2022年考研英语一新题型--七选五4.docx

2022年考研英语一新题型-七选五4七选五或填空式阅读1Passage7TwentyyearsagoadebateeruptedaboutwhethertherewerespecificAsianvalues.Mostattentionfocusedondubiousclaimsbyautocratsthatdemocracywasnotamongthem.Butamoreintriguing,iflessnoticed,argumentwasthattraditionalfamilyvalueswerestrongerinAsiathaninAmericaandEurope,andthatthispartlyaccountedforAsia’seconomicsuccess.(1)_Onthefaceofithisclaimappearspersuasivestill.InmostofAsia,marriageiswidespreadandillegitimacyalmostunknown.Incontrast,halfofmarriagesinsomeWesterncountriesendindivorce,andhalfofallchildrenarebornoutsidewedlock.TherecentriotsacrossBritain,whoseoriginsmanybelievelieinanabsenceofeitherparentalguidanceorfilialrespect,seemtounderlineaprofounddifferencebetweenEastandWest.YetmarriageischangingfastinEast,South-EastandSouthAsia,eventhougheachregionhasdifferenttraditions.ThechangesaredifferentfromthosethattookplaceintheWestinthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury.Divorce,thoughrisinginsomecountries,remainscomparativelyrare.What’shappeninginAsiaisaflightfrommarriage.Marriageratesarefallingpartlybecausepeoplearepostponinggettinghitched.Marriageageshaverisenallovertheworld,buttheincreaseisparticularlymarkedinAsia.(2)_AlotofAsiansarenotmarryinglater.Theyarenotmarryingatall.AlmostathirdofJapanesewomenintheirearly30sareunmarried;probablyhalfofthosewillalwaysbe.(3)_Sofar,thetrendhasnotaffectedAsia’stwogiants,ChinaandIndia.Womenareretreatingfrommarriageastheygointotheworkplace.That’spartlybecause,forawoman,beingbothemployedandmarriedistoughinAsia.Womentherearetheprimarycaregiversforhusbands,childrenand,often,forageingparents;andevenwheninfull-timeemployment,theyareexpectedtocontinuetoplaythisrole.Thisistrueelsewhereintheworld,buttheburdenthatAsianwomencarryisparticularlyheavy.(4)_Notsurprisingly,Asianwomenhaveanunusuallypessimisticviewofmarriage.Accordingtoasurveycarriedoutthisyear,manyfewerJapanesewomenfeltpositiveabouttheirmarriagethandidJapanesemen,orAmericanwomenormen.Atthesametimeasemploymentmakesmarriagetougherforwomen,itoffersthemanalternative.Morewomenarefinanciallyindependent,somoreofthemcanpursueasinglelifethatmayappealmorethanthedrudgeryofatraditionalmarriage.Moreeducationhasalsocontributedtothedeclineofmarriage,becauseAsianwomenwiththemosteducationhavealwaysbeenthemostreluctanttowedandtherearenowmanymorehighlyeducatedwomen.TheflightfrommarriageinAsiaisthustheresultofthegreaterfreedomthatwomenenjoythesedays,whichistobecelebrated.Butitisalsocreatingsocialproblems.ComparedwiththeWest,Asiancountrieshaveinvestedlessinpensionsandotherformsofsocialprotection,ontheassumptionthatthefamilywilllookafterageingorillrelatives.Thatcannolongerbetakenforgranted.Thedeclineofmarriageisalsocontributingtothecollapseinthebirthrate.(5)_Andthereareother,lessobviousissues.Marriagesocialisesmen:itisassociatedwithlowerlevelsoftestosteroneandlesscriminalbehaviour.Lessmarriagemightmeanmorecrime.CanmarriageberevivedinAsia?Maybe,ifexpectationsofthoserolesofbothsexeschange;butshiftingtraditionalattitudesishard.Governmentscannotlegislateawaypopularprejudices.Theycan,though,encouragechange.Relaxingdivorcelawsmight,paradoxically,boostmarriage.Womenwhonowsteerclearofwedlockmightbemorewillingtotietheknotiftheyknowitcanbeuntiednotjustbecausetheycangetoutofthemarriageifitdoesn’twork,butalsobecausetheirfreedomtoleavemightkeeptheirhusbandsontheirtoes.Familylawshouldgivedivorcedwomenamoregenerousshareofthecouple’sassets.AFertilityinEastAsiahasfallenfrom5.3childrenperwomaninthelate1960sto1.6now.Incountrieswiththelowestmarriagerates,thefertilityrateisnearer1.0.Thatisbeginningtocausehugedemographicproblems,aspopulationsagewithstartlingspeed.BAsiangovernmentshavelongtakentheviewthatthesuperiorityoftheirfamilylifewasoneoftheirbigadvantagesovertheWest.Thatconfidenceisnolongerwarranted.Theyneedtowakeuptothehugesocialchangeshappeningintheircountriesandthinkabouthowtocopewiththeconsequences.CPeopletherenowmarryevenlaterthantheydointheWest.ThemeanageofmarriageintherichestplacesJapan,Taiwan,SouthKoreaandHongKonghasrisensharplyinthepastfewdecades,toreach29-30forwomenand31-33formen.DFamilylawshouldgivedivorcedwomenamoregenerousshareofthecouple’sassets.Governmentsshouldalsolegislatetogetemployerstoofferbothmaternalandpaternalleave,andprovideorsubsidisechildcare.Iftakingonsuchexpenseshelpedpromotefamilylife,itmightreducetheburdenonthestateoflookingaftertheold.EOverone-fifthofTaiwanesewomenintheirlate30saresingle;mostwillnevermarry.Insomeplaces,ratesofnon-marriageareespeciallystriking:inBangkok,20%of40-44-yearoldwomenarenotmarried;inTokyo,21%;amonguniversitygraduatesofthatageinSingapore,27%.FInthewordsofLeeKuanYew,formerprimeministerofSingaporeandakeenadvocateofAsianvalues,theChinesefamilyencouragedscholarshipandhardworkandthriftanddefermentofpresentenjoymentforfuturegain.GJapanesewomen,whotypicallywork40hoursaweekintheoffice,thendo,onaverage,another30hoursofhousework.Theirhusbands,onaverage,dothreehours.AndAsianwomenwhogiveupworktolookafterchildrenfindithardtoreturnwhentheoffspringaregrown.1.2.3.4.5.6Passage8IntheEnglish-speakingworld,peopleescapefromfryingpansintofires.InThailand,theproverbiscoucheddifferently:peoplearesaidtoescapefromtigersonlytobeeatenbycrocodiles.(6)_Withthatinmind,theBankofThailandraisedinterestratesonAugust24thfortheninthtimesincemid-2010.Butitwasasplitdecision.TheeconomicwoesofAmericaandEuropehavedarkenedAsia’smood.Somecanagainhearthetiger’sgrowl.Afterlastyear’sswiftrecoveryfromrecession,policymakersindevelopingAsiancountriescongratulatedthemselvesontheresilienceoftheireconomies.(7)_InApril2009theThaicentralbankcutratesto1.25%lowerthaninmostAsianeconomiesalongsideafiscalpushworth3%ofGDP.Emergingeconomieswerehitharderthanoptimistsexpected,butrespondedbetterthanpessimistsfeared.Thatresiliencemaybetestedagainsoonerthananyonewouldhaveliked.Inannouncingitslatestratedecision,theBankofThailandnotedthedangersposedtotheeconomybyaslowdowninAmericaandEurope.(8)_ButthebankfoundconsolationinThailand’sgrowingsalestoitsneighboursandtonewmarketsfartherafield.LastyearChinaovertookAmericatobecomethecountry’sleadingcustomer.ThattrendisnotuniquetoThailand.MostofitsneighboursnowsellasmallershareoftheirexportstoAmericaandEuropethantheydidbeforethecrisis(seechart).Theprecisepercentagesmaybemisleading.TheseexportsincludepartsandcomponentsthatmayendupintheWest,afterfirstbeingassembledintofinalproductsinanothercountry.Butthereisnodenyingthetrend.Theregion’seconomiesarenot,then,asvulnerabletothetiger’sclawsastheywerein2008.Thecrocodile,ontheotherhand,isuncomfortablyclose.Thailand’sheadlineconsumer-priceinflation(4.1%intheyeartoJuly)wastoohighforthecentralbank’scomfort,butlowerthaninmanyofitsneighbours,suchasChina(6.5%),India,wherewholesalepricesroseby9.2%,orVietnam,whereconsumerpricesrosebyanalarming23%intheyeartoAugust.Asia’scampaignagainstinflationhasdraggedonlongerthanitscentralbankershoped.Higherfoodandcommoditypriceswereexpectedtodropoutoftheinflationfigureseventually,butinsteadseemtohaveleachedintootherconsumerprices.(9)_ThebigexceptionsareTaiwan,wherethediscountrateislessthan1.9%,andSingapore,whichcarriesoutmonetarypolicybysettingapathfortheexchangerate,nottheinterestrate.WithratesinAmericaatrockbottom,andtheSingaporedollarsettostrengthenagainstitsAmericancounterpart,interestratesinSingaporeareextraordinarilylow.ReducingrateswouldhelpAsia’seconomieswithstandamodestslowdownintheWest.GoldmanSachs,forexample,hascutits2011rateforecastforIndonesia,Malaysia,PhilippinesandTaiwan,buthasbarelytrimmeditsgrowthforecastsforthesecountries.(10)_Afiscalresponsewoulddomoretobuoydemandintherestoftheworld,asitdidfrom2007to2009,whenbudgetbalancesdeterioratedmarkedlythroughouttheregion.Withluck,anotherstimuluspackagewillnotbenecessary.AmodestslowdownintheWestmighteventakethepressureoffpricesinAsia,withoutdoingundueharmtotheregion’sgrowthacaseperhapsofthetigereatingthecrocodile.AThailandremainshighlyexposedtoglobaltrade:exports,includingairconditioners,videocamerasandfridges,aswellastourism,accountedforover70%ofitsGDPin2010.BButratecutswouldalsoweakentheregion’sexchangerates,sharpeningtheircompetitivenessanddoinglittletohelpeconomiesoutsideAsia.CTheirdocilebankingsystems,highsavingratesandhoardsofforeignexchangeshieldedthemfromtheworstofthefinancialchaos.Theireffortstotightenfiscalandmonetarypolicybeforethecrisisstruckgavethemroomtoloosenupinresponse,asexportscollapsedandconfidenceevaporated.DTheThaieconomy,likemanyinAsia,sprangfreefromthegreatrecessionsurprisinglyquickly.Thisyearthebiggerthreathasbeenthewideningjawsofinflation.EAmericawillovercomeitscurrenteconomicwoesandEuropewillmuddlethrough.FOneconsequenceofthisprolongedfightisthatnominalinterestrateshavebeenraisedoffthefloor.Indonesia’spolicyrateisnow6.75%;India’sis8%.Thatgivescentralbankerssomeroomtocutiftheworldeconomysags.GThailand’snewprimeminister,YingluckShinawatra,iscontemplatinganotherbudgetarysplurge.Butpolicymakerselsewherewillbereluctanttospilltheredinkagain.6.7.8.9.10.第10页 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