Section A Directions:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
The Dangers of Reading
One of the biggest reasons I depart from my minimalist (极简主义的) philosophy is reading, 1 , reading about what others are doing. I read a blog post, or a magazine article about someone doing something 2 : travelling, using a new productivity system, making bread, etc. And then I want to do that too. And I think we all do this. We all read inspirational things, or hear about them from a friend, and 3 ourselves doing the same thing. This is often a good thing—inspiration is good, isn't it? Learning from others is 4 good. But this inspiration can often 5 me to forget about what I've learned, and soon I'm heading down a new path, buying a lot of things to support my new interest, only to 6 this interest when I've read something else. This has happened to me dozens of times. I want to learn Spanish, programming, bread making, 7 writing, guitar; each of these is wonderful. But when I become especially interested in the next new thing to learn about, the other things suffer. I can't learn about them all at once. Such 8 pulls away my focus and keeps me from doing well at any one thing. What's the antidote (解药)? Focus, namely, 9 to one thing long enough to learn it. Don't be distracted by every new thing you read. The answer isn't to stop reading, but to pay more 10 attention to your impulses when you do read. A. abandon B. careful C. cause D. concentration E. definitely F. distraction G. facilitating H. fascinating I. fiction J. imagine K. plentiful L. presumably M. satisfaction N. specifically O. stick
[解析] 由该句句首的Focus和空格前的插入语namely(也就是,换句话说)可以判断,空格所在的分句为祈使句,且其表达的意义与namely前面的内容相同,由此可知此空格处需要填入一个动词原形,表达与focus相关的意义,备选词汇中只有stick(坚持)符合此处语境,故选O。stick to sth.意为“坚持或维持某事物”,为固定用法。
10.
B
[解析] 此处空格位于pay more和attention中间,由此可以判断此处需要填入一个形容词,以修饰attention“注意力”。备选词汇中,fascinating意为“吸引人的”,不能修饰attention,故排除。plentiful意为“大量的,丰富的”,不能被more修饰,因而也排除。careful意为“审慎的,小心的”,用在此处语义通顺,故选B。pay more careful attention to sth.意为“更多地注意某事物”。
Section B Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may Choose a paragraph more than once.
Asia's lonely hearts
Women are rejecting marriage in Asia. The social implications are serious. A. Twenty years ago there was a debate about whether there were specific "Asian values". Most attention focused on the doubtful claims that democracy was not among them. But a more interesting, if less noticed, argument was that traditional family values were stronger in Asia than in America and Europe, and that this partly accounted for Asia's economic success. In the words of Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore and a keen advocate of Asian values, the Chinese family encouraged "scholarship and hard work and thrift and deferment (推迟) of present enjoyment for future gain". B. On the face of it his claim appears persuasive still. In most of Asia, marriage is widespread and illegitimacy (私生) almost unknown. In contrast, half of marriages in some Western countries end in divorce, and half of all children are born outside wedlock (已婚状况). The recent riots across Britain, whose origins many believe lie in an absence of either parental guidance or filial (子女的) respect, seem to underline a profound difference between East and West. C. Yet marriage is changing fast in East, South-East and South Asia, even though each region has different traditions. The changes are different from those that took place in the West in the second half of the 20th century. Divorce, though rising in some countries, remains comparatively rare. What's happening in Asia is a flight from marriage. D. Marriage rates are falling partly because people are postponing getting married. Marriage ages have risen all over the world, but the increase is particularly marked in Asia. People there now marry even later than they do in the West. The mean age of marriage in the richest places—Japan, Taiwan China, South Korea and Hong Kong China—has risen sharply in the past few decades, to reach 29-30 for women and 31-33 for men. E. A lot of Asians are not marrying later. They are not marrying at all. Almost a third of Japanese women in their early 30s are unmarried; probably half of those will always be. Over one-fifth of Taiwanese women in their late 30s are single; most will never marry. In some places, rates of non-marriage are especially striking: in Bangkok, 20% of 40-44-year old women are not married; in Tokyo, 21%; among university graduates of that age in Singapore, 27%. F. So far, the trend has not affected Asia's two giants, China and India. But it is likely to, as the economic factors that have driven it elsewhere in Asia sweep through those two countries as well; and its consequences will be exacerbated (加剧) by the sex-selective abortion practised for a generation there. By 2050, there will be 60m more men of marriageable age than women in China and India. G. Women are retreating from marriage as they go into the workplace. That's partly because, for a woman, being both employed and married is tough in Asia. Women there are the primary caregivers for husbands, children and, often, for ageing parents; and even when in full-time employment, they are expected to continue to play this role. This is true elsewhere in the world, but the burden that Asian women carry is particularly heavy. Japanese women, who typically work 40 hours a week in the office, then do, on average, another 30 hours of housework. Their husbands, on average, do three hours. And Asian women who give up work to look after children find it hard to return when the children are grown. H. Not surprisingly, Asian women have an unusually pessimistic view of marriage. According to a survey carried out in 2011, many fewer Japanese women felt positive about their marriage than did Japanese men, or American women or men. I. At the same time as employment makes marriage tougher for women, it offers them an alternative. More women are financially independent, so more of them can pursue a single life that may appeal more than the hard and boring traditional marriage. More education has also contributed to the decline of marriage, because Asian women with the most education have always been the most reluctant to wed—and there are now many more highly educated women. J. The flight from marriage in Asia is thus the result of the greater freedom that women enjoy these days, which is to be celebrated. But it is also creating social problems. Compared with the West, Asian countries have invested less in pensions and other forms of social protection, on the assumption that the family will look after ageing or ill relatives. That can no longer be taken for granted. K. The decline of marriage is also contributing to the collapse in the birth rate. Fertility in East Asia has fallen from 5.3 children per woman in the late 1960s to 1.6 now. In countries with the lowest marriage rates, the fertility rate is nearer 1.0. That is beginning to cause huge demographic (人口统计学) problems, as populations age with startling speed. And there are other, less obvious issues. L. Can marriage be revived in Asia? Maybe, if expectations of those roles of both sexes change; but shifting traditional attitudes is hard. Governments cannot make laws to abolish popular prejudices. They can, though, encourage change. Relaxing divorce laws might boost marriage. Women who now steer clear of wedlock might be more willing to tie the knot if they know it can be untied—not just because they can get out of the marriage if it doesn't work, but also because their freedom to leave might keep their husbands on their toes. Family law should give divorced women a more generous share of the couple's assets. Governments should also legislate to get employers to offer both maternal and paternal leave, and provide or subsidise (资助) child care. If taking on such expenses helped promote family life,it might reduce the burden on the state of looking after the old. M. Asian governments have long taken the view that the superiority of their family life was one of their big advantages over the West. That confidence is no longer warranted. They need to wake up to the huge social changes happening in their countries and think about how to cope with the consequences.
1. The increase of marriage ages is one of the reasons for falling marriage rates.
D
[解析] 题干意为“人们结婚的年龄变大是结婚率下降的原因之一”。注意抓住题干中的关键词The increase of marriage ages。原文D段首句提到,结婚率正在下降,造成这一现象的部分原因是:人们推迟了结婚年龄。题干中的increase of marriage ages和原文中的postponing getting married同义。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选D。
在东亚、东南亚以及南亚,婚姻状况正在迅速发生变化。人们变得开始逃避婚姻,结婚率正在下降,造成这一现象的部分原因是,人们推迟了结婚年龄。现在,亚洲人结婚的年龄甚至比西方人还要晚。许多亚洲人甚至根本不结婚。结婚率的下降也导致了出生率的迅速下降。现在,是时候思考如何应对这变化带来的影响了。
2. Asian women are very pessimistic about marriage.
H
[解析] 题干意为“亚洲女性对于婚姻感到十分悲观”。注意抓住题干中的关键词pessimistic about marriage。原文H段首句提到,亚洲女性对婚姻持非常悲观的态度,这并不令人感到惊讶。题干中的are very pessimistic about与原文中的have an unusually pessimistic view of同义。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选H。
3. It's quite possible that half of the Japanese women who remain single in their early 30s will never get married.
E
[解析] 题干意为“半数30岁出头仍然单身的日本女性很有可能永远都不会结婚”。注意抓住题干中的关键词Japanese women who remain single in their early 30s。原文E段第三句中提到,近三分之一的日本妇女在30岁出头时仍没有结婚,她们中的一半很可能永远都不会结婚。题干中的quite possible与原文中的probably同义。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选E。
4. Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore, thought highly of Asian values.
5. The decline of marriage leads to a much lower birth rate in a short time.
K
[解析] 题干意为“结婚率的下降导致出生率在短时间内大幅下降”。注意抓住题干中的关键词The decline of marriage和birth rate。原文K段首句中提到,结婚率的下降也导致了出生率的迅速下降。题干中的much lower...in a short time对应原文中的collapse(突然衰退;暴跌)。由此可知,故选K。
6. Regardless of different traditions in each region, marriage is changing fast in East, South-East and South Asia.
C
[解析] 题干意为“尽管每个地区的传统不同,东亚、东南亚和南亚的婚姻状况正在迅速变化”。注意抓住题干中的关键词different traditions和in East,South-East and South Asia。原文C段第一句提到,然而,虽然每个地区有不同的传统,在东亚、东南亚以及南亚,婚姻状况正在迅速变化。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选C。
7. As more women can support themselves financially, more of them are able to choose a single life instead of marriage.
I
[解析] 题干意为“随着越来越多的女性可以经济独立,她们中越来越多的人可以选择单身生活而不是婚姻”。注意抓住题干中的关键词financially和a single life。原文I段第二句中提到,越来越多的女性获得经济独立,所以她们中越来越多的人可以选择比沉闷的传统婚姻生活更有吸引力的单身生活。题干中的support themselves financially对应原文中的are financially independent。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选I。
8. Until now, China and India haven't been influenced by the trend of not marrying.
F
[解析] 题干意为“直到现在,中国和印度都还没有受到不婚潮流的影响”。注意抓住题干中的关键词China and India和trend。原文F段第一句中提到,到目前为止,(不婚)这一趋势并未影响到亚洲的两个大国:中国和印度。该句中的the trend指的是前文中提到的not marrying at all。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选F。
9. In general, Asians are more committed to marriage than westerners.
B
[解析] 题干意为“大体上来看,和西方人相比,亚洲人更加忠于婚姻”。注意抓住题干中的关键词Asians are more committed to marriage。原文B段第二句和第三句提到,在亚洲大部分地区,结婚非常普遍,而私生几乎闻所未闻。与此相反,在一些西方国家中,有一半的婚姻以离婚收场,并且一半的儿童是非婚生子女。与题干表述相符,故选B。
10. Many Asian women's choice of running away from marriage can create social problems.
J
[解析] 题干意为“许多亚洲女性逃避婚姻会引发社会问题”。注意抓住题干中的关键词create social problems。原文J段第二句中提到,这(许多亚洲女性逃离婚姻)也会引发社会问题。该句中的it指代的是前文中提到的flight from marriage in Asia。题干中的running away from对应原文中的flight(逃避)。由此可知,题干是对原文的同义转述,故选J。
Section C Directions:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. and D. You should decide on the best choice.
Passage One Random acts of kindness can affect people's well-being significantly more than expected, according to an August study co-authored by a University of Texas researcher. Based on experiments ranging from giving someone a cup of hot chocolate to delivering cupcakes in the park, the recently published study found that random acts of kindness affected both the giver and receiver significantly more than expected. The researchers conducted a total of eight experiments involving students to gauge (评估) the effects of the acts. Amit Kumar, the study's co-author and an assistant marketing and psychology professor at UT, said that although researchers know kindness significantly improves a person's well-being, people underestimate the effect it will have on the receiver. "One of the interesting questions becomes why people often don't act in ways that are likely to make them feel better," said Kumar. "What we were interested in studying here was this notion that these seemingly small pro-social acts...can actually make a significant difference in people's lives." Kumar said because people underestimate the positive effects of these acts, more often than not, people don't perform them. One of the experiments included UT students engaging in an exercise in which they performed different acts of kindness for others, such as baking cookies or offering a peer a ride home, and then filled out a questionnaire afterward. At the same time, the recipients were contacted and asked how they felt. The researchers found that in all of the experiments, both the recipients and performers ended up in better moods than normal after the act, and the recipients felt significantly better than the performers anticipated. Co-author Nicholas Epley said the research is part of a broader research program of people avoiding human connection and not reaching out to others despite its positive impact. "People do act in line with their expectations, but those expectations can be off," Kumar said. "If you're underestimating the positive impact that you're having on other people, that can prevent you from being kinder more often in daily life." Kumar said he hopes this research helps people become more aware of their impact on others and be kind when they have the opportunity.
1. What did the recently published study find? ______
A.Random acts affect the giver more than the receiver.
B.Random acts affect the receiver more than the giver.
C.Random acts are good to people's health.
D.Kind acts can greatly affect people's happiness.
European Farmers: Importance of Adapting to Climate Change
New Stanford research reveals that farmers in Europe will see crop yields affected as global temperatures rise, but that adaptation can help slow the decline for some crops. For corn, the anticipated loss is roughly 10 percent, the research shows. Farmers of these crops have already seen yield growth slow down since 1980 as temperatures have risen, though other policy and economic factors have also played a role. "The results clearly showed that modest amounts of climate change can have a big impact on yields of several crops in Europe," said Stanford doctoral student Frances Moore, who conducted the research with David Lobell, an associate professor of environmental Earth system science. Moore described the results as somewhat surprising because Europe is fairly cool. "So you might think it would benefit from moderate amounts of warming," she said. "Our next step was to actually measure the potential of European farmers to adapt to these impacts." "By adaptation, we mean a range of options based on existing technologies, such as switching varieties of a crop, installing irrigation or growing a different crop, one better suited to warmer temperatures," said Lobell. "These things have been talked about for a long time, but the novelty (新奇) of this study was using past data to quantify (量化) the actual potential of adaptation to reduce climate change impacts. We find that in some cases adaptation could substantially reduce impacts, but in other cases the potential may be very limited with current technologies." Moore pointed out that the biggest issues are often how quickly farmers in Europe will adapt to climate change (adaptation uncertainty) and how crop yields will respond to climate change (response uncertainty). "This paper has shown that crops in Europe are sensitive to warming and that adaptation can be important in reducing that impact," Moore said. "The next question is how quickly farmers will use the available options for adapting. Europe has already seen a lot of warming, so we should expect to already see adaptation if farmers are quick to respond to climate signals."
1. What does the new Stanford research show? ______
A.People can do nothing about global warming.
B.The influence of global temperature rise is increasing.
C.People can do something to slow the decline for some crops.
D.All crops' yields will decline as global temperatures rise.
A B C D
C
[解析] 根据题干中的the new Stanford research show,定位到原文第一段。该段中指出,斯坦福大学的新研究显示,欧洲的农场主将看到全球气温升高对农作物产量的影响,但适应变化就能减缓部分作物产量的下降。由此可知,对于作物产量的下降,人们还是可以采取一些措施使之放缓的,C项表述正确。A、D两项表述与原文不符,B项表述在原文中并未提及,故选C。
[参考译文]
3. What does Moore think about the results of their research? ______
A.Unexpected.
B.Unbelievable.
C.Alarming.
D.Pessimistic.
A B C D
A
[解析] 根据题干中的Moore think about the results定位到原文第四段。该段首句中指出,穆尔对研究结果略感惊讶,因为欧洲还是相当凉爽的。四个选项与原文中的surprising(令人感到意外的)意义最为接近的是Unexpected,故选A。
4. What can be counted as "adaption" according to Lobell? ______
A.Exploring new technologies.
B.Grow crops in greenhouses.
C.Install irrigating systems.
D.Release less greenhouse gases,
A B C D
C
[解析] 根据题干中的be counted as "adaption" according to Lobell定位到原文第五段。该段首句中罗贝尔说道:“在我们看来,‘适应’就是以现有技术为基础的一系列措施,如更换作物品种,安装灌溉设施或种植一种完全不同的但能适应较高温度的作物。”四个选项中符合原文的只有C项,故选C。
5. What does Moore suggest in the last paragraph? ______
A.Farmers in Europe should respond faster to climate signals.
B.Farmers in Europe respond well to global warming.
C.The pace of global warming can be slowed down.
D.There isn't any available option for adapting at present.