2015年6月第一套 Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
When the right person is holding the right job at the right moment, that person’s influence is greatly expanded. That is the position in which Janet Yellen, who is expected to be confirmed as the next chair of the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) in January, now finds herself. If you believe, as many do, that unemployment is the major economic and social concern of our day, then it is no stretch to think Yellen is the most powerful person in the world right now.
Throughout the 2008 financial crisis and the recession and recovery that followed, central banks have taken on the role of stimulators of last resort, holding up the global economy with vast amounts of money in the form of asset buying. Yellen, previously a Fed vice chair, was one of the principal architects of the Fed’s $3.8 trillion money dump. A star economist known for her groundbreaking work on labor markets, Yellen was a kind of prophetess early on in the crisis for her warnings about the subprime (次级债) meltdown. Now it will be her job to get the Fed and the markets out of the biggest and most unconventional monetary program in history without derailing the fragile recovery.
The good news is that Yellen, 67, is particularly well suited to meet these challenges. She has a keen understanding of financial markets, an appreciation for their imperfections and a strong belief that human suffering was more related to unemployment than anything else.
Some experts worry that Yellen will be inclined to chase unemployment to the neglect of inflation. But with wages still relatively flat and the economy increasingly divided between the well-off and the long-term unemployed, more people worry about the opposite, deflation (通货紧缩) that would aggravate the economy’s problems.
Either way, the incoming Fed chief will have to walk a fine line in slowly ending the stimulus. It must be steady enough to deflate bubbles (去泡沫) and bring markets back down to earth but not so quick that it creates another credit crisis.
Unlike many past Fed leaders, Yellen is not one to buy into the finance industry’s argument that it should be left alone to regulate itself. She knows all along the Fed has been too slack on regulation of finance.
Yellen is likely to address the issue right after she pushes unemployment below 6%, stabilizes markets and makes sure that the recovery is more inclusive and robust. As Princeton professor Alan Blinder says, “She’s smart as a whip, deeply logical, willing to argue but also a good listener. She can persuade without creating hostility.” All those traits will be useful as the global economy’s new power player takes on its most annoying problems.
56. What do many people think is the biggest problem facing Janet Yellen?
A) Lack of money.
B) Subprime crisis.
C) Unemployment.
D) Social instability.
57. What did Yellen help the Fed do to tackle the 2008 financial crisis?
A) Take effective measures to curb inflation.
B) Deflate the bubbles in the American economy.
C) Formulate policies to help financial institutions.
D) Pour money into the market through asset buying.
58.What is a greater concern of the general public?
A) Recession.
B) Deflation.
C) Inequality.
D) Income.
59. What is Yellen likely to do in her position as the Fed chief?
A) develop a new monetary program.
B) Restore public confidence.
C) Tighten financial regulation.
D) Reform the credit system.
60. How does Alan Blinder portray Yellen?
A) She possesses strong persuasive power.
B) She has confidence in what she is doing.
C) She is one of the world’s greatest economists.
D) She is the most powerful Fed chief in history.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Air pollution is deteriorating in many places around the world. The fact that public parks in cities become crowded as soon as the sun shines proves that people long to breathe in green, open spaces. They do not all know what they are seeking but they flock there, nevertheless. And, in these surroundings, they are generally both peaceful and peaceable. It is rare to see people fighting in a garden. perhaps struggle unfolds first, not at an economic or social level, but over the appropriation of air, essential to life itself. If human beings can breathe and share air, they don’t need to struggle with one another.
Unfortunately, in our western tradition, neither materialist nor idealist theoreticians give enough consideration to this basic condition for life. As for politicians, despite proposing curbs on environmental pollution, they have not yet called for it to be made a crime. Wealthy countries are even allowed to pollute if they pay for it.
But is our life worth anything other than money? The plant world shows us in silence what faithfulness to life consists of. It also helps us to a new beginning, urging us to care for our breath, not only at a vital but also at a spiritual level. The interdependence to which we must pay the closest attention is that which exists between ourselves and the plant world. often described as “the lungs of the planet”, the woods that cover the earth offer us the gift of breathable air by releasing oxygen. But their capacity to renew the air polluted by industry has long reached its limit. If we lack the air necessary for a healthy life, it is because we have filled it with chemicals and undercut the ability of plants to regenerate it. As we know, rapid deforestation combined with the massive burning of fossil fuels is an explosive recipe for an irreversible disaster.
The fight over the appropriation of resources will lead the entire planet to hell unless humans learn to share life, both with each other and with plants. This task is simultaneously ethical and political because it can be discharged only when each takes it upon herself or himself and only when it is accomplished together with others. The lesson taught by plants is that sharing life expands and enhances the sphere of the living, while dividing life into so-called natural or human resources diminishes it. We must come to view the air, the plants and ourselves as the contributors to the preservation of life and growth, rather than a web of quantifiable objects or productive potentialities at our disposal. Perhaps then we would finally begin to live, rather than being concerned with bare survival.
61. What does the author assume might be the primary reason that people would struggle with each other?
A) To get their share of clean air
B) To pursue a comfortable life.
C) To gain a higher social status.
D) To seek economic benefits.
62. What does the author accuse western politicians of?
A) Depriving common people of the right to clean air.
B) Giving priority to theory rather than practical action.
C) Offering preferential treatment to wealthy countries.
D) Failing to pass laws to curb environmental pollution.
63. What does the author try to draw our closest attention to?
A) The massive burning of fossil fuels.
B) Our relationship to the plant world.
C) The capacity of plants to renew polluted air.
D) Large-scale deforestation across the world.
64. How can human beings accomplish the goal of protecting the plant according to the author?
A) By showing respect for plants.
B) By preserving all forms of life.
C) By tapping all natural resources.
D) By pooling their efforts together.
65. What does the author suggest we do in order not just to survive?
A) Expand the sphere of living.
B) develop nature’s potentials.
C) Share life with nature.
D) Allocate the resources.
2015年6月第二套 Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
I’ll admit I’ve never quite understood the obsession(难以破除的成见)surrounding genetically modified (GM) crops. To environmentalist opponents, GM foods are simply evil, an understudied, possibly harmful tool used by big agricultural businesses to control global seed markets and crush local farmers. They argue that GM foods have never delivered on their supposed promise, that money spent on GM crops would be better channeled to organic farming and that consumers should be protected with warning labels on any products that contain genetically modified ingredients. To supporters, GM crops are a key part of the effort to sustainably provide food to meet a growing global population. But more than that, supporters see the GM opposition of many environmentalists as fundamentally anti-science, no different than those who question the basics of man-made climate change.
For both sides, GM foods seem to act as a symbol: you’re pro-agricultural business or anti-science. But science is exactly what we need more of when it comes to GM foods, which is why I was happy to see Nature devote a special series of articles to the GM food controversy. The conclusion: while GM crops haven’t yet realized their initial promise and have been dominated by agricultural businesses, there is reason to continue to use and develop them to help meet the enormous challenge of sustainably feeding a growing planet.
That doesn’t mean GM crops are perfect, or a one-size-fits-all solution to global agriculture problems. But anything that can increase farming efficiency—the amount of crops we can produce per acre of land—will be extremely useful. GM crops can and almost certainly will be part of that suite of tools, but so will traditional plant breeding, improved soil and crop management—and perhaps most important of all, better storage and transport infrastructure(基础设施), especially in the developing world. (It doesn’t do much good for farmers in places like sub-Saharan Africa to produce more food if they can’t get it to hungry consumers.) I’d like to see more non-industry research done on GM crops—not just because we’d worry less about bias, but also because seed companies like Monsanto and Pioneer shouldn’t be the only entities working to harness genetic modification. I’d like to see GM research on less commercial crops, like corn. I don’t think it’s vital to label GM ingredients in food, but I also wouldn’t be against it—and industry would be smart to go along with labeling, just as a way of removing fears about the technology.
Most of all, though, I wish a tenth of the energy that’s spent endlessly debating GM crops was focused on those more pressing challenges for global agriculture. There are much bigger battles to fight.
46.How do environmentalist opponents view GM foods according to the passage?
A) They will eventually ruin agriculture and the environment.
B) They are used by big businesses to monopolize agriculture.
C) They have proved potentially harmful to consumers’ health.
D) They pose a tremendous threat to current farming practice.
47.What does the author say is vital to solving the controversy between the two sides of the debate?
A) Breaking the GM food monopoly.
B) More friendly exchange of ideas.
C) Regulating GM food production.
D) More scientific research on GM crops.
48.What is the main point of the Nature articles?
A) Feeding the growing population makes it imperative to develop GM crops.
B) Popularizing GM technology will help it to live up to its initial promises.
C) Measures should be taken to ensure the safety of GM foods.
D) Both supporters and opponents should make compromises.
49.What is the author’s view on the solution to agricultural problems?
A) It has to depend more and more on GM technology.
B) It is vital to the sustainable development of human society.
C) GM crops should be allowed until better alternatives are found.
D) Whatever is useful to boost farming efficiency should be encouraged.
50.What does the author think of the ongoing debate around GM crops?
A) It arises out of ignorance of and prejudice against new science.
B) It distracts the public attention from other key issues of the world.
C) Efforts spent on it should be turned to more urgent issues of agriculture.
D) Neither side is likely to give in until more convincing evidence is found.
2015年6月第二套 Passage Two
Early decision—you apply to one school? and admission is binding—seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you’re done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don’t realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it’s binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni(校友)and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated(专注)on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don’t get in or, if they do? the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time for further reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there’s an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there’s one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven’t yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options.
51.What are students obliged to do under early decision?
A) Look into a lot of schools before they apply.
B) Attend the school once they are admitted.
C) Think twice before they accept the offer.
D) Consult the current students and alumni.
52.Why do schools offer early decision?
A) To make sure they get qualified students.
B) To avoid competition with other colleges.
C) To provide more opportunities for applicants.
D) To save students the agony of choosing a school.
53.What is said to be the problem with early decision for students?
A) It makes their application process more complicated.
B) It places too high a demand on their research ability.
C) It allows them little time to make informed decisions.
D) It exerts much more psychological pressure on them.
54.Why are some people opposed to early decision?
A) It interferes with students’ learning in high school.
B) It is biased against students at ordinary high schools.
C) It causes unnecessary confusion among college applicants.
D) It places students from lower-income families at a disadvantage.
55.What does the author advise college applicants to do?
A) Refrain from competing with students from privileged families.
B) Avoid choosing early decision unless they are fully prepared.
C) Find sufficient information about their favorite schools.
D) Look beyond the few supposedly thrilling options.
2015年6月第三套 Passage One
What’s the one word of advice a well-meaning professional would give to a recent college graduate? China? India? Brazil? How about trade?
When the Commerce department reported last week that the trade deficit in June approached $50 billion, it set off a new round of economic doomsaying. Imports, which soared to $200.3 billion in the month, are subtracted in the calculation of gross domestic product. The larger the trade deficit,the smaller the GDP. Should such imbalances continue, pessimists say, they could contribute to slower growth.
But there's another way of looking at the trade data.Over the past two years, the figures on imports and exports seem not to signal a double-dip recession--a renewed decline in the broad level of economic activity in the United States-but an economic expansion.
The rising volume of trade—more goods and services shuttling in and out of the United States—is good news for many sectors. Companies engaged in shipping, trucking,rail freight,delivery, and logistics(物流) have all been reporting better than expected results. The rising numbers signify growing vitality in foreign market—when we import more stuff, it puts more cash in the hands of people around the world, and U.S. exports are rising because more foreigners have the ability to buy the things we produce and market. The rising tide of trade is also good news for people who work in trade-sensitive businesses, especially those that produce commodities for which global demand sets the price-agricultural goods, mining, metals, oil.
And while exports always seem to lag, U.S. companies are becoming more involved in the global economy with each passing month.General Motors sells as many cars in China as in America each month. While that may not do much for imports, it does help GM's balance sheet—and hence makes the jobs of U.S.-based executives more stable.
One great challenge for the U.S. economy is slack domestic consumer demand.Americans are paying down debt, saving more, and spending more carefully. That's to be expected, given what we've been through. But there’s a bigger challenge. Can U.S.-based businesses,large and small, figure out how to get a piece of growing global demand? Unless you want to pick up and move to India, or Brazil, or China, the best way to do that is through trade. It may seem obvious, but it's no longer enough simply to do business with our friends and neighbors here at home.
Companies and individuals who don't have a strategy to export more,or to get more involved in foreign markets, or to play a role in global trade, are shutting themselves out of the lion’s share of economic opportunity in our world.
46. How do pessimists interpret the U,S. trade deficit in June?
A) It reflects Americans' preference for imported goods.
B ) It signifies a change in American economic structure.
C) It could lead to slower growth of the national economy.
D) It is the result of America's growing focus on domestic market.
47. What does the author say about the trade data of the past two years?
A) It indicates that economic activities in the U.S. have increased.
B) It signals decreasing domestic demand for goods and services.
C) It reflects the fluctuations in the international market.
D) It shows that U.S. economy is slipping further into recession.
48. Who particularly benefit from the rising volume of trade?
A) People who have expertise in international trade.
C) Producers of agricultural goods and raw materials.
B) Consumers who favor imported goods and services.
D) Retailers dealing in foreign goods and services.
49. What is one of the challenges facing the American economy?
A) Decreasing productivity.
B) competition from overseas.
C) People's reluctance to spend.
D ) Slack trade activities.
50. What is the author's advice to U.S. companies and individuals?
A) To import more cheap goods from developing countries.
B ) To increase their market share overseas.
C) To be alert to fluctuations in foreign markets.
D) To move their companies to where labor is cheaper.
答案解析：
2015年6月第一套 Passage One
56. 由题干中的关键词“many people think”和“the biggest problem facing Janet Yellen”定位到第一段“If you believe, as many do, that unemployment is the major economic and social concern of our day, then it is no stretch to think Yellen is the most powerful person in the world right now.”，文中提到很多人认为失业是当今主要的经济和社会问题，所以很多人觉得耶伦面临的最大问题是失业，选C。
57. 由题干中的关键词“Yellen help the Fed do”和“tackle the 2008 financial crisis”定位到第二段“Throughout the 2008 financial crisis...Yellen, previously a Fed vice chair, was one of the principal architects of the Fed’s $3.8 trillion money dump.”，说明耶伦帮助美联储通过资产购买向市场注入资金来应对2008年金融危机，选D。
58. 由题干中的关键词“a greater concern of the general public”定位到第四段“But with wages still relatively flat and the economy increasingly divided between the well-off and the long-term unemployed, more people worry about the opposite, deflation (通货紧缩) that would aggravate the economy’s problems.”，文中表明公众更担心通货紧缩，选B。
59. 由题干中的关键词“Yellen likely to do”和“as the Fed chief”定位到第六段“Unlike many past Fed leaders, Yellen is not one to buy into the finance industry’s argument that it should be left alone to regulate itself. She knows all along the Fed has been too slack on regulation of finance.”以及第七段“Yellen is likely to address the issue right after she pushes unemployment below 6%, stabilizes markets and makes sure that the recovery is more inclusive and robust.”，说明耶伦作为美联储主席可能会加强金融监管，选C。
60. 由题干中的关键词“Alan Blinder portray Yellen”定位到最后一段“As Princeton Professor Alan Blinder says, ‘She’s smart as a whip, deeply logical, willing to argue but also a good listener. She can persuade without creating hostility.’”，文中提到艾伦·布林德说耶伦有很强的说服力，选A。
Passage Two
61. 由题干中的关键词“primary reason that people would struggle with each other”定位到第一段“Perhaps struggle unfolds first, not at an economic or social level, but over the appropriation of air, essential to life itself. If human beings can breathe and share air, they don’t need to struggle with one another.”，文中提到或许斗争首先不是在经济或社会层面，而是在对空气这种生命必需品的争夺上，如果人们能呼吸并共享空气，就不需要相互斗争，所以作者假设人们相互斗争的主要原因是争夺清洁空气，选A。
62. 由题干中的关键词“accuse western politicians of”定位到第二段，第二段最后一句提到，“Wealthy countries are even allowed to pollute if they pay for it.(如果环境污染是有偿的，政治家甚至允许富裕国家这样做”，可知，作者指控西方政治家们为富裕国家提供优惠待遇，允许他们污染环境，所以选C。
63. 由题干中的关键词“draw our closest attention to”定位到第三段“The interdependence to which we must pay the closest attention is that which exists between ourselves and the plant world.”，文中明确提到我们必须最密切关注的是我们与植物世界之间的相互依存关系，选B。
64. 由题干中的关键词“accomplish the goal of protecting the plant”定位到最后一段“This task is simultaneously ethical and political because it can be discharged only when each takes it upon herself or himself and only when it is accomplished together with others.”，文中表明只有每个人都承担起责任，并且与他人共同完成，才能实现保护植物的目标，即要齐心协力，选D。
65. 由题干中的关键词“suggest we do in order not just to survive”定位到最后一段“Perhaps then we would finally begin to live, rather than being concerned with bare survival.”，结合前文提到要学会与彼此和植物共享生命，所以作者建议我们与自然共享生命，而不仅仅是为了生存，选C。
2015年6月第二套 Passage One
46. 由题干中的关键词“environmentalist opponents view GM foods”定位到第一段“To environmentalist opponents, GM foods are simply evil, an understudied, possibly harmful tool used by big agricultural businesses to control global seed markets and crush local farmers.” 以及“that money spent on GM crops would be better channeled to organic farming and that consumers should be protected with warning labels on any products that contain genetically modified ingredients.” 文中提到环保反对者认为转基因食品是大农业企业用来控制全球种子市场、压制当地农民的工具，也就是大企业用来垄断农业的，所以选B。
47. 由题干中的关键词“vital to solving the controversy”定位到第二段“But science is exactly what we need more of when it comes to GM foods, which is why I was happy to see Nature devote a special series of articles to the GM food controversy.” 作者认为在转基因食品方面需要更多科学，也就是更多对转基因作物的科学研究对解决争议至关重要，所以选D。
48. 由题干中的关键词“main point of the Nature articles”定位到第二段“The conclusion: while GM crops haven’t yet realized their initial promise and have been dominated by agricultural businesses, there is reason to continue to use and develop them to help meet the enormous challenge of sustainably feeding a growing planet.” 《自然》文章的结论是虽然转基因作物尚未实现最初的承诺且被农业企业主导，但有理由继续使用和发展它们以应对养活不断增长人口的巨大挑战，也就是养活不断增长的人口使得开发转基因作物势在必行，所以选A。
49. 由题干中的关键词“author’s view on the solution to agricultural problems”定位到第三段“But anything that can increase farming efficiency—the amount of crops we can produce per acre of land—will be extremely useful.” 作者认为任何能提高农业效率的都有用，也就是任何有助于提高农业效率的都应该被鼓励，所以选D。
50. 由题干中的关键词“author think of the ongoing debate around GM crops”定位到最后一段“Most of all, though, I wish a tenth of the energy that’s spent endlessly debating GM crops was focused on those more pressing challenges for global agriculture. There are much bigger battles to fight.” 作者希望把花在无尽争论转基因作物上的精力转移到全球农业更紧迫的挑战上，所以选C。
2015年6月第二套 Passage Two
51. 由题干中的关键词“students obliged to do under early decision”定位到第一段“Early decision—you apply to one school and admission is binding”以及第二段“it allows admissions committees to select the students...and know those students will come.” 文中表明提前决定被录取后是具有约束力的，即一旦被录取就必须入学，所以选B。
2. 由题干中的关键词“schools offer early decision”定位到第二段“Early decision, since it’s binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate...” 学校提供提前决定是为了确保招到合格的学生等，核心是为了确保得到合格学生，所以选A。
3. 由题干中的关键词“problem with early decision for students”定位到第三段“The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point...months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.” 提前决定缩短了学生做决定的时间，让他们没时间做更多了解从而做出更明智的决定，所以选C。
4. 由题干中的关键词“some people opposed to early decision”定位到第五段“In this regard, there’s an argument against early decision, as students from lower - income families are far less likely to have the admissions know - how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.” 有些人反对提前决定是因为它使低收入家庭的学生处于不利地位，所以选D。
5. 由题干中的关键词“author advise college applicants to do”定位到最后一段“Students who have done their research and are confident that there’s one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven’t yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early - decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility...” 作者建议除非学生做好充分准备，否则避免选择提前决定，所以选B。
2015年6月第三套 Passage One
46. 由题干中的关键词“pessimists interpret the U.S. trade deficit in June”定位到第二段。第二段提到“The larger the trade deficit, the smaller the GDP. Should such imbalances continue, pessimists say, they could contribute to slower growth.”，说明悲观者认为贸易逆差可能导致国家经济增长放缓，所以选C。
47. 由题干中的关键词“trade data of the past two years”定位到第三段。第三段提到“Over the past two years, the figures on imports and exports seem not to signal a double-dip recession...but an economic expansion.”，说明过去两年的贸易数据表明美国的经济活动有所增加，所以选A。
48. 由题干中的关键词“particularly benefit from the rising volume of trade”定位到第五段。第五段提到“The rising tide of trade is also good news for people who work in trade-sensitive businesses, especially those that produce commodities for which global demand sets the price—agricultural goods, mining, metals, oil.”，说明贸易量的增加对农产品和原材料生产者特别有利，所以选C。
49. 由题干中的关键词“challenges facing the American economy”定位到第六段。第六段提到“One great challenge for the U.S. economy is slack domestic consumer demand. Americans are paying down debt, saving more, and spending more carefully.”，说明美国经济面临的一个挑战是人们不愿消费，所以选C。
50. 由题干中的关键词“author's advice to U.S. companies and individuals”定位到最后一段。最后一段提到“Companies and individuals who don't have a strategy to export more, or to get more involved in foreign markets...are shutting themselves out of the lion’s share of economic opportunity in our world.”，说明作者建议美国公司和个人增加海外市场份额，所以选B。
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