2012考研英语基础阶段测试卷及答案(第一次).doc

Section I Structure and VocabularyIn each question, decide which of the four choices given will most suitably complete the sentence if inserted at the place marked. Put your choice on the answer sheet. (20 points)1. A variety of small clubs can provide _ opportunities for leadership, as well as for practice in successful group dynamics.A durable B excessive C surplus D multiple 2. By turning this knob to the right you can _ the sound from this radio.A amplify B enlarge C magnify D reinforce3. Under the _ confronting them it was impossible to continue the strike any longer.A surroundings B settings C circumstances D environments4. We have the system of exploitation of man by man.A cancelled B abolished C refused D rejected5. We shall probably never be able to _ the exact nature of these sub-atomic particles.A assert B impart C ascertain D notify6. This diploma _ that you have completed high school.A proves B certifies C secures D approves7. Up until that time, his interest had focused almost _ on fully mastering the skills and techniques of his craft.A restrictively B radically C inclusively D exclusively8. That sound doesnt _ in his language so its difficult for him to pronounce.A happen B take place C occur D run9. The security guard _ two men who were yelling in the courtroom.A expelled B propelled C repelled D dispelled10. In most cases politicians are _ as they seldom tell the truth.A credible B credulous C incredulous D incredible11. He soon received promotion, for his superiors realized that he was a man of considerable _.A future B possibility C ability D opportunity12. Britain has the highest _ of road traffic in the worldover 60 cars for every mile of road.A density B intensity C popularity D prosperity13. CCTV programs are _ by satellite to the remotest areas in the country.A transferred B transported C transformed D transmitted14. An energy tax would curb ordinary air pollution, limit oil imports and cut the budget _.A disposition B deficit C defect D discrepancy15. The government will _ a reform in the educational system.A initiate B initial C initiative D intimate16. Estimates _ anywhere from 600 000 to 3 million. Although the figure may vary, analysts do agree on another mater: that the number of the homeless is increasing. One of the federal governments studies predicts that the number of the homeless will reach nearly 19 million by the end of this decade.A cover B change C differ D range17. As time went by, computers became smaller and more powerful, and they became “personal” too, as well as institutional, with display becoming sharper and storage _ increasing.A ability B capability C capacity D faculty18. It soon becomes clear that the interior designers most important basic _ is the function of the particular space. For example, a theater with poor sight lines, poor sound-shaping qualities, and too few entries and exits will not work for its purpose, no matter how beautifully it might be decorated.A care B concern C attention D intention19. The purpose of non-REM sleep is even more mysterious. The new experiments, such as those _ for the first time at a recent meeting or the society for Sleep Research in Minneapolis, suggest fascinating explanations for the purpose of non-REM sleep. A maintained B described C settled D afforded20. Changes in the social structure may indirectly _ juvenile crime rates. For example, changes in the economy that lead to fewer job opportunities for youth and rising unemployment in general make gainful employment increasingly difficult to obtain. A affect B reduce C check D reflectSection II Use of EnglishRead the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (20 points)Health implies more than physical fitness. It also implies mental and emotional well-being. An angry, frustrated, emotionally 21 person in good physical condition is not 22 healthy. Mental health, therefore, has much to do 23 how a person copes with the world as s/he exists. Many of the factors that 24 physical health also affect mental and emotional well-being. Having a good self-image means that people have positive 25 pictures and good, positive feelings about themselves, about what they are capable 26 , and about the roles they play. People with good self-images like themselves, and they are 27 like others. Having a good self-image is based 28 a realistic, as well as positive, or optimistic 29 of ones own worth and value and capabilities. Stress is an unavoidable, necessary, and potentially healthful 30 of our society. People of all ages 31 stress. Children begin to 32 stress during prenatal development and during childbirth. Examples of stress-inducing 33 in the life of a young person are death of a pet, pressure to 34 academically, the divorce of parents, or joining a new youth group. The different ways in which individuals 35 to stress may bring healthful or unhealthy results. One person experiencing a great deal of stress may function exceptionally well 36 another may be unable to function at all. If stressful situations are continually encountered, the individuals physical, social, and mental health are eventually affected. Satisfying social relations are vital to 37 mental and emotional health. It is believed that in order to 38 , develop, and maintain effective and fulfilling social relationships people must 39 the ability to know and trust each other, understand each other, influence, and help each other. They must also be capable of 40 conflicts in a constructive way. 21. A unstable B unsure C imprecise D impractical22. A normally B generally C virtually D necessarily23. A on B at C to D with24. A signify B influence C predict D mark25. A intellectual B sensual C spiritual D mental26. A to be doing B with doing C to do D of doing27. A able better to B able to better C better to able D better able to28. A on B from C at D about29. A assessment B decision C determination D assistance30. A ideality B realization C realism D reality31. A occur B engage C confront D encounter32. A tolerate B sustain C experience D undertake33. A evidence B accidents C adventures D events34. A acquire B achieve C obtain D fulfill35. A respond B return C retort D reply36. A why B when C while D where37. A sound B all-round C entire D whole38. A illuminate B enunciate C enumerate D initiate39. A access B assess C process D possess40. A resolving B saluting C dissolving D solvingSection III Reading ComprehensionRead the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET (40 points)Text 1The period of adolescence, i.e., the period between childhood and adulthood, may be long or short, depending on social expectations and on societys definition as to what constitutes maturity and adulthood. In primitive societies adolescence is frequently a relatively short period of time, while in industrial societies with patterns of prolonged education coupled with laws against child labor, the period of adolescence is much longer and may include most of the second decade of ones life. Furthermore, the length of the adolescent period and the definition of adulthood status may change in a given society as social and economic conditions change. Examples of this type of change are the disappearance of the frontier in the latter part of the nineteenth century in the United States, and more universally, the industrialization of an agricultural society.In modern society, ceremonies for adolescence have lost their formal recognition and symbolic significance and there no longer is agreement as to what constitutes initiation ceremonies. Social ones have been replaced by a sequence of steps that lead to increased recognition and social status. For example, grade school graduation, high school graduation and college graduation constitute such a sequence, and while each step implies certain behavioral changes and social recognition, the significance of each depends on the socio-economic status and the educational ambition of the individual. Ceremonies for adolescence have also been replaced by legal definitions of status roles, right, privileges and responsibilities. It is during the nine years from the twelfth birthday to the twenty-first that the protective and restrictive aspects of childhood and minor status are removed and adult privileges and responsibilities are granted. The twelve-year-old is no longer considered a child and has to pay full fare for train, airplane, theater and movie tickets. Basically, the individual at this age loses childhood privileges without gaining significant adult rights. At the age of sixteen the adolescent is granted certain adult rights which increases his social status by providing him with more freedom and choices. He now can obtain a drivers license; he can leave public schools; and he can work without the restrictions of child labor laws. At the age of eighteen the law provides adult responsibilities as well as rights; the young man can now be a soldier, but he also can marry without parental permission. At the age of twenty-one the individual obtains his full legal rights as an adult. He now can vote, he can buy liquor, he can enter into financial contracts, and he is entitled to run for public office. No additional basic rights are acquired as a function of age after majority status has been attained. None of these legal provisions determine at what point adulthood has been reached but they do point to the prolonged period of adolescence.41. The period of adolescence is much longer in industrial societies because _.A the definition of maturity has changedB the industrialized society is more developedC more education is provided and laws against child labor are made（C）D ceremonies for adolescence have lost their formal recognition and symbolic significance42. Former social ceremonies that used to mark adolescence have given place to _.A graduations from schools and collegesB social recognitionC socio-economic status（A）D certain behavioral changes43. No one can expect to fully enjoy the adulthood privileges until he is _.A eleven years oldB sixteen years oldC twenty-one years old（C）D between twelve and twenty-one years old44. Starting from 22, _.A one will obtain more basic rightsB the older one becomes, the more basic rights he will haveC one wont get more basic rights than when he is 21（C）D one will enjoy more rights granted by society45. According to the passage, it is true that _.A in the late 19th century in the United States the dividing line between adolescence and adulthood no longer existedB no one can marry without the permission of his parents until the age of twenty-oneC one is considered to have reached adulthood when he has a drivers license（A）D one is not free from the restrictions of child labor laws until he can join the armText 2Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain? Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction” between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplaceall that re-engineering and downsizingare only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much “re-engineering” has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long term profitability. BBDOs Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish“the worst sort of ambulance cashing.”46. According to the author, the American economic situation is _.A not as good as it seemsB at its turning pointC much better than it seems（A）D near to complete recovery47. The official statistics on productivity growth _.A exclude the usual rebound in a business cycleB fall short of businessmens anticipationC meet the expectation of business people（B）D fail to reflect the true state of economy48. The author raises the question “what about pain without gain?” because _.A he questions the truth of “no gain without pain”B he does not think the productivity revolution worksC he wonders if the official statistics are misleading（B）D he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses49. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?A Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity.B New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity.C The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long term profitability.（A）D The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings.50. According to the passage, the authors attitude towards the productivity revolution in the U.S.A is _.A biased B optimisticC ambiguousD negativeText 3Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable price, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for labour, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television license would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or tube would cost 20 per cent more. And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a guarantee of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Apart from the fact that twenty-seven acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare promote a product that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for mercifully the public has the good sense not to buy the inferior article more than once. If you see an article consistently advertised, it is the surest proof I know that the article does what is claimed for it, and that it represents good value. Advertising does more for the material benefit of the community than any other force I can think of.There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television personality declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was drawing excessively fine distinctions. Of course advertising seeks to persuade. If its message were confined merely to informationand that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasive advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants.51. By the first sentence of the passage the author means that _.A he is fairly familiar with the cost of advertisingB everybody knows well that advertising is money consumingC advertising costs money like everything elseD it is worthwhile to spend money on advertising52. In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the advantages of advertising?A Securing greater fame.C Enhancing living standards.B Providing more jobs.D Reducing newspaper cost.53. The author deems that the well-known TV personality is _.A very precise in passing his judgment on advertisingB interested