2021年考研英语二阅读理解考试真题答案

第第页2021年考研英语二阅读理解考试真题答案

SectionIIReadingComprehensionPartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsbeloweachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.(40points)

Reskillingissomethingthatsoundslikeabuzzwordbutisactuallyarequirementifweplantohaveafuturewherealotofwould-beworkersdonotgetleftbehind.

Weknowwearemovingintoaperiodwherethejobsindemandwillchangerapidly,aswilltherequirementsofthejobsthatremain.ResearchbytheWEFdetailedintheHarvardBusinessReview,findsthatonaverage42percentofthe"coreskill"withinjobroleswillchangeby2022.Thatisaveryshorttimeline,sowecanonlyimaginewhatthechangeswillbefurtherinthefuture.

Thequestionofwhoshouldpayforreskillingisathornyone.Forindividualcompanies,thetemptationisalwaystoletgoofworkerswhoseskillsarenolongerdemandandreplacethemwiththosewhoseskillsare.Thatdoesnotalwayshappen.AT&Tisoftengivenasthegoldstandardofacompanywhodecidedtodoamassivereskillingprogramratherthangowithafire-and-hirestrategyultimatelyretraining18,000employees.Prepandemic,othercompaniesincludingAmazonandDisneyhadalsopledgedtocreatetheirownplans.Whentheskillsmismatchisinthebroadereconomythough,thefocususuallyturnstogovernmenttohandle.EffortsinCanadaandelsewherehavebeenarguablylanguidatbest,andhavegivenusasituationwherewefrequentlyhearofemployersbeggingforworkersevenattimesandinregionswhereunemploymentishigh.

Withthepandemic,unemploymentisveryhighindeed.InFebruary,at3.5percentand5.5percentrespectively,unemploymentratesinCanadaandtheUnitedStateswereatgenerationallowsandworkershortageswereeverywhere.AsofMay,thoserateshadspikedupto13.3percentand13.7percent,andalthoughmanyworkershortageshaddisappeared,notallhaddoneso.Inthemedicalfield,totakeanobviousexamplethepandemicmeantthattherewerestillclearshortagesofdoctors,nursesandothermedicalpersonnel.

Ofcourse,itisnotlikeyoucantakeanunemployedwaiterandtrainhimtobedoctorinfewweeks,nomatterwhopaysforit.Butevenifyoucannotclosethatgap,maybeyoucancloseothers,anddoingsowouldbetothebenefitofallconcerned.ThatseemstobethecaseinSweden,wherethepandemickick-startedaretrainingprogramwherebusinessaswellasgovernmenthadarole.

ReskillinginthiswaywouldbechallenginginaNorthAmericancontext.Youcaneasilyimaginechorusof"can'tdothat"becauseteachersornursesorwhoeverhavespecialskills,andusinganysupportwhohasbeenquicklytrainedisboundtoendindisaster,Maybe.OrmaybeitissomethingthatcanworkwellinSweden,withitshistoryofco-operationbetweenbusinesses,laborandgovernment,butnotinNorthAmericawhereourhistoryisverydifferent.Thenagain,maybeitisakintowartime,whenextraordinarythingstakeplacebutitisbusinessasusualafterthefact.Andyet,asinwarthepandemicisteachingusthatmanythings,includingrapidreskilling,canbedoneifthereisawilltodothem.Inanycase.Sweden'sworkforceisnowmoreskilled,inmorethings,andmoreflexiblethanitwasbefore.

Ofcourse,reskillingprograms,whetherforpandemicneedsorthepostpandemicworld,areexpensiveandatatimewheneveryone'sbudgetsareleanthismaynotbethetimetoimplementthem.Thenagain,extendingincomesupportprogramstogetusthroughthenextmonthsisexpensive,too,tosaynothingofthecostofhavingaswathoflong-termunemployedinthePOST-COVIDyearsgiventhat,perhapsweshouldthinkhardaboutwhetherthepandemiccanjump-startustoaplacewherereskillingbecomesmuchmorethanabuzzword.

21.【题干】ResearchbytheWorldEconomicForumsuggests_____

【选项】

A.anincreaseinfull-timeemployment

B.anurgentdemandfornewjobskills

C.asteadygrowthofjobopportunities

D.acontroversyaboutthe"coreskills"

【答案】B

22.【题干】AT&Tiscitedtoshow_____

【选项】

A.analternativetothefire-and-hirestrategy

B.animmediateneedforgovernmentsupport

C.theimportanceofstaffappraisalstandards

D.thecharacteristicsofreskillingprogram

【答案】A

23.【题干】EffortstoresolvetheskillsmismatchinCanada_____

【选项】

A.havedrivenuplaborcosts

B.haveprovedtobeinconsistent

C.havemetwithfierceopposition

D.haveappearedtobeinsufficient

【答案】D

24.【题干】WecanlearnfromParagraph3thattherewas_____.

【选项】

A.acallforpolicyadjustment.

B.achangeinhiringpractices.

C.alackofmedicalworkers.

D.asignofeconomicrecovery.

【答案】C

25.【题干】ScandinavianAirlinesdecidedto_____.

【选项】

A.Greatjobvacanciesfortheunemployed.

B.Preparetheirlaid-offworkersforotherjobs.

C.Retraintheircabinstaffforbetterservices.

D.financetheirstaff'scollegeeducation.

【答案】B

Withtheglobalpopulationpredictedtohitcloseto10billionby2050,andforecaststhatagriculturalproductioninoneregionswillneedtonearlydoubletokeeppace,foodsecurityisincreasinglymakingheadlinesIntheUK,ithasbecomeabigtalkingpointrecentlytoo,foraratherparticularreason:Brexit.

BrexitisseenbysomeasanopportunitytoreversearecenttrendtowardstheUKimportingfood.Thecountryproducesonlyabout60percentofthefooditeats,downfromalmostthree-quartersinthelate1980s.Amovebacktoself-sufficiency,theargumentgoes,wouldboostthefarmingindustry,politicalsovereigntyandeventhenationshealth,Soundsgreatbuthowfeasibleisthisvision?

AccordingtoareportonUKfoodproductionfromtheUniversityofLeeds,UK,85percentofthecountry'stotallandareaisassociatedwithmeatanddairyproduction.Thatsupplies80percentofwhatisconsumed,soevencoveringthewholecountryinlivestockfarmswouldn'tallowustocoverallourmeatanddairyneeds.

Therearemanycaveatstothosefigures,buttheyarestillgrave.Tobecomemuchmoreself-sufficient.TheUKwouldneedtodrasticallyreduceitsconsumptionofanimalfoods,andprobablyalsofarmmoreintensivelymeaningfewergreenfieldsandmorefactorystyleproduction.

Butswitchingtoamainlyplant-baseddietwouldn'thelp.ThereisagoodreasonwhytheUKisdominatedbyanimalhusbandry,mostofitsterraindoesn'thavetherightsoilorclimatetogrowcropsoncommercialbasis.Just25percentofthecountry'slandissuitableforcrop-growing,mostofwhichisalreadyoccupiedbyarablefields.Evenifweconvertedallthesuitablelandtofieldsoffruitandvegetablewhichwouldinvolvetakingoutallthenaturereservesandremovingthousandsofpeoplefromtheirhomes-wewouldachieveonlya30percentboostincropproduction.

Just23percentofthefruitandvegetablesconsumedintheUKarecurrentlyhome-grown,soevenwiththemostextrememeasureswecouldmeetonly30percentofourfreshproduceneeds.Thatisbeforewelookforthespacetogrowthegrains,sugars,seedsandoilsthatprovideuswiththevastbulkofourcurrentcalorieintake.

26.【题干】Somepeoplearguethatfoodself-sufficiencyintheUKwould_____.

【选项】

A.abehinderedbyitspopulationgrowth

B.contributetothenationswell-being

C.becomeapriorityofthegovernment

D.postachallengetoitsfarmingindustry

【答案】D

27.【题干】ThereportbytheUniversityofLeedsshowedthatintheUK_____.

【选项】

A.farmlandhasbeeninefficientlyutilised

B.factorystyleproductionneedsreforming

C.mostlandisusedformeatanddairyproduction

D.moregreenfieldswillbeconvertedforfarming

【答案】C

28.【题干】Crop-growingintheUKisrestricteddueto_____.

【选项】

A.itsfarmingtechnology

B.itsdietarytradition

C.itsnaturalconditions

D.itscommercialinterests

【答案】C

29.【题干】ItcanbelearnedfromthelastparagraphthatBritishpeople_____.

【选项】

A.relylargelyonimportsforfreshproduce

B.enjoyasteadyriseinfruitconsumption

C.areseekingeffectivewaystocutcalorieintake

D.aretryingtogrownewvarietiesofgrains

【答案】A

30.【题干】Theauthor'sattitudetofoodself-efficiencyintheUKis_____.

【选项】

A.defensive

B.doubtful

C.tolerant

D.optimistic

【答案】B

WhenMicrosoftboughttaskmanagementapp.WunerlistandmobilecalendarSunrisein2021,itpickeduptwonewcomersthatwereattractingconsiderablebuzzinSiliconValley.Microsoft'ownOfficedominatesthemarketfor"productivity"software,butthestart-upsrepresentedanewwaveoftechnologydesignedfromthegroundupforthesmartphoneworld.

Bothapps,however,werelaterscrapped,afterMicrosoftsaidithadusedtheirbestfeaturesinitsownproducts.Theirteamsofengineersstayedon,makingthemtwoofthemany"acqui-hires"thatthebiggestcompanieshaveusedtofeedtheirinsatiablehungerfortechtalent.

ToMicrosoft'scritics,thefatesofWunderlistandSunriseareexamplesofaremorselessdrivebyBigTechtochewupanyinnovativecompaniesthatlieintheirpath."Theyboughttheseedlingsandclosedthemdown,"complainedPaulAmold,apartneratSanFrancisco-basedSwitchVentures,puttingpaidtobusinessesthatmightonedaytumintocompetitors.Microsoftdeclinedtocomment.

Likeotherstart-upinvestors,MrAmold'sownbusinessoftendependsonsellingstart-upstolargertechcompanies,thoughheadmitstomixedfeelingsabouttheresult:"Ithinkthesethingsaregoodforme,ifIputmyselfishhaton.ButaretheygoodfortheAmericaneconomy?Idon'tknow."

TheUSFederalTradeCommissionsaysitwantstofindtheanswertothatquestion.Thisweek,itaskedthefivemostvaluableUStechcompaniesforinformationabouttheirmanysmallacquisitionsoverthepastdecade.Althoughonlyaresearchprojectatthisstage,therequesthasraisedtheprospectofregulatorswadingintoearly-stagetechmarketsthatuntilnowhavebeenbeyondtheirreach.

Giventheircombinedmarketvalueofmorethan$5.5tm,riflingthroughsuchsmalldeals-manyofthemmuchlessprominentthanWunderlistandSunrise-mightseembesidethepoint.Betweenthem,thefivecompanies(Apple,Microsoft,Google,AmazonandFacebook)havespentanaverageofonly$3.4billionayearonsub-$1billionacquisitionsoverthepastfiveyears-adropintheoceancomparedwiththeirmassivefinancialreserves,andthemorethan$130billionofventurecapitalthatwasinvestedintheUSlastyear.

However,criticssaythebigcompaniesusesuchdealstobuytheirmostthreateningpotentialcompetitorsbeforetheirbusinesseshaveachancetogainmomentum,insomecasesaspartofa“buyandkill”tactictosimplyclosethemdown.

31.【题干】WhatistrueaboutWunderlistandSunriseaftertheiracquisitions?

【选项】

A.Theirengineerswereretained.

B.Theirmarketvaluesdeclined.

C.Theirtechfeaturesimproved.

D.Theirproductswerere-priced.

【答案】A

32.【题干】Microsoft'scriticsbelievethatthebigtechcompaniestendto_____.

【选项】

A.exaggeratetheirproductquality

B.eliminatetheirpotentialcompetitors

C.treatnewtechtalentunfairly

D.ignorepublicopinions

【答案】B

33.【题干】PaulArnoldisconcernedthatsmallacquisitionsmight_____.

【选项】

A.weakenbigtechcompanies

B.worsenmarketcompetition

C.harmthenationaleconomy

D.discouragestart-upinvestors

【答案】C

34.【题干】TheUSFederalTradeCommissionintendto____.

【选项】

A.examinesmallacquisitions

B.limitBigTech'sexpansion

C.supervisestart-upsoperations

D.encourageresearchcollaboration

【答案】A

35.【题干】Forthefivebiggesttechcompanies,theirsmallacquisitionhave____.

【选项】

A.broughtlittlefinancialpressure

B.raisedfewmanagementchallenges

C.setanexampleforfuturedeals

D.generateconsiderableprofits

【答案】A

We'refairlygoodatjudgingpeoplebasedonfirstimpression,thinslicesofexperiencerangingfromaglimpseofaphototofive-minuteinteraction,anddeliberationcanbenotonlyextraneousbutintrusive.Inonestudyoftheabilityshedubbed"thinslicing,"thelatepsychologistNaliniAmbadyaskedparticipantstowatchsilent10-secondvideoclipsofprofessorsandtoratetheinstructor'soveralleffectiveness.Theirratingscorrelatedstronglywithstudents'end-of-semesterratings.Anothersetofparticipantshadcountbackwardfrom1,000byninesastheywatchedtheclips,occupyingtheirconsciousworkingmemory.Theirratingswerejustasaccurate,demonstratingtheintuitivenatureofthesocialprocessing.

Critically,anothergroupwasaskedtospendaminutewritingdownreasonsfortheirjudgment,beforegivingtherating.Accuracydroppeddramatically.Ambadysuspectedthatdeliberationfocusedthemonvividbutmisleadingcues,suchascertaingesturesorutterances,ratherthanlettingthecomplexinterplayofsubtle

signalsformaholisticimpression.Shefoundsimilarinterferencewhenparticipantswatched15-secondclipsofpairsofpeopleandjudgedwhethertheywerestrangers,friends,ordatingpartners.Otherresearchshowswe'rebetteratdetectingdeceptionansexualorientationfromthinsliceswhenwerelyonintuitioninsteadofreflection."It'sasifyou'redrivingastickshift,"saysJudithHall,apsychologistatNortheasternUniversity."andifyoustartthinkingaboutittoomuch,youcan'trememberwhatyou'redoing.Butifyougoonautomaticpilot,you'refine.Muchofoursociallifeislikethat."

Thinkingtoomuchcanalsoharmourabilitytoformpreferences.Collegestudents'ratingsofstrawberryjamsandcollegecoursealignedbetterwithexperts'opinionswhenthestudentsweren'taskedtoanalyzetheirrationale.Andpeoplemadecar-buyingdecisionsthatwerebothobjectivelybetterandmorepersonallysatisfyingwhenaskedtofocusontheirfeelingsratherthanondetails,butonlyifthedecisionwascomplex-whentheyhadalotofinformationtoprocess.

Intuition'sspecialpowersareunleashedonlyincertaincircumstances.Inonestudyparticipantscompletedabatteryofeighttasks,includingfourthattappedreflectivethinking(discerningrulecomprehendingvocabulary)andfourthattappedintuitionancreativity(generatingnewproductsorfiguresofspeech).Thentheratedthedegreetowhichtheyhadusedintuition("gutfeelings,""hunches,""myheart").Useoftheirguthurttheirperformanceonthefirstfourtasks,asexpected,andhelpedthemontherest.Sometimestheheartissmarterthanthehead.

36.【题干】NaliniAmbaby'sstudydealswith_____

【选项】

A.instructorstudentinteraction

B.thepowerofpeople'smemory

C.thereliabilityoffirstimpressions

D.People'sabilitytoinfluenceothers

【答案】C

37.【题干】InAmbaby'sstudy,ratingaccuracydroppedwhenparticipants_____

【选项】

A.gavetheratinginlimitedtime

B.focusedonspecificdetails

C.watchedshortervideoclips

D.discussedwithonanother

【答案】B

SectionIIReadingComprehensionPartB

Directions:

ReadthefollowingtextandanswerthequestionsbychoosingthemostsuitablesubheadingfromthelistA-Gforeachofthenumberedparagraphs(41-45).Therearetwoextrasubheadings.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.(10points)

HowtoDisagreewithSomeoneMorePowerfulthanYou

Yourbossproposesanewinitiativeyouthinkwon'twork.Yourseniorcolleagueoutlinesaprojecttimelineyouthinkisunrealistic.Whatdoyousaywhenyoudisagreewithsomeonewhohasmorepowerthanyoudo?Howdoyoudecidewhetherit'sworthspeakingup?Andifyoudo,whatexactlyshouldyousay?Here'showtodisagreewithsomeonemorepowerfulthanyou.

_____(41)

Youmaydecideit'sbesttoholdoffonvoicingyouropinion.Maybeyouhaventfinishedthinkingtheproblemthrough,thewholediscussionwasasurprisetoyou,oryouwanttogetaclearersenseofwhatthegroupthinks.Ifyouthinkotherpeoplearegoingtodisagreetoo,youmightwanttogatheryourarmyfirst.Peoplecancontributeexperienceorinformationtoyourthink—allthethingsthatwouldmakethedisagreementstrongerormorevalid.It'salsoagoodideatodelaytheconversationifyou'reinameetingorotherpublicspace.Discussingtheissueinprivatewillmakethepowerfulpersonfeellessthreatened.

_____(42)

Beforeyoushareyourthoughts,thinkaboutwhatthepowerfulpersoncaresabout—itmaybe"thecredibilityoftheirteamongettingaprojectdoneontime,"saysGrenny.You'remorelikelytobeheardifyoucanconnectyourdisagreementtoa"higherpurpose".Whenyoudospeakup,don'tassumethelinkwillbeclear.You'llwanttostateitovertly,contextualizingyourstatementssothatyou'reseennotasadisagreeableunderlingbutasacolleaguewho'stryingtoadvanceasharedgoal.Thediscussionwillthenbecomemorelikeachessgamethanaboxingmatch.

_____(43)

Thisstepmaysoundoverlydeferential,butit'sasmartwaytogivethepowerfulpersonpsychologicalsafetyandcontrol.Youcansaysomethinglike,"Iknowweseemtobemovingtowardafirst-quartercommitmenthere.Ihavereasonstothinkthatwon'twork.I'dliketolayoutmyreasoning.WouldthatbeOK?"Thisgivesthepersonachoice,allowingthemtoverballyoptin.And,assumingtheysayyes,itwillmakeyoufeelmoreconfidentaboutvoicingyourdisagreement.

_____(44)

Youmightfeelyourheartracingoryourfaceturningred,butdowhateveryoucantoremainneutralinbothyourwordsandactions.Wh