1、考研英语（二）-试卷 105 及答案解析(总分：136.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Use of English(总题数：2，分数：80.00)1.Section I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D.（分数：40.00）_Aging poses a serious challenge to OECD (Organization of Economic Co-operation and
2、 Development) countries, in particular, how to pay for future public pension liabilities. And early retirement places an【C1】_ burden on pension financing. There is no easy solution, but【C2】_ retirement could help. Early retirement may seem like a worthy individual goal, but it is a socially【C3】_ one
3、, and makes the present public pension system difficult to sustain for long. The【C4】_ reason is that more people are retiring early and living longer. That means more retirees depending on the【C5】_ of those in work for their income. The【C6】_ is worrying. In the next 50 years, low fertility rates and
4、【C7】_ life expectancy in OECD countries will cause this old-age dependency rate to roughly double【C8】_ size. Public pension payments, which afford 30% 80% of total retirement incomes in OECD countries, are【C9】_ to rise, on average, by over three percentage points in GDP and by as much as eight perce
5、ntage points in some countries.【C10】_ is the pressure on pension funds that there is a danger of todays workers not getting the pensions they expected or felt they【C11】_ for. Action is needed,【C12】_ simply aiming to reduce the【C13】_ (and cost) of public pensions, or trying to【C14】_ the role of priva
6、tely funded pensions within the system, though necessary steps, may be【C15】_ to deal with the dependency challenge. After years of【C16】_ early retirement schemes to avoid【C17】_ and higher unemployment, many governments are now looking【C18】_ persuading people to stay in work until they are older. Sur
7、ely, the thinking goes, if we are healthier now and jobs are physically less【C19】_ and unemployment is down, then perhaps the【C20】_ rate should rise anew.（分数：40.00）(1).【C1】（分数：2.00）A.unsolvableB.additionalC.unsustainableD.undue(2).【C2】（分数：2.00）A.delayingB.retainingC.detainingD.hindering(3).【C3】（分数：2
8、.00）A.ultimateB.unattainableC.specificD.expensive(4).【C4】（分数：2.00）A.substantialB.essentialC.potentialD.controversial(5).【C5】（分数：2.00）A.donatingB.sponsoringC.subsidizingD.funding(6).【C6】（分数：2.00）A.outlookB.outcomeC.outbreakD.outset(7).【C7】（分数：2.00）A.prolongingB.expandingC.soaringD.rising(8).【C8】（分数：2
9、.00）A.inB.onC.byD.for(9).【C9】（分数：2.00）A.conceivedB.reckonedC.expectedD.meant(10).【C10】（分数：2.00）A.AsB.SuchC.SoD.It(11).【C11】（分数：2.00）A.should payB.payingC.be paidD.would pay(12).【C12】（分数：2.00）A.butB.forC.andD.thus(13).【C13】（分数：2.00）A.multitudeB.implementationC.applicationD.generosity(14).【C14】（分数：2.0
10、0）A.exaggerateB.augmentC.magnifyD.multiply(15).【C15】（分数：2.00）A.insufficientB.influentialC.inefficientD.intrinsic(16).【C16】（分数：2.00）A.advancingB.previousC.aheadD.preceding(17).【C17】（分数：2.00）A.suspensionsB.abundancesC.redundanciesD.discrepancies(18).【C18】（分数：2.00）A.forB.toC.aboutD.at(19).【C19】（分数：2.00
11、）A.turbulentB.strenuousC.compactD.intricate(20).【C20】（分数：2.00）A.dependencyB.fertilityC.presentD.mortality二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：10，分数：52.00)2.Section II Reading Comprehension_3.Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D._Of all
12、the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage. It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of f
13、orty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact
14、 that their learned contents were once deemed suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies. We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and s
15、tylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared. In those far-off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who w
16、ore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. “So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up
17、 in journalism,“ Newman wrote, “that I am tempted to define journalism as a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are.“ Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus, who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death i
18、n 1975, is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of Englands foremost classical-music critics, a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be s
19、o honored. Yet only one of his books is now in print, and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists. Is there any chance that Carduss criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote. Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death, and postmodern readers have
20、little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat.（分数：10.00）(1).It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that_.（分数：2.00）A.arts criticism has disappeared from big-city newspapersB.English-langua
21、ge newspapers used to carry more arts reviewsC.high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readersD.young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies(2).Newspaper reviews in England before World War II were characterized by_.（分数：2.00）A.free themesB.casual styleC.elaborate layoutD.radica
22、l viewpoints(3).Which of the following would Shaw and Newman most probably agree on?（分数：2.00）A.It is writers duty to fulfill journalistic goals.B.It is contemptible for writers to be journalists.C.Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism.D.Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.
23、(4).What can be learned about Cardus according to the last two paragraphs?（分数：2.00）A.His music criticism may not appeal to readers today.B.His reputation as a music critic has long been in dispute.C.His style caters largely to modern specialists.D.His writings fail to follow the amateur tradition.(5
24、).What would be the best title for the text?（分数：2.00）A.Newspapers of the Good Old Days.B.The Lost Horizon in Newspapers.C.Mournful Decline of Journalism.D.Prominent Critics in Memory.Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. Amazon, com receiv
25、ed one for its “one-click“ online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box. Now the nations top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversia
26、l ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz the U.S. court of Appeals for the federal circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In re Bilski, as the case is known ,is “a very big
27、deal“ ,says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It “has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents.“ Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the federal circuit itself that introduced such patents with is 1998 decision in th
28、e so-called state Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging internet companies trying to stake out exclusive rights to specific types of online transactions. Later, move esta
29、blished companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for grantin
30、g them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice. The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal circuit issued an unus
31、ual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the courts judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should “reconsider“ its state street Bank ruling. The Federal Circuits action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions b
32、y the supreme Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for“ inventions“ that are obvious. The judges on the Federal circuit are “reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court“,
33、says Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.（分数：10.00）(1).Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of_.（分数：2.00）A.their limited value to businessB.their connection with asset allocationC.the possible restriction on their gran
34、tingD.the controversy over authorization(2).Which of the following is true of the Bilski case?（分数：2.00）A.Its ruling complies with the court decisions.B.It involves a very big business transaction.C.It has been dismissed by the Federal Circuit.D.It may change the legal practices in the U. S. .(3).The
35、 word “about-face“ (Para 3) most probably means_.（分数：2.00）A.loss of good willB.increase of hostilityC.change of attitudeD.enhancement of dignity(4).We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents_.（分数：2.00）A.are immune to legal challengesB.are often unnecessarily issuedC.lower the
36、 esteem for patent holdersD.increase the incidence of risks(5).Which of the following would be the subject of the text?（分数：2.00）A.A looming threat to business-method patents.B.Protection for business-method patent holders.C.A legal case regarding business-method patents.D.A prevailing trend against
37、business-method patents.In spite of “endless talk of difference,“ American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is“ the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference“ characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into “
38、a culture of consumption“ launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered “ vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite,“ these were stores“ anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a p
39、ublic and democratic act. The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization. Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that tod
40、ays immigration is neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9. 8 percent of population; in 1990, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consi
41、der three indices of assimilationlanguage, home ownership and intermarriage. The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English well or very well after ten years of residence. “The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual
42、 and proficient in English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.“ Hence the description of America as a “graveyard“ for languages. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher t
43、han the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans. Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U. S. -born whites and blacks.“ By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married t
44、o non-Asians. Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet“ some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nations assimilative power. “ Are there divisive i
45、ssues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against Americas turbulent past, todays social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “homogenizing“ (Paragraph 1) mos
46、t probably means_.（分数：2.00）A.identifyingB.associatingC.assimilatingD.monopolizing(2).According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century_.（分数：2.00）A.played a role in the spread of popular cultureB.became intimate shops for common consumersC.satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite
47、D.owed its emergence to the culture of consumption(3).The text suggests that immigrants now in the U. S._.（分数：2.00）A.are resistant to homogenizationB.exert a great influence on American cultureC.are hardly a threat to the common cultureD.constitute the majority of the population(4).Why are Arnold Sc
48、hwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?（分数：2.00）A.To prove their popularity around the world.B.To reveal the publics fear of immigrants.C.To give examples of successful immigrants.D.To show the powerful influence of American culture.(5).In the authors opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is_.（分数：2.00）A.rewardingB.successfulC.fruitlessD.harmfulBankers have been blaming themselves for their troubles
