2006-2012年考研英语text1及答案.docx

2006年考研英语（一）试题Part ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C, or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)Text 1In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference” characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of consumption” launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered “vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite,” these were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act.” The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that todays immigration is neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation - language, home ownership and intermarriage.The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English well or very well after ten years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.” Hence the description of America as a “graveyard” for languages. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans.Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.-born whites and blacks.” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nations assimilative power.”Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against Americas turbulent past, todays social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.21.The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means _.A identifyingB associatingC assimilating（C）D monopolizing22.According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century _.A played a role in the spread of popular cultureB became intimate shops for common consumersC satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite（A）D owed its emergence to the culture of consumption23.The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S. _.A are resistant to homogenizationB exert a great influence on American cultureC are hardly a threat to the common culture（C）D constitute the majority of the population24.Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?A To prove their popularity around the world.B To reveal the publics fear of immigrants.C To give examples of successful immigrants.（D）D To show the powerful influence of American culture.25.In the authors opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is _.A rewardingB successfulC fruitless（B）D harmful2006年考研英语（一）答案21.C22.A23.C24.D25.B2007年考研英语（一）试题Text 1If you were to examine the birth certificates of every soccer player in 2006s World Cup tournament, you would most likely find a noteworthy quirk: elite soccer players are more likely to have been born in the earlier months of the year than in the later months. If you then examined the European national youth teams that feed the World Cup and professional ranks, you would find this strange phenomenon to be even more pronounced.What might account for this strange phenomenon? Here are a few guesses: a) certain astrological signs confer superior soccer skills; b) winter-born babies tend to have higher oxygen capacity, which increases soccer stamina; c) soccer-mad parents are more likely to conceive children in springtime, at the annual peak of soccer mania; d) none of the above.Anders Ericsson, a 58-year-old psychology professor at Florida State University, says he believes strongly in “none of the above.” Ericsson grew up in Sweden, and studied nuclear engineering until he realized he would have more opportunity to conduct his own research if he switched to psychology. His first experiment, nearly 30 years ago, involved memory: training a person to hear and then repeat a random series of numbers. “With the first subject, after about 20 hours of training, his digit span had risen from 7 to 20,” Ericsson recalls. “He kept improving, and after about 200 hours of training he had risen to over 80 numbers.”This success, coupled with later research showing that memory itself is not genetically determined, led Ericsson to conclude that the act of memorizing is more of a cognitive exercise than an intuitive one. In other words, whatever inborn differences two people may exhibit in their abilities to memorize, those differences are swamped by how well each person “encodes” the information. And the best way to learn how to encode information meaningfully, Ericsson determined, was a process known as deliberate practice. Deliberate practice entails more than simply repeating a task. Rather, it involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome.Ericsson and his colleagues have thus taken to studying expert performers in a wide range of pursuits, including soccer. They gather all the data they can, not just performance statistics and biographical details but also the results of their own laboratory experiments with high achievers. Their work makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert performers whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming are nearly always made, not born.21.The birthday phenomenon found among soccer players is mentioned toA stress the importance of professional training.B spotlight the soccer superstars in the World Cup.C introduce the topic of what makes expert performance.（C）D explain why some soccer teams play better than others.22.The word “mania” (Line 4, Paragraph 2) most probably meansA fun.B craze.C hysteria.（B）D excitement.23.According to Ericsson, good memoryA depends on meaningful processing of information.B results from intuitive rather than cognitive exercises.C is determined by genetic rather than psychological factors.（A）D requires immediate feedback and a high degree of concentration.24.Ericsson and his colleagues believe thatA talent is a dominating factor for professional success.B biographical data provide the key to excellent performance.C the role of talent tends to be overlooked.（D）D high achievers owe their success mostly to nurture.25.Which of the following proverbs is closest to the message the text tries to convey?A “Faith will move mountains.”B “One reaps what one sows.”C “Practice makes perfect.”（C）D “Like father, like son.”2007年考研英语（一）答案21.C22.B23.A24.D25.C2008年考研英语（一）试题Text 1While still catching-up to men in some spheres of modern life, women appear to be way ahead in at least one undesirable category. “Women are particularly susceptible to developing depression and anxiety disorders in response to stress compared to men,” according to Dr. Yehuda, chief psychiatrist at New Yorks Veterans Administration Hospital.Studies of both animals and humans have shown that sex hormones somehow affect the stress response, causing females under stress to produce more of the trigger chemicals than do males under the same conditions. In several of the studies, when stressed-out female rats had their ovaries (the female reproductive organs) removed, their chemical responses became equal to those of the males.Adding to a womans increased dose of stress chemicals, are her increased “opportunities” for stress. “Its not necessarily that women dont cope as well. Its just that they have so much more to cope with,” says Dr. Yehuda. “Their capacity for tolerating stress may even be greater than mens,” she observes, “its just that theyre dealing with so many more things that they become worn out from it more visibly and sooner.”Dr. Yehuda notes another difference between the sexes. “I think that the kinds of things that women are exposed to tend to be in more of a chronic or repeated nature. Men go to war and are exposed to combat stress. Men are exposed to more acts of random physical violence. The kinds of interpersonal violence that women are exposed to tend to be in domestic situations, by, unfortunately, parents or other family members, and they tend not to be one-shot deals. The wear-and-tear that comes from these longer relationships can be quite devastating.”Adeline Alvarez married at 18 and gave birth to a son, but was determined to finish college. “I struggled a lot to get the college degree. I was living in so much frustration that that was my escape, to go to school, and get ahead and do better.” Later, her marriage ended and she became a single mother. “Its the hardest thing to take care of a teenager, have a job, pay the rent, pay the car payment, and pay the debt. I lived from paycheck to paycheck.”Not everyone experiences the kinds of severe chronic stresses Alvarez describes. But most women today are coping with a lot of obligations, with few breaks, and feeling the strain. Alvarezs experience demonstrates the importance of finding ways to diffuse stress before it threatens your health and your ability to function.21.Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?A Women are biologically more vulnerable to stress.B Women are still suffering much stress caused by men.C Women are more experienced than men in coping with stress.D Men and women show different inclinations when faced with stress.22.Dr. Yehudas research suggests that womenA need extra doses of chemicals to handle stress.B have limited capacity for tolerating stress.C are more capable of avoiding stress.D are exposed to more stress.23.According to Paragraph 4, the stress women confront tends to beA domestic and temporary.B irregular and violent.C durable and frequent.D trivial and random.24.The sentence “I lived from paycheck to paycheck.” (Line 6, Para. 5) shows thatA Alvarez cared about nothing but making money.B Alvarezs salary barely covered her household expenses.C Alvarez got paychecks from different jobs.D Alvarez paid practically everything by check.25.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?A Strain of Stress: No Way Out?B Responses to Stress: Gender DifferenceC Stress Analysis: What Chemicals SayD Gender Inequality: Women Under Stress2008年考研英语（一）答案21.A22.D23.C24.B25.D2009年考研英语（一）试题Text 1Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd, William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word habit carries a negative connotation.So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.But dont bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, theyre there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder, says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. But we are taught instead to decide, just as our president calls himself the Decider. She adds, however, that to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.All of us work through problems in ways of which were unaware, she says. Researchers in the late 1960 covered that humans are born with the capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively. At puberty, however, the brain shuts down half of that capacity, preserving only those modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and collaborative modes of thought. This breaks the major rule in the American belief system that anyone can do anything, explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will. and Ms. Markovas business partner. Thats a lie that we have perpetuated, and it fosters commonness. Knowing what youre good at and doing even more of it creates excellence. This is where developing new habits comes in.21.The view of Wordsworth habit is claimed by being _.A. casual B. familiar C. mechanical D. changeable22.The researchers have discovered that the formation of habit can be _A. predicted B. regulated C. traced D. guided23.ruts(in line one, paragraph 3) has closest meaning to _A. tracks B. series C. characteristics D. connections24.Ms. Markovas comments suggest that the practice of standard testing _?A, prevents new habits form being formedB, no longer emphasizes commonnessC, maintains the inherent American thinking modelD, complies with the American belief system25.Ryan most probably agree thatA. ideas are born of a relaxing mindB. innovativeness could be taughtC. decisiveness derives from fantastic ideasD. curiosity activates creative minds2009年考研英语（一）答案21.C22.D23.A24.D25.A2010年考研英语（一）试题Text 1Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage. It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact that their learned contents were once deemed suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies.We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared. In those far-off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. “So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,” Newman wrote, “that I am tempted to define journalism as a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are.”Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus, who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975, is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of Englands foremost classical-music critics, a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be so honored. Yet only one of his books is now in print, and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists.Is there any chance that Carduss criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote. Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death, and postmodern readers have little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat.21.It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 thatA arts criticism has disappeared from big-city newspapers.B English-language newspapers used t