2022年考研考博-考博英语-东华大学考试预测题精选专练VII(附带答案)卷11

2022年考研考博-考博英语-东华大学考试预测题精选专练VII（附带答案）
第1套
一.综合题(共25题)
1.单选题
Before he started the work, I asked the builder to give me an ______ of the cost of repairing the roof.
问题1选项
A.assessment
B.estimate
C.announcement
D.evaluation
【答案】B
【解析】考查名词辨析。

A项assessment“估计、评定”；B项estimate“估价、判断”；C项announcement“公告、宣告”；D项evaluation“评价”；句意：在他开始工作之前，我请建筑工人给我估计一下修理屋顶的费用。

因此该题B项正确。

2.单选题
If a couple are divorced and their child lives with his mother, he is said to suffer from lace of ______ love.
问题1选项
A.maternal
B.fraternal
C.paternal
D.parental
【答案】C
【解析】考查形容词辨析。

A项maternal“母亲的、母性的”；B项fraternal“兄弟般的、友好的”；C项paternal“父亲的、父亲般的”；D项parental“父母亲的”；句意：如果一对夫妇离婚了，他们的孩子和他的母亲住在一起，那么他被认为缺乏父爱。

因此该题C项正确。

3.单选题
A drunk man walked in, ______ in appearance.
问题1选项
A.repulsive
B.reluctant
C.reproachful
D.reputed
【答案】A
【解析】考查形容词辨析。

A项repulsive“可憎的、排斥的”；B项reluctant“不情愿的”，常与to搭配构成不定式；C项reproachful“责备的、指责的”；D项reputed“享有声望的”；句意：
4.单选题
If sustainable competitive advantage depends on work-force skills, American firms have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility. Labor is simply another factor of production to be hired—rented at the lowest possible cost—much as one buys raw materials or equipment. The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central—usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm’s hierarchy.
While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work forces, in fact they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies.
As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers in Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United States. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can’ t effectively staff the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.
1. Which of the following applies to the management of human resources in
American companies?
2. What is the position of the head of human-resource management in an American firm?
3. The money most American firms put in training mainly goes to_______.
4. According to the passage, the decisive factor in maintaining a firm’'s competition advantage is_______.
5. What is the main idea of the Passage?
问题1选项
A.They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skill.
B.They see the gaining of skills as their employees’' own business.
C.They attach more importance to workers than to equipment.
D.They only hire skilled workers because of keen competition.
问题2选项
A.He is one of the most important executives in the firm.
B.His post is likely to disappear when new technologic are introduced.
C.He is directly under the chief financial executive.
D.He has no say in making important decisions in the firm.
问题3选项
A.workers who can operate new equipment
B.technological and managerial staff
C.workers who lack basic background skills
D.top executives
问题4选项
A.the introduction of new technologies
B.the improvement of workers’' basic skills
C.the rational composition of professional and managerial employees
D.the attachment of importance to the bottom half of the employees
问题5选项
A.American firms are different from Japanese and German firms in human-resource management.
B.Extensive retraining is indispensable to effective human-resource management.
C.The head of human-resource management must be in the central position in a firm’'s hierarchy.
D.The human-resource management strategies of American firms affect their competitive capacity.
【答案】第1题:B
第2题:D
第3题:B
第4题:B
第5题:D
【解析】1.【试题解析】事实细节题。

题目问的是哪一个符合美国公司的人力资源管理。

可定位到文章首段中的第二句，本句提到美国的人力资源管理“is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States”。

第三句说到“Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility”，技能获取被认为是一种个人责任，与B选项“他们把技能的获得看作是员工自己的事”符合，因此B 选项正确。

A选项“他们以最低成本雇佣员工，而不考虑他们的技能”来自第四句“Labor is simply another factor of production to be hired—rented at the lowest possible cost—much as one buys raw materials or equipment”，可知劳动力与原材料或设备一样，只是以尽可能低的成本租用，但本句并未提到忽视员工技能这一点，可排除；C和D选项在原文中未提及，可排除。

“Labor is simply a nother factor of production to be hired—rented at the lowest possible cost—much as one buys materials or equipment.”，这句话的意思是美国的企业是以最低的成本去雇佣劳动力，就跟购置材料和设备一样。

由此可知，选项C以及选项D的说法错误，而选项B原文并没有提及，为无关选项。

因此，答案为A。

2.【试题解析】事实细节题。

题目问的是人力资源管理管理负责人在美国的企业中的地位，根据关键词“the head of human-resource management”定位到原文第一段的“The post of head of human resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of corporate hierarchy.，The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to mov e up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO).”可得知，人力资源管理者处理企业中的边缘位置，在做重大决策前，从来没有人会咨询人力资源管理者。

因此，答案为选项D。

3.【试题解析】事实细节题。

题目问的是美国的企业用于培训的资金主要在哪个方面。

根据关键词training、money定位到原文第二段的“The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial emp loyees.”，因此答案为选项B。

选项A和C,，根据原文中的“And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies.”可得知，美国企业在缺乏基本技能以及能操作新设备的员工培训方面花费的资金非常少。

选项D原文并没有提及，为无关选项。

因此，答案为B。

4.【试题解析】事实细节题。

题目问的是保持公司竞争力优势的决定性因素是什么，根据关键词
advantage depends on work-force skills, American firms have a problem.”可推断出员工技能对于公司竞争力优势很重要。

因此，正确答案为选项B。

选项A新工艺的引进，文章虽然有提到，但并无依据表明它可以保持公司竞争力优势。

选项C文章并没有提及，为无关选项。

选项D文章末尾虽有提到bottom half的群体技能可能会影响优势群体的工资，但与公司竞争力优势并无关系。

5.【试题解析】主旨大意题。

本文的主题是什么，从文章首段首句可知，如果可持续的竞争优势取决于员工的技能，那么美国企业是有问题的，下文也有提到美国企业对于人力资源管理缺乏重视，从而影响了竞争力。

由此可知，答案为选项D。

选项A说的是美国的人力资源管理和日本、德国是不同的，这两个选项的说法都符合原文，但比较片面不足以概括全文。

选项B说的是广泛的再培训对于有效的人力资源管理来说是必不可少的，这两个选项的说法都符合原文，但比较片面不足以概括全文；选项C说的是“人力资源管理的主管必须处于公司级别的中心位置”，说法太过于绝对。

5.翻译题
人类是一个不断自然进化过程的产物，其中包括无数次的遗传转化：这一不可阻挡的进程自45亿年前地球形成以来就一直未曾间断过。

这一进化过程，受环境因素的影响，经过随机突变，形成了更具适应性的系统，从而保证了其连续性。

在动物世界，这导致了更高级物种的进化，并在人类身上达到了极致，因为人类已经获得了创新思维的能力。

我认为这标志着进化进入了一个非常重要的阶段，使一个物种首次有能力掌握了自身命运。

Directions: In this part you are required to translate the following paragraph from Chinese into English. Please write it on the Answer Sheet.
【答案】Human beings are the product of a continuous process of natural evolution, including numerous genetic transformations: an inexorable process that has been going on uninterrupted since the earth formed 4.5 billion years ago. This evolutionary process, influenced by environmental factors, through random mutation, formed a more adaptable system, thus ensuring its continuity. In the animal world, this has led to the evolution of higher species, culminating in humans, who have acquired the ability to think creatively, think this marks a very important stage in evolution, the first time a species has been able to control its own destiny.
6.单选题
After working with Ellen for many years, we knew each other very well and established a good________.
问题1选项
A.rapport
C.prospect
D.rapture
【答案】A
【解析】考查名词辨析。

A选项“rapport”，意为“亲善；融洽；和睦关系”；B选项“rapine”，意为“掠夺；劫掠”；C选项“prospect”，意为“前途；预期；景色”；D选项“rapture”，意为“狂喜；欢天喜地；兴高采烈”。

句意：和艾伦一起工作多年后，我们彼此非常了解，并建立了__良好的关系__。

本句表示“因为和艾伦一起工作多年，彼此也十分了解，两人之间建立了亲密、和谐的良好关系”。

因此A选项符合题意。

7.单选题
The biographer has to dance between two shaky positions with respect to the subject. Too close a relation, and the write may lose objectivity. Not close enough, and the writer may lack the sympathy necessary to any effort to portray a mind, a soul—---the quality of life. Who should write the biography of a family, for example? Because of their closeness to the subject, family members may have special information, but by the same token, they may not have the distance that would allow them to be fair. Similarly, a king’'s servant might not be the best one to write a biography of that king. But a foreigner might not have the knowledge and sympathy necessary to write the king’'s biography—- not for a readership from within the kingdom, at any rate.
There is no ideal position for such a task. The biographer has to work with the position be he or she has in the world, adjusting that position as necessary to deal with the subject. Every position has strengths and weaknesses to thrive, a writer must try to become aware of these, evaluate them in terms of the subject, and select a position accordingly. When their subjects are heroes or famous figures, biographies often reveal a democratic motive: they attempt to show that their subjects are only human, no better than anyone else. Other biographies are meant to change us, to invite us to become better than we are. The biographies of Jesus found in the Bible are in this class.
Biographers may claim that their account is the “authentic”" one. In advancing this claim, they are helped if the biography is "“authorized”" by the subject; this presumably allows the biographer special access to private information. "“Unauthorized”" bio graphies also have their appeal, however, since they can suggest an independence of mind in the biographer. In book promotions, the “unauthorized”’’ characterization usually suggests the prospect of juicy gossip that the subject had hoped to suppress. A subject might have several biographies, even several “"authentic”" ones. We sense intuitively that no one is in a position to tell “the”’’ story of a life, perhaps not even the subject, and this has been proved by the history of biography.
1. According to the author, an ideal biographer would be one who______.
3. Which of the following statements in is true, according to the passage?
4. An unauthorized biography is likely to attract more readers because______.
5. In this passage, the author focuses on______.
问题1选项
A.knows the subject very well and yet maintains a proper distance from him
B.is close to the subject and knows the techniques of biography writing
C.is independent and treats the subject with fairness and objectivity
D.possesses special private information and is sympathetic toward the subject
问题2选项
A.the best biographies are meant to transform their readers
B.biographies are authentic accounts of their subjects’' lives
C.the best biographies are those of heroes and famous figures
D.biographies can serve different purposes
问题3选项
A.An authentic biography seldom appeals to its readers.
B.An authentic biography is one authorized by the subject.
C.No one can write a perfect biography.
D.Authorized biographies have a wider readership.
问题4选项
A.it portrays the subject both faithfully and vividly
B.it contains interesting information about the subject’'s private life
C.it reveals a lot of accurate details unknown to outsiders
D.it usually gives a sympathetic description of the subject’'s character
问题5选项
A.the difficulty of a biographer in finding the proper perspective to do his job
B.the secret of a biographer to win more readers
C.the techniques required of a biographer to write a good biography
D.the characteristics of different kinds of biographies
【答案】第1题:A
第2题:D
第3题:C
第4题:B
第5题:A
【解析】1.【试题解析】判断推理题。

题目说的是在作者看来，一个理想的传记作者会是什么样的人。

定位到原文的第一段的第二句和第三句，可得知与研究对象过于亲密，作家就会失去客观性，与研究对象不够亲密，作家就会缺乏同理心。

太近或者不太近都会有其弊端，因此要把握好这个度。

选项A的意思是说很了解这个研究对象，并且能够把握好这个距离。

选项B、C和D都比较片面，因此答案为A。

2.【试题解析】作者意图题。

题干中问的是作者选择圣经中的耶稣传记目的何在？根据原文定位到第三二段中的“they attempt to show that their subjects are only human, no better
than anyone else.”选项A的意思是最好的传记旨在改变读者，原文并没有提到评判传记的标准。

选项B的意思是传记是被研究对象的真实生活写照，这句话的意思是正确的，但是并不是作者举例的目的。

选项C的意思是最好的传记作品是关于英雄和名人的传记，同样也是涉及到评判传记的标准。

，选项D，可以定位到原文“When their subjects are heroes or famous figures, biographies often reveal a democratic motive: they attempt to show that their subjects are only human, no better than anyone else. Other biographies are meant to change us, to invite us to become better than we are.”举了两个不同的例子，说明传记是为各种目的服务的。

因此，答案为D。

A. An authentic biography seldom appeals to its readers.
B. An authentic biography is one authorized by the subject.
C. No one can write a perfect biography.
D. Authorized biographies have a wider readership.
3.【试题解析】事实细节题。

题干中问的是哪个说法正确，。

选项C“没有人能写出完美的传记”可以定位到原文第二段的首句“There is no ideal position for such a task.”可得知，与选项C 属于同义替换。

选项A,“，真正的自传很少能够吸引读者，”可根据原文中的"“Unauthorized”"
的）自传是可以吸引读者的。

选项B“一本真实的传记是被传记主体授权的”来自最后一段,，但文中说的是“In book promotions, the “unauthorized” characterization usually suggests the prospect of juicy gossip that the subject had hoped to suppress. A subject might have several biographies, even several ‘authentic’ ones”，在图书宣传中，“未经授权”的人物描述通常意味着读者可能会听到读者希望隐瞒的绘声绘色的小道消息。

一个人可能有好几本传记，甚至是好几本“真实的”传记。

说明就算是“真实的”传记，也不见得是被授权的，。

选项C可以定位到原文第二段的首句“There is no ideal position for such a task.”可得知，跟选项C属于同义替换。

D选项“授权传记拥有更广泛的读者群”来自最后一段中“Unauthorized” biographies also have their appeal, however, since they can suggest an independence of mind in the biographer”，然而，未经授权的传记也有其吸引力，因为它们可以显示传记作者有独立的思想。

可知经授权与未经授权的自传都可以吸引读者，因此可排除D选项。

因此，答案为C。

4.【试题解析】事实细节题。

题干问的是一部未经授权的传记会吸引更多读者的原因。

定位到原文中最后一段的第四句“In book promotions, the “‘unauthorized’’’ characterization usually 41.”
suggests the prospect of juicy gossip that the subject had hoped to suppress.”可得知，未经授权的传记作品通常会暗示人们其中有他们所期望的有趣的八卦。

正好符合选项B它包含着令人感兴趣的有关研究对象的私生活的内容。

选项A、C以及D原文并没有提及。

因此，答案为B。

5.【试题解析】主旨大意题。

题干中问的是文章大意。

通读全文，文章的主要内容就是在讲述自传作家找到这个合适的角度去做他的工作的难处。

可以定位到文章的首句“The biographer has to dance between two shaky positions with respect to the subject.”可得知这个职业的困难点。

因此，答案为A。

8.单选题
A man has to make ______ for his old age by putting aside enough money to live on when old. 问题1选项
A.supply
B.assurance
C.provision
D.adjustment
【答案】C
【解析】考查名词辨析。

A项supply“提供”；B项assurance“保证、保险”；C项provision“供应、准备”；D项adjustment“调整”；句意：一个人必须存下足够的钱来养老。

因此该题C项正确。

9.单选题
Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty. That compulsion has resulted in robotics-the science of conferring various human capabilities on machines. And if scientists have yet to create the mechanical version of science fiction, they have begun to come close.
As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor. Our factories hum to the rhythm of robot assembly arms. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are control led by tireless robot-drivers. And thanks to the continual miniaturization of electronics and micro-mechanics, there are already robot systems that can perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with sub-millimeter accuracy-far greater precision than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone.
But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with less human supervision and be able to make at least a few decisions for themselves—goals that pose a real challenge. “While we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error,” says Dave Lavery, manager of a robotics program at NASA, “we can’t yet give a robot enough common sense to reliably interact with a dynamic world.”
Indeed the quest for true artificial intelligence has produced very mixed results. Despite a spell of initial optimism in the 1960s and 1970s when it appeared that transistor circuits and microprocessors might be able to copy the action of the human brain by the year 2010, researchers lately have begun to extend that forecast by decades if not centuries.
W hat they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brain’s roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talented—and human perception far more complicated—than previously imagined. They have built robots that can recognize the error of a machine panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment. But the human mind can glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 percent that is irrelevant, instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth can’t approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still don’t know quite how we do it.
1. Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in ______.
2. The word “gizmos” (line 1, paragraph 2) most probably means ______.
3. According to the text, what is beyond man’s ability now is to design a robot that can ______.
4. Besides reducing human labor, robots can also ______.
5. The author uses the example of a monkey to argue that robots are ______.
问题1选项
A.the use of machines to produce science fiction
B.the wide use of machines in manufacturing industry
C.the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work
D.the elite’s cunning tackling of dan gerous and boring work
问题2选项
A.programs
B.experts
C.devices
D.creatures
问题3选项
A.fulfil delicate tasks like performing brain surgery
B.interact with human being verbally
C.have a little common sense
D.respond independently to a changing world
问题4选项
A.make a few decisions for themselves
B.deal with some errors with human intervention
C.improve factory environment
D.cultivate human creativity
问题5选项
A.expected to copy human brain in internal structure
B.able to perceive abnormalities immediately
C.far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information
D.best used in a controlled environment
【答案】第1题:C
第2题:C
第3题:D
第4题:B
第5题:C
【解析】1.【试题解析】细节推理题。

题干意思是“人类的聪明才智最初是在……”。

第一段第一句Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty.（自人类有了聪明才智以来，人们设计出了越来越精巧的工具来应付危险、无聊、繁重或纯粹是肮脏的工作）可推断，人类的聪明才智最初是设计工具来解决困难危险的工作。

A项“使用机器来创作科幻小说”，第一段最后一句And if scientists have yet to create the mechanical version of science fiction, they have begun to come close.（如果科学家们还没有实现在机械上创造科幻小说，那么他们也已经很接近这个目标了）可以知道，机器创造小说还没有实现，所以不选；B项“机器在制造业中的广泛使用”，这属于人类的聪明才智，但不是最初的，不符合题意所以不选；D项“精英们巧妙地处理危险而无聊的工作”，“精英”一词没有在文中提及，所以不选；C项“发明用于困难和危险工作的工具”符合题意，因此C项正确。

2.【试题解析】语义推测题。

题干意思是“第二段第一行的词语gizmos最有可能是什么意思？”A 选项“课程、规划”，B选项“专家”，C选项“设备”，D选项“生物”。

看到第二段第一行the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor.（现代世界越来越多地充斥着智能的装置，我们几乎注意不到它们的存在，但它们的普遍存在却节省了大量人类劳动），推断gizmos是一种节省人类劳动力的装置；另外后面描述到了工厂的机械臂，银行自助柜台，列车上的机器人司机等为人类节省了大量的劳动力。

因此选项C正确。

3.【试题解析】判断推理题。

题干意思是“设计出一个什么机器人能……现在是超出人类能力范围？”。

第三段最后一句Dave Lavery说we can’t yet give a robot enough common sense to reliably interact with a dynamic world（我们现在还没法设计出能有足够的常识去应付一个动态世界的机器人）可知，D项“独立应对变化的世界”正确。

A项“完成精细的任务，如进行脑部手术”在第二段提到过，人类为了节省劳动力制造出很多智能设备，因此此项不选；B项“用言语与人类互动”这一项在文中没有提到，因此不选；C项“有一点常识”干扰项，人类制造具有足够常识的机器人目的是为了应对多变的世界，有一点常识不是人类制造该机器人的目的，所以不选。

因此该题D项正确。

4.【试题解析】细节推理题。

题干意思是“除了节省劳动力以外，机器人还可以……”。

第三段第二句Dave Lavery说while we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error（我们知道如何告诉机器人去处理一个特定的错误），以及第五段第二句提到they have built robots that can recognize the error of a machine panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment.（他们已经制造出在可控的工厂环境中能以不到一毫米的精确度识别机器面板上的误
差的机器人），由此可知机器人除了节省劳动力以外还可以处理一些错误。

A项“自己做决定”，第三段第一句提到But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with … to make at least a few decisions for themselves—goals that pose a real challenge（但是如果机器人要达到节省人工的下一个阶段，它们将必须在更少的人力监督之下工作，而且还要能够自己做出至少几个决定——这些目标引发真正的挑战）可知，让机器人自己做决定还只是一个挑战，并没有实现，所以此项错误；C项“改善工厂环境”，文中没有提到机器人可以改善环境，所以不选；D项“培养人类创造力”文中也没提到。

因此该题B项正确。

5.【试题解析】观点态度题。

题干意思是“作者使用猴子的例子来论证机器人是……”。

最后一段第一句提到the human brain’s roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talented—and human perception far more complicated（人类大脑中大约1000亿个神经细胞比之前想象的更有天赋，人类的感知也比之前想象的更复杂）可知，机器人与人类大脑相比，机器人的智能和感知能力还相差甚远，因为人类可以在瞬间识别出猴子的面孔而机器人做不到。

A项“有望复制人类大脑的内部结构”，最后一句提到The most advanced computer systems on Earth can’t approach that kind of ability（地球上最先进的计算机系统都无法达到这种能力）可知机器人要做到复制人类大脑还做不到，此项错误；B项“能够立即感知到异常情况”，最后一段作者用猴子的例子是来证明人类大脑的感知能力比机器人更快，因此此项不选；D项“最好在受控环境中使用”，文中只是提到机器人可以在可控的环境中识别出精确的误差，没有建议在受控环境中使用，所以此项不选。

故该题C项正确。

10.单选题
When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she’d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blam es the softening economy. “I’m a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when they’re concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too”, she says.
Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission that America’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, expels say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. But don’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.
Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “there’s a new gold rush ha ppening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says john deadly, a Bay Area real-estate broke. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.
Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn’t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table a t Manhattan’s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
1. By “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet” (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means ______
2. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
3. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Line 2-3, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about ______
4. Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic showdown?
5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
问题1选项
A.Spero can hardly maintain her business.
B.Spero is too much engaged in her work.
C.Spero has grown out of her bad habit.
D.Spero is not in a desperate situation.
问题2选项
A.Optimistic.
B.Confused.
C.Carefree.
D.Panicked.
问题3选项
A.gold market.
B.real estate.
C.stock exchange.
D.venture investment.
问题4选项
A.They would benefit in certain ways.
B.The stock market shows signs of recovery.
C.Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.
D.The purchasing power would be enhanced.
问题5选项
A.A now boom, on the horizon.
B.Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
C.Caution all right, panic not.
D.The more ventures, the more chances.
【答案】第1题:D
第2题:A
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:C
【解析】1.【试题解析】语义推测题。

题干意思是“通过说‘艾伦•斯佩罗还不至于咬手指’（第一段第一行），作者的意思是？”。

根据本题题干直接定位到第一段第一、二句话When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she’d like to, either （谈到经济放缓，艾伦•斯佩罗还不至于咬手指。

但这位47岁的美甲师也没能随心所欲地修剪、填充或打磨指甲），再结合后文可知，她不再去高档商场而是去中档商场了，所以可知这里是指斯佩罗的经济状况还没有到绝望的境地。

A项“斯佩罗几乎无法维持自己的生意”说法过于绝对，虽然遭受到经济放缓的影响，但是生意还是在继续，只是没有之前好了；B项“斯佩罗过分投入于自己的工作”说法没有原文依据；C项“斯佩罗已经戒掉了坏习惯”说法错误，该处为习语理解。

所以该题D项正确。

2.【试题解析】细节事实题。

题干意思是“公众对当前的经济形势有何看法？”。

根据本题关键词“public”定位到第二段关键词“Consumers”以及最后一句Consumers seem only concerned, not。