考研英语二真题及解析

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1、2014年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语(二)试题Section I Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)Thinner isnt always better. A number of studies have _1_ that normal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of some d

2、iseases compared to those who are overweight. And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually _2_. For example, heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women. _3_ among the elderly, being somewhat overweight is often an _4_ of good health.Of even

3、greater _5_ is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficult to define. It is often defined _6_ body mass index, or BMI. BMI _7_ body mass divided by the square of height. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to be normal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 30 is

4、considered obese. Obesity, _8_,can be divided into moderately obese, severely obese, and very severely obese.While such numerical standards seem 9 , they are not. Obesity is probably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremely fit, 10 others with a low BM

5、I may be in poor 11 .For example, many collegiate and professional football players 12 as obese, though their percentage body fat is low. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a 13 BMI.Today we have a(an) _14 _ to label obesity as a disgrace.The overweight are sometimes_1

6、5_in the media with their faces covered. Stereotypes _16_ with obesity include laziness, lack of will power,and lower prospects for success.Teachers,employers,and health professionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese. _17_very young children tend to look down on the overweight, and

7、 teasing about body build has long been a problem in schools.Negative attitudes toward obesity, _18_in health concerns, have stimulated a number of anti-obesity _19_.My own hospital system has banned sugary drinks from its facilities. Many employers have instituted weight loss and fitness initiative

8、s. Michelle Obama launched a high-visibility campaign _20_ childhood obesity, even claiming that it represents our greatest national security threat.1. A denied B concluded C doubled D ensured2. A protective B dangerous C sufficient Dtroublesome3. A Instead B However C Likewise D Therefore4. A indic

9、ator B objective C origin D example5. A impact B relevance C assistance D concern6. A in terms of B in case of C in favor of D in of7. A measures B determines C equals D modifies8. A in essence B in contrast C in turn D in part9. A complicated B conservativeC variable D straightforward10. A so B whi

10、le C since D unless11. A shape B spirit C balance D taste12. A start B quality C retire D stay13. A strange B changeable C normal D constant14. A option B reason C opportunity D tendency15. A employed B pictured C imitated D monitored16. A computed B combined C settled D associated17. A Even B Still

11、 C Yet D Only18. A despised B correctedC ignored D grounded19. A discussions B businesses C policies D studies20. A for B against C with D withoutSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your a

12、nswers on ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)Text 1What would you do with $590m? This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie, an 84yearold widow who recently emerged from her small, tinroofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her newfound fortune will y

13、ield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of

14、fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly. What was once exciting and new becomes oldhat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms. Dumn and Mr. Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going

15、to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with timeas stories or memoriesparticularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most “happiness bang for your buck.” It seems most people

16、 would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it). Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more plea

17、surable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason MacDonalds restricts the availability of its popular McRiba marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.Readers of Happy Money

18、 are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfillment, not hunger. Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the w

19、orld, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well s

20、pent.21. According to Dumn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?A A big house. B A special tour. C A stylish car. D A rich meal.22. The authors attitude toward Americans watching TV is _.A critical B supportive C sympathetic D ambiguous23. McRib is mentioned in Paragraph

21、 3 to show that _.A consumers are sometimes irrationalB popularity usually comes after qualityC marketing tricks are after effectiveD rarity generally increases pleasure24. According to the last paragraph, Happy Money _.A has left much room for readers criticismB may prove to be a worthwhile purchas

22、eC has predicted a wider income gap in the USD may give its readers a sense of achievement25. This text mainly discusses how to _.A balance feeling good and spending moneyB spend large sums of money won in lotteriesC obtain lasting satisfaction from money spentD become more reasonable in spending on

23、 luxuriesText 2An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think youre more beautiful than you are. We have a deepseated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of selfenhancing strategies to research into what they cal

24、l the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85% at getting on well with othersall obviously statistical impossibilities.We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into selfaffirming

25、 situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking were hot stuff.Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into selfenhancement and attractiveness. Rather that have people sim

26、ply rate their beauty compress with others, he asked them to identify an original photograph of themselves from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intu

27、itively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering imagewhich must didthey genuinely believed it was really how they looked.Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who selfenhance th

28、e must (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having

29、 higher selfesteem. “I dont think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “Its a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves. If you are depressed, you wont be selfenhancing.Knowing the results of Epleys study, it makes sense that wh

30、y people heat photographs of themselves viscerallyon one level, they dont even recognize the person in the picture as themselves. Facebook therefore, is a selfenhancers paradise, where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit, style, beauty, intellect and lifestyles.

31、“Its not that peoples profiles are dishonest”, says Catalina Toma of WisconMadison university,” but they portray an idealized version of themselves.26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologists have found that _.A our selfratings are unrealistically high B illusory superiority is a base

32、less effectC our need for leadership is unnatural D selfenhancing strategies are ineffective27. Visual recognition is believed to be peoples _.A rapid watching B conscious choice C intuitive response D automatic selfdefence28. Epley found that people with higher selfesteem tended to _.A underestimat

33、e their insecurities B believe in their attractivenessC cover up their depressions D oversimplify their illusions29. The word “viscerally” (Line 2, Para. 5) is closest in meaning to _.A instinctively B occasionally C particularly D aggressively30. It can be inferred that Facebook is selfenhancers pa

34、radise because people can _.A present their dishonest profiles B define their traditional life stylesC share their intellectual pursuits D withhold their unflattering sidesText 3The concept of man versus machine is at least as old as the industrial revolution, but this phenomenon tends to be most ac

35、utely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries. And yet, it would be a mistake to think we are right now simply experiencing the painful side of a boom and bust cycle. Certain jobs have gone away for good, outmoded by machines. Since technology has such an insatiable appetite for eating

36、 up human jobs, this phenomenon will continue to restructure our economy in ways we cant immediately foresee.When there is rapid improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened. This argument has attracted a

37、lot of attention, via the success of the book Race Against the Machine, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, who both hail from MITs Center for Digital Business.This is a powerful argument, and a scary one. And yet, John Hagel, author of The Power of Pull and other books, says Brynjolfsson and Mc

38、Afee miss the reason why these jobs are so vulnerable to technology in the first place.Hagel says we have designed jobs in the U. S. that tend to be “tightly scripted” and “highly standardized” ones that leave no room for “individual initiative or creativity.” In short, these are the types of jobs t

39、hat machines can perform much better at than human beings. That is how we have put a giant target sign on the backs of American workers, Hagel says.Its time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted, since we are still relying on a very 20th century notion of work, Hagel says. In our rapidly

40、 changing economy, we more than ever need people in the workplace who can take initiative and exercise their imagination “to respond to unexpected events.” Thats not something machines are good at. They are designed to perform very predictable activities.As Hagel notes, Brynjolfsson and McAfee indee

41、d touched on this point in their book. We need to reframe race against the machine as race with the machine. In other words, we need to look at the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it. So then the problem is not really about technology, but rather,“how do we innovat

42、e our institutions and our work practices?”31. According to the first paragraph, economic downturns would _.A ease the competition of man vs. MachineB highlight machines threat to human jobsC provoke a painful technological revolutionD outmode our current economic structure32. The authors of Race Ag

43、ainst the Machine argue that _.A technology is diminishing mans job opportunitiesB automation is accelerating technological developmentC certain jobs will remain intact after automationD man will finally win the race against machine33. Hagel argues that jobs in the U. S. are often _.A performed by i

44、nnovative minds B scripted with an individual styleC standardized without a clear target D designed against human creativity34. According to the last paragraph, Brynjolfsson and McAfee discussed _.A the predictability of machine behavior in practiceB the formula for how work is conducted efficiently

45、C the ways machines replace human labor in modern timesD the necessity of human involvement in the workplace35. Which of the following could be the most appropriate title for the text?A How to Innovate Our Work Practices? B Machines will Replace Human LaborC Can We Win the Race Against Machines? D E

46、conomic Downturns Stimulate InnovationsText 4When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy. Housing is seldom mentioned.Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been

47、good at communicating the real value that housing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention among multibillionpound infrastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the

48、most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged.Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government

49、 to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need.There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may intr

50、oduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60, 000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.Ministers should also look at creating greate

51、r certainty in the rental environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability of registered providers to fund new developments from revenues.But it is not just down to the government. While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing

52、4.5bn programme of grants to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in 2015，is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of the coalitions spending plans if returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very u

53、nlikely to ever return to era of largescale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate.While the governments commitment to long-term funding may have changed, the very pressing need for more affordable housing is real and is not going away.36. The author believes that the housing sect

54、or _.A has attracted much attention B involves certain political factorsC shoulders too much responsibility D has lost its real value in economy37. It can be learned that affordable housing has _.A increased its home supply B offered spending opportunitiesC suffered government biases D disappointed

55、the government38. According to Paragraph 5, George Osborne may _.A allow greater government debt for housing B stop local authorities from building homesC prepare to reduce housing stock debt D release a lifted GDP growth forecast39. It can be inferred that a stable rental environment would _.A lowe

56、r the costs of registered providers B lessen the impact of government interferenceC contribute to funding new developments D relieve the ministers of responsibilities40. The author believes that after 2015, the government may _.A implement more policies to support housing B review the need for large

57、scale public grantsC renew the affordable housing grants programme D stop generous funding to the housing sectorPart BDirections:Read the following text and match each of the numbered items in the left column to its corresponding information in the right column. There are two extra choices in the ri

58、ght column. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)Emerging in the late Sixties and reaching a peak in the Seventies, Land Art was one of a range of new forms, including Body Art, Performance Art, Action Art and Installation Art, which pushed art beyond the traditional confines of the stu

59、dio and gallery. Rather than portraying landscape, land artists used the physical substance of the land itself as their medium.The British Land Art, typified by Longs piece, was not only more domestically scaled, but a lot quirkier than its American counterpart.Indeed, while you might assume that an

60、 exhibition of Land Art would consist only of records of works rather than the works themselves, Longs photograph of his work is the work. Since his “action” is in the past, the photograph is its sole embodiment.That might seem rather an obscure point, but it sets the tone for an exhibition that con

61、tains a lot of blackandwhite photographs and relatively few natural objects.Long is Britains bestknown Land Artist and his Stone Circle, a perfect ring of purplish rocks from Portishead beach laid out on the gallery floor, represents the elegant, rarefied side of the form. The Boyle Family, on the o

62、ther hand, stands for its dirty, urban aspect. Comprising artists Mark Boyle and Joan Hills and their children, they recreated random sections of the British landscape on gallery walls. Their Olaf Street Study, a square of brickstrewn waste ground, is one of the few works here to embrace the commonplaceness that characterises most of our experience of the landscape most of the time.Parks feature,