考研英語經濟類閱讀理解專項訓練及答案
找一個時間專門訓練自己在遇到經濟類型的英語閱讀理解時的應對能力，是否能夠在考研考試中應付自如呢?下面是學習啦小編給大家整理的考研英語經濟類閱讀理解專項訓練及答案，供大家參閱!
考研英語經濟類閱讀理解專項訓練及答案：Anything to declare
Customs officers' powers are excessive, but so is smuggling
RICHARD EVANS, a retired lorry driver, and his family were travelling in Spain last summer when their camper van broke down. They left it to be brought ba
ck by the AA. But customs officers at Dover claimed it was being used for smuggling. They seized the vehicle and all its contents, including 9,000 cigarettes and 20 bottles of spirits. The van, worth £20,000 (,800), is still impounded. It even took Mr. Evans six months to recover his 90-year-old mother-in-law's wheelchair.
Under European Union regulations, people may import an unlimited quantity of alcohol and tobacco, so long as it is for their own personal use. Had Mr. Evans been driving his van himself, he would probably have had no trouble. Cases like this are putting Customs and Excise's considerable powers under scrutiny. A recent stinging High Court judgment about another vehicle seizure said, "the mindset of those determining these policies has not embraced the world of an internal market where excise goods can move freely across internal frontiers." And, on September 18th, the EU announced that it was giving Britain two months to prove that customs officers were not breaching consumers' rights to shop freely in Europe. "Cross-border shopping...is a fundamental right under EU law and should not be regarded as a form of tax evasion," said Frits Bolkestein, the internal market commissioner.
Customs officers have an impossible job. Excise duty and VAT on a pack of premium brand cigarettes account for 79% of the recommended retail selling price of £4.51. An identical pack costs £1.97 in Belgium. One in every five cigarettes smoked in Britain--some 17 billion altogether--has been smuggled. The Tobacco Manufacturers' Association reckons that 80% of hand-rolling tobacco is smuggled.
The main weapon Customs and Excise has in tackling abuse is to seize cars in which it suspects goods are being smuggled. Guidelines suggest "personal use" can mean only up to 800 cigarettes, for example. Anyone bringing in more can be asked to explain. In the past three years, customs officers have impounded more than 22,000 vehicles. Tellingly, only a fifth of seizures are contested, and fewer than 1% of appeals are successful. Officials say the value of cross-channel smuggling has fallen sharply in the past year, from £1.6 billion to £400m.
Some customs officers, though, have clearly been over-zealous. And the recent High Court case ruled that the legislation under which Customs and Excise operates wrongly reverses the burden of proof. The defendant must prove that he is not bringing in tobacco and so forth for a commercial purpose. It also said that customs officers must have "reasonable grounds" for searches: suspicion and instinct are not enough. The government is appealing.
The minister in charge of Customs and Excise, John Healey, accepts that there is an urgent need to respond to questions about the "legitimacy" of the Customs regime. But he says the charge that Customs are abusing their powers is wrong: "Customs," he says, "never stop at random, they never do blanket searches. They always have some ground for stopping people." Tell that to Mr Evans.
Economist; 9/21/2002, Vol. 364 Issue 8291, p52-53, 2p
注(1)：本文選自Economist; 9/21/2002, p52-53, 2p;
注(2)：本文習題命題模仿對象2004年真題Text 3;
1.How could Richard Evans have avoided such a trouble?
[A]If the camper van didn’t break down on the way.
[B]If the amount of alcohol and tobacco were not too large.
[C]If he carried cigarettes and spirits for personal use.
[D]If he hadn’t asked others to drive the car.
2.How does the EU feel about the behavior of Customs and Excise?
[A]Critical.
[B]Optimistic.
[C]Indifferent.
[D]Supportive.
3.How can Customs and Excise check the smuggling effectively?
[A]By doing blanket searches.
[B]By seizing the suspect cars.
[C]By limiting shopping in Europe.
[D]By stopping at random.
4.What is the charge against Customs and Excise?
[A]They are abusing their power.
[B]They deprive Europeans of their right to a free shop.
[C]They seize the car for no good reason.
[D]Their power is too excessive.
5.By “Tell that to Mr Evans.”(Last Line, Paragraph 6), the author means _____________.
[A]Evans should learn a lesson from his experience
[B]what John Healey has said is good for Evans
[C]he does not believe what John Healey has said
[D]Evans should understand what he has experienced
答案：DABAC
篇章剖析
本文采用提出問題——分析問題的模式，非?？陀^地分析了海關工作確實是一件非常棘手，但也確實非常必要的工作，但在工作中有些官員表現(xiàn)得過于“熱情”，有濫用職權的嫌疑，所以招致了一些公民的指控。第一段以理查德·埃文斯的經歷為例，指出他在海關遇到的麻煩;第二段指出海關和貨物稅收部門的強大權力受到了密切關注;第三段指出走私現(xiàn)象非常嚴重;第四段指出關稅及國產稅務部門在對付走私時使用的武器主要是沒收有走私嫌疑的車輛;第五段指出最高法庭訴訟案的新規(guī)定;第六段指出海關官員的反應。
詞匯注釋
AA=Automodile Association of Great Britain汽車協(xié)會
impound [Im5paJnd]vt.關在欄中, 拘留, 扣押, 沒收
scrutiny [5skru:tInI; (?@) 5skru:tEnI]n.詳細審查
seizure [5si:VE(r)]n.抓, 捉, 沒收, 查封, 奪取
breach [bri:tF]vt.打破, 突破
evasion [I5veIV(E)n]n.逃避, 借口
VAT=Value-Added Tax 增值稅, 附加價值稅;
premium [5pri:mIEm] adj 質優(yōu)價高的;質量或價值極高的：
reverse [rI5v\:s] vt顛倒，倒轉;撤消或廢除(法令等)
burden of proof n.提供證據之責任
defendant [dI5fend(E)nt]n.被告
legitimacy [lI`dVItImEsI]n.合法(性), 正統(tǒng)(性), 正確(性), 合理(性)
at random adv.胡亂地, 隨便地
難句突破
A recent stinging High Court judgment about another vehicle seizure said, "the mindset of those determining these policies has not embraced the world of an internal market where excise goods can move freely across internal frontiers."
主體句式：a judgment said …
結構分析：本句是一個簡單句，關鍵是理解其中一些詞匯的含義。“stinging”在此句的含義是“棘手的”;在引用的話中，“mindset”的意思是“思想傾向”，“determining these policies”之前省去了“who are”，這就變成了現(xiàn)在分詞做后置定語來修飾“those”;“embrace”的意思是“接受”;“where”引導定語從句來修飾“internal market”。
句子譯文：高級法院最近審理另一起棘手的機動車扣留案件時說明：“決定這些政策的那些人，在思想意識里并沒有接受歐盟境內市場。在這個市場里，征稅貨物在各成員國之間是可以自由流通的。”
題目分析
1.答案為D，屬推理判斷題。原文對應信息是：“Had Mr. Evans been driving his van himself, he would probably have had no trouble.”本句是虛擬語氣 。表示與過去事實相反，從句用過去完成時，主句用“would have done”。但有時會把“if”省略，把“had”提前，本句就屬于這種現(xiàn)象。
2.答案為A，屬情感態(tài)度題。句子“A recent stinging High Court judgment about another vehicle seizure said, "the mindset of those determining these policies has not embraced the world of an internal market where excise goods can move freely across internal frontiers."”中顯然包含了批評的含義;接下來的句子也是順承這一含義的：“And, on September 18th, the EU announced that it was giving Britain two months to prove that customs officers were not breaching consumers' rights to shop freely in Europe.”，我們可看出歐盟也是不贊成海關的一些做法的;從歐盟內部市場委員Frits Bolkestein的話：“Cross-border shopping...is a fundamental right under EU law and should not be regarded as a form of tax evasion”，我們更加看出歐盟對待海關的一些做法的態(tài)度究竟如何。
3.答案為B ，屬事實細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是“The main weapon Customs and Excise has in tackling abuse is to seize cars in which it suspects goods are being smuggled.”。從給出的數據“In the past three years, customs officers have impounded more than 22,000 vehicles. Tellingly, only a fifth of seizures are contested, and fewer than 1% of appeals are successful.”，我們可看出這一手段確實非常有效。
4.答案為A，屬事實細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是：“But he says the charge that Customs are abusing their powers is wrong.”。
5.答案為C，屬推理判斷題。從文章來看，作者非?？陀^地分析了海關工作確實是一件非常棘手，但也確實非常必要的工作，但在工作中有些官員表現(xiàn)得過于“熱情”，有濫用職權的嫌疑，所以招致了一些公民的指控。雖然關稅及國產稅務為之也做了辯解，但是并不使人信服，所以在文章最后，作者說了一句：“Tell that to Mr Evans.”。
參考譯文
有東西要報關嗎?
海關官員權利過大，走私行為過甚
理查德·埃文斯是一位退休的貨車司機。去年夏天，他和家人在西班牙旅行的時候，他們開的露營車出了故障。他們把車留給汽車協(xié)會，由他們負責拖回去。但是多佛港口的海關官員卻聲稱此車被用來走私。他們沒收了這輛汽車以及車上的所有物品，其中包括9，000支香煙和20瓶烈性酒。直到現(xiàn)在，這輛價值20，000英鎊(相當于30，800美元)的露營車仍然被扣押著。埃文斯先生甚至還花費了六個月的時間才得以取回他那年高九旬的岳母的輪椅。
歐盟法規(guī)規(guī)定，只要是個人使用，對帶入境的酒和煙的數量并不限制。假如埃文斯是自己開車的話，那么他很可能就不會有任何麻煩。類似這樣的案例使海關和貨物稅收部門的強大權力受到了密切關注。高級法院最近審理另一起棘手的機動車扣留案件時說明：“決定這些政策的那些人，在思想意識里并沒有接受歐盟境內市場。在這個市場里，征稅貨物在各成員國之間是可以自由流通的。”9月18日，歐盟宣布：給英國兩個月的時間來證明其海關官員沒有侵犯消費者可以在歐洲自由購物的權利。內部市場委員Frits Bolkestein說：“根據歐盟法律，跨境購物是公民的基本權利，不應該被視為逃稅行為。”
海關官員的工作相當棘手。一包高級香煙所征收的貨物稅和增值稅是其建議零售價4.51英鎊的79%。而同樣一包煙在比利時售價1.97英鎊。在英國，人們吸的每五支煙中就有一支——總共約170億——是走私過來的。煙草制造商協(xié)會估計有80%的手卷煙是走私來的。
關稅及國產稅務部門在對付這一弊端時使用的武器主要是沒收有走私嫌疑的車輛。條例規(guī)定的“個人使用”，打個比方，只限800支香煙。攜帶超出此數量者，將被要求做出解釋。在過去三年里，海關扣留的車輛超過22，000輛。這樣做有明顯的效果，這些扣押案例中只有五分之一的案例是有爭議的，上訴案件的勝訴率還不足1%。海關官員宣稱去年跨境走私物品的價值從16億大幅度下跌到4億英鎊。
然而，有些海關官員明顯表現(xiàn)得過于積極。最近的最高法庭訴訟案規(guī)定，海關方面執(zhí)行有誤的那項法規(guī)把雙方提供證據的責任進行了交換。被告必須證明自己沒有出于商業(yè)目的而攜帶煙草等物品。還規(guī)定海關官員必須有進行收查的“合理依據”：光靠懷疑和直覺是不夠的。政府部門也在做此呼吁。
關稅及國產稅務約翰·希利表示，確實迫切需要對海關系統(tǒng)合法性問題做出反應。但他認為，有關海關濫用職權的指控是錯誤的。“海關，”他說，“從來不隨意截停，也從不做地毯式搜查。他們攔住某些人都是有理由的。”把這話說給埃文斯先生吧。
考研英語經濟類閱讀理解專項訓練及答案：Free thinkers
Can free source-code stop Microsoft?
FOCUS on what you do best. This age-old strategy has worked well for RealNetworks, Microsoft's main competitor in multimedia software for the Internet. No
w, the smaller Seattle-based firm is trying a novel way to contain the software giant. On October 29th, it released the underlying recipe, or source-code, of its RealPlayer software and will soon do the same for its other programs--giving away a big chunk of its intellectual property.
This may sound like a desperate echo of 1998, when Netscape, struggling in Microsoft's chokehold, published the source-code of its web browser (an initiative that yielded few real results until this June, when the first serious new version of the open-source browser, Mozilla, was released). Yet RealNetworks is not playing defence. It is trying to encourage the creation of a common multimedia software infrastructure for every kind of file format and device, thus thwarting Microsoft's ambitions in this promising market.
The firm hopes that others in the industry (volunteer programmers, media firms and hardware makers) will take the code, called Helix DNA, improve it and make it run on new devices, such as mobile phones and home stereos, turning RealNetworks' software into an industry standard. Clever licensing terms are supposed to ensure that this standard does not splinter and that the firm still makes money.
Individual developers, universities and other non-profit organisations can modify the software as they please, and even redistribute it for free, so long as they also publish the source-code for their changes. This is a sort of payment in kind, for RealNetworks is then allowed to use these contributions. Firms, on the other hand, must pay royalty fees if they distribute more than 1m copies of the code. They also have to make sure that their software works with other Helix DNA products. The software's development community already has 2,000 members. And several hardware makers back the effort. But there are risks. Afraid of piracy, media groups are suspicious of anything that might be related to hackers (although they also do not want to depend on, and pay for, technology controlled by Microsoft). The self-created competition could also hurt RealNetworks if customers decide its commercial products, which will be based on the open source-code but with extra features, are not worth paying extra for.
RealNetworks' move is another sign that the software industry is going hybrid. Mixing elements of proprietary software, where the source-code is tightly controlled, with open-source programs enables firms to expand a market, harvest the ideas of others and, they hope, still make money. Even Microsoft is edging this way: it recently announced that partners can now look at--but not modify or re-use--the source-code for Passport, its controversial digital-identity service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Economist; 11/2/2002, Vol. 365 Issue 8297, p64-65, 2p
注(1)：本文選自Economist; 11/2/2002, p64-65, 2p;
注(2)：本文習題命題模仿對象2004年真題Text 1;
1.What is the RealNetworks’ new way of stopping Microsoft?
[A]By selling its intellectual property.
[B]By doing what it is good at.
[C]By releasing the free source-code.
[D]By severe competition with Microsoft.
2.Which of the following can be a disadvantage of releasing the source-code?
[A]It can bring about self-created competition.
[B]It can defeat Microsoft’s ambitions in this market.
[C]It can use the improved software.
[D]It can get royalty fees from some firms.
3.The expression “a desperate echo”(Line 1, Paragraph 2) most probably means ________.
[A]a useless repetition
[B]a poor resemblance
[C]a shabby product
[D]a dangerous copy
4.What does the move of RealNetworks suggest?
[A]Microsoft fails to control the software market.
[B]Software market is becoming a mixed market.
[C]RealNetworks wants to make more money.
[D]Software market is not fixed and stable.
5.Which of the following is true according to the text?
[A]Netscape had a sheer failure for its publishing the source-code.
[B]RealNetworks wants to occupy the source-code market.
[C]RealNetworks wants to make profits by releasing the free source-code.
[D]Microsoft has to change its managing strategy.
答案：CADBC
篇章剖析
本文介紹了RealNetworks網絡公司如何通過公布RealPlayer播放器軟件秘訣(即源碼)，試圖牽制微軟公司的做法。第一段指出RealNetworks試圖用一種新方法——公布RealPlayer播放器軟件秘訣(即源碼)來牽制微軟這個軟件屆巨人;第二段指出RealNetworks網絡公司主動出擊，想要牽制微軟的野心;第三段和第四段詳細介紹這一方案如何操作、如何實施、以及如何獲利;第五段指出軟件業(yè)的新跡象，以及對微軟的影響。
詞匯注釋
chokehold n. 掐脖子
thwart [WwC:t] vt. 反對; 阻撓, 挫敗, 妨礙;成功地抵制, 頂住, 使...希望破滅, 使...企圖破產
splinter vt., vi. (使)裂成碎片, (使)分裂，
royalty n. 版稅，上演稅;特許權使用費，專利權使用費，專利權稅
edge vi. 徐徐移動, 側著移動, 謹慎前進
難句分析
This may sound like a desperate echo of 1998, when Netscape, struggling in Microsoft's chokehold, published the source-code of its web browser (an initiative that yielded few real results until this June, when the first serious new version of the open-source browser, Mozilla, was released).
主體句式：This may sound like a desperate echo of 1998 …
結構分析：本句句形結構并不復雜，關鍵是理解個別詞的含義。“desperate echo”的含義是“危險的仿效”;“when”并列連詞，相當于“and just at that time”，意思是“在那時”;“struggling in Microsoft's chokehold”做伴隨狀語來修飾“Netscape”，其中“chokehold”的意思是“掐脖子”;“web browser”的意思是“網絡瀏覽器”;括號里的句子做進一步的補充說明，其中an initiative之前省去了“which was”;“that”引導定語從句來修飾“an initiative”;定語從句中“when”還是并列連詞，“Mozilla”是“open-source browser”的同位語。
句子譯文：這聽起來似乎像是1998年的一次危險的仿效。那年，因被微軟“掐著脖子”而做生死掙扎的Netscape公司發(fā)表了其網絡瀏覽器的源碼(在今年6月它推出了真正意義上的最新版開放原碼瀏覽器——Mozilla——之前，這種主動出擊幾乎沒有給它帶來任何實際效果)。
題目分析
1.答案為C，屬事實細節(jié)題。文章在開頭提到“集中注意力做你最拿手的事”這一古老的策略對微軟公司在因特網多媒體軟件領域的主要競爭對手RealNetworks網絡公司十分奏效。現(xiàn)在，RealNetworks網絡公司要使用一種新辦法，那就是“it released the underlying recipe, or source-code, of its RealPlayer software and will soon do the same for its other programs--giving away a big chunk of its intellectual property.”。
2.答案為A，屬事實細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是：“The self-created competition could also hurt RealNetworks if customers decide its commercial products, which will be based on the open source-code but with extra features, are not worth paying extra for.”
3.答案為D ，屬猜詞題。從文中“when Netscape, struggling in Microsoft's chokehold, published the source-code of its web browser”我們可判斷RealNetworks網絡公司和Netscape公司的做法一樣;從句子“an initiative that yielded few real results until this June, when the first serious new version of the open-source browser, Mozilla, was released.”我們可判斷Netscape公司的做法是極不成功的，危險的。
4.答案為B，屬事實細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是：“RealNetworks' move is another sign that the software industry is going hybrid.”，理解這句話的關鍵是要知道什么是“hybrid”。接下來的句子做出了解釋“Mixing elements of proprietary software, where the source-code is tightly controlled, with open-source programs enables firms to expand a market”，在這句話中注意詞組“mix … with”。
5.答案為C，屬事實細節(jié)題。文章兩次提到了“make money”，一句是“Clever licensing terms are supposed to ensure that this standard does not splinter and that the firm still makes money.”，另一句是“they hope, still make money.”。從這些句子我們可看出“賺錢”是RealNetworks網絡公司實施這一新舉措的目的。
參考譯文
自由思想家
免費源碼能阻止微軟嗎?
“集中注意力做你最拿手的事”這一古老的策略對微軟公司在因特網多媒體軟件領域的主要競爭對手RealNetworks網絡公司十分奏效。目前，這家位于西雅圖的公司正試圖用一種新方法來牽制微軟這個軟件屆巨人。10月29日，這家公司發(fā)布了取得領先地位的RealPlayer播放器軟件秘訣，即源碼，并將很快對其它程序采取同樣的行動——出售其知識產權的一大部分。
這聽起來似乎像是1998年的一次危險的仿效。那年，因被微軟“掐著脖子”而做生死掙扎的Netscape公司發(fā)表了其網絡瀏覽器的源碼(在今年6月它推出了真正意義上的最新版開放原碼瀏覽器——Mozilla——之前，這種主動出擊幾乎沒有給它帶來任何實際效果)。但RealNetworks網絡公司并不是在打防御戰(zhàn)。它正大力創(chuàng)建一個對每一種文件格式和裝置都適用的公共多媒體軟件基礎結構，這樣，它就在這個很使人看好的市場上有力地牽制住了微軟的野心。
該公司希望業(yè)內其它公司(志愿參加的程序設計公司、傳媒公司和硬件制造公司)將采用這種被稱作Helix DNA的代碼，對它加以改進，并在其新裝置(如移動電話和家用音響等裝置)上運行，最終把RealNetworks公司的軟件變成一種行業(yè)標準。精明的許可證發(fā)放條款應保證這一標準不被像切蛋糕似的分成碎塊，保證公司仍有錢可賺。
個體開發(fā)商、大學和其它非盈利性組織，只要他們也能把其更改后程序的源碼公布于眾，可根據他們的意愿對該軟件進行修改，甚至可以免費發(fā)放。這實際上是一種實物支付方式，因為到了那個時候，RealNetworks公司也可使用這些改進的軟件成果。另一方面，如果其它公司能銷售1百萬以上的源碼，他們須支付特許權使用費。他們還要保證他們的軟件與Helix DNA產品兼容。軟件開發(fā)業(yè)已擁有2000余名成員。一些硬件制造商也支持這一舉動。但存在風險。由于擔心被盜版，傳媒組織對一切與黑客有關的舉動都表示懷疑(盡管他們也不想依賴微軟、向它支付技術使用費或在技術上受控于微軟)。其商業(yè)產品以開放源碼為基礎，但具有極佳的特點。如果客戶認為這些產品不值得他們額外付錢的話，那么，自我制造的競爭也可能會傷害RealNetworks公司。
RealNetworks公司的舉動表明了另一種跡象，即軟件業(yè)正在成為混合模式。把那些源碼受嚴格控制的專有軟件成分(組件)與開放源碼程序加以混合就能使公司拓展市場，集思廣益，并且——他們希望——仍可賺錢。連微軟公司也正以這種方式小心翼翼地行事：最近微軟公司發(fā)出公告，說合伙人現(xiàn)在可以查看——但不能更改或重復使用——Passport(微軟有爭議的數字驗證服務)的源碼。
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