2014年英语考研模拟题

2014考研英语阅读理解考前模拟题
Text1
An industrial society,especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain,
is heavily dependent on certain essential services:for instance,electricity supply,water,r ail and road transport,and harbors.The area of dependency has widened to include remov ing rubbish,hospital and ambulance services,and,as the economy develops,central comp uter and information services as well.If any of these services ceases to operate,the whol e economic system is in danger.
It is this economic interdependency of the economic system which makes the power
of trade unions such an important issue.Single trade unions have the ability to cut off m any countries'economic blood supply.This can happen more easily in Britain than in som e other countries,in part because the labor force is highly organized.About55percent of British workers belong to unions,compared to under a quarter in the United States.For historical reasons,Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lin es,rather than on an industry-by-industry basis,which makes a wages policy,democracy i n industry and the improvement of procedure for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve. There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement,some of the
m arising from their outdated and inefficient structure.Some unions have lost many memb ers because of their industrial changes.Others are involved in arguments about who shoul
d represent workers in new trades.Unions for skilled trades ar
e separate from general uni ons,which means that different levels o
f wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feelin
g between unions.In traditional trades whic
h are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies,unions can fight for their members disappointing jobs to the poi
nt where the jobs of other union members are threatened or destroyed.The printing of ne wspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the effort
s of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs.
Trade unions have problems of internal communication just as managers in companies
do,problems which multiply in very large unions or in those which bring workers in ve
ry different industries together into a single general union.Some trade union officials have
to be re-elected regularly;others are elected,or even appointed,for life.Trade union offi
cials have to work with a system of“shop stewards”in many unions,“shop stewards”be ing workers elected by other workers as their representatives at factory or works level.(4
11words)
26.Why is the interdependence of the UK economy mentioned in paragraph1?
[A]To point up the importance of the trade union power.
[B]To outline in brief the great scale of essential services.
[C]To illustrate the danger in the whole economic system.
[D]To bring out a centralized and concentrated industrial society.
27.Because of their out-of-date organization some unions find it difficult to
[A]recruit new members to join.
[B]remold themselves as industries change.
[C]adapt to advancing technologies.
[D]bargain for high enough wages.
28.Disagreements arise between unions because some of them
[A]take over other unions'jobs.
[B]try to win over members of other unions.
[C]protect their own members at the expense of others.
[D]intend to represent workers in new trade organizations.
29.What basic problem are we told most trade unions face?
[A]They are equal in size of influence.
[B]They are less powerful than ever before.
[C]They don't have enough members.
[D]They are not organized efficiently.
30.The title which best expresses the idea of the text would be
[A]British Trade Unions and Their Drawbacks.
[B]A Centralized and Concentrated Society.
[C]The Power of Trade Unions in Britain.
[D]The Structure of British Trade Unions.
Text2
Is the literary critic like the poet,responding creatively,intuitively,subjectively to the written word as the poet responds to human experience?Or is the critic more like a scie ntist,following a series of demonstrable,verifiable steps,using an objective method of an alysis?
For the woman who is a practitioner of feminist literary criticism,the subjectivity ver
sus objectivity,or critic-as-artist-or-scientist,debate has special significance;for her,the qu estion is not only academic,but political as well,and her definition will provoke special r isks whichever side of the issue it favors.If she defines feminist criticism as objective an
d scientific—a valid,verifiable,intellectual method that anyone,whether man or woman,c an perform—th
e definition not only makes the critic-as-artist approach impossible,but may also hinder accomplishment o
f the utilitarian political objectives of those who seek to ch ange the academic establishment and its thinking,especially about sex roles.If she defines feminist criticism as creative and intuitive,privileged as art,then her work becomes vuln erable to the prejudices of stereotypic ideas about the ways in which women think,and w ill be dismissed by much of the academic establishment.Because of these prejudices,wo men who use an intuitive approach in their criticism may find themselves charged with in
ability to be analytical,to be objective,or to think critically.Whereas men may be free t
o claim the role of critic-as-artist,women run different professional risks when they choos
e intuition and private experience as critical method and defense.
These questions are political in the sense that the debate over them will inevitably be
less an exploration of abstract matters in a spirit of disinterested inquiry than an academi
c power struggle,in which the careers an
d professional fortunes of many women scholars
only now entering the academic profession in substantial numbers will be at stake,and
with them the chances for a distinctive contribution to humanistic understanding,a contrib ution that might be an important influence against sexism in our society.
As long as the academic establishment continues to regard objective analysis as“mas culine”and an intuitive approach as“feminine,”the theoretician must steer a delicate phil osophical course between the two.If she wishes to construct a theory of feminist criticism, she would be well advised to place it within the framework of a general theory of the c
ritical process that is neither purely objective nor purely intuitive.Her theory is then more likely to be compared and contrasted with other theories of criticism with some degree o
f dispassionate distance.(418words)
31.Which of the following titles best summarizes the content of the text?
[A]How Theories of Literary Criticism Can Best Be Used
[B]Problems Confronting Women Who Are Feminist Literary Critics
[C]A Historical Overview of Feminist Literary Criticism
[D]Literary Criticism:Art or Science?
32.According to the author,the debate has special significance for the woman who i
s a theoretician of feminist literary criticism because
[A]women who are literary critics face professional risks different from those faced
by men who are literary critics.
[B]there are large numbers of capable women working within the academic establish
ment.
[C]there are a few powerful feminist critics who have been recognized by the acade
mic establishment.
[D]like other critics,most women who are literary critics define criticism as either s cientific or artistic.
33.The author specifically mentions all of the following as difficulties that particularl y affect women who are theoreticians of feminist literary criticism EXCEPT the [A]tendency of a predominantly male academic establishment to form preconceptions about women.
[B]limitations that are imposed when criticism is defined as objective and scientific.
[C]likelihood that the work of a woman theoretician who claims the privilege of art will be viewed with prejudice by some academics.
[D]tendency of members of the academic establishment to treat all forms of feminist literary theory with hostility.
34.It can be inferred that the author would define as“political”(Line1,Para.3)the questions that
[A]cannot be resolved without extensive debate.
[B]are primarily academic in nature and open to abstract analysis.
[C]are contested largely through contention over power.
[D]will be debated by both men and women.
35.Which of the following is most likely to be one of the“utilitarian political object ives”mentioned by the author?
[A]To forge a new theory of literary criticism.
[B]To pursue truth in a disinterested manner.
[C]To demonstrate that women are interested in literary criticism that can be viewed either subjectively or objectively.
[D]To convince the academic establishment to revise the ways in which it assesses women scholars professional qualities.
Text4
Recent years have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States unprecedent
ed opportunities—as well as new and significant risks.Civil right activists have long argu ed that one of the principal reasons why Blacks,Hispanics and other minority groups hav e difficulty establishing themselves in business is that they lack of access to the sizable o rders and subcontracts that are generated by large companies.Now Congress,in apparent agreement,has required by law that businesses awarded federal contracts of more than$5 00,000do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the government.Indeed,some federal and local agencies have gone so fa r as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to mi nority enterprises.
Corporate response appears to have been substantial.According to figures collected in 1977,the total of corporate contracts with minority businesses rose from$77million in 1972to1.1billion in1977.The projected total of corporate contracts with minority busin esses for the early1980's is estimated to be over$3billion per year with no letup antici pated in the next decade.
Promising as it is for minority businesses,this increased patronage poses dangers for them,too.First,minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending themselves finan cially,since most are small concerns and,unlike large businesses,they often need to mak e substantial investment in new plants,staff,equipment and the like in order to perform work subcontracted to them.If,thereafter,their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses.The world of corporate purchasin g can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get requests for elaborate formal estimate s and bids.Both consume valuable time and resources,and a small company's efforts mus t soon result in orders,or both the morale and the financial health of the business will su ffer.
A second risk is that White-owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasing apportionment through formation of joint ventures with minority-owned concerns.Of cours e,in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures;clearly,White and mi nority enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could acquire alone.But ci
vil right groups and minority business owners have complained to Congress about minoriti
es being set up as“fronts”with White backing,rather than being accepted as full partner
s in legitimate joint ventures.
Third,a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporate customer
often runs the danger of becoming and remaining dependent.Even in the best of circums tances,fierce competition from larger,more established companies makes it difficult for s
mall concerns to broaden their customer bases;when such firms have nearly guaranteed or
ders from a single corporate benefactor,they may truly have to struggle against complace
ncy arising from their current success.(469words)
Notes:civil rights activists公民权利激进分子。

Hispanics西班牙后裔美国人。

sizable o rders大额订单。

subcontract转包合同。

on forms filed with the government在政府存档备案。

percentage goals指标。

apportionment分配，分派。

public works市政工程。

letup减弱，缓和。

promising as it is...这是as引导的让步状语从句，表语倒装了。

patronage优惠。

conce rn n.公司。

and the like以及诸如此类的。

crippling fixed expenses引起损失的固定开支。

t he world of大量的。

bid投标。

to cash in on...靠…赚钱。

team up一起工作，合作。

fronts
在此处意为“摆门面”。

complacency自满。

36.The primary purpose of the text is to
[A]present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies.
[B]describe a situation and its potential drawbacks.
[C]propose a temporary solution to a problem.
[D]analyze a frequent source of disagreement.
37.According to the text,civil rights activists maintain that one disadvantage under
which minority-owned businesses have traditionally had to labor is that they have
[A]been especially vulnerable to government mismanagement of the economy.
[B]been denied bank loans at rates comparable to those afforded larger competitors.
[C]not had sufficient opportunity to secure business created by large corporations.
[D]not been able to advertise in those media that reach large numbers of potential c
ustomers.
38.The text suggests that the failure of a large business to have its bids for subcont racts result quickly in orders might cause it to
[A]experience frustration but not serious financial harm.
[B]have to record its efforts on forms filed with the government.
[C]increase its spending with minority subcontractors.
[D]revise its procedure for making bids for federal contracts and subcontracts.
39.The author implies that a minority-owned concern that does the greater part of its business with one large corporate customer should
[A]avoid competition with larger,more established concerns by not expanding.
[B]concentrating on securing even more business from that corporation.
[C]use its influence with the corporation to promote subcontracting with other minori
ty concerns.
[D]try to expand its customer bases to avoid becoming dependent on the corporatio
n.
40.According to the organization of the text,it most likely appeared in
[A]a business magazine.
[B]an accounting textbook.
[C]a dictionary of financial terms.
[D]a yearbook of business statistics.
Part B
Directions:
The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order.For Questions41—45,you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A—G to fill in each numbered box.The first and the last paragraphs have been placed f or you in Boxes.Mark your answer on ANSWER SHEET1.(10points)
[A]By contrast,somewhat more than25percent of the earth's population can be fou
nd in the industrialized societies.They lead modern lives.They are products of the first h
alf of the twentieth century,molded by mechanization and mass education,brought up wit h lingering memories of their own country's agricultural past.They are,in effect,the peop le of the present.
[B]The remaining2or3percent of the world's population,however,are no longer
people of either the past or the present.For within the main centers of technological and cultural change,in Santa Monica,California and Cambridge,Massachusetts,in New York and London,and Tokyo,are millions of men and women who can already be said to be living the way of life of the future.Trend-makers often without being aware of it,live to day as millions will live tomorrow.And while they account for only a few percent of the global population today,they are already from an international nation of the future in ou
r midst.They are the advanced agents of man,the earliest citizens of the worldwide supe
r-industrial society now in the throes of birth.
[C]It is,in fact,not too much to say that the pace of life draws a line through hu manity,dividing us into camps,triggering bitter misunderstanding between parent and child, between Madison Avenue and Main Street,between men and women,between American and European,between East and West.
[D]What makes them different from the rest of mankind?Certainly,they are richer,
better educated,more mobile than the majority of the human race.They also live longer. But what specifically marks the people of the future is the fact that they are already caug
ht up in a new,stepped-up pace of life.They“live faster”than the people around them.
[E]The inhabitants of the earth are divided not only by race,nation,religion or ideo logy,but also,in a sense,by their position in time.Examining the present population of t
he globe,we find a tiny group who still live,hunting and food-foraging,as men did mill ennia ago.Others,the vast majority of mankind,depend not on bear-hunting or berry-pick ing,but on agriculture.They live,in many respects,as their ancestors did centuries ago. These two groups taken together compose perhaps70percent of all living human beings. They are the people of the past.
[F]Some people are deeply attracted to this highly accelerated pace of life—going fa
r out of their way to bring it about and feeling anxious,tense or uncomfortable when the
pace slows.They want desperately to be“where the action is.”James A.Wilson has fou
nd,for example,that the attraction for a fast pace of life is one of the hidden motivating
forces behind the much publicized“brain-drain”—the mass migration of European scienti sts and engineers who migrated to the U.S.and Canada.He concluded that it was no hig
her salaries or better research facilities alone,but also the quicker tempo that lure them.
The migrants,he writes,“are not put off by what they indicated as the‘faster pace'of N
orth America;if anything,they appear to prefer this pace to others.”
[G]The pace of life is frequently commented on by ordinary people.Yet,oddly eno
ugh,it has received almost no attention from either psychologists or sociologists.This is a gaping inadequacy in the behavioral sciences,for the pace of life profoundly influences b ehavior,evoking strong and contrasting reactions from different people.(578words)
Notes:gaping是gape的现在分词;gape vi.裂开。

not too much一点儿也不多，一点儿
也不过分。

Madison Avenue麦迪逊街(纽约一条街道的名字。

美国主要广告公司、公共关系事务所集中于此。

常用以表示此等公司之作风、做法等。

)。

Main Street实利主义社会。

fo od-foraging觅食的。

millennium千年。

trend-maker(=trend-setter)领导新潮的人。

in the thro es of为…而苦干、搏斗。

be caught up in陷入。

going far out of their way to bring it ab
out远远没有阻碍它的诞生。

brain-drain(高科技)人才流动(从欧洲到美洲)。

Order:
Part C
Directions:
Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chin
ese.Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET2.(10points)
46)A recent phenomenon in present-day science and technology is the increasing tren
d toward“directed”or“programmed”research;i.e.research whos
e scope and objectives are predetermined by private or government organizations rather than researchers themselve
s.Any scientist working for such organizations and investigating in a given field therefore tends to do so in accordance with a plan or program designed beforehand.
At the beginning of the century,however,the situation was quite different.At that ti
me there were no industrial research organizations in the modern sense:the laboratory unit consisted of a few scientists at the most,assisted by one or two technicians.47)Neverth eless,the scientist,often working with inadequate equipment in unsuitable rooms,was free to choose any subject for investigation he liked,since there was no predetermined progra m to which he had to conform.
48)As the century developed,the increasing magnitude and complexity of the proble
ms to be solved made it impossible,in many cases,for the individual scientist to deal wi
th the huge mass of new data,techniques and equipment that were required for carrying out research accurately and efficiently.The increasing scale and scope of the experiments needed to test new hypotheses and develop new techniques and industrial processes led to the setting up of research groups or teams using highly-complicated equipment in elabora tely-designed laboratories.49)Owing to the large sums of money involved,it was then fe lt essential to direct these human and material resources into specific channels with clearly -defined objectives.In this way it was considered that the quickest and most practical res ults could be obtained.This,then,was programmed(programmatic)research.
One of the effects of this organized and standardized investigation is to cause the sci entist to become increasingly involved in applied research(development),especially in the branches of science which seem most likely to have industrial applications.Private indust ry and even government departments tend to concentrate on immediate results and show c omparatively little interest in long-range investigations.50)In consequence,there is a stea dy shift of scientists from the pure to the applied field,where there are more jobs availab le,frequently more highly-paid and with better technical facilities than jobs connected with pure research in a university.
Owing to the interdependence between pure and applied science,it is easy to see that
this system,if extended too far,carries considerable dangers for the future of science—a nd not only pure science,but applied science as well.(409words)
SectionⅡReading Comprehension
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 ANSWER SHEET1.(40points)
Text1
Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of attitudes:emoti
onal reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people.“T he burnt child fears the fire”is one instance;another is the rise of despots like Hitler.B oth these examples also point up the fact that attitudes come from experience.In the one case the experience was direct and impressive;in the other it was indirect and cumulativ e.The Nazis were influenced largely by the speeches they heard and the books they read. The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in a strategic position to influence attitudes.This is true partly because children acquire attitudes from those adults whose wo rds are highly regarded by them.
Another reason it is true is that pupils often devote their time to a subject in school
that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who had previously acquired little knowledge of Mexico his teacher s method of handling such a unit would greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans.
The media through which the teacher can develop wholesome attitudes are innumerabl e.Social studies(with special reference to races,creeds and nationalities),science matters of health and safety,the very atmosphere of the classroom...these are a few of the fertile fields for the inculcation of proper emotional reactions.
However,when children go to school with undesirable attitudes,it is unwise for the t eacher to attempt to change their feelings by cajoling or scolding them.She can achieve t he proper effect by helping them obtain constructive experiences.
To illustrate,first-grade pupils afraid of policemen will probably alter their attitudes a
fter a classroom chat with the neighborhood officer in which he explains how he protects them.In the same way,a class of older children can develop attitudes through discussion, research,outside reading and all-day trips.
Finally,a teacher must constantly evaluate her own attitudes,because her influence ca
n be negative if she has personal prejudices.This is especially true in respect to controve rsial issues and questions on which children should be encouraged to reach their own deci sion as a result of objective analysis of all the facts.(377words)
Notes:point up(=emphasize)强调，突出。

touch upon触及。

creed信条，教义。

incul cation谆谆教诲。

cajoling哄骗。

21.Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph of t
he text?
[A]An assertion is made and two examples are given to illustrate it.
[B]A controversy is stated and two opposite points of view are presented.
[C]A widely accepted definition is presented and two men are described.
[D]An idea is stated and two results of recent research are summarized.
22.The central idea conveyed in the above text is that
[A]attitudes affect our actions.
[B]teachers play a significant role in developing or reshaping pupils attitudes.
[C]attitudes can be modified by some classroom experiences.
[D]by their attitudes,teachers don't affect pupils'attitudes deliberately.
23.In paragraph6the author implies that
[A]the teacher should guide all discussions by revealing her own attitude.
[B]in some aspects of social studies a greater variety of methods can be used in the upper grades than in the lower grades.
[C]people usually act on the basis of reasoning rather than on emotion.
[D]children's attitudes often come from those of other children.
24.A statement not made or implied in the text is that
[A]attitudes can be based on the learning of untrue statements.
[B]worthwhile attitudes may be developed in practically every subject area.
[C]attitudes cannot easily be changed by rewards and lectures.
[D]the attitudes of elementary school-aged children are influenced primarily by the w
ay they were treated as infants.
25.The text specially states that
[A]direct experiences are more valuable than indirect ones.
[B]whatever attitudes a child learns in school have already been introduced at home.
[C]teachers can sometimes have an unwholesome influence on children.
[D]teachers should always conceal their own attitudes.
卷二答案解析
SectionⅡReading Comprehension
Part A
21.[答案][A]An assertion is made and two examples are given to illustrate it.
[注释]逻辑结构题。

本题问：下面哪一表述最好地描述了本文第1段的逻辑构思?第1
段第1句写道：“学习的所有领域中，最重要的是培养态度：各种情感反应和逻辑思维过程都会影响大多数人的行为。

”这是作者提出的看法。

接着作者举了两个例子来阐述这一看法。

可见，本段的逻辑构思应为[A]。

22.[答案][B]teachers play a significant role in developing or reshaping pupils'attit
udes.
[注释]全文主旨题。

本题问：本文要传递的中心思想是什么?本文第1段起了铺垫作用，
从总体上提出作者的看法。

第2段第1句切入了本文的中心思想，即小学的任课老师处于影
响学生各种态度形成的战略性地位。

接下去各个段落从不同角度来说明该中心思想。

故应选
[B]。

23.[答案][B]in some aspects of social studies a greater variety of methods can be
used in the upper grades than in the lower grades.
[注释]推理判断题。

本题问：作者在第6段中暗示了什么?参阅第6段。

作者在此暗示，对低年级学生采用的方法比较简单、单一，而对高年级学生采用的方法则更多样化，如讨论、研究、课外阅读和全天的旅行。

24.[答案][D]the attitudes of elementary school-aged children are influenced primaril
y by the way they were treated as infants.
[注释]细节辨认题。

本题问：本文中没有提到或暗示的表述是什么?作者列出的4个选
择中前面3个直接或间接地在文章中提到了。

第1段最后一句是讲法西斯纳粹主要是受他们
听到的讲演和读过的书籍的坏影响，即为[A]所述的内容。

第3、4段中作者谈到教师讲的各
种课程对孩子“形成看法”的影响，即为[B]所指的内容。

第5段中作者提到it is unwise for the teacher to attempt to change their feelings by cajoling or scolding them,句中cajoling
(哄骗)即为选项[C]中的rewards，而scolding即为选项[C]中的lectures(严责，以长篇说教训
人)。

可见，是否选[C]的关键是对lectures的词义的正确理解。

这样，只有选择项[D]在本文中未有提及，故答案非[D]莫属。

25.[答案][C]teachers can sometimes have an unwholesome influence on children.
[注释]总结归纳题。

本题问：本文专门阐述了什么?最后一段中作者提到because her i nfluence can be negative if she has personal prejudices...(教师如果存有个人偏见的话，会对
学生产生不良影响……)。

可见，正确的选择应为[C]。

[C]选项中的unwholesome意为“不良
的，不健康的”。

注意：本文的试题要求考生对文章中的有关句子细细推敲才能正确解题。

对这种试题考
生应深入分析命题者的思路，才能逐渐把握要领，学会解题的方法。

26.[答案][A]To point up the importance of the trade union power.
[注释]逻辑结构题。

本题问：第1段中为什么提到英国经济的相互依赖性?第1段最后
1句和第2段第1句写道：“如果这些设施中任何一项(由于劳工纠纷)而停止运行，那整个经
济体系就危在旦夕。

正是经济体系的这种互相依赖性使得工会的权力成为一个非常重要的问题。

”故应选[A]“为了强调工会权力的重要性”。

[B]“为了简要概述基础设施的巨大规模”不能
入选，原因是它答非所问。

[C]是强干扰项，不能选的原因是它只提及一点，偏离主题。

[D]“展示一个集中的工业社会”，偏离段落内部的逻辑关系，故不能入选。

27.[答案][B]remold themselves as industries change.
[注释]细节归纳题。

本题问：由于组织结构老化，有些工会会遇到什么困难?解这类题
要注意段落的主题句及其扩展句的综合归纳。

第3段第1句写道：“在工会运动内部存在着巨大的压力和紧张情绪，其中有些问题是由于工会过时的、效率低下的组织结构产生的。

”接着对此论点进行具体阐述并举例说明。

可见，作者要说明，由于组织结构的落后性，有些工会发现很难随着行业的变化来改变其内部组织。

故[B]符合题意。

[C]“适应先进的技术”是
强干扰项，属概念偷换，因为文中指的是传统行业，而不是指有些工会。

28.[答案][C]protect their own members at the expense of others.
[注释]细节理解题。

本题问：工会间产生分歧的原因何在?第3段倒数第2句写道：“技
术的进步淘汰了许多传统行业，在这些行业中工会能够为它们成员令人失望的工作而苦斗，以致使其他工会成员的工作受到威胁或毁灭。

”可见,[C]项符合此意。

[D]“打算在新的贸易组织中代表工人”是强干扰项，属概念偷换，因为文中指的是新的技术行业中，而不是指新的贸易组织中。