Practice 10
Watchdogs are growling at the web giants, and sometimes biting them. In April ten privacy and data-protection commissioners from countries including Canada, Germany and Britain wrote a public letter to Eric Schmidt, Google’s boss, demanding 1 in Google Buzz, the firm’s social- networking service, which had been criticized for dipping 2 users’ Gmail accounts to find “followers” for them without clearly explaining what it was doing. Google 3 complied. Such run-ins with regulators are likely to multiply—and 4 the freedom of global Internet firms. It is not just that online privacy has become a/an 5 issue. More importantly, privacy rules are national, 6 data flows lightly and instantly 7 borders, often thanks to companies like Google and Facebook, which 8 vast databases. A recent scandal known as “Wi-Figate” 9 the problem. Google (accidentally, it insists) gathered data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks in people’s homes as part of a 10 to capture images of streets around the world. A number of regulators 11 investigations. Yet their reaction 12 widely, even within the European Union, Some European watchdogs ordered Google to 13 the data it had collected in their areas; others 14 that information related to their countries be destroyed. Despite such differences within Europe, the 15 is much greater between Europe and America. European regulations are inspired by the 16 that data privacy is a 17 human right and that individuals should be in control of how their data are used. America, 18 , takes a more relaxed view, allowing people to use consumer-protection laws to seek compensation if they feel their privacy has been 19 . It is this difference that explains why Silicon Valley firms that 20 abroad have sometimes been the targets of European Union data watchdogs. 1. [A] changes [B] details [C] procedures [D] references 2. [A] from [B] towards [C] into [D] beyond 3. [A] abruptly [B] promptly [C] reluctantly [D] deliberately 4. [A] win [B] limit [C] gain [D] deprive 5. [A] perplexing [B] ambiguous [C] mischievous [D] controversial 6. [A] but [B] and [C] while [D] so 7. [A] outside [B] on [C] by [D] across 8. [A] measure [B] share [C] manage [D] manipulate 9. [A] exemplifies [B] aggravates [C] reveals [D] certifies 10. [A] method [B] journey [C] project [D] plan 11. [A] completed [B] demanded [C] launched [D] embraced 12. [A] varied [B] swayed [C] mixed [D] permeated 13. [A] process [B] restore [C] exploit [D] preserve 14. [A] demanded [B] indicated [C] suggested [D] proposed 15. [A] conflict [B] gap [C] balance [D] debate 16. [A] tradition [B] assumption [C] conviction [D] vision 17. [A] universal [B] comprehensive [C] fundamental [D] perpetual 18. [A] on the whole [B] on the average [C] on the contrary [D] on the other hand 19. [A] violated [B] undermined [C] overthrown [D] distorted 20. [A] back off [B] strike out [C] carry over [D] take up
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Practice 11
A university education costs a fortune. Student loan debt in America has been rising rapidly in an effort to 1 with the expense. 8.9% of households had student debt in 1989. In 2007, 2 , the share had risen to 16%. To make matters worse new graduates face a slack job market which could 3 their earnings for decades. 4 , the cost of dropping out may be even larger. Students in California have a proposal. 5 charging tuition, they’d like public universities in California to take 5% of their salary for the first twenty years following graduation. 6 , rather than taking on debt students would like to sell equity in their future earnings. This means students who make more money after graduation will 7 lower-earning peers. It is not clear if this will provide adequate 8 for the university. It also means the university bears more risk, 9 the tuition it will ultimately receive is uncertain. Moreover, degrees that 10 a higher value in the labor market, like engineering, will cost more than other degrees, like theatre arts. Faculty in high-value fields 11 to get paid more. Perhaps some of that cost should be passed 12 to the students.
Incentives would also change; maybe university departments would become more invested in 13 successful graduates. But this might 14 the mission of American universities, which is to provide a well-rounded liberal arts education. If universities become more income 15 , will low-yielding, but socially valuable fields like philosophy 16 short of resources? To some degree, the university-for-all model already undermines our ideal 17 of university. 18 more of the population goes to university, and must pay for it, more elusive subjects 19 become less popular. Still, it’s an interesting proposal to 20 the rising cost of higher education. 1. [A] come up [B] put up [C] keep up [D] fill up 2. [A] as usual [B] by chance [C] in consequence [D] by contrast 3. [A] suppress [B] depress [C] oppress [D] repress 4. [A] However [B] Therefore [C] Furthermore [D] Indeed 5. [A] Sooner than [B] Other than [C] Rather than [D] Better than 6. [A] Simultaneously [B] Presumably [C] Essentially [D] Particularly 7. [A] subsidize [B] submit [C] subdue [D] supervise 8. [A] revenue [B] compensation [C] funds [D] benefits 9. [A] until [B] because [C] unless [D] although 10. [A] demand [B] acknowledge [C] involve [D] command 11. [A] tend [B] attempt [C] happen [D] intend 12. [A] by [B] on [C] down [D] up 13. [A] creating [B] producing [C] contributing [D] distributing 14. [A] undermine [B] distort [C] restore [D] suspend 15. [A] accustomed [B] integrated [C] complicated [D] focused 16. [A] turn out [B] put forward [C] end up [D] sum up 17. [A] version [B] myth [C] metaphor [D] exaggeration 18. [A] Since [B] As [C] Though [D] Provided 19. [A] unpredictably [B] duly [C] suddenly [D] naturally 20. [A] eliminate [B] ignore [C] exploit [D] address
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Practice 12
Ageing poses a serious challenge to OECD countries, in particular, how to pay for future public pension liabilities. And early retirement places an 1 burden on pension financing. There is no easy solution, but 2 retirement could help. Early retirement may seem like a 3 individual goal, but it is a socially expensive one, and makes the current public pensions system difficult to sustain for long. The 4 reason is that more people are retiring early and living longer. That means more retirees depending on the funding of those in work for their 5 . The 6 is worrying. In the next 50 years, low fertility rates and 7 life expectancy in OECD countries will cause this old-age dependency rate to roughly double in size.
Action is needed. Many governments are now looking at 8 people to stay in work until they are older. The approach makes 9 sense. For a start, 10 the extra labor resources from delayed retirement are put to work, then 11 the level of GDP will rise, thereby increasing the resources 12 for consumption. This is 13 of course: having more old people at work is not enough to improve productivity. 14 , some contend that the level of GDP could 15 , since delaying it could dampen the morale and productivity of would-be retirees. However, these 16 effects appear to be small, so on the whole retiring later would increase GDP in the longer term. Working people certainly 17 more income taxes and social security contributions than retired people, so a later effective retirement age would 18 more funds to pay for pensions. Likewise, there would be 19 pressure on those funds as delayed retirement means people start 20 their pensions later. 1. [A] unsustainable [B] unattainable [C] undetectable [D] unmissable 2. [A] hindering [B] planning [C] hastening [D] delaying 3. [A] tricky [B] handy [C] steady [D] worthy 4. [A] rough [B] apparent [C] essential [D] intricate 5. [A] bonus [B] stock [C] expenditure [D] income 6. [A] outcry [B] outlook [C] outlet [D] output 7. [A] soaring [B] rising [C] shortening [D] expanding 8. [A] requiring [B] changing [C] persuading [D] forcing 9. [A] economic [B] social [C] political [D] cultural 10. [A] in case that [B] as far as [C] as long as [D] for fear that 11. [A] in theory [B] in effect [C] in general [D] in particular 12. [A] suitable [B] reliable [C] available [D] identifiable 13. [A] true [B] logical [C] radical [D] simplistic 14. [A] Moreover [B] Indeed [C] Therefore [D] However 15. [A] fall [B] pause [C] steady [D] rise 16. [A] transparent [B] desirable [C] plausible [D] negative 17. [A] pay [B] harvest [C] devote [D] boost 18. [A] generate [B] enhance [C] aggregate [D] accumulate 19. [A] more [B] less [C] no [D] a lot of 20. [A] affording [B] collecting [C] paying [D] drawing
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Practice 13
The Industrial Revolution is called a revolution because it changed society both significantly and rapidly. Over the 1 of human history, there has been only one other group of changes as 2 as the Industrial Revolution. This is what anthropologists call the Neolithic Revolution, which took place in the later part of the Stone Age. In this revolution, people moved from social systems based on hunting and gathering to much more complex communities that 3 on agriculture and the domestication of animals. This 4 the rise of permanent settlements and, 5 , urban civilizations. The Industrial Revolution brought a shift from the agricultural societies 6 during the Neolithic Revolution to modem industrial societies.
The social changes brought 7 by the Industrial Revolution were significant. 8 economic activities in many communities moved from agriculture to manufacturing, production shifted from its traditional 9 in the home and the small workshop to factories. Large portions of the population 10 from the countryside to the towns and cities where manufacturing centers were found. The overall amount of goods and services produced 11 dramatically, and new groups of investors, businesspeople, and managers took financial risks and 12 great rewards. 13 the Industrial Revolution has brought economic improvement for most people. Many enjoy greater prosperity and improved health, 14 those in the middle and the upper classes of society. There have been 15 , however. In some cases, the lower classes of society have 16 economically Industrialization has brought factory pollutants and greater land use. In particular, the 17 of machinery and science to agriculture has led to greater land use and, 18 , extensive loss of habitat for animals and plants. In addition, drastic population growth 19 industrialization has contributed to the decline of natural habitats and resources. These factors, 20 , have caused many species to become extinct or endangered.
1. [A] proceedings [B] advancement [C] course [D] progress 2. [A] significant [B] recognizable [C] dynamic [D] magnificent 3. [A] fed [B] lived [C] depended [D] focused 4. [A] amounted to [B] resulted from [C] came to [D] led to 5. [A] similarly [B] eventually [C] conversely [D] simultaneously 6. [A] produced [B] created [C] aroused [D] yielded 7. [A] down [B] forward [C] up [D] about 8. [A] As [B] Although [C] If [D] Whereas 9. [A] scenes [B] occasions [C] locations [D] positions 10. [A] relocated [B] altered [C] fluctuated [D] ranged 11. [A] expanded [B] extended [C] inflated [D] enlarged 12. [A] retained [B] retrieved [C] reclaimed [D] reaped 13. [A] In the long run [B] As a result [C] In addition [D] In a word 14. [A] obviously [B] definitely [C] especially [D] presumably 15. [A] inequalities [B] losses [C] difficulties [D] costs 16. [A] suffered [B] survived [C] staggered [D] slipped 17. [A] return [B] exposure [C] relation [D] application 18. [A] indeed [B] contrarily [C] likewise [D] therefore 19. [A] preceding [B] following [C] accelerating [D] facilitating 20. [A] in turn [B] in brief [C] in fact [D] by contrast
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Practice 14
Although much is made of differences between the brains of adult males and females, the sources of these differences are a matter of controversy. Some people 1 cultural explanations and note, for example, that 2 girls are taught separately from boys they often do better in subjects such as maths than if classes are 3 . Others claim that the differences are rooted 4 biology, are there from birth, and 5 because girls’ and boys’ brains have evolved to 6 information in different ways. Luigi Guiso of the European University Institute in Florence and his colleagues have just published the results of a study which suggests that culture 7 most of the difference in maths, 8 . They show that the gap in mathematics scores between boys and girls 9 disappears in countries with high levels of sexual equality, 10 the reading gap remains. Yet on one hand, the one mathematical gap that did not disappear was the differences between girls and boys in geometry. This seems to have no 11 to sexual equality, and may allow men to 12 on to their famed 13 to be better at navigating than women are. On the other hand, the gap in reading scores not only remained, but got 14 as the sexes became more equal. 15 reading scores were higher for girls than for boys in all countries. But in more 16 societies, not only were the girls as good at maths as the boys, their 17 in reading had increased. In other words, girls may 18 an absolute advantage over boys as a result of equal 19 . This is something that society, more broadly, has not yet 20 on board. 1. [A] put forward [B] insist on [C] abide by [D] remark on 2. [A] because [B] although [C] unless [D] when 3. [A] unprejudiced [B] mixed [C] privileged [D] qualified 4. [A] at [B] in [C] with [D] on 5. [A] abound [B] vanish [C] increase [D] exist 6. [A] obtain [B] receive [C] handle [D] collect 7. [A] presents [B] explains [C] displays [D] magnifies 8. [A] at large [B] at most [C] at least [D] at last 9. [A] quickly [B] virtually [C] ultimately [D] fortunately 10. [A] so [B] provided [C] though [D] since 11. [A] relation [B] contribution [C] exception [D] orientation 12. [A] cling [B] carry [C] live [D] keep 13. [A] declaration [B] report [C] proclamation [D] claim 14. [A] clearer [B] further [C] worse [D] bigger 15. [A] Normal [B] Average [C] Common [D] Expected 16. [A] advanced [B] equal [C] complicated [D] productive 17. [A] advantage [B] inclination [C] priority [D] interest 18. [A] harvest [B] feature [C] value [D] acquire 19. [A] behaviour [B] treatment [C] manner [D] attitude 20. [A] kept [B] put [C] taken [D] raised
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考研英语完形填空专项练习（含答案）
