考研英语阅读理解精读训练题目及答案解析 UNIT 25

合集下载

考研英语阅读理解精读100篇_Unit

考研英语阅读理解精读100篇_Unit

新东方出版的考研英语阅读理解精读100篇共有25个单元,本文档包含第一个单元,更多英语考研信息请点击UNIT ONETEXT ONETesco is preparing a legal battle to clear its name of involvement in the dairy price-fixing scandal that has cost consumers £270 million. Failure to prove that it had no part in collusion with other supermarkets and dairy processors may land it with a fine of at least £80 million. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said yesterday that Asda, Sainsbury’s and the former Safeway, plus the dairy companies Wiseman, Dairy Crest and Cheese Company, had admitted being in a cartel to fixprices for milk, butter and cheese. They were fined a total of just over £116 million as part of a leniency deal offered by the watchdog to companies that owned up quickly to anti-competitive behaviour.Officials at the OFT admitted privately that they did not think they would ever discover which company or individual had initiated the pricing formula. But the watchdog recognises that at the time supermarkets were under pressure from politicians and farmers to raise the cost of milk to save dairy farming, though it is not certain that money found its way to farmers. The OFT claimed in September that it had found evidence that the retail chains had passed future milk prices to dairy companies, which then reached a fixed price among themselves.The average cost to each household is thought to be £11.25 over 2002 and 2003. Prices went up an extra 3p on a pint of milk, 15p on a quarter of a pound of butter and 15p on a half pound of cheese. There is no direct recompense for consumers, however, and the money will go to the Treasury. The National Consumer Council gave warning that the admissions would dent consumer confidence in leading high street names and that people would become sceptical of their claims. Farmers For Action, the group of farmers that has led protests over low milk prices since 2000, is seeking legal advice on whether it can now bring a claim for compensation.The OFT investigation is continuing, however, in relation to Tesco, Morrisons and the dairy group Lactalis McLelland, and any legal action is expected to be delayed until that is completed.Tesco was defiant and said that it was preparing a robust defence of its actions. Lucy Neville-Rolfe, its executive director, said: “As we have always said, we acted independently and we did not collude with anyone. Our position is different from our competitors and we are defending our own case vigorously. Our philosophy is to give a good deal to customers.”Morrisons has supported the OFT in inquiries into the former Safeway business that it took over, but in a statement said that it was still making “strong representations”in its defence. A spokeswoman for Lactalis McLelland said that the company was “co-operating” with the OFT. Industry insiders suggested that the three companies were deliberately stalling the OFT investigation.Sainsbury’s admitted yesterday that it had agreed to pay £26 million in fines, but denied that it had sought to profiteer. Justin King, the chief executive, said he was disappointed that the company had been penalised for actions meant to help farmers but recognised the benefit of a speedy settlement. Asda declined to say how much it would pay in fines and also said that its intention had been to help farmers under severe financial pressure.1. From the first paragraph, we may infer that _____[A] Tesco is the most resolute among all the retailers to defend its reputation.[B] it is already proved that Tesco has colluded with Asda, Wiseman, Dairy Crest and Cheese Company in fixing the dairy price. [C] Tesco is offered a leniency deal of £80 million because of its quick response to the anti-competitive behaviors[D] Tesco is trying its best to prove its innocence of the scandal.2. Who is most probably the initiator of the pricing formula?[A] Retail chains.[B] Farmers.[C] Dairy companies.[D] Politicians3. The word “defiant”(Line 1, Paragraph 5) most probably means _____.[A] resisiting[B] angry[C] deficient[D] confident4. We may infer from Morrisons’statement that _____ [A] Morrisons turn out to be the most defentive when dealing with OFT.[B] Morrisons is reluctant to support the inquiries into the former Safeway business. [C] industry insiders suggest that Morrisons was trying to delay the OFT investigation with non-cooperation.[D] Morrisons indeed refuses to admit its involvement in the scandal.5. The writer’s attitude to Tesco can be said to be _____[A] biased.[B] objective.[C] sympathetic.[D] optimistic.篇章剖析:本文介绍了目前奶制品公司因内部设定价格而面临受到的调查和处罚的状况。

国家公共英语二级(阅读理解)练习试卷25(题后含答案及解析)

国家公共英语二级(阅读理解)练习试卷25(题后含答案及解析)

国家公共英语二级(阅读理解)练习试卷25(题后含答案及解析)题型有:1. Both books were written for a real girl called Alice and they have been read by millions of children since they were first published. These stories are about a dream world in which Alice meets strange creatures and has interesting adventures. I’m sure you know this already, but if you don’t you’d better read the stories yourselves.1.The real name of the author of the two books is ______.A.AliceB.Lewis GarrollC.Charles CarrollD.Charles Lutwidge Dodgson正确答案:D 涉及知识点:阅读理解2.People know Lewis Carroll mainly for ______.A.his good pennameB.his interesting storiesC.his ability in mathematicsD.his wonderful teaching at Oxford University正确答案:B 涉及知识点:阅读理解3.Through the Looking Glass was published when its author ______.A.was 33 years oldB.was 39 years oldC.had had interesting adventuresD.was still a student at Oxford University正确答案:B 涉及知识点:阅读理解4.The two books ______.A.were about mathematicsB.were not well received at allC.were written for a girl at firstD.were mainly about strange creatures正确答案:C 涉及知识点:阅读理解5.In the last sentence, “if you don’t” means “if you don’t ______.”A.like the storiesB.know the authorC.understand the storiesD.know about the stories正确答案:D 涉及知识点:阅读理解Social customs and ways of behaving change from time to time. Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now acceptable. Just a few years ago, it was considered impolite for a man to smoke on the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a fool of himself by smoking in the presence of a lady. Customs also differ greatly from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a woman in your country? Should you use both hands when you are eating? The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number of social customs. For instance, in both countries, people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time. Also, most Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer their seat to her, and also will most Americans. Promptness (守时的) is important both in Britain and America. If a dinner invitation is for 7 o’clock, the dinner guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay. The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people uncomfortable, especially if they are your guests. There is an old story about a man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served, one of the guests started to eat his peas with a knife. The other guests were either amazed or shocked, but the host calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable.6.What should a dinner guest do if he is to be late for dinner?A.He should cancel-the visit.B.He should find a good excuse.C.He should say nothing about it.D.He should phone to explain why he will be late.正确答案:D 涉及知识点:阅读理解7.How did the other guests feel when the man was eating his peas with a knife?A.They thought it was nothing unusual.B.They could not accept his way of eating.C.They paid no attention to his behavior.D.They believed his table manners were interesting.正确答案:B 涉及知识点:阅读理解8.According to the passage, which of the following can serve as a typicalexample of good manners?A.A man offers his seat to a woman.B.A woman opens a door for a gentleman.C.A man walks between two women on the street.D.A gentleman smokes while walking on the street.正确答案:A 涉及知识点:阅读理解9.The passage seems to indicate that a good host should try his best to make his guests feel ______.A.at easeB.puzzledC.like a roofD.sorry about himself正确答案:A 涉及知识点:阅读理解10.Which of the following do you think should be the best title for the passage?A.Social Life in Western Countries.B.American and British Ways of Life.C.Social Customs and Ways of Behavior.D.Promptness Is Important in Social Activities.正确答案:C 涉及知识点:阅读理解。

考研英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析(25)

考研英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析(25)

Of all the components of a good night’s sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control. In dreams, a window opens into a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. A century ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that dreams were the disguised shadows of our unconscious desires and fears; by the late 1970s, neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just “mental noise”—the random byproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. Now researchers suspect that dreams are part of the mind’s emotional thermostat, regulating moods while the brain is “off-line。

”And one leading authority says that, these intensely powerful mental events can be not only harnessed but actually brought under conscious control, to help us sleep and feel better. “It’s your dream,” says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago’s Medical Center. “If you don’t like it, change it。

托福TPO25阅读Passage3原文文本+题目+答案解析

托福TPO25阅读Passage3原文文本+题目+答案解析

托福TPO25阅读Passage3原文文本+题目+答案解析为了帮助大家高效备考托福,为大家带来托福TPO25阅读Passage3原文文本+题目+答案解析,希望对大家备考有所帮助。

▉托福TPO25阅读Passage3原文文本:The Evolutionary Origin of PlantsThe evolutionary history of plants has been marked by a series of adaptations.The ancestors of plants were photosynthetic single-celled organisms that gave rise to plants presumably lacked true roots,stems,leaves,and complex reproductive structures such as flowers.All of these features appe ared later in the evolutionary history of plants.Of today’s different groups of algae,green algae are probably the most similar to ancestral plants.This supposition stems from theclose phylogenetic(natural evolutionary)relationship between the two groups.DNA comparisons have shown that green algae are plants’closest living relatives.In addition,other lines of evidence support the hypothesis that land plants evolved from ancestral green algae used the same type of chlorophyll and accessory pigments in photosynthesis as do land plants.This would not be true of red and brown algae.Green algae store food as starch,as do land plants and have cell walls made of cellulose,similar in composition to those of land plants.Again,the good storage and cell wall molecules of red and brown algae are different.Today green algae live mainly freshwater,suggesting that their early evolutionary history may have occurred in freshwater habitats.If so,the green algae would have been subjected to environmental pressures that resulted in adaptations that enhanced their potential to give rise to land-dwelling or organisms.█The environmental conditions of freshwater habitats,unlike those of ocean habitats,are highly variable.█Water temperature can fluctuate seasonally or even daily and changing level of rainfall can lead to fluctuations in the concentration of chemical in the water or even to period in which the aquatic habitat dries up.█Ancient fresh water green algae must have evolved features that enable them to withstand extremes of temperature and periods of dryness.█These adaptations served their descendant well as they invaded land.The terrestrial world is green now,but it did not start out that way.When plants first made the transition ashore more than 400 million years ago,the land was barren and desolate,inhospitable to life.From a plant’s evolutionary view point,however,it was also a land of opportunity,free of competitors and predators and full of carbon dioxide and sunlight(the raw materials for photosynthesis,which are present in far higher concentrations in air than in water).So once natural selection had shaped the adaptations that helped plants overcome the obstacles to terrestrial living,plants prospered and diversified。

TPO-25 Reading 3解析

TPO-25 Reading 3解析

正确答案:B解析:presumably,大概,可能,据推测;近义词是supposedly,据称,据认为,据推测。

Q2正确答案:D解析:第一段大意是最早的植物相关的信息。

定位到第4句,D项对应green algae are probably the most similar to ancestral plans;定位到倒数第2句,A项对应have walls made of cellulose,C项对应store food as starch;排除法选D,D项的早期植物拥有多细胞的智能结构,与文中提供信息不符,早期植物都是单细胞(single-celled organisms)。

Q3正确答案:C解析:be subjected to,承受,遭受,经历;近义词是be exposed to,遭受。

根据词组所在句的environmental pressures导致green algae不得不去适应环境,最符合句子逻辑的是“遭受”环境压力。

Q4正确答案:A解析:题干的ancient green algae定位到第三段倒数第2句,根据fresh water 和extremes of temperature and periods of dryness,可以推断A正确。

B项错在原文中没有出现绿藻与其它植物的比较;C项错在绿藻存活于fresh water而不是ocean;D项的陆地环境与原文中的freshwater habitat矛盾。

Q5正确答案:C解析:desolate,荒凉的,荒废的;近义词是deserted,(地方)无人居住的,被遗弃的。

根据词汇所在句the land was barren and desolate, inhospitable to life,根据同一句话中前后逻辑一致,可以推断desolate与barren(贫瘠的)和inhospitable to life(不适合生命生存的)意思相近。

TPO-25 Reading 1解析

TPO-25 Reading 1解析

Q1正确答案:B解析:enormous,巨大的,庞大的,极大的;近义词是extremely large。

根据词汇所在句的上下句推断词意,下半句的an enormous geologic area上半句的the Tharsis bulge的同位语,而通过three very large volcanoes可以判断Tharsis bulge 的特点是大。

Q2正确答案:C解析:第一段中,Olympus Mons和volcanoes on the Tharsis bulge的对比要定位到最后2句:Olympus Mons的高度是25千米;三个火山的高度是18千米,所以Olympus Mons比较高,C正确。

Q3正确答案:C解析:distinctive,独特的,有特色的,与众不同的;近义词是characteristic,特有的; 独特的; 表示特性的; 显示…的特征的。

Q4正确答案:D解析:A项对应第二段第2句中的volcanoes with broad, sloping slides;B项对应第一段第1句话,火山表面有太阳系里已知的最大火山(the largest known in the solar system);C项对应第二段第3句话,All four show distinctive lava channels…similar to those found on shield volcanoes on Earth;D项说它们高度都在25千米以上,与原文信息不符,原文提到它们只有18千米,只有D错误。

Q5正确答案:D解析:roughly,大约,大致,差不多;近义词是approximately,大约。

根据词汇所在句的前后逻辑关系可推断,因为40 percent that of Earth是个不确切的值,所以对应roughly 2.5 times as high也是估计值Q6正确答案:A解析:作者将Maxwell Mons和Hawaiian shield volcanoes进行比较的句子是在第三段第4句,这个例子是为了证明第3句话的观点,The lower the gravity, the lesser the weight and the greater the height of the mountain,这句话就是在说星球表面重力和火山高度的关系。

10个单元研究生英语精读教程,课后练习

10个单元研究生英语精读教程,课后练习

UNIT 11.你对他说的话不能为你这种行为辩护。

(justify)2.你认为他会因为同主教的私人关系而免受宗教迫害吗? (immune from)3.你对心理医生的忠告采取什么态度会影响到你是否会再做恶梦。

(recur)4.乐观主义者成功的秘诀在于他们是用积极的态度对待失望和失败。

5.悲观主义者往往容易失败,部分原因就是一个人对自己的看法常常是一种能够自我实现的预言。

(in part)6.在幼儿的性格特征没有来得及发展之前,他们的行为不如大多数成年人的行为那样保持一致(consistent)。

一个儿童行为的改变,可能表明他的注意力已因其活动特点的不同而转变。

他的兴趣总是集中在手头的事情上。

个性坚强、兴趣强烈的人能够坚持把自己正在做的事进行下去,只有重大的环境变化才能干扰其行为的方向和目的。

1. What you said to him can hardly justify such conduct of yours.
2. Do you think he would be immune from religious persecution by reason of his personal relation with the Bishop?3. Your attitude towards the advice of the psychiatrist will affect whether or not your bad dream recurs.4.The secret to the success of optimists is that they deal with disappointments and failures in apositive way. 5.The reason that a pessimist tends to fail is, in part, that a person’s opinion about himself is often aself-fulfilling prophecy. 6.In very young children, before traits have had much chance to develop, behaviour is lessconsistentthan it is in most adults.A child’s changing behaviour may show his changing concern with different features of his activity. His interest always focuses on the business at hand.The person with strong traits and interestspersists in what he is doing.Only a major situational change can disturb the direction or purpose of his behaviour.UNIT 21.那个政客以许多事实和数字作为武器。

考研英语第25套题

考研英语第25套题

第二十五套题Part ADirections: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 07.8When Thomas Butler stepped off a plane in April 2002 on his return to the United States from a trip to Tanzania, he set in motion a chain of events that now threatens to destroy his life. A microbiologist at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Butler was bringing back samples of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis for his research. Yet on re-entering the country, he is alleged to have passed right by US customs inspectors without notifying them that he was carrying this potentially deadly cargo. That move and its consequences have led the federal government to prosecute Butler for a range of offences. If convicted on all counts, he could be fined millions of dollars and spend the rest of his life in jail.The US scientific community has leapt to butler’s defence, arguing that his prosecution is overzealous, alarming and unnecessary. The presidents of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine have written to Attorney General John Ashcroft, claiming that the case could endanger research into countering the threat of bioterrorism. And the academy’s human-rights committee has asked its members to write letters on Butler’s behalf and to donate funds for his defence.Those who defend Butler argue that the rules governing the import of pathogens are so restrictive that bending them is the only option for researchers who are working to provide protection from deadly diseases that afflict the developing world. Why, they ask, prosecute Butler for infractions of rules that made his work more difficult without serving a useful purpose?The supporters consider that the charge laid against Butler merely reflects the determination of federal prosecutors to throw the book at Butler to make an example of him to others. Many researchers now fear falling victim to an overzealous prosecution if they fail to dot all the‘i’s and cross al l the ‘t’s on their paperwork. Some US microbiologists are so frightened of being hauled off in handcuffs for a minor administrative oversight that they have decided to avoid biodefence research entirely—despite the current funding boom in the field.Whether Butler is a villain or a scapegoat is now for a jury to decide. But whatever verdict is eventually reached, scientists who are lobbying on Butler’s behalf would do well to consider public perceptions. If the rules governing the import of pathogenic bacteria make no sense, then microbiologists must make that case clearly, and lobby for the regulations to be changed. Researchers are also justified in making statements to help ensure that any punishment that Butler might receive is proportionate.But researchers risk a damaging public protest if the main message that emerges is that his peers think he was justified in carrying samples of the plague bacterium onto a commercial flight. Appearing to deny the importance of rules designed to protect the public from deadly pathogens—however unwieldy those rules may be in practice—will not engender trust. It will not foster a culture of responsibility. And it would show disregard for the public’s faith that scientific research will be conducted as safely and as competently as possible.[525 words]1. Thomas Butler was charged with .[A]carrying prohibited research materials[B]handling a potentially deadly substance illegally[C]posing the bioterrorism threat[D]shipping plague samples back to Tanzania2. According to Butler’s defenders, the prosecution of Butler will.[A]discourage the biological research [B]loosen the import controls of pathogens[C]punish one to warn a hundred[D]cause new panic in the United States3. The expression “throw the book at” (L ine 2, Paragraph 4) most probably means.[A]to make someone famous overnight[B]to frighten someone very much[C]to make someone a scapegoat[D]to punish or criticize someone severely4. The author believes that scientists should .[A]advocate for the abolition of import rules[B]speak in defense of Butler’s behavior [C]give careful attention to public health [D]learn a lesson from Butler’s case5. Who is likely to be least critical of Butler?[A]the federal government.[B]the US scientific community.[C]the American public.[D]US Customs Service.Text 2 07.8Companies’ contingency planning used to consist of little more than duplicating IT facilities in case their systems went down or the hardware in their basement was flooded. Today, however, firms are aware that they need to think about many more potential disruptions. Hardly a week goes by without a new threat. Last week, the government of New Zealand issued a pandemic planning guide for businesses, suggesting how firms should prepare for an outbreak of avian flu. Gartner, a large IT research firm, has advised companies to consider whether their systems could continue if up to 30% of their staff were to be absent from the workplace.This week yet another hurricane swept across the southern states of America. Every time a Katrina, Rita or Wilma wreaks her havoc, firms around the world worry that a vital supplier may have been knocked out of their increasingly global supply chains. In a recent survey by Harris Interactive, a polling firm, and FM Global, an American property insurer, financial executives in Britain and North America said that the top threat to their revenues came not from terrorism or natural disasters directly, but from a breakdown in their supply chain.The effect on Ericsson, a Swedish mobile-phone company, of a fire in a New Mexico chipmaking plant belonging to the Dutch firm Philips, has become a legend. The fire, in March 2000, started by a bolt of lightning, lasted less than 10 minutes, but it caused havoc to the super-clean environment that chipmaking requires. Ericsson, unable to find an alternative source of supply, went on to report a loss of over $2 billion in its mobile-phone division that year, a loss that left it as an also-ran in an industry where it had once been a leader. The lesson was not lost on other firms with far-flung global supply chains. General Motors, for example, now systematically tracks the geographic origin of all the bits that go into making its cars.The growth of outsourcing has added to the complexity of the issue. Removing back-office business services to low-cost (and frequently more hazardous) locations leaves firms vulnerable to hard-to-monitor disruptions in those faraway places. Susir Kumar, chief executive of Intelenet, an Indian outsourcing firm that is 50% owned by Britain’s Barclays Bank, says that Indian firms are in fact more diligent about continuity planning than firms in the West—partly because disruptions there are more frequent (so they get more practice), and partly because costs are so much lowerthey can afford to duplicate more facilities. Indian outsourcers say there was little consequence for their clients from the flooding in Mumbai in July.In a book published this month “The Resilient Enterprise”, the author, gives some guidance to firms that are shy of examining these risks. “Large-scale disruptions”, he says, “rarely take place without any warning”. By carefully monitoring and analysing near-misses, the airline industry has avoided many a crash. Likewise, says Mr Sheffi, “learning from small incidents can help organisations correct the conditions that lead to accidents.”Lightning can strike twice in New Mexico.[527 words]6. What can we infer about the businesses from the first paragraph?[A]They are less worried about property damage than before.[B]They will deal with disruptions only when they happen.[C]They are continually refining their business continuity plans.[D]They can not protect themselves from sudden disruptions.7. Many firms have learnt from the case of Philips and Ericsson that.[A]the negative impact of supply chain breakdown is heightened[B]the economies of different countries are closely interrelated[C]natural disasters typically result in violent disturbance[D]manufacturers have to deal with unexpected events regularly8. The word “outsourcing” (Line 1, Paragraph 4) most probably means.[A]building similar establishments under one ownership[B]attracting capital from outside investors[C]obtaining goods or services from an outside supplier[D]hiring skilled employees from foreign countries9. In order to better prepare for unplanned events, organizations should .[A]be knowledgeable about large-scale disruptions[B]monitor and improve the working conditions[C]get plenty of practice at business continuity plans[D]identify potential risks of the market10. The passage is mainly about .[A]how to rapidly respond to supply chain changes[B]how to maintain business as usual in unusual times[C]how to get well-prepared for big disasters[D]how to keep the loss to a minimumText 3 07.8Each year, the U.S. issues a set number of H-1B visas to educated foreign professionals with specialized skills. Earlier this month the Department of Homeland Security, which administers the H-1B visa program, announced that the annual H-1B cap of 65,000 already has been reached for next year. In fact, it was reached in record time, or 14 months prior to the fiscal year in which the visas would be used.What this effectively means is that any number of fields dependent on high-skilled labor could be facing worker shortages: science, medicine, engineering, computer programming. It also means that tens of thousands of foreigners—who’ve graduated from U.S. universities and applied forthe visas to stay here and work for American firms—will be shipped home to start companies or work for our global competitors.Congress sets the H-1B cap and could lift it as it has done in the past for short periods. Typically, however, that’s a years-long political process and cold comfort to companies that in the near term may be forced to look outside the U.S. to hire. Rather than trying to guess the number of foreign workers our economy needs year-to-year, Congress would be better off removing the cap altogether and letting the market decide.Contrary to the assertions of many opponents of immigration, from Capitol Hill to CNN, the size of our foreign workforce is mainly determined by supply and demand, not Benedict Arnold CEOs or a corporate quest for “cheap” labor. As the near by table shows, since the H-1B quota was first enacted in 1992 there have been several years amid a soft economy in which it hasn’t been filled. When U.S. companies can find domestic workers to fill jobs, they prefer to hire them.And let’s not forget that these immigrant professionals create jobs, as the founders of Intel, Google, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Computer Associates, Yahoo and numerous other successful ventures can attest. The Public Policy Institute of California did a survey of immigrants to Silicon Valley in 2002 and found that 52% of “foreign-born scientists and engineers have been involved in founding or running a start-up company either full-time or part-time.”Moreover, the notion that Indian software writers are being hired by Microsoft at bargain-basement costs and driving down the wages of Americans is also refuted by the evidence.A Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta study conducted in 2003 found no negative impact on U.S. wages. Government fees and related expenses for hiring foreign nationals can exceed $6,000, and additional fees accrue if and when the H-1B status is renewed after three years. The law also requires companies to pay visa holders prevailing wages and benefits, and it forbids hiring them to replace striking Americans.[480 words]11. The collapse of the H-1B visa program in Amercia will probably result in.[A]an overall shortage of labor[B]the unemployment of foreigners[C]the strengthening of foreign competition[D]more visas issued in the near future12. The expressi on “cold comfort”(Line 2, Para. 3) probably means.[A]severe obstacle[B]false sympathy[C]unfriendly treatment[D]limited encouragement13. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?[A]Government failed to estimate accurately the demand for immigrants.[B]Wages of foreign workers should be determined by labor market.[C]American companies prefer to hire foreign employees.[D]Half of high-technology companies are run by immigrants.14. According to the text, what is an advantage of immigration?[A]promoting competition. [B]stimulating soft economy.[C]increasing employment. [D]pushing up wage level.15. The text intends to express the idea that.[A]more workers are needed from overseas[B]the market should set the H-1B cap [C]there are wrong notions towards immigrants[D]the debate over immigration gets hotterText 4 06.5Nadine Gordimer has never written an autobiography or produced testimonies. She works in the imaginative dimension, always on an expedition into the mysteries of human experience. She does not appear “armed and dangerous,” as her friend Ronnie Kasrils, one-time terrorist, later cabinet minister, was described by the police as late as 1992; but, in fact, she is, for hardly anyone has so vividly alerted the world to how apartheid undermined relations between people and made innocence criminal.“Nothing I say in essays and articles will be as true as my fiction,” she stated in an interview in Transition. Because fiction is a disguise, it can “encompass all the thing s that go unsaid among other people and in yourself... There is always, subconsciously, some kind of self-censorship in nonfiction.”She added that, in a certain sense, a writer is selected by her subject, which is the consciousness of her own era.Today, Nadine Gordimer lives and writes in a half-formed society of a kind almost never before seen on earth. Black and white have agreed to bring about a multiracial democracy by their faith as much as by their work. But the present stems from the past, and apartheid’s contempt for human life now expresses itself in street killings, and armed robbery.Gordimer’s territory has always been the border between private emotions and external forces. There are no neutral zones where people can rest unobserved. In a land of lies, everyone lives a double life. Only love stands for a sort of liberty, the glimpse of a more truthful existence. Outside the lovers’chamber, there is a society, greedy, immoral where empathy and responsibility for others, whatever skin colour, are rare. Thus, every meeting becomes instrumental or absurd. In many of her stories, Gordimer reminds us that the future of South Africa is not only a question of votes for all but one that requires immense effort to create a civil spirit, allowing people to look each other in the eye.The responsibility of love and the loss of understanding, the loss of a grip on the world that comes with the end of love, are central themes in all of Gordimer’s books. She is a moralist of a kind Alfred Nobel would have approved. She finds an uncommitted life not worth living. Her revolutionaries or human rights lawyers may have agonising personal problems, but they do not give up. In her later novels, there are people with energy and vision, as well as those who see nothing clearly — the former women, the latter often men. Gordimer seems to keep her characters at a distance in order to maintain a sense of the unknowable. Then one may discover, as AndréBrink says, “that one’s very attempt at understanding or confronting the mystery opens up spaces of awareness one has not suspected before.”Her true concerns reach beyond issues of the time to test the limits of human relationships and of language itself.[500 words]16. It is true of Nadine Gordimer that .[A]she is a politician and enthusiastic opponent of apartheid[B]her work is of moral force but lacking in imagination[C]she has kept the true face of racism in front of us[D]her work presents the portrait of the development of South Africa17. To which of the following statements would Nadine Gordimer be least likely to agree?[A]Violence should be used during the anti-apartheid struggle.[B]Novels are freer in expression and more faithful to truth.[C]Spritual equality is as important as political equality.[D]A writer is influenced by the context in which he or she is.18. By “the present stems from the past”(Line 3, Paragraph 3), the author means.[A]apartheid’s injustice still bring about social crimes today[B]South Africa is on the journey towards a multiracial democracy[C]multiracial democracy can help solve complex society problems[D]the influence of racism shows sign of increasing19. What are the central themes of Gordimer’s works?[A]The racism and democracy of South Africa.[B]The relations between blacks and whites.[C]The growth of black consciousness.[D]Impacts of politics on the personal emotions.20. Gordimer’s main characters seem to be.[A]the oppressed blacks[B]resolute political fighters[C]men of extraordinary intelligence[D]short-sighted womenPart B 06.5Directions:The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 21-25, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A-E to fill in each numbered box. Some paragraphs have been placed for you in Boxes. Mark your answers on ANSWERE SHEET 1. (10 points)[A]Many studies conclude that children with highly involved fathers, in relation to children with less involved fathers, tend to be more cognitively and socially competent, less inclined toward gender stereotyping, more empathic, and psychologically better adjusted. Commonly, these studies investigate both paternal warmth and paternal involvement and find-using simple correlations-that the two variables are related to each other and to youth outcomes.[B]Boys seemed to conform to the sex-role standards of their culture when their relationships with their fathers were warm, regardless of how “masculine”the fathers were, even though warmth and intimacy have traditionally been seen as feminine characteristics. A similar conclusion was suggested by research on other aspects of psychosocial adjustment and on achievement: Paternal warmth or closeness appeared beneficial, whereas paternal masculinity appeared irrelevant.[C]The critical question is: How good is the evidence that fathers’ amount of involvement, without taking into account its content and quality, is consequential for children, mothers, or fathers themselves? The associations with desirable outcomes found in much research are actually with positive forms of paternal involvement, not involvement per se. Involvement needs to be combined with qualitative dimensions of paternal behavior through the concept of “positive paternal involvement” developed here.[D]Commonly, researchers assessed the masculinity of fathers and of sons and then correlated the two sets of scores. Many behavioral scientists were surprised to discover that no consistent results emerged from this research until they examined the quality of the father-son relationship. Then they found that when the relationship between masculine fathers and their sons was warm and loving, the boys were indeed more masculine. Later, however, researchers found that the masculinity of fathers per se did not seem to make much difference after all. As summarized by: [E]The second domain in which a substantial amount of research has been done on theinfluence of variations in father love deals with father involvement, that is, with the amount of time that fathers spend with their children (engagement), the extent to which fathers make themselves available to their children (accessibility), and the extent to which they take responsibility for their children’s care and welfare (responsibility).[F]It is unclear from these studies whether involvement and warmth make independent or joint contributions to youth outcomes. Moreover, “caring for”children is not necessarily the same thing as “caring about”them. Indeed, Lamb concluded from his review of studies of paternal involvement that it was not the simple fact of paternal engagement (i.e., direct interaction with the child), availability, or responsibility for child care that was associated with these outcomes. Rather, it appears that the quality of the father-child relationship made the greatest difference. J. H. Pleck reiterated this conclusion when he wrote:[G]Research by Veneziano and Rohner supports these conclusions. In a biracial sample of 63 African American and European American children, the authors found from multiple regression analyses that father involvement by itself was associated with children’s psychological adjustment primarily insofar as it was perceived by youths to be an expression of paternal warmth (acceptance).[H]Many studies looking exclusively at the influence of variations in father love deal with two topics: (a) gender role development and (b) father involvement. Studies of gender role development emerged prominently in the 1940s and continued through the 1970s. This was a time when fathers were considered to be especially important as gender role models for sons. [572 words]Order:H21.22.23.A24.25.GPart C 06.8Directions: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)Theories of the value of art are of two kinds, which we may call extrinsic and intrinsic. The first regards art and the appreciation of art as means to some recognized moral good, while the second regards them as valuable not instrumentally but as objects unto themselves. It is characteristic of extrinsic theories to locate the value of art in its effects on the person who appreciates it. Art is held to be a form of education, perhaps an education of the emotions. In this case, it becomes an open question whether there might not be some more effective means to the same result. (26) Alternatively, one may attribute a negative value to art, as Plato did in his Republic, arguing that art has a corrupting or diseducative effect on those exposed to it.The extrinsic approach, adopted in modern times by Leo Tolstoy in What Is Art in 1896, has seldom seemed wholly satisfactory. (27)Philosophers have constantly sought for a value in aesthetic experience that is unique to it and that, therefore, could not be obtained from any other source. The extreme version of this intrinsic approach is that associated with Walter Pater, Oscar Wilde, and the French Symbolists, and summarized in the slogan “art for art’s sake”. Such thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. (28)They also hold that in order to understand art as it should be understood, it is necessaryto put aside all interests other than an interest in the work itself.Between those two extreme views there lies, once again, a host of intermediate positions.(29)We believe, for example, that works of art must be appreciated for their own sake, but that, in the act of appreciation, we gain from them something that is of independent value.(30)Thus a joke is laughed at for its own sake, even though there is an independent value in laughter, which lightens our lives by taking us momentarily outside ourselves. Why should not something similar be said of works of art, many of which aspire to be amusing in just the way that good jokes are?[386 words]答案1.B2.A3.D4.C5.B6.C7.A8.C9.C10.B11.C12.D13.A14.C15.A16.C17.A18.A19.D20.B21.D22.B23.E24.F25.C26.或者,人们可能会认为艺术具有负面的影响,像柏拉图在《理想国》一书中所认为的那样,艺术会影响那些接触它的人,使其堕落,或起不到教化作用。

  1. 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性,平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
  2. 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
  3. 3、如文档侵犯您的权益,请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间:9:00-18:30)。

TEXT ONEAptera is certainly not the sort of name an old-school carmaker would give to its newest creation. Biologists will recognise it as the term for scuttling wingless insects—silverfish and suchlike. But Steve Fambro, the boss of the eponymous Californian company that plans to make and sell electric vehicles under this name, hopes they will soon be swarming over the state's highways.Unlike Tesla, another boutique electric-vehicle maker from the Golden State, Aptera is aiming for the bottom end of the market. A Tesla sports car will set you back $98,000 (or it would if you could get your hands on one: Tesla has delayed shipment of its first 50 cars until next year). An Aptera, by contrast, starts at $26,900, and should be available this time next year. And instead of a Ferrari knock-off, you get a space-age tricycle. But Aptera and Tesla have things in common. They are both small. They were both started by people with no experience in the motor industry. And they are both aiming to start by roping in the eco-fashionistas of California, and then work outwards to the mainstream.The name Aptera was chosen because the vehicle resembles a small, wingless aircraft. Its three-wheel design exempts it from onerous federal testing regulations. The outer shell is made of a carbon-fibre composite, rather than metal. The lines arewind-tunnel aerodynamic. And protuberances are kept to a minimum. Wing mirrors, for example, are replaced by a rear-facing camera with a 180° field of view and the exhaust valves are recessed to minimise turbulence. In the pure plug-in version, those valves are for waste heat from the electronics. There is also a petrol-electric hybrid, with a single-cylinder generator that extends the range from 200km to 1,130km. Top speed is 150kph.One reason for the emergence of firms such as Aptera is that designing a new vehicle has become as much an exercise in software simulation as in metal (or evencarbon-fibre) bashing. That enables the firm's engineers to do extensive development work—even things like crash-testing—on a computer. This is much cheaper than building endless prototypes and driving lots of them into walls. Another reason is the widespread availability of previously specialised components such as lithium-ion batteries. That means that an upstart such as Aptera can focus on the electronic brains of the vehicle and its final assembly, rather than having to make everything from scratch. It can thus, it believes, turn a profit without having to produce large volumes.Automotive history is littered with failed attempts to build electric cars, and sceptics might think the latest batch will be no different. That there is a fashion for such vehicles, though, is hard to deny. Besides Aptera and Tesla—which are, in their different ways, the most conspicuous examples—Venture Vehicles of Los Angeles is proposing an electric version of the Dutch Carver three-wheeled motorbike, while Phoenix Motorcars of Ontario, California, has produced a sports-utility truck.Meanwhile, REV A, an Indian firm, and Think Global, a Norwegian one, are making two-door hatchbacks. Indeed, according to the Venture Capital Journal, about $220m has been invested in such small firms over the past year and a half.1.Which one of the following statements is NOT true of the common characterists of Tesla and Aptera?[A] Both of them are envioroment-friendly.[B] Both of them are from small companies of California and then expand outwards.[C] Both of them are originated from the marginal status of the industry.[D] Both of them are created by green hands of automobile business.2. The petrol-electric hybrid version of Aptera is different from its other versions in that_____[A] Top speed of the hybrid is higher than than of the other versions.[B] The hybrid possesses a stronger capacity of long-distance drive with rapid speed.[C] The hybrid has a special generator that is characterized by a sole cylinder.[D] The hybrid generate more turbulence than the other versions.3.The word “protuberance” (Line 4, Paragraph 3) most probab ly means_____[A] protrusion.[B] accessory.[C] adjunct.[D] impetus.4. Firms such as Aptera are growing up because of the following reasons except_____[A] Technologies of metal bashing simulation are well developped.[B] The cost of making cars is greatly reduced.[C] Some specialized parts are available to them.[D] Large venture investment is devoted to such business.5. Towards to the future of the electric cars, the author’s attitude can be said to be _____[A] optimistic.[B] lukewarm.[C] wait-and-see.[D] enthusiastic.篇章剖析:这篇文章讲述了一些新型汽车的情况。

相关文档
最新文档