1、2013 年研究生入学考试英语二真题与解析英语二完型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 1. (10 points)Given the advantages of electronic money, you might think that we would move quickly to the cashless society in w
2、hich all payments are made electronically. _1_, a true cashless society is probably not around the corner. Indeed, predictions of such a society have been _2_ for two decades but have not yet come to fruition. For example, Business Week predicted in 1975 that electronic means of payment “would soon
3、revolutionize the very _3_ of money itself,” only to _4_ itself several years later. Why has the movement to a cashless society been so _5_ in coming?Although e-money might be more convenient and may be more efficient than a payments system based on paper, several factors work _6_ the disappearance
4、of the paper system. First, it is very _7_ to set up the computer, card reader, and telecommunications networks necessary to make electronic money the _8_ form of payment. Second, paper checks have the advantage that they _9_ receipts, something that many consumers are unwilling to _10_. Third, the
5、use of paper checks gives consumers several days of “float“-it takes several days _11_ a check is cashed and funds are _12_ from the issuers account, which means that the writer of the check can earn interest on the funds in the meantime. _13_ electronic payments are immediate, they eliminate the fl
6、oat for the consumer. Fourth, electronic means of payment _14_ security and privacy concerns. We often hear media reports that an unauthorized hacker has been able to access a computer database and to alter information _15_ there.Because this is not an _16_ occurrence, unscrupulous persons might be
7、able to access bank accounts in electronic payments systems and _17_ funds by moving them from someone elses accounts into their own. The _18_ of this type of fraud is no easy task, and a whole new field of computer science has developed to _19_ security issues. A further concern is that the use of
8、electronic means of payment leaves an electronic _20_ that contains a large amount of personal data on buying habits. There are worries that government, employers, and marketers might be able to access these data, thereby encroaching on our privacy.1. A However B Moreover C Therefore D Otherwise2. A
9、 off B back C over D around3. A power B concept C history D role4. A reward B resist C resume D reverse5. A silent B sudden C slow D steady6. A for B against Cwith D on7. A imaginative B expensive C sensitive D productive8. A similar B original C temporary D dominant9. A collect B provide C copy D p
10、rint10. A give up B take over C bring back D pass down11. A before B after C since D when12. A kept B borrowed C released D withdrawn13. A Unless B Until C Because D Though14. A hide B express C raise Dease15. A analyzed B shared C stored D displayed16. A unsafe B unnatural C uncommon D unclear17. A
11、 steal B choose C benefit D return18. A consideration B prevention C manipulation D justification19. A cope with B fight against C adapt to D call for20. A chunk B chip C path D trail英语二阅读原文及出处：Text 1In an essay, entitled “Making It in America,” in the latest issue of The Atlantic, the author Adam D
12、avidson relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill has only two employees today, “a man and a dog. The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines。 ”Davidson s article is one of a num
13、ber of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and sagging middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession, but it is also because of the quantum advances in both globalizatio
14、n and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers。In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle. But, today, average is officially over. Being average just wont earn you wha
15、t it used to. It cant when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius. Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in
16、whatever is their field of employment. Average is over。Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will. As they say, if horses could have voted, there never would have been cars. But theres been an acceleration. As Davidson notes, “In the 10 years ending in 2009, U.S. factories she
17、d workers so fast that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years; roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs about 6 million in total disappeared。 ”And you aint seen nothin yet. Last April, Annie Lowrey of Slate wrote about a start-up called“E la Carte” that is out to shrink t
18、he need for waiters and waitresses: The company “has produced a kind of souped-up iPad that lets you order and pay right at your table. The brainchild of a bunch of M.I.T. engineers, the nifty invention, known as the Presto, might be found at a restaurant near you soon. . You select what you want to
19、 eat and add items to a cart. Depending on the restaurants preferences, the console could show you nutritional information, ingredients lists and photographs. You can make special requests, like dressing on the side or quintuple bacon. When youre done, the order zings over to the kitchen, and the Pr
20、esto tells you how long it will take for your items to come out. . Bored with your companions? Play games on the machine. When youre through with your meal, you pay on the console, splitting the bill item by item if you wish and paying however you want. And you can have your receipt e-mailed to you.
21、 . Each console goes for $100 per month. If a restaurant serves meals eight hours a day, seven days a week, it works out to 42 cents per hour per table making the Presto cheaper than even the very cheapest waiter。 ”What the iPad wont do in an above average way a Chinese worker will. Consider this pa
22、ragraph from Sundays terrific article in The Times by Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher about why Apple does so much of its manufacturing in China: “Apple had redesigned the iPhones screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly-line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the Chinese plant near mid
23、night. A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the companys dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the p
24、lant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day. The speed and flexibility is breathtaking, the executive said. Theres no American plant that can match that. ”And automation is not just coming to manufacturing, explains Curtis Carlson, the chief executive of SRI International, a Silicon Valley idea lab
25、 that invented the Apple iPhone program known as Siri, the digital personal assistant. “Siri is the beginning of a huge transformation in how we interact with banks, insurance companies, retail stores, health care providers, information retrieval services and product services。 ”There will always be
26、change new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average. Here are the latest unemployment rates from the B
27、ureau of Labor Statistics for Americans over 25 years old: those with less than a high school degree, 13.8 percent; those with a high school degree and no college, 8.7 percent; those with some college or associate degree, 7.7 percent; and those with bachelors degree or higher, 4.1 percent。In a world
28、 where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to buttress employment, but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G.I. Bill for the 21st century that ensures that every American has access to post-high school education。亚当戴维森(Adam Davidson)在美国制造一文中提到南部种棉地区的一
29、个笑话，内容涉及现代纺织厂自动化的程度：如今的普通工厂只有两个雇员， “一个人外加一条狗。人是负责喂狗的，狗是让人不要靠近机器的。 ”我们的失业率为何居高不下、中产阶级收入为何下降，其实大部分是由于大衰退造成的需求大幅下降。这其中也有全球化和信息科技革命巨大进步的推动：机器或者外国工人取代劳力的速度空前。最近有大量文章都在讨论这些，戴维森的文章只是其中一篇而已。过去，只要有个一般的手艺，做份普通的工作，工人生活就过得还凑合。但如今，拥有一般水平不行了。不出众就没法像过去一样活着了。因为现在越来越多的雇主有大把的机会接触到不错的外国廉价劳动力、便宜的机器人、廉价的软件、低廉的自动化设备和要价低的
30、人才。因此，人人都需要有另外的价值：异于常人的独特价值能够让他们在各自的雇佣市场上脱颖而出。靠平庸就能过日子的时代结束了。是的，新技术一直就在吞噬我们的工作，将来还会继续吞噬。而且吞噬的速度在加快。俗话说，如果马会投票，那就永远不会有小轿车了。如戴维森所言， “2009 年之前的十年内，美国工厂裁撤工人速度之快，基本上等于过去 70年新增的工人数量；大概每三个工作岗位就有一个岗位消失了，总共约有 600万之多。 ”还有好戏呢。去年四月，Slate 杂志的安妮洛瑞 (Annie Lowrey)写了一篇初创公司 E la Carte 的文章，其目标是减少对服务生的需要：这家公司“已经生产出了一种增
31、强版的 iPad，它可以让您在桌边点菜和买单。也许很快在身边的餐馆里你就会见到这个麻省理工工程师们的杰作、时髦的发明 Presto 了。你可以选择你想吃的，把它放进小推车里。根据餐馆的选择，控制设备会显示营养信息、成分清单和图片等。你也可以有具体的需求，比如说调料放在边上或者五倍的熏肉 。你都决定好之后，订单立马会传到厨房，Presto 会告诉你所点的东西花多长时间可以出来。. 与同伴等得不耐烦了？那就再 iPad 上玩玩游戏吧。吃完饭之后，你可以在控制设备上付款，如果你愿意，你可以一个菜一个菜地分割账单付款，你也可以选择付款方式。你还可以要求将收据发邮件给你。. 使用每个控制设备每月需要 1
32、00 美金。如果一家餐馆每天营业 8 小时，每周营业 7 天，那么每张餐桌每小时的成本只有 42 美分：因此 Presto 比最廉价的服务员都便宜。 ”iPad 不能以超常方式做的，中国工人都可以做。来看看查尔斯 杜赫(Charles Duhigg) 和基斯？布拉德舍 (Keith Bradsher)在周日在本报 (纽约时报)上的一篇美文吧，文中有一段讲述了苹果公司为什么将那么多的生产环节放在中国：“最后一刻，苹果公司重新设计了 iPhone 的屏幕，因此装配线需要全部调整。午夜时分左右，新屏幕开始到达中国工厂。根据这位执行官的叙述，一名领班立即叫醒了公司宿舍的 8000 名工人。每人领了一份
33、饼干和一杯茶后，就被带到一个车间，半小时内，他们就开始了 12 小时的轮班，将玻璃屏幕装到斜面框架中。96 小时之后，这家工厂每天就能生产 1 万台 iPhone.这种速度和灵活性令人目瞪口呆。 这位执行官说， 在美国找不到这样的工厂。 ”自动化也不仅仅发生在生产领域，硅谷科技公司孵化器斯坦福国际研究院(SRIInternational)的首席执行官柯蒂斯 卡尔森(CurtisCarlson)说。该公司发明了苹果 iPhone 的个人数字助理服务 Siri 程序。 “在改变我们与银行、保险公司、零售商店、医疗保健提供商、信息检索服务公司和产品生产公司的关系方面，Siri 只是这个巨大转变的开始
34、。 ”变化总是会存在的，新工作、新产品和新服务都会出现。但我们确信无疑的是，全球化和科学技术每前进一步，最好的工作都会要求工人接收过更多的更优质的教育，这样他们才会超于常人。下面是美国劳工局对美国 25 岁以上人群的最新失业率统计：高中学历都没有的失业率为 13.8%；有高中学历，但没大学学历的为 8.7%；有大学或大专学历的为 7.7%；有学士甚至更高学位的只有 4.1%。在一个平庸者已经无法生存的时代，我们需要做的促进就业的事情有很多，但没有哪个比通过像退伍军人权利法案之类的法案来得重要。只有这样，才能保证 21 世纪的每个美国都能接受高中之后的教育。Text 2Imagine a new
35、 immigration policyA century ago, the immigrants from across the Atlantic included settlers and sojourners. Along with the many folks looking to make a permanent home in the United States came those who had no intention to stay, and who would make some money and then go home. Between 1908 and 1915,
36、about 7 million people arrived while about 2 million departed. About a quarter of all Italian immigrants, for example, eventually returned to Italy for good. They even had an affectionate nickname, “uccelli di passaggio,“ birds of passage。Today, we are much more rigid about immigrants. We divide new
37、comers into two categories: legal or illegal, good or bad. We hail them as Americans in the making, or brand them as aliens fit for deportation. That framework has contributed mightily to our broken immigration system and the long political paralysis over how to fix it。We dont need more categories,
38、but we need to change the way we think about categories. We need to look beyond strict definitions of legal and illegal. To start, we can recognize the new birds of passage, those living and thriving in the gray areas. We might then begin to solve our immigration challenges。Crop pickers, violinists,
39、 construction workers, entrepreneurs, engineers, home health-care aides and particle physicists are among todays birds of passage. They are energetic participants in a global economy driven by the flow of work, money and ideas. They prefer to come and go as opportunity calls them. They can manage to
40、 have a job in one place and a family in another。With or without permission, they straddle laws, jurisdictions and identities with ease. We need them to imagine the United States as a place where they can be productive for a while without committing themselves to staying forever. We need them to fee
41、l that home can be both here and there and that they can belong to two nations honorably。Imagine life with a radically different immigration policy: The Jamaican woman who came as a visitor and was looking after your aunt until she died could try living in Canada for a while. You could eventually as
42、k her to come back to care for your mother。The Indian software developer could take some of his Silicon Valley earnings home to join friends in a little start-up, knowing that he could always work in California again. Or the Mexican laborer who busts his back on a Wisconsin dairy farm for wages that
43、 keep milk cheap would come and go as needed because he could decide which dairy to work for, and a bi-national bank program was helping him save money to build a better life for his kids in Mexico。Accommodating this new world of people in motion will require new attitudes on both sides of the immig
44、ration battle. Looking beyond the culture war logic of right or wrong means opening up the middle ground and understanding that managing immigration today requires multiple paths and multiple outcomes, including some that are not easy to accomplish legally in the existing system。A new system that en
45、courages both sojourners and settlers would not only help ensure that our society receives the human resources it will need in the future, it also could have an added benefit: Changing the rigid framework might help us resolve the status of the estimated 11 million unauthorized migrants who are our
46、shared legacy of policy failures。Currently, we do not do gray zones well. Hundreds of thousands of people slosh around in indeterminate status because theyre caught in bureaucratic limbo or because they have been granted temporary stays that are repeatedly extended. President Barack Obama created a
47、paler shade of gray this summer by exercising prosecutorial discretion not to deport some young people who were brought to this country illegally as children. But these are exceptions, not rules。The basic mechanism for legal immigration today, apart from the special category of refugee, is the legal
48、 permanent resident visa, or green card. Most recipients are people sponsored by close relatives who live in the United States. As the name implies, this mechanism is designed for immigrants who are settling down. The visa can be revoked if the holder does not show “intent to remain“ by not maintaining a U.S. address, going abroad to work full time or just traveling indefinitely. Legal residents are assumed to be on their way to becoming Americans, physically, culturally and legally. After five years of living here, they become eligible for citizenship and a chance to gain voting rights and
