1、厦门大学考博英语-2 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、B(总题数：3，分数：30.00)BPart A/BBQuestions 1-5 are based on the following passage./BThe main idea of these businessschool academics is appealing. In a word where companies must adapt to new technologies and source of competition, it is much harder than it used to be
2、 to offer good employees job security and an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder. Yet it is also more necessary than ever for employees to invest in better skills and sparkle with bright ideas. How can firms get the most out of people if they can no longer offer them protection and promotion?M
3、any bosses would love to have an answer. Sumantrra Ghoshal of the London Business School and Christopher Bartlett of the Harvard Business School think they have one: “Employability.“ If managers offer the right kinds of training and guidance, and change their attitude towards their underlings, they
4、will be able to reassure their employees that they will always have the skills and experience to find a good jobeven if it is with a different company.Unfortunately, they promise more than they deliver. Their thoughts on what an ideal organization should accomplish are hard to quarrel with: encourag
5、e people to be creative, make sure the gains from creativity are shared with the pains of the business that can make the most of them, keep the organization from getting stale and so forth. The real disappointment comes when they attempt to show how firms might actually create such an environment. A
6、t its hub is the notion that companies can attain their elusive goals by changing their implicit contract with individual workers, and treating them as a source of value rather than a cog in a machine.The authors offer a few inspiring example of companiesthey include Motorola, 3M and ABBthat have ma
7、naged to go some way towards creating such organizations. But they offer little useful guidance on how to go about it, and leave the biggest questions unanswered. How do you continuously train people, without diverting them from their everyday job of making the business more profitable? How do you t
8、rain people to be successful elsewhere while still encouraging them to make big commitments to your own firm? How do you get your newly liberated employees to spend their time on ideas that create value, and not simply on those they enjoy? Most of their answers are platitudinous, and when they are n
9、ot they are unconvincing.（分数：10.00）(1).We can infer from the passage that in the past an employee_.（分数：2.00）A.had job security and opportunity of promotionB.had to compete with each other to keep his jobC.had to undergo training all the timeD.had no difficulty climbing the corporate ladder(2).What d
10、oes the writer of this passage think of the ideas of Ghoshal and Bartlett?（分数：2.00）A.Very instructive.B.Very inspiring.C.Hard to implement.D.Quite harsh.(3).In their work, Ghoshal and Bartlett discuss_.（分数：2.00）A.changes in business organizationsB.contracts between employers and employeesC.employmen
11、t situationD.management ideas(4).This passage seems to be a(n)_.（分数：2.00）A.book reviewB.advertisementC.news reportD.research paper(5).According to Chritopher Bartlett what will improve “employability“?（分数：2.00）A.Ability to lay out ones talents to employers.B.Skills and knowledge accumulated from sch
12、ool education.C.Training opportunity and guidance offered by company.D.Being creative and ready to share collective wisdom.BQuestions 6-10 are based on the following passage./BTo understand the failings of existing farm programs, its important to understand the roots of the current farm crisis. At t
13、he heart of the problem is moneyhow much there is and how much it costs to borrow.A farmer is a debtor almost by definition. In my own state, its not unusual for a wheat farmer with 1,000 acres to owe several hundred thousand dollars for land and machinery. In addition to making payments on these lo
14、ans, its common for such a farmer to borrow about $40,000 each spring to cover fertilizer, diesel fuel, seed, and other operating expenses. The months before the harvest will be anxious ones as the farmer contemplates all the things that could bring: financial hardship, bad weather, crop disease, in
15、sects, falling commodity prices. If he has a good year, the farmer can repay his loans and retain some profit; in a bad one, he can lose his whole farm.Money thus becomes one of the farmers biggest expenses. Most consumers can find some refuge from high interest rates by postponing large purchases l
16、ike houses or cars. Farmers have no choice. In 1989, for example, farmers paid $12 billion in interest costs while earning $32 billion; last year they paid $22 billion in interest costs, while earning only $20 billion. In a business in which profit margins are small, $4,000 more in interest can mean
17、 the difference between profit and loss. Since 1985, 100,000 family farms have disappeared, and while interest rates have fallen recently, they still imperil the nations farmers.This is why the most basic part of our nations farm policy is its money and credit policywhich is set by Paul Voicker and
18、the Federal Reserve Board. The Federal Reserve Boards responsibility for nearly ruining our economy is well-known. Whats often overlooked is how the boards policies have taken an especially devastating toil on farmers. While high interest rates have increased farm expenses, theyve also undermined th
19、e export market farmers have traditionally relied on. High interest rates, by stalling our economic engines, have been a drag on the entire worlds economy. Developing and third world nations have been particularly hard hit. Struggling just to meet interest payments on their loans from multinational
20、banks, they have had little cash left over to buy our farm products.Even those countries that could still afford our farm products abandoned us for other producers. Our interest rates were so high that they attracted multinational bankers, corporations, and others who speculate on currencies of diff
21、erent countries. These speculators were willing to pay more for dollars in terms of pesos, yen, or marks because those rates guaranteed them such a substantial return.（分数：10.00）(1).This passage is intended to_.（分数：2.00）A.suggest effective means to deal with money crisisB.satire the existing farm pro
22、gramsC.argue against the current interest rates policyD.advocate a modest attitude towards farmers(2).The author believes that_.（分数：2.00）A.high interest rates have an immediate effect on the farming industryB.the Federal Reserve Boards policies will stimulate the export marketC.reduction of costs is
23、 a sure way to gain long-term profitability to the farmersD.radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity(3).Nowadays, developing and third world nations rarely buy American farm products mainly because_.（分数：2.00）A.they rely on their domestic markets and are self-sufficient on the w
24、holeB.there are small profit margins in the businessC.farm products offered by other producers are of higher qualityD.they have financial difficulty(4).Multinational bankers and corporations were willing to pay more for dollars in terms of pesos and other currencies in the hope of_.（分数：2.00）A.gainin
25、g a large profitB.helping those poor nationsC.decreasing interest ratesD.overcoming financial hardships(5).By “A farmer is a debtor almost by definition.“ is meant that_.（分数：2.00）A.a “farmer“ originally means a “debtor“B.farmers have more to buy than workers or whatsoeverC.farmers have no choice but
26、 to pay high interest ratesD.farmers are vulnerable to natural disastersBQuestions 11-15 are based on the following passage./BAmong the many ways in which people communicate through speech, public speaking has probably received more study and attracted more attention than any other. Politicians camp
27、aigning for public office, salespeople presenting products, and preachers delivering sermons all depend upon this form of public communication. Even people who do not make speaking a part of their daily work are often asked to make public speeches: students at graduation, for instance, or members of
28、 churches, clubs, or other organizations. Nearly everyone speaks in public at some time or other, and those who perform the task well often become leaders.There are many reasons for speaking in public. A public speaker may hope to teach an audience about new ideas, for example, or provide informatio
29、n-about some topic. Creating a good feeling or entertaining an audience may be another purpose. Public speakers, however, most often seek to persuade an audience to adopt new opinions, to take certain actions, or to see the world in a new way.Public speakers usually know well in advance when they ar
30、e scheduled to make an address. Consequently, they are able to prepare their message before they deliver it. Sometimes, though, speakers must deliver the message unprepared, or off the cuff, such as when they are asked to offer a toast at a wedding reception or to participate in a televised debate o
31、r interview.When they do not have to speak unprepared, most speakers write their own speeches. Politicians and business executives sometimes employ professional writers who prepare their speeches for them. These professional writers may work alone or in small teams. Although the speaker may have som
32、e input into the contents of the speech, the writers sometimes have a great influence over the opinions expressed by their employers. Regardless of how a speech is prepared, the person who delivers it is given credit for its effect upon its hearers.（分数：10.00）(1).Public speaking is well known to the
33、average people because_.（分数：2.00）A.most of them have been trained as public speakersB.such activities are prevalent in the societyC.most of them have to do it when they study at collegeD.the passage does not mention the reason(2).Which of the following is rarely the purpose of public speaking?（分数：2.
34、00）A.To influence peoples ideas and behavior.B.To enjoy the satisfaction from ones own speech.C.To persuade the audience to accept an idea.D.To promote public interest.(3).In Paragraph 3, the expression “deliver the message off the cuff“ means_.（分数：2.00）A.speak at a large receptionB.speak on televis
35、ionC.speak according to the scheduleD.speak without preparation(4).Often the speech prepared by a professional writer for a boss_.（分数：2.00）A.is very professional and tactfulB.expresses the writers idea of the matterC.expresses the boss idea of the matterD.expresses the ideas of both(5).No matter who
36、 writes a speech, the audience_.（分数：2.00）A.believe it expressed the speakers ideaB.know very well who the speaker isC.know whose idea the speech really expressesD.do not believe what the speaker says二、BPart B/B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)I have never seen Mrs. Clark before, but I know from her medical chart and
37、 the report I received from the preceding shift that tonight she will die.The only light in her room is coming from a piece of medical equipment, which is flashing its red light as if is warning. As I stand there, the smell hits my nose, and I close my eyes as I remember the smell of decay from past
38、 experience. In my mouth I have a sour, vinegar taste coming from the pit of my stomach. I reach for the light switch, and as it silently lights the scene, I return to the bed to observe the patient with an unemotional, medical eye.Mrs. Clark is dying. She lies motionless: the head seems unusually l
39、arge on a skeleton body; the skin is dark yellow and hangs loosely around exaggerated bones that not even a blanket can hide; the right arm lies straight out at the side, taped cruelly to a board to secure a needle so that fluid may drip in; the left arm is across the sunken chest, which rises and f
40、alls with the uneven breath.I reached for the long, thin fingers that are lying on the chest. They are ice cold, and I quickly move to the wrist and feel for the faint pulse. Mrs Clarks eyes open somewhat as her head turns towards me slightly. I bend close to her and scarcely hear as she whispers, “
41、Water.“ Taking a glass of water from the table, I put my finger over the end of the straw and allow a few drops of the cool moisture to slide into her mouth and ease her thirst. She makes no attempt to swallow; there is just not enough strength. “More,“ the dry voice says, and we repeat the procedur
42、e. This time she does manage to swallow some liquid and weakly says, “Thank you.“She is too weak for conversation. So without asking, I go about providing for her needs. Picking her up in my arms like a child, I turn her on her side. Naked, except for a light hospital gown, she is so very small and
43、light that she seems like a victim of some terrible famine. I remove the lid from a jar of skin cream and put some on the palm of my hands. Carefully, to avoid injuring her, I rub cream into the yellow skin, which rolls freely over the bones, feeling perfectly the outline of each bone in the back. P
44、lacing a pillow between her legs, I notice that these too are ice cold, and not until I run my hands up over her knees do I feel any of the life-giving warmth of blood.When I am finished, I pull a chair up beside the bed to face her and, taking her free hand between mine, again notice the long, thin
45、 fingers, graceful. I wonder briefly if she has any family, and then I see that there are neither flowers, nor pictures of rainbows and butterflies drawn by children, nor cards. There is no hint in the room anywhere that this is a person who is loved. As though she is a mind reader, Mrs. Clark answe
46、rs my thoughts and quietly tells me, “I sent my family home tonight didnt want them to see“ Having spent her last ounce of strength she cannot go on, but I have understood what she has done. Not knowing what to say, I say nothing. Again she seems to sense my thoughts, “You stay“Time seems to stand s
47、till. In the total silence, I feel my own pulse quicken and hear my breathing as it begins to match hers, breath for uneven breath. Our eyes meet and somehow, together, we become aware that this is a special moment between two human beings Her long fingers curl easily around my hands and I nod my he
48、ad slowly, smiling. Without words, through yellowed eyes, I receive my thank you and her eyes slowly close.Some unknown interval of time passes before her eyes open again, only this time there is no response in them, just a blank stare. Without warning, her shallow breathing stops, and within a few
49、moments, the faint pulse is also gone. One single tear flows from her left eye, across the cheek and down onto the pillow. I begin to cry quietly. There is a swell of emotion within me for this stranger who so quickly came into and went from my life. Her suffering is done, yet so is the life. Slowly, still holding her hand, I become aware that I do not mind this emotional battle that in fact, it was a privilege she has allowed me, and I would do it again,
