1、2014年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语(二)试题Section I Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)Thinner isnt always better. A number of studies have _1_ that normal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of some d
2、iseases compared to those who are overweight. And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually _2_. For example, heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women. _3_ among the elderly, being somewhat overweight is often an _4_ of good health.Of even
3、greater _5_ is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficult to define. It is often defined _6_ body mass index, or BMI. BMI _7_ body mass divided by the square of height. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to be normal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 30 is
4、considered obese. Obesity, _8_,can be divided into moderately obese, severely obese, and very severely obese.While such numerical standards seem 9 , they are not. Obesity is probably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremely fit, 10 others with a low BM
5、I may be in poor 11 .For example, many collegiate and professional football players 12 as obese, though their percentage body fat is low. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a 13 BMI.Today we have a(an) _14 _ to label obesity as a disgrace.The overweight are sometimes_1
6、5_in the media with their faces covered. Stereotypes _16_ with obesity include laziness, lack of will power,and lower prospects for success.Teachers,employers,and health professionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese. _17_very young children tend to look down on the overweight, and
7、 teasing about body build has long been a problem in schools.1. A denied B conduced C doubled D ensured2. A protective B dangerous C sufficient Dtroublesome3. A Instead B However C Likewise D Therefore4. A indicator B objective C origin D example5. A impact B relevance C assistance D concern6. A in
8、terms of B in case of C in favor of D in of7. A measures B determines C equals D modifies8. A in essence B in contrast C in turn D in part9. A complicated B conservative C variable D straightforward10. A so B unlike C since D unless11. A shape B spirit C balance D taste12. A start B quality C retire
9、 D stay13. A strange B changeable C normal D constant14. A option B reason C opportunity D tendency15. A employed B pictured C imitated D monitored16. A B combined C settled D associated17. A Even B Still C Yet D Only18. A despised B corrected C ignored D grounded19. A discussions B businesses C pol
10、icies D studies20. A for B against C with D withoutSection II Reading ComprehensionPart 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. (40 points)Text 1What would you do with 590m? This is now a question fo
11、r Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found for tune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth
12、 Dumn and Michael Norton.These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off
13、fairly quickly what was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time-as stories or memories-pa
14、rticularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most “happiness bang for your buck.“ It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with fri
15、ends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it).Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are co
16、nsumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason MacDonalds restricts the availability of its popular McRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.Readers of “HappyMoney” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfillment, not hunger.Money may not quite
17、 buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone wil
18、l agree with the authors policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent。21.According to Dumn and Norton,which of the following is the most rewarding purchas
19、e?AA big houseBA special tourCA stylish carDA rich meal22.The authors attitude toward Americans watching TV isAcriticalBsupportiveCsympatheticDambiguous23.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show thatAconsumers are sometimes irrationalBpopularity usually comes after qualityCmarketing tricks are af
20、ter effectiveDrarity generally increases pleasure24.According to the last paragraph,Happy MoneyAhas left much room for readerscriticismBmay prove to be a worthwhile purchaseChas predicted a wider income gap in the usDmay give its readers a sense of achievement25.This text mainly discusses how toAbal
21、ance feeling good and spending moneyBspend large sums of money won in lotteriesCobtain lasting satisfaction from money spentDbecome more reasonable in spending on luxuriesText 2An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think youre more beautifu
22、l than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to research into what the call the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leader
23、ship, 93% in driving and 85% at getting on well with othersall obviously statistical impossibilities.We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thin
24、king were hot stuff.Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather that have people simply rate their beauty compress with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselves from a lineup including vers
25、ions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image- which must did- t
26、hey genuinely believed it was really how they looked. Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the must (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profou
27、nd insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “I dont think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “Its a re
28、flection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves. If you are depressed, you wont be self-enhancing. Knowing the results of Epley s study,it makes sense that why people heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level, they dont even recognise the person in the picture as themsel
29、ves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancers paradise,where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyle its not that peoples profiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of WisconMadison university ,”but they portray an idealized vers
30、ion of themselves.26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that _.A our self-ratings are unrealistically highB illusory superiority is baseless effectC our need for leadership is unnaturalD self-enhancing strategies are ineffective27. Visual recognition is believed to be
31、peoples_A rapid watchingB conscious choiceC intuitive responseD automatic self-defence28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to_A underestimate their insecuritiesB believe in their attractivenessC cover up their depressionsD oversimplify their illusions29.The word “Viscerally”(Li
32、ne 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to_.AinstinctivelyBoccasionallyCparticularlyDaggressively30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancers paradise because people can _.Apresent their dishonest profilesBdefine their traditional life stylesCshare their intellectual pursuitsDwithhold their unf
33、lattering sidesText 4When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy. Housing is seldom mentioned.Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating th
34、e real value that housing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention among multibillion-pound infrastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason
35、 is that the issue has always been so politically charged.Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this.
36、It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need.There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility
37、to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in the renta
38、l environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability of registered providers to fund new developments from revenues.But it is not just down to the government. While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing 4.5bn programme of gran
39、ts to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in 2015,is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of the coalitions spending plans if returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very unlikely to ever return
40、to era of large-scale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate.36. The author believes that the housing sector_A has attracted much attentionB involves certain political factorsC shoulders too much responsibilityD has lost its real value in economy37. It can be learned that affordab
41、le housing has_A increased its home supplyB offered spending opportunitiesC suffered government biasesD disappointed the government38. According to Paragraph 5,George Osborne may_.A allow greater government debt for housingB stop local authorities from building homesC prepare to reduce housing stock
42、 debtD release a lifted GDP growth forecast39.It can be inferred that a stable rental environment would_.Alower the costs of registered providersBlessen the impact of government interferenceCcontribute to funding new developmentsDrelieve the ministers of responsibilities40.The author believes that a
43、fter 2015,the government may_.Aimplement more policies to support housingBreview the need for large-scale public grantsCrenew the affordable housing grants programmeDstop generous funding to the housing sectorSection III TranslationDirections:Translate the following text from English into Chinese. W
44、rite your translation on ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)Most people would define optimism as endlessly happy, with a glass thats perpetually half fall. But thats exactly the kind of false deerfulness that positive psychologists wouldnt recommend. “Healthy optimists means being in touch with reality.” sa
45、ys Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard professor, According to Ben- Shalar,realistic optimists are these who make the best of things that happen, but not those who believe everything happens for the best.Ben-Shalar uses three optimistic exercisers. When he feels down-sag, after giving a bad lecture-he grants
46、himself permission to be human. He reminds himself that mot every lecture can be a Nobel winner; some will be less effective than others. Next is reconstruction, He analyzes the weak lecture, leaning lessons, for the future about what works and what doesnt. Finally, there is perspective, which invol
47、ves acknowledging that in the ground scheme of life, one lecture really doesnt matter.Section IV WritingPart A47. Directions: Suppose you are going to study abroad and share an apartment with John, a local student. Write him to email to1)tell him about your living habits, and2)ask for advice about living there.You should write about 100 words on answer sheet.Do not use your own name.Part B48. Directions:Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)You shouldinterpret the chart, andgive your comments.You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. (15points)
