18 年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试
英语（二）试题
Section I Use of English
Why do people read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful? Because humans have an inherent need to 1 uncertainty, according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people will 2 to satisfy their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will 3.
In a series of four experiments, behavioral scientists at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Wisconsin School of Business tested students' willingness to 4 themselves to unpleasant stimuli in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one 5 , each participant was shown a pile of pens that the researcher claimed were from a previous experiment. The twist? Half of the pens would 6 an electric shock when clicked.
Twenty-seven students were told which pens were rigged; another twenty-seven were told only that some were electrified. 7 left alone in the room, the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and incurred more jolts than the students who knew what would 8. Subsequent experiments replicated this effect with other stimuli, 9 the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of disgusting insects.
The drive to 10 is deeply ingrained in humans, much the same as the basic drives for 11 or shelter, says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago, a co-author of the paper. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct—it can 12 new scientific advances, for instance—but sometimes such 13 can backfire. The insight that curiosity can drive you to do 14 things is a profound one.
Unhealthy curiosity is possible to 15, however. In a final experiment, participants who were encouraged to 16 how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to 17 to see such an image. These results suggest that imagining the 18 of following through on one's curiosity ahead of time can help determine 19 it is worth the endeavor.“Thinking about long-term 20 is key to mitigating the possible negative effects of curiosity,” Hsee says. In other words, don't read online comments.
1. [A]ignore[B]protect[C]discuss[D]resolve
2. [A]refuse[B]seek[C]wait[D]regret
3. [A]rise[B]last[C]hurt[D]mislead
4. [A]alert[B]expose[C]tie[D]treat
5. [A]trial[B]message[C]review[D]concept
6. [A]remove[B]deliver[C]weaken[D]interrupt
7. [A]Unless[B]If[C]When[D]Though
8. [A]change[B]continue[C]disappear[D]happen
9. [A]such as[B]rather than[C]regardless of[D]owing to
10.[A]disagree[B]forgive[C]discover[D]forget
11.[A]pay[B]food[C]marriage[D]schooling
12.[A]begin with[B]rest on[C]lead to[D]learn from
13.[A]inquiry[B]withdrawal[C]persistence[D]diligence
14.[A]self-decepti[B]self-reliant[C]self-evident[D]self-destructive
15.[A]trace[B]define[C]replace[D]resist
16.[A]conceal[B]overlook[C]design[D]predict
17.[A]choose[B]remember[C]promise[D]pretend
18.[A]relief[B]outcome[C]plan[D]duty
19.[A]how[B]why[C]where[D]whether
20.[A]limitations[B]investments[C]consequences[D]strategies
Section Ⅱ Reading comprehension Part A
It is curious that Stephen Koziatek feels almost as though he has to justify his efforts to give his students a better future.
Mr. Koziatek is part of something pioneering. He is a teacher at a New Hampshire high school where learning is not something of books and tests and rote memorization, but practical, reports staff writer Stacy Teicher Khadaroo in this week’s cover story. When did it become accepted wisdom that students should be able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterly bamboozled by a busted bike chain?
As Koziatek knows, there is learning in just about everything. Nothing is necessarily gained by forcing students to learn geometry at a graphitized desk stuck with generations of discarded chewing gum. They can also learn geometry by assembling a bicycle.
But he’s also found a kind of insidious prejudice. Working with your hands is seen as almost a mark of inferiority. Schools in the family of vocational education “have that stereotype ... that it’s for kids who can’t make it academically,” he says.
On one hand, that viewpoint is a logical product of America’s evolution. Manufacturing is not the economic engine that it once was. The job security that the US economy once offered to high school graduates has largely evaporated. More education is the new mantra. We want more for our kids, and rightfully so.
But the headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all – and the subtle devaluing of anything less – misses an important point: That’s not the only thing the American economy needs. Yes, a bachelor’s degree opens more doors. But even now, 54 percent of the jobs in the country are middle-skill jobs, such as construction and high-skill manufacturing, according to the National Skills Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group. But only 44 percent of workers are
adequately trained.
21. A broken bike chain is mentioned to show students’ lack of.
A.academic training
B.practical ability
C.pioneering spirit
D.mechanical memorization
22. There exists the prejudice that vocational education is for kids who.
A.have a stereotyped mind
B.have no career motivation
C.are financially disadvantaged
D.are not academically successful
23. We can infer from Paragraph 5 that high school graduates.
A.used to have more job opportunities
B.used to have big financial concerns
C.are entitled to more educational privileges
D.are reluctant to work in manufacturing
24. The headlong push into bachelors degrees for all.
A.helps create a lot of middle-skill jobs
B.may narrow the gap in working-class jobs
C.indicates the overvaluing of higher education
D.is expected to yield a better-trained workforce
25. The author’s attitude toward Koziatek’s school can be described as.
A.tolerant
B.cautious
C.supportive
D.disappointed
Text 2
While fossil fuels-coal, oil, gas-still generate roughly 85 percent of the world's energy supply, it's clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable so urces such as wind and solar. The move to renewables is picking up momentum around the world: They now account for more than half of new power sources going on line.
Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted business es to fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about the plummeting prices of renewables, especially wind and solar. The cost of solar panels ha s dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close to one-third in the past eight years.
In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energy source. In Scotland, for example, wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes. While the rest of the world takes the lead, notably China and Europe, the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift. In March, for the firs t lime, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the US.reported the US Energy Information Administration. President Trump has underlined fossil fuels - especially coal-as the path to economic growth. In a recent speech in Iowa, be dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source. But that message did not play well with many in Iowa,where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state's electricity generation - and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.
The question “what happens when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine ?”, has provided a quick put-down for skeptics. But a boost in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock mo re likely.
The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles. Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.
While there's a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables arc spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up - perhaps just in time t o have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change. what Washington does -or doesn't do - to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.
The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers, who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles. Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now, this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.
While there's a long way to go, the trend lines for renewables arc spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up - perhaps just in time t o have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change. what Washington does -or doesn't do - to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.
26.The word“plummeting’ (Line 3, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to.
A.stabilizing
B.changing
C.falling
D.rising
27.According to Paragraph 3, the use of renewable energy in America.
A.is progressing notably
B.is as extensive as in Europe
C.faces many challenges
D.has proved to be impractical
28.It can be learned that in Iowa,.
A.wind is a widely used energy source
B.wind energy has replaced fossil fuels
C.tech giants are investing in clean energy
D.there is a shortage of clean energy supply
29.Which of fte following is true about clean energy according to Paragraphs 5&6?.
A. ts application has boosted battery storage.
B. It is commonly used in car manufacturing.
C. ts continuous supply is becoming a reality.
D. ts sustainable exploitation will remain difficult.
30.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that renewable energy.
A.will bring the US closer to other countries
B.will accelerate global environmental change
C.is not really encouraged by the US government
D.is not competitive enough with regard to its cost
Text 3
The power and ambition of the giants of the digital economy is astonishing -Amazon has just announced the purchase of the upmarket grocery chain Whole Foods for $13.5bn, but two years ago Facebook paid even more than that to acquire the WhatsApp messaging service, which doesn’t have any physical product at all What Whats App offered Facebook was an intricate and finely detailed web of its users’ friendships and social lives.
Facebook promised the European commission then that it would not link phone numbers to Facebook identities, but it broke the promise almost as soon as the deal went through. Even without knowing what was in the messages, the knowledge of who sent them and to whom was enormously revealing and still-could be. What political journalist, what party whip, would not want to know the makeup of the WhatsApp groups in which Theresa May’s enemies are currently plotting? It may be that the value of Whole Foods to Amazon is not so much the460 shops it owns, but the records of which customers have purchased what.
Competition law appears to be the only way to address these imbalances of power. But it is clumsy. For one thing, it is very slow compared to the pace of change within the digital economy. By the time a problem has been addressed and remedied it may have vanished in the marketplace, to b$ replaced by new abuses of power. But there is a deeper conceptual problem, too. Competition Jaw as presently interpreted deals with financial disadvantage to consumers and this is not obvious when the users of these services don't pay for them. The users of their services are not their customers. That would be the people who buy advertising from them - and Facebook and Google, the two virtual giants, dominate digital advertising to the disadvantage of all other media and entertainment companies.
The product they’re selling is data, and we, the users, convert our lives to data for the benefit of the digital giants. Just as some ants farm the bugs called aphids for the honeydew they produce when they feed, so Google farms us for the data that our digital Jives yield. Ants keep predatory insects away from where their aphids feed; Gmail keeps the spammers out of our in 31.According toparagraph I, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for its.
A.digital products
B.user information
C.physical assets
D.quality service
32.Linking phone numbers to Facebook identities may.
A.worsen political disputes
B.mess up customer records
C.pose a risk to Facebook users
D.mislead the European commission
33.According to the author, competition law______..
A.should serve the new market powers
B.may worsen the economic imbalance
C.should not provide just one legal solution
D.cannot keep pace with the changing market
34.Competition law as presently interpreted can hardly protect Facebook users because____________. .
A.they are not defined as customers
B.they are not financially reliable
C.the services are generally digital
D.the services are paid for by advertisers
35.The ants analogy is used to illustrate.___.
A.a win-win business model between digital giants
B.a typical competition pattern armong digital giants
C.the benefits provided for digital giants' customers
D.the relationship between digital giants an their users
Text 4
To combat the trap of putting a premium on being busy, Cal Newport, author of Deep work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted world, recommends building a habit of "deep work"—the ability to focus without distraction.
There are a number of approaches to mastering the art of deep work—be it lengthy retreats dedicated to a specific task; developing a daily ritual; or taking a "journalistic" approach to seizing moments of deep work when you can throughout the day. Whichever approach, the key is to determine your length of focus time and stick to it.
Newport also recommends "deep scheduling" to combat constant interruptions and get more done in less time." At any given point, I should have deep work scheduled for roughly the next month. Once on the calendar I protect this time like I would a doctor's appointment or important meeting", he writes.
Another approach to getting more done in less time is to rethink how you prioritize your day—in particular how we craft our to-do lists. Tim Harford, author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, points to a study in the early 1980s that divided undergraduates into two groups: some were advised to set out monthly goals and study activities; others were told to plan activities and goals in much more detail, day by day.
While the researchers assumed that the well-structured daily plans would be most effective when it came to the execution of tasks, they were wrong: the detailed daily plans demotivated students. Harford argues that inevitable distractions often render the daily to-do list ineffective, while leaving room for improvisation in such a list can reap the best results.
In order to make the most of our focus and energy. We also need to embrace downtime, or as Newport suggests," be lazy."
"Idlenessis not justaindispensable to be brain as Vitamin D is to the body...[idleness]is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done," he argues.
Srini Pillay,an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, believes this counter-intuitive link between downtime and productivity may be due to the way our brains operate When our brains switch between being focused and unfocused on a task, they tend to be more efficient.
"What people don't realise is that in order to complete these tasks they need to use both the focus and unfocus circuits in their brain". says Pillay.
36.The key to mastering the art of deep work is to _____
A.keep to your focus time
B. list your immediate tasks
C. make specific daily plans
D. seize very minute to work
37.The study in the early 1980s cited by Harford shows that _____.
A. distractions may actually increase efficiency
B. daily schedules are indispensable to studying
C. students are hardly motivated by monthly goals
D. detailed plans many not be as fruitful as expected
38.According to Newport, idleness is _____.
A.a desirable mental state for busy people
B. a major contributor to physical health
C. an effective way to save time and energy
D.an essential factor in accomplishing any work
39. Pillay believes that our brains' shift between being focused and unfocused_____.
A. can result in psychological well-being
B.can bring about greater efficiency
C.is aimed at better balance in work
D.is driven by task urgency
40. This text is mainly about_____.
A.ways to relieve the tension of busy life
B.approaches to getting more done in less time
C.the key to eliminating distractions
D.he cause of the lack of focus time
Part B
Directions: You are going to read a list of headings and a text. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for each numbered paragraph (41-45).Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET1. (10 points)
[A] Be present
[B] Just say it
[C] Ask for an opinion
[D] Find the “me too”s
[E] Name, places, things
[F] Skip the small talk
[G] Pay a unique complement
7 ways to break the Ice & make a conversation with anyone
41_[B] Just say it
Suppose you are in the room with someone you don't know & you look across the room and you see a stranger and something within you says that I want to talk with this person & you know something that mostly happens with all of us. You wanted to say something the First word.It just won't come out. It feels like it stuck somewhere and refused to core out. I know the feeling & here is my advice“Just Say it”.
Just think what the worst could happen.They won't talk with you.Well they are not talking with you now.
I truly believe that once you said first word everything else just gets flows. So keep it sinple"Hi”,'Hey"or Hello & do what the best person in you does gather all of the enthusiasm, the energy, put on a big smile and say “Hi”.
42_[F] Skip the small talk
You know everyone of us including me sometimes face this problem everyday.You have limited time with that person you want to talk & yon want to make this talk memorable.
Honestly if we stuck in the rut of "hi","Hello","How are you?",what's going on ? Nothing much,Sab badiya! If you do this you will fail to give initial jolt to the conversation that can make conversation memorable.
So I urge you to"Skip the small talk and ask the really personal question and don't be afraid".Trust me you ll be surprised to see how much people are willing to share if you just ask.
43____[D] Find the “me too”s
When you meet the person for the first time make an efforts to find the things which you and that person is in common so that you can build the conversation from that point. When you start conversation from that point & then move outwards from there you’ll find all of the sudden that conversation become lot more easier. That is because both of you on the same side of god knows something which common to both you.
That's the powerful thing!!
44__[G] Pay a unique complement
Imagine you are pouring your heart to someone and he or she just busy on their phone chatting &if you ask for their attention you get a response” I can multitask.”
So when someone tries to communicate with you just be in that communication whole heartedly. And my favorite part "Make an eye contact” Trust me eye contact is where all the magic happens. When you make an eye contact, you can feel the conversation.& Let me boost up your motivation while talking when you look in their eyes 9 out of 10 times they will not look away.
45__[E] Name, places, things
You all came onto a conversation where you met the person ,after some time you met again and you forgot the name of the person.Isn't that awkward,If they play the game with you tell me my name?.
So remember the little details of the people you met or you talked with may be the places they been to,the places they want to go,the things they like,the things they hate whatever there is.
When you remember such things you can automatically become investor in their well being. So they fell responsible to you to keep that conversation going.
That's it.7 amazing ways that you can make conversation with almost anyone.Trust me every person is a really good book to read to or to have a conversation with.
Section Ⅲ Translation
46. A fifth grader gets a homework assignment to select his future career path fro m a list of occupations. He ticks “astronaut” but quickly adds “scientist” to the list and selects it as well. The boy is convinced that if he reads enough, he can exp lore as many career paths as he likes. As so he reads —— everything from ency clopedias to science fiction novels. He reads so fervently that his parents have to institute a “no reading policy” at the dinner table.
That boy was Bill Gates, and he hasn’t stopped reading yet——not even after be coming one of the most successful people on the planet. Nowadays, his reading material has changed from science fiction and reference books: recently, he revealed that he reads at least 50 nonfiction books a year. Gates chooses nonfiction titles because they explain how the world works. “Each book opens up new avenues of knowledge to explore,” Gates say.
参考译文：
一个五年级的学生得到了一份家庭作业，让他在一系列职业中选出自己未来的职业（之路）。他先选了“宇航员”， 但是又迅速在名单上加了个“科学家”。这个男孩相信，如果书读得多，他就能摸索出许多条他喜欢的职业道路。所以他读了很多书，有百科全书也有科幻小说。他如此痴迷于读书以至于他的父母不得不规定吃饭时“不准读书”。
这个男孩就是比尔·盖茨。哪怕他已是这个世界最成功的人之一，他也从未停止过读书。如今, 他阅读的材料已不再是科幻类小说和工具书: 最近, 他透露他一年至少要读50本非小说类书籍。盖茨选择非小说类书籍是因为这些书籍可以解释世界如何运转。他说，“每一本书都会为知识探索开辟新道路。”
Section Ⅳ Writing
Part A
47. Directions:
Suppose you have to cancel your travel plan and will not be able to visit Professor Smith. Write him an email to
Apologize and explain the situation, and
Suggest a future meeting
You should write neatly on the ANWSER SHEET.
Do not sign you own name at the end of the letter, use “Li Ming ” instead. Do not write the address .(10 points)
Part B
48. Directions:
Write an essay based on the following chart in your writing, you should
interpret the chart, and
give your comments
You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)