2018考研英语(一)真题及答案解析
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2018
解析
考研英语
(
一
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真题及答案
2018
年全国硕士研究生入学统一
考试英语
(
一
)
Section I Use
of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the
best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A,
B, C
or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10
points)
Trust
is a tricky business. On the one hand, it's a
necessary condition
1
many
worthwhile things:
child care, friendships, etc. On the other hand,
putting your
2
, in the wrong
place often
carries a high
3
.
4
, why do we
trust at all? Well, because it feels good. 5
people place their trust in an
individual or an institution, their
brains release oxytocin, a hormone that 6
pleasurable
feelings and
triggers the herding instruct that prompts humans
to 7
with one another.
Scientists have found that exposure
8
this hormone puts us in a trusting 9
:
In a Swiss
study, researchers sprayed
oxytocin into the noses of half the subjects;
those subjects were
ready to lend
significantly higher amounts of money to strangers
than were their 10
who
inhaled something else.
11
for us, we also
have a sixth sense for dishonesty that may 12
us.
A Canadian
study found that children as
young as
months can
differentiate 13
a credible
person and a
dishonest one. Sixty
toddlers were each 14
to
an adult tester holding a plastic container.
The tester would ask, “What’s in here?”
before looking into the container,
smil
ing, and exclaiming,
“Wow!” Each subject was then invited to
look
15
. Half of them found a
toy; the other half 16
the container
was empty-and realized the tester had 17
them.
Among the children who had not been
tricked, the majority were 18
to
cooperate with the
tester in learning a
new skill, demonstrating that they trusted his
leadership. 19
, only five of
the 30
children paired with the “
20
”tester participated in a
follow
-up activity.
1. [A] on [B] like [C] for
[D] from
2. [A]
faith [B] concern [C] attention [D] interest
3. [A] benefit
[B] debt [C] hope [D] price
4. [A] Therefore [B] Then
[C] Instead [D] Again
5. [A]Until [B] Unless [C] Although [D]
When
6. [A]
selects [B] produces [C] applies [D] maintains
7. [A] consult
[B] compete [C] connect [D] compare
8. [A] at [B] by [C]of
[D]to
9. [A]
context [B] mood [C] period [D] circle
10.[A] counterparts [B]
substitutes [C] colleagues [D]supporters
11.[A] Funny
[B] Lucky [C] Odd [D] Ironic
12.[A] monitor [B] protect
[C] surprise [D] delight
13.[A] between [B] within
[C] toward [D] over
14.[A] transferred [B] added [C]
introduced [D] entrusted
15.[A] out [B] back [C] around [D]
inside
16.[A]
discovered [B] proved [C] insisted [D] .remembered
17.[A] betrayed
[B]wronged [C] fooled [D] mocked
18.[A] forced [B] willing
[C] hesitant [D] entitled
19.[A] In contrast [B] As a result [C]
On the whole [D] For instance
20.[A] inflexible [B]
incapable [C] unreliable [D] unsuitable
Section II
Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer
the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C
or D.
Mark your answers on the ANSWER
SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
Among the annoying challenges facing
the middle class is one that will probably go
unmentioned in the next presidential
campaign: What happens when the robots come for
their
jobs?
Don't dismiss that possibility
entirely. About half of U.S. jobs are at high risk
of being
automated, according to a
University of Oxford study, with the middle class
disproportionately
squeezed. Lower-
income jobs like gardening or day care don't
appeal to robots. But many
middle-class
occupations-trucking, financial advice, software
engineering
—
have aroused
their
interest, or soon will. The rich
own the robots, so they will be fine.
This isn't to be alarmist.
Optimists point out that technological upheaval
has benefited
workers in the past. The
Industrial Revolution didn't go so well for
Luddites whose jobs were
displaced by
mechanized looms, but it eventually raised living
standards and created more jobs
than it
destroyed. Likewise, automation should eventually
boost productivity, stimulate demand
by
driving down prices, and free workers from hard,
boring work. But in the medium term,
middle-class workers may need a lot of
help adjusting.
The first step, as Erik Brynjolfsson
and Andrew McAfee argue in The Second Machine Age,
should be rethinking education and job
training. Curriculums
—
from
grammar school to college-
should
evolve to focus less on memorizing facts and more
on creativity and complex
communication. Vocational schools
should do a better job of fostering problem-
solving skills and
helping students
work alongside robots. Online education can
supplement the traditional kind. It
could make extra training and
instruction affordable. Professionals trying to
acquire new skills
will be able to do
so without going into debt.
The challenge of coping
with automation underlines the need for the U.S.
to revive its fading
business dynamism:
Starting new companies must be made easier. In
previous eras of drastic
technological
change, entrepreneurs smoothed the transition by
dreaming up ways to combine
labor and machines. The best uses of 3D
printers and virtual reality haven't been invented
yet. The
U.S. needs the new companies
that will invent them.
Finally, because automation threatens
to widen the gap between capital income and labor
income, taxes and the safety net will
have to be rethought. Taxes on low-wage labor need
to be
cut, and wage subsidies such as
the earned income tax credit should be expanded:
This would
boost incomes, encourage
work, reward companies for job creation, and
reduce inequality.
Technology will improve society in ways
big and small over the next few years, yet this
will be
little comfort to those who
find their lives and careers upended by
automation. Destroying the
machines
that are coming for our jobs would be nuts. But
policies to help workers adapt will be
indispensable.
will be most threatened by automation?
[A] Leading
politicians.
[B]Low-wage laborers.
[C]Robot owners.
[D]Middle-class
workers.
22
.Which of the following best represent the
author’s view?
[A] Worries about automation are in
fact groundless.
[B]Optimists' opinions on new tech find
little support.
[C]Issues arising from automation need
to be tackled
[D]Negative consequences of new tech
can be avoided
ion in the age of automation should put
more emphasis on
[A] creative potential.
[B]job-hunting skills.
[C]individual
needs.
[D]cooperative spirit.
author suggests that tax
policies be aimed at
[A] encouraging the development of
automation.
[B]increasing the return on capital
investment.
[C]easing the hostility between rich
and poor.
[D]preventing the income gap from
widening.
this
text, the author presents a problem with
[A] opposing
views on it.
[B]possible solutions to it.
[C]its alarming
impacts.
[D]its
major variations.
Text 2
A new survey by
Harvard University finds more than two-thirds of
young Americans
disapprove of President
Trump’s use of Twitter. The implication is that
Millennials prefer news
from the White
House to be filtered through other source, Not a
president’s social media platform.
Most Americans
rely on social media to check daily headlines. Yet
as distrust has risen
toward all media,
people may be starting to beef up their media
literacy skills. Such a trend is
badly
needed. During the 2016 presidential campaign,
nearly a quarter of web content shared by
Twitter users in the politically
critical state of Michigan was fake news,
according to the University
of Oxford.
And a survey conducted for BuzzFeed News found 44
percent of Facebook users rarely
or
never trust news from the media giant.
Young people who are
digital natives are indeed becoming more skillful
at separating fact
from fiction in
cyberspace. A Knight Foundation focus-group survey
of young people between
ages 14and24
found they use “distributed trust” to verify
stories. They cross
-check sources and
prefer news from different
perspectives
—especially those that are
open about any bias. “Many
young people
assume a great deal of personal responsibility for
educating themselves and
actively
seeking out opposing viewpoints,” the survey
con
cluded.
Such active research can have another
effect. A 2014 survey conducted in Australia,
Britain,
and the United States by the
University of Wisconsin-
Madison found
that young people’s reliance
on social
media led to greater political engagement.
Social media
allows users to experience news events more
intimately and immediately while
also
permitting them to re-share news as a projection
of their values and interests. This forces
users to be more conscious of their
role in passing along information. A survey by
Barna research
group found the top
reason given by Americans for the fake news
phenomenon is “reader error,”
more so
than made-up stories or factual mistakes in
reporting. About a third say the problem of
fake news lies in “misinterpretation or
exaggeration of actual news” via social media. In
other
words, the choice to share news
on social media may be the heart of the issue.
“This indicates
there is a real
personal responsibility in counteracting this
problem,” says Roxanne Stone, editor
in
chief at Barna Group.
So when young people are critical of an
over-tweeting president, they reveal a mental
discipline in thinking skills
–
and in their choices on
when to share on social media.
26. According to the
Paragraphs 1 and 2, many young Americans cast
doubts on
[A]
the justification of the news-filtering practice.
[B] people’s
preference for social media platforms.
[C] the
administrations ability to handle information.
[D] social
media was a reliable source of news.
27. The phrase “beer
up”(Line 2, Para. 2) is closest in meaning
to
[A] sharpen
[B] define
[C] boast
[D] share
28. According to the knight
foundation survey, young people
[A] tend to voice their
opinions in cyberspace.
[B] verify news by referring to diverse
resources.
[C]
have s strong sense of responsibility.
[D] like to exchange views
on “distributed trust”
29. The Barna survey found
that a main cause for the fake news problem is
[A] readers
outdated values.
[B] journalists’ biased
reporting
[C]
readers’
misinterpretation
[D] journalists’
made
-up stories.
30. Which of the following
would be the best title for the text?
[A] A Rise in Critical
Skills for Sharing News Online
[B] A Counteraction Against
the Over-tweeting Trend
[C] The Accumulation of Mutual Trust on
Social Media.
[D] The Platforms for Projection of
Personal Interests.
Text 3
Any fair-minded assessment of the
dangers of the deal between Britain's National
Health
Service (NHS) and DeepMind must
start by acknowledging that both sides mean well.
DeepMind is
one of the leading
artificial intelligence (AI) companies in the
world. The potential of this work
applied to healthcare is very great,
but it could also lead to further concentration of
power in the
tech giants. It Is against
that background that the information commissioner,
Elizabeth Denham,
has issued her
damning verdict against the Royal Free hospital
trust under the NHS, which
handed over
to DeepMind the records of 1.6 million patients In
2015 on the basis of a vague
agreement
which took far too little account of the patients'
rights and their expectations of
privacy.
DeepMind has almost apologized. The NHS
trust has mended its ways. Further arrangements-
and there may be many-between the NHS
and DeepMind will be carefully scrutinised to
ensure
that all necessary permissions
have been asked of patients and all unnecessary
data has been
cleaned. There are
lessons about informed patient consent to learn.
But privacy is not the only
angle in
this case and not even the most important. Ms
Denham chose to concentrate the blame
on the NHS trust, since under existing
law it “controlled” the data and DeepMind merely
“processed
mere possession of
bits, that gives the data value.
The great question is who
should benefit from the analysis of all the data
that our lives now
generate. Privacy
law builds on the concept of damage to an
individual from identifiable
knowledge
about them. That misses the way the surveillance
economy works. The data of an
individual there gains its value only
when it is compared with the data of countless
millions more.
The use of privacy law to curb the tech
giants in this instance feels slightly maladapted.
This
practice does not address the real
worry. It is not enough to say that the algorithms
DeepMind
develops will benefit patients
and save lives. What matters is that they will
belong to a private
monopoly which
developed them using public resources. If software
promises to save lives on
the scale
that dugs now can, big data may be expected to
behave as a big pharm has done. We are
still at the beginning of this
revolution and small choices now may turn out to
have gigantic
consequences later. A
long struggle will be needed to avoid a future of
digital feudalism. Ms
Denham's report
is a welcome start.
is true of the agreement between the
NHS and DeepMind ?
[A] It caused conflicts among tech
giants.
[B] It
failed to pay due attention to patient’s
ri
ghts.
[C] It fell short of the latter's
expectations
[D] It put both sides into a dangerous
situation.
32.
The NHS trust responded to Denham's verdict with
[A] empty
promises.
[B]
tough resistance.
[C] necessary adjustments.
[D] sincere apologies.
author argues
in Paragraph 2 that
[A] privacy protection must be secured
at all costs.
[B] leaking patients' data is worse
than selling it.
[C] making profits from patients' data
is illegal.
[D]
the value of data comes from the processing of it
ing to the last
paragraph, the real worry arising from this deal
is
[A] the
vicious rivalry among big pharmas.
[B] the ineffective
enforcement of privacy law.
[C] the uncontrolled use of
new software.
[D] the monopoly of big data by tech
giants.
author's attitude toward the application of AI to
healthcare is
[A] ambiguous.
[B] cautious.
[C] appreciative.
[D] contemptuous.
Text 4
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss
of $$5.6 billion
for fiscal 2016, the
10th straight year its expenses have exceeded
revenue. Meanwhile, it has more
than
$$120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for
employee health and retirement costs. There
are many bankruptcies. Fundamentally,
the USPS is in a historic squeeze between
technological
change that
has permanently decreased demand for its bread-
and-butter product, first-class mail,
and a regulatory structure that denies
management the flexibility to adjust its
operations to the
new reality
And interest
groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-card
makers exert self-interested
pressure
on the USPS’s ultimate
overseer
-Congress-insisting that
whatever else happens to the
Postal
Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on
get protected. This is why repeated
attempts at reform legislation have
failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service
unable to pay
its bills except by
deferring vital modernization.
Now comes word that
everyone involved---Democrats, Republicans, the
Postal Service, the
unions and the
system's heaviest users
—
has
finally agreed on a plan to fix the system.
Legislation is moving through the House
that would save USPS an estimated $$28.6 billion
over
five years, which could help pay
for new vehicles, among other survival measures.
Most of the
money would come from a
penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from
shifting postal
retirees into Medicare.
The latter step would largely offset the financial
burden of annually
pre-funding retiree
health care, thus addressing a long-standing
complaint by the USPS and its
union.
If it clears
the House, this measure would still have to get
through the Senate
–
where
someone is bound to point out that it
amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to
keep the
P
ostal Service
afloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no
change to collective bargaining at the
USPS, a major omission considering that
personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s
costs.
Also missing is any discussion
of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That
common-sense
change enjoys wide public
support and would save the USPS $$2 billion per
year. But postal
special-interest
groups seem to have killed it, at least in the
House. The emerging consensus
around
the bill is a sign that legislators are getting
frightened about a politically embarrassing
short-
term collapse at the
USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re
getting serious about
transforming the
postal system for the 21st century.
financial problem with the
USPS is caused partly by
[A]. its unbalanced budget.
[B] .its rigid management.
[C] .the cost
for technical upgrading.
[D]. the withdrawal of bank support.
37. According
to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself
due to
[A]. the
interference from interest groups.
[B] .the inadequate funding
from Congress.
[C] .the shrinking demand for postal
service.
[D]
.the incompetence of postal unions.
long-standing complaint by
the USPS and its unions can be addressed by
[A] .removing
its burden of retiree health care.
[B] .making
more investment in new vehicles.
[C] .adopting a new rate-
increase mechanism.
[D]. attracting more first-class mail
users.
the
last paragraph, the author seems to view
legislators with
[A] respect.
[B] tolerance.
[C] discontent.
[D] gratitude.
of the following would be the best
title for the text?
[A] .The USPS Starts to Miss Its Good
Old Days
[B]
.The Postal Service: Keep Away from My Cheese
[C] .The USPS:
Chronic Illness Requires a Quick Cure
[D] .The Postal Service
Needs More than a Band-Aid
Part B
Directions:
The following paragraphs are given in a
wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required
to
reorganize these paragraphs into a
coherent article by choosing from the list A-G and
filling them
into the numbered boxes.
Paragraphs C and F have been correctly placed.
Mark your answers on
ANSWER SHEET. (10
points)
A. In
December of 1869, Congress appointed a commission
to select a site and prepare plans
and
cost estimates for a new State Department
Building. The commission was also to consider
possible arrangements for the War and
Navy Departments. To the horror of some who
expected a
Greek Revival twin of the
Treasury Building to be erected on the other side
of the White House,
the elaborate
French Second Empire style design by Alfred
Mullett was selected, and construction
of a building to house all three
departments began in June of 1871.
B. Completed in 1875, the
State Department's south wing was the first to be
occupied, with its
elegant four-story
library (completed in 1876), Diplomatic Reception
Room, and Secretary's office
decorated
with carved wood, Oriental rugs, and stenciled
wall patterns. The Navy Department
moved into the east wing in 1879, where
elaborate wall and ceiling stenciling and
marquetry floors
decorated the office
of the Secretary.
C. The State, War, and Navy Building,
as it was originally known, housed the three
Executive
Branch Departments most
intimately associated with formulating and
conducting the nation's
foreign policy
in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and
the first quarter of the twentieth
century-the period when the United
States emerged as an international power. The
building has
housed some of the
nation's most significant diplomats and
politicians and has been the scene of
many historic events.
D. Many of the most
celebrated national figures have participated in
historical events that
have taken place
within the EEOB's granite walls. Theodore and
Franklin D. Roosevelt, William
Howard Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W.
Bush all
had offices in this building
before becoming president. It has housed 16
Secretaries of the Navy,
21 Secretaries
of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Winston
Churchill once walked its corridors
and
Japanese emissaries met here with Secretary of
State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor.
E. The Eisenhower Executive Office
Building (EEOB) commands a unique position in both
the
national history and the
architectural heritage of the United States.
Designed by Supervising
Architect of
the Treasury, Alfred B. Mullett, it was built from
1871 to 1888 to house the growing
staffs of the State, War, and Navy
Departments, and is considered one of the best
examples of
French Second Empire
architecture in the country.
F. Construction took 17
years as the building slowly rose wing by wing.
When the EEOB was
finished, it was the
largest office building in Washington, with nearly
2 miles of black and white
tiled
corridors. Almost all of the interior detail is of
cast iron or plaster; the use of wood was
minimized to insure fire safety. Eight
monumental curving staircases of granite with over
4,000
individually cast bronze
balusters are capped by four skylight domes and
two stained glass
rotundas.
G. The history of the EEOB
began long before its foundations were laid. The
first executive
offices were
constructed between 1799 and 1820. A series of
fires (including those set by the
British in 1814) and overcrowded
conditions led to the construction of the existing
Treasury
Building. In 1866, the
construction of the North Wing of the Treasury
Building necessitated the
demolition of
the State Department building.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Part C
Directions:
Read the
following text carefully and then translate the
underlined segments into Chinese.
Your
translation should be written neatly on the ANSWER
SHEET. (10 points)
Shakespeare’s life time was coincident
with a period of extraordinary
activity
and
achievement in the drama. By the
date of his birth Europe was witnessing the
passing of the
religious drama, and the
creation of new forms under the incentive of
classical tragedy and
comedy. These new
forms were at first mainly written by scholars and
performed by amateurs, but
in England,
as everywhere else in western Europe, the growth
of a class of professional actors
was
threatening to make the drama popular, whether it
should be new or old, classical or medieval,
literary or farcical. Court, school
organizations of amateurs, and the traveling
actors were all
rivals in supplying a
widespread desire for dramatic entertainment; and
(47) no boy who went a
grammar school
could be ignorant that the drama was a form of
literature which gave glory to
Greece
and Rome and might yet bring honor to England.
When
Shakespeare was twelve years old, the first public
playhouse was built in London. For a
time literature showed no interest in
this public stage. Plays aiming at literary
distinction were