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.(10 points)
In Cambodia, the choice of a spouse is a complex one for the young male. It may involve not only his parents and his friends, 1 those of the young woman, but also a matchmaker. A young man can 2 a likely spouse on his own and then ask his parents to 3 the marriage negotiations, or the young man’s parents may make the choice of a spouse, giving the child little to say in the selection. 4 , a girl may veto the spouse her parents have chosen. 5 a spouse has been selected, each family investigates the other to make sure its child is marrying 6 a good family.
The traditional wedding is a long and colorful affair. Formerly it lasted three days, 7 by the 1980s it more commonly lasted a day and a half. Buddhist priests offer a short sermon and 8 prayers of blessing. Parts of the ceremony involve ritual hair cutting, 9 cotton threads soaked in holy water around
the bride’s and groom’s wrists, and10 a candle around a circle of happily married and respected couples to bless the 11 . Newlyweds traditionally move in with the wife’s parents and may12 with them up to a year, 13 they can build a new house nearby.
Divorce is legal and easy to 14 , but not common. Divorced persons are 15 with some disapproval. Each spouse retains 16 property he or she 17 into the marriage, and jointly-acquired property is 18 equally. Divorced persons may remarry, but a gender prejudice 19 up: the divorced male doesn’t have a waiting period before he can remarry 20 the woman must wait ten months.
1. [A] by way of [B] on behalf of [C] as well as [D] with regard to
2. [A] adapt to [B] provide for [C] compete with [D] decided on
3. [A] close [B] renew [C] arrange [D] postpone
4. [A] Above all [B] In theory [C] In time [D] For example
5. [A] Although [B] Lest [C] After [D] Unless
6. [A] into [B] within [C] from [D] through
7. [A] since [B] but [C] or [D] so
8. [A] copy [B] test [C] recite [D] create
9. [A] folding [B] piling [C] wrapping [D] tying
10. [A] passing [B] lighting [C] hiding [D] serving
11. [A] meeting [B] collection [C] association [D] union
12. [A] grow [B] part [C] deal [D] live
13. [A] whereas [B] until [C] if [D] for
14. [A] obtain [B] follow [C] challenge [D] avoid
15. [A] isolated [B] persuaded [C] viewed [D] exposed
16. [A] whatever [B] however [C] whenever [D] wherever
17. [A] changed [B] brought [C]shaped [D] pushed
18. [A] withdrawn [B] invested [C] donated [D] divided
19. [A] breaks [B] warns [C] shows [D] clears
20. [A] so that [B] while [C] once [D] in that
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 the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
France, which prides itself as the global innovator of fashion, has decided its fashion industry has lost an absolute right to define physical beauty for women. Its lawmakers gave preliminary approval last week to a law that would make it a crime to employ ultra-thin models on runways. The parliament also agreed to ban websites that ―incite excessive thinness‖ by promoting extreme dieting.
Such measures have a couple of uplifting motives. They suggest beauty should not be defined by looks that end up impinging on health. That’s a start. And the ban on ultra-thin models seems to go beyond protecting models from starving themselves to death – as some have done. It tells the fashion industry that it must take responsibility for the signal it sends women, especially teenage girls, about the social tape-measure they must use to determine their individual worth.
The bans, if fully enforced, would suggest to women (and many men) that they should not let others be arbiters of their beauty. And perhaps faintly, they hint that people should look to intangible qualities like character and intellect rather than dieting their way to size zero or wasp-waist physiques.
The French measures, however, rely too much on severe punishment to change a culture that still regards beauty as skin-deep – and bone-showing. Under the law, using a fashion model that does not meet a government-defined index of body mass could result in a $85,000 fine and six months in prison.
The fashion industry knows it has an inherent problem in focusing on material adornment and idealized body types. In Denmark, the United States, and a few other countries, it is trying to set voluntary standards for models and fashion images that rely more on peer pressure for enforcement.
In contrast to France’s actions, Denmark’s fashion industry agreed last month on rules and sanctions regarding the age, health, and other characteristics of models. The newly revised Danish Fashion Ethical Charter clearly states: ―We are aware of and take responsibility for the im pact the fashion industry has on body ideals, especially on young people.‖ The charter’s main tool of enforcement is to deny access for designers and modeling agencies to Copenhagen Fashion Week(CFW), which is run by the Danish Fashion Institute. But in general it relies on a name-and-shame method of compliance.
Relying on ethical persuasion rather than law to address the misuse of body ideals may be the
best step. Even better would be to help elevate notions of beauty beyond the material standards of a particular industry.
21. According to the first paragraph, what would happen in France?
[A] New runways would be constructed.
[B] Physical beauty would be redefined.
[C] Websites about dieting would thrive.
[D] The fashion industry would decline.
22. The phrase ―impinging on‖(Line 2, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to______.
[A] heightening the value of
[B] indicating the state of
[C] losing faith in
[D] doing harm to
23. Which of the following is true of the fashion industry?
[A] New standards are being set in Denmark.
[B] The French measures have already failed.
[C] Models are no longer under peer pressure.
[D] Its inherent problems are getting worse.
24. A designer is most likely to be rejected by CFW for______.
[A] pursuing perfect physical conditions
[B] caring too much about model’s character
[C] showing little concern for health factors
[D] setting a high age threshold for models
25. Which of the following may be the best title of the text?
[A] A Challenge to the Fashion Industry’s Body Ideals考研英语试题
[B] A Dilemma for the Starving Models in France
[C] Just Another Round of Struggle for Beauty
[D] The Great Threats to the Fashion Industry
Text 2
For the first time in history more people live in towns than in the country. In Britain this has had a curious result. W hile polls show Britons rate ―the countryside‖ alongside the royal family, Shakespeare and the National Health Service (NHS) as what makes them proudest of their country, this has limited political traction.
A century ago Octavia Hill launched the National Trust not to rescue stylish houses but to save ―the beauty of natural places for everyone forever‖. It was specifically to provide city dwellers with spaces for leisure where they could experience ―a refreshing air‖. Hill’s pressure later led to the creat ion of national parks and green belts. They don’t make countryside any more, and every year concrete consumes more of it. It needs constant guardianship.
At the next election none of the big parties seem likely to endorse this sentiment. The Conservatives’planning reform explicitly gives rural development priority over conservation, even authorising ―off-plan‖ building where local people might object. The concept of sustainable development has been defined as profitable. Labour likewise wants to discontinue local planning where councils oppose development. The Liberal Democrats are silent. Only Ukip, sensing its chance, has sided with those pleading for a more considered approach to using green land. Nigel Farage’s speech this year to the Campaign to Protec t Rural Engandstruck terror into many local Con
servative parties.
The sensible place to build new houses, factories and offices is where people are, in cities and towns where infrastructure is in place. The London agents Stirling Ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone, with no intrusion on green belt. What is true of London is even truer of the provinces.
The idea that ―housing crisis‖ equals ―concreted meadows‖ is pure lobby talk. The issue is not the need for more houses but, as always, where to put them. Under lobby pressure, George Osborne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. He favours out-of-town shopping sites against high streets. This is not a free market but a biased one. Rural towns and villages have grown and will always grow. They do so best where building sticks to their edges and respects their character. We do not ruin urban conservation areas in this way. Why ruin rural ones?
Development should be planned, not let rip. After the Netherlands, Britain is Europe’s most crowded country. Half a century of town and country planning has enabled it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living. There is no doubt of the alternative – the corrupted landscapes of southern Portugal, Spain or Ireland. Avoiding this rather than promoting it should unite the left and right of the political spectrum.
26. Britain’s public sentiment about the countryside______.
[A] didn’t start till the Shakespearean age
[B] has brought much benefit to the NHS
[C] is fully backed by the royal family
[D] is not well reflected in politics
27. According to Paragraph 2, the achievements of the National Trust are now being______.
[A] gradually destroyed
[B] effectively reinforced
[C] largely overshadowed
[D] properly protected
28. which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
[A] Labour is under attack for opposing development.
[B] The Conservatives may abandon ―off-plan‖ building.
[C] The Liberal Democrats are losing political influence.
[D] Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservation.
29. The author holds that George Osborne’s Preference______.
[A] highlights his firm stand against lobby pressure
[B] shows his disregard for the character of rural areas
[C] stresses the necessity of easing the housing crisis
[D] reveals a strong prejudice against urban areas
30. In the last paragraph, the author shows his appreciation of______.
[A] the size of population in Britain.
[B] the political life in today’s Britain
[C] the enviable urban lifestyle in Britain
[D] the town-and-country planning in Britain
Text 3
“There is one and only one social responsibility of business,‖ wrote Milton Friedman, a Nobel prize-winning economist. ―That is, to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits.‖ But even if you accept Friedman's premise and regard corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies as a waste of shareholders' money, things may not be absolutely clear-cut. New research suggests that CSR may create monetary value for companies—at least when they are prosecuted for corruption.
The largest firms in America and Britain together spend more than $15 billion a year on CSR, according to an estimate last year by EPG, a consulting firm. This could add value to their businesses in three ways. First, consumers may take CSR spending as a ―signal‖ that a company's products are of high quality. Second, customers may be willing to buy a company's products as an in
direct way to donate to the go od causes it helps. And third, through a more diffuse ―halo effect‖, whereby its good deeds earn it greater consideration from consumers and others.
Previous studies on CSR have had trouble differentiating these effects because consumers can be affected by all three. A recent paper attempts to separate them by looking at bribery prosecutions under America's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It argues that since prosecutors do not consume a company's products as part of their investigations, they could be influenced only by the halo effect.
The study found that, among prosecuted firms, those with the most comprehensive CSR programmes tended to get more lenient penalties. Their analysis ruled out the possibility that it was firms' political influence, rather than their CSR stance, that accounted for the leniency: companies that contributed more to political campaigns did not receive lower fines.
In all, the authors conclude that whereas prosecutors should only evaluate a case based on its merits, they do se em to be influenced by a company's record in CSR. ―We estimate that either eliminating a substantial labour-rights concern, such as child labour, or increasing corporate giving by about 20% results in fines that generally are 40% lower than the typical punishment for bribing foreign officials,‖ says one researcher.
Researchers admit that their study does not answer the question of how much businesses ought to spend on CSR. Nor does it reveal how much companies are banking on the halo effect, rather than the other possible benefits, when they decide their do -gooding policies. But at least they have demonstrated that when companies get into trouble with the law, evidence of good character can win them a less costly punishment.
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