重庆大学2013-硕士生英语B班期末考试阅读理解例题Reading-comprehension

成败：Passage 1In one way of thinking, failure is also part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider-story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times to span the gap. On the seventh time, he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart (become encouraged or more confident) and to have gone on to defeat the English. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one. Once he was asked why he kept on trying to make a new type of battery when he had failed so often. He replied, “Failure? I have no failures. Now I know 50,000 ways it won’t work.”So what (如此那又如何)? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top form yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?Second, is the goal you are trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about this question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it’s part of life. Learn to “live with yourself” even though you may have failed. Remember, “You can’t win them all.”1. This passage deals with ___________ .A. failure and successB. two sides of failureC. the “spider-story” C. the invention of light bulb2. In the first paragraph, the author talks mainly about .A. the value of failureB. how people failC. famous failuresD. how not to fail3. Robert Bruce was put in the passage to show that .A. failure must come before successB. failure isn’t all badC. nature will help us if we let itD. people who fail have plenty of company4. One thing the writer doesn’t tell you to do to cope with failure is to .A. check out your goals to see if they are right for youB. think about failure as part of lifeC. think about failure to find out what went wrongD. avoid things that are beyond you5. Even if we have failed, we should __________ .A. not think about it any moreB. take it easyC. learn to live with others in the same houseD. learn to accept it babdd通识教育：Passage Two“The more you learn, the more you earn,”said the pop singer Cindy Lauper as she accepted her high school diploma—at the age of 35! Although Cindy made it without a high school degree, most people don’t. In the U.S.A. today, about 75% of jobs require some education or technical training beyond high school. The lowest wage earners in the U.S.A. are those without high school degrees; college graduates outearn those without college education; people with master’s degrees outearn those with only a bachelor’s; and thehighest incomes of all are earned by people with advanced professional or academic degrees. These generalizations explain why the majority of young Americans go to college. However, despite the averages, more diplomas don’t always mean more money. Many skilled blue-collar workers, salespeople, and business executives outearn college professors and scientific researchers. And great athletes and entertainers outearn everyone else!But a college education is not only preparation for a career; it is also (or should be) preparation for life. In addition to courses in their major field of study, most students have time to take elective courses. They may take classes that help them understand more about human nature, government, the arts, sciences, or whatever else interests them.Going to college is becoming the automatic next step after high school. Today, more than half of American high school graduates enroll in college. But recent high school graduates no longer dominate the college campuses. Today, it is quite common for adults of all ages to come back to college either for career advancement or personal growth. By 2000, about half of all American college students were older than 25 and 20% of them were over 35.6. We can learn from Cindy’s story that ___________ .A. people cannot be successful without a high school diplomaB. Cindy was not successful until she got her high school diplomaC. Cindy would surely continue her higher educationD. Cindy dropped out of high school when she was young.7. The main idea of this passage is that _________ .A. it is never too old to go to collegeB. why Americans go to collegeC. more diplomas don’t always mean more moneyD. most jobs require some education beyond high school8. On average, the highest income earners are _________ .A. master and Ph. D holdersB. blue-collars and salespeopleC. professors and scientific researchersD. sports and music stars9. All of the following is mentioned as the functions of college education except that .A. It is preparation for a successful lifeB. it is preparation for a careerC. it can make people’s life more colorfulD. it can help people understand more about human nature10. More adult Americans are going back to college in order to _______ .A. get promotionB. raise their social status dbdccC. have a better job or better lifeD. meet the demands of their employers人类需求理论：Passage ThreeMost conceptions of the process of motivation begin with the assumption that behavior is, at least in part, directed towards the attainment of goals or towards the satisfaction of needs or motives. Accordingly, it is appropriate to begin our consideration of motivation in the work place by examining the motives for working. Simon points out that an organization should be able to secure the participation of a person by offering him inducements (引诱; 诱因; 刺激) which contribute in some way to at least one of his goals. The kinds of inducements offered by an organization are varied, and if they are effective in maintaining participation they mustnecessarily be based on the needs of the individuals.Maslow examines in detail what these needs are. He points out not only that there are many needs ranging from basic physiological drives such as hunger to a more abstract desire for self-realization, but also that they are arranged in a hierarchy（等级制度）whereby (by which) the lower-order needs must to a large degree be satisfied before the higher-order ones come into play (begin to be active or have an influence).One of the most obvious ways in which work organizations attract and retain members is through the realization that economic factors are not the only inducement for working as indicated by Morse and Weiss. In line with (in accordance with) the social respect and self-realization needs discussed by Maslow, factors such as associations with others, self-respect gained through the work, and a high interest value of the work can serve effectively to induce people to work.11. Simon points out that ________.A. the needs of individuals range from hunger to self-realizationB. effective inducements must be based on what individuals wantC. economic factors are not the only inducement for workingD. inducements must not be too varied12. According to Maslow, a work organization is able to motivate people to work by _____.A. satisfying their physiological needsB. satisfying their self-realization needsC. satisfying hierarchy of their higher-order needD. first satisfying their lower-order needs13. Lower-order needs concern a person's ____________.A. essential physical needs C. self-realizationB. self-respect D. working relationships with others14. Which of the following is NOT a higher need that attracts people to work?A. Association with others. C. Interest value of the work.B. Possibility of earning a good salary D. Cultivation of self-respect.15. Which of the following statements may be supported by Morse and Weiss?A. Physiological needs are the most basic.B. There is a hierarchy of needs that must be met.C. Economic factors are the greatest inducement.D. Personal esteem and the gaining of power is the most important factor. bdabc不平等问题：Passage FourThese days we hear a lot of nonsense about the ‘great classless society’. The idea that the twentieth century is the age of the common man has become one of the great clichés (陈词滥调) of our time. The same old arguments are put forward in evidence. Here are some of them: monarchy as a system of government has been completely discredited (声名狼藉). The monarchies that survive have been deprived of all political power. Inherited wealth has been savagely reduced by taxation and, in time, the great fortunes will disappear altogether. In a number of countries the victory has been complete. The people rule; the great millennium has become a political reality. But has it? Close examination doesn’t bear out (support) the claim.It is a fallacy (谬见) to suppose that all men are equal and that society will be leveled out if you provide everybody with the same educational opportunities. (It is debatable whether you can ever provide everyone with the same educational opportunities, but that is another question.) The fact is that nature distributes brains and ability with a total disregard for the principle of equality. The old rules of the jungle, ‘survival of the fittest’, and ‘might is right’ are still with us. The spread of education has destroyed the old class system and created a new one. R ewards are based on merit. For ‘aristocracy’ (贵族统治) read ‘meritocracy’ (精英统治); in other respects, society remains unaltered: the class system is rigidly maintained.Genuine ability, animal cunning (狡诈), skill, the knack (技巧;诀窍) of seizing opportunities, all bring material rewards. And what is the first thing people do when they become rich? They use their wealth to secure the best possible opportunities for their chil dren, to give them ‘a good start in life’. For all the lip service we pay (口头支持) to the idea of equality, we do not consider this wrong in the western world. Private schools which offer unfair advantages over state schools are not banned because one of the principles in a democracy is that people should be free to choose how they will educate their children. In this way, the new meritocracy can perpetuate (永久存在) itself to a certain extent: an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart. Wealth is also used indiscriminately (不加鉴别地) to further political ends (aims or purposes). It would be almost impossible to become the leader of a democracy without massive financial backing. Money is as powerful a weapon as ever it was.In societies wholly dedicated to the principle of social equality, privileged private education is forbidden. But even here people are rewarded according to their abilities. In fact, so great is the need for skilled workers that the least able may be neglected. Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers. In the end, all political ideologies boil down (归结为) to the same thing: class divisions persist whether you are ruled by a feudal king or an educated peasant.16. What is the main idea of this passage?A. Equality of opportunity in the twentieth century has not destroyed the class system.B. Equality means money.C. There is no such society as classless society.D. Nature can’t give you a classless society.17.According to the author, the same educational opportunities can’t get rid of inequalitybecause _______________.A. the principle ‘survival of the fittest’ exists.B. nature ignores equality in dispensing brains and ability.C. material rewards are for genuine ability.D. people have the freedom how to educate their children.18.Who can obtain more rapid success?A. Those with the best opportunities.B. Those with the best brains.C. Those with wealth.D. Those who have the ability to catch at opportunities.19.Why does the author say the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent?Because ________________.A. money decides everything.B. private schools offer advantages over state schools.C. people are free to choose the way of educating their children.D. wealth is used for political ends.20.According to the author, ‘class divisions’ refers to ________________.A. genius and stupidity.B. different opportunities for people.C. oppressor and the oppressed.D. the rich and the poor. abcad博弈论：Passage FiveEconomics has often been criticized as a science concerned only with the short term, to the exclusion of consideration of how short term goals affect long-term consequences. While it is true that economics is generally focused on achieving short-term maximization of resources, it must be kept in mind that the long term is never neglected. One of the most intrinsic concepts in the field of economics is game theory, which examines how the choices immediately facing an individual will affect his subsequent breadth of choices that emerge afterward.For example, consider the case of a manager of a business who must decide whether to create a shoddy product, aware of the fact that ignorant buyers will buy an equal amount of the item regardless of its quality, since they know nothing about it yet. Assume that creating a shoddy product is less expensive than creating merchandise of higher quality. Short-term economics would argue that it is the best course of action for the manager to create the low-quality item, since the same reward would be achieved for a lower price.More properly applied economics, however, would demand further consideration, taking into account the long-term. While creating a shoddy product in the long term would boost short-term profits, it would also cause buyers not to purchase from the manager’s company in the future, resulting in a significant loss in long-term profits. Consequently, the boost in short term profit would have to be weighed against the loss in long-term profits, providing a more realistic and applicable aspect to the decision making process. When game theory comes into play, economics becomes a more useful tool in real world situations.Have examined the way in which game theory is applied, its name now makes sense. Game theory is similar to a chess game, in which the effects of one’s choices on the other players in the “game” must be considered prior to action. In that sense, the application of economics to practical decision-making becomes at once more complicated yet more sensible. One must always be thinking ahead and anticipating future scenarios based on current situations, for although economics is concerned with maximization, maximization is a long-term, not a short-term, goal.21. According to the passage, which of the following is not necessarily true?A. Excluding game theory, economics is a short-sighted science.B. Game theory is only properly applied when future decisions are considered.C. Maximization is a goal that can only be achieved in the long-term.D. Game theory leads managers to make correct decisions with the application ofeconomics.22. In Para. 3, “…the boost in short term profit would have to be weighed against the loss inlong-term profits…” indicates that _______________.A. long-term profits are more important than short-term profitsB. both the long-term and the short-term effects must be considered when makingdecisionsC. boosts in short-term profits are most often less than loss in long-term profitsD. if decreases in long-term profits exceed increases in short-term profits, the action isnot advisable23. The passage shows that the author views economics as _____________.A. a science useful for decision-making in both the long and the short term, asdemonstrated by the example of game theoryB. an entirely applicable science, despite common criticisms of short-sightednessC. a short sighted science, except for the concept of game theoryD. the most practical and useful method by which to determine the proper solutions tolong and short term questions24. The main purpose of Para. 4 is to _____________.A. reiterate the argument that economics is not a short-sighted scienceB. summarize the preceding argument presented in the textC. state the concept of game theory’s application to economics in a condensed versionD. lead the reader to a conclusion supported by the author25. From the passage we learn that ____________.A. game theory is arguably the most important aspect of applied economicsB. most people are unaware of the existence of game theory in economics, thus spurringcriticismC. without game theory, economics is of very little use to practical decision-makingD. game theory makes applied economics more practical and useful cbacd择业：Passage SixThere are a great many careers in which the increasing emphasis is on specialization. You find these careers in engineering, in production, in statistical work, and in teaching. But there is an increasing demand for people who are able to take in a great area at a glance, people who perhaps do not know too much about any one field. There is, in other words, a demand for people who are capable of seeing the forest rather than the trees, of making general judgments. We can call these people “generalists”. And these “generalists” are particularly needed for positions in administration, where it is their job to see that other people do the work, where they have to plan for oth er people, to organize other people’s work, to begin it and judge it. The specialist understands one field; his educational background is properly technical or professional. The generalist―-and especially the administrator—-deals with people; his concern is with leadership, with planning, and with direction giving. He is an “educated” man; and humanities are his strongest foundation. Very rarely is a specialist capable of being an administrator. And very rarely is a good generalist also a good specialist in a particular field. Any organization needs both kinds of people, though different organizations need them in different proportions. It is your task to find out, during your training period, into which of the two kinds of jobs you fit, and to plan your career accordingly.Your first job may turn out to be the right job for you ―― but this is pure accident.Certainly you should not change jobs constantly or people will become suspicious of your ability to hold any job. At the same time you must not look upon the first job as the final job; it is primarily a training job, an opportunity to understand your-self and your fitness for being an employee.26. There is an increasing demand for ______ .A. all-round people in their own fieldB. people whose jo b is to organize other people’s workC. generalists whose educational background is either technical or professionalD. specialists whose chief concern is to provide administrative guidance to others27. The specialist is ________ .A. a man whose job is to train other peopleB. a man who has been trained in more than one fieldC. a man who can see the forest rather than the treesD. a man whose concern is mainly with technical or professional matters28. The administrator is _______ .A. a “trained” man who is more a specialist than a generalistB. a man who sees the trees as well as the forestC. a man who is very strong in the humanitiesD. a man who is an “educated” specialist29. During your training period, it is important ______ .A. to try to be a generalistB. to choose a profitable jobC. to find an organization which fits youD. to decide whether you are fit to be a specialist or a generalist30. A man’s first job __________.A. is never the right job for himB. should not be regarded as his final jobC. should not be changed or people will become suspicious of his ability to hold any jobD. is primarily an opportunity to fit himself for his final job bdcdb求职/简历：Passage SevenThere is a new type of small advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper-classified columns. It is sometimes placed among “situations vacant招聘”, although it does not offer anyone a job, and sometimes it appears among “situations wanted 求职”, alt hough it is not placed by someone looking for a job either. What it does is to offer help in applying for a job.“Contact us before writing your application” or “Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae (cv) or job history (US also resume)”, is how it is usually expressed. The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, areflection on the current high levels of unemployment. It is also an indication of the growing importance of the curriculum vitae, with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right.There was a time when job seekers simply wrote letters of application. “Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams”, was about the average lev el of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school. The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, everything else could and should be saved for the interview. And in these days of full employment the technique worked. The letter proved that you could write and were available for work. Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest.Later, as you moved up the ladder, something slightly more sophisticated was called for. The advice then was to put something in the letter that would distinguish you from the rest. It might be the aggressive approach. “Your search is over. I am the person you are looking for.” was a widely used trick that occasionally succeeded. Or it might be some special feature specially designed for the job in view.There is no doubt, however, that it is the increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the curriculum vitae.31. The new type of advertisement that is appearing in newspaper columns__________.A. informs job hunters of the opportunities availableB. promises useful advice to those looking for employmentC. divides available jobs into various typesD. informs employers that people are available for work32. Nowadays a demand for this specialized type of service has been created because____.A. there is a lack of jobs available for artistic peopleB. there are so many top-level jobs availableC. there are so many people out of workD. the job history is considered to be a work33. In the past it was expected that first job hunters would__________________.A. write an initial letter giving their life historyB. pass some exams before applying for a jobC. have no qualifications other than being able to read and writeD. keep any detailed information until they obtained an interview34. Later, as one went on to apply for more important jobs, one was advised to include in theletter_____.A. something that would attract attention to one’s applicationB. a personal opinion about the organization one was trying to joinC. something that would offend the person reading itD. a lie that one could readily get away with telling35. The job history has become such an important document because____________.A. there has been an increase in the number of jobs advertisedB. there has been an increase in the number of applicants with degreesC. jobs are becoming much more complicated nowadaysD. the other processes of applying for jobs are more complicated bcdab克隆人：Passage EightMerely mentioning these beneficial uses of cloning raises difficult ethical questions. The bright hope of gene therapy is dimmed somewhat by the reawaking of eugenic fears. If we can manipulat e embryos to prevent disease, why not go further and seek “enhancements” of human abilities? Greater disease resistance, strength and intelligence all beckon alluringly, but questions abound. Will we be tampering with the diversity that has been the mainstay of human survival in the past? Who will choose the alleged enhancements, and what will prevent a repetition of the terrible racist and coercive eugenic programs of the past?Even if it proves physically safe the resulting children, human cloning raises its own share of ethics dilemmas. Many wonder, for example, about the psychological well-being of a cloned child. What does it mean in terms of intrafamily relations for someone to be born the identical twin of his or her parent? What pressures will a cloned child experience if, from his or her birth onward, he or she is constantly being compared to an esteemed or beloved person who has already lived? The problem may be more acute if parents seek to replace a diseased child with a cloned replica. Is there, as some ethicists have argued, a “right to one’s unique genotype”, or genetic code ---- a right that cloning violates? Will cloning lead to even more serious violations of human dignity? Some fear that people may use cloning to produce a subordinate class of humans created as tissue or organ donors.Some of these fears are less substantial than others. Existing laws and institutions should protect people produced by cloning from exploitation. Cloned humans could no more be “harvested” for their organs than people can be today. The more subtle psychological and familial harms are a worry, but they are not unique to cloning. Parents have always imposed unrealistic expectations on their children, and in the wake of (following sth) widespread divorce and remarriage we have grown familiar with unusual family structures and relationships. Clearly, the initial efforts at human cloning will require good counseling for the parents and careful follow-up of the children. What is needed is caution, not necessarily prohibition.36. The paragraph preceding this passage probably discusses __________.A. the ways cloned children are createdB. how cloned humans can get benefitsC. what the life of cloned children will be likeD. how people can take advantage of cloning37. Which of the following is not one of the ethics dilemmas raised by human cloning?A. How to deal with intrafamily relations for someone who is the identical twin of his father?B. A great child will experience great pressure if compared to a late scientistC. To cure a diseased child with donated organs.D. The physical well-being of a cloned child38. The harm that may be done to cloned humans and is unique to cloning is __________ .A. the difficult situation that they face in their familyB. the great pressure that they may sufferC. to use them as tissue or organ donorsD. to hurt them psychologically39. The author’s attitude towards human cloning is that __________ .A. it should be decided by the parentB. it may be carried out with great careC. it should be prohibited absolutelyD. it depends on the suggestion of the parents40. Which of the following is not true?A. The diversity of humans has been important for human survival. dccbcB. Laws should protect cloned people from being used as organ donors.C. Divorce and remarriage have rarely changed usual family structures and relationships.D. Cloned children may be physically right but difficult to achieve psychological well-being.营销文化：Passage NineSucces sful international marketing doesn’t stop with good translations—other aspects of culture must be researched and understood if marketers are to avoid blunders. When marketers do not understand and appreciate the values, tastes, geography, climate, superstitions, level of literacy, religion, or economic development of a culture, they fail to capture their target market.For example, when a popular American designer tried to introduce a new perfume in the Latin American market, the product aroused little interest and the company lost a lot of money. Ads for the new fragrance highlighted its fresh camellia scent. What marketers had failed to realize was that camellias are traditionally used for funeral in many South American countries.Procter and Gamble has been successful in marketing its products internationally for many years. T oday, overseas markets accounts for over one third of its sales. However, the company’s success in this area didn’t happen overnight. Procter and Gamble initially experienced huge los ses because marketing managers did not recognize important cultural differences. For instance, when P& G first entered the Japanese market with its popular Cheer laundry detergent, most Japanese housewives weren’t interested. The promotional campaign that emphasized Cheer as an effective “all temperature” detergent was lost on the Japanese who usually wash clothes in cold water. Although the ad had been quite successful in the United States where clothes are washed in all temperatures, it fell flat in Japan. All of this could have been avoided if P&G marketers had done more preliminary research before launching the campaign. Once P&G changed its strategy and promised superior cleaning in cold water, sales for Cheer picked up dramatically.The use of numbers can also be a source of problems for international marketers. Since every culture has its own set of lucky and unlucky numbers, companies need to do their homework if they want to avoid marketing blunders. A. U. S. manufacturer of golf balls learned this lesson the hard way when it packaged its product in groups of four for export to Japan. The company couldn’t figure out why the golf balls weren’t selling well until it realized that in Japanese the word for the number four also means death. In Japan four and nine are very unlucky numbers which should be avoided by marketers.Even illustrations need to be carefully examined. A picture that is culturally offensive can ruin an advertisement even if the written message is properly translated. McDonnell Douglas。