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 Times are tough for the hundreds of English-language colleges that cluster along the south coast of England. Reforms to the student-visa system that are 1 to help cut immigration are limiting the inflow of foreigners 2 in them. But language entrepreneurs are finding 3 ways to meet the rising demand for tuition. Students who visit English City, a language-teaching program, can chat to passers by 4 they wander through the streets, meet their tutors in virtual cafes and order snacks. Shiv Rajendran, who founded LanguageLab, a London-based start-up that 5 English City, says business is booming, though from a 6 base. Online language instructors are benefiting from recent changes to the immigration regime. Schools that 7 students from outside the European Union must now demonstrate their trustworthiness to the borders agency. 8 , students can no longer obtain a general visa that 9 their time at both language school and university. 10 , Tony Millns of English UK, a lobby group, 11 that 40,000 fewer language students will come this year, leaving Britain £600m 12 off. Another response to this 13 among some adventurous English-language colleges has been to set up shop abroad. The London School of English has established campuses in Georgia and Qatar and is 14 elsewhere. Still, some students who might have come to Britain will probably 15 instead for a conventional course in America or Australia. And reforms among English-language teachers in Britain won't 16 the impact of the visa changes on the broader economy. Colleges that are opening international branches will charge fees, but most of the income will remain 17 . Online educators are recruiting tutors in other time 18 so that classes can be taught 19 the clock. English is more popular than 20 , but the country of its birth is ill-placed to profit.
1.
A.tended
B.intended
C.suspended
D.attempted
A B C D
B
[解析] 上下文语意关系和动词词义辨析。 [解题思路] 文章第一句指出,英格兰南海岸聚集着几百家英语语言学校,它们现在的日子很不好过。接着空格所在句对首句进行具体说明,指出这些语言学校日子不好过的原因:“______削减移民数量的英国学生签证系统改革,限制了他们招收外国学生的数量”。空格所填词位于修饰主语的定语从句中,且构成be...to结构作谓语。将四个选项代入文中,只有选项[B]符合文意,be intended to do意为“旨在;意欲”,在文中表明“签证系统改革”的目的在于“限制移民”。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]tend意为“倾向,趋向”时为不及物动词,可用于tend to do这一结构中,但不能用于被动语态,而tend作及物动词时,意为“照顾,护理”,代入原句语意不通,故排除[A]。选项[C]suspend意为“暂停,中止”,代入文中句意为“被暂停的学生签证系统改革”,由上下文很容易得知此项改革正在进行,不可能是“暂停的”,故选项(C]不符合文意。选项[D]attempt意为“尝试,努力”,只能用于主动语态,且主语必须是人,与原文的被动语态不符,故选项[D]也可排除。
[解析] 上下文逻辑关系和介词短语辨析。 [解题思路] 本题空格前的内容指出“招收学生的学校要提供诚信证明”(demonstrate their trustworthiness),“学生们无法再获得通用签证”(students can no longer obtain a general visa),空格后的内容又指出“英国的一个游说团体______今年到英国学习语言的学生人数将减少4万”。空格所在处需要填入一个表示上下文逻辑关系的介词短语,由于“对于从海外招收学生严加管理”和“学生不能再获得通用签证”是“招生人数减少”的原因,而选项[A]As a result正是表示因果关系的介词短语,故为本题答案。 [干扰排除] 选项[B]In a word意为“总之”,选项[C]In a sense意为“就某种意义来说”,两者均表示总结关系,不符合空格前后两句的逻辑关系,故排除选项[B]和[C]。选项[D]By the way意为“顺便说一下”,表示改变话题,而本句谈及的依然是学生招生数量的问题,这与前面的主题一致,故排除[D]。
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
Text 1 A small group of Internet security specialists gathered in Singapore to start up a global system to make e-mail and e-commerce more secure, end the rapid growth of passwords and raise the bar significantly for Internet fraud, spies and troublemakers. The Singapore event included an elaborate technical ceremony to create and then securely store numerical keys that will be kept in three hardened data centers there, in Zurich and in San Jose, Calif. The keys and data centers are working parts of a technology known as Secure DNS, or DNSSEC. DNS refers to the Domain Name System, which is a directory that connects names to numerical Internet addresses. Preliminary work on the security system had been going on for more than a year, but this was the first time the system went into operation, even though it is not quite complete. The three centers are fortresses made up of five layers of physical, electronic and cryptographic security, making it virtually impossible to damage the system. Four layers are active now. The fifth, a physical barrier, is being built inside the data center. The technology is viewed by many computer security specialists as a ray of hope amid the recent cascade of data thefts, attacks, disruptions and scandals, including break-ins at Citibank, Sony, Lockheed Martin, RSA Security and elsewhere. It allows users to communicate via the Internet with high confidence that the identity of the person or organization they are communicating with is not being tricked or forged. Internet engineers like Dan Kaminsky, an independent network security researcher who is one of the engineers involved in the project, want to counteract three major deficiencies in today's Internet. There is no mechanism for ensuring trust, the quality of software is uneven, and it is difficult to track down bad actors. One reason for these flaws is that from the 1960s through the 1980s the engineers who designed the network's underlying technology were concerned about reliable, rather than secure, communications. That is starting to change with the introduction of Secure DNS by governments and other organizations. The event in Singapore capped a process that began more than a year ago and is expected to be complete after 300 so-called top-level domains have been digitally signed. Before the Singapore event, 70 countries had adopted the technology, and 14 more were added as part of the event. While large countries are generally doing the technical work to include their own domains in the system, the association of Internet security specialists is helping smaller countries and organizations with the process.
1. It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that the global system the Internet security specialists gathered to start up______.
A.is still on the drawing board
B.can put an end to Internet fraud
C.has won specialists much acclaim
D.has multi-advantages over previous ones
A B C D
D
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 根据题干关键词Paragraphs 1 and 2可定位至文章第一、二段。文章首段指出,互联网安全专家集会新加坡的目的是启动一个新的全球性网络安全系统。第二段指出该安全系统的目的:使电邮与电子商务更安全,终止密码暴增,极大地增加发生欺诈、间谍活动以及制造麻烦的难度(make e-mail and e-commerce more secure...)。由此可知,新的网络安全系统可以解决互联网安全方面的一系列问题,故推断原来的互联网安全系统并没有解决这些问题,所以与以前的系统相比,新系统具有很多优势,故选项[D]正确。 [干扰排除] 第二段最后一句指出,该安全系统的准备工作已经进行了一年多,在新加坡集会上首次投入使用(Preliminary work on the security...this was the first time the system went into operation),由此可判断该系统现在已经开始应用了。选项[A]意为“还在筹划阶段”,显然与文意不符,可排除。第一段提到启动新安全系统的目的之一是极大地增加网络欺诈的难度(raise the bar for Internet fraud),但并没有说能将其完全终结(put an end to),故选项[B]“终结网络欺诈”与原文不符。本文前两段提及了网络安全专家创建新的安全网络的目的以及该网络系统的某些技术细节,并未涉及人们对该系统的评价,选项[C]“为专家们赢得赞誉”并无依据,故排除。
2. The word "counteract"(Line 2, Paragraph 5) most probably means______.
A.the Net security system has protected lots of companies from data thefts
B.scientists sees the Net Security System as a promising technology
C.companies like Sony are undergoing an Internet security crisis
D.communication via the Internet makes people more confident
A B C D
B
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 根据题干关键词Paragraph 4可将本题定位至文章第四段。该段首句指出,在花旗银行、索尼等公司遭到数据盗窃、攻击、破坏和制造丑闻等非法入侵的情况下,很多网络安全专家把这一技术视为一线希望(a ray of hope)。由此可知,网络安全专家们看好“网络安全系统”这一技术,选项[B]是对原文第四段第一句话的同义改写,故为答案。 [干扰排除] 原文第四段提到,近期数据盗窃十分猖獗(cascade of data thefts),在此背景下,网络科学家们将“网络安全系统”这一技术视为一线希望(a ray of hope),但不能由此推断出该系统保护许多公司免受数据盗窃,故排除选项[A]。也不能由此推断出许多公司目前正经历网络安全危机,故排除选项[C]。第四段最后一句提到“该技术可以保证用户通过互联网进行通信时,与自己交流的人或组织的身份不是假冒或伪造的”,文中的confidence意指“确信与自己在线交流的人身份真实”,而不是“在线交流使人有信心”,故排除选项[D]。
4. We can infer from the last paragraph that______.
A.the Net security system will catch on soon
B.engineers prefer to wait and see how things go
C.actions are taken to utilize the security system
D.more countries are supposed to invest in the system
A B C D
C
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 根据本题题干中的last paragraph定位至末段。该段第二句指出,在新加坡集会之前已经有70个国家采用了这一技术,又有14个国家成为新加坡集会的新成员(70countries had adopted the technology...)。最后一句也指出“一般来说,大国正在做技术工作,将自己的域名加入该系统中,而互联网安全专家小组正在帮助较小的国家和机构完成这项工作”,由此可判断,各方正在积极采取行动应用该安全系统。选项[C]表述的内容与原文吻合,故为正确选项。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]中的catch on意为“流行”,原文中只是提到该系统目前的进展如何,何时能够完成等情况,并没有对该系统的应用前景做出预测,故排除该选项。选项[B]与末句信息不符,该句提到互联网安全专家们正在帮助较小的国家和机构推进该安全系统的建没(the consortium of Internet security specialists is helping...),故他们并不是在观望,而是有积极的行动,故排除该项。选项[D]中的“投资该系统”(invest in the system)属无中生有,文中并没有投资网络安全系统的相关内容,故可排除该选项。
5. What would be the best title for the text?
A.An Independent Net Security System Is Used
B.Secure DNS Has Grown Mature Nowadays
C.Secure DNS Will Become A Popular Technology
D.A Stronger Net Security System Is Under Way
A B C D
D
[解析] 主旨要义题。 [解题思路] 本题要求拟定文章的最佳标题(the best title),故需对全文的行文脉络及主旨大意有清晰的把握。本文开宗明义,直奔主题:互联网安全专家启动一个全球性的互联网安全系统,以确保电子邮件和电子商务更为安全,终结密码数量不断增加,极大地增加了互联网欺诈、间谍活动和制造麻烦的难度。第二、三段对新安全系统的技术细节进行了说明。第四至六段说明了新的安全系统要解决的问题、现有网络的缺陷以及造成这些缺陷的原因。末段介绍了该系统的使用进展状况。综上所述,全文讨论的中心是“新的全球网络安全系统”,从其技术特点、功能作用以及使用状况等方面展开,四个选项中,最切合文意的是选项[D]。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]具有较强的干扰性,与原文不符的是independent,该词出现在第五段"Internet engineers like Dan Kaminsky, an independent...",此处是指Dan Kaminsky独立网络工程师的身份,与新的网络发全系统无关,故排除选项[A]。选项[B]和选项[C]中的关键词都是Secure DNS,这是出现于第二段的一个专有名词,这只是整个网络安全系统涉及的一种技术,并不能概括全文的内容。此外,文章也并未就该技术是否成熟、是否流行做出评价,可见选项[B]和[C]并非本文主旨,故排除。
Text 2 Compared with IBM, Microsoft is a mere young company. Founded in 1975, it rose swiftly to dominate the world of personal computing with its Windows operating system and Office suite of word-processing and other productivity tools. But the company is now showing some worrying signs of middle-age fatigue. In particular, it is struggling to find a growth strategy that will enthuse disappointed shareholders. Complaint are understandable. Since Steve Ballmer took over from Bill Gates as chief executive in 2000, Microsoft's share price has decreased and the company has lost its reputation as a tech trend-setter. It has been left behind in hot areas such as search and social networking by younger companies, some of which love to thumb their noses at their older rival. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, recently proclaimed that leadership in the tech world had passed from Microsoft and others to a "Gang of Four" fast-growing, consumer-oriented businesses: Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. Few would object to that. The question is: what,if anything, can Microsoft do to change it? In at least some respects, the company appears to be suffering from similar ailments to those that laid IBM low before Lou Gerstner was hired in 1993 to get it back on its feet. These include arrogance bred of dominance of a particular area-mainframe computers at IBM, personal computers at Microsoft—and internal fiefs that hamper swift change. As IBM's experience shows, recovery in the tech world is possible. And some observers see encouraging signs of progress at Microsoft. Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester, a research firm, reckons that Windows 8, a forthcoming version of Microsoft's operating system, could be a serious competitor to Google's Android on tablet computers if the company can get it to market next year.Microsoft is also in far better shape financially than IBM was at its lowest point, so it can afford to splash out on acquisitions such as its recent $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, an internet-phone and video-calling service. That bet and an alliance with Nokia in mobile phones show that Microsoft is trying to bulk up in promising areas. Yet sceptics worry that such initiatives are not the product of an comprehensive strategic vision, but are instead temporary moves designed to calm critics who fear Microsoft is drifting downwards. David Einhorn, a prominent hedge-fund manager whose fund holds shares in Microsoft, has publicly called for a change at the top of the firm, arguing that Mr Ballmer is "stuck in the past". So far, the company's board, chaired by Mr Gates, has backed its chief executive. But if IBM's history is a guide, Microsoft may yet end up jettisoning its leader.
1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that______.
2. According to the text, Microsoft's younger competitors ______.
A.will prevail over Microsoft
B.challenge Microsoft's prestige
C.bring down Microsoft's share price
D.show contempt for Microsoft
A B C D
D
[解析] 具体信息题。 [解题思路] 根据题干关键词younger competitors定位至第二段。该段第三句指出,在搜索和社交网络等热门领域,微软被年轻公司甩在身后,一些公司喜欢对这个年长的竞争对手不屑一顾。本题的解题关键在于理解thumb their noses(对……蔑视,不屑一顾)的含义。另外,末句也指出谷歌执行总裁埃里克·施密特认为高科技领域老大的位置已经由微软转移到谷歌等更年轻的公司。由此可看出埃里克·施密特自信满满,并未将微软放在眼里,故选项[D]为答案。 [干扰排除] 第二段第三句指出微软在有些热门领域(hot areas)已经落后于年轻公司,文中并未提及其他领域的情况,所以选项[A]“将战胜微软”与原文不符,故排除。该段第二句指出微软的现状,即“微软的股价一直低迷,公司已经失去了作为技术潮流领先者的名望”。但文中并未提及年轻公司挑战微软的威望,故排除选项[B]。文章也并未提及其股票低迷是由于新兴公司打压股价造成的,选项[C]属于无中生有,缺乏依据,故排除。
3. According to the text, which of the following is true of Microsoft?
A.It is considering hiring a new CEO.
B.It is engaged in an internal reform.
C.It can rival IBM in mainframe computers.
D.It is committing the mistakes IBM once committed.
A B C D
D
[解析] 具体信息题。 [解题思路] 文章第三段第三句通过类比,指出微软似乎面临着曾让IBM状态低迷的类似问题(similar ailments),并具体说明了两方面的问题:由于领先而滋生的傲慢以及公司内部山头主义。由此可以看出,微软犯了IBM曾经犯过的错误,故选项[D]符合文意。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]是根据第三段第三句中before Lou Gerstner was hired in 1993 to get, it back on its feet设计的干扰项,路易斯·格斯特纳是IBM住1993年聘任的CEO,在他的领导下,IBM重振雄风。文章末段虽然提到有人呼吁微软易帅,但倒数第二句明确指出"So far, the company's board, chaired by Mr Gates, has backed its chief executive",即微软的董事会目前仍然支持现任.CEO,没有换人的打算,显然,选项[A]错误。选项[B]是利用internal fiefs that hamper swift change(妨碍迅速变化的公司内部山头主义)设计的干扰项,文中并没有说微软正在进行内部改革(internal reform),故排除该项。第三段未句提到的第一个问题是“在某一个领域占统治地位后滋生的做慢——对IBM而言,是大型主机领域,对微软而言则是个人电脑领域”,可见IBM在主机领域的统治地位无人能撼动,选项[C]与文意不符,故排除。
4. Some people are optimistic about Microsoft's future probably in that______.
A.they have faith in its innovation ability
B.its financial situation is better than IBM's
C.they have noticed the efforts it is making
D.Windows 8 and Skype are bound to be popular
A B C D
C
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 根据题干中的people are optimistic about Microsoft's future可定位至文章第四段,该段第二句指出“一些观察家们注意到微软出现了少许令人鼓舞的进步迹象”,之后具体说明了这些迹象,包括即将推出Windows 8操作系统,微软的财政状况尚可,收购相关公司等。可见人们注意到了微软为了摆脱危机所作的努力,因此对微软的前景感到乐观,由此推断选项[C]符合文意,故为答案。 [干扰排除] 文中并没有提及微软的创新能力(innovation ability),选项[A]属于无中生有,故排除。第四段末句提到微软目前的财政状况比IBM最低谷时要好得多,并没有说明“微软的经济状况比目前IBM的经济状况好”,故排除选项[B]。虽然该段提到微软即将推出Windows 8以及收购了Skype,但就两个产品的前景,作者只是引用了Sarah Rotman Epps的话指出“Windows 8操作系统如果在明年上市的话,对谷歌用在平板电脑上的安卓(Android)系统可能构成严重威肋”,对Skype的前景并未做任何分析,选项[D]过于绝对,与文意不符,故排除。
5. The word "jettisoning" (Last line, Paragraph 5) probably means______.
A.abandoning
B.criticizing
C.convincing
D.coaching
A B C D
A
[解析] 语义理解题。 [解题思路] 本题就jettisoning一词的含义进行提问,故可定位至文章最后一段。该段首先指出怀疑论者认为微软力求复兴的诸多措施都只是权宜之计(temporary moves designed to calm critics),接着公开呼吁微软更换高层(called for change at the top of the firm)。对此呼吁,微软的态度是:依然支持现任首席执行管。jettisoning一词所在句意为“如果IBM的历史是个指引的话,那么微软最终会______它的领导”,由于前文第三段中提到IBM在最低谷的时候,聘用了新的领导者,使其重振雄风(Lou Gerstner was hired in 1993 to get it back on its feet),如果IBM在关键时刻聘用新领导人的历史是微软的榜样的话,那么微软最后也将更换领导人,四个选项中只有选项[A]abandoning与此处的文意最符合,故为答案。 [干扰排除] 选项[B1意为“批评”,选项[C]意为“说服,使信服”,选项[D]意为“训练”。关于CEO的问题,文中一直讨论的是换帅的问题,并没有涉及划CEO进行指责、批评,或者对其进行培训及说服微软CEO做什么事情等内容,故排除[B]、[C]、[D]三项。
Text 3 A beautiful woman lowers her eyes shyly beneath a hat. In an earlier era, her gaze might have signaled a mysterious allure. But this is a 2003 advertisement for Zoloft, an inhibitory drug approved by the F.D.A. to treat social anxiety disorder. "Is she just shy? Or is it Social Anxiety Disorder?" reads the caption, suggesting that the young woman is not luring people at all. She is sick. This does us all grave harm, because shyness and timidness—or more precisely, the careful, sensitive temperament from which both often spring—are not just normal. Indeed, they are valuable. And they may be essential to the survival of our species. But shyness and introversion share an undervalued status in a world that prizes being sociable. Children's classroom desks are now often arranged in pods, because group participation supposedly leads to better learning. Many adults work for organizations that now assign work in teams, in offices without walls, for supervisors who value "people skills" above all. As a society, we prefer action to contemplation, risk-taking to heed-taking, certainty to doubt. As the psychologist William Hart points out, phrases like "get active," "get moving," "do something" and similar calls to action surface repeatedly in recent books. Yet shy and introverted people have been part of our species for a very long time, often in leadership positions. We find them in recent history, in figures like Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, and, in contemporary times: think of Google's Larry Page. Sitters and strollers favor different survival strategies, which could be summed up as the sitter's "Look before you leap" versus the stroller's inclination to "Just do it!" Once you know about sitters and strollers, you see them everywhere, especially among young children. Drop in on your local Mommy and Me music class: there are the sitters, intently watching the action from their mothers' laps, while the strollers march around the room banging their drums and shaking their maracas. Relaxed and exploratory, the strollers have fun, make friends and will take risks, both rewarding and dangerous ones, as they grow. In contrast, sitter children are careful and shrewd, and tend to learn by observing instead of by acting. They notice scary things more than other children do, but they also notice more things in general. The psychologist Gregory Feist found that many of the most creative people in a range of fields are introverts who are comfortable working in solitary conditions in which they can f0CUS attention inward. Another advantage sitters bring to leadership is a willingness to listen to and implement other people's ideas. Now, it's time for the young woman in the Zoloft ad to rediscover her lure.
1. By citing the image of the woman, the author intends to______.
3. It can be inferred from the text that many famous figures______.
A.tend to isolate themselves from the public
B.might be too shy to become a great leader
C.are successful regardless of their shyness
D.tell us the importance of accepting ourselves
A B C D
C
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 由题干中的关键词famous figures可定位至第四段第二句。该句提到了几个著名人物:查尔斯·达尔文、阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦、谷歌的拉里·佩奇。句中的them指代前一句中提到的shy and introverted people,该句与上一段内容形成转折,指出害羞与内向型的人在历史上层出不穷,且通常处于领头人的位置(Yet shy and introverted people have been...leadership positions),故可判断尽管成功者中有很多人性格害羞内向,但这并不影响他们成为成功的领头人,选项[C]与此相符。 [干扰排除] 原文只提到了害羞内向的人自古就有,且往往居领导之位,没有具体说明他们内向害羞的表现,选项[A]属于无中生有,可排除。选项[B]意为“名人们可能太害羞而成不了领导者”,与原文意思相悖,也可排除。作者全文都在论述内向型人格的价值,但并没有提及“接受自己”,文中提到名人的共同特点是内向但成功,与是否“接受自己”无关,故选项[D]错误。
4. Which of the following differentiates a sitter from a stroller?
A.Optimistic spirit.
B.Keen insight.
C.Executive effect.
D.Eloquent appeal.
A B C D
B
[解析] 具体信息题。 [解题思路] 由题干中的关键词sitter和stroller定位至文章第五段和第六段。第五段简要介绍了两者之间的差别,第六段对两者之间的差别进行了具体分析。第六段第二句和第三句指出sitters的特性:他们细心而敏锐(careful and shrewd),善于以观察而不是行动来学习(tend to learn by observing instead of by acting),与其他孩子相比,更易觉察危险,而且注意到的东西更多(notice scary things, also notice more things in general)。由此可以看出,敏锐的观察力是sitters的一个重要特点,选项[B]中的keen与原文中的shrewd为同义替换,insight与observing属于同一语义范畴,故选项[B]为答案。 [干扰排除] 在分析sitters和strollers的不同时,除了sitters观察力强之外,作者还提到了“许多最具创造力者为性格内向者,他们乐于独立工作(who are comfortable working in solitary condition),乐于倾听(willingness to listen to),实施他人的想法(to implement other people's idea)。选项[A]意为“乐观精神”,选项[D]意为“口才好,有感染力”,这两项在文中均没有提及。选项[C]意为“执行效果”,是对implement other people's ideas的曲解,文中此处:卷为“他们更愿意倾听并实施他人的想法”,并没有说明“实施想法”的效果,故可排除选项[D]。
5. The author suggests that the traditional shyness of a woman______.
Text 4 Marriage, and its many ups and downs, still exercises a powerful hold over newspapers, magazines and the airwaves. Nearly 23m Americans watched Prince William being joined in holy marriage to Kate Middleton. Millions more have indulged in the break-up of Arnold Schwarzenegger's marriage after revelations that he fathered a son with a maid. Less delightful are revelations about the sorry state of marriage across the United States. Data from the Census Bureau show that married couples, for the first time, now make up less than half of all households. The iconic American family, with mom, dad and kids under one roof, is fading. In every state the numbers of unmarried couples, childless households and single-person households are growing faster than those comprised of married people with children, finds the 2010 census. And the trend has a potent class dimension. Traditional marriage has evolved from a near-universal ritual to a luxury for the educated and affluent. There barely was a marriage gap in 1960: only four percentage points separated the wedded ways of college and high-school graduates(76% versus 72%). The gap has since widened to 16 percentage points, according to the Pew Research Centre. "Marriage has become much more selective, and that's why the divorce rate has come down," said Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The project found that divorce rates for couples with college degrees are only a third as high as for those with a high-school degree. Americans with a high-school degree or less tell researchers they would like to marry, but do not believe they can afford it. Instead, they raise children out of wedlock. Only 6% of children born to college-educated mothers were born outside marriage, according to the National Marriage Project. That compares with 44% of babies born to mothers whose education ended with high school. "Less marriage means less income and more poverty," reckons Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She and other researchers have linked as much as half of the income inequality in America to changes in family composition: single-parent families (mostly those with a high-school degree or less) are getting poorer while married couples (with educations and dual incomes) are increasingly well-off. "This is a striking gap that is not well understood by the public," she says. Do not expect the Democratic Party, however, to make an issue of the marriage gap in next year's elections. Unmarried women voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. "You don't want to suggest to someone who isn't married and has children that they should be married," says Ms Sawhill. "That is a scorn on their lifestyle."
1. The first two paragraphs suggest that______.
A.the public like to spy on celebrities' marriage
B.many celebrities' marriages are going wrong
C.Americans' marriage is going downhill
D.people feel sorry for Americans' marriage
A B C D
C
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 根据本题关键词可将本题定位至第一、二段。开篇首先提出“婚姻”大受关注(exercises a powerful hold over newspapers...),并用威廉王子大婚和施瓦辛格离婚为例说明美国人对婚姻的关注度。接着第二段指出,美国人的婚姻现状让人难过(less delightful, sorry state of marriage),已婚夫妇的比例已经降到了历史最低(married couples, for the first time,make up less than half of all households),选项[C]意为“美国人的婚姻正在走下坡路”符合文意,且downhill与文中的sorry、less delightful相呼应,故选项[C]正确。 [干扰排除] 细节服务主旨,首段中的两个例子是首句所陈述现象的例证,作者想表达的观点是:婚姻以及婚姻中的高潮和低谷仍然在报纸、期刊以及电视节目中占据极大的分量。选项[A]“公众喜欢窥探名人婚姻”是对细节的过分引申,并非例证想要说明的内容,故排除该项。首段给出了施瓦辛格婚姻触礁的事例,但并没有提及其他名人婚姻状况不乐观,从文中推断不出选项[B]的内容,故排除。第二段首句提到了less delightful和sorry state of marriage,这是作者的个人感受,并不是公众的普遍看法,选项[D]张冠李戴,应排除。
2. According to the text, traditional marriage ______.
A.is no longer considered holy and meaningful
B.is doomed to be replaced by new forms
C.tends to be kept by the wealthy and cultivated
D.enables couples to be loyal to each other
A B C D
C
[解析] 具体信息题。 [解题思路] 根据题干关键词traditional marriage定位至第二段末句。该句明确指出了传统婚姻的变化:已经从一个几乎普遍适用的模式(near universal ritual)演变为受教育人群和富裕人群的奢侈品(a luxury for the educated and affluent)。选项[C]“更易为富人以及有文化的人所维持”与此相符,其中wealthy对应原句的affluent,而cultivated对应educated,故选项[C]为答案。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]属于无中生有,文章多处提到现在美国结婚的夫妻更少了,但并没有提到“传统婚姻不再神圣,不再有意义了”,故选项[A]无从推知。选项[B]意为“(传统婚姻)注定要被新的婚姻形式取代”,第三段虽然提到了新的家庭模式:unmarried couples, childless households and single-person households,但作者在文中只说明了这些新的家庭形式增长迅速,并没有说明“新的家庭模式会取代传统婚姻”,故选项[B]也可排除。选项[D]“(传统婚姻)使得夫妇彼此忠诚”在文中无出处,作者没有提及婚姻中夫妇的忠诚度问题,故排除该项。
3. Which of the following would the author most probably agree on?
A.Brides are more likely to have a college degree than they were.
B.Educated men don't mind marrying women with a high-school degree.
C.Couples don't end in divorce because both are well-educated.
D.The soaring cost of divorce prevents Americans from divorce.
A B C D
A
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 文章第四段提到受教育程度高者和受教育程度低者的婚姻状况:在20世纪60年代,高中毕业生和大学毕业生之间的结婚率差异很小,只相差4%,现在的差距是16%。由此可知,在过去,无论受教育程度如何,大家都选择结婚。而现在,受过大学教育的人选择结婚的更多,且第六段也提到有高中或者高中以下学历的人表示结不起婚(do not believe they can afford it)。因此与过去相比,结婚者更可能拥有大学学历,故选项[A]正确。 [干扰排除] 文章只是提及拥有大学学历者结婚率高,并没有提到男人想找什么学历的结婚对象,选项[B]无依据,故排除。第五段首句指出"Marriage has become much more selective, and that's why the divorce rate has come down",然后解释了受教育程度对离婚率的影响。但文中只是说离婚率降低,并没有说受过良好教育的人不会离婚,故选项[C]错误。第五段首句指出婚姻更有选择性,故离婚率下降了(marriage has become much more selective, that's why the divorce rate has come down),并没有提到“离婚成本高,所以离婚率下降”,故排除选项[D]。
4. According to the text, Isabel Sawhill suggests that______.
A.Americans' marital status affects their social status
B.Americans should take others' advice on marriage
C.people have no inclination to change others' lifestyle
D.the impact of marriage on finance hasn't been realized
A B C D
D
[解析] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 由题干中的Isabel Sawhill定位至第七段。该段首先说明了Isabel Sawhill的发现:结婚的人减少意味着更贫穷(less marriage means more poverty),一半的收入不平等与家庭构成的变化相关(half of the income inequality to changes in family composition)。最后一句则指出,她认为人们并未清楚地认识到这种差距,选项[D]是对该句的同义改写,故正确。 [干扰排除] 该段提到的是income, poverty, income inequality这些与家庭财产相关的内容,并未提及社会地位,因此选项[A]属于无中生有,故排除。末段中,Isabel Sawhill指出:你不要建议一个有孩子的未婚人士去结婚,那是对其生活方式的嘲笑。既然她认为人们不应该干涉别人是否应该结婚,因此选项[B]“人们应该接受别人有关婚姻的建议”无从谈起,排除该项。选项[C]是针对末句中lifestyle一词设计的干扰项,属于望文生义,这里没有谈及人们是否有改变别人生活方式的倾向,故排除。
5. Which of the following is the text mainly about?
A.The decline of marriage can be seen from statistics.
B.The traditional family is now the preserve of a minority.
C.Marriage can make Americans richer and smarter.
D.Marriage is a lifestyle that should be maintained.
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 text by choosing from the list A-G and filling them into the numbered boxes. Paragraphs D and E have been correctly placed. Mark your answers on [A] Many now take issue with this view. Several economists reckon that the brain-drain hypothesis fails to account for the effects of remittances, for the beneficial effects of returning migrants, and for the possibility that being able to migrate to greener pastures induces people to get more education. Some argue that once these factors are taken into account, an exodus of highly skilled people could turn out to be a net benefit to the countries they leave. Recent studies of migration from countries as far apart as Ghana, Fiji, India and Romania have found support for this "brain gain" idea. [B] There are more subtle ways in which the departure of some skilled people may aid poorer countries. Some emigrants would have been jobless had they stayed. Studies have found that unemployment rates among young people with college degrees in countries like Morocco and Tunisia are several multiples of those among the poorly educated, perhaps because graduates are more demanding. Migration may lead to a more productive pairing of people's skills and jobs. Some of the benefits of this improved match then flow back to the migrant's home country, most directly via remittances. [C] The possibility of emigration may even have beneficial effects on those who choose to stay, by giving people in Door countries an incentive to invest in education. A study of Cape Verdeans finds that an increase of ten percentage points in young people's perceived probability of emigrating raises the probability of their completing secondary school by around eight points. [D] When people in rich countries worry about migration, they tend to think of low-paid incomers who compete for jobs as construction workers, dishwashers or farmhands. When people in developing countries worry about migration, they are usually concerned at the prospect of their best and brightest decamping to Silicon Valley or to hospitals and universities in the developed world. These are the kind of workers that countries like Britain, Canada and Australia try to attract by using immigration rules that privilege college graduates. [E] The most obvious way in which migrants repay their homelands is through remittances. Workers from developing countries remitted a total of $325 billion in 2010, according to the World Bank. A skilled migrant may earn several multiples of what his income would have been had he stayed at home. A study of Romanian migrants to America found that the average emigrant earned almost $12,000 a year more in America than he would have done in his native land, a huge premium for someone from a country where income per person is around $7,500. [F] Lots of studies have found that well-educated people from developing countries are particularly likely to emigrate. By some estimates, two-thirds-of highly educated Cape Verdeans live outside the country. This "brain drain" has long bothered policymakers in poor countries. They fear that it hurts their economies, depriving them of much-needed skilled workers who could have taught at their universities, worked in their hospitals and come up with clever new products for their factories to make. [G] It is true that many skilled migrants have been educated and trained partly at the expense of their governments. Some argue that poor countries should therefore rethink how much they spend on higher education. But a new study of remittances sent home by Ghanaian migrants suggests that on average they transfer enough over their working lives to cover the amount spent on educating them several times over. The study finds that once remittances are taken into account, the cost of education would have to be 5.6 times the official figure to make it a losing proposition for Ghana.
1.
F
题目已将文章首段锁定为选项[D]。故需联系[D]段内容确定本空答案。[D]段说明了发达国家和发展中国家担心移民问题的不同原因。后半部分指出,发展中国家担心本国优秀人才流失,而这些优秀人才正是发达国家想要吸引的移民。由此可以推断,下文可能会就发展中国家优秀人才移民的现象做进一步说明。浏览各个选项后发现,选项[F]首句指出,发展中国家受过良好教育者更可能移民(well-educated people from developing countries...)。该选项的首句与[D]项可构成论点与论据的关系,两者紧密相连,讨论同一个问题。[F]项后半部分说明了发展中国家人才外流可能造成的负面影响。如此看来,[D]项后填入[F]项符合“提出问题—证明问题—分析问题”的逻辑。从词汇上看,[F]项首句中的developing countries是[D]项中developing countries的复现。[D]项倒数第二句提到hospitals and universities,在[F]项末句又再次出现。此外,[D]项末句中的college graduates与[F]项首句中的well-educated people属于同义替换。种种线索表明,这两部分内容紧密衔接。首段概述不同国家政府对移民问题的担忧,紧接着[F]项具体说明发展中国家移民的特点及政府对人才外流的担心,由一般到具体,语意顺承合理,故选项[F]正确。
2.
A
在确定了文章第二段为选项[F]之后,浏览其余四个未排列顺序的段落。选项[F]中提到了brain drain这一名词,而[A]、[B]、[C]和[G]四个选项中,只有选项[A]出现了brain drain,而且是出现在句首。试着将[A]放入第三段的位置。该段首句指出:现在很多人不同意这一看法,而其中this view说明选项[A]之前的一段提到过某种看法。再观察选项[F]可知,其后半部分提到的“贫穷国家的政策制定者们担心人才外流会给国家带来一系列负面影响”恰好是一种观点。选项[A]第二句指出“一些经济学家认为,人才外流假说无法解释汇款为贫穷国家带来的好处……”,这与[F]项最后的担心正好构成对照。此外,第四段已经给出为选项[E],该段首句指出,移民们回报祖国最常见的形式是汇款(remittances),这与选项[A]中的要考虑往祖国汇款带来的影响遥相呼应,同时也承接选项[A]中的turn out not to be a net benefit the countries they leave,综上所述可知选项[A]与前后的选项[F]和[E]衔接紧密,故为答案。
比较选项[B]和选项[C],选项[B]首句为"There are more subtle ways in which the departure of some skilled people may aid poorer countries.",选项[C]为"The possibility of emigration may even have beneficial effects on those who choose to stay, by giving people in poor countries an incentive to invest in education." 显然[B]项主要说明移民对移民者的影响,而[C]项则主要说明移民对留在本国人的影响。[B]项首句中的more subtle ways刚好呼应[E]段首句中的most obvious,将[B]段代入空格,可形成合理的递进关系,先说明“最明显的好处”,接着说明“比较小易觉察的好处”,故选项[B]与前文衔接顺畅,为答案。
Part C Directions: Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written carefully on The word 'culture' is probably the single most central concept in twentieth- century anthropology. Anthropologists use the word 'culture' in a number of different senses. It seems to us that some of them use it as equivalent to what we call a form of social life. In its ordinary use in English, (46)'culture', which is much the same idea as cultivation, refers to the process by which a person acquires, from contact with other persons or from such things as books or works of art, knowledge, skill, ideas, beliefs, tastes, and sentiments. That is the definition of 'culture'. (47)In a particular society we can discover certain processes of cultural tradition, using the word tradition in its literal meaning of handing on or handing down. The understanding and use of a language is passed on by a process of cultural tradition in this sense. An Englishman learns by such a process to understand and use the English language, but in some sections of the society he may also learn Latin, or Greek, or French, or Welsh. In complex modern societies there are a great number of separate cultural traditions. By one a Person may learn to be a doctor or surgeon, by another he may learn to be an engineer or an architect. In the simplest forms of social life the number of separate cultural traditions may be reduced to two, one for men and the other for women. (48)If we treat the social reality that we are investigating as being not an entity but a process, then culture and cultural tradition are names for certain recognisable aspects of that process, but not of course, the whole process. The terms are convenient ways of referring to certain aspects of human social life. (49)It is by reason of the existence of culture and cultural traditions that human social life differs very markedly from the social life of other animal species. The transmission of learnt ways of thinking, feeling and acting constitutes the cultural process, which is a specific feature of human social life. (50)It is, of course, part of that process of interaction among persons which is here defined as the social process thought of as the social reality. Continuity and change in the forms of social life being the subjects of investigation of comparative sociology, the continuity of cultural traditions and changes in those traditions are amongst the things that have to be taken into account.
[解析] 'culture', which is much the same idea as cultivation, refers to the process by which a person acquires, from contact with other persons or from such things as books or works of art, knowledge, skill, ideas, beliefs, tastes, and sentiments. [结构分析] 本句的主干为'culture' refers to the process...。主语culture之后是由which引导的非限定性定语从句,宾语process之后则是由介词by+which引导的定语从句,该从句的主干为a person acquires...knowledge, skills...,介宾短语from contact with...在从句中作状语。 [译点分析] (1)cultivation意为“教养”;acquire意为“获得;习得”,该词为及物动词,后可跟具体名词,表示得到、学到某样东西,也可以跟抽象名词,常用的有skill, knowledge, reputation等。此处acquires的宾语为knowledge, skill, ideas, beliefs, tastes, and sentiments,在本句中两者被两个介词短语分隔开,可能给考生理解造成困难。 (2)句中出现了两个定语从句。一般而言,非限定性定语从句宜译为一个分句,而限定性定语从句如果过长,翻译时也应该单独成句。所以本句中的两个定语从句都不宜直接译作定语,而要单独成句,同时需要重复先行词。本句词汇的难度不大,翻译的关键在于对句子结构的分析和把握。
2.
在一个特定社会中,我们可以发现一些文化传统过程,所谓传统在这里采用其原义“传承”。
[解析] In a particular society we can discover certain processes of cultural tradition, using the word tradition in its literal meaning of handing on or handing down. [结构分析] 本句的主干为...we can discover certain processes...。现在分词结构using the word tradition in its literal meaning of handing on or handing down表示伴随状况。句首介词短语in a particular society作地点状语。 [译点分析] (1)particular有“特别的;挑剔的;特定的”等含义,根据其修饰的society可以判断这里相当于specific,即“特定的”。literal meaning的含义是the basic or original meaning of an expression,即“基本的或最初的含义”,在句中可以翻译成“原义”或“字面意思”。 (2)using the word tradition in its literal meaning of handing on or handing down在句子中作伴随状语,但该结构表达一个完整的句意,因此翻译时可以考虑将其转译为一个句子。hand on和hand down的含义相同,都是“把……传下去”之意,因此翻译时使用省略法,只译成一个“传承”即可。
[解析] If we treat the social reality that we are investigating as being not an entity but a process, then culture and cultural tradition are names for certain recognisable aspects of that process, but not, of course, the whole process. [结构分析] 本句主干为...culture and cultural tradition are names for..., but not...。句首if引导条件状语从句,主干为:we treat the social reality as...;该从句中又嵌套着一个that引导的定语从句,修饰先行词reality。 [译点分析] (1)If we treat...but a process: treat...as...意为“把……当做、看做”;that we are investigating是修饰social reality的定语从句,结构简单,可直接译为前置定语“我们正研究的”。entity意为“实体;独立存在物”;being not an entity, but a process的语意重心在后,故翻译时应调整语序“是一个过程,而非一个实体”。 (2)names for...process: name意为“名字;代号”,可译为“代名词”。recognisable意为“可识别的;可辨别的”。
4.
正是由于文化和文化传统的存在,人类的社会生活才明显有别于其他物种的社会生活。
[解析] It is by reason of the existence of culture and cultural traditions that human social life differs very markedly from the social life of other animal species. [结构分析] 本句为强调句It is...that...。被强调部分为原因状语by reason of existence of culture and cultural traditions。句子的主干为human social life differs from the social life...。 [译点分析] by reason of意为“由于”,例如:He was excused by reason of his age. 他因为年龄的关系而得到宽恕。markedly意为“明显地,显著地”。本句句式为强调句,翻译时应按原句语序顺译,这样可以更准确地呈现原句意义,突出被强调部分。
[解析] It is, of course, part of that process of interaction among persons which is here defined as the social process thought of as the social reality. [结构分析] 本句主干为It is...part of that process of interaction。which is here defined as the social process是定语从句,修饰先行词process of interaction among persons。过去分词结构thought of as the social reality是修饰social process的后置定语。 [译点分析] (1)句中的it代指上句中的the cultural process,为了避免歧义,翻译时应将其指代的内容译出,译为“这种文化过程”。 (2)interaction意为“互动”,其后有一个定语从句,修饰process of interaction,为了避免译文过长,可对此定语从句做断句处理;过去分词结构thought of as...意为“被当做……”,修饰前面的social process,翻译时可直接译为前置定语;be defined as在原句中为被动语态,根据汉语多主动原则,翻译时可以转化为主动含义“界定为”,不会造成歧义。
Section Ⅲ Writing
Part A
1. Directions: You were invited to a gathering in Mary's house, but you forgot it and didn't show up. Write a letter to Mary to 1) apologize and explain why you were absent, 2) as for forgiveness and send a invitation back Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead.
January 30, 2011 Dear Mary, I would like to apologize to you for my absence from the gathering in your home yesterday. I had hoped to join you and have a wonderful time together, but I didn't show up. Last semester, I failed the final exam of American Literature, so I have been working very hard for the make-up exam in the past few days, and stayed up very late the day before yesterday. As a result, my mind went blank, and I did not remember the invitation you had sent. I feel extremely sorry about this and hope you can accept my sincere apology. If it is convenient for you, shall we meet and have dinner together on Saturday evening? I'm looking forward to your reply. Sincerely yours, Li Ming
Part B
1. Directions: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should 1) describe the drawing briefly. 2) explain its intended meaning, and 3) give your comments.
As is vividly demonstrated in the illustration[1], a little rabbit is standing on the conveyor belt that keeps moving on and staring at the train alongside. The carriages of the train are in the shape of clocks, with days of the week marked on top of the clocks[2], Besides, there is a caption above the picture which reads "life moves forward every day in a way that no one can resist or stop it". Obviously, the picture indicates the fact that[3] from the time we were born, we have been standing on the conveyor belt of life. It goes on continuously, independent of man's will. Therefore, when we encounter difficulties and setbacks in life, we should keep moving forward with courage and determination instead of standing still. Experience tells us that life usually responds to our efforts in a thought-provoking way. There are many examples of people who suffer from hardships succeed eventually because they can overcome all the pains and persevere. For instance[4], when we are searching for jobs, we might encounter great difficulties, feeling frustrated and even depressed[5]. However, if we hold a positive attitude and persist, good luck might befall us. Therefore, there is no denying that[6] it is our attitude that decides what kind of life we will have. As life progresses constantly, we can do nothing but follow it actively and positively. In the meanwhile, nothing can prevent us from moving forward as long as we are optimistic about life.
大作文部分沿袭了考研真题图画作文的命题形式。画面的背景是一列火车,每节车厢都像一面挂钟,上面依次标着“周二”、“周三”、“周四”。一只小兔子站在火车旁的传送带上,随着传送带不断前行。图画上方标注了一行文字:“人生是一种无法抗拒的前进。”由图片及注文很容易联想到,人生就像滚动的车轮一样,不管你想不想前进,只要上了车就要不断前进。有些人害怕改变,不愿意前进,因为那意味着辛苦与可能要面对的风险;因而有些人坦然面对,迎难而上。对于无法抗拒的前进,每个人的生活态度决定了其如何面对:是积极进取,还是消极抵抗? 图画中,作者并没有表明个人观点,这类作文通常立意比较深远,旨在引发考生对人生的积极思考。 根据题目要求,文章的整体框架应为: 第一段:描绘图画内容,引出主题。 第二段:说明图画所体现的人生哲理。 第三段:发表个人观点,首尾呼应。 [1] 描述图画的经典表达,类似句式还有As is shown/depicted/described/revealed...。 [2] with的复合结构,可连接多个短句,使句式变化多样。 [3] 由描述图画内容到揭示图画内涵的过渡句,自然地引出主题。 [4] for instance意为“例如”,举例说明时常用的固定表达,通过例证对所论述问题做进一步说明。 [5] 现在分词作状语,使语言更加精炼,行文更加流畅。 [6] There is no denying that...表示不可否认的事实或者道理,类似的表达还有There is no doubt that..., Beyond all questions...。