2014考研英语二真题及答案解析.微信公众号【考研会】提供.pdf

1 120142014 年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语(二二)试题试题SectionSection I I UseUse ofof EnglishEnglishDirections:Read the following text.Choose the best word(s)for each numbered blank and markA,B,C or D on ANSWER SHEET.(10 points)Thinner isnt always better.A number of studies have _1_ that normal-weightpeople are in fact at higher risk of some diseases compared to those who are overweight.And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually _2_.Forexample,heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women._3_ among the elderly,being somewhat overweight is often an _4_ of goodhealth.Of even greater _5_ is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficultto define.It is often defined _6_ body mass index,or BMI.BMI _7_ body massdivided by the square of height.An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often consideredto be normal weight.Between 25 and 30 is overweight.And over 30 is considered obese.Obesity,_8_,can be divided into moderately obese,severely obese,and veryseverely obese.While such numerical standards seem 9,they are not.Obesity is probably lessa matter of weight than body fat.Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremelyfit,10 others with a low BMI may be in poor 11.For example,many collegiate andprofessional 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 aresometimes_15_in the media with their faces covered.Stereotypes _16_ with obesityinclude laziness,lack of will power,and lower prospects forsuccess.Teachers,employers,and health professionals have been shown to harbor biasesagainst 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 ensured2.A protective B dangerous C sufficient Dtroublesome3.A Instead B However C Likewise D Therefore4.A indicator B objective C origin D example5.A impact B relevance C assistance D concern2 26.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 conservative C variable D straightforward10.A so B unlike 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 B combined C settled D associated17.A Even B Still C Yet D Only18.A despised B corrected C 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 choosingA,B,C or D.Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET.(40 points)Text 1What would you do with 590m?This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie,an84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small,tin-roofed house in Floridato collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history.If she hopes her new-foundfor tune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment,she could do worse than read HappyMoney by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.3 3These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the mostrewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive.Fantasies of great wealth ofteninvolve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes.Yet satisfaction with thesematerial purchases wears off fairly quickly what was once exciting and new becomesold-hat;regret creeps in.It is far better to spend money on experiences,say Ms Dumnand Mr Norton,like interesting trips,unique meals or even going to the cinema.Thesepurchases often become more valuable with time-as stories or memories-particularlyif they involve feeling more connected to others.This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winnersget the most happiness bang for your buck.It seems most people would be better offif they could shorten their commutes to work,spend more time with friends and familyand less of it watching television(something the average American spends a whoppingtwo months a year doing,and is hardly jollier for it).Buying gifts or giving to charityis often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself,and luxuries are mostenjoyable when they are consumed sparingly.This is apparently the reason MacDonaldsrestricts the availability of its popular McRib-a marketing trick that has turnedthe pork sandwich into an object of obsession.Readers of“HappyMoney”are clearly a privileged lot,anxious about fulfillment,not hunger.Money may not quite buy happiness,but people in wealthier countries aregenerally happier than those in poor ones.Yet the link between feeling good andspending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world,andscarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people.Not everyone will agreewith the authors policy ideas,which range from mandating more holiday time toreducing tax incentives for American homebuyers.But most people will come away fromthis book believing it was money well spent。21.According to Dumn and Norton,which of the following is the most rewardingpurchase?AA big houseBA special tourCA stylish carDA rich meal22.The authors attitude toward Americans watching TV isAcriticalBsupportive4 4CsympatheticDambiguous23.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show thatAconsumers are sometimes irrationalBpopularity usually comes after qualityCmarketing tricks are after effectiveDrarity generally increases pleasure24.According to the last paragraph,Happy MoneyAhas left much room for readerscriticismBmay prove to be a worthwhile purchaseChas predicted a wider income gap in the usDmay give its readers a sense of achievement25.This text mainly discusses how toAbalance feeling good and spending moneyBspend large sums of money won in lotteriesCobtain lasting satisfaction from money spentDbecome more reasonable in spending on 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 deep-seated needto feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancingstrategies to research into what the call the“above average effect”,or“illusorysuperiority”,and shown that,for example,70%of us rate ourselves as above averagein leadership,93%in driving and 85%at getting on well with othersall obviouslystatistical impossibilities.5 5We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations.Webecome defensive when criticized,and apply negative stereotypes to others to boostour own esteem,we stalk around thinking were hot stuff.Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying intoself-enhancement and attractiveness.Rather that have people simply rate their beautycompress with others,he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselvesfrom a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and lessattractive.Visual recognition,reads the study,is“an automatic psychologicalprocess occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent consciousdeliberation”.If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image-which mustdid-they genuinely believed it was really how they looked.Epley found no significantgender difference in responses.Nor was there any evidence that,those who self-enhancethe must(that is,the participants who thought the most positively doctored picturewere real)were doing so to make up for profound insecurities.In fact those who thoughtthat the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly correspondedwith those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem.“I dont thinkthe 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 youare depressed,you wont be self-enhancing.Knowing the results of Epley s study,itmakes sense that why people heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level,they dont even recognise the person in the picture as themselves,Facebooktherefore,is a self-enhancers paradise,where people can share only the mostflattering photos,the cream of their wit,style,beauty,intellect and lifestyle itsnot that peoples profiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of WisconMadisonuniversity,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves.26.According to the first paragraph,social psychologist have found that _.A our self-ratings are unrealistically highB illusory superiority is baseless effectC our need for leadership is unnaturalD self-enhancing strategies are ineffective27.Visual recognition is believed to be peoples_A rapid watchingB conscious choiceC intuitive response6 6D automatic self-defence28.Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to_A underestimate their insecuritiesB believe in their attractivenessC cover up their depressionsD oversimplify their illusions29.The word“Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5)is closest in meaning to_.AinstinctivelyBoccasionallyCparticularlyDaggressively30.It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancers paradise because peoplecan _.Apresent their dishonest profilesBdefine their traditional life stylesCshare their intellectual pursuitsDwithhold their unflattering sidesText3Upuntilafewdecadesago,ourvisionsofthefuturewerelargely-thoughbynomeansuniformly-glowinglypositive.Scienceandtechnologywouldcurealltheillsofhumanity,leadingtolivesoffulfillmentandopportunityforall.Nowutopiahasgrownunfashionable,aswehavegainedadeeperappreciationoftherangeofthreatsfacingus,fromasteroidstriketoepidemicfluandtoclimatechange.Youmightevenbetemptedtoassumethathumanityhaslittlefuturetolookforwardto.7 7Butsuchgloominessismisplaced.Thefossilrecordshowsthatmanyspecieshaveenduredformillionsofyears-sowhyshouldntwe?Takeabroaderlookatourspeciesplaceintheuniverse,anditbecomesclearthatwehaveanexcellentchanceofsurvivingfortens,ifnothundreds,ofthousandsofyears.LookupHomosapiensintheRedListofthreatenedspeciesoftheInternationalunionfortheConversationofNature(IUCN),andyouwillread:ListedasLeastConcernasthespeciesisverywidelydistributed,adaptable,currentlyincreasing,andtherearenomajorthreatsresultinginanoverallpopulationdecline.Sowhatdoesourdeepfuturehold?Agrowingnumberofresearchersandorganizationsarenowthinkingseriouslyaboutthatquestion.Forexample,theLongNowFoundationhasitsflagshipprojectamedicalclockthatisdesignedtostillbemarkingtimethousandsofyearshence.Perhapswillfully,itmaybeeasiertothinkaboutsuchlengthytimescalesthanaboutthemoreimmediatefuture.Thepotentialevolutionoftodaystechnology,anditssocialconsequences,isdazzlinglycomplicated,anditsperhapsbestlefttosciencefictionwritersandfuturologiststoexplorethemanypossibilitieswecanenvisage.ThatsonereasonwhywehavelaunchedArc,anewpublicationdedicatedtothenearfuture.Buttakealongerviewandthereisasurprisingamountthatwecansaywithconsiderableassurance.Assooften,thepastholdsthekeytothefuture:wehavenowidentifiedenoughofthelong-termpatternsshapingthehistoryoftheplanet,andourspecies,tomakeevidence-basedforecastsaboutthesituationsinwhichourdescendantswillfindthemselves.Thislongperspectivemakesthepessimisticviewofourprospectsseemmorelikelytobeapassingfad.Tobesure,thefutureisnotallrosy.Butwearenowknowledgeableenoughtoreducemanyoftherisksthatthreatenedtheexistenceofearlierhumans,andtoimprovethelotofthosetocome.31.OurvisionofthefutureusedtobeinspiredbyAourdesireforlivesoffulfillment8 8BourfaithinscienceandtechnologyCourawarenessofpotentialrisksDourbeliefinequalopportunity32.TheIUCNs“RedList”suggestthathumanbeingareAasustainedspeciesBathreatentotheenvironmentCtheworldsdominantpowerDamisplacedrace33.WhichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtoParagraph5?AArchelpslimitthescopeoffuturologicalstudies.BTechnologyofferssolutionstosocialproblem.CTheinterestinsciencefictionisontherise.DOurImmediatefutureishardtoconceive.34.Toensurethefutureofmankind,itiscrucialtoAexploreourplanetsabundantresourcesBadoptanoptimisticviewoftheworldCdrawonourexperiencefromthepastDcurbourambitiontoreshapehistory35.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleforthetext?AUncertaintyaboutOurFutureBEvolutionoftheHumanSpeciesCTheEver-brightProspectsofMankindDScience,TechnologyandHumanityText 49 9When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy thefocus 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 havenot been good at communicating the real value that housing can contribute to economicgrowth.Then there is the scale of the typical housing project.It is hard to shovefor attention among multibillion-pound infrastructure project,so it is inevitablethat the attention is focused elsewhere.But perhaps the most significant reason isthat the issue has always been so politically charged.Nevertheless,the affordable housing situation is desperate.Waiting listsincrease all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to helprectify this.It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some stepsto address our urgent housing need.There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that.The communitiesminister,Don Foster,has hinted that George Osborne,Chancellor of the Exchequer,may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authoritiescan borrow against their housing stock debt.Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homescould be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted,increasing GDP by 0.6%.Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in the rental environment,which would have a significant impact on the ability of registered providers to fundnew developments from revenues.But it is not just down to the government.While these measures would be welcomein the short term,we must face up to the fact that the existing 4.5bn programme ofgrants to fund new affordable housing,set to expire in 2015,is unlikely to be extendedbeyond then.The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large partof the coalitions spending plans if returns to power.The housing sector needs toaccept that we are very 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 attentionB involves certain political factorsC shoulders too much responsibilityD has lost its real value in economy101037.It can be learned that affordable housing has_A increased its home supplyB offered spending opportunitiesC suffered government biasesD disappointed the government38.According to Paragraph 5,George Osborne may_.A allow greater government debt for housingB stop local authorities from building homesC prepare