2017年广东省学位英语真题（阅读理解）

Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)

Directions: There are four passages in this part. Each passage is followed by fivequestions or unfinished statements.For each ofthem there are four choicesmarked A, B C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on theANS H ER SHEET.

Passage One

Big data can be defined as information that is too big or complex to be containedor processed by any one machine or person.AsastudentattheUniversity of Sussex, Julian Dailly had two majors – English and philosophy. When he completed his studies, Dailly wondered how he would everearn a living in a world filled with machines and technology. Now, he is part of the big data industry that includes Google andFacebook.

Dailly's research company,Morar Consulting,started three years ago with fiveemployees.The company's earnings have increased by 25 % each year.It now employs90 people."What we do here is we try to discover what's meaningful for people and Linkthattotheireconomicbehavio r,‖ Daillysaid.

He noted the importance of working with people with different skills."We havepeople from traditional research backgrounds,in addition to some in social sciences,economics,people from tech backgrounds,and sales people," Dailly said.

Companies like Dailly's employ recent college graduates.The industry profitsfrom the ideas ofthese young men and women. New forms ofdata also make it possiblefor some observers to predict the future. They are more valuable to companies than thetraditional forms ofdata recording or reporting.

"We have access to the core information inside people's heads," Dailly said."Theytell you what people are going to do as opposed to what they've done. That helps peopletake proper action in advance. This makes it much more useful for strategy."Julian Dailly dismisses concerns that computers have finally taken control ofourdaily lives. "Some may worry that humans will be allowed to be replaced by machines.Ithink it's a fantasy."

16.Dailly has an educationbackground of ______.

A.engineering B.arts

C. sciences D.business

17.Dailly'scompany focuses on businesses in ______.

A. marketing strategy B.machineselling

C. staff training D.bigdataresearch

18.The company's staffis characterized by all the following EXCEPT ______.

A.freshideas B.youngage

C. mixed education backgrounds

D. rich experience in the field

19.The company is aimed at making use of the information to help people ______.

A.take predictive actionB.rememberthepast

C. learn fromeachotherD.stick to the tradition

20.According to Dailly, the idea that humans may be replaced by machines ______.

A.isawisewarning B.ispureimagination

C.maycometrue D.needsfurtherstudy

Passage Two

A new record for the oldest woman to run a marathon has been set, but it may notstand for more than a year Hariette Thompson, 92, said that she hasn't ruled outrunning the Rock'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego again next year. Hariette finished in7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds, the BBC reports, coming close to the over-90 record of7 hours, 7 minutes, and 42 seconds she set in 2014, despite having a very difficult yearbetween marathons."I couldn't train very well because my husband was very ill and Ihad to be with him for some time, and then when he died in January Ihad sometreatments on my leg," Thompson, who was in her 70s when she ran her first marathon, Tellsthe AP."Iwasjust really thrilled that I could finish today.

At 92 years and 65 days old, Thompson is 46 days older than Gladys Burrill waswhen Burill finished the 2010 Honolulu Marathon.―I can't believeI made it,‖Thompson tells the Charlotte Observer. "I was really tired at one point. Around Mile 2 1,Iwas going upa hill and itwas likeamountain,and Iwas thinking,'This issortofcrazy at my age. Ican't do it'. But thenI felt better coming down the hill. And my sonBrennykeptfeedingmeallthesewonder (碳 水 化 合 物 )thatkeptmegoing.‖Thompson— whoseparents,threebrothers,andhusbandalldied of cancer-tells the Observerthat the San Diego marathon's fundraising for the Leukemia(白血病 ) Society is what inspired her to run and may even bring her back again nextyear.

21.What does Thompson say about the San Diego marathon next year?

A.Shemaynotbeabletobethere

B.Shehasn'tthoughtaboutit

C. She is sure to take part in it.

D.Sheislikelytorunagain.

22.When did Thompson set her firs over-90 marathon record?

A.In2010. B.In2012. C.In2014. D.In2016.

23.WhatdidThompsonmainlydo in that difficult year?

A.She took care of her husband. B.She hurt her leg and had to rest.

C.She received some new training. D.She traveled around with her family.

24.During this year's marathon, Thompson ______.

A.ranfasterthanlasttime B.once considered giving up

C.was confident she could make it D.could hardly move in the end

25.What inspired Thompson to run the marathon?

A.Setting her son a good example. B.Settingnewmarathonrecord

C.Raisingmoneyforcancertreatment D.Living up to her own promise.

Passage Three

Before the grass has thickened on the roadsides and leaves have started growing onthe trees is a perfect time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. Thepavements are stained with chewing gum and the ditches are full of discarded fast foodpackets. Years ago Iremember traveling abroad and being saddened by the plastic bagsand discarded bottles.

owadays, Britain seems to look at least as bad. What has gonewrong?

The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lotlonger than before. If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in theundergrowth(下层灌木 ) foryears.

It is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These willtake anything from 100 to 1,000 years to rot However, it is not as it there is no solutionto this. A few years ago, the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrierbags and in three months reduced their use by 90%. When he was a minister, MichaelMeacher attempted to introduce a similar arrangement in Britain. The plastics industryprotested, ofcourse. However, they need not have bothered; the idea was killed before itcoulddrawbreath,leavingsupermarkets free to give away plastic bags.

What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined action, bothindividual and collective,before it is too late.The alternative is to continue slidingdownhill untilwehaveacountrythatlooks like a vast rubbishtip. Wemaywellbeatthetippingpoint.Yetweknowthatpeoplerespondtotheirenvironment.Ifthings around them are clean and tidy, people behave cleanly and tidily. If they are surroundedby rubbish,they behave like rubbish.Now,much of Britain looks pretty dirty.Whatwill it look like in five years? 26.What might be the best title for the passage?

A.PlasticBags B.Environment Protection

D.RubbishDisposal C.DirtyBritain

27.Theplasticsindustryin Britain protested because ______.

A.a tax was proposed on non-recyclable carrier bags

B.supermarkets no longer gave away plastic bags

C.theywereblamedforcausingplasticpollution

D. the government did not support them

28.The expression "sliding downhill" (Para.4) probably means"______‖

A.working hard to reduce rubbish

B.producing more plastic bags

C.encouraging people to use plastic bags

D. making things worse by taking no action

29.Which ofthe following best describes the author's outlook on the environment?

A. Optimistic. B.Confused. C. Concerned. D.Indifferent.

30.The purpose of the article is to ______.

A.encourage the public to take action against rubbish

B.discourage people from supporting the plastics industry

C.call on the government to protect the environment

D. encourage supermarkets to give away recyclable bags

Passage Four

ThosewhoworkintheNetherlandsoftenfeel thatalotoftimeiswastedindiscussions that lead to nothing. There are often meetings with documents, an agenda, and a chairman.All those present will have their say,after which their remarks arediscussed.

He who decides to skip a meeting though he has nothing more urgent to attend to,will find it

unwise.The interacting that takes place during a meeting is very importantfor the general process. He who does not appear is saying that he does not think the subject is sufficiently important,or that he apparently does not take his colleaguesseriously.Furthermore,he might miss some of the essential information that maybecome evident during the meeting.Those who are present show an interest in theproblems of their colleagues. They supply questions, rather than commands, and thusdeclare themselves"co-responsibl e‖. The Dutch,in their final conclusions,like to usesuch metaphors as"We are all in one line" or ―Our noses are pointing in the samedirection again.‖ If you present a decision, you will find that everyone has something to say about itand has questions to ask. This is why the Dutch will not be quick to present somethingastheonly correctsolution.Theadvantagetothisapproach isthat such ameeting willoften lead to genuine suggestions for improvement on certain aspects of a plan. As aresult, the plan will be ajoint approach.

This time-consuming and seemingly useless process helps colleagues become ateam. The amount oftime that is lost around the table is more than what made up forinefficiency,once everyone goes back to work.Statistics show Dutch employees areamong the world leaders when it comes to work productivity.

31.According to Paragraph 1, meetings in Dutch companies seem to ______.

A.beheldusuallyforimportantissue

B.waste a lot oftimein fruitless discussion

C.enable employees to know each other better

D. be good occasions for employees to show their talent

32.To Dutch employees, one who is absent from a meeting ______.

A.doesnottakehiscolleaguesserious

B.may have something more urgentto do

C.does not miss much critical information

D.may have nothing to say at the meeting

33.According to Paragraph 3,why can't Dutch employees come to a quick decision?

A.People are constantly in dispute.

B.An idea usually undergoes a full discussion.

C.Suggestions often lead nowhere.

D.People often forget the aims ofmeetings.

34.What does the last paragraph tell us?

A.Many leaders in the world are Dutch.

B.Dutch employees are highly productive.

C.Dutchcompaniesare the most successful in the world.

D.Dutchemployeesworkhardest intheworld.

35.The author's attitude towards the Dutch meeting is quite

A. unclear B.negative C. positive D.neutral