2021年考研《英语二》阅读真题及答案
Text 1
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 mechanical memorization, but practical. When did it become accepted wisdom that students should be able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterly overwhelmed by a broken bike Chain?
As Koziatek know, there is learning in just about everything. Nothing is necessarily gained by forcing students to learn geometry at a graffitied 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. School in the family of vocational education "have hat 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 principle. 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 moredoors. Buteven now,54 percent of the jobs in the country are middle-skill jobs, such as construction and high-skill manufacturing. But only 44 percent of workers are adequately trained.
In other words, at a time when the working class has turned the country on its political head, frustrated that the opportunity that once defined America is vanishing,one obvious solution is staring us in the face. There is a gap in working-class jobs, but the workers who need those jobs most aren't equipped to do them. Koziatek's Manchester School of Technology High School is trying to fill that gap.
Koziatek's school is a wake-up call. When education becomes one-size-fits-all, it risks ove
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 moredoors. Buteven now,54 percent of the jobs in the country are middle-skill jobs, such as construction and high-skill manufacturing. But only 44 percent of workers are adequately trained.
In other words, at a time when the working class has turned the country on its political head, frustrated that the opportunity that once defined America is vanishing,one obvious solution is staring us in the face. There is a gap in working-class jobs, but the workers who need those jobs most aren't equipped to do them. Koziatek's Manchester School of Technology High School is trying to fill that gap.
Koziatek's school is a wake-up call. When education becomes one-size-fits-all, it risks ove
rlooking a nation's diversity of gifts.
21.【题干】A broken bike chain is mentioned to show students' lack of_____.
【选项】
A.mechanical memorization
B.academic training
C.practical ability
D.pioneering spirit
【答案】C
engine什么意思 【解析】这是一道细节题，根据题干关键词可定位至第二段最后一句话,意思是”什么时候这种观点变得可接受了呢?学生应该能够说出美国第十三任总统的名字，但是却完全对坏了的自行车链束手无策”。从作者使用问句的形式就可判断出作者并不接受这种观点，即学生只学会书本上的知识而不具备实际能力。再结合上一句话即本段第二句话，Mr Koziatek是New Hampshire高中的一名老师，在这所学校，学习不只是书本上的知识，或者是为了考试，也不是为了机械化的记忆，而是为了实际的技能。能看出，作者认为学生们缺少的是实际技能，所以答案是C practical ability. Text 2
21.【题干】A broken bike chain is mentioned to show students' lack of_____.
【选项】
A.mechanical memorization
B.academic training
C.practical ability
D.pioneering spirit
【答案】C
engine什么意思 【解析】这是一道细节题，根据题干关键词可定位至第二段最后一句话,意思是”什么时候这种观点变得可接受了呢?学生应该能够说出美国第十三任总统的名字，但是却完全对坏了的自行车链束手无策”。从作者使用问句的形式就可判断出作者并不接受这种观点，即学生只学会书本上的知识而不具备实际能力。再结合上一句话即本段第二句话，Mr Koziatek是New Hampshire高中的一名老师，在这所学校，学习不只是书本上的知识，或者是为了考试，也不是为了机械化的记忆，而是为了实际的技能。能看出，作者认为学生们缺少的是实际技能，所以答案是C practical ability. 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 sources 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 businesses 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 has 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 first time, 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 gr
Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted businesses 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 has 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 first time, 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 gr
owth. In a recent speech in Iowa, he 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 more 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 are spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up – perhaps just in time to 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.【题干】The word "plummeting" (Line 3, Para 2) is closest in meaning to_____.
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 more 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 are spiking. The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up – perhaps just in time to 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.【题干】The word "plummeting" (Line 3, Para 2) is closest in meaning to_____.
【选项】
A.stabilizing
B.changing
C.falling
D.rising
【答案】C
【解析】这是一道词义句意题，要想知道plummeting 的意思，首先要回到原文线索，即plummeting所在的句子以及上下句，由原文可知，plummeting所在句子是在说现在例如风能和太阳能这样的可再生资源的价格的问题，plummeting是修饰可再生资源的价格的，接着二段最后一句就在用具体数字来证明可再生资源的成本在下降，如太阳能成本下降了百分之八十，风能也降到三分之一，由此可知，可再生资源的成本在下降，plummeting的含义是下降的意思。所以选择C falling. 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 ser
A.stabilizing
B.changing
C.falling
D.rising
【答案】C
【解析】这是一道词义句意题，要想知道plummeting 的意思，首先要回到原文线索，即plummeting所在的句子以及上下句，由原文可知，plummeting所在句子是在说现在例如风能和太阳能这样的可再生资源的价格的问题，plummeting是修饰可再生资源的价格的，接着二段最后一句就在用具体数字来证明可再生资源的成本在下降，如太阳能成本下降了百分之八十，风能也降到三分之一，由此可知，可再生资源的成本在下降，plummeting的含义是下降的意思。所以选择C falling. 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 ser
vice, which doesn't have any physical product at all. What WhatsApp 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 the 460 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 be replaced by new abuses of power. But there is a deeper conceptual problem, too. Competition law as presently interpreted deals with financial disa
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 the 460 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 be replaced by new abuses of power. But there is a deeper conceptual problem, too. Competition law as presently interpreted deals with financial disa
dvantage to consumers and this is not obvious when the users of these services don't pay for them. The users of their services are no 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 lives yield. Ants keep predatory insects away from where their
aphids feed; Gmail keeps the spammers out of our inboxes. It doesn't feel like a human or democratic relationship, even if both sides benefit.
31.【题干】According to Paragraph 1, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for its_____.
【选项】
A.digital products
B.user information
C.physical assets
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 lives yield. Ants keep predatory insects away from where their
aphids feed; Gmail keeps the spammers out of our inboxes. It doesn't feel like a human or democratic relationship, even if both sides benefit.
31.【题干】According to Paragraph 1, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for its_____.
【选项】
A.digital products
B.user information
C.physical assets
D.quality service
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。根据题干信息定位到第一段第二句。该句提到两年前Facebook花了更多的钱获得了WhatsApp的信息服务。接着提到WhatsApp提供给Facebook的是关于其用户的朋友圈以及社会生活等具体精炼的信息。由此可知，B项为正确答案。 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
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。根据题干信息定位到第一段第二句。该句提到两年前Facebook花了更多的钱获得了WhatsApp的信息服务。接着提到WhatsApp提供给Facebook的是关于其用户的朋友圈以及社会生活等具体精炼的信息。由此可知，B项为正确答案。 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."
"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to be brain as Vitamin D is to [idleness]is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done,
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."
"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to be brain as Vitamin D is to [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.【题干】The key to mastering the art of deep work is to _____.
【选项】
A.seize every minute to work
B.list your immediate tasks
C.make specific daily plans
D.keep to your focus time
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。根据题干的mastering the art of deep work定位到第二段首句。该句指出“
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.【题干】The key to mastering the art of deep work is to _____.
【选项】
A.seize every minute to work
B.list your immediate tasks
C.make specific daily plans
D.keep to your focus time
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。根据题干的mastering the art of deep work定位到第二段首句。该句指出“
有很多种掌握深度工作的方法-不论是专注于指定工作时长时间的后退，或者养成惯例，还是当你一天有闲暇之余采用纪实的方式捕捉深度工作的瞬间”。接着提到“不论是那种方式，关键在于确定你的专注力时间长度并保持专注”。由此可知，D项为正确答案。 Part B
Directions:
Read the following text and match each of the numbered items in the left column to its corresponding information in the right column. There are two extra choices in the right column. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
Five ways to make conversation with anyone
Conversations are links, which means when you have a conversation with a new person a link gets formed and every conversation you have after that moment will strengthen the link.
You meet new people every day: the grocery worker, the cab driver, new people at work or the security guard at the door. Simply starting a conversation with them will form a link.
Here are five simple ways that you can make the first move and start a conversation with strangers.
Directions:
Read the following text and match each of the numbered items in the left column to its corresponding information in the right column. There are two extra choices in the right column. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
Five ways to make conversation with anyone
Conversations are links, which means when you have a conversation with a new person a link gets formed and every conversation you have after that moment will strengthen the link.
You meet new people every day: the grocery worker, the cab driver, new people at work or the security guard at the door. Simply starting a conversation with them will form a link.
Here are five simple ways that you can make the first move and start a conversation with strangers.
41._____
Suppose you are in a room with someone you don't know and something within you says" I want to talk with this person”—this is something the mostly happens with all of us. You wanted to say something—the first word—but it just won't come out. It feels like itis stuck somewhere, I know the feeling and here is my advice just get it out.
Just think: that is the worst that could happen? They won't talk with you? Well, they are not talking with you now!
I truly believe that once you get that first word out everything else will just flow. So keep it simple: “Hi”,“ Hey” or “Hello”—do the best you can to gather all of the enthusiasm and energy you can, put on a big smile and say “Hi”.
42._____
It's a problem all of us face: you have limited time with the person that you want to talk with and you want to make this talk memorable.
Honestly, if we got stuck in the rut of "hi", "hello", “how are you?” and" what' s going on?" you will fail to give the initial jolt to the conversation that's can make it so memorable.
Suppose you are in a room with someone you don't know and something within you says" I want to talk with this person”—this is something the mostly happens with all of us. You wanted to say something—the first word—but it just won't come out. It feels like itis stuck somewhere, I know the feeling and here is my advice just get it out.
Just think: that is the worst that could happen? They won't talk with you? Well, they are not talking with you now!
I truly believe that once you get that first word out everything else will just flow. So keep it simple: “Hi”,“ Hey” or “Hello”—do the best you can to gather all of the enthusiasm and energy you can, put on a big smile and say “Hi”.
42._____
It's a problem all of us face: you have limited time with the person that you want to talk with and you want to make this talk memorable.
Honestly, if we got stuck in the rut of "hi", "hello", “how are you?” and" what' s going on?" you will fail to give the initial jolt to the conversation that's can make it so memorable.
So don't be afraid to ask more personal questions. Trust me, you'll be surprised to see how much people are willing to share if you just ask.
43._____
When you meet a person for the first time, make an effort to find the things which you and that person have in common so that you can build the conversation from that point. When you start conversation from there and then move outwards, you'll find all of a sudden that the conversation becomes a lot easier.
44._____
Imagine you are pouring your heart out to someone and they are just busy on their phone, and if you ask for their attention you get the response “I can multitask”.
So when someone tries to communicate with you, just be in that communication wholeheartedly. Make eye contact, you can feel the conversation.
45._____
You all came into a conversation where you first met the person, but after some time you may have met again and have forgotten their name. Isn't that awkward!
43._____
When you meet a person for the first time, make an effort to find the things which you and that person have in common so that you can build the conversation from that point. When you start conversation from there and then move outwards, you'll find all of a sudden that the conversation becomes a lot easier.
44._____
Imagine you are pouring your heart out to someone and they are just busy on their phone, and if you ask for their attention you get the response “I can multitask”.
So when someone tries to communicate with you, just be in that communication wholeheartedly. Make eye contact, you can feel the conversation.
45._____
You all came into a conversation where you first met the person, but after some time you may have met again and have forgotten their name. Isn't that awkward!
So remember the little details of the people you met or you talked with; perhaps the places they have been to the place they want to go, the things they like, the thing the hate—whatever you talk about.
When you remember such thing you can automatically become investor in their wellbeing. So the feel a responsibility to you to keep that relationship going.
That's it. Five amazing ways that you can make conversation with almost anyone. Every person is a really good book to read, or to have a conversation with!
41.【题干】_____.
【选项】
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
When you remember such thing you can automatically become investor in their wellbeing. So the feel a responsibility to you to keep that relationship going.
That's it. Five amazing ways that you can make conversation with almost anyone. Every person is a really good book to read, or to have a conversation with!
41.【题干】_____.
【选项】
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 compliment
【答案】B
【解析】该小标题需要涵盖三段内容。第一段开始说到你想跟陌生人说话，但是“it just won’t come out”，提到说话说不出来，随后直接出现我的建议“My advice：just get it out“，即去说。所以选B：Just say it去说
【答案】B
【解析】该小标题需要涵盖三段内容。第一段开始说到你想跟陌生人说话，但是“it just won’t come out”，提到说话说不出来，随后直接出现我的建议“My advice：just get it out“，即去说。所以选B：Just say it去说
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