专业英语八级-阅读理解(十二)

1、 专业英语八级-阅读理解(十二)(总分：98.98，做题时间：90 分钟)一、breading comprehension/b(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、btext a/b(总题数：1，分数：29.00)the economy stopped shrinking a year ago, but americas unemploymentproblem is as big as ever. the official jobless rate was 9.5% in july,and would be higher still had many people not given up sea

2、rching for work.some 45% of the unemployed have been out of a job for more than six months the highest proportion since the 1930s. and judging by the recent risein applications for unemployment benefits, the situation may soon getworse rather than better.why is joblessness still so high? the prevail

3、ing view among policymakersis that unemployment is a painful reflection of the economys weakness.americans are out of work because the slump was deep and the recovery hasbeen lackluster. stronger demand will eventually solve the problem.the main point of contention is whether policymakers should try

4、 to speedup that process with yet more fiscal or monetary stimulus. on thecongressional campaign trail republicans tout high unemployment as proofthat stimulus has failed, while democrats, though they dare not use thes word, argue that more must be done to prop up growth. at their annualgathering in

5、 jackson hole this week, federal reserve officials are chewingover when and how the fed might try to boost the feeble jobs market byprinting more money to buy government bonds.this focus on stimulus is understandable. americas economy is stilloperating well below its potential and there is little do

6、ubt that mostof the rise in unemployment is the direct result of this. but unemploymentis high for other reasons too ones largely neglected in the currentdebate. thanks to the scale and nature of the housing and financial bust,the labour market has almost certainly become less efficient at matchingt

7、he supply of jobseekers with the demand for workers.people saddled with mortgages worth more than their homes are less ableto move in pursuit of new jobs. the skills of those out of work disproportionately low- and medium-skilled men in construction andmanufacturing may not be those that employers n

8、ow need. extensions ofunemployment insurance by congress have been necessary but have alsoreduced incentives to seek work quickly. and long periods of joblessness in themselves make people less employable. all this erodes americas famedflexibility.if americas labour market is less efficient, the cou

9、ntrys structuralor natural rate of unemploymentwill be higher. the imf now reckons itmay have risen from 5% before the crisis to 6-6.75%. if so, aroundone-third of the rise in americas joblessness is impervious to thebusiness cycle and cannot be solved by boosting demand. that possibilitysuggests th

10、at the debate over more stimulus is important, but insufficient.america needs a more comprehensive strategy to combat joblessness. butwhat exactly should it include? much of what economists know aboutstructural unemployment has been gleaned from the sorry history ofcontinental europe, where fat bene

11、fits and rigid firing rules dulledlabour-market efficiency. that experience mostly offers pointers to whatnot to do, from adding to employers regulatory burdens to letting thelong-term jobless shift to the disability rolls.getting the to-do list right is trickier, not least because misguidedmeddling

12、 could make unemployment worse. but two avenues seem worthpursuing. the first isa more determined effort to help those trapped innegative equity to restructure the mortgages on their homes an areawhere the obama administration has been notably timid. the dire figuresfor house sales during july, rele

13、ased this week, show how urgent this is.legal changes, such as a revision to the bankruptcy code thatallowed .judges to reduce mortgage debt, could help. the second line ofattack is to overhaul schemes that help workers retrain and encourage themto search for work. that need not mean more spending (

14、though america doesspend a lot less than other rich countries on such active labour-marketpolicies). the bigger problem is that existing schemes are fragmented andoften ineffective.the speed of the recovery will still be the main influence on the joblessrate. but if a chunk of americas unemployment

15、is structural, itspolicymakers need urgently to think beyond stimulus measures, and alsoto adopt more targeted policies to help the millions stuck in the wrongplace with the wrong skills. otherwise, even a return to brisk economicgrowth (something that scarcely looks likely right now) will not be en

16、oughto rescue them from the breadline.（分数：28.98）(1).according to paragraph 1, the following statements are true excepta. many unemployed people gave up finding jobs. b. many people have been out of work for more than six months.c. more people are applying for unemployment insurance.d. the official j

17、obless rate has been at its lowest since last year.（分数：4.83）a.b.c.d. 解析：解析事实细节题。文章第一句话提到虽然美国的经济一年前开始复苏，但美国的失业问题却和以前一样严峻，所以不能判断美国现在的失业率是一年以来的最低水平，所以选 d。根据第一段第二句，七月份时，美国官方统计的失业率是 9.5%，而且如果不是有很多人放弃寻找工作，这个数字可能会更高，言外之意就是因为很多美国人不再继续寻找工作，美国失业率才能维持在 9.5%，选项 a符合原文，不是答案。第一段第三句提到美国持续六个月以上的失业人口占全部失业人口的 45%，达到自

18、20世纪 30年代以来的最高水平，所以 b符合原文，不是答案。第一段第四句的大意是，根据最近申请失业救济金的人数增加来判断，美国失业问题还将进一步恶化，c也符合原文所述，排除。(2).we can conclude from paragraph 3 that republicans and democratsa. disagree on what to do next if stimulus plan fails.b. reach consensus on the inefficiency of the present stimulus plan.c. decide to speed up t

19、he recovery with more stimulus plan.d. discuss the details of stimulus plan to enhance its function.（分数：4.83）a.b. c.d.解析：解析推理判断题。文章第三段前两句的意思是，争论的焦点在于决策者是否应该通过更多的刺激计划加快经济复苏。共和党人认为失业率居高不下证明了刺激方案的失败，而民主党人则认为需要更多的刺激方案促进复苏，由此可以推断无论是民主党还是共和党，都觉得现有的刺激方案不够高效，即 b是答案。共和党人认为刺激方案是失败的，民主党人似乎并不这么认为，所以也就谈不上两党对刺激方案

20、失败后应如何解决高失业率问题存在异议，排除 a。选项 c的内容只是民主党单方面的决定，不是共和党的决策，排除。选项 d“讨论刺激方案细节，使其发挥更大作用”在原文没有提及。(3).which of the following is not a reason for the low efficiency of the labour market at matchingsupply of jobseekers with the demand for workers?a. skills of jobseekers do not match demands of employers.b. people

21、 with unemployment insurance are not eager to find jobs.c. people become less movable burdened with home loans.d. people out of work for long do not want to go back to work.（分数：4.83）a.b.c.d. 解析：解析事实细节题。第四段最后一句提到，由于房市和金融市场疲软的规模和特点，劳动力市场无法高效地配置供求双方资源。第五段具体阐明了劳动力市场低效的原因，第五段第一句说人们买房负债， 无法到别处去寻找工作，即选项 c。

22、第二句谈到失业人员掌握的技术也与目前市场的要求不符，即选项 a。第三句说国会延长失业保险的期限，失业者并不急于找工作，即选项 b。所以 a、b、c都是劳动力市场效率低下的原因，排除。第五段倒数第二句提到长期处于失业状态会让求职者更难胜任工作，意思是客观上失业时间越久，就业技能越生疏，就越难找到工作，而不是 d所说的因为失业时间长，主观上就不想再找工作了，所以 d是本题答案。(4).which of the following is closest in meaning to impervious? (line 4, para.6)a. unaffected (by).b. caused (by

23、).c. stimulated (by).d. explained (by).（分数：4.83）a. b.c.d.解析：解析 语义理解题。根据第六段前两句话，美国劳动力市场的低效直接导致其结构或自然失业率。国际货币基金组织目前估计，美国失业率在经济危机之前就已经由 5%上升至 6%-6.75%。紧接着第三句说，如果是这样，美国部分的失业增长和商业周期(即经济危机)没有关系，因此无法通过刺激需求来解决。所以 a“不受影响”是正确答案。(5).to help people trapped in negative equity, it is advisablea. they be allowed t

24、o sell their homes to the banks.b. they be guaranteed work opportunities to pay their debtsc. they be encouraged to move to places where they can find jobs.d. they be permitted to pay less to the bank.（分数：4.83）a.b.c.d. 解析：解析推理判断题。根据第七段第三句，政府要帮助那些身陷“负产权”的人重构他们的住房贷款；然后第五句举例说明，修改法律也许会有用，比如修订破产法让法官有权缩减债

25、务人的抵押债务，换言之就是减少他们的债务，使他们不必要还银行那么多钱，即d，而不是把他们的房卖给银行，排除a。虽然第五段在讲到美国劳动力市场低效的原因时谈到这些购房者没法到外地找工怍，但在提到解决方式时，并没有说要鼓励他们到外地去找工作，排除 c。选项 b在文中没有提到。(6).which category of writing does the review belong to?a. narration.b. description.c. persuasion.d. exposition.（分数：4.83）a.b.c. d. 解析：解析文章体裁题。本文围绕美国的高失业率问题，分析了其根源是美

26、国劳动力市场资源配置效率低下，而不是完全由经济危机造成的，有两种途径解决这一问题，一是减轻因为购房而深陷负资产的美国人的负担；二是对失业者进行再培训性高其就业率。所以本文可看作问题解决型说明文，选 d。三、btext b/b(总题数：1，分数：20.00)when you carry a cell phone, it is constantly sending signals about whereyou are. it pings nearby cellphone towers about every seven seconds soit can be ready to make and r

27、eceive calls. when it does, the phone is alsotelling the company that owns the towers where you are at that momentdata the company then stores away indefinitely. there is also a secondkind of locational data that phone companies have, thanks to a gps chipthat is embedded in most smart phones now. th

28、is is even more accurateunlike the towers, which can only pinpoint a general area where you maybe. gps can often reveal exactly where you are at any given moment withina matter of meters.there are some good reasons for this, which is why the government isactually forcing the phone companies todo a b

29、etter job of knowing whereyou are. in the name of improving emergency services, the federalcommunications commission will require phone companies to meet benchmarksfor how closely they can pinpoint a callers location.not surprisingly, law enforcement has found this sort of data extremelybandy. prose

30、cutors are increasingly using cellphone records to show thata suspect was nearthe scene ofa crime or not where he claimed to be.the federal governments position is that it should be able to get mostof this data if it decides it is relevant to an investigation, with noneed for a search warrant. if th

31、e government needs a warrant, it wouldhave to show a judge evidence that there was probable cause to believethat the cellphone user committed a crime an important level ofprotection. without this requirement, the government can get locationaldata pretty much anytime it wants.it is not hard to imagin

32、e that the government could also one day usecell-phone data to stifle dissent. cellphone records could tell them whoattended an antigovernment rally. it could also tell them who is goinginto the opposition partys headquarters or into the home of someone theyhave questions about. cellphone data may b

33、e the most efficient way everinvented for a government to spy on its people since people are plantingthe devices on themselves and even paying the monthly bills. the kgb neverhad anything like it. and, indeed, the u.s.government already appears to be sweeping up a lotof data from completely innocent

34、 people. the aclu recently told congressof a case in which, while looking for data on a suspect, the fbi apparentlyused a dragnet approach and took data on another 180 people. the fbi hassaid that if it does happen to gather data on innocent people in the courseof conducting an investigation, it kee

35、ps that information for as long as20 years.（分数：20.00）(1).according to paragraph 1, the phone companies cana. know your position by sending signals to your phones.b. tell the general area you are in but not the specific place.c. track your whereabouts by detecting the signals of your phones.d. store

36、your locational information to sell for money.（分数：5.00）a.b.c. d.解析：解析推理判断题。文章第一段大意是，手机需要每隔 7秒向发射塔发射脉冲信号，这样才能正常接打电话。在手机发射信号的同时，电话公司可以判断出机主的位置。而且现在大多数智能手机都装有 gps芯片，因此电话公司还能知道机主所在的精确位置。综上所述，也就是说电话公司可以根据手机信号跟踪机主的下落，所以 c是答案。用户的手机向发射塔发射信号，而不是电话公司发射信号，所以 a错误。第一段后半部分提到因为 gps存在，电话公司可以知道手机用户所在的精确位置，所以排除 b。第一段

37、第三句破折号后虽然提到电话公司会将机主的位置信息、永久保存，但没有提到要把这些信息拿去卖钱，所以选项 d的错误在于 to sell for money。(2).the government believes using data gained from cell-phone records isa. convenient to locate the suspect when the crime happens.b. illegal without applying for a warrant.c. justified when involving a serious crime.d. effi

38、cient to find out peoples political opinions.（分数：5.00）a. b.c.d.解析：解析推理判断题。根据第三段第二句可知，公诉人正在越来越多地利用这些定位数据来调查嫌疑人是否在案发时出现在案发现场附近。根据第四段第一句，联邦政府的立场是：如果确认这些数据有助于案件的调查，那么他们就应该有权充分利用这些数据，综合来看，政府的态度是，这些数据为调查嫌疑人在案发时是否出现在案发现场附近提供证据，所以 a正确。第四段第一句最后提到，政府觉得没必要非得申请搜查证，排除 b。根据第四段第一句，只要和调查有关就可以随意使用这些定位数据，而不是 c所说的有严重犯

39、罪时，故排除。文章第五段提到这些数据的另外一个可能的用途就是监视民众行踪，消灭政治异己，但这段是作者根据政府的逻辑进行的推测，是一种讥讽，并不是事实，所以排除 d。(3).which of the following statements conveys the authors irony? a. it pings nearby cell-phone towers about every seven seconds. (para.1)b. .will require phone companies to meet benchmarks for how closely they can pinp

40、ointa callers location. (para.2)c. without this requirement, the government can get locational data pretty much anytimeit wants. (para.4)d. .since people are planting the devices on themselves and even paying the monthlybills. (para.5)（分数：5.00）a.b.c.d. 解析：解析修辞格题。第五段最后一句意思是，手机记录可能是有史以来政府监视民众最有效的方法了因为

41、民众自愿把这玩意儿带在身上，而且还每月都缴费。可以明显感觉到作者的讥讽，所以 d为答案。(4).fbi is mentioned as an example toa. illustrate the process of fbi to investigate into a case.b. prove how the people are spied on by their government.c. rationalize fbis access to the locational data from cellphones.d. show how the locational data from

42、 cellphones are abused.（分数：5.00）a.b.c.d. 解析：解析推理判断题。文章第四段谈到政府不顾民众隐私，随意调取手机用户的定位数据。第五段用讥讽的口气继续预测，这样下去，政府下一步就是利用这些数据监视民众，消除异己了。文章最后一段第一句承上启下，indeed表明和上段差不多的事情已经发生了，那就是说 fbi为了寻找一名嫌犯的数据，不惜撒网筛选了 180位民众的数据。不难推断，最后一段作者是在批评 fbi对这些数据的滥用，所以 d是答案，同时可以排除 c。阐明 fbi调查案件的过程并非提到 fbi的目的，排除 a。选项 b说的是第五段的内容，这段并没有证据证明其已

43、经发生，而只是作者的预测。四、btext c/b(总题数：1，分数：25.00)last month, americastold its readers thatnational law journalemployment lawyers are warning lovestruck co-workers to take precautionsin the office before lockinglips outside. the advice came too late forharry stonecipher. the boss of boeing was forced to resig

44、n last weekendfor reasons that willstrike many outsiders as absurd after his boardwere told of an affair that the 68-year-old married man had been conductingwith a female employee who did not report directly to him.inevitably, as the week rolled on, details of the affair rolled out. theother party w

45、as reported to be debra peabody, who is unmarried and hasworked for boeing for 25 years. the couple were said to have first gottogether at boeings annual retreat at palm desert, california in january. after that much of the affair must have been conducted from a distance:mr stoneciphers office is at

46、 boeings headquarters in chicago; ms peabodyruns the firms government-relations office in washington, dc. theyexchanged e-mails, it seems,as office lovers tend to do thesedays, andtherein probably lay mr stoneciphers downfall.lewis platt, boeings chairman, said that mr stonecipher broke a companyrul

47、e that says: employees will not engage in conduct or activity thatmay raise questions as to the companys honesty, impartiality, reputationor otherwise cause embarrassment to the company. having an affair witha fellow employee is not, of itself, against company rules; causingembarrassment to boeing i

48、s. it seems that the board judged that thecontents of the lovers e-mails would have been bad for boeing had theybeen made public. goneare the days when a board considered such mattersnone of its business, as citibanks did in 1991 when its boss, john reed,became the talk of wall street for having an

49、affair with a stewardess oncitis corporate jet.at boeing, a whistleblower is said to have forwarded the messages to mrplatt. in general, e-mails are encrypted and not accessible to anyone whodoes not know the senders password. but many firms install softwaredesigned to search electronic communicatio

50、ns for key words such as sexand ceo. a study last year of 840 american firms by the americanmanagement association found that 60% of them check external e-mails(incoming and outgoing), while 27% scrutinize internal messages betweenemployees. sweet nothings whispered by the water cooler may travel le

51、ssfar these days than electronic billets doux.boeing is particularly sensitive to embarrassment at the moment. mrstonecipher was recalled from retirement only 15 months ago, after thecompanys previous boss, phil condit, and its chief financial officer,michael sears, had left in the wake of a scandal

52、 involving an illegal joboffer to a pentagon official.mr stonecipher, a crusty former number two at boeing, was brought backspecifically to raise the companys ethical standards and to help it beseen in its main (and affectedly puritanical) market, in washington, dc,as squeaky clean. verbally explici

53、t extra-marital affairs areinconsistent with such a strategy, it seems, though they are not yet enoughto bring down future kings of england.in corporate life, such affairs are hardly unusual. one survey found that one-quarter of all long-tern relationships start at work; another foundthat over 40% o

54、f executives say they have been involved in an affair witha colleague, and that in half of these cases one or other party was marriedat the time. many a boss has married his assistant and lived happily everafter. boeing apparently used to accept this: mr condits fourth wife wasa colleague before the

55、y married.（分数：25.00）(1).mr stonecipher had to leave his job becausea. the strike that happened in his company was absurd to outsiders.b. he shouldnt be involved in an affair after he got married.c. his behaviour has caused big economic loss to the boeing company.d. the board found his affair leading

56、 to embarrassment to boeing.（分数：5.00）a.b.c.d. 解析：解析 事实细节题。文章前两段是对 harry stonecipher事件的描述，并未说明其不得不辞职的原因。答案可以从第三段第三句找出，第二个that引导的宾语从句表明了 harry stonecipher不得不辞职的原因，答案为 d。文中并未提到有关罢工的问题，a错误；b没有说明原因；c中 has caused big economicloss属于推断过度，原文提到波音公司认为可能会产生不好的影响。(2).the author seems to believe thata. mr stoneciphers downfall had to do with the exchange of love e-mails.b. mr stoneciphers affair has become the pu