2023年考研外語考前密押卷13

考研外語考前密押卷13

一、UseofEnglish

1、ThesearetoughtimesforWal-Mart,America,sbiggest

retailer.Longaccusedof(1)small-townAmericamad

condemnedfortheselfishnessofitspay,thecompanyhaslately

comeunder(2)foritsmeannessoveremployees'

health-carebenefits.Thechargeisarguably(3):the

firm，shealthcoverage,while(4)lessextensivethanthe

averageforbigcompanies,isonequalterms(5)other

retailers).Butbadpublicity,coupledwithrisingcosts,has

(6)theBentonvillegianttoaction.WalMartismaking

changesthatshouldshiftthegroundinAmerica'shealthcare

debate.

One(7)istoreducethepricesofmanygeneric,or

out-of-patent,prescriptiondrugs.Wal-Mart5scriticsdismiss

themoveasapublicity(8).Thelistofdrugsincludes

only143differentmedicinesandexcludesmanypopulargroup.

True,butshort-sighted.Wal-Marthas(9)retailingby

usingitssizetosqueezesuppliersand(10)thegainson

toconsumers.Itcould(11)thesamewithdrugs.A

“Wal-Marteffect"indrugswillnotsolveAmerica's

health-costsproblem:groupaccountforonlyasmallshareof

drugcosts,whichinturnmake(12)only10%ofoverall

healthspending.Butitwould(13).

Thefirm'sotherinitiativeismore(14).Wal-Martis

joiningthesmallbutfast-growinggroupofemployers(15)

arecontrol1ingcostsbyshiftingtohealthinsurancewithhigh

deductibles.

Earlyevidence(16)theseplansdohelpfirmscontrolthe

costofhealthinsurance.Butcriticssaythatthesavingsare

(17).Theyarguethattheplansshiftcoststosicker

workers,discouragepreventativecareandwillanywaydolittle

to(18)overallhealthspending,(19)mostofthe$2

trillionthatAmerica(20)healthcareeachyeargoesto

peoplewithmultiplechronicdiseases.

A.wrecked

B.wrecks

C.wreck

D.wrecking

2、(2)

A.dismission

B.fire

C.force

D.agitation

3、⑶

A.illegal

B.unfair

C.unreasonable

D.incorrect

4、(4)

A.usually

B.admittedly

C.obviously

D.specially

5、(5)

A.with

B.to

C.of

D.by

6、(6)

A.caused

B.expelled

C.stirred

D.raised

3

7、(7)

A.problem

B.management

C.intrigue

D.strategy

8、(8)

A.demonstration

B.cheat

C.attention

D.stunt

9、⑼

A.transformed

B.translated

C.transported

D.transacted

10、(10)

A.passes

B.passed

C.passing

D.pass

11、(H)

A.make

B.do

C.get

D.form

12、(12)

A.for

B.into

C.out

D.up

13、(13)

A.receive

B.solve

C.fit

D.help

14、(14)

A.considerable

B.principal

C.controversial

D.available

15、(15)

A.who

B.which

C.what

D.where

16、(16)

A.suggests

B.proposes

C.reminds

D.explains

17、(17)

A.interesting

B.misleading

C.expressing

D.illustrating

18、(18)

A.organize

B.regulate

C.verify

D.control

19、(19)

A.since

B.then

C.when

D.becauseof

20、(20)

6

A.hangson

B.takeson

C.spendson

D.goeson

二、ReadingComprehension

1、PartA

Directions:Readthefollowingfourtexts.Answerthequestions

beloweachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.(40points)

Whoeversaidthatvictoryhasmanyfathersanddefeatisan

orphan,surelyhadneverheardoftheWorldTradeOrganization

(WTO).Inthecaseofthehaplessmultilateraltradebodyand

itslongsufferingrepresentatives,thetotalfailureofthe

openingmeetingofthesocalledMillenniumtraderoundhaslots

ofpeopleboastingoftheirrolesintheviolentphysical

struggle.Well.That'sjustbrilliant.Theyareproudofbeing

partofamovementthatwantstowreckthemostimportantengine

ofeconomicgrowth,prosperityandoverallglobalrisingliving

standardswehave一thefreedomoftradeandmovementofpeople

andgoodsbetweennations.

The135-memberWTOiscomposedofsovereigngovernmentswishing

tofurtherthisgoalandeasethesettlementofinternational

tradedisputes.FromthesoundsemanatingfromSeattle,though,

itwouldnowseemtheWTOhasnowreplacedtheTrilateral

CommissionandtheFreemasonsascandidateNo.1totakeover

theWorld.

EverybodyhashisfavoriteSeattlestory.Thecity'spolice

chiefwillhaveplentyoftimetothinkabouthis,havingnow

resignedindisgraceoverthelossofcontrolofdowntown

Seattle.TheSeattlebusinesscommunitymaybemoreinclined

tobroodovertheirs—thepoorfoolsinvested$9millionto

attractthemeetingtotheirfinecity.Whatstandsoutmore?

Iwouldnominatetheunionofsteelworkerswhoweremarching

inprotest.It'sanimagethatwillbogglethemindforyears

tocome.

Thedebatenowisoverjusthoweffectivethisanti-globalist

coalitionwillturnouttobe.Intheheatofthemoment,it

alwayslooksasthoughthewor1dasweknowitiscomingtoan

end.Buttheoverwhelminglikelihoodisthatwehavenot

actuallyseenareplayoftheantiVietnamWarmovement,which

hadmuchclearerfocus,obviously,thoughitsconsequenceswere

far-reaching.Howlong,afterall,canyouprotestagainst

cheapimportswhenthosesameimportsarealloveryourhouse?

No,therealreasonforthedisasterinSeattleispolitical,

andreportscomingoutofthemeetingpointtoPresidentClinton

asamajorculprit,whichmaybebothgoodandbad.Takingthe

longview,othertraderoundshavehaddifficultbeginnings,

too.IttookyearstogettheUruguayRoundunderway,which

finallyhappenedin1986.Thankfully,wewillsoonbeelecting

anotherpresident,anditshouldbesomeonewhoseactionsmatch

hisrhetoric.

Still,itisadisgracethattheworld，sgreatesttradingnation,

i.e.theUnitedStates,iscurrentlyledbyamanwhose

motivationsaresonarrowlypoliticalandegocentricthathe

hasnowwreckedanychanceofenteringthehistorybooksasa

championoffreetrade.

Thestatement“victoryhasmanyfathersanddefeatisan

orphan”(Para.1)isusedtointroduce.

A.thevictoryofsufferingrepresentatives.

B.thefailureofWTO'sopeningmeeting.

C.theroleofinternationalfreetrade.

D.thedynamicsofeconomicgrowth.

2、

Itisimpliedinthefirstsentencethatthefailureof

Millenniumtraderoundcouldbeattributedto

A.factorsotherthanamovement.

B.violentlabordisputes.

C.misleadpoliticalmotivations.

D.troubledtradeunions.

3、

Bysayingthat"It'sanimagethatwillbogglethemindfor

yearstocome”,(Paragraph3)theauthormeansthatthedebate

inSeattleprovestobe

A.dubiously-oriented.

B.quitetransient.

C.self-contradictory.

D.fairlyconsequential.

4、

TheauthorisobviouslycriticalofPresidentClintonfor

A.hisfailuretomatchhiswordswithhisactions.

B.hislackofhistoricalknowledgeabouttheWTO.

C.hisputtingtheissueinawrongperspective.

D.hisexaggerationofWTO'seconomicrole.

5、

Fromthetextwecanseethatthewriterseems

A.optimistic.

B.gloomy.

C.disgraced.

D.proud.

6、，zPopularart“hasanumberofmeanings,impossibleto

definewithanyprecision,whichrangefromfolkloretojunk.

Thepolesareclearenough,butthemiddletendstoblur.The

HollywoodWesternofthe1930'sforexample,haselementsof

folklore,butisclosertojunkthantohighartorfolkart.

Therecanbegreattrash,justasthereisbadhighart.The

musicalsofGeorgeGershwinaregreatpopularart,never

aspiringtohighart.SchubertandBrahms,however,used

elementsofpopularmusic—folkthemes—inworksclearly

intendedashighart.ThecaseofVerdiisadifferentone,he

tookapopulargenre-bourgeoismelodramasettomusic(an

accuratedefinitionofnineteenth-centuryopera)and,without

alteringitsfundamentalnature,transmuteditintohighart.

Thisremainsoneofthegreatestachievementsinmusic,andone

thatcannotbefullyappreciatedwithoutrecognizingthe

essentialtrashinessofthegenre.

Asanexampleofsuchatransmutation,considerwhatVerdimade

ofthetypicalpoliticalelementsofnineteenth-centuryopera.

Generallyintheplotsoftheseoperas,aheroor

heroine一usuallyportrayedonlyasanindividual,unfettered

byclass一iscaughtbetweentheimmoralcorruptionofthe

aristocracyandthedoctrinairerigidityorsecretgreedofthe

leadersoftheproletariat.Verditransformsthisnaiveand

unlikelyformulationwithmusicofextraordinaryenergyand

rhythmicvitality,musicmoresubtlethanitseemsatfirst

hearing.Therearescenesandariasthatstillsoundlikecalls

toarmsandwereclearlyunderstoodassuchwhentheywerefirst

performed.Suchpieceslendanimmediacytotheotherwise

veiledpoliticalmessageoftheseoperasandcallupfeelings

beyondthoseoftheoperaitself.

OrconsiderVerdi'streatmentofcharacter.BeforeVerdi,there

wererarelyanycharactersatallinmusicaldrama,onlya

seriesofsituationswhichallowedthesingerstoexpressa

seriesofemotionalstates.Anyattempttofindcoherent

psychologicalportrayalintheseoperasismisplacedingenuity.

Theonlycoherencewasthesinger'svocaltechnique:whenthe

eastchanged,newariaswerealmostalwayssubstituted,

generallyadaptedfromotheroperas.Verdi'scharacters,onthe

otherhand,havegenuineconsistencyandintegrity.Evenif,

inmanycases,theconsistencyisthatofpasteboardmelodrama,

theintegrityofthecharacterisachievedthroughthemusic:

oncehehadbecomeestablished.Verdididnotrewritehismusic

fordifferentsingersorcountenancealterationsor

substitutionsofsomebodyelse'sariasinoneofhisoperas,

aseveryeighteenth-centurycomposerhaddone.Whenherevised

anopera,itwasonlyfordramaticeconomyandeffectiveness.

Thispassageismainly

A.asurveyofdramamusic.

B.abouttheelementsinpopularmusic.

C.areviewofpopularart.

D.aboutdramaticeconomyandeffectiveness.

7、

Thewriterassertsthatthedefinitionofpopularartis

A.quiteaccurate.

B.ratherelusive.

C.fairlyclear.

D.verydubious.

8、

ItcanbeinferredfromthetextthattheachievementsbyVerdi

A.aretoosubtletorecognize.

B.defyanyprecisedefinition.

C.aretheenvyofhistimes.

D.earnhimgreatreputation.

9、

Thewritermentionsthepoliticalelementsin19thcentury

operatoillustrate

A.thepoliticalmessagesexposed.

B.theuniversalrecognitionofhighart.

C.theintendedchangesinpopularart.

D.heroes'andheroines，mentalstates.

10、

Accordingtothetext,Verdi'screativetreatmentof

charactersisperformedthrough

A.hisfrequentre-writingofanopera.

B.hiscoherentpsychologicalportrayal.

C.hisconsistentaspirationtohighart.

D.hiseffectivemaneuversofmusic.

11、Biologically,thereisonlyonequalitywhich

distinguishesusfromanimals:theabilitytolaugh.Ina

universewhichappearstobeutterlydevoidofhumor,weenjoy

thissupremeluxury.Anditisaluxury,forunlikeanyother

bodilyprocess,laughterdoesnotseemserveabiologically

usefulpurpose.Inadividedworld,alaughterisaunifying

force.Humanbeingsopposeeachotheronagreatmanyissues.

Nationsmaydisagreeaboutsystemsofgovernmentandhuman

relationsmaybeplaguedbyideologicalfactionsandpolitical

camps,butweallsharetheabilitytolaugh.Andlaughter,in

turn,dependsonthemostcomplexandsubtleofall-human

qualities:asenseofhumor.Certaincomicstereotypeshavea

universalappeal.Thiscanbestbeseenfromtheworld-wide

popularityofCharlieChaplain，searlyfilms.Thelittleman

atoddswithsocietyneverfailstoamusenomatterwhich

countrywecomefrom.Asthatgreatcommentatoronhumanaffairs,

Dr.SamuelJohnson,onceremarked,“Menhavebeenwiseinvery

differentmodes;buttheyhavealwayslaughedinthesameway”.

Asenseofhumormaytakevariousformsandlaughtermaybe

anythingfromrefinedtinkletoanearthquakingroar,butthe

effectisalwaysthesame.Humorhelpsustomaintainacorrect

senseofvalues.Itistheonequalitywhichpoliticalfanatics

appeartolack.Ifwecanseethefunnyside,wenevermakethe

mistakeoftakingourselvestooseriously.Wearealways

remindedthattragedyisnotreallyfarremovedfromcomedy,

sowenevergetalopsidedviewofthings.

Thisisoneofthechieffunctionsofsatireandirony.Human

painandsufferingaresogrim;wehoversooftenonthebrink

ofwar,politicalrealitiesareusuallyenoughtoplungeusinto

totaldespair.Insuchcircumstances,cartoonsandsatirical

accountsofsomberpoliticaleventsredressthebalance.They

takethewindoutofpompousandarrogantpoliticianswhohave

losttheirsenseofproportion.Theyenableustoseethatmany

ofourmostprofoundactionsaremerelycomicorabsurd.We

laughwhenagreatsatiristlikeSwiftwritesaboutwarsin

Gulliver，sTravels.TheLilliputiansandtheirneighbors

attackeachotherbecausetheycan,tagreewhichendtobreak

anegg.Welaughbecausewearemeanttolaugh;hutwearemeant

toweeptoo.Itisnowonderthatintotalitarianregimesany

satireagainsttheEstablishmentiswhollybanned.Itistoo

powerfulweapontobeallowedtoflourish.

Thesenseofhumormustbesingledoutasman,smostimportant

qualitybecauseitisassociatedwithlaughter.Andlaughter,

inturn,isassociatedwithhappiness.Courage,determination,

initiative一thesearequalitieswesharewithotherformsof

life.Butthesenseofhumorisanuniquehumanquality.If

happinessisoneofthegreatgoalsoflife,thenitisthesense

ofhumorthatprovidesthekey.

TheauthorquotesDr.SamuelJohnson，swordsto.

A.spotlighttheunifyingforceofasenseofhumor.

B.stresstheharmonybetweenindividualsandsociety.

C.highlighttheincomparableluxuryofhumor.

D.showthedistinctionbetweenhumansandanimals.

12、

Accordingtotheauthor,“politicalfanatics”(Para.2)more

oftenthannotfallvictimto

A.politicalrealities.

B.wildillusions.

C.adversecomments.

D.noblequalities.

13、

Accordingtothe4thparagraph,whatintereststheauthoris

thatsomepoliticiansfailto

A.perceivethevalueofhumor.

B.gainacorrectsenseofvalues.

C.distinguishcomedyfromtragedy.

D.realizedangersofhypocrisy.

14、

Towhichofthefollowingistheauthorlikelytoagree?

A.Governmentagenciesareoftenaninappropriatesubjectfor

humor.

B.Asenseofhumorinevitablypromptsustotakeourselves

seriously.

C.Manyissuesontrivialitiesmayariseforlackofasense

ofhumor.

D.Thepursuitforhappinessisoneofthegreatestgoalsin

ourlife.

15、

Thebesttitleforthetextmaybe

A.Variousfunctionsofhumor.

B.Developall-humanqualities.

C.Differentsolutionstoconflicts.

D.Makeuseofhumorwisely.

16>Thehousingmarkethasbeenfortwoyearsproppingup

consumers'spiritswhiletherestoftheeconomyliesexhausted

onthefloor,stilltryingtostruggletoitsfeet.According

totheNationalAssociationofRealtors,thenationalmedian

existing-homepriceendedtheyearat$164,000,up7.1percent

from2022.That'sthestrongestannualincreasesince1980.

Althoughresidentialrealestateactivitymakesuplessthan

8%oftotalU.S.GDP,ahousingmarketlikethisonecanmake

thedifferencebetweenpositiveandnegativegrowth.Most

significantly,consumerspendingis66%ofGDP,andthe

purchaseofanewhometendstohavean"umbrellaeffect'on

thehomeowner'sspendingashehastostockitwithawasher/

dryer,anewbig-screenTV,andmaybeaswingsetfortheyard.

Themainfactorinhousing，scontinuedstrengthisaclassic

economicexampleofzero-sumboom:thepersistentweakness

everywhereelse.Asthe2022recoverycontinuestobemore

forecastthanreality.Fallingstockpricesraisedinvestor

appealforU.S.TreasuryBonds,whichinturn,allowedmost

interestratestodrifteven1ower.Buttherearenotmanysigns

thatthere'sabubblereadytoburst.

December'snewrecordinhousingstarts,forexample,was

nicelymatchedbythenewrecordinnewhomesales.Ifyoubuild

it,theywillbuyandevenifaneconomicpickupstartstoreduce

housing'srelativeattractiveness,there,snoreasonwhy

modesteconomicgrowthandimprovedconsumermoodcan'thelp

sustaininghousing'sstrength."Themomentumgainedfromlow

mortgageinterestrateswillcarrystronghomesalesinto2022,

withanimprovingeconomyoffsettingmodestlyhighermortgage

interestratesastheyearprogresses”,saidDavidLereah,

chiefeconomistattheNationalAssociationofRealtors.

Justashousinghastakenupmuchoftheeconomicslackforthe

pasttwoyears,bothasacomfortinginvestmentforfretting

consumersandadriverofconsumerspendingitself,abigbump

elsewhereintheeconomyin2022couldbehousing;sdownfall.

Ifstocksroarbackthisspring,capitalinflowscouldsteal

fromthebondmarket,pushinguplong-terminterestrates.Or

AlanGreenspanandtheFedcoulddothesametoshort-termrates,

asawaytohitthebrakesonarecoverythatisheatinguptoo

fast.Inotherwords,ifeverythingpossiblegoeswrongfor

housing,homeownersshouldhaveplentytocompensatethemin

termsofjobsecurityandincomehikes.

Theauthordrawsasharpcontrastbetweenthehousingmarket

andtherestoftheeconomysoastoshow

A.theboomofrealestateactivity.

B.thestatisticsonhomeprices.

C.theroleofhousingmarket.

D.thedegreeofconsumerspirits.

17、

Howdotheconsumersfeelabouttheirinvestmentinthehousing

market?

A.Apprehensive.

B.Reassured.

C.Indignant.

D.Annoyed.

18、

Aclassiceconomicexampleofzero-sumboom(Paragraph3)

connotes

A.economicslack.

B.continuedstrength.

C.economicrecovery.

D.jobsecurity.

19、

Whenmentioningthe"umbrellaeffect”(Para.2),theauthor

istalkingabout

A.bondmarket.

B.stockexchange.

C.housingmarket.

D.electricappliances.

20、

Towhichofthefollowingistheauthormostlikelytoagree?

A.Naturepassesnurture.

B.Manproposes,Goddisposes.

C.Faithmovesmountains.

D.Factsspeaklouderthanwords.

21、PartB(10points)

Inthefollowingtext,somesentenceshavebeenremoved.

ChoosethemostsuitableonefromthelistA一Gtofitintoeach

ofthenumberedblank.Therearetwoextrachoices,whichdo

notfitinanyofthegaps.

Thetragicimpactofthemoderncityonthehumanbeinghas

killedhissenseofaesthetics,thematerialbenefitsofan

affluentsocietyhavedivertedhisattentionfromhiscityand

itsculturalpotentialstotheproductsofscienceand

technology,washingmachines,centralheating,automatic

cookers,televisionsets,computersandfittedcarpets.Heis,

atthemoment,drunkwithdemocracy,well-to-do,acardriver,

andhasneverhaditsogood.

Heisreluctanttowalk.Statisticsrevealthatthedistance

heispreparedtowalkfromhisparkingplacetohisshopping

centerisveryshort.(41).Congestionhasbecomethe

predominantfactorinhisenvironment,andstatisticssuggest

thattwocarsperhouseholdsystemmaysoonmakemattersworse.

(42)."Puttinglandtoitshighestandbestuse“becomes

theprincipaleconomicstandardinurbangrowth.This

speculativeapproachandthepressureofincreasingpopulation

leadstothe"vertical"growthofcitieswiththeresultthat

peopleareforcedtoadjustthemselvestocongestioninorder

tomaintaintheserelativelyartificiallandvalues.

Paradoxicallytheremedyforremovingcongestionistocreate

moreofit.

Partialdecentralization,orrather,pseudo-decentralization,

intheform,oflargedevelopmentunitsawayfromthe

traditionaltowncenters,only,shiftsthediseaseroundthe

anatomyofthetown;ifitisnotcombinedwiththeremodeling

ofthetown*stransportationsystem,itdoesnotcureit.

(43).

Itiswithinourpowertobuildbettercitiesandrevivethe

civicprideoftheircitizens,butweshallhavetostop

operatingonthefringeoftheproblem.Weshallhaveradically

toreplanthemtoachievearationaldensityofpopulation.We

shallhavetoprovideinthemwhatcanbecalledminimum

''psychologicalelbowroom”.(44).Wemustcollect,inan

organizedmanner,allandcompleteinformationaboutthecity

orthetown,ifwewanttoplaneffectively.

Theprincipalunitinthisprocessis"IM”(oneman).Wemust

notforgetthatcitiesarebuiltbypeople,andthattheirform,

andshapeshouldbesubjecttothewillofthepeople.

(45).The"man-educate'man,thehuman,willhavetoset

thetarget,andusingtheresultsobtainedbyscienceandhis

ownengineeringskill,takeuponhimselfthefinalshapingof

hisenvironment.Hewillhavetousehishighmoralsenseof

responsibilitytothecommunityandtofuturegenerations.

A.Newsystemsofcitymanagementmaybenecessarytocopewith

theneedsoftoday'surbanpopulations.Someplannersinsist

thatadecentraliseddecision-makingprocessisfundamentalto

ensuringthatcitiesworkforandnotagainstpeople.

B.Astherearenoadequateoff-streetparkingfacilities,the

citiesarelitteredwithkerb-parkedcarsandparkingmeters

rearthemselveseverywhere.

C.Heretheengineeringsolutionsarestronglyaffectedbythe

necessityforcomplicatedintersections,whichinturn,are

frustratedbytheextravagantcostofland.

D.Scientificmethodsofdatacollectionandanalysiswill

indicatetrends,buttheywillnotdirectaction.Scientific

methodsareonlyaninstrument.

E.Theconvergenceofeconomicgrowth,populationgrowthand

urbanexpansionoffersbothgreatchallengesandgreat

potentialsforrealizingmetropolitansustainability.

F.Inthemeantime,insultisaddedtoinjuryby"landvalue”.

Thevalueoflandresultsfromitsuse;itsincomeisderived

fromtheserviceitprovides.Whenitsuseisintensified,its

incomeanditsvalueincrease.

G.Oneoftheingredientsofthiswillbepropertransportat

22、(42)

23、(43)

24、(44)

25、(45)

26、PartC

Directions:Readthefollowingtextcarefullyandthen

translatetheunderlinedsegmentsintoChinese.(10points)

SiliconValleyisamagnettowhichnumeroustalented

engineers,scientistsandentrepreneursfromoverseasflockin

searchoffame,fastmoneyandtoparticipateinatechnological

revolutionwhoseimpactonmankindwillsurelysurpassthe

epoch-makingEuropeanRenaissanceandIndustrialRevolutionof

thebygoneage.

(46)WiththerapidspreadoftheInternetsincetheearly1990s,

andtherelentlesstechnologicalinnovationsgeneratedthrough

it,theinformationeraistrulyuponus,profoundly-

influencingandchangingnotonlyourlifestyle,butalsothe

waywework,dobusiness,thinkandcommunicatewithothers.

(47)Theunprecedentedsuccessofth