Text 1
How can Britain train operators possibly justify yet another increase torail passenger fares? It has become a grimly reliable annual ritual: everyJanuary the cost of travelling by train rises, imposing a significant extraburden on those who have no option but to use the rail network to get to work orotherwise. This year’s rise, an average of 2.7 per cent, may be a fraction lowerthan last year’s, but it is still well above the official Consumer Price Index(CPI) measure of inflation.
Successive governments have permitted such increases on the grounds thatthe cost of investing in and running the rail network should be borne by thosewho use it, rather than the general taxpayer. Why, the argument goes, should acar-driving pensioner from Lincolnshire have to subsidise the daily co妹妹ute of astockbroker from Surrey? Equally, there is a sense that the travails ofco妹妹uters in the South East, many of whom will face among the biggest rises,have received too much attention compared to those who must endure therelatively poor infrastructure of the Midlands and the North.
However, over the past 12 months, those co妹妹uters have also experiencedsome of the worst rail strikes in years. It is all very well train operatorstrumpeting the improvements they are making to the network, but passengersshould be able to expect a basic level of service for the substantial sums theyare now paying to travel. The responsibility for the latest wave of strikesrests on the unions. However, there is a strong case that those who have beenworst affected by industrial action should receive compensation for thedisruption they have suffered.
The Government has pledged to change the law to introduce a minimum servicerequirement so that, even when strikes occur, services can continue to operate.This should form part of a wider package of measures to address the long-runningproblems on Britain’s railways. Yes, more investment is needed, but passengerswill not be willing to pay more indefinitely if they must also endure cramped,unreliable services, punctuated by regular chaos when timetables are changed, orplanned maintenance is managed incompetently. The threat of nationalisation mayhave been seen off for now, but it will return with a vengeance if the justifiedanger of passengers is not addressed in short order.
21. The author holds that this year’s increase in rail passengers fares
A. will ease train operation’s burden.
B. has kept pace with inflation.
C. is a big surprise to co妹妹uters.
D. remains an unreasonable measure.
22. The stockbroker in 2 is used to stand for
A. car drivers
B. rail travellers
C. local investors
D. ordinary taxpayers
23. It is indicated in 3 that train operators
A. are offering compensations to co妹妹uters.
B. are trying to repair relations with the unions.
C. have failed to provide an adequate service.
D. have suffered huge losses owing to the strikes.
24. If unable to calm down passengers, the railways may have to face
A. the loss of investment.
B. the collapse of operations.
C. a reduction of revenue.
D. a change of ownership.
25. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Who Are to Blame for the Strikes?
B. Constant Complaining Doesn't Work
C. Can Nationalization Bring Hope?
D. Ever-rising Fares Aren't Sustainable
【逐题解析】
21. D细节题。
本题就作者概念举行发问，按照题干关头词thisyear’sincrease和railpassengersfares，可以定位到文章第一段。文章开首作者提出疑难，为什么铁路运营商举行了新一轮的票价上涨?可以看出作者对票价上涨持负面立场。而选项中只有D中unreasonable表现了负面的豪情色采，是以D为准确谜底。
选项A与B为移花接木。选项A经由过程burden定位到第一段第二句，但ease与原文imposing a significant extraburden(施加分外的包袱)不符;选项B经由过程inflation定位到第一段末句，但kept pacewith(同步)与原文above(跨越/在……上)不符。选项C为无中生有。
22. B例证题。
按照题干中stockbroker定位到第二段第二句，而发问standfor暗示必要有指代，则定位点在第一句，选项B中railtravellers(铁路搭客)与此中those who useit(铁路的利用者)为同义更换。选项A不在准确选项定位句中，则解除;选项D在定位点中，但原文中generaltaxpayer前有ratherthan举行否认，则解除;选项C为无中生有。
23. C推理题。
按照题干中trainoperators定位到第三段第二句，重点存眷but后的信息，此中暗示“搭客应当(should)等待享受与可以或许与票价匹配的根基办事(service)”，则C选项“没能(failto)供给足够的办事”为此信息的同义更换。选项ABD均不在定位点，则皆可解除。
24. B细节题。
按照题干“unable to calm down passengers(没法抚慰搭客)”可以在第四段末句中找到justified anger ofpassengers(搭客的众怒)为其同义更换，则定位点集中在末句。文章暗示，如今国有化(nationalisation)的威逼已消散，但如果搭客众怒没有解决，则它(nationalisation)将会回归(return)。则选项D中changeof ownership(所有权的变动)即指原文提到的“国有化的回归”。其他选项皆与原文不符。
25. D大旨题。
本题以解除法为主，A只在第二段呈现;B中complain为无中生有;C只在结尾呈现，不克不及归纳综合全文。此中D为最好选项。
Text 2
Last year marked the third year in a row of that Indonesia’s bleak rate ofdeforestation has slowed in pace. One reason for the turnaround may be thecountry’s antipoverty program.
In 2007, Indonesia started phasing in a program that gives money to itspoorest residents under certain conditions, such as requiring people to keepkids in school or get regular medical care. Called conditional cash transfers orCCTs, these social assistance programs are designed to reduce inequality andbreak the cycle of poverty. They’re already used in dozens of countriesworldwide. In Indonesia, the program has provided enough food and medicine tosubstantially reduce severe growth problems among children.
But CCT programs don’t generally consider effects on the environment. Infact, poverty alleviation and environmental protection are often viewed asconflicting goals, says Paul Ferraro, an economist at Johns HopkinsUniversity.
That’s because economic growth can be correlated with environmentaldegradation, while protecting the environment is sometimes correlated withgreater poverty. However, those correlations don’t prove cause and effect. Theonly previous study analyzing causality, based on an area in Mexico that hadinstituted CCTs, supported the traditional view. There, as people got moremoney, some of them may have more cleared land for cattle to raise for meat,Ferraro says.
Such programs do not have to negatively affect the environment, though.Ferraro wanted to see if Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affectingdeforestation. Indonesia has the third-largest area of tropical forest in theworld and one of the highest deforestation rates.
Ferraro analyzed satellite data showing annual forest loss from 2008 to2012 — including during Indonesia’s phase — in of the antipoverty program — in7,468 forested villages across 15 provinces and multiple islands. The duoseparated the effects of the CCT program on forest loss from other factors, likeweather and macroeconomic changes, which were also affecting forest loss. Withthat, “we see that the program is associated with a 30 percent reduction indeforestation,” Ferraro says.
That’s likely because the rural poor are using the money as makeshiftinsurance policies against inclement weather, Ferraro says. Typically, if rainsare delayed, people may clear land to plant more rice to supplement theirharvests. With the CCTs, individuals instead can use the money to supplementtheir harvests.
Whether this research translates elsewhere is anybody’s guess. Ferrarosuggests the importance of growing rice and market access. And regardless oftransferability, the study shows that what’s good for people may also be goodfor the value of the avoided deforestation just for carbon dioxide emissionsalone is more than the program costs.
26. According to the first two paragraphs, CCT programs aim to
A. facilitate health care reform.
B. help poor families get better off.
C. improve local education systems.
D. lower deforestation rates.
27. The study based on an area in Mexico is cited to show that
A. cattle rearing has been a major means of livelihood for the poor.
B. CCT programs have helped preserve traditional lifestyles.
C. antipoverty efforts require the participation of local farmers.
D. economic growth tends to cause environmental degradation.
28. In his study about Indonesia, Ferraro intends to find out
A. its acceptance level of CCTs.
B. its annual rate of poverty alleviation.
C. the relation of CCTs to its forest loss.
D. the role of its forests in climate change.
29. According to Ferraro, the CCT program in Indonesia is most valuable inthat
A. it will benefit other Asian countries.
B. it will reduce regional inequality.
C. it can protect the environment.
D. it can boost grain production.
30. What is the text centered on?
A. The effects of a program.
B. The debates over a program.
C. The process of a study.
D. The transferability of a study.
【逐题解析】
26.B细节题。
按照题干中CCT programs aim to(目标)，则可以定位到第二段第二句。此中are designedto(被设计来……)为aimto的同义更换，则准确谜底为to以后的信息。选项B中帮忙贫苦家庭(poorfamilies)变好(better)为文中“冲破贫苦问题的轮回(break the cycle ofpoverty)”的同义更换。选项A由care定位到第二段第一段和第四段，但答非所问。C和D皆非第1、二段的信息。
27. D例证题。
按照题干Mexico可以定位到第四段第三句，而第四句there(那边)也指Mexico(墨西哥)，则例子范畴为第3、四句。由于例子必要证实概念，则准确谜底应当向上找到第二句。但第二句呈现指代词those，则准确选项范畴需扩展到第一句。D选项中economicgrowth(经济增加)、cause(引发)与 environmentaldegradation(情况恶化)皆在原文可找到原词。是以D为正答。选项B为例子自己，不是概念，则解除;A与C在本段中皆未说起。
28. C细节题。
经由过程题干中study、Indonesia、Ferraro定位到原文第5、六段，发问Ferraro的实行目标，则可以定位到第五段第二句，此中wanttosee(想要看看)为intendsto find out(想要找出)的同义更换，则谜底就在see后的部门。选项C中“CCT与丛林削减(forestloss)的瓜葛(relation)”为原文中“脱贫项目(program)正在对丛林滥伐(deforestation)的发生影响(affect)”的同义更换。选项A和B中固然提到了CCT和povertyalleviation，但CCT的“接管度(acceptance level)”与“均匀比率(annualrate)”，皆未在文中呈现;选项D无中生有。
29. C细节题。
按照题干中mostvaluable可以定位到全文末句，则可以看出最大的价值(value)在于对情况的影响(avoiddeforestation)，选项中惟有C触及“情况”(protectthe environment)，则C为准确谜底。选项A中由other Asiancountries可以找到本段第一句中elsewhere与其为同义更换，但原文中暗示这依然是一个猜想(guess)，A中暗示将要产生，与原文不符;选项D中grainproduction(谷物莳植)与本段第二句中rice(水稻)可以组成同义更换，但并不是CCT项目标价值，答非所问，则解除;选项B为本段未说起的信息，则解除。
30.A大旨题。
综合全文，全文一向环抱CCT项目举行，重点偏重于项目标影响。是以最好选项为A。选项B中debate(争辩)为文中未说起信息;选项C和D皆只呈现在单一段落。
Text 3
As a historian who’s always searching for the text or the image that makesus re-evaluate the past, I’ve become preoccupied with looking for photographsthat show our Victorian ancestors smiling (what better way to shatter the imageof 19th-century prudery?). I’ve found quite a few, and — since I started postingthem on Twitter — they have been causing quite a stir. People have beensurprised to see evidence that Victorians had fun and could, and did, laugh.They are noting that the Victorians suddenly seem to become more human as thehundred-or-so years that separate us fade away through our co妹妹on experience oflaughter.
Of course, I need to concede that my collection of ‘Smiling Victorians’makes up only a tiny percentage of the vast catalogue of photographicportraiture created between 1840 and 1900, the majority of which show sittersposing miserably and stiffly in front of painted backdrops, or staring absentlyinto the middle distance. How do we explain this trend?
During the 1840s and 1850s, in the early days of photography, exposuretimes were notoriously long: the daguerreotype photographic method (producing animage on a silvered copper plate) could take several minutes to complete,resulting in blurred images as sitters shifted position or adjusted their limbs.The thought of holding a fixed grin as the camera performed its magical dutieswas too much to contemplate, and so a non-co妹妹ittal blank stare became thenorm.
But exposure times were much quicker by the 1880s, and the introduction ofthe Box Brownie and other portable cameras meant that, though slow by today’sdigital standards, the exposure was almost instantaneous. Spontaneous smileswere relatively easy to capture by the 1890s, so we must look elsewhere for anexplanation of why Victorians still hesitated to smile.
One explanation might be the loss of dignity displayed through a cheesygrin. “Nature gave us lips to conceal our teeth,” ran one popular Victoriansaying, alluding to the fact that before the birth of proper dentistry, mouthswere often in a shocking state of hygiene. A flashing set of healthy and clean,regular ‘pearly whites’ was a rare sight in Victorian society, the preserve ofthe super-rich (and even then, dental hygiene was not guaranteed).
A toothy grin (especially when there were gaps or blackened teeth) lackedclass: drunks, tramps, and music hall performers might gurn and grin with asmile as wide as Lewis Carroll’s gum-exposing Cheshire Cat, but it was not abecoming look for properly bred persons. Even Mark Twain, a man who enjoyed ahearty laugh, said that when it came to photographic portraits there could be“nothing more damning than a silly, foolish smile fixed forever”.
31. According to Paragraph 1, the author’s posts on Twitter
A. changed people’s impression of the Victorians.
B. highlighted social media’s role in Victorian studies.
C. re-evaluated the Victorians’ notion of public image.
D. illustrated the development of Victorian photography.
32. What does author say about the Victorian portraits he hascollected?
A. They are in popular use among historians.
B. They are rare among photographs of that age.
C. They mirror 19th-century social conventions.
D. They show effects of different exposure times.
33. What might have kept the Victorians from smiling for pictures in the1890s?
A. Their inherent social sensitiveness.
B. Their tension before the camera.
C. Their distrust of new inventions.
D. Their unhealthy dental condition.
34. Mark Twain is quoted to show that the disapproval of smiles in pictureswas
A. a deep-root belief.
B. a misguided attitude.
C. a controversial view.
D. a thought-provoking idea.
35. Which of the following questions does the text answer?
A. Why did most Victorians look stern in photographs?
B. Why did the Victorians start to view photographs?
C. What made photography develop slowly in the Victorian period?
D. How did smiling in photographs become a post-Victorian norm?
【逐题解析】
31. A细节题。
按照题干中posts和Twitter定位到第一段第二句，文中暗示作者推发推特的举动引发了一次纷扰(stir)。接下来对与stir举行了详细论述，人们发明维多利亚时代的人们是可以笑(couldlaugh)的而且比咱们的固有印象中更“像”人类(morehuman)。是以选项A中“扭转(change)了人们对付维多利亚时代人们的的印象(impression)”为原文同义更换。固然其余选项中都触及Victorian，但选项B中“社交媒体(socialmedia)的感化(role)”，选项C中的“观念(notion)”和选项D中“拍照(photography)的成长(development)”均在文章中没有说起，故予以解除。
32. B细节题。
本题发问作者概念，经由过程题干中Victorian portraits和collected定位到第二段第一句。文中夸大了照片数目的占比(tinypercentage和majority)，而选项B中rare(罕有)与数目相干，则选择B。而选项A中的“利用(use)”环境、选项C中的“社交传统(socialconvention)”和选项D中的“暴光期间(exposuretimes)的影响(effects)”均为文中未说起的信息。
33. D推理题。
经由过程题干中kept the Victorians from smiling与1890s可以定位到文中第四段末句。末句中提醒诠释(explanation)在别处(elsewhere)，则需把定位范畴扩展到第五段。第五段首句指出“一个诠释(oneexplanation)”多是“损失庄严(lossof dignity)”，第二句进一步举行阐释“损失庄严”的本色，即笑则露齿，而维多利亚时代的人们认为嘴唇是用来“暗藏牙齿(conceal ourteeth)”，暗指(allude)在口腔医学出生以前，口腔卫生(hygiene)使人堪忧(shockingstate)。是以，维多利亚时代的人们不笑的真正缘由在于卫生问题，而选项D中“不康健的口腔状态(unhealthy dentalcondition)”为此信息的最好匹配。其余选项皆与原文无关。
34. A例证题。
按照题干Mark Twain可定位到文章末句为事例范畴，则所证实的概念为末段首句，重点察看but后的信息，即对有教化的人(properly bredpersons)来讲其实不得体(becoming)，则可以揣度在照片中不笑的举动是一个“根深蒂固的概念(a deep-rootbelief)”，故选择A。其他选项皆不合适辞意。
35. A大旨题。
全文环抱维多利亚时代的人们为什么不笑而开展，为焦点论点，则选择A。其它选项皆为文中细节，不合适文章大旨原则。
Text 4
From the early days of broadband, advocates for consumers and web-basedcompanies worried that the cable and phone companies selling broadbandconnections had the power and incentive to favor affiliated websites over theirrivals. That’s why there has been such a strong demand for rules that wouldprevent broadband providers from picking winners and losers online, preservingthe freedom and innovation that have been the lifeblood of the internet.
Yet that demand has been almost impossible to fill—in part because ofpushback from broadband providers, anti-regulatory conservatives and the courts.A federal appeals court weighed in again Tuesday, but instead of providing abadly needed resolution, it only prolonged the fight. At issue before the U.S.Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was the latest take of theFederal Co妹妹unications Co妹妹ission (FCC) on net neutrality, adopted on aparty-line vote in 2017. The Republican-penned order not only eliminated thestrict net neutrality rules the FCC had adopted when it had a Democraticmajority in 2015, but rejected the co妹妹ission’s authority to require broadbandproviders to do much of anything. The order also declared that state and localgovernments couldn’t regulate broadband providers either.
The co妹妹ission argued that other agencies would protect againstanti-competitive behavior, such as a broadband-providing conglomerate likeAT&T favoring its own video-streaming service at the expense of Netflix andApple TV. Yet the FCC also ended the investigations of broadband providers thatimposed data caps on their rivals’ streaming services but not their own.
On Tuesday, the appeals court unanimously upheld the 2017 orderderegulating broadband providers, citing a Supreme Court ruling from 2005 thatupheld a similarly deregulatory move. But Judge Patricia Millett rightly arguedin a concurring opinion that “the result is unhinged from the realities ofmodern broadband service,” and said Congress or the Supreme Court couldintervene to “avoid trapping Internet regulation in technologicalanachronism.”
In the meantime, the court threw out the FCC’s attempt to block all staterules on net neutrality, while preserving the co妹妹ission’s power to preemptindividual state laws that undermine its order. That means more battles like theone now going on between the Justice Department and California, which enacted atough net neutrality law in the wake of the FCC’s abdication.
The endless legal battles and back-and-forth at the FCC cry out forCongress to act. It needs to give the co妹妹ission explicit authority once and forall to bar broadband providers from meddling in the traffic on their network andto create clear rules protecting openness and innovation online.
36. There has long been concern that broadband provides would
A. bring web-based firms under control.
B. slow down the traffic on their network.
C. show partiality in treating clients.
D. intensify competition with their rivals.
37. Faced with the demand for net neutrality rules, the FCC
A. Sticks to an out-of-date order.
B. Takes an anti-regulatory stance.
C. Has issued a special resolution.
D. Has allowed the states to intervene.
38. What can be learned about AT&T from Paragraph 3?
A. It protects against unfair competition.
B. It engages in anti-competitive practices.
C. It is under
the FCC’s investigation.
D. It is in pursuit of quality service.
39. Judge Patricia Millett argues that the appeals court’s decision
A. focuses on trivialities.
B. conveys an ambiguous message.
C. is at odds with its earlier rulings.
D. is out of touch with reality.
40. What does the author argue in the last paragraph?
A. Congress needs to take action to ensure net neutrality.
B. The FCC should be put under
strict supervision.
C. Rules need to be set to diversify online services.
D. Broadband providers’ rights should be protected.
【逐题解析】
36. C细节题。
按照题干concern和 broadbandprovides可以定位到第一段首句，此中触及“支撑(favor)从属网站”，有较着立场偏好，而选项中只有C中呈现partiality(左袒)，则选择C。其他选项并无较着立场指向，皆非文章所指。
37. B细节题
按照题干中net neutrality rules和theFCC定位到文章第二段第四句和第五句，可以发明此处呈现了notonly…but……与also的并列布局，则可以经由过程并列布局举行揣度。此中呈现了“否决权势巨子(reject…authority)”与“当局不克不及束缚(couldn’tregulate)”的信息，则可以推出FCC是“反制约态度(anti-regulatory stance)”。其他选项皆不合适辞意。
38. B推理题。
按照题干AT&T可以定位到第三段第一句，AT&T处于罗列处，则需向前找到上义词otheragencies，则定位点切确到agencies的后面：庇护反竞争的举动(protectagainst anti-competitive)，则直接可以对应到选项A和B，但选项A中的“不公允竞争(unfaircompetition)”为原文anti-competition的观点掉包，则解除选择B。其余选项皆与辞意无关。
39.D细节题。
本题就Judge Patricia Millett的概念举行发问，可以定位到第四段第二句。文中指出，成果(result)离开现实(unhingedfrom the realities)，而且国会与最高法院可以加以干与。则选项D中out of touch withreality(与实际脱轨)为文中的同义更换。其他选项内容文中并未触及。
40.A细节题。
本题就末段中作者概念举行发问。一般来讲，全文末段常常为作者概念的集中表现。首句指出号令(cryoutfor)国会(Congress)采纳举措。而第二句为it做主语，指前文的Congress，则可以揣度，作者把眼光集中在了国会身上，则选择A。选项D中broadbandproviders在文中有被说起，但并不是阐述重点，且存在细节拼集的毛病，故解除;选项B和C中只有单个单词(FCC/online)在文中呈现，但其余信息与末段内容无关。
