英语阅读二

2023 Text 1（英语⼆）真草还是⼈造草？In the quest for the perfect lawn, homeowners across the country are taking a shortcut — and it is the environment that is paying the price.About eight million square metres of plastic grass is sold each year but opposition has now spread to the highest gardening circles.The Chelsea Flower Show has banned fake grass from this year's event, declaring it to be not part of its ethos.The (RHS) , which runs the annual show in west London,says it has introduced the ban because of the damage plastic grass does to the environment and biodiversity.Ed Horne, of the RHS, said: "We launched our sustainability strategy last year and fake grass is just not in line with our ethos and views on plastic.We recommend using real grass because of its environmental benefits, which include supporting wildlife alleviating flooding and cooling the environment."The RHS's decision comes as campaigners try to raise awareness of the problems fake grass causes.A Twitter account, which claims to "cut through the " of , already has more than 20,000 followers.在追求完美草坪的过程中，全国各地的业主都采取了⼀种捷径，但付出代价的是环境。

英语阅读(二)自考题-2(总分100,考试时间90分钟)PART ONEⅠ.Reading ComprehensionDirections: In this part of the test, there are five passages. Following each passage, there are five questions with four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and then write the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.Passage OnePeople take to alcohol for one reason or another. But what are the effects of it? It is well-known that alcohol makes people fat and leads to heart and breathing problems which fatness makes worse. It can interfere with normal eating patterns and cause painful stomach disorders. But the part of tile body which is in most danger from alcohol is the liver. Too much drinking can lead to diseases like hepatitis (肝炎) and cirrhosis (肝硬化) of the liver which, in turn, lead to death. But it isn't just the physical working of the body which is affected; the mental function is also damaged. In the short term, this usually involves loss of memory. The long-term consequences involve more serious brain damage.Then there are the psychological problems, those which arise from what is happening in the mind. Alcohol can change an individual's personality. We have seen how, without alcohol, the alcoholic (饮酒过度的人) becomes more nervous, more worded about his problems which may appear much more important than they actually are. His moods may change rapidly and violently. He often feels guilty and sorry for what he has done, but because he has lost control of himself, he continues to behave in a harmful way. In the end, he is unable to cope with even the simplest of his daily responsibilities which, of course, leads to all kinds of social problems.Often the ones who suffer most in such circumstances are not those who have the alcohol problem, but those closest to them—husband, wives and children. They are the family which may be very loving and sympathetic; the stress of having to cope with strain is too much and leads to the break-up of marriages or the abuse of children, which create further psychological and social pressures. The drinker suffers, too, as he watches his normal world fall down around him.1. It can be concluded from the first paragraph that ______.A. every person drinks alcohol for many reasons B. the death of the alcoholic is mostly caused by drinking C. alcohol not only causes heart and breathing problems but makes fatness worse D. taking to alcohol does damage to people both physically and mentally2. Which of the following statements is correct?______A. Alcohol always causes stomach problems. B. Alcohol can't influence people's normal eating patterns. C. All liver problems arise by drinking alcohol. D. Painful stomach disorders are sometimes caused by alcohol.3. The word "them" (Line 2, Para. 3) refers to ______.A. husbands, wives and children B. the ones C. those who have the alcohol problem D. such circumstances4. The sentence "as he watches his normal world fall down around him"(Line 5, Para. 3) means ______.A. he realizes that his life is collapsing but cannot do anything about them B. he is aware of the problems in his life but is unable to do anything about them C. he is far removed from his place in the normal world, which is from distance D. the drinker gets ill and many **e around him5. The best title of the passage is ______.A. Alcohol and Alcoholics B. Alcohol and Its Bad Effects C. Alcoholics and Their Families D. Alcoholics and Their LivesPassage TwoExcept for the Indians, the earliest backpackers in America were frontiersmen, who roamed the wilderness looking either for necessities such as food and water or for sources of wealth such as fur and gold. For them backpacking was a way of survival or a means of achieving what one day would be called the "American Dream".Today, however, many people enjoy backpacking as a recreational activity. Shouldering a pack and leaving behind the world of telephone, television, and traffic promise an exciting experience. Testing one's stamina (耐力) and skills is challenging, and recapturing a sense of one'splace in the natural world can be rewarding. Moreover, backpacking is an activity that can last any length for time and can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Then too, a backpacking trip may be organized within a day or two. The backpacker and his friends have only to decide on their destination and then organize the all-important kit, whose contents they must depend on throughout their trip. A map, compass, a flashlight, along with first aid equipment, food, and extra clothing can be rounded up without much difficulty. Once the backpackers have left word about where they go in a note on the refrigerator door or in a message on an answering machine, they can look forward to an adventure that will lift the spirit and nourish the soul. Their outing will enable them to return in a short time to the age of technology with the courage and independence of Natty Bumppo, who did indeed belong to the age of the frontier.1. The earliest backpackers were ______.A. native Americans B. Indians C. fur traders D. gold miners2. Early backpackers who roamed about in wilderness wanted to ______.A. find the American dream B. find a recreation in life C. relieve the stress of everyday life D. find daily necessities3. One of the advantages of backpacking is that ______.A. it can help people to know the naturebetter B. it is a group activity and can cure a person's loneliness C. it is not so challenging as other activities D. it does not require people to decide on a destination4. What does the word "whose" (Line 7, Para. 2) refer to?______A. The backpacker's. B. His friends'. C. The kit's. D. The backpacker's and his friends'.5. The passage mainly discusses ______.A. the early backpackers B. backpacking as a perfect form of recreation C. how backpacking started D. why people of today are interested in backpackingPassage ThreeThere are two basic differences between the large and the small enterprises. In the small enterprise you operate primarily through personal contacts. In the large enterprise you have established "policies", "channels" of organization, and fairly rigid procedures. In the small enterprise you have, moreover, immediate effectiveness in a very small area. You can see the effect of your work and of your decisions right away, once you are a little above the ground floor. In the large enterprise even the man at the top is only a tiny part in a big machine. To be sure, his actions affect a much greater area than the actions and decisions of the man in the small organization, but his effectiveness is remote, indirect, and difficult to see at first sight. In a small and even in a middle-sized business you are normally exposed to all kinds of experiences, and expected to do a great many things without too much help or guidance. In the large organization you are normally taught one thing thoroughly. In the small one the danger is of becoming a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. In the large one it is of becoming the man who knows more and more about less and less.There is another important thing to consider: do you derive a deep sense of satisfaction from being a member of a well-known organization-General Motors, the Bell Telephone System, the government? Or is it more important to you to be a well-known and important figure within your own small pond? There is basic difference between the satisfaction **es from being a member of a large, powerful, and generally known organization, and the one **es from being a member of a family; between impersonal greatness and personal—often much too personal—intimacy; between life in a small office on the top floor of a skyscraper and life in a crossroads gas station.1. In a small enterprise ______.A. one gets more help from others in doing things than one in a big enterprise B. one usually has more chances of doing different things mostly single-handed C. all the people work secretly D. one can easily get his pay increased2. In a large enterprise ______.A. one's effectiveness is felt slowly B. one becomes famous easily C. the relationships between people are **plicated D. all the people are in high spirits in working3. The expression "a jack-of-all-trades and master of none" (Line 11, Para. 1) probably means ______.A. a person who is expert at everything B. a person who knows nothing about business C. a person who is competent of doing business D. a person who can do manydifferent kinds of work but not necessarily well4. What does the author mean by saying "once you are a little above the ground floor (Line 5, Para.1)"?______A. Once you stand up on the first floor. B. Once you are a little taller than others. C. Once you make some achievements. D. You keep a little high above the ground only one time.5. The second paragraph mainly discusses ______.A. a sense of satisfaction one wants to get from his work B. two basic differences between the large and the small enterprises C. how one becomes a member of a famous organization D. what family life isPassage FourPackaging is an important form of advertising. A package can sometimes motivate someone to buy a product. For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food **es in a box with a picture of a TV character. The child is more interested in the picture than in the breakfast food. Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or small gifts inside a box also motivate many children to buy products or to ask their parents for them.Some packages suggest that a buyer will get something for nothing. Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this. Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe the container is free. However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product.The size of a package also motivates a buyer. Maybe the package has "Economy Size" printed on it. This suggests that the large size has the most product for the least money. But that is not always true. To find out, a buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit.The information on the package should provide some answers. But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an advertisement. The words and pictures do not tell the whole story. Only the product inside can do that.1. Which of the following statements could best summarize the main idea of the passage?______A. Children are interested in some packages of products. B. Package is one of the important ways of advertising. C. People prefer to buy the products in plain containers. D. The size of a package usually motivates a buyer.2. The phrase "a buyer will get something for nothing" (Line 1, Para. 2) probably means ______.A.a buyer will get something free of charge B. a buyer will get something useless C. a buyer will get something useful D. nothing is worth buying3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?______A. Sometimes people are easily motivated by packages. B. Small children sometimes are more interested in games printed on a package than the product itself. C. A product in a reusable container must be cheaper than a similar product in a plain container. D. "Economy Size" doesn't always suggest that people can buy the most product for the least money.4. What does the word "them" (Line 5, Para. 1) refer to?______A. Small gifts. B. Pictures. C. Games. D. Products.5. What does the author imply in the last paragraph?______A. Package is just an advertisement. B. Buyers shouldn't believe the information on the package too much. C. The package has nothing to do at all with the product. D. Buyers can always find answers in the information on the package.Passage FiveSometimes teens need to have some time away from their families. They may want to move out of the family home for a while.Many parents will say no to this demand. But experts say it might be a good idea to let your teens live with a friend or relative."It was the break I needed at the time," said Richard Lerner. He is talking about the time he spent living with his grandmother when he was 15."It allowed me to be a different person than I was with my parents." Lerner said. He now heads the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at Michigan State University.Experts say teens living away from their families can test new ways of thinking and getting along with people. They may see new solutions to problems.This is different from running away, the experts stress. Runaways are often fleeing serious problems.Some teens who want some time away from family attend a structured summer program. Others live for a while with a relative or with the family of a friend.If there is conflict at home, having a teen live elsewhere can benefit other family members. It gives everyone space redevelop better relationships.Joseph Kett teaches history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He says living at home until the late teen years has become the norm only in recent times."In the 17th century, children were often sent to live in other people's homes when they were about 10 or 11." he said.Peter Sheras teaches education at the University of Virginia. He said parents should listen when a child wants to move out. They should try to find out why the child wants some time away.Often, parents can help the child find a safe place to stay during that time. In other cases, they can meet the child's needs at home.1. According to this passage, many parents think it ______ for their children to live away from them.A. right B. happy C. unsafe D. reasonable2. When children seriously disagree with their parents, experts suggest that parents should ______.A. punish them B. let them live away from their families C. send for a teacher D. keep them in the house3. The underlined word "structured" means ______.A. built B. stuck C. organized D. drunk4. In history, ______.A. teens never left their families B. teens often left their parents C. teens never went to school D. teens never make friends with each other5. Nowadays living away and running away from home ______.A. never happen B. often worry parents and teachers C. are very popular D. are accepted by peoplePART TWOⅡ.V ocabularyDirections: Scan the following passage and find the words which have roughly the same meanings as those given below. The number in the brackets after each word definition refers to the number of paragraph in which the target word is. Write the word you choose on the Answer Sheet.Animals perform many useful and entertaining jobs. Dogs are particularly valuable in guiding the blind, protecting property, finding lost people, and hunting down criminals. Horses are used in guarding herds; carrying men in lands where there are no roads, and helping farmers work their land. Pigeons have long been used to carry messages. Wild animals from the jungles, forests and seas are very popular performers in circuses and movies. People realize that, although animals may not have the same intelligence as human beings, they are smart enough to learn certain things.Pigeons have a natural instinct to return home, even if they are very far away and the trip is hard of dangerous. Men utilize this homing instinct to send messages on small pieces of paper that are fastened to the pigeon's back or legs. In wartime, pigeons have been known to fly as fast as 75 miles an hour and to cover distances of 500 to 600 miles. These homing pigeons begin their training when they are about four weeks old. After a few weeks they can begin flying and carrying messages. If all goes well, their flying career lasts about four years.1. worthy of notice, unusual (Para. 1)2. things that are owned (Para. 1)3. a man who has broken the law (Para. 1)4. group of animals together (Para. 1)5. a tropical forest too thick to walk through easily (Para. 1)6. ability to learn and understand (Para. 1)7. clever, bright (Para. 2)8. tendency without training (Para. 2)9. to make use of (Para. 2)10. to travel a distance (Para. 2)Ⅲ.SummarizationDirections: In this section of the test, there are ten paragraphs. Each of the paragraphs is followed by an incomplete phrase or sentence which summarizes the main idea of the paragraph. Spell out the missing letters of the word on your Answer Sheet.1. When Tom felt out of sorts, he would rave and stamp, or sink into suicidal gloom and talk darkly of going to the East to end his days as Buddhist monk. Ten minutes later, when something pleased him, he would rush out of doors and run around the garden, or jump up and down on the sofa. Tom had some emotional p______.2. Yale embarked on a steady expansion, establishing the Medical Institution (1810), Divinity School (1822), Law School (1843), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (1847), the School of Fine Arts (1869), and School of Music (1894). In 1887 Yale College became Yale University. It continued to add to its academic offerings with the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (1900), School of Nursing (1923), School of Drama (1955), School of Architecture (1972), and School of Management (1974). The e______ of Yale.3. Every culture has specific rules of courtesy and certain words for special situation. What are considered polite manners in one culture might he terribly rude in another. Using language p______ within its culture.4. High salaries in the electricity, **munications and other monopoly industries have drawn strong criticism in China, where the Gini coefficient, now stands at 0.46, exceeding the internationally recognized alarm level of 0.45. So China is considering cutting wages in monopoly industries to reduce the country's widening income gap. A draft directive document has been worked out for this purpose. The need to n______ the income gap.5. Living in the city, people can participate in the political and cultural activities and see the latest films. There are good schools for children to study in the city. And there are big department stores for residents to buy a great variety of goods produced in every part of the world. It's good to L______ in the city.6. His audience is surprised to hear that only 22 percent of eighth graders read for fun daily, while 65 percent watch three hours or more of television each day. Research also indicates that average reading proficiency drops when TV viewing reaches about three hours a day. Their parents' habits are no better: a recent survey shows a decline in newspaper readership among U. S. adults. I______ of television to reading.7. Consumers of electricity usually accept the fact that power cuts frequently occur during thunder-storms. If outages (电力中断) occur on a sunny day, consumers will blame the **pany. However, most outages occur due to circumstances beyond the **pany's control. Animals with the ability to reach the top of power poles can knock out power of many houses. There are many c______ for power failure.8. Love plays a very important part in this world today. It is difficult to imagine what they would be like if there were no love for each other. To live without l______ is miserable.9. Watching just one hour of television a day can make a person more violent towards others, according to a 25-year study. In some circumstances, TV watching increases the risk of violence by five times. The new research indicates the effect is seen not just in children, as has been suggested before, but in adults as well. L______ of TV viewing to adult violence.10. Education teaches a child to realize that he is not thrown into the world by chance, he has his part to play. He will learn what is useful to him and society at large. Education imparts a great deal of knowledge to his mind and encourages a child to work hard. The p______ of education.Ⅳ.TranslationDirections: In the following passage, there are five groups of underlined sentences. Read the passage carefully and translate these sentences into Chinese. Write the Chinese version on your Answer Sheet.1 Therefore, while the overall U. S. homicide rate has indeed declined in recent years, the rate of juvenile murder continues to grow, unabated by the spread of community policing, increased incarceration, and a variety of other popular crime-fighting strategies. In the overall crime mix, the sharp decline in crime among the large adult population has eclipsed the rising crime rate among the relatively small population of teens.2 The problem of kids with guns cannot be overstated in view of recent trends in gun-related killings among youth. Since the mid1980s, the number of gun-homicides—particularly with handguns-perpetrated by juveniles has quadrupled, while the prevalence of juvenile homicide involving all other **bined has remained virtually constant.While the negative socializing forces of drugs, guns, gangs, and the media have become more threatening, the positive socializing forces of family, school, religion, and neighborhood have grown relatively weak and ineffective. 3 Increasingly, children are being raised in homes disrupted by divorce and economic stress; too many children emerge undersocialized and undersupervised.4 The problem of unsupervised youth does not end nor the solution necessarily begin with the breakdown of the traditional family. Because of deep funding cuts in support programs for youth—from after-school care to recreation, from mentoring to education—as a society we are missing the fleeting opportunity to compensate for the diminished role of the family. As a consequence, children spend too little time engaged in structured activity with positive role models and too much time "hanging out" or watching a few savage killings on television as after-school entertainment. Bored and idle, our children have just too much time to kill—perhaps literally.As if the situation with youth violence was not bad enough already, future demographics are expected to make matters even worse. 5 Not only are today's violent teens maturing into more violent young adults, but they are being succeeded by a new and large group of teenagers. The same massive baby-boom cohort that as teenagers produced a crime wave in the 1970s has since grown up and had children of their own. There are now 39 million children in this country under the age of 10, more young children than at any time since the 1950s when the original baby boomers were in grade school. The newest group of youngsters will soon reach their adolescence.1.2.3.4.5.。

2023考研英语二阅读真题及答案英语二Section 1 Use of English1. [标准答案][C]how[考点分析]连词辨析[选项分析]根据语境，“新发现表明：快乐可能会影响工作__的稳定。

”[A]为什么[B]哪里[C]怎样，多么[D]当…时候。

根据语义分析，C 选项填入原文，译为“快乐可能会影响工作是有多么稳定”，C为正确选项。

2. [标准答案][B]In particular[考点分析]上下文语义以及短语辨析[选项分析][A]反过来[B]尤其是[C]相反[D]总的来说根据前文语境，第二段第一句译为“根据近期的研究，拥有更多快乐的人的公司会投资更多”。

而第二句“_______那些在快乐氛围中的公司会做更多的研发以及发展。

“第二句是在第一句的基础上进一步强调说明，因此B选项更符合语境要求。

3. [标准答案] [D]necessary[考点分析]上下文语义及形容词词义辨析4. [标准答案][C]optimism[考点分析]上下文语义及名词词义辨析[选项分析][A]个人主义 [B] 现代主义 [C] 乐观主义 [D] 现实主义本题考查同后缀的名词辨析。

根据原文主旨，探讨“happy people”与公司的关系。

那么，衡量四个选项，只有C选项符合主旨要求。

5. [标准答案][D]change[考点分析]上下文语义及动词词义辨析6．[标准答案][B]measured[考点分析]上下文语义及动词词义辨析7.[标准答案][A]Sure[考点分析]上下文语义及固定搭配[选项分析] [A]确信的 [B] 奇怪的 [C] 不幸运的 [D] 经常的本题为固定搭配“sure enough” 译为“足以肯定的是，”8．[标准答案][D]headquartered[考点分析]上下文语义及形容词词义辨析[选项分析] [A]广告的 [B] 划分的 [C] 课税过重的 [D]位于总部的根据原文“ firms’ investment and R&D intensity were correlated with the happiness of the area in which they were 8 . ”译为“足以肯定的是，公司投资与研发力度与公司______的幸福指数相关。

2022 Text 3（英语⼆）什么是⽹络暗⿊模式？We have all encountered them, in both our personal and professional lives.Think about the times you felt tricked or frustrated by a membership or subscription that had a seamless sign-up process but was later difficult to cancel something that should be simple and transparent can be complicated, intentionally orunintentionally, in ways that impair .These are examples of dark patterns.First coined in 2010 by expert Harry Brignull, "dark patterns" is a catch-all term for practices that manipulate to in fluence the decision-making ability of users.Brignull identifies 12 types of common dark patterns, ranging from misdirection and to roach motel, where user experience seems easy and intuitive at the start, but turns difficult when the user tries to get out.In a 2019 study of 53,000 product pages and 11,000 websites, researchers found that about one in 10 employs these design practices.Though widely prevalent, the concept of dark patterns is still not well understood.Business and nonprofit leaders should be aware of dark patterns and try to avoid the gray areas they engender.不论是在我们的个⼈⽣活还是在职业⽣涯中，我们都遇到过这种情况。

历年考研真题英语二阅读理解历年考研真题英语二阅读理解1Text 2For years, studies have found that first-generation college students-those who do not have a parent with a college degree-lag other students on a range of education achievement factors. Their grades are lower and their dropout rates are higher. Butsince such students are most likely to advance economically if they succeed in higher education, colleges and universities have pushed for decades to recruit more of them. This has created "a paradox" in that recruiting first-generation students, but then watching many of them fail, means that higher education has "continued to reproduce and widen,rather than close" achievement gap based on social class, according to the depressing beginning of a paper forthing in the journal Psychological Sciense.But the article is actually quite optimistic, asit outlines a potential solution to this problem, suggesting that an approach(which involves a one-hour, next-to-no-cost program) can close 63 percent of the achievement gap(measured by such factors asgrades)between first-generation and other students.The authors of the paper are from different universities, and their findins are based on a study involving 147 students(who pleted the project)at anunnamed private unive rsity.First generation was defined as not having a parent with a fou r-year college degree Most of the first-generationstudents(59.1 percent) were recipients of Pell Grants，a federal g rant for undergraduates with financial need，while this was true only for 8.6 percent of the students wit at least one parent with a four-year degreeTheir thesis-that a relatively modest inte rvention could have a big impact-was based on the view that first-gene ration students may be most lacking not in potential but in practical knowledge about how to deal with the issues that face most college students They cite past resea rch by several authors to show that this is the gap that must be na rrowed to close the achievement gap.Many first-gene ration students"struggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education，learn the'rules of the game，'and take advantage of college resou rces," they write And this bees more of a problem when collages don't talk about the class advantage and disadvantages of different groups of students Because US colleges and universities seldom acknowledge how social class can affect students' educational expe rience，many first-gene ration students lack sight about why they a re struggling and do not unde rstand how students' like them can improve26. Recruiting more first-generation students has[A]reduced their d ropout rates[B]narrowed the achievement gao[C] missed its original pu rpose[D]depressed college students27 The author of the research article are optimistic because[A]the problem is solvable[B]their approach is costless[q the recruiting rate has increased[D]their finding appeal to students28 The study suggests that most first-gene ration students[A]study at private universities[B]are from single-pa rent families[q are in need of financial support[D]have failed their collage29. The author of the paper believe that first-generation students[A]a re actually indifferent to the achievement gap[B]can have a potential influence on othe r students[C] may lack opportunities to apply for resea rch projects[D]are inexperienced in handling their issues at college30.We mayinfer from the last paragraph that--[A]universities often r~ect the culture of the middle-class[B]students are usually to blame for their lack of resources[C]social class g reatly helps en rich educational experiences[D]colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question答案：26.C missed its original purpose27.A the problem is solvable28.C are in need of financial support29.D are inexperienced in handling issues at college30.D colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question历年考研真题英语二阅读理解2Text 2While fossil fuels—still generate roughly 85 percent of the world’s energy supply, it’s clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable sources such as wind and solar. The move to renewables is picking up momentum around the world: They now account for more than half of new power sources going on line.Some growth stems from a mitment by governments and farsighted businesses to fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about the plummeting prices of renewables, especially wind and solar. The cost of solar panels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close toone-third in the past eight years.In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energy source. In Scotland, for example, wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes. While the rest of the world takes the lead, notably China and Europe, the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift. In March, for the first time, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the US, reported the US Energy Information Administration.President Trump has underlined fossil fuels—especially coal—as the path to economic growth. In arecent speech in Iowa, he dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source. But that message did not play well with many in Iowa, where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’s electricity generation—and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.The question “What happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine?” has provided a quick put-down for skeptics. But a boost in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock more likely.The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles. Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in ing years.While there’s a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables are spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up—perhapsjust in time to have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change. What Washington does—or doesn’t do—to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.26. The word “plummeting”(Line 3, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to .[A] stabilizing[B] changing[C] falling[D] rising27. According to Paragraph 3, the use of renewable energy in America .[A] is progressing notably[B] is as extensive as in Europe[C] faces many challenges[D] has proved to be impractical28. It can be learned that in Iowa, .[A] wind is a widely used energy source[B] wind energy has replaced fossil fuels[C] tech giants are investing in clean energy[D] there is a shortage of clean energy supply29. Which of the following is true about clean energy according to Paragraphs 5&6?[A] Its application has boosted battery storage.[B] It is monly used in car manufacturing.[C] Its continuous supply is being a reality.[D] Its sustainable exploitation will remain difficult.30. It can be inferred from the last paragraphthat renewable energy____.[A] will bring the USA closer to other countries.[B] will accelerate global environmental change.[C] is not really encouraged by the USA government.[D] is not petitive enough with regard to its cost.历年考研真题英语二阅读理解3Text 2An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, youthink you’re more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancingstrategies to research into what the call the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85%at getting on well with others—all obviously statistical impossibilities.We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We bee defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking we’re h ot stuff.Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancementand attractiveness. Rather that have people simply rate their beauty press with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselv es’ from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image- which must did- they genuinely believed it was really how they looked. Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the must (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “Idon’t think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “It’s a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves’. If you are depressed, you won’t be self-enhancing. Knowing the results of Epley ‘s study,it makes sense that why people heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level, they don’t even recognise the person in the picture as themselves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhance r’s paradise,where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of theirwit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyle it’s notthat people’s profiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of Wiscon—Madison university ,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves.26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that ______.[A] our self-ratings are unrealistically high[B] illusory superiority is baseless effect[C] our need for leadership is unnatural[D] self-enhancing strategies are ineffective27. Visual recognition is believed to be people’s______[A] rapid watching[B] conscious choice[C] intuitive response[D] automatic self-defence28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to______[A] underestimate their insecurities[B] believe in their attractiveness[C] cover up their depressions[D] oversimplify their illusions29.The word “Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to_____.[A]instinctively[B]occasionally[C]particularly[D]aggressively30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer’s paradise because people can _____.[A]present their dishonest profiles[B]define their traditional life styles[C]share their intellectual pursuits[D]withhold their unflattering sides历年考研真题英语二阅读理解4Text 2A century ago, the immigrants from across the Atlantic inclued settlers and sojourners. Along with the many folks looking to make a permanent home in the United States came those who had no intention to stay, and 7millin people arrived while about 2million departed. About a quarter of all Italian immigrants, for exanmle, eventually returned to Italy for good. They even had an affectionate nickname, “uccelli di passaggio,” birds of passage.Today, we are much more rigid about immigrants. We divide nemers into two categories: legal or illegal, good or bad. We hail them as Americans in the making, or our broken immigrantion system and the long political paralysis over how to fix it. We don’t need more categories, but we need to change the way we think about categories. We need to look beyond strick definitions of legal and illegal. To start, we can recognize the new birds of passage, those living and thriving in the gray areas. We might then begin to solve our immigration challenges.Crop pickers, violinists, construction workers, entrepreneurs, engineers, home health-care aides and physicists are among today’s birds of passage. They are energetic participants in a global economy driven by the flow of work, money and ideas .They prefer to e and go as opportunity calls them , They can manage to have a job in one place and a family in another.With or without permission, they straddle laws, jurisdictions and identities with ease. We need them to imagine the United States as a place where they can be productive for a while without mitting themselves to staying forever. We need them to feel that home can be both here and there and that they can belong to two nations honorably.Acmodating this new world of people in motion will require new attitudes on both sides of the immigration battle .Looking beyond the culture war logic of right or wrong means opening up the middleground and understanding that managing immigration today requires multiple paths and multiple outes. Including some that are not easy to acplish legally in the existing system.26 “Birds of passage” refers to those who____[A] immigrate across the Atlantic.[B] leave their home countries for good.[C] stay in a foregin temporaily.[D] find permanent jobs overseas.27 It is implied in paragraph 2 that the current immigration stystem in the US____[A] needs new immigrant categories.[B] has loosened control over immigrants.[C] should be adopted to meet challenges.[D] has been fixeed via political means.28 According to the author, today’s birds of passage want___[A] fiancial incentives.[B] a global recognition.[C] opportunities to get regular jobs.[D] the freedom to stay and leave.29 The author suggests that the birds of passage today should be treated __[A] as faithful partners.[B] with economic favors.[C] with regal tolerance.[D] as mighty rivals.30 选出最适合文章的标题[A] e and go: big mistake.[B] living and thriving : great risk.[C] with or without : great risk.[D] legal or illegal: big mistake.。

2022 Text 2（英语⼆）"不退休"的晚年⽣活More Americans are opting to work well into retirement, a growing trend that threatens to upend the old workforce model.One in three Americans who are at least 40 have or plan to have a job in retirement to prepare for a longer life, according to a survey conducted by for TD Ameritrade.Even more surprising is that more than half of "unretirees" — those who plan to work in retirement or went back to work after retiring — said they would be employed in their later years even if they had enough money to settle down, the survey showed.Financial needs aren't the only culprit for the "unretirement" trend.Other reasons, according to the study, include personal fulfillment such as staying mentally fit, preventing boredom or avoiding depression.About 72% of "unretire" respondents said that they would return to work once retired to keep mentally fit while 59% said it would be tied to making ends meet."The concept of retirement is evolving," said Christine Russell, senior manager of retirement at TD Ameritrade. "It's not just about finances. The value of work is also driving folks to continue working past retirement."One reason for the change in retirement patterns: Americans are living longer.越来越多的美国⼈选择在退休后好好⼯作，这⼀⽇益增⻓的趋势有可能颠覆旧的劳动⼒模式。

2020 Text 2（英语⼆）CEO ⾼薪惹争议Text 2It is true that pay has gone up — top ones may make 300 times the pay of typical workers on average, and since the mid-1970s, CEO pay for large American corporations has, by varying estimates, gone up by about 500%.A typical CEO of a top American corporation now makes about $18.9 million a year.The best model for understanding the growth of CEO pay is that of limited CEO talent in a world where business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly.The efforts of America's highest-earning 1% have been one of the more dynamic elements of the .It's not popular to say, but one reason their pay has gone up so much is that CEOs have really upped their game relative to many other workers in the U. S. economy.Today's CEO, at least for major American firms, must have many more skills than simply being able to "run the company ".CEOs must have a of and maybe even how the company should, trade in them.They also need better skills than their predecessors, as the costs of even a minor slip-up can be significant.⽂章 ⼆CEO publicly traded 的确，CEO 的薪酬已经上涨了——最⾼级别的 CEO 的薪酬可能是普通⼯⼈平均薪酬的 300 倍，⾃ 1970年代中期以来，根据不同的估计，美国⼤型上市公司的⾸席执⾏官的薪酬已经上升了约 500%。

英语二Text 11---Homework has never been terribly popular with students and even many parents, but in recent years it has been particularly scorned. School districts across the country, most recently Los Angeles Unified, are revising( 修改) their thinking on his educational ritual( 例行公事). Unfortunately, L.A. Unified has produced an inflexible ( 不可变更的) policy which mandates( 批准) that with the exception of some advanced courses, homework may no longer count for more than 10% of a student ’s academ。

ic grade家庭作业从来就没有受到学生甚至家长的真正欢迎，但最近几年来，家庭作业却受到人们的鄙视。

全国的学校都在修改家庭作业的相关惯例做法。

不幸的是，洛杉矶学区通过了一项不可变更的政策：除了高等课程，家庭作业在学分中所占比例不可以超过10%。

21.It is implied in paragraph 1 that nowadays homework_____ 。

[A] is receiving more criticism[B] is no longer an educational ritual （绝对）[C] is not required for advanced courses （正反）[D] is gaining more preferences （正反）2---This rule is meant to address the difficulty that students from impoverished or chaotic homes might have in completing their homework. But the policy is unclear and contradictory. Certainly, no homework should be assigned that students cannot do without expensive equipment. But if the district is essentially giving a pass to students who do not do their homework because of complicated family lives, it is going riskily close to the implication that standards need to be lowered for poor children 。

2019 Text 2（英语⼆）森林与⽓候变化Text 2Forests give us shade, quiet and one of the harder challenges in the fight against climate change.Even as we humans count on forests to soak up a good share of the we produce, we are threatening their ability to do so.The climate change we are hastening could one day leave us with forests that emit more carbon than they absorb.Thankfully, there is a way out of this trap, but it involves striking a subtle balance.Helping forests flourish as valuable "carbon sinks" long into the future may require reducing their capacity to absorb carbon now.is leading the way, as it does on so many climate efforts, in figuring out the details.The state's proposed Forest Carbon Plan aims to double efforts to thin out young trees and clear brush in parts of the forest. This temporarily lowers carbon-carrying capacity.But the remaining trees draw a greater share of the available moisture, so they grow and thrive, restoring the forest's capacity to pull carbon from the air.⽂章 2森林为我们遮阴，给我们僻静，也成为⼈类抗争⽓候变化时⾯临的⼀⼤艰巨的挑战。

英语二T e x t 11---Homework has never been terribly popular with students and even many parents, but in recent years it has been particularly scorned. School districts across the country, most recently Los Angeles Unified, are revising(修改) their thinking on his educational ritual(例行公事). Unfortunately, L.A. Unified has produced an inflexible (不可变更的) policy which mandates(批准) that with the exception of some advanced courses, homework may no longer count for more than 10% of a student’s academic grade。

家庭作业从来就没有受到学生甚至家长的真正欢迎，但最近几年来，家庭作业却受到人们的鄙视。

全国的学校都在修改家庭作业的相关惯例做法。

不幸的是，洛杉矶学区通过了一项不可变更的政策：除了高等课程，家庭作业在学分中所占比例不可以超过10%。

21.It is implied in paragraph 1 that nowadays homework_____。

[A] is receiving more criticism[B] is no longer an educational ritual（绝对）[C] is not required for advanced courses（正反）[D] is gaining more preferences（正反）2---This rule is meant to address the difficulty that students from impoverished or chaotic homes might have in completing their homework. But the policy is unclear and contradictory. Certainly, no homework should be assigned that students cannot do without expensive equipment. But if the district is essentially giving a pass to students who do not do their homework because of complicated family lives, it is going riskily close to the implication that standards need to be lowered for poor children。