2010年考研英语一真题及答案

2010

年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题

Section I Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and

mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points).

In

1924

America's

National

Research

Council

sent

two

engineers

to

supervise

a

series

of

industrial experiments at a large telephone-parts factory called the Hawthorne Plant near Chicago.

It hoped they would learn how stop-floor lighting____1____ workers' productivity. Instead, the

studies ended

____2____ giving their name to the

idea that the very

to being experimented upon changed subjects' behavior.

The idea arose because of the ____4____ behavior of the women in the Hawthorne plant.

According to ____5____ of the experiments, their hourly output rose when lighting was increased,

but

also

when

it

was

dimmed.

It

did

not

____6____

what

was

done

in

the

experiment;

____7____something

was

changed,

productivity

rose.

A(n)

____8____

that

they

were

being

experimented upon seemed to be ____9____ to alter workers' behavior ____10____itself.

After

several

decades,

the

same

data

were

____11____

to

econometric

the

analysis.

Hawthorne

experiments

has

another

surprise

store

____12____the

descriptions

on

record,

no

systematic ____13____ was found that levels of productivity were related to changes in lighting.

It turns out that peculiar way of conducting the experiments may be have let to ____14____

interpretation

of

what

happed.

____15____,

lighting

was

always

changed

on

a

Sunday.

When

work started again on Monday, output ____16____rose compared with the previous Saturday and

17

to rise for the next couple of days. ____18____, a comparison with data for weeks when

there

was

no

experimentation

showed

that

output

always

went

up

on

Monday,

workers

____19____ to be diligent for the first few days of the week in any case, before ____20____ a

plateau and then slackening off. This suggests that the alleged

down.

1.

[A] affected

2.

[A] at

[B] achieved

[B] up

[C] extracted

[C] with

[C] act

[D] restored

[D] off

[D] proof

[D] ambiguous

[D] assessments

[D] work

[D] so long as

[D] illusion

3.

[A] truth

[B] sight

4.

[A] controversial

[B] perplexing

5.

[A] requirements

[B] explanations

6.

[A] conclude

7.

[A] as far as

8.

[A] awareness

[B] matter

[C] mischievous

[C] accounts

[C] indicate

[C] in case that

[C] sentiment

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[B] for fear that

[B] expectation

9.

[A] suitable

10.

[A] about

[B] excessive

[B] for

[B] shown

[C] enough

[C] on

[D] abundant

[D] by

[D] conveyed

[D] peculiar to

[D] source

[D] misleading

11.

[A] compared

12.

[A] contrary to

13.

[A] evidence

14.

[A] disputable

15.

[A] In contrast

16.

[A] duly

17.

[A] failed

[C] subjected

[B] consistent with

[C] parallel with

[B] guidance

[B] enlightening

[B] For example

[B] accidentally

[B] ceased

[C] implication

[C] reliable

[C] In consequence [D] As usual

[C] unpredictably

[D] suddenly

[C] started

[D] continued

[D] hitting

20.

[A] breaking

[B] climbing

[C] surpassing

Section II

Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions:Read

the

following

four

texts.

Answer

the

questions

below

each

text

by

choosing [A], [B], [C] or [D]. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text 1

Of

all

the

changes

that

have

taken

place

in

English-language

newspapers

during

the

past

quarter- century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and

seriousness of their arts coverage.

It is difficult to the point of impossibility

for the average reader under the age of forty

to

imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a

considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century

consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact

that

their

learned

contents

were

once

deemed

suitable

for

publication

in

general-circulation

dailies.

We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England

between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was

dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it

appeared.

In

those

far-off

days,

it

was

taken

for

granted

that

the

critics

of

major

papers

would

write

in

detail

and

at

length

about

the

events

they

covered.

Theirs

was

a

serious

business,

and

even

those

reviewers

who

wore

their

learning

lightly,

like

George

Bernard

Shaw

and

Ernest

Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a

calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. ―So few authors have brains enough or

literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,‖ Newman wrote, ―that I am tempted

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to define ?journalism‘ as ?a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who

are.‘‖

Unfortunately,

these

critics

are

virtually

forgotten.

Neville

Cardus,

who

wrote

for

the

Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975, is now known solely as a

writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of England‘s

foremost

classical-music

critics,

a

stylist

so

widely

admired

that

his

Autobiography

(1947)

became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be so honored. Yet only

one

of

his

books

is

now

in

print,

and

his

vast

body

of

writings

on

music

is

unknown

save

to

specialists.

Is there any chance that Cardus‘s criticism will enjoy a revival?

The prospect seems remote.

Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death, and postmodern readers have little use for

the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition

in music criticism has been in headlong retreat.

21.

It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that

[A] arts criticism has disappeared from big-city newspapers.

[B] English-language newspapers used to carry more arts reviews.

[C] high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readers.

[D] young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies.

22.

Newspaper reviews in England before World War II were characterized by

[A] free themes.

[B] casual style.

[C] elaborate layout.

[D] radical viewpoints.

23.

Which of the following would Shaw and Newman most probably agree on?

[A] It is writers' duty to fulfill journalistic goals

[B] It is contemptible for writers to be journalists.

[C] Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism.

[D] Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.

24.

What can be learned about Cardus according to the last two paragraphs?

[A] His music criticism may not appeal to readers today.

[B] His reputation as a music critic has long been in dispute.

[C] His style caters largely to modern specialists.

[D] His writings fail to follow the amateur tradition.

25.

What would be the best title for the text?

[A] Newspapers of the Good Old Days

[B] The Lost Horizon in Newspapers

[C] Mournful Decline of Journalism

[D] Prominent Critics in Memory

Text 2

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Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business

methods. received one for its

legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a

box.

Now

the

nation's

top

patent

court

appears

completely

ready

to

scale

back

on

business- method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10

years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz the U.S. court of Appeals for the

federal circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method

patents. In re Bilski, as the case is known , is

University of Missouri School of law. It

Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the federal

circuit itself that introduced such patents with is 1998 decision in the so- called state Street Bank

case,

approving

a

patent

on

a

way

of

pooling

mutual-fund

assets.

That

ruling

produced

an

explosion

in

business-method

patent

filings,

initially

by

emerging

internet

companies

trying

to

stake

out

exclusive

rights

to

specific

types

of

online

transactions.

Later,

move

established

companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that

might beat them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more

than 300 business-method patents despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting

them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themselves with patents for financial

products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice.

The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market.

The Federal circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the

court's

judges,

rather

than

a

typical

panel

of

three,

and

that

one

issue

it

wants

to

evaluate

is

whether it should

The Federal Circuit's action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the supreme

Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example the

justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for

judges

on

the

Federal

circuit

are

to

the

anti-patent

trend

at

the Supreme Court

says

Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.

26.

Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of

[A] their limited value to business

[B] their connection with asset allocation

[C] the possible restriction on their granting

[D] the controversy over authorization

27.

Which of the following is true of the Bilski case?

[A] Its ruling complies with the court decisions

[B] It involves a very big business transaction

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[C] It has been dismissed by the Federal Circuit

[D] It may change the legal practices in the U.S.

28.

The word

[A] loss of good will

[C] change of attitude

[B] increase of hostility

[D] enhancement of dignity

29.

We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents

[A] are immune to legal challenges

[B] are often unnecessarily issued

[C] lower the esteem for patent holders

[D] increase the incidence of risks

30.

Which of the following would be the subject of the text?

[A] A looming threat to business-method patents

[B] Protection for business- method patent holders

[C] A legal case regarding business-method patents

[D] A prevailing trend against business-method patents

Text 3

In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell argues that social epidemics are driven in

large part by the acting of a tiny minority of special individuals, often called influentials, who are

unusually

informed,

persuasive,

or

well-connected.

The

idea

is

intuitively

compelling,

but

it

doesn't explain how ideas actually spread.

The

supposed

importance

of

influentials

derives

from

a

plausible

sounding

but

largely

untested theory called the

to the influentials and from them to everyone else. Marketers have embraced the two- step flow

because it suggests that if they can just find and influence the influentials, those selected people

will do most of the work for them. The theory also seems to explain the sudden and unexpected

popularity of certain looks, brands, or neighborhoods. In many such cases, a cursory search for

causes finds that some small group of people was wearing, promoting, or developing whatever it

is before anyone else paid attention. Anecdotal evidence of this kind fits nicely with the idea that

only certain special people can drive trends

In

their

recent

work,

however,

some

researchers

have

come

up

with

the

finding

that

influentials have far less impact on social epidemics than is generally supposed. In fact, they don't

seem to be required of all.

The

researchers'

argument

stems

from

a

simple

observing

about

social

influence, with

the

exception

of

a

few

celebrities

like

Oprah

Winfrey

—

whose

outsize

presence

is

primarily

a

function

of

media,

not

interpersonal,

influence

—

even

the

most

influential

members

of

a

population

simply

don't

interact

with

that

many

others.

Yet

it

is

precisely

these

non-celebrity

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influentials who, according to the two- step-flow theory, are supposed to drive social epidemics by

influencing their friends and colleagues directly.

For a social epidemic to occur, however, each

person so affected, must then influence his or her own acquaintances, who must in turn influence

theirs, and so on; and just how many others pay attention to each of these people has little to do

with

the

initial

influential.

If

people

in

the

network

just

two

degrees

removed

from

the

initial

influential prove resistant, for example from the initial influential prove resistant, for example the

cascade of change won't propagate very far or affect many people.

Building

on

the

basic

truth

about

interpersonal

influence,

the

researchers

studied

the

dynamics

of

populations

manipulating

a

number

of

variables

relating

of

populations,

manipulating

a

number

of

variables

relating

to

people's

ability

to

influence

others

and

their

tendency

to

be

influenced.

Our

work

shows

that

the

principal

requirement

for

what

we

call

–

the widespread propagation of influence through networks

–

is the presence

not of a few influentials but, rather, of a critical mass of easily influenced people, each of whom

adopts, say, a look or a brand after being exposed to a single adopting neighbor. Regardless of

how influential an individual is locally, he or she can exert global influence only if this critical

mass is available to propagate a chain reaction.

31.

By citing the book The Tipping Point, the author intends to

[A] analyze the consequences of social epidemics

[B] discuss influentials' function in spreading ideas

[C] exemplify people's intuitive response to social epidemics

[D] describe the essential characteristics of influentials.

32.

The author suggests that the

[A]

serves

as

a

solution

to

marketing

problems[B]

has

helped

explain

certain

prevalent

trends

[C] has won support from influentials[D] requires solid evidence for its validity

33.

What the researchers have observed recently shows that

[A] the power of influence goes with social interactions

[B] interpersonal links can be enhanced through the media

[C] influentials have more channels to reach the public

[D] most celebrities enjoy wide media attention

34.

The underlined phrase

[A] stay outside the network of social influence

[B] have little contact with the source of influence

[C] are influenced and then influence others

[D] are influenced by the initial influential

35.

what is the essential element in the dynamics of social influence?

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