专业英语八级(阅读)模拟试卷201 (题后含答案及解析)
题型有: 2. READING COMPREHENSION
PART II READING COMPREHENSION
SECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are several passages followed by fourteen multiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggested answers marked [A] , [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.
(1)It is mid-September, the heat is just leaking out of the end of summer, and Japan is enjoying a rare public holiday. A holiday, that is, in the uniquely Japanese sense of the word, which means the GPS hardwired into every citizen is sending thousands upon thousands to the same fashionable boutiques near my home in Tokyo to shop. It is more crowded than a commuter train at rush hour. Policemen shepherd the multitude along the streets with flashing orange batons. Yet there is something peaceful about the way the Japanese drift together in a crowd; they carry a tiny aura of personal space with them, no bigger than one of their Louis Vuitton handbags, and every bit as precious. They hardly touch, like those shoals of translucent fish that dart from one direction to another without colliding. The policemen use their batons like conductors, keeping everything harmonious. But if you try to defy them, those batons will block your way faster than they can say “Dame desu”—which is about as final as “Not on your life.” (2)Such are the means by which order and harmony are maintained in Japan. There is a deep-rooted respect for others, so ingrained that ground staff at Narita airport bow to departing planes as they taxi to the runway. And there is a subtle coercion, like an invisible hand on society’s collar, based on centuries of ancestor worship that has made many customs immutable. The attitudes have been shaped partly by the physical landscape of Japan, which packs one of the most crowded populations on earth onto narrow plains, bounded by sea and inhospitable mountains. For centuries the main activity has been rice farming, which requires communal planting, weeding, watering and harvesting, rather than the rugged individualism of American and European agriculture. (3)I have been captivated by life here since I arrived a year ago, floating on a wave of adoration of most things Japanese, yet getting in everyone’s way and doing everything wrong. I would jog around the Imperial Palace in a clockwise direction, only to find everyone else running anti-clockwise, bearing down on me as if I didn’t exist. I wore short sleeves in early autumn, and couldn’t work out why, when it was still blazing hot outside, everyone had put on their jackets and ties again. After swimming with dolphins on the island of Mikurajima this summer, my family and I went to a cafe to have lunch, still in our damp bathing costumes. Our hostess was so livid that at first I thought we must have set the place alight, not left a few damp seats where our bottoms had been. Living as a foreigner in Japan, for all its attractions, has many such small humiliations.
You may be on a noble quest to plumb the depths of the Japanese soul, but you will take so many wrong turns you end up wondering whether you are indeed too brutish to make sense of it. (4)You may also be struck by how few of the locals have a matching interest in you and your culture. That is because it increasingly seems as if the outside world—with its sharper elbows, fattier food and shoddy dress sense—is kept at arm’s length. Fewer young Japanese are travelling abroad, fewer are studying English, and fewer are taking places at leading academic institutions overseas such as Harvard Business School. Bosses at Japan’s legendary export businesses complain they cannot find youngsters who are prepared to work abroad. Two clever young Japanese friends, just posted to excellent jobs in America, told me that Japan is so comfortable they find it hard to leave. (5)Yet as those friends are the first to admit, it is a cotton-wool comfort that keeps out alien germs—like the surgical facemasks that many Japanese wear, so at odds with the rest of their perfect dress. To the outsider, it can lend the society an air of feeble vulnerability. At times it is downright maddening. Foreign ATM cards don’t work in most Japanese banks, Japanese movies—even the classics—rented at the ubiquitous Tsutaya video store don’t offer the option of foreign-language subtitles. Japanese mobile-phone technology is so unusual that analysts talk of “the Galapagos effect”, because it has grown up in a unique eco-system that makes it unsuitable for use anywhere else.
1. According to the passage, which is NOT seen as a cause for the order and harmony in Japan?
A.Forefather’s influence. B.The large population.
C.Geographical environment. D.The ingrained notions.
正确答案:B
解析:可定位到第2段,根据第2段第3、4句可知,日本几个世纪以来的祖先崇拜使很多习俗永远无法改变;日本人对人和事的态度部分是由日本的景观造成的。A(祖先的影响)、C(地理环境)、D(根深蒂固的传统观念)都是日本社会有序而和谐的原因。而B(人口众多)并非原因,相反,根据常识,应是一个阻碍因素,故正确答案是B。 知识模块:阅读
2. Which of the following statements about the third paragraph is INCORRECT?
A.The Japanese get accustomed to run anti-clockwise.
B.It is a little difficult to probe into the Japanese mind for foreigners.
C.Having dinners in bathing costumes after swimming seems unacceptable in Japan.
D.Wearing short sleeves and pants is popular in a burning hot day during September.
正确答案:D 解析:第3段主要描述作者发现自己的行为跟日本人的格格不入,当他按顺时针方向慢跑时,却发现其他人都是按逆时针方向跑的;在初秋仍然炎热的时候他穿着短袖,却发现日本人又穿上外套、戴上领带了;夏天游完泳穿着泳衣去咖啡厅吃午饭却发现女老板气得脸色发青。选项A、C与描述相符,D不符合,故正确答案是D。B可以从该段最后一句看出来,B中的difficult与文中的take so many wrong turns相符。 知识模块:阅读
3. In the author’s view, which of the following is NOT a fact that makes foreigners crazy in Japan?
A.The locals live too cozily and have no interest in foreign countries. B.Most Japanese banks don’t identify foreign ATM cards.
C.Movies for rent offer no choice of foreign-language subtitles. D.The cell phone made in Japan is not suitable to use outside Japan.
正确答案:A 解析:根据第5段最后3句话的描述可知,国外的银行卡在大多数日本银行都用不了(B);影碟出租店里出租的日本电影——即使是经典大片——也没有外文字幕选择(C);日本的移动电话技术也很不同寻常,使得其手机只适合在日本用(D)。故B、C、D都是作者认为能让人抓狂的事情(At times it is downrightmaddening)。A虽然是事实,但作者只是客观描述,并没有讲到这是令人抓狂的事情,故答案是A。 知识模块:阅读
4. According to the passage, we learn that _____.
A.citizens in Japan all drive to boutiques with a GPS in public holiday B.young people in Japan are not hard-working in their academic study C.Japan is a densely-populated country and unsuitable for living D.Japan tends to live in isolation, shunning off from the rest of world
正确答案:D
解析:文中第4段讲到,日本人固步自封,不愿意出国、学习外语及到国外工作,同时对外国文化也不屑一顾。文章最后的几个例子(外国ATM卡不能在日本国内使用、电影不配外文字幕、日产手机只适合在日本使用)也充分说明了日本与外界脱离,故D正确。第一段讲到日本居民像被安装了定位系统一样,在假日纷纷奔向精品店购物,作者这儿是使用了修辞手法,A曲解原文。B说法以偏概全,日本年轻人只是很少学习外文等。 知识模块:阅读
(1)The Muslim calendar, now in its 1,431st year, follows the cycle of the moon rather than the sun. This means it shifts by 11 days a year in comparison with the Gregorian calendar, completing a full cycle in about 33 years. And it ignores the seasons. Ramadan(斋月), the month of fasting which this year began on August 12th, is now taking place slap in the middle of the Arab world’s summer holiday. Those who observe the fast must not only put up with the heat and the ensuing dangers of dehydration and exhaustion. There are economic costs that did not weigh a generation
ago, when consumer culture had yet to take hold. Across the Arab world, for instance, the price of cooking oil shoots up, since fried sweets are a Ramadan speciality. The cost of sugar rises too. So does the price of honey, especially in the Maghreb. Food importers do particularly well out of pistachios(开心果), dates and dried apricots. Caf6s close by day but often make up for that with late-night revels. Many big new television shows are launched during Ramadan, accounting for a third of annual advertising revenue for Arab satellite television stations. (2)But for many businesses, especially government ones, productivity plummets as the working day shortens by two or three hours. The stock market, however, usually surges, according to a recent study by Ahmad Etebari, a professor at the University of New Hampshire. Studying market patterns in Muslim countries between 1989 and 2007, he found that returns during Ramadan were almost nine times higher than in the rest of the year. The reason, he says, is that the seasonal cheer encourages optimism and thus risk-taking. (3)But a summer Ramadan is, overall, bad for the economy. Governments worry about the higher cost of producing more electricity. The lights stay on longer, as people have to eat after nightfall. Kuwait’s electricity ministry has given warning of power cuts and electricity rationing, since more locals will stay at home for Ramadan, with air conditioners on full throttle, rather than go abroad, as many of them usually do in August The authorities in many Arab countries offer food subsidies to ensure that families can afford basic staples. Price controls are often imposed on retailers who are tempted to raise prices to take advantage of increased demand. (4)Western tourists hesitate to spend their holidays at a time when food can be hard to find during the day and alcohol sales are suspended, as in Morocco. Muslim tourists may also choose to stay at home for Ramadan. Egypt, where August is a peak month for tourists from other Arab countries, has launched a festival to entice this high-income customers to come and celebrate away from home. (5)Visits from the millions of North Africans who work in Europe have been shortened or shifted to earlier dates, as they are less keen to visit their families back home when the weather is scorching. Ferry companies say bookings for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, which used to peak at the end of August as families returned to Europe for the start of the school year, piled up at the beginning of the month, just before Ramadan. Meanwhile, Arabs who can afford to fly north and west prefer to spend the fasting month in gentler climes.
5. The italicized word “slap” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.
A.coincidently B.auspiciously C.approximately D.unexpectedly
正确答案:A
解析:如果按照公历年,穆斯林的斋月每年的时间不一样。首段第4句的意
思是今年的拉马丹,也就是8月12日开始的斋月,正是阿拉伯世界最热的时期。句中slap的意思是“正好,恰好”,只有A与之意思最为接近。 知识模块:阅读
6. Which of the following is NOT true about the economic situation during Ramadan?
A.The increased demand of food used for Ramadan makes price rise.
B.The TV stations make a large fortune because of the advertising income. C.Many industries achieve high-efficiency production because of shorter working time.
D.The stock market seems to be more bullish during this period of time.
正确答案:C
解析:定位到第1段和第2段。根据第1段可知,供斋月用的食品在此期间暴涨,食品商们因此赚得盆满钵足:各种各样全新的电视节目在斋月期间登陆阿拉伯各卫星电视台,为他们带来全年1/3的广告收入;根据第2段第1-3句可知,斋月期间由于工作时间减少,生产力下降,股票在这个时期看涨;A、B、D都与文章内容相符,而C“因为工作时间缩短,工作效率提高”与文章内容不符,故答案是C。 知识模块:阅读
7. To ensure the Ramadan run smoothly, the following measures are taken by governments of the Arab countries EXCEPT _____.
A.restricting and planning the electricity use B.encouraging the citizens to go abroad C.providing the citizens with food subsidies D.controlling prices to hinder some opportunists
正确答案:B 解析:定位到第3段。根据第3段最后两句可知,为了将经济影响降到最低,科威特电力部已经发出断电和电力定量配给的警告。很多阿拉伯国家的政府部门提供食品补贴,并对零售商们实施价格监控。因此A(限制和计划用电)、C(为市民提供食物津贴)、D(对物品价格进行控制,以防止投机分子)都是政府在斋月期间采取的有利经济的措施,而B(鼓励市民出国)并非政府的措施,文中提到的go abroad是人们以往在8月份的做法,并非受到政府的鼓励,因此选B。 知识模块:阅读
8. A suitable title for the passage would be _____. A.How Muslims Celebrate Ramadan B.Ramadan in the Summer Heat C.The Economic Impact of Ramadan
D.The Depression of Tourism during Ramadan
正确答案:B 解析:本文主要描述了阿拉伯国家的斋月及酷暑中的斋月对生活、经济及旅
游业带来的影响。只有B意思最广泛,可以囊括文章主题,因此B符合题意。 知识模块:阅读
(1)Next time you’re out raising money for your favorite charity, you would do best to first hit up your female friends—or perhaps the wives of your male ones. Women, it appears, are much better givers. (2)According to a recent study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the University of Indiana, women are as much as 40% more likely to donate than men. What’s more, women at nearly every income level are better givers. Not only do they give more often; they also tend to donate more. For example, the study found that a female-headed household with a family income of at least $103,000 is likely to give to charities, on average, nearly $1,910, or $1,000 more a year than a similar household in which a man controls the checkbook. (3)”It is not just the older white males giving,” says Dr. Debra Mesch, the director of the institute. “We are seeing women really growing in terms of philanthropy.” (4)The study, titled “Women Give 2010,” is, according to Mesch, the first to look at philanthropy by gender. Mesch studied 2,532 single-headed households of comparable income and their giving habits. With women steadily increasing their earning power, what she found is good news for the world of charity. “This is the perfect storm for philanthropy, and we are on the verge of a huge global movement as women become more powerful in the philanthropic movement,” says Mesch. (5)The gender giving gap varied by type of charity. The one category in which women were less likely than men to give to a charity was arts and culture. For all other causes that Mesch looked at, women were more likely donors. Women were 55% more likely donors to international causes than men, 42% more likely to religious organizations, and 32% more likely to youth and family groups. (6)The study shows another big difference: women are more drawn man men to causes and organizations they or family members closely relate to. Professional fundraiser Heather Gee realized that finding her interests gave her focus. “Instead of just writing a check to this charity or that charity, I started to really explore what I was passionate about and what was most important to me,” she says. That means organizations have to take the time to foster relationships, Mesch says. “It is easier to work with men who get out their checkbooks and put names on buildings. It is different to work with women.” (7)Mark Hanlon, senior vice president of the Colorado-based nonprofit Compassion International, says the Indiana study rings true to him. For his group, 60% of its donors are women. As a Christian organization aiming to pull children out of poverty globally, Compassion International falls right in line with what the report says is a sweet spot for female givers. “Ultimately, our cause and what we do is about children and poverty,” Hanlon says. “Very naturally, women gravitate toward those two issues. They understand it acutely, and there is a natural leaning for Compassion to be attractive to mem.” (8)Mesch says not enough nonprofits have discovered the strength of targeting female givers and that there is room for research. “Now we know the difference of behavior,” she says. “We need to go deeper into why this is happening.”
9. Compared with men, women are more likely to donate in the following categories EXCEPT _____.
A.religious organizations B.international affairs C.arts and culture
D.family and teenager group
正确答案:C
解析:根据题意可定位到第5段,根据该段第2-4句可知,在艺术和文化领域,女性较之男性不易产生慈善行为,正确答案为C。但在其他领域,比方说国际性事业,宗教组织及青少年、家庭群体上,女性都更易参与慈善。A、B、D都是女性容易参与慈善的领域,故排除。 知识模块:阅读
10. Which of the following sentences is NOT true about the differences between men and women donors?
A.Women are often attracted by the affairs and organizations relevant to their families.
B.When involved in leaving names on buildings, men will be more enthusiastic than women.
C.Women are highly motivated in saving children and helping the poor.
D.Women donate more often than men but the sum is relatively smaller each time.
正确答案:D
解析:文章第2段第3句讲到女性不仅捐款频率更高,数额也更大,因此D说法有误,本题选D。第6段第1句讲到“女性更易被与她们或家人紧密相关的事业及组织吸引”,该段最后一句说“募捐时,如果在纪念建筑物上留名,男性会很爽快地开支票”,第7段最后几句话指出,女性确实是慈善的最佳募捐对象,因为她们非常关注儿童与贫困问题。A、B、C都是对男女捐赠者不同之处的描述。 知识模块:阅读
11. The following paragraphs are expected to focus on _____.
A.exploring the reasons that cause the differences between men and women donors
B.exemplifying the distinguished features between men and women donors C.explaining why the result of the research is in coincidence with Hanlon’s words
D.informing how to win over the women donors by analyzing their features
正确答案:A
解析:定位到第8段,需考虑前面几段的内容。根据第8段最后一句可知,在明白了男性和女性之间捐赠的差异之后,接下来就是要探究差异产生的深层原因。故A(探讨差异产生的原因)符合题意,同时排除其他三项。 知识模块:阅
读
(1)Of all the catastrophes mat could befall America in coming years, a big terrorist attack, perhaps even bigger than those on September 11th 2001, may be more likely than others. Who would pay for the millions in property damage, business losses and other claims from such an attack? (2)This is the question with which America’s Congress is currently wrestling. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act(TRIA)was passed as a temporary measure after September 11th to provide a government back-stop for the insurance industry in me event of a catastrophic attack. It now says government can step in when insured losses from a terrorist event top $5m. TRIA has helped to stabilize the market, and enabled insurers to continue offering terrorism-risk cover even after swallowing the big losses imposed by September 11th. But unless Congress acts fast, TRIA will expire at the end of the year. One likely result is the loss of terrorism-risk cover for thousands of firms and property owners. This, in turn, could disrupt businesses and make some commercial activity impossible. With modifications, TRIA should be extended. (3)The government has been opposed to extension. It has always seen TRIA as a short-term measure, and has argued that the private sector should assume sole responsibility for terrorism insurance. This is the right goal. A purely private solution would be best, lifting any future burden from the taxpayer and relying on the industry to price and spread risks more accurately than any government can do. But relying entirely on the private sector immediately does not look feasible. With TRIA’s expiration looming, insurers and reinsurers have not rushed to write new contracts for next year offering to fall gaps in terrorism cover. (4)Why the hesitation? Unlike other risks, the threat of terrorism cannot be forecast in time or scope, making a mockery of insurers’ underwriting models. A big chemical, biological or nuclear attack is a prospect few can price, or afford to cover. Insurers are already being threatened with downgrades by rating agencies for the terrorism cover they have sold. (5)One reason is that insurance, far from being a free market, is already one of the most heavily regulated of industries. Operating in a highly distorted marketplace, with 50 state regulators, the insurance industry seems to be having trouble pricing the largest of terrorism risks in a way that is credible and can still offer insurers a profit. Letting TRIA expire, and abruptly withdrawing the government role in insuring the largest losses, would just exacerbate this problem. (6)Any renewal of TRIA should, once again, be limited to two years, say. Its extension must also shift more of the burden, and the business, to the private sector. If an extension is agreed and TRIA’s threshold for government intervention is raised substantially, work should begin now to find better longer-term solutions. One place to look is abroad, where governments have dealt with terrorism risk for years. In Britain, for instance, insurers have created a pool of capital that is backed by the government and, over time, shifts a greater share of risk on to thee private sector. Other options to consider include tax changes that reduce the cost of holding capital by insurers and reinsurers, and facilitating the use of catastrophe bonds. (7)With fewer regulatory distortions of insurance markets, a solely private solution maybe attainable in the long run. In the current environment, though, the
government that regularly warns of terrorist threats must still have a role to play in a solution that safeguards America’s financial security. It would be better to plan ahead than wait for a rushed, Katrina-style bail-out after a big attack. Amid all the uncertainties, one thing seems clear; any such bail-out would be more costly and lead to also greater market distortions without an extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act today.
12. Which of the following statements about TRIA is true? A.It provides insurance to properties in high-risk areas. B.It should be extended as it is now.
C.It requires government support to risk insurance.
D.It has caused a substantial loss of revenue to the state.
正确答案:C
解析:从第2段第2句可知,TRIA是9·11恐怖主义袭击之后通过的,是在发生灾难性袭击的情况下,由政府为保险业提供后备支持的暂时性法案,故本题选C。TRIA并不直接提供保险,而是为保险公司提供支持,因此排除A;该段最后一句表明延期该法案需要在修改法案的前提下,B中的as it is now与之相矛盾;文章没有提到法案给政府带来的财政损失,而且全文的观点是支持其延期的,故排除D。 知识模块:阅读
13. In terrorism insurance, the private sector _____.
A.makes efficient use of the tax revenue in subsidizing insurance loss B.has strength in sharing the risk with other stakeholders in society C.is more economically efficient in offering short-term insurance D.relies on the government to provide insurance for their loss
正确答案:B 解析:第3段第4句指出,完全依靠私有部门可以最好地减轻纳税人未来的负担,通过行业本身更准确地设定价格并分担风险,可见the private sector是可以发挥重要作用的,故选B。A与“可以最好地减轻纳税人未来的负担”意思相悖,故错误;根据最后一段首句可知,只依靠私有公司的办法在长期内才有效,因此C错误;政府只是提供后备支持,并非为损伤买单,因此D说法不对。 知识模块:阅读
14. The private sector is hesitant in taking sole responsibility for terrorism insurance because _____.
A.their current pricing models cannot estimate terrorism attacks properly B.they do not often insure things they cannot forecast C.they are threatened by loss of other insurance takers
D.they do not have regulator-approved contracts that cover terrorism attacks
正确答案:A
解析:文章第4段Why the hesitation之后的内容为查找点。后面几句话指出,和其他的风险不同,恐怖主义的威胁在时间和规模上都无法预测,因此使得保险公司的赔偿模式无法施展。这些袭击发生后,赔偿数额很难界定或者无力偿付。评分机构对保险公司已出售的恐怖事件类保险的打分降低,A与该意思吻合。 知识模块:阅读
SECTION B SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONSIn this section there are eight short-answer questions based on the passages in SECTION A. Answer each question in NO more than 10 words in the space provided.
PASSAGE ONE
15. What do many Japanese do on a rare public holiday?
正确答案:Going to the fashionable boutiques to shop.
解析:根据题目中的a rare public holiday定位到第1段。该段第2句说日本居民像被安装了定位系统一样,在难得的假日里都涌向作者京东家附近的时尚精品店购物。可见答案为Going to the fashionableboutiques to shop。 知识模块:阅读
16. What rhetorical device is employed in the sentence “And there is a subtle coercion, like an invisible hand on society’s collar...(2nd Paragraph)” ?
正确答案:Simile.
解析:题目中的句子出现了比喻词like,因此该句子采用了明喻(simile)的修辞手法。明喻常用as或like等比喻词将具有某种共同特征的两种不同事物联系起来。 知识模块:阅读
PASSAGE TWO
17. Why are western tourists unwilling to visit Muslim countries for their vacation during Ramadan?
正确答案:Because food and alcohol are hard to get. 解析:根据题目中的western tourists定位到第4段。根据第4段第1句可知,西方游客不想这个时候在类似摩洛哥这种国家度假是因为这里白天买不到食物,酒精类饮料的销售又被禁止,故答案可概括为Because foodand alcohol are hard to get。 知识模块:阅读
18. Why do some Arabs spend Ramadan in the north and west?
正确答案:Because of the gentler climes there.
解析:根据题目中的Arabs和north and west定位到最后一段最后一句。该句说能买得起机票飞到北部和西部的阿拉伯人更情愿在气候温和的地方过斋月,可见是因为那些地方的温和气候,故答案为Because of thegentler climes there。 知识模块:阅读
PASSAGE THREE
19. What does the study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute conclude?
正确答案:Women tire more generous than men in terms of philanthropy. 解析:根据题目中的the study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute定位到第2段,该段提到研究结果显示女性比男性更容易产生慈善行为,捐款频率更高,数目相对更多,故答案可概括为Women are more gener-ous than men in terms of philanthropy。 知识模块:阅读
PASSAGE FOUR
20. What should the extension of TRIA aim at?
正确答案:Making the private sector take responsibility.
解析:从第6段第2句可知,TRIA延期必须将更多的重任转给私有部门承担,所以TRIA延期需瞄准私有部门承担责任,答案为Making the private sector take responsibility。 知识模块:阅读
21. What would be caused if the government let TRIA expire?
正确答案:More costly bail-out and greater market distortions.
解析:文章最后一句指出如果TRIA不延期,这种大灾难之后政府的紧急出资救市将会花费更多的钱,并导致市场更加扭曲。题目中的let TRIA expire对应原文的without an extension…,该内容是条件,结果可从该句前面内容获得,答案可概括为More costly bail—out and greater market distortions。 知识模块:阅读
22. What is the author’s attitude in developing the argument in this passage?
正确答案:Being worried.
解析:文章多次强调TRIA过期之日在即,同时多次指出如果不延期可能产生的负面影响,由此可看出作者主张让TRIA延期的焦虑不安的心情,答案可表述为Being worried。 知识模块:阅读
因篇幅问题不能全部显示,请点此查看更多更全内容