考研英语作文真题及（英语二）
“晟小酝”通过精心收集，向本站投稿了26篇考研英语作文真题及（英语二），以下是小编为大家准备的考研英语作文真题及（英语二），欢迎大家前来参阅。
篇1：考研英语二作文真题及
Directions:
Write a short essay based on the following chart. In your writing, you should
1) interpret the chart and
2) give your comments.
You should write at least 150 words.
Write your essay on ANWER SHEET 2.(15 points)
审题谋篇：
继考察关于“手机入网”的图表作文之后，考研英语(二)连续第二年考察图表作文。巧合的是，本题与英语(二)大纲样题同为关于汽车或交通问题的图表作文，有些表达可以借鉴。201月，日本丰田汽车召回事件引起汽车业关注，日系轿车在中国大陆的形象一落千丈，销量急剧下降。3月，中国吉利汽车集团收购沃尔沃再次震惊世界，中国国产品牌引以为豪，销量日增。本题即考察了“汽车”这一今年热门话题。
本题要求为两点，第一点提纲应写成第一段图表描述，无需发表太多议论，就图论图进行描述即可。第二段可以进行原因列举，最好从国产汽车销量上升、日系下降的具体原因着手分析。一方面，由于国产轿车科技进步、价格促销，从而销量大涨;另一方面，由于日系轿车深陷丑闻、行业欺诈，从而优势殆尽。
第三段可进行归纳结论或提出建议措施，针对国产轿车品牌如何保持并继续扩大市场份额，进行具体的评论或总结。
Direction: Suppose your cousin, Liming, has just been admitted to a university, write him/her a letter to
1) congratulate him/her, and
2) give him/her suggestions on how to get prepared for university life.
Your should write about 100 words on ANSER SHEET 2.
Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Zhang Wei” instead.
Do not write the address. (10 points)
参考范文
Dear Li Ming,
Congratulations on your admittance to the University you have dreamed about! I’m absolutely delighted to learn that you have just been admitted to Stanford University. I know there was fierce competition this year but your diligence and perseverance definitely paid off.
I’d like to offer you several proposals on how to prepare for your university life. Above all, I do recommend you to take advantage of the library in your university by reading books beside the normal curriculum. In addition, I believe that you may spare your free-time for three main activities: building your body, expanding your knowledge, and communicating with friends and family.
I wish you further success in future and hope you will invite me to your graduation ceremony four years later.
Yours faithfully,
Zhang Wei
范文分析：
本文首先书信格式完整、正确。段落安排合理，层次清楚，内容连贯，使用了Above all, In addition 等引导文章开展，符合英文书信写作套路。第一段开门见山，向朋友提出祝贺，以及祝贺的理由。第二段从课外学习和生活两个角度对大学生活提出建议。最后，祝贺对方在未来阶段获得更大的成就。另外，本文语言自然流畅，句式和用词都相对丰富多样。因为是给同辈亲戚写信，因此文中适当使用了祈使句和缩写。符合私人信函的语域。很好的完成了写作任务。
篇2：考研英语作文真题及（英语二）
write an essay based on the following table .In your writing you should
1) Describe the table, and
2) Give your comments
You should write at least 150 words (15points)
参考范文
The table above revealed an overall picture of job satisfaction among employment of different age groups. Based upon the data of the table, most people under 40 are unclear or dissatisfied with their job, and 64% of those between 40 and 50 are not satisfied. For people over 50, the degree of satisfaction largely exceeds the younger groups under 40, amounting to 40%.
The phenomenon that elder people find more pleasure in job compared with the young may be rooted in the following reasons. First, people between 30 and 50 face more pressure to support the family, both the children and the senior, so that they neglect to enjoy in work. Second, the senior citizens have developed a lot in personality, so they are more prone to see the optimistic aspects of the work. Last, the current family pattern of “one family one Child” cause the aging of the society, which has posed more social responsibility to people under 50.
To sum up, the senior citizens enjoys more content than the young people. In order to improve this situation, and make life of those who are between 40s and 50s easier, the authorities, relevant departments and certain enterprises, should adopt some measures to increase salaries and perfect welfare system. What’s more, adults under 40 themselves should also treat their work with a positive and proper attitude and spare more time on physical practice after long-hour work. Only in this way can we assure that as many people as possible will live a contented life.
Directions
Suppose you have found something wrong with the electronic dictionary that you bought from an online store the other day, Write an email to the customer service center to
1) Make a complaint and
2) Demand a prompt solution
You should write about 100words on ANSERE SHEET 2
Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter, Use “zhang wei ”instead.
参考范文：
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the electronic dictionary that I bought from your on-line store last week, with the invoice number of ED53407.
I have to complain about the poor quality of the dictionary. For one thing, the dictionary often automatically turns off at the very moment I am eager to see the word explanations. For another, it seems loose in the conjunction part. The screen part can not be properly settled.
Since the problems are unaccepted to me, I would like to get a refund or a new dictionary that can work well. Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
Zhang Wei
篇3：考研英语二作文真题及
Directions:
Write an essay based on the following chart. In your writing, you should
1) interpret the chart, and
2) give your comments.
You should write about 150 words.(15 points)
参考范文：
What can be seen from the chart is the proportion change of students having part-time jobs during the four years’ college study. The proportion increases slightly from the first year to the third year, however, the fourth year has witnessed a dramatic increase, surging to 88.24%.
There is no denying the fact that this trend is very pervasive in current colleges and, to some extent, quite proper. It is not difficult to come up with some possible factors accounting for this trend. To begin with, the major jobs of freshman and sophomore are to study, and to lay a solid foundation for their future work. What’s more, when students are going to step out of school and enter into society, they have to master lots of practical skills, for example, how to deal with challenges outside, so they have to take part in some part-time jobs. Apparently, doing part time job has many advantages. On the one hand, students can learn how to get along well with others and know the society more profoundly. On the other hand, to take a part-time job provides students with a valuable opportunity to put what they have learned from books into practice and make some money, which helps to reduce their families’ financial burden.
Due to the analysis above, this trend will continue for quite a while in the future. And it should be pointed out that study is the major task for college students though work experience is valuable. Students have to strike a balance between study and part-time job.
Directions:
Suppose your class is to hold a charity sale for kids in need of help. Write your classmates an email to
1) inform them about the details and
2) encourage them to participate.
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. Don?t write your address.(10 points)
【经典范文】
Dear classmates,
I am writing this letter to inform that our class is going to hold a charity sale for the needy children in rural area of our province who have dropped out of school because their parents cannot afford their education. This activity will be held on our school’s playground on next Monday, January 22.
It is universally acknowledged that children are regarded as flowers and future of our nation; however, because of poverty, a growing number of kids in remote villages lost their learning opportunities which are not only crucial for their personal growth, but also essential for the sound development of the whole society. Consequently, there is no doubt that it is a noble cause to donate money to needy children through charity sale.
I really appeal to all the students to take part in this event and I will be grateful if you could come and give your donation.
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming
篇4：考研英语作文二真题及
Directions:
In this section, you are asked to write an essay based on the following chart. In your writing, you should
1) Interpret the chart and
2) Give your comments
Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)
参考范文：
The column chart on mobile-phone subscriptions above shows a striking contrast between those developing countries and developed countries in the past decade. Since , people in growing numbers in developing countries use mobile phone, while those in developed countries far lag behind. By , there are 4 billion mobile-phone users in developing countries, which is 3 times more than that in developed countries.
Two reasons may contribute to the contrast above. On the one hand, with the rapid increase in economy of developing countries, the telecommunication industry there surges to meet the demand of globalization. Therefore, mobile phone users grows at an incredible speed. On the other hand, developed countries had reached a state of prosperity in economy, and created less rooms for further developments in mobile subscriptions. Maybe that is the reason why the number mobile phone users in the developed countries keep even over the last decade.
To sum up, mobile phone is convenient for interpersonal communications, and gradually become the indispensable tools in people's life. When enjoying the convenience of cell phones, we should also keep an eye on the negative effects itmight bring to our environment. Only in this way can people in developing countries see a sustainable grow in telecommunications.
Directions:
You have just come back from the U.S. as a member of a Sino-American cultural exchange program. Write a letter to your American colleague to
1) Express your thanks for his/her warm reception;
2) Welcome him/her to visit China in due course。
You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.
Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Zhang Wei” instead。
Do not write your address. (10 points)
参考范文：
Dear Jack:
I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to you for your warm reception when I participated in the exchange program in your country.
Your generous help made it possible for me to have a very pleasant stay and a chance to know American culture better. Besides, I think it is a great honor for me to make friends with you and I will cherish the goodwill you showed to me wherever I go. I do hope that you can visit China someday, so that I could have the opportunity to repay your kindness and refresh our friendship.
I feel obliged to thank you again.
Sincerely Yours,
Zhang Wei
篇5：考研英语二真题大、小作文
Part A
47. Directions
Suppose you have found something wrong with the electronic dictionary that you bought from an onlin store the other day ，Write an email to the customer service center to
1） make a complaint and
2） demand a prompt solution
You should write about 100words on ANSERE SHEET 2
Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter ，Use “zhang wei ”instead .
Part B
48. write an essay based on the following table .In your writing you should
1） describe the table ，and
2） give your comments
You should write at least 150 words（15points）
某公司员工工作满意度调查
年龄-------满意度 满意 不清楚 不满意 小于等于40岁 16.7% 50.0% 33.3% 41-50岁 0.0% 36.0% 64.0% 大于50岁 40.0 50.0% 10.0%Part A
范文：
To Whom It May Concern，
I am writing this letter to express my complaint against the flaws of the electronic dictionary I bought from your shop last week.
The reason for my dissatisfaction is that there are two problems of the electronic dictionary. Firstly， when I received it， I found that its appearance had been scratched. Secondly， some of the keys on the keyboard do not work properly. Under these circumstances， I feel that you have not kept your promise posted on the homepage of your online store.
I strongly request that the effective measures should be taken to solve my problem. I appreciate it very much if you can either exchange a new one for me or refund me my money in full.
Thank you for your consideration and I am looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely yours，
Zhang Wei
Part B
范文：
The above table clearly shows us the statistics of employment satisfaction in a certain company. Most of people under 40 are unclear or dissatisfied with their work and 16.7% of them feel satisfied； 64% of those between 40 and 50 are not satisfied with their job and no one feel satisfied. 40% of people over the age of 50 feel content with their work， and compared with the other two groups， their satisfaction level is highest.
The reasons for this phenomenon may be listed as follows. First， middle-aged people from 41 to 50 face more pressure than people less than 40 or over 50. For example， they should support the family， both the children and the senior， so that they may consider their work only as a method of earning money and cannot enjoy it. Second， for those over the age of 50， burden is falling and thus satisfaction rate is rising.
In conclusion， the senior citizens， that is， people over 50， feel more content about their work than the young and the middle-aged. In my opinion， such a phenomenon must be paid attention to by the public， and proper and prompt actions should be launched by the young and the middle-aged to develop a healthy way of life and a positive outlook on life.
篇6：考研英语二小作文真题及
英语(二)真题
PART A
Directions:
Suppose you won a translation contest and your friend, Jack, wrote an Email to congratulate you and ask for advice on translation. Write him a reply to
1) thank him,
2) give your advice.
You should write neatly on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not sign your own name at the end of the email. Use “Li Ming” instead.
Do not write the address. (10 points)
【参考范文】
Dear Jack,
Thanks for your congratulation! Since you asked for advice on translation, I’d like to offer several conducive proposals as follows.
First of all, while quite a number of students think they’re forced to learn translation——merely for English test, you should learn it for some other purposes like the usefulness other than examination itself. What is more, for purpose of becoming an outstanding translator, it is vital to not only appreciate the beauty and perfection of the language and literature in both English and Chinese, but also arouse your great interest in exploring something deeper in this field.
I’m sure you’ll be an excellent translator. Looking forward to your reply!
Yours,
Li Ming
亲爱的杰克,
谢谢你的祝贺!既然你要求翻译的建议,我想提供一些有益的建议如下。
首先,尽管相当多的学生认为他们被迫学习翻译——仅仅因为英语考试,你应该学习一些其他用途,如考试本身以外的用途。更重要的是,为了成为一个优秀的`翻译,不仅是至关重要的欣赏美丽和完美的语言和文学中英文,也引起你的兴趣在这个领域探索更深层次的东西。
我相信你会是一个很好的翻译。期待你的回复!
你的,
李明
篇7：考研英语二真题大、小作文
考研英语二小作文真题：
suppose your cousin LI MING has just been admited to a university write him/her a letter to：
（1）Congratulate him/her，and
（2）give him/her suggestions on how to get prepared for university life you should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2. DO not sign your own name at the end of the letter，Use “zhangwe
20考研英语二小作文范文：
Dear friend，
I am writing to congratulate you on your being successfully admitted to Harvard University， which enjoys an international reputation for its academic excellence and give you some suggestions as to how to make preparation for the coming college life.
In order for you to adapt yourself to the university life， you are advised to get prepared physically and intellectually. First and foremost， you need to build a strong body for the future academic pursuit， so you can take some exercises during the breaks. Secondly， since the study in university is more demanding than in your secondary school， you are highly suggested to find some introductory books from the library so as to have a good idea of the specialty you are going to take in your college life. Given your sound ability， you are sure to have a successful college life.
Congratulate you again and wish you a fruitful college life.
Sincerely yours，
Zhang Wei
年考研英语二大作文真题：
write a short essay baesd on the following chart.in your writing，you should：
1）interpret the chart and
2）give your comments
you should write at least 150 wrods
write your essay on answer sheet 2（15points）
、国内轿车市场部分【品牌份额示意图】
篇8：考研英语二真题大、小作文
This bar chart indicates different market shares of automobiles of three types of brand affiliations between 2008 and .
In 2008， cars with Japanese brands topped the three types of vehicles， accounting for 35% of the total market. What follows is the cars with Chinese brands， hitting 25% of the auto market， with the share of American brand bottomed out at 15%. In 2009， some developments are noticeable in that the cars with the largest share became those of Chinese brands， which occupied roughly 32% of the market， while cars with Japanese and American brands took 25% and 15% of the whole market respectively.
It is observed that between 2008 and 2009， cars of Chinese and Japanese brands took turns to be the No.1 in terms of market share while those with American brands ranked the last in both years. And the share of Chinese-brand cars witnessed a mild increase and that of the Japanese-brand cars saw a moderate decrease， while the American-brand cars stayed the same.
From this graph， we can come to the safe conclusion that the Chinese automakers are doing a good job in outcompeting their Japanese and American counterparts in 2009， but the gap is not so significant and if no efforts were made from the part of the Chinese auto industry， the distribution map might be rewritten in the future.
分析：
今年考研英语二的作文不是很难。小作文是常见的书信体，要求写一封祝贺信。祝贺信的写法比较简单，题目也给出了写作的思路，按照题目的要求来写就可以。首先祝贺对方被大学录取，然后给出一些建议，做好准备，迎接大学的生活。最后再次祝贺对方，表达良好的愿望。
大作文是考纲规定的图画作文。图片描述的内容是国产、日系、美系品牌汽车在和20销售情况的变化。美系品牌汽车两年间基本没有变化，但国产汽车与日系汽车相反，前者所占的`份额上升，后者所占的份额是下降的。写作的时候需要首先描述一下图片的内容，然后主要分析一下造成这种现象的原因，需要引起注意的事情等。
篇9：考研英语二真题大、小作文
47 Writing
suppose your class is to hold a charity sale for kids in need of help. write your classmates an email to
1） inform them about the details and
2）encourage them to participate 100 words use LiMing.Don't write your address.
范文：
Dear classmates，
I am writing to inform you that our class is going to hold a charity sale in order to help those orphans in the welfare house near our university.
Any books， clothes and toys that are not needed any more can be donated and sold into cash. All the money will be used to buy Spring Festival presents for the kids. The charity sale will be held in the auditorium of our college from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on January 10th. All the classmates of our class are encouraged to take part in the activity and you could also call on your friends to participate.
Your participation is the best gift for the kids who need help.
Yours sincerely，
Li Ming
48 Write an essay based on the following chart in your writing， you should
（1）interpret the chart ，and
（2）give your comments
You should write about 150 words
范文：
As is revealed in the bar chart， the proportion of the students taking part-time jobs has changed. The proportion increases slowly from freshmen to juniors， while that of the seniors surges to 88.24%.
Taking a part-time job has both pros and cons. Firstly， college students can get a chance to put their ideas into practice. Secondly， to take a part-time job provides those students who are eager to be independent a sense of achievement. Also， students who shoulder heavy burden from their family can make some money to lessen their parents‘ financial crisis. Nevertheless， issues will rise. In order to take part-time jobs， some students are frequently absent from classes and even cannot pass the final exam. Therefore， they may lose their credits as well as their diplomas.
As far as I am concerned， I‘ll strike for a balance between my study and part-time jobs. If I do not have enough spare time， I choose to abandon part-time jobs without hesitation， throwing myself into my major task， that is， study.
篇10：考研小作文英语二真题
47.Direerions:
Suppose your university is going to host a summer camp for high school students. Write a notice to
1)briefly introduce the camp activities, and
2)call for volunteers.
You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your name or the name of your university.
Do not write your address.(10 points)
范文：
Notice
The Students' Union are arranging for a summer camp for high school students to broaden their horizon and experience different life.As there are some foreign students,who will also attend it,some volunteers are needed.The details are as follows.
To begin with,the summer camp is scheduled on July 15th and will end on July 22nd.That is to say,it will last for about one week and the theme is “Loving your country,Loving the world”.What is more,different kinds of activities are included during the camp,like knowledge competition, patriotic songs contest, drama contest and so on.Last but not least,volunteers should be those who are good at communicating with foreigners and also take an active part in activities.
If you have any questions,please do not hesitate to contact us at 5678 soon.
Students' Union
篇11：考研小作文英语二真题
Part A
47. Directions:
Suppose you are going to study abroad and share an apartment with John, a local student, write him an email to
1) tell him about your living habits, and
2) ask for advice about living there
Dear John,
I am Li Ming, your future roommate and a new arrival from China who is coming over here for further education. I am writing this letter to let you know about me and ask for some suggestions for my future life in America.
First, I am a quiet person so that your keeping silent would be highly appreciated. Second, I like cooking and I wonder whether it is okay to you that I cook Chinese dish at home, because the preparation for Chinese cuisine may produce much smoke. Third, I want to buy a car but I know nothing about traffic rules in America. Would you please give me a lesson about traffic laws in US.
Wish you reply soon.
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming
篇12：考研小作文英语二真题
51. Directions：
Write a letter to a friend of yours to
1) recommend one of your favorite movies and
2) give reasons for your recommendation
Your should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2
Do not sign your own name at the end of the leter. User “LI MING” instead.
Do not writer the address.(10 points)
Dear friends，
I‘m writing to you to recommend my favorite movie 'Avatar'. It is a very hot movie this year. For starters， it's a great story and has a fantastic plot. This film captivated me from beginning to end. The fast-paced， exciting story line kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. What's more， the specialeffects are breathtaking. The directing is absolutely neat. And last but not least， it's an educational movie. It teaches us about dedication， discipline， loyalty and love. I am sure you will enjoy the movie.
Yours sincerely，
Li Ming
篇13：考研英语二真题大作文及点评
众所周知，考研英语作文分为小作文与大作文，而大作文（通常为图画作文或图表作文）在考研英语试卷中占据近五分之一的分值比例，其重要性不言而喻；而要写好英文作文总结历年真题范文的点，勤学多练必定能有质的飞跃！现将考研英语历年作文真题范文总结如下，考研教育网为广大考生冲刺助力！
Growing urban population and declining rural population
From the graph， we can see that the urban population was growing and the rural population was declining from 1990 to . The number of the urban population rose from 300 million in 1990 to about 460 million in ， and to about 685 million in 2010， while the rural population decreased from about 820 million in 1990 to 800 million in 2000 and to about 690 million in 2010. It's obvious that in the past two decades， the urban area witnessed a steady growth， but in the latter decade， the rural population had a remarkable decline.
There are two reasons for this phenomenon. On one hand， the economic boom led to the regular improvement of people‘s living standard， and further resulted in a steady growing urban population. On the other hand， from 2000， the countryside urbanization oriented by the government gave rise to a conspicuously declining rural population.
In conclusion， based on the above analysis， the urban population will be growing， while the rural population will continue to drop in the future.
点评：本次考研英语二大作文是图表作文，这也是历年大作文的典型题目之一。针对图表作文，我们一般采用三段式来谋篇布局， 第一段概述图表的信息，指出变化的趋势和不同，第二段分析造成这一趋势以及变化不同的`原因，第三段则根据以上分析展望未来的变化。在写作过程中注意衔接词的使用以及同义词的搭配使用，使文章更加出彩。
篇14：考研英语二真题大、小作文
Section ⅣWriting
47. Directions：
You have just come back from the U.S. as a member of a Sino-American cultural exchange program. Write a letter to your American colleague to
1） Express your thanks for his/her warm reception；
2） Welcome him/her to visit China in due course.
You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.
Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Zhang Wei” instead.
Do not write your address. （10 points）
SAMPLE
Dear xxx，
I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to you for your kindness to receive me when I participated in an exchange program in USA.
Your generous help made it possible that I had a very pleasant stay and a chance to know American cultures better. Besides， I think it is an honor for me to make friends with you and I will cherish the goodwill you showed to me wherever I go. I do hope that you will visit China one day， so that I could have the opportunity to repay your kindness and refresh our friendship.
I feel obliged to thank you again.
Sincerely yours，
Zhang Wei
48. Directions：
In this section， you are asked to write an essay based on the following chart. In your writing， you should
1） Interpret the chart and
2） Give your comments.
You should write at least 150 words.
Write your essay on on ANSWER SHEET 2. （15 points）
SAMPLE
In this chart， we can see the mobile phone subions in developed countries have a steady and slight increase from 1990 to and then remain constant in . Meanwhile the mobile phone subions in developing countries have witnessed a slow increase from 1990 to and then a great surge from 2004 to 20007： the biggest surge happens from to .
This chart reflects different developing modes of mobile phone industry in developed and developing countries. The developed countries have a limited number of populations， most of whom are well-educated. Therefore， the spreading of the mobile phone service is efficient and soon the market is saturated. Also at the beginning the developed countries have more people who can afford this service. The developing countries have a large population who keeps a large demand for mobile service. As the mobile phone service becomes cheaper and cheaper， the increasing customers subscribe to benefit from this service.
As discussed above， it is not surprising to see this change. In my opinion， this trend that the number of mobile-phone subions is increasingly increasing will continue for a while in the future.
篇15：考研英语二真题
考研英语二真题
Section 1 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)
Happy people work differently. They’re more productive, more creative, and willing to take greater risks. And new research suggests that happiness might influence__1__firm’s work, too.
Companies located in places with happier people invest more, according to a recent research paper.__2__, firms in happy places spend more on R&D (research and development). That’s because happiness is linked to the kind of longer-term thinking__3__for making investments for the future.
The researchers wanted to know if the__4__and inclination for risk-taking that come with happiness would__5__the way companies invested. So they compared U.S. cities’ average happiness__6__by Gallup polling with the investment activity of publicly traded firms in those areas.
__7__enough, firms’ investment and R&D intensity were correlated with the happiness of the area in which they were__8__.But is it really happiness that’s linked to investment, or could something else about happier cities__9__why firms there spend more on R&D? To find out, the researchers controlled for various__10__that might make firms more likely to invest C like size, industry, and sales C and for indicators that a place was__11__to live in, like growth in wages or population. The link between happiness and investment generally__12__even after accounting for these things.
The correlation between happiness and investment was particularly strong for younger firms, which the authors__13__to “less codified decision making process” and the possible presence of “younger and less__14__managers who are more likely to be influenced by sentiment.” The relationship was__15__stronger in places where happiness was spread more__16__.Firms seem to invest more in places where most people are relatively happy, rather than in places with happiness inequality.
__17__ this doesn’t prove that happiness causes firms to invest more or to take a longer-term view, the authors believe it at least__18__at that possibility. It’s not hard to imagine that local culture and sentiment would help__19__how executives think about the future. “It surely seems plausible that happy people would be more forward-thinking and creative and__20__R&D more than the average,” said one researcher.
1. [A] why [B] where [C] how [D] when
2. [A] In return [B] In particular [C] In contrast [D] In conclusion
3. [A] sufficient [B] famous [C] perfect [D] necessary
4. [A] individualism [B] modernism [C] optimism [D] realism
5. [A] echo [B] miss [C] spoil [D] change
6. [A] imagined [B] measured [C] invented [D] assumed
7. [A] Sure [B] Odd [C] Unfortunate [D] Often
8. [A] advertised [B] divided [C] overtaxed [D] headquartered
9. [A] explain [B] overstate [C] summarize [D] emphasize
10.[A] stages [B] factors [C] levels [D] methods
11.[A] desirable [B] sociable [C] reputable [D] reliable
12.[A] resumed [B] held [C]emerged [D] broke
13.[A] attribute [B] assign [C] transfer [D]compare
14.[A] serious [B] civilized [C] ambitious [D]experienced
15.[A] thus [B] instead [C] also [D] never
16.[A] rapidly [B] regularly [C] directly [D] equally
17.[A] After [B] Until [C] While [D] Since
18.[A] arrives [B] jumps [C] hints [D] strikes
19.[A] shape [B] rediscover [C] simplify [D] share 20.[A] pray for [B] lean towards [C] give away [D] send out
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions：Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
It’s true that high-school coding classes aren’t essential for learning computer science in college. Students without experience can catch up after a few introductory courses, said Tom Cortina, the assistant dean at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science.
However, Cortina said, early exposure is beneficial. When younger kids learn computer science, they learn that it’s not just a confusing, endless string of letters and numbers ― but a tool to build apps, or create artwork, or test hypotheses. It’s not as hard for them to transform their thought processes as it is for older students. Breaking down problems into bite-sized chunks and using code to solve them becomes normal. Giving more children this training could increase the number of people interested in the 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 drive the less-experienced or-determined students away.
The Flatiron School, where people pay to learn programming, started as one of the many coding bootcamps that’s become popular for adults looking for a career change. The high-schoolers get the same curriculum, but “we try to gear lessons toward things they’re interested in,” said Victoria Friedman, an instructor. For instance, one of the apps the students are developing suggests movies based on your mood.
The students in the Flatiron class probably won’t drop out of high school and build the next Facebook. Programming languages have a quick turnover, so the “Ruby on Rails” language they learned may not even be relevant by the time they enter the job market. But the skills they learn ― how to think logically through a problem and
organize the results ― apply to any coding language, said Deborah Seehorn, an education consultant for the state of North Carolina.
Indeed, the Flatiron students might not go into IT at all. But creating a future army of coders is not the sole purpose of the classes. These kids are going to be surrounded by computers ― 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 producing what they want ― 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 training
B. remodel the way of thinking
C. formulate logical hypotheses
D. perfect artwork production
22. In delivering lessons for high-schoolers, Flatiron has considered their____.
A. experience
B. academic backgrounds
C. career prospects
D. interest
23. Deborah Seehorn believes that the skills learned at Flatiron will____.
A. help students learn other computer languages
B. have to be upgraded when new technologies come
C. need improving when students look for jobs
D. enable students to make big quick money
24. According to the last paragraph, Flatiron students are expected to____.
A. compete with a future army of programmers
B. stay longer in the information technology industry
C. become better prepared for the digitalized world
D. bring forth innovative computer technologies
25. The word “coax” (Line4, Para.6) is closest in meaning to____.
A. challenge
B. persuade
C. frighten
D. misguide
Text 2
Biologists estimate that as many as 2 million lesser prairie chickens---a kind of bird living on stretching grasslands―once lent red to the often gray landscape of the midwestern and southwestern 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 to formally list the bird as threatened. “The lesser prairie chicken is in a desperate situation,” said USFWS Director 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 on threats. But Ashe and others argued that the“threatened” tag gave the federal government flexibility to try out new, potentially less confrontational conservations approaches. In particular, they called for forging closer collaborations with western state governments, which are often uneasy with federal action and with the private landowners who control an estimated 95% of the prairie chicken’s habitat.
Under the plan, for example, the agency said it would not prosecute landowner or businesses that unintentionally kill, harm, or disturb the bird, as long as they had signed a range―wide management plan to restore prairie chicken habitat. Negotiated by USFWS and the states, the plan requires individuals and businesses that damage habitat as part of their operations to pay into a fund to replace every acre destroyed with 2 new acres of suitable habitat. The fund will also be used to compensate landowners who set aside habitat, USFWS also set an interim goal of restoring prairie chicken populations to an annual average of 67,000 birds over the next 10 years. And it gives the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA), a coalition 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-win rhetoric Some Congress members are trying to block the plan, and at least a dozen industry groups, four states, and three environmental groups are challenging it in federal court Not surprisingly, doesn’t go far enough “The federal government is giving responsibility for managing the bird to the same industries that are pushing it to extinction,” says biologist Jay Lininger.
26. The major reason for listing the lesser prairie as threatened is____
[A]its drastically decreased population
[B]the underestimate of the grassland acreage
[C]a desperate appeal from some biologists
[D]the insistence of private landowners
27.The “threatened” tag disappointed some environmentalists in that it_____
[A]was a give-in to governmental pressure
[B]would involve fewer agencies in action
[C]granted less federal regulatory power
[D]went against conservation policies
28.It can be learned from Paragraph3 that unintentional harm-doers will not be prosecuted if they_____
[A]agree to pay a sum for compensation
[B]volunteer to set up an equally big habitat
[C]offer to support the WAFWA monitoring job
[D]promise to raise funds for USFWS operations
29.According to Ashe， the leading role in managing the species in______
[A]the federal government
[B]the wildlife agencies
[C]the landowners
[D]the states
30.Jay Lininger would most likely support_______
[A]industry groups
[B]the win-win rhetoric
[C]environmental groups
[D]the plan under challenge
Text 3
That everyone’s too busy these days is a cliché. But one specific complaint is made especially mournfully： There’s never any time to read.
What makes the problem thornier is that the usual time-management techniques don’t seem sufficient. The web’s full of articles offering tips on making time to read: “Give up TV” or “Carry a book with you at all times” But in my experience, using such methods to free up the odd 30 minutes doesn’t work. Sit down to read and the flywheel of work-related thoughts keeps spinning-or else you’re so exhausted that a challenging book’s the last thing you need. The modern mind, Tim Parks, a novelist and critic, writes, “is overwhelmingly inclined toward communication…It is not simply that one is interrupted; it is that one is actually inclined to interruption”. Deep reading requires not just time, but a special kind of time which can’t be obtained merely by becoming more efficient.
In fact, “becoming more efficient” is part of the problem. Thinking of time as a resource to be maximised means you approach it instrumentally, judging any given moment as 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 you’ll manage only goal-focused reading-useful, sometimes, but not the most fulfilling kind. “The future comes at us like empty bottles along an unstoppable and nearly infinite conveyor belt,” writes Gary Eberle in his book Sacred Time, and “we feel a pressure to fill these different-sized bottles (days, hours, minutes)as they pass, for if they get by without being filled, we will have wasted them”. No mind-set could be worse for losing yourself in a book.
So what does work? Perhaps surprisingly, scheduling regular times for reading. You’d think this might fuel the efficiency mind-set, but in fact, Eberle notes, such ritualistic behaviour helps us “step outside time’s flow” into “soul time”. You could limit distractions by reading only physical books, or on single-purpose e-readers. “Carry a book 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 take care of business, before dropping back down. On a really good day, it no longer feels as if you’re “making time to read,” but just reading, and making time for everything else.
31. The usual time-management techniques don’t work because?????
[A] what they can offer does not ease the modern mind
[B] what challenging books demand is repetitive reading
[C] what people often forget is carrying a book with them
[D] what deep reading requires cannot be guaranteed
32. The “empty bottles” metaphor illustrates that people feel a pressure to?????
[A] update their to-do lists
[B] make passing time fulfilling
[C] carry their plans through
[D] pursue carefree reading
33. Eberle would agree that scheduling regular times for reading helps?????
[A] encourage the efficiency mind-set
[B] develop online reading habits
[C] promote ritualistic reading
[D] achieve immersive reading
34. “Carry a book with you at all times” can work if?????
[A] reading becomes your primary business of the day
[B] all the daily business has been promptly dealt with
[C] you are able to drop back to business after reading
[D] time can be evenly split for reading and business
35. The best title for this text could be?????
[A] How to Enjoy Easy Reading
[B] How to Find Time to Read
[C] How to Set Reading Goals
[D] How to Read Extensively
Text 4
Against a backdrop of drastic changes in economy and population structure, younger Americans are drawing a new 21st-century road map to success, a latest poll has found.
Across generational lines, Americans continue to prize many of the same traditional milestones of a successful life, including getting married, having children, owning a home, and retiring in their sixties. But while young and old mostly agree on what constitutes the finish line of a fulfilling life, they offer strikingly different paths for reaching it.
Young people who are still getting started in life were more likely than older adults to prioritize personal fulfillment in their work, to believe they will advance their careers most by regularly changing jobs, to favor communities with more public services and a faster pace of life, to agree that couples should be financially secure before getting married or having children, and to maintain that children are best served by two parents working outside the home, the survey found.
From career to community and family, these contrasts suggest that in the aftermath of the searing Great Recession, those just starting out in life are defining priorities and expectations that will increasingly spread through virtually all aspects of American life, from consumer preferences to housing patterns to politics.
Young and old converge on one key point: Overwhelming majorities of both groups said they believe it is harder for young people today to get started in life than it was for earlier generations. While younger people are somewhat more optimistic than their elders about the prospects for those starting out today, big majorities in both groups believe those “just getting started in life” face a tougher a good-paying job, starting a family, managing debt, and finding affordable housing.
Pete Schneider considers the climb tougher today. Schneider, a 27-yaear-old auto technician from the Chicago suburbs says he struggled to find a job after graduating from college. Even now that he is working steadily, he said.” I can’t afford to pay ma monthly mortgage payments on my own, so I have to rent rooms out to people to mark that happen.” Looking back, he is struck that his parents could provide a comfortable life for their?children even though neither had completed college when he was young. “I still grew up in an upper middle-class home with parents who didn’t have college degrees,” Schneider said. “I don’t think people are capable of that anymore.”
36. One cross-generation mark of a successful life is_____.????
[A] trying out different lifestyles
[B] having a family with children
[C] working beyond retirement age
[D] setting up a profitable business
37. It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that young people tend to?____.???
[A] favor a slower life pace
[B] hold an occupation longer
[C] attach importance to pre-marital finance
[D] give priority to childcare outside the home
38. The priorities and expectations defined by the young will?____.???
[A] become increasingly clear
[B] focus on materialistic issues
[C] depend largely on political preferences
[D] reach almost all aspects of American life
39. Both young and old agree that?____.
[A] good-paying jobs are less available
[B] the old made more life achievements
[C] housing loans today are easy to obtain
[D] getting established is harder for the young
40. Which of the following is true about Schneider?
[A] He found a dream job after graduating from college.
[B] His parents believe working steadily is a must for success.
[C] His parents’ good life has little to do with a college degree.
[D] He thinks his job as a technician quite challenging.
Part B
Directions:
Read the following text and answer the questions by choosing the most suitable subheading from the list A-G for each of the numbered paragraphs(41-45).There are two extra subheadings which you do not need to use.Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.
[A]Be silly
[B]Have fun
[C]Express your emotions
[D]Don't overthink it
[E]Be easily pleased
[F]Notice things
[G]Ask for help
As adults,it seems that we are constantly pursuing happiness,often with mixed results.Yet children appear to have it down to an art-and for the most part they don't need self-help books or therapy.instead,they look after their wellbeing instinctively,and usually more effectively than we do as grownups.Perhaps it's time to learn a few lessons from them.
41.______________
What does a child do when he's sad? He cries.When he's angry?He shouts.Scared?Probably a bit of both.As we grow up,we learn to control our emotions so they are manageable and don't dictate our behaviours,which is in many ways a good thing.But too often we take this process too far and end up suppressing emotions,especially negative ones.that's about as effective as brushing dirt under a carpet and can even make us ill.What we need to do is find a way to acknowledge and express what we feel appropriately, and then-again like children-move.
42.____________
A couple of Christmases ago, my youngest stepdaughter, who was nine years old at the time, got a Superman T-shirt for Christmas. It cost less than a fiver but she was overjoyed, and couldn't stop talking about it.Too often we believe that a new job,bigger house or better car will be the magic silver bullet that will allow us to finally be content,but the reality is these things have very little lasting impact on our happiness levels. Instead, being grateful for small things every day is a much better way to improve wellbeing.
43.______________________
Have you ever noticed how much children laugh? If we adults could indulge in a bit of silliness and giggling, we would reduce the stress hormones in our bodies , increase good hormones like endorphins, improve blood flow to our hearts and even have a greater chance of fighting off enfection. All of which, of course, have a positive effect on happiness levels.
44.__________________
篇16：考研英语二真题完形填空
Would a Work-Free World Be So Bad?
People have speculated for centuries about a future without work, and today is no different, with academics, writers, and activists once again warning that technology is replacing human workers. Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in an impoverished wasteland.
A different, less paranoid, and not mutually exclusive prediction holds that the future will be a wasteland of a different sort, one characterized by purposelessness: Without jobs to give their lives meaning, people will simply become lazy and depressed. Indeed, today’s unemployed don’t seem to be having a great time. One Gallup poll found that 20 percent of Americans who have been unemployed for at least a year report having depression, double the rate for working Americans. Also, some research suggests that the explanation for rising rates of mortality, mental-health problems, and addiction among poorly-educated, middle-aged people is a shortage of well-paid jobs. Another study shows that people are often happier at work than in their free time. Perhaps this is why many worry about the agonizing dullness of a jobless future.
But it doesn’t necessarily follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with malaise. Such visions are based on the downsides of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. In the absence of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could yield strikingly different circumstances for the future of labor and leisure. Today, the virtue of work may be a bit overblown. “Many jobs are boring, degrading, unhealthy, and a squandering of human potential,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland in Galway who has written about a world without work. “Global surveys find that the vast majority of people are unhappy at work.”
These days, because leisure time is relatively scarce for most workers, people use their free time to counterbalance the intellectual and emotional demands of their jobs. “When I come home from a hard day’s work, I often feel tired,” Danaher says, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different”―perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby or a passion project with the intensity usually reserved for professional matters.
Having a job can provide a measure of financial stability, but in addition to stressing over how to cover life’s necessities, today’s jobless are frequently made to feel like social outcasts. “People who avoid work are viewed as parasites and leeches,” Danaher says. Perhaps as a result of this cultural attitude, for most people, self-esteem and identity are tied up intricately with their job, or lack of job.
Plus, in many modern-day societies, unemployment can also be downright boring. American towns and cities aren’t really built for lots of free time: Public spaces tend to be small islands in seas of private property, and there aren’t many places without entry fees where adults can meet new people or come up with ways to entertain one another.
The roots of this boredom may run even deeper. Peter Gray, a professor of psychology at Boston College who studies the concept of play, thinks that if work disappeared tomorrow, people might be at a loss for things to do, growing bored and depressed because they have forgotten how to play. “We teach children a distinction between play and work,” Gray explains. “Work is something that you don’t want to do but you have to do.” He says this training, which starts in school, eventually “drills the play” out of many children, who grow up to be adults who are aimless when presented with free time.
“Sometimes people retire from their work, and they don’t know what to do,” Gray says. “They’ve lost the ability to create their own activities.” It’s a problem that never seems to plague young children. “There are no three-year-olds that are going to be lazy and depressed because they don’t have a structured activity,” he says.
But need it be this way? Work-free societies are more than just a thought experiment―they’ve existed throughout human history. Consider hunter-gatherers, who have no bosses, paychecks, or eight-hour workdays. Ten thousand years ago, all humans were hunter-gatherers, and some still are. Daniel Everett, an anthropologist at Bentley University, in Massachusetts, studied a group of hunter-gathers in the Amazon called the Pirah? for years. According to Everett, while some might consider hunting and gathering work, hunter-gatherers don’t. “They think of it as fun,” he says. “They don’t have a concept of work the way we do.”
“It’s a pretty laid-back life most of the time,” Everett says. He described a typical day for the Pirah?: A man might get up, spend a few hours canoeing and fishing, have a barbecue, go for a swim, bring fish back to his family, and play until the evening. Such subsistence living is surely not without its own set of worries, but the anthropologist Marshall Sahlins argued in a 1968 essay that hunter-gathers belonged to “the original affluent society,” seeing as they only “worked” a few hours a day; Everett estimates that Pirah? adults on average work about 20 hours a week (not to mention without bosses peering over their shoulders). Meanwhile, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employed American with children works about nine hours a day.
Does this leisurely life lead to the depression and purposelessness seen among so many of today’s unemployed? “I’ve never seen anything remotely like depression there, except people who are physically ill,” Everett says. “They have a blast. They play all the time.” While many may consider work a staple of human life, work as it exists today is a relatively new invention in the course of thousands of years of human culture. “We think it’s bad to just sit around with nothing to do,” says Everett. “For the Pirah?, it’s quite a desirable state.”
Gray likens these aspects of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to the carefree adventures of many children in developed countries, who at some point in life are expected to put away childish things. But that hasn’t always been the case. According to Gary Cross’s 1990 book A Social History of Leisure Since 1600, free time in the U.S. looked quite different before the 18th and 19th centuries. Farmers―which was a fair way to describe a huge number of Americans at that time―mixed work and play in their daily lives. There were no managers or overseers, so they would switch fluidly between working, taking breaks, joining in neighborhood games, playing pranks, and spending time with family and friends. Not to mention festivals and other gatherings: France, for instance, had 84 holidays a year in 1700, and weather kept them from farming another 80 or so days a year.
This all changed, writes Cross, during the Industrial Revolution, which replaced farms with factories and farmers with employees. Factory owners created a more rigidly scheduled environment that clearly divided work from play. Meanwhile, clocks―which were becoming widespread at that time―began to give life a quicker pace, and religious leaders, who traditionally endorsed most festivities, started associating leisure with sin and tried to replace rowdy festivals with sermons.
As workers started moving into cities, families no longer spent their days together on the farm. Instead, men worked in factories, women stayed home or worked in factories, and children went to school, stayed home, or worked in factories too. During the workday, families became physically separated, which affected the way people entertained themselves: Adults stopped playing “childish” games and sports, and the streets were mostly wiped clean of fun, as middle- and upper-class families found working-class activities like cockfighting and dice games distasteful. Many such diversions were soon outlawed.
With workers’ old outlets for play having disappeared in a haze of factory smoke, many of them turned to new, more urban ones. Bars became a refuge where tired workers drank and watched live shows with singing and dancing. If free time means beer and TV to a lot of Americans, this might be why.
At times, developed societies have, for a privileged few, produced lifestyles that were nearly as play-filled as hunter-gatherers’. Throughout history, aristocrats who earned their income simply by owning land spent only a tiny portion of their time minding financial exigencies. According to Randolph Trumbach, a professor of history at Baruch College, 18th-century English aristocrats spent their days visiting friends, eating elaborate meals, hosting salons, hunting, writing letters, fishing, and going to church. They also spent a good deal of time participating in politics, without pay. Their children would learn to dance, play instruments, speak foreign languages, and read Latin. Russian nobles frequently became intellectuals, writers, and artists. “As a 17th-century aristocrat said, ‘We sit down to eat and rise up to play, for what is a gentleman but his pleasure?’” Trumbach says.
It’s unlikely that a world without work would be abundant enough to provide everyone with such lavish lifestyles. But Gray insists that injecting any amount of additional play into people’s lives would be a good thing, because, contrary to that 17th-century aristocrat, play is about more than pleasure. Through play, Gray says, children (as well as adults) learn how to strategize, create new mental connections, express their creativity, cooperate, overcome narcissism, and get along with other people. “Male mammals typically have difficulty living in close proximity to each other,” he says, and play’s harmony-promoting properties may explain why it came to be so central to hunter-gatherer societies. While most of today’s adults may have forgotten how to play, Gray doesn’t believe it’s an unrecoverable skill: It’s not uncommon, he says, for grandparents to re-learn the concept of play after spending time with their young grandchildren.
When people ponder the nature of a world without work, they often transpose present-day assumptions about labor and leisure onto a future where they might no longer apply; if automation does end up rendering a good portion of human labor unnecessary, such a society might exist on completely different terms than societies do today.
So what might a work-free U.S. look like? Gray has some ideas. School, for one thing, would be very different. “I think our system of schooling would completely fall by the wayside,” says Gray. “The primary purpose of the educational system is to teach people to work. I don’t think anybody would want to put our kids through what we put our kids through now.” Instead, Gray suggests that teachers could build lessons around what students are most curious about. Or, perhaps, formal schooling would disappear altogether.
Trumbach, meanwhile, wonders if schooling would become more about teaching children to be leaders, rather than workers, through subjects like philosophy and rhetoric. He also thinks that people might participate in political and public life more, like aristocrats of yore. “If greater numbers of people were using their leisure to run the country, that would give people a sense of purpose,” says Trumbach.
Social life might look a lot different too. Since the Industrial Revolution, mothers, fathers, and children have spent most of their waking hours apart. In a work-free world, people of different ages might come together again. “We would become much less isolated from each other,” Gray imagines, perhaps a little optimistically. “When a mom is having a baby, everybody in the neighborhood would want to help that mom.” Researchers have found that having close relationships is the number-one predictor of happiness, and the social connections that a work-free world might enable could well displace the aimlessness that so many futurists predict.
In general, without work, Gray thinks people would be more likely to pursue their passions, get involved in the arts, and visit friends. Perhaps leisure would cease to be about unwinding after a period of hard work, and would instead become a more colorful, varied thing. “We wouldn’t have to be as self-oriented as we think we have to be now,” he says. “I believe we would become more human.”
新题型
The surprising truth about American manufacturing
The decline in American manufacturing is a common refrain, particularly from Donald Trump. “We don’t make anything anymore,” he told Fox News last October, while defending his own made-in-Mexico clothing line.
On Tuesday, in rust belt Pennsylvania, he doubled down, saying that he had “visited cities and towns across this country where a third or even half of manufacturing jobs have been wiped out in the last 20 years.” The Pacific trade deal, he added, “would be the death blow for American manufacturing.”
Without question, manufacturing has taken a significant hit during recent decades, and further trade deals raise questions about whether new shocks could hit manufacturing.
But there is also a different way to look at the data.
In reality, United States manufacturing output is at an all-time high, worth $2.2 trillion in , up from $1.7 trillion in . And while total employment has fallen by nearly a third since 1970, the jobs that remain are increasingly skilled.
Across the country, factory owners are now grappling with a new challenge: Instead of having too many workers, as they did during the Great Recession, they may end up with too few. Despite trade competition and outsourcing, American manufacturing still needs to replace tens of thousands of retiring boomers every year. Millennials may not be that interested in taking their place. Other industries are recruiting them with similar or better pay. And those industries don’t have the stigma of 40 years of recurring layoffs and downsizing.
“We’ve never had so much attention from manufacturers. They’re calling and saying: ‘Can we meet your students?’ They’re asking, ‘Why aren’t they looking at my job postings?' ” says Julie Parks, executive director of workforce training at Grand Rapids Community College in western Michigan.
The region is a microcosm of the national challenge. Unemployment here is low (around 3 percent, compared with a statewide average of 5 percent). There aren’t many extra workers waiting for a job. And the need is high:1 in 5 people work in manufacturing, churning out auto parts, machinery, plastics, office furniture, and medical devices. Other industries, including agribusiness and life sciences, are vying for the same workers.
For factory owners, it all adds up to stiff competition for workers C and upward pressure on wages. “They’re harder to find and they have job offers,” says Jay Dunwell, president of Wolverine Coil Spring, a family-owned firm. “They may be coming [into the workforce], but they’ve been plucked by other industries that are also doing as well as manufacturing,”
Mr. Dunwell has begun bringing high school juniors to the factory so they can get exposed to its culture. He is also part of a public-private initiative to promote manufacturing to students that includes job fairs and sending a mobile demonstration vehicle to rural schools. One of their messages is that factories are no longer dark, dirty, and dangerous; computer-run systems are the norm and recruits can receive apprenticeships that include paid-for college classes.
At RoMan Manufacturing, a maker of electrical transformers and welding equipment that his father cofounded in 1980, Robert Roth keeps a close eye on the age of his nearly 200 workers. Five are retiring this year. Mr. Roth has three community-college students enrolled in a work-placement program, with a starting wage of $13 an hour that rises to $17 after two years.
At a worktable inside the transformer plant, young Jason Stenquist looks flustered by the copper coils he’s trying to assemble and the arrival of two visitors. It’s his first week on the job; this is his first encounter with Roth, his boss. Asked about his choice of career, he says at high school he considered medical school before switching to electrical engineering.
“I love working with tools. I love creating,” he says.
But to win over these young workers, manufacturers have to clear another major hurdle: parents, who lived through the worst US economic downturn since the Great Depression, telling them to avoid the factory. Millennials “remember their father and mother both were laid off. They blame it on the manufacturing recession,” says Birgit Klohs, chief executive of The Right Place, a business development agency for western Michigan.
These concerns aren’t misplaced: Employment in manufacturing has fallen from 17 million in 1970 to 12 million in 2015. The steepest declines came after , when China gained entry to the World Trade Organization and ramped up exports of consumer goods to the US and other rich countries. In areas exposed to foreign trade, every additional $1,000 of imports per worker meant a $550 annual drop in household income per working-age adult, according to a study in the American Economic Review. And unemployment, Social Security, and other government benefits went up $60 per person.
The -09 recession was another blow. And advances in computing and robotics offer new ways for factory owners to increase productivity using fewer workers.
When the recovery began, worker shortages first appeared in the high-skilled trades. Electricians, plumbers, and pipefitters are in in short supply across Michigan and elsewhere; vocational schools and union-run apprenticeships aren’t keeping pace with demand and older tradespeople are leaving the workforce. Now shortages are appearing at the mid-skill levels.
“The gap is between the jobs that take no skills and those that require a lot of skill,” says Rob Spohr, a business professor at Montcalm Community College an hour from Grand Rapids. “There’s enough people to fill the jobs at McDonalds and other places where you don’t need to have much skill. It’s that gap in between, and that’s where the problem is.”
Ms. Parks of Grand Rapids Community College points to another key to luring Millennials into manufacturing: a work/life balance. While their parents were content to work long hours, young people value flexibility. “Overtime is not attractive to this generation. They really want to live their lives,” she says.
Roth says he gets this distinction. At RoMan, workers can set their own hours on their shift, choosing to start earlier or end later, provided they get the job done. That the factory floor isn’t a standard assembly line C everything is custom-built for industrial clients C makes it easier to drop the punch-clocks.
“People have lives outside,” Roth says. “It’s not always easy to schedule doctors’ appointments around a ‘punch-in at 7 and leave at 3:30’ schedule.”
While factory owners like Roth like to stress the flexibility of manufacturing careers, one aspect is nonnegotiable: location. Millennials looking for a job that allow them to work from home are not likely to get a callback. “I'm not putting a machine tool in your garage,” says Roth.
篇17：考研英语（二）真题完整版
随着一年一度的研究生入学考试的结束，的研究生入学考试慢慢临近，现在20考研的同学最关心的就是今年的真题了，所以我们在这里给出今年考研英语(二)的真题，仅供各位同学参考!
全国硕士研究生入学统一考试
英语(二)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. (10 points)
Thinner isn’t always better. A number of studies have 1 that normal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of some diseases compared to those who are overweight. And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually 2 . For example, heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women. 3 among the elderly, being somewhat overweight is often an 4 of good health.
Of even greater 5 is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficult to define. It is often defined 6 body mass index, or BMI. BMI 7 body mass divided by the square of height. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to be normal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 30 is considered obese. Obesity, 8 ,can be divided into moderately obese, severely obese, and very severely obese.
While such numerical standards seem 9 , they are not. Obesity is probably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremely fit, 10 others with a low BMI may be in poor 11 .For example, many collegiate and professional football players 12 as obese, though their percentage body fat is low. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a 13 BMI.
Today we have a(an) 14 to label obesity as a disgrace.The overweight are sometimes 15 in the media with their faces covered. Stereotypes 16 with obesity include laziness, lack of will power,and lower prospects for success.Teachers,employers,and health professionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese. 17 very young children tend to look down on the overweight, and teasing about body build has long been a problem in schools.
Negative attitudes toward obesity, 18 in health concerns, have stimulated a number of anti-obesity 19 .My own hospital system has banned sugary drinks from its facilities. Many employers have instituted weight loss and fitness initiatives. Michelle Obama launched a high-visibility campaign 20 childhood obesity, even claiming that it represents our greatest national security threat.
1. [A] denied [B] conduced [C] doubled [D] ensured
2. [A] protective [B] dangerous [C] sufficient [D]troublesome
3. [A] Instead [B] However [C] Likewise [D] Therefore
4. [A] indicator [B] objective [C] origin [D] example
5. [A] impact [B] relevance [C] assistance [D] concern
6. [A] in terms of [B] in case of [C] in favor of [D] in of
7. [A] measures [B] determines [C] equals [D] modifies
8. [A] in essence [B] in contrast [C] in turn [D] in part
9. [A] complicated [B] conservative [C] variable [D] straightforward
10. [A] so [B] while [C] since [D] unless
11. [A] shape [B] spirit [C] balance [D] taste
12. [A] start [B] quality [C] retire [D] stay
13. [A] strange [B] changeable [C] normal [D] constant
14. [A] option [B] reason [C] opportunity [D] tendency
15. [A] employed [B] pictured [C] imitated [D] monitored
16. [A] compare [B] combined [C] settled [D] associated
17. [A] Even [B] Still [C] Yet [D] Only
18. [A] despised [B] corrected [C] ignored [D] grounded
19. [A] discussions [B] businesses [C] policies [D] studies
20. [A] for [B] against [C] with [D] without
篇18：考研英语二真题及答案
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 the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
People have speculated for centuries about a future without work .Today is no different, with academics, writers, and activists once again 1 that technology be replacing human workers. Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by 2 . A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in an impoverished wasteland.
A different and not mutually exclusive 3 holds that the future will be a wasteland of a different sort, one 4 by purposelessness: Without jobs to give their lives 5 , people will simply become lazy and depressed. 6 , today’s unemployed don’t seem to be having a great time. One Gallup poll found that 20 percent of Americans who have been unemployed for at least a year report having depression, double the rate for 7 Americans. Also, some research suggests that the 8 for rising rates of mortality, mental-health problems, and addicting 9 poorly-educated middle-aged people is shortage of well-paid jobs. Perhaps this is why many 10 the agonizing dullness of a jobless future.
But it doesn’t 11 follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with unease. Such visions are based on the 12 of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. In the 13 of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could 14 strikingly different circumstanced for the future of labor and leisure. Today, the 15 of work may be a bit overblown. “Many jobs are boring, degrading, unhealthy, and a waste of human potential,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland in Galway.
These days, because leisure time is relatively 16 for most workers, people use their free time to counterbalance the intellectual and emotional 17 of their jobs. “When I come home from a hard day’s work, I often feel 18 ,” Danaher says, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different”―perhaps different enough to throw himself 19 a hobby or a passion project with the intensity usually reserved for 20 matters.
1.[A] boasting [B] denying [C] warning [D] ensuring
【答案】[C] warning
2.[A] inequality [B] instability [C] unreliability [D] uncertainty
【答案】[A] inequality
3.[A] policy [B]guideline [C] resolution [D] prediction
【答案】[D] prediction
4.[A] characterized [B]divided [C] balanced [D]measured
【答案】[A] characterized
5.[A] wisdom [B] meaning [C] glory [D] freedom
【答案】[B] meaning
6.[A] Instead [B] Indeed [C] Thus [D] Nevertheless
【答案】[B] Indeed
7.[A] rich [B] urban [C]working [D] educated
【答案】[C] working
8.[A] explanation [B] requirement [C] compensation [D] substitute
【答案】[A] explanation
9.[A] under [B] beyond [C] alongside [D] among
【答案】[D] among
10.[A] leave behind [B] make up [C] worry about [D] set aside
【答案】[C] worry about
11.[A] statistically [B] occasionally [C] necessarily [D] economically
【答案】[C] necessarily
12.[A] chances [B] downsides [C] benefits [D] principles
【答案】[B] downsides
13.[A] absence [B] height [C] face [D] course
【答案】[A] absence
14.[A] disturb [B] restore [C] exclude [D] yield
【答案】[D] yield
15.[A] model [B] practice [C] virtue [D] hardship
【答案】[C] virtue
16.[A] tricky [B] lengthy [C] mysterious [D] scarce
【答案】[D] scarce
17.[A] demands [B] standards [C] qualities [D] threats
【答案】[A] demands
18.[A] ignored [B] tired [C] confused [D] starved
【答案】[B] tired
19.[A] off [B] against [C] behind [D] into
【答案】[D] into
20.[A] technological [B] professional [C] educational [D] interpersonal
【答案】[B] professional
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 the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
Every Saturday morning, at 9 am, more than 50,000 runners set off to run 5km around their local park. The Parkrun phenomenon began with a dozen friends and has inspired 400 events in the UK and more abroad. Events are free, staffed by thousands of volunteers. Runners range from four years old to grandparents; their times range from Andrew Baddeley’s world record 13 minutes 48 seconds up to an hour.
Parkrun is succeeding where London’s Olympic “legacy” is failing. Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympiad would be in London. Planning documents pledged that the great legacy of the Games would be to level a nation of sport lovers away from their couches. The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. It has not happened. The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run―up to ―but the general population was growing faster. Worse, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate. The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have nearly halved. Obesity has risen among adults and children. Official retrospections continue as to why London 2012 failed to “inspire a generation.” The success of Parkrun offers answers.
Parkun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock. The ethos welcomes anybody. There is as much joy over a puffed-out first-timer being clapped over the line as there is about top talent shining. The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sports and to produce more elite athletes. The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was intimidating for newcomers.
Indeed, there is something a little absurd in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally “grassroots”, concept as community sports associations. If there is a role for government, it should really be getting involved in providing common goods―making sure there is space for playing fields and the money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools. But successive governments have presided over selling green spaces, squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education. Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive. Or at least not make them worse.
21. According to Paragraph1, Parkrun has .
[A] gained great popularity
[B] created many jobs
[C] strengthened community ties
[D] become an official festival
【答案】[A] gained great popularity
22. The author believes that London’s Olympic“legacy” has failed to .
[A] boost population growth
[B] promote sport participation
[C] improve the city’s image
[D] increase sport hours in schools
【答案】[B] promote sport participation
23. Parkrun is different from Olympic games in that it .
[A] aims at discovering talents
[B] focuses on mass competition
[C] does not emphasize elitism
[D] does not attract first-timers
【答案】[C] does not emphasize elitism
24. With regard to mass sport, the author holds that governments should .
[A] organize “grassroots” sports events
[B] supervise local sports associations
[C] increase funds for sports clubs
[D] invest in public sports facilities
【答案】[D] invest in public sports facilities
25. The author’s attitude to what UK governments have done for sports is .
[A] tolerant
[B] critical
[C] uncertain
[D] sympathetic
【答案】[B] critical
Text 2
With so much focus on children’s use of screens, it’s easy for parents to forget about their own screen use. “Tech is designed to really suck on you in,” says Jenny Radesky in her study of digital play, “and digital products are there to promote maximal engagement. It makes it hard to disengage, and leads to a lot of bleed-over into the family routine. ”
Radesky has studied the use of mobile phones and tablets at mealtimes by giving mother-child pairs a food-testing exercise. She found that mothers who sued devices during the exercise started 20 percent fewer verbal and 39 percent fewer nonverbal interactions with their children. During a separate observation, she saw that phones became a source of tension in the family. Parents would be looking at their emails while the children would be making excited bids for their attention.
Infants are wired to look at parents’ faces to try to understand their world, and if those faces are blank and unresponsive―as they often are when absorbed in a device―it can be extremely disconcerting foe the children. Radesky cites the “still face experiment” devised by developmental psychologist Ed Tronick in the 1970s. In it, a mother is asked to interact with her child in a normal way before putting on a blank expression and not giving them any visual social feedback; The child becomes increasingly distressed as she tries to capture her mother’s attention. “Parents don’t have to be exquisitely parents at all times, but there needs to be a balance and parents need to be responsive and sensitive to a child’s verbal or nonverbal expressions of an emotional need,” says Radesky.
On the other hand, Tronick himself is concerned that the worries about kids’ use of screens are born out of an “oppressive ideology that demands that parents should always be interacting” with their children: “It’s based on a somewhat fantasized, very white, very upper-middle-class ideology that says if you’re failing to expose your child to 30,000 words you are neglecting them.” Tronick believes that just because a child isn’t learning from the screen doesn’t mean there’s no value to it―particularly if it gives parents time to have a shower, do housework or simply have a break from their child. Parents, he says, can get a lot out of using their devices to speak to a friend or get some work out of the way. This can make them feel happier, which lets then be more available to their child the rest of the time.
26. According to Jenny Radesky, digital products are designed to ______.
[A] simplify routine matters
[B] absorb user attention
[C] better interpersonal relations
[D] increase work efficiency
【答案】[B] absorb user attention
27. Radesky’s food-testing exercise shows that mothers’ use of devices ______.
[A] takes away babies’ appetite
[B] distracts children’s attention
[C] slows down babies’ verbal development
[D] reduces mother-child communication
【答案】[D] reduces mother-child communication
28. Radesky’s cites the “still face experiment” to show that _______.
[A] it is easy for children to get used to blank expressions
[B] verbal expressions are unnecessary for emotional exchange
[C] children are insensitive to changes in their parents’ mood
[D] parents need to respond to children’s emotional needs
【答案】[D] parents need to respond to children’s emotional needs
29. The oppressive ideology mentioned by Tronick requires parents to_______.
[A] protect kids from exposure to wild fantasies
[B] teach their kids at least 30,000 words a year
[C] ensure constant interaction with their children
[D] remain concerned about kid’s use of screens
【答案】[C] ensure constant interaction with their children
30. According to Tronick, kid’s use of screens may_______.
[A] give their parents some free time
[B] make their parents more creative
[C] help them with their homework
[D] help them become more attentive
【答案】[A] give their parents some free time
Text 3
Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college in conjunction with increasingly high expectations in a fast-moving world often causes students to completely overlook the possibility of taking a gap year. After all, if everyone you know is going to college in the fall, it seems silly to stay back a year, doesn’t it? And after going to school for 12 years, it doesn’t feel natural to spend a year doing something that isn’t academic.
But while this may be true, it’s not a good enough reason to condemn gap years. There’s always a constant fear of falling behind everyone else on the socially perpetuated “race to the finish line,” whether that be toward graduate school, medical school or lucrative career. But despite common misconceptions, a gap year does not hinder the success of academic pursuits―in fact, it probably enhances it.
Studies from the United States and Australia show that students who take a gap year are generally better prepared for and perform better in college than those who do not. Rather than pulling students back, a gap year pushes them ahead by preparing them for independence, new responsibilities and environmental changes―all things that first-year students often struggle with the most. Gap year experiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities rather than acclimation blunders.
If you’re not convinced of the inherent value in taking a year off to explore interests, then consider its financial impact on future academic choices. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors at least once. This isn’t surprising, considering the basic mandatory high school curriculum leaves students with a poor understanding of themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to another after taking college classes. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the school, it can be costly to make up credits after switching too late in the game. At Boston College, for example, you would have to complete an extra year were you to switch to the nursing school from another department. Taking a gap year to figure things out initially can help prevent stress and save money later on.
31. One of the reasons for high-school graduates not taking a gap year is that .
[A] they think it academically misleading
[B] they have a lot of fun to expect in college
[C] it feels strange to do differently from others
[D] it seems worthless to take off-campus courses
【答案】[C] it feels strange to do differently from others
32. Studies from the US and Australia imply that taking a gap year helps .
[A] keep students from being unrealistic
[B] lower risks in choosing careers
[C] ease freshmen’s financial burdens
[D] relieve freshmen of pressures
【答案】[D] relieve freshmen of pressures
33. The word “acclimation” (Line 8, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to .
[A] adaptation
篇19：考研英语二真题和答案
Section I Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text。Choose the best word(s)for each numbered blank and markA，B，C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1(10 points)
In our contemporary culture，the prospect of communicating with-or even looking at-a stranger is virtually unbearable Everyone around us seems to agree by the way they fiddle with their phones，even without a 1 underground
Its a sad reality-our desire to avoid interacting with other human beings-because theres 2 to be gained from talking to the strange r standing by you. But you wouldnt know it， 3 into your phone. This universal armor sends the 4 ：Please dont approach me.
What is it that makes us feel we need to hide 5 our screens?
One answer is fear, according to Jon Wortmann, executive mental coach We fear rejection，or that our innocent social advances will be 6 ascreep,We fear weII be 7 We fear weII be disruptive Strangers are inherently 8 to us，so we are more likely to feel 9 when communicating with them compared with our friends and acquaintances To avoid this anxiety, we 10 to our phones.Phones become our security blanket，Wortmann says.They are our happy
glasses that protect us from what we perceive is going to be more 11 .
But once we rip off the bandaid，tuck our smartphones in our pockets and look up，it doesnt 12 so bad. In one experiment，behavioral scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder asked commuters to do the unthinkable: Start a 13 . They had Chicago train commuters talk to their fellow 14 . When Dr.Epley and Ms. Schroeder asked other people in the same train station to 15 how they would feel after talking to a stranger, the commuters thought their 16 would be more pleasant if they sat on their own, the New York Times summarizes. Though the participants didnt expect a positive experience, after they 17 with
the experiment, not a single person reported having been snubbed.
18 , these commutes were reportedly more enjoyable compared with those sans communication, which makes absolute sense, 19 human beings thrive off of social connections. Its that 20 : Talking to strangers can make you feel connected.
1. [A] ticket [B] permit [C]signall [D] record
2. [A] nothing [B] link [C]another [D] much
3. [A] beaten [B] guided [C]plugged [D] brought
4. [A] message [B] cede [C]notice [D] sign
5. [A] under [B] beyond [C] behind [D] from
6. [A] misinterprete [B] misapplied [C] misadjusted [D] mismatched
7. [A] fired [B] judged [C] replaced [D] delayed
8. [A] unreasonable [B] ungreatful [C] unconventional [D] unfamiliar
9. [A] comfortable [B] anxious [C] confident [D] angry
10. [A] attend [B] point [C] take [D] turn
11. [A] dangerous [B] mysterious [C] violent [D] boring
12. [A] hurt [B] resis [C] bend [D] decay
13. [A] lecture [B] conversation [C] debate [D] negotiation
14. [A] trainees [B] employees [C] researchers [D] passengers
15. [A] reveal [B] choose [C] predictl [D] design
16. [A] voyage [B] flight [C] walk [D] ride
17. [A] went through [B] did away [C] caught up [D] put up
18. [A] In turn [B] In particular [C]In fact [D] In consequence
19. [A] unless [B] since [C] if [D] whereas
20. [A] funny [B] simple [C] Iogical [D] rare
答案：
1. signal 2. Much 3. plugged 4. message 5. behind
6. misinterpreted 7. judged 8. unfamiliar 9. anxious 10. turn
11. dangerous 12. hurt 13. Conversation 14. passengers
15. predict 16. ride 17. went through 18. in fact
19. since 20. simple
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A
Text 1
A new study suggests that contrary to most surveys. People art actually more stressed at home than at work. Researchers measured peoples cortntlol. Which is it at stress marker. While they were at work and while they were at home and found it higher at what is supposed to be a place of refuge.
Further contradicting conventional wisdom, we found that women as well as men have lower levels of stress at work than at home, writes one of the researchers. Sarah Damaske, In fact women say they feel better at work. She notes. it is men not women. Who report being bappicr at home than at work, Another surprise is that the findings hold true for both those with childrcn and without, but more so for nonparents. This is why pcoplc who work outside the home have better health.
What the study doesnt measure is whether people are still doing work when they re at home, whether it is household work or work brought home from the office. For many men, the end of the workday is a time to kick back. For women who stay home, they never get to leave the office. And for women who work outside the home, they often are playing catch-up-with-household tasks. With the blurring of roles, and the fact that the home front lags well behind the workplace in making adjustments for working women, it s not surprising that women are more stressed at home.
But its not just a gender thing. At work, people pretty much know what theyre supposed to be doing: working, making money, doing the tasks they have to do in order to draw an income. The bargain is very pure: Employee puts in hours of physical or mental labor and employee draws out life-sustaining moola.
On the home front, however, people have no such clarity. Rare is the household in which the division of labor is so clinically and methodically laid out. There are a lot of tasks to be done, there are inadequate rewards for most of them. Your home colleagues-your family-have no clear rewards for their labor; they need to be talked into it, or if they re teenagers, threatened with complete removal of all electronic devices. Plus, they re your family. You cannot fire your family. You never really get to go home from home.
So its not surprising that people are more stressed at home. Not only are the tasks apparently infinite, the co-workers are much harder to motivate.
21.According to Pa ragraph 1，most previous su rveys found that home
[A]was an un realistic place for relaxation
[B]generated more stress than the workplace
[C]was an ideal place for stress measurement
[D]offered greater relaxation than the workplace
22.According to Damaske， who are likely to be the happiest at home?
[A]Working mothers
[B]Childless husbands
[C] Childless wives
[D]Working fathers
23 The blurring of working womens roles refers to the fact thay
[A]they are both bread winners and housewives
[B]their home is also a place for kicking back
[C]there is often much housework left behind
[D]it is difficult for them to leave their office
24.The wordmoola(Line 4， 4)most probably means
[A]energy
[B]skills
[C]earnings
[D]nutrition
25.The home front differs from the workplace in that
[A]home is hardly a cozier working environment
[B]division of labor at home is seldom clear-cut
[C]household tasks are generally more motivating
[D]family labor is often adequately rewarded
答案：
21.D offered greater relaxation than the workplace
22.B childless husbands
23.A they are both bread winners and housewives
24.C earnings
25.B division of labor at home is seldom clear-cut
篇20：考研英语二真题和答案
全国硕士研究生考试英语二真题
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. (10 points)
Thinner isn’t always better. A number of studies have __1___ that normal-weight people are in fact at higher risk of some diseases compared to those who are overweight. And there are health conditions for which being overweight is actually ___2___. For example, heavier women are less likely to develop calcium deficiency than thin women. ___3___ among the elderly, being somewhat overweight is often an ___4___ of good health.
Of even greater ___5___ is the fact that obesity turns out to be very difficult to define. It is often defined ___6___ body mass index, or BMI. BMI ___7__ body mass divided by the square of height. An adult with a BMI of 18 to 25 is often considered to be normal weight. Between 25 and 30 is overweight. And over 30 is considered obese. Obesity, ___8___,can be divided into moderately obese, severely obese, and very severely obese.
While such numerical standards seem 9 , they are not. Obesity is probably less a matter of weight than body fat. Some people with a high BMI are in fact extremely fit, 10 others with a low BMI may be in poor 11 .For example, many collegiate and professional football players 12 as obese, though their percentage body fat is low. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a 13 BMI.
Today we have a(an) _14 _ to label obesity as a disgrace.The overweight are sometimes_15_in the media with their faces covered. Stereotypes _16_ with obesity include laziness, lack of will power,and lower prospects for success.Teachers,employers,and health professionals have been shown to harbor biases against the obese. _17_very young children tend to look down on the overweight, and teasing about body build has long been a problem in schools.
Negative attitudes toward obesity, _18_in health concerns, have stimulated a number of anti-obesity _19_.My own hospital system has banned sugary drinks from its facilities. Many employers have instituted weight loss and fitness initiatives. Michelle Obama launched a high-visibility campaign _20_ childhood obesity, even claiming that it represents our greatest national security threat.
1. [A] denied [B] conduced [C] doubled [D] ensured
2. [A] protective [B] dangerous [C] sufficient [D]troublesome
3. [A] Instead [B] However [C] Likewise [D] Therefore
4. [A] indicator [B] objective [C] origin [D] example
5. [A] impact [B] relevance [C] assistance [D] concern
6. [A] in terms of [B] in case of [C] in favor of [D] in of
7. [A] measures [B] determines [C] equals [D] modifies
8. [A] in essence [B] in contrast [C] in turn [D] in part
9. [A] complicated [B] conservative [C] variable [D] straightforward
10. [A] so [B] unlike [C] since [D] unless
11. [A] shape [B] spirit [C] balance [D] taste
12. [A] start [B] quality [C] retire [D] stay
13. [A] strange [B] changeable [C] normal [D] constant
14. [A] option [B] reason [C] opportunity [D] tendency
15. [A] employed [B] pictured [C] imitated [D] monitored
16. [A] [B] combined [C] settled [D] associated
17. [A] Even [B] Still [C] Yet [D] Only
18. [A] despised [B] corrected [C] ignored [D] grounded
19. [A] discussions [B] businesses [C] policies [D] studies
20. [A] for [B] against [C] with [D] without
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. (40 points)
Text 1
What would you do with 590m? This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found for tune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.
These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly what was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time-as stories or memories-particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.
This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most “happiness bang for your buck.” It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it).Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason MacDonald's restricts the availability of its popular McRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.
Readers of “HappyMoney” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfillment, not hunger.Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.
21. According to Dumn and Norton,which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?
[A]A big house
[B]A special tour
[C]A stylish car
[D]A rich meal
22. The author’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is
[A]critical
[B]supportive
[C]sympathetic
[D]ambiguous
23. Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that
[A]consumers are sometimes irrational
[B]popularity usually comes after quality
[C]marketing tricks are after effective
[D]rarity generally increases pleasure
24. According to the last paragraph,Happy Money
[A]has left much room for readers’criticism
[B]may prove to be a worthwhile purchase
[C]has predicted a wider income gap in the us
[D]may give its readers a sense of achievement
25. This text mainly discusses how to
[A]balance feeling good and spending money
[B]spend large sums of money won in lotteries
[C]obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent
[D]become more reasonable in spending on luxuries
Text 2
An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think you’re more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to research into what the call the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85% at getting on well with others—all obviously statistical impossibilities.
We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking we’re hot stuff.
Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather that have people simply rate their beauty compress with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselves’ from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image- which must did- they genuinely believed it was really how they looked. Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the must (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “I don’t think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “It’s a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves’. If you are depressed, you won’t be self-enhancing. Knowing the results of Epley ‘s study,it makes sense that why people heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level, they don’t even recognise the person in the picture as themselves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancer’s paradise,where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyle it’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of Wiscon—Madison university ,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves.
26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that ______.
[A] our self-ratings are unrealistically high
[B] illusory superiority is baseless effect
[C] our need for leadership is unnatural
[D] self-enhancing strategies are ineffective
27. Visual recognition is believed to be people’s______
[A] rapid watching
[B] conscious choice
[C] intuitive response
[D] automatic self-defence
28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to______
[A] underestimate their insecurities
[B] believe in their attractiveness
[C] cover up their depressions
[D] oversimplify their illusions
29.The word “Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to_____.
[A]instinctively
[B]occasionally
[C]particularly
[D]aggressively
30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer’s paradise because people can _____.
[A]present their dishonest profiles
[B]define their traditional life styles
[C]share their intellectual pursuits
[D]withhold their unflattering sides
篇21：考研英语二真题答案
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 the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
People have speculated for centuries about a future without work. Today is no different, with academics, writers, and activists once again _1_ that technology be replacing human workers. Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by _2_. A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in an impoverished wasteland.
A different and not mutually exclusive _3_ holds that the future will be a wasteland of a different sort, one _4_ by purposelessness: Without jobs to give their lives _5_, people will simply become lazy and depressed. _6_, today’s unemployed don’t seem to be having a great time. One Gallup poll found that 20 percent of Americans who have been unemployed for at least a year report having depression, double the rate for _7_ Americans. Also, some research suggests that the _8_ for rising rates of mortality, mental-health problems, and addicting _9_ poorly-educated middle-aged people is shortage of well-paid jobs. Perhaps this is why many _10_ the agonizing dullness of a jobless future.
But it doesn’t _11_ follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with unease. Such visions are based on the _12_ of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. In the _13_ of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could _14_ strikingly different circumstanced for the future of labor and leisure. Today, the _15_ of work may be a bit overblown. “Many jobs are boring, degrading, unhealthy, and a waste of human potential,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland in Galway.
These days, because leisure time is relatively _16_ for most workers, people use their free time to counterbalance the intellectual and emotional _17_ of their jobs. “When I come home from a hard day’s work, I often feel _18_,” Danaher says, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different”―perhaps different enough to throw himself _19_ a hobby or a passion project with the intensity usually reserved for _20_ matters.
1.[A] boasting [B] denying [C] warning [D] ensuring
【答案】C
【解析】答案为C。动词词义辨析。作家学者警示人们技术会代替人类劳动。boast吹嘘、自负。deny否认。ensure确保。warning警示，警告。
2.[A] inequality [B] instability [C] unreliability [D] uncertainty
【答案】A
【解析】答案为A。上下文理解。根据后文富人会拥有所有资产，贫困地区也会扎堆，可以看出此处想表达不平等的意思。inequality不平等，instability不稳定性，unreliability不可靠性，uncertainty不确定性。
3.[A] policy [B]guideline [C] resolution [D] prediction
【答案】D
【解析】答案为D。词义辨析。policy政策，guideline指导方针，resolution决心，prediction预测。该句意为：另外一种预测认为……。
4.[A] characterized [B]divided [C] balanced [D]measured
【答案】A
【解析】答案为A。动词词义辨析。该句意为未来社会的特点是无目的性。
5. [A] wisdom [B] meaning [C] glory [D] freedom
【答案】B
【解析】答案为B。词义辨析，上下文理解。没有了工作富裕生活的意义，人们会变得懒散沮丧。其他几项不符合题意。
6. [A] Instead [B] Indeed [C] Thus [D] Nevertheless
【答案】B
【解析】答案为B。考查副词。Indeed实际上，那些失业者生活并不美好。
7.[A] rich [B] urban [C]working [D] educated
【答案】C
【解析】答案为C。上下文理解。前面提到失业的美国人在和工作的美国人做对比。
8.[A] explanation [B] requirement [C] compensation [D] substitute
【答案】A
【解析】答案为A。词义辨析。死亡率升高，心理健康问题等是因为没有工资待遇较好的工作，这就解释了原因问题。Explanation符合题意。
9.[A] under [B] beyond [C] alongside [D] among
【答案】D
【解析】答案为D。介词辨析。没有受到良好教育的中年人中间这些问题比较严重。
10.[A] leave behind [B] make up [C] worry about [D] set aside
【答案】C
【解析】答案为C。固定搭配意思辨析。Worry about担心，leave behind丢弃，使落后make up 组成，set aside 留出，把……放在一旁。该句意为这就是为什么人们担心未来无工作的无聊。
11.[A] statistically [B] occasionally [C] necessarily [D] economically
【答案】C
【解析】答案为C。副词词义辨析。Necessarily必然地，statistically统计地，occasionally偶然地，economically经济上地。该句想表达并不必然的意思。
12.[A] chances [B] downsides [C] benefits [D] principles
【答案】B
【解析】答案为B。理解上下文。前面说没有工作会导致不安，这些观念是来源于在职业概念的社会中失业的消极面。
13. [A] absence [B] height [C] face [D] course
【答案】A
【解析】答案为A。固定搭配。In absence of 缺乏，in height of 在…高度，in face of 面临，in course of 在…中。该句意为如果没有工作，也就是in absence of job。
14. [A] disturb [B] restore [C] exclude [D] yield
【答案】D
【解析】答案为D。动词词义辨析。没有工作的社会能为人们带来放松。Yield 有获得，带来的意思，disturb打扰，妨碍，restore恢复，交还，exclude排斥
15. [A] model [B] practice [C] virtue [D] hardship
【答案】C
【解析】答案为C。词义辨析。根据后面工作的缺点可以推测此处想表达工作的优点被过分夸大了。virtue优点，好处。
16.[A] tricky [B] lengthy [C] mysterious [D] scarce
【答案】D
【解析】答案为D。词义辨析和上下文理解。休闲时间对工作人来说相对较少。
17.[A] demands [B] standards [C] qualities [D] threats
【答案】A
【解析】答案为A。词义辨析。闲暇时间来平衡人们的智力和情感需求。
18.[A] ignored [B] tired [C] confused [D] starved
【答案】B
【解析】答案为B。词义理解。下班回到家感觉到疲惫。Starved饥饿的。
19.[A] off [B] against [C] behind [D] into
【答案】D
【解析】答案为D。固定搭配和介词使用。Throw into投身于，throw off摆脱，throw against扔掉，throw behind抛开。投身到自己的爱好之中。
20. [A] technological [B] professional [C] educational [D] interpersonal
【答案】B
【解析】答案为B。词义辨析。一些需要专业技能的项目。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions：Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)
Text 1
Every Saturday morning, at 9 am, more than 50,000 runners set off to run 5km around their local park. The Parkrun phenomenon began with a dozen friends and has inspired 400 events in the UK and more abroad. Events are free, staffed by thousands of volunteers. Runners range from four years old to grandparents; their times range from Andrew Baddeley’s world record 13 minutes 48 seconds up to an hour.
Parkrun is succeeding where London’s Olympic “legacy” is failing. Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympiad would be in London. Planning documents pledged that the great legacy of the Games would be to level a nation of sport lovers away from their couches。 The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. It has not happened. The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run―up to ―but the general population was growing faster. Worse, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate. The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have nearly halved. Obesity has risen among adults and children. Official retrospections continue as to why London 2012 failed to “inspire a generation.” The success of Parkrun offers answers。
Parkun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock. The ethos welcomes anybody. There is as much joy over a puffed-out first-timer being clapped over the line as there is about top talent shining. The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sports and to produce more elite athletes. The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was intimidating for newcomers.
Indeed, there is something a little absurd in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally “grassroots”, concept as community sports associations. If there is a role for government, it should really be getting involved in providing common goods―making sure there is space for playing fields and the money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools. But successive governments have presided over selling green spaces, squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education。 Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive. Or at least not make them worse.
1.According to Paragraph1, Parkrun has______.
篇22：考研英语二真题和答案
Text 2
For years, studies have found that first-generation college students-those who do not have a parent with a college degree-lag other students on a range of education achievement factors. Their grades are lower and their dropout rates are higher. But since such students are most likely to advance economically if they succeed in higher education, colleges and universities have pushed for decades to recruit more of them. This has created a dox in that recruiting first-generation students, but then watching many of them fail, means that higher education has continued to reproduce and widen, rather than close achievement gap based on social class, according to the depressing beginning of a paper forthcoming in the journal Psychological Sciense.
But the article is actually quite optimistic, as it outlines a potential solution to this problem, suggesting that an approach(which involves a one-hour, next-to-no-cost program) can close 63 percent of the achievement gap(measured by such factors as grades)between first-generation and other students.
The authors of the paper are from different universities, and their findins are based on a study involving 147 students(who completed the project)at an unnamed private unive rsity.First generation was defined as not having a parent with a fou r-year college degree Most of the first-generation students(59.1 percent) were recipients of Pell Grants，a federal g rant for undergraduates with financial need，while this was true only for 8.6 percent of the students wit at least one parent with a four-year degree
Their thesis-that a relatively modest inte rvention could have a big impact-was based on the view that first-gene ration students may be most lacking not in potential but in practical knowledge about how to deal with the issues that face most college students They cite past resea rch by several authors to show that this is the gap that must be na rrowed to close the achievement gap.
Many first-gene ration studentsstruggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education，learn therules of the game，and take advantage of college resou rces, they write And this becomes more of a problem when collages dont talk about the class advantage and disadvantages of different groups of students Because US colleges and universities seldom acknowledge how social class can affect students educational expe rience，many first-gene ration students lack sight about why they a re struggling and do not unde rstand how students like them can improve
26. Recruiting more first-generation students has
[A]reduced their d ropout rates
[B]narrowed the achievement gao
[C] missed its original pu rpose
[D]depressed college students
27 The author of the research article are optimistic because
[A]the problem is solvable
[B]their approach is costless
[q the recruiting rate has increased
[D]their finding appeal to students
28 The study suggests that most first-gene ration students
[A]study at private universities
[B]are from single-pa rent families
[q are in need of financial support
[D]have failed their collage
29. The author of the paper believe that first-generation students
[A]a re actually indifferent to the achievement gap
[B]can have a potential influence on othe r students
[C] may lack opportunities to apply for resea rch projects
[D]are inexperienced in handling their issues at college
30.We mayinfer from the last graph that
[A]universities often r~ect the culture of the middle-class
[B]students are usually to blame for their lack of resources
[C]social class g reatly helps en rich educational experiences
[D]colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question
答案：
26.C missed its original purpose
27.A the problem is solvable
28.C are in need of financial support
29.D are inexperienced in handling issues at college
30.D colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question
Text3
Even in traditional offices，the lingua franca of corporate America has gottenmuch more emotional and much more right-brained than it was 20 years ago， said Ha rva rd Business School professor Nancy Koehn She sta rted spinning off examples.If you and I pa rachuted back to Fortune 500 companies in 1990，we would see much less frequent use of terms like Journey, mission,passion. There were goals，there were strategies，there were tives，but we didnt talk about energy;we didnt talk about passion.
Koehn pointed out that this new era of corporate vocabula ry is very team-oriented-and not by coincidence.Lets not forget sDorts-in male-dominated corporate America，its still a big deal. Its not explicitly conscious;its the idea that Im a coach，and youre my team，and were in this togethec. There are lots and lots of CEOs in very different companies，but most think of themselves as coaches and this is their team and they want to win.
These terms a re also intended to infuse work with meaning-and，as Khu rana points out，increase allegiance to the firm.You have the importation of terminology that historically used to be associated with non-profit organizations and religious organizations：Terms like vision，values，passion，and purpose，saidKhurana
This new focus on personal fulfillment can help keep employees motivated amid increasingly loud debates over work-life balance The mommy wars of the 1990s a re still going on today, prompting arguments about whywomen still canthave it all and books like Sheryl Sandbergs Lean In，whose title has become abuzzword in its own right. Terms like unplug，offline，life-hack，bandwidth，andcapacity are all about setting boundaries between the office and the home But ifyour work is your passion, youII be more likely to devote yourself to it，even ifthat means going home for dinner and then working long after the kids are in bed
But this seems to be the irony of office speak：Everyone makes fun of it，butmanage rs love it，companies depend on it，and regular people willingly absorb itAs Nunberg said，You can get people to think its nonsense at the same timethat you buy into it. In a workplace thats fundamentally indiffe rent to your lifeand its meaning office speak can help you figu re out how you relate to yourwork-and how your work defines who you are
31. According to Nancy Koehn, office language has become
[A]more e motional
[B]more tive
[C]less energetic
[D]less energetic
[E]less strategic
32.team-oriented corporate vocabulary is closely related to
[A]historical incidents
[B]gender difference
[C]sports culture
[D]athletic executives
33.Khurana believes that the importation of terminology aims to
[A]revive historical terms
[B]promote company image
[C]foster corporate cooperation
[D]strengthen employee loyalty
34.It can be inferred that Lean In
[A]voices for working women
[B]appeals to passionate workaholics
[C]triggers dcbates among mommies
[D]praises motivated employees
35.Which of the following statements is true about office speak?
[A]Managers admire it but avoid it
[B]Linguists believe it to be nonsense
[C]Companies find it to be fundamental
[D]Regular people mock it but accept it
答案：
31.A more emotional
32.C sports culture
33.D strengthen employee loyalty
34.A voices for working women
35.C companies find it to be fundamental
篇23：考研英语二真题和答案
Text 4
Many people talked of the 288,000 new jobs the Labor Department reporled for Jure, along with the drop in the unemployment take to 6 J percent. at good news. And they were right. For now it appears the economy is creating jobs at a decent pace. We still have a long way to go to get back to full employment, but at least we are now finally moving forward at a faster pace.
However there is another important part of the jobs picture that was targely ovedookcd. There was a big jump in the number of people who report voluntarily working part-time. This figure is now 830,000(4,4 percent)above its year ago level.
Before explaining the connection to the Obamacare, it is worth making an important distinction. Many people who work part-time jobs actually want full-time jobs. They take part-time work because this is all they can get. An increase in involuntary part-time work is evidence of weakness in the labor market and it means that many people will be having a very hard time making ends meet.
There was an increase in involuntary part-time in June, but the general direction has been down. Involuntary part-time employment is still far higher than before the recession, but it is down by 640,000(7.9 percent)from its year ago level.
We know the difference between voluntary and involuntary part-time employment because people tell us. The survey used by the Labor Department asks people if they worked less than 35 hours in the reference week. If the answer is yes.they are classified as working part-time. The survey then asks whether they worked less than 35 hours in that week because they wanted to work less than full time or because they had no choice. They are only elassified as voluntary part-time workers if they tell the survey taker they chose to work less than 35 hours a week.
The issue of voluntary part-time relates to Obamacare becanse one of the main purposes was to allow people to get insurance outside of employment. For many people, especially those with serious health conditions or family mrs with serious health conditions, before Obamacare the only way to get insurance was through a job that provided health insurance.
However, Obamacare has allowed more than 12 million people to either get insurance through Medicaid or the exchanges. These are people who may previously have felt the need to get a full-time job that provided insurance in order to cover themselves and their families. With Obamacare there is no longer a link between employment and insurance.
36. Which part of the jobs picture was neglected?
A. The prospect of a thriving job market.
B. The increase of voluntary part-time jobs.
C. The possibility of full employment.
D. The acceleration of job creation.
37. Many people work part-time because they
A. prefer part-time jobs to full-time jobs
B. feel that is enough to make ends meet
C. cannot get their hands on full-time jobs
D. haven t seen the weakness of the market
38. Involuntary part-time employment in the US
A. is harder to acquire than one year ago
B. shows a general tendency of decline
C. satisfies the real need of the jobless
D. is lower than before the recession
39. It can be learned that with Obamacare, .
A. it is no longer easy for part-timers to get insurance
B. employment is no longer a precondition to get insurance
C. it is still challenging to get insurance for family mrs
D. full-time employment is still essential for insurance
40. The text mainly discusses.
A. employment in the US
B. part-timer classification
C. insurance through Medicaid
D. Obamacares trouble
答案：
36.B the increase of voluntary part-time jobs
37.C cannot get their hands on full-time jobs
38.B shows a general tendency of decline
39.B employment is no longer a precondition to get insurance
40.A employment in the US
Some Old Truths to Help You Overcorne Toucgh Times
Uefortunately, life is not a bed of roses, We are going through life facing sad experiences. Moreover, we are grieving various kinds of loss: a friendship, a rontantic relatlonshlp of a house. Hard times may hold you down at what usually seems like the most inopportune time,but you should remr that they wont last forever.
When our time of mourning is over, we press forward, stronger with a greater understanding and respect for life. Furthermore, these losses make us mature and eventally move as toward future opportunities for growth and happiness. I want to share these old truths Ive learned along the way.
41.
Fear is both useful and harmful. This normal human reaction is used to protect us by signaling danger and preparing us to deal with it. Unfortunately, people create inner barriers with a help of exaggerating fears. My favorite actor will smith once said, Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice. I do completely agree that fears are just the product of our luxuriant imagination.
42 .
If you are by and
43. .
Sometimes it is casy to feel bad because you are going through tough times. You can be easily caught up by life problems that you forget to pause and appreciate the things you have. Only strong people prefer to smile and value their life instead of crying and complaining about something.
44..
No matter how isolated you might feel and how serious the situation is, you should always remr that you are not alone. Try to keep in mind that almost everyone respects and wants to help you if you are trying to make a good change in your life, especially your dearest and nearest people, You may have a circle of friends who provide constant good humor, help and companionship. If you have no friends or relatives. Try to participate in several online communities, full of people who are always willing to share advice and cncouragement.
45 .
Today many people find it difficult to trust their own opinion and seek balance by gaining tivity from external sources. This way you devalue your opinion and show that you are incapable of managing your of own life. When you are struggling to achieve something important you should believe in yourself and be sure that your decision is the best. You live in your skin, think your own thoughts, have your own values and make your own choices.
答案：
41.D Most of your fears are unreal
42.E Think about the resent moment
43.G There are many things to be grateful for
44.A you are not alone
45.C Pave your own unique path
篇24：考研英语二真题和答案
Text 3
Crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tears, be they of sorrow, anger, on joy, typically make Americans feel uncomforuble and embarrassed. The shedder of tears is likely to apologize, even when a devastating (毁灭性的) tragedy was the provocation. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional outpouring. But judging form recent studies of crying behavior, links between illness and crying and the chemical composition of tears, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive.
Humans are the only animals definitely known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few, if any, purposeless physiological responset, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance survival.
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to clicit assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention, So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to =cut onion would contain no such substance.
Researchers at several other institutions are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs.
At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr.Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse and exposure to medication(药物), to determine whether a contact lens fits properly of why it may be uncomfortable, to study the causes of “dry eye” syndrome and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.
At Columbia University Dt.Liasy Faris and colleagues are studying tears for clues to the diagnosis of diseases away from the eyes. Tears can be obtained painlessly without invading the body and only tiny amounts are needed to perform highly refined analyses.
31. It is known from the first paragraph that ________.
A) shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to American
B) crying may often imitate people or even result in tragedy
C) crying usually wins sympathy from other people
D) one who sheds tears in public will be blamed
32. What does “both those responses to tears”(Line 6, Para, 1) refer to?
A) Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.
B) The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers.
C) The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying.
D) Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears.
33. “Counterproductive” (Lines 6-7, Para,1) very probably means “________”.
A) having no effect at all
B) leading to tension
C) producing disastrous impact
D) harmful to health
34. What does the author say about crying?
A) It is a pointless physiological response to the environment.
B) It must have a role to play in man’s survival.
C) It is meant to get attention and assistance.
D) It usually produces the desired effect.
35. What can be inferred from the new studies of tears?
A) Emotional tears have the function of reducing stress.
B) Exposure to excessive medication may increase emotional tears.
C) Emotional tears can give rise to “dry eye” syndrome in some cases.
D) Environmental pollutants can induce the shedding of emotional tears.
Text 4
When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy. Housing is seldom mentioned.
Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating the real value that housing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention among multibillion-pound infrastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged.
Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.
The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need.
There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.
Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in the rental environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability of registered providers to fund new developments from revenues.
But it is not just down to the government. While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing £4.5bn programme of grants to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in ,is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of the coalition’s spending plans if returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very unlikely to ever return to era of large-scale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate.
36. The author believes that the housing sector__
[A] has attracted much attention
[B] involves certain political factors
[C] shoulders too much responsibility
[D] has lost its real value in economy
37. It can be learned that affordable housing has__
[A] increased its home supply
[B] offered spending opportunities
[C] suffered government biases
[D] disappointed the government
38. According to Paragraph 5,George Osborne may_______.
[A] allow greater government debt for housing
[B] stop local authorities from building homes
[C] prepare to reduce housing stock debt
[D] release a lifted GDP growth forecast
39. It can be inferred that a stable rental environment would_______.
[A]lower the costs of registered providers
[B]lessen the impact of government interference
[C]contribute to funding new developments
[D]relieve the ministers of responsibilities
40. The author believes that after 2015,the government may______.
[A]implement more policies to support housing
[B]review the need for large-scale public grants
[C]renew the affordable housing grants programme
[D]stop generous funding to the housing sector
篇25：考研英语二真题和答案
Section III Translation
Directions:
Translate the following text from English into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET 2. (15 points)
Most people would define optimism as endlessly happy, with a glass that’s perpetually half fall. But that’s exactly the kind of false deerfulness that positive psychologists wouldn’t recommend. “Healthy optimists means being in touch with reality.” says Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard professor, According to Ben- Shalar,realistic optimists are these who make the best of things that happen, but not those who believe everything happens for the best.
Ben-Shalar uses three optimistic exercisers. When he feels down-sag, after giving a bad lecture-he grants himself permission to be human. He reminds himself that mot every lecture can be a Nobel winner; some will be less effective than others. Next is reconstruction, He analyzes the weak lecture, leaning lessons, for the future about what works and what doesn’t. Finally, there is perspective, which involves acknowledging that in the ground scheme of life, one lecture really doesn’t matter.
Section IV Writing
Part A
47. Directions: Suppose you are going to study abroad and share an apartment with John, a local student. Write him to email to
1)tell him about your living habits, and
2)ask for advice about living there.
You should write about 100 words on answer sheet.
Do not use your own name.
Part B
48. Directions: Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET. (15 points)
You should
1. interpret the chart, and
2. give your comments.
You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. (15points)
考研英语(二)真题答案
1. [B] concluded
2. [A ]protective
3. [[C] Likewise
4. [A] indicator
5. [D] concern
6. [A]in terms of
7. [C] equals
8. [C] in turn
9. [D] straightforward
10. [B] while
11. [A]shape
12. [B] qualify
13. [C] normal
14. [D] tendency
15. [B] pictured
16. [D] associated
17. [A]Even
18. [D] grounded
19.[C] policies
20.[B] against
Part A
Text 1
21.[B] A special tour
22.[A] critical
23.[D] rarity generally increases pleasure
24.[B] may prove to be a worthwhile purchase
25.[C] obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent
Text 2
26. [A ]our self-ratings are unrealistically high
27. [C] intuitive response
28. [B]believe in their attractiveness
29. [A] instinctively
30. [D] withhold their unflattering sides
Test3 暂无
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
Text 4
36. [B]involves certain political factors
37. [C]suffered government biases
38. [A] allow greater government debt for housing
39. [C] contribute to funding new developments
40. [D] stop generous funding to the housing sector
Part B
41 .[D] represents the elegance of the British land art
42 .[E] depicts the ordinary side of the British land art
43 .[G] contains images from different parts of the same photograph
44 .[C] reminds people of the English landscape painting tradition
45 . [A] originates from a long walk that the artist took
46. 翻译参考：(逐句对照)
Most people would define optimism as being endlessly happy, with a glass that's perpetually half full. 大多数人将乐观定义为永远快乐，总觉得杯子里的水还有一半。But that's exactly the kind of false cheerfulness that positive psychologists wouldn't recommend. 但积极心理学家并不提倡这种虚假的快乐。“Healthy optimism means being in touch with reality,” says Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard professor.“健康的乐观是与现实联系在一起的，”哈佛大学教授泰·本-沙哈说道。According to Ben-Shahar, realistic optimists are those who make the best of things that happen, but not those who believe everything happens for the best.根据他的观点，现实的乐观主义者是去积极实现事情的圆满，而不是坐等事情会自己圆满。
Ben-Shahar uses three optimistic exercises. 本-沙哈提出了乐观训练的三个阶段。When he feels down-say, after giving a bad lecture---he grants himself permission to be human.当他心情低落时--比如，一个糟糕的演讲之后--他宽慰自己这是人之常情。He reminds himself that not every lecture can be a Nobel winner, some will be less effective than others. 他提醒自己不是每一次演讲都要求诺贝尔标准，有些演讲的效果会不如其他。Next is reconstruction. 下一个阶段是重塑。He analyzes the weak lecture, learning lessons for the future about what works and what doesn't. 他会分析这次失败的演讲，哪些地方可取，哪些不可取，为将来的演讲积累经验。Finally, there is perspective, which involves acknowledging that in the grand scheme of life, one lecture really doesn't matter.最后一个阶段是前瞻，我们要认识到在生命的宏伟蓝图中，一次演讲根本算不上什么。
47. 参考范文：
Dear John,
I'm glad to hear from you. How have you been these days? The purpose of this email is to tell you about my living habits.
Firstly, I never drink or smoke. Neither do I stay up late. Instead, I keep a balanced diet and go to bed before 11 o'clock at night, because I believe burning the midnight oil is harmful to health. Secondly, I'd like to keep my things clean. It is obvious that living in a messy environment results in a chaotic life.
Finally, could you please offer me some proposals as regards living in your city? I'm sure that we can get along well with each other, and our university life would be one of the best times in life. (123 words)
Yours,
Li Ming
48. 参考范文：
The column chart above clearly reflects the changes in the statistics between urban and rural population in China during the past two decades. For urban dwellers, there was a noticeable jump of 360 million from 300 million to 66 million between 1990 and . By contrast, a remarkable decline occurred in the number of rural population by 160 million from 820 million to 660 million during the same period.
At least three primary contributors account for such changes. First and foremost, there is a much nicer choice of options available in cities and towns, across the broad. There are more jobs to choose from, different kinds of companies and types of work. In addition, big cities offer much more excitement and stimulation, partly as a result of all the various options available in so many areas. More importantly, people prefer to live in cities and towns for the convenience of the transportation system. It would have a well developed bus, subway, highway and airport transportation network.
Generally speaking, people in expanding numbers would prefer to live in cities and towns which offer a rich variety of many options, whether it be for jobs, leisure, cultural or intellectual activities. At the same time, people like the energy and stimulation of a big city environment and the convenience of a well-developed transportation system. (221 words)
篇26：考研英语（二）真题及答案
Section 1 Use of Eninglish
Directions :
Millions of Americans and foreigners see GI.Joe as a mindless war toy ,the symbol of American military adventurism, but that’s not how it used to be .To the men and women who 1 )in World War II and the people they liberated ,the GI.was the 2) man grown into hero ,the pool farm kid torn away from his home ,the guy who 3) all the burdens of battle ,who slept in cold foxholes,who went without the 4) of food and shelter ,who stuck it out and drove back the Nazi reign of murder .this was not a volunteer soldier ,not someone well paid ,5) an average guy ,up 6 )the best trained ,best equipped ,fiercest ,most brutal enemies seen in centuries.
His name is not much.GI. is just a military abbreviation 7) Government Issue ,and it was on all of the article 8) to soldiers .And Joe? A common name for a guy who never 9) it to the top .Joe Blow ,Joe Magrac …a working class name.The United States has 10) had a president or vicepresident or secretary of state Joe.
GI .joe had a (11)career fighting German ,Japanese , and Korean troops . He appers as a character ,or a (12 ) of american personalities, in the 1945 movie The Story of GI. Joe, based on the last days of war correspondent Ernie Pyle. Some of the soldiers Pyle(13)portrayde themselves in the film. Pyle was famous for covering the (14)side of the warl, writing about the dirt-snow Cand-mud soldiers, not how many miles were(15)or what towns were captured or liberated, His reports(16)the “willie” cartoons of famed Stars and Stripes artist Bill Maulden. Both men(17)the dirt and exhaustion of war, the (18)of civilization that the soldiers shared with each other and the civilians: coffee, tobacco, whiskey, shelter, sleep. (19)Egypt, France, and a dozen more countries, G.I. Joe was any American soldier,(20)the most important person in their lives.
1.[A] performed [B]served [C]rebelled [D]betrayed
2.[A] actual [B]common [C]special [D]normal
3.[A]bore [B]cased [C]removed [D]loaded
4.[A]necessities [B]facilitice [C]commodities [D]propertoes
5.[A]and [B]nor [C]but [D]hence
6.[A]for [B]into [C] form [D]against
7.[A]meaning [B]implying [C]symbolizing [D]claiming
8.[A]handed out [B]turn over [C]brought back [D]passed down
9.[A]pushed [B]got [C]made [D]managed
10.[A]ever [B]never [C]either [D]neither
11.[A]disguised [B]disturbed [C]disputed [D]distinguished
12.[A]company [B]collection [C]community [D]colony
13.[A]employed [B]appointed [C]interviewed [D]questioned
14.[A]ethical [B]military [C]political [D]human
15.[A]ruined [B]commuted [C]patrolled [D]gained
16.[A]paralleled [B]counteracted [C]duplicated [D]contradicted
17.[A]neglected [B]avoided [C]emphasized [D]admired
18.[A]stages [B]illusions [C]fragments [D]advancea
19.[A]With [B]To [C]Among [D]Beyond
20.[A]on the contrary [B] by this means [C]from the outset [D]at that point
Section II Resdiong Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. answer the question after each text by choosing A,B,C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.(40 points)
Text 1
Homework has never been terribly popular with students and even many parents, but in recent years it has been particularly scorned. School districts across the country, most recently Los Angeles Unified, are revising their thinking on his educational ritual. Unfortunately, L.A. Unified has produced an inflexible policy which mandates that with the exception of some advanced courses, homework may no longer count for more than 10% of a student’s academic grade.
This rule is meant to address the difficulty that students from impoverished or chaotic homes might have in completing their homework. But the policy is unclear and contradictory. Certainly, no homework should be assigned that students cannot do without expensive equipment. But if the district is essentially giving a pass to students who do not do their homework because of complicated family lives, it is going riskily close to the implication that standards need to be lowered for poor children.
District administrators say that homework will still be a pat of schooling: teachers are allowed to assign as much of it as they want. But with homework counting for no more than 10% of their grades, students can easily skip half their homework and see vey little difference on their report cards. Some students might do well on state tests without completing their homework, but what about the students who performed well on the tests and did their homework? It is quite possible that the homework helped. Yet rather than empowering teachers to find what works best for their students, the policy imposes a flat, across-the-board rule.
At the same time, the policy addresses none of the truly thorny questions about homework. If the district finds homework to be unimportant to its students’ academic achievement, it should move to reduce or eliminate the assignments, not make them count for almost nothing. Conversely, if homework does nothing to ensure that the homework students are not assigning more than they are willing to review and correct.
The homework rules should be put on hold while the school board, which is responsible for setting educational policy, looks into the matter and conducts public hearings. It is not too late for L.A. Unified to do homework right.
21.It is implied in paragraph 1 that nowadays homework_____.
[A] is receiving more criticism
[B]is no longer an educational ritual
[C]is not required for advanced courses
[D]is gaining more preferences
22.L.A.Unified has made the rule about homework mainly because poor students_____.
[A]tend to have moderate expectations for their education
[B]have asked for a different educational standard
[C]may have problems finishing their homework
[D]have voiced their complaints about homework
23.According to Paragraph 3,one problem with the policy is that it may____.
[A]discourage students from doing homework
[B]result in students' indifference to their report cards
[C]undermine the authority of state tests
[D]restrict teachers' power in education
24. As mentioned in Paragraph 4, a key question unanswered about homework is whether______. [A] it should be eliminated
[B]it counts much in schooling
[C]it places extra burdens on teachers
[D]it is important for grades
25.A suitable title for this text could be______.
[A]Wrong Interpretation of an Educational Policy
[B]A Welcomed Policy for Poor Students
[C]Thorny Questions about Homework
[D]A Faulty Approach to Homework
【考研英语作文真题及（英语二）】相关文章：
10.考研历年英语二大作文真题
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