2014年考研英语冲刺：英语一阅读理解押题

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    　　Text 1
    　　The majority of successful senior managers do not closely follow the classical rational model of first clarifying goals, assessing the problem, formulating options, estimating likelihoods of success, making a decision, and only then taking action to implement the decision. Rather, in their day-by-day tactical maneuvers, these senior executives rely on what is vaguely termed intuition to manage a network of interrelated problems that require them to deal with ambiguity, inconsistency, novelty, and surprise; and to integrate action into the process of thinking.
    　　Generations of writers on management have recognized that some practicing managers rely heavily on intuition. In general, however, such writers display a poor grasp of what intuition is. Some see it as the opposite of rationality; others view it as an excuse for capriciousness.
    　　Isenberg's recent research on the cognitive processes of senior managers reveals that managers' intuition is neither of these. Rather, senior managers use intuition in at least five distinct ways. First, they intuitively sense when a problem exists. Second, managers rely on intuition to perform well-learned behavior patterns rapidly. This intuition is not arbitrary or irrational, but is based on years of painstaking practice and hands-on experience that build skills. A third function of intuition is to synthesize isolated bits of data and practice into an integrated picture, often in an Aha! experience. Fourth, some managers use intuition as a check on the results of more rational analysis. Most senior executives are familiar with the formal decision analysis models and tools, and those who use such systematic methods for reaching decisions are occasionally leery of solutions suggested by these methods which run counter to their sense of the correct course of action. Finally, managers can use intuition to bypass in-depth analysis and move rapidly to engender a plausible solution. Used in this way, intuition is an almost instantaneous cognitive process in which a manager recognizes familiar patterns.
    　　One of the implications of the intuitive style of executive management is that thinking is inseparable from acting. Since managers often know what is right before they can analyze and explain it, they frequently act first and explain later. Analysis is inextricably tied to action in thinking/acting cycles, in which managers develop thoughts about their companies and organizations not by analyzing a problematic situation and then acting, but by acting and analyzing in close concert.
    　　Given the great uncertainty of many of the management issues that they face, senior managers often instigate a course of action simply to learn more about an issue. They then use the results of the action to develop a more complete understanding of the issue. One implication of thinking/acting cycles is that action is often part of defining the problem, not just of implementing the solution.
    　　1. According to the text, senior managers use intuition in all of the following ways EXCEPT to
    　　[A] speed up of the creation of a solution to a problem.
    　　[B] identify a problem.
    　　[C] bring together disparate facts.
    　　[D] stipulate clear goals.
    　　2. The text suggests which of the following about the writers on management mentioned in line 1, paragraph 2?
    　　[A] They have criticized managers for not following the classical rational model of decision analysis.
    　　[B] They have not based their analyses on a sufficiently large sample of actual managers.
    　　[C] They have relied in drawing their conclusions on what managers say rather than on what managers do.
    　　[D] They have misunderstood how managers use intuition in making business decisions.
    　　3. It can be inferred from the text that which of the following would most probably be one major difference in behavior between Manager X, who uses intuition to reach decisions, and Manager Y, who uses only formal decision analysis?
    　　[A] Manager X analyzes first and then acts; Manager Y does not.
    　　[B] Manager X checks possible solutions to a problem by systematic analysis; Manager Y does not.
    　　[C] Manager X takes action in order to arrive at the solution to a problem; Manager Y does not.
    　　[D] Manager Y draws on years of hands-on experience in creating a solution to a problem; Manager X does not.
    　　4. The text provides support for which of the following statements?
    　　[A] Managers who rely on intuition are more successful than those who rely on formal decision analysis.
    　　[B] Managers cannot justify their intuitive decisions.
    　　[C] Managers’ intuition works contrary to their rational and analytical skills.
    　　[D] Intuition enables managers to employ their practical experience more efficiently.
    　　5. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph of the text?
    　　[A] An assertion is made and a specific supporting example is given.
    　　[B] A conventional model is dismissed and an alternative introduced.
    　　[C] The results of recent research are introduced and summarized.
    　　[D] Two opposing points of view are presented and evaluated.
    　　Text 2
    　　Roger Rosenblatt’s book Black Fiction, in attempting to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject, successfully alters the approach taken by most previous studies. As Rosenblatt notes, criticism of Black writing has often served as a pretext for expounding on Black history. Addison Gayle’s recent work, for example, judges the value of Black fiction by overtly political standards, rating each work according to the notions of Black identity which it propounds.
    　　Although fiction assuredly springs from political circumstances，its authors react to those circumstances in ways other than ideological, and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise. Rosenblatt’s literary analysis discloses affinities and connections among works of Black fiction which solely political studies have overlooked or ignored.
    　　Writing acceptable criticism of Black fiction, however, presupposes giving satisfactory answers to a number of questions. First of all, is there a sufficient reason, other than the facial identity of the authors, to group together works by Black authors?Second, how does Black fiction make itself distinct from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous? Rosenblatt shows that Black fiction constitutes a distinct body of writing that has an identifiable, coherent literary tradition. Looking at novels written by Black over the last eighty years, he discovers recurring concerns and designs independent of chronology. These structures are thematic, and they spring, not surprisingly, from the central fact that the Black characters in these novels exist in a predominantly white culture, whether they try to conform to that culture or rebel against it.
    　　Black Fiction does leave some aesthetic questions open. Rosenblatt’s thematic analysis permits considerable objectivity; he even explicitly states that it is not his intention to judge the merit of the various works — yet his reluctance seems misplaced, especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results. For instance, some of the novels appear to be structurally diffuse. Is this a defect, or are the authors working out of, or trying to forge, a different kind of aesthetic? In addition, the style of some Black novels, like Jean Toomer’s Cane, verges on expressionism or surrealism; does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate against which Black heroes are pitted, a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic modes of expression?
    　　In spite of such omissions, what Rosenblatt does include in his discussion makes for an astute and worthwhile study. Black Fiction surveys a wide variety of novels, bringing to our attention in the process some fascinating and little-known works like James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Its argument is tightly constructed, and its forthright, lucid style exemplifies levelheaded and penetrating criticism.
    　　1.The author of the text is primarily concerned with __________.
    　　[A] evaluating the soundness of a work of criticism.
    　　[B] comparing various critical approaches to a subject.
    　　[C] discussing the limitations of a particular kind of criticism.
    　　[D] summarizing the major points made in a work of criticism.
    　　2.The author of the text believes that Black Fiction would have been improved had Rosenblatt __________.
    　　[A] evaluated more carefully the ideological and historical aspects of Black fiction.
    　　[B] attempted to be more objective in his approach to novels and stories by Black authors.
    　　[C] explored in greater detail the recurrent thematic concerns of Black fiction throughout its history.
    　　[D] assessed the relative literary merit of the novels he analyzes thematically.
    　　3.The author’s discussion of Black Fiction can be best described as __________.
    　　[A] pedantic and contentious.
    　　[B] critical but admiring.
    　　[C] ironic and deprecating.
    　　[D] argumentative but unfocused.
    　　4.The author of the text employs all of the following in the discussion of Rosenblatt’s book EXCEPT： __________.
    　　[A] rhetorical questions.
    　　[B] specific examples.
    　　[C] comparison and contrast.
    　　[D] definition of terms.
    　　5.The author of the text refers to James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man most probably in order to __________.
    　　[A] point out affinities between Rosenblatt’s method of thematic analysis and earlier criticism.
    　　[B] clarify the point about expressionistic style made earlier in the passage.
    　　[C] qualify the assessment of Rosenblatt’s book made in the first paragraph of the passage.
    　　[D] give a specific example of one of the accomplishments of Rosenblatt’s work.

kysix

    　　Text 3
    　　Proponents of different jazz styles have always argued that their predecessor’s musical style did not include essential characteristics that define jazz as jazz. Thus, 1940''s swing was belittled by beboppers of the 1950''s who were themselves attacked by free jazzes of the 1960''s. The neoboppers of the 1980''s and 1990''s attacked almost everybody else. The titanic figure of Black saxophonist John Coltrane has complicated the arguments made by proponents of styles from bebop through neobop because in his own musical journey he drew from all those styles. His influence on all types of jazz was immeasurable. At the height of his popularity, Coltrane largely abandoned playing bebop, the style that had brought him fame, to explore the outer reaches of jazz.
    　　Coltrane himself probably believed that the only essential characteristic of jazz was improvisation, the one constant in his journey from bebop to open-ended improvisations on modal, Indian, and African melodies. On the other hand, this dogged student and prodigious technician — who insisted on spending hours each day practicing scales from theory books — was never able to jettison completely the influence of bebop, with its fast and elaborate chains of notes and ornaments on melody.
    　　Two stylistic characteristics shaped the way Coltrane played the tenor saxophone: he favored playing fast runs of notes built on a melody and depended on heavy, regularly accented beats. The first led Coltrane to sheets of sound” where he raced faster and faster, pile-driving notes into each other to suggest stacked harmonies. The second meant that his sense of rhythm was almost as close to rock as to bebop.
    　　Three recordings illustrate Coltrane’s energizing explorations. Recording Kind of Blue with Miles Davis, Coltrane found himself outside bop, exploring modal melodies. Here he played surging, lengthy solos built largely around repeated motifs — an organizing principle unlike that of free jazz saxophone player Ornette Coleman, who modulated or altered melodies in his solos. On Giant Steps, Coltrane debuted as leader, introducing his own compositions. Here the sheets of sound, downbeat accents, repetitions, and great speed are part of each solo, and the variety of the shapes of his phrases is unique. Coltrane’s searching explorations produced solid achievement. My Favorite Things was another kind of watershed. Here Coltrane played the soprano saxophone, an instrument seldom used by jazz musicians. Musically, the results were astounding. With the soprano’s piping sound, ideas that had sounded dark and brooding acquired a feeling of giddy fantasy.
    　　When Coltrane began recording for the Impulse! Label, he was still searching. His music became raucous, physical. His influence on rockers was enormous, including Jimi Hendrix, the rock guitarist, who, following Coltrane, raised the extended guitar solo using repeated motifs to a kind of rock art form.
    　　1. The primary purpose of the text is to
    　　[A] discuss the place of Coltrane in the world of jazz and describe his musical explorations.
    　　[B] examine the nature of bebop and contrast it with improvisational jazz.
    　　[C] analyze the musical sources of Coltrane’s style and their influence on his work.
    　　[D] acknowledge the influence of Coltrane’s music on rock music and rock musicians.
    　　2. Which of the following best describes the organization of the fourth paragraph?
    　　[A] A thesis referred to earlier in the text is mentioned and illustrated with three specific examples.
    　　[B] A thesis is stated and three examples are given each suggesting that a correction needs to be made to a thesis referred to earlier in the text.
    　　[C] A thesis referred to earlier in the text is mentioned, and three examples are presented and ranked in order of their support of the thesis.
    　　[D] A thesis is stated, three seemingly opposing examples are presented, and their underlying correspondence is explained.
    　　3. According to the text, John Coltrane did all of the following during his career EXCEPT
    　　[A] improvise on melodies from a number of different cultures.
    　　[B] perform as leader as well as soloist.
    　　[C] spend time improving his technical skills.
    　　[D] eliminate the influence of bebop on his own music.
    　　4. According to the text a major difference between Coltrane and other jazz musicians was the
    　　[A] degree to which Coltrane’s music encompassed all of jazz.
    　　[B] repetition of motifs that Coltrane used in his solos.
    　　[C] number of his own compositions that Coltrane recorded.
    　　[D] indifference Coltrane maintained to musical technique.
    　　5. In terms of its tone and form, the text can best be characterized as
    　　[A] dogmatic explanation.
    　　[B] indignant denial.
    　　[C] enthusiastic praise.
    　　[D] speculative study.
    　　Text 4
    　　Many objects in daily use have clearly been influenced by science, but their form and function, their dimensions and appearance, were determined by technologists, artisans, designers, inventors, and engineers — using nonscientific modes of thought. Many features and qualities of the objects that a technologist thinks about cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in the mind by a visual, nonverbal process. In the development of Western technology, it has been nonverbal thinking, by and large, that has fixed the outlines and filled in the details of our material surroundings. Pyramids, cathedrals, and rockets exist not because of geometry or thermodynamics, but because they were first a picture in the minds of those who built them.
    　　The creative shaping process of a technologist’s mind can be seen in nearly every artifact that exists. For example, in designing a diesel engine, a technologist might impress individual ways of nonverbal thinking on the machine by continually using an intuitive sense of rightness and fitness. What would be the shape of the combustion chamber? Where should be valves be placed? Should it have a long or short piston? Such questions have a range of answers that are supplied by experience, by physical requirements, by limitations of available space, and not least by a sense of form. Some decisions such as wall thickness and pin diameter, may depend on scientific calculations, but the nonscientific component of design remains primary.
    　　Design courses, then, should be an essential element in engineering curricula. Nonverbal thinking, a central mechanism in engineering design, involves perceptions, the stock-in-trade of the artist, not the scientist. Because perceptive processes are not assumed to entail hard thinking， nonverbal thought is sometimes seen as a primitive stage in the development of cognitive processes and inferior to verbal or mathematical thought. But it is paradoxical that when the staff of the Historic American Engineering Record wished to have drawings made of machines and isometric views of industrial processes for its historical record of American engineering, the only college students with the requisite abilities were not engineering students, but rather students attending architectural schools.
    　　If courses in design, which in a strongly analytical engineering curriculum provide the background required for practical problem-solving, are not provided, we can expect to encounter silly but costly errors occurring in advanced engineering systems. For example, early models of high-speed railroad cars loaded with sophisticated controls were unable to operate in a snowstorm because a fan sucked snow into the electrical system. Absurd random failures that plague automatic control systems are not merely trivial aberrations; they are a reflection of the chaos that results when design is assumed to be primarily a problem in mathematics.
    　　1. In the text, the author is primarily concerned with
    　　[A] identifying the kinds of thinking that are used by technologists.
    　　[B] stressing the importance of nonverbal thinking in engineering design.
    　　[C] proposing a new role for nonscientific thinking in the development of technology.
    　　[D] contrasting the goals of engineers with those of technologists.
    　　2. It can be inferred that the author thinks engineering curricula are
    　　[A] strengthened when they include courses in design.
    　　[B] weakened by the substitution of physical science courses for courses designed to develop mathematical skills.
    　　[C] strong because nonverbal thinking is still emphasized by most of the courses.
    　　[D] strong despite the errors that graduates of such curricula have made in the development of automatic control systems.
    　　3.Which of the following statements best illustrates the main point of the first two paragraphs of the text?
    　　[A] When a machine like a rotary engine malfunctions, it is the technologist who is best equipped to repair it.
    　　[B] Each component of an automobile — for example, the engine or the fuel tank — has a shape that has been scientifically determined to be best suited to that component’s function.
    　　[C] A telephone is a complex instrument designed by technologists using only nonverbal thought.
    　　[D] The distinctive features of a suspension bridge reflect its designer’s conceptualization as well as the physical requirements of its site.
    　　4.Which of the following statements would best serve as an introduction to the text?
    　　[A] The assumption that the knowledge incorporated in technological developments must be derived from science ignores the many nonscientific decisions made by technologists.
    　　[B] Analytical thought is no longer a vital component in the success of technological development.
    　　[C] As knowledge of technology has increased, the tendency has been to lose sight of the important role played by scientific thought in making decisions about form, arrangement, and texture.
    　　[D] A movement in engineering colleges toward a technician’s degree reflects a demand for graduates who have the nonverbal reasoning ability that was once common among engineers.
    　　5.The author calls the predicament faced by the Historic American Engineering Record paradoxical (line 6, paragraph 3) most probably because
    　　[A] the publication needed drawings that its own staff could not make.
    　　[B] architectural schools offered but did not require engineering design courses for their students.
    　　[C] college students were qualified to make the drawings while practicing engineers were not.
    　　[D] engineering students were not trained to make the type of drawings needed to record the development of their own discipline.
    　　2014年考研冲刺备考专题
    　　2014年考研试题答案-跨考教育考后首发

kythree

    　　Text 5
    　　In studying both the recurrence of special habits or ideas in several districts, and their prevalence within each district, there come before us ever-reiterated proofs of regular causation producing the phenomena of human life, and of laws of maintenance and diffusion conditions of society, at definite stages of culture. But, while giving full importance to the evidence bearing on these standard conditions of society, let us be careful to avoid a pitfall which may entrap the unwary student. Of course, the opinions and habits belonging in common to masses of mankind are to a great extent the results of sound judgment and practical wisdom. But to a great extent it is not so.
    　　That many numerous societies of men should have believed in the influence of the evil eye and the existence of a firmament, should have sacrificed slaves and goods to the ghosts of the departed, should have handed down traditions of giants slaying monsters and men turning into beasts—all this is ground for holding that such ideas were indeed produced in men’s minds by efficient causes, but it is not ground for holding that the rites in question are profitable, the beliefs sound, and the history authentic. This may seem at the first glance a truism, but, in fact, it is the denial of a fallacy which deeply affects the minds of all but a small critical minority of mankind. Popularly, what everybody says must be true, what everybody does must be right.
    　　There are various topics, especially in history, law, philosophy, and theology, where even the educated people we live among can hardly be brought to see that the cause why men do hold an opinion, or practise a custom, is by no means necessarily a reason why they ought to do so. Now collections of ethnographic evidence, bringing so prominently into view the agreement of immense multitudes of men as to certain traditions, beliefs, and usages, are peculiarly liable to be thus improperly used in direct defense of these institutions themselves, even old barbaric nations being polled to maintain their opinions against what are called modern ideas.
    　　As it has more than once happened to myself to find my collections of traditions and beliefs thus set up to prove their own objective truth, without proper examination of the grounds on which they were actually received, I take this occasion of remarking that the same line of argument will serve equally well to demonstrate, by the strong and wide consent of nations, that the earth is flat, and night-mare the visit of a demon.
    　　1. The author’s attitude towards the phenomena mentioned at the beginning of the text is one of _____.
    　　[A] skepticism [B] approval [C] indifference [D] disgust
    　　2. By “But to...it is not so”(Line 7) the author implies that _____.
    　　[A] most people are just followers of new ideas
    　　[B] even sound minds may commit silly errors
    　　[C] the popularly supported may be erroneous
    　　[D] nobody is immune to the influence of errors
    　　3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the statement “There are various... to do so” (Line 17-20)?
    　　[A] Principles of history and philosophy are hard to deal with.
    　　[B] People like to see what other people do for their own model.
    　　[C] The educated are more susceptible to errors in their daily life.
    　　[D] That everyone does the same may not prove they are all right.
    　　4. Which of the following did the author probably suggest?
    　　[A] Support not the most supported.
    　　[B] Deny everything others believe.
    　　[C] Throw all tradition into trashcan.
    　　[D] Keep your eyes open all the time.
    　　5. The author develops his writing mainly by means of _____.
    　　[A] reasoning [B] examples [C] comparisons [D] quotations
    　　Text 6
    　　The provision of positive incentives to work in the new society will not be an easy task. But the most difficult task of all is to devise the ultimate and final sanction to replace the ultimate sanction of hunger—the economic whip of the old dispensation. Moreover, in a society which rightly rejects the pretence of separating economics from politics and denies the autonomy of the economic order, that sanction can be found only in some conscious act of society. We can no longer ask the invisible hand to do our dirty work for us.
    　　I confess that I am less horror-struck than some people at the prospect, which seems to me unavoidable, of an ultimate power of what is called direction of labour resting in some arm of society, whether in an organ of state or of trade unions. I should indeed be horrified if I identified this prospect with a return to the conditions of the pre-capitalist era. The economic whip of laissez-faire undoubtedly represented an advance on the serf-like conditions of that period: in that relative sense, the claim of capitalism to have established for the first time a system of “free” labour deserves respect. But the direction of labour as exercised in Great Britain in the Second World War seems to me to represent as great an advance over the economic whip of the heyday of capitalist private enterprise as the economic whip represented over pre-capitalist serfdom.
    　　Much depends on the effectiveness of the positive incentives, much, too, on the solidarity and self-discipline of the community. After all, under the system of laissez-faire capitalism the fear of hunger remained an ultimate sanction rather than a continuously operative force. It would have been intolerable if the worker had been normally driven to work by conscious fear of hunger; nor, except in the early and worst days of the Industrial Revolution, did that normally happen. Similarly in the society of the future the power of direction should be regarded not so much as an instrument of daily use but rather as an ultimate sanction held in reserve where voluntary methods fail. It is inconceivable that, in any period or in any conditions that can now be foreseen, any organ of state in Great Britain would be in a position, even if it had the will, to marshal and deploy the labour force over the whole economy by military discipline like an army in the field. This, like other nightmares of a totally planned economy, can be left to those who like to frighten themselves and others with scarecrows.
    　　1. The word “sanction”(Line 2, Paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to______.
    　　[A] corrective measures [B] encouraging methods
    　　[C] preventive efforts [D] revolutionary actions
    　　2. Which of the following is implied in the first paragraph?
    　　[A] People used to be forced to work under whips.
    　　[B] The author dislikes the function of politics in economy.
    　　[C] Incentives are always less available than regulations.
    　　[D] People have an instinct of working less and getting more.
    　　3. The author’s attitudes towards future, as is indicated in the beginning of the second paragraph, is one of______.
    　　[A] reluctant acceptance [B] sheer pessimism
    　　[C] mild optimism [D] extreme hopefulness
    　　4. The author of the text seems to oppose the idea of______.
    　　[A] free market [B] military control
    　　[C] strict regulations [D] unrestrained labors
    　　5. The last sentence of the text indicates the author’s______.
    　　[A] hatred [B] affection [C] stubbornness [D] rejection

kyfour

    　　Text 7
    　　Over the last decade, demand for the most common cosmetic surgery procedures, like breast enlargements and nose jobs, has increased by more than 400 percent. According to Dr. Dai Davies, of the Plastic Surgery Partnership in Hammersmith, the majority of cosmetic surgery patients are not chasing physical perfection. Rather, they are driven to fantastic lengths to improve their appearance by a desire to look normal. “What we all crave is to look normal, and normal is what is prescribed by the advertising media and other external pressures. They give us a perception of what is physically acceptable and we feel we must look like that.”
    　　In America, the debate is no longer about whether surgery is normal; rather, it centres on what age people should be before going under the knife. New York surgeon Dr. Gerard Imber recommends “maintenance” work for people in their thirties. “The idea of waiting until one needs a heroic transformation is silly,” he says. “By then, you’ve wasted 20 great years of your life and allowed things to get out of hand.” Dr. Imber draws the line at operating on people who are under 18, however. “It seems that someone we don’t consider old enough to order a drink shouldn’t be considering plastic surgery.”
    　　In the UK cosmetic surgery has long been seen as the exclusive domain of the very rich and famous. But the proportionate cost of treatment has fallen substantially, bringing all but the most advanced laser technology within the reach of most people. Dr. Davies, who claims to “cater for the average person”, agrees. He says:“I treat a few of the rich and famous and an awful lot of secretaries. Of course, ￡3,000 for an operation is a lot of money. But it is also an investment for life which costs about half the price of a good family holiday.”
    　　Dr. Davies suspects that the increasing sophistication of the fat injecting and removal techniques that allow patients to be treated with a local anaesthetic in an afternoon has also helped promote the popularity of cosmetic surgery. Yet, as one woman who recently paid ￡2,500 for liposuction to remove fat from her thighs admitted, the slope to becoming a cosmetic surgery Veteran is a deceptively gentle one. “I had my legs done because they’d been bugging me for years. But going into the clinic was so low key and effective it whetted my appetite. Now I don’t think there’s any operation that I would rule out having if I could afford it.”
    　　1. According to the text, the reason for cosmetic surgery is to _____.
    　　[A] be physically healthy [B] look more normal
    　　[C] satisfy appetite [D] be accepted by media
    　　2. According to the third paragraph, Dr. Davies implies that_____.
    　　[A] cosmetic surgery, though costly, is worth having
    　　[B] cosmetic surgery is too expensive
    　　[C] cosmetic surgery is necessary even for the average person
    　　[D] cosmetic surgery is mainly for the rich and famous
    　　3. The statement “draws the line at operating on people” (Line 3, Paragragh 2) is closest in meaning to_____.
    　　[A] removing wrinkles from the face [B] helping people make up
    　　[C] enjoying operating [D] refusing to operate
    　　4. It can be inferred from the text that____.
    　　[A] it is wise to have cosmetic surgery under 18
    　　[B] cosmetic surgery is now much easier
    　　[C] people tend to abuse cosmetic surgery
    　　[D] the earlier people have cosmetic surgery, the better they will be
    　　5. The text is mainly about _____.
    　　[A] the advantage of having cosmetic surgery
    　　[B] what kind of people should have cosmetic surgery
    　　[C] the rea,son why cosmetic surgery is so popular
    　　[D] the disadvantage of having cosmetic surgery
    　　Text 8
    　　With the extension of democratic rights in the first half of the nineteenth century and the ensuing decline of the Federalist establishment, a new conception of education began to emerge. Education was no longer a confirmation of a pre-existing status, but an instrument in the acquisition of higher status. For a new generation of upwardly mobile students, the goal of education was not to prepare them to live comfortably in the world into which they had been born, but to teach them new virtues and skills that would propel them into a different and better world. Education became training; and the student was no longer the gentleman-in-waiting, but the journeyman apprentice for upward mobility.
    　　In the nineteenth century a college education began to be seen as a way to get ahead in the world. The founding of the land-grant colleges opened the doors of higher education to poor but aspiring boys from non-Anglo-Saxon, working-class and lower-middle-class backgrounds. The myth of the poor boy who worked his way through college to success drew millions of poor boys to the new campuses. And with this shift, education became more vocational: its object was the acquisition of practical skills and useful information.
    　　For the gentleman-in-waiting, virtue consisted above all in grace and style, in doing well what was appropriate to his position; education was merely a way of acquiring polish. And vice was manifested in gracelessness, awkwardness, in behaving inappropriately, discourteously, or ostentatiously. For the apprentice, however, virtue was evidenced in success through hard work. The requisite qualities of character were not grace or style, but drive, determination, and a sharp eye for opportunity. While casual liberality and even prodigality characterized the gentleman, frugality, thrift, and self-control came to distinguish the new apprentice. And while the gentleman did not aspire to a higher station because his station was already high, the apprentice was continually becoming, striving, struggling upward. Failure for the apprentice meant standing still, not rising.
    　　1. Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
    　　[A] Democratic ideas started with education.
    　　[B] Federalists were opposed to education.
    　　[C] New education helped confirm people’s social status.
    　　[D] Old education had been in tune with hierarchical society.
    　　2.The difference between “gentleman-in-waiting” and “journeyman” is that _____ .
    　　[A] education trained gentleman-in-waiting to climb higher ladders
    　　[B] journeyman was ready to take whatever was given to him
    　　[C] gentleman-in-waiting belonged to a fixed and high social class
    　　[D] journeyman could do practically nothing without education
    　　3. According to the second paragraph, land-grant College _____.
    　　[A] belonged to the land-owning class
    　　[B] enlarged the scope of education
    　　[C] was provided only to the poor
    　　[D] benefited all but the upper class
    　　4.Which of the following was the most important for a “gentleman-in-waiting”?
    　　[A] Manners. [B] Education. [C] Moral. [D] Personality.
    　　5. The best title for the passage is _____.
    　　[A] Education and Progress
    　　[B] Old and New Social Norms
    　　[C] New Education: Opportunities for More
    　　[D] Demerits of Hierarchical Society
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kytwo

    　　Text 9
    　　For thousands of Canadians, bad service is neither make-believe nor amusing. It is an aggravating and worsening real-life phenomenon that encompasses behavior ranging from indifference and rudeness to naked hostility and even physical violence. Across the country, better business bureaus report a lengthening litany of complaints about contractors, car dealers, and repair shops, moving companies, airlines and department stores. There is almost an adversarial feeling between businesses and consumers.
    　　Experts say there are several explanations for ill feeling in the marketplace. One is that customer service was an early and inevitable casualty when retailers responded to brutal competition by replacing employees with technology such as 1～800 numbers and voice mail. Another factor is that business generally has begun placing more emphasis on getting customers than on keeping them. Still another is that strident, frustrated and impatient shoppers vex shop owners and make them even less hospitable —especially at busier times of the year like Christmas. On both sides, simple courtesy has gone by the board. And for a multitude of consumers, service went with it.
    　　The Better Business Bureau at Vancouver gets 250 complaints a week, twice as many as five years ago. The bureau then had one complaints counselor and now has four. People complain about being insulted, having their intelligence and integrity questioned, and being threatened. One will hear about people being hauled almost bodily out the door by somebody saying things like “I don't have to serve you!”or “This is private property, get out and don't come back! ” What can customers do? If the bureau's arbitration process fails to settle a dispute, a customer's only recourse is to sue in claims court. But because of the costs and time it takes, relatively few ever do.
    　　There is a lot of support for the notion that service has, in part, fallen victim to generational change. Many young people regard retailing as just a bead-end job that you're just going to do temporarily on your way to a real job. Young clerks often lack both knowledge and civility. Employers have to train young people in simple manners because that is not being done at home. Salespeople today, especially the younger ones, have grown up in a television-computer society where they've interacted largely with machines. One of the biggest complaints from businesses about graduates is the lack of inter-personal skills.
    　　What customers really want is access. They want to get through when they call, they don't want busy signals, they don't want interactive systems telling them to push one for this and two for that—they don't want voice mail. And if customers do not get what they want, they defect. Some people go back to local small businesses: the Asian greengrocer, a Greek baker and a Greek fishmonger. They don't wear name tags, but one gets to know them, all by name.[490 words]
    　　1 At a business place of bad service, the worst one can get is._________
    　　[A] indifference and rudeness
    　　[B] naked hostility and physical violence
    　　[C] having intelligence and integrity questioned
    　　[D] being insulted and threatened
    　　2 One of the reasons for such ill feeling in the marketplace is that.________
    　　[A] shoppers are usually strident, frustrated and impatient
    　　[B] shoppers often take businesses to court
    　　[C] businesses use new technology instead of employees
    　　[D] businesses try every means to get customers
    　　3 What changes have taken place at Vancouver Better Service Bureau in the past five years?
    　　[A] More effective. [B] Less bureaucracy.
    　　[C] More business. [D] Better staff.
    　　4 Young clerks often lack interpersonal skills chiefly because they____________
    　　[A]are skilled in dealing with machines, not people
    　　[B] are not trained in simple manners at home
    　　[C] fall victims to generational change
    　　[D] take retailing to be a temporary job
    　　5 The author's attitude towards businesses and bad service is_________.
    　　[A]attacking [B] understanding [C] regretting [D] warning
    　　Text 10
    　　“I've never met a human worth cloning, ” says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from the cramped confines of his lab at Texas A&M University. “It's a stupid endeavor.” That's an interesting choice of adjective, coming from a man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13-year-old dog named Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two calves and expect to clone a cat soon. They just might succeed in cloning Missy later this year—or perhaps not for another five years. It seems the reproductive system of man's best friend is one of the mysteries of modern science. Westhusin's experience with cloning animals leaves him vexed by all this talk of human cloning. In three years of work on the Missyplicity project, using hundreds upon hundreds of canine eggs, the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos carrying Missy's DNA. None have survived the transfer to a surrogate mother. The wastage of eggs and the many spontaneously aborted fetuses may be acceptable when you're dealing with cats or bulls, he argues, but not with humans.“Cloning is incredibly inefficient, and also dangerous, ” he says.
    　　Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1997, Westhusin's phone at A&M College of Veterinary Medicine has been ringing busily. Cost is no obstacle for customers like Missy's mysterious owner, who wishes to remain unknown to protect his privacy. He's plopped down $3.7 million so far to fund the research because he wants a twin to carry on Missy’s fine qualities after she dies. But he knows her clone may not have her temperament. In a statement of purpose, Missy's owner and the A&M team say they are “both looking forward to studying the ways that her clone differs from Missy.”
    　　The fate of the dog samples will depend on Westhusin's work. He knows that even if he gets a dog viably pregnant, the offspring, should they survive, will face the problems shown at birth by other cloned animals: abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems. “Why would you ever want to clone humans,” Westhusin asks, “when we’re not even close to getting it worked out in animals yet?” [397 words]
    　　1. Mr. Westhusin thinks cloning is dangerous because____ .
    　　[A] animals are tortured to death in the experiments
    　　[B]the public has expressed strong disapproval
    　　[C] too many lives are wasted for laboratory use
    　　[D] cloning becomes a quest only for profit
    　　2. What is the problem confronting the Missyplicity project?
    　　[A] The client holds a suspicious view toward it.
    　　[B] There is a lack of funds to support the research.
    　　[C] The owner is unwilling to disclose the information.
    　　[D] Cloning dogs is a difficult biological problem.
    　　3. Which of the following is true about animal cloning?
    　　[A]Few private cloning companies could afford it
    　　[B]Few people have realized its significance.
    　　[C] An exact copy of a cat or bull can be made.
    　　[D] It is becoming a prosperous industry.
    　　4. From the passage we can infer that _____.
    　　[A] Mr. Westhusin is going to clone a dog soon
    　　[B] scientists are pessimistic about human cloning
    　　[C] human reproductive system has not been understood
    　　[D] rich people are only interested in cloning animals
    　　5. Mr. Westhusin seems to believe that cloning__ ___.
    　　[A] is stupid and should be abandoned [B] has been close to success
    　　[C] should be taken cautiously [D] is now in a dilemma
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kysix

    　　Text 11
    　　Talk to any parent of a student who took an adventurous gap year (a year between school and university when somestudents earn money, travel, etc.) and a misty look will come into their eyes. There are some disasters and even the most motivated, organised gap student does require family back-up, financial, emotional and physical. The parental mistiness is not just about the brilliant experience that has matured their offspring; it is vicarious living. We all wish pre university gap
    　　years had been the fashion in our day. We can see how much tougher our kids become; how much more prepared to benefit from university or to decide positively that they are going to do something other than a degree.
    　　Gap years are fashionable, as is reflected in the huge growth in the number of charities and private companies offering them. Pictures of Prince William toiling in Chile have helped, but the trend has been gathering steam for a decade. The range of gap packages starts with backpacking, includes working with charities, building hospitals and schools and, very commonly, working as a language assistant, teaching English. With this trend, however, comes a danger. Once parents feel
    　　that a well-structured year is essential to their would be undergraduate s progress to a better university, a good degree,an impressive CV and well paid employment, as the gap companies blurbs suggest it might be, then parents will start organising—and paying for—the gaps.
    　　Where there are disasters, according to Richard Oliver, director of the gap companies' umbrella organisation, the Year Out Group, it is usually because of poor planning. That can be the fault of the company or of the student, he says, but the best insurance is thoughtful preparation. “When people get it wrong, it is usually medical or, especially among girls, it is that they have not been away from home before or because expectation does not match reality.”
    　　The point of a gap year is that it should be the time when the school leaver gets to do the thing that he or she fancies. Kids don't mature if mum and dad decide how they are going to mature. If the 18-year-old's way of maturing is to slob out on Hampstead Heath soaking up sunshine or spending a year working with fishermen in Cornwall, then that s what will be productive for that person. The consensus, however, is that some structure is an advantage and that the prime mover needs to be the student.
    　　The 18-year-old who was dispatched by his parents at two weeks' notice to Canada to learn to be a snowboarding instructor at a cost of ￡5,800, probably came back with little more than a hangover. The 18-year-old on the same package who worked for his fare and spent the rest of his year instructing in resorts from New Zealand to Switzerland, and came back to apply for university, is the positive counterbalance. [502 words]
    　　1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that parents of gap students may____.
    　　[A] help children to be prepared for disasters
    　　[B] receive all kinds of support from their children
    　　[C] have rich experience in bringing up their offspring
    　　[D] experience watching children grow up
    　　2. According to the text, which of the following is true?
    　　[A] The popularity of gap years results from an increasing number of charities.
    　　[B] Prince William was working hard during his gap year.
    　　[C] Gap years are not as fashionable as they were ten years ago.
    　　[D] A well-structured gap year is a guarantee of university success.
    　　3. The word “packages” (Line 3, Para. 2) means________.
    　　[A] parcels carried in traveling [B] a comprehensive set of activities
    　　[C] something presented in a particular way [D] charity actions
    　　4. What can cause the disasters of gap years?
    　　[A] Intervention of parents. [B] Irresponsibility of the companies.
    　　[C] A lack of insurance. [D] Low expectation.
    　　5. An 18-year-old is believed to take a meaningful gap year when he/she.________
    　　[A] lives up to his/her parents'expectations
    　　[B] spends time being lazy and doing nothing
    　　[C] learns skills by spending parents'money
    　　[D] earns his or her living and gains working experience
    　　阅读参考答案
    　　Text 1 DDCDB
    　　Text 2 ADBDD
    　　Text 3 ACDAC
    　　Text 4 BADAD
    　　Text 5 ACDDA
    　　Text 6 ABACD
    　　Text 7 BADBC
    　　Text 8 DCBAC
    　　Text 9 BCCAD
    　　Text 10 CDDBC
    　　Text 11 DBBAD
    　　2014年考研冲刺备考专题
    　　2014年考研试题答案-跨考教育考后首发