2013考研法硕最新试题之二英语阅读理解

　　Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes, 40 points)

　　Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each of the passages is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.

　　Passage One

　　I hear many parents complain that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are all taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are holding one another's hands for reassurance.

　　They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But they all end up listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon into a larger cocoon.

　　It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a market for teenagers. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. This is a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.

　　But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don't care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come—with the people who respect you for who you are. That's the only kind of popularity that really counts.

　　31. The author's purpose in writing this passage is to tell______.

　　A. readers how to be popular with people around

　　B. teenagers how to learn to make a decision for themselves

　　C. parents how to control and guide their children

　　D. people how to understand and respect each other

　　32. According to the author, many teenagers think they are brave enough to act on their own, but in fact most of them ______.

　　A. have much difficulty understanding each other

　　B. lack confidence

　　C. dare not cope with any problems alone

　　D. are very much afraid of getting lost

　　33. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

　　A. There is no popularity that really counts.

　　B. Many parents think that their children are challenging their authority.

　　C. It is not necessarily bad for a teenager to disagree with his or her classmates.

　　D. Most teenagers are actually doing the same.

　　34. The author thinks of advertisements as ______ to teenagers.

　　A. inevitable B. influential

　　C. instructive D. attractive

　　35. The main idea of the last paragraph is that a teenager should______.

　　A. differ from others in as many ways as possible

　　B. become popular with others

　　C. find his real self

　　D. rebel against his parents and the popularity wave

　　Passage Two

　　Much unfriendly feeling towards computers has been based on the fear of widespread unemployment resulting from their introduction. Computers are often used as part of automated production systems requiring a least possible number of operators, causing the loss of many jobs. This has happened, for example, in many steelworks.

　　On the other hand, computers do create jobs. They are more skilled and better paid, though fewer in number than those they replace. Many activities could not continue in their present form without computers, no matter how many people are employed. Examples are the check clearing (交换) system of major banks and the weather forecasting system.

　　When a firm introduces computers, a few people are usually employed in key posts (such as jobs of operations managers) while other staff are re-trained as operators, programmers, and data preparation staff. After the new system has settled down, people in non-computer jobs are not always replaced when they leave, resulting in a decrease in the number of employees. This decrease is sometimes balanced by a substantial increase in the activity of the firm, resulting from the introduction of computers.

　　The attitudes of workers towards computers vary. There is fear of widespread unemployment and of the takeover of many jobs by computer-trained workers, making promotion for older workers not skilled in computers more difficult.

　　On the other hand, many workers regard the trend toward wider use of computers inevitable. They realize that computers bring about greater efficiency and productivity, which will improve the condition of the whole economy, and lead to the creation of more jobs. This view was supported by the former British Prime Minister, James Callaghan in 1979, when he made the point that new technologies hold the key to increased productivity, which will benefit the economy in the long run.

　　36. The unfriendly feeling towards computers is developed from ______.

　　A. the possible widespread unemployment caused by their introduction

　　B. their use as part of automated production systems

　　C. the least possible number of operators

　　D. the production system in steelworks

　　37. The underlined word “They” (Line 1, Par. 2) refers to______.

　　A. computers B. jobs C. activities D. systems

　　38. According to Paragraph 2, without computers ______.

　　A. human activities could not continue

　　B. there could not be weather forecasting systems

　　C. many activities would have to change their present form

　　D. banks would not be able to go on with check clearing

　　39. According to the passage, what results from the introduction of computers?

　　A. After re-training, all employees in the firm get new jobs.

　　B. A considerable proportion of people are employed in key posts.

　　C. The firm keeps all of its original staff members.

　　D. The decrease in staff members may be balanced by the increase of firm activities.

　　40. James Callaghan's attitude towards computers can be best described as______.

　　A. doubtful B. regretful C. unfriendly D. supportive