考研

Text1

France，which prides itself as the global innovator of fashion , has decided its fashion industry has lost an absolute right to define physical beauty for women. Its lawmakers gave preliminary approval last week to a law that would make it a crime to employ ultra-thin models on runways . The parliament also agreed to ban websites that “incite excessive thinness” by promoting extreme dieting.

Such measures have a couple of uplifting motives. They suggest beauty should not be defined by looks that end up impinging on health. That’s a start And the ban on ultra-thin models seems to go beyond protecting models from starving themselves to death –as some have done. It tells the fashion industry that it must take responsibility for the signal it sends women , especially teenage girls, about the social tape-measure they must use to determine their individual worth.

The bans ,if fully enforced, would suggest to women (and many men) that they should not let others be arbiters of their beauty. And perhaps faintly, they hint that people should look to intangible qualities like character and intellect rather than dieting their way to size zero or wasp-waist physiques.

The French measures, however, rely too much on severe punishment to change a culture that still regards beauty as skin-deep-and bone-showing. Under the law, using a fashion model that does not meet a govemment-defined index of body mass could result in a $85,000 fine and six months in prison.

The fashion industry knows it has an inherent problem in focusing on material adornment and idealized body types. In Denmark, the United States, and a few other countries, it is trying to set voluntary standards for models and fashion images that rely more on peer pressure for enforcement.

In contrast to France’s actions, Denmark’s fashion industry agreed last month on rules and sanctions regarding the age, health, and other characteristics of models. The newly revised Danish Fashion Ethical Charter clearly states:”We aware of and take responsibility for the impact the ideals, especially on young people”. The charter’s main tool of enforcement is (CFW), which is run by the Danish

21. According to the first paragraph，what would happen in France?

【A】Physical beauty would be redefined.

【B】New runways would be constructed.

【C】Wcbsites about dieting would thrive.

【D】The fanshing industry would decline.

22. The phrase “impinging on”(Line 2，Para.2) is closest in meaning to

【A】heightening the value of.

【B】indicating the state of.

【C】losing faith in.

【D】doing harm to.

23. Which of the following is true od the fashion industry?

【A】The French measures have already failed.

【B】New standrds are being set in Denmark.

【C】Models are no longer under peer pressure.

【D】Its inberent problerma are getting wotse.

24. A designer is most likely to be rejected by CFW for

[A] setting a high age threshold for models.

[B] caring too much about models’ character.

[C] showing little concern for health factors.

[D] pursuing perfect physical conditions.

25.Which of the following may be the best title of the text?

[A] The Great Threats to the Fashion Industry.

[B] Just Another Round of Struggle for Beauty.

[C] A Dilemma for the Starving Models in France.

[D] A Challenge to the Fashion Industry’s Body Ideals.

Text 2

For the first time in history more people live in towns than in the country, In Britain this has had a curious result. While polls show Britons rate”the countryside”alongside the royal family,Shakespeare and the National Health Serivce (NHS) at what makes them proudest of their country，this has limited political support.

A century ago Octavia Hill Launched the national trust not to rescue stylish houses but to save “the beauty of natural places for everyone forever” It was specifically to provide city dwellers with space for leisure where they could experience“a refreshing air .”Hill is pressure later led to creation of national parks and green belts. They don’t make countryside any more，and every year concrete consumes more of it . it needs constant guardianship.

At the next election none of the big parties seem likely to endorse this sentiment. The conservatives planning reform explicitly gives rural development priority over conservation，even authorsing “off-plan”building where local people might object. The concept of sustainable development has been defined as profitable. Labour likewise wants to discontinue local planning where councils oppose development. The liberal democrats are silent. Only ukip, sensing its chance,has sided with those pleading for a more considered approach to using green land.its Campaign to protect rural England struck terror into many local conservative parties.

The sensible place to build new houses，factories and offices is where people are，in cities and towns where infrastructure is in place. The London agents stirling ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone，with no intrusion on green belt.what is true of London is even truer of the provinces.

The idea that”housing crisis ”equals “concreted meadows” is pure lobby talk. The issue is not the need for more houses but,as always，where to put them. Under lobby pressure，George Osboyne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. He favours out-of-town,shopping sites against high streets . this is not a free market but a biased one. Rural town and villages have grown and will

26 Britain is public sentiment about the countryside

A has brought much benefit to the NHS

B didn’t start till the Shakespearean age

C is fully backed by the royal family

D is not well reflected in politics

27 According to Paragraph 2，the achievements of the National Trust are now being

A gradually destroyed

B effectively reinforced

C properly protected

D largely overshadowed

28 which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservation

B the conservatives may abandon ”off -plan“building

C the liberal democrats are losing political influence

D labour is under attack for opposing development

29 the author holds that George Osborne is preference

A reveals a strong prejudice against urban areas

B shows his disregard for character of rural areas

C stresses the necessity of easing the housing crisis

D highlights his firm stand against lobby pressure

30 in the last paragraph，the author shows his appreciation of

A the size of population in Britain

B the enviable urban lifestyle in Britain

C the town-and-country planning in Britain

D the political life in today is Britain

Text 3

“There is one and only one social responsibility of businesses,” Wrote Milton Friedman, a Nobel prize-winning economist, “That is,to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profit”. But even if you accept Firedman’s premise and regard corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies as waste of shareholders’ money, things may not be absolutely clear-cut. New research suggest the CSR may create monetary value for companies-at least when they are prosecuted for corruption.

The largest firms in America and Britain together spend more than $15 billion a year on CSR,according to an estimate by EPG, a consulting firm.This could add value to their businesses in three ways. First, consumers may take CSR spending as a “signal” that a company’s products are of high quality. Second, customers may be willing to buy a company’s products as an indirect way to donate to the good causes it helps.And third, through a more diffuse “halo effect,” whereby its good deeds earn it greater consideration from consumers and others.

Previous studies on CSR have had trouble differentiating these effects because consumers can be affected by all three. A recent study attempts to separate them by looking at bribery prosecutions under America’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It argues that since prosecutors do not consume a company’s products as part of their investigations, they could be influenced only by the halo effect.

The study found that, among prosecuted firms, those with the most comprehensive CSR programmes tended to get more lenient penalties. Their analysis ruled out the possibility that it was firms’ political influence, rather than their CSR stand, that accounted for the leniency: Companies that contributed more to political campaigns did not receive lower fines.

In all, the study concludes that whereas prosecutors should only evaluate a case based on its merits, they do seem to be influenced by a company’s record in CSR. “We estimate that either eliminating a substantial labour-rights concern, such as child labour, or increasing corporate giving by about 20% results in fines that generally are 40% lower than the typical punishment for briding foreign officials,” says one researcher.

Researchers admit that their study does not answer the question of how much businesses ought to spend on CSR. Nor does it reveal how much companies are banking on the halo effect, rather than the other possible benefits, when they decide their do-gooding policies. But at least they have demonstrated that when companies get into trouble with the law, evidence of good character can win them a less costly punishment.

31. The author views Milton Friedman’s statement about CSR with

[A] tolerance

[B] skepticism

[C] uncertainty

[D] approval

32.According to Paragraph 2, CSR helps a company by

[A] winning trust from consumers.

[B] guarding it against malpractices.

[C] protecting it from being defamed.

[D] raising the quality of its products.

33. The expression “more lenient” (Line 2, Para. 4) is closest in meaning to

[A] more effective

[B] less controversial

[C] less severe

[D] more lasting

34.When prosecutors evaluate a case, a company’s CSR record

[A] has an impact on their decision.

[B] comes across as reliable evidence.

[C] increases the chance of being penalized.

[D] constitutes part of the investigation.

35.Which of the following is true of CSR, according to the last paragraph?

[A] Its negative effects on businesses are often overlooked.

[B] The necessary amount of companies’ spending on it is unknown.

[C] Companies’ financial capacity for it has been overestimated.

[D] It has brought much benefit to the banking industry.

Text 4

There will eventurally come a day when The New York Times ceases to publish stories on newsprint .Exactlly when that day will be is a matter of debate.”Sometime in the future ”,the paper’s publisher said back in 2010.

Nostalgia for ink on paper and the rustle of pages aside, there’s plenty of incentive toditch print. The infrastructure required to make a physical newspaper—printing presses ,delivery trucks-isn’t just expensive ;it’s excessive at a time when online-only competitors don’t have the same set of financial constraints.Readers are migrating away from print away .And though print ad sales still dwarf thire online and mobile counterparts,revenue from print is still declining.

Over way be high and circulation lower ,but rushing to eliminate its print edition would be a mistake ,say BuzzFeed CEO Joah Peretti.

Pereti says the Time should’t waste time getting out of the print business,

But only if they go about it the right way .”Fighting out of a way to accelerate that transition would make sense of them,”he said,“but if you discontinue it“you’re going to have your most loyal customers really upset with you.”

Sometimes,that’s worth making a change anyway.Peretti gives the example seen as a blunder,”he said.“The move turned out to be foresighted.Ane if peretti would rale prices and make it into more of a legacy product.”

The most loyal customers would still get the product they favor,the idea goes,and they’d feel like they were helping sustain the quality of something they believe in ,”So if you’re overpaying for print,you could feel like you were helping,”Perettisaid “Then increase it at a higher rate each year and essentially try to generate additional revenue.”In other words,if you’re going to make a print product ,make it for the people who are already obsessed with it .which way be what the time is doing already .Getting the print edition seven days a week costs each –a year-more than twice as much as a digital-only subscription.

36.The New York Times is considering ending its print edition partly due to

[A]the pressure from its investors.

[B]the complaints from its readers.

[C]the high cost of operation.

[D]the increating online ad sales.

37.Peretti suggests that,in face of the present situation,the Times should

[A]make strategic adjustments

[B]end the print sdition for good.

[C]seek new sources of readership.

[D]aim for efficient management.

38.It can be inferred form Paragraphs 5and6 that a “legacy product”

[A]will have the cost of printing reduced.

[B]is meant for the most loyal customers.

[C]helps restore the glory of former times.

[D]expands the popularity of the paper.

39.Peretti believes that,in a changing world,

[A]traditional luxuries can stay unaffected.

[B]aggressiveness better meets challenges.

[C]cautiousness facilitates problem-solving.

[D]legacy businesses are becoming outdated.

40.which of the following would be the best title of the text?

[A]Make Your Print Newspaper a Luxury Good.

[B]Keep Your Newspapers Forever in Fashion.

[C]Cherish the Newspaper Still in Your Hand.

[D]Shift Online Newspapers All at Once.

Part B

Directions:

Read the following text and answer the questions by choosing the most suitable subheading from the list A-G for each of the numbered paragraphs(41-45).There are two extra subheadings.Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.(10 Points)

No matter how formal or informa the work environment，the way you present yourself has an impact. This is especially true in first impressions. According to research from Princeton University，people assess your competence，trustworthiness，and likeability in just a tenth of a second，solely based on the way you look.

The difference between today’s workplace and the“dress for succeas” era is that the range of options is so much broader.Norms have evolved and fragmented

In some settings, red sneakers or dress T-shirts can convey status; in others not so much. Plus, whatever image we present is magnified by social-media services like LinkedIn. Chances are, your headshots are seen much more often now than a decade or two ago. Millennials,it seems, face the paradox of being the least formal generation yet the most conscious of style and personal branding. It can be confusing.

So how do we navigate this? How do we know when to invest in an upgrade? And what’s the best way to pull off one that enhance our goals? Here are some tips;

41about how others perceive you.Maybe there’s no need for an upgrade and that’s OK.

42.Get clear on what impact you’re hoping to have. Are you looking to refresh your image or pivot it? For one person, the goal may be to be taken more seriously and enhance their professional image. For another, it may be to be perceived as more approachable, or more modern and stylish. For someone moving from finance to advertising, maybe they want to look more “SoHo.”(It’s OK to use characterizations like that.)

43. Look at your work environment like an anthropologist. What are the norms of your environment? What converys status? Who are your most important audiences? How do the people you respect and look up to present themselves? The better you understand the cultural context, the more control you can have over your impact.

44. Enlist the support of professionals and share with them your goals and context. Hire a personal stylist, or use the free styling service of a store like J.Crew. Try a hair stylist instead of a barber. Work with a professional photographer instead of your spouse or friend. It’s not as expensive as you might think.

45.The point of a style upgrade isn’t to become more vain or to spend more time fussing over what to wear. Instead, use it as an opportunity to reduce decision fatigue . Pick a standard work uniform or a few go-to options. Buy all your clothes at once with a stylist instead of shopping alone, one article of clothing at a time.

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