四、英语阅读理解题 阅读下列短文,从每题给出的四个选项中,选出最佳答案。 A truly informed diner would choose a restaurant based on the quality of the menu and the chef's experience. The discerning investor would decide which company to back after studying the business plan and meeting the founders. In reality, people often copy the choices of others. Diners pick the crowded restaurant over the empty one. Investors go with the company that already has multiple backers. Such bandwagon effects are not necessarily irrational. Often, the buyer knows less about a product than the seller; the collective wisdom of the crowd can correct for such "asymmetric information". Scholars are now asking whether herd behavior also prevails in labor markets. To find out, Kory Kroft of the University of Toronto devised an experiment in which they applied for 3,000 clerical, administrative, sales and customer-service jobs advertised online by submitting 12,000 fictitious CVs. The submissions were designed so that applicants with similar backgrounds, education and experience went for the same job. The only difference was how long the applicant had been jobless, a period that ranged from no time at all to as much as 36 months. They found that the odds of an applicant being called back by an employer declined steadily as the duration of unemployment rose, from 7.4% after one month without work down t0 4-5% at the eight-month mark, where the call-back rate stabilized. These results, the authors say, cannot be because employers found some qualitative flaw in the longer-term unemployed that was hidden from outsiders, since the applicants were similar in other respects. Another explanation for long-term unemployment—that people make less effort to find work as their time out of the labor force lengthens—is also not applicable here. A third possibility is that employers equate lengthening unemployment with atrophying skills and thus falling productivity. But this should be true whether the economy is booming or in recession. The decline incall-back rates was much more pronounced in cities with tight labour markets; call-back rates changed relatively little when higher unemployment prevailed locally. From this, the authors infer that employers are more likely to overlook a long period of unemployment if overall economic conditions are stacked against candidates. These results strongly suggest that long-term unemployment is at least partly self-fulfilling. Like-patrons who avoid restaurants purely because they are empty, employers were reluctant to hire someone other employers didn't want.
1. By saying "asymmetric information" (Para. 1), what does the author mean? ______
A.The collective wisdom is more than an individual's.
B.The crowd may have more information of product.
C.The seller have more wisdom than the buyer.
D.The seller know more than the buyer of the product information.
A B C D
D
[解析] 含义题。根据题干关键词定位到文章第一段。该段提到Often, the buyer knows less about a product than the seller; the collective wisdom of the crowd can correct for such "asymmetric information",由such可知“asymmetric information”指的就是前文的the buyer knows less about a product than the seller,因此D项“卖方对产品信息的了解多于买方”为正确答案。A项“大众智慧高于个人”并非其所指。B项“大众对产品了解得更多”、C项“卖家比买家聪明”均与原文不符。故本题选D。
2. Kory Kroft of the University of Toronto devised an experiment to ______.
A.figure out whether bandwagon behavior is also popular in labor markets
B.test the difference of applicants with similar backgrounds, education and experience
C.test the fictitious CVs for 3,000 clerical, administrative, sales and customer-service jobs
D.figure out how the bandwagon behavior affect the choice of employee
A B C D
A
[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第二段。由本段第一、二句Scholars are now asking whether herd behavior also prevails in labor markets. To find out, Kory Kroft of the University of Toronto devised an experiment...,可知实验的目的是to find out whether herd behavior also prevails in labor markets。由此可知A项为正确答案,figure out, bandwagon behavior, popular分别是原文find out, herd behavior, prevail的同义复现。B项“测试这些有相似背景、学历和经验的申请者的不同”、C项“测试3000份应聘办事员、管理人员、销售人员以及客服人员的虚假简历”均不是实验目的。D项“探索从众行为如何影响面试者的选择”,与原文不符,原文是探索从众行为对雇主招聘的影响。故本题选A。
3. One reasonable explanation for the research results may be ______.
A.employers found some qualitative flaw in the longer-term unemployed
B.people make less effort to find work as their unemployment time lengthens
C.lengthening unemployment is equated with falling productivity
D.call-back rates declined clearly when higher unemployment prevailed
A B C D
C
[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第四、五段。本题要求找出能够合理解释实验结果的选项。由第五段的第一、二句可以得出C项“长时间失业等同于工作效率的下降”为正确答案。根据第四段These results...cannot be because...可知A项错误。根据第四段Another explanation for...is also not applicable here可知B项错误。D项declined clearly与原文表述不符,且不属于对实验结果原因的解释,也排除。故本题选C。
4. The research results convey the message that ______.
A.long-term unemployment has nothing with call-back rates
B.long-term unemployment is partly self-fulfilling
C.patrons avoid restaurants purely because they are empty
D.employers were willing to hire someone other employers didn't want
A B C D
B
[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到最后一段。首句指出These results strongly suggest that long-term unemployment is at least partly self-fulfilling,因此B项为正确答案。A项“长期失业与回应率没有任何关系”,显然与原文表述不符。C项“常客因为餐馆门庭冷落而避免去此类餐馆”,这在实验之前就存在。D项“雇主愿意雇佣那些别人不想要的人”,与原文表述相反。故本题选B。
5. Generally speaking, the author's attitude towards bandwagon behavior is ______.
A.indifferent
B.critical
C.negative
D.favorable
A B C D
D
[解析] 态度题。此题考查作者对从众行为的态度,需结合全文做出判断。首段指出Such bandwagon effects are not necessarily irrational...the collective wisdom of the crowd can correct for such "asymmetric information",即从众效应不一定是非理性的,因为一般来说,买方对商品的了解要少于卖方,因而大众的集体智慧可以作为这种“不对称信息”的修正而存在。中间四段研究了从众效应对招聘市场的影响,最后一段指出,长期失业至少有一部分原因是自己造成的,雇主在招聘时候也不愿意雇佣那些别人不想要的人。由此可见作者认为从众效应是有一定道理的。故本题选D。
Humans are having a hard enough time coping with the natural variability in our environment, which causes disasters such as heat waves, wildfires and floods. Waiting without actions makes all three of those problems—and many more—worse. That was the serious warning from the world's scientific community last week, in the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The U.N. -chartered body produced its first comprehensive report since 2007 on the climate changes. There are some things the scientists are very confident will happen in a warming world over the next century. Sea levels will rise, threatening coastal cities and low-lying nations. Island states could get hit very hard. There are probably going to be relatively more extremely hot days than extremely cold ones, and food-borne illnesses will probably increase. But part of the risk of climate change is that scientists don't have a crystal ball to foretell how, exactly, the environment will respond to rising temperatures, and they are trying to predict effects over the course of decades. The experts anticipate that forests could die off and that wetland and rain forest ecosystems could crumble. They anticipate effects on water systems just about everywhere: more flooding in many places, less water in dry areas, more humidity inhibiting human labor in wetter climes. There could also be some positive effects for some, the experts note. They predict fewer deaths due to cold, but more due to heat. Some areas of the planet, particularly in higher latitudes, might become more fertile. But lower crop yields elsewhere will outweigh those benefits. Indeed, the planet's green lands along the equator might be much worse off. The scientists, for example, predict that fish and other aquatic life will flee elsewhere as ocean temperatures change. And, of course, there could be effects, good and bad, that the experts aren't anticipating. That shouldn't be comforting. The experts leave little doubt about the right response: Cut pollution to head off the worst possible consequences and prepare for the risks the world is unlikely to avoid, given its inability to slash emissions quickly. Delaying action, they note, reduces the world's options and affords vulnerable people less time to cope. Isn't it time we did something?
6. According to Paragraph 1, we know that ______.
A.climate change can cause only three types of disasters
B.we can wait until the climate become what it used to be
C.human beings have very limited power to deal with climate problems
D.climate change makes people feel that they must learn to meet challenges
A B C D
C
[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第一段。由Humans are having a hard enough time coping with the natural variability in our environment(人类正在艰难地应对环境中的自然变化)可知,人类在应对环境变化方面是很艰难的,故C项“人类解决气候问题的能力有限”为正确答案。其中的limited是对hard的改写。A项只是气候变化导致的有代表性的例子,属于以偏概全。B项是对段落含义的曲解,不符合题意。D项“气候变化使人们感到必须学会面对新挑战”属于过度推断,原文并没有提及。故本题选C。
7. Climate change may cause the following disasters EXCEPT ______.
A.floods will erode highland soil
B.coastal cities will be threatened
C.low-lying nations will be affected by higher sea level
D.wetland and rain forest ecosystems could be in great danger
A B C D
A
[解析] 细节题。根据第三段中的Sea levels will rise, threatening coastal cities and low-lying nations. 及第五段中的Some areas of the planet, particularly in higher latitudes, might become more fertile可知,洪水并没有对高地势地区造成危害,故A项描述错误,为题目要求的答案。这两句中的前一句说明了B项“沿海城市将受到威胁”、C项“低洼国家将受到海平面上升的影响”描述正确。第四段中的The experts anticipate that forests could die off and that wetland and rain forest ecosystems could crumble说明D项“湿地和雨林生态系统将处于危险之中”描述正确。故本题选A。
8. What positive result will climate change cause? ______
A.There will be fewer deaths due to climate change.
B.Areas in higher latitudes may become more suitable for plants' growth.
C.Plants in lower latitudes may grow even more luxuriant.
D.Cities in dry areas will have enough water resource.
A B C D
B
[解析] 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第五段。由Some areas of the planet, particularly in higher latitudes, might become more fertile可知,B项“高纬度地区将更适合植物的生长”为正确答案。A项“由于气候变化,死亡将大大减少”与段中They predict fewer deaths due to cold,but more due to heat. 描述不一致,气候变热还是变冷对于死亡的影响是不同的。C项“低纬度地区的植物将更加茂盛”与段中Indeed, the planet's green lands along the equator might be much worse off相矛盾。D项“干燥地区将有充足的水资源”与第四段中的more flooding in many places, less water in dry areas相矛盾。故本题选B。
9. What does the last paragraph imply? ______
A.Human beings are vulnerable groups in the world.
B.Human beings have no ability to reduce emissions.
C.Human beings are preparing for the coming risks.
D.Pollutions may be the major cause of climate change.
A B C D
D
[解析] 推断题。根据题干关键词定位到最后一段。根据...the right response: Cut pollution to head off the worst possible consequences可知,减少污染可以阻止最坏结果的发生,故可推断D项“污染可能是气候变化的主因”为正确答案。A项“人类是世界上脆弱的群体”在本段找不到相关信息。B项“人类没有能力减少污染”与inability to slash emissions quickly不符,不能很快减少排放并不意味着没有能力。根据Delaying action...affords vulnerable people less time to cope可知,本句说的是将来的事情,故C项“人类正在为即将到来的危险做准备”不符合题意。故本题选D。
10. What can we infer from the text? ______
A.Climate change has caused great damage to most countries in the world.
B.To stop climate change will greatly improve the development of the world.
C.It is urgent for human beings to take measures to prevent climate change.
D.Human beings should build man-made highlands to avoid floods.