新航道考研英语|新航道2006考研英语命题预测题二及答案1

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北京新航道学校考研阅读主讲 印建坤

Section Ⅰ Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A,B,C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1(10 points)
America\"s Federal Reserve cut interest rates by another quarter- point, to 3.75%. Wall Street, which had been  1   for a sixth half- point cut, was disappointed. The Dow fell by 2%  2   the week. The past week\"s economic statistics gave mixed signals. Exports dropped by 2% in both March and April, largely   3   a decline in high- tech investment   4  ; the merchandise-trade   5   widened to $458 billion in the 12 months   6   April.   7  , the Conference Board\"s index of consumer confidence was higher than   8   in June.
Concerns   9   inflation in the euro area  10   . Preliminary data   11   that German consumer-price inflation fell to 3.1% in the year to June, from 3.5% in May; wage growth   12  to 1.4% in April, a real pay cut of 1.5%. Some economists fear that Germany is on the  13  of recession. The IFO index of business confidence dropped more  14   than expected in May, and the institute has cut its forecast of GDP  15   this year to only 1.2%, well  16  the German government\"s forecast of 2%.
The euro area\"s current-account deficit narrowed to $30 billion in the 12 months to April. Britain\"s deficit in the first quarter was its smallest  17   1998,  18   record investment income.
There was more bad news from Japan,   19  retail sales in large stores fell by 3.2% in May, the 37th consecutive monthly fall. The yen fell  20   the dollar, touching almost Yen 125 on one point.
1. A expectingB. hoping C. wishing  D. dreaming
2. A. in  B. above  C. during   D. over
3. A. because of  B. as a consequence of   C. because  D. thanks to 
4. A. at home  B. home  C. at abroad  D. abroad
5.A. deficit  B. shortage  C. scarcity  D. shortfall
6. A. to  B. until  C. up  D. onto
7. A. Although  B.Therefore  C. However   D. Hence
8. A. projected  B. planned  C. predicted  D. expected
9. A. over  B. for   C. about  D. above
10. A. stopped  B. eased  C. relieved  D. improved
11. A. showed  B. demonstrated  C. illustrated  D. explained
12. A. reduced  B. cut  C. slow  D. lessoned
13. A. edge  B. rim  C. lip  D. brink
14. A stridently  B. sharply  C. harshly  D.severely
15. A. growth  B. rise  C. increase  D. escalation
16.A above  B. below  C. high  D. low 
17. A. after  B since  C. until  D. towards
18. A, owe to  B. because of  C. on account of  D. thanks to
19. A. where  B. which  C. what  D. who
20. A. in opposition to B. opposed to  C. against  D. versus
Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
Part A

TEXT 1
WHAT is going on in Myanmar? European diplomats ventured- into the capital Yangon, formerly Rangoon, this week to discuss the junta\"s recent charm offensive, and came away little the wiser, though there are plenty of encouraging signs. On January 26th it was revealed that the government had freed over 80 political prisoners. One of them was Tin Oo, the vice chairman of the National League for Democracy, which won an election in 1990 that the generals have never honored. The prisoner release followed an announcement by the UN that Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the NLD and has been consistently demonized by the government, had been meeting some of the junta\"s top generals.
Both of these gestures are extraordinary. The generals have been rounding up NLD members relentlessly over the past couple of years, in an effort to eradicate any remnants of an opposition. They have been even more dogged in their efforts to discredit Miss Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel peace prize for opposing them and who remains the rallying point for the regime\"s detractors around the world. Last August the government blockaded a road for days to prevent her from visiting supporters outside the city. Since then she has been under virtual house arrest.
So why have the generals suddenly relaxed their grip? The most likely answer is that they think they can afford to, not that they have to. Though western countries maintain sanctions against the regime, it is hard to believe that it is now buckling. Most Asian countries are still happy to do business with Myanmar, and China especially is doing roaring cross-border trade.
Nor should one read too much into reports of a split between reformers and hardliners. Trade restrictions and multi-tiered exchange rates do indeed distort some parts of the economy grotesquely. And Khin Nyunt, one of the junta\"s top generals, does appear to support making some changes. But there is not much chance of anything dramatic happening. "The thing that they all agree about is that any economic reform would cause chaos in the country," says one western businessman who pops in and out from Thailand. And although the government\"s growth figures are overblown, the economy is nevertheless slightly expanding, rather than contracting.
Moreover, even the "reformers" within the junta have little interest in loosening up politically. They do not think they need to do so to improve the economy, and they certainly do not feel vulnerable politically. The military regime, says a recent report by the International Crisis Group, a think-tank, is "as strong as at any time in the country\"s history". The army has roughly doubled in size since 1988, when it bloodily suppressed a wave of protest and installed itself in power.
Unfortunately for Myanmar\"s democrats, the generals appear to be so well entrenched that they can now afford to work on their public relations. There is no harm in releasing opponents if the opposition is no longer a threat. And if Miss Suu Kyi is becoming irrelevant, there is no harm in meeting her to discuss the terms of surrender.
21. Which one is not about Suu Kyi?
A She won the Nobel Peace Prize.
B She suffered the torture from the generals.
C The generals eradicated her.
D The NLD members had been suspicious and got rid of by the generals.

22. The reason why the generals relaxed their grip is
A they think the prisoners are  not a real threat to them.
B the western countries maintain sanctions against it.
C they have to do so because of  UN’ negotiations.
D the economy is on the edge of stopping.

23. The expression“buckling”(line 4, para 3)most probably means
A. prosperous
B. fast-increased
C. exciting
D. terrible

24. The economy in Myanmar is
A dramatically changing
B increasing a little
C greatly contracting
D growing fast

25. This passage gives us an implication that
A Miss Suu Kyi is becoming weaker.
B Miss Suu Kyi will surrender.
C for the generals, the prospect seems sunny.
D there is still a long-term negotiation.

TEXT 2
URUGUAY has been a proud exception to the privatizing wave that swept through South America in the 1990s. Its state-owned firms are more efficient than many of their counterparts in Argentina and Brazil ever were. In 1992, Uruguayans voted in a referendum against privatizing telecoms. They rightly observe that some of Argentina\"s sales were botched, creating inefficient private monopolies. And with unemployment at 15%, nobody is enthusiastic about the job cuts privatization would involve.
That leaves President Jorge Batlle with a problem. Uruguay has been in recession for the past two years, mainly because of low prices for its agricultural exports, and because of Argentina\"s woes. But public debt is at 45% Of GDP, and rising. Some economists argue that privatization would give a boost to the economy, by attracting foreign investment, and by lowering costs. CERES, a think-tank, having compared tariffs for public services in Uruguay and its neighbors, believes liberalization could save businesses and households the equivalent of 4% of GDP annually, raise growth and produce a net 45,000 jobs.
The polls that show continuing support for public ownership also show growing opposition to monopolies. So Mr. Batlle plans to keep the state firms, but let private ones either compete with them or bid to operate their services under contract.
The opposition Broad Front and the trade unions are resisting. They have gathered enough signatures to demand a "public consultation" next month on a new law to allow private operators in the ports and railways-a referendum on whether to hold a referendum on the issue. Alberto Bension, the finance minister, admits the vote will be a crucial indicator of how far the government can push. But he notes that, since 1992, attempts to overturn laws by calling referendums have flopped.
The liberalization of telecoms has already begun.  Bell South, an American firm, is the first private cell-phone operator. There are plans to license others, and talk of allowing competition for fixed-line telephones. A new law allows private companies to import gas from Argentina to generate electricity in competition with the state utility. Another plan would strip Ancap, the state oil firm, of its monopoly of imports. It has already been allowed to seek a private partner to modernize its refinery.
Harder tasks lie ahead. The state-owned banks are saddled with problem loans to farmers and home owners. And Mr. Batlle shows no appetite for cutting the bloated bureaucracy.
After a year in office, the president is popular. He has created a cross-party commission to investigate "disappearances" during Uruguay\"s military dictatorship of 1976-85. The unions are weakened by unemployment. At CERES, Ernesto Talvi argues that Mr Batlle should note his own strength, and push ahead more boldly. But that is not the Uruguayan way.

26. Uruguay in the 1990s
A moved in the privatizing wave.
B adopted the same measure as that of Argentina.
C sticked to its old economic mode.
D developed very slowly.

27.What can we infer from the first four paragraphs?
A. Uruguay has been always trying to join in the privatizing wave
B. Economists argue that privatization is the only way to boost Uruguay’s GDP
C. Mr Battle plans to privatize the country’s economy completely
D. The opposition Broad Front is in favor of privatization

28. The 5th para suggests that
A. Bell South is built up in 1982
B. There has been no law to regulate the electricity
C. Ancap may modernize its refinery with the help of a private partner
D. Liberalization makes the economy slack

29. What does the author mean by “flopped”(last line, para 4)?
A. succeeded
B. failed
C. followed
D. provoked

28. Which one is true according to the passage?
A. Privatization is thriving in Uruguay
B. Now, referenda  have less strength to change some laws
C. Uruguayan people are satisfied with the government’s actions with regard to the economy
D. The President is managing to keep the state companies  efficient

TEXT 3
IN HIS 21 years as president of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos has never taken kindly to criticism. Most Angolan politicians have learned from bitter experience not to cross him. But recently a tiny political party, PADPA, took the president on, and - to general astonishment - won.
PADPA decided to speak up over a political scandal in France in which an array of well-connected Frenchmen, including Jean Christophe Mitterrand, the eldest son of France\"s former president, Francois Mitterrand, are under investigation on suspicion of profiting from the illegal sale of arms worth $633m to the Angolan government. As the case has proceeded, Mr. dos Santos\"s name has cropped up repeatedly. Prosecutors have alleged that he approved the deal, granted Angolan diplomatic passports to the two principal arms dealers (one now in a French prison, the other on the run from an Interpol arrest warrant) and received some extravagant presents from the weapons men in return.
Last week PADPA sent a letter to the president, demanding that he should give a public explanation of his role in this and other corruption scandals. If none were forthcoming within 72 hours, PADPA promised it would "call on the people to protest publicly and call for your resignation, for dishonoring the office which you occupy".
The president\"s response was a deafening silence. So three days later 25 members of PADPA began a hunger strike in front of the recently and lavishly redecorated presidential palace. They distributed a pamphlet that repeated the charge, widely believed by Angolans, that the government is deliberately prolonging the country\"s devastating civil war in order to pillage its rich natural resources. "Thousands of Angolans are dying of hunger because the country is mismanaged," declared the pamphlet, "and the holders of power have turned into a band of thugs who pretend to be managing a bank. Our bank. Our petrol. Our diamonds. Our riches. But, above all, our children, parents, brothers and cousins, whom they use as fodder for their diabolical cannons."
Angola\"s cowed people rarely voice such strong sentiments. This time riot police used the cover of darkness to break up the protest beating the protesters. Six of them, including PADPA\"S president, were arrested. But astonishingly, given the lack of independence enjoyed by Angola\"s judiciary, the court that tried them found them not guilty on January 30th. In a hitherto unthinkable step, PADPA is now considering bringing a case against the police for violating its right to demonstrate and for illegal imprisonment.
This is the second time that PADPA activists have dared challenge the Angolan regime. Last year they tried to hold a public hunger strike in protest at the government\"s decision to raise the price of petrol overnight by 1,600%. On that occasion police beatings turned the hunger strikers into popular heroes. The authorities, realizing their mistake, issued a public apology. But the incident gave Angola\"s other, more reticent, opposition groups the courage to organize the first and only real anti-government march in the country\"s 25 years of independence. Perhaps the latest court ruling, which for the first time has set the people\"s rights above those of the president, will open the floodgates of protest at last.

31. By “and-to general astonishment-won”(last line,para 1),the author means
A It defeated the other parties.
B It produced astonishment.
C It opposed the president for scandal trade.
D The president kept silence about PADPA’S criticisms for the first time.

32. How does PADPA feel about the political scandal?
A. indignant
B. indifferent
C. optimistic
D. pessimistic

33. In this passage, the word “fodder” is the same with
A bullets
B victims
C intruders
D evils

34. PADPA gathered some members in order to
A reveal the president’s scandal.
B grab the governing rights.
C ask for more rights for people.
D begin a hunger strike.

35. With which of the following is the author likely to agree?
A PADPA’s protest is rather meaningless and in vain.
B Angola’s judiciary didn’t support PADPA’s action.
C PADPA has turned over a new leaf in Angola’s history.
D the policemen will open the floodgates.

TEXT 4 Why such an old article?
WITH three months to go before its general election, Italy is turning into Saddam Hussein\"s Iraq. Not in terms of freedom or variety, just visually. For Italian cities these days are peppered with enormous posters of the rival leaders, Silvio Berlusconi (for the right) and Francesco Rutelli (for the left). All each one shows is the great man\"s benevolent face, plus a short slogan. In Bologna\"s Viale Togliatti, you can count six Berlusconis and three Rutellis.
Prehistoric, as poster politics goes? Mussolinian, say oldies who recall the slogans spread hugely over walls and roofs in Duce\"s days. Whatever it is, Italians are enjoying it. The campaign promises to be both boring (Mr. Berlusconi is way ahead) and bitter (the left hates losing). So have a bit of fun: rewrite the posters on the Internet, and spread the result around.
Mr. Berlusconi began plastering Italy with his face months ago. Benign and with hair added, he now beams across squares and bridges, along roads and railway lines. The slogans are basic: Meno tasse per tutti (Lower taxes for everybody), or Citta piu sicu,re (Safer cities). Not so the costs: one poster in prime positions across Italy\"s main cities costs a billion lire ($480,000). Mr. Berlusconi can afford it. According to Mr. Rutelli, the right plans to spend 200 billion lire (30 billion is its own figure) in the campaign; the left, he moans, cannot raise even 20 billion.
Soon, though, voters started to edit the posters on the Internet. They began dressing up Mr. Berlusconi as Superman, a gladiator, the pope. Meno tasse per tutti became Meno tasse per Totti (Francesco Totti is AC Roma\"s best-loved football player). A long-haired, hippie-looking candidate pledged to "help the bald", while Citta piu sicu, re came with a picture of Mr. Berlusconi, who faces tax and other problems in court, behind bars. The man credited with starting the craze, a 38-year-old interpreter called Max Bemardini, who says he is a communist, has become a celebrity. His website had ?in-plus visits in 100 days.
At this point, Mr. Berlusconi decided to beat the mockers by joining them. On his Forza Italia movement\"s website, he launched a competition for the funniest poster, and promised to deliver the award in person. He may even have to award it to himself for his latest poster, whose slogan is, "A working-class president to change Italy": Mr. Berlusconi is one of the country\"s richest men. On the left, Mr. Rutelli decided to plunge into his (half-empty) campaign coffers to have mega posters of his own.
Should red-blooded voters find it all too civilized, others have stepped in. A website has launched "Virtual Bashing", where visitors can beat up Messrs Rutelli and Berlusconi, whichever they choose, for a minute. Mr. Berlusconi is ahead there too: 57% of all punches have been landing on him.

36. Italy is turning into Saddam Hussein’s Iraq
A just for its election.
B for its country’s freedom.
C for Iraq’s benefits.
D for some uncertain reason.

37. We can learn from the text that
A The winner of the election is obvious.
B Mr. Rutelli will manage to get enough capital for election in the rival.?
C Silvio Berlusconi is kind and charming.
D The left is bitter because it can’t afford any cost in the campaign.

38. The posters and slogans remind some people of
A good memories.
B some significance.
C evil leaders in current government.
D World War II.

39. Max Bemardini has become famous
A as a communist.
B for his strange and crazy action in the election.
C for having a popular website.
D as a strong candidate in the election.

40. The last sentence in the passage means
A Messrs Rutelli won the election.
B Berlusconi was beaten by Italian.
C Berlusconi seemed to be hated and beloved by voters.
D Berlusconi gave heavy punches on Messrs Rutelli.

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