1、 Born to win2010年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section I Use of EnglishIn 1924 Americas 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 worker
2、s productivity. Instead, the studies ended giving their name to the Hawthorne effect, the extremely influential idea that the very to being experimented upon changed subjects behavior.The idea arose because of the behavior of the women in the Hawthorne plant. According to of the experiments, their h
3、ourly output rose when lighting was increased, but also when it was dimmed. It did not what was done in the experiment; something was changed, productivity rose. A(n) that they were being experimented upon seemed to be to alter workers behavior itself.After several decades, the same data were to eco
4、nometric the analysis. Hawthorne experiments has another surprise store the descriptions on record, no systematic 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 interpretation of what happened.
5、 , lighting was always changed on a Sunday. When work started again on Monday, output rose compared with the previous Saturday and to rise for the next couple of days. , a comparison with data for weeks when there was no experimentation showed that output always went up on Monday, workers to be dili
6、gent for the first few days of the week in any case, before a plateau and then slackening off. This suggests that the alleged Hawthorne effect is hard to pin down.1.A affectedB achievedC extractedD restored2.A atB upC withD off3.A truthB sightC actD proof4.A controversialB perplexingC mischievousD a
7、mbiguous5.A requirementsB explanation C accountsD assessments6.A concludeB matterC indicateD work7.A as far asB for fear that C in case thatD so long as8.A awarenessB expectationC sentimentD illusion9.A suitableB excessiveC enoughD abundant10.A aboutB forC onD by11.A comparedB shownC subjectedD conv
8、eyed12.A contrary to B consistent with C parallel with D peculiar to13.A evidenceB guidanceC implicationD source14.A disputableB enlightening C reliableD misleading15.A In contrastB For exampleC In consequenceD As usual16.A dulyB accidentallyC unpredictablyD suddenly17.A failedB ceasedC startedD con
9、tinued18. ATherefore BFurthermore CHowever DMeanwhile19. AAttempted Btended Cchose Dintended20.A breaking B climbing C surpassing D hittingSection IIReading ComprehensionText 1Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most fa
10、r-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 considerabl
11、e 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 far
12、ther 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 w
13、as 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.
14、 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 to define journalism as a term of contempt applied by writers who ar
15、e 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
16、of Englands 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 special
17、ists.Is there any chance that Carduss 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
18、 criticism has been in headlong retreat.21.It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 thatA 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
19、of criticism on dailies.22.Newspaper reviews in England before World War II were characterized byA 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 cont
20、emptible 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 c
21、ritic 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 DaysB The Lost Horizon in NewspapersC Mournful Decline of JournalismD Prominent Critics in Mem
22、oryText 2Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. A received one for its one-click online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box.Now the nations
23、 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 particul
24、ar case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In re Bilski, as the case is known , is a very big deal, says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents.Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic a
25、bout-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 inter
26、net 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
27、 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 inv
28、olves 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 courts judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should reconsider its
29、 state street Bank ruling.The Federal Circuits 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 inventions that are ob
30、vious. The judges on the Federal circuit are reacting 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 ofA their limited value to businessB
31、 their connection with asset allocationC the possible restriction on their grantingD the controversy over authorization27.Which of the following is true of the Bilski case?A Its ruling complies with the court decisionsB It involves a very big business transactionC It has been dismissed by the Federa
32、l CircuitD It may change the legal practices in the U.S.28.The word about-face (Line 1, Para 3) most probably meansA loss of good willB increase of hostilityC change of attitudeD enhancement of dignity29.We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patentsA are immune to legal challeng
33、esB are often unnecessarily issuedC lower the esteem for patent holdersD increase the incidence of risks30.Which of the following would be the subject of the text?A A looming threat to business-method patentsB Protection for business-method patent holdersC A legal case regarding business-method pate
34、ntsD A prevailing trend against business-method patentsText 3In 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-conne
35、cted. The idea is intuitively compelling, but it doesnt explain how ideas actually spread.The supposed importance of influentials derives from a plausible sounding but largely untested theory called the two step flow of communication: Information flows from the media to the influentials and from the
36、m 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 nei
37、ghborhoods. 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 trendsIn thei
38、r 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 dont seem to be required of all.The researchers argument stems from a simple observing about social influence, with the exceptio
39、n of a few celebrities like Oprah Winfreywhose outsize presence is primarily a function of media, not interpersonal, influenceeven the most influential members of a population simply dont interact with that many others. Yet it is precisely these non-celebrity influentials who, according to the two-s
40、tep-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
41、 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 wont propagate very far or aff
42、ect 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 peoples ability to influence others and their tendency to be influ
43、enced. Our work shows that the principal requirement for what we call global cascades 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 bein
44、g 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 toA analyze the consequences of soci
45、al epidemicsB discuss influentials function in spreading ideasC exemplify peoples intuitive response to social epidemicsD describe the essential characteristics of influentials.32.The author suggests that the two-step-flow theoryA serves as a solution to marketing problemsB has helped explain certai
46、n prevalent trendsC has won support from influentialsD requires solid evidence for its validity33.What the researchers have observed recently shows thatA the power of influence goes with social interactionsB interpersonal links can be enhanced through the mediaC influentials have more channels to re
47、ach the publicD most celebrities enjoy wide media attention34.The underlined phrase these people in paragraph 4 refers to the ones whoA stay outside the network of social influenceB have little contact with the source of influenceC are influenced and then influence othersD are influenced by the initial influential35.what is the essential element in the dynamics of social influence?A The eagerness to be acceptedB The impulse to influence others
