1、一Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.It would be all too easy to say that Facebooks market meltdown is coming to an end. Afterall, Mark Zuckerbergs social network burned as much as $ 50 billion of shareholders wealth injust a couple months. To put that in context, since its debut(初
2、次登台) on NASDAQ in May,Facebook has lost value nearly equal to Yahoo, AOL, Zynga, Yelp, Pandora, OpenTable,Groupon, LinkedIn, and Angies List combined, plus that of the bulk of the publicly tradednewspaper industry:As shocking as this utter failure may be to the nearly 1 billion faithful Facebook use
3、rsaround the world, its no surprise to anyone who read the initial public offering (IPO)prospectus (首次公开募股说明书). Worse still, all the crises that emerged when the companydebuted-overpriced shares, poor corporate governance, huge challenges to the core business,and a damaged brand-remain today. Facebo
4、ok looks like a prime example of what Wall Streetcalls a falling knife-that is, one that can cost investors their fingers if they try to catch it.Start with the valuation(估值). To justify a stock price close to the lower end of theprojected range in the IPO, say $ 28 a share, Facebooks future growth
5、would have needed tomatch that of Google seven years earlier. That would have required increasing revenue by some80 percent annually and maintaining high profit margins all the while.Thats not happening. In the first half of 2012, Facebook reported revenue of $ 2.24 billion, up38 percent from the sa
6、me period in 2011. At the same time, the companys costs surged to $ 2.6 billion in the six-month period.This so-so performance reflects the Achilles heel of Facebooks business model, which thecompany clearly stated in a list of risk factors associated with its IPO: it hasnt yet figured outhow to adv
7、ertise effectively on mobile devices, The number of Facebook users accessing thesite on their phones surged by67 percent to 543 million in the last quarter, or more than half itscustomer base.Numbers are only part of the problem. The mounting pile of failure creates a negativefeedback loop that thre
8、atens Facebooks future in other ways. Indeed, the more Facebooksdisappointment in the market is catalogued, the worse Facebooks image becomes. Not onlydoes that threaten to rub off on users, its bad for recruitment and retention of talentedhackers, who are the lifeblood of Zuckerbergs creation.Yet t
9、he brilliant CEO can ignore the sadness and complaints of his shareholders thanks tothe super- voting stock he holds. This arrangement also was fully disclosed at the time of theoffering. Its a pity so few investors apparently bothered to do their homework.61. What can be inferred about Facebook fro
10、m the first paragraph?A.Its market meltdown has been easily halted.B.It has increased trade with the newspaper industry.C.It has encountered utter failure since its stock debut.D.Its shareholders have invested $ 50 billion in a social network.62. The crises Facebook is facing_A.have been disclosed i
11、n the IPO prospectusB.are the universal risks Wall Street confrontsC.disappoint its faithful usersD.have existed for a long time63. To make its stock price reasonable, Facebook has to_A.narrow the IPO price rangeB.cooperate with GoogleC.keep enormously profitableD.invest additional $ 2.6 billion64.
12、It can be inferred from the context that the “Achilles heel“ (Line 1, Para. 5) refersto_A.deadly weaknessB.problem unsolvedC.indisputable factD.potential risk65. What effect will Facebooks failure in the market have?A.Its users benefits will be threatened.B.Talented hackers will take down the websit
13、e.C.The CEO will hold the super-voting stock.D.The companys innovation strength will be damaged.参考答案61.C)。本题考查第一段的主旨大意。此种题型可以使用排除法，将各选项代入原文来验证对错。A)“脸谱网的市场崩溃已被轻而易举地制止了” ，原文开篇指出，说脸谱网的市场崩溃将要结束未免太简单了.A)与原文不符，故排除;B)“脸谱网增加了与报纸业之间的商务往来” ，原文首段末句 plus that of 中的 that 指的是 value，意指脸谱网自登陆纳斯达克以来，损失的价值等同于几个大型互联网企
14、业加上大部分报业价值的总和，B) 与原文不符，故排除 ;C)“脸谱网自股票上市以来遭遇了巨大失败” ，由第一段中的burned，lost 等词可以推断脸谱网上市后遭遇了巨大失败，故为答案。62.D)。事实细节题。D)已经存在很长时间了” ，与定位句中 remain today 的意思相同，故为答案。63.C)。本题考查脸谱网如何才能使其制定的股价合理，题干中的 reasonable 对应原文中的 justify。定位句提到，要实现接近其公开募股说明书上的较低股价，比如每股 28 美元，这就要求脸谱网年收益增长要高达 80%，并始终保持高利润率，故答案为 c)。64.A)。本段提到，脸谱网现在还
15、未解决如何有效地在移动设备上做广告这一问题，而用手机登录其网站的用户数量却不断飙升，且文章通篇语义色彩都是消极的，故可推出此处应指脸谱网商业模式中的致命软肋，故答案为 A)。65.D)。由定位句可知，脸谱网在市场上的失意不仅会影响到用户，还会影响招募和挽留天才 黑客，而这些人正是扎克伯格创造力的命脉。由此推知，脸谱网的创新力会因其市场失意而受到损害，故答案为 D)。二Questions 56 to 60 are based on the followingpassage.There is a certain inevitability that ebook saleshave now over
16、taken paperback sales on AmazonsUS site. Amazons Kindle 2 is so light and so cheapthat its easy to see why people have rushed to buyit. Though Im still not keen on the design of the Kindle, it is a vast improvement on itspredecessor and certainly tolerable. Beyond the device itself, Amazon has done
17、a great jobof rolling out Kindle apps, ensuring that people like me-who have an iPad but not a Kindle-canstill join in the fun. Once youre into the Kindle ecosystem, Amazon locks you in tightly-just asApple does with its iTunes/ iPod ecosystem. Its so easy to buy from Amazons store and thebooks are
18、so cheap that its not worth the effort of going elsewhere.While I remain opposed to Amazons DRM (数字版权管理 )-indeed, Im opposed to DRM onany ebooks-I have to admit that the implementation is so smooth that most Kindle userswont care at all that their ebooks cant be moved to other devices.The ebook tren
19、d is nowhere near peaking. Over the next five years we can expect to seemore and more readers move away from printed books and pick up ebooks instead. But I dontthink that will mean the death of the printed book.There are some who prefer printed books. They like having shelves filled with books they
20、veread and books they plan to read; they like the feel of the book in their hands and the differentweights and typefaces and layouts of different titles. In other words, they like the physical formof the book almost as much as the words it contains.I can sympathise with those people. As I wrote earl
21、ier this week, my ideal situation would befor publishers to bundle ebooks with printed ones-in much the same way that film studiosbtmdie DVDs with digital copies of films. Theres no reason to think that lovers of printed bookswill change their minds. There will undoubtedly be fewer of them as time g
22、oes by because morepeople will grow up with ebooks and spend little time with printed ones. However, just as thereare people who love vinyl records(黑胶唱片), even if they were born well into the CD era, therewill still be a dedicated minority who love physical books.Since there are fewer of these peopl
23、e, that will mean fewer bookshops and higher prices forprinted books but I dont think the picture is entirely bleak. There is scope for smaller printruns of lavishly designed printed books and bookshops aimed at book lovers, rather than theStieg Larsson-reading masses. With mainstream readers out of
24、 the printed book market, booklovers might even find they get a better experience.56. What can be inferred from Paragraph One?A.Most people buy Kindle 2 mainly because of its low price.B.The author of the passage is a loyal customer of Apple products.C.Amazons Kindle 2 surpassed Kindle 1 in designin
25、g.D.The sales of ebook outnumbered those of paperback in the U. S.57. According to the passage, the reason why the author opposes to Amazons DRM is that_A.ebooks can only be purchased on Amazon. ComB.Kindle books are not compatible with other electronic reading devicesC.once implemented, ebooks cant
26、 be transferred to other equipmentsD.ebooks installed on Kindle 2 cant be edited freely58. It can be learned that the trend of ebooks_A.will come to stop any time soonB.will reach the summit in the near futureC.will meet its heyday when printed books dieD.has already reached its peak59. Why does the
27、 author believe that the surging sales of ebooks wont mean the death ofthe printed book?A.Because a minority will stick to their love of printed books.B.Because the majority of book lovers wont change their minds.C.Because people always hold nostalgic feelings towards printed books.D.Because people
28、will return to the printed books as time goes by.60. According to the author, which of the following is TRUE about the future of printedbooks?A.They will be bundled with ebooks.B.They will no longer be available in the market.C.They will be sold in small quantity and high quality.D.They will be rede
29、signed to cater to the masses.参考答案56.C)。本题考查对第一段的理解。定位句指出“尽管我还是对 Kindle 的设计提不起兴趣. 但较之第一代确实有了相当大的改进，还是非常不错的” ，即 Kindle 2 在设计上要优于 Kindle l，故答案为 C)。57.c)。本题考查作者对亚马逊的数字版权管理持反对态度的原因。定位句提到“我不得不承认安装过程实在是太便捷了，以至于大多数 Kindle 用户并不 介意电子书无法安装到其他设备上” ，由此可知，电子书一旦安装后，不可以在其他设备上再次使用，C)中的 transfer，equipments 分别对应 定位句中
30、的move 和 devices，故为答案。58.B)。本题考查电子书的发展趋势。定位句提到，电子书的发展趋势正在无限接近顶峰。换言之，电子书的发展趋势很快就会接近顶峰，故 B)为答案。59.A)。本题考查作者认为电子书不会造成纸质书籍消亡的原因。定位句提到“然而，正如有些生活在 CD 时代却依然热爱黑胶唱片的人一样，会有少数人仍然坚定地爱着纸质书” ，由此可知，仍有一部分人会坚持购买纸质书籍，故答案为 A)。60.C)。本题考查纸质书的发展趋势。由定位句可知，面向大众群体的斯泰格拉尔森式阅读将被淘汰，取而代之的是针对爱书者而设的装帧精美、数量不多的印刷本和书店。C)中的 small quant
31、ity 和 better quality 分别对应原文的 smaller print，lavishly designed，故为答案三Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.A bull grazes on dry wheat husks(Phi) in Logan, Kansas, one of the regions hit by therecord drought that has affected more than half of the U. S. and is expected to drive up foodpr
32、ices.Leadinu water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global foodsupplies, saying that the worlds population may have to switch almost completely to avegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.Adopting a vegetarian diet is one option to increase
33、 the amount of water available to growmore food in an increasingly climate-unstable world, the scientists said. Animal protein-richfood consumes 5 to 10 times more water than a vegetarian diet. One third of the worldsarable(适于耕种的) land is used to grow crops to feed animals. Other options to feed peo
34、pleinclude eliminating waste and increasing trade between countries in food surplus and those indeficit.“900 million people already go hungry and 2 billion people are malnourished in spite of thefact that per capita food production continues to increase,“ they said. “With 70% of allavailable water b
35、eing in agriculture, growing more food to feed an additional 2 billion peopleby 2050 will place greater pressure on available water and land. “The report is being released at the start of the annual world water conference inStockholm, Sweden, where 2,500 politicians, UN bodies, non-governmental grou
36、ps andresearchers from 120 countries meet to address global water supply problems.Competition for water between food production and other uses will intensify pressure onessential resources, the scientists said. “The UN predicts that we must increase foodproduction by 70% by mid-century. This will pl
37、ace additional pressure on our alreadystressed water resources, at a time when we also need to allocate more water to satisfy globalenergy demand- which is expected to rise 60% over the coming 30 years-and to generateelectricity for the 1.3 billion people currently without it,“ said the report.Overe
38、ating, undernourishment and waste are all on the rise and increased food productionmay face future constraints from water scarcity.“We will need a new recipe to feed the world in the future,“ said the reports editor, AndersJagerskog.A separate report from the International Water Management Institute
39、 (IWMI) said the bestway for countries to protect millions of farmers from food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa andsouth Asia was to help them invest in small pumps and simple technology, rather than todevelop expensive, large-scale irrigation projects.“Farmem across the developing world are increa
40、singly relying on and benefiting from small-scale,locally-relevant water solutions. These techniques could increase yields up to 300% andadd tens of billions of U. S. dollars to household revenues across sub-Saharan Africa and southAsia. “ said Dr. Colin Chartres, the director general.61. What can b
41、e inferred from the water scientists warning?A. The record drought forces half of the U. S. to go hungry.B. The record drought drives up food prices m the U. S.C. Severe food shortage may happen without proper measures.D. A vegetarian diet is the only option to avoid disastrous shortages.62. What do
42、 the scientists say can be done to increase food supply?A. Grow more animal protein-rich food.B. Turn pastures into arable lands.C. Promote trade between countries self-sufficient in food.D. Increase the amount of water for food production.63. According to the water scientists report,A. per capita f
43、ood production has been increasingB. reduced food supply will make more people malnourishedC. 70% of water will be used to feed 2 billion people by 2050D. researchers begin to seek solutions to tackle water problem64. In regard to the problem of water supply, scientists believeA. more water should b
44、e allocated to satisfy energy demandB. food production must be increased to 70% by mid-centuryC. energy demand will intensify pressure on water resourcesD. electricity generation must be increased by 60% 30 years later65. What does the IWMI say is the best solution to food insecurity in sub-Saharan
45、Africaand south Asia?A. Applying small pumps and simple technology.B. Launching large-scale irrigation projects.C. Increase the local household revenues.D. Investing in a new expensive irrigation project.参考答案61.C)。本题考查对水资源科学家警示的理解。定位段指出，一些水科学带头人发布了一个关于全球粮食供应的最高级警报，指出为了避免灾难性的粮食紧缺，在未来的四十年，世界人口的饮食可能不得不
46、几乎全转换为素食，故答案为 C)。62.D)。本题考查科学家对于增加食物供应量的建议。定位句指出，科学家指出，素食的饮食习惯是在逐渐不稳定的气候条件下增加用来生产更多的食物的可用水资源总量的一种选择，故答案为 D)。63.A)。本题考查对水资源科学家研究报告的理解。文中第四段第一句指出，科学家们说： “尽管人均粮食产量在持续增加，但仍有 9 亿人正在挨饿，20 亿人营养不良，故答案为 A)。64.c)。本题考查科学家对于水资源供给的 态度。文中第六段第一句指出，报告中提到， “联合国预测，到本世纪中叶，我们必须增加 70%的粮食产量。这会给本就紧张的水资源造成更大的压力” 。第三句 指出， “
47、与此同时，我们需要分配更多的水资源来满足世界能源的需求” ，故答案为 c)。65.A)。本题考查解决撒哈拉以南非洲地区及南亚缺水问题的最佳途径。定位段指出，在撒哈拉以南非洲地区和南亚地区，防止农民遭受粮食危机的最好方法是帮助他们投资建造小型水泵和使用简单的技术，这远远好于开发昂贵的、大规模的灌溉工程，故答案为 A)。四Questions 56 to 60 are based on the followingpassage.Theyre still kids, and although theres a lot thatthe experts dont yet know about them,
48、one thingthey do agree on is that what kids use and expectfrom their world has changed rapidly. And its allbecause of technology.To the psychologists, sociologists, and generational and media experts who study them,their digital gear sets this new group apart, even from their tech-savvy (懂技术的 ) Mill
49、ennialelders. They want to be constantly connected and available in a way even their older siblingsdont quite get. These differences may appear slight, but they signal an all-encompassingsensibility that some say marks the dawning of a new generation.The contrast between Millennials and this younger group was so evident to psychologistLarry Rosen of California State University that he has declared the birth of a new generation in anew book, Rewired: Understanding the ingeneration and the
