2023年考研外语预测试卷8

考研外语预测试卷8

一、UseofEnglish

1、TheCaliforniancoastlinenorthandsouthofSilicon

Valleyisatrend-settingsortofplace.Increasingly,thehome

interiorsofthewell-heeledtheretendtowardoneoftwo

(1).Housesare(2)lightflooded,sparseandvaguely

Asianin(3),withperhapsaZenfountaininonecorner,

aYogaareainanother.Ortheyresembleelectroniccontrol

roomswithallsortsof(4),computers,routers,antennae,

screensandremotecontrols.Occasionally,bothelementsare

(5)."She"mayhavethelivingroomandpublicareas,

(6)'he"isbanishedwithhistoysupordownthestairs.

Currently,thegadgetlovershavepowerfulallies.Manyofthe

largestcompaniesintheconsumer-electronics,computer,

telecomsandinternetindustrieshavemadeastrategicdecision

to(7)visionsofa"digitalhome","eHome",or''connected

home”.Doubtingthat(8)fromcorporatecustomerswill

ever(9)totheboomlevelsofthelate1990s,Microsoft,

Intel,Sony,Verizon,Comcast,Hewlett-Packard,Appleand

othersseetheconsumer(10)theirbestchanceforgrowth

andwillbethrowingabewildering(11)ofhome

“solutions"at(12)inthecomingmonthsandyears.

Tounderstandwhatthe(13)ultimatelyhavein(14)

itisbesttovisitthe(15)homesthatmosthavebuilt

ontheircampusesorattradeshows.(16)cosyandoften

intimidating,thesefeatureflatscreensalmosteverywhere,

(17)electronicpictureframesinthebedroomfromthe

largeTV-substituteinthelivingroom.Every(18)hasa

microchipandcanbe(19)to,typedintoorclickedonto.

Everythingis(20)toacentralcomputerthroughwireless

links.

A.extremes

B.spheres

C.hazards

D.loopholes

2、(2)

A.nor

B.either

C.also

D.neither

3、(3)

A.quest

B.exhaustiveness

C.character

D.chaos

4、(4)

A.equipment

B.devices

C.facilities

D.gadgets

5、(5)

A.detrimental

B.imaginative

C.present

D.illusive

6、(6)

A.though

B.while

C.because

D.asif

7、⑺

A.laud

B.quench

C.dampen

3

D.hawk

8、(8)

A.complaint

B.feedback

C.demand

D.censorship

9、(9)

A.recover

B.foster

C.cement

D.formulate

10、(10)

A.beneath

B.against

C.throughout

D.as

Ik(11)

A.array

B.lookout

C.ideology

D.conversion

12、(12)

4

A.theirs

B.them

C.his

D.him

13、(13)

A.retailers

B.vendors

C.conspirator

D.designers

14、(14)

A.notion

B.concept

C.illusion

D.mind

15、(15)

A.farraginous

B.inviting

C.mock

D.notorious

16、(16)

A.Ultimately

B.Typically

5

C.Fortunately

D.Rarely

17、(17)

A.by

B.to

C.within

D.suchas

18、(18)

A.object

B.obligation

C.objection

D.obstruction

19、(19)

A.told

B.said

C.talked

D.claimed

20、(20)

A.connected

B.designated

C.derived

D.input

6

二、ReadingComprehension

1、PartA

Directions:Readthefollowingfourtexts.Answerthequestions

beloweachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.(40points)

JohnBattelleisSiliconValley'sBobWoodward.Oneofthe

foundersofWiredmagazine,hehashungaroundGoogleforso

longthathehascometobeascloseasanyoutsidercanto

actuallybeinganinsider.Certainly,Google，sfounders,

SergeyBrinandLarryPage,anditschiefexecutive,Eric

Schmidt,believethatitissafertotalktoMr.Battellethan

nottodoso.

TheresultisahighlyreadableaccountofGoogle'sastonishing

rise一thesteepestincorporatehistory—fromitsoriginsin

StanfordUniversitytoitscontroversialstockmarketdebutand

itscurrentstruggletobecomeagrownupcompanywhilestaying

truetoitsyouthfullybrashmotto,"Don'tbeevil"Mr.Battelle

makesthereaderwarmtoGoogle,srulingtriumvirate—their

clevernessandtheirgoodintentions一andfearfortheirfuture

astheytakeontheworld.

Googleisoneofthemostinterestingcompaniesaroundatthe

moment.IthasadecentshotatdisplacingMicrosoftasthenext

greatnear-monopolyoftheinformationage.Itsambition一to

organisealltheworld'sinformation,notjusttheinformation

ontheworldwideweb——isepic,anditscommercialpoweris

frightening.Beyondthis,Googleisinterestingforthesame

reasonthatsecretivedictatorshipsandHolly3voodcelebrities

areinteresting一forbeingopaque,colourfuland,simply,

itself.

ThebookdisappointsonlywhenMr.Battellebeginstryingto

explainthewiderrelevanceofinternetsearchanditspossible

futuredevelopment.Thereisalottosayonthissubject,but

Mr.Battelleishurriedandoverlychatty,producinglaundry-

listsofgeekyconceptswithoutreallyhavingthoughtanyof

themthroughproperly.Thisisnotafatalflaw.Readonlythe

middlechapters,andyouhaveagreatbook.

Thephrase"warmto"inthelastsentenceofthesecond

paragraphmostprobablymeans.

A.becomeevaporatedthrough

B.befedupwith

C.beheatedto

D.becomemoreinterestedin

2、

Googleiseye-catchingduetoits.

A.distinctiveness

B.infiniteness

C.selfishness

D.aggressiveness

3、

TheworkbyJohnBattellewouldbeperfectedifappropriate

considerationisgivento.

A.therelationshipbetweeninternetresearchandits

potentialfuturedevelopment

B.secretivedictatorshipsandHollywoodcelebritiesunder

control

C.thedisappointmentsinGoogleanditsrivalsinrespects

togeekyconcepts

D.companies'interestsinGoogleatthemomentwhenthe

world，seconomyisbooming

4、

Accordingtothetext,theauthor,sattitudetowardMr.

Battelle'sworkis.

A.strongdisapproval

B.totaldenial

C.qualifiedconsent

D.enthusiasticsupport

5、

Thetextseemstobe.

A.ascientificpaper

B.abookreview

C.agraduationdissertation

D.anacademiccriticism

6、"I'matotalgeekallaround,“saysAngelaB.Yron,a

27-year-oldcomputerprlogrammerwhohasjustgraduatedfrom

NovaScotiaCommunityCollege.Andyet,likemanyother

students,she"neverhadtheconfidence"toapproachanyofthe

variousopen-sourcesoftwarecommunitiesonthe

internet一distributedteamsofvolunteerswhocollaborateto

buildsoftwarethatisthenmadefreelyavailable.Butthanks

toGoogle,theworld'smostpopularsearchengineandoneof

thebiggestproponentsofopen-sourcesoftware,MsByronspent

thesummercontributingcodetoDrupal,anopen-sourceproject

thatautomatesthemanagementofwebsites."It'sawesome,“she

says.

MsByronisoneof419students(outof8,744whoapplied)who

wereacceptedforGoogle's"summerofcode”.Whileitsounds

likeahyper-nerdysummercamp,thestudentsneitherwentto

Google'scampusinMountainView,California,nortowherever

theirmentorsatthe41participatingopen-sourceprojects

happenedtobelocated.Instead,Googleactedasamatchmaker

andsponsor.Eachoftheparticipatingopen-sourceprojects

received$500foreverystudentittookon;andeachstudent

received$4,500($500rightaway,and$4,000oncompletionof

theirwork).Oh,andaT-shirt.

AllofthisistheideaofChrisDiBona,Google'sopen-source

boss,whowasbrainstormingwithLarryPageandSergeyBrin,

Google'sfounders,lastyear.Theyrealisedthatalotof

programmingtalentgoestowasteeverysummerbecausestudents

takesummerjobsflippingburgerstomakemoney,andlettheir

codingskillsdegrade."Wewanttomakeitbetterforstudents

inthesummer,“saysMr.DiBona,addingthatitalsohelpsthe

opensourcecommunityandthus,indirectly,Google,whichuses

lotsofopensourcesoftwarebehindthescenes.Plus,saysMr.

DiBona,“itdoesbecomeanopportunityforrecruiting.，z

ElliotCohen,astudentatBerkeley,spenthissummerwriting

a“Bayesiannetworktoolbox“forPython,anopen-source

programminglanguage.TmaprettybigfanofGoogle,“hesays.

HehasaninterviewscheduledwithMicrosoft,but"Googleis

theonlybigcompanythatIwouldworkat,“hesays.Andifthat

doesn'tworkout,henowknowspeopleintheopen-source

community,“andit'salotlessintimidating.，z

Ms.Byron，scommentonherownsummerexperimentis

A.negative

B.biased

C.puzzling

D.enthusiastic

7、

Itcanbeinferredfromthesecondparagraphthatthe

participantsofGoogle's"summerofcode"have.

A.beenselected

B.beeneducated

C.beenblamed

D.beenenlightened

8、

Theworkoftheparticipatingopen-sourceprojectsconducted

bystudents,accordingtothetext,is.

A.incoherent

B.rewarded

C.incessant

D.gratuitous

9、

TheideaofChrisDiBona,accordingtothetext,isenriched

A.Tshirtsales

B.open-source

C.programmers'talent

D.others,wisdom

10、

ElliotCohenismentionedinthetextsoasto.

A.illustratetheindirecteffectof“summerofcode"on

Google'srecruitment

B.indicatetheacademiclevelofBerkeley,USA

C.clarifyElliotCohen'ssummerexperienceinwriting

networktoolbox

D.layemphasisonthefactthatuniversitystudentsarebig

fansofGoogle

11、Soonafterhisappointmentassecretary-generalofthe

UnitedNationsin1997,KofiAnnanlamentedthathewasbeing

accusedoffailingtoreform,theworldbodyinsixweeks."But

whatareyoucomplainingabout?”askedtheRussianambassador:

“You'vehadmoretimethanGod."Ah,Mr.Annanquippedback,

“butGodhadonebigadvantage.Heworkedalonewithouta

GeneralAssembly,aSecurityCounciland[all]thecommittees.，z

RecountingthatanecdotetojournalistsinNewYorkthisweek,

Mr.AnnansoughttoexplainwhyadraftdeclarationonUNreform.

andtacklingworldpoverty,duetobeendorsedbysome150heads

ofstateandgovernmentataworldsummitinthecityon

September14thl6th,hadturnedintosuchapaleshadowofthe

proposalsthathehimselfhadputforwardinMarch."With191

memberstates”,hesighed,"it'snoteasytogetanagreement.

MostcountriesputtheblameontheUnitedStates,intheform,

ofitsabrasivenewambassador,JohnBolton,forinsistingat

theendofAugustonhundredsoflastminuteamendmentsanda

line-by-linerenegotiationofatextmostothershadthought

wasalmostsettled.Butagroupofmiddle-incomedeveloping

nations,includingPakistan,Cuba,Iran,Egypt,Syriaand

Venezuela,alsocameupwithplentyoflast-minutechangesof

theirown.Theriskofhavingnodocumentatall,andthus

nothingfortheworld'sleaderstocometoNewYorkfor,was

avertedonlybymarathonall-nightandall-weekendtalks.

The35finaldocumentisnotwhollydevoidofsubstance.

ItcallsforthecreationofaPeacebuildingCommissionto

supervisethereconstructionofcountriesafterwars;the

replacementofthediscreditedUNCommissiononHumanRights

byasupposedlytougherHumanRightsCouncil;therecognition

ofanew''responsibilitytoprotect"peoplesfromgenocideand

otheratrocitieswhennationalauthoritiesfailtotakeaction,

including,ifnecessary,byforce;andan“early“reform,of

theSecurityCouncil.Althoughmuchpareddown,allthese

proposalshaveatleastsurvived.

Othershavenot.Eithertheyprovedsocontentiousthatthey

wereomittedaltogether,suchasthesectionsondisarmament

andnon-pro1iferationandtheInternationalCriminalCourt,or

theywerewatereddowntolittlemorethanemptyplatitudes.

Theimportantsectiononcollectivesecurityandtheuseof

forcenolongerevenmentionsthevexedissueofpre-emptive

strikes;meanwhilethesectiononterrorismcondemnsit"inall

itsformsandmanifestations,committedbywhomever,wherever

andforwhateverpurposes”,butfailstoprovidetheclear

definitiontheAmericanswanted.

BothMr.Annanand,moresurprisingly,GeorgeBushhave

neverthelesssoughttoputagoodfaceonthings,withMr.Annan

describingthesummitdocumentas"animportantstepforward”

andMr.BushsayingtheUNhadtaken"thefirststeps"towards

reform.Mr.AnnanandMr.Boltonaredeterminedtogoalot

further.ItisnowuptotheGeneralAssemblytofleshoutthe

document'sskeletonproposalsandproposenewones.Butits

chancesofsuccessappearslim.

Whohaverecentlylistenedtothestoryinthefirstparagraph

ofthetext?

A.Ambassadors.

B.UNofficials.

C.Theworld'sleaders.

D.Reporters.

12、

Itcanbeinferredfromthethirdparagraphthat.

A.ittookmuchtimetohaveaUNdocument

B.itwasapieceofcaketoreachanagreementwith

approximately200memberstates

C.fewnationswereresentedatAmericandiplomatic

activities

D.onlydevelopingcountriescameupwithlast-minutechanges

13、

Theauthor'sattitudetowardtheUNfinaldocumentis.

A.biased

B.indifferent

C.skeptical

D.impartial

14、

Accordingtothetext,emptyplatitudesmightbefoundinthe

sectionon.

A.PeacebuildingCommission

B.UNCommissiononHumanRights

C.terrorism

D.theSecurityCouncil

15、

Accordingtothelastparagraph,theGeneralAssembly.

A.isdeletingthedocument'sskeletonproposals

B.isdeterminedtogofurthertowarddisarmament

C.isattemptingtoputforwardnewproposals

D.isunlikelytoworkoutrelevantdetailsandadvancenovel

proposals

16、Theterm,'disruptivetechnology“ispopular,butiswidely

misused.Itrefersnotsimplytoaclevernewtechnology,hut

toonethatunderminesanexistingtechnology一andwhich

thereforemakeslifeverydifficultforthemanybusinesses

whichdependontheexistingwayofdoingthings.Twentyyears

ago,thepersonalcomputerwasaclassicexample.Itsweptaside

anoldermainframe-basedstyle,ofcomputing,andeventually

broughtIBM,oneoftheworld'smightiestfirmsatthetime,

toitsknees.Thisweekhasbeenacoming-outpartyofsorts

foranotherdisruptivetechnology,voiceoverinternet

protocol”(VOIP),whichpromisestobeevenmoredisruptive,

andofevengreaterbenefittoconsumers,thanpersonal

computers.

VOIP'sleadingproponentisSkype,asmallfirmwhosesoftware

allowspeopletomakefreecallstootherSkypeusersoverthe

internet,andverycheapcallstotraditionaltelephones一all

ofwhichspellstroubleforincumbenttelecomsoperators.On

September12th,eBay,theleadingonlineauctionhouse,

announcedthatitwasbuyingSkypefor$2.6billion,plusan

additional$1.5billionifSkypehitscertainperformance

targetsincomingyears.

Thisseemsavastsumtopayforacompanythathasonly$60m

inrevenuesandhasyettoturnaprofit.YeteBaywasnotthe

onlycompanyinterestedinbuyingSkype.Microsoft,Yahoo!,

NewsCorporationandGooglewereallsaidtohavealso

consideredtheidea.PerhapseBay,ratherlikesome

over-excitedbidderinoneofitsownauctions,haspaidtoo

much.ThecompanysaysitplanstouseSkype'stechnologyto

makeiteasierforbuyersandsellerstocommunicate,andto

offernew“clicktocall“advertisements,butmanyanalystsare

scepticalthateBayisthebestownerofSkype.Whateverthe

meritsofthedeal,however,thefussoverSkypeinrecentweeks

hashighlightedthesignificanceofVOIP,andtheenormous

threatitposestoincumbenttelecomsoperators.

FortheriseofSkypeandotherVOIPservicesmeansnothingless

thanthedeathofthetraditionaltelephonebusiness,

establishedoveracenturyago.Skypeismerelythemostvisible

manifestationofadramaticshiftinthetelecomsindustry,as

voiceGallingbecomesjustanotherdataservicedeliveredvia

high-speedinternetconnections.Skype,whichhasover54m

users,hasreceivedthemostattention,butotherfirmsrouting

callspartiallyorentirelyovertheinternethavealsosigned

upmillionsofcustomers.

Atthebeginningofthetext,theauthor.

A.statesthepopularityoftheterm

B.indicatesaclevernewtechnology

C.underminesanexistingtechnology

D.correctsamisconception

17、

Thephrase"brought…toitsknees“inthefirstparagraph

mostprobablydenotes.

A.forced..tosubmittoit

B.imposed..onit

C.convinced..thatit..

D.associated..withit

18、

Itcapbeinferredfromthetextthat.

A.evengreaterbenefittomanybusinessispromised

B.quiteafewcorporationsshowedinterestsinthe

acquisitionofSkype

C.eBayhaspaidavastsumofmoneyforasmallfirm

D.yourphonewillringwhereveryouareintheworld

19、

Accordingtothetext,manyanalysts'attitudetowardthe

possessionofSkypebyeBayis.

A.supportive

B.persuasive

C.approval

D.negative

20、

Accordingtothelastparagraph,withwhichofthefollowing

statementswouldtheauthorofthetextmostprobablyagree?

A.Almost-freeinternetphonecallsheraldtheslowdeathof

traditionaltelephony.

B.Anotherdataservicewasdeliveredentirelyoverthe

internet.

C.Thetraditionaltelephonebusinesshaveyettoturna

profit.

D.Thedramaticshiftinthete[ecomsindustryhasreceived

littleattention.

21、PartB(10points)

Thefollowingparagraphsaregiveninawrongorder.For

Questions41-45,youarerequiredtoreorganizethese

paragraphsintoacoherentarticlebychoosingfromthelist

A-G.Someoftheparagraphshavebeenplacedforyou.(10points)

A.Demographicdeclineworriespeoplebecauseitisbelieved

togohandinhandwitheconomicdecline.Attheextremesit

maywellbetheresultofeconomicfactors:pessimismmay

depressthebirthrateandpushupratesofsuicideand

alcoholism.But,inthemain,demographicdeclineisthe

consequenceofthelowfertilitythatgenerallygoeswith

growingprosperity.InJapan,forinstance,birthratesfell

belowthereplacementrateof2.1childrenperwomaninthe

mid-1970sandhavebeenparticularlylowinthepast15years.

B.Duringthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury,theglobal

populationexplosionwasthebigdemographicannoyance.Robert

McNamara,presidentoftheWorldBankinthe1970s,compared

thethreatofunmanageablepopulationpressureswiththedanger

ofnuclearwar.Nowthatworryhasevaporated,andthiscentury

isfrighteningitselfwiththeoppositefear:theonsetof

demographicdecline.

C.Governmentshatetheideaofashrinkingpopulationbecause

theabsolutesizeofGDPmattersforgreat-powerstatus.The

biggertheeconomy,thebiggerthemilitary,thegreaterthe

geopoliticalclout:annualGDPestimateswerefirstintroduced

inAmericainthe1940saspartofitswareffort.Companies

worry,too:theydonotliketheideaoftheirdomesticmarkets

shrinking.Peopleshouldnotmind,though.Whatmattersfor

economicwelfareisGDPperperson.

D.Peoplelovetoworry一maybeit'sasymptomofageing

populations一butthegloomsurroundingpopulationdeciines

missesthemainpoint.Thenewdemographicsthatarecausing

populationstoageandtoshrinkaresomethingtocelebrate.

Humanitywasoncecaughtinthetrapofhighfertilityandhigh

mortality.Nowithasescapedintothefreedomoflowfertility

andlowmortality.Women，scontroloverthenumberofchildren

theyhaveisanunqualifiedgood一asistheaverageperson's

enjoyment,inrichcountries,oftenmoreyearsoflifethan

theyhadin1960.Politiciansmayfearthedeclineoftheir

nations，economicpower,butpeopleshouldcelebratethenew

demographicsasheraldingagoldenage.

E.TheshrinkageofRussiaandeasternEuropeisfamiliar,

thoughnotperhapsthescaleofit:Russia'spopulationis

expectedtofallby22%between2022and2050,Ukraine,sbya

staggering43%.Nowthephenomenoniscreepingintotherich

world:Japanhasstartedtoshrinkandothers,suchasItaly

andGermany,willsoonfollow.EvenChina'spopulationwillbe

decliningbytheearly2030s,accordingtotheUN,which

projectsthatby2050populationswillbelowerthantheyare

todayin50countries.

F.Butifdemographicdeclineisnotgenerallyaconsequence

ofeconomicdecline,surelyitmustbeacause?Inacrudesense,

yes.Aspopulationsshrink,GDPgrowthwillslow.Some

economiesmayevenstarttoshrink,too.Theresultwillbea

lossofeconomicinfluence.

G.Thecrucialquestionisthereforewhattheeffectof

demographicdeclineisonthegrowthofGDPperperson.Thebad

newsisthatthislookslikelytoslowbecauseworking-age

populationsWilldeclinemorerapidlythanoverallpopulations.

Yetthisneednothappen.Productivitygrowthmaykeepupgrowth

inGDPperperson:aslabourbecomesscarcer,andpressureto

introducenewtechnologiestoboostworkers'efficiency-

increases,sotheproductivityoflabourmayrisefaster.

Anyway,retirementagescanbeliftedtoincreasethesupply

oflabourevenwhenthepopulationisdeclining.

Order:BisthefirstparagraphandDisthelastone.

22、(42)

23、(43)

24、(44)

25、(45)

26、PartC

Directions:Readthefollowingtextcarefullyandthen

translatetheunderlinedsegmentsintoChinese.(10points)

(46)TheAmericansociologistTalcottParsonsbelievedthat

thetwomostimportantfunctionsofthemodernfamilyarethe

primarysocializationofchildrenandthestabilizationof

adultpersonalitiesthroughmarriageandtheraisingof

children.Hisownconcernwasparticularlywiththe

middle-classAmericanfamily,buttheseimportantaspectsof

familylifearealsoapplicablemuchmorewidely.Inthepresent

contextitisworthwhiletolookespeciallyatprimary

socialization.

(47)Primarysocializationreferstothetrainingofchildren

duringtheirearliestyears,whereassecondarysocialization

referstolaterinfluencesonthedevelopmentofthechild's

personalityandlearningactivities,suchashisinvolvement

withteachersandwithotherchildrenatschool.Primary

socializationisinmostsocietiescarriedoutessentially

withinthefamilyaspartofchildrearing.Inthemodernfamily,

parentstakeresponsibilityforraisingandteachingtheir

childrensuchbasicthingsaslanguageandcorrectbehavior.

Toilettraining,teachingchildrenhowtoeatcorrectly,and

encouragingchildrentogetalongwithothersareallaspects

ofchildrearing.However,itisnotonlythesemo