2007年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语真题及参考答案
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Text 3

During the past generation, the American middle-class family that once could count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure had been transformed by economic risk and new realities. Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class to newly poor in a few months.

In just one generation, millions of mothers have gone to work, transforming basic family economics. Scholars, policymakers, and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes, but few have looked at the side effect: family risk has risen as well. Today’s families have budgeted to the limits of their new two-paycheck status. As a result, they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback – a back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the workforce if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick. This “added-worker effect” could support the safety net offered by unemployment insurance or disability insurance to help families weather bad times. But today, a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be made up with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-home partner.

During the same period, families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement income. Steelworkers, airline employees, and now those in the auto industry are joining millions of families who must worry about interest rates, stock market fluctuation, and the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money. For much of the past year, President Bush campaigned to move Social Security to a saving-account model, with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments for payments depending on investment returns. For younger families, the picture is not any better. Both the absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it borne by families have risen – and newly fashionable health-savings plans are spreading from legislative halls to Wal-Mart workers, with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk for families’ future healthcare. Even demographics are working against the middle class family, as the odds of having a weak elderly parent – and all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance – have jumped eightfold in just one generation.

From the middle-class family perspective, much of this, understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility, and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders. The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind.

31. Today’s double-income families are at greater financial risk in that

[A] the safety net they used to enjoy has disappeared.

[B] their chances of being laid off have greatly increased.

[C] they are more vulnerable to changes in family economics.

[D] they are deprived of unemployment or disability insurance.

32. As a result of President Bush’s reform, retired people may have

[A] a higher sense of security.

[B] less secured payments.

[C] less chance to invest.

[D] a guaranteed future.

33. According to the author, health-savings plans will

[A] help reduce the cost of healthcare.

[B] popularize among the middle class.

[C] compensate for the reduced pensions.

[D] increase the families’ investment risk.

34. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

[A] financial risks tend to outweigh political risks.

[B] the middle class may face greater political challenges.

[C] financial problems may bring about political problems.

[D] financial responsibility is an indicator of political status.

35. Which of the following is the best title for this text?

[A] The Middle Class on the Alert

[B] The Middle Class on the Cliff

[C] The Middle Class in Conflict

[D] The Middle Class in Ruins

Text 4

It never rains but it pours. Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles, and improved their feeble corporation governance, a new problem threatens to earn them – especially in America – the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite: data insecurity. Left, until now, to odd, low-level IT staff to put right, and seen as a concern only of data-rich industries such as banking, telecoms and air travel, information protection is now high on the boss’s agenda in businesses of every variety.

Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year – from organizations as diverse as Time Warner, the American defense contractor Science Applications International Corp and even the University of California, Berkeley – have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.

“Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other asset,” says Haim Mendelson of Stanford University’s business school. “The ability to guard customer data is the key to market value, which the board is responsible for on behalf of shareholders.” Indeed, just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices, suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School. “Setting the proper investment level for security, redundancy, and recovery is a management issue, not a technical one,” he says.

The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss. Surely it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that trust, that most valuable of economic assets, is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore – and that few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands.

The current state of affairs may have been encouraged – though not justified – by the lack of legal penalty (in America, but not Europe) for data leakage. Until California recently passed a law, American firms did not have to tell anyone, even the victim, when data went astray. That may change fast: lots of proposed data-security legislation is now doing the rounds in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the theft of information about some 40 million credit-card accounts in America, disclosed on June 17th, overshadowed a hugely important decision a day earlier by America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that puts corporate America on notice that regulators will act if firms fail to provide adequate data security.

36. The statement “It never rains but it pours” is used to introduce

[A] the fierce business competition.

[B] the feeble boss-board relations.

[C] the threat from news reports.

[D] the severity of data leakage.

37. According to Paragraph 2, some organizations check their systems to find out

[A] whether there is any weak point.

[B] what sort of data has been stolen.

[C] who is responsible for the leakage.

[D] how the potential spies can be located.

38. In bringing up the concept of GASP the author is making the point that

[A] shareholders’ interests should be properly attended to.

[B] information protection should be given due attention.

[C] businesses should enhance their level of accounting security.

[D] the market value of customer data should be emphasized.

39. According to Paragraph 4, what puzzles the author is that some bosses fail to

[A] see the link between trust and data protection.

[B] perceive the sensitivity of personal data.

[C] realize the high cost of data restoration.

[D] appreciate the economic value of trust.

40. It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that

[A] data leakage is more severe in Europe.

[B] FTC’s decision is essential to data security.

[C] California takes the lead in security legislation.

[D] legal penalty is a major solution to data leakage.

Part B

Directions:

You are going to read a list of headings and a text about what parents are supposed to do to guide their children into adulthood. Choose a heading from the list A—G that best fits the meaning of each numbered part of the text (41-45). The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There are two extra headings that you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

A. Set a Good Example for Your Kids

B. Build Your Kids’ Work Skills

C. Place Time Limits on Leisure Activities

D. Talk about the Future on a Regular Basis

E. Help Kids Develop Coping Strategies

F. Help Your Kids Figure Out Who They Are

G. Build Your Kids’ Sense of Responsibility

How Can a Parent Help?

Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job’s starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult’s need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the start-up adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my book Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, that parents can take to prevent what I call “work-life unreadiness.”

You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Periodically review their emerging strengths and weaknesses with them and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or collaborating. Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best.

Kids need a range of authentic role models – as opposed to members of their clique, pop stars and vaunted athletes. Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the joys and downsides of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying “I have no idea.” They can change their minds 200 times, but having only a foggy view of the future is of little good.

Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn; parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice delaying gratification and deploying effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities.

Playing video games encourages immediate content. And hours of watching TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the same monotonous beats for long stretches encourages kids to stay inside their bubble instead of pursuing other endeavors. All these activities can prevent the growth of important communication and thinking skills and make it difficult for kids to develop the kind of sustained concentration they will need for most jobs.

They should know how to deal with setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations.

What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. They have to be careful not to come across as disappointed in their child. They should exhibit strong interest and respect for whatever currently interests their fledging adult (as naive or ill conceived as it may seem) while becoming a partner in exploring options for the future. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.

Part C

Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (10 points)

The study of law has been recognized for centuries as a basic intellectual discipline in European universities. However, only in recent years has it become a feature of undergraduate programs in Canadian universities. (46) Traditionally, legal learning has been viewed in such institutions as the special preserve of lawyers, rather than a necessary part of the intellectual equipment of an educated person. Happily, the older and more continental view of legal education is establishing itself in a number of Canadian universities and some have even begun to offer undergraduate degrees in law.

If the study of law is beginning to establish itself as part and parcel of a general education, its aims and methods should appeal directly to journalism educators. Law is a discipline which encourages responsible judgment. On the one hand, it provides opportunities to analyze such ideas as justice, democracy and freedom. (47) On the other, it links these concepts to everyday realities in a manner which is parallel to the links journalists forge on a daily basis as they cover and comment on the news. For example, notions of evidence and fact, of basic rights and public interest are at work in the process of journalistic judgment and production just as in courts of law. Sharpening judgment by absorbing and reflecting on law is a desirable component of a journalist’s intellectual preparation for his or her career.

(48) But the idea that the journalist must understand the law more profoundly than an ordinary citizen rests on an understanding of the established conventions and special responsibilities of the news media. Politics or, more broadly, the functioning of the state, is a major subject for journalists. The better informed they are about the way the state works, the better their reporting will be. (49) In fact, it is difficult to see how journalists who do not have a clear grasp of the basic features of the Canadian Constitution can do a competent job on political stories.

Furthermore, the legal system and the events which occur within it are primary subjects for journalists. While the quality of legal journalism varies greatly, there is an undue reliance amongst many journalists on interpretations supplied to them by lawyers. (50) While comment and reaction from lawyers may enhance stories, it is preferable for journalists to rely on their own notions of significance and make their own judgments. These can only come from a well-grounded understanding of the legal system.

Section III Writing

Part A

51. Directions:

Write a letter to you university library, making suggestions for improving its service.

You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.

Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead.

Do not write the address. (10 points)

Part B

52. Directions:

Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should

1) describe the drawing briefly,

2) explain its intended meaning, and then

3) support your view with an example/examples.

You should write neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)

答案

Section I: Use of English (10 points)

1. B 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. C

6. D 7. B 8. A 9. B 10. C

11. A 12. D 13. A 14. C 15. B

16. D 17. C 18. A 19. B 20. D

Section II: Reading Comprehension (60 points)

Part A (40 points)

21. C 22. B 23. A 24. D 25. C

26. D 27. C 28. A 29. A 30. B

31. C 32. B 33. D 34. C 35. B

36. D 37. A 38. B 39. A 40. D

Part B (10 points)

41. F 42. D 43. B 44. C 45. E

Part C (10 points)

46. 长久以来，法律知识在这类学校里一起被视为律师们专有的，而不是一个受教育者的知识素养的必要组成部分。

47. 另一方面，这一学科把这些概念结合到日常生活中，这与新闻记者每天报道和评论新闻的做法是相同的。

48. 新闻记者应比普通公民更加透彻地了解法律，而这种看法是基于他们对新闻媒体业已确立的规约和特殊责任的理解。

49. 事实上，很难设想那些对加拿大宪法的基本要点缺乏清晰了解的新闻记者何以能胜任政治新闻的报道工作。

50. 尽管律师的见解和反应会提高报道的质量，但新闻记者最好凭借他们自己对重要性的理解自行做出判断。

Section III: Writing (30 points)

Part A (10 points)

51. 参考范文

January 20th, 2007

Dear Sir or Madam,

I’m a student in the university and a loyal reader of this library. I’m writing to tell some of my ideas, which I hope to be helpful for you.

I notice that many magazines in our library are out of date. It would be beneficial to us students if they could be updated in time. And I suggest introducing some new journals so as to bring new fresh air to the library. Furthermore, since we have a huge number of books, it is not easy to find the right one easily. However, if we can introduce some new searching means, such as implementing new information management system that would be useful.

Thank you for taking time reading this letter and I’m looking forward to seeing some new changes soon.

Sincerely Yours,

Li Ming

Part B (20 points)

52. 参考范文

As can be seen from the cartoon, different ideas may come from the same thing. In the picture, while trying to catch the upcoming soccer, the goal-keeper says to himself why it is so big. And, the striker simply thinks in a different way, that is why it is so small?

What makes such a big contrary on the same tournament at the same moment? It is no doubt that they are facing the very same goal and experiencing the very same moment. However, the subjective views result in different impression on the same object. Many of us may still remember the story of a pony crossing the river, which we learned from the textbook in primary school. The squirrel tells him, the river is deep; and the cow tells him, the river is not deep at all. However, in the end, he tells himself a third answer. Therefore, it is not exaggerating to say that most of us are looking into the world with personal ideas. Subjective mental status may result in a really big difference in personal views, just like the goal-keeper and the striker in the drawing.

A possible solution might be to face any situation as objectively as possible. If we realize this in an objective way, it would be good for us to deal with what we encounter in life, especially when we are in setbacks or facing difficulties.