MBA联考英语-33(总分100,考试时间90分钟)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 ANSWER SHEET 1.Aging poses a serious challenge to OECD (Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, in particular, how to pay for future public pension liabilities. And early retirement places an (1) burden on pension financing. There is no easy solution, but (2) retirement could help.Early retirement may seem like a worthy individual goal, but it is a socially (3) one, and makes the present public pension system difficult to sustain for long. The (4) reason is that more people are retiring early and living longer. That means more retirees depending on the (5) of those in work for their income. The (6) is worrying. In the next 50 years, low fertility rates and (7) life expectancy in OECD countries will cause this old-age dependency rate to roughly double (8) size. Public pension payments, which afford 30% ～80% of total retirement incomes in OECD countries, are (9) to rise, on average, by over three percentage points in GDP and by as much as eight percentage points in some countries. (10) is the pressure on pension funds that there is a danger of today's workers not getting the pensions they expected or felt they (11) for.Action is needed, (12) simply aiming to reduce the (13) (and cost) of public pensions, or trying to (14) the role of privately funded pensions within the system, though necessary steps, may be (15) to deal with the dependency challenge. After years of (16) early retirement schemes to avoid (17) and higher unemployment, many governments are now looking (18) persuading people to stay in work until they are older. Surely, the thinking goes, if we are healthier now and jobs are physically less (19) and unemployment is down, then perhaps the (20) rate should rise anew.1. A. unsolvable B. additional C. unsustainable D. undue2. A. delaying B. retaining C. detaining D. hindering3. A. ultimate B. unattainable C. specific D. expensive4. A. substantial B. essential C. potential D. controversial5. A. donating B. sponsoring C. subsidizing D. funding6. A. outlook B. outcome C. outbreak D. outset7. A. prolonging B. expanding C. soaring D. rising8. A. in B. on C. by D. for9. A. conceived B. reckoned C. expected D. meant10. A. As B. Such C. So D. It11. A. should pay B. paying C. be paid D. would pay12. A. but B. for C. and D. thus13. A. multitude B. implementation C. application D. generosity14. A. exaggerate B. augment C. magnify D. multiply15. A. insufficient B. influential C. inefficient D. intrinsic16. A. advancing B. previous C. ahead D. preceding17. A. suspensions B. abundances C. redundancies D. discrepancies18. A. for B. to C. about D. at19. A. turbulent B. strenuous C. compact D. intricate20. A. dependency B. fertility C. present D. mortalitySection Ⅱ Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.Text 1The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it is trying to track down as many as 386 piglets that may have been genetically engineered and wrongfully sold into the U.S. food supply.The focus of the FDA investigation is pigs raised by researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. They engineered the animals with two genes: One is a cow gene that increases milk production in the sow. The other, a synthetic gene, makes the milk easier for piglets to digest. The goal was to raise bigger pigs faster.There has been no evidence that either genetically altered plants or animals actually trigger human illness, but critics warn that potential side effects remain unknown. University officials say their tests showed the piglets were not born with the altered genes, but FDA rules require even the offspring of genetically engineered animals to be destroyed so they don't get into the food supply.The FDA, in a quickly arranged news conference Wednesday prompted by inquiries by USA TODAY, said the University of Illinois will face possible sanctions and fines for selling the piglets to a livestock broker, who in turn sells to processing plants.Both the FDA and the university say the pigs that entered the market do not pose a risk to consumers. But the investigation follows action by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December to fine a **pany that contaminated 500000 bushels of soybeans with corn that had been genetically altered to produce a vaccine for pigs.Critics see such cases as evidence of the need for more government oversight of a burgeoning area of scientific research. "This is a small incident, but it's incident like this that could destroy consumer confidence and export confidence," says Stephanie Childs of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. "We already have Europe shaky on biotech. The countries to whom we export are going to look at this."The University of Illinois says it tested the DNA of every piglet eight times to make sure that the animal hadn't inherited the genetic engineering of its mother. Those piglets that did were put back into the study. Those that didn't were sold to the pig broker. "Any pig who's tested negative for the genes since 1999 has been sent off to market, "says Charles Zukoski, vice chancellor for research.But FDA **missioner Lester Crawford says that under the terms of the university's agreement with the FDA, the researchers were forbidden to remove the piglets without FDA approval. "The University of Illinois failed to check with FDA to see whether or not the animals could be sold on the open market. And they were not to be used under any circumstance for food. "The FDA is responsible for regulating and overseeing transgenic animals because such genetic manipulation is considered an unapproved animal drug.21. The 386 piglets wrongfully sold into food supply are from______.A. EuropeB. an American research organizationC. a meat processing plantD. an animal farm22. The purpose of the transgenic engineering research is to______.A. get pigs of larger size in a shorter timeB. make sows produce more milkC. make cows produce more milkD. make pigs grow more lean meat23. The 4th paragraph shows that the University of Illinois______.A. was criticized by the FDAB. is in great troubleC. is required by the FDA to call back the sold pigletsD. may have to pay the penalty24. The FDA declares that the wrongfully sold piglets______.A. may have side effects on consumersB. may be harmful to consumersC. are safe to consumersD. may cause human illness25. It can be inferred from this passage that______.A. all the offspring have their mothers' genetic engineeringB. part of the offspring have their mothers' genetic engineeringC. none of the offspring have their mothers' genetic engineeringD. half of the offspring have their mothers' genetic engineeringText 2For more than two decades, U.S. courts have been limiting affirmative-action programs in universities and other areas. The legal rationale is that racial preferences are unconstitutional, even those intended to compensate for racism or intolerance. For many colleges, this means students can be admitted only on merit, not on their race or ethnicity. It has been a divisive issue across the U.S., as educators blame the prolonged reaction to affirmative-action for declines in minority admissions. Meanwhile, activists continue to battle race preferences in courts from Michigan to North Carolina.Now, chief executives of about two **panies have decided to plunge headfirst into this politically unsettled debate. They, together with 36 universities and 7 non-profitable organizations, formed a forum that set forth an action plan essentially designed to help colleges circumvent court- imposed restrictions on affirmative action. The CEOs' motive: "Our audience is growing more diverse, so **munities we serve benefit if our employees are racially and ethnically diverse as well", says one CEO of a company that owns nine television stations.Among the steps the forum is pushing: finding creative yet legal ways to boost minority enrollment through new admissions policies; promoting admissions decisions that look at more than test scores; and encouraging universities to step up their minority outreach and financial aid. And to counter accusations by critics to challenge these tactics in court, the group says it will give legal assistance to colleges sued for trying them. " Diversity diminished by the court must be made up for in other legitimate, legal ways," says, a forum member.One of the more controversial methods advocated is the so-called 10% rule. The idea is for public universities--which educate three-quarters of all U.S. undergraduates—to admit students who are in the top 10% of their high school graduating class. Doing so allows colleges to take minorities who excel in average urban schools, even if they wouldn't have made the cut under the current statewide ranking many universities use.26. U.S. court restrictions on affirmative action signifies that______.A. minorities no longer hold the once favored statusB. the quality of American colleges has improvedC. racial preferences has replaced racial prejudiceD. the minority is on an equal footing with the majority27. What has been a divisive issue across the United States?A. Whether affirmative action should continue to exist.B. Whether this law is helping minorities or the white majority.C. Whether racism exists in American college admission.D. Whether racial intolerance should be punished.28. CEOs of **panies decided to help colleges enroll more minority students because they______.A. think it wrong to deprive the minorities of their rights to receive educationB. want to conserve the fine characteristics of American nationC. want a workforce that reflects the diversity of their customersD. think it their duty to help develop education of the country29. The major tactic the forum uses is to______.A. battle the racial preferences in courtB. support colleges involved in lawsuits of racismC. strive to settle this political debate nationwideD. find legally viable ways to ensure minority admissions30. If the 10% rule is applied,______.A. the best white high school students can get into collegesB. public universities can get excellent studentsC. students from poor rural families can go to collegesD. good minority students can get into public universitiesText 3The early retirement of experienced workers is seriously harming the U.S. economy, according to a new report from the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization. Currently, many older experienced workers retire at an early age. According to the recently issued statistics, 79 percent of qualified workers begin collecting retirement benefits at age 62; if that trend continues, there will be a labor shortage that will hinder the economic growth in the twenty-first century.Older Americans constitute an increasing proportion of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the population of those over age 65 will grow by 60% between 2001 and 2020. During the same period, the group aged 18 to 44 will increase by only 4%. Keeping older skilled workers employed, even part time, would increase U.S. economic output and strengthen the tax base; but without significant policy reforms, massive early retirement among baby boomers seems more likely.Retirement at age 62 is an economically rational decision today. Social Security and Medicaid earnings limits and tax penalties subject our most experienced workers to marginal tax rates as high as 67%. Social Security formulas encourage early retirement. Although incomes usually rise with additional years of work, any pay increases after the 35-year mark result in higher social Security taxes but only small increases in benefits.Hudson Institute researchers believe that federal tax and benefit policies are at fault and reforms are urgently needed, but they disagree with the popular proposal that much older Americans will have to work because Social Security will not support them and that baby boomers are not saving enough for retirement. According to the increase in 401 (k) and Keogh retirement plans, the ongoing stock market on Wall Street, and the likelihood of large inheritances, there is evidence that baby boomers will reach age 65 with greater financial assets than previous generations.The Hudson institute advocates reforming government policies that now discourage work and savings, especially for older worker. Among the report's recommendations: Tax half of all Social Security benefits, regardless of other income; provide 8% larger benefits for each year beyond 65; and permit workers nearing retirement to **pensation packages that may include a lower salary but with greater healthcare benefits. However, it may take real and fruitful planning to find theright solution to the early retirement of older experienced workers; any measures taken must be allowed to prolong the serviceability of older experienced workers.31. According to Hudson Institute researchers, the effect of the early retirement of qualified workers in the U.S. economy is______.A. constructiveB. significantC. inconclusiveD. detrimental32. The older experienced workers in America tend to retire early because their prolonged service may______.A. do harm to younger generationsB. end up with few or no benefitsC. give play to their potentialsD. shed light on social trends33. The second paragraph is written chiefly to show that______.A. there will be an acute labor shortage in the near futureB. baby-boomers contribute much to the US economic outputC. government policies concerning older people are out-datedD. older workers are enthusiastic about collecting social benefits34. When mentioning "the ongoing stock market on Wall Street", the author______.A. is calling attention to the privileges to which baby-boomers are entitledB. is calling for the government to take countermeasures against labor shortageC. is refuting a notion about experienced workers' early retirementD. is justifying the ineffectiveness of federal tax and benefit policies35. Towards the issue, what the author is most concerned about will be______.A. to advocate radically reforming government policiesB. to take into account the benefits upon retirementC. to put in practice what Hudson researchers believe inD. to prolong the practicability of older experienced employeesText 4Before a big exam, a sound night's sleep will do you more good than poring over textbooks. That, at least, is the folk wisdom. And science, in the form of behavioral psychology, supports that wisdom. But such behavioral studies cannot distinguish between **peting theories of why sleep is good for the memory. One says that sleep is when permanent memories form. The other says that they are actually formed during the day, but then "edited" at night, to flush away what is superfluous.To tell the difference, it is necessary to look into the brain of a sleeping person, and that is hard. But after a decade of painstaking work, a team led by Pierre Maquet at Liege University in Belgium has managed to do it. The particular stage of sleep in which the Belgian group is interested in is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when brain and body are active, heart rate and blood pressure increase, the eyes move back and forth behind the eyelids as if watching a movie, and brainwave traces resemble those of wakefulness. It is during this period of sleep that people are most likely to relive events of the previous day in dreams.Dr. Maquet used an electronic device called PET to study the brains of people as they practiced a task during the day, and as they slept during the following night. The task required them to press a button as fast as possible, in response to a **ing on in one of six positions. As they learnt how to do this, their response times got faster. What they did not know was that the appearance of the lights sometimes followed a pattern —what is referred to as "artificial grammar". Yet the reductions in response time showed that they learnt faster when the pattern was present than when there was not.What is more, those with more to learn (i.e., the "grammar", as well as the mechanical task of pushing the button) have more active brains. The "editing" theory would not predict that, since the number of irrelevant stimuli would be the same in each case. And to eliminate any doubts that the experimental subjects were learning as opposed to unlearning, their response times when they woke up were even quicker than when they went to sleep.The team, therefore, concluded that the nerve connections involved in memory are reinforced through reactivation during REM sleep, particularly if the brain detects an inherent structure in the material being learnt. So now, on the eve of that crucial test, maths students can sleep soundly in the knowledge that what they will remember the next day are the basic rules of algebra and not the incoherent talk from the radio next door.36. Researchers in behavioral psychology are divided with regard to______.A. how dreams are modified in their coursesB. the difference between sleep and wakefulnessC. why sleep is of great benefit to memoryD. the functions of a good night's sleep37. As manifested in the experimental study, rapid eye movement is characterized by______.A. intensely active brainwave tracesB. subjects' quicker response timesC. complicated memory patternsD. revival of events in the previous day38. The author mentions "maths students" as an example to show______.A. its significance in the studyB. an inherent pattern being learntC. its resemblance to the lightsD. the importance of night's sleep39. In their study, researchers led by Pierre Maquet took advantage of the technique of______.A. exposing a long held folk wisdomB. clarifying the predictions on dreamsC. making contrasts **parisonsD. correlating effects with their causes40. What advice might Maquet give to those who have a crucial test the next day?A. Memorizing grammar with great efforts.B. Study textbooks with close attention.C. Have their brain images recorded.D. Enjoy their sleep at night soundly.Part BDirections:Read the following text and answer questions by finding information from the right column that corresponds to each of the marked details given in the left column. There are two extra choices in the right column.As a young bond trader, Buttonwood was given two pieces of advice, trading rules of thumb, if you will: that bad economic news is good news for bond markets and that every utterance dropping from the lips of Paul V olcker, the then chairman of the Federal Reserve, and the man who restored the central bank's credibility by stomping on runaway inflation, should be respected than Pope's orders. Today's traders are, of course, a more sophisticated bunch. But the advice still seems good, apart from two slight drawbacks. The first is that the well-chosen utterances from the present chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, is of more than passing difficulty. The second is that, of late, good news for the economy has not seemed to upset bond investors all that much. For all the cheer that has crackled down the wires, the yield on ten-year bonds—which you would expect to rise on good economic news—is now, at 4.2% , only two-fifths of a percentage point higher than it was at the start of the year. Pretty much unmoved, in other words.Yet the news from the economic front has been better by far than anyone could have expected. On Tuesday November 25th, revised numbers showed that America's economy grew by an annual 8.2% in the third quarter, a full percentage point more than originally thought, driven by the ever-spendthrift American consumer and, for once, corporate investment. Just about every other piece of **ing out from special sources shows the same strength. New houses are stilt being built at a fair clip. Exports are rising, for all the protectionist crying. Even employment, in what had been mocked as a jobless recovery, increased by 125000 or thereabouts in September and October. Rising corporate profits, low credit spreads and the biggest-ever rally in the junk-bond market do not, on the face of it, suggest anything other than a deep and long-lasting recovery. Yet Treasury-bond yields have fallen.If the rosy economic backdrop makes this odd, making it doubly odd is an apparent absence of foreign demand. Foreign buyers of Treasuries, especially Asian central banks, who had been swallowing American government debt like there was no tomorrow, seem to have had second thoughts lately. In September, according to the latest available figures, foreigners bought only $5.6 billion of Treasuries, compared with $25.1 billion the previous month and an average of $38.7 billion in the preceding four months. In an effort to keep a lid on the yen's rise, the Japanese central bank is still busy buying dollars and parking the money in government debt. Just about everyboby else seems to have been selling.[A] fairly well-chosen[B] rising rather slowly[C] setting a limit on yen's rise[D] buying American government debt bravely[E] spending more and more cautiously[F] carelessly selected[G] domestic consumers41. The utterances from Alan Greenspan are42. The yield on ten-year bonds is43. The rapid economic growth results from44. Recently, Asian central banks have been45. Japanese dollar-buying is for the purpose ofSection Ⅲ Translation46. Directions:Translate the following text from English into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET 2.Drinking water and water for domestic use **e from groundwater. In order to protect this water, local water authorities can apply to local administrative authorities to mark certain locations as water protection areas. The size of these areas is calculated in such a way that the quantity of groundwater taken from them corresponds to the actual rainfall going into them. In the water protection areas certain uses of the land and activities on the land are banned or restricted. Water protection areas fall into three zones. Zone 3 is the outermost zone with a diameter of 4 kilometers around the groundwater well. Here no chemical works or the use of pesticides (杀虫剂) are allowed. Zone 2 is determined around the so-called 50-day line. It is assumed that after 50 days in the groundwater harmful bacteria will have died off. Here settlements and fertilizer storage are forbidden. Zone 1 marks the ten-meter boundary around the well. Here, any use of the land, as well as access by unauthorized persons, is forbidden.Section Ⅳ WritingPart A47. Directions:You are scheduled to head for a job interview tomorrow afternoon. However, you have just been informed that there will be an important lecture then, and you can't excuse yourself. So writea letter to the interviewer:1) Express your apology;2) Explain the reason why you can't meet the appointment;3) Request your appointment be scheduled for another time.Write your letter with no less than 100 words. Write it neatly on Answer Sheet 2. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter, use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.Part B48. Directions:In this part, you are asked to write an essay based on the following chart. In your writing, you should1 ) interpret the chart and2) give **ments.You should write at least 150 words.Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET 2.Financial Sources of College Students1.描述中美大学生经济资助状况2.分析这种状况的成因3.预测中国大学生经济资助的可能变化。
