94-11考研英语历年阅读真题及译文

2011年全国硕士研究生入学英语阅读试题

Text1

ThedecisionoftheNewYorkPhilharmonictohireAlanGilbertas

itsnextmusicdirectorhasbeenthetalkoftheclassical-musicworld

eversincethesuddenannouncementofhisappointmentin2009.Forthe

mostpart,theresponsehasbeenfavorable,tosaytheleast."Hooray!

Atlast!”wroteAnthonyTommasini,asober-sidedclassical-music

critic.

Oneofthereasonswhytheappointmentcameassuchasurprise,

however,isthatGilbertiscomparativelylittleknown.EvenTommasini,

whohadadvocatedGilbert?sappointmentintheTimes,callshim“an

unpretentiousmusicianwithnoairoftheformidableconductorabout

him."Asadescriptionofthenextmusicdirectorofanorchestrathat

hashithertobeenledbymusicianslikeGustavMahlerandPierreBoulez,

thatseemslikelytohavestruckatleastsomeTimesreadersasfaint

praise.

Formypart,IhavenoideawhetherGilbertisagreatconductoror

evenagoodone.Tobesure,heperformsanimpressivevarietyof

interestingcompositions,butitisnotnecessaryformetovisitAvery

FisherHall,oranywhereelse,tohearinterestingorchestralmusic.All

IhavetodoistogotomyCDshelf,orbootupmycomputeranddownload

stillmorerecordedmusicfromiTunes.

Devotedconcertgoerswhoreplythatrecordingsarenosubstitutefor

liveperformancearemissingthepoint.Forthetime,attention,and

moneyoftheart-lovingpublic,classicalinstrumentalistsmustcompete

notonlywithoperahouses,dancetroupes,theatercompanies,andmuseums,

butalsowiththerecordedperformancesofthegreatclassicalmusicians

ofthe20thcentury.Thererecordingsarecheap,availableeverywhere,

andveryoftenmuchhigherinartisticqualitythantoday?slive

performances;moreover,theycanbe“consumed”atatimeandplaceof

thelistener'schoosing.Thewidespreadavailabilityofsuchrecordings

hasthusbroughtaboutacrisisintheinstitutionofthetraditional

classicalconcert.

Onepossibleresponseisforclassicalperformerstoprogram

attractivenewmusicthatisnotyetavailableonrecord.Gilbert'sown

interestinnewmusichasbeenwidelynoted:AlexRoss,aclassical-music

critic,hasdescribedhimasamanwhoiscapableofturningthe

Philharmonicinto“amarkedlydifferent,morevibrantorganization.

Butwhatwillbethenatureofthatdifference?Merelyexpandingthe

orchestra'srepertoirewillnotbeenough.IfGilbertandthe

Philharmonicaretosucceed,theymustfirstchangetherelationship

betweenAmerica'soldestorchestraandthenewaudienceithopsto

attract.

21.WelearnfromPara.1thatGilbert?sappointmenthas

[A]incurredcriticism.

[B]raisedsuspicion.

[C]receivedacclaim.

[D]arousedcuriosity.

22.TommasiniregardsGilbertasanartistwhois

[A]influential.

[B]modest.

[C]respectable.

[D]talented.

23.Theauthorbelievesthatthedevotedconcertgoers

[A]ignoretheexpensesofliveperformances.

[B]rejectmostkindsofrecordedperformances.

[C]exaggeratethevarietyofliveperformances.

[D]overestimatethevalueofliveperformances.

24.Accordingtothetext,whichofthefollowingistrueof

recordings?

[A]Theyareofteninferiortoliveconcertsinquality.

[B]Theyareeasilyaccessibletothegeneralpublic.

[C]Theyhelpimprovethequalityofmusic.

[D]Theyhaveonlycoveredmasterpieces.

25.RegardingGilbert?sroleinrevitalizingthePhilharmonic,the

authorfeels

[A]doubtful.

[B]enthusiastic.

[C]confident.

[D]puzzled.

Text2

WhenLiamMcGeedepartedaspresidentofBankofAmericainAugust,

hisexplanationwassurprisinglystraightup.Ratherthancloakinghis

exitintheusualvagueexcuses,hecamerightoutandsaidhewasleaving

“topursuemygoalofrunningacompany.”Broadcastinghisambition

was“verymuchmydecision,“McGeesays.Withintwoweeks,hewas

talkingforthefirsttimewiththeboardofHartfordFinancialServices

Group,whichnamedhimCEOandchairmanonSeptember29.

McGeesaysleavingwithoutapositionlinedupgavehimtimeto

reflectonwhatkindofcompanyhewantedtorun.Italsosentaclear

messagetotheoutsideworldabouthisaspirations.AndMcGeeisn,t

alone.InrecentweekstheNo.2executivesatAvonandAmericanExpress

quitwiththeexplanationthattheywerelookingforaCEOpost.Asboards

scrutinizesuccessionplansinresponsetoshareholderpressure,

executiveswhodon'tgetthenodalsomaywishtomoveon.Aturbulent

businessenvironmentalsohasseniormanagerscautiousoflettingvague

pronouncementscloudtheirreputations.

Asthefirstsignsofrecoverybegintotakehold,deputychiefsmay

bemorewillingtomakethejumpwithoutanet.Inthethirdquarter,

CEOturnoverwasdown23%fromayearagoasnervousboardsstuckwith

theleaderstheyhad,accordingtoLiberumResearch.Astheeconomypicks

up,opportunitieswillaboundforaspiringleaders.

Thedecisiontoquitaseniorpositiontolookforabetteroneis

unconventional.Foryearsexecutivesandheadhuntershaveadheredtothe

rulethatthemostattractiveCEOcandidatesaretheoneswhomustbe

poached.SaysKorn/FerryseniorpartnerDennisCarey:"Ican,tthink

ofasinglesearchI'vedonewhereaboardhasnotinstructedmetolook

atsittingCEOsfirst.”

Thosewhojumpedwithoutajobhaven'talwayslandedintop

positionsquickly.EllenMarramquitaschiefofTropicanaadecadeage,

sayingshewantedtobeaCEO.Itwasayearbeforeshebecameheadof

atinyInternet-basedcommoditiesexchange.RobertWillumstadleft

Citigroupin2005withambitionstobeaCEO.Hefinallytookthatpost

atamajorfinancialinstitutionthreeyearslater.

Manyrecruiterssaytheolddisgraceisfadingfortopperformers.

Thefinancialcrisishasmadeitmoreacceptabletobebetweenjobsor

toleaveabadone."Thetraditionalrulewasit'ssafertostaywhere

youare,butthat'sbeenfundamentallyinverted,“saysoneheadhunter.

“Thepeoplewho'vebeenhurttheworstarethosewho'vestayedtoo

long.”

26.WhenMcGeeannouncedhisdeparture,hismannercanbestbe

describedasbeing

[A]arrogant.

[B]frank.

[C]self-centered.

[D]impulsive.

27.AccordingtoParagraph2,seniorexecutives,quittingmaybe

spurredby

[A]theirexpectationofbetterfinancialstatus.

[B]theirneedtoreflectontheirprivatelife.

[C]theirstrainedrelationswiththeboards.

[D]theirpursuitofnewcareergoals.

28.Theword“poached”(Line3,Paragraph4)mostprobablymeans

[A]approvedof.

[B]attendedto.

EC]huntedfor.

[D]guardedagainst.

29.Itcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthat

[A]topperformersusedtoclingtotheirposts.

[B]loyaltyoftopperformersisgettingout-dated.

[C]topperformerscaremoreaboutreputations.

ssafertosticktothetraditionalrules.

30.Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleforthetext?

[A]CEOs:WheretoGo?

LB]CEOs:AlltheWayUp?

[C]TopManagersJumpwithoutaNet

[D]TheOnlyWayOutforTopPerformers

Text3

Theroughguidetomarketingsuccessusedtobethatyougotwhat

youpaidfor.Nolonger.Whiletraditional“paid"media-suchas

televisioncommercialsandprintadvertisements-stillplayamajor

role,companiestodaycanexploitmanyalternativeformsofmedia.

Consumerspassionateaboutaproductmaycreate“owned”mediaby

sendinge-mailalertsaboutproductsandsalestocustomersregistered

withitsWebsite.Thewayconsumersnowapproachthebroadrangeof

factorsbeyondconventionalpaidmedia.

Paidandownedmediaarecontrolledbymarketerspromotingtheirown

products.Forearnedmedia,suchmarketersactastheinitiatorfor

users'responses.Butinsomecases,onemarketer?sownedmediabecome

anothermarketerspaidmedia-forinstance,whenane-commerce

retailersellsadspaceonitsWebsite.Wedefinesuchsoldmediaas

ownedmediawhosetrafficissostrongthatotherorganizationsplace

theircontentore-commerceengineswithinthatenvironment.This

trend,whichwebelieveisstillinitsinfancy,effectivelybeganwith

retailersandtravelproviderssuchasairlinesandhotelsandwillno

doubtgofurther.Johnson&Johnson,forexample,hascreatedBabyCenter,

astand-alonemediapropertythatpromotescomplementaryandeven

competitiveproducts.Besidesgeneratingincome,thepresenceofother

marketersmakesthesiteseemobjective,givescompaniesopportunities

tolearnvaluableinformationabouttheappealofothercompanies'

marketing,andmayhelpexpandusertrafficforallcompaniesconcerned.

Thesamedramatictechnologicalchangesthathaveprovidedmarketers

withmore(andmorediverse)communicationschoiceshavealsoincreased

theriskthatpassionateconsumerswillvoicetheiropinionsinquicker,

morevisible,andmuchmoredamagingways.Suchhijackedmediaarethe

oppositeofearnedmedia:anassetorcampaignbecomeshostageto

consumers,otherstakeholders,oractivistswhomakenegative

allegationsaboutabrandorproduct.Membersofsocialnetworks,for

instance,arelearningthattheycanhijackmediatoapplypressureon

thebusinessesthatoriginallycreatedthem.

Ifthathappens,passionateconsumerswouldtrytopersuadeothers

toboycottproducts,puttingthereputationofthetargetcompanyatrisk.

Insuchacase,thecompanyJsresponsemaynotbesufficientlyquick

orthoughtful,andthelearningcurvehasbeensteep.ToyotaMotor,for

example,alleviatedsomeofthedamagefromitsrecallcrisisearlier

thisyearwitharelativelyquickandwell-orchestratedsocial-media

responsecampaign,whichincludedeffortstoengagewithconsumers

directlyonsitessuchasTwitterandthesocial-newssiteDigg.

31.Consumersmaycreate“earned”mediawhentheyare

[A]obsessedwithonlineshoppingatcertainWebsites.

[B]inspiredbyproduct-promotinge-mailssenttothem.

[C]eagertohelptheirfriendspromotequalityproducts.

[D]enthusiasticaboutrecommendingtheirfavoriteproducts.

32.AccordingtoParagraph2,soldmediafeature

[A]asafebusinessenvironment.

[B]randomcompetition.

[C]strongusertraffic.

[D]flexibilityinorganization.

33.TheauthorindicatesinParagraph3thatearnedmedia

[A]inviteconstantconflictswithpassionateconsumers.

[B]canbeusedtoproducenegativeeffectsinmarketing.

EC]mayberesponsibleforfiercercompetition.

[D]deserveallthenegativecommentsaboutthem.

34.ToyotaMotor,sexperienceiscitedasanexampleof

[A]respondingeffectivelytohijackedmedia.

[B]persuadingcustomersintoboycottingproducts.

[C]cooperatingwithsupportiveconsumers.

[D]takingadvantageofhijackedmedia.

35.Whichofthefollowingisthetextmainlyabout?

[A]Alternativestoconventionalpaidmedia.

[B]Conflictbetweenhijackedandearnedmedia.

[C]Dominanceofhijackedmedia.

[D]Popularityofownedmedia.

Text4

It'snosurprisethatJenniferSeniorJsinsightful,provocative

magazinecoverstory,“IloveMyChildren,IHateMyLife,“isarousing

muchchatter-nothinggetspeopletalkinglikethesuggestionthat

childrearingisanythinglessthanacompletelyfulfilling,

life-enrichingexperience.Ratherthanconcludingthatchildrenmake

parentseitherhappyormiserable,Seniorsuggestsweneedtoredefine

happiness:insteadofthinkingofitassomethingthatcanbemeasured

bymoment-to-momentjoy,weshouldconsiderbeinghappyasapast-tense

condition.Eventhoughtheday-to-dayexperienceofraisingkidscanbe

soul-crushinglyhard,Seniorwritesthat“theverythingsthatinthe

momentdampenourmoodscanlaterbesourcesofintensegratification

anddelight.”

Themagazinecovershowinganattractivemotherholdingacutebaby

ishardlytheonlyMadonna—and-chiIdimageonnewsstandsthisweek.There

arealsostoriesaboutnewlyadoptive-andnewlysingle-momSandra

Bullock,aswellastheusualuJenniferAnistonispregnantvnews.

Practicallyeveryweekfeaturesatleastonecelebritymom,ormom-to-be,

smilingonthenewsstands.

Inasocietythatsopersistentlycelebratesprocreation,isitany

wonderthatadmittingyouregrethavingchildrenisequivalentto

admittingyousupportkitten-killing?Itdoesn'tseemquitefair,then,

tocomparetheregretsofparentstotheregretsofthechildren.Unhappy

parentsrarelyareprovokedtowonderiftheyshouldn'thavehadkids,

butunhappychildlessfolksarebotheredwiththemessagethatchildren

arethesinglemostimportantthingintheworld:obviouslytheirmisery

mustbeadirectresultofthegapingbaby-sizeholesintheirlives.

Ofcourse,theimageofparenthoodthatcelebritymagazineslikeUs

WeeklyandPeoplepresentishugelyunrealistic,especiallywhenthe

parentsaresinglemotherslikeBullock.Accordingtoseveralstudies

concludingthatparentsarelesshappythanchildlesscouples,single

parentsaretheleasthappyofall.Noshockthere,consideringhowmuch

workitistoraiseakidwithoutapartnertoleanon;yettohearSandra

andBritneytellit,raisingakidontheir“own”(read:with

round-the-clockhelp)isapieceofcake.

It'shardtoimaginethatmanypeoplearedumbenoughtowant

childrenjustbecauseReeseandAngelinamakeitlooksoglamorous:most

adultsunderstandthatababyisnotahaircut.Butit'sinteresting

towonderiftheimagesweseeeveryweekofstress-free,

happiness-enhancingparenthoodaren,tinsomesmall,subconsciousway

contributingtoourowndissatisfactionswiththeactualexperience,in

thesamewaythatasmallpartofushopedgetting“theRachel“might

makeuslookjustalittlebitlikeJenniferAniston.

36.JenniferSeniorsuggestsinherarticlethatraisingachildcan

bring

[A]temporarydelight

[B]enjoymentinprogress

[C]happinessinretrospect

[D]lastingreward

37.WelearnfromParagraph2that

[A]celebritymomsareapermanentsourceforgossip.

[B]singlemotherswithbabiesdeservegreaterattention.

[C]newsaboutpregnantcelebritiesisentertaining.

[D]havingchildrenishighlyvaluedbythepublic.

38.ItissuggestedinParagraph3thatchildlessfolks

[A]areconstantlyexposedtocriticism.

[B]arelargelyignoredbythemedia.

[C]failtofulfilltheirsocialresponsibilities.

Marelesslikelytobesatisfiedwiththeirlife.

39.AccordingtoParagraph4,themessageconveyedbycelebrity

magazinesis

[A]soothing.

[B]ambiguous.

EC]compensatory.

[D]misleading.

40.Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?

[A]Havingchildrencontributeslittletotheglamourofcelebrity

moms.

EB]Celebritymomshaveinfluencedourattitudetowardschild

rearing.

EC]Havingchildrenintensifiesourdissatisfactionwithlife.

[D]Wesometimesneglectthehappinessfromchildrearing.

2010年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语阅读试题

Text1

OfallthechangesthathavetakenplaceinEnglish-language

newspapersduringthepastquarter-century,perhapsthemost

far-reachinghasbeentheinexorabledeclineinthescopeandseriousness

oftheirartscoverage.

Itisdifficulttothepointofimpossibilityfortheaveragereader

undertheageoffortytoimagineatimewhenhigh-qualityartscriticism

couldbefoundinmostbig-citynewspapers.Yetaconsiderablenumber

ofthemostsignificantcollectionsofcriticismpublishedinthe20”

centuryconsistedinlargepartofnewspaperreviews.Toreadsuchbooks

todayistomarvelatthefactthattheirlearnedcontentswereonce

deemedsuitableforpublicationingeneral-circulationdailies.

Weareevenfartherremovedfromtheunfocusednewspaperreviews

publishedinEnglandbetweentheturnofthe20"centuryandtheeveof

WorldWarII,atatimewhennewsprintwasdirt-cheapandstylisharts

criticismwasconsideredanornamenttothepublicationsinwhichit

appeared.Inthosefar-offdays,itwastakenforgrantedthatthecritics

ofmajorpaperswouldwriteindetailandatlengthabouttheeventsthey

covered.Theirswasaseriousbusiness,andeventhosereviewerswhowore

theirlearninglightly,likeGeorgeBernardShawandErnestNewman,could

betrustedtoknowwhattheywereabout.Thesemenbelievedinjournalism

asacalling,andwereproudtobepublishedinthedailypress."So

fewauthorshavebrainsenoughorliterarygiftenoughtokeeptheirown

endupinjournalism,“Newmanwrote,“thatIamtemptedtodefine

'journalism'as'atermofcontemptappliedbywriterswhoarenot

readtowriterswhoare.’"

Unfortunately,thesecriticsarevirtuallyforgotten.Neville

Cardus,whowrotefortheManchesterGuardianfrom1917untilshortly

beforehisdeathin1975,isnowknownsolelyasawriterofessayson

thegameofcricket.Duringhislifetime,though,hewasalsooneof

England'sforemostclassical-musiccritics,astylistsowidelyadmired

thathisAutobiography(1947)becameabest-seller.Hewasknightedin

1967,thefirstmusiccritictobesohonored.Yetonlyoneofhisbooks

isnowinprint,andhisvastbodyofwritingsonmusicisunknownsave

tospecialists.

IsthereanychancethatCardus'scriticismwillenjoyarevival?

Theprospectseemsremote.Journalistictasteshadchangedlongbefore

hisdeath,andpostmodernreadershavelittleusefortherichly

upholsteredVicwardianproseinwhichhespecialized.Moreover,the

amateurtraditioninmusiccriticismhasbeeninheadlongretreat.

21.ItisindicatedinParagraphs1and2that

[A]artscriticismhasdisappearedfrombig-citynewspapers.

[B]English-languagenewspapersusedtocarrymoreartsreviews.

[C]high-qualitynewspapersretainalargebodyofreaders.

[D]youngreadersdoubtthesuitabilityofcriticismondailies.

22.NewspaperreviewsinEnglandbeforeWorldWarIIwerecharacterized

by

[A]freethemes.

[B]casualstyle.

[C]elaboratelayout.

[D]radicalviewpoints.

23.WhichofthefollowingwouldShawandNewmanmostprobablyagreeon?

[A]Itiswriters，dutytofulfilljournalisticgoals.

[B]Itiscontemptibleforwriterstobejournalists.

[C]Writersarelikelytobetemptedintojournalism.

[D]Notallwritersarecapableofjournalisticwriting.

24.WhatcanbelearnedaboutCardusaccordingtothelasttwo

paragraphs?

[A]Hismusiccriticismmaynotappealtoreaderstoday.

[B]Hisreputationasamusiccritichaslongbeenindispute.

[C]Hisstylecaterslargelytomodernspecialists.

[D]Hiswritingsfailtofollowtheamateurtradition.

25.Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthetext?

[A]NewspapersoftheGoodOldDays

[B]TheLostHorizoninNewspapers

[C]MournfulDeclineofJournalism

[D]ProminentCriticsinMemory

Text2

Overthepastdecade,thousandsofpatentshavebeengrantedforwhat

arecalledbusinessmethods.Amazon,comreceivedoneforits“one-click”

onlinepaymentsystem.MerrillLynchgotlegalprotectionforanasset

allocationstrategy.Oneinventorpatentedatechniqueforliftingabox.

Nowthenation，stoppatentcourtappearscompletelyreadytoscale

backonbusiness-methodpatents,whichhavebeencontroversialever

sincetheywerefirstauthorized10yearsago.Inamovethathas

intellectual-propertylawyersabuzztheU.S.courtofAppealsforthe

federalcircuitsaiditwoulduseaparticularcasetoconductabroad

reviewofbusiness-methodpatents.InreBilski,asthecaseisknown,

is〃averybigdeal”,saysDennisD.CrouchoftheUniversityofMissouri

Schooloflaw.It〃hasthepotentialtoeliminateanentireclassof

patents./z

Curbsonbusiness-methodclaimswouldbeadramaticabout-face,

becauseitwasthefederalcircuititselfthatintroducedsuchpatents

withis1998decisionintheso-calledstateStreetBankcase,approving

apatentonawayofpoolingmutual-fundassets.Thatrulingproduced

anexplosioninbusiness-methodpatentfilings,initiallybyemerging

internetcompaniestryingtostakeoutexclusiverightstospecifictypes

ofonlinetransactions.Later,moveestablishedcompaniesracedtoadd

suchpatentstotheirfiles,ifonlyasadefensivemoveagainstrivals

thatmightbeatthemtothepunch.In2005,IBMnotedinacourtfiling

thatithadbeenissuedmorethan300business-methodpatentsdespite

thefactthatitquestionedthelegalbasisforgrantingthem.Similarly,

someWallStreetinvestmentfilmsarmedthemselveswithpatentsfor

financialproducts,evenastheytookpositionsincourtcasesopposing

thepractice.

TheBilskicaseinvolvesaclaimedpatentonamethodforhedging

riskintheenergymarket.TheFederalcircuitissuedanunusualorder

statingthatthecasewouldbeheardbyall12ofthecourt，sjudges,

ratherthanatypicalpanelofthree,andthatoneissueitwantsto

evaluateiswhetheritshould"reconsider"itsstatestreetBankruling.

TheFederalCircuit'sactioncomesinthewakeofaseriesofrecent

decisionsbythesupremeCourtthathasnarrowedthescopeofprotections

forpatentholders.LastApril,forexamplethejusticessignaledthat

toomanypatentswerebeingupheldfor"inventions"thatareobvious.

ThejudgesontheFederalcircuitare,'reactingtotheanti-patenttrend

attheSupremeCourt”,saysHaroldC.Wegner,apatentattorneyand

professoratGeorgeWashingtonUniversityLawSchool.

26.Business-methodpatentshaverecentlyarousedconcernbecauseof

[A]theirlimitedvaluetobusiness

[B]theirconnectionwithassetallocation

[C]thepossiblerestrictionontheirgranting

[D]thecontroversyoverauthorization

27.WhichofthefollowingistrueoftheBilskicase?

[A]Itsrulingcomplieswiththecourtdecisions

[B]Itinvolvesaverybigbusinesstransaction

[C]IthasbeendismissedbytheFederalCircuit

[D]ItmaychangethelegalpracticesintheU.S.

28.Theword〃about-face”(Line1,Para3)mostprobablymeans

[A]lossofgoodwill

[B]increaseofhostility

[C]changeofattitude

[D]enhancementofdignity

29.Welearnfromthelasttwoparagraphsthatbusiness-methodpatents

[A]areimmunetolegalchallenges

[B]areoftenunnecessarilyissued

[C]lowertheesteemforpatentholders

[D]increasetheincidenceofrisks

30.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethesubjectofthetext?

[A]Aloomingthreattobusiness-methodpatents

[B]Protectionforbusiness-methodpatentholders

[C]Alegalcaseregardingbusiness-methodpatents

[D]Aprevailingtrendagainstbusiness-methodpatents

Text3

InhisbookTheTippingPoint,MalcolmGladwellarguesthatsocial

epidemicsaredriveninlargepartbytheactingofatinyminorityof

specialindividuals,oftencalledinfluentials,whoareunusually

informed,persuasive,orwell-connected.Theideaisintuitively

compelling,butitdoesn，texplainhowideasactuallyspread.

Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausible

soundingbutlargelyuntestedtheorycalledthe"twostepflowof

communication，z:Informationflowsfromthemedia