2014年考研英語一閱讀理解

Section II Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C, D. Mark your choice on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text 1

In order to “change lives for the better” and reduce “dependency,” George Orbome, Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the “upfront work search” scheme. Only if the jobless arrive at the jobcentre 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?

More apparent reasonableness followed. There will now be a seven-day wait for the jobseeker’s allowance. “Those first few days should be spent looking for work, not looking to sign on.” he claimed. “We’re doing these things because we know they help people say off benefits and help those on benefits get into work faster” Help? Really? On first hearing, this was the socially concerned chancellor, trying to change lives for the better, complete with “reforms” to an obviously indulgent system that demands too little effort from the newly unemployed to find work, and subsides laziness. What motivated him, we were to understand, was his zeal for “fundamental fairness”-protecting the taxpayer, controlling spending and ensuring that only the most deserving claimants received their benefits.

Losing a job is hurting: you don’t skip down to the jobcentre with a song in your heart, delighted at the prospect of doubling your income from the generous state. It is financially terrifying, psychologically embarrassing and you know that support is minimal and extraordinarily hard to get. You are now not wanted; you support is minimal and extraordinarily hard to get. You are now not wanted; you are now excluded from the work environment that offers purpose and structure in your life. Worse, the crucial income to feed yourself and your family and pay the bills has disappeared. Ask anyone newly unemployed what they want and the answer is always: a job.

But in Osborneland, your first instinct is to fall into dependency —permanent dependency if you can get it — supported by a state only too ready to indulge your falsehood. It is as though 20 years of ever-tougher reforms of the job search and benefit administration system never happened. The principle of British welfare is no longer that you can insure yourself against the risk of unemployment and receive unconditional payments if the disaster happens. Even the very phrase “jobseeker’s allowance” — invented in 1996 — is about redefining the unemployed as a “jobseeker” who had no mandatory right to a benefit he or she has earned through making national insurance contributions.Instead, the claimant receives a time-limited “allowance,” conditional on actively seeking a job; no entitlement and no insurance, at ￡71.70 a week, one of the least generous in the EU.

真題解析：文章概括：政府大臣Grorge Osbome提出了一個項目幫助失業的人找工作。

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.

答案：B 細節題。本道題的關鍵是intended to問的是目的，所以我們也應該去尋找體現目的性的詞匯，所以在首段首句看到了in order to ,則后面的內容即為本題答案，結合后面找工作的內容則選擇B選項。

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.

答案： C 詞義句意題。先根據題干定位到第二段第三行，to sign on前面有一個很明顯的not，則我們可以推知,這一定是前面的反義，我們只要讀懂前面半部分就可以了，前面說應該spend looking for work，正好和A選項相符，所以我們只要選擇一個相反的選項即可，則選擇C選項。

23.What promoted 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.

答案:A 細節題。本道題的關鍵是題目中的prompted和chancellor，根據chancellor能定位到二段第五行，再向下尋找則可發現motivate和prompt是對應的，所以看本句即可發現和A選項是對應的。

24.According to Paragraph 3, being unemployed makes one one feel_______.

[A]uneasy.

[B]enraged.

[C]insulted.

[D]guilty.

答案: A 細節題。本道題根據unemployed回到文中定位在第三段的最后一句，沒有感覺相關內容，所以需要向前找答案，再根據本段第一句話中的losing a job即可判定答案在第二句，因此選擇A選項。另我們會發現BCD三個選項趨于強烈和負面，所以，我們選擇A選項。

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.

答案:B 細節題。本題題根據選項定位。A選項根據大寫字母The British welfare system定位到最后一段的第三句，原文是“no longer”，選項與原文反向干擾。B選項根據Osborne’s reforms定位到第一段第二句，可以得出該項目可減少失業危險，所以B為正確答案。C選項根據題干“the jobseekers’ allowance”定位到最后一段倒數第二句，該句提到“no fundamental right”，恰與C選項表意相反，所以C是反向干擾。D選項根據題干“conditional”定位到最后一段最后一句，其中只提到“conditional on actively seeking a job…”，并沒有要說以后應該怎樣，所以屬于無中生有。

Text 2

All around the world, lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession---with the possible exception of journalism. But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America.

During the decade before the economic crisis, spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation. The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money, tempting ever more students to pile into law schools. But most law graduates never get a big-firm job. Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare.

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 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 they have to work fearsomely hard.

Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have been around for a long time, but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them. One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree. Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school. If the bar exam is truly a stern enough test for a would-be lawyer, those who can sit it earlier should be allowed to do so.Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.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.

答案：D。該題是因果細節題，考察細節。首先，根據段落定位原則模糊定位，定位到前幾段。其次，再精確定位，題干中有關鍵詞“students”“law”“profession”，回到原文尋找相關信息。第一段未發現相關信息，然后到第二段看到“The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money, tempting ever more students to pile into law schools.”與題干有重合之處，選項D是該句的同義替換。A、B、C三個選項根據原文個別詞匯“clients”“inflation”“big-firm”等進行干擾。注意，第一段的But是個假轉折詞，并非答案處。

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.

答案：C。該題是細節題，考察細節。首先根據段落定位原則定位到第三段。其次，根據題干關鍵詞“the costs of legal education”精確定位到第三段第二句話“One is the excessive costs of a legal education.”問題是“which of the following adds to the costs of legal education”，因此定位句的下一句就是答案”即“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 accredited by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam.”分析選項可知，選項C恰當概況了該句子的涵義。A選項利用三段末尾的“This leaves today’s average law-school graduate with $100,000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts.”進行干擾。B選項無中生有。D選項根據四段最后一句出現的“training”個別詞匯進行干擾。

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.

答案：B。該題是原因細節題，問來源。首先段落定位原則定位到第四段。其次，根據題干關鍵詞“the reform of the legal system”定位到第二句“Sensible ideas have been around for a long time, but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them.”選項B即為該句的同義替換。

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.

答案：A。該題為因果細節題，問原因。根據段落定位原則定位至倒數第二段。其次，題干中出現“the guild-like ownership structure”，精確定位到第二句“Except in the District of Columbia, non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and innovation slow.”此外，在該段最后一句提到“…keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.”從而可以得出答案選A。

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.

答案：C。該題為文章主旨題，考察文章中心。該篇文章屬于問題解決型文章，前5段均在說美國法律職業存在的問題，最后一段提出了解決措施“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.”。因此，該篇屬于問題解決型文章，選C。其他幾個選項均為文中的個別細節，以偏概全。

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 Nobels, 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.

As Nature has pointed out before, there are some legitimate concerns about how science prizes—both new and old—are distributed. The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, launched this year, takes an unrepresentative view of what the life sciences include.But the Nobel Foundation’s limit of three recipients per prize, each of whom must still be living, has long been outgrown by the collaborative nature of modern research—as will be demonstrated by the inevitable row over who is ignored when it comes to acknowledging the discovery of the Higgs boson. The Nobels were, of course,themselves set up by a very rich individual who had decided what he wanted to do with his own money. Time, rather than intention, has given them legitimacy.

As much as some scientists may complain about the new awards, two things seem clear. First, most researchers would accept such a prize if they were offered one. Second, it is surely a good thing that the money and attention come to science rather than go elsewhere, It is fair to criticize and question the mechanism—that is the culture of research, after all—but it is the prize-givers’ money to do with as they please. It is wise to take such gifts with gratitude and grace.

真題解析：

文章主題及背景知識：此篇閱讀的主題內容為“基礎物理學獎”，如果對于這一背景信息有所了解，這篇文章便可輕松看懂，做題更是十拿九穩!與2013年相比，2014考研閱讀文章同樣注重時效性，Text3便是反應了2013年3月份的一次實時事件：基礎物理學基金會于3月20日晚在瑞士日內瓦揭曉了2013年基礎物理學獎!所以2015考研的同學們一定要多多關注社會熱點話題，拓展視野，豐富自己的文化背景知識，這樣才能取得事半功倍的效果!

文章講到的是關于和諾貝爾獎一樣的獎金豐厚的獎項出現，這些獎項就是由一些網絡的公司或者是一些新貴們他們得出這樣大量的錢，當然會遭出一些批評，這些獎項還是沒法和諾貝爾獎相比的，階級是沒法改變的，名望是沒法購買的。當然這一系列的東西，在前三段當中談到之后，到了最后一段，作者表明他的觀點，縱然這些對科學家的獎勵在獎項上存在著一些瑕疵，存在著一些不合理的地方。但是對于科學家來說，有人給你錢支持你的研究，終歸是好的。也就是說從31到35題基本上沒有難題，也沒有可以去爭議的，也是既所得的文章。

31.The Fundamental Physical Prize is seen as_______.

[A]a symbol of the entrepreneurs’s wealth.

[B]a possible replacement of the Nobel Prize.

[C]an example of bankers’ investment.

[D]a handsome reward for researchers.

答案：A。為細節題。根據題干中的Fundamental Physics Prize可以定位到第一段，但除此之外就沒有其他細節提示信息了，所以我們只能根據幾個選項去定位，分別根據選項中的entrepreneurs、Nobel Prize、investment、reward去定位，在第一段末句找到了與A選項相一致的句子，則判定A選項正確。

32.The phrase “to sign on”(Line 3,Para.2) most probably means_______.

[A]the profit-oriented scientists.

[B]the founders of the new award.

[C]the achievement-based system.

[D]peer-review-led research.

答案：B 。為細節題。根據題干中的critics定位到第三段，可知第二段沒有出題，從第三段第二句可以得出本道題的正確選項，who have made their careers in research即為B選項中的The founders。

33.What promoted the chancellor to develop his scheme?_______.

[A]controversies over the recipients’ status.

[B]the joint effort of modern researchers.

[C]legitimate concerns over the new prize.

[D]the demonstration of research findings.

答案：D 。為細節題。本道題如果從題干中看更像是例證題，但題目中說道the case involves即問例子本身，所以為一道細節題。我們在第四段倒數第三句中找到了Higgs boson，定位到本句可以得知nature of modern research---as well as demonstrated by……即為本道題正確答案。

34.According to Paragraph 3, being unemployed makes one one feel_______.

[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.

答案：A 。為判斷題。此類題型是考試中的一個難點，在題干中提示信息非常少，所以我們需要根據每個選項分別定位。A選項的durance定位到本段最后一句time。B選項根據legitimacy定位到第一句。C選項沒有提到。D選項從最后一段可以驗證確實是收到了質疑，B選項和原文不符，可以得知答案為A。

35.To which of the following would the author most probably agree?_______.

[A]acceptable despite the criticism.

[B]harmful to the culture of research.

[C]subject to undesirable changes.

[D]unworthy of public attention.

答案：A 。為主旨題。本題屬于作者觀點，出在最后一段則說明更多體現了文章的主旨，因為還有一個段落對應，則我們可以在最后一段找答案，根據題干中的award我們可以得知全文的最后一句明確體現了作者的觀點，故選A。

Text 4

“The Heart of the Matter,” the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 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 address the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.

In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences asking that it identify actions that could be taken by "federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others" to "maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education."

In response, the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences, with Duke University President Richard Brodhead and retired Exelon CEO John Rowe as co-chairmen. Among the commission's 51 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 are generally admirable. Because representative government presupposes an informed citizenry, the report supports full literacy; stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government; and encourages the use of new digital technologies.

To encourage innovation and competition, the report calls for increased investment in research, the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students' ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challenges of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages, international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.

One of the more novel ideas in the report is the creation of a "Culture Corps" in cities and town across America to "transmit humanistic and social scientific expertise from one generation to the next."

Unfortunately, despite 2? years in the making, "The Heart of the Matter" never gets to the heart of the matter: the illiberal nature of liberal education at our leading colleges and universities.

The commission ignores that for several decades America's colleges and universities have produced graduates who don't know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities and social sciences as vehicles for disseminating "progressive," or left-liberal propaganda.

Today, professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas—such as free markets, self-reliance and a distrust of central planning—as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.

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

本篇文章選自華爾街日報。主要講的是非自由教育以及”問題核心”這個報告。

答案解析：

36.選A，該題是細節態度題。并非考察全文的態度，也就是說要細節定位。根據題干定位原則，定位第一段AAAS出現之處，并且一定要找到表示評價的部分。該題迷惑性很強，因為文章在AAAS后面就又”praise”所以容易誤導大家選擇答案B “appreciative(欣賞的)”，但是我們應該看到有however，我們知道如果第一段出現轉折，那此轉折一定跟主旨有關。同時各個題都與主旨相關，所以這道題應該于主旨相關，后文中的“may cause more harm than good.”讓我們知道它的還多余利，所以答案選擇A，批判性的。

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

37，選C，細節題。根據自然段定位原則，36題在第一段出題，38題在第三段出題，那37題在第二段出題的可能性就很大。同時題干定位”Influential figures in the Congress”與“leading congressional Democrats and Republicans”同義替換。定位的答案是asking that it identify actions that could be taken by "federal, state and ….., individual benefactors and others" to "asking that it identify actions that could be taken by "federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others" to "maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education. “In humanities and social scientific scholarship and education. “也就是說答案重點在maintain national excellence 剛好與選項C 中的leading position 進行同義替換。ABD與文章不符合。

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

38，選C，推理題。Suggest 是推理題的標志。先化選項關鍵詞，發現選項A是講American history選項B; 是講theoretical subjects;選項C]emerging technologies;選項Dfunding foreign languages。返回原文定位的時候，A 選項中的“exclusive 排外”并沒有在“stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government;”這句話中體現。B選項中的理論學科沒有定位點。D選項與原文“increased funding for teachers”以及“greater study of foreign languages,”不符。屬于張冠李戴。“encourages the use of new digital technologies.”與選項C 同義替換。

39. The author implies in Paragraph S that professors are______

[A] supportive of free markets

[B] cautious about intellectual investigation

[C] conservative about public policy

[D] biased against classical liberal ideas

39題選B，屬于推理題。Implies是推理題的標志。同時根據提題干定位第五段，找professor. “professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas—such as free markets, self-reliance —as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.”A 選項中的free markets前面的修飾詞語是conservative or liberal ideas 沒有體現A 選項中的supportive。C選項中的conservative 與文中progressive public policy 不符合。D選項中biased 沒有體現，故排除。所以選B。

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

40.題選擇B。主旨大意題。先看其他題題干，我們鎖定關鍵詞是report ，而report 就是“the heart of the matter “ 故排除C和D.而我們看A 發現文章并沒有講如何抓住“問題核心”的各個方法。排除A，選擇B。