2017年考研英语二阅读理解

Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions：Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text 1

Every Saturday morning, at 9 am, more than 50,000 runners set off to run 5km around their local park. The Parkrun phenomenon began with a dozen friends and has inspired 400 events in the UK and more abroad. Events are free, staffed by thousands of volunteers. Runners range from four years old to grandparents; their times range from Andrew Baddeley’s world record 13 minutes 48 seconds up to an hour.

Parkrun is succeeding where London’s Olympic “legacy” is failing. Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympiad would be in London. Planning documents pledged that the great legacy of the Games would be to level a nation of sport lovers away from their couches。 The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. It has not happened. The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run—up to 2012—but the general population was growing faster. Worse, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate. The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have nearly halved. Obesity has risen among adults and children. Official retrospections continue as to why London 2012 failed to “inspire a generation.” The success of Parkrun offers answers。

Parkun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock. The ethos welcomes anybody. There is as much joy over a puffed-out first-timer being clapped over the line as there is about top talent shining. The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sports and to produce more elite athletes. The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was intimidating for newcomers.

Indeed, there is something a little absurd in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally “grassroots”, concept as community sports associations. If there is a role for government, it should really be getting involved in providing common goods—making sure there is space for playing fields and the money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools. But successive governments have presided over selling green spaces, squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education。 Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive. Or at least not make them worse.

1.According to Paragraph1, Parkrun has______.

[A] gained great popularity

[B] created many jobs

[C] strengthened community ties

[D] become an official festival

【答案】A

【解析】答案为A。通过题干可以定位在第一段，可以通过，每天超过五万人跑步、引发了400场运动在英国和在国外等信息得知，公园跑很受欢迎。

2.The author believes that London’s Olympic “legacy” has failed to______.

[A] boost population growth

[B] promote sport participation

[C] improve the city’s image

[D] increase sport hours in schools

【答案】B

【解析】答案为B。通过题干伦敦和奥林匹克遗产可以定位到第二段，题目问的是伦敦奥运会的遗产没有做成什么事，题干中的failed to可以对应第二段即使看到了failing，但并没有答案。再往下看，伦敦奥运会承诺，人口将会更健康、更多冠军，但这并没有发生，not happed才真正对应failed to.

3.Parkrun is different from Olympic games in that it______.

[A] aims at discovering talents

[B] focuses on mass competition

[C] does not emphasize elitism

[D] does not attract first-timers

【答案】C

【解析】答案为C。这道题定位在第三段的中间，奥林匹克的倡导者相反，想要更多的参与运动创造更多的精英。

4.With regard to mass sport, the author holds that governments should______.

[A] organize “grassroots” sports events

[B] supervise local sports associations

[C] increase funds for sports clubs

[D] invest in public sports facilities

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。提到大众体育，作者认为政府应该投资公共的体育设施。政府在第四段的中间，讲到政府应该训练的空间、用钱去铺设网球场。这里是答案的同意转换。

5.The author’s attitude to what UK governments have done for sports is______.

[A] tolerant

[B] critical

[C] uncertain

[D] sympathetic

【答案】B

【解析】答案为B。最后一段but转折后说，继任的政府卖绿地、减少本地政府的预算同时减少在体育方面的关注度，所以持批判态度。

Text 2

With so much focus on children's use of screens, it's easy for parents to forget about their own screen use. “Tech is designed to really suck on you in,” says Jenny Radesky in her study of digital play, “and digital products are there to promote maximal engagement. It makes it hard to disengage, and leads to a lot of bleed-over into the family routine.”

Radesky has studied the use of mobile phones and tablets at mealtimes by giving mother-child pairs a food-testing exercise. She found that mothers who sued devices during the exercise started 20 percent fewer verbal and 39 percent fewer nonverbal interactions with their children. During a separate observation, she saw that phones became a source of tension in the family. Parents would be looking at their emails while the children would be making excited bids for their attention.

Infants are wired to look at parents' faces to try to understand their world, and if those faces are blank and unresponsive — as they often are when absorbed in a device — it can be extremely disconcerting foe the children. Radesky cites the “still face experiment” devised by developmental psychologist Ed Tronick in the 1970s. In it, a mother is asked to interact with her child in a normal way before putting on a blank expression and not giving them any visual social feedback; The child becomes increasingly distressed as she tries to capture her mother's attention. “Parents don't have to be exquisitely parents at all times, but there needs to be a balance and parents need to be responsive and sensitive to a child's verbal or nonverbal expressions of an emotional need,” says Radesky.

On the other hand, Tronick himself is concerned that the worries about kids' use of screens are born out of an "oppressive ideology that demands that parents should always be interacting" with their children: “It's based on a somewhat fantasized, very white, very upper-middle-class ideology that says if you're failing to expose your child to 30,000 words you are neglecting them.” Tronick believes that just because a child isn't learning from the screen doesn't mean there's no value to it—particularly if it gives parents time to have a shower, do housework or simply have a break from their child. Parents, he says, can get a lot out of using their devices to speak to a friend or get some work out of the way. This can make them feel happier, which lets then be more available to their child the rest of the time.

26. According to Jenny Radesky, digital products are designed to ______.

[A]simplify routine matters

[B]absorb user attention

[C]better interpersonal relations

[D]increase work efficiency

【答案】B

【解析】答案为B。细节题。根据题原文第一段“……digital products are there to promote maximal engagement.”可知，B选项中absorb和promote对应，user attention和engagement 对应。

27. Radesky's food-testing exercise shows that mothers' use of devices ______.

[A]takes away babies' appetite

[B]distracts children's attention

[C]slows down babies' verbal development

[D]reduces mother-child communication

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。细节题。根据原文第二段“She found that mothers who sued devices during the exercise started 20 percent fewer verbal and 39 percent fewer nonverbal interactions with their children.” 可知，D选项中reduce communication和started fewer verbal and fewer nonverbal interactions对应。

28. Radesky's cites the "still face experiment" to show that _______.

[A]it is easy for children to get used to blank expressions

[B]verbal expressions are unnecessary for emotional exchange

[C]children are insensitive to changes in their parents' mood

[D]parents need to respond to children's emotional needs

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。例证题。根据原文第三段“……there needs to be a balance and parents need to be responsive and sensitive to a child's verbal or nonverbal expressions of an emotional need” 可知，D选项中need to respond to children' s emotional needs和本句同意替换。因此D选项是正确选项。

29. The oppressive ideology mentioned by Tronick requires parents to_______.

[A]protect kids from exposure to wild fantasies

[B]teach their kids at least 30,000 words a year

[C]ensure constant interaction with their children

[D]remain concerned about kid's use of screens

【答案】C

【解析】答案为C。细节题。根据原文第四段“……oppressive ideology that demands that parents should always be interacting with their children.”可知，C选项中constant interaction 与always be interacting 同义替换，因此C选项是正确选项。

30. According to Tronick, kid's use of screens may_______.

[A]give their parents some free time

[B]make their parents more creative

[C]help them with their homework

[D]help them become more attentive

【答案】A

【解析】答案为A。细节题。根据原文第四段“……particularly if it gives parents time to have a shower, do housework or simply have a break from their child.”可知，A选项give their parents some free time和gives parents time 同义替换。

Text 3

Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college in conjunction with increasingly high expectations in a fast-moving world often causes students to completely overlook the possibility of taking a gap year. After all, if everyone you know is going to college in the fall, it seems silly to stay back a year, doesn't it? And after going to school for 12 years, it doesn't feel natural to spend a year doing something that isn't academic.

But while this may be true, it's not a good enough reason to condemn gap years. There's always a constant fear of falling behind everyone else on the socially perpetuated "race to the finish line," whether that be toward graduate school, medical school or lucrative career. But despite common misconceptions, a gap year does not hinder the success of academic pursuits-in fact, it probably enhances it.

Studies from the United States and Australia show that students who take a gap year are generally better prepared for and perform better in college than those who do not. Rather than pulling students back, a gap year pushes them ahead by preparing them for independence, new responsibilities and environmental changes-all things that first-year students often struggle with the most. Gap year experiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities rather than acclimation blunders.

If you're not convinced of the inherent value in taking a year off to explore interests, then consider its financial impact on future academic choices. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors at least once. This isn’t surprising, considering the basic mandatory high school curriculum leaves students with a poor understanding of themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to another after taking college classes. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the school, it can be costly to make up credits after switching too late in the game. At Boston College, for example, you would have to complete an extra year were you to switch to the nursing school from another department. Taking a gap year to figure things out initially can help prevent stress and save money later on.

31. One of the reasons for high-school graduates not taking a gap year is that_____.

[A]they think it academically misleading

[B]they have a lot of fun to expect in college

[C]it feels strange to do differently from others

[D]it seems worthless to take off-campus courses

【答案】C

【解析】答案为C。细节题。根据原文第一段第二句话“After all, if everyone you know is going to college in the fall, it seems silly to stay back a year, doesn’t it?”可知，本句用反问的形式表达了原因之一在于他们不想和其他人不同。所以C正确。

32. Studies from the US and Australia imply that taking a gap year helps_____.

[A]keep students from being unrealistic

[B]lower risks in choosing careers

[C]ease freshmen's financial burdens

[D]relieve freshmen of pressures

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。细节题。根据原文第三段的第二句话“Rather than pulling students back, a gap year pushes them ahead by preparing them for independence, new responsibilities and environmental changes—all things that first-year students often struggle with the most.”可知，此句中pushes them ahead by preparing them for...与D选项 relieve freshmen of 进行同义改写。often struggle with the most对应的是本句中的Pressure，first-years students 对应freshmen。D选项全方位替换。

33. The word "acclimation" (Line 8, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to_____.

[A]adaptation

[B]application

[C]motivation

[D]competition

【答案】A

【解析】答案为A。词义题。根据原文第三段最后一句话“Gap year experiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities rather than acclimation blunders.”可知，当谈到适应大学生活并且很快融入到一个全新的环境这个问题时，拥有空档年方面的经验可以减少相关的打击，这就使得专注去学习并且参与活动而不是______更容易。各选项代入，A最符合语义，和前面的adjusting to形成复现。

34. A gap year may save money for students by helping them_____.

[A]avoid academic failures

[B]establish long-term goals

[C]switch to another college

[D]decide on the right major

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。细节题。根据原文第四段第一句和第三句话“If you’re not convinced of the inherent value in taking a year off to explore interests, then consider its financial impact on future academic choices.”可知，本句中financial impact与题干中的money 相对应，顺沿看后面的信息第三句“This isn’t surprising, considering the basic mandatory high school curriculum leaves students with a poor understanding of themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to another after taking college classes.”可知，学生在确定专业时会有困难。综合前后语义，可知 D正确。

35. The most suitable title for this text would be_____.

[A]In Favor of the Gap Year

[B]The ABCs of the Gap Year

[C]The Gap Year Comes Back

[D]The Gap Year: A Dilemma

【答案】A

【解析】答案为A。主旨题。本文开篇通过学生对于空档年的看法——不接受，引出文章的主题词the Gap Year。第二段通过BUT作为转折，引出作者的态度，提到空档年的各种好处，可以帮助新生缓解压力，可以帮助学生确定专业以减少经济上的一些损失，由此可见，作者是支持、赞成的态度。所以A选项正确。

Text 4

Though often viewed as a problem for western states, the growing frequency of wildfires is a national concern because of its impact on federal tax dollars, says Professor Max Moritz, a specialist in fire ecology and management.

In 2015, the US Forest Service for the first time spent more than half of its $5.5 billion annual budget fighting fires-nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago. In effect, fewer federal funds today are going towards the agency's other work-such as forest conservation, watershed and cultural resources management, and infrastructure upkeep-that affect the lives of all Americans.

Another nationwide concern is whether public funds from other agencies are going into construction in fire-prone districts. As Moritz puts it, how often are federal dollars building homes that are likely to be lost to a wildfire?

“It's already a huge problem from a public expenditure perspective for the whole country,” he says. We need to take a magnifying glass to that. Like, “Wait a minute, is this OK?” “Do we want instead to redirect those funds to concentrate on lower-hazard parts of the landscape?”

Such a view would require a corresponding shift in the way US society today views fire, researchers say.

For one thing, conversations about wildfires need to be more inclusive. Over the past decade, the focus has been on climate change-how the warming of the Earth from greenhouse gases is leading to conditions that worsen fires.

While climate is a key element, Moritz says, it shouldn't come at the expense of the rest of the equation.

“The human systems and the landscapes we live on are linked, and the interactions go both ways,” he says. Failing to recognize that, he notes, leads to “an overly simplified view of what the solutions might be. Our perception of the problem and of what the solution is becomes very limited.”

At the same time, people continue to treat fire as an event that needs to be wholly controlled and unleashed only out of necessity, says Professor Balch at the University of Colorado. But acknowledging fire's inevitable presence in human life is an attitude crucial to developing the laws, policies, and practices that make it as safe as possible, she says.

“We've disconnected ourselves from living with fire,” Balch says. “It is really important to understand and try and tease out what is the human connection with fire today.”

36.More frequent wildfires have become a national concern because in 2015 they_____.

[A]exhausted unprecedented management efforts

[B]consumed a record-high percentage of budget

[C]severely damaged the ecology of western states

[D]caused a huge rise of infrastructure expenditure

【答案】B

【解析】答案为B。细节题，根据原文第二段“In 2015, the US Forest Service for the first time spent more than half of its $5.5 billion annual budget fighting fires—nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago.”可知，B选项中a record-high percentage of budget与nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago对应，因此B选项是正确选项。

37.Moritz calls for the use of “a magnifying glass” to _____.

[A]raise more funds for fire-prone areas

[B]avoid the redirection of federal money

[C]find wildfire-free parts of the landscape

[D]guarantee safer spending of public funds

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。细节题，根据原文第四We need to take a magnifying glass to that. Like, “Wait a minute, is this OK?” “Do we want instead to redirect those funds to concentrate on lower-hazard parts of the landscape?”可知，选项D guarantee safer spending of public funds是本句的同义替换，因此D选项是正确选项。

38.While admitting that climate is a key element, Moritz notes that _____.

[A]public debates have not settled yet

[B]fire-fighting conditions are improving

[C]other factors should not be overlooked

[D]a shift in the view of fire has taken place

【答案】C

【解析】答案为C。细节题，根据原文第七段“While climate is a key element, Moritz says, it shouldn’t come at the expense of the rest of the equation.”可知，选项C other factors should not be overlooked 是对本句的同义替换，因此选项C是正确选项。

39.The overly simplified view Moritz mentions is a result of failing to _____.

[A]discover the fundamental makeup of nature

[B]explore the mechanism of the human systems

[C]maximize the role of landscape in human life

[D]understand the interrelations of man and nature

【答案】D

【解析】答案为D。细节题，根据原文第八段：“The human systems and the landscapes we live on are linked, and the interactions go both ways,” he says. Failing to recognize that, he notes, leads to “an overly simplified view of what the solutions might be,……”可知，选项D中 the interrelations of man and nature和The human systems and the landscapes we live on are linked对应，因此选项D是正确选项。

40.Professor Balch points out that fire is something man should _____.

[A]do away with

[B]come to terms with

[C]pay a price for

[D]keep away from

【答案】B

【解析】答案为B。细节题，根据原文第九段“But acknowledging fire’s inevitable presence in human life is an attitude crucial to developing the laws, policies, and practices that make it as safe as possible,”可知，选项B come to terms with是本句的同义替换，因此选项B 是正确选项。

【试题点评】今年四篇文章难度一般。在我们整体的考研阅读当中，所需要具备的一个最重要的能力就是如何去看到题目之后，定准了位，并且找到那个我们真正应该找到的位置，在四个选项当中去找意思的原文最匹配的选项。具体相关考点和解题思路在考研教育网强化阶段英语强化班阅读理解部分有重点讲解。