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2020年考研英语一阅读理解真题及参考答案

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 the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

Text 1

A group of Labour MPs, among them Yvette Cooper, are bringing in the new year with a call to institute a UK“town of culture”award. The proposal is that it should sit alongside the existing city of culture title, which was held by Hull in 2017, and has been awarded to Coventry for 2021. Cooper and her colleagues argue that the success of the crown for Hull, where it brought in £220m of investment and an avalanche of arts, ought not to be confined to cities. Britain's towns, it is true, are not prevented from applying, but they generally lack the resources to put together a bid to beat their bigger competitors. A town of culture award could, it is argued, become an annual event, attracting funding and creating jobs.

Some might see the proposal as a booby prize for the fact that Britain is no longer able to apply for the much more prestigious title of European capital of culture, a sought-after award bagged by Glasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008. A cynic might speculate that the UK is on the verge of disappearing into an endless fever of self-celebration in its desperation to reinvent itself for the post-Brexit world: after town of culture, who knows what will follow-village of culture? Suburb of culture? Hamlet of culture?

It is also wise to recall that such titles are not a cure-all. A badly run“year of culture'" washes in and washes out of a place like the tide, bringing prominence for a spell but leaving no lasting benefits to the community. The really successful holders of such titles are those that do a great deal more than fill hotel bedrooms and bring in high-profile arts events and good press for a year. They transform the aspirations of the people who live there; they nudge the self-image of the city into a bolder and more optimistic light. It is hard to get right, and requires a remarkable degree of vision, as well as cooperation between city authorities, the private sector, community groups and cultural organisations. But it can be done: Glasgow's year as European capital of culture can certainly be seen as one of a complex series of factors that have turned the city into the powerhouse of art, music and theatre that it remains today.

A“town of culture" could be not just about the arts but about honouring a town's peculiarities- - helping sustain its high street, supporting local facilities and above all celebrating its people. Jeremy Wright, the culture secretary, should welcome this positive, hope-filled proposal, and turn it into action.

21. Cooper and her colleagues argue that a“town of culture" award could

[A]consolidate the town-city ties in Britain.

[B] promote cooperation-among Britain's towns.

[C] increase the economic strength of Britain's towns.

[D] focus Britain's limited resources on cultural events.

22. According to Paragraph 2, the proposal might be regarded by some as

[A]a sensible compromise.

[B] a self-deceiving attempt.

[C] an eye-catching bonus.

[D] an inaccessible target.

23. The author suggests that a title holder is successful only if it

[A] endeavours to maintain its image.

[B] meets the aspiration of its people.

[C] brings its local arts to prominence.

[D] commits to its long-term growth.

24. Glasgow is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to present

[A]a contrasting case. .

[B]a supporting example.

[C] a background story.

[D]a related topic.

25. What is the author' s attitude towards the proposal?

[A]Skeptical. .

[B] Objective.

[C] Favourable.

[D]Critical.

【答案解析】

21.

[答案]C

[解析]首段⑤句指出,库珀等人认为“文化之镇"奖能够“吸引投资,创造就业”,可以概括为“增强英国小镇的经济实力”,故[C]正确。

C是对首段⑤句的合理概括。题干中Cooper and her colleagues argue 对应插人语it is argued, increase economic strength对应结果状语attracting funds and creating jobs。[A]由③④句错误推断出“加强小镇和城市间的联系”。③句指出,“文化之城"取得的成功不应该局限于城市;④句指出,在竞争“文化之城”时,小镇不敌城市。因此可知,在角逐奖项方面,小镇和城市是竞争关系，而“文化之镇”奖是单独为小镇设立的称号,并不涉及城市和小镇之间的联系。[B]将④句后半部分的put together a bid曲解为cooperation among Britain's towns,但原文中指的是小镇内部各种资源的整合,而非小镇之间的合作。[D]糅合④⑤句,并利用惯性思维制造干扰。④句后半句说,英国的小镇缺乏资源,无法与城市角逐“文化之城”称号;⑤句提及“文化之镇"可以办成一年一度的盛会,并没有提及要将英国的资源集中于文化活动。

22.

[答案]B

[解析]本段①句指出,一些人认为该提议是英国失去申请“欧洲文化之都”资格后的自我安慰;②句指出英国正陷入无休止的自我庆祝之中。[B]项是对质疑者态度的合理概括。

B是对booby prize, self- celebration, desperation to reinvent itself...的正确解读。[A]与原文相反。本段集中展示了质疑者对这项提议的鄙夷态度,从booby prize 、self- celebration、endless fever 、desperation等措辞中可看出他们根本不认为这是明智之举。[C]将质疑者对“欧洲文化之都"奖的看法误当作对“文化之镇"奖的态度。①句中the much more prestigious 、sought-after都在讲“欧洲文化之都”奖引人注目,以凸显“文化之镇”奖微不足道,与eye catching正好相反。另外,文中也未提到bonus这一内容。[D]将②句中质疑者对英国自我庆祝的评价“没完没了"(endless/ desperation)误当作他们对“新提议”的态度。对于新提议，质疑者只是认为其影响力微不足道,是英国为了展示新形象的自欺欺人行为,并没有提到该提议无法实现。

23.

[答案]D

[解析]第三段②句描述失败的“文化年”只带来一时的风光而不是长远的利益，暗示“成功的称号获得者”应该为当地带来长远的利益。③④句正面展开对成功的称号获得者的论述，即成功者不止于短期的酒店客房满员、备受瞩目的艺术活动以及一整年的正面报道,还应改变当地人民的愿景(transform the aspirations of the people who live there)、将城市的自我认知引向更加乐观的一面( nudge the self-image of the city into a bolder and more optimistic light) ,这显然在强调长期发展。正确项[D]是原文观点的合理推断。

24.

[答案]B

[解析]定位到第三段⑥句,Glasgow出现在But it can be done之后,是冒号之后的论证内容。要搞清Glasgow的功能需要确定前面的it所指。往回看,③④⑤句都在阐述如何才能成为成功的称号获得者,it指代的是“成为成功的称号获得者”这件事,而Glasgow所在的句子讲的正是它当选“欧洲文化之都”后成功转变为艺术、音乐以及戏剧重镇,并持续至今,与上文逻辑吻合,因此是一个正面例证,[B]正确。

 But it can be done是一个观点句,随后的冒号自然要引出论据从正面支撑观点,正确项[B]是对句内逻辑的准确把握。[A]与文中逻辑恰恰相反。[C][D]均不符合观点之后通过冒号引出论据的论证逻辑,直接排除

25.

[答案]C

[解析]末段末句作者明确建议文化部长应该“欣然接受”这一积极向上、充满希望的提议,体现出其对提议的支持态度。[C]项正确。

C是对作者态度的正确概括。从第二段作者对质疑者的措辞(cynic, speculate),第三段作者对文化称号能够获得成功的坚定信心(But it can be done)并援引Glasgow的成功先例,以及末段的建议( welcome this positive, hope-filled proposal, and turn it into action) 都可以得知作者对该提议的支持态度。[A][D]误将第三段质疑者的态度偷换为作者态度。作者对该提议进行了客观的分析,但是有明显的支持态度,[B]错误。

Text 2.

Scientific publishing has long been a licence to print money. Scientists need jourals in which to publish their research, so they will supply the articles without monetary reward. Other scientists perform the specialised work of peer review also for free, because it is a central element in the acquisition of status and the production of scientific knowledge.

With the content of papers secured for free, the publisher needs only find a market for its journal. Until this century, university libraries were not very price sensitive.

Scientific publishers routinely report profit margins approaching 40% on their operations at a time when the rest of the publishing industry is in an existential crisis.

The Dutch giant Elsevier, which claims to publish 25% of the scientific papers produced in the world, made profits of more than £900m last year, while UK universities alone spent more than f210m in 2016 to enable researchers to access their own publicly funded research; both figures seem to rise unstoppably despite increasingly desperate efforts to change them.

The most drastic, an thoroughly illegal, reaction has been the emergence of Sci-Hub, a kind of global photocopier for scientific papers, set up in 2012, which now claims to offer access to every paywalled article published since 2015. The success of Sci-Hub, which relies on researchers passing on copies they have themselves legally accessed, shows the legal ecosystem has lost legitimacy among its users and must be transformed so that it works for all participants.

In Britain the move towards open access publishing has been driven by funding bodies. In some ways it has been very successful. More than half of all British scientific research is now published under open access terms: either freely available from the moment of publication, or paywalled for a year or more so that the publishers can make a profit before being placed on general release.

Yet the new system has not yet worked out any cheaper for the universities.

Publishers have responded to the demand that they make their product free to readers by charging their writers fees to cover the costs of prep ring an article. These range from around £500 to $5,000, and apparently the work gets more expensive the more that publishers do it. A report last year pointed out that the costs both of subscriptions and of these“article preparation costs”had been steadily rising at a rate above inflation.

In some ways the scientific publishing model resembles the economy of the social internet: labour is provided free in exchange for the hope of status, while huge profits are made by a few big firms who run the market places. In both cases, we need a rebalancing of power.

26. Scientific publishing is seen as“a licence to print money" partly because

[A] its funding has enjoyed a steady increase.

[B] its marketing strategy has been successful. .

[C] its payment for peer review is reduced.

[D] its content acquisition costs nothing.

27. According to Paragraphs 2 and 3, scientific publishers Elsevier have

[A] thrived mainly on university libraries.

[B] gone through an existential crisis.

[C] revived the publishing industry.

[D] financed researchers generously.

28. How does the author feel about the success of Sci-Hub?

[A] Relieved.

[B] Puzzled.

[C] Concerned.

[D] Encouraged.

29. It can be learned from Paragraphs 5 and 6 that open access terms

[A] allow publishers some room to make money.

[B] render publishing much easier for scientists.

[C] reduce the cost of publication substatially.

[D] free universities from financial burdens.

30. Which of the following characterizes the scientific publishing model?

[A] Trial subscription is offered.

[B] Labour triumphs over status.

[C] Costs are well controlled.

[D] The few feed on the many.

【答案解析】

26.

[答案]D

[解析]首段首句提出科学出版业一本万利(a licence to print money) ,②③句分别指出,科学文献的供稿与审稿皆为无偿进行,即科学出版业在“内容获取"方面投人的成本为零。可见[D]正确。

27.

[答案]A

[解析]第二段初步说明,大学图书馆是科学文献的购买主力;第三段为第二段的具体例证,以“爱思唯尔盈利之巨”与“英国图书馆购买科学文献花销之大”证明爱思唯尔等科学出版商主要依靠大学图书馆赚取巨额利润。因此[A]正确。

28.

[答案]C

[解析]第四段①句thoroughly illegal(完全不合法)初步暗示作者对Sci-Hub的质疑态度;②句评述Sci-Hub的成功带来的启示:科学出版业合法的生态体系在其用户中已失去合理/正统性(the legal ecosystem has lost legitimacy) ,该合法体系必须彻底改变(must be transformed), 以重获权威/合理性。由此可见,作者通过非法(无版权保障的)网站的大获成功反向凸显当前科学出版业态的弊病之重，改革之迫切(如不进行自我改革,事态可能会进一步恶化,催生更多危及各方合法权利的非法事物),可见作者对Sci-Hub等非法网站的成功其实是感到担忧的,[C]正确。

29.

[答案]A

[解析]第五、六段围绕“开放出版条款"展开论述,其中第五段③句指出“选择开放获取出版”需遵循的方式之二一付费一年或更久,之后转为免费获取(pay walled for a year or more),并指出这种模式使出版机构有一些时间进行盈利(so that the publishers can make a profit)。因此[A]正确。

30.

[答案]D

[解析]末段①句指出,(众多科学家)付出免费劳动,而赚取巨额利润的却是控制行业的少数大公司，由此可知,科学出版业中,少数(大公司)以多数(科学家的免费劳动)为食,从而发展壮大。[D]正确。

本题考查所讨论话题“科学出版模式”的特点,正确项是对第七段①句的合理概括。[A]与文义不符,本文开篇即指出科学出版业一本万利，依靠大学图书馆的高昂订阅费获取暴利,随后介绍当前出现的一些新的出版模式,要么非法,要么换汤不换药,反而更加重科研经济负担,并未提及“试用订阅(Trial subscription)" ;[B]源于第七段首句labour is provided free in exchange for the hope of status,但该句说明科学家处于弱势,只能用劳动来换取社会地位,而非其劳动战胜了社会地位;[C]曲解第六段④句,该句指出“论文准备费(即成本)”在持续增加，而非“成本得到了很好的控制”。

Text 3

Progressives often support diversity mandates as a path to equality and a way to level the playing field. But all too often such policies are an insincere form of virtue-signaling that benefits only the most privileged and does little to help average people.

A pair of bills sponsored by Massachusetts state Senator Jason Lewis and House Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad, to ensure “gender parity” on boards and commissions, provide a case in point.

Haddad and Lewis are concerned that more than half the state- government boards are less than 40 percent female. In order to ensure that elite women have more such opportunities, they have proposed imposing government quotas. If the bills become law, state boards and commissions will be required to set aside 50 percent of board seats for women by 2022.

The bills are similar to a measure recently adopted in California, which last year became the first state to require gender quotas for private companies. In signing the measure, California Governor Jerry Brown admitted that the law, which expressly classifies people on the basis of sex, is probably unconstitutional.

The US Supreme Court frowns on sex-based classifications unless they are designed to address an“important" policy interest, Because the California law applies to all boards, even where there is no history of prior discrimination, courts are likely to rule that the law violates the constitutional guarantee of“equal protection” But are such government mandates even necessary? Female participation on corporate boards may not currently mirror the percentage of women in the general population, but so what?

The number of women on corporate boards has been steadily increasing without govermment interference. According to a study by Catalyst, between 2010 and 2015 the share of women on the boards of global corporations increased by 54 percent.

Requiring companies to make gender the primary qualification for board membership will inevitably lead to less experienced private sector boards. That is exactly what happened when Norway adopted a nationwide corporate gender quota.

Writing in The New Republic, Alice Lee notes that increasing the number of opportunities for board membership without increasing the pool of qualified women to serve on such boards has led to a“golden skirt” phenomenon, where the same elite women scoop up multiple seats on a variety of boards.

Next time somebody pushes corporate quotas as a way to promote gender equity, remember that such policies are largely self-serving measures that make their sponsors feelgood but do little to help average women.

31.The author believes that the bills sponsored by Lewis and Haddad will

[A] help little to reduce gender bias.

[B] pose a threat to the state government.

[C] raise women's position in politics.

[D] greatly broaden career options.

32. Which of the following is true of the California measure?

[A] It has irritated private business owners.

[B] It is welcomed by the Supreme Court.

[C] It may go against the Constitution.

[D] It will settle the prior controversies.

33. The author mentions the study by Catalyst to illustrate

[A] the harm from arbitrary board decision.

[B] the importance of constitutional guarantees.

[C] the pressure on women in global corporations.

[D] the needlessness of government interventions.

34. Norway's adoption of a nationwide corporate gender quota has led to

[A] the underestimation of elite women's role.

[B] the objection to female participation on boards.

[C] the entry of unqualified candidates into the board.

[D] the growing tension between labor and management.

35. Which of the following can be inferred from the text?

[A] Women's need in employment should be considered.

[B] Feasibility should be a prime concern in policymaking.

[C] Everyone should try hard to promote social justice.

[D] Major social issues should be the focus of legislation.

【答案解析】

31、

[答案]A

[解析]本题考查作者对两项麻州法案的看法,可定位至第二、三段,发现两项法案意在确保各委员会中的“性别平等”(即:减少性别偏见)。而两项法案为对首段②句作者观点“此类政策往往是一种虚伪的道德信号,仅有利于最有特权者,却无益于普通人”的例证。可见作者认为,法案并不能如发起人所言减少性别偏见,[A]正确。

32、

[答案]C

[解析]由题干关键词the California measure定位至第四、五段。第四段②句指出,州长承认加州措施很可能违宪。第五段指出最高法院可能裁定它违反“平等保护”这一宪法保障。因此[C]正确。

 [C]It may go against the Constitution 概括第四段②句the law... is probably unconstitutional及第五段②句likely to rule that the law violates the constitutional guarantee of...。[A]对第四段①句过度推导:文中只指出加州措施对私企提出了董事会男女平等的要求,并未指出这激怒了私企所有者。[B]违背第五段①句“最高法院不赞成(加州法规这种)基于性别的分类”以及②句“法庭很可能会判定加州法规违宪”。[D]将第五段②句California law applies to all boards. .. prior discrimination(加州法规适用于包括没有歧视历史在内的所有董事会)曲解为“加州法规将会解决先前所有争议"。

33、

[答案]D

[解析]根据题干关键词the study by Catalyst定位至第七段。该段①句提出:没有政府干预，企业董事会中的女性人数也- -直在持续增加(即政府干预并不必要)。②句指出研究发现:跨国公司女董事人数于2010至2015年间显著增长。联系两句可知,②句是在以数据论证①句观点,[D]正确。

34、

[答案]C

[解析]由题千关键词Norway's adoption of a nationwide corporate gender quota定位至第八段。第八段①句提出,强制实行性别配额制会导致私企董事会阅历不足，即:使得不合格的候选人加人董事会,②句则指出这恰恰是挪威在全国范围内实行董事会性别配额制已导致的后果,[C]正确.。

35、

[答案]B

[解析]文章开篇三段提出观点:多样性指令等政策对促进公平无济于事,反而会强化特权。第四至九段指出此类政策的不可行:可能被判违宪;不但没有必要,甚至很可能带来多种不良后果。末段重申此类政策的无效性。可见,本文重在指出此类政策不可行,建议政策制定者考量其可行性,[B]正确。

Text 4

Last Thursday, the French Senate passed a digital services tax, which would impose an entirely new tax on large multinationals that provide digital services to consumers or users in France. Digital services include everything from providing a platform for selling goods and services online to targeting advertising based on user data, and the tax applies to gross revenue from such services. Many French politicians and media outlets have referred to this as a“GAFA tax," meaning that it is designed to apply primarily to companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon- in other words, multinational tech companies based in the United States.

The digital services tax now awaits the signature of President Emmanuel Macron, who has expressed support for the measure, and it could go into effect within the next few weeks. But it has already sparked significant controversy, with the United States trade representative opening an investigation into whether the tax discriminates against American companies, which in tum could lead to trade sanctions against France.

The French tax is not just a unilateral move by one country in need of revenue. Instead, the digital services tax is part of a much larger trend, with countries over the past few years proposing or putting in place an alphabet soup of new international tax provisions. They have included Britain's DPT. (diverted profits tax), Australia's MAAL (multinational anti-avoidance law)， and India's SEP (significant economic presence) test, to name but a few. At the same time, the European Union, Spain, Britain and several other countries have all seriously contemplated digital services taxes.

These unilateral developments differ in their specifics, but they are all designed to tax multinationals on income and revenue that countries believe they should have a right to tax, even if international tax rules do not grant them that right. In other words, they all share a view that the international tax system has failed to keep up with the current economy.

In response to these many unilateral measures, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is currently working with 131 countries to reach a consensus by the end of 2020 on an international solution. Both France and the United States are involved in the organization's work, but France's digital services tax and the American response raise questions about what the future holds for the international tax system.

France's planned tax is a clear warning: Unless a broad consensus can be reached on reforming the international tax system, other nations are likely to follow suit, and American companies will face a cascade of different taxes from dozens of nations that will prove burdensome and costly.

36.The French Senate has passed a bill to

[A] regulate digital services platforms.

[B] protect French companies”interests.

[C] impose a levy on tech multinationals.

[D] curb the influence of advertising.

37. It can be learned from Paragraph 2 that the digital services tax

[A] may trigger countermeasures against France.

[B] is apt to arouse criticism at home and abroad.

[C] aims to ease international trade tensions.

[D] will prompt the tech giants to quit France.

38. The countries adopting the unilateral measures share the opinion that

[A] redistribution of tech giants' revenue must be ensured.

[B] the current international tax system needs upgrading.

[C] tech multinationals' monopoly should be prevented.

[D] all countries ought to enjoy equal taxing rights.

39. It can be learned from Paragraph 5 that the OECD's current work

[A] is being resisted by US companies.

[B] needs to be readjusted immediately.

[C] is faced with uncertain prospects.

[D] needs to in involve more countries.

40. Which of the following might be the best title for this text?

[A] France Is Confronted with Trade Sanctions

[B] France leads the charge on Digital Tax

[C] France Says“NO”to Tech Multinationals

[D] France Demands a Role in the Digital Economy

【答案解析】

36、

[答案]C

[解析]文首句指出,法国参议院通过一项数字服务税法案,将向为法国消费者/用户提供数字服务的大型跨国公司征收一项全新税费,故[C]正确。

正确项[C]impose a levy、tech multinationals 分别同义改写文首句中impose an entirely new tax、multinationals that provide digital services.

[A]利用②句第一分句中碎片信息Digital services、platform杂糅而来,但该部分意在解释数字服务税法案中“数字服务”的含义,并非指向法案内容;[B]利用常识误导学生认为“法国对跨国公司收税"意在“保护本土公司利益”,但由第三段首句in need of revenue可知,法国数字服务税意在“提高本国财政收人”;[D]利用②句中targeting advertising based on user data所传递出的广告影响力“基于用户数据即可精准定投”捏造而来,但它错误属性同[A],对应的原文指向的是“数字服务”的具体内容,而非法案本身的内容。

37、

[答案]A

[解析]第二段②句指出:美国贸易代表已开始针对“法国数字服务税是否是对美国企业的歧视”展开调查,(如果调查发现属实,)美国将(极)可能对法国实施贸易制裁。可见,数字服务税有可能引发(美国)针对法国的反制措施,故[A]正确。

38、

[答案]B

[解析]第四段末句指出:他们(回指“那些采取单边措施的国家”)一致认为国际税收体制未能跟上当前经济发展步伐，也即，当前国际税收体系需要升级,故[B]正确。

正确项[B]中needs upgrading“需要改进改善”是对has failed to keep up with the current economy"未能跟上经济步伐”的合理引申。[A]将①句“对跨国公司的净收益与总收益进行征税(tax)”"偷换为“对收益进行再分配(redistribution)”;[C]将“对跨国公司进行征税"与常识“跨国科技公司垄断地位”杂糅捏造而来,但文中并无任何信息支持;[D]根据①句“所有国家都没有被赋予征税权利,但他们认为自己有权利这么做”推断出“所有国家应被赋予征税权利”,但“平等(equal)”无任何信息支持。

39、

[答案]C

[解析]第五段②句指出:当前法国数字服务税以及美国的反应给国际税收体系的未来走向打上了问号，而据由①句可知,国际税收体制即为国际组织OECD当前正在开展的-项工作，由此可知，OECD目前的工作面临不确定的前景,故[C]正确。

40、

[答案]B

[解析]文章首先引出事件:法国推出数字服务税法;随后就该事件展开分析:许多国家目前也已提出或实施了针对美国企业的国际税收新规,法国只是这国际大势中的一角而已;当前OECD正集结131个国家试图推出一个各国都达成一致的国际税收体系,但鉴于当前法国与美国的事态发展,目前该税收体系前景不明朗;最后升华主题:若是国家税收体系无法达成共识,其他国家都将纷纷效仿出台数字税,美国企业将面临巨额税费、不堪重负。可见,全文围绕法国开征数字税展开论述,[B]是文意主旨的高度概括。