2010-2015历年专硕考研英语二真题
2015年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（二）试题
Section I Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text。Choose the best word(s)for each numbered blank and markA，B，C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1(10 points)
In our contemporary culture，the prospect of communicating with-or even looking at-a stranger is virtually unbearable Everyone around us seems to agree by the way they fiddle with their phones，even without a 1 underground
It's a sad reality-our desire to avoid interacting with other human beings-because there's 2 to be gained from talking to the strange r standing by you. But you wouldn't know it，3 into your phone. This universal armor sends the 4 ："Please don't approach me."
What is it that makes us feel we need to hide 5 our screens?
One answer is fear, according to Jon Wortmann, executive mental coach We fear rejection，or that our innocent social advances will be 6 as"creep,"We fear we'II be 7 We fear we'II be disruptive Strangers are inherently 8 to us，so we are more likely to feel 9 when communicating with them compared with our friends and acquaintances To avoid this anxiety, we 10 to our phones."Phones become our security blanket，"Wortmann says."They are our happy
glasses that protect us from what we perceive is going to be more 11 ."
But once we rip off the bandaid，tuck our smartphones in our pockets and look up，it doesn't 12 so bad. In one 2011 experiment，behavioral scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder asked commuters to do the unthinkable: Start a 13 . They had Chicago train commuters talk to their fellow 14 . "When Dr.Epley and Ms. Schroeder asked other people in the same train station to 15 how they would feel after talking to a stranger, the commuters thought their 16 would be more pleasant if they sat on their own," the New York Times summarizes. Though the participants didn't expect a positive experience, after they 17 with
the experiment, "not a single person reported having been snubbed."
18 , these commutes were reportedly more enjoyable compared with those sans communication, which makes absolute sense, 19 human beings thrive off of social connections. It's that 20 : Talking to strangers can make you feel connected.
1. [A] ticket [B] permit [C]signall [D] record
2. [A] nothing [B] link [C]another [D] much
3. [A] beaten [B] guided [C]plugged [D] brought
4. [A] message [B] cede [C]notice [D] sign
5. [A] under [B] beyond [C] behind [D] from
6. [A] misinterprete [B] misapplied [C] misadjusted [D] mismatched
7. [A] fired [B] judged [C] replaced [D] delayed
8. [A] unreasonable [B] ungreatful [C] unconventional [D] unfamiliar
9. [A] comfortable [B] anxious [C] confident [D] angry
10. [A] attend [B] point [C] take [D] turn
11. [A] dangerous [B] mysterious [C] violent [D] boring
12. [A] hurt [B] resis [C] bend [D] decay
13. [A] lecture [B] conversation [C] debate [D] negotiation
14. [A] trainees [B] employees [C] researchers [D] passengers
15. [A] reveal [B] choose [C] predictl [D] design
16. [A] voyage [B] flight [C] walk [D] ride
17. [A] went through [B] did away [C] caught up [D] put up
18. [A] In turn [B] In particular [C]In fact [D] In consequence
19. [A] unless [B] since [C] if [D] whereas
20. [A] funny [B] simple [C] Iogical [D] rare
Section ⅡReading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Text 1
A new study suggests that contrary to most surveys. People art actually more stressed at home than at work. Researchers measured people's cortntlol. Which is it at stress marker. While they were at work and while they were at home and found it higher at what is supposed to be a place of refuge.
"Further contradicting conventional wisdom, we found that women as well as men have lower levels of stress at work than at home," writes one of the researchers. Sarah Damaske, In fact women say they feel better at work. She notes. "it is men not women. Who report being bappicr at home than at work," Another surprise is that the findings hold true for both those with childrcn and without, but more so for nonparents. This is why pcoplc who work outside the home have better health.
What the study doesn't measure is whether people are still doing work when they' re at home, whether it is household work or work brought home from the office. For many men, the end of the workday is a time to kick back. For women who stay home, they never get to leave the office. And for women who work outside the home, they often are playing catch-up-with-household tasks. With the blurring of roles, and the fact that the home front lags well behind the workplace in making adjustments for working women, it' s not surprising that women are more stressed at home.
But it's not just a gender thing. At work, people pretty much know what they're supposed to be doing: working, making money, doing the tasks they have to do in order to draw an income. The bargain is very pure: Employee puts in hours of physical or mental labor and employee draws out life-sustaining moola.
On the home front, however, people have no such clarity. Rare is the household in which the division of labor is so clinically and methodically laid out. There are a lot of tasks to be done, there are inadequate rewards for most of them. Your home colleagues-your family-have no clear rewards for their labor; they need to be talked into it, or if they' re teenagers, threatened with complete
removal of all electronic devices. Plus, they' re your family. You cannot fire your family. You never really get to go home from home.
So it's not surprising that people are more stressed at home. Not only are the tasks apparently infinite, the co-workers are much harder to motivate.
21.According to Pa ragraph 1，most previous su rveys found that home___________
[A]was an un realistic place for relaxation
[B]generated more stress than the workplace
[C]was an ideal place for stress measurement
[D]offered greater relaxation than the workplace
22.According to Damaske，who are likely to be the happiest at home?
[A]Working mothers
[B]Childless husbands
[C] Childless wives
[D]Working fathers
23 The blurring of working women's roles refers to the fact thay___________
[A]they are both bread winners and housewives
[B]their home is also a place for kicking back
[C]there is often much housework left behind
[D]it is difficult for them to leave their office
24.The word"moola"(Line 4，Para 4)most probably means___________
[A]energy
[B]skills
[C]earnings
[D]nutrition
25.The home front differs from the workplace in that_____________
[A]home is hardly a cozier working environment
[B]division of labor at home is seldom clear-cut
[C]household tasks are generally more motivating
[D]family labor is often adequately rewarded
Text 2
For years, studies have found that first-generation college students-those who do not have a parent with a college degree-lag other students on a range of education achievement factors. Their grades are lower and their dropout rates are higher. But since such students are most likely to advance economically if they succeed in higher education, colleges and universities have pushed for decades to recruit more of them. This has created "a paradox" in that recruiting first-generation students, but then watching many of them fail, means that higher education has "continued to
reproduce and widen, rather than close" achievement gap based on social class, according to the depressing beginning of a paper forthcoming in the journal Psychological Sciense.
But the article is actually quite optimistic, as it outlines a potential solution to this problem, suggesting that an approach(which involves a one-hour, next-to-no-cost program) can close 63 percent of the achievement gap(measured by such factors as grades)between first-generation and other students.
The authors of the paper are from different universities, and their findins are based on a study involving 147 students(who completed the project)at an unnamed private unive rsity．First generation was defined as not having a parent with a fou r-year college degree Most of the first-generation students(59.1 percent) were recipients of Pell Grants，a federal g rant for undergraduates with financial need，while this was true only for 8.6 percent of the students wit at least one parent with a four-year degree
Their thesis-that a relatively modest inte rvention could have a big impact-was based on the view that first-gene ration students may be most lacking not in potential but in practical knowledge about how to deal with the issues that face most college students They cite past resea rch by several authors to show that this is the gap that must be na rrowed to close the achievement gap.
Many first-gene ration students"struggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education，learn the'rules of the game，'and take advantage of college resou rces," they write And this becomes more of a problem when collages don't talk about the class advantage and disadvantages of different groups of students Because US colleges and universities seldom acknowledge how social class can affect students' educational expe rience，many first-gene ration students lack sight about why they a re struggling and do not unde rstand how students' like them can improve
26. Recruiting more first-generation students has
[A]reduced their d ropout rates
[B]narrowed the achievement gao
[C] missed its original pu rpose
[D]depressed college students
27 The author of the research article are optimistic because
[A]the problem is solvable
[B]their approach is costless
[q the recruiting rate has increased
[D]their finding appeal to students
28 The study suggests that most first-gene ration students
[A]study at private universities
[B]are from single-pa rent families
[q are in need of financial support
[D]have failed their collage
29. The author of the paper believe that first-generation students
[A]a re actually indifferent to the achievement gap
[B]can have a potential influence on othe r students
[C] may lack opportunities to apply for resea rch projects
[D]are inexperienced in handling their issues at college
30.We mayinfer from the last paragraph that--
[A]universities often r~ect the culture of the middle-class
[B]students are usually to blame for their lack of resources
[C]social class g reatly helps en rich educational experiences
[D]colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question
Text3
Even in traditional offices，"the lingua franca of corporate America has gottenmuch more emotional and much more right-brained than it was 20 years ago，" said Ha rva rd Business School professor Nancy Koehn She sta rted spinning off examples."If you and I pa rachuted back to Fortune 500 companies in 1990，we would see much less frequent use of terms like Journey, mission,passion. There were goals，there were strategies，there were ives，but we didn't talk about energy；we didn't talk about passion."
Koehn pointed out that this new era of corporate vocabula ry is very "team"-oriented-and not by coincidence."Let's not forget sDorts-in male-dominated corporate America，it's still a big deal. It's not explicitly conscious；it's the idea that I'm a coach，and you're my team，and we're in this togethec. There are lots and lots of CEOs in very different companies，but most think of themselves as coaches and this is their team and they want to win".
These terms a re also intended to infuse work with meaning-and，as Khu rana points out，increase allegiance to the firm."You have the importation of terminology that historically used to be associated with non-profit organizations and religious organizations：Terms like vision，values，passion，and purpose，"saidKhurana
This new focus on personal fulfillment can help keep employees motivated amid increasingly loud debates over work-life balance The "mommy wars" of the 1990s a re still going on today, prompting arguments about whywomen still can'thave it all and books like Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In，whose title has become abuzzword in its own right. Terms like unplug，offline，life-hack，bandwidth，andcapacity are all about setting boundaries between the office and the home But ifyour work is your "passion," you'II be more likely to devote yourself to it，even ifthat means going home for dinner and then working long after the kids are in bed
But this seems to be the irony of office speak：Everyone makes fun of it，butmanage rs love it，companies depend on it，and regular people willingly absorb itAs Nunberg said，"You can get people to think it's nonsense at the same timethat you buy into it." In a workplace that's fundamentally indiffe rent to your lifeand its meaning office speak can help you figu re out how you relate to yourwork-and how your work defines who you are
31. According to Nancy Koehn, office language has become________
[A]more e motional
[B]more ive
[C]less energetic
[D]less energetic
[E]less strategic
32."team"-oriented corporate vocabulary is closely related to________
[A]historical incidents
[B]gender difference
[C]sports culture
[D]athletic executives
33.Khurana believes that the importation of terminology aims to________
[A]revive historical terms
[B]promote company image
[C]foster corporate cooperation
[D]strengthen employee loyalty
34.It can be inferred that Lean In_________
[A]voices for working women
[B]appeals to passionate workaholics
[C]triggers dcbates among mommies
[D]praises motivated employees
35.Which of the following statements is true about office speak?
[A]Managers admire it but avoid it
[B]Linguists believe it to be nonsense
[C]Companies find it to be fundamental
[D]Regular people mock it but accept it
答案：
31.A more emotional
32.C sports culture
33.D strengthen employee loyalty
34.A voices for working women
35.C companies find it to be fundamental
Text 4
Many people talked of the 288,000 new jobs the Labor Department reporled for Jure, along with the drop in the unemployment take to 6 J percent. at good news. And they were right. For now it appears the economy is creating jobs at a decent pace. We still have a long way to go to get back to full employment, but at least we are now finally moving forward at a faster pace.
However there is another important part of the jobs picture that was targely ovedookcd. There was a big jump in the number of people who report voluntarily working part-time. This figure is now 830,000（4,4 percent）above its year ago level.
Before explaining the connection to the Obamacare, it is worth making an important distinction. Many people who work part-time jobs actually want full-time jobs. They take part-time work because this is all they can get. An increase in involuntary part-time work is evidence of weakness in the labor market and it means that many people will be having a very hard time making ends meet.
There was an increase in involuntary part-time in June, but the general direction has been down. Involuntary part-time employment is still far higher than before the recession, but it is down by 640,000(7.9 percent)from its year ago level.
We know the difference between voluntary and involuntary part-time employment because people tell us. The survey used by the Labor Department asks people if they worked less than 35 hours in the reference week. If the answer is "yes."they are classified as working part-time. The survey then asks whether they worked less than 35 hours in that week because they wanted to work less than full time or because they had no choice. They are only elassified as voluntary part-time workers if they tell the survey taker they chose to work less than 35 hours a week.
The issue of voluntary part-time relates to Obamacare becanse one of the main purposes was to allow people to get insurance outside of employment. For many people, especially those with serious health conditions or family members with serious health conditions, before Obamacare the only way to get insurance was through a job that provided health insurance.
However, Obamacare has allowed more than 12 million people to either get insurance through Medicaid or the exchanges. These are people who may previously have felt the need to get a full-time job that provided insurance in order to cover themselves and their families. With Obamacare there is no longer a link between employment and insurance.
36. Which part of the jobs picture was neglected?
A. The prospect of a thriving job market.
B. The increase of voluntary part-time jobs.
C. The possibility of full employment.
D. The acceleration of job creation.
37. Many people work part-time because they
A. prefer part-time jobs to full-time jobs
B. feel that is enough to make ends meet
C. cannot get their hands on full-time jobs
D. haven' t seen the weakness of the market
38. Involuntary part-time employment in the US
A. is harder to acquire than one year ago
B. shows a general tendency of decline
C. satisfies the real need of the jobless
D. is lower than before the recession
39. It can be learned that with Obamacare, .
A. it is no longer easy for part-timers to get insurance
B. employment is no longer a precondition to get insurance
C. it is still challenging to get insurance for family members
D. full-time employment is still essential for insurance
40. The text mainly discusses.
A. employment in the US
B. part-timer classification
C. insurance through Medicaid
D. Obamacare's trouble
Part B
Directions：Read the following text and answer the questions by choosing the most suitable subheading from the list A-G for each numbered paragraph (41-45).There are two extra subheadings which you do not need to use. Make your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
[A]You are not alone
[B]Experience helps you grow
[C]Pave your own unique path
[D]Most of your fears are unreal
[E]Think about the present moment
[F]Don’t fear responsibility for your life
[G]There are many things to be grateful for
Some Old Truths to Help You Overcome Tough Times
Unfortunately, life is not a bed of roses. We are going through life facing sad experiences. Moreover, we are grieving various kinds of loss: a friendship, romantic relationship or a house .Hard times may hold you down at what usually seems like the most inopportune time, but you should remember that they won‘t last forever.
When our time of mourning is over, we press forward, stronger with a greater understanding and respect for life. Furthermore, these losses make us mature and eventually move us toward future opportunities for growth and happiness. I want to share these o ld truths I‘ve learned along the way.
41.
Fear is both useful and harmful. This normal human reaction is used to protect us by signaling danger and preparing us to deal with it. Unfortunately, people create inner barriers with a help of exaggerating fears. My favorite actor Will Smith once said, ―Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice.‖ I do completely agree that fears are just the product of our luxuriant imagination.
42.
If you are surrounded by problems and cannot stop thinking about the past, try to focus on the present moment. Many of us are weighed down by the past or anxious about the future. You may feel guilt over your past, but you are poisoning the present with the things and circumstances you cannot change. Value the present moment and remember how fortunate you are to be alive. Enjoy the beauty of the world around and keep the eyes open to see the possibilities before you. Happiness is not a point of future and not a moment from the past, but a mindset that can be designed into the present.
43.
Sometimes it is easy to feel bad because you are going through tough times. You can be easily caught up by life problems that you forget to pause and appreciate the things you have. Only strong people prefer to smile and value their life instead of crying and complaining about something.
44.
No matter how isolated you might feel and how serious the situation is, you should always remember that you are not alone. Try to keep in mind that almost everyone respects and wants to help you if you are trying to make a good change in your life, especially your dearest and nearest people. You may have a circle of friends who provide constant good humor, help and companionship. If you have no friends or relatives, try to participate in several online communities, full of people who are always willing to share advice and encouragement.
45.
Today many people find it difficult to trust their own opinion and seek balance by gaining ivity from external sources. This way you devalue your opinion and show that you are incapable of managing your own life. When you are struggling to achieve something important you should believe in yourself and be sure that your decision is the best. You live in your skin, think your own thoughts, have your own values and make your own choices.
46. Directions:
Translate the following text from English into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)
Think about driving a route that's very familiar. It could be your commute to work, a trip into town or the way home. Whichever it is, you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand. On these sorts of trips it's easy tolose concentration on the driving and pay little attention to the passing scenery. The consequence is that you perceive that the trip has taken less time than it actually has.
This is the well-travelled road effect: people tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route.
The effect is caused by the way we allocate our attention. When we travel down a well-known route, because we don't have to concentrate much, time seems to flow more quickly. And afterwards, when we come to think back on it, we can't remember the journey well because we didn't pay much attention to it. So we assume it wasshorter.
Section ⅣWriting
Part A
47.Direerions:
Suppose your university is going to host a summer camp for high school students. Write a notice to
1)briefly introduce the camp activities, and
2)call for volunteers.
You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your name or the name of your university.
Do not write your address.(10 points)
Part B
48.Directions:
Write an essay based on the following chart. In your writing, your should
1)interpret the chart, and
2)give your comment.
You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
2014年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（二）试题
SectionI Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for eachnumbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (10points)
Thinn er isn‘t always better. A number of studies have __1___ thatnormal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of some diseasescompared to those who are overweight. And there are healthconditions for which being overweight is actually ___2___. Forexample, heavier women are less likely to develop calciumdeficiency than thin women. ___3___ among the elderly, beingsomewhat overweight is often an ___4___ of good health.
Of even greater ___5___ is the fact that obesity turns out to bevery difficult to define. It is often defined ___6___ body massindex, or BMI. BMI ___7__ body mass divided by the square ofheight. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to benormal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 30 isconsidered obese. Obesity, ___8___,can be divided into moderatelyobese, severely obese, and very severely obese.
While such numerical standards seem 9 , they are not. Obesity isprobably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with ahigh BMI are in fact extremely fit, 10 others with a low BMI may bein poor 11 .For example, many collegiate and professional footballplayers 12 as obese, though
their percentage body fat is low.Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a13 BMI.
Today we have a(an) _14 _ to label obesity as a disgrace.Theoverweight are sometimes_15_in the media with their faces covered.Stereotypes _16_ with obesity include laziness, lack of willpower,and lower prospects for success.Teachers,employers,and healthprofessionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese._17_very young children tend to look down on the overweight, andteasing about body build has long been a problem in schools.
1. [A] denied [B] conduced [C] doubled [D] ensured
2. [A] protective [B] dangerous [C] sufficient[D]troublesome
3. [A] Instead [B] However [C] Likewise [D] Therefore
4. [A] indicator [B] objective [C] origin [D] example
5. [A] impact [B] relevance [C] assistance [D] concern
6. [A] in terms of [B] in case of [C] in favor of [D] in of
7. [A] measures [B] determines [C] equals [D] modifies
8. [A] in essence [B] in contrast [C] in turn [D] in part
9. [A] complicated [B] conservative [C] variable [D]straightforward
10. [A] so [B] unlike [C] since [D] unless
11. [A] shape [B] spirit [C] balance [D] taste
12. [A] start [B] quality [C] retire [D] stay
13. [A] strange [B] changeable [C] normal [D] constant
14. [A] option [B] reason [C] opportunity [D] tendency
15. [A] employed [B] pictured [C] imitated [D] monitored
16. [A] [B] combined [C] settled [D] associated
17. [A] Even [B] Still [C] Yet [D] Only
18. [A] despised [B] corrected [C] ignored [D] grounded
19. [A] discussions [B] businesses [C] policies [D] studies
20. [A] for [B] against [C] with [D] without3 R9E! u0 M& F; R) y' a1 X! g
Section II ReadingComprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below eachtext by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET.(40 points)
Text 1
What would you do with 590m? This is now a question for GloriaMackenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from hersmall, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undividedlottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found for tunewill yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse thanread Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.
These two academics use an array of behavioral research to showthat the most rewarding ways to spend money can becounterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visionsof fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with thesematerial purchases wears off fairly quickly what was once excitingand new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better tospend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, likeinteresting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. Thesepurchases often become more valuable with time-as stories ormemories-particularly if they involve feeling more connected toothers.
This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as wellas lottery winners get the most "happiness bang for your buck." Itseems most people would be better off if they could shorten theircommutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and lessof it watching television (something the average American spends awhopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier forit).Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurablethan purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyablewhen they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reasonMacDonald's restricts the availability of its popular McRib - amarketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object ofobsession.
Readers of ―HappyMoney‖ are clearly a privileged lot, anxiousabout fulfillment, not hunger.Money may not quite buy happiness,but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than thosein poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending moneyon others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world,and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people.Not everyone will agree with the authors‘ policy ideas, which rangefrom mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives forAmerican homebuyers. But most people will come away from this bookbelieving it was money well spent。
21.According to Dumn and Norton,which of the following is themost rewarding purchase?
[A]A big house
[B]A special tour
[C]A stylish car
[D]A rich meal
22.The author‘s attitude toward Americans‘ watching TV is
[A]critical
[B]supportive
[C]sympathetic
[D]ambiguous
23.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that
[A]consumers are sometimes irrational
[B]popularity usually comes after quality
[C]marketing tricks are after effective
[D]rarity generally increases pleasure
24.According to the last paragraph,Happy Money
[A]has left much room for readers‘criticism
[B]may prove to be a worthwhile purchase
[C]has predicted a wider income gap in the us
[D]may give its readers a sense of achievement
25.This text mainly discusses how to
[A]balance feeling good and spending money
[B]spend large sums of money won in lotteries
[C]obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent
[D]become more reasonable in spending on luxuries
Text 2
An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empiricalresearch says that, actually, you think you‘re more beautiful thanyou are. We have a d eep-seated need to feel good about ourselvesand we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies toresearch into what the call the ―above average effect‖, or―illusory superiority‖, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rateourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85% atgetting on well with others—all obviously statisticalimpossibilities.
We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirmingsituations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negativestereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk aroundthinking we‘re hot stuff.
Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw akey studying into
self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather thathave people simply rate their beauty compress with o thers, he askedthem to identify an original photogragh of themselves‘ from alineup including versions that had been altered to appear more andless attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is ―anautomatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitivelywith little or no apparent conscious deliberation‖. If the subjectsquickly chose a falsely flattering image- which must did- theygenuinely believed it was really how they looked. Epley found nosignificant gender difference in responses. Nor was there anyevidence that, those who self-enhance the must (that is, theparticipants who thought the most positively doctored picture werereal) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In factthose who thought that the images higher up the attractivenessscale were real directly corresponded with those who showed othermakers for having higher self-esteem. ―I don‘t think the findingsthat we having have are any evidence of personal delusion‖, saysEpley. ―It‘s a reflection simply of people generally thi nking wellof themselves‘. If you are depressed, you won‘t be self-enhancing.Knowing the results of Epley ?s study,it makes sense that whypeople heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level, theydon‘t even recognise the person in the picture as themselves,Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancer‘s paradise,where people canshare only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyle it‘s not that people‘sprofiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of Wiscon—Madiso nuniversity ,‖but they portray an idealized version ofthemselves.
26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologist havefound that ______.
[A] our self-ratings are unrealistically high
[B] illusory superiority is baseless effect
[C] our need for leadership is unnatural
[D] self-enhancing strategies are ineffective
27. Visual recognition is believed to be people‘s______
[A] rapid watching
[B] conscious choice
[C] intuitive response
[D] automatic self-defence
28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tendedto______
[A] underestimate their insecurities
[B] believe in their attractiveness
[C] cover up their depressions
[D] oversimplify their illusions
29.The word ―Viscerally‖(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaningto_____.
[A]instinctively
[B]occasionally
[C]particularly
[D]aggressively
30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer‘s paradisebecause people can _____.
[A]present their dishonest profiles
[B]define their traditional life styles
[C]share their intellectual pursuits
[D]withhold their unflattering sides
Text 4
When the government talks about infrastructure contributing tothe economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband andenergy. Housing is seldom mentioned.
Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder theblame. We have not been good at communicating the real value thathousing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scaleof the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attentionamong multibillion-pound infrastructure project, so it isinevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps themost significant reason is that the issue has always been sopolitically charged.
Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate.Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not buildingenough new homes.
The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for thegovernment to help rectify this. It needs to put historicalprejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgenthousing need.
There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that.The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that GeorgeOsborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce moreflexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authoritiescan borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years ifthe cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.
Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in therental environment, which would have a significant impact on theability of registered providers to fund new developments fromrevenues.
But it is not just down to the government. While these measureswould be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the factthat the existing £4.5bn programme of grants to fund newaffordable housing, set to expire in 2015,is unlikely to beextended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced thatit will retain a large part of the coalition‘s spending plans ifreturns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we arevery unlikely to ever return to era of
large-scale public grants.We need to adjust to this changing climate.
36. The author believes that the housing sector__
[A] has attracted much attention
[B] involves certain political factors
[C] shoulders too much responsibility
[D] has lost its real value in economy
37. It can be learned that affordable housing has__
[A] increased its home supply
[B] offered spending opportunities
[C] suffered government biases
[D] disappointed the government
38. According to Paragraph 5,George Osborne may_______.
[A] allow greater government debt for housing
[B] stop local authorities from building homes
[C] prepare to reduce housing stock debt
[D] release a lifted GDP growth forecast
39.It can be inferred that a stable rental environmentwould_______.
[A]lower the costs of registered providers
[B]lessen the impact of government interference
[C]contribute to funding new developments
[D]relieve the ministers of responsibilities
40.The author believes that after 2015,the governmentmay______.
[A]implement more policies to support housing
[B]review the need for large-scale public grants
[C]renew the affordable housing grants programme
[D]stop generous funding to the housing sector% ]/H0 e! `) Z" O& c3 ~
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Section IIITranslation
Directions:
Translate the following text from English into Chinese. Writeyour translation on ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)
Most people would define optimism as endlessly happy, with aglass that‘s perpetually h alf fall. But that‘s exactly the kind offalse deerfulness that positive psychologists wouldn‘t recommend.―Healthy optimists means being in touch with reality.‖ says TalBen-Shahar, a Harvard professor, According to Ben- Shalar,realisticoptimists are these who make the best of things that happen, butnot those who believe everything happens for the best.
Ben-Shalar uses three optimistic exercisers. When he feelsdown-sag, after giving a bad
lecture-he grants himself permissionto be human. He reminds himself that mot every lecture can be aNobel winner; some will be less effective than others. Next isreconstruction, He analyzes the weak lecture, leaning lessons, forthe future about what works and what doesn‘t. Finally, there isperspective, which involves acknowled ging that in the ground schemeof life, one lecture really doesn‘t matter. [page]
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Section IVWriting
Part A
47. Directions: Suppose you are going to study abroad and sharean apartment with John, a local student. Write him to emailto
1)tell him about your living habits, and
2)ask for advice about living there.
You should write about 100 words on answer sheet.
Do not use your own name.
Part B
48. Directions:
Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)
You should
interpret the chart, and
give your comments.
You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET.(15points)
2013年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（二）试题
Section I Use of English
Directions:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)
Given the advantages of electronic money, you might think that we would move quickly to the cashless society in which all payments are made electronically. 1 a true cashless society is probably not around the corner. Indeed, predictions have been 2 for two decades but have not yet come to fruition. For example, Business Week predicted in 1975 that electronic means of payment would soon "revolutionize the very 3 of money itself," only to 4 itself several years later. Why has the movement to a cashless society been so 5 in coming?
Although electronic means of payment may be more efficient than a payments system based on paper, several factors work 6 the disappearance of the paper system. First, it is very 7 to set up the computer, card reader, and telecornmunications networks necessary to make electronic money the 8 form of payment Second, paper checks have the advantage that they 9 receipts, something thai many consumers are unwilling to 10 . Third, the use of paper checks gives consumers several days of "float" - it takes several days 11 a check is cashed and funds are 12 from the issuer's account, which means that the writer of the check can cam interest on the funds in the meantime. 13 electronic payments arc immediate, they eliminate the float for the consumer.
Fourth, electronic means of payment may 14 security and privacy concerns. We often hear media reports that an unauthorized hacker has been able to access a computer database and to alter information 15 there. The fact that this is not an 16 occurrence means that dishonest persons might be able to access bank accounts in electronic payments systems and 17 from someone else's accounts. The 18 of this type of fraud is no easy task, and a new field of computer science is developing to 19 security issues. A further concern is that the use of e lectronic means of payment leaves an electronic 20 that contains a large amount of personal data. There are concerns that government, employers, and marketers might be able to access these data, thereby violating our privacy.
1. [A] However [B] Moreover [C] Therefore [D] Otherwise
2. [A] off [B] back [C] over [D] around
3. [A] power [B] concept [C] history [D] role
4. [A] reward [B] resist [C] resume [D] reverse
5. [A] silent [B] sudden [C] slow [D] steady
6. [A] for [B] against [C] with [D] on
7. [A] imaginative [B] expensive [C] sensitive [D] productive
8. [A] similar [B] original [C] temporary [D] dominant
9. [A] collect [B] provide [C] copy [D] print
10. [A] give up [B] take over [C] bring back [D] pass down
11. [A] before [B] after [C] since [D] when
12. [A] kept [B] borrowed [C] released [D] withdrawn
13. [A] Unless [B] Until [C] Because [D] Though
14. [A] hide [B] express [C] raise [D]ease
15. [A] analyzed [B] shared [C] stored [D] displayed
16. [A] unsafe [B] unnatural [C] uncommon [D] unclear
17. [A] steal [B] choose [C] benefit [D] return
18. [A] consideration [B] prevention [C] manipulation [D] justification
19. [A] cope with [B] fight against [C] adapt to [D] call for
20. [A] chunk [B] chip [C] path [D] trail
Section II Reading 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 SHEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
In an essay entitled ―Making It in America‖, the author Adam Davidson relates a joke from cotton about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill only two employees today,‖ a man and a dog. The man is there to feed the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines.‖
Davidson‘s article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign worker.
In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job，could earn an average
lifestyle ,But ,today ,average is officially over. Being average just won‘t earn you what it used to. It can‘t when so many more employers have so much more access to so m uch more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius. Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra-their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.
Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will. But there‘s been an acceleration. As Davidson notes,‖ In the 10 years ending in 2009, [U.S.] factories shed workers so fast that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years; roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs-about 6 million in total -disappeared.
There will always be changed-new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average.
In a world where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to support employment, but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G.I.Bill for the 21st century that ensures that every American has access to poet-high school education.
21. The joke in Paragraph 1 is used to illustrate_______
[A] the impact of technological advances
[B] the alleviation of job pressure
[C] the shrinkage of textile mills
[D] the decline of middle-class incomes
22. According to Paragraph 3, to be a successful employee, one has to______
[A] work on cheap software
[B] ask for a moderate salary
[C] adopt an average lifestyle
[D] contribute something unique
23. The quotation in Paragraph 4 explains that ______
[A] gains of technology have been erased
[B] job opportunities are disappearing at a high speed
[C] factories are making much less money than before
[D] new jobs and services have been offered
24. According to the author, to reduce unemployment, the most important is_____
[A] to accelerate the I.T. revolution
[B] to ensure more education for people
[C] ro advance economic globalization
[D] to pass more bills in the 21st century
25. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the text?
[A] New Law Takes Effect
[B] Technology Goes Cheap
[C] Average Is Over
[D] Recession Is Bad
Text 2
A century ago, the immigrants from across the Atlantic inclued settlers and sojourners. Along with the many folks looking to make a permanent home in the United States came those who had no intention to stay, and 7millin people arrived while about 2 million departed. About a quarter of all Italian immigrants, for exanmle, eventually returned to Italy for good. They even had an affectionate nickname, ―uccelli di passaggio,‖ birds of passage.
Today, we are much more rigid about immigrants. We divide nemcomers into two categories: legal or illegal, good or bad. We hail them as Americans in the making, or our broken immigrantion system and the long political paralysis over how to fix it. We don‘t need more categories, but we need to change the way we think about categories. We need to look beyond strick definitions of legal and illegal. To start, we can recognize the new birds of passage, those living and thriving in the gray areas. We might then begin to solve our immigration challenges.
Crop pickers, violinists, construction workers, entrepreneurs, engineers, home health-care aides and physicists are among today‘s birds of passage. They are energetic participants in a global
economy driven by the flow of work, money and ideas .They prefer to come and go as opportunity calls them , They can manage to have a job in one place and a family in another.
With or without permission, they straddle laws, jurisdictions and identities with ease. We need them to imagine the United States as a place where they can be productive for a while without committing themselves to staying forever. We need them to feel that home can be both here and there and that they can belong to two nations honorably.
Accommodating this new world of people in motion will require new attitudes on both sides of the immigration battle .Looking beyond the culture war logic of right or wrong means opening up the middle ground and understanding that managing immigration today requires multiple paths and multiple outcomes. Including some that are not easy to accomplish legally in the existing system.
26 ―Birds of passage‖ refers to those who____
[A] immigrate across the Atlantic.
[B] leave their home countries for good.
[C] stay in a foregin temporaily.
[D] find permanent jobs overseas.
27 It is implied in paragraph 2 that the current immigration stystem in the US____
[A] needs new immigrant categories.
[B] has loosened control over immigrants.
[C] should be adopted to meet challenges.
[D] has been fixeed via political means.
28 According to the author, today‘s birds of passage want___
[A] fiancial incentives.
[B] a global recognition.
[C] opportunities to get regular jobs.
[D] the freedom to stay and leave.
29 The author suggests that the birds of passage today should be treated __
[A] as faithful partners.
[B] with economic favors.
[C] with regal tolerance.
[D] as mighty rivals.
30 which is the most title？
[A] come and go: big mistake.
[B] living and thriving : great risk.
[C] with or without : great risk.
[D] legal or illegal: big mistake.
Text 3