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Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.
Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.
Highly proficient musicianship is hard won. Although it's often assumed musical ability is inherited, there's abundant evidence that this isn't the case. While it seems that at birth virtually everyone has perfect pitch* the reasons that one child is better than another are motivation and practice.
Highly musical children were sung to more as infants and more encouraged to join in song games as kids than less musical ones, long before any musical ability could have been evident. Studies of classical musicians prove that the best ones practiced considerably more from childhood onwards than ordinary orchestral players, and this is because their parents were at them to put in the hours from a very young age.
The same was true of children selected for entry to specialist music schools, compared with those who were rejected. The chosen children had parents who had very actively supervised music lessons and daily practice from young ages, giving up substantial periods of leisure time to take the children to lessons and concerts.
The singer Michael Jackson's story, although unusually brutal and extreme, is illuminating when considering musical prodigy (天才) . Accounts suggest that he was subjected to cruel beatings and emotional torture, and that he was humiliated (羞辱) constantly by his father. What sets Jackson's family apart is that his father used his reign of terror to train his children as musicians and dancers.
On top of his extra ability, Michael also had more drive. This may have been the result of being the closest of his brothers and sisters to his mother. "He seemed different to me from the other children - special," Michael's mother said of him. She may not have realised that treating her son as special may have been part of the reason he became like that.
All in all, if you want to bring up a Mozart or Bach, the key factor is how hard you are prepared to crack the whip. Thankfully, most of us will probably settle for a bit of fun on the recorder and some ill-executed pieces of music on the piano from our children.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
47. According to the author, a child's musical ability has much to do with their ________.
48. In order to develop the musical ability of their children, many parents will accompany them during their practice, sacrificing a lot of their own _______.
49. Because of their father's pressure and strict training, Michael Jackson and some of his brothers and sisters eventually became ________.
50. Michael's extra drive for music was partly due to the fact that he was ________ by his mother.
51. To bring up a great musician like Mozart or Bach, willingness to be strict with your child is ________.
【参考答案】
47. motivation and practice
48. leisure time
49. musicians and dancers
50. treated specially
51. the key factor
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices maked A),B),C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.
In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% from last year.
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively - and therefore make bad decisions - when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed .
When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the differences between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. Whenever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.
The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and then subtly holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book. 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. That's why we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession. This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
52. Why do people prefer shopping online according to the author?
A) It is more comfortable and convenient.
B) It saves them a lot of money and time.
C) It offers them a lot more options and bargains.
D) It gives them more time to think about their purchase.
53. Why do more customers return their purchases bought online?
A) They regretted indulging in costly items in the recession.
B) They changed their mind by the time the goods were delivered.
C) They had no chance to touch them when shopping online.
D) They later found the quality of goods below their expectations.
54. What is the purpose of the author's experiment?
A) To test his hypothesis about online shopping.
B) To find out people's reaction to his recent book.
C) To find ways to increase the sale of his new book.
D) To try different approaches to sales promotion.
55. How might people feel after letting go of something they held?
A) A sense of disappointment
B) More motivated to own it.
C) A subtle loss of interest
D) Less sensitive to its texture.
56. What does brain imaging in a recent study reveal?
A) Conventional letters contain subtle messages.
B) A lack of touch is the chief obstacle to e-commerce.
C) E-mail lacks the potential to activate the brain.
D) Physical touch helps form a sense of possession.
Passage Two
Questions 57 to 62 are based on the following passage.
Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has triggered another flood of such claims. And, while many interests are at work, one of the players that benefits the most from this story are the media: the notion of "extreme" climate simply makes for more compelling news.
Consider Paul Krugman, writing breathlessly in the New York Times about the "rising incidence of extreme events." He claims that global warming caused the current drought in America's Midwest, and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis.
But the United Nations climate panel's latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite: For "North America, there is medium confidence that there has an overall slight tendency toward less dryness." Moreover, there is no way that Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine: Climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest.
And, fortunately, this year's drought appears unlikely to cause a food crisis, as global rice and wheat supplies remain plentiful. Moreover, Krugman overlooks inflation: Prices have increased six-fold since 1969, so, while corn futures (期货) did set a record of about $8 per bushel (蒲式耳) in late July, the inflation-adjusted price of corn was higher throughout most of the 1970s, reaching $ 16 in 1974.
Finally, Krugman conveniently forgets that concerns about global warming are the main reason that corn prices have skyrocketed since 2005. Nowadays 40 percent of corn grown in the United States is used to produce ethanol (乙醇) , which does absolutely nothing for the climate, but certainly distorts the price of corn- at the expense of many of the world's poorest people.
Bill Mckibben similarly worries in The Guardian about the Midwest drought and corn prices. He confidently tells us that raging wildfires from New Mexico and Colorado to Siberia are "exactly" what the early stages of global warming look like.
In fact, the latest overview of global wildfire incidence suggests that fire intensity has declined over the past 70 years and is now close to its preindustrial level.
When well-meaning campaigners want us to pay attention to global warming, they often end up pitching beyond the facts. And, while this may seem justified by a noble goal, such "policy by panic" tactics rarely work, and often backfire.
Remember how, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, A1 Gore claimed that we were in store for ever more destructive hurricanes? Since then, hurricane incidence has dropped off the charts. Exaggerated claims merely fuel public distrust and disengagement.
That is unfortunate, because global warming is a real problem, and we do need to address it.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
57. In what way do the media benefit from extreme weather?
A) They can attract people's attention to their reports.
B) They can choose from a greater variety of topics.
C) They can make themselves better known.
D) They can give voice to different views.
58. What is the author's comment on Krugman's claim about the current drought in America's Midwest?
A) A time machine is needed to testify to its truth.
B) It is based on an erroneous climate model.
C) It will eventually get proof in 2048.
D) There is no way to prove its validity.
59. What is the chief reason for the rise in corn prices according to the author?
A) Demand for food has been rising in the developing countries.
B) A considerable portion of corn is used to produce green fuel.
C) Climate change has caused corn yields to drop markedly.
D) Inflation rates have been skyrocketing since the 1970s.
60. What does the author say about global wildfire incidence over the past 70 years?
A) It has got worse with the rise in extreme weathers.
B) It signals the early stages of global warming.
C) It has dropped greatly.
D) It is related to drought.
61. What does the author think of the exaggerated claims in the media about global warming?
A) They are strategies to raise
B) They do a disservice to addressing the problem.
C) They aggravate public distrust about science.
D) They create confusion about climate change.
