一、考研阅读理解
昨天留的家庭作业:
It has been a tough summer for Muncie, a small city of Indiana. Unemployment dipped briefly below 9% this spring, but floated back up to 10% in June and July. The car-parts makers that were once Muncie\\'s life blood have largely given up on it; but creating skilled manufacturing jobs at a new locomotive factory is turning out to be a hard slog.
Since the sociologists Robert and Helen Lynd named it "Middletown" in 1929, Muncie has been regarded as representative of the American experience. In the more diverse 21st century American economy, that is no longer exactly the case, but Muncie\\'s experience of declining manufacturing employment is similar to that of many small cities. So when Indiana\\'s governor, Mitch Daniels, came to town and announced last October that 650 new jobs would be created assembling locomotives for Progress Rail, and a largely abandoned factory rehabilitated, local press and politicians reacted with enthusiasm.
That feeling is wearing off. Fewer than a quarter of the promised jobs have materialised and not a single engine has rolled off the production line. According to a Progress Rail spokeswoman, the company currently employs 150 people in Muncie and has abandoned the 650 target, expecting to reach only 250 employees by the end of 2012. The spokeswoman blamed the sluggish hiring on the weak economy, but the path to creating even one job has been a twisted one.
Progress Rail decided on building locomotives in America in April 2010. It then started negotiations with the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. Muncie\\'s greatest asset in sealing the deal was the building itself. Originally used to make transformers for Westinghouse and then ABB, the factory had been used to store ketchup and as a Halloween house since the latter company left town in 1998. The 740,000 square-foot building has a 1,960 foot long main assembly floor, with a railway line running through the door—handy if you are making locomotives.
Recruitment ads appeared shortly after Christmas 2010. Work One, a state employment agency, removed unsuitable applicants. The jobs drew hundreds of hopefuls, but a Work One director, notes that there is a big gap between flipping burgers and working at a modern manufacturer. The local branch of a community college, agreed to create a three-week welding course to teach the specialised techniques Progress Rail uses. So specialised, in fact, that the head welding teacher at the college said he had never heard of them, and so difficult that only experienced welders could attempt them. Between January and April this year, according to the Work One director just 30 welders took the course; the company was looking to hire 70.
If Muncie and similar cities are banking on manufacturing to restore their fortunes, they have a slow road ahead.
1.The unemployment rate of Muncie in the first half of the year______.
[A] had been rising steadily
[B] dropped by 9% temporarily
[C] declined then rebounded to 10%
[D] reached the highest point
2.We can learn from Paragraph 2 that______.
[A]Muncie has started its fast development since 1929
[B]The growth of Muncie has represented the American development since 1929
[C]Muncie\\'s declining manufacturing employment is a reflection of the national tendency
[D]the decision to creat jobs was applauded by Muncie people
3.According to Paragraph 3, Progress Rail______.
[A] hired few workers because of the gloomy economy
[B] failed to meet the target of creating 650 new jobs
[C] is a company mainly producing engines
[D] planned to create 250 new jobs in 2012
4.The difficulty Progress Rail faces in its recruitment in Muncie is______.
[A] the incompetence of Work One
[B] the lack of qualified workers
[C] the high requirements of Progress Rail
[D] the underdevelopment of the local education
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A]Off-track in Middletown
[B] The Origin of "Middletown"
[C]Ways out for Middletown
[D]The Decline of Middletown
试题透析
1. 曼西小城今年上半年的失业率______。
[A]一直稳步上升
[B]暂时下降了 9%
[C]下降后又反弹至 10%
[D]达到了峰值
[试题类型] 具体信息题。
[解题思路]
本题考查曼西小城上半年的失业率情况，故可定位至第一段。该段第二句指出，今年春季曼西的失业率曾暂时下降到了 9%以下（dipped briefly below 9% this spring），但在六月和七月这一数字又回到了 10%（floated back up to 10% in June and July）。由此可知，今年上半年曼西的失业率是先暂时下降，然后又反弹至 10%，故选项 [C] 为正确案。
[干扰排除]
由第二句可知，曼西小城的失业率是先暂时下降至 9%以下，然后反弹至 10%的，故失业率并不是稳步上升的，故选项 [A] 可以排除。文中是指失业率暂时下降到了 9%以下，而不是与之前数字相比，下降了 9%，故选项 [B] 可以排除。文中并未提及该城的失业率是否达到了最高值，故选项 [D] 可以排除。
2. 我们可以从第二段得知______。
[A]自 1929 年起，曼西小城开始快速发展
[B]自 1929 年起，曼西小城的成长一直代表了美国的发展历程
[C]曼西小城制造业就业率的下降代表了全国的趋势
[D]创造就业岗位的决定受到曼西人民的欢迎
[试题类型] 具体信息题。
[解题思路]
根据题干关键词 Paragraph 2 定位至第二段。该段最后一句指出，当印第安纳州州长宣布 Progress Rail公司将会提供 650 个工作岗位时（650 new jobs would be created），当地媒体和政客反响热烈（local press and politicians reacted with enthusiasm）。由此可见，当地人们对就业岗位的增加是非常欢迎的，选项 [D] 与原文相符，故为正确答案。
[干扰排除]
第二段第一句指出，自从 1929 年 Robert 和 Helen Lynd 将该城命名为“米德尔敦”以来，曼西就一直被视为美国经历的代表，可见，早在 1929 年，曼西小城就已经因其迅速发展而闻名了，而不是在 1929 年后才开始飞速发展，故选项 [A] 与原文不符，可以排除。由该段首句可知，曼西小城自 1929 年来就一直被视为是美国经历的代表，但该段第二句紧接着指出，然而在 21 世纪更为多元化的美国经济中，这种情况已不复存在（that is no longer the case），即曼西不能再代表美国的发展，故不能说自 1929 年以来，曼西一直代表了美国的发展历程，故选项 [B] 与原文不符，可以排除。由该段第二句可知，曼西制造业中就业机会逐渐减少的经历同多座小城市的遭遇相似，因此，只能说曼西的境遇代表了一些小城市的状况，且文中并没有说明美国全国的趋势是怎样的，故选项 [C] 可以排除。
3. 根据第三段可知，Progress Rail______。
[A]因经济不景气几乎没有招收工人
[B]没有达到创造 650 个新岗位的目标
[C]是一个主要生产发动机的公司
[D]计划在 2012 年创造 250 个新岗位
[试题类型] 具体信息题。
[解题思路]
根据题干关键词 Paragraph 3 定位至第三段。第三段第二句指出 Progress Rail 现已兑现的工作岗位不到之前承诺的四分之一，接着第三句指出 Progress Rail 的发言人称公司当前已雇用 150 名员工（currently employs 150 people），并取消了招收 650 名员工的计划（has abandoned the 650 target）。由此可见，Progress Rail 未能达到预期招收 650 人的目标，故选项 [B] 与原文相符，为正确答案。
[干扰排除]
第三段第三句指出，Progress Rail 公司当前已雇用 150 名职工，而并非因经济不景气几乎没有招收员工，故选项 [A] 可以排除。该段第二句指出，Progress Rail 公司兑现的工作岗位还不到之前承诺的四分之一，而且在生产线上连一台机车也没有组装成（not a single engine has rolled off the production line）。由上下文可知，Progress Rail公司生产的是机车（locomotives），而不是发动机，engine 的一个释义就是 locomotive，故选项 [C] 可以排除。本段第三句指出，公司希望在 2012 年底总共招收 250 名员工（reach only 250 employees by the end of 2012），即包括现在已经雇用的工人总共招收 250 人，而不是在 2012 年再招收 250 名新员工，选项 [D] 与原文不符，故可以排除。
4. Progress Rail 在曼西招收工人时遇到的困难是______。
[A]Work One 无法胜任招聘工作
[B]缺乏符合标准的工人
[C]Progress Rail 的要求过高
[D]当地的教育发展滞后
[试题类型] 具体信息题。
[解题思路]
本题考查 Progress Rail 在曼西招收工人时所遇到的问题，故可定位至第五段。该段第一、二句指出，2010年圣诞节后，Progress Rail 发布了招工广告，州立招聘公司 Work One 为其选拔合格的应聘者。但在第三句中 Work One 的一位主管指出，现代制造工厂里的工作可不像翻煎汉堡包那样简单，两者差异巨大（there is a big gap between flipping burgers and working at a modern manufacturer）。第四句接着指出，因此一所社区大学同意针对 Progress Rail所需的专业技术开设为期三周的焊接课程。最后一句指出，今年 1 月到 4 月，只有 30 名焊工接受了培训（just 30 welders took the course），而 Progress Rail 原本要招收 70 名焊工（the company was looking to hire 70）。由此可见，ProgressRail 在曼西招收工人时遇到的一个大问题是专业技术人员的缺乏，故选项 [B] 与原文相符，为正确答案。
[干扰排除]
该段第二、三句指出，州立招聘公司 Work One 负责为其选拔合格的应聘者，然而却发现应聘者的能力与 Progress Rail 的要求有很大差距，即能胜任该工作的人很少，文中并不是说 Work One 无法胜任招聘工作，故选项 [A] 可以排除。由该段第三至五句可知，Work One 和社区大学最资深的电焊教师都认为 Progress Rail 所要求的焊工技术专业性极强，这只能说明 Progress Rail 所提供工作的内容和性质如此，并非 Progress Rail 的要求过高，Progress Rail 的需求本身不是问题，而是当地工人不能满足其需求，故选项 [C] 可以排除。该段第五句指出，Progress Rail 所需技术的专业性极强，而根据该段最后一句也可知，当地的大学已经针对 Progress Rail 的需求开设了课程，原文没有提到这是因为当地教育发展滞后造成的，故选项 [D] 与原文不符，可以排除。
5. 以下哪一项最适合作本文的标题？
[A]走入歧途的米德尔敦
[B]米德尔敦的起源
[C]米德尔敦的出路
[D]米德尔敦的衰落
[试题类型] 主旨大意题。
[解题思路]
本题要求选择合适的文章标题，实际上是考查对文章主旨大意的把握。通读全文，总结各段落大意可知：文章首段指出了小城曼西目前经济不景气的状况；接着第二、三段指出虽然印第安纳州州长米奇·丹尼尔斯来到小城宣布，Progress Rail 公司将在此地组装机车并提供 650 个工作岗位，但是 Progress Rail 后来却只雇用了 150 名员工；第四段指出曼西小城的优势在于其厂房，接着第五段指出了它的致命缺点——能够胜任工作的技术人员有限；最后一段作者指出曼西小城要重整其制造业还需时间。可见，本文主要围绕曼西小城的发展遭遇困境这一中心展开，选项 [A] 最能够概括原文大意，故为正确答案。
[干扰排除]
本文只在第二段提到了“Middletown”这个名字的来源以及曼西的历史，但是接下来的几段作者主要围绕曼西小城由于技术人员的缺乏使其难以恢复制造业这一中心展开，选项 [B] 只涉及第二段的内容，不能概括文章大意，故排除。本文并未提及曼西小城的出路，故选项 [C] 可以排除。本文主要说明曼西小城制造业就业困难以及由于技术人员的缺乏而导致曼西小城的制造业发展陷入困境，选项 [D] 过于宽泛，故可以排除。
词汇突破
dip /dɪp/ v. 下降到某一平面以下；下跌到某一高度（水平）以下：The sun dipped (down) below the horizon. 太阳落到地平线以下了。
float /fləʊt/ v. 浮动；飘浮：a policy of letting the pound float 让英镑浮动的政策
life blood 生命线必不可少的主要部分：Manufacturing ceased to be America\\'s life blood years ago. 多年以前，制造业就已不再是美国的生命线了。
give up on sb/sth 对某人/某事不再抱希望：I haven\\'t given up on my marriage yet.我对我的婚姻还抱有希望。
locomotive /\\'ləʊkəməʊtɪv/ n. 机车：passenger locomotive 客运机车
a hard slog 一段时间的艰苦努力；跋涉：It would be a hard slog back to the camp. 走回营地将是一段艰苦的跋涉。 Middletown /\\'mɪdlˌtaʊn/ n. 米德尔敦（意指典型的美国城市） assemble /ə\\'sembl/ v. 装配；安装：a factory that assembled parts for trucks 卡车装配厂
*rehabilitate /ˌriː ə\\'bɪlɪteɪt/ v. 使复原；恢复原状 wear off （感情或效果）逐渐消失，消逝：Children love new toys，but the novelty soon wears off. 孩子喜欢新玩具，但新鲜感很快就过去了。
materialize /mə\\'tɪərɪəlaɪz/ v. 实现；发生：Our plans did not materialize. 我们的计划未能实现。 *sluggish /\\'slʌgɪʃ/ adj. 缺乏活力的；不活跃的 twisted /twɪstɪd/ adj. 扭曲的；缠绕的：a twisted shape 扭曲的形状
*seal /siː l/ v. 解决（某事物）；决定：确认
*transformer /træns\\'fɔː mə(r)/ n. [电] 变压器 *ketchup /\\'ketʃəp/ n. 番茄酱 *handy /\\'hændi/ adj. 便利的；容易取得的
recruitment /rɪ\\'kruː tmənt/ n. 招收；招聘：recruit-ment examination 招聘考试
hopeful /\\'həʊpfl/ n. 抱有希望的人：有望获得成功的人：Many a young hopeful came to Hollywood. 许多满怀希望的青年来到好莱坞。
*flip /flɪp/ v. 翻转；使翻转
weld /weld/ v. 锻焊；焊接（金属物）：The truck had spikes welded to the back. 卡车后部焊有尖钉。
bank on 信赖；指望：The prime minister cannot bank on their support. 首相不能信赖他们的支持。
全文翻译
这个夏天对于印第安纳州的小城曼西来说，日子可不好过。今年春季，这里的失业率曾下降到了 9%以下，但在六、七月份，这一数字又回到了 10%。汽车零件制造业曾是曼西的生命线，但现在制造商们大多已经离去；而在一家新机车工厂创建制造类技术岗位，也变得十分艰难。
自从 1929 年社会学家罗伯特和海伦·林德将该城命名为“米德尔敦”以来，曼西就一直被视为是美国发展经历的代表。在 21 世纪更为多元化的美国经济中，这种情况已不复存在，但其制造行业中就业机会逐渐减少的经历却同多座小城相似。因此，去年 10 月，当印第安纳州州长米奇·丹尼尔斯来到小城宣布，Progress Rail 公司将在此地组装机车，届时将创建 650 个工作岗位，并使大部分已经废弃的厂房重新恢复生产的时候，当地媒体和政客都对他的这番言论报以热烈的反响。
然而这种热情正在逐渐消退。现已兑现的工作岗位还不到之前承诺的四分之一，而且生产线上一台机车也没有组装成。据 Progress Rail 的发言人称，公司已放弃招收 650 名员工的计划，当前在曼西雇用了 150 名员工，并希望在 2012 年底总共招收 250 名员工。该发言人将招聘不力怪到经济不景气头上，但即使是创造一个工作岗位都费尽了周折。 2010 年 4 月，Progress Rail 决定在美国建造机车。接着开始与曼西—特拉华郡商会磋商。能够达成协议，曼西最大的优势便是其厂房。该厂房最初被用来为西屋电气和 ABB 集团制造变压器，而当 ABB 在 1998 年迁走之后，该厂房被用来贮藏番茄酱，并成了万圣节鬼屋。这间厂房占地 74 万平方英尺，拥有一条长 1，960 英尺的主装配道，一条铁路线直通工厂大门：这些条件对于生产机车来说，堪称得天独厚。
2010 年圣诞节后不久，Progress Rail 即发布了招工广告。州立招聘公司 Work One 为其选拔合格的应聘者。这个招工广告吸引了上百个满怀希望的人前来应聘。但 Work One 的一位主管指出，现代制造工厂里的工作可不像翻煎汉堡包那样简单，两者差异巨大。一所社区大学的当地分院同意针对 Progress Rail 所需的专业技术开设为期三周的焊接课程。这种焊接技术专业性极强，事实上，连该院最资深的电焊教师甚至都没有听说过这些技术，这些技术困难到只有经验丰富的焊工才能尝试。据 Work One 主管所说，今年 1 月到 4 月间，只有 30 名焊工参加了该课程，而Progress Rail 原本要招收 70 名焊工。
如果曼西和其他境况相似的城市想依靠制造业重新振作起来，那么他们还有漫长的路要走。
二、今日家庭作业:
"Men are finished." That was the proposition in a debate at New York University (NYU). Hardly. A World Bank report finds that, although particular groups of ill-educated young men are doing badly, and although women\\'s lives have improved a lot in the past 20 years, sexual inequality at work is remarkably stubborn. Globally, women earn 10-30% less than men. They are also concentrated in "women\\'s" jobs. Annoyingly, economic growth does not seem to narrow the gap.
This is surprising. You might expect that as countries get richer, jobs requiring brute strength would become less important. Rich countries also have larger public sectors, where the wage gap is smaller. Yet overall, the gap is no smaller in rich countries such as Britain than in poor ones such as the Philippines.
More striking, there is little sign that women are moving into traditionally male occupations. A hefty 11% of men work in construction; only 1% of women do.
Women cluster in retail and public administration, including education and health. This is true regardless of national income. Looking at Mexico and Sweden, the bank found that men and women tended to separate themselves into the same sorts of occupation in the two countries.
What explains all this? The World Bank suggests three reasons. First, discrimination. Some men think women are less capable, and some laws treat the sexes differently. Women also have fewer assets that can be turned into capital. This makes it harder for them to start businesses. In Japan, the bank found, food-processing firms prefer to sign export contracts with men, since they fear women will find it harder to meet the terms of the contract.
Next, women are sometimes less qualified than men. Though advances in female education are widespread, they are not universal. Among older workers, men tend to have spent longer studying. Also, male workers tend to have been employed for longer than women, giving them more work experience.
But the main reason that women cluster in low-paid fields, the bank argues, is that they do not control their own time. In rich Austria and Italy, women do at least three times as much housework and child care as men. In poorer Cambodia, they do 50% more. Everywhere, this constrains women\\'s job choices.
Women are more likely than men to take part-time or informal work. This is sometimes a voluntary choice. But sometimes they are pushed by employers\\' attitudes or sexist laws, such as those requiring a woman to get her husband\\'s permission to work. "Progress has been tremendous where lifting a single barrier is sufficient [for example, in education] ," concludes the bank. But where multiple barriers exist, progress has been extremely slow. Manhattanites do not see this, however. The motion at NYU was carried.
1. According to Paragraph 1, which of the following is true?
[A]The NYU debate was about whether men was losing priority in workplace.
[B]Sexual inequality is about to disappear due to the economic growth.
[C]On average women can earn as much as ill-educated men.
[D]The economic development has changed women\\'s career choices.
2. We can learn from Paragraphs 2 to 4 that______.
[A]jobs requiring less strength are more important in rich countries
[B]the wage gap is larger in rich countries than in poor ones
[C]women are confined to jobs that tend to offer less money
[D]men and women tend to gather in different sorts of jobs
3.Discrimination against women is embodied in the fact that______.
[A] women are considered less talented than men in daily life
[B] social divisions of labor are made clear in some laws
[C] women own fewer properties which can be used for investment
[D] women have difficulty in meeting the terms of contracts
4.According to Paragraphs 6 and 7, women______.
[A]are less educated and have less work experience
[B]are provided with fewer job opportunities
[C]cannot decide on their own destiny
[D]are better at doing housework than working
5. It is implied in the last paragraph that______.
[A]women are more devoted to their families compared with men
[B]women are more willing to take part-time jobs than men
[C]many factors prevent the realization of sexual equality at work
[D]NYU has taken actions to promote sexual equality
答案可以回复在留言区哦！~
联系客服
