1、2016 年考研英语二试题真题年考研英语二试题真题Section I Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text.Choose the best word(s)for each numbered blank and markA,B,C or D on the ANSWER SHEET.(10 points)Happy people work differently.Theyre more productive,more creative,andwilling to take greater risks.And new research su
2、ggests that happiness mightinfluence 1 firms work,too.Companies located in place with happier people investmore,according to a recent research paper.2,firms in happy places spend more onR&D(research and development).Thats because happiness is linked to the kind oflonger-term thinking 3 for making in
3、vestment for the future.The researchers wanted to know if the 4 and inclination for risk-taking that come withhappiness would 5 the way companies invested.So they compared U.S.citiesaverage happiness 6 by Gallup polling with the investment activity of publicly tradedfirms in those areas.7 enough,fir
4、ms investment and R&D intensity were correlatedwith the happiness of the area in which they were 8.But it is really happiness thatslinked to investment,or could something else about happier cities 9 why firms therespend more on R&D?To find out,the researches controlled for various 10 that mightmake
5、firms more likely to invest like size,industry,and sales-and-and for indicatorsthat a place was 11 to live in,like growth in wages or population.They link betweenhappiness and investment generally 12 even after accounting for these things.Thecorrelation between happiness and investment was particula
6、rly strong for youngerfirms,which the authors 13 to“less confined decision making process”and thepossible presence of younger and less 14 managers who are more likely to beinfluenced by sentiment.The relationship was 15 stronger in places where happinesswas spread more 16.Firms seem to invest more i
7、n places.17 this doesnt prove thathappiness causes firms to invest more or to take a longer-term view,the authorsbelieve it at least 18 at that possibility.Its not hard to imagine that local culture andsentiment would help 19 how executives think about the future.It surely seemsplausible that happy
8、people would be more forward thinking and creative and 20R&D more than the average,”said one researcher.1.A whyB whereC howD when2.A In returnB In particularC In contrastD In conclusion3.A sufficientB famousC perfectD necessary4.A individualism B modernismC optimismD realism5.A echoB missC spoilD ch
9、ange6.A imaginedB measuredC inventedD assumed7.A sureB oddC unfortunateD often8.A advertisedB dividedC overtaxedD headquartered9.A explainB overstateC summarizeD emphasize10.A stagesB factorsC levelsD methods11.A desirableB sociableC reputableD reliable12.A resumedB heldC emergedD broke13.A attribut
10、eB assignC transferD compare14.A seriousB civilizedC ambitiousD experienced15.A thusB insteadC alsoD never16.A rapidlyB regularlyC directlyD equally17.A AfterB UntilC WhileD Since18.A arrivesB jumpsC hintsD strikes19.A shapeB rediscoverC simplifyD share20.A pray forB lean towardsC give awayD send ac
11、tSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts.Answer the questions below each text by choosing A,B,C or D.Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.(40 points)Text 1Its true that high-school coding classes arent essential for learning computer sciencein college.Students
12、 without experience can catch up after a few introductory courses,said Tom Cortina,the assistant dean at Carnegie Mellons School of ComputerScience.However,Cortina said,early exposure is beneficial.When younger kids learncomputer science,they learn that its not just a confusing,endless string of let
13、ters andnumbers but a tool to build apps,or create artwork,or test hypotheses.Its not ashard for them to transform their thought processes as it is for older students.Breakingdown problems into bite-sized chunks and using code to solve them becomes normal.Giving more children this training could inc
14、rease the number of people interested inthe field and help fill the jobs gap,Cortina said.Students also benefit from learning something about coding before they get to college,where introductory computer-science classes are packed to the brim,which can drivethe less-experienced or-determined student
15、s away.The Flatiron School,where people pay to learn programming,started as one of themany coding bootcamps thats become popular for adults looking for a career change.The high-schoolers get the same curriculum,but“we try to gear lessons toward thingstheyre interested in,”said Victoria Friedman,an i
16、nstructor.For instance,one of theapps the students are developing suggests movies based on your mood.The students in the Flatiron class probably wont drop out of high school and buildthe next Facebook.Programming languages have a quick turnover,so the“Ruby onRails”language they learned may not even
17、be relevant by the time they enter the jobmarket.But the skills they learn how to think logically through a problem andorganize the results apply to any coding language,said Deborah Seehorn,aneducation consultant for the state of North Carolina.Indeed,the Flatiron students might not go into IT at al
18、l.But creating a future army ofcoders is not the sole purpose of the classes.These kids are going to be surrounded bycomputers-in their pockets,in their offices,in their homes for the rest of their lives,The younger they learn how computers think,how to coax the machine into producingwhat they want
19、the earlier they learn that they have the power to do that the better.21.Cortina holds that early exposure to computer science makes it easier to _A.complete future job trainingB.remodel the way of thinkingC.formulate logical hypothesesD.perfect artwork production22.In delivering lessons for high-sc
20、hoolers,Flatiron has considered their_A.experienceB.interestC.career prospectsD.academic backgrounds23.Deborah Seehorn believes that the skills learned at Flatiron will _A.help students learn other computer languagesB.have to be upgraded when new technologies comeC.need improving when students look
21、for jobsD.enable students to make big quick money24.According to the last paragraph,Flatiron students are expected to _A.bring forth innovative computer technologiesB.stay longer in the information technology industryC.become better prepared for the digitalized worldD.compete with a future army of p
22、rogrammers25.The word“coax”(Line4,Para.6)is closest in meaning to _A.persuadeB.frightenC.misguideD.challengeText 2Biologists estimate that as many as 2 million lesser prairie chickens-a kind of birdliving on stretching grasslandsonce lent red to the often grey landscape of themidwestern and southwes
23、tern United States.But just some 22,000 birds remain today,occupying about 16%of the species historic range.The crash was a major reason the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS)decided toformally list the bird as threatened.“The lesser prairie chicken is in a desperatesituation,”said USFWS Director
24、Daniel Ashe.Some environmentalists,however,were disappointed.They had pushed the agency to designate the bird as“endangered,”a status that gives federal officials greater regulatory power to crack down onthreats.But Ashe and others argued that the”threatened”tag gave the federalgovernment flexibilit
25、y to try out new,potentially less confrontational conservationsapproaches.In particular,they called for forging closer collaborations with westernstate governments,which are often uneasy with federal action.and with the privatelandowners who control an estimated 95%of the prairie chickens habitat.Un
26、der the plan,for example,the agency said it would not prosecute landowner orbusinesses that unintentionally kill,harm,or disturb the bird,as long as they hadsigned a rangewide management plan to restore prairie chicken habitat.Negotiatedby USFWS and the states,the plan requires individuals and busin
27、esses that damagehabitat as part of their operations to pay into a fund to replace every acre destroyedwith 2 new acres of suitable habitat.The fund will also be used to compensatelandowners who set aside habitat,USFWS also set an interim goal of restoring prairiechicken populations to an annual ave
28、rage of 67,000 birds over the next 10 years.Andit gives the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies(WAFWA),acoalition of state agencies,the job of monitoring progress.Overall,the idea is to let“states”remain in the driver s seat for managing the species,”Ashe said.Not everyone buys the win
29、-win rhetoric.Some Congress members are trying to blockthe plan,and at least a dozen industry groups,four states,and three environmentalgroups are challenging it in federal court.Not surprisingly,doesnt go far enough.“The federal government is giving responsibility for managing the bird to the samei
30、ndustries that are pushing it to extinction,”says biologist Jay Lininger.26.The major reason for listing the lesser prairie as threatened is_.Aits drastically decreased populationBthe underestimate of the grassland acreageCa desperate appeal from some biologistsDthe insistence of private landowners2
31、7.The“threatened”tag disappointed some environmentalists in that it_.Awas a give-in to governmental pressureBwould involve fewer agencies in actionCgranted less federal regulatory powerDwent against conservation policies28.It can be learned from Paragraph3 that unintentional harm-doers will not bepr
32、osecuted if they_.Aagree to pay a sum for compensationBvolunteer to set up an equally big habitatCoffer to support the WAFWA monitoring jobDpromise to raise funds for USFWS operations29.According to Ashe,the leading role in managing the species in_.Athe federal governmentBthe wildlife agenciesCthe l
33、andownersDthe states30.Jay Lininger would most likely support_.Aindustry groupsBthe win-win rhetoricCenvironmental groupsDthe plan under challengeText 3That everyones too busy these days is a clich.But one specific complaint is madeespecially mournfully:Theres never any time to read.What makes the p
34、roblem thornier is that the usual time-management techniques dontseem sufficient.The webs full of articles offering tips on making time to read:“Giveup TV”or“Carry a book with you at all times.”But in my experience,using suchmethods to free up the odd 30 minutes doesnt work.Sit down to read and thef
35、lywheel of work-related thoughts keeps spinning-or else youre so exhausted that achallenging books the last thing you need.The modern mind,Tim Parks,a novelistand critic,writes,“is overwhelmingly inclined toward communicationIt is notsimply that one is interrupted;it is that one is actually inclined
36、 to interruption.”Deepreading requires not just time,but a special kind of time which cant be obtainedmerely by becoming more efficient.In fact,“becoming more efficient”is part of the problem.Thinking of time as aresource to be maximised means you approach it instrumentally,judging any givenmoment a
37、s well spent only in so far as it advances progress toward some goal.Immersive reading,by contrast,depends on being willing to risk inefficiency,goallessness,even time-wasting.Try to slot it as a to-do list item and youll manageonly goal-focused reading-useful,sometimes,but not the most fulfilling k
38、ind.“Thefuture comes at us like empty bottles along an unstoppable and nearly infiniteconveyor belt,”writes Gary Eberle in his book Sacred Time,and“we feel a pressureto fill these different-sized bottles(days,hours,minutes)as they pass,for if they getby without being filled,we will have wasted them.
39、”No mind-set could be worse forlosing yourself in a book.So what does work?Perhaps surprisingly,scheduling regular times for reading.Youdthink this might fuel the efficiency mind-set,but in fact,Eberle notes,such ritualisticbehaviour helps us“step outside times flow”into“soul time.”You could limitdi
40、stractions by reading only physical books,or on single-purpose e-readers.“Carry abook with you at all times”can actually work,too-providing you dip in often enough,so that reading becomes the default state from which you temporarily surface to takecare of business,before dropping back down.On a real
41、ly good day,it no longer feelsas if youre“making time to read,”but just reading,and making time for everythingelse.31.The usual time-management techniques dont work because.A what they can offer does not ease the modern mindB what challenging books demand is repetitive readingC what people often for
42、get is carrying a book with themD what deep reading requires cannot be guaranteed32.The“empty bottles”metaphor illustrates that people feel a pressure to.A update their to-do listsB make passing time fulfillingC carry their plans throughD pursue carefree reading33.Eberle would agree that scheduling
43、regular times for reading helps.A encourage the efficiency mind-setB develop online reading habitsC promote ritualistic readingD achieve immersive reading34.“Carry a book with you at all times”can work if.A reading becomes your primary business of the dayB all the daily business has been promptly de
44、alt withC you are able to drop back to business after readingD time can be evenly split for reading and business35.The best title for this text could be.A How to Enjoy Easy ReadingB How to Find Time to ReadC How to Set Reading GoalsD How to Read ExtensivelyText 4Against a backdrop of drastic changes
45、 in economy and population structure,youngerAmericans are drawing a new 21st-century road map to success,a latest poll hasfound.Across generational lines,Americans continue to prize many of the same traditionalmilestones of a successful life,including getting married,having children,owning ahome,and
46、 retiring in their sixties.But while young and old mostly agree on whatconstitutes the finish line of a fulfilling life,they offer strikingly different paths forreaching it.Young people who are still getting started in life were more likely than older adults toprioritize personal fulfillment in thei
47、r work,to believe they will advance their careersmost by regularly changing jobs,to favor communities with more public services anda faster pace of life,to agree that couples should be financially secure before gettingmarried or having children,and to maintain that children are best served by twopar
48、ents working outside the home,the survey found.From career to community and family,these contrasts suggest that in the aftermath ofthe searing Great Recession,those just starting out in life are defining priorities andexpectations that will increasingly spread through virtually all aspects of Americ
49、anlife,from consumer preferences to housing patterns to politics.Young and old converge on one key point:Overwhelming majorities of both groupssaid they believe it is harder for young people today to get started in life than it wasfor earlier generations.Whlie younger people are somewhat more optimi
50、stic than theirelders about the prospects for those starting out today,big majorities in both groupsbelieve those“just getting started in life”face a tougher a good-paying job,starting afamily,managing debt,and finding affordable housing.Pete Schneider considers the climb tougher today.Schneider,a 2
