1、考研英语-290 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Use o(总题数：1，分数：10.00)BDirections:/BRead the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. Punishment depends as much on politics as it does on crime: crime rates have been stable in recent years
2、 but there s been a striking increase in the prison population, And because populism is coming so much toU (1) /Uthe political agendas, politicians are advocating sharp increases in penalties to takeU (2) /Uof public unease. The question is how far this will get. In the 21st century weak governments
3、 might try to win legitimacy by being especiallyU (3) /Uon crime. That could mean high prison populations and draconianU (4) /Usuch as those adopted in the United States in recent years.Luckily, there remain significant differences between the UK and the USA: social divisions are less extreme and ra
4、cialU (5) /Uare not as high.U (6) /Uthere is a great deal of minor violent crime here, rates of murderU (7) /Uparticularly fuel public anxietiesare muchU (8) /Ubecause guns have not been so widelyU (9) /U. It s unlikely that this will change greatly: theU (10) /Uto tighten up the gun laws in Britain
5、 will continue ,and allU (11) /Uthe toughest criminals will still have a view about what is and what isnt “acceptable violence.So I don t believe we will see a hugeU (12) /Uin violent crime, but IU (13) /Urates of property crime and crimes of opportunity to remain high. There will also be much more
6、electronic fraud because it s so hard toU (14) /Uand prevent. This is an important problem for business, but not one thatU (15) /Umuch popular agitation.It s unlikely well see the return of the death penalty: the police areU (16) /Uabout its effectiveness and its reintroduction would be highly probl
7、ematicU (17) /Uthe recent Council of Europe protocol outlawing its use.U (18) /Upunishment remains a pretty accurate temperature gauge, though:U (19) /Uthere is significant political pressure for the death penalty, it s aU (20) /U of harsher attitudes towards crime generally.（分数：10.00）A.governB.domi
8、nateC.controlD.manipulateA.responsibilityB.placeC.measuresD.advantageA.toughB.tightC.lenientD.malignantA.convictionsB.principlesC.punishmentsD.arrangementsA.pressuresB.depressionsC.tensionsD.stressesA.BecauseB.AlthoughC.SinceD.HoweverA.whatB.thatC.whetherD.whichA.lowerB.higherC.moreD.lessA.diffusedB
9、.dispersedC.dividedD.defectedA.fashionB.directionC.trendD.orientationA.butB.thatC.onlyD.virtuallyA.changeB.riseC.dropD.declineA.expectB.supposeC.assumeD.conceiveA.scanB.monitorC.observeD.detectA.risesB.raisesC.arousesD.arisesA.suspiciousB.skepticalC.arrogantD.indignantA.givenB.providedC.concernedD.c
10、onsidered(18).IA Major B Critical C Capital D Significant（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.A.howeverB.wheneverC.whateverD.whereverA.symbolB.signC.signatureD.symptom二、BSection Readi(总题数：5，分数：40.00)BPart A/BRead the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers
11、on ANSWER SHEET 1. BText 1/BIn most parts of the world, climate change is a worrying subject. Not so in California. At a recent gathering of green LUMINARIESin a film star s house, naturally, for that is how seriousness is often established in Los Angelesthe dominant note was self-satisfaction, at w
12、hat the state has already achieved. And perhaps nobody is more complacent than Arnold Schwarzenegger Unlike Al Gore, a presidential candidate turned prophet of environmental doom, California s governor sounds cheerful when talking about climate change. As well he might: it has made his political car
13、eer.Although California has long been an environmentally-conscious state, until recently greens were concerned above all with smog and redwood trees. “Coast of Dreams“, Kevin Starr s authoritative history of contemporary. California, published in 2004, does not mention climate change. In that year,
14、though, the newly-elected Mr. Schwarzenegger made his first tentative call for western states to seek alternatives to fossil fuels. Gradually he noticed that his efforts to tackle climate change met with less resistance, and more acclaim, than just about all his other policies. These days it can see
15、m as though he works on nothing else.Mr. Schwarzenegger s transformation from screen warrior to eco-warrior was completed last year when he signed a bill imposing legally-enforceable limits on greenhousegas emissionsa first for America. Thanks mostly to its lack of c0al and heavy industry, Californi
16、a is a relatively clean state. If it were a country it would be the world s eighth-biggest economy, but only its 16th-biggest polluter. Its big problem is transportmeaning, mostly, cars and trucks, which account for more than 40% of its greenhouse-gas emissions compared with 32% in America as a whol
17、e. The state wants to ratchet down emissions limits on new vehicles, beginning in 2009. Mr. Schwarzenegger has also ordered that, by 2020, vehicle fuel must produce 10% less carbon: in the production as well as the burning, so a simple switch to com-based ethanol is probably out.Thanks in part to Ca
18、lifornia s example, most of the western states have adopted climate action plans. When it comes to setting emission targets, the scene can resemble a posedown at a Mr. Olympia contest. Arizona s climate-change scholars decided to set a target of cutting the state s emissions to 2000 levels by 2020.
19、But Janet Napolitano, the governor, was determined not to be out-muscled by California. She has declared that Arizona will try to return to 2000 emission levels by 2012.California has not just inspired other states; it has created a vanguard that ought to be able to prod the federal government into
20、stronger national standards than it would otherwise consider. But California is finding it easier to export its policies than to put them into practice at home. In one way, California s serf-confidence is fully justified. It has done more than any other statelet alone the federal governmentto fix Am
21、erica s attention on climate change. It has also made it seem as though the problem can be solved. Which is why failure would be such bad news. At the moment California is a beacon to other states. If it fails, It will become an excuse for inaction.（分数：10.00）(1).According to the author, Mr. Arnold S
22、chwarzenegger is cheerful chiefly because（分数：2.00）A.climate change is not worrying California anymore.B.even film stars become serious about environmental protection.C.he has benefited personally from California s achievements.D.his style of administration is always dominated by self-satisfaction.(2
23、).Why did Mr. Schwarzenegger seem to be working on nothing else?（分数：2.00）A.Because California has always been environmentally-conscious.B.Because Kevin Start failed to talk about climate change in his book.C.Because his call for alternative fuels has been most strongly echoed.D.Because all his other
24、 policies met with more acclaim than resistance.(3).Corn-based ethanol might not be chosen as an alternative because（分数：2.00）A.carbon reduction in both fuel production and burning might be hard.B.California also intends to cut down emissions from new vehicles.C.it is almost impossible for vehicle fu
25、el to produce 10% less carbon.D.Californias corns are chiefly transported by cars and trucks.(4).Janet Napolitano is mentioned in the passage to show that（分数：2.00）A.Arizona is determined to out-muscle California.B.female governors often set unrealistic goals.C.Arizona will start a Mr. Olympia contes
26、t with California.D.Californias actions have produced some positive effects.(5).It can be inferred from the text that（分数：2.00）A.California needs further actions to inspire other states.B.California has set a perfect model for other states to follow.C.California will become an excuse for inaction for
27、 other states.D.California might find it difficult to execute its own policies.BText 2/BMichael Porter, who has made his name throughout the business community by advocating his theories of competitive advantages, is now swimming into even more shark-infested waters, arguing that competition can sav
28、e even America s troubled health-care system, the largest in the world. Mr. Porter argues in “Redefining Health Care“ that competition, if properly applied, can also fix what ails this sector.That is a bold claim, given the horrible state of Americas health-care system. Just consider a few of its fa
29、ilings: America pays more per capita for health care than most countries, but it still has some 45m citizens with no health insurance at all. While a few receive outstanding treatment, he shows in heart-wrenching detail that most do not. The system, wastes huge resources on paperwork, ignores preven
30、tive care and, above all, has perverse incentives that encourage shifting costs rather than cutting them outright. He concludes that it is “on a dangerous path, with a toxic combination of high costs, uneven quality, frequent errors and limited access to care.“Many observers would agree with this di
31、agnosis, but many would undoubtedly disagree with this advocacy of more market forces. Doctors have an intuitive distrust of competition, which they often equate with greed, while many public-policy thinkers argue that the only way to fix America s problem is to quash the private sector s role altog
32、ether and instead set up a government monopoly like Britains National Health Service.Mr. Porter strongly disagrees. He starts by acknowledging that competition, as it has been introduced to America s health system, has in fact done more harm than good. But he argues that competition has been introdu
33、ced piecemeal, in incoherent and counter-productive ways that lead to perverse incentives and worse outcomes: “health-care competition is not focused on delivering value for patients,“ he says.Mr. Porter offers a mix of solutions to fix this mess, and thereby to put the sector on a genuinely competi
34、tive footing. First comes the seemingly obvious (but as yet unrealized) goal of data transparency. Second is a redirection of competition from the level of health plans, doctors, clinics and hospitals, to competition “at the level of medical conditions, which is all but absent“. The authors argue th
35、at the right measure of “value“ for the health sector should be how well a patient with a given health condition fares over the entire cycle of treatment, and what the cost is for that entire cycle. That rightly emphasizes the role of early detection and preventive care over techno-fixes, pricey pil
36、ls and the other failings of todays system.If there is a failing in this argument, it is that he sometimes strays toward naive optimism. Mr. Porter argues, for example, that his solutions are so commonsensical that private actors in the health system could forge ahead with them profitably without wa
37、iting for the government to fix its policy mistakes. That is a tempting notion, but it falls into a trap that economists call the fallacy of the $ 20 bill on the street. If there really were easy money on the pavement, goes the argument, surely previous passers-by would have bent over and picked it
38、up by now.In the same vein, if Mr. Porters prescriptions are so sensible that companies can make money even now in the absence of government policy changes, why in the world have they not done so already? One reason may be that they can make more money in the current suboptimal equilibrium than in a
39、 perfectly competitive market-which is why government action is probably needed to sweep aside the many obstacles in the way of Mr. Porter s powerful vision.（分数：10.00）(1).What seems to be the biggest problem with America s health care system?（分数：2.00）A.American spends more money on health care than
40、on other services.B.Most Americans couldn t get their health insurance till their old age.C.Most American hospitals do not offer outstanding treatment to patients.D.The costs of health care are not steered towards a health direction.(2).The word “perverse“ (line 5, paragraph 2) is closest in meaning
41、 to（分数：2.00）A.harmful.B.economic.C.strong.D.reversed.(3).Mr. Porter s argument seems to be based on the assumption that（分数：2.00）A.doctors do not have faith in the value of competition.B.the present health care competition is not patient oriented.C.Britains National Health Service is a successful exa
42、mple.D.health competition will do more good than harm in the long run.(4).Which of the following might Mr. Porter propose to solve the problem?（分数：2.00）A.More statistics should be publicized.B.improve a given patient s health condition.C.More advanced techno-fixes should be offered.D.Improve the ent
43、ire cycle of treatment.(5).We can infer from the last two paragraphs that（分数：2.00）A.there is no easy money on the pavement for passers by to pick up.B.Mr. Porter is very likely to fail in a trap set up by the economists.C.competition alone is not enough to cure the health care system.D.only governme
44、nt actions can sweep aside the obstacles along the way.BText 3/BIf you are a tourist interested in seeing a baseball game while in New York, you can find out which of its teams are in town simply by sending a message to AskForCents. com. In a few minutes, the answer comes back, apparently supplied b
45、y a machine, but actually composed by a human. Using humans to process information in a machine-like way is not new: it was pioneered by the Mechanical Turk, a famed 18th-century chess-playing machine that was operated by a hidden chessmaster. But while computers have since surpassed the human brain
46、 at chess, many tasks still baffle even the most powerful electronic brain.For instance, computers can find you a baseball schedule, but they cannot tell you directly if the Yankees are in town. Nor can they tell you whether sitting in the bleachers is a good idea on a first date. AskForCents can, b
47、ecause its answers come from people. “Whatever question you can come up with, there s a person that can provide the answeryou dont have the inflexibility of an algorithm-driven system,“ says Jesse Heitler, who developed AskForCents. Mr. Heitler was able to do this thanks to a new software tool devel
48、oped by Amazon, the online retailer, that allows computing tasks to be farmed out to people over the internet. Aptly enough, Amazons system is called Mechanical Turk.Amazon s Turk is part toolkit for software developers, and part online bazaar: anyone with internet access can register as a Turk user
49、 and start performing the Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) listed on the Turk website (mturk. com). Companies can become “requesters“ by setting up a separate account, tied to a bank account that will pay out fees, and then posting their HITs. Most HITs pay between one cent and $ 5. So far, people from more than 100 countries have
