1、12014年全国硕 士研究生入学统一考 试英语(二)试题Section I Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)Thinner isnt always better. A number of studies have _1_ that normal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of s
2、ome diseases compared to those who are overweight. And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually _2_. For example, heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women. _3_ among the elderly, being somewhat overweight is often an _4_ of good health。Of
3、even greater _5_ is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficult to define. It is often defined _6_ body mass index, or BMI. BMI _7_ body mass divided by the square of height. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to be normal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 3
4、0 is considered obese. Obesity, _8_,can be divided into moderately obese, severely obese, and very severely obese。While such numerical standards seem 9 , they are not. Obesity is probably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremely fit, 10 others with a l
5、ow BMI may be in poor 11 .For example, many collegiate and professional football players 12 as obese, though their percentage body fat is low. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a 13 BMI。Today we have a(an) _14 _ to label obesity as a disgrace.The overweight are someti
6、mes_15_in the media with their faces covered. Stereotypes _16_ with obesity include laziness, lack of will power,and lower prospects for success.Teachers,employers,and health professionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese. _17_very young children tend to look down on the overweight
7、, and teasing about body build has long been a problem in schools。1. A denied B conduced C doubled D ensured2.A protective B dangerous C sufficient Dtroublesome3. A Instead B However C Likewise D Therefore4. A indicator B objective C origin D example5. A impact B relevance C assistance D concern6. A
8、 in terms of B in case of C in favor of D in of7. A measures B determines C equals D modifies8. A in essence B in contrast C in turn D in part9. A complicated B conservative C variable D straightforward10. A so B unlike C since D unless11. A shape B spirit C balance D taste212. A start B quality C r
9、etire D stay13. A strange B changeable C normal D constant14. A option B reason C opportunity D tendency15. A employed B pictured C imitated D monitored16. Acompared B combined C settled D associated17. A Even B Still C Yet D Only18. A despised B corrected C ignored D grounded19. A discussions B bus
10、inesses C policies D studies20. A for B against C with D withoutSection II Reading ComprehensionPart 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. (40 points)Text 1What would you do with 590m? This is now
11、a question for Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found for tune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money
12、 by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton。These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchas
13、es wears off fairly quickly what was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time-as stories o
14、r memories-particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others。This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most “happiness bang for your buck.“ It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more
15、time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it).Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable whe
16、n they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason MacDonalds restricts the availability of its popular McRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession。Readers of “HappyMoney” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfillment, 3not hunger.Money
17、 may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. No
18、t everyone will agree with the authors policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent。21.According to Dumn and Norton,which of the following is the most rew
19、arding purchase? AA big house BA special tour CA stylish car DA rich meal22.The authors attitude toward Americans watching TV is Acritical Bsupportive Csympathetic Dambiguous 23.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that Aconsumers are sometimes irrational Bpopularity usually comes after qualit
20、y Cmarketing tricks are after effective Drarity generally increases pleasure 24.According to the last paragraph,Happy Money Ahas left much room for readerscriticism Bmay prove to be a worthwhile purchase Chas predicted a wider income gap in the us Dmay give its readers a sense of achievement 25.This
21、 text mainly discusses how to Abalance feeling good and spending money Bspend large sums of money won in lotteries Cobtain lasting satisfaction from money spent Dbecome more reasonable in spending on luxuriesText 2An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, 4a
22、ctually, you think youre more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to research into what the call the “above average effect”， or “illusory superiority”， and shown that, for example, 70% of us rat
23、e ourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85% at getting on well with othersall obviously statistical impossibilities。We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boos
24、t our own esteem, we stalk around thinking were hot stuff。Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather that have people simply rate their beauty compress with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of t
25、hemselves from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a false
26、ly flattering image- which must did- they genuinely believed it was really how they looked. Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the must (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were rea
27、l) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “I dont think the findings that we having have are any evidence of per
28、sonal delusion”， says Epley. “Its a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves. If you are depressed, you wont be self-enhancing. Knowing the results of Epley s study,it makes sense that why people heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level, they dont even recognis
29、e the person in the picture as themselves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancers paradise,where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyle its not that peoples profiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of WisconMadison universit
30、y ,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves。26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that _. A our self-ratings are unrealistically highB illusory superiority is baseless effectC our need for leadership is unnaturalD self-enhancing strategies are ineffective27
31、. Visual recognition is believed to be peoples_A rapid watching B conscious choiceC intuitive response5D automatic self-defence28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to_ A underestimate their insecuritiesB believe in their attractivenessC cover up their depressionsD oversimplify
32、their illusions29.The word “Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to_. Ainstinctively Boccasionally Cparticularly Daggressively 30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancers paradise because people can _. Apresent their dishonest profilesBdefine their traditional life styles Csha
33、re their intellectual pursuits Dwithhold their unflattering sidesText 3The concept of man versus machine is at least as old as the industrial revolution, but this phenomenon tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries. And yet, it would be a mistake to think we are
34、 right now simply experiencing the painful side of a boom and bust cycle. Certain jobs have gone away for good, outmoded by machines. Since technology has such an insatiable appetite for eating up human jobs, this phenomenon will continue to restructure our economy in ways we cant immediately forese
35、e.When there is exponential improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened. This argument has attracted a lot of attention, via the success of the book Race Against the Machine , by Erik Brynjolfsson and And
36、rew McAfee , who both hail from MITs Center for Digital Business.This is a powerful argument, and a scary one. And yet, John Hagel, author of The Power of Pull and other books, says Brynjolfsson and McAfee mi ss the reason why these jobs are so vulnerable to technology in the first place. Hagel says
37、 we have designed jobs in the U.S. that tend to be “tightly scripted“ and “highly standardized“ ones that leave no room for “individual initiative or creativity.“ In short, these are the types of jobs that machines can perform much better 6at than human beings. That is how we have put a giant target
38、 sign on the backs of American workers, Hagel says.Its time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted, since we are still relying on a very 20th century notion of work, Hagel says . In our rapidly changing economy, we more than ever need people in the workplace who can take initiative and ex
39、ercise their imagination “to respond to unexpected events.“ Thats not something machines are good at. They are designed to perform very predictable activities.As Hagel notes, Brynjolfsson and McAfee indeed touched on this point in their book. We need to reframe race against the machine as race with
40、the machine . In other words, we need to look at the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it. So then the problem is not really about technology, but rather, “how do we innovate our institutions and our work practices?“31. According to the first paragraph, economic down
41、turns would _.Aease the competition of man vs. machineBhighlight machines threat to human jobsCprovoke a painful technological revolutionDoutmode our current economic structure32. The authors of Race Against the Machine argue that _.Atechnology is diminishing mans job opportunitiesBautomation is acc
42、elerating technological developmentCcertain jobs will remain intact after automationDman will finally win the race against machine33. Hagel argues that jobs in the U.S. are often _.Aperformed by innovative mindsBscripted with an individual styleCstandardized without a clear targetDdesigned against h
43、uman creativity34. According to the last paragraph, Brynjolfsson and McAfee discussed _.Athe predictability of machine behavior in practiceBthe formula for how work is conducted efficientlyCthe ways machines replace human labor in modern timesDthe necessity of human involvement in the workplace35. W
44、hich of the following could be the most appropriate title for the text?AHow to Innovate Our Work PracticesBMachines will Replace Human LaborCCan We Win the Race Against Machines7DEconomic Downturns Stimulate InnovationsText 4When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy
45、the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy. Housing is seldom mentioned。Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating the real value that housing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typi
46、cal housing project. It is hard to shove for attention among multibillion-pound infrastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged。Nevertheless, the affordable housing s
47、ituation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes。The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent hous
48、ing need。There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next f
