2021年考研英语二模拟题（三）Section I Use of EnglishDirections: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)In his 1976 study of slavery in the United States, Herbert Gutman, like Fogel, Engerman, and Genovese, has rightly stressed the slaves achievements. But unlike these historians, Gutman gives plantation owners little (1) _ for these achievements. (2) _, Gutman argues that one must look to the Black family and the slaves extended kinship system to (3) _ how crucial achievements, (4) _ the maintenance of a cultural heritage and the development of a communal consciousness, were possible. His findings compel attention.Gutman recreates the family and extended kinship (5) _ mainly through an ingenious use of what (6) _ historian should (7) _ on, quantifiable data, derived in this case mostly (8) _ plantation birth registers. He also uses accounts of ex-slaves to (9) _ the human reality behind his statistics. These (10) _ indicate that the two-parent household predominated in slave quarters just as it did (11) _ freed slaves after emancipation. (12) _ Gutman admits that forced separation by sale was frequent, he shows that the slaves preference, (13) _ most clearly on plantations where sale was (14) _, was very much for stable monogamy. In (15) _ conclusive fashion, Fogel, Engerman, and Genovese had already indicated the predominance of two-parent households. However, (16) _ Gutman emphasizes the preference for stable monogamy and points out (17) _ stable monogamy meant for the slaves cultural heritage. Gutman argues convincingly that the (18) _ of the Black family encouraged the transmission of and so was critical in (19) _ the Black heritage of folklore, music, and religious expression from one generation to another, a heritage that slaves were continually fashioning out of their African and American (20) _.01. A credit B praise C respect D contempt02. A Likewise B Rather C Therefore D Even03. A explain B ignore C understand D display04. A for instanc B along with C in particular D such as05. A concept B heritage C worship D structure06. A one B any C none D some07. A rest B actC drawD bring08. A from B of C for D in09. A quest B probe C enter D boost10. A figures B means C methods D sources11. A without B onto C outside D among12. A ProvidedB AlthoughC Since D Unless13. A uncoveredB displayedC revealedD designed14. A identifiableB comprehensiveC occasionalD peculiar15. A moreB so C lessD even16. A rarely B only C barelyDsometimes17. A which B how C thatD what18. A incidence B stability C patternD property19. A sustaining B penetratingC retrievingD composing20. A traditions B careersC experiencesD ethicsSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections: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 1Eight in the morning, and seats are filling up fast at the coffee house on the corner of 3rd Street and Avenue A in New York. All day long, the caf swarms with young professionals clicking away at laptop computers and gabbing on mobile phones. Business is being done. But theres a hitch: many of these frenetic patrons are out of work.The story is the same at the Torrefazione Italia, on a chic stretch of Bostons Newbury Street. Alana Raftery, who used to be in software sales, sits there for hours with an iced coffee and paperwork. On Fridays, she pushes tables together with five other women to plan a software-services venture.America is becoming a caf culture. But the reason is less Starbucks marketing than the economic downturn. The white-collar army of the unemployed are making cafs their offices and job-search centers. Going there every day provides the same sort of structure and routine as a formal office but with much better coffee.Of course, cafs have long served as the locus of business activity for independent consultants, creative types and teleworkers (as well as brewing-places for novels, coups and revolutions). But the new clientle is different. In contrast to previous recessions, more professionals are out of work. Technology has changed, too, allowing people to job-hunt or devise new business plans untethered from their clunky desk computers and tangled-cord home phones. Moreover, with the number of cafs growing from under 2,000 in 1991 to over 14,000 today, these people now have plenty of places to go.Their habit may also herald a deeper trend in the workforce: an era of nomadic teleworkers, whose jobs are no longer tied to one particular spot. Quinn Mills, a professor of economics at the Harvard Business School, believes that companies, “with their urge to regiment”, are unprepared for this. Not only the unemployed, but workers too, may prefer to decamp to Starbucks: great for reducing overheads, but perhaps less good for productivity.For coffee houses themselves, their new status as job centers has helped the industry buck the slumping economy. In 2008, the gourmet-coffee sector earned a record $8.40 billion in revenue, with cafs accounting for more than half the sales. Many coffee houses, belonging both to publicly-traded companies and independent retailers, are reporting sales growth of roughly 7%. And though $4 for a cappuccino may seem steep, its pretty good for a New York per diem office rent.21. The first two paragraphs are written toA highlight the influence of economic crisis.B introduce the topic of Americas caf culture.C bring to light the trend of the workforce.D define the problem of young professionals.22. According to the passage, young professionals are not prepared forA marketing strategies.B lowered productivity.C technological revolutions.D more severe unemployment.23. According to the passage, caf culture emerged in America as a result ofA the economic situation.B the quick pace of life.C the craze for job-hunting.D the pursuit for new taste.24. The work of professionals in caf houses is characterized byA great rigidity.B standardization.C more flexibility.D independence.25. The best title for the passage would beA A depressing future of the US economy.B A new role of Americas coffee houses.C A policy of deliberate understaffing.D A sudden boom of coffee houses.Text 2Congress has been trying for several years to expand Medicare (the federal programme that provides medical insurance for almost all elderly Americans) to include prescription drugs. Now it may be on the verge of succeeding, with the House and Senate converging on similar plans. So put out the flags? Not at all. In reality, the near-agreement marks yet another defeat for prudent government.Nothing could be more irresponsible than expanding one of Americas biggest entitlement programmes without trying to introduce structural reform. Yet this is what a Republican-dominated Washington is about to do. The new drugs benefit could cost between $350 billion and $400 billion over the next decade and produce no structural reforms worthy of the name.The impending legislation marks a defeat for the White House. In his state-of-the-union address in January, George Bush unveiled a scheme to link drugs benefit with structural reform: old folk who agreed to join private health plans would get more money for medicines. But the Senate balked at the idea of a “two-tier” system. And on June 9th the White House agreed to accept equal drugs benefits for people in the ordinary Medicare programme.Why have the Republicans failed to support structural reform? One reason is the strength of the rural contingent in the Republican caucus and particularly the influence of Charles Grassley, a senator from Iowa and the chairman of the Finance Committee. Rural politicians (who have long complained that they fail to get their fair share of the nations medical budget) have no enthusiasm for private health plans, since such plans do not exist in the empty reaches of the countryside.The other reason is the pressure to get something done. Republicans have been making ever-louder promises to provide drug benefits for the elderly for several years. The old are one of Americas most powerful lobbies, capable of tilting elections in any battleground state, not least Florida.For its part, the White House is anxious to burnish the presidents reputation as a man who gets things done at home, as well as in deserts and Middle Eastern seaside resorts. This willingness to abandon principles in the blind desire to produce results is becoming a theme of the Bush presidency.Congresss willingness to add a new entitlement to Medicare without tackling its structural problems is a disaster in the making. Not only is the number of people claiming Medicare set to double by 2030, but the cost of providing health care for each beneficiary is likely to double too. Joseph Antos, a health-care specialist at the American Enterprise Institute, has a horrifying verdict on the “reforms” working their way through Congress: “We are descending to the lowest depths of hell.”26. Which of the following can best describe the expansion of Medicare program?A Close at hand.B Nowhere near success.C Far from certain.D Only a matter of time.27. The basic problem of Medicare program expansion as pointed out the writer lies in itsA overall inclusion.B slight inequality.C structural reforms.D excessive costs.28. The phrase “balked at” (Paragraph 3) most probably meansA “approved of”.B “subscribed to”.C “shared with”.D “turned down”.29. The author mentions Charles Grassley to showA the lack of support.B the loss of willingness.C the failure of plans.D the defect of principles.30. What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted asA “Look before you leap.”B “Easier said than done.”C “Every coin has two sides.”D “Action speaks louder than words.”Text 3 Rumors that David Beckham, the pin-up and Manchester United star, may be sold to a foreign football club sent many tongues wagging this week. None, however, spoke with the grace or authority of Silvio Berlusconi. The Italian premier, who doubles as president of AC Milan, took time off from meetings with Ariel Sharon to declare that “There are many better ways of spending money that has been earned with great sacrifices other than hiring Mr Beckham.”Mr Berlusconi may well be right. David Beckhams abilities and marketing clout notwithstanding, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify spending 20m ($32m) to 30m the rumoured asking price on any footballer. The market for players is crashing to earth, and there will soon be bargains available for the patient.It was not always thus. During the 1990s, the rising price of football players seemed like a law of nature. Between 1995 and 2001, the amount spent by English clubs increased from 213m to 423m, with just under half the money going overseas. This boom had two causes. First, a 1995 ruling by the European Court of Justice allowed players to move more freely between clubs. Second, the television licensing market grew rapidly thanks to the spread of pay-TV. Assuming that players would be worth exponentially greater sums in future years, and reluctant to see them depart for nothing at the end of their contracts, football clubs eagerly signed long-term deals at his prices.But demand from couch potatoes turned out to be less elastic than the clubs thought, and a correction set in. By the 2001-02 season, transfer spending was down to around 400m. Since then the market has, in the words of a football agent, “fallen off a cliff”. Dan Jones, who follows football finances for Deloitte & Touche Sport, reckons that spending will drop to mid-1990s levels in the next few years. The Premier League is trying to buck up the market it recently allowed clubs to stagger transfer fees over the life of a players contract.But such ploys are unlikely to succeed. Players (including quite good ones) are now flooding the market, their clubs having failed to find buyers for them while they were still in contract. When this summers trading window opened, a record 586 professional players out of a total body of less than 2,500 found themselves without an employer. Most will be picked up, but on short-term contracts that contain nasty things like relegation clauses. Gordon Taylor, president of the Professional Footballers Association, speaks of a “cold wind” that may soon depress wages. Which, for poorer clubs that in the past have lived off selling players to richer ones, is the only good news around.31. David Beckham is cited as an example toA show the popularity of footballers in England.B assess the abilities of this world-famous star.C introduce the topic of football transfer market.D illustrate how money is spent on top players.32. Which of the following is true of football clubs in the past?A They failed to find buyers for their professional players.B They may profit from transfer marketing considerably.C They would strive to sign a contract on transfer fees.D They could forbid players to move freely between clubs.33. It can be inferred from the second paragraph thatA clubs will gain the upper hand in the deal.B the market for players reaches the bottom.C clubs are generally entitled to privileges.D players have trouble earning good wages.34. The word “ploys” (Paragraph 4) most probably meansA strategies.B programs.C remedies.D employers.35. We can learn from the last paragraph thatA football superstars are confronted with unemployment.B short-term contracts facilitate the recruitment of top players.C richer clubs will drive poorer clubs out of the transfer market.D players are more likely to sign long-term contracts with clubs.Text 4Marriage isnt what it used to be, says the bus-pass brigade, and this is true. For one thing, fewer people are doing it. Apart from a blip in 2000, when a batch