1、考研英语-718 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Between 1900 and 1912, the nations of Europe were at peace. But there were hostilities, rivalries, and conflicts brewing that would soon tear the whole continent apart. The great conflict was World War . (1) just prior to that w
2、ar, there were two (2) conflicts in the Balkan Peninsula. These two short wars took place in 1912 and 1913. Their (3) result was to end the (4) of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in Europe. The more tragic (5) of the Balkan Wars was to heighten the already fierce international tensions that were (6) the
3、nations of Europe toward World War .In 1912 the Balkan nations (7) of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. The Macedonian region in northern Greece was under the (8) of the Turks. The Balkan lands were also peopled by many intensely nationalistic ethnic groups. Amo
4、ng these were Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bulgars and Macedonians. These peoples had long been fierce rivals for territory and political (9) . Religious (10) between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians within these groups further added to their disputes. These rivalries still (11) .Serbia,
5、Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro formed the Balkan League in 1912. In October 1912 the Balkan League (12) war (13) the Ottoman Turks. The Balkan (14) were quickly victorious. They won battles (15) Skopje, Monastir and other cities. The war ended in December. In May 1913 a treaty signed in London for
6、mally (16) the conflict. The Turks lost most of their European (17) .(18) , the peace did not last. In June 1913 Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece. This (19) conflict was ended by a (20) signed in Bucharest in August 1913.（分数：10.00）A.ButB.whileC.AndD.OrA.localB.regionalC.regularD.rationalA.momenta
7、ryB.promptC.instantD.immediateA.presentB.presenceC.extinctionD.consequenceA.affectB.affectionC.effectD.efficiencyA.drivingB.pushingC.goingD.layingA.stoodB.assistedC.representedD.consistedA.donationB.demonstrationC.dominationD.dormitoryA.powerB.powderC.idealD.demandA.differencesB.habitsC.deferenceD.t
8、raditionA.insistB.persistC.resistD.enlargeA.declaredB.claimedC.proclaimedD.maintainedA.onB.withC.forD.byA.bandsB.alliesC.armiesD.battlesA.onB.atC.withD.forA.settledB.finishedC.excludedD.includedA.nationsB.placesC.territoriesD.coloniesA.HoweverB.MeanwhileC.ThereforeD.MoreoverA.latterB.greatC.secondD.
9、formalA.failureB.treatyC.contractD.compact二、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：10.00)In most parts of the world, climate change is a worrying subject. Not so in California. At a recent gathering of green luminariesin a film stars house, naturally, for that is h
10、ow seriousness is often established in Los Angelesthe dominant note was self-satisfaction at what the state has already achieved. And perhaps nobody is more complacent than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unlike A1 Gore, a presidential candidate turned prophet of environmental doom, Californias governor soun
11、ds cheerful when talking about climate change. As well he might: it has made his political career.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 Stags authoritative history of
12、contemporary California, published in 2004, does not mention climate change. In that year, 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
13、resistance, and more acclaim, than just about all his other policies. These days it can seem as though he works on nothing else.Mr. Schwarzeneggers transformation from screen warrior to eco-warrior was completed last year when he signed a bill imposing legally-enforceable limits on greenhousegas emi
14、ssionsa first for America. Thanks mostly to its lack of coal and heavy industry, California is a relatively clean state. If it were a country it would be the worlds eighth-biggest economy, but only its 16th-biggest polluter. Its big problem is transportmeaning, mostly, cars and trucks, which account
15、 for more than 40% of its greenhouse-gas emissions compared with 32% in America as a whole. 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
16、the burning, so a simple switch to corn-based ethanol is probably out.Thanks in part to California 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. Arizonas climate-change s
17、cholars decided to set a target of cutting the states emissions to 2000 levels by 2020. 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 stat
18、es; it has created a vanguard that ought to be able to prod the federal government into 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 self-confidence is fully j
19、ustified. It has done more than any other statelet alone the federal governmentto fix Americas 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
20、 will become an excuse for inaction.（分数：10.00）(1).According to the author, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger 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 Californias
21、achievements.D.his style of administration is always dominated by self-satisfaction.(2).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 Starr failed to talk about climate change in his book.C.Becaus
22、e his call for alternative fuels has been most strongly echoed.D.Because all his other 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 in
23、tends to cut down emissions from new vehicles.C.it is almost impossible for vehicle fuel 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.
24、female governors often set unrealistic goals.C.Arizona will start a Mr. Olympia contest 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 perfec
25、t model for other states to follow.C.California will become an excuse for inaction for other states.D.California might find it difficult to execute its own policies.五、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Michael Porter, who has made his name throughout the business community by advocating his theories of competiti
26、ve advantages, is now swimming into even more shark-infested waters, arguing that competition can save even Americas 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
27、a bold claim, given the horrible state of Americas health-care system. Just consider a few of its failings: 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 hea
28、rt-wrenching detail that most do not. The system, wastes huge resources on paperwork, ignores preventive 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,
29、 uneven quality, frequent errors and limited access to care.“Many observers would agree with this diagnosis, 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 t
30、hinkers argue that the only way to fix Americas problem is to quash the private sectors role altogether 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 Americas hea
31、lth system, has in fact done more harm than good. But he argues that competition has been introduced 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
32、 offers a mix of solutions to fix this mess, and thereby to put the sector on a genuinely competitive 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, t
33、o competition “at the level of medical conditions, which is all but absent“. The authors argue that 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
34、 rightly emphasizes the role of early detection and preventive care over techno-fixes, pricey pills and the other fallings 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 commonse
35、nsical that private actors in the health system could forge ahead with them profitably without waiting 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
36、 the pavement, goes the argument, surely previous passers-by would have bent over and picked it 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?
37、 One reason may be that they can make more money in the current sub-optimal equilibrium than in a perfectly competitive marketwhich is why government action is probably needed to sweep aside the many obstacles in the way of Mr. Porters powerful vision.（分数：10.00）(1).What seems to be the biggest probl
38、em with Americas health care system?（分数：2.00）A.American spends more money on health care than on other services.B.Most Americans couldnt 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 t
39、owards a health direction.(2).The word “perverse“ (line 4, paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to（分数：2.00）A.harmful.B.economic.C.strong.D.reversed.(3).Mr. Porters 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 car
40、e competition is not patient oriented.C.Britains National Health Service is a successful example.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
41、 patients health condition.C.More advanced techno-fixes should be offered.D.Improve the entire 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 fall in a trap set up by the
42、economists.C.competition alone is not enough to cure the health care system.D.only government actions can sweep aside the obstacles along the way.六、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：10.00)If 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 simpl
43、y by sending a message to AskForC. In a few minutes, the answer comes back, apparently supplied by 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 th
44、at was operated by a hidden chessmaster. But while computers have since surpassed the human brain 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
45、they tell you whether sitting in the bleachers is a good idea on a first date. AskForCents can, because its answers come from people. “Whatever question you can come up with, theres a person that can provide the answeryou dont have the inflexibility of an algorithm-driven system,“ says Jesse Heitler
46、, who developed AskForCents. Mr. Heitler was able to do this thanks to a new software tool developed 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.Amazons Turk is part toolkit for softw
47、are developers, and part online bazaar: anyone with intemet access can register as a Turk user and start performing the Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) listed on the Turk website (). Companies can become “requesters by setting up a separate account, tied to a bank account that will pay out fees, and
48、 then posting their HITs. Most HITs pay between one cent and $5. So far, people from more than 100 countries have performed HITs, though only those with American bank accounts can receive money for their work; others are paid in Amazon gift certificates.Mr. Heitler says he had previously tried to bu
49、ild a similar tool, but concluded that the in-frastucture would be difficult to operate profitably. Amazon already has an extensive software infrastructure designed for linking buyers with sellers, however, and the Turk simply extends that existing model. Last November Amazon unveiled a prototype of the system, which it calls “artificial artificial intelligence“. The premise is that humans are vastly superior to computers at tasks such as pattern recognition, says Peter Cohen, director of the project at Amazon, so why not let softw
