but to 14 in a single unifying whole to contribute to its unique feature ．

15 ，it meant that the songs and dances should 16 naturally out of the situations of the Story and play an important part in carrying the action 17 ．In Oklahoma ，an American folk-dance style was organically combined with classical ballet and modern dance ．It is right to say that the musical was a brilliantly integrated performance by the talented dancers and singing actors ．

Oklahoma also marked a new 18 in the choice of story on which a musical is based ．Writers and composers began to abandon the sentimentally picturesque or aristocratic

setting 19 more realistic stories in authentic social and cultural 20 ．

Oklahoma was based on a “folk ”whose story dealt not only with young love but also with the opening of the American West ．

1. [A] number [B] amount [C] quantity [D] numbers

2. [A] better than [B] instead of [C] as well as [D] rather than

3. [A] Therefore [B] Yet [C] Moreover [D] Thus

4. [A] which [B] that [C] what [D] how

5. [A] characteristically [B] particularly [C] mainly [D] exactly

6. [A] factors [B] ingredients [C] composers [D] facts

7. [A] trait [B] feature [C] genre [D] style

8. [A] with [B] into [C] out into [D] in

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c o m 9. [A] struck [B] touche

d [C] moved [D] hit

10. [A] vivacity [B] originality [C] creativity [D] dynamic

11. [A] conceived [B] thought [C] believed [D] perceived

12. [A] special [B] peculiar [C] gross [D] total

13. [A] variety [B] amusement [C] sundries [D] fun

14. [A] mix [B] join [C] put [D] share

15. [A] In other words [B] To sum up [C] On the contrary [D] Generally speaking

16. [A] arise [B] derive [C] raise [D] originate

17. [A] out [B] on [C] forward [D] through

18. [A] direction [B] way [C] method [D] epoch

19. [A] for [B] with [C] without [D] except

20. [A] circumstances [B] context [C] situation [D] surroundings

Section II Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text 1

The unwritten social contract between companies and the communities that originally nurtured them has been broken. Gone are the days when owners and managers lived in the community.

Capital has become mobile on an international scale. The new multi -national companies owe no “loyalty ” except to a rather vague “shareholder base.” This new breed of employer is interested in short -term profits, and seeks out the lowest wages and least onerous environmental, health, and safety regulations.

Companies are forced to pursue short -term financial results to satisfy investors. Those that choose to sacrifice these short -term results in order to make long -term strategic investments in research and development open themselves up to attack by corporate raiders, and to possible devaluation of their stock.

American manufacturing has thus lost its competitive edge by failing to invest adequately in new plants, equipment, research and development. Without such long -term investment, however, American industries are finding themselves forced to compete by becoming low -cost producers rather than growth -oriented and risk -takers.

They are ignoring their most important asset, the accumulated skills and experience of the workforce. Management in Japan, Germany and the Scandinavian countries see skilled labor as a valuable asset. By investing in, and partnering with, labor they have been able to displace U.S. manufacturers as the quality providers of high technology products.

Having positioned themselves in this low -cost niche, many U.S. companies are ultimately

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c o m force

d to abandon their American employees as they mov

e offshore to seek even cheaper labor. Those manufacturing jobs that remain in the U.S. are experiencing declining wages.

Against this background it is not surprising that U.S. Manufacturing has been characterized by poor labor relations and an “us -versus -them ” attitude on the shop floor.

We need to find ways to bring back manufacturing jobs. If they can be created and retained, secondary service jobs will follow, and enough wealth will be generated to have a significant impact upon local economies. We need new kinds of manufacturing companies.

This may sound like a dream, but in fact such companies actually do exist. They 're worker -owned companies whose ownership is vested in their workers. These workers live in the communities where their companies are located. It 's not worker participation alone that leads to greater productivity. Rather, it 's holding real decision making power that drives worker -owners to make these ventures successful, according to studies tracked by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).

Simply stated, worker ownership aligns the interests of the corporation with those of the community. This is not an untested hypothesis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that worker ownership, coupled with a program of significant worker participation and involvement, substantially increases a firm 's productivity. Worker -owners are prepared to sacrifice short -term gains in favor of investments in capital expenditures, research and development, etc., which ensure a company 's long -term competitiveness.

21. According to the text, which of the following is true ?

［A ］ The relationship between owners and managers have changed.

［B ］ Companies today are based on investment from shareholders.

［C ］ Many companies have abandoned long -term profits.

［D ］ Companies pursue short -term profits will have their stock value increase.

22. American industries, according to the text, ＿＿＿.

［A ］ have a great superiority in international market

［B ］ are reluctant to be growth -oriented producers

［C ］ possess advantages in workforce

［D ］ top in high technology producers

23. The word “niche” (Line 1, Para. 6) most probably means ＿＿＿.

［A ］ market

［B ］ status

［C ］ character

［D ］ goal

24. According to the text, the new types of companies ＿＿＿.

［A ］ are invested by owners and workers

［B ］ give workers real decision -making power

［C ］ are more successful than their counterparts

［D ］ are still an assumption

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c o m 25. The author 's attitude towar

d worker -owned companies is on

e o

f ＿＿＿.

［A ］ strong disapproval

［B ］ reserved consent

［C ］ slight contempt

［D ］ enthusiastic support

Text 2

Alarmed by a 20-year decline in student achievement, American schools are considering major upheavals in the career structure of teachers, school boards around the country are planning to abandon traditional salary schedules and single out outstanding teachers for massive pay rise.

The idea is regarded with deep suspicion by the United States’ biggest teachers’ unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. They say the creation of a cadre of elite teachers will sour professional relationships and encourage teachers to compete instead of cooperate; they also question whether a fair way can be devised to tell which teachers really do perform better than their colleagues.

But heightened public anxiety about secondary education appears to have given the master teacher concept unstoppable political momentum. Florida and Tennessee are racing to introduce ambitious statewide master teacher schemes before the end of the year. Less grandiose proposals to pay teachers on the basis of merit instead of seniority have already been implemented in countless school districts. And the Secretary of Education, Mr. Terrel Bell, recently promised substantial incentive grants to states which intend to follow their example.

Low pay is believed to be the single most important reason for the flight from teaching. The average salary of a teacher in the United States is just under ＄19,000, much less than that of an engineer (＄34, 700) and not much more than that of a secretary (＄16,500). To make ends meet it is common for teachers to take second jobs in the evening and in their summer holidays, and women, who used to make up the bulk of teacher candidates are turning to better paid professions.

The unions insist that the answer to this problem is to increase the basic pay of all teachers, but most states would find that too expensive, they would be better able to afford schemes that confine pay increases to a small number of exceptional teachers. Champions of the idea say it would at least hold out the promise of high pay and status to bright graduates who are confident of their ability to do well in the classroom, but are deterred by the present meager opportunities for promotion.

One of the first large -scale tests of this approach will come in Tennessee, where a year of painstaking negotiations has just overcome bitter union opposition to a wide -ranging master teacher scheme. Tennessee promised that they will allocate ＄300 million as education budget. In return for a chance to earn bigger salaries and faster promotion, teachers will subject themselves to closer scrutiny.

The Tennessee plan will make it harder for poor teachers to join the profession. Beginners will have to serve a probationary year before qualifying, and another three apprentice years before receiving tenure. Apprentice teachers who fail to reach a required standard will not be allowed to stay on. Survivors will be designated ‘career teachers’ and given a chance to climb through three career rugs and earn bonuses of up to ＄7,000. Advancement will not be automatic. The

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c o m performance of each teacher will be closely assesse

d by committees of teachers drawn from other districts.

26. What support is the federal government offering to states that set up a master teacher scheme?

［A ］ Substantial incentive grants.

［B ］ Political support.

［C ］ Bank loan .

［D ］＄|300 million .

27. What’s the purpose of the master teacher scheme?

［A ］ To improve student performance .

［B ］ To stop teachers leaving for better -paid jobs.

［C ］ To provide incentives to excellent teachers.

［D ］ To improve teacher performance.

28. In the state of Tennessee, how will teachers be assessed?

［A ］ By student performance.

［B ］ By their teaching time.

［C ］ By their teaching achievement.

［D ］ By committees of teachers from other districts.

29. What is the main idea of the passage?

［A ］ American master teacher scheme has been adopted.

［B ］ American teachers leave for better -paid jobs.

［C ］ American teachers will go through strict assessment.

［D ］ The American government adopted effective measures to stimulate the teachers.

30. It can be inferred from the passage that the master teacher scheme . ［A ］will be welcome by all the teachers in other states

［B ］will not be carried out smoothly in other states

［C ］is questioned by the teachers’ unions

［D ］is an ideal way to improve student performance

Text 3

Every profession or trade, every art, and every science has its technical vocabulary, the function of which is partly to designate things or processes which have no names in ordinary English, and partly to secure greater exactness in nomenclature. Such special dialects, or jargons, are necessary in technical discussion of any kind. Being universally understood by the devotees of the particular science or art, they have the precision of a mathematical formula. Besides, they save time, for it is much more economical to name a process than to describe it. Thousands of these

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c o m technical terms are very properly include

d in every larg

e dictionary, yet, as a whole, they are rather on the outskirts o

f the English language than actually within its borders.

Different occupations, however, differ widely in the character of their special vocabularies. In trades and handicrafts, and other vocations, like farming and fishery, that have occupied great numbers of men from remote times, the technical vocabulary, is very old. It consists largely of native words, or of borrowed words that have worked themselves into the very fiber of our language. Hence, though highly technical in many particulars, these vocabularies are more familiar in sound; and more generally understood, than most other technicalities. The special dialects of law, medicine, divinity, and philosophy have also, in their older strata, become pretty familiar to cultivated persons, and have contributed much to the popular vocabulary.

Yet every vocation still possesses a large body of technical terms that remain essentially foreign, even to educated speech. And the proportion has been much increased in the last fifty years, particularly in the various departments of natural and political science and in the mechanic arts. Here new terms are coined with the greatest freedom, and abandoned with indifference when they have served their turn. Most of the new coinages are confined to special discussions, and seldom get into general literature or conversation. Yet no profession is nowadays, as all professions once were, a close guild.

The lawyer, the physician, the man of science, the divine, associates freely with his fellow-　creatures, and does not meet them in a merely professional way. Furthermore, what is called “popular science” makes everybody acquainted with modern views and recent discoveries. Any important experiment, though made in a remote or provincial laboratory, is at once reported in the newspapers, and everybody is soon talking about it—as in the case of the roentgen rays and wireless telegraphy. Thus our common speech is always taking up new technical terms and making them commonplace.

31.What is this passage primarily concerned with?

［A ］A new language.

［B ］Technical terminology.

［C ］Various occupations and professions.

［D ］Scientific undertakings.

32.Special words used in technical discussion .

［A ］may become part of common speech

［B ］should be confined to scientific fields

［C ］should resemble mathematical formulae

［D ］are considered artificial speech

33.It is true that .

［A ］the average man often uses in his own vocabulary what was once technical language ［B ］various professions and occupations often interchange their dialects jargons

［C ］ there is always a clear -cut non -technical word that may be substituted for the technical

word

［D ］an educated person would be expected to know most technical terms

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c o m 34.In recent years, there has been a marke

d increas

e in the number o

f technical terms in the nomenclature of .

［A ］farming ［B ］government

［C ］botany ［D ］fishing

35.What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

［A ］To describe a phenomenon.

［B ］To argue a belief.

［C ］To propose a solution.

［D ］To stimulate action.

Text 4

Everybody wants to do something good for the nation right now. But we should approach any “economic stimulus” from Washington with skepticism. President Bush has asked for a program between $ 60 billion and $ 75 billion, mostly based on tax breaks for business. House Republicans want even greater tax relief. Senate Democrats may push for more federal spending on security-related public works and unemployment relief. Many of these measures may serve a public good. For example, we should build rail networks and improve security. But because the money comes from productive taxpayers, we should be prudent in spending it. And none of the proposals will stop the recession.

The Sept.11 terrorist attack brought us strange days, but it didn’t repeal history and experience. Old-time New Deal stimulus used heavy federal spending ——even running a deficit to offset the loss of private investment in a downturn. The idea was to “prime the pump” with public jobs and projects to get people working again. It was an oversimplification of the ideas of British economist John Maynard Keynes, so it’s probably unfair that it was called “Keynesian”.

Keynesianism went into hiding in the 1980s, when none of the old remedies could stop stagflation, and Ronald Reagan returned classical economics to the forefront of Washington’s policy. But many social democrats (called “liberals” by the media) still advocate government stimulus. Unfortunately, the post World War Two evidence suggests pump priming never arrived in time to seriously influence the business cycle. It took months or years for new programs to gain hold, and by that time the economy was already in expansion. Even in the Great Depression, Roosevelt’s alphabet-soup programs did little to provide long-term jobs or capital formation. Although the Depression started in 1929, one of its worst periods was 1936-37.

Republican tax-cutting proposals come from a different history: Reagan’s tax reductions in 1981. These cuts did help the economy revive, but by freeing capital and increasing incentives rather than by giving a “stimulus” push. Also Reagan’s cuts were broad-based reductions in tax rates that were exceptionally high (70 percent in some cases). The current tax proposals involve tinkers and tucks. We would see little capital rationally freed by these moves. And the temptation to bestow Republican corporate welfare would be irresistible. We could see serious depletion of government revenue, ever as Washington is spending billions in the war effort.

The painful reality is that recessions happen for reasons beyond political convenience.

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c o m Economies buil

d up imbalances and bad bets that must b

e cleaned up by the business cycle. Attempts to paper over these forces are dangerous, merely sound money and fiscal policies help birth the last boom. It’s not an appealing program. It just works.

36. In the second paragraph, the author suggests that .

[A] similar incident has taken place in history and has left similar economic impact.

[B] history repeats itself and there is nothing new in what is happening now.

[C] Maynard Keynes’s economic theory never worked in fighting the Great Depression

[D] we should learn from history to recognize the nature of the present problem.

37. What is implied in the third paragraph?

[A] Pump priming had never produced the intended effect in the 1980s

[B] Pump priming turned out to be ineffective in saving the economy.

[C] Pump priming proved to be very effective in stopping the vicious business cycles

[D] Pump priming had actually prolonged the duration of the Depression.

38. What does the writer imply as to today’s tax proposals?

[A] They have done nothing towards freeing capital.

[B] They do contribute to the overall government revenue.

[C] They are directed towards giving a stimulus push.

[D] They do not increase corporate welfare.

39. The author’s attitude towards political convenience is .

[A] indifferent

[B] positive.

[C] negative.

[D] ironic.

40. In paragraph 4 the word “bestow” probably means .

[A] resist

[B] rob

[C] award

[D] get

Part B

Directions ：

The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A -G to fill in each numbered box. The first and the last paragraphs have been placed for you in boxes. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.(10 points)

b a o s h u .

c o m ［A ］ More an

d more, museum directors ar

e realizing that people learn best when they can

somehow become part of what they are seeing. In many science museums, for example, there are no guided tours. The visitor is encouraged to touch, listen, operate, and experiment so as to discover scientific principles for himself. He can have the experience of operating a spaceship or a computer. He can experiment with glass blowing and papermaking. The purpose is not only to provide fun but also to help people feel at home in the world of science. The theory is that people who do not understand science will probable fear it, and those who fear science will not used it to best advantage. Many museums now provide educational services and children 's departments. In addition to the usual displays, they also offer film showings and dance programs. Instead of being places that one “should” visit, they are places to enjoy.

［B ］ In fact, the crowds of visitors at some museums are creating a major problem. Admission to

museum has always been either free or very inexpensive, but now some museums are charging entrance fees for the first time or raising their prices. Even when raised, however, entrance fees are generally too low to support a museum with its usually large building and its highly trained staff.

［C ］ Museums have changed. They are no longer places for the privileged few or for bored

vacationers to visit on rainy days. Action and democracy are words used in descriptions of museums now.

［D ］ The effect of all this has been to change existing museums and to encourage the building of

new ones. In the US and Canada alone, there are now more than 6,000 museums, almost twice as many as there were 25 years ago. About half of them are devoted to history, and the rest are evenly divided between the arts and sciences. The number of visitors, according to the American Association of Museums, has risen to more than 700 million a year.

［E ］ One cause of all these changes is the increase in wealth and leisure time. Another cause is

the rising percentage of young people in the population. Many of these young people are college students or college graduates. They are better educated than their parents. They see things in a new and different way. They are not content to stand and look at works of art; they want art they can participate in. The same is true of science and history.

［F ］ At a science museum in Ontario, Canada, you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless

electricity passes through your body. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, you can look at 17th century instruments while listening to their music. At Modern Museum in Sweden, you can put on costumes provided by the Stockholm Opera. As these example show, museums are reaching out to new audiences, particularly the young, the poor, and the less educated members of the population. As a result, attendance is increasing.

［G ］ In the US, certain groups who formerly were too poor to care about anything beyond the

basic needs of daily life are now becoming curious about the world around them. The

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c o m young people in these groups, like young people in general, have benefite

d from a better education than their parents received. All thes

e groups and the rest o

f the population as well, have been influenced by television, which has taught them about other places and other times.

Order: C → 41. → 42. → 43. → 44. → 45. →B

Part C

Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (10 points)

According to the new school of scientists, technology is an overlooked force in expanding the horizons of scientific knowledge. (46) Science moves forward, they say, not so much through the insights of great men of genius as because of more ordinary things like improved techniques and tools.(47) “In short”, a leader of the new school contends, “the scientific revolution, as we call it, was largely the improvement and invention and use of a series of instruments that expanded the reach of science in innumerable directions. ”

(48) Over the years, tools and technology themselves as a source of fundamental innovation have largely been ignored by historians and philosophers of science. The modern school that hails technology argues that such masters as Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, and inventors such as Edison attached great importance to, and derived great benefit from, craft information and technological devices of different kinds that were usable in scientific experiments.

The centerpiece of the argument of a technology -yes, genius -no advocate was an analysis of Galileo’s role at the start of the scientific revolution. The wisdom of the day was derived from Ptolemy, an astronomer of the second century, whose elaborate system of the sky put Earth at the center of all heavenly motions. (49) Galileo’s greatest glory was that in 1609 he was the first person to turn the newly invented telescope on the heavens to prove that the planets revolve around the sun rather than around the Earth. But the real hero of the story, according to the new school of scientists, was the long evolution in the improvement of machinery for making eyeglasses.

Federal policy is necessarily involved in the technology vs. genius dispute. (50) Whether the Government should increase the financing of pure science at the expense of technology or vice versa often depends on the issue of which is seen as the driving force.

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c o m Section III Writing

Part A

51. Directions:

There is an error in an English magazine that you feel must be corrected. Write a letter to the editor to

1) point out the mistake,

2) suggest correction, and

3) express your interests in the magazine.

You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.

Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead.

Do not write the address. (10 points)

Part B

52. Directions:

Study the following drawing carefully and write an essay to

1) Describe the drawing.

2) Interpret its meaning.

3) Give your comment on it.

You should write about 160-200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)