Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
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 this 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 complete on their own or that they 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 part 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 very 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 matters, it should account for a significant portion of the grade. Meanwhile, this policy does nothing to ensure that the homework students receive is meaningful or appropriate to their age and the subject, or that teachers 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.
1、21. It is implied in Paragraph 1 that nowadays homework ________.
A is receiving more criticism
B is gaining more preferences
C is not required for advanced courses
D is no longer an educational ritual
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Paragraph 1和nowadays homework可定位至原文第一段首句。该句指出，作业一直不受学生和部分家长的欢迎，但近年来尤其受到蔑视。题干中nowadays和原文中的in recent years对应，A选项中的criticism和原文中scorned的语义色彩一致，故正确答案为A选项。
错项排除：B选项中preferences（喜爱）与原文中scorned的语义色彩相反，故错误。原文最后一句提到，除一些高级课程外，家庭作业在学术成绩中的占比不得超过10%，并非高级课程可以不做要求，故C选项错误。原文中只是说一些学区开始改变对家庭作业这一教育惯例的看法，并非要废除这一教育惯例，故D选项错误。
2、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
答案解析：
答案精析：根据poor students可定位至原文第二段首句。该句指出，这一规定旨在解决贫困或混乱家庭的学生在完成家庭作业时会遇到的困难，也就是说该规定是因为贫困学生在完成作业方面有困难，选项中的finishing是对原文中completing的同义替换，故正确答案为C选项。
错项排除：A、D选项在原文均未提及，故排除。原文第二段最后指出，这一政策相当于暗示应该对贫困学生降低标准，并非是贫困学生主动要求设定不同的标准，故B选项错误。
3、23. According to Paragraph 3, one problem with the policy is that it may ________.
A result in students’ indifference to their report cards
B undermine the authority of state tests
C restrict teachers’ power in education
D discourage students from doing homework
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干可定位至原文第三段，该段第二句指出，在家庭作业占学生成绩的比重的不足10%的情况下，学生可以跳过一半作业不做，但成绩却不受多大影响。这将会使学生不重视家庭作业，失去做家庭作业的动力，D选项与原文指出的大意相符，为正确答案。
错项排除：A选项在原文并未提及，故排除。B选项中“state tests”在原文只是作为例证，并未提及会削弱州立考试的权威性，故排除。第三段最后一句只是说这一规定没有赋予老师权利去寻找最适合学生的家庭作业，并不是限制了老师的权利，故C选项错误。
4、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
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中Paragraph 4和a key question可定位至原文第四段。该段首句指出，该政策并未解决真正棘手的问题（thorny questions）。第二、三句详细阐述了第一句所说的棘手问题。通过假设家庭作业重要或不重要，指出了该政策的不合理之处，也就说明该政策没有解决家庭作业是否重要的问题。故正确答案为B选项。
错项排除：取消家庭作业是假设家庭作业不重要时应采取的举措，并非该政策尚未解决的问题，故排除A选项。第四段最后一句指出该政策也无法保证老师布置的作业没有超过他们愿意批改的量，并未提及家庭作业增加了老师的额外负担，故C选项错误。原文认为如果家庭作业重要，则它应该在分数中占比更多，此处只是假设，并非待解决的问题，故排除D选项。
5、25. A suitable title for this text could be ________.
A A Faulty Approach to Homework
B A Welcomed Policy for Poor Students
C Thorny Questions about Homework
D Wrong Interpretation of an Educational Policy
答案解析：
答案精析：全文围绕一项家庭作业的新政策进行展开，大部分篇幅都在批评该政策的不足与可能带来的不良后果，可见正确答案为A选项。
错项排除：原文只是提到该政策旨在解决贫困学生做作业时遇到的困难，并未提及是否受贫困学生欢迎，故B选项错误。关于家庭作业的棘手问题是新政策未解决的问题，属于文章细节信息，不能作为文章的标题，故C选项也应排除。文章是对教育政策的解读，全文在批评该政策的不足，语调客观，不能判断文章解读有误，故D选项错误。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Pretty in pink: adult women do not remember being so obsessed with the color, yet it is pervasive in our young girls’ lives. It is not that pink is intrinsically bad, but it is such a tiny slice of the rainbow and, though it may celebrate girlhood in one way, it also repeatedly and firmly fuses girls’ identity to appearance. Then it presents that connection, even among two-year-olds, between girls as not only innocent but as evidence of innocence. Looking around, I despaired at the singular lack of imagination about girls’ lives and interests.
Girls’ attraction to pink may seem unavoidable, somehow encoded in their DNA, but according to Jo Paoletti, an associate professor of American Studies, it is not. Children were not color-coded at all until the early 20th century, in the era before domestic washing machines all babies wore white as a practical matter, since the only way of getting clothes clean was to boil them. What’s more, both boys and girls wore what were thought of as gender-neutral dresses. When nursery colors were introduced, pink was actually considered the more masculine color, a pastel version of red, which was associated with strength. Blue, with its intimations of the Virgin Mary, constancy and faithfulness, symbolized femininity. It was not until the mid-1980s, when amplifying age and sex differences became a dominant children’s marketing strategy, that pink fully came into its own, when it began to seem inherently attractive to girls, part of what defined them as female, at least for the first few critical years.
I had not realized how profoundly marketing trends dictated our perception of what is natural to kids, including our core beliefs about their psychological development. Take the toddler. I assumed that phase was something experts developed after years of research into children’s behavior: wrong. Turns out, according to Daniel Cook, a historian of childhood consumerism, it was popularized as a marketing trick by clothing manufacturers in the 1930s.
Trade publications counselled department stores that, in order to increase sales, they should create a “third stepping stone” between infant wear and older kids’ clothes. It was only after “toddler” became a common shoppers’ term that it evolved into a broadly accepted developmental stage. Splitting kids, or adults, into ever-tinier categories has proved a sure-fire way to boost profits. And one of the easiest ways to segment a market is to magnify gender differences—or invent them where they did not previously exist.
6、26. By saying “it is...the rainbow” (Line 2, Para. 1), the author means pink ________.
A cannot explain girls’ lack of imagination
B should not be associated with girls’ innocence
C should not be the sole representation of girlhood
D cannot influence girls’ lives and interests
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干可定位至原文第一段第二句，该句划线部分的字面含义是“它只是彩虹中的很小一部分”，从字面意义可以看出粉色不是全部，而and前后的语义一致；后面指出，尽管粉色可以在一定程度上代表少女时期，但它也不断地融合女孩对于外貌的认同。也就是说粉色会使女孩对于少女时期的认同变得单一，综合来看，C选项与原文暗示的信息一致，故为正确答案。
错项排除：原文虽然提及“lack of imagination（缺乏想象力）”，但其主体不是女孩，而是女孩生活和兴趣缺乏想象力这一现象，强调单一性，A选项错误。原文提到粉色代表了女孩的纯真，并未表示女孩的纯真不应该与粉色联系起来，故B选项错误。原文提到粉色会融合女孩对于外表的认同，使得女孩生活和兴趣缺乏想象力，可见粉色对女孩是有影响的，故D选项错误。
长难句分析：It is not that pink is intrinsically bad, but it is such a tiny slice of the rainbow and, though it may celebrate girlhood in one way, it also repeatedly and firmly fuses girls’ identity to appearance.
本句是由and连接两个并列句，and前面的分句的句子主干是It is not that…but…，为主系表结构，其中表语是由not… but…连接的两个表语从句pink is intrinsically bad和it is such a tiny slice of the rainbow。and后是主从复合句，主句主干为it…fuses girls’ identity to appearance，为主谓宾结构。though引导让步状语从句，从句中使用了主谓宾结构，in one way为状语。
句意为：并非粉色本身不好，而是它只是彩虹的一小部分，并且粉色可以在一定程度上代表少女时期，但它也不断地使女孩的外貌意识融合趋同。
7、27. According to Paragraph 2, which of the following is true of colors？
A Colors are encoded in girls’ DNA.
B Blue used to be regarded as the color for girls.
C White is preferred by babies.
D Pink used to be a neutral color in symbolizing genders.
答案解析：
答案精析：根据原文第二段第五句可知，蓝色代表着女性（femininity），后面提到直到20世纪80年代，粉色才被视为女性的颜色，也就是说蓝色曾被认为是女孩的颜色，因而B选项表述正确。
错项排除：第二段第一句指出，女孩喜欢粉色看似植根于她们的DNA，而事实并非如此，故A选项错误。婴儿之所以穿白色衣服，是因为当时清洗衣物的唯一方式是煮沸衣服，并未提及婴儿更喜欢白色，故C选项错误。原文明确提出粉色曾被认为是更加男性化（masculine）的颜色，而非D选项表述的中性颜色，故D选项错误。
8、28. The author suggests that our perception of children’s psychological development was much influenced by ________.
A the observation of children’s nature
B the marketing of products for children
C researches into children’s behavior
D studies of childhood consumption
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的perception和psychological development可定位至原文第三段第一句。该句指出，营销潮流深刻影响我们对儿童天性的认知，包括对儿童心理发展的核心观念。故B选项为正确答案。
错项排除：原文中儿童天性包括儿童心理发展，都受到营销潮流的影响，但并未提及对儿童心理发展的认知受对儿童天性的观察影响，故A选项错误。原文提到儿童行为研究，是为了解释toddler一词的来源，与题干所说的对儿童心理发展的认知无关，故C选项错误。原文提到childhood consumerism只是为了说明Daniel Cook的身份，与题干问题也无关，故D选项错误。
9、29. We may learn from Paragraph 4 that department stores were advised to ________.
A classify consumers into smaller groups
B attach equal importance to different genders
C focus on infant wear and older kids’ clothes
D create some common shoppers’ terms
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Paragraph 4和department stores可定位至第四段第一句。该句指出，商业出版物建议百货商场在儿童服装和大龄儿童服装之间增加“一个跳板”，以增加销售。最后一句指出细分市场的最简单方式之一就是扩大性别差异或者创造原来不存在的差异，可见百货商场实质上是被建议将消费者细分成更小的群体，故A选项为正确答案。
错项排除：原文只提到扩大性别差距，未提及对不同性别同等重视，故排除B选项。原文只是建议在婴儿服装和大龄儿童服装之间增加一个消费群，并不是要关注这两个群体，故C选项错误。常见的购物者术语是市场细分的结果，并不等于百货商场被建议这么做，故D选项错误。
10、30. It can be concluded that girls’ attraction to pink seems to be ________.
A fully understood by clothing manufacturers
B clearly explained by their inborn tendency
C mainly imposed by profit-driven businessmen
D well interpreted by psychological experts
答案解析：
答案精析：文章从女孩迷恋粉色切入，得出了粉色对女孩的吸引并非由女孩天性决定，而是受到服装制造商的营销伎俩影响；然后分析了商人为追逐利益而不断细分市场的行为，可见女孩对粉色的喜爱更多的是由商人后天强加的，故C选项为正确答案。
错项排除：女孩对粉色的喜爱是由服装制造商创造出来的，因而不是被服装制造商完全理解，故A选项错误。原文已经指明女孩对粉色的偏爱并非与生俱来，与B选项表述矛盾，故B选项错误。D选项在原文中并未提及，故排除。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
In 2010, a federal judge shook America’s biotech industry to its core. Companies had won patents for isolated DNA for decades— by 2005 some 20% of human genes were patented. But in March 2010 a judge ruled that genes were unpatentable. Executives were violently agitated. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), a trade group, assured members that this was just a “preliminary step” in a longer battle.
On July 29th they were relieved, at least temporarily. A federal appeals court overturned the prior decision, ruling that Myriad Genetics could indeed hold patents to two genes that help forecast a woman’s risk of breast cancer. The chief executive of Myriad, a company in Utah, said the ruling was a blessing to firms and patients alike.
But as companies continue their attempts at personalized medicine, the courts will remain rather busy. The Myriad case itself is probably not over. Critics make three main arguments against gene patents: a gene is a product of nature, so it may not be patented; gene patents suppress innovation rather than reward it; and patents’ monopolies restrict access to genetic tests such as Myriad’s. A growing number seem to agree. Last year a federal task-force urged reform for patents related to genetic tests. In October the Department of Justice filed a brief in the Myriad case, arguing that an isolated DNA molecule “is no less a product of nature... than are cotton fibers that have been separated from cotton seeds.”
Despite the appeals court’s decision, big questions remain unanswered. For example, it is unclear whether the sequencing of a whole genome violates the patents of individual genes within it. The case may yet reach the Supreme Court.
As the industry advances, however, other suits may have an even greater impact. Companies are unlikely to file many more patents for human DNA molecules—most are already patented or in the public domain. Firms are now studying how genes interact, looking for correlations that might be used to determine the causes of disease or predict a drug’s efficacy. Companies are eager to win patents for “connecting the dots”, explains Hans Sauer, a lawyer for the BIO.
Their success may be determined by a suit related to this issue, brought by the Mayo Clinic, which the Supreme Court will hear in its next term. The BIO recently held a convention which included sessions to coach lawyers on the shifting landscape for patents. Each meeting was packed.
11、31. It can be learned from Paragraph 1 that the biotech companies would like ________.
A genes to be patentable
B the BIO to issue a warning
C their executives to be active
D judges to rule out gene patenting
答案解析：
答案精析：根据第一段，对于法官裁决基因不可申请专利，生物科技公司的高层感到极其焦虑（violently agitated），可见生物科技公司对这一裁决是不满的，也就是他们想要基因可以申请专利，故正确答案为A选项。
错项排除：第一段最后一句指出，生物科技行业组织给成员发出预警是事实，并非生物科技公司想要生物科技行业组织这么做，故B选项错误。原文只提到高层对这一裁决感到焦虑，没有提到是否活跃，C选项在原文没有体现，故排除。D选项与原文内容相悖，故错误。
12、32. Those who are against gene patents believe that ________.
A genetic tests are not reliable
B only man-made products are patentable
C patents on genes depend much on innovation
D courts should restrict access to genetic tests
答案解析：
答案精析：根据Those who are against gene patents可定位至原文第三段第三句。该句中Critics是这一表述的同义转述。该句指出批评人士认为基因是自然产物，因此不能申请专利，言下之意就是：只有人造的产品才可以申请专利，故正确答案为B选项。
错项排除：文章第三段提到基因垄断限制了其他公司进行基因测试，没有提到基因测试是否可靠，故A选项错误。原文也没有提到法院是否应该限制基因测试，故D选项错误。原文提到基因专利抑制（suppress）了创新，并非依赖创新，故C选项错误。
13、33. According to Hans Sauer, companies are eager to win patents for ________.
A discovering gene interactions
B establishing disease correlations
C drawing pictures of genes
D identifying human DNA
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Hans Sauer可定位至原文第五段最后一句。该句指出生物公司渴望赢得专利权是为了将相关的基因点连接起来（connecting the dots）。第五段第四句提到公司正在研究基因如何相互作用（how genes interact），可见生物公司想要赢得专利权是为了发现基因是如何相互作用的，故正确答案为A选项。
错项排除：原文第五段提到correlations是指基因的相关性，以用来诊断疾病的病因和药物的药效，而不是疾病之间的相关性，故B选项错误。C选项在原文中未提及，故排除。公司要申请人类DNA专利，并没有提到其目的是否为鉴别人类DNA，故D选项错误。
14、34. By saying “Each meeting was packed” (Para. 6), the author means that ________.
A the Supreme Court was authoritative
B the BIO was a powerful organization
C gene patenting was a great concern
D lawyers were keen to attend conventions
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干可定位到原文最后一段最后一句。packed表示“拥挤的”，该句的字面意思是“每次会议都座无虚席”。前文提到BIO召开会议，期间包括一些研讨会，针对不断变化的基因专利案形势对律师进行培训。由此可见，会议座无虚席是因为人们对于基因专利授予的关注，故正确答案为C选项。
错项排除：会议由BIO召开，与最高法院是否权威无关，故排除A选项。虽然会议是由BIO召开，但是主要是关于基因专利的，与其是否强大无关，故B选项错误。会议包含对律师进行培训，但无法判断“会议座无虚席”意味着律师热衷于开会，故D选项错误。
15、35. Generally speaking, the author’s attitude toward gene patenting is ________.
A critical
B supportive
C scornful
D objective
答案解析：
答案精析：从全文来看，作者从基因专利案件切入，分析案件进展。整篇文章就事论事，并未表达自己的观点看法，故作者对于基因专利的态度是客观的，正确答案为D选项。
错项排除：A、B、C选项均带有明显的感情倾向，在原文均无法找到依据。
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
The great recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. And ultimately, it is likely to reshape our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years.
No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this national economic disaster. Many said that unemployment, while extremely painful, had improved them in some ways: they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent; they were more aware of the struggles of others. In limited respects, perhaps the recession will leave society better off. At the very least, it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses, and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending.
But for the most part, these benefits seem thin, uncertain, and far off. In The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U.S. , lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more mean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases, as does conflict between races and classes.
Income inequality usually falls during a recession, but it has not shrunk in this one. Indeed, this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides, and decrease opportunities to cross them—especially for young people. The research of Till Von Wachter, the economist in Columbia University, suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the masses beneath them that are left behind.
In the Internet age, it is particularly easy to see the resentment that has always been hidden within American society. More difficult, in the moment, is discerning precisely how these lean times are affecting society’s character. In many respects, the U.S. was more socially tolerant entering this recession than at any time in its history, and a variety of national polls on social conflict since then have shown mixed results. We will have to wait and see exactly how these hard times will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape it, and all the more so the longer they extend.
16、36. By saying “to find silver linings” (Line 1, Para. 2) the author suggests that the jobless try to ________.
A seek subsidies from the government
B make profits from the troubled economy
C explore reasons for the unemployment
D look on the bright side of the recession
答案解析：
答案精析：第二段首句提到，失业者努力在全国性经济灾难中寻找一线希望，即指他们努力看到经济衰退中好的一面。后面说失业者在某些方面得到提升（improved them in some ways）也印证了这一点，故D选项为正确答案。silver lining指“（不幸或不快中的）一线希望”。
错项排除：原文没有提及失业者努力获取政府补助、探索失业的原因或者从经济困境中获利，故A、B、C选项均与原文内容无关，均可排除。
17、37. According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people ________.
A struggle against each other
B realize the national dream
C challenge their prudence
D reconsider their lifestyle
答案解析：
答案精析：第二段提到经济衰退对人们的影响包括使失业者不那么物质（less materialistic）、经济上更谨慎（more financially prudent）、更能体谅别人的不易（more aware of the struggles of others）、使社会从暴富和豪宅的狂热民族梦想中清醒，并终止了挥霍无度的花钱方式（put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending），可以看出经济衰退使人们重新审视自己的生活方式，故D选项为正确答案，
错项排除：A选项中struggle（争斗）是对原文中struggle（艰难求生）的错误解读，原文是说失业使得人们更能体谅别人的艰难了，并非使人们相互争斗，两者语义有偏差，故错误。原文提到经济衰退使人们从民族梦想的狂热中清醒，并非实现民族梦想，故B选项错误。原文只是说人们在经济上更谨慎了，并未提及“挑战谨慎程度”，故C选项错误。
长难句分析：Many said that unemployment, while extremely painful, had improved them in some ways: they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent; they were more aware of the struggles of others.
本句主干为Many said that…，为主谓宾结构，其中宾语是that引导的宾语从句。宾语从句的主干是unemployment…had improved them，为主谓宾结构，while extremely painful是让步状语，in some ways是方式状语。冒号后是以分号隔开的两个句子，均为主系表结构，充当some ways的同位语。
句意为：很多人说虽然失业极其痛苦，但在某些方面使他们有所改善：他们不再那么物质，在经济上更加谨慎了；也更加能体谅别人的不易。
18、38. Benjamin Friedman believes that economic recessions may ________.
A impose a heavier burden on immigrants
B bring out more evils of human nature
C promote the advance of rights and freedoms
D ease conflicts between races and classes
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的Benjamin Friedman可定位至原文第三段第二句，该句指出本杰明·弗里德曼认为经济停滞或衰退的漫长时期使社会变得气量更加狭小（more mean-spirited），包容性降低（less inclusive），也就是人的丑恶面更加明显，故B选项为正确答案。
错项排除：原文只提到反移民情绪会加剧，并未提及是否会加重移民者的负担，故A选项错误。原文明确提及经济衰退会使权利和自由的发展停止或倒退（stopped or reversed），C选项中的promote（促进）与原文信息相悖，故错误。原文明确提及种族和阶级之间的斗争会加剧（increase），D选项中的ease（缓和）与原文信息相悖，故错误。
长难句分析：In The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U.S., lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more mean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms.
本句主干为Benjamin Friedman argues that…，为主谓宾结构，宾语是that引导的宾语从句，宾语从句的主干为lengthy periods…have left…and have stopped…。In The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth为状语，表明言论发表的出处。both inside and outside the U.S.为地点状语。of economic stagnation or decline为介词结构作后置定语，修饰periods。
句意为：在《经济增长的道德结果》一书中，经济历史学家本杰明·弗里德曼指出，无论在美国还是其他国家，长期的经济停滞或衰退会使社会变得气量更加狭小，包容性降低，也经常使人权和自由止步不前甚至倒退。
19、39. The research of Till Von Wachter suggests that in the recession graduates from elite universities tend to ________.
A lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities
B catch up quickly with experienced employees
C see their life chances as dimmed as the others’
D recover more quickly than the others
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中的The research of Till Von Wachter可定位至原文第四段最后一句。该句指出，提尔的研究表明名校毕业生能很快赶上（catch up fairly quickly）他们在经济繁荣时期毕业的话本应达到的水平，也就是说他们能更快地从经济衰退中恢复过来，故D选项为正确答案。
错项排除：原文明确指出名校毕业生恢复得更快，而普通大众（the masses）会落后，故A选项错误。原文中没有提及experienced employees，B选项属于无中生有，故错误。原文明确提出，并非所有的毕业生（not all people）都认为自己机会渺茫，然后指出名校毕业生恢复更快，可见名校毕业生机会并不渺茫，故C选项错误。
长难句分析：The research of Till Von Wachter, the economist in Columbia University, suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the masses beneath them that are left behind.
本句主干为The research…suggests that…，为主谓宾结构，宾语是that引导的宾语从句，of Till Von Wachter是介词结构作后置定语，修饰research，the economist in Columbia University是Till Von Wachter的同位语。在宾语从句主干为not all people …see their life chances dimmed，为主谓宾宾补结构，graduating into a recession为现在分词作后置定语，修饰people。冒号后是对主句的补充说明，以分号隔开两个分句。分号前的分句主干为those…catch up fairly quickly，本句为主谓结构，with degrees from elite universities为介词结构作后置定语，修饰those。where引导的从句where they otherwise would have been使用了虚拟语气，为介词to的宾语，与to一起作句子的状语成分。其后的if引导条件状语从句。分号后的分句使用了强调句型it is… that…，主干为the masses are left behind，为主谓结构，beneath them为介词结构作后置定语，修饰the masses。
句意为：哥伦比亚大学的经济学家提尔·冯·瓦赫特的研究表明，并非所有经济萧条时期毕业的人都机会渺茫：名校毕业生能很快达到在繁荣时期毕业会达到的水平；落后的是学历不如他们的大众阶层。
20、40. The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is ________.
A trivial
B positive
C certain
D destructive
答案解析：
答案精析：根据题干中influence of hard times可定位至文章最后一段最后两句。作者说艰难时期对社会的影响还需观望（wait and see），但艰难时期肯定（certainly）会重塑社会，可见作者认为肯定是存在影响的，故C选项为正确答案。
错项排除：原文最后一句提到困难时期持续时间越长越会改变社会，并没有指明这种影响的程度以及性质是好是坏，故A、B、D选项均与原文信息不符。
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