1、考研英语-31 及答案解析(总分：77.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Use o(总题数：1，分数：10.00)In October 2002, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche BankU U 1 /U /Ua new electronic market (www. gs. com/econderivs) for economic indices thatU U 2 /U /Usubstantial economic risks, such as nonfarm payroll (a measure of job availability) and r
2、etail sales. This new market was made possible by aU U 3 /U /Utrading technology, developed by Longitude, a New York company providing software for financial markets,U U 4 /U /Uthe Parimutuel Digital Call Auction. This is “digital“U U 5 /U /Uof a digital option: ie, it pays out only if an underlying
3、 index lies in a narrow, discrete range. In effect, Longitude has created a horse race, where each “horse“ wins if andU U 6 /U /Uthe specified index falls in a specified range. By creating horses for every possibleU U 7 /U /Uof the index, and allowing people to betU U 8 /U /Uany number of runners, t
4、he company has produced a liquid integrated electronic market for a wide array of options on economic indices.Ten years ago it wasU U 9 /U /Uimpossible to make use of electronic information about home values. Now, mortgage lenders have online automated valuation models that allow them to estimate va
5、lues and toU U 10 /U /Uthe risk in their portfolios. This has led to a proliferation of types of home loan, some ofU U 11 /U /Uhave improved risk-management characteristics.We are also beginning to see new kinds ofU U 12 /U /Ufor homes, which will make it possible to protect the value ofU U 13 /U /U
6、, for most people, is the single most importantU U 14 /U /Uof their wealth. The Yale University-Neighbourhood Reinvestment Corporation programme,U U 15 /U /Ulast year in the city of Syracuse, in New York State, may be a model for home-equity insurance policies thatU U 16 /U /Usophisticated economic
7、indices of house prices to define theU U 17 /U /Uof the policy. Electronic futures markets that are based on econometric indices of house prices by city, already begun by City Index and IG Index in Britain and nowU U 18 /U /Udeveloped in the United States, will enable home-equity insurers to hedge t
8、he risks that they acquire by writing these policies.These examples are not impressive successes yet. But theyU U 19 /U /Uas early precursors of a technology that should one day help us to deal with the massive risks of inequality thatU U 20 /U /Uwill beset us in coming years.（分数：10.00）(1). A. creat
9、ed B. generated C. initiated D. originated（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(2). A. reproduce B. restore C. represent D. resume（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(3). A. sophisticated B. expensive C. available D. established（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(4). A. made B. called C. asked D. read（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(5). A. in the course B. in the event
10、C. in the light D. in the sense（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(6). A. when B. until C. now that D. only if（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(7). A. extent B. range C. line D. area（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(8). A. for B. in C. on D. up（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(9). A. virtually B. admittedly C. absolutely D. originally（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(10). A. assu
11、me B. assess C. dismiss D. erase（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(11). A. them B. which C. that D. whom（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(12). A. management B. insurance C. security D. techonology（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(13). A. what B. those C. where D. it（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(14). A. guarantee B. protection C. component D. source（分数：0.50）A.
12、B.C.D.(15). A. secured B. sponsored C. released D. launched（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(16). A. look to B. set up C. lay down D. rely on（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(17). A. terms B. specifications C. concepts D. consequences（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(18). A. is B. being C. been D. are（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(19). A. emerge B. appear C.
13、stand D. arise（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.(20). A. somehow B. anyway C. otherwise D. thereby（分数：0.50）A.B.C.D.二、BSection Readi(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、BPart A/B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、BText 1/B(总题数：1，分数：4.00)Optimation Ltd. , a polymer packaging and converting specialist, is one small company that is suffering. Its highly spe
14、cialised engineering work is in great demand but a lack of qualified staff has hindered growth.“We have a number of potential clients awaiting a visit to discuss new projects, but we are tied up on existing orders because we are short of the necessary skills on the shop floor,“ Helen Mitchell, the c
15、ompanys founder, says.And according to Alice Teague, the education and training officer at the Federation of Small Businesses, Ms. Mitchells experience is not unique. Many small businesses suffer skill shortages-particularly those at the technical craft level such as engineering and construction com
16、panies.“Small companies tend to be more vulnerable to skill shortages because they are unable to offer the same pay or benefits as larger companies so they struggle in the recruitment market.“This is borne out by the experiences of Optimation. “Last year, we lost one of our best engineers to a rival
17、 company who offered him a better package. Being able to afford the salaries such skills demand is difficult for us,“ Ms. Mitchell says.The government-funded Learning and Skills Council (LSC) says that apprenticeships offer a solution to the skill shortage problem. “By addressing skills gaps directl
18、y apprenticeships can make businesses, small or large, more productive and competitive,“ Stephen Gardner, the LSCs director of worked based learning, says. “Apprenticeships allow businesses to develop the specialist skills they need for the latest technology and working practices in their sector.“Th
19、ere are 160 different apprenticeships available across 80 different industry sectors. They are open to businesses of all sizes and offer work-based training programmes for 16 to 24-year-olds. The training is run in conjunction with the Sector Skills Council to ensure industry specific skills are tau
20、ght.Businesses are responsible for the wages of apprentices but the LSC contributes between 1,500 and 10,000 towards the cost of the training, depending on the industry sector.Slack Parr Ltd. , a manufacturer of precision equipment for the aerospace industry, is one small company that has benefited
21、from the scheme. More than 50 percent of the Kegworth-based companys employees started as apprentices.“We opened an on-site training centre to ensure apprentices benefited from the highest quality of training,“ Richard Hallsworth, the managing director, says. “Sixteen of our former apprentices are n
22、ow in management positions. The scheme works for us because it helps keep costly external recruitment to a minimum.“But Ms. Teague of the FSB warns that apprenticeships might not suit all small businesses.The apprenticeship scheme offers valuable vocational training but often small companies dont ha
23、ve sufficient time or resources to devote to the apprentice. In the past there has also been a problem of poor quality candidates and low completion rates.“But some of these problems are being addressed. I know the Learning and Skills Council is looking at how small businesses might be able to share
24、 apprentices and so lessen the risk. Completion rates also seem to be improving so the scheme is certainly worth investigating. “（分数：4.00）(1).We can learn from the text that A. there are enough highly specialised engineers in small companies. B. the most serious situation small companies confront no
25、w is the lack of new projects. C. not a small company is short of skillful staff. D. larger companies also face the same problem of skill shortages as smaller ones.（分数：0.80）A.B.C.D.(2).The experiences of Optimation indicate that A. only the engineering and construction companies may have the problem
26、 of skill deficiency. B. some larger companies always take unjust measures to compete with smaller ones. C. without skillful engineers, small companies still have the ability to enlarge their scales. D. small companies are in extreme need of technical personnel with excellent skills.（分数：0.80）A.B.C.D
27、.(3).Apprenticeships can bring many benefits to small companies EXCEPT A. making any kind of companies to be more competitive. B. saving the wages paid to those employees as apprentices. C. enabling the specialists in companies to develop their skills. D. keeping the expensive external recruitment t
28、o a minimum.（分数：0.80）A.B.C.D.(4).From the last three paragraphs, the author implies that A. small companies may always have no sufficient time and money to put into the scheme. B. all the candidates studying in the scheme can be qualified and skillful finally. C. the apprenticeship scheme is still v
29、ery valuable despite some small imperfections D. all the businesses need to adopt the apprentices to improve their achievements.（分数：0.80）A.B.C.D.(5).The text is chiefly concerned with A. reminding the small companies to fill the skills gap. B. analyzing the present difficult situation that small com
30、panies are in. C. showing the priority of larger companies in the market. D. suggesting the reasons that small companies are suffering.（分数：0.80）A.B.C.D.五、BText 2/B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)In some ways, the United States has made spectacular progress. Fires no longer destroy 18,000 buildings as they did in th
31、e Great Chicago Fire of 1871, or kill half a town of 2,400 people, as they did the same night in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Other than the Beverly Hill Supper Club fire in Kentucky in 1977, it has been four decades since more than 100 Americans died in a fire.But even with such successes, the United State
32、s still has one of the worst fire death rates in the world. Safety experts say the problem is neither money nor technology, but the indifference of a country that just will not take fires seriously enough. American fire departments are some of the worlds fastest and best-equipped. They have to be. T
33、he United States has twice Japans population, and 40 times as many fires. It spends far less on preventing fires than on fighting them. And American fire-safety lessons are aimed almost entirely at children, who die in disproportionately large numbers in fires but who, contrary to popular myth, star
34、t very few of them.Experts say the fatal error is an attitude that fires are not really anyones fault. That is not so in other countries, where both public education and the law treat fires as either a personal failing or a crime. Japan has many wood houses; of the estimated 48 fires in world histor
35、y, that burned more than 10,000 buildings, Japan has had 27. Penalties for causing a severe fire by negligence can be as high as life imprisonment.In the United States, most education dollars are spent in elementary schools. But the lessons are aimed at a too limited audience; just 9 percent of all
36、fire deaths are caused by children playing with matches.The United States continues to rely more on technology than laws or social pressure. There are smoke detectors in 85 percent of all homes. Some local building codes now require home sprinklers. New heaters and irons shut themselves off if they
37、are tipped.（分数：10.00）(1).Although the fire death rate has declined, the United States_. A. still has the worst fire death rate in the world B. is still alert to the fire problem C. is still training a large number of safety experts D. is still confronted with the serious fire problem（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D
38、.(2).It can be inferred from the passage that_. A. fire safety lessons should be aimed at American adults B. American children have not received enough education of fire safety lesson C. Japan is better equipped with fire facilities than the United States D. Americas large population accounts for hi
39、ght fire frequency（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).In what aspects should the United States learn from Japan? A. Architecture and building material. B. Education and technology. C. Laws and attitude. D. All of the above.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).To narrow the gap between the fire death rate in the United States and
40、that in other countries, the author suggests_. A. developing new technology B. counting more on laws and social pressure C. placing a fire extinguisher in every family D. reinforcing the safeness of household appliances（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The reason why so many Americans die in fires is that_. A. T
41、hey took no interest in new technology B. they did not attach great importance to preventing fires C. they showed indifference to fighting fires D. they did not spend enough money on fire facilities（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.六、BText 3/B(总题数：1，分数：4.00)If open-source software is supposed to be free, how does an
42、yone selling it make any money? Its not that different from how other software companies make money.Youd think that a software company would make most of its money from, well, selling software. But youd be wrong. For one thing, companies dont sell software, strictly speaking; they license it. The pr
43、ofit margin on a software license is nearly 100 percent, which is why Microsoft gushes billions of dollars every quarter.But whats the value of a license to a customer? A license doesnt deliver the code, provide the utilities to get a piece of software running, or answer the phone when something ine
44、vitably goes wrong. The value of software, in short, doesnt lie in the software alone. The value is in making sure the soft ware does its job. Just as a traveler should look at the overall price of a vacation package instead of obsessing over the price of the plane ticket or hotel room, a smart tech
45、 buyer wont focus on how much the license costs and ignore the support contract or the maintenance agreement.Open-source is not that different. If you want the software to work, you have to pay to ensure it will work. The open-source companies have refined the software model by selling subscriptions
46、. They roll together support and maintenance and charge an annual fee, which is a healthy model, though not quite as wonderful as Microsofts money-raking one. Tellingly, even Microsoft is casting an envious eye at aspects of the open-source business model. The company has been taking halting steps t
47、oward a similar subscription scheme for its software sales. Microsofts subscription program, known as Soft ware Assurance, provides maintenance and support together with a software license. It lets you up grade to Microsofts next version of the software for a predictable sum. But it also contains an implicit threat: If you dont switch to Software Assurance now, who knows how much Microsoft will charge you when you decide to upgrade?Chief information officers hate this kind of “assurance“, since theyre often perfectly happy running older versions of software that
