考研英语二阅读真题及答案

2014考研英语二阅读真题及答案

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.Answerthequestionsbelow

eachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.Markyouranswerson

ANSWERSHEET.(40points)

Text1

Whatwouldyoudowith590m?Thisisnowaquestionfor

GloriaMackenzie,an84-year-oldwidowwhorecentlyemerged

fromhersmall,tin-roofedhouseinFloridatocollectthebiggest

undividedlotteryjackpotinhistory.Ifshehopeshernew-found

fortunewillyieldlastingfeelingsoffulfillment,shecoulddo

worsethanreadHappyMoneybyElizabethDumnandMichael

Norton.

Thesetwoacademicsuseanarrayofbehavioralresearchto

showthatthemostrewardingwaystospendmoneycanbe

counterintuitive.Fantasiesofgreatwealthofteninvolvevisions

offancycarsandextravaganthomes.Yetsatisfactionwiththese

materialpurchaseswearsofffairlyquicklywhatwasonceexciting

andnewbecomesold-hat;regretcreepsin.Itisfarbetterto

spendmoneyonexperiences,sayMsDumnandMrNorton,like

interestingtrips,uniquemealsorevengoingtothecinema.

Thesepurchasesoftenbecomemorevaluablewithtime-as

storiesormemories-particularlyiftheyinvolvefeelingmore

connectedtoothers.

Thisslimvolumeispackedwithtipstohelpwageslavesas

wellaslotterywinnersgetthemost"happinessbangforyour

buck."Itseemsmostpeoplewouldbebetteroffiftheycould

shortentheircommutestowork,spendmoretimewithfriends

andfamilyandlessofitwatchingtelevision(somethingthe

averageAmericanspendsawhoppingtwomonthsayeardoing,

andishardlyjollierforit).Buyinggiftsorgivingtocharityisoften

morepleasurablethanpurchasingthingsforoneself,andluxuries

aremostenjoyablewhentheyareconsumedsparingly.Thisis

apparentlythereasonMacDonald'srestrictstheavailabilityofits

popularMcRib-amarketingtrickthathasturnedthepork

sandwichintoanobjectofobsession.

Readersof"HappyMoney"areclearlyaprivilegedlot,

anxiousaboutfulfillment,nothunger.Moneymaynotquitebuy

happiness,butpeopleinwealthiercountriesaregenerally

happierthanthoseinpoorones.Yetthelinkbetweenfeeling

goodandspendingmoneyonotherscanbeseenamongrich

andpoorpeoplearoundtheworld,andscarcityenhancesthe

pleasureofmostthingsformostpeople.Noteveryonewillagree

withtheauthors7policyideas,whichrangefrommandating

moreholidaytimetoreducingtaxincentivesforAmerican

homebuyers.Butmostpeoplewillcomeawayfromthisbook

believingitwasmoneywellspento

21.AccordingtoDumnandNorton,whichofthefollowingis

themostrewardingpurchase?

[A]Abighouse

[B]Aspecialtour

[C]Astylishcar

[D]Arichmeal

22.Theauthor,sattitudetowardAmericans,watchingTV

is

[A]critical

[B]supportive

[C]sympathetic

[D]ambiguous

23.Macribismentionedinparagraph3toshowthat

[A]consumersaresometimesirrational

[B]popularityusuallycomesafterquality

[C]marketingtricksareaftereffective

[D]raritygenerallyincreasespleasure

24.Accordingtothelastparagraph,HappyMoney

[A]hasleftmuchroomforreaders'criticism

[B]mayprovetobeaworthwhilepurchase

[C]haspredictedawiderincomegapintheus

[D]maygiveitsreadersasenseofachievement

25.Thistextmainlydiscusseshowto

[A]balancefeelinggoodandspendingmoney

[B]spendlargesumsofmoneywoninlotteries

[C]obtainlastingsatisfactionfrommoneyspent

[D]becomemorereasonableinspendingonluxuries

Text2

AnarticleinScientificAmericahaspointedoutthatempirical

researchsaysthat,actually,youthinkyou/remorebeautiful

thanyouare.Wehaveadeep-seatedneedtofeelgoodabout

ourselvesandwenaturallyemployanumberofself-enhancing

strategiestoresearchintowhatthecallthe"aboveaverage

effect",or"illusorysuperiority",andshownthat,forexample,

70%ofusrateourselvesasaboveaverageinleadership,93%in

drivingand85%atgettingonwellwithothers—allobviously

statisticalimpossibilities.

Werosetintourmemoriesandputourselvesintoself­

affirmingsituations.Webecomedefensivewhencriticized,and

applynegativestereotypestootherstoboostourownesteem,

westalkaroundthinkingwe'rehotstuff.

PsychologistandbehavioralscientistNicholasEpleyoversaw

akeystudyingintoself-enhancementandattractiveness.Rather

thathavepeoplesimplyratetheirbeautycompresswithothers,

heaskedthemtoidentifyanoriginalphotograghofthemselves'

fromalineupincludingversionsthathadbeenalteredtoappear

moreandlessattractive.Visualrecognition,readsthestudy,is

"anautomaticpsychologicalprocessoccurringrapidlyand

intuitivelywithlittleornoapparentconsciousdeliberation".If

thesubjectsquicklychoseafalselyflatteringimage-whichmust

did-theygenuinelybelieveditwasreallyhowtheylooked.Epley

foundnosignificantgenderdifferenceinresponses.Norwas

thereanyevidencethat,thosewhoself-enhancethemust(that

is,theparticipantswhothoughtthemostpositivelydoctored

picturewerereal)weredoingsotomakeupforprofound

insecurities.Infactthosewhothoughtthattheimageshigherup

theattractivenessscalewererealdirectlycorrespondedwith

thosewhoshowedothermakersforhavinghigherself-esteem.

"Idon'tthinkthefindingsthatwehavinghaveareany

evidenceofpersonaldelusion”,saysEpley."It'sareflection

simplyofpeoplegenerallythinkingwellofthemselves/.Ifyou

aredepressed,youwon/tbeself-enhancing.Knowingthe

resultsofEpley'sstudy,itmakessensethatwhypeopleheat

photographsofthemselvesViscerally-ononelevel,theydon't

evenrecognisethepersoninthepictureasthemselves,Facebook

therefore,isaself-enhancer,sparadise,wherepeoplecanshare

onlythemostflatteringphotos,thecreamoftheir

wit,style,beauty,intellectandlifestyleit'snotthatpeople's

profilesaredishonest,sayscatalinatomaofWiscon-Madison

universitybuttheyportrayanidealizedversionofthemselves.

26.Accordingtothefirstparagraph,socialpsychologisthave

foundthat.

[A]ourself-ratingsareunrealisticallyhigh

[B]illusorysuperiorityisbaselesseffect

[C]ourneedforleadershipisunnatural

[D]self-enhancingstrategiesareineffective

27.Visualrecognitionisbelievedtobepeople1s

[A]rapidwatching

[B]consciouschoice

[C]intuitiveresponse

[D]automaticself-defence

28.Epleyfoundthatpeoplewithhigherself-esteemtended

to______

[A]underestimatetheirinsecurities

[B]believeintheirattractiveness

[C]coveruptheirdepressions

[D]oversimplifytheirillusions

29.Theword"Viscerally”(Line2,para.5)isclosestin

meaningto.

[A]instinctively

[B]occasionally

[C]particularly

[D]aggressively

30.ItcanbeinferredthatFacebookisself-enhancer,s

paradisebecausepeoplecan.

[A]presenttheirdishonestprofiles

[B]definetheirtraditionallifestyles

[C]sharetheirintellectualpursuits

[D]withholdtheirunflatteringsides

Text4

Whenthegovernmenttalksaboutinfrastructure

contributingtotheeconomythefocusisusuallyonroads,

railways,broadbandandenergy.Housingisseldommentioned.

Whyisthat?Tosomeextentthehousingsectormust

shouldertheblame.Wehavenotbeengoodatcommunicating

therealvaluethathousingcancontributetoeconomicgrowth.

Thenthereisthescaleofthetypicalhousingproject.Itishardto

shoveforattentionamongmultibillion-poundinfrastructure

project,soitisinevitablethattheattentionisfocusedelsewhere.

Butperhapsthemostsignificantreasonisthattheissuehas

alwaysbeensopoliticallycharged.

Nevertheless,theaffordablehousingsituationisdesperate.

Waitinglistsincreaseallthetimeandwearesimplynotbuilding

enoughnewhomes.

Thecomprehensivespendingreviewoffersanopportunity

forthegovernmenttohelprectifythis.Itneedstoputhistorical

prejudicestoonesideandtakesomestepstoaddressoururgent

housingneed.

Therearesomeindicationsthatitispreparingtodojustthat.

Thecommunitiesminister,DonFoster,hashintedthatGeorge

Osborne,ChancelloroftheExchequer;mayintroducemore

flexibilitytothecurrentcapontheamountthatlocalauthorities

canborrowagainsttheirhousingstockdebt.Evidenceshowsthat

60,000extranewhomescouldbebuiltoverthenextfiveyearsif

thecapwerelifted,increasingGDPby0.6%.

Ministersshouldalsolookatcreatinggreatercertaintyinthe

rentalenvironment,whichwouldhaveasignificantimpactonthe

abilityofregisteredproviderstofundnewdevelopmentsfrom

revenues.

Butitisnotjustdowntothegovernment.Whilethese

measureswouldbewelcomeintheshortterm,wemustfaceup

tothefactthattheexisting£4.5bnprogrammeofgrantstofund

newaffordablehousing,settoexpirein2015,isunlikelytobe

extendedbeyondthen.TheLabourpartyhasrecentlyannounced

thatitwillretainalargepartofthecoalitionzsspendingplansif

returnstopower.Thehousingsectorneedstoacceptthatweare

veryunlikelytoeverreturntoeraoflarge-scalepublicgrants.We

needtoadjusttothischangingclimate.

36.Theauthorbelievesthatthehousingsector_

[A]hasattractedmuchattention

[B]involvescertainpoliticalfactors

[C]shoulderstoomuchresponsibility

[D]haslostitsrealvalueineconomy

37.Itcanbelearnedthataffordablehousinghas_

[A]increaseditshomesupply

[B]offeredspendingopportunities

[C]sufferedgovernmentbiases

[D]disappointedthegovernment

38.AccordingtoParagraph5,GeorgeOsbornemay.

[A]allowgreatergovernmentdebtforhousing

[B]stoplocalauthoritiesfrombuildinghomes

[C]preparetoreducehousingstockdebt

[D]releasealiftedGDPgrowthforecast

39.ltcanbeinferredthatastablerentalenvironment

would.

[A]lowerthecostsofregisteredproviders

[B]lessentheimpactofgovernmentinterference

[C]contributetofundingnewdevelopments

[D]relievetheministersofresponsibilities

4O.Theauthorbelievesthatafter2015,thegovernment

may.

[A]implementmorepoliciestosupporthousing

[B]reviewtheneedforlarge-scalepublicgrants

[C]renewtheaffordablehousinggrantsprogramme

[D]stopgenerousfundingtothehousingsector

SectionIIReadingComprehension

21、【答案】BAspecialtour

【解析】细节题。答案定位在第二段的z1tisfarbettertospend

moneyonexperiences...likeinterestingtrips...”,意思是"花钱消

费在经历方面更好……，比如说有趣的旅行……"，由此可以得知答案

是B选项"一场特别的旅行"。

22、【答案】Acritical

【解析】观点态度题。答案定位在第三段的"somethingthe

averageAmericanspendsawhoppingtwomonthsayeardoing,

andishardlyjollierforit",意思是"普通美国人一年花两个月的时

间看电视，并且看电视几乎不可能更愉快"，因此可以得知作者对于

看电视的态度是A选项"批判的"。

23、【答案】Draritygenerallyincreasespleasure

【解析】观点例证题。答案定位在第三段，文章中提到MeRib这

个例子,用这个例子证明的论点是"luxuriesaremostenjoyable

whentheyareconsumedsparingly",大意是"有节制地消费奢侈

品最令人愉悦"，D选项正是这句论点句的同义替换。

24、【答案】Bmayprovetobeaworthwhilepurchase

【解析】细节题。答案定位在最后一段的最后一句"most

peoplewillcomeawayfromthisbookbelievingitwasmoney

wellspent",大意是"大多数人看完这本书后，认为物有所值"，

因此可以推知B选项是正确答案。

25、【答案】Abalancefeelinggoodandspendingmoney

【解析】主旨题。纵观全文可知，全文主要谈论花钱消费和心情

愉悦之间的关系，因此答案定位在A选项。

Text2

26、【答案】Aourself-ratingsareunrealisticallyhigh

【解析】题目问"根据第一段，社会心理学家发现了什么?"对应

于文章第一段第三句"社会心理学家对所谓的’高于均数效应’或者

‘虚幻的优越感’进行大量的研究，发现我们中70%的人认为自己的

领导力在平均水平之上……一这些数据明显都是不可能的。"由此可知，

我们对自己评价过高。故答案为[A]ourself-ratingsare

unrealisticallyhigho

27、【答案】Cintuitiveresponse

【解析】题目问"视觉识别被认为是人们的什么?"对应于文章第

三段第三句"视觉识别是自动的心理过程，这个过程依靠直觉快速发

生，且并不是故意的。"由此可知，视觉识别被认为是人们的直觉反

应。故答案为

[C]intuitiveresponseo

28、【答案】Bbelieveintheirattractiveness

【解析】题目问"Epley发现有更高自尊的人倾向于怎样"。对应

到第四段，第二句讲到“没有证据显示那些自我提升最多的人这样做

是为了掩饰自己的不安全，接着讲到：事实上，那些认为自己的形象

高于吸引力标准的人就是那些表现出更高自尊的人，故答案为[B]

believeintheirattractivenesso

29、【答案】[A]instinctively

【解析】题目问"最接近viscerally的意思的是?"。对应到第五

段，viscerally所在句讲到"许多人讨厌照片中的自己，从某种层面上

说，他们甚至不承认照片中的人是他们自己。"而下文又讲到

facebook是自我拔高者的天堂,在那里人们可以分享最满意的的照

片。"由此可知，viscerally在本句中是“本质上地"意思，故答案为

[A]instinctively。

30、【答案】[D]withholdtheirunflatteringsides

【解析】题干问"我们可以推理出脸书(facebook)之所以是一个

自我拔高者的天堂，是因为人们可以做什么?"对应于文章最后一段的

第二句，该句讲到"在脸书(facebook)中，人们可以分享最满意的照

片。”下文接着讲到"不是人们不诚实，而是人们展示了自己最理想

的形象。"故答案为

[D]withholdtheirunflatteringsideso

Text4

36、【答案】[B]involvescertainpoliticalfactors

【解析】根据本题题干中的关键词housingsector可以对应到文

章的第二段，中间说的很多，我们注意到最后有but出现，最后应该

是作者真正想要表达的观点，另外这里用了themostsignificant最高

级，所以最后这个是最重要的一个原因，politicallycharged和选项B

的politicalfactors有对应关系,故选Binvolvescertainpolitical

factorSo

A项的吸