2017年武汉大学考博英语真题

Reading Comprehension 1

Mr Gordon is right that the second industrial revolution involved never-to-be-repeated changes.But that does not mean that driverless cars count for nothing.Messrs Erixon and Weigel are also right to worry about the West's dismal recent record in producing new companies.But many old firms are not run by bureaucrats and have reinvented themselves many times over:General Electric must be on at least its ninth life.And the impact of giant new firms born in the past 20 years such as Uber,Google and Facebook should not be underestimated:they have all the Schumpeterian characteristics the authors admire.

On the pessimists'side the strongest argument relies not on closely watching corporate and investor behavior.but rather on macro-level statistics on productivity.The figures from recent years are truly dismal.Karim Foda,of the Brookings Institution,calculates that labor productivity in the rich world is growing at its slowest rate since Total factor productivity(which tries to measure innovation)has grown at just 0.1%in advanced economies since 2004,well below its historical average.

Optimists have two retorts.The first is that there must be something wrong with the figures.One possibility is that they fail to count the huge consumer surplus given away free of charge on the internet.But this is unconvincing.The official figures may well be understating the impact of the internet revolution,just as they downplayed the impact of electricity and cars in the past,but they are not understating it enough to explain the recent decline in productivity growth.

Another,second line of argument that the productivity revolution has only just begun is more persuasive.Over the past decade many IT companies may have focused on things that were more"fun than fundamental"in Paul Krugman's phrase.But Silicon Valley's best companies are certainly focusing on things that change the material world.

Uber and Airbnb are bringing dramatic improvements to two large industries that have been more or less stuck for decades.Morgan Stanley estimates that driverless cars could result in$507 billion a year of productivity gains in America,mainly from people being able to stare at their laptops instead of at the road.

1．What has led to the pessimistic opinion concerning the world's economy?

A．It is based on macro-level statistics on productivity.

B．It is based on close observation on corporate and investor behavior.

C．It is due to the fact that many old firms are not run by bureaucrats.

D．It is due to the fact that not enough new firms have been created.

2．The first argument on the optimists'side is unconvincing because the official figures ________.

A．are both wrong and unconvincing

B．downplay the internet revolution

C．fail to include the consumer surplus

D．can't explain the decline in productivity growth

3．What is true about the IT companies in Silicon Valley?

A．They have only focused on the fun part of life.

B．They have made a difference in the real world.

C．They have more persuasive productivity.

D．They have only just begun to develop.

4．How can driverless cars benefit American industries?

A．Driverless cars have revived two large American industries.

B．The sale of driverless cars can reach hundreds of billion dollars.

C．Thanks to them people free from driving can do more creative work.

D．Driverless cars have stimulated the development of Uber and Airbnb.

【参考翻译】

戈登说的没错，第二次工业革命包含了无法重复的变化。但这并不意味着无人驾驶汽车一无是处。埃里克松和魏格尔对西方最近在创建新公司方面糟糕的记录的担忧也是正确的。但是，许多老公司并不是由官僚们管理的，并且已经多次自我改造:通用电气至少已经进入第九个生命了。过去20年里诞生的Uber、谷歌和Facebook等新兴巨头的影响不应被低估:它们拥有作者所推崇的熊彼特式特征。

在悲观主义者看来，最有力的论据不在于密切关注企业和投资者的行为。而是在生产率的宏观统计数据上。近年来的数据确实令人沮丧。布鲁金斯学会(Brookings Institution)的卡利姆•福达(Karim Foda)估计，自2004年以来，发达经济体的全要素生产率(旨在衡量创新)仅增长0.1%，远低于历史平均水平以来，发达的劳动生产率增速最慢。

乐观者有两个反驳。首先，数据肯定有问题。一种可能是，他们没有计算出互联网上免费赠送的巨大消费者剩余。但这并不令人信服。数据很可能低估了互联网革命的影响，就像他们过去低估了电力和汽车的影响一样，但他们低估的程度不足以解释最近生产率增长的下降。

生产率革命才刚刚开始的第二种说法更具说服力。在过去的十年里，许多IT公司可能把重点放在了保罗•克鲁格曼(Paul Krugman)所说的更“有趣而非根本”的事情上。但硅谷最好的公司肯定专注于改变物质世界的事情。

优步(Uber)和Airbnb正在给两个或多或少停滞了几十年的大行业带来戏剧性的改善。摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)估计，无人驾驶汽车每年可能为美国带来5,070亿美元的生产率增长，主要是因为人们可以盯着笔记本电脑而不是在路上看。

Reading Comprehension 2

Winston Churchill was one of the central statesmen of the 20 th century and,almost 50 years after his death,remains a subject of enduring fascination.Part of the current interest in this venerable figure can be attributed to two superb biographies written in the 1980s by historian William Manchester:"The Last Lion:Visions of Glory"and"The Last Lion:Alone."These two books examined the first two-thirds of Churchill's life.

Unfortunately,after completing the second volume,Manchester's health declined and the rest of the project stalled.So great was public interest in the long-delayed final volume that it was the subject of a front page story in The New York Times.

Eventually,in 2003,Manchester asked his friend Paul Reid to complete the trilogy.Now,nearly a decade later,Reid has published The Last Lion,the final piece of this monumental undertaking.Reid starts when Churchill was appointed prime minister in May 1940 and follows him through his death in While most of this volume is appropriately devoted to World War II,it also includes the vast expansion of the British welfare state following the war,the start of the Cold War and the enormous dangers it carried,and the loss of the British Empire.

Reid has written a thorough and complete analysis of these years,and it is a worthy finale to the first two volumes.Exhaustively researched and carefully written,it draws on a full range of primary and secondary materials.This book will be essential reading for those who enjoyed the first two volumes and those with a deep interest in understanding this seminal figure and his place in history.

Reid does a wonderful job of capturing Churchill in all his complexity.He gives Churchill great praise for his personal courage and inspirational leadership during the dark days whenBritain stood alone,but he is equally clear about Churchill's poor strategic judgments,such as the efforts to defend Greece andCrete,the Allied assault on Anzio,and the decision to send the battleshipPrince of Walesand battle cruiser Repulse to theSouth China Seawithout adequate air cover where they were promptly sunk by the Japanese.

He highlights Churchill's naivetéin dealing with Soviet Premier Stalin in the early years of the war,but praises his prescience in anticipating Stalin's land grab in Eastern Europeat the end of the conflict.Reid also gives welcome attention to aspects of the war―such as Churchill's fear that the United Statesmight decide to put its primary emphasis on defeating Japan regardless of the"Germany first"understanding he shared with Roosevelt that have received little attention in other books.

5．What can be known about the two biographies of Churchill?

A．They were written in an interesting style.

B．They were written prior to Churchill's death.

C．They are mainly written from a historical point of view.

D．They have helped intrigue the readers over a long period.

6．Why did the biography once become a front page story in The New York Times?

A．People were looking forward to the publication of the final volume.

B．Readers were angry with the author for the delay of the final volume.

C．The publication of the final volume was then a heatedly discussed issue.

D．Readers wanted to know who would be the new author of the final volume.

7．Why does the third volume prove to be worthy?

A．It is widely read and welcomed by readers.

B．It involves enough details in Churchill's life.

C．It is based on thorough and reliable research.

D．It offers a unique understanding of Churchill.

8．What can we know about Churchill through the third volume?

A．He is a man with complexity.

B．He pulled Britain through WWII.

C．He made many strategic mistakes.

D．He is courageous and inspirational.

【参考翻译】

温斯顿·丘吉尔是20世纪最重要的政治家之一，在他去世将近50年后，他仍然是一个令人着迷的话题。目前人们对这个令人尊敬的人物的兴趣部分可以归功于历史学家威廉·曼彻斯特(William Manchester)在上世纪80年代写的两本杰出传记：《最后的狮子：荣耀的愿景》(the Last Lion:Visions of Glory)和《最后的狮子：孤独》(the Last Lion:Alone)。这两本书审视了丘吉尔前三分之二的人生。

不幸的是，在完成了第二卷之后，曼彻斯特的健康状况开始下降，其余的项目也停滞不前。公众对这部拖延已久的最终作品的兴趣如此浓厚，以至于它成了《纽约时报》(New York Times)头版新闻的主题。

最终，在2003年，曼彻斯特邀请他的朋友保罗·里德来完成三部曲。近十年后的今天，里德出版了《最后的狮子》，这是这一不朽事业的最后一篇。里德开始当丘吉尔在1940年5月被任命为总理,他通过他的死虽然大多数的体积是适当地致力于世界大战,还包括之后的英国福利的巨大扩张战争,冷战的开始,它携带的巨大危险,大英帝国的损失。

里德写了一篇详尽的分析这些年来，这是一个有价值的结局前两卷。经过详尽的研究和认真的写作，它采用了全面的初级和二级材料。对于那些喜欢前两卷的人以及那些对了解这位开创性人物及其在历史上的地位有浓厚兴趣的人来说，这本书将是必不可少的读物。

里德出色地抓住了丘吉尔的全部复杂性。他给丘吉尔伟大的赞美对他个人的勇气和鼓舞人心的领导在黑暗的日子里whenBritain独自站在那里,但他也同样清楚丘吉尔的可怜的战略判断,比如努力捍卫希腊andCrete,盟军袭击安齐奥,决定把battleshipPrince Walesand巡洋战舰击退theSouth中国Seawithout足够的空中掩护，他们立即被日本击沉。

他强调了丘吉尔在战争初期与苏联总理斯大林的交往中表现出的天真，但赞扬了他的先见之明，即在冲突结束时预见到斯大林将占领东欧的土地。里德还对战争的各个方面给予了可喜的关注，比如丘吉尔担心美国可能会将其主要重点放在打败日本上，而不管他与罗斯福的“德国第一”共识在其他书中没有得到多少关注。

Reading Comprehension 3

Asteroids and comets that repeatedly smashed into the early Earth covered the planet's surface with molten rock during its earliest days,but still may have left oases of water that could have supported the evolution of life,scientists say.The new study reveals that during the planet's infancy,the surface of the Earth was a hellish environment,but perhaps not as hellish as often thought,scientists added.

Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago.The first 500 million years of its life are known as the Hadean Eon.Although this time amounts to more than 10 percent of Earth's history,little is known about it,since few rocks are known that are older than 3.8 billion years old.

For much of the Hadean,Earth and its sister worlds in the inner solar system were pummeled with an extraordinary number of cosmic impacts."It was thought that because of these asteroids and comets flying around colliding with Earth,conditions on early Earth may have been hellish,"said lead study author Simone Marchi,a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder,Colorado.This imagined hellishness gave the eon its name—Hadean comes from Hades,the lord of the underworld in Greek mythology.

However,in the past dozen years or so,a radically different picture of the Hadean began to emerge.Analysis of minerals trapped within microscopiczircon crystals dating from this econ"suggested that there was liquid water on the surface of the Earth back then,clashing with the previous picture that the Hadean was hellish,"Marchi said.This could explain why the evidence of the earliest life on Earth appears during the Hadean—maybe the planet was less inhospitable during that eon than previously thought.

The exact timing and magnitude of the impacts that smashed Earth during the Hadean are unknown.To get an idea of the effects of this bombardment,Machi and his colleagues looked at the moon,whose heavily cratered surface helped model the battering that its close neighbor Earth must have experienced back then.

"We also looked at highly siderophile elements(elements that bind tightly to iron),such as gold,delivered to Earth as a result of these early collisions,and the amounts of these elements tells us the total mass accreted by Earth as the results of these collisions,"Marchi said.Prior research suggests these impacts probably contributed less than 0.5 percent of the Earth's present-day mass.The researchers discovered that"the surface of the Earth during the Hadean was heavily affected by very large collisions,by impactors[?m'p?kt?]larger than 100 kilometers(60 miles)or so—really,really big impactors,'Marci said."When Earth has a collision with an object that big,that melts a large volume of the Earth's crust and mantle,covering a large fraction of the surface,"Marchi added.These findings suggest that Earth's surface was buried over and over again by large volumes of molten rock—enough to cover the surface of the Earth several times.This helps explain why so few rock survive from the Hadean,the researchers said.

9．Why is little known about the Earth's first 500 million years?

A．Because it is an imagined period of time.

B．Because this period is of little significance.

C．Because it is impossible to know about this period.

D．Because no rocks are available as research evidence.

10．Why is the early Earth imagined to be hellish?

A．Because it was often smashed by asteroids and comets.

B．Because back then Hades,the lord of Hell,resigned.

C．Because it was so according to Greek mythology.

D．Because back then there was no life.

11．Why was the early Earth in fact less inhospitable than often thought?

A．Because minerals of the Hadean have been found suggesting the existence of life.

B．Because the clashing brought by asteroids and comets was not completely damaging.

C．Because during the Hadean there already existed the evidence of life.

D．Because there had already been liquid water on the Earth back then.

12．How can the moon help with the understanding of the impacts that smashed the Earth?

A．The moon once smashed into the Earth too.

B．The moon was battered earlier than the Earth.

C．The moon,as a close neighbor,is easier to observe.

D．The moon's surface is heavily cratered as the Earth's.

【参考翻译】

科学家说，在地球早期，不断撞击地球的小行星和彗星在其表面覆盖着熔岩，但仍有可能留下了支持生命进化的绿洲。科学家补充说，这项新的研究表明，在行星的婴儿期，地球表面是一个地狱般的环境，但可能不像人们通常认为的那么地狱般的环境。

地球大约在45亿年前形成。它生命的前5亿年被称为冥古宙。尽管这段时间占地球历史的10%以上，但我们对它知之甚少，因为我们所知道的年代超过38亿年的岩石很少。

对于大多数冥人来说，地球及其太阳系内部的姐妹世界受到了巨大的宇宙冲击。“人们认为，由于这些围绕地球飞行的小行星和彗星与地球相撞，早期地球的环境可能是地狱般的，”该研究的主要作者、科罗拉多州博尔德西南研究所的行星科学家西蒙娜·马尔基(Simone Marchi)说。希腊神话中，冥王冥王是冥府世界的主宰。

然而，在过去十几年左右的时间里，一幅截然不同的冥王图景开始浮现。马尔基说，对从这段经济时期以来被困在显微镜下锆石晶体中的矿物质的分析“表明当时地球表面有液态水，这与之前认为冥古宙是地狱的说法相冲突”。这就可以解释为什么地球上最早的生命出现在哈代——也许在那个年代，地球并不像之前想象的那样荒凉。

撞击地球的确切时间和强度尚不清楚。为了了解这种轰击的影响，Machi和他的同事观察了月球，月球表面有大量的坑坑洼洼，模拟了当时它的近邻地球所经历的撞击。

Marchi说:“我们还研究了由于这些早期碰撞而传递到地球的高亲铁元素(与铁紧密结合的元素)，比如黄金，这些元素的数量告诉我们这些碰撞的结果是地球吸收的总质量。”先前的研究表明，这些影响可能只占目前地球质量的0.5%。研究人员发现，“在冥河期间，地球表面受到非常大的碰撞，受到撞击物的严重影响”。超过100公里(60英里)或者非常非常大的撞击物。“当地球与这么大的物体发生碰撞时，会融化大量的地壳和地幔，覆盖表面的很大一部分，”Marchi补充说。这些发现表明，地球表面被大量的熔融岩石一次又一次地掩埋，足以覆盖地球表面好几次。研究人员说，这有助于解释为什么在冥河中幸存下来的岩石如此之少。

Reading Comprehension 4

From beach balls,pool toys,and jump houses,inflatable technology takes a big step forward for its next frontier:space station.A new kind of tech will be aboard Space X's eighth supply m to the International Space Station(ISS).A compressed living module will be delivered and attached to the station where,in the void of space,it will expand into a new habitat for astronauts.

Designed by Bigelow Aerospace,the inflatable space habitat is one area NASA is exploring for potential deep space habitats and other advanced space missions."The'Bigelow Expandable Activity Module,'or the BEAM,is an expandable habitat that will be used to investigate technology and understand the potential benefits of such habitats forhuman missions to deep space,"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post.

The habitats could be a way to"dramatically increase"the space available for astronauts while also offering added protection from the dangers of space,like radiation and space debris,the NASA press release says.

But how is an inflatable space station supposed to be a viable means of housing for space travelers?BEAMs are far more than balloon-like rooms where astronauts can take asylum.Technically,the modules don't inflate―they expand,according to the company.And beyond just air,the habitats are reinforced with an internal metal structure.The outside is composed of multiple layers of material including things like rubber and kevlar to protect from any speeding debris.

Inside SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on the way to the ISS,the BEAM will be approximately 8 feet in diameter.It will expand once deployed in space to offer 565 cubic feet of space for astronauts."It'll be the first time human beings will actually step inside this expandable habitat in space,"former astronaut George Zamka,who has worked for Bigelow Aerospace,told USA Today.["There won't be this sense of it being like a balloon."]

But astronauts won't be getting inside the module for some time yet.The BEAM will be attached to the Tranquility Node and deployed.Inside the module are a series of tools that will help the crew of the ISS monitor different aspects of the expandable area to see how it acts in space.The crew will watch heat,radiation,orbital debris,and provide information about the viability of using similar modules in the future.

The testing is scheduled to go on for a two-year time period,after which the module will be released and burn up in the atmosphere.NASA's partnership with Bigelow fits Mr.Bolden's desire to help grow a robust private sector industry to commercialize aspects of space―a process he sees as vital if humans want to reach farther cosmic destinations."The world of low Earth orbit belongs to industry,"Bolden said at a press conference in January.

13．What is special about the new living module on SpaceX's eighth mission to ISS?

A．It is expandable.

B．It is going to deep space.

C．It looks like a toy.

D．It will not return to Earth.

14．What is the purpose of designing the inflatable space habitat?

A．It is to find out its potential capacity.

B．It is to give a try on a new technology.

C．It is to save time and money in production.

D．It is to see if it can be applied in deep space.

15．What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．The habitat will not be a balloon-like room.

B．The habitat will not feel like a balloon.

C．The habitat will be like a senseless balloon.

D．The habitat will be a different kind of balloon.

16．Why does NASA intend to commercialize aspects of space?

A．It can save NASA time and energy.

B．It is necessary for a robust industry.

C．It is crucial for further space explorations.

D．It meets both NASA's and Bigelow's needs.

【参考翻译】

从沙滩球、泳池玩具和跳房子，充气技术为它的下一个前沿领域迈出了一大步：空间站。一种新的技术将出现在X号空间给国际空间站（ISS）的第8个补给m号上。一个压缩的生活舱将被运送到空间站，在那里，在太空的空隙中，它将扩展为宇航员的新栖息地。

由毕格罗航空航天公司（Bigelow Aerospace）设计的充气太空栖息地是美国宇航局（NASA）正在探索的潜在深空栖息地和其他先进太空任务的一个领域。美国宇航局局长查尔斯·博尔登在一篇博客文章中写道:“‘毕格罗可扩展活动模块’（简称BEAM）是一种可扩展的栖息地，它将被用来研究技术，并了解这种栖息地对人类深入太空任务的潜在好处。”

美国航空航天局的新闻发布会上说，这些栖息地可以“大大增加”宇航员的可用空间，同时提供额外的保护，使他们免受太空辐射和太空碎片等危险。

但是充气式空间站怎么可能成为太空旅行者的一种可行的居住方式呢?光束远不止像气球一样的房间，宇航员可以在里面避难。该公司表示，从技术上讲，这些模块不会膨胀——它们会扩张。除了空气，栖息地还被内部的金属结构加固。外部由多层材料组成，包括橡胶和凯夫拉尔纤维，以防止任何超速碎片。

在前往国际空间站的途中，SpaceX公司的“龙”号宇宙飞船内的光束直径约为8英尺。一旦部署到太空中，它将扩大，为宇航员提供565立方英尺的空间。曾在毕格罗航空航天公司工作的前宇航员乔治·赞姆卡在接受《今日美国》采访时说:“这将是人类第一次真正进入这个可扩展的太空栖息地。”(“不会有像气球一样的感觉。”)

但是宇航员在一段时间内还不能进入太空舱。光束将连接到宁静节点并部署。在太空舱内部有一系列的工具，可以帮助国际空间站的工作人员监视可扩展区域的不同方面，观察它在太空中的活动。机组人员将观察热量、辐射、轨道碎片，并提供未来使用类似模块的可行性信息。

测试计划进行两年时间，之后模块将被释放并在大气中燃烧。美国航空航天局与毕格罗的合作符合博尔登先生的愿望，即帮助发展一个强大的私营产业，将太空的各个方面商业化——他认为，如果人类想要到达更远的宇宙目的地，这一过程至关重要。博尔登在1月份的新闻发布会上说:“近地轨道世界属于工业。”

Reading Comprehension 5

Of all the people on my holiday shopping list,there was one little boy for whom buying a gift had become increasingly difficult.He's a wonderful child,adorable and loving,and he's not f irritable or spoiled.Though he lives across the country from me,I receive regular updates and photos,and he likes all the things that the boys his age want to play with.Shopping for him should be easy,but I find it hard to summon up any enthusiasm,because in all the years I've giv presents,he never once sent me a thank-you note.

"Sending thank-you notes is becoming a lost art,"mourns Mary Mitchell,a syndicated columnist known as"Ms.Demeanor"and author of six etiquette books.In her view,each generation,compared with the one before,is losing a sense of consideration for other people."Without respect,"she says,"you have conflict."

Ms.Demeanor would be proud of me:I have figured out a way to ensure that my children always send thank-you notes.And such a gesture is important,says Ms.Demeanor,because"a grateful attitude is a tremendous life skill,an efficient and inexpensive way to set ourselves apart in the work force and in our adult lives.Teach your children that the habit of manners comes from inside―it's an attitude based on respecting other people."

A few years ago,as my children descended like piranhas on their presents under the Christmas tree,the only attitude I could see was greed.Where was the appreciation of time and effort?

A thank-you note should contain three things:an acknowledgement of the gift(Love the tie with the picture of a hose on it);a recognition of the time and effort spent to select it(You must have shopped all over the state to find such a unique item!);a prediction of how you will use your gift or the way it has enhanced your life(I'll be sure to wear it to the next Mr.Ed convention!).

So,five years ago,in one of my rare flashes of parental insight,I decided that the most appropriate time to teach this basic courtesy is while the tinsel is hot.To the horror of my children,I announced that henceforth every gift received will be an occasion for a thank-you note written immediately,on the spot.I have explained to my kids how I have reacted to not hearing from the little boy―how it made me fell unappreciated and unmotivated to repeat the process next year.

I have reluctantly given my kids the green light to send e-mail thank-you notes;though hand-lettered ones(at least to me)still seem friendlier.But pretty much any thank-you makes the gift giver feel special―just as,we hope,the recipient feels.It's a gesture that perfectly c the spirit of the holidays.

17．The author felt unmotivated when buying a gift for the little boy because he ________.

A．purposely intended not to show gratitude for her kindness and consideration

B．had never expressed appreciation of the gifts he received in previous years.

C．had no idea how thoughtful she was in choosing a gift for him

D．didn't like any of the gift she had given him

18．According to Ms.Demeanor,showing appreciation has the benefit of ________.

A．forming the habit of good manners

B．regaining the lost art of expressing thanks

C．motivating the gift giver to buy more gifts

D．distinguishing oneself from others in work and life

19．In a thank-you note,"The book will be my good companion when I am alone"serves as ________.

A．a recognition of the time and effort spent to select it

B．an announcement of how it has enhanced your life

C．a prediction of how you will use your gift

D．an acknowledgement of the gift

20．What does the author mean by"while the tinsel is hot(Line 2,Para.6)?

A．The moment her kids receive a gift.

B．The moment she starts choosing gifts for each kid.

C．When the art of sending thank-you notes isn't lost yet.

D．When her kids still remember who bought the gifts for them.

【参考翻译】

在我假日购物清单上的所有人当中，有一个小男孩买礼物变得越来越困难。他是一个很好的孩子，可爱又可爱，他不暴躁也不娇生惯养。虽然他住在离我很远的地方，但我定期收到他的最新消息和照片，他喜欢和他同龄的男孩玩的所有东西。为他买东西应该很容易，但我发现很难鼓起任何热情，因为在我送礼物的这些年里，他从来没有给过我一封感谢信。

“发送感谢信正在成为一种失传的艺术，”被称为“Ms”的专栏作家玛丽·米切尔（Mary Mitchell）表示。他著有六本礼仪书籍。在她看来，与以前相比，每一代人都在失去为他人着想的意识。“没有尊重，”她说，“你会有冲突。”

特拉姆女士会为我感到自豪的：我已经找到了一种方法，确保我的孩子们总是给我发感谢信。特拉姆女士说，这样的姿态很重要，因为“感恩的态度是一种巨大的生活技能，是一种高效、廉价的方式，可以让我们在工作和成年生活中脱颖而出。”教育你的孩子，礼貌的习惯来自内心——这是一种基于尊重他人的态度。

几年前，当我的孩子们像披着礼物的水虎鱼一样在圣诞树下降落时，我能看到的态度就是贪婪。时间和努力的价值在哪里?

一封感谢信应该包含三个方面：确认的礼物（爱的领带的照片一个软管）；承认所花费的时间和精力来选择它（你必须有购物的找到这样一个独特的项目！），预测你将如何使用你的礼物或者是它提高了你的生活方式（我一定会穿它到下一个先生约定！）。

因此，五年前，在我少有的一次亲历亲为中，我决定最合适的时间来教授这种基本的礼貌，是在金箔很烫的时候。令我的孩子们惊恐的是，我宣布从今以后，我收到的每一份礼物都将成为一个当场写感谢信的机会。我向我的孩子们解释了我对没有收到这个小男孩的消息的反应——这让我感到不被欣赏，也没有动力在明年重复这个过程。

我不情愿地给我的孩子们发电子邮件感谢信；尽管手写的感谢信（至少对我来说）看起来更友好。但几乎所有的感谢——你让送礼物的人感到特别——就像我们希望的那样，接收者也会有特别的感觉。这是一种完美的姿态——节日的精神。

English-Chinese Translation

Economics is no different.Supply,demand,elasticity,comparative advantage,consumer surplus,deadweight loss--these terms are part of the economist's language.In the coming chapters,you will encounter many new terms and some familiar words that economists use in specialized ways.(1)At first,this new language may seem needlessly arcane.But,as you will see,its value lies in its ability to provide you a new and useful way of thinking about the world in which you live.

Economists try to address their subject with a scientist's objectivity.They approach the study of the economy in much the same way as a physicist approaches the study of matter and a biologist approaches the study of life:(2)They devise theories,collect data,and then analyze these data in an attempt to verify or refute their theories.

To beginners,it can seem odd to claim that economics is a science.After all,economists do not work with test tubes or telescopes.(3)The essence of science,however,is the scientific methods--the dispassionate development and testing of theories about how the world works.

This method of inquiry is as applicable to studying a nation's economy as it is to studying th earth's gravity or a species'evolution.(4)As Albert Einstein once put it,"The whole of nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking."(225words)

【参考翻译】

经济学也不例外。供给、需求、弹性、比较优势、消费者剩余、无谓损失——这些术语都是《经济学人》语言的一部分。在接下来的章节中，你将会遇到许多经济学家在专业领域使用的新术语和一些熟悉的词汇。但是，正如你将看到的，它的价值在于它能为你提供一种新的和有用的方式来思考你所生活的世界。

经济学家试图以科学家的客观性来论述他们的课题。他们研究经济的方式与物理学家研究物质的方式和生物学家研究生命的方式非常相似：他们设计理论，收集数据，然后分析这些数据，试图验证或反驳他们的理论。

对初学者来说，声称经济学是一门科学似乎有点奇怪。毕竟，经济学家不使用试管或望远镜。然而，科学的本质是科学方法——冷静地发展和检验关于世界如何运转的理论。

这种探究方法既适用于研究一个的经济，也适用于研究地球引力或物种进化。

Chinese- English Translation

为了找到实验室试验的替代实验，经济学家会密切关注由历史提供的自然实验。例如，当中东的一次战争中断了原油供应时， 油价在全球范围内狂涨。对于石油及石油产品的消费者来说，这样的一次事件会降低生活水平。 对于经济决策者来说，它给他们出了一道难题，即如何做出最佳应对。但对于经济学家来说，它为研究重要自然资源对世界经济的影响提供了一次机会， 且这种机会在战时的油价飞涨结束很久依然存在。因此，整本书中，我们会分析很多历史事件。这些历史事件值得研究，因为，它们让我们对旧时的经济有所了解，更重要的是，因为它们使我们能够说明和评价当今的经济理论。

【参考翻译】

To find alternatives to laboratory experiments, economists pay close attention to natural experiments provided by history. When a war in the Middle East disrupted crude supplies, for example, oil prices soared around the world. For consumers of oil and petroleum products, such an event would lower living standards. For economic policymakers, it presents them with a dilemma of how best to respond. But for economists, it offers an opportunity to study the impact of important natural resources on the world economy, and that opportunity persisted long after the wartime surge in oil prices ended. So throughout the book, we're going to analyze a lot of historical events. These historical events are worth studying because they give us a sense of the economy of the past and, more importantly, because they enable us to explain and evaluate the economic theory of the present day.

Short Essay Writing

Write a composition in no less than 150 words on the topic:What Do You Think of Advanced Artificial Intelligence.Read the following words in English.You should write according to the outline given below.Write your composition on the ANSWER SHEET.

1.Google's DeepMind Alpha Go program has beaten all the world champions of the game Go in a series of battles between man and artificial intelligence.

2.Some people fear advanced artificial intelligence because?

3.Your attitude towards advanced artificial intelligence.

【参考翻译】

写一篇不少于150字的作文，题目是：你认为高级人工智能怎么样？阅读下面的英文单词。你应该按照下面的提纲来写。把你的作文写在答题纸上。

1．谷歌的DeepMind Alpha Go程序在一系列人机大战中击败了围棋的所有世界冠军。

2．有些人害怕高级人工智能是因为?

3．你对高级人工智能的态度。

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