考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷251

考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷251

一、阅读（常规阅读理解）（本题共20题，每题7.0

分，共20分。）

Demography,whichisaboutlongtermtrends,mayseemanunusualprismthrough

whichtoviewaglobalcrisissparkedbyfinancialsectorbubbles.Butthoseseekinga

sustainablewayoutofthecrisiswoulddowelltotakeaccountofit.Thisisacrisisnot

onlyoftoogreatexpectationsofassetpricegrowth,butoftoogreatexpectationsofhow

fasttheeconomyofanagingworldcangrow,leadingtomassiveoverinvestmentin

everythingfromhousestocars.Theglobalannualaveragegrowthof5percentinthefive

yearsendingin2007wasboughtatahighcosttothefuture,andaslowinggrowthinthe

workforcemeansexpectationsmustbeloweredfurther.Policiesneedtobeshapedto

demographicrealities.ThinkofJapan,theworld'soldestsociety.Yearsoffiscalstimulus

havehadonlyamodestimpactongrowth.Infusionsofyetmoreyenborrowedfromits

citizenryandfromcompaniesreluctanttoreinvesttheirprofitsseemunlikelytohave

morethanshort-termimpact.Japan'sworkforceisdecliningandageistakingatollboth

oninnovationandthedesiretospend.Theonlychanceforglobalgrowthratestoreturn

topreviousnormsistofindwaysofincreasinggrowthinthosecountriesthathavemore

favorabledemographics.Intheory,thatmightbeAfrica.Hutstabilityissuesinmanysub

SaharanAfricancountriessuggestthatthemorerealisticopportunitiesexistinSouth

Asia,partsofSoutheastAsiaandtheMiddleEast/NorthAfrica.Yetinsomeofthe

countrieswithpotentialIranisagoodexamplethepoliticsisforbidding.Inothers,the

financingtoolsorsocialinfrastructureareinadequate.Still,thesecountriesofferthemost

hopeofcompensatingfordemography-drivenslowdownselsewhere.Atrillionortwo

dollarsincreditforthemwilldomorefortheglobaleconomythansimilarstimulusfor

countrieswithagingpopulations.Asforagingcountries,thecrisishasclearlyshownthe

needtoraiseretirementagesbyfiveyearstoreflectincreasesinlifespanstorelievethe

statebudgetsnowweigheddownbybankbailouts,andtoreducetheburdenoncorporate

andotherpensionschemes.InEastandWestalike,mostpeoplearewillingandableto

worklongerandremainproductivemembersofsocietyuntil70orbeyond.Feware

doingso.Onlyareturntoreplacement-levelfertilityrateswillprovidealastingsolution.

Meanwhile,theneedforlaterretirementisurgent.Thiscrisisunderlinesthenecessityfor

developedcountrygovernmentstoadjustspendingandsocialpoliciestodemographic

realitiesathomeandabroad.

1、Theauthorsuggeststhatdemography.

A^isacriticalfactortobeconsideredincopingwiththecrisis

B>clarifiesandexplainsglobaleconomiccrisisinmoredepth

C、providesasolutionforustogetoutofcrisisinthelongrun

D^inevitablyleadstofinancialsectorbubblesonaglobalscale

标准答案：A

知识点解析:根据第一段中的"Butthoseseekingasustainablewayoutofthecrisis

woulddowelltotakeaccountofit"，A应为答案。

2、Theglobalfinancialcrisismighthavebeencausedmainlyby.

A、theglobalannualaveragegrowthof5percent

B、thepursuitforunreasonableeconomicgrowthrate

C、theslowinggrowthinworkforceinanagingworld

D、theunbalancedinvestmentineverythingsuchashouses

标准答案：B」

知识点解析:根据第二段中的"Thisisacrisisnotonlyoftoo—greatexpectationsof

assetpricegrowth,butoftoo-greatexpectationsofhowfasttheeconomyofanaging

worldcangrow,…"，B应为答案。

3、TheexampleofJapaniscitedtoshowthat.

A、fiscalstimulushaslimitedimpactongrowth

B、anagingpopulationhasweakdesiretospend

C、policiesshouldaccordwithdemographicrealities

D、economicstimulusbringsaboutshort-termimpact

标准答案：C

知识点解析：根据上下文，第四、五段以Japan为例，说明第三段最后一句提出的

观点”Policiesneedtobeshapedtodemographicrealities'^所以，C应为答案。

4、Itseemsthatthecountrieswithmorefavorabledemographics.

A、lackadequatefinancialtoolsandsocialinfrastructure

B、provideopportunitiesfortheworldtorecovergrowth

C>havefiscalheadroomtoboostdemandintheshortrun

D、ensurethatglobalgrowthratesreturntopreviouslevel

标准答案：B-:

知识点解析：根据第八段中的“Still,thesecountriesofferthemosthopeof

compensatingfordemography—drivenslowdownselsewhere.…“，B应为答案。

5、Theauthorurgescountrieswithagingpopulations.

A、tomodifytheirspendingandsocialpolicies

B、toincreasetheirfertilityratesbyalargemargin

C>topersuadeproductivememberstoworklonger

D、toraiseretirementagestokeepeconomygrowing

标准答案：D

知识点解析:根据第九段中的"Asforagingcountries,thecrisishasclearlyshownthe

needtoraiseretirementages…“，第十段中的“…mostpeoplearewillingandableto

worklonger...最后一段中的“…theneedforlaterretirementisurgent”,D应为答

案。

Ifyou'vegottenusedtosmoke-freebars,here'sanewconcepttowrapyourmindaround:

smokc-frcccigarlounges.ThisinnovationcomestousbycourtesyofWashingtonstate's

voters,whorecentlyapprovedaninitiativethatbanssmokinginnearlyeveryindoor

locationexceptforprivateresidences.Thebanmakesnoexceptionforbusinesseswhose

raisond'etreistobaccoconsumption,eveniftheyhaveventilationsystemsthatwhisk

smokeawayassoonasit'sproduced.Byforbiddingsmokingwithin25feetofentrances

andwindows,iteventhreatenstoeliminatesidewalksmokingsectionsandquickoutdoor

cigarettebreaks.Astheseprovisionssuggest,therealmotivationbehindgovernment-

imposedsmokingbansisnottoshieldcustomersandemployeesfromsecondhand

smoke,althoughthatrationaleispopularwiththegeneralpublic.Fortheactivistsand

governmentofficialswhopushthebans,themainpointistodiscouragesmokingby

makingitinconvenientandsociallyunacceptable,transformingitintoashamefulvice

practicedonlyinprivacyandisolation.Thatdoesn'tmeaneveryonewhovotedforthe

Washingtonban,whichwillbethemostrestrictivestatelawofitskindinthecountry

whenittakeseffectonDecember8,iseagertosavesmokersfromthemselves.Byand

large,I'msure,theban'ssupporterssimplywantedtoavoidtobaccosmokewithout

havingtomakeanysacrifices.Forexample,theydidnotwanttohavetochoosebetween

toleratingsmokeandpassingoverotherwiseappealingbarsandrestaurantsthatallow

smoking.Insteadtheydecidedtoforcetheownersofthoseestablishmentstochangetheir

policiesbythreateningtofinethemandtakeawaythelicensesonwhichtheirlivelihoods

depend.Mowmuchcouragedoesittake,inastatewherenonsmokersoutnumber

smokersbyfourtoone,todeclarethattheminority'sdesiresshouldcountfbrnothing,

evenwhenbusinessownerswanttoaccommodatethem?Howadmirableisit,inastate

where80percentofrestaurantsalreadyarcsmokefree,toinsistthattherestfollowsuit?

Theemployeeprotectionexcusedoesnotmakethisdemandanymorereasonable.Asa

nonsmokingSeattlebartendertoldTheSeattleTimes,"Youknowwhatyou'regetting

intowhenyouworkinabar.IfIhadaproblemwithsmoke,I'dgetanotherjob."

Secondhandsmokeis,inanycase,notthemainconcernofthosewhopromotesmoking

bansinthenameof"publichealth".LawslikeWashington'sare"oneofthemost

effectivewaystoprovidethestrongincentiveoftenneededtogetsmokerstoquit",

accordingtoJohnBanzhaf,executivedirectorofActiononSmokingandHealth.

6、Therecentlyapprovedsmokingbanaimsatforbiddingsmoking.

A、intobaccoconsumptionbusinesses

B、inallthesidewalksmokingsections

C、insmoke-freebarsandcigarlounges

D、inplacesexceptfbrone'sownhouses

标准答案：D

知识点解析：根据第一段第二句"whorecentlyapprovedaninitiativethatbans

smokinginnearlyeveryindoorlocationexceptfbrprivateresidences”,D应为答案。

7、Itisobviousthatsmokingbansareimposedto.

A、getsmokerstoquitinallthepublicplaces

B、guaranteenonsmokersacleanenvironment

C、protectnonsmokersfromsecondhandsmoke

D、satisfytheeagerdemandofthegeneralpublic

标准答案：A

知识点解析:根据第三段最后一句"Fortheactivistsandgovernmentofficialswho

pushthebans,themainpointis...transformingitintoashamefulvicepracticedonlyin

privacyandisolation”,A应为答案。

8、Thepeoplewhovotedforthesmokingbanareeagerto.

A、savesmokersfromthebadhabitofsmoking

B、transformsmokingintoadisgracefulactivity

C、protectthemselvesfromtheharmofsmoking

D、makethesmokinghabitsociallyunacceptable

标准答案：C'

知识点解析：根据第四段最后一句“…theban'ssupporterssimplywantedtoavoid

tobaccosmokewithouthavingtomakeanysacrifices"，C应为答案。

9、WhataSeattlebartendertoldTheSeattleTimesiscitedtoshowthat.

A、barsarenotsuitablefornonsmokerstoworkin

B、thedesiresofsmokersshouldnotbeneglected

C、businessesareobligedtoserveallthecustomers

D、theminority'sdesiresshouldbeheartilysatisfied

标准答案：B

知识点解析：根据第六段中的"Howmuchcouragedoesittake...todeclarethatthe

minority'sdesiresshouldcountfbrnothing…”和第七段中的“Theemployeeprotection

excusedoesnotmakethisdemandanymorereasonable”,B应为答案。

10、TheauthorimpliesthatWashington^smokingbanis.

A、deplorable

B、appreciable

C^dishonorable

D、unacceptable

标准答案：D

知识点解析：从第六段的两个问句和第七段所说的叮heemployeeprotect沁nexcuse

doesnotmakethisdemandanymorereasonable^,以及通篇上下文，可以看出作者对

“WashingtorTssmokingban”持质疑的态度。所以，D应为答案。

Lotteriesarearegressivetaxonthosewhocan*tdomath,runsthefamousoldsaying.

"Nonsense!"retortcritics."Foradollar,onecanpurchasethefantasyofbeingwealthy

beyonddreamsofavarice.Itischeapattheprice."OveratOvercomingBias,Eliezer

Yndkowskysays"Rutisn'tthatawasteofhope?"Rutconsiderexactlywhatthisimplies.

Itwouldmeanthatyou'reoccupyingyourvaluablebrainwithafantasywhosereal

probabilityisnearlyzeroatinylineoflikelihoodwhichyou,yourself,candonothingto

realize.Thelotteryballswilldecideyourfuture.Thefantasyisofwealththatarrives

withouteffortwithoutconscientiousness,learning,charisma,orevenpatience.Which

makesthelotteryanotherkindofsink:asinkofemotionalenergy.Itencouragespeople

toinvesttheirdreams,theirhopesforabetterfuture,intoaninfinitesimalprobability.If

notforthelottery,maybetheywouldfantasizeaboutgoingtotechnicalschool,or

openingtheirownbusiness,orgettingapromotionatwork—thingstheymightbeableto

actuallydo,hopesthatwouldmakethemwanttobecomestronger.Theirdreamingbrains

might,inthe20thvisualizationofthepleasantfantasy,noticeawaytoreallydoit.Isn't

thatwhatdreamsandbrainsarefor?Buthowcansuchreality-limitedfarecompetewith

theartificiallysweetenedprospectofinstantwealthnotafterherdingadotcomstartup

throughtoIPO,butonTuesday?Seriously,whycan'twejustsaythatbuyinglottery

ticketsisstupid?Humanbeingsarestupid,fromtimetotime-itshouldn'tbeso

surprisingahypothesis.Unsurprisingly,thehumanbraindoesn'tdo64-bitfloatingpoint

arithmetic,anditcan'tdevaluetheemotionaltbreeofapleasantanticipationbyafactor

of0.00000001withoutdroppingthelineofreasoningentirely.Unsurprisingly,many

peopledon'trealizethatanumericalcalculationofexpectedutilityoughttooverrideor

replacetheirimprecisefinancialinstincts,andinsteadtreatthecalculationasmerelyone

argumenttobebalancedagainsttheirpleasantanticipationsanemotionallyweak

argument,sinceit'smadeupofmeresquigglesonpaper,insteadofvisionsoffabulous

wealth.Thisseemssufficienttoexplainthepopularityoflotteries.Whydosomany

arguersfeelimpelledtodefendthisclassicformofself-destruction?Thisseemsrather

extreme.Thehumanbrainiswiredtofeelmanyirrationaldesires,likelove,andthe

yearningtoproduceasquallingmessofaninfantthatwillhooverupallyouravailable

cash,plus10%,fortheforeseeablefuture.Wedon'ttrytoeditthoseout.Giventhatthe

humanbeingisirrationallyunabletodiscountapotentialpleasuredownbytheexact

expectedprobability,shouldn'tweexploitthistraitinordertocheaplyproducelarge

utilitygains?

11、Thesupportersofloiteryarguethat.

A、itisawasteofhopetobuylotterytobecomerich

B、anyonecanexpecttobecomewealthybybuyinglottery

C、itisinexpensivetofantasizebeingrichbybuyinglottery

D、onlythosewhocan'tdomathwastetheirmoneyonlottery

标准答案：C

知识点解析：根据第一段中的Nonsense!,retortcriiics.Toradollar,onecan

purchasethefantasyofbeingwealthybeyonddrcamsofavarice.Itischeapatthe

price?C应为答案。

12^Bysaying"Butisn'tthatawasteofhope?*'EliezerYudkowskymeansthat.

ANfewpeoplefantasizewealtharrivingeasily

B、buyinglotteryisiVtnecessarilyawasteofhope

C^lotteryisafantasywithlittlerealprobabilitytorealize

D、yourfutureshouldn'tbedecidedbyrandomlotteryballs

标准答案：C

知识点解析：根据第二段第二句"Itwouldmeanthat...afantasywhoserealprobability

isnearlyzero-atinylineoflikelihoodwhichyou.yourself,candonothingto

realize"。C应为答案。

13、Byreferringto"herdingadot-comstartupthroughtoIPO",theauthorintendsto

showthat.

A^nowealthcanarrivewithoutpersevering,andconscientiouseffort

B、lotteryissomethingworthtryingforanyonewhodreamstobewealthy

C、thepleasantfantasycannevercompetewiththeprospectofinstantwealth

D、thefantasyofthingswithrealprobabilityislessdesirablethanthatofinstantwealth

标准答案：A

知识点解析：根据第二段最后一句"Thefantasyisofwealththatarriveswithouteffbrt-

-withoutconscientiousness,learning*charisma»orevenpatience”和第三段，A应为

答案。

14、Accordingtothetext,manypeopleargueforlotteriesbecause.

A^theyarebornwithimprecisefinancialinstincts

B>becomingwealthyinstantlyismorethanprobable

C、thehumanbraindoesn'tdocomplicatedarithmetic

D、theywouldratherthinkemotionallythanlogically

标准答案：D

知识点解析：根据本文最后两句"Wedon'ttrytoeditthoseout.Giventhatthehuman

beingisirrationallyunabletodiscountapotentialpleasuredownbytheexactexpected

probability,shouldn'tweexploitthistraitinordertocheaplyproducelargeutility

gains?”，D应为答案。

15、Theauthorbelievesthatlotteries.

A^arenothinghutapopularformofself-destruction

servesasapotentialpleasureforirrationalpeople

C^reflectmanyirrationaldesiresofthehumanbrain

D^willhooverupallyouravailablecashforthefuture

标准答案：A

知识点解析：根据第七段“Thisseemssufficienttoexplainthepopularityof

lotteries.Whydosomanyarguersfeelimpelledtodefendthisclassicformofself-

destruction?*\A应为答案。

Euthanasiaasalegalquestionisanexerciseinfutility.Agovernmentofthepeople

cannotsanctiontherightiochoosedeath.Norcanthegovernmentpreventit.Legislators

cancreatelawsthatprohibitoralloweuthanasiaorassistedsuicide.Thelawscanbe

supportedbysocialmores,collectiveconscience,individualrights.Thejudicialsystem

canincarceratethosewhoassisttheterminallyillinsuicide,butitcannotimprisonthose

whohavebeenreleasedfromtheirpain,theirsuffering.Totheterminallyill,tothose

whosepainhasbecomeunbearable,tothosewhosebodiesarcwitheredanddecayed

beyondrepair,anylawisirrelevant.Tothosewhocarefortheterminallyillthepainand

sufferingarenotalegalmatter.Towatchsomeonedie,someoneyoulove,isaformof

deathitself.Tohearthembegforrelief,forrelease,andtobeunabletoprovideitis

psychicallydebilitating.Youareforeverchanged.Andtoyou,watchingyourlovedone

enduresufferingsbeyondhumancapacity,lawsbecomeirrelevantaswell.Thequestion

ofeuthanasiaasamoralorlegalmatterwillnotberesolvedthroughdebateand

legislation.Noreligiousdogmaorsocialcommentarycanencompassthebroadspectrum

ofexternalandinternaleventsincludedintheexperienceandwitnessingofphysicaland

mentaldeterioration.Eachpersonexperiencespainandsufferinginadifferentway.No

lawcaneverdefineunbearablepain.Nolawcaneverdefinetheparametersofqualityof

living.Thequalityoflifeisnolongerthequestion;lifeasthevictimknowsitislong

gone.Forthosewhoselivesareirrevocablychanged,andcertaintocease,qualityisnow

amatterofwhatliesbeyondthisrealm.Todeterminethequalityofone'sdeathisnota

questionforlawmakers,forsocialpundits,forclergy.Itisaquestionfortheindividual.

Noonepersoncandetermineforanotherifthequalityofhisexistenceisnowbeyondthe

confinesofthisworld.Thereisalwaysthefearoftheslipperyslopeinthequestionof

euthanasia.Justwhencanyougivethatlovedonetheoverdoseofmorphine?Atwhat

point,afterthediagnosisofcertaindeath,doyousaytoyourself,"Idonotwanttogoany

further:Icannotfacetheinevitablepainofphysicalruin"?Thisslipperyslopeisjust

anotherreasonwhynolawcaneversuffice,becausetheanswerstothequestionsabove

willneverbethesamefromoneeventtothenext.

16、Theauthorarguesthateuthanasiais.

apracticegovernmentcandonothingabout

B、aninvoluntaryactiongovernmentprevents

C^anillegalvoluntarynon-criminalhomicide

D、arightofcitizenwhic