2010—2019年历年考研英语一真题集.pdf

2019 年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(一)真题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 the ANSWERSHEET. (10 points)Today we live in a world where GPS systems, digital maps, and other navigation apps are available on our smartphone. _1_ of us just walk straight into the woods without a phone. But phones_2_on batteries, and batteriescan die faster than we realize._3_you get lost without a phone or a compass, and you _4_cant find north, wehave a few tricks to help you navigate_5_to civilization, one of which is to follow the land.When you find yourself well_6_ a trail, but not in a completely _7_area, you have to answer two questions:Which _8_is downhill, in this particular area? And where is the nearest water source? Humans overwhelminglylive in valleys, and on supplies of fresh water._9_, if you head downhill, and follow any H2O you find, you should_10_see signs of people.If youve explored the area before, keep an eye out for familiar sightsyou may be _11_how quicklyidentifying a distinctive rock or tree can restore your bearings.Another_12_:Climb high and look for signs of human habitation._13_,even in dense forest, you should ableto _14_gaps in the tree line due to roads, train tracks, and other paths people carve_15_ the woods. Head towardthese _16_ to find a way out. At night, scan the horizon for _17_ light sources, such as fires and streetlights, thenwalk toward the glow of light pollution._18_,assuming youre lost in an area humans tend to frequent, look for the _19_we leave on the landscape.Trail blazes, tire tracks, and other features can _20_you to civilization.1. A SomeB MostC FewD All2. A putB takeC runD come3. A SinceB IfC ThoughD Until4. A formallyB relativelyC graduallyD literally5. A backB nextC aroundD away6. A ontoB offC acrossD alone7. A unattractiveB uncrowdedC unchangedD unfamiliar8. A siteB pointC wayD place9. A SoB YetC InsteadD Besides10.A immediatelyB intentionallyC unexpectedlyD eventually11.A surprisedB annoyedC frightenedD confused12.A problemB optionC viewD result13.AAbove allB In contrastC On averageD For example14.A bridgeB avoidC spotD separate15.A formB throughC beyondD under16.A postsB linksC shadesD breaks17.A artificialB mysteriousC hiddenD limited18.A FinallyB ConsequentlyC IncidentallyD Generally19.A memoriesB marksC notesD belongings20.A restrictB adoptC leadD exposeSection 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 onthe ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)Text 1Financial regulators in Britain have imposed a rather unusual rule on the bosses of big banks. Starting next year,any guaranteed bonus of top executives could be delayed 10 years if their banks are under investigation forwrongdoing. The main purpose of this “clawback” rule is to hold bankers accountable for harmful risk-taking and torestore public trust in financial institution. Yet officials also hope for a much larger benefit: more long-termdecision-making, not only by banks but by all corporations, to build a stronger economy for future generations.“Short-termism” or the desire for quick profits, has worsened in publicly traded companies, says the Bank ofEnglands top economist, Andrew Haldane. He quotes a giant of classical economics, Alfred Marshall, in describingthis financial impatience as acting like “children who pick the plums out of their pudding to eat them at once” ratherthan putting them aside to be eaten last.The average time for holding a stock in both the United States and Britain, he notes, has dropped from sevenyears to seven months in recent decades. Transient investors, who demand high quarterly profits from companies, canhinder a firms efforts to invest in long-term research or to build up customer loyalty. This has been dubbed “quarterlycapitalism”In addition, new digital technologies have allowed more rapid trading of equities, quicker use of information,and thus shorter attention spans in financial markets. “There seems to be a predominance of short-term thinking at theexpense of long-term investing,” said Commissioner Daniel Gallagher of the US Securities and ExchangeCommission in a speech this week.In the US, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has pushed most public companies to defer performance bonuses forsenior executives by about a year, slightly helping reduce “short-termism .” In its latest survey of CEO pay, The WallStreet Journal finds that “a substantial part ” of executive pay is now tied to performance.Much more could be done to encourage “long-termism,” such as changes in the tax code and quicker disclosureof stock acquisitions. In France, shareholders who hold onto a company investment for at least two years cansometimes earn more voting rights in a company.Within companies, the right compensation design can provide incentives for executives to think beyond theirown time at the company and on behalf of all stakeholders. Britains new rule is a reminder to bankers that societyhas an interest in their performance, not just for the short term but for the long term.21.According to Paragraph 1, one motive in imposing the new rule is toA enhance bankerssense of responsibilityB help corporations achieve larger profitsC build a new system of financial regulationD guarantee the bonuses of top executives22.Alfred Marshall is quoted to indicateA the conditions for generating quick profits.B governmentsimpatience in decision-making.C the solid structure of publicly traded companies.D “short-termism” in economic activities.23. It is argued that the influence of transient investment on public companies can beA indirect.B adverse.C minimal.D temporary.24. The US and France examples and used to illustrateA the obstacles to preventing “short-termism”.B the significance of long-term thinking.C the approaches to promoting “long-termism”.D the prevalence of short-term thinking.25. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?A Failure of Quarterly CapitalismB Patience as a Corporate VirtueC Decisiveness Required of Top ExecutivesD Frustration of Risk-taking BankersText 2Grade inflationthe gradual increase in average GPAs (grade-point averages) over the past few decadesisoften considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which students are treated like customers to bepleased. But another, related forcea policy often buried deep in course catalogs called “grade forgiveness” ishelping raise GPAs.Grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade, and the most recentgrade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a students overall GPA.The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue to do their utmost tokeep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates. When this practice first starteddecades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if theystruggled in their transition to college-level courses. But now most colleges, save for many selective campuses, allowall undergraduates, and even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.College officials tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and moreabout encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree program and graduation without incurring a bigpenalty. “Untimely,” said Jack Miner, Ohio State Universitys registrar, “we see students achieve more successbecause they retake a course and do better in subsequent contents or master the content that allows them to graduateon time.”That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies collegesown needs as well. For public institutions,state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retentionsobetter grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean more money. And anything that raises GPAs will likely makestudentswho, at the end of the day, are paying the billfeel theyve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars,which is another big concern for colleges.Indeed, grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are responding to consumers expectations forhigher education. Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead to a job, it is in the best interest of aschool to turn out graduates who are as qualified as possibleor at least appear to be. On this, studentsand collegesincentives seem to be aligned.26. What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?A The change of course catalogs.B Studentsindifference to GPAs.C Collegesneglect of GPAs.D The influence of consumer culture.27. What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?A To help freshmen adapt to college learning.B To maintain collegesgraduation rates.C To prepare graduates for a challenging future.D To increase universitiesincome from tuition.28.According to Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enables colleges toA obtain more financial support.B boost their student enrollments.C improve their teaching quality.D meet local governmentsneeds.29. What does the phrase “to be aligned”(Line 5, Para. 6) most probably mean?A To counterbalance each other.B To complement each other.C To be identical with each other.D To be contradictory to each other.30. The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness byA assessing its feasibility.B analyzing the causes behind it.C comparing different views on it.D listing its long-run effects.Text 3This year marks exactly two centuries since the publication of “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,” byMary Shelley. Even before the invention of the electric light bulb, the author produced a remarkable work ofspeculative fiction that would foreshadow many ethical questions to be raised by technologies yet to come.Today the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) raises fundamental questions: “What is intelligence, identity,or consciousness? What makes humans humans?”What is being called artificial general intelligence, machines that would imitate the way humans think, continuesto evade scientists. Yet humans remain fascinated by the idea of robots that would look, move, and respond likehumans, similar to those recently depicted on popular sci-fi TV series such as “West world” and “Humans”.Just how people think is still far too complex to be understood, let alone reproduced, says David Eagleman, aStanford University neuroscientist. “We are just in a situation where there are no good theories explaining whatconsciousness actually is and how you could ever build a machine to get there.”But that doesnt mean crucial ethical issues involving AI arent at hand. The coming use of autonomous vehicles,for example, poses thorny ethical questions. Human drivers sometimes must make split-second decisions. Theirreactions may be a complex combination of instant reflexes, input from past driving experiences, and what their eyesand ears tell them in that moment. AI “vision” today is not nearly as sophisticated as that of humans. And toanticipate every imaginable driving situation is a difficult programming problem.Whenever decisions are based on masses of data, “you quickly get into a lot of ethical questions,” notes Tan KiatHow, chief executive of a Singapore-based agency that is helping the government develop a voluntary code for theethical use of AI. Along with Singapore, other governments and mega-corporations are beginning to establish theirown guidelines. Britain is setting up a data ethics center. India released its AI ethics strategy this spring.On June 7 Google pledged not to “design or deploy AI” that would cause “overall harm,” or to developAI-directed weapons or use AI for surveillance that would violate international norms. It also pledged not to deployAI whose use would violate international laws or human rights.While the statement is vague, it represents one starting point. So does the idea that decisions made by AIsystems should be explainable, transparent, and fair.To put it another way: How can we make sure that the thinking of intelligent machines reflects humanityshighest values? Only then will they be useful servants and not Frankensteins out-of-control monster.31. Mary Shelleys novel Frankenstein is mentioned because itA fascinatesAI scientists all over the world.B has remained popular for as long as 200 years.C involves some concerns raised byAI today.D has sparked serious ethical controversies32. In David Eaglemans opinion, our current knowledge of consciousnessA helps explain artificial intelligence.B can be misleading to robot making.C inspires popular sci-fi TV series.D is too limited for us to reproduce it33.The solution to the ethical issues brought by autonomous vehiclesA can hardly ever be found.B is still beyond our capacity.C causes little public concern.D has aroused much curiosity.34. The authors attitude toward Googles pledges is one ofA affirmationB skepticism.C contemptD respect.35. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?AAIs Future: In the Hands of Tech GiantsB Frankenstein, the Novel Predicting the Age ofAIC The Conscience ofAI: Complex But InevitableDAI Shall Be Killers Once Out of ControlText 4States will be able to force more people to pay sales tax when they make online purchases under a SupremeCourt decision Thursday that will leave shoppers with lighter wallets but is a big financial win for states.The Supreme Courts opinion Thursday overruled a pair of decades-old decisions that states said cost thembillions of dollars in lost revenue annually. The decisions made it more difficult for states to collect sales tax oncertain online purchases.The cases the court overturned said that if a business was shipping a customers purchase to a state where thebusiness didnt have a physical presence such as a warehouse or office, the business didnt have to collect sales taxfor the state. Customers were generally responsible for paying the sales tax to the state themselves if they werentcharged it, but most didnt realize they owed it and few paid.Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the previous decisions were flawed. “Each year the physical presence rulebecomes further removed from economic reality and results in significant revenue losses to the States,” he wrote in anopinion joined by four other justices. Kennedy wrote that the rule “limited state ability to seek long-term prosperityand has prevented market participants from competing on an even playing field.”The ruling is a victory for big chains with a presence in many states, since they usually collect sales tax ononline purchases already. Now, rivals will be charging sales tax where they hadnt before. Big chains have beencollecting sales tax nationwide because they typically have physical stores in whatever state a purchase is beingshipped to. A, with its network of warehouses, also