2014年北京师范大学博士入学英语试题与答案详解

1、浩雨：用心做好每一个 PAGE 26北京师范大学 2014年 3月考博英语真题与答案详解第一部分：试题Part I： Reading ComprehensionDirections: There are six passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark you

2、r answer on the ANSER SHEET.Passage 1Taken together, income, occupation, and education are good measures of people?ssocial standing. Using a layered model of stratification, most sociologists describe the class system in the United States as divided into several classes: upper, upper middle, middle,

3、 lower middle, and lower class. Each class is defined by characteristics such as income, occupational prestige, and educational attainment. The different groups are arrayed along a continuum with those with the most money, education, and prestige at the top and those with the least at the bottom.In

4、the United States, the upper class owns the major share of corporate and personal wealth; it includes those who have held wealth for generations as well as those who have recently become rich. Only a very small proportion of people actually constitute the upper class, but they control vast amounts o

5、f wealth and power in the United States. They exercise enormous control throughout society. Most oftheir wealth is inherited.Despite social myths to the contrary, the best predictor of future wealth is thefamily into which you are born. Each year, the business magazine Forbes publishes a list of the

6、 “ Forbes400”-the four hundred wealthiest families and individuals in the country. Of all the wealth represented on the Forbes 400 list, more than half is inherited. Those on the list who could be called “ se-lfmade”were not typically of modest origins; most inherited significant assets(Forbes, 1997

7、; Sklar and Collins,1997). Those in the upper class with newly acquired wealth are known as the nouveauniche. Although they may have vast amounts of money, they are often not acceptedinto“ old rich” circles.The upper middle class includes those with high incomes and high social prestige.They tend to

8、 be well-educated professionals or business executives. Their earnings can be quite high indeed-successful business executives can earn millions of dollars a year. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people fall into this group because of the difficultyof drawing lines between the upper, up

9、per middle, and middle class.Indeed, the upper middle class is often thought of as “ middleclass ”becausetheirlifestyle sets the standard to which many aspire, but this lifestyle is simply beyond the means of a majority of people in the United States.The middle class is hard to define; in part, bein

10、g“ middle class” is more thaeconomic position. By far the majority of Americans identitythemselves as middle class even though they vary widely in lifestyle and in resources at their though they vary widely in lifestyle and in resources at their disposal. But the idea that the United States isan ope

11、n-class system leads many tothinkthat the majorityhave a middle-class lifestyle because, in general, people tend not to want to recognize class distinctions in the United States. Thus, the middle class becomes the ubiquitous norm even though many who call themselves middle class have a tenuous hold

12、on this class position.In the hierarchy of social class, the lower middle class includes workers in the skilled trades and low-income bureaucratic workers, many of whom may actually define themselves as middle class. Examples are blue-collar workers (those in skilled trades who domanual labor) and m

13、any service workers, such as secretaries, hairdressers,waitresses, police, and firefighters. Medium to low income, education, and occupational prestige define the lower middle class relative to the class groupsabove it. The term“ lower ” in this class designation refers to the relative position ofth

14、e group in the stratification system, but it has a pejorative sound to many people, especially to people who are members of this class.The lower class is composed primarily of the displaced and poor. People in this class have littleformaleducation and are oftenunemployed orworkinginminimum-wage jobs

15、. Forty percent of the poor work; 1 0 percent work year-roundand full timea proportion that has generally increased over time. Recently, the concept of the underclass has been added to the lower class. The underclass includesthose who have been left behind by contemporary economic developments. Reje

16、cted from the economic system, those in the underclass may become dependent on public assistance or illegal activities.Why does the author mention the Forbes 400 in paragraph 3?To explain the meaning of the listing that appears every yearTo cast doubt on the claim that family income predicts individ

17、ual wealthTo give examples of successful people who have modest family connectionsTo support the statement that most wealthy people inherit their moneyThe author states that business and professional people with educational advantages are most often members of the.lower middle class B. upper middle

18、class C. nouveau richeD. upper classWhy do most people identify themselves as middle class in the United States?They have about the same lifestyle as everyone else in the countryThey don?t really know how to define their status because it is unclearThey prefer not to admit that there are class disti

19、nctions in the United StatesThey identify themselves with the majority who have normal lifestylesWhat can be inferred about poor people in the United States?They are not able to find entry-level jobsThey work in jobs that require little educationThey are service workers and manual laborersThey do no

20、t try to find employmentAccording to paragraph 7, why has the underclass emerged?The new term was necessary because the lower class enjoyed a higher lifestyle than it had previously.The increase in crime has supported a new class of people who live by engaging in illegal activities.Changes in the ec

21、onomy have caused an entire class of people to survive by welfare or crime.Minimum-wage jobs no longer support a class of people at a standard level in the economic system.Passage 2“ The word ,protection?is no longer taboo”. This ssheonrttence, uttered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy late last m

22、onth, may have launched a new era ineconomic history. Why? For decades,Western leaders have believed that lowering trade barriers and tariffs was a natural good. Doing so, they reasoned, would lead to greater economic efficiency and productivity, which in turn would improve human welfare. Championin

23、g free trade thus became a moral, not just an economic, cause. These leaders, of course, weren?tacting out of unselfishness. They knew their economics were the most competitive, so they?d profit most from liberalization. And developing countries feared that their economics would be swamped by superi

24、or Westernproductivity.Today,however,thetableshaveturned-thoughfewacknowledge it. The west continues to preach free trade, but practices it less and less.Asia, meanwhile, continues to plead for special protection but practices more and more free trade.That?s why Sarkozy?s word were so important: he

25、finally inejcted some honesty into the trade debate. The truth is that large parts of the West are losing faith in free trade, though few leaders admit it. Some economists are more honest. Paul Krug man is one of the few willing to losers will be in the West. Economists in the developedworld used to

26、 love quoting Joseph Schumpeter, who said that“ creative destructionwas an essential part of capitalist growth. But they always assumed that destruction would happen over there. When Western workers began losing jobs, suddenly their leaders began to lose faith in their principles. Things have yet to

27、 reverse completely. But there?s clearly a negative trend in Western theory and practice.A little hypocrisy is not in itself a serious problem. The real problem is that Western governments continue to insist that they retain control of the key globaleconomic and financial institutions while drifting

28、 away from global liberalization. Look at what?s happening at the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The Europeans have demanded that they keep the post of managing director. But all too often, Western officials put their own interests above everyone else?swhen they dominate these global institution

29、s.The time has therefore come for the Asians-who are clearly the new winners in today?sglobal economy- to provide more intellectual leadership in supporting free trade, Sadly, they have yet to do so. Unless Asians speak out, however, there?s a real danger that Adam Smith?s principles, which have bro

30、ught so much good to the world, could gradually die. And that would leave all of us worse off, in one way or another.It can be inferred that“ protection” (Line1, Para.1) means.improving economic efficiencyB. ending the free-trade practiceC. lowering moral standardD. raising trade tariffsThe Western

31、leaders preach free trade because.it is beneficial to their economicsit is supported by developing countriesit makes them keep faith in their principlesit is advocated by Joseph Schumpeter and Adam SmithBy“ the tables have turned-4”, P(aLrian.e2)3the author implies that .the Western leaders have tur

32、ned self-centeredthe Asian leaders have become advocates of free tradethe developed economics have turned less competitivethe developing economics have become more independentThe Western economists used to like the idea of“ creative destruction” becau .set a long-term rather than short-term goalwas

33、an essential part of capitalist developmententailed a positive rather than negative mentalitywas meant to be the destruction of developing economicsThe author uses“ IMF” as an example to illustrate the point that.European leaders are reluctant to admit they are hypocriticalthere is an inconsistency

34、between Western theory and practiceglobal institutions are not being led by true globalization advocatesEuropean countries? interests are being ignored by economic leadersPassage 3Growth, reproduction, and daily metabolism all require an organism to expend energy. The expenditure of energy is essent

35、ially a process of budgeting, just as finances are budgeted. If all of one?s money is spent on clothes, there may be none left to buy food or go to the movies. Similarly, a plant or animal cannot squander all its energy on growing a big body if none would be left over for reproduction, for this isth

36、e surest way to extinction.All organisms, therefore, allocate energy to growth, reproduction, maintenance, and storage. No choice is involved; this allocation comes as part of the genetic package from the parents. Maintenance for a given body design of an organism is relatively constant. Storage is

37、important, but ultimately that energy will be used for maintenance, reproduction, or growth. Therefore the principal differences in energy allocation are likely to be between growth and reproduction.Almost all of an organism?senergy can be diverted to reproduction, with verylittle allocated to build

38、ing the body. Organ isms at this extreme are“ opportunists.” At the other extreme are “ competitors, alm”ost all of whose resources are invested inbuilding a huge body, with a bare minimum allocated to reproduction.Dandelions are good examples of opportunists. Their seed heads raised just high enoug

39、h above the ground to catch the wind, the plants are no bigger than they need be, their stems are hollow, and all the rigiditycomes from their water content. Thus, a minimum investment has been made in the body that becomes a platform for seed dispersal. These very short-lived plants reproduce proli

40、fically;that is to say they provide a constant rain of seed in the neighborhood of parent plants. A new plant will spring up wherever a seed falls on a suitable soil surface, but becausethey do notbuild big bodies, they cannot compete with other plants for space, water, or sunlight. These plants are

41、 termed opportunists because they rely on their seeds? falling into settings where competing plants have been removed by natural processes,such as along an eroding riverbank, on landslips, or where a tree falls and creates a gap in the forest canopy.Opportunists must constantly invade new areas toco

42、mpensate forbeing displaced by more competitive species. Human landscapes oflawns, fields, or flowerbeds provide settings with bare soil and a lack of competitors that are perfect habitats for colonization by opportunists. Hence, many of the strongly opportunistic plants are the common weeds of fiel

43、ds and gardens.Because each individual is short-lived, the population of an opportunist species is likely to be adversely affected by drought, bad winters, or floods. If their population istracked through time, itwillbe seen to be particularly unstablesoaring andplummeting in irregular cycles.The op

44、posite of an opportunist is a competitor. These organisms tend to have big bodies, are long-lived, and spend relatively little effort each year on reproduction. An oak tree is a good example of a competitor. A massive oak claims its ground for 200 years or more, outcompeting all other would-be canop

45、y trees by casting a dense shade and drawing up any free water in the soil. The leaves of an oak tree taste foul because they are rich in tannins, a chemical that renders them distasteful or indigestible to many organisms. The tannins are part of the defense mechanism that is essential to longevity.

46、 Although oaks produce thousands of acorns, the investment in a crop of acorns is small compared with the energy spent on building leaves, trunk, and roots.Once an oak tree becomes established, it is likely to survive minor cycles of drought and even fire. A population of oaks is likely to be relati

47、vely stable through time, and its survival is likely to depend more on its abilityto withstand the pressures of competition or predation than on its ability to take advantage of chance events. It should be noted, however, that the pure opportunist or pure competitor is rare in nature, as most specie

48、s fall between the extremes of a continuum, exhibiting a blendof some opportunistic and some competitive characteristics.The word squander in the passage is closest in meaning to.A. extendB. transformC. activateD. wasteAccording to the passage, the classification of organisms as“ competitors” is det

49、ermined by.how the genetic information of an organism is store and maintainedthe way in which the organism invests its energy resourceswhether the climate to which the organism lives is mild or extremethe variety of natural resources the organism consumes in its environmento“ropportunistsAll of the

50、following are mentioned in paragraph 7 as contribution to the longevity of oak tree EXCEPT.the capacity to create shadeleaves containing tanninthe ability to withstand mild droughts and firesthe large number of acorns the tree producesAccording to the passage, oak trees are considered competitors be

51、causethey grow in areas free of opportunitiesthey spend more energy on their leaves, trunks and roots than on their acornstheir population tends to increase or decrease irregular cyclesunlike other organisms, they do not need much water or sunlightIn paragraph 7, the author suggests that most specie

52、s of organismsare primarily opportunistsare primarily competitorsbegin as opportunists and evolved into competitorshave some characteristics of opportunists and some of competitorsPassage 4Many literary detectives have pored over a great puzzle concerning the writer Marcel Proust: what happened in 1

53、909? How did Contre Saint-Beuve, an essay attacking the methods of the critic Saint Beuve, turn into the start of the novelRemembrance of Things Past? A recently published letter from Proust tothe editor Vallette confirms that Fallois, the editor of the 1954 editionof Contre Saint-Beuve, made an ess

54、entially correct guess about the relationship of the essay to the novel. Fallois proposed that Proust had tried to begin a novel in 1908, abandoned it for what was to be a long demonstration of Saint-Beuve?s blindness to the real nature of great writing, found the essay giving rise to personal memor

55、ies and fictional developments, and allowed these to take over in a steadily developing novel.Draft passages in Proust?s 1990notebooks indicate that the transition from essay to novel began in Contre Saint-Beuve, when Proust introduced several examples to show the powerfulinfluence that involuntarym

56、emory exerts over the creative imagination. In effect, in trying to demonstrate that the imagination is more profound and less submissive to the intellect than Saint-Beuve assumed,Proust elicited vital memories of his own and, finding subtle connections between them, began to amass the material for

57、Remembrance. By August, Proust was writing to Vallette, informing him of his intention to develop the material as a novel. Maurice Bardeche, in Marcel Proust, romancier, has shown the importance in the drafts of Remembrance of spontaneous and apparently random associations ofProust?s subconscious. A

58、s incidents and reflections occurred to Proust, he continually inserted new passages altering and expanding his narrative. But he found it difficult to control the drift of his inspiration. The very richness and complexity of the meaningful relationships that kept presenting and rearranging themselv

59、es on all levels, from abstract intelligence to profound dreamy feelings, made it difficult for Proust to set them out coherently. The beginning of control came when he saw how to connect the beginning and the end of his novel.Intrigued by Proust?s claim that he had“ baengdunfinished” Remembraantcet

60、he same time, Henri Bonnet discovered that parts of Remembrance?s last book were actually started in 1909. Already in that year, Proust had drafteddescriptions of his novel?s characters intheiroldage thatwouldappear inthe finalbookof Remembrance,where the permanenceof art is set against the ravages