2014考研英语真题阅读A型四篇(背诵用)

2014英语考研真题答案2014年英语考研真题是许多考生备考时重要的参考资料之一。

以下是对2014年英语考研真题的答案解析。

阅读理解部分：Passage 1：答案：D解析：根据文章第一段的“Weak property rights hinder economic growth, and giving people more protection in law should increase prosperity. But how can countries improve their legal institutions, particularly in places with deeply entrenched corruption or politics that “make no sense”? This paper suggests a new way: by ‘judicial empowerment'.”可以得出答案为D。

Passage 2：答案：A解析：根据文章第一段The European Union has more pending infringement procedures against France than any other member state in Europe, according to the law firm DLA Piper. Between 2009 and 2013, France was found guilty of flouting European law 63 times.可以得出答案为A。

Passage 3：答案：C解析：根据文章第三段最后一句“There may be small parts of the brain that are specialized for reading, but haven't yet morphed into our human shapes.”可得出答案为C。

2014年考研英语真题之阅读理解答案与分析(2All around the world,lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession---with the possible exception of journalism.But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America.During the decade before the economic crisis,spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation.The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money,tempting ever more students to pile into law schools.But most law graduates never get a big-firm job.Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare.There are many reasons for this.One is the excessive costs of a legal education.There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states:a four-year undergraduate degree at one of200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam.This leaves today’s average law-school graduatewith$100,000of debt on top of undergraduate w-school debt means that they have to work fearsomely hard.Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers.Sensible ideas have been around for a long time,but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them.One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree.Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school.If the bar exam is truly a stern enough test for a would-be lawyer,those who can sit it earlier should be allowed to do so.Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia,non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm.This keeps fees high and innovation slow.There is pressure for change from within the profession,but opponents ofchange among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.In fact,allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers,by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on impro ving firms’efficiency.After all,other countries,such as Australia and Britain,have started liberalizing their legal professions.America should follow.26.a lot of students take up law as their profession due to[A]the growing demand from clients.[B]the increasing pressure of inflation.[C]the prospect of working in big firms.[D]the attraction of financial rewards.答案:D。

Text 21All around the world, lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession--- with the possible exception of journalism.But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America。

客户客户抱怨2During the decade before the economic crisis, spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation. The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money.Tempting ever more students to pile into law schools. But most law graduates never get a big-firm job. Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare。

// 诉讼滋扰挫工，档案管理员民事侵权行为律师没起作用QAQ好像前两段和后面没啥关系啊3There are many reasons for this. One is the excessive costs of a legal education. There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states; a four-year undergraduate degree in some unrelated subject, then a three-year law degree at one of 200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam. This leaves today’s average law-school graduate with $100,000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts. Law-school debt means that they have to work fearsomely hard。

2014考研英语真题译文2014年考研英语真题 Reading Comprehension Section AWater scarcity is a daily challenge for young girls in Sudan, forcing them to walk for miles to fetch water, missing out on education and suffering from the physical strain of carrying heavy loads. In some areas of Sudan, girls walk an average of 3.7 miles every day to collect water for their families, often missing school as a result. This water collection falls largely on the shoulders of girls and women, negatively impacting their education and overall well-being.The lack of access to clean water not only affects education but also leads to health problems. Waterborne diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid, are common in Sudan due to the use of contaminated water sources. The constant struggle to obtain water exacerbates the issue, as it leaves little time for girls to focus on their studies or take care of their health.According to a UNICEF report, around 170 million young girls worldwide are affected by water scarcity. This issue is particularly prevalent in developing countries where water sources are limited and infrastructure is lacking. In Sudan, the problem is exacerbated by political instability and ongoing conflicts, making it even more challenging to implement sustainable solutions.Efforts have been made to address this issue in Sudan. Non-governmental organizations and government initiatives have worked together to provide access to clean water in rural areas. Projects such as building wells and rainwater harvesting systems have helped alleviate theburden on girls and women. However, more support is needed to ensure that all communities have access to safe and clean water sources.Education plays a crucial role in breaking the cycle of poverty and improving the overall well-being of individuals. By addressing the water scarcity issue, more girls in Sudan will be able to attend school regularly, improve their educational opportunities, and have a better chance of breaking out of the cycle of poverty.In conclusion, water scarcity poses a significant challenge for young girls in Sudan, impacting their education, health, and overall well-being. Efforts to improve access to clean water sources are crucial in alleviating the burden on girls and providing them with equal educational opportunities. By addressing this issue, we can help empower young girls in Sudan and create a brighter future for generations to come.。

Text 1What would you do with $590m? This is now a question for Gloria MacKenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfilment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton.These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly. What was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dunn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time–as stories or memories –particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most “happiness bang for your buck.” It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it). Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are mostenjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason McDonald’s restricts the availability of its popular McRib –a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.Readers of Happy Money are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfilment, not hunger. Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.21.According to Dunn and Norton, which of the following is the mostrewarding purchase?[A]A big house.[B]A special tour.[C]A stylish car.[D]A rich meal.22.The author’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is .[A]critical[B]supportive[C]sympathetic[D]ambiguous23.McRib is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to show that .[A]consumers are sometimes irrational[B]popularity usually comes after quality[C]marketing tricks are often effective[D]rarity generally increases pleasure24.According to the last paragraph, Happy Money .[A]has left much room for readers’criticism[B]may prove to be a worthwhile purchase[C]has predicted a wider income gap in the US[D]may give its readers a sense of achievement25.This text mainly discusses how to .[A]balance feeling good and spending money[B]spend large sums of money won in lotteries[C]obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent[D]become more reasonable in spending on luxuriesText 2An article in Scientific American has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think 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-enhancing strategies to achieve this. Social psychologists have amassed oceans of research into what they 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 become defensive when criticised, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem. We stalk around thinking we’re hot stuff.Psychologist and behavioural scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key study into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather than have people simply rate their beauty compared with others, he asked them to identify an original photograph of themselves 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 intuit ively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image – which most did – they genuinely believed it was really how they looked.Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor wasthere any evidence that those who self-enhanced the most (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored pictures 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 markers for having higher self-esteem. “I don’t think the findings that we have are any evidence of pers onal 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 many people hate photographs of themselves viscerally –on one level, they don’t even recognise the person in the picture as themselves. Facebook, therefore, is a self-enhancer’s paradise, where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit, style, beauty, intellect and lifestyles. It’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest, says Catalina Toma of Wisconsin-Madison University, “but they portray an idealised version of themselves.”26.According to the first paragraph, social psychologists have found that .[A]our self-ratings are unrealistically high[B]illusory superiority is a 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 matching[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 a self-enhancer’s paradise becausepeople can .[A]present their dishonest profiles[B]define their traditional lifestyles[C]share their intellectual pursuitsText 3The concept of man versus machine is at least as old as the industrial revolution, but this phenomenon tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries. And yet, it would be a mistake to think we are right now simply experiencing the painful side of a boom and bust cycle. Certain jobs have gone away for good, outmoded by machines. Since technology has such an insatiable appetite for eating up human jobs, this phenomenon will continue to restructure our economy in ways we cannot immediately foresee.When there is rapid improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened. This argument has attracted a lot of attention, via the success of the book Race Against the Machine, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, who both hail from MIT’s Center for Digital Business.This is a powerful argument, and a scary one. And yet, John Hagel, author of The Power of Pull and other books, says Brynjolfsson and McAfee miss the reason why these jobs are so vulnerable to technology in the first place.Hagel says we have designed jobs in the U.S. that tend to be “tightly scripted” and “highly standardized” ones that leave no room for “individual initiative or creativity”. In short, these are the types of jobs that machines can perform much better at than human beings. That is how we have put a giant target sign on the backs of American workers, Hagel says.It’s time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted, since we are still relying on a very 20th century notion of work, Hagel says. In our rapidly changing economy, we more than ever need people in the workplace who can take initiative and exercise their imagination “to respond to unexpected events”. That is not something machines are good at. They are designed to perform very predictable activities.As Hagel notes, Brynjolfsson and McAfee indeed touched on this point in their book. We need to reframe race against the machine as race with the machine. In other words, we need to look at the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it. So then the problem is not really about technol ogy, but rather, “how do we innovate our institutions and our work practices?”31.According to the first paragraph, economic downturns would .[A]ease the competition of man vs. machine[B]highlight machines’ threat to human jobs[C]provoke a painful technological revolution[D]outmode our current economic structure32.The authors of Race Against the Machine argue that .[A]technology is diminishing man’s job opportunities[B]automation is accelerating technological development[C]certain jobs will remain intact after automation[D]man will finally win the race against machine33.Hagel argues that jobs in the U.S. are often .[A]performed by innovative minds[B]scripted with an individual style[C]standardized without a clear target[D]designed against human creativity34.According to the last paragraph, Brynjolfsson and McAfee discussed .[A]the predictability of machine behavior in practice[B]the formula for how work is conducted efficiently[C]the ways machines replace human labor in modern times[D]the necessity of human involvement in the workplace35.Which of the following could be the most appropriate title for the text?[A]How to Innovate Our Work Practices?[B]Machines Will Replace Human Labor[C]Can We Win the Race Against Machines?[D]Economic Downturns Stimulate InnovationsText 4When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy. Housing is seldom mentioned.Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating the real value that housing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention among multibillion-pound infrastructure projects, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged.Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need.There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability of registered providers to fund new developments from revenues.But it is not just down to the government. While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing £ 4.5bn programme of grants to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in 2015, is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of the coalition’s spending plans if it returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very unlikely to ever return to the era of large-scale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate.While the government’s commitment to long-term funding may have changed, the very pressing need for more affordable housing is real and is not going away.36.The author believes that the housing sector .[A]has attracted much attention[B]involves certain political factors[C]shoulders too much responsibility[D]has lost its real value in economy37.It can be learned that affordable housing has .[A]increased its home supply[B]offered spending opportunities[C]suffered government biases[D]disappointed the government38.According to Paragraph 5, George Osborne may .[A]allow greater government debt for housing[B]stop local authorities from building homes[C]prepare to reduce housing stock debt[D]release a lifted GDP growth forecast39.It can be inferred that a stable rental environment would .[A]lower the costs of registered providers[B]lessen the impact of government interference[C]contribute to funding new developments[D]relieve the ministers of responsibilities40.The author believes that after 2015, the government may .[A]implement more policies to support housing[B]review the need for large-scale public grants[C]renew the affordable housing grants programme[D]stop generous funding to the housing sector。

2014年考研英语真题之阅读理解答案和分析(2All around the world,lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession---with the possible exception of journalism.But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America.During the decade before the economic crisis,spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation.The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money,tempting ever more students to pile into law schools.But most law graduates never get a big-firm job.Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare.There are many reasons for this.One is the excessive costs of a legal education.There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states:a four-year undergraduate degree at one of200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam.This leaves today’s average law-school graduatewith$100,000of debt on top of undergraduate w-school debt means that they have to work fearsomely hard.Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers.Sensible ideas have been around for a long time,but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them.One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree.Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school.If the bar exam is truly a stern enough test for a would-be lawyer,those who can sit it earlier should be allowed to do so.Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia,non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm.This keeps fees high and innovation slow.There is pressure for change from within the profession,but opponents ofchange among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.In fact,allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers,by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on impro ving firms’efficiency.After all,other countries,such as Australia and Britain,have started liberalizing their legal professions.America should follow.26.a lot of students take up law as their profession due to[A]the growing demand from clients.[B]the increasing pressure of inflation.[C]the prospect of working in big firms.[D]the attraction of financial rewards.答案:D。

2014年考研英语真题之阅读理解答案与分析(2All around the world,lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession---with the possible exception of journalism.But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America.During the decade before the economic crisis,spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation.The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money,tempting ever more students to pile into law schools.But most law graduates never get a big-firm job.Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare.There are many reasons for this.One is the excessive costs of a legal education.There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states:a four-year undergraduate degree at one of200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam.This leaves today’s average law-school graduatewith$100,000of debt on top of undergraduate w-school debt means that they have to work fearsomely hard.Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers.Sensible ideas have been around for a long time,but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them.One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree.Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school.If the bar exam is truly a stern enough test for a would-be lawyer,those who can sit it earlier should be allowed to do so.Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia,non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm.This keeps fees high and innovation slow.There is pressure for change from within the profession,but opponents ofchange among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.In fact,allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers,by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on impro ving firms’efficiency.After all,other countries,such as Australia and Britain,have started liberalizing their legal professions.America should follow.26.a lot of students take up law as their profession due to[A]the growing demand from clients.[B]the increasing pressure of inflation.[C]the prospect of working in big firms.[D]the attraction of financial rewards.答案:D。

In order to “change lives for the better” and reduce “dependency.”GeorgeOsbome，Chancellor of the Exchequer，inroduced the “upfront work search” sebeme. Only if the jobless arrive at the jobcentre with a CV. register for online job search， and start looking for work will they be eligible for benefit - and then they should report weekly rather than fortnightly. What could be more reasonable？More apparent reasonableness followed. There will now be a seven-day wait for the jobseeker's allowance. “There first few days should be spent looking for work，not looking to sign on.” he4 claimed，“We're doing these things because we know they help people stay off benefits and help those on benefits get into work faster.”Help？ Rellay？ On first hearing， this was the socially concerned chancellor，trying to change lives for the better， complete with “reforms” to an obviously indulgent system that demands too little effort from the newly unemployed to find work， and subsidises laziness. What motivated him， we were to understand， was his zeal for “fundamental fairness” - protecting the taxpayer， controlling spending and ensuring that only the most descring claimants received their benefits.Losing a job is hurting： you don't skip down to the jobcenter with a song in your heart， delighted at the prospect of doubling your income from the generous state. It is financially terrifying， psychologically embarrassing and you know that suport is minimal and extraordinarily hard to get. You are now not wanted； you are now excluded from the work environment that offers purpose and structure in your life. Worse， the crucial income to feed yourself and your family and pay the bills has disappeared. Ask anyone newly unemployed what they want and the answer is always ：a job.But in Osbomeland， your first instinct is to fall into depency - permanent dependency if you can get it - supported by a state only too ready to indulge your falsehood. It is as though 20 years of erer-thougher reforms of the job search and benefit administration system never happend. The principle of British welfare is no longer that you cna insure yourself against the risk of unemployment and receive unconditional payments if the disaster happens. Even the very phrase “jobseeker's allowance” is about redefining rhe unemployed as a “jobseeker” who had no fundamental right to a benefit he or she has earned through making national insurance contributions. Instead， the claimant receives a time-limited “allowance，”conditional on actively seeking a job； no entitlement and no insurance， at $71.70 a week， one of the least generous in the EU.21. George Osborue's scheme was intended to[A]provide the unemployed with easier access to benefits.[B]encourage jobseekers active engagement in job seeking.[C]motivate the unemployed to report voluntarily.[D]guarantee jobseekers legitimate right to benefits.22. The phrase “to sign on ”most probably means[A] to check on the availability of jobs at the jobcentre.[B]to accept the government's restriction on the allowance.[C]to register for an allowance form the government.[D]to attend a government job-training program.23. What prompted the chancellor to develop his scheme？[A]A desire to secure a better life for all[B]An eagerness to protect the unemployed.[C] An urge to be generous to the claimants.[D]A passion to ensure fairness for taxpayers.24.According to Paragraph 3，being unemployed makes one feel[A]uneasy[B]enraged[C]insulted[D]guilty25.To which of the following would the author most probably agree？[A]The British welfare system indulges jobseekers laziness.[B]Osborne's reforms will reduce the risk of unemployment.[C]The jobseekers' allowance has met their actual needs.[D]Unemployment benefits should not be made conditional.阅读理解：Text2All around the world， lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession -with the possible exception of journalism. But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America.During the decade before the economic crisis spending on legal services in America grew twice as inflation. The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money，tempting ever more students to pile into law schools.But most law graduates never get a big -firm job. Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costlt nightmare.There are many reasons for this. One is the excessive costs of a legal education.There is just one path for a lawer in most American states a four-year undergraduate degree in some unrelated subject， then a three-year law degree at one of 200 law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam. This leaves today's average law-school graduate with $1000，000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts. Law-school debt means that they have to work fearsomely hard.Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have been around for a long time， but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them. One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree. Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school. If the bar exam is truly a stem enough test for a would-be lawyer， those who can sit it earlier should be allowed to do so. Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership syucture of the business. Except in the District of Columbia， non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and innovation slow. There is pressure for change from within the profession， but opponents of change among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.In fact， allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers， by encouraging law firms to use technology and improve services to customers， by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on improving firms' efficiency.After all， other countries， such as Australia and Britain， have started liberalizing there legal professions. America should follow.26. A lot of students take up law as their profession due to[A] the growing demand from clients.[B] the increasing pressure of inflation.[C] the prospect of working in big firms.[D] the attraction of financial rewards.27. Which of the following adds to the costs of legal education in most American states？[A] Higher tuition fees for undergraduate studies.[B] Admissions approval from the bar association.[C] Pursuing a bachelor's degree in another major.[D] Receiving training by professional associations.28. Hindrance to the reform of the legal system originates from[A] lawyers' and clients' strong resistance.[B] the rigid bodies governing the profession.[C] the stern exam for would-be lawyers.[D] non-professionals' sharp criticism.29. The guild-like ownership structure is considered “restrictive” partly because it[A] bans outsiders' involvement in the profession.[B] keeps lawyers from holding law-firm shares.[C] aggravates the ethical situation in the trade.[D] prevents lawyers from gaining due profits.30. In this text， the author mainly discusses[A] flawed ownership of America's law firms and causes.[B] the factors that help make a successful lawyer in American.[C] a problem in America's legal profession and solutions to it.[D] the role of undergraduate studies in America's legal education.阅读理解：Text 3The USS3-millon Fundamental Physics Prize is indeed an interesting experiment as Alexander Polyakov said when he accepted this year's award in Mach And it is far from the only one of lucrative awards for researchers have joined the Nobel Prizes in recent years. Many， like the Fundamental Physics Prize are funded from the telephone-number-sized bank accounts of internet entrepreneurs. These benefactorshave succeeded in their chosen fields， they say， and they want to use their wealth to draw attention to those who have succeeded in science.What's not to like？ Quite a lot， according to a handful of scientists quoted in the News Feature. You cannot buy class， as the old saying goes， and these upstart entrepreneurs cannot buy their prizes the prestige of the Nobels. The new awards are an exercise in self-promotion for those behind them， say scientists. They could distort the status quo of peer-reviewed research. They do not fund peer-reviewed research. They perpetuate the myth of the lone genius.The goals of the prize-givers seem as scattered as the criticism. Some want to shock， others to draw people into science， or to better reward those who have made their careers in research.As Nature has pointed before， there are some legitimate concerns about how science prizes - both new and old - are distributed. The breakthrough prize in Life Sciences， launched this year， takes an unrepresentative view of what the life sciences include. But the Nobel Foundation's limit of limit of three recipients per prize， each of whom must still be living， has long been outgrown by the collaborative nature of modern research - as will be demonstrated by the inevitable row over who is ignored when it comes to acknowledging the discovery of the Higgs boson. The Nobels were， of course， themselves set up by a very rich individual who had decided what he wanted to do with his own money. Time， rather than intention， has given them legitimacy.As much as some scientists may complain about the new awards， two things seem clear. First， most researchers would accept such a prize if they were offered one. Second， it is surely a good thing that the money and attention come to science rather than go elsewhere. It is fair to criticize and question the mechanism - that is the culture of research， after all - but it is the prize-givers' money to do with as they please. It is wise to take such gifts with gratitude and grace.31.The Fundamental physics Prize is seen as[A] a symbol of the entrepreneurs' wealth[B] a possible replacement of the Nobel Prizes[C] an example of bankers' investments[D] a handsome reward for researchers32.The critics think that the new awards will most benefit[A]the profit-oriented scientists[B]the founders of the new awards[C]the achievement-based system[D]peer-review-led research33.The discovery of the Higgs boson is a typical case which involves[A]contreversies over the recipients' status[B]the joint effort of modern researchers[C]legitimate concerns over the new prizes[D]the demonstration of research findings34.According to Paragraph4， which of the following is true of the Nobels？[A]Their endurance has done justice to them[B]Their legitimacy has long been in dispute[C]They are the most representative honor[D]History has never cast doubt on them35.the author believes that the now awards are[A]acceptable despite the criticism[B]harmful to the culture of research[C]subject to undesirable changes[D]unworthy of public attention阅读理解：Text 4“The Heart of the Matter，”the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences （AAAS）， deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably， however， the report's failure to address the true nature of the critics facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.In 2010， leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent liners to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by“federal， atste and local”to “maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education.”In response， the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Among the commission's 51members aretop-tier-university presidents， scholars， lawyers， judges， and businessexecutives. As well ad prominent figures from diplomacy， filmmaking， music and journalism.The goals identified in the report are generally admirable. Because representative government representative government presupposes an informed citizenry， the report supports full literacy， stresses the study of history and government， particularly American history and American government； and encourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation and competition， the report calls fornicated investment in research， the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students' ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century， increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challengers of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages， international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.Unfortunately， despite 2% years in the making，“ The heart of the Matter”never gets to the heart of the matter， the illiberal nature of library education at our leading colleges and universities. The commission ignores that for several decades America's colleges and universities have produced graduates who don't know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits.Sadly，the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of humanities and social sciences an vehicles for publicizing “progressive，”or left-liberal propaganda.Today， professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas-such as free markets and self-reliance-as falling outside the boundaries of routine， and sometimes legitimate， intellectual investigation.The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.36. According to Paragraph 1， what is the author's attitude toward the AAAS's report？[A] Critical[B] Appreciative.[C] Contemptuous.[D] Tolerant.37. Influential figures in the Congress required that the AAAS report on how to[A] retain people's interest in liberal education.[B] define the government's role in education.[C] keep a leading position in liberal education.[D] safeguard individuals' rights to education.38. According to Paragraph 3， the report suggest[A] an exclusive study of American history.[B] a greater emphasis on theoretical subjects.[C] the application of emerging technologies.[D] funding for the study of foreign languages.40. Which of the following would would be the best title for text？[A] Ways to Grasp “The Heart of the Matter”[B] Illiberal Education and “The Heart of the Matter”[C] The AAAS's Contribution to Liberal Education[D] Progressive Policy vs. Liberal Education。

2014年考研英语阅读理解复习指导（四）Passage 4Those who welcomed the railway saw it as more than a rapid and comfortable means of passing. They actually saw it as afactor in world peace. They did not foresee that the railway would be just one more means for the rapid movement of aggressive armies. None of them foresaw that the more weare together-the more chances there are of war. Any boy or girl who is one of a large family knows that.Whenever any new invention is put forward, those for it and those against it can always find medical men to approve or condemn. The anti-railway group produced doctors who said that tunnels would be most dangerous to public health: they would produce colds, catarrhs (粘膜炎) and consumptions. The deafening noise and the glare of the engine fire, would have a bad effect on the nerves. Further, being moved through the air at a high speed would do grave injury to delicate lungs. In those with high blood-pressure, the movement of the train might produce apoplexy (中风). The sudden plunging of a train into the darkness of a tunnel, and the equally sudden rush into full daylight, would cause great damage to eyesight. But the pro-railway group was of course able to produce equally famous medical men to say just the opposite. They said that the speed and swing of the train would equalize the circulation, promote digestion, tranquilize the nerves, and ensure good sleep.The actual rolling-stock was anything but comfortable. If it was a test of endurance to sit for four hours outside a coach in rain, or inside in dirty air, the railway offered little more in the way of comfort. Certainly the first-class carriages had cushioned seats;but the second-class had only narrow bare boards, while the third-class had nothing at all; no seats and no roof; they were just open trucks. So that third-class passengers gained nothing from the few mode except speed. In the matter of comfort, indeed they lost; they did, on the coaches, have a seat, but now they had to stand all the way, which gave opportunities to the comic (滑稽的) press. This kind of thing: A man was seen yesterday buying a third-class ticket for the new London and Birmingham Railway. The state of his mind is being enquired into.A writer in the early days of railways wrote feelingly of both second-and third-class carriages. He made the suggestion that the directors of the railways must have sent all over the world to find the hardest possible wood. Of the open third-class trucks he said that they had the peculiar property of meeting the rain from whatever quarter it came. He described them as horizontal shower-baths, from whose searching power there was no escape.1. All boys and girls in large families know that .A) a boy and a girl usually fight when they are togetherB) people tend to be together more than they used to beC) a lot of people being together makes fights likelyD) Railway leads the world to peace2. According to those who welcomed the railway, the railway itself should include all the following except .A) the railway enables people travel fastB) the railway brings comfort to peopleC) the railway makes the world peacefulD) the railway leads the world to war as well.3. According to the anti-railway group, all the followings are true but .A) tunnels are dangerous to public healthB) the noise and the glare of the engine fire may affect people's nervesC) the rapid speed through the air does damage to people's lungsD) to those with high blood-pressure, the rapid speed of the train causes them to die4. We may safely conclude that .A) the author belongs to the anti-railway groupB) the author belongs to the for-railway groupC) the author speaks highly of the railwayD) the author may never take train because of its potential dangers5. What is the tone of this passage?A)PracticalB)SatiricalC)HumorousD)Exaggerated参考答案 1.C 2.D 3.D 4.A 5.C。

2014年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题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 on the ANSWER SHEET.(10points)As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be. We suddenly can’t remember 1 we put the keys just a moment ago, or an old acquaintance’s name, or the name of an old band we us ed to love. As the brain 2 , we refer to these occurrences as “senior moments.” 3 seemingly innocent ,this loss of mental focus can potentially have a (n) 4 impact on our professional, social, and personal 5 .Neuroscientists, experts who study the nervous system, are increasingly showing that there’s actually a lot that can be done. It 6 out that the brain needs exercise in much the same way our muscles do, and the right mental 7 can significantly improve our basic cognitive 8 . Thinking is essentially a 9 of making connections in the brain. To a certain extent, our ability to 10 in making the connections that drive intelligence is inherited. 11 , because these connections are made through effort and practice, scientists believe that intelligence can expand and fluctuate 12 mental effort.Now, a new Web-based company has taken it a step 13 and developed the first “brain training program” d esigned to actually help people improve and regain their mental 14 .The Web-based program 15 you to systematically improve your memory and attention skills. The program keeps 16 of your progress and provides detailed feedback 17 your performance and improvement. Most importantly, it 18 modifies and enhances the games you play to 19 on the strengths you are developing—much like a(n) 20 exercise routine requires you to increase resistance and vary your muscle use.1. [A]where [B]when [C]that [D]why2. [A]improves [B]fades [C]recovers [D]collapses3. [A]If [B]Unless [C]Once [D]While4. [A]uneven [B]limited [C]damaging [D]obscure5. [A]wellbeing [B]environment [C]relationship [D]outlook6. [A]turns [B]finds [C]points [D]figures7. [A]roundabouts [B]responses [C]workouts [D]associations8. [A]genre [B]functions [C]circumstances [D]criterion9. [A]channel [B]condition [C]sequence [D]process10. [A]persist [B]believe [C]excel [D]feature11. [A] Therefore [B] Moreover [C] Otherwise [D] However12. [A]according to [B]regardless of [C]apart from [D]instead of13. [A]back [B]further [C]aside [D]around14. [A]sharpness [B]stability [C]framework [D]flexibility15. [A]forces [B]reminds [C]hurries [D]allows16. [A]hold [B]track [C]order [D]pace17. [A]to [B]with [C]for [D]on18. [A]irregularly [B]habitually [C]constantly [D]unusually19. [A]carry [B]put [C]build [D]take20. [A]risky [B]effective [C]idle [D]familiarSectionⅡReading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)Text1In order to “change lives for the better” and reduce “dependency” George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the “upfront work search” scheme. Only if the jobless arrive at the job centre with a CV, register for online job search, and start looking for work will they be eligible for benefit and then they should report weekly rather than fortnightly. What could be more reasonable?More apparent reasonableness followed. There will now be a seven-day wait for the jobseeker’s allowance. “Those first few days should be spent looking for work, not looking to sign on.” he claimed. “We’re doing these things because we know they help people stay off benefits and help those on benefits get into work faster.” Help? Really? On first hearing, this was the socially concerned chancellor, trying to change lives for the better, complete with “reforms” to an obviously indulgent system that demands too little effort from the newly unemployed to find work, and subsidizes laziness. What motivated him, we were to understand, was his zeal for “fundamental fairness”— protecting the taxpayer, controlling spending and ensuring that only the most deserving claimants received their benefits.Losing a job is hurting: you don’t skip down to the jobcentre with a song in your heart, delighted at the prospect of doubling your income from the generous state. It is financially terrifying, psychologically embarrassing and you know that support is minimal and extraordinarily hard to get. You are now not wanted; you support is minimal and extraordinarily hard to get. You are now not wanted; you are now excluded from the work environment that offers purpose and structure in your life. Worse, the crucial income to feed yourself and your family and pay the bills has disappeared. Ask anyone newly unemployed what they want and the answer is always: a job.But in Osborneland, your first instinct is to fall into dependency—permanent dependency if you can get it — supported by a state only too ready to indulge your falsehood. It is as though 20 years of ever-tougher reforms of the job search and benefit administration system never happened. The principle of British welfare is no longer that you can insure yourself against the risk of unemployment and receive unconditional payments if the disaster happens. Even the very phrase “jobseeker’s allowance”is about redefining the unemployed as a “jobseeker” who had no fundamental right to a benefit he or she has earned through making national insurance contributions. Instead, the claimant receives a time-limited “allowance,” conditional on activelyseeking a job; no entitlement and no insurance, at £71.70 a week, one of the least generous in the EU.21.George Osborne’s scheme was intended to.[A]provide the unemployed with easier access to benefits[B]encourage jobseekers’ active engagement in job seeking[C]motivate the unemployed to report voluntarily[D]guarantee jobseekers’ l egitimate right to benefits22.The phrase, “to sign on” (Line 3, Para.2) most probably means.[A]to check on the availability of jobs at the jobcentre[B]to accept the government’s restrictions on the allowance[C]to register for an allowance from the government[D]to attend a governmental job-training program23.What prompted the chancellor to develop his scheme?[A]A desire to secure a better life for all.[B]An eagerness to protect the unemployed.[C]An urge to be generous to the claimants.[D]A passion to ensure fairness for taxpayers.24.According to Paragraph 3, being unemployed makes one feel.[A]uneasy[B]enraged[C]insulted[D]guilty25.To which of the following would the author most probably agree?[A]The British welfare system indulges jobseekers’ laziness.[B]Osborne’s reforms will reduce the risk of unemployment.[C]The jobseekers’ allowance has met their actual needs.[D]Unemployment benefits should not be made conditional.Text 2All around the world, lawyers generate more hostility than the members of any other profession—with the possible exception of journalism. But there are few places where clients have more grounds for complaint than America.During the decade before the economic crisis, spending on legal services in America grew twice as fast as inflation. The best lawyers made skyscrapers-full of money, tempting ever more students to pile into law schools. But most law graduates never get a big-firm job. Many of them instead become the kind of nuisance-lawsuit filer that makes the tort system a costly nightmare.There are many reasons for this. One is the excessive costs of a legal education. There is just one path for a lawyer in most American states: a four-year undergraduate degree in some unrelated subject, then a three-year law degree at one of 200law schools authorized by the American Bar Association and an expensive preparation for the bar exam. This leaves today’s average law-school graduate with $100,000 of debt on top of undergraduate debts. Law-school debt means that many cannot afford to go into government or non-profit work, and that they have to work fearsomely hard.Reforming the system would help both lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have been around for a long time, but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too conservative to implement them. One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree. Another is to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school. If the bar exam is truly a stern enough test for a would-be lawyer, those who can sit it earlier should be allowed todo so. Students who do not need the extra training could cut their debt mountain by a third.The other reason why costs are so high is the restrictive guild-like ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia, non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and innovation slow. There is pressure for change from within the profession, but opponents of change among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve clients ethically.In fact, allowing non-lawyers to own shares in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers, by encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to focus on improving firms’ efficiency. After all, other countries, such as Australia and Britain, have started liberalizing their legal professions. America should follow.26.A lot of students take up law as their profession due to.[A]the growing demand from clients[B]the increasing pressure of inflation[C]the prospect of working in big firms[D]the attraction of financial rewards27.Which of the following adds to the costs of legal education in most American states?[A]Higher tuition fees for undergraduate studies.[B]Admissions approval from the bar association.[C]Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in another major.[D]Receiving training by professional associations.28.Hindrance to the reform of the legal system originates from.[A]lawyers’ and clients’ strong resistance[B]the rigid bodies governing the profession[C]the stem exam for would-be lawyers[D]non-professionals’ sharp criticism29.The guild-like ownership structure is considered “restrictive”partly because it.[A]bans outsiders’ involvement in the profession[B]keeps lawyers from holding law-firm shares[C]aggravates the ethical situation in the trade[D]prevents lawyers from gaining due profits30.In this text, the author mainly discusses.[A]flawed ownership of America’s law firms and its causes[B]the factors that help make a successful lawyer in America[C]a problem in America’s legal profession and solutions to it[D]the role of undergraduate studies in America’s legal educati onText 3The US$3-million Fundamental physics prize is indeed an interesting experiment, as AlexanderPolyakov said when he accepted this year’s award in March. And it is far from the only one of its type. As a News Feature article in Nature discusses, a string of lucrative awards for researchers have joined the Nobel Prizes in recent years. Many, like the Fundamental Physics Prize, are funded from the telephone-number-sized bank accounts of Internet entrepreneurs. These benefactors have succeeded in their chosen fields, they say, and they want to use their wealth to draw attention to those who have succeeded in science.What’s not to like? Quite a lot, according to a handful of scientists quoted in the News Feature. You cannot buy class, as the old saying goes, and these upstart entrepreneurs cannot buy their prizes the prestige of the Nobles, The new awards are an exercise in self-promotion for those behind them, say scientists. They could distort the achievement-based system of peer-review-led research. They could cement the status quo of peer-reviewed research. They do not fund peer-reviewed research. They perpetuate the myth of the lone genius.The goals of the prize-givers seem as scattered as the criticism. Some want to shock, others to draw people into science, or to better reward those who have made their careers in research.As Nature has pointed out before, there are some legitimate concerns about how science prizes—both new and old—are distributed. The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, launched this year, takes an unrepresentative view of what the life sciences include. But the Nobel Foundation’s limit of three recipients per prize, each of whom must still be living, has long been outgrown by the collaborative nature of modern research—as will be demonstrated by the inevitable row over who is ignored when it comes to acknowledging the discovery of the Higgs boson. The Nobles were, of course, themselves set up by a very rich individual who had decided what he wanted to do with his own money. Time, rather than intention, has given them legitimacy.As much as some scientists may complain about the new awards, two things seem clear. First, most researchers would accept such a prize if they were offered one. Second, it is surely a good thing that the money and attention come to science rather than go elsewhere, It is fair to criticize and question the mechanism—that is the culture of research, after all—but it is the prize-givers’ money to do with as they please. It is wise to take such gifts with gratitude and grace.31.The Fundamental Physics Prize is seen as.[A]a symbol of the entrepreneurs’ wealth[B]a possible replacement of the Nobel Prizes[C]an example of bankers’ investments[D]a handsome reward for researchers32.The critics think that the new awards will most benefit.[A]the profit-oriented scientists[B]the founders of the new awards[C]the achievement-based system[D]peer-review-led research33.The discovery of the Higgs boson is atypical case which involves.[A]controversies over the recipients’status[B]the joint effort of modern researchers[C]legitimate concerns over the new prizes[D]the demonstration of research findings34.According to Paragraph 4,which of the following is true of the Nobles?[A]Their endurance has done justice to them.[B]Their legitimacy has long been in dispute.[C]They are the most representative honor.[D]History has never cast doubt on them.35.The author believes that the now awards are.[A]acceptable despite the criticism[B]harmful to the culture of research[C]subject to undesirable changes[D]unworthy of public attentionText 4“The Heart of the Matter,” the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably, however, the report’s failure to address the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by“federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others” to “maintain national excellence inhumanities and social scientific scholarship and education.” In response, the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Among the commission’s 51 members are top-tier-university presidents, scholars, lawyers, judges, and business executives, as well as prominent figures from diplomacy, filmmaking, music and journalism.The goals identified in the report are generally admirable. Because representative government presupposes an informed citizenry, the report supports full literacy; stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government; and encourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation and competition, the report calls for increased investment in research, the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students’ ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challenges of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages, international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.Unfortunately, despite 2½ years in the making, “The Heart of the Matter” never gets to the heart of the matter: the illiberal nature of liberal education at our leading colleges and universities. The commission ignores that for several decades America's colleges and universities have produced graduates who don’t know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities and social sciences as vehicles for publicizing “progressive,” or left-liberal propaganda.Today, professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas—such as free markets and self-reliance—as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.36. According to Paragraph 1, what is the author’s attitude toward the AAAS’s report?[A] Critical[B] Appreciative[C] Contemptuous[D] Tolerant37. Influential figures in the Congress required that the AAAS report on how to.[A] retain people’s interest in liberal education[B] define the go vernment’s role in education[C] keep a leading position in liberal education[D] safeguard individuals’ rights to education38. According to Paragraph 3, the report suggests.[A] an exclusive study of American history[B] a greater emphasis on theoretical subjects[C] the application of emerging technologies[D] funding for the study of foreign languages39. The author implies in Paragraph 5 that professors are.[A] supportive of free markets[B] cautious about intellectual investigation[C] conservative about public policy[D] biased against classical liberal ideas40. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?[A] Ways to Grasp “The Heart of the Matter”[B] Illiberal Education and “The Heart of the Matter”[C] The AAAS’s Contribution to Liberal Education[D] Progressive Policy vs. Liberal EducationPart BDirections:The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent text by choosing from the list A-G and filling them into the numbered boxes. Paragraphs And E have been correctly placed Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET (10points)[A]Some archaeological sites have always been easily observable—for example, the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, the pyramids of Giza in Egypt; and the megaliths of Stonehenge in southern England. But these sites are exceptions to the norm. Most archaeological sites have been located by means of careful searching, while many others have been discovered by accident. Olduvai Gorge, an early hominid site in Tanzania, was found by a butterfly hunter who literally fell into its deep valley in 1911. Thousands of Aztec artifacts came to light during the digging of the Mexico City subway in the1970s.[B]In another case, American archaeologists René Million and George Cowgill spent years systematically mapping the entire city of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico near what is now Mexico City. At its peak around AD 600, this city was one of the largest human settlements in the world. The researchers mapped not only the city’s vast and ornate ceremonial areas, but alsohundreds of simpler apartment complexes where common people lived.[C] How do archaeologists know where to find what they are looking for when there is nothing visible on the surface of the ground? Typically, they survey and sample(make test excavations on) large areas of terrain to determine where excavation will yield useful information. Surveys and test samples have also become important for understanding the larger landscapes that contain archaeological sites.[D] Surveys can cover a single large settlement or entire landscapes. In one case, many researchers working around the ancient Maya city of Copan, Honduras, have located hundreds of small rural villages and individual dwellings by using aerial photographs and by making surveys on foot. The resulting settlement maps show how the distribution and density of the rural population around the city changed dramatically between AD500 and 850, when Copan collapsed.[E] To find their sites, archaeologists today rely heavily on systematic survey methods and a variety of high-technology tools and techniques. Airborne technologies, such as different types of radar and photographic equipment carried by airplanes or spacecraft, allow archaeologists to learn about what lies beneath the ground without digging. Aerial surveys locate general areas of interest or larger buried features, such as ancient buildings or fields.[F] Most archaeological sites, however, are discovered by archaeologists who have set out to look for them. Such searches can take years. British archaeologist Howard Carter knew that the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen existed from information found in other sites. Carter sifted through rubble in the Valley of the Kings for seven years before he located the tomb in 1922. In the late 1800s British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evan combed antique dealers’ stores in Athens, Greece. He was searching for tiny engraved seals attributed to the ancient Mycenaean culture that dominated Greece from the 1400s to 1200s BC. Evans’s interpretations of these engravings eventually led him to find the Minoan palace at Knossos (Knossós) on the island of Crete, in 1900.[G] Ground surveys allow archaeologists to pinpoint the places where digs will be successful. Most ground surveys involve a lot of walking, looking for surface clues such as small fragments of pottery. They often include a certain amount of digging to test for buried materials at selected points across a landscape. Archaeologists also may locate buried remains by using such technologies as ground radar, magnetic-field recording, and metal detectors. Archaeologists commonly use computers to map sites and the landscapes around sites. Two and three-dimensional maps are helpful tools in planning excavations, illustrating how sites look, and presenting the results of archaeological research.41. → A →42.→ E →43.→ 44.→45.Part CDirections:Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written neatly on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)Music means different things to different people and sometimes even different things to the same person at different moments of his life. It might be poetic, philosophical, sensual, or mathematical, but in any case it must, in my view, have something to do with the soul of the human being. Hence it is metaphysical; but the means of expression is purely and exclusively physical: sound. I believe it is precisely this permanent coexistence of metaphysical message through physical means that is the strength of music. (46)It is also the reason why when we try todescribe music with words, all we can do is articulate our reactions to it, and not grasp music itself.Beethoven’s importance in music has been principally defined by the revolutionary nature of his compositions. He freed music from hitherto prevailing conventions of harmony and structure. Sometimes I feel in his late works a will to break all signs of continuity. The music is abrupt and seemingly disconnected, as in the last piano sonata. In musical expression, he did not feel restrained by the weight of convention. (47)By all accounts he was a freethinking person, and a courageous one, and I find courage an essential quality for the understanding, let alone the performance, of his works.This courageous attitude in fact becomes a requirement for the performers of Beethoven’s music. His compositions demand the performer to show courage, for example in the use of dynamics. (48)Beethoven’s habit of increasing the volume with an extremeintensity and then abruptly following it with a sudden soft passage was only rarely used by composers before him.Beethoven was a deeply political man in the broadest sense of the word. He was not interested in daily politics, but concerned with questions of moral behavior and the larger questions of right and wrong affecting the entire society. (49)Especially significant was his view of freedom, which, for him, was associated with the rights and responsibilities of the individual: he advocated freedom of thought and of personal expression.Beethoven’s music tends to move from chaos to order as if order were an imperative of human existence. For him, order does not result from forgetting or ignoring the disorders that plague our existence; order is a necessary development, an improvement that may lead to the Greek ideal of spiritual elevation. It is not by chance that the Funeral March is not the last movement of the Erotica Symphony, but the second, so that suffering does not have the last word.(50)One could interpret much of the work of Beethoven by saying that suffering is inevitable, but the courage to fight it renders life worth living.Section Ⅲ WritingPart ADirections:Write a letter of about 100 words to the president of your university,suggesting how to improve stu -dents’physical condition.You should include the details you think necessary.You should write neatly on the ANSWER SHEET.Do not sign your own name at th e end of the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead.Do not write the address. (10 points)Part B52. Directions:Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should1) describe the drawing briefly,2) interpret its intended meaning, and3) give your comments.You should write neatly on the ANSWER SHEET.(20 points)2014年全真试题答案Section I Use of English1.A2.B3.D4.C5.A6.A7.C8.B9.D10.C11.D12.A13.B14.A15.D16.B 17.D 18.C19.C20.BSection II Reading ComprehensionPart AText 121.B22.C23.D 24.A 25.DText 226.D27.C 28.B 29.A 30.CText 3 31.D32.B 33.B34.A 35.AText 436.A37C 38.C39.D 40.BPart B41.C 42.F43.G44.D45.BPart C46. 这就是为什么当我们尝试用语言来描述音乐时，我们能做的只是清楚地表达对音乐的反应，却不能领会音乐的精髓。