Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
In an essay entitled “Making It in America”, the author Adam Davidson relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill has only two employees today, “a man and a dog. The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines.”
Davidson’s article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession, but it is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers.
In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle. But, today, average is officially over. Being average just won’t earn you what it used to. It can’t when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius. Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra—their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.
Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will. But there’s been an acceleration. As Davidson notes, “In the 10 years ending in 2009, [U.S.] factories shed workers so fast that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years; roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs—about 6 million in total—disappeared.”
There will always be changes—new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average.
In a world where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to support employment, but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G.I. Bill for the 21st century that ensures that every American has access to post-high school education.
1、21. The joke in Paragraph 1 is used to illustrate ________.
A the impact of technological advances
B the alleviation of job pressure
C the shrinkage of textile mills
D the decline of middle-class incomes
答案解析：
答案精析：由题干定位至第一段，关键词joke定位到冒号后的内容。笑话内容大意为，只需要一条狗和一个人就可以开一间纺织厂，人负责喂狗，狗负责使人远离机器，可见自动化程度之高。因此该笑话反映的是很少的人力就能达到很高的生产力，而这种进步的来源就是技术水平的提高。所以A为正确答案。
错项排除：文中并没有提及技术进步与工作压力的关系，因此B项排除。笑话中只提及纺织厂工人少，无从判断纺织业规模是否缩水，故排除C选项。D选项中的middle-class在文章中未提及。
2、22. According to Paragraph 3, to be a successful employee, one has to ________.
A work on cheap software
B ask for a moderate salary
C adopt an average lifestyle
D contribute something unique
答案解析：
答案精析：由题干可知答案位于第三段，再根据关键词successful定位到最后一句的... that makes them stand out。本句大意为：因此，每个人都需要找到他们的独特性——能使他们在工作领域中脱颖而出的独特价值。D选项是对原文中unique value contribution的同义转述，故D项正确。
错项排除：A选项定义为廉价成本的其中一种，是雇主可以轻易获得的资源之一，与工作者无关。B选项中的关键词salary主要对应原文中的廉价外国劳动力，但并没有直接说明成功与薪水之间的联系。C选项的关键词average是文章主旨中需要抛弃的，因此排除。
3、23. The quotation in Paragraph 4 explains that ________.
A gains of technology have been erased
B job opportunities are disappearing at a high speed
C factories are making much less money than before
D new jobs and services have been offered
答案解析：
答案精析：Davidson的话概括性地描述了现在工作岗位的迅速消失，工厂快速裁员（factories shed workers so fast），制造业岗位消失了三分之一（one out of every... disappeared），可以直接得出B选项与原文吻合。
错项排除：原文第四段第三句中gains指人员新增，并非gains of technology，A项偷换概念。原文只是指工厂裁员，并没有提及工厂收益的变化，所以C选项不成立。D项与引用Davidson的话相矛盾，也排除。
4、24. According to the author, to reduce unemployment, the most important is ________.
A [A] to accelerate the I.T. revolution
B [B] to ensure more education for people
C [C] to advance economic globalization
D [D] to pass more bills in the 21st century
答案解析：
答案精析：题目关键词reduce the unemployment对应第六段第二句中的support employment（帮助就业），说明关键信息在第六段附近。后半句的从句指出，保证21世纪的每个美国人都能接受高等教育。再回到第五段找到另一个转述词more and better education，也是提高个人工作能力的一个关键点：更多更好的教育，由此可知答案关键字为教育，只有B选项符合题意。
错项排除：A选项提及信息技术，原文虽有提及，但与减少失业率无关。C选项的经济全球化也是事实，与失业率无关。D项中的关键词bills则与最后一句话中的法案对应，但该法案只是一个用来衬托教育重要性的例子，并不能与减少失业率产生直接联系，其最终目的是让人们接受高等教育。
5、25. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the text?
A New Law Takes Effect
B Technology Goes Cheap
C Average Is Over
D Recession Is Bad
答案解析：
答案精析：本文通过描述经济衰退、科技进步和经济全球化导致工作机会大量减少，指出个人能力的提升才是保住工作的利器。第五段的最后一句也指出，最好的工作要求人们接受更高的教育来达到above average的水平，与C选项吻合，现在的工作环境象征着人不能甘于平庸，要追求教育。
错项排除：A选项在原文并未提及，属无中生有。B选项只是指出工作紧张的一个外部原因，不足以概括全文，所以排除。D选项只是对时代背景的一个主观概括，并未达到文章主旨的高度。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
A century ago, the immigrants from across the Atlantic included settlers and sojourners. Along with the many folks looking to make a permanent home in the United States came those who had no intention to stay, and who would make some money and then go home. Between 1908 and 1915, about 7 million people arrived while about 2 million departed. About a quarter of all Italian immigrants, for example, eventually returned to Italy for good. They even had an affectionate nickname, “uccelli di passaggio”, birds of passage.
Today, we are much more rigid about immigrants. We divide newcomers into two categories: legal or illegal, good or bad. We hail them as Americans in the making, or brand them as aliens to be kicked out. That framework has contributed mightily to our broken immigration system and the long political paralysis over how to fix it. We don’t need more categories, but we need to change the way we think about categories. We need to look beyond strict definitions of legal and illegal. To start, we can recognize the new birds of passage, those living and thriving in the gray areas. We might then begin to solve our immigration challenges.
Crop pickers, violinists, construction workers, entrepreneurs, engineers, home health-care aides and physicists are among today’s birds of passage. They are energetic participants in a global economy driven by the flow of work, money and ideas. They prefer to come and go as opportunity calls them. They can manage to have a job in one place and a family in another.
With or without permission, they straddle laws, jurisdictions and identities with ease. We need them to imagine the United States as a place where they can be productive for a while without committing themselves to staying forever. We need them to feel that home can be both here and there and that they can belong to two nations honorably.
Accommodating this new world of people in motion will require new attitudes on both sides of the immigration battle. Looking beyond the culture war logic of right or wrong means opening up the middle ground and understanding that managing immigration today requires multiple paths and multiple outcomes, including some that are not easy to accomplish legally in the existing system.
6、26. “Birds of passage” refers to those who ________.
A immigrate across the Atlantic
B leave their home countries for good
C stay in a foreign country temporarily
D find permanent jobs overseas
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题目关键词birds of passage定位到文章第一段最后一句，通过描述移民美国的意大利人来定义“候鸟一族”，即那些在美国工作生活过，后来又回到意大利的人，C最能体现该词定义。
错项排除：原文提到跨越大西洋移民的有定居者，也有旅居者，而只有回到祖国的人被称为“候鸟一族”，故A错误。文章称那四分之一回到意大利的人是birds of passage，所以B项与原文矛盾。D选项中的关键词permanent jobs没有提及。
7、27. It is implied in Paragraph 2 that the current immigration system in the US ________.
A needs new immigrant categories
B has loosened control over immigrants
C should be adapted to meet challenges
D has been fixed via political means
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干定位到第二段，根据immigration可定位至第二段第四句，该句指出移民制度是broken（漏洞百出）的，第五句则指出，我们需要change the way we think about categories（改变对移民类别的看法），只有这样才能solve our immigration challenges（解决移民挑战），可见现有移民政策需要改变，以应对挑战，C选项是对此内容的总结概括，为正确答案。
错项排除：第二段第五句已经明确提到不需要更多移民类别，A表述与原文文意相反。B的关键词has loosened与第二段第一句中more rigid（更严格）相悖。D选项与第二段第四句中the long political paralysis over how to fix it相悖。
8、28. According to the author, today’s birds of passage want ________.
A financial incentives
B a global recognition
C opportunities to get regular jobs
D the freedom to stay and leave
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词today’s和want定位到第三段最后一句。第三段倒数第二句的prefer与题干中的want对应，come and go与D选项的stay and leave对应，freedom与as opportunity calls them有逻辑上的对应。当有工作机会在召唤，这些候鸟移民就可以来去自由，所以D为正确答案。
错项排除：A、B、C在原文均未提及，没有依据，故错误。
9、29. The author suggests that the birds of passage today should be treated ________.
A as faithful partners
B with economic favors
C with legal tolerance
D as mighty rivals
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词today和should be treated确定重点落在最后一段的第二句。根据文章最后一段可以得出，作者呼吁不应该把文化矛盾当作是非之争，而是应该打开中间地带、促进理解，使现在的移民有更多途径，产生更多结果，包括那些在现在法律体制中难以达到的结果。最后一个从句与legal对应，middle ground与tolerance对应，因此选C。
错项排除：A项在文中没有提及关于faithful的论述。文中只讲到要给予候鸟型移民以公民同样的权利，而不等于超越一般权利的favor，所以排除。D项的rivals与原文的home can be both here and there存在矛盾，因此排除。
10、30. The most appropriate title for this text would be ________.
A Come and Go: Big Mistake
B Living and Thriving: Great Risk
C With or Without: Great Risk
D Legal or Illegal: Big Mistake
答案解析：
答案精析：文章指出现在的移民政策已经不适合时代和移民的现状，对移民方向不利。因为候鸟移民的存在是必要的，但他们没有享受到应得的福利，因此需要给他们更多的包容，为他们开辟法律保护下的中间地带。由此可知，第二段中的legal or illegal不应该是争辩和划分移民地位的标准，因此可以选D。
错项排除：A选项否定候鸟移民的合理性，与文章基调矛盾，应排除。B选项讲生存或繁荣，指的是移民的生活状态，但这并非文章讨论的主题。C选项的在或不在，指的是有无候鸟移民对美国的影响，文章没有提及。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Scientists have found that although we are prone to snap overreactions, if we take a moment and think about how we are likely to react, we can reduce or even eliminate the negative effects of our quick, hard-wired responses.
Snap decisions can be important defense mechanisms; if we are judging whether someone is dangerous, our brains and bodies are hard-wired to react very quickly, within milliseconds. But we need more time to assess other factors. To accurately tell whether someone is sociable, studies show, we need at least a minute, preferably five. It takes a while to judge complex aspects of personality, like neuroticism or open-mindedness.
But snap decisions in reaction to rapid stimuli aren’t exclusive to the interpersonal realm. Psychologists at the University of Toronto found that viewing a fast-food logo for just a few milliseconds primes us to read 20 percent faster, even though reading has little to do with eating. We unconsciously associate fast food with speed and impatience and carry those impulses into whatever else we’re doing. Subjects exposed to fast-food flashes also tend to think a musical piece lasts too long.
Yet we can reverse such influences. If we know we will overreact to consumer products or housing options when we see a happy face (one reason good sales representatives and real estate agents are always smiling), we can take a moment before buying. If we know female job screeners are more likely to reject attractive female applicants, we can help screeners understand their biases—or hire outside screeners.
John Gottman, the marriage expert, explains that we quickly “thin slice” information reliably only after we ground such snap reactions in “thick sliced” long-term study. When Dr. Gottman really wants to assess whether a couple will stay together, he invites them to his island retreat for a much longer evaluation: two days, not two seconds.
Our ability to mute our hard-wired reactions by pausing is what differentiates us from animals: dogs can think about the future only intermittently or for a few minutes. But historically we have spent about 12 percent of our days contemplating the longer term. Although technology might change the way we react, it hasn’t changed our nature. We still have the imaginative capacity to rise above temptation and reverse the high-speed trend.
11、31. The time needed in making decisions may ________.
A vary according to the urgency of the situation
B prove the complexity of our brain reaction
C depend on the importance of the assessment
D predetermine the accuracy of our judgment
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题目关键词the time needed和decisions定位到第二段。第二段整段的关键词是需要快速反应的各种情况，以及做出各种反应所需的时间：对危险的本能判断——几毫秒；判断人的交际性——一分钟到五分钟；人类特定性格——更长时间，综合起来可以总结，不同情况下做出决定的时间会有不同，本段中举例的三个场合的紧迫性也各有不同，因此A选项符合题意，urgency可以概括三种场合之间的紧急程度不同，而vary可以概括时间上的不同。
错项排除：B项对应第二段最后一句complex aspects，但最后一句是指评判人比较复杂的特征需要时间，并不存在“证明”的色彩。C项用assessment概括对三种场合的反应，但并没有体现评价这一行为本身的重要性。D项的关键词为predetermine和accuracy，在第二段第三句出现to accurately tell whether...只是做快速决定的一种情况，以偏概全，也没有体现“提前决定”，故排除。
12、32. Our reaction to a fast-food logo shows that snap decisions ________.
A can be associative
B are not unconscious
C can be dangerous
D are not impulsive
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词fast-food logo定位到文章第三段第二句。原文上下以人们对快餐品牌的反应为例，表明快餐品牌的出现会让人产生不耐烦或急躁的情绪，而第三句总结原因，指出人们会无意识将快餐与快速和急躁联系在一起，对应题目A选项的associative，即快速决定会与快餐品牌之类的因素产生关联。
错项排除：B选项双重否定，not unconscious就表示conscious（有意识），而文章提及的现象是无意识的，B选项与原文矛盾。dangerous对应第二段第一句，对应主语是someone，与快餐无关，故排除C项。原文指出快餐与speed, impatience, carry impulses有关，并非选项D所说的否定冲动，D应排除。
13、33. To reverse the negative influences of snap decisions, we should ________.
A trust our first impression
B do as people usually do
C think before we act
D ask for expert advice
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词reverse和negative influences定位到第四段。第四段通过例子来说明消除快速反应的负面影响，根据take a moment before buying（购物前先想一想）可以推断出先想想再作出决策会reverse influences（扭转影响）；再根据第一段中的take a moment and think about how we are likely to react，可知“花点时间想想自己可能会做出怎样的反应”就是扭转快速决定的关键，即C项think before we act（三思而后行）。
错项排除：A选项鼓励第一印象，会促使快速决定，与文意相反。B选项的people usually do 在全文中没有提及。D选项的关键词expert指第五段的John Gottman，但下文只提到他通过实验证明三思而后行对决策的影响，并没有提及专家咨询与改变快速决定的关系，因此排除。
14、34. John Gottman says that reliable snap reactions are based on ________.
A critical assessment
B “thin sliced” study
C sensible explanation
D adequate information
答案解析：
答案精析：题目信息隐藏在第五段Gottman的理论中，其中thick slice指的是长久积累的经验和长期打算；thin slice指需要作出快速反应的信息。他认为，只有基于长期积累的信息，才能可靠地去处理需要快速反应的信息，因此based on的基点是thick sliced long-term study，为D选项的同义转述。
错项排除：A选项在Gottman的理论中没有提及。B选项能在文中找到同词，但可靠的快速决定是基于thick slice而非thin slice，故排除。C选项的explanation也没有提及。
15、35. The author’s attitude toward reversing the high-speed trend is ________.
A tolerant
B uncertain
C optimistic
D doubtful
答案解析：
答案精析：文章第一段即交代中心句，提出只要花点时间思考，就可以避免快速决策的不良影响。第四和第五段举例论证停下来思考可以扭转快速决策带来的不良影响，第六段最后一句点明作者态度，人们仍然具有imaginative capacity（想象的能力）来抵制诱惑，reverse the high-speed trend（扭转快速反应的倾向），由此可见作者态度是乐观的，选C。
错项排除：作者对扭转快速决策的态度是积极的，因此A、B、D三个表示中性偏负面的词可以排除。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Europe is not a gender-equality heaven. In particular, the corporate workplace will never be completely family-friendly until women are part of senior management decisions, and Europe’s top corporate-governance positions remain overwhelmingly male. Indeed, women hold only 14 percent of positions on European corporate boards.
The European Union is now considering legislation to compel corporate boards to maintain a certain proportion of women—up to 60 percent. This proposed mandate was born of frustration. Last year, European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding issued a call to voluntary action. Reding invited corporations to sign up for gender balance goal of 40 percent female board membership. But her appeal was considered a failure: only 24 companies took it up.
Do we need quotas to ensure that women can continue to climb the corporate ladder fairly as they balance work and family?
“Personally, I don’t like quotas,” Reding said recently. “But I like what the quotas do.” Quotas get action: they “open the way to equality and they break through the glass ceiling,” according to Reding, a result seen in France and other countries with legally binding provisions on placing women in top business positions.
I understand Reding’s reluctance—and her frustration. I don’t like quotas either; they run counter to my belief in meritocracy, governance by the capable. But, when one considers the obstacles to achieving the meritocratic ideal, it does look as if a fairer world must be temporarily ordered.
After all, four decades of evidence has now shown that corporations in Europe as well as the US are evading the meritocratic hiring and promotion of women to top position—no matter how much “soft pressure” is put upon them. When women do break through to the summit of corporate power—as, for example, Sheryl Sandberg recently did at Facebook—they attract massive attention precisely because they remain the exception to the rule.
If appropriate pubic policies were in place to help all women—whether CEOs or their children’s caregivers—and all families, Sandberg would be no more newsworthy than any other highly capable person living in a more just society.
16、36. In the European corporate workplace, generally ________.
A women take the lead
B men have the final say
C corporate governance is overwhelmed
D senior management is family-friendly
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词European corporate workplace定位到文章第一段。第一段第二、三句指出，欧洲企业中的高层管理岗位中男性依然占据大多数，而女性只占董事会席位的14%。这说明高层管理由男性主导，而高层管理拥有公司的最终决定权，与B表述一致。
错项排除：A选项反映女性在职场高层管理中占大多数，与原文含义相反，因此排除。C选项的overwhelmed没有在文中提及。D项的family-friendly与第三段的balance有关，但这只是作者对观点的讨论，不是工作场合的惯例。
17、37. The European Union’s intended legislation is ________.
A a reflection of gender balance
B a reluctant choice
C a response to Reding’s call
D a voluntary action
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词European Union和 intended定位到第二段开头，considering legislation与题目的intended legislation对应；而第二句体现了这个提议的态度为born of frustration（由于挫折而产生的），根据后文可知，之前呼吁企业自愿达到性别平衡的行动失败了，只能出台法律来控制董事会男女比例的平衡，可知欧盟并非情愿制定此项法律，B项的reluctant能最贴切地形容欧盟的态度，选B。
错项排除：A选项是全文讨论的主旨，但reflection代表性别平衡已经达到，而事实并非如此，故排除。Reding呼吁的是voluntary action，并非立法强制，故C项错误。而关键词frustration也说明欧盟的行动并非自愿，D排除。
18、38. According to Reding, quotas may help women ________.
A get top business positions
B see through the glass ceiling
C balance work and family
D anticipate legal results
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词Reding和quotas定位到第四段。根据Reding的话归纳总结出，在企业中为女性配额高管席位，会有助于平等，突破女性升职的障碍，也就是使女性有机会晋升到高层，因此A正确。
错项排除：B选项也出现了glass ceiling，但Reding的看法中对应的动词是break而非仅仅see through。C项中的balance出现在第三段，但第三段是作者的设问，并非Reding的看法。文中完全没有体现anticipate这一动作，故排除D项。
19、39. The author’s attitude toward Reding’s appeal is one of ________.
A skepticism
B objectiveness
C indifference
D approval
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词the author’s attitude定位到原文第五段。作者在第五段中对Reding对新法案的抵触表示理解，因为作者相信强行要求一定百分比的管理层是女性会违背任人唯贤的原则，该段第三句以But开头表示转折，指出要达到任人唯贤的公平社会，就要先经历这样暂时的不平等。因此可以说作者赞同Reding的呼吁，选D。
错项排除：作者对Reding看法的态度有积极色彩，所以显然不会是“怀疑”或“冷淡”，A和C排除。作者表明了自己的想法是赞同的，因此具有主观性，B排除。
20、40. Women entering top management become headlines due to the lack of ________.
A more social justice
B massive media attention
C suitable public policies
D greater “soft pressure”
答案解析：
答案精析：根据关键词top management和headlines定位到原文第六、七段。文章通过举例说明Sheryl Sandberg在Facebook担任要职吸引了大量媒体关注，而如果公共政策能够帮助女性顺利升职，这样的事就不会被当作大新闻了。因此女性担任要职的情况不应被当作头条，而应该因公共政策的完善而变成正常的事，可见如今公共政策依然缺乏，选C。
错项排除：Social justice在女性担任要职见报的现象中没有体现，A排除。文中指出这一现象已经吸引了大量媒体关注，与B矛盾。而soft pressure在第六段第一句提及，是指女性向职场巅峰攀登的负担，并非女性已经身居高位时遇到的现象，所以D排除。
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