2004 山西考研英语二真题及答案
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 ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)
Many theories concerning the causes of juvenile delinquency (crimes committed by
young people) focus either on the individual or on society as the major contributing
influence. Theories
on the individual suggest that children engage in criminal
they were not sufficiently penalized for previous misdeeds or that they
behavior 2
with others. Theories focusing on the
have learned criminal behavior through
role of society suggest that children commit crimes in
to their failure to
as a rejection of middle-class values.
rise above their socioeconomic status, 5
3
4
1
Most theories of juvenile delinquency have focused on children from disadvantaged
families,
the fact that children from wealthy homes also commit crimes. The
latter may commit crimes
lack of adequate parental control. All theories,
however, are tentative and are
to criticism.
8
6
7
Changes in the social structure may indirectly
example, changes in the economy that
and rising unemployment
obtain. The resulting discontent may in
behavior.
juvenile crime rates. For
to fewer job opportunities for youth
make gainful employment increasingly difficult to
lead more youths into criminal
10
12
11
9
15
13
was common in the traditional family
changes these years. More families consist of one-parent
Families have also
14 , children are likely to have less
households or two working parents;
supervision at home
. This lack
of parental supervision is thought to be an influence on juvenile crime rates. Other
causes of offensive acts include frustration or failure in school, the
17
increased
of child abuse and child
neglect. All these conditions tend to increase the probability of a child committing
a direct causal relationship has not yet been established.
a criminal act,
of drugs and alcohol, and the growing
16
19
18
20
1. [A] acting [B] relying [C] centering [D] commenting
2. [A] before [B] unless [C] until [D] becaus
3. [A] interaction [B] assimilation [C] cooperation [D] consultation
4. [A] return [B] reply [C] reference [D] response
5. [A] or [B] but rather [C] but [D] or else
6. [A] considering [B] ignoring [C] highlighting [D] discarding
7. [A] on [B] in [C] for [D] with
8. [A] immune [B] resistant [C] sensitive [D] subject
9. [A] affect [B] reduce [C] chock [D] reflect
10. [A] point [B] lead [C] come [D] amount
11. [A] in general [B] on average [C] by contrast [D] at length
12. [A] case [B] short [C] turn [D] essence
13. [A] survived [B] noticed [C] undertaken [D] experienced
14.[A] contrarily [B] consequently [C] similarly [D] simultaneously
15. [A] than [B] that [C] which [D] as
16. [A] system [B] structure [C] concept [D] heritage
17. [A] assessable [B] identifiable [C] negligible [D] incredible
18. [A] expense [B] restriction [C] allocation [D] availability
19. [A] incidence [B] awareness [C] exposure [D] popularity
20. [A] provided [B] since [C] although [D] supposing
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 ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
Hunting for a job late last year, lawyer Gant Redmon stumbled across CareerBuilder,
a job database on the Internet. He searched it with no success but was attracted
by the site’s “personal search agent”. It’s an interactive feature that lets
visitors key in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then E-mails them
when a matching position is posted in the database. Redmon chose the keywords legal,
intellectual property and Washington, D.C. Three weeks later, he got his first
notification of an opening. “I struck gold,” says Redmon, who E-mailed his resume
to the employer and won a position as in-house counsel for a company.
With thousands of career-related sites on the Internet, finding promising openings
can he time-consuming and inefficient. Search agents reduce the need for repeated
visits to the databases. But although a search agent worked for Redmon, career
experts see drawbacks. Narrowing your criteria, for example, may work against you:
“Every time you answer a question you eliminate a possibility,” says one expert.
For any job search, you should start with a narrow concept—what you think you want
to do—then broaden it. “None of these programs do that,” says another expert.
“There’s no career counseling implicit in all of this.” Instead, the best strategy
is to use the agent as a kind of tip service to keep abreast of jobs in a particular
database; when you get E-mail, consider it a reminder to check the database again.
“I would not rely on agents for finding everything that is added to a database that
might interest me,” says the author of a job-searching guide.
Some sites design their agents to tempt job hunters to return. When CareerSite’
s agent sends out messages to those who have signed up for its service, for example,
it includes only three potential jobs—those it considers the best matches. There
may be more matches in the database; job hunters will have to visit the site again
to find them—and they do. “On the day after we send our messages, we see a sharp
increase in our traffic, ” says Seth Peets, vice president of marketing for
CareerSite.
Even those who aren’t hunting for jobs may find search agents worthwhile. Some use
them to keep a close watch on the demand for their line of work or gather information
on compensation to arm themselves when negotiating for a raise. Although happily
employed, Redmon maintains his agent at CareerBuilder. “You always keep your eyes
open,” he says. Working with a personal search agent means having another set of
eyes looking out for you.
21. How did Redmon find his job?
[A] By searching openings in a job database. [B] By posting a matching position in
a database.
[C] By using a special service of a database. [D] By E-mailing his resume to a
database.
22. Which of the following can be a disadvantage of search agents?
[A] Lack of counseling. [B] Limited number of visits.
[C] Lower efficiency. [D] Fewer successful matches.
23. The expression “tip service” (Line 4, Paragraph 3) most probably means
[A] advisory. [B] compensation.
[C] interaction. [D] reminder.
24. Why does CareerSite’s agent offer each job hunter only three job options?
[A] To focus on better job matches. [B] To attract more returning visits.
[C] To reserve space for more messages. [D] To increase the rate of success.
25. Which of the following is true according to the text?
[A] Personal search agents are indispensable to job-hunters.
[B] Some sites keep E-mailing job seekers to trace their demands.
[C] Personal search agents are also helpful to those already employed.
[D] Some agents stop sending information to people once they are employed.
Text 2
Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned
or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for
those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those
whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet.
It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over
Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their phone directories. Less well known
is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zoë Zysman. English names are
fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet a suspiciously large
number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K.
Thus the American president and vice-president have surnames starting with B and
C respectively; and 26 of George Bush’s predecessors (including his father) had
surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even
more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are
alphabetically advantaged (Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chrétien and Koizumi).
The world’s three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all
close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters.
As are the world's five richest men (Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht).
Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed
by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. At the start
of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the
front, to make it easier to remember their names. So short-sighted Zysman junior
gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by
those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think
they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because
they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly.
The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly
get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally
having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of
conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their
recipients lose interest as they plough through them.
26. What does the author intend to illustrate with AAAA cars and Zodiac cars?
[A] A kind of overlooked inequality. [B] A type of conspicuous bias.
[C] A type of personal prejudice. [D] A kind of brand discrimination.
27. What can we infer from the first three paragraphs?
[A] In both East and West, names are essential to success.
[B] The alphabet is to blame for the failure of Zoë Zysman.
[C] Customers often pay a lot of attention to companies’ names.
[D] Some form of discrimination is too subtle to recognize.
28. The 4th paragraph suggests that .
[A] questions are often put to the more intelligent students
[B] alphabetically disadvantaged students often escape from class
[C] teachers should pay attention to all of their students
[D] students should be seated according to their eyesight
29. What does the author mean by “most people are literally having a ZZZ” (Lines
2-3, Paragraph 5)?
[A] They are getting impatient. [B] They are noisily dozing off.
[C] They are feeling humiliated. [D] They are busy with word puzzles.
30. Which of the following is true according to the text?
[A] People with surnames beginning with N to Z are often ill-treated.
[B] VIPs in the Western world gain a great deal from alphabetism.
[C] The campaign to eliminate alphabetism still has a long way to go.
[D] Putting things alphabetically may lead to unintentional bias.
Text 3
When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet.
But the 47-year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as
she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month
two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening
economy. “I'm a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that
people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero
is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard's department store near her suburban
Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don't know if other clients are going
to abandon me, too,” she says.
Even before Alan Greenspan's admission that America's red-hot economy is cooling,
lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car
dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper
their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue
between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial
time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year's pace.
But don't sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not
panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy's long-term
prospects even as they do some modest belt-tightening.
Consumers say they're not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their
own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions.
In Manhattan, “there's a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million
range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran.
In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets.
“Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi,
a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about
their ability to find and keep a job.
Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer
for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn't mind a little fewer bubbles in the job
market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which
investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see
an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan's hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used
to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
31. By “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet” (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the
author means_____.
[A] Spero can hardly maintain her business. [B] Spero is too much engaged in her
work.
[C] Spero has grown out of her bad habit. [D] Spero is not in a desperate situation.
32. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
[A] Optimistic. [B] Confused. [C] Carefree. [D] Panicked.
33. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range”(Lines 3, Paragraph 3),
the author is talking about _______
[A] gold market. [B] real estate. [C] stock exchange. [D] venture investment.
34. Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic slowdown?
[A] They would benefit in certain ways. [B] The stock market shows signs of recovery.
[C] Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom. [D] The purchasing power would be
enhanced.
35. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
[A] A new boom, on the horizon. [B] Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
[C] Caution all right, panic not. [D] The more ventures, the more chances.
Text 4
Americans today don't place a very high value on intellect. Our heroes are athletes,
entertainers, and entrepreneurs, not scholars. Even our schools are where we send
our children to get a practical education—not to pursue knowledge for the sake of
knowledge. Symptoms of pervasive anti-intellectualism in our schools aren't
difficult to find.
“Schools have always been in a society where practical is more important than
intellectual, ” says education writer Diane Ravitch. “ Schools could be a
counterbalance.” Ravitch's latest book. Left Back: A Century of Failed School
Reforms, traces the roots of anti-intellectualism in our schools, concluding they
are anything but a counterbalance to the American distaste for intellectual
pursuits.
But they could and should be. Encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind leaves
them vulnerable to exploitation and control. Without the ability to think critically,
to defend their ideas and understand the ideas of others, they cannot fully
participate in our democracy. Continuing along this path, says writer Earl Shorris,
“We will become a second-rate country. We will have a less civil society.”
“Intellect is resented as a form of power or privilege,” writes historian and
professor Richard Hofstadter in Anti-intellectualism in American Life, a
Pulitzer-Prize winning book on the roots of anti-intellectualism in US politics,
religion, and education. From the beginning of our history, says Hofstadter, our
democratic and populist urges have driven us to reject anything that smells of
elitism. Practicality, common sense, and native intelligence have been considered
more noble qualities than anything you could learn from a book.
Ralph Waldo Emerson and other Transcendentalist philosophers thought schooling and
rigorous book learning put unnatural restraints on children: “We are shut up in
schools and college recitation rooms for 10 or 15 years and come out at last with
a bellyful of words and do not know a thing. ” Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn
exemplified American anti-intellectualism. Its hero avoids being civilized—going
to school and learning to read—so he can preserve his innate goodness.
Intellect, according to Hofstadter, is different from native intelligence, a quality
we reluctantly admire. Intellect is the critical, creative, and contemplative side
of the mind. Intelligence seeks to grasp, manipulate, re-order, and adjust, while
intellect examines, ponders, wonders, theorizes, criticizes, and imagines.