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 the ANSWER SHEET.(10points)
As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be. We suddenly can’t remember 1 we put the keys just a moment ago, or an old acquaintance’s name, or the name of an old band we used to love. As the brain 2 , we refer to these occurrences as “senior moments.” 3 seemingly innocent ,this loss of mental focus can potentially have a (n) 4 impact on our professional, social, and personal 5 .
Neuroscientists, experts who study the nervous system, are increasingly showing that there’s actually a lot that can be done. It 6 out that the brain needs exercise in much the same way our muscles do, and the right mental 7 can significantly improve our basic cognitive 8 . Thinking is essentially a 9 of making connections in the brain. To a certain extent, our ability to 10 in making the connections that dri
ve intelligence is inherited. 11 , because these connections are made through effort and practice, scientists believe that intelligence can expand and fluctuate 12 mental effort.
The Web-based program 15 you to systematically improve your memory and attention skills. The program keeps 16 of your progress and provides detailed feedback 17 your performance and improvement. Most importantly, it 18 modifies and enhances the games you play to 19 on the strengths you are developing—much like a(n) 20 exercise routine requires you to increase resistance and vary your muscle use.
1.[A] where[B] when[C] that[D] why
2.[A] improves[B] fades[C] recovers[D] collapses
3.[A] If[B] Unless[C] Once[D] While
4.[A] uneven[B] limited[C] damaging[D] obscure
5.[A] wellbeing[B] environment[C] relationship[D] outlook
6.[A] turns[B] finds[C] points[D] figures
7.[A] roundabouts [B] responses[C] workouts[D] associations
8.[A] genre[B] functions[C] circumstances[D] criterion
9.[A] channel[B] condition[C] sequence[D] process
10.[A] persist[B] believe[C] excel[D] feature
11.[A] Therefore[B] Moreover[C] Otherwise[D] However
12.[A] according to[B] regardless of[C] apart from[D] instead of
13.[A] back[B] further[C] aside[D] around
14.[A] sharpness[B] stability[C] framework[D] flexibility
15.[A] forces [B] reminds[C] hurries[D] allows
16.[A] hold[B] track[C] order[D] pace
17.[A] to[B] with[C] for[D] on
18.[A] irregularly[B] habitually[C] constantly[D] unusually
19.[A] carry[B] put[C] build[D] take
20.[A] risky[B] effective[C] idle[D] familiar
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 the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
In order to “change lives for the better” and reduce “dependency” George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the “upfront work search” scheme. Only if the jobless arrive at the job centre with a CV, register for online job search, and start looking for work will they be eligible for benefit and then they should report weekly rather than fortnightly. What could be more reasonable?
21.George Osborne’s scheme was intended to .
[A] provide the unemployed with easier access to benefits
[B] encourage jobseekers’ active engagement in job seeking
[C] motivate the unemployed to report voluntarily
[D] guarantee jobseekers’ legitimate right to benefits
22.The phrase, “to sign on” (Line 3, Para.2) most probably means .
[A] to check on the availability of jobs at the jobcentre
[B] to accept the government’s restrictions on the allowance
[C] to register for an allowance from the government
[D] to attend a governmental job-training program
23.What prompted the chancellor to develop his scheme?
[A] A desire to secure a better life for all.
[B] An eagerness to protect the unemployed.
[C] An urge to be generous to the claimants.
[D] A passion to ensure fairness for taxpayers.
24.According to Paragraph 3, being unemployed makes one feel .
[A] uneasy
[B] enraged
[C] insulted
[D] guilty
25.To which of the following would the author most probably agree?
[A] The British welfare system indulges jobseekers’ laziness.
[B] Osborne’s reforms will reduce the risk of unemployment.
[C] The jobseekers’ allowance has met their actual needs.
[D] Unemployment benefits should not be made conditional.
Text 2
There are many reasons for this. One is the excessive costs of a legal education. There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states: a four-year undergraduate degree in some unrelated subject, then a three-year law degree at one of 200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam. This leaves today’s average law-school graduate with $100,000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts. Law-school debt means that many cannot afford to go into government or non-profit work, and that they have to work fearsomely hard.
The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia, non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and innovation slow. There is pressure for change from within the profession, but opponents of change among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.
In fact, allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers, by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on improving firms’ efficiency. After all, other countries, such as Australia and Britain, have started liberalizing their legal professions. America should follow.
26.A lot of students take up law as their profession due to .
[A] the growing demand from clients
[B] the increasing pressure of inflation
[C] the prospect of working in big firms
[D] the attraction of financial rewards
27.Which of the following adds to the costs of legal education in most American states?
[A] Higher tuition fees for undergraduate studies.
[B] Admissions approval from the bar association.
[C] Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in another major.
[D] Receiving training by professional associations.
28.Hindrance to the reform of the legal system originates from .
[A] lawyers’ and clients’ strong resistance
[B] the rigid bodies governing the profession
[C] the stem exam for would-be lawyers
[D] non-professionals’ sharp criticism
29.The guild-like ownership structure is considered “restrictive”partly because it .
[A] bans outsiders’ involvement in the profession
[B] keeps lawyers from holding law-firm shares
[C] aggravates the ethical situation in the trade
[D] prevents lawyers from gaining due profits
30.In this text, the author mainly discusses .
[A] flawed ownership of America’s law firms and its causes
[B] the factors that help make a successful lawyer in America
[C] a problem in America’s legal profession and solutions to it
[D] the role of undergraduate studies in America’s legal education
Text 3
The US $ 3-million Fundamental physics prize is indeed an interesting experiment, as Alexander Polyakov said when he accepted this year’s award in March. And it is far from the only one of its type. As a News Feature article in Nature discusses, a string of lucrative awards for researchers have joined the Nobel Prizes in recent years. Many, like the Fundamental Physics Prize, are funded from the telephone-number-sized bank accounts of Internet entrepreneurs. These benefactors have succeeded in their chosen fields, they say, and they want to use their wealth to draw attention to those who have succeeded in science.
What’s not to like? Quite a lot, according to a handful of scientists quoted in the News Feature. You cannot buy class, as the old saying goes, and these upstart entrepreneurs cannot buy their prizes the prestige of the Nobles, The new awards 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 fund peer-reviewed research. They perpetuate the myth of the lone genius.
The goals of the prize-givers seem as scattered as the criticism. Some want to shock, others to draw people into science, or to better reward those who have made their careers in research.
31.The Fundamental Physics Prize is seen as .
[A] a symbol of the entrepreneurs’ wealth
[B] a possible replacement of the Nobel Prizes
[C] an example of bankers’ investments
[D] a handsome reward for researchers
32.The critics think that the new awards will most benefit .
[A] the profit-oriented scientists
[B] the founders of the new awards
[C] the achievement-based system
[D] peer-review-led research
33.The discovery of the Higgs boson is atypical case which involves .
[A] controversies over the recipients’status
[B] the joint effort of modern researchers
[C] legitimate concerns over the new prizes
[D] the demonstration of research findings
34.According to Paragraph 4,which of the following is true of the Nobles?
[A] Their endurance has done justice to them.
[B] Their legitimacy has long been in dispute.
[C] They are the most representative honor.
[D] History has never cast doubt on them.
35.The author believes that the now awards are .
[A] acceptable despite the criticism
[B] harmful to the culture of research
[C] subject to undesirable changes
[D] unworthy of public attention
Text 4
“The Heart 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 and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably, however, the report’s failure to a
ddress the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.
考研英语试题The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.
36. According to Paragraph 1, what is the author’s attitude toward the AAAS’s report?
[A] Critical
[B] Appreciative
[C] Contemptuous
[D] Tolerant
37. Influential figures in the Congress required that the AAAS report on how to .
[A] retain people’s interest in liberal education
[B] define the government’s role in education
[C] keep a leading position in liberal education
[D] safeguard individuals’ rights to education
38. According to Paragraph 3, the report suggests .
[A] an exclusive study of American history
[B] a greater emphasis on theoretical subjects
[C] the application of emerging technologies
[D] funding for the study of foreign languages
39. The author implies in Paragraph 5 that professors are .
[A] supportive of free markets
[B] cautious about intellectual investigation
[C] conservative about public policy
[D] biased against classical liberal ideas
40. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A] Ways to Grasp “The Heart of the Matter”
[B] Illiberal Education and “The Heart of the Matter”
[C] The AAAS’s Contribution to Liberal Education
[D] Progressive Policy vs. Liberal Education
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