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2021考研英语:英语阅读之专项练习(5)
It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of consulting files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings. Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception. One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making. But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped boost the profits of his five companies.
Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java. Legends attribute magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah. These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and fasting.
Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to employ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hole onto money or he is untrustworthy. Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired.‘ Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal qualifications are essential for a candidate even to be considered. Perspective investments also are considered through mystic meditation. ’With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be objective in judging the risk of a new venture. Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition. Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful. ‘ Mystic meditation helped reverse a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980. Operating with normal business procedures, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone. Meditation brought back his peace of mind. Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability. The mysticism in Hadisiko’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan – the ‘search for the inner self.’
One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. ‘Willpower and subconscious mind are recognized as important factors in business. Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,‘ he said.
1.What is the most important factor in their doing business?
[A] Mysticism.
[B] Religion.
[C] Meditation.
[D] Investment.
2.Whom do they consult?
[A] The spirits of ancient Javanese kings.
[B] Wali Ullah.
[C] Old Kings.
[D] Carnegie.
3.Why did Hadisike hasten to add ‘his companies also hold modern personnel management systems…’?
[A] He thought Mysticism was not so good as expected.
[B] To show they too focused on qualifications.
[C] To show they hired qualified persons.
[D] To show the possibility of combination of the scientific management with religion.
4.According to the passage, the function of the meditation is
[A] to gain profit from the god.
[B] to gain peace of mind to make decision.
[C] to gain foreknowledge.
[D] to gain objective conclusion.
5.What does ‘operating with normal business procedures’ refer to?
[A] Adopting the western way of doing business.
[B] Ordinary way of doing business without meditation and fasting.
[C] Contact with God.
[D] Putting right persons in the right jobs.
Vocabulary
1.file into 鱼贯而入,排队进去
2.Jakarta 雅加达
3.meditate 沉思,冥想,反省
4.Java 爪哇
5.Javanese 爪哇的
6.mysticism 神秘主义
7.boost 促进,增加,提高
8.devout 虔诚的,热诚的
9.appeal (to) 向……呼吁,求助于,魅力
10.legend 传说,神话
11.fasting 禁食,斋戒
12.hold onto 抓紧,保住
13.personnel management system 人事管理制度
14.perspective investment 远景投资
15.venture(商业)投机,风险
16.sharpen 使……敏锐/尖锐,磨尖
17.business slide 买卖/企业滑坡,下滑
18.turn around (生意)好转,转变
19.subconscious 下意识的,潜意识的
20.cybernetics 控制论
21.Carnegie 卡耐基
22.tap 开拓,选择
一、难句译注
1.Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception.
【参考译文】在印尼神秘主义似乎涉及到印尼生活的各个方面,商业也不例外。
2.Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java.
【参考译文】这些虔诚的商人,叫做Wali Ullah,或者“接近主的人”,把他们的祈求呼吁跟爪哇当地的神秘主义相结合。他们通过这一途径积极热情地拓展商业买卖和宗教信仰。
3.Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability.
【参考译文】恰当的工作岗位使用合适的人选,对企业决策具有信心使形式好转的关键。它给你带来拓展和利润。(或任人唯贤,指挥若定使扭亏增盈,大展宏图的关键。)
4.Search for the inner self.
【参考译文】探索内心的自我。
5.Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie‘s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation.
【参考译文】类似心理控制论、卡耐基思想、增长率、或者积极思考能力等观点是西方开拓高智能的办法,而我们是通过沉思冥想来和高智能联系的。
二、写作方法与文章大意
这是一篇新闻报导,讲述印度尼西亚商人如何经营公司。主要采用一般到具体写作手法。一开始就点明他们以独特的方式――不看文件,不听汇报,而是闭上眼睛沉思,向古代帝王的精灵请示来经营。这种神秘主义几乎涉及印尼生活的各个领域,商业也不例外。后面每段都围绕这一主题而写。第二段写来源。第三段,应用于商业方面的具体例子,第四段,和西方管理方法对比。
三、答案详解
1.C 沉思。这在第一断已有说明。
A. 神秘主义。是个总的概念,笼罩生活各方面。而不是具体的做法和重要因素。 B. 宗教。 D. 投资。
2.A 爪哇古代帝王之精灵。答案在第一段。
B. Wali Ullah是指印度穆斯林商人。这些虔诚的商人叫做Wali Ullah或者成为接近主的人。传说神话也把先知的力量归功于Wali Ullah.C. 老帝王。D. 卡耐基,1835-1919是生于苏格兰的美国钢铁工业家和慈善家。他有一套管理企业的办法,称为卡耐基思想(管理法)。
3.B 他们也重视资历、才能。这在第三段中第二行起,商人 Hadisiko讲话清楚说明“如果我们要雇佣管理人员,我们就一起沉思,常常会有这种信息来临:这个人不能管理钱财或者他不可靠。也可能神灵告诉我们应当雇佣他。接着他匆忙补充说他的公司也采用现代人事管理系统,即要考虑雇佣的人员最根本的条件仍是正式资历”。
A. 他认为神秘主义不像想象中那么好。C. 表明他们雇佣人才。上下文说明,他所以补充是说明他们也重视资格。D. 表明科学管理和宗教结合的可能性。Hadisike语中没有这种意思。但不能说他们雇佣人才不管宗教。
4.B 得到冷静头脑来决策。这在第三段后半部分讲到。“远景的投资也是通过神秘的沉思加以考虑。有着放松和开放的头脑,易于客观地判断新投资的风险。沉思和过去领袖的接触会是你的洞察力和感官变得敏锐。”第一段第五行“其中一位沉思者说每星期的沉思会主要目标是带来一个平静的头脑,作出好决策。”
A. 从上帝那里得到利润。 C. 取得先知。不对,先知的能力归于Wali Ullah.D. 得到客观的结论。文内只提到,头脑放松容易客观地判断投资风险与否,并不是客观的结论。
5.B 没有沉思和斋戒的常规作生意。见第三段中,神秘的沉思帮助扭转公司生意滑坡而正常买卖步骤,这一年就损失了300万美元。这两句对比的话说明B项内容。
A. 采用西方买卖方式(交易方式)。文内没有点明正常就是西方方式。C. 和上帝接触。D. 知人善任。
2021考研英语:英语阅读之专项练习(4)
Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they‘re always coming in for criticism. Their critics seem to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. ’It‘s iniquitous,’ they say, ‘that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that) should absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it‘s the consumer who pays…’
The poor old consumer! He‘d have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another equally important function is to inform. A great deal of the knowledge we have about household goods derives largely from the advertisements we read. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about. Supposing you wanted to buy a washing machine, it is more than likely you would obtain details regarding performance, price, etc., from an advertisement.
Lots of people pretend that they never read advertisements, but this claim may be seriously doubted. It is hardly possible not to read advertisements these days. And what fun they often are, too! Just think what a railway station or a newspaper would be like without advertisements. Would you enjoy gazing at a blank wall or reading railway byelaws while waiting for a train? Would you like to read only closely printed columns of news in your daily paper? A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities.
We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not subsist without this source of revenue. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper, or can enjoy so many broadcast programmes is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers. Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price!
Another thing we mustn‘t forget is the ’small ads.‘ which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine. What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns. For instance, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or death in what used to be called the ’hatch, match and dispatch‘ column but by far the most fascinating section is the personal or ’agony‘ column. No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature. It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is!
1.What is main idea of this passage?
A. Advertisement.
B. The benefits of advertisement.
C. Advertisers perform a useful service to communities.
D. The costs of advertisement.
2.The attitude of the author toward advertisers is
A. appreciative.
B. trustworthy.
C. critical.
D. dissatisfactory.
3.Why do the critics criticize advertisers?
A. Because advertisers often brag.
B. Because critics think advertisement is a “waste of money”。
C. Because customers are encouraged to buy more than necessary.
D. Because customers pay more.
4.Which of the following is Not True?
A. Advertisement makes contribution to our pockets and we may know everything.
B. We can buy what we want.
C. Good quality products don‘t need to be advertised.
D. Advertisement makes our life colorful.
5.The passage is
A. Narration.
B. Description.
C. Criticism.
D. Argumentation.
Vocabulary
1.come in for ( sth. ) 是某事物的对象,吸引(某事物),获得
2.flair 天资,天分
3.iniquitous 极邪恶的,极不公正的
4.drab 单调的,乏味的
5.subsist 活下去,生存下去,维持下去
6.hatch 孵化(指生孩子)
7.match 匹配,婚姻
8.dispatch 派遣,发送
9.agony 极大痛苦,煎熬
10.agony column (报刊中关于个人疑难问题征询意见的)读者来信专栏
一、难句译注
1.Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they‘re always coming in for criticism.
【参考译文】广告商总是雄心勃勃(想得很大),也许这就是为什么他们老挨批评。
2.Their critics seem to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion.
【参考译文】他们的批评者似乎对他们很气愤,因为他们在自我抬高/标榜上很有天分。
3.No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offer such deep insight into human nature.
【参考译文】报纸任何其他栏目都难以提供如此有趣的文章,或提供对人性的内涵如此深刻的洞察。
4.It‘s the best advertisement for advertising there is.
【参考译文】这是广告中最佳的广告。
二、写作方法与文章大意
文章以因果、对比的手法写出有没有广告的后果及广告的真正作用。文章首先指出广告商遭批评的原因:广告商夸大和人们认为广告浪费钱财、商品价格就搞;然后作者以有无广告的后果突出其功能,没有广告,商品价更高,生活单调、乏味。有了广告,商品价低,生活丰富多彩,人们获取各种信息。
三、答案详解
1.C. 广告对社会的服务很有用。作者从三方面来叙述广告作用:第二段点出如果广告不为产品开辟广大的市场,我们就得付出很多钱,正是因为大量的广告费用,消费者的商品才会那么便宜。广告除销售商品外,其重要的功能在通知/告诉信息,有关家用商品的许多只是来自广告,还有新产品的介绍。
第三段讲了美化环境功能。如果火车站的墙上和报上没有广告,那会怎么样。一幅悦人心目,机智的广告将改变一切。
第四段讲了它为我们省钱:别忘了广告对我们口袋作出积极的贡献。报纸、电台、电视台公司没有这笔收入很难生存。我们的报纸,我们付给很少,或者说,我们能享受那么多的节目完全是因为广告商花的钱。如果要我们付报纸的全价,那我们要花多少钱!
最后一段讲了各种专栏的功能。人们可以在这些栏目找工作、买卖房子、宣布婚丧嫁娶信息。这些都围着一个中心:广告对社会服务的有用性。
A. 广告。太笼统。B. 广告之优点。文章不是讲优点,而是讲服务于社会的功能。D. 广告费用。
2.A. 欣赏/赞赏。从上述注释也可推知是A项。最重要的,作者提出种种功能,是为了反驳第一段内提到的论点:完全是非生产企业每年吸收几百万镑,这说明这些大公司利润有多高。最重要的是消费者付的广告费等。反驳更说明了A项对。
B. 值得信任。 C. 批评。 D. 不满意。
3.A. 因为广告商常常爱吹,见难句译注1.
B. 因为批评者认为广告浪费钱。 C. 因为广告促使消费者购买不必要的东西。 D. 因为消费者支付更多。
4.C. 优质产品不需要广告。一切产品都需要广告,新产品、老产品都需要。
A. 广告对我们的口袋作出贡献。 B. 我们可以买到我们所需的。 D. 广告使我们生活丰富多彩。这三条都提到也是真实的。
5.C. 文章一开始就提到对广告的批评,然后作者以对比的手法说明其功能。
A. 叙事。B. 描写。 D. 议论。
2021考研英语:英语阅读之专项练习(7)
The main idea of these business schools is appealing.In a world where companies must adapt to new technologies and source of competition,it is much harder than it used to be to offer good employees job security and an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder.Yet it is also more necessary than ever for employees to invest in better skills and sparkle with bright ideas.How can firms get the most out of people if they can no longer offer them protection and promotion?
Many bosses would love to have an answer.Sumantra Ghoshal of the London Business School and Christopher Bartlett of the Harvard Business School think they have one:“Employability”。If managers offer the right kinds of training and guidance,and change their attitude towards their underlings,they will be able to reassure their employees that they will always have the skills and experience to find a good job—even if it is with a different company.
Unfortunately,they promise more than they deliver.Their thoughts on what an ideal organization should achieve are hard to quarrel with:encourage people to be creative,make sure the gains from creativity are shared with the pains of the business that can make the most of them,keep the organization from getting stale and so forth.The real disappointment comes when they attempt to show how firms might actually create such an environment.At its nub is the notion that companies can attain their elusive goals by changing their implicit contract with individual workers,and treating them as a source of value rather than a cog in a machine.
The authors offer a few inspiring examples of companies——they include Motorola, 3M and ABB—that have managed to go some way towards creating such organizations.But they offer little useful guidance on how to go about it,and leave the biggest questions unanswered.How do you continuously train people,without diverting them from their everyday job of making the business more profitable? How do you train people to be successful elsewhere while still encouraging them to make big commitments to your own firm? How do you get your newly liberated employees to spend their time on ideas that create value,and not simply on those they enjoy? Most of their answers are platitudinous,and when they are not they are unconvincing.
1. We can infer from the passage that in the past an employee .
[A]had job security and opportunity of promotion
[B]had to compete with each other to keep his job
[C]had to undergo training all the time
[D]had no difficulty climbing the corporate ladder
2. According to Christopher Bartlett what will improve“employability”?
[A] Ability to lay out one‘s talents to employers.
[B]Skills and knowledge accumulated from school education.
[C] Training opportunity and guidance offered by company.
[D]Being creative and ready to share collective wisdom.
3. What does the writer of this passage think of the ideas of Ghoshal and Bartlett?
[A] Very instructive. [B] Very inspiring.
[C] Hard to implement. [D] Quite harsh.
4. In their work,Ghoshal and Bartlett discuss .
[A]changes in business organizations [B]contracts between employers and employees
[C]employment situation [D]management ideas
5.This passage seems to be a(n) .
[A]book review [B]advertisement
[C]news report [D]research paper
一、核心词汇
appealing adj.吸引人的 sparkle v.(使)闪耀 reassure vt.使恢复信心
stale adj.陈腐的 implicit adj.暗示的。盲从的 inspiring adj.鼓舞的
divert v.转移 profitable adj.有利可图的
二、文章翻译
这些商业学校的想法非常具有吸引力。在这里所有公司都必须适应新技术与竞争环境,为优秀雇员提供工作保障以及晋升的机会比以前更困难了。然而,对于雇员来讲,拥有更好的技能以及充满睿智的思想火花也比以前更有必要了。如果公司不再能够为雇员提供保障和晋升,他们如何使雇员充分发挥才能呢?
很多老板都希望有自己的答案。伦敦商学院的苏曼特拉。戈沙尔和哈佛商学院的克里斯托弗。巴特利特认为他们自己的答案是“可雇佣性”。如果经理提供正确的培训及指导,并且改变他们对下属的态度,他们将能使自己的雇员充满信心并且认为自己总是有技能、有经验、可以找到一份好工作——即使是在不同的公司。
令人遗憾的是,这些老板所做的承诺远远超出他们实际所能做到的。在有关一个完美的组织所能获得的成就上,如鼓励人们具有创造性、与公司同甘共苦、避免公司疲塌并向前发展等方面,他们无可非议。但他们在展示公司是如何创造出这样一种环境之时却令人非常失望。问题的中心在于这样一种观念:即他们认为改变与工人的合同并将其看作价值的源泉而非机器中的齿轮,来达到公司的目的。
作者提供了一些鼓舞人心的公司案例(包括摩托罗拉、3M和ABB),这些公司都成功地创造出了这样的组织机构。但是他们很少提供有关如何运作组织的有益指导,这个最复杂的问题一直没人来回答。如何在不分散雇员对工作注意力的情况下不断地对他们加以培训,以使公司所获利润更大?如何将雇员培训为一个在任何地方都是优秀的人而又激励他们为你的公司效力?如何使思想解放的雇员将他们的时间花费在能够创造价值的想法上而不是他们所喜爱的一些念头上?这些问题的大多数答案都是老生常谈,不是老生常谈的也不具有说服力。
三、答案辨析
1.A推断题。由题干关键词in the past和employee定位文章第一段的it is much harder than it used to be to offer good employee job security and an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder可看出,过去一名优秀的职员很容易获得工作保障和晋升机会,结合选项可知,A正确。且由该句话可知在过去工作上的竞争并不算残酷,因此排除B(必须和别人竞争);文中并未谈到过去有什么培训,故排除C(必须总是接受培训);D(在公司获得晋升毫无不费力)过于绝对。
2.C细节题。由题干关键词Christopher Bartlett和employability定位文章第二段。该段中
employability后的内容即是对此词的解释:经理们提供正确的培训及指导,并且能够改变对下属的态度,就能使雇员总是有技能、有经验,从而可以找到一份好工作。结合选项可知,C正确。
3.C态度题。题干问作者对Ghoshal and Bartlett的观点有何看法。从第三段的Unfortunately,they promise more than they deliver…(令人遗憾的是,他们所做的承诺远远超出他们实际所能做到的)以及下文提到的The real disappointment comes…可以看出,作者对Ghoshal和Bartlett的观点不以为然,认为这两个人许诺的比实际提供的要多,可见作者认为他们的观点不切实际,故选C.
4.D推断题。文中提到,Ghoshal和Bartlett不仅讨论了企业的组织形式,还讨论了企业应该提供给员工一个创新的环境,以及对企业员工进行培训和管理,最后达到企业发展的目的。因此用“企业管理”来概括他们的观念最为合适,选项中A过于片面,B只是简单提到,C过于宽泛,只有D最符合题意。
5.A推断题。判断此题的关键在最后一段,由该段首句The author offers a few example of companies…but they offer little useful guidance…中的关键词the author可推知,本文属于书评,故应选A.
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