2024年考研英語一閱讀理解80篇試題及答案

考研英語閱讀理解80篇

(英語一)

目錄

Unit1 1

Unit2 9

Unit3 17

Unit4 25

Unit5 33

Unit6 41

Unit7 49

Unit8 57

Unit9 65

Unit10 73

Unit11 81

Unit12 89

Unit13 97

Unit14 105

Unit15 113

Unit16 121

Unit17 129

Unit18 137

Unit19 145

Unit20 153

參考答案 162

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UnitF1

Text1

Withinflationatitshighestratesince1982,thetopicseemstobeoneveryone'sminds,frompolicymakerstoshoppers.Theworryisespeciallyacuteasinflationappearstoberisingstill.

Inflationtendstobeunderstoodashigherpricesresultingeitherfromincreasedcosts—globalsupply-chainissuesandhard-to-findworkers—orfromincreaseddemand,suchaseasymonetarypolicyfromtheFederalReserveandblowoutspendingfromCongress.Butthere'sanothersignificantfactoratplay:Priceincreasesalsoarisefromgrowthintheperceivedvalueofeconomicofferings.Consumervalueshaveshiftedgreatlyovertheyears,mostnotablyfromgoodsandservicestoexperiences.Fundamentally,experiencesoffertimewellspent.Peoplevaluethetimetheyspendinexperiences,resultinginamemory.

Unfortunately,thegovernmentstillclassifiesexperiencesasservices.Thelatter,however,merelyprovidetimewellsaved.Thedisparityinvalueistooprofoundbetweengoingtoadrycleanerandaconcert.Worse,theBureauofLaborStatisticshasyettocatchuptothisshiftintheeconomy.Thestandardmarketbasketitusestomeasuretheconsumer-priceindex(CPI)isstillweightedtoomuchtowardgoodsandtraditionalservices.Theresult:TheCPIfordecadeshasbeenmeasuredaslowerthantheactualrate.Shouldn'twebemorepreciseinmeasuringhowpeopleactuallyspendmoney?

For40years(1981-2021),thepricetogotoWaltDisneyWorldhasgoneup2.3timesasfastastheCPI.Isthatbecauseitscosts—cast-memberwages,ride-buildingsupplies—havegoneupsomuchmorethaninotherbusinesses?Hardly.It'sbecauseofmoreengagingandimmersiverides,greatlyexpandedareas,shorterwaittimesandmorepersonalattention.That'swhyWaltDisneyWorldoutpacedmeasuredinflationbysogreatarate—becauseconsumersvalueitsexperiencemorethantheaveragemarket-basketgoodandarewillingtopaymuchmoreforitrelativetootherofferings.Thissameeffectistrueforthemyriadexperiencesthatmakeuptoday's“ExperienceEconomy."

Consumersalsovaluetheirtimemorehighlythantheyusedto.Theywantgoodsandservicestobecommodities—boughtatthelowestpossiblepriceandgreatestpossibleconvenience—sotheycanspendtheirhard-earnedmoneyandtheirharder-earnedtimeonexperiencestheyvaluemorehighly.

Thisistrueforseveralreasons,amongthemthataveragehouseholdincomehasincreasedenoughtopayforalmostallthenecessary"stuff."Oneofthethingsthepandemicmadecleareristhatwhatgiveslifemeaningisn'tstuffbutsharedexperiences—withfamily,lovedones,colleagues,andevenstrangers.

Thefederalgovernmentneedstorecognizeexperiencesasthedistincteconomicofferingtheyareandaccuratelytakethemintoaccountinitsstatistics,includinghowthestandardmarketbaskethasshiftedtowardexperiencesandhowmuchfastertheyincreaseinvalue—andthereforeprice—thanservices.Thatwouldleadtoabetterunderstandingoftheeconomy.[486words]

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1.Alessrecognizedcauseofinflationistheincreasein[A]thecostsofworkerturnover.

[B]governmentfiscalspending.

[C]thepricesofgoodsandservices.

[D]theperceivedvalueofexperiences.

2.InParagraph3,theauthorshowshisconcernthat

[A]experiencesaremiscategorizedasservices.

[B]theCPIexaggeratestheactualrateofinflation.

[C]experiencesandservicesdiffertoomuchinvalue.[D]theCPIgivesunequalweightstovariousservices.

3.WaltDisneyWorldismentionedtoshowthat

[A]entertainmentgrowsfasterthanothersectors.

[B]consumersprioritizeexperiencesovergoods.

[C]wagegrowthisdramaticallyoutpacinginflation.[D]goodsareincreasinglymarketedasexperiences.

4.WhichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtoParagraphs5and6?

[A]Scarcityoftimekeepsconsumersfrommakinginformeddecisions.[B]Highincomeallowsconsumerstoputconvenienceaheadofprice.[C]Thepandemicmakesithardforfamiliestoaffordbasicnecessities.[D]Thepandemichasremindedpeopletotreasurehumanconnection.

5.Theauthorsuggeststhatthefederalgovernmentshould[A]differentiatebetweenalltypesofexperiences.

[B]includeexperiencesinitseconomicstatistics.

[C]useafixedmarketbasketofgoodsandservices.[D]upgradetheservicesectortosustainitsgrowth.

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Text2

WhenElizabethHolmeswenttocourtlastyeartoface11chargesofdefraudinginvestorsandpatientsthroughherdisgracedbiotechcompanyTheranos,itlookedlikeSiliconValleyitselfwasontrial.Ifthecourtcamedownhardonher,itcouldendthe"fakeittillyoumakeit"mantrathatseededsomanysuccessfultechfirms.

Her$9billionvaluationwasachievedbypitchingaproductthatwasappealingintheorybutdidn'tworkinpractice(andquitepossiblyneverwould).Plentyofothertechnologycompanieshavedonethis.Asoneventurecapitalistputit,it'sthefineartof"sellingthefuture".

ButnowHolmeshasbeenfoundguiltyonfourofthose11chargesandfacesyearsofprisontime.Shouldweexpectachillingeffectonthestartupsoftomorrow?Policeactionhashadthateffectinthepast.Forinstance,thepowerfulhacktivistcollectiveAnonymousquicklycollapsedafterseveralofitstopfigureheadswerearrestedandhauledofftoprison.

Yetwithmoremoneythaneversloshingaroundintechnology,SiliconValley'smostnotoriousbusinessstrategyoffakingprogresswillprobablycontinueunabated.Thereason:supplyanddemand.Globally,venturecapitalfirmsdoubledtheamountofmoneytheyinvestedintechnologystartupsin2021,to$675billion.SpurredonbytheriseofpowerfulfundslikeTigerGlobalManagementLLCandSoftBankGroupCorp.,ventureinvestorsaretoobusymakingsuretheycatchthenextbigthingbeforetheircompetitorstoworryaboutwhetherthey'rebeingliedto.

Theburgeoningfieldofartificialintelligenceisespeciallyprimedforfakery:Thetechnologysoundsmagicalandisdifficulttounderstandandprove.Forinstance,manycompanieswhoclaimtohavedevelopedalgorithmsthatcanrecognizecomplicatedimagesorderivemeaningfromtextwithmachinelearningdon'talwaysmentionthathumansareoftendoingmuchofthatworkbehindthescenes.

ThepracticeofhidinghumaninputinAIsystemsisanopensecretinthemachinelearningandAIcommunity.A2019analysisoftechstartupsinEuropefoundthat40%ofsupposedAIstartupsshowednoevidenceofactuallyusingartificialintelligenceintheirproducts.

Here'swhatwillchange,though.Newspublicationsthatbreathlesslycoveredinnovationsfromtechnologystartupsasearlysuccesses,withoutproperlyscrutinizingthem,arealreadycastingamorecautiouseyeonsuchfirms.Lifehasalsobecomemoredifficultforbiotechanddiagnosticscompanies.Andanytechcompanythatappointsgray-hairedpoliticosanddignitariestotheirboardwillrightlyfacegreaterscrutinythanbefore.

Butthebroaderpracticeofsellingthefutureisunlikelytochange.ThestoryofElizabethHolmesisfascinating,butitisnotrepresentativeofmoststartupsthatarecontinuingtocapitalizeonastonishingnewlevelsoffunding,howevertruthfultheychoosetobe.[466words]

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6.WhatcanbelearnedaboutElizabethHolmesfromthefirsttwoparagraphs?[A]Herstoryredefinessuccessfortechcompanies.

[B]HertrialisatestofSiliconValleystartupculture[C]Hercompanygainedscalebycopyingothers.

[D]Herproductideasaretoofaraheadofourtimes.

7.ItisarguedinParagraphs3and4thattheinfluenceoftheHolmescaseonventureinvestorsis[A]tremendous.

[B]adverse.

[C]minimal.

[D]temporary.

8.Thefieldofartificialintelligenceismentionedtoshowthat

[A]companiesoftenmakeexaggeratedclaimsoftheirAIcapabilities.[B]startupstendtohavedifficultyindevelopingtheirownalgorithms.[C]artificialintelligencecannotreplacehumancreativity.

[D]developingAIproductsrequiresalotofhumaninput.

9.Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthelasttwoparagraphs?[A]Techstartupswillgetmoreattentionfrommedia.

[B]Peoplewillbemorecautiousaboutbiotechnews.

[C]Politicianssittingonboardswillfacegreaterscrutiny.[D]Techstartupswillstickwiththeirfundraisingstrategy.

10.Whatisthetextcenteredon?

[A]Theeffectsofabusinessstrategy.[B]Theethicsofabusinessstrategy.[C]Theinfluenceofacourtruling.

[D]Thedebatesoveracourtruling.

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Text3

Frenchcare-homeoperatorOrpeawasonceabetonbetterretirement.Inanagingsociety,demandforlong-termcarewouldonlyrise—andsowoulddemandforlong-termreturns,hencewhyCanada'stoppensionfundboughta15%stakein2013.Itwasgoingtobethevirtuouscircleofthe“silvereconomy"inaction—retirementasanassetclass.

Thevirtuouscirclenowlookslikeaviciousone.Afteryearsofgrowth,some3.4billioneuroshasbeenwipedoffOrpea'smarketvalueinthetwoweekssinceabombshellbook,"TheGravediggers,"byVictorCastanet,publishedallegationsaboutmistreatmentatitscarehomes

Thesectorisnostrangertosuchallegations,buttheycutdeepafterCovid-19'scrueltolltheelderly.What'sdifferenthereisthedoubtshittingOrpeaarespreadingtothepremiumendofthecaremarket,justasretireesfacelonger-termeconomicchallengesinaworldofrisinginflationandcare-staffingshortagesafteromicron.WhatreallycausedresentmenttotheFrenchpublicareaccusationsofmistreatmentwithinacompanyofferingroomsfor7,000eurospermonth.Thisisafirmtargetingagingsocietieswithhighpurchasingpower.

Whathappensnextislikelytoinvolveatightergovernmentleashonthesector.Betterregulationwillbringextrascrutiny,butitwilllikelybealonganduphillbattlebeforecustomers'andinvestors'mindsareatrest.LombardOdier'sHenkGrootveld,whomanagesthe“GoldenAge"investmentfund,saysthathisfundalreadyavoidsinvestinginnursinghomesinfavorofcheaperalternativessuchasin-homecare,whichFrancewantstopromote.

Thisisalsoanopportunitytograpplewithbiggersystemicquestionsaboutlong-termcare,asdemographicsandstaffingshortagessuggestadireneedtoinvestintrainingandpay.Thepopulationofover-80sinthedevelopedworldwillincreaseto10%ofthepopulationfromaround5%by2050,accordingtotheOECD.Meanwhile,theworkingpopulationavailabletosupportonepersonagedover65willhalvefromaboutfourin2012totwoonaverageoverthenext40years.Thehardtruthisthatalotoftheseadjustmentswillconflictwithourretirementdreams.

SowhileMacronmaybejustifiablyshockedbytheOrpeascandal,theseareatheartpoliticalquestionsabouthowwelfarestates,alreadystretchedthin,willfundgenerousretirementyearsifourlivesastlonger.Thebusinessofassetmanagementandinsurancewillbeabeneficiaryofthesilvereconomyasweworkandsaveforlonger.Butmarketsneedgovernmentattentiontoo:increasinglyunaffordablehousingandspeculativetradingofcryptocurrencies,seenasagoldenticket,coulddelivertheoppositeofasafenestegg.

ThepressuretoactafterOrpeaisundeniable.Butifthere'sonesilverliningtoasilver-economyscandal,it'stheurgentmessageitsendstotheyoung.[474words]

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11.ThepercentageofOrpeastakeheldbyCanada'stoppensionfundreflects[A]ademandfordiversifiedpensionfundingsources.

[B]ahighmarketconfidenceinthesilvereconomy.[C]theovervaluationofretirementasatypeofasset.[D]amodelforpublic-privatebusinesscooperation.

12.TheOrpeascandaldiffersfrompreviouscasesinthatit[A]hasincurredhugelossesforthecompany.

[B]chieflyinvolveslow-endcareserviceproviders.[C]affectsagreaternumberofretirees.

[D]hasstirredpublicdistrustoftheentiresector.

13.WhatislikelytohappenfollowingtheOrpeascandal,accordingtoParagraph4?[A]Thecaresectorwouldstrengthenself-regulation.

[B]Consumerswouldturntomoreexpensivecareoptions.

[C]Investorswoulddirecttheirfundsawayfromnursinghomes.[D]Thegovernmentwouldpromotecheaperalternatives.

14.ThefigurespublishedbytheOECDarecitedtoshowtheurgencyto

[A]delaytheretirementage.[B]increaseoldagepensions.[C]boostbirthrates.

[D]developthelong-termcareworkforce.

15.Forpeopletohaveagenerousretirementlife,theauthorsuggeststhatthegovernmentshould[A]extendthesocialsecurityprogram.

[B]ensureaffordablehealthinsurance.[C]tightenitscontrolovermarkets.

[D]raisetaxesonspeculativegains.

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Text4

Spotifyhasbeenindamagecontrolmode,tryingtoquelltheoutcryoverCovid-19misinformationspreadbyJoeRogan,thewildlypopularpodcasthost.Thestreamingservicereleaseditsinternalrulesprohibiting“dangerouscontent”.ButCEODanielEksuggestedthisisafreespeechissue.HestressedthatSpotifydoesn'twanttobecomea“contentcensor”andthatheiscommittedto“supportingcreatorexpression”.

That'swherehistroublestarts.HeishidingbehindthesameargumentthatplatformslikeFacebookandGooglemake—thatSpotifyisaplatformthatdistributescontentcreatedbyothers,butisn'treallyresponsibleforthatcontent.That'sadubiouspropositionforFacebookandGoogle—andit'scompletelyridiculouswhenitcomestoSpotify.

Spotifyisn'tsomesortneutralchannel.Itisn'tjustatoolthatpodcastersusetouploadtheirwork.It'sapublisher.Itmakesintentionalchoicesaboutthecontentitdistributes,especiallywhenitcomestoRogan.Thisisacrucialdistinction.SpotifypaidRoganareported$100millionforexclusiverightstohispodcast.Heisthestreamingservice'sbiggeststar.RoganisSpotify.There'snodaylightinbetweenthetwo.ForSpotifytomaintainthatit'snotresponsibleforwhatcomesoutofhismouth,orthatsomehowit'stoodifficulttomoderatetheircontent,isabsurd.

Publisherswouldbeliableiftheyintentionallypublishedfalseinformation.Theirrolewasalwaystoensurethatthenewstheypublishedwasaccurateandfair.Whensourcespushedfalsehoods,publishers'responsibilitywastochallengethemandtoreportthefacts—nottohandthemthemicrophoneandturnupthevolume

Thisisn'taFirstAmendmentissue.Roganandhisguestshavetherighttobelieveandsayanythingthey'dlike,withoutfearofgovernmentrevenge.ButtheConstitutiondoesn'tgivethemtherighttospreadmisinformationonanyplatformtheychoose.Spotify,asaprivatecompany,getstomakeitsownrules,tomakechoicesaboutwhatitallowsanddoesn'tonitsownair.Whatitdoesn'tgettodoissetrulesandthenpretenditisn'tresponsibleforenforcingthem.

Ek'ssuggestionthatmoderatingcontentwouldmakeSpotifya“censor"isespeciallyproblematic.It'sastrawmanargument:nobody'saskingSpotifytobeacensor,notevenitsharshestcritics.They'resimplyaskingittopublishstandardsandupholdthem.That'snot"censorship".It'sfactchecking.

Roganmaybethemostvisiblesupplierofmisinformation.Butwhat'sdisturbingis,there'salotmorewherehecamefrom.It'stimeforSpotifytowakeupandtakeresponsibility,andfinallyactlikethepublisheritalreadyis.[437words]

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16.AccordingtoDanielEk,Spotifyhasnointentionof[A]providingallservicesforfree.

[B]supportingcreatorexpression.[C]changinginternalspeechrules.[D]conductingcontentmoderation.

17.TheauthorthinksSpotifyisapublisherinthatit[A]deliberatelyselectswhatitdistributes.

[B]functionsasaneutralchannelforcreators.

[C]paysforexclusiverightstocreatorcontent.[D]makescreatorcontentavailabletothepublic.

18.Whatdoestheauthormeanby“handthemthemicrophoneandturnupthevolume”?[A]Listentothevoiceoftheweak.

[B]Recklesslychallengetheauthority.[C]Helpspreadfalseinformation.

[D]Publicizethemisinformationissue.

19.ItcanbelearnedfromParagraph5thatRogan'sspreadingCovidmisinformation[A]isafreespeechissue.

[B]goesagainsttheConstitution.

[C]isunderfederalinvestigation.

[D]highlightstheneedtosetrules.

20.ItissuggestedthatSpotify

[A]fact-checkitscontent.

[B]protectspeechfreedom.

[C]fulfillcensorshipdemands[D]safeguardcreators'rights.

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Unit2

Text1

Eversinceitsfirstantitrustlawpassedin1890,Americahasarguedoverwhattrustbustingisfor.Oneschool,namedafterLouisBrandeis,ajudge,holdsthatbigcompaniesmustbetamedbecausetheycorruptpoliticsanddamagecustomers,competitorsandstaff.Theothersaysthegoalofantitrustistoprotectthewelfareofconsumers,whichcanbeenhancedbybig,efficientfirms.Fordecadestheconsumerapproachhasbeenascendant,butnowtheconsensushasbrokendownandtrustbustersareheadinginaBrandeisiandirection.Thisisamistake.

Thechangeishappeningbecausecompetitionpolicyhasfallenshort.InAmericatheconsumerwelfarestandardisassociatedwithrulingsthatmakeitdifficultfortrustbusterstowinincourtunlesstheycanmeetobscurelegaltestsprovingthatafirmhasraisedorwillraiseprices.Competitionauthoritieshavelostcasestheyshouldhavewon,suchaswhenSprintandT-Mobilemerged,takingthenumberofmobilenetworksdowntothree.Theauthoritiesbecamegun-shyaboutbringingcases.

Thenewexpansiveandstridentapproachistempting,butitdidnotworkwellinthepast.Standingupforconsumers,whoarediffuse,doesnotcomenaturallytopoliticianswhotendtoindulgevocalandconcentratedinterests,suchasestablishedfirms,lobbyistsandunions.Beforetheconsumerwelfarestandardemergedinthe1970sand1980s,America'strustbustingwasarbitrary.In1949thegovernmentwonacaseagainstagrocerychain,A&P,whoselowpricesledagovernmentlawyertoaccuseitofbeing"agiganticbloodsucker,takingitstollfromalllevelsofthefoodindustry".

Insteadofaimingtoprotecteveryone,openingthedoortoclumsyinterventions,trustbustersshouldreformtheconsumerstandard.Regulatorsmustberealisticabouttheirabilitytoanticipateconsumers'needsandshouldnotpursuefirmspurelybecausetheyhavegrownbigbybeinguseful.ThelargeandfluidtechecosystemsofferedbyAlphabet,Amazonandothersshowthecomplexityofthetask:theyareinaninnovativephasewithnewservicesbeingcreatedthatarehighlypopularandtheyincreasinglycompetewitheachother.Itwouldbeeasytoerodethequalityoftheirproductswithill-judgedrules.

Akeystepistoidentifymarketpowerusingindicatorsthatgobeyondprice.Abusivedominantfirmstypicallyexhibitpersistentlyhighreturnsoncapital,highmarketsharesandfacealackofcrediblenewentrants.Intechthispointstoparticularservicessuchassearchandsmartphoneappstores.Forexample,Amazon'se-commercebusinessisbigbuthasmediocrereturnsandfacesnewcompetitors.

Oncedominantfirmshavebeenspotted,theyshouldfindithardertowinapprovalformergers.Theycould,forinstance,beobligedtoshowthatacquisitionswillpromoteconsumerwelfare.AnddefendantsshouldhavethebenefitofthedoubtlessofteninAmericanantitrustcasesofallkinds.Theremedyforthefailuresofcompetitionpolicyisnottoabandontheconsumerwelfarestandardbuttobringituptodate.[499words]

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1.Theauthorsuggeststhattrustbustingshould[A]protectcompetitorsandconsumers.

[B]reduceinequalityandfightcorruption.[C]makeconsumerwelfareatoppriority.[D]bemorepoliticisedandexpansive.

2.AccordingtoParagraph2,trustbustersarefacedwithdifficultiesin[A]providingclearantitrustregulations.

[B]showingproofofexcessivepricing.[C]challengingcourtrulingsopenly.

[D]breakingupbigmobilenetworks.

3.ThecaseagainstA&Pismentionedtoshow

[A]theinfluenceoflobbyistsonpoliticians.

[B]thegreatharmcausedbybigcompanies.

[C]theinadequacyoftheBrandeisianapproach.[D]theineffectivenessoftheconsumerstandard.

4.Whatdoestheauthormeanby“thecomplexityofthetask”(Line4,Paragraph4)?[A]Antitrustrulesmightbeharmfultoinnovation.

[B]Consumers'needsaretoodiversetoanticipate.[C]Bigcompaniesaregoodatevadingregulations.[D]Techecosystemsaretoopopulartoconstrain.

5.Whatcanbelearnedaboutdominantfirmsfromthelasttwoparagraphs?[A]Priceisthemostimportantindicatortoidentifythem.

[B]Theyturnouttobepromotersofconsumerwelfare.

[C]Theyhaveahigherchanceofattemptingacquisitions.[D]Theyshouldfindithardertowintrustfromregulators.

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Text2

ItisadepressingmeasureoftheBritishPrimeMinisterthatheshouldseektodestroytheBBC,thecountry'smostgloballyrespectedinstitution.Thatiswhatendingthelicencefee—acompulsorytaxthatprovidesalmostthree-quartersoftheBBC'sfunding—asproposedbyNadineDorries,culturesecretary,wouldhavemeant.Toitscredit,thecabinetrevoltedagainstthis.

Manyclaimthattheargumentsforawell-fundedpublicservicebroadcasterhavebeenunderminedbytherapidexpansionofnewmedia.OtherssaythattheBBCisbiased.Theyarewrong,onbothcounts.

Aboveall,thecaseforpublicservicebroadcastinghasbecomemorepowerfulinanageofmultiplyingnewmediaandnewsservices,notless.Publicservicebroadcastingoffersafoundationofsharednews,whichisofglobalrelevance:inanageoffakenews,theBBCWorldServiceisvital.Accordingtothelatestreportondigitalnews,BBCnewshasmuchthegreatestreachofanynewsorganisationintheUK,bothofflineandonline.Itisalsothemosttrustednewsbrand.Ofthe46countriescoveredbythereport,itistheAmericans,withthemostfragmentedandideologicallydividednewsmedia,whotrusttheirnewsleast.ThatisaleadingcauseandsymptomofthedivisionsnowthreateningUSdemocracy.

ManypeoplewhineaboutthelackofBBCimpartiality,especiallyoverBrexit.Othersagree,althoughintheoppositedirection:theBBC'sdeterminationtogiveequaltimetotheabsurdargumentsofBrexitersandthecorrectargumentsofRemainersreallywaslethal.ButthefactthatalmosteverybodyagreesthattheBBCfailedatthecoretaskofimpartialityshowsitsucceeded.Theobligationtobeimpartialatatimeofdeepdivisionsissuretobeobjectionabletoeverybody.TheBBCinfactdidmoretomakethereferendumanationaldebate,howeverflawed,thananyotherinstitution.

Streamingservicesandotherinnovationshaveindeedtransformedtheenvironment.TheBBCmustadapttothischange.Yet,in2019,publicservicebroadcastersprovidedapproximately32,000hoursofUK-originatedcontent,whereasNetflixandAmazonPrimecombinedprovided164hours.TheBBChasplayedahugeroleindevelopingourmodernculture.Doesanybodyimaginesomethingasproductivecouldreplaceit?

ItisveryreasonabletoaskwhethertheBBCshouldbefundeddifferently.Thereareotheroptions,notablyahouseholdlevy,asusedinGermany.Levieslinkedtocounciltaxorevenproportionaltoincome,mightalsobeanoption.Yetthefundamentalprinciplesremainvalid.WemustretaintheBBCasanindependentlyfundedpublicservicebroadcasterfreeofpoliticalcontrol.

Inourageofdivision,conspiracytheoriesandlies,theBBChasbecomemoreimportantthanever.Changesmustbemadecarefully.TheBBCbelongstoeverybody.Thegovernmentismerelythetemporarytrustee.Itsdutyistoactasone.[479words]

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6.WhatdidNadineDorriesproposedoingwiththeBBC?[A]Raisingitslicencefee.

[B]Reducingitsservices[C]Cuttingfundingforit.[D]Increasingtaxonit.

7.Publicservicebroadcastinghasbecomemoreimportantinthat[A]itcanhelpbridgedivisionsbetweencountries.

[B]itplaysanessentialroleincombatingfakenews.

[C]itcanhelpimproveacountry'sinternationalreputation.

[D]ithasamorefragmentedaudiencethanprivatebroadcasting.

8.TheauthorarguesthattheBBC'sreportingonBrexit[A]earnedpeerrespectandadmiration.

[B]revealeditsfairnessandobjectivity.

[C]wasbiasedagainstRemainers'arguments.

[D]failedinmakingtheissueanationaldebate

9.StreamingservicesarementionedinParagraph5to[A]showachangingmediaenvironment.

[B]stresstheirneedtoboostproductivity.

[C]suggestpossiblesubstitutesfortheBBC.[D]highlighttheBBC'sculturalsignificance.

10.OnefundamentalprincipleoffundingtheBBCis

[A]increasinganddiversifyingfundingsources.

[B]makingthelicencefeeproportionaltoincome.

[C]supplementingpublicfundswithprivatecapital.[D]keepingtheBBCindependentofthegovernment.

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Text3

AcontradictionsitsattheheartoftheBritisheducationsystem.Thecontradictionisthatthemixed-abilityprincipleofmostsecondaryschoolswasneverextendedtohighereducation,whichcontinuestobehighlystratified.Entrytoahandfulofeliteinstitutionsremainstheultimateprize.Asschoolspolicysoughttocreatealessdividedsociety,inwhichpeoplefromdifferentbackgroundswereexpectedtomix,universities(andthepolicymakersoverseeingthem)haveclungtohierarchies.Admissionsdataoverdecadeshasshownthesetobesocialaswellasintellectual,withthemoreaffluentclaimingadisproportionateshareofplaces.

Thedevelopmentofanewgroupofsuper-selectivestatesixthforms,whichthegovernmenthaspromisedtoaccelerateaspartofitslevellingupstrategy,isdesignedtoaddressthis.Comprehensivesstruggletocompetewiththehothouseconditionsofindependentandgrammarschools,someofwhich

havelinkstoOxbridgedatingbackcenturies.Afewacademicallyelitesixthformshavehadstrikingsuccesses.

Iftheaimistoboostthechancesofahandfulofunderprivilegedteenagersgettingtheirhandsononeofthesegoldentickets,teachingtheminahighlycompetitiveenvironmentmightseemtomakesense.Theproblemisthatthepurposeofpost-16educationismuchbroaderthanthis.Weneedasystemthatbenefitssocietyoverall,includingbyputtingmoreresourcesbehindimprovedvocat