2014年考研《英语》(一)冲刺预测密卷(二)

＿＿＿＿＿

＿＿＿＿＿

＿＿＿＿＿

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

International investors seem incapable of ending their love affair with the dollar． America’s economy has slowed sharply this year，yet its currency has risen to a 15 year high in trade weighted terms．(46)Against the euro the dollar touched$0．888％higher than in early January and close to the level at which the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve joitly intervened to prop up the European currency last September．Why is the euro looking sickly?

There are plenty of theories．0De is that the markets do not trust the ECB: (47)the euro area economies are not immune to America’s downturn，yet the central bank still seems more concerned with fighting inflation than with supporting growth；another more plausible explanation is that，in an uncertain global economic climate，the dollar has resumed its traditional role as a safehaven currency．Most economists reckon that the euro is undervalued and expect a rebound over the next year．One of the most optimistic is Goldman Sachs．which is predicting a rate of$1．22 in 12 months．

But an analysis by David Owen，an economist at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein，gives pause for thought．(48)He has found that，over the past decade，movements in the real exchange rate of the euro against the dollar have closely reflected the difference between productivity growth in the euro area and in America．When productivity growth in America has been faster than in Europe--as it was in most of the late 1990s the euro falls．and vice versa．This is exactly what economic theory would predict：countries with faster productivity growth in the traded goods sector should see rising real exchange rates．Mr．Owen uses monthly data for productivity growth in manufacturing，a good proxy for the traded goods sector．Using annual productivity data for the whole economy(which are available over a longer period)．the broad relationship between the exchange rate and relative productivity growth in America and Europe seems to have persisted for most of the past 30 years．

Mr．Owen reckons that．in the short term，America’s downturn will reduce the productivity gap between America and the euro area，and so boost the eur0．(49)But in the long．Termhe expect，sproductivity．growth toremain faster in America--in which case,a sustained rise in the euro is unlikely over the next few years．Only if the downturn completely kills the belief in America’s new paradigm，and its productivity growth plummets，will the euro be able to rebound more permanently．

The strength of the dollar this year does indeed seem to hinge on a belief among investors that America’S slowdown will be brief，and that in the longer run America remains the best place in which to invest.(50)But they may be underestimating the potential for productivitygai nsin Eourope，as the singlecurrency boosts competition and encourages firms toexp10it，econoom，ies of scale　through　mergers and acquisitions．The adoption of more flexible working practices in many countries should also help to improve productivity．

Studies in America suggest that the bulk of its productivity gains from information technology come from the use of it rather than from its production So the euro area，too， should start to enjoy productivity gains over the next decade，as it makes fuller use of it If you believe that Europe really is starting to change，buy Euros If not，stick with the darling dollar.

＿＿＿＿＿

＿＿＿＿＿

Direetions： Suppose that you cannot return the book to William in person for some emergency and Will ask someone else to return it

1)Give your suggestions，and explain the reasons

2)Other recommendation．

Write a note in about 100 words to inform. him of itWrite it neatly on the ANSWER SHEET

Do not sign your own name at the end of the letterUse“Zhang Wei”instead

Directions： Write an essay of l60200 words based on the following drawingIn your essay， you should

1)describe the drawing briefly，

2)explain its intended meaning，and then

3)give your comments You should write neatly on the ANSWER SHEET(20 points)

Which of the following reasons is not the cause of American sustained pessimism?

_________

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

The passage is mainly about a poll on_______．

The main idea implied by the author in the last paragraph is that_______．

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

Just 10 yesrs into a new century,more than two-thirds of the country sees the past decade as a period of decline for the U．S．．according to a new TIME poll that probed Americans on the decade since the tragic events of Sept．1 1．2001．The poll confirms that the country is going through one of its longest sustained periods of unhappiness and pessimism ever．Today’s teenagers hardly remember a time before 9／1 1，the war on terrorism，the war in Iraq and constant economic upheaval．Baby boomers，the generation known for continuous reinvention，are filled with worry and doubt about their future and the future of their children．

It is hard to overstate what a fundamental change this represents．A country long celebrated for its optimism amid adversity is having trouble finding the pluck and the spirit that have seen it through everything from world wars to nuclear threats to space races．The U．S．usually bounces back after a few years of difficulty．such as the Vietnam War． Watergate or recessions．After two or three years of anxiety and worry，the electorate normally returns to its innate optimism．Yet the forces now aligned against the American people seem much more formidable to those we surveyed．

It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that people whose conditions have improved since9／1 1 are________．

It can be known from the text that relatives of patients usually_______．

In the passages that follows the last paragraph in the excerpt，the author is most likely to

Which of the following does not account for doctors’inclination to provide patients with more treatment than necessary?

According to the text，doctors seem to accept death more readily than patients because_______．

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

Years ago，Charlie，a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine，found a lump in his stomach．He had a surgeon explore the area，and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer．

He went home the next day，closed his practice，and never set foot in a hospital again．He focused on spending time with family and feeling as good as possible．Several months later，he died at home．He got no chemotherapy，radiation，or surgical treatment．Medicare didn’tspend much on him．

It’s not a frequent topic of discussion，but doctors die，t00．And they don’t die like the rest of us．What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans，but how little．Of course，doctors don’t want to die；they want to live．But they know enough about modern medicine to know its limits．Almost all medical professionals have seen what we call“futile care”being performed on people．That’s when doctors bring the cutting edge of technology to bear on a grievously ill person near the end of life．The patient will get cut open，perforated with tubes，hooked up to machines，and assaulted with drugs．I cannot count the number of times fellow physicians have told me，in words that vary only slightly．“Promise me if you find me like this that you’ll kill me．”

How has it come to this—that doctors administer so much care that they wouldn’t want for themselves?The simple，or not—s0—simple，answer is this：patients，doctors，and the system．

To see how patients play a role，imagine a scenario in which someone has lost consciousness and been admitted to an emergency room，and shocked and scared family members find themselves caught up in a maze of choices．When doctors ask if they want“everything”done．they answer yes．Then the nightmare begins．Feeding into the problemare unrealistic expectations of what doctors can accomplish．For example，many people think of CPR as a reliable lifesaver when，in fact，the results are usually poor．

But of course it’s not just patients making these things happen．Doctors play an enabling role，too．The trouble is that even doctors who hate to administer futile care must find a way to address the wishes of patients and families．Imagine，once again，the emergency room with those grieving family members．They do not know the doctor．Establishing trust and confidence under such circumstances is a very delicate thing．People are prepared to think the doctor is acting out of base motives，trying to save time，or money，or effort，especially if the doctor is advising against further treatment.

Its easy to find fault with both doctors and patients in such stories，but in many ways all the parties are simply victims of a larger system that encourages excessive treatment.In some unfortunate cases，doctors use the fee．for-service model to do everything they can，no matter how pointless．to make money．More commonly，though，doctors are fearful of litigation and do whatever they’re asked to avoid geeing in trouble．

The real problem the author is concerned about in this article is________．

The authot’s attitude toward the future of books is．

The author of this article views technology as_______．

In the author’S opinion，the most important function of reading is to_______．

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

Why should we bother reading a book?All children say this occasionally．Many among our educated classes are also asking why，in a world of accelerating technology，increasing time poverty and diminishing attention spans，should they invest precious time sinking into a good book?

The beginnings of an answer lie in the same technology that has posed the question． Psychologists from Washington University used brain scans to see what happens inside our heads when we read stories．They found that“readers mentally simulate each new situation encountered in a narrative”．The brain weaves these situations together with experiences from its own life to create a new mental synthesis．Reading a book leaves US with new neural pathways．

The discovery that our brains are physically changed by the experience of reading is something many of US will understand instinctively，as we think back to the way an extraordinary book had a transformative effect on the way we viewed the world．This transformation only takes place when we lose ourselves in a book，abandoning the emotional and mental chatter of the real world．That’S why studies have found this kind of deep readingmakes US more empathetic，or as Nicholas Cart puts it in his essay，The Dreams of Readers，“more alert to the inner ljves nf others”．

This is significant because recent scientific research has also found a dramatic fall in empathy among teenagers in advanced western cultures．We can’t yet be sure why this is happening，but the best hypothesis is that it is the result of their immersion in the internet． So technology reveals that our brains are being changed by technology，and then offers a potential solution--the book．

Rationally，we know that reading is the foundation stone of all education，and therefore an essential underpinning of the knowledge economy．So reading is——0r should be——an aspect of public policy．But perhaps even more significant is its emotional role as the．starting point for individual voyages of personal development and pleasure．Books can open up emotional and imaginative landscapes that extend the corridors of the web．They can help create and reinforce our sense of self．

If reading were to decline significantly，it would change the very nature of our species．If we，in the future，are no longer wired for solitary reflection and creative thought，we will be diminished．But as a reader and a publisher，I am optimistic．Technology throws up as many solutions as it does challenges：for every door it closes，another opens．So the ability，offered by devices like e-readers，smartphones and tablets，to carry an entire library in your hand is an amazing opportunity．As publishers，we need to use every new piece of technology to embed long—form. reading within our culture．We should concentrate on the message．Not agonize over the medium．

For a teenager who is not sensitive to others’inner feelings，the author may Suggest him to_______．

The example of oil spill is used to highlight_______．

In the author’S opinion．in order to enhance public’S awareness of climate change，the universities should_______．

The problem the author is mostly concerned with in this article is_______．

Which of the following is not the“outside activities”in the eyes of scientists?

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

Overall，belief in climate change has declined in the American public from roughly 75 percent to 55 percent between 2008 and 2011，with a recent rebound to 62 percent in the fall of 2011，the Brookings Institution survey finds．One noted reason for the rebound was personal experiences with warmer fall and winter temperatures．

Though this kind of weather disruption is what climate scientists predict，they hesitate to place too much emphasis on one or two unusual seasons as a trend that changes public opinion．If next winter is more normal，the public may get the wrong impression about the dangers of climate change．Better for science to be more convincing．

But there’s the rub．The American public is generally illiterate when it comes to science． And when American scientists complain about public illiteracy and lethargy on the vitally important subject of climate change，they also have themselves to blame．

Generally，those who know the most about climate--and other important scientific fields—are locked up in their university ivory towers and conference rooms，speaking a language only they can understand．And they speak mostly to each other，not to the general public，policymakers，or business people--not to those who can actually make things happen．

This is dangerous．We live in an age when scientific issues permeate our social， economic．and political culture．People must be educated about science and the scientific Drocess if we are to make rational and informed decisions that affect our future．But instead，the relative absence of academics and academic scholarship in the public discourse creates a vacuum into which uninformed．wrong，and downright destructive viewpoints get voiced and take hold．

Here’s a typical example．After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010，conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh argued that“The ocean will take care of this on its own if it was left alone．．．”In fact，the spill created extensive damage to wide ranging marine habitats as well as the Gulf Coast’s fishing and tourism industries．Long-term impacts are still unclear as scientists continue to monitor underwater plumes of dissolved oil that lie along the bottom．

The fact is that today’s scientists are indeed lost to the academy．The failure begins with training in doctoral programs and continues through professional development where the constant immersion in academic seminars and journals serves to weaken scientists’literacy in the language of public，economic，and political discourse．Scientists limit involvement insuch“outside activities”because tenure and promotion are based primarily on publication in top—tier academic journals．

In mv view．few contemporary issues warrant critical analysis by problem—focused researchers more than environmental sustainability，and particularly climate change． Universities need to train emerging and seasoned scholars in the skills of communicating science to the public and policy makers．We need to develop a new generation of scholars for whom the role of public intellectual is not an anachronism．Without such changes，the climate change debate devolves into a“logic schism”where the ideological extremesdominate the conversation and the space for solutions disappears into a rhetorical shouting match．

The recent rebound in American’s belief in climate change is_______．

根据以下资料，回答下列各题：

“What About the Men?”was the title of a Congressional briefing last week timed to __1__National Work and Family Month.“What about them?”you may be__2__ to yell．

When Ellen Galinsky，president of the Families and Work Institute，first went out on the road to talk about her organization’S research into men’s work-family __ 3 __ ．she received many such grumpy responses．Work—life experts laughed at her．Men are__4__，they said．

They don’t have the right to complain．That was in 2008，before the Great Recession had hit．And this year，when Galinsky went out on the road again to talk about the results of a new study on male work-life conflict，she got a very __ 5 __ response．Some men became very__ 6 __ ．They felt they didn’t have permission to feel __ 7__．“‘This is what I think about each and every day．”’she recalled another man telling her．“‘I didn’t realize that anyone else did．’”he said．“He thought he was alone，”Galinsky told me．

__8__men are __ 9__work—family conflict isn’t new．Indeed，it’s been some time Now that they--and younger men in particular--have been complaining of feeling the__10__in even greater numbers of women．Failure， __11__ ，uncertainty，the__12__ that comes from spending a lifetime playing one game__13__ ，mid—way through，that the rules have suddenly changed，seem to have__14__ the old categories of self，work and meaning for many men．

Is this a bad thing?I’d rather see it as a moment ripe__15__ possibility．“A new beginning.”said Ellen Galinsky．After all，what men are starting to say sounds an awful lot like the conversational stirrings that__16__ the way for the modern women’S movement．

For some years now，sociologists have been tracking the patterns of what they call__17__in men and women’S lives．Mostly.when we think of this，we tend to foCUS__18 __how they live，what they do，how they spend time，whether they do or do not empty the dishwasher or care for their children．But what about how they feel?NOW that this final frontier is being breached．I wonder if we aren’t fully prepared to see more meaningful change in men’s-and women’s and fami!ies’一lives than ever before．That is：if we can __19__the change and act__20__it with courage，not fear．