2014年考研英語真題與答案.docx

2014年考研英語(一)試題(完整版)2014年01月05日13:06萬學(xué)海文微博 我有話說 萬學(xué)海文 教研中心英語教研室Section IUse of EnglishDirections:Readthe following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A,B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice thattheir memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be. We suddenlycant remember 1 we put the keys just a moment ago, or an oldacquaintances name, or the name of an old band we used to love. As the brain 2 ,we refer to these occurrences as “seniormoments?！?3 seemingly innocent, this loss of mental focuscan potentially have a(n) 4 impact on our professional , social ,andpersonal 5 。Neuroscientists, experts who study the nervous system, areincreasingly showing that theres actually a lot that can be done. It 6 out that the brain needs exercise in much thesame way our muscles do, and the right mental 7 can significantly improve our basic cognitive 8 .Thinking is essentially a 9 ofmaking connections in the brain. To a certain extent, our ability to 10 in making the connections thatdrive intelligence is inherited. 11_, becausethese connections are made through effort and fluctuate _12_ mental effort。Now,a new Web-based companyhas taken it a step _13_ and developed the first brain trainingProgramdesigned to actually help people improve and regain their mental_14_。The Web-based program 15 you to systematically improve yourmemory and attention skills. The program keeps 16 of your progress andprovides detailed feedback 17 your performance and improvement. Mostimportantly, it 18 modifies andenhances the games you play to 19 on the strengths you are developing-much likea(n) 20 exercise routine requires you to increaseresistance and vary your muscle use。1. A where Bwhen C that D why2.A improves B fades C recover D collapses3.A unless B while C once D if4. A damaging B limited Cuneven D obscure5.A relationship Benvironment C welling Doutlook6. A figures B finds Cpoints D turns7.A responses B roundabout C workouts D associations8.A genre B criterion C circumstances D functions9.A channel B sequence C process D condition10. A feature Bexcel C persist D believe11. A however BmoreoverCotherwise D therefore12. A instead of Baccording C apart from D regardless13. A further Bback C aside D around14. A framework Bstability C flexibility D sharpness15. A hurries Breminds C allows D forces16. A hold B track Corder D pace17. A to Bwith C for D on18. A constantly Bhabitually C irregularly D unusually19. A put B carry Cbuild D take20. A idle Bfamiliar C risky D effectiveSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions beloweach text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET. (40points)Text 1In order tochange lives for the better and reduce dependency.George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced theupfront work search scheme. Only if the jobless arrive at the job centrewith a CV, register for the online job search, and start looking for work willthey be eligible for benefit - and then they should report weekly rather thanfortnightly. What could be more reasonable?More apparentreasonableness followed. There will now be a seven-day wait for the jobseekersallowance. Those first few days should be spent looking for work, notlooking to sign on. he claimed, Were doing these things because weknow they help people stay off benefits and help those on benefits get intowork faster. Help? Really? On first hearing, this was the socially concernedchancellor, trying to change lives for the better, complete withreforms to an obviously indulgent system that demands too littleeffort from the newly unemployed to find work, and subsidises laziness. Whatmotivated him, we were to understand was his zeal for fundamentalfairness - protecting the taxpayer, controlling spending and ensuringthat only the most deserving claimants received their benefits。Losing a jobis hurting: you dont skip down to the job centre with a song in your heart,delighted at the prospect of doubling your income from the generous state. Itis financially terrifying, psychologically embarrassing and you know thatsupport is minimal and extraordinarily hard to get. You are now not wanted; youare now excluded from the work environment that offers purpose and structure inyour life. Worse, the crucial income to feed yourself and your family and paythe bills has disappeared. Ask anyone newly unemployed what they want and theanswer is always: a job。But in Osborneland,your first instinct is to fall into dependency-permanent dependency if you canget it supported by a state only too ready to indulge your falsehood .It is asthough 20 years of ever tougher reforms of the job search and benefitadministration system never happened .The principle of British welfare is nolonger that you can insure yourself against the risk of unemployment andreceive unconditional payments if the disaster happens. Even the veryphrase“jobseekers allowance” is about redefining the unemployed as a “jobseeker”whohad no fundamental right to benefit he or she has earned through makingnational insurance contributions. Instead, the claimant receives a time-limited“allowance”， conditional on actively seeking a job: no entitlement and noinsurance, at 71.70 a week ,one of the least generous inthe EU。21.George Osbornesscheme was intended toA providethe unemployed with easier access to benefits。B encouragejobseeker s active engagement in job seeking.C motivatethe unemployed to report voluntarily。D guaranteejobseekers legitimate right to benefit。22.The phase “to sighon”(Line 3,Para.2)most probably meansAto check onthe availability of jobs at the job centre。Bto acceptthe governments restrictions on the government.Cto registerfor an allowance from the government.Dto attend agovernmental job-training program.23.What prompted thechancellor to develop his scheme?AA desire tosecure a better life for all.BAneagerness to protect the unemployed.CAn urge tobe generous to the claimants.DA passionto ensure fairness for taxpayers.24.According to Paragraph3,being unemployed makes one feelAuneasy.Benraged.Cinsulted.Dguilty.25.To which of thefollowing would the author most probably agree？AThe Britishwelfare system indulges jobseekers laziness.BOsbornesreform will reduce the risk of unemployment.CThejobseekers allowance has met their actual needs.DUnemployment benefits should not bemade conditional。Text 2All around theworld, lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession- with the possible exception of journalism. But there are few places whereclients have more grounds for complaint than America。During the decadebefore the economic crisis, spending on legal services in America grewtwice as fast as inflation. The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money.Tempting ever more students to pile into law schools. But most law graduatesnever get a big-firm job. Many of them instead become the kind ofnuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare。There are manyreasons for this. One is the excessive costs of a legal education. There isjust one path for a lawyer in most American states; a four-year undergraduatedegree in some unrelated subject, then a three-year law degree at one of 200law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensivepreparation for the bar exam. This leaves todays average law-school graduatewith $100,000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts. Law-school debt means thatthey have to work fearsomely hard。Reforming thesystem would help both lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have beenaround for a long time, but the state-level bodies that govern the professionhave been too conservative to implement them. One idea is to allow people tostudy law as an undergraduate degree. Another is to let students sit for thebar after only two years of law school. If the bar exam is truly a stern enoughtest for a would-be lawyer, those who can sit it earlier should be allowed todo so. Students who do need the extra training could cut their debt mountain bya third。The otherreason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure ofthe business. Except in the District of Columbia, non-lawyers may not own any share of alaw firm. This keeps fees high and innovation slow. There is pressure forchange from within the profession, but opponents of change among the regulatorsinsist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from thepressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically。In fact,allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improveservices to customers, by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employprofessional managers to focus on improving firms efficiency . After all,other countries, such as Australiaand Britain,have stared liberalizing their legal professions. America should follow。26. A lot of students take up law as theirprofession due toA the growing demand from clientsB the increasing pressure of inflationC the prospect of working in big firmsD the attraction of financial rewards27. which of the following adds to the costs oflegal education in most American states?A Higher tuition fees for undergraduate studiesB Receiving training by professionalassociationsC Admissions approval from the bar associationD Pursuing a bachelors degree in another major28. Hindrance to the reform of the legal systemoriginates fromA the rigid bodies governing the professionB lawyers and clients strong resistanceC the stern exam for would-be lawyers。D non-professionals sharpcriticism29. The guild-like ownership structure isconsidered “restrictive”partly becauseA prevents lawyers from gaining due profits。B bans outsiders involvement in theprofession。C aggravates the ethical situation in the trade。D keeps lawyers form lidding law-firm shares。30. In the text ,the author mainly discusses。A the factors that help make a successfullawyer in America。B a problem in Americas legal profession ardsolutions to it。C the role undergraduate studies in Americaslegal education。D flawed ownership of Americas law firms and its causes。Text 3The US3 million Fundamental Physics isindeed an interesting experiment, as Alexander Polyakov said when he acceptedthis years award in March. And it is fair from the only one of this type. As aNew Feature article in Nature discusses, a string of lucrative awardsfor research have joined the Nobel Prizes in recent years. Many, like theFundamental Physics Prize, are funded from the telephones-number-sized bankaccounts of Internet entrepreneurs. These benefactors have succeeded in theirchosen fields, they say, and they want to use their wealth to draw attention tothose who have succeeded in science。Whats not tolike? Quite a lot, according to a handful of scientists quoted in the NewsFeature. You cannot buy class, as the old saying goes, and these upstartentrepreneurs cannot buy their prizes the prestige of the Nobels. The newawards are an exercise in self-promotion for those behind them, say scientists.They could distort the achievement-based system of peer-review-led research.They could cement the status quo of peer-reviewed research. They do not fundpeer-reviewed research. They perpetuate the myth of the lone genius。The goals of the prize-givers seem asscattered as the criticism. Some want to shock, others to draw people intoscience, or to better reward those who have made their careers in research。As Naturehas pointed out before, there ere some legitimate concerns about how scienceprize-both new and old are distributed. The Breakthrough Prize in LifeSciences, launched this year, takes an unrepresentative view of what the lifescience include. But the Nobel Foundations limit three recipients per prize,each of whom must still be living, has long been outgrown by the collaborativenature of modern research as will be demonstrated by the inevitable row overwho is ignored when it comes to acknowledging the discovery of the Higgs boson.The Nobel were, of course, themselves set up by a very rich individual who haddecided what he wanted to do with his own money. Time, rather than intention,has given them legitimacy。As much assome science may complain about the new awards, two things seem clear. First,most researchers would accept such a prize of they were offered one. Second, itis surely a good thing that the money and attention come to science rather goelsewhere. It is fair to criticize and question the mechanism- that is theculture of research, after all-but it is the prize-givers money to do with asthey please. It is wise to take such gifts with gratitude and grace。31. The Fundamental Physics Prize is seen asA a symbolof the entrepreneurs wealth。B a handsomereward for researchers。C a possiblereplacement of the Nobel Prizes。D an exampleof bankersinvestments。32. The critics think that the new awards will mostbenefitA theprofit-oriented scientists。B the achievement-based system。C the founders of the new awardsD peer-review-led research。33. The discovery of theHiggs boson is a typical case which involvesA legitimate concerns over the new prizes。B controversies over the recipientss status。C the joint effort of modern researchers。D the demonstration of research finding。34. According to Paragraph 4, which of thefollowing is true of the Nobels?A History has never cast doubt on them。B their endurance has done justice to them。C They are the most representative honor。D Their legitimacy has long been in dispute。35. The author believes that the new awards areA unworthy of public attention。B subject to undesirable changes 。C harmful to the culture of research。D acceptable despite the criticism。Text 4The Hear of the Matter,”the just released report by the American Academy of Arts and sciences(AAAS)， deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities andsocial sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America.Regrettably，however，the reports failure toaddress the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause moreharm than good。In 2010，leading congressionalDemocrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identifyactions that could be taken by “federal，state and local government，universities，foundations， educators，individual benefactor and others” to “maintain national excellence in humanitiesand social scientific scholarship and education?！?In response, the American Academyformed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Science .Among thecommissions51 members are top-tier-university presidents, scholars, lawyers, judges,and business executives as well as prominent figures from diplomacy, filmmaking,music and journalism。The goals identified in the report aregenerally admirable .Because representative government presupposes an informedcitizenry, the report supports full literacy; stresses the study of history andgovernment, particularly American history and American government; andencourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation andcompetition, the report calls for increased investment in research, thecrafting of coherent curricula that improve students ability to solve problemsand communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachersand the encouragement of scholars to bring greater study of foreign languages, internationalaffairs and the expansion of study abroad programs。Unfortunately, despite 2.5 years in themaking, The Heart of theMatter never gets to the heart of the matter: the illiberal nature ofliberal education at our leading colleges and universities. The commissionignores that for several decades Americas colleges and universitieshave produced graduates who dont know the content and character of liberaleducation and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiryonce at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities andsocial sciences as vehicles for publicizing progressive, orleft-liberal propaganda。Today, professors routinely treat theprogressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as theproper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberalidea