北京新东方学校  李剑

　　本文出处：Nov 26th 2009，From The Economist print edition

　　原文标题：A special report on the art market：Suspended animation

　　The longest bull run in a century of art-market history ended on a dramatic note with a sale of 56 works by Damien Hirst, “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever”， at Sotheby’s in London on September 15th 2008. All but two pieces sold, fetching more than £70m, a record for a sale by a single artist. It was a last victory. As the auctioneer called out bids, in New York one of the oldest banks on Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy。

　　The world art market had already been losing momentum for a while after rising vertiginously since 2003. At its peak in 2007 it was worth some $65 billion, reckons Clare McAndrew, founder of Arts Economics, a research firm—double the figure five years earlier. Since then it may have come down to $50 billion. But the market generates interest far beyond its size because it brings together great wealth, enormous egos, greed, passion and controversy in a way matched by few other industries。

　　In the weeks and months that followed Mr Hirst’s sale, spending of any sort became deeply unfashionable, especially in New York, where the bail-out of the banks coincided with the loss of thousands of jobs and the financial demise of many art-buying investors. In the art world that meant collectors stayed away from galleries and salerooms. Sales of contemporary art fell by two-thirds, and in the most overheated sector—for Chinese contemporary art—they were down by nearly 90% in the year to November 2008. Within weeks the world’s two biggest auction houses, Sotheby’s and Christie’s, had to pay out nearly $200m in guarantees to clients who had placed works for sale with them。

　　The current downturn in the art market is the worst since the Japanese stopped buying Impressionists at the end of 1989, a move that started the most serious contraction in the market since the Second World War. This time experts reckon that prices are about 40% down on their peak on average, though some have been far more volatile. But Edward Dolman, Christie’s chief executive, says: “I’m pretty confident we’re at the bottom。”

　　What makes this slump different from the last, he says, is that there are still buyers in the market, whereas in the early 1990s, when interest rates were high, there was no demand even though many collectors wanted to sell. Christie’s revenues in the first half of 2009 were still higher than in the first half of 2006. Almost everyone who was interviewed for this special report said that the biggest problem at the moment is not a lack of demand but a lack of good work to sell. The three Ds—death, debt and divorce—still deliver works of art to the market. But anyone who does not have to sell is keeping away, waiting for confidence to return。

　　21. In the first paragraph, Damien Hirst's sale was referred to as “a last victory” because ____-。

　　A. the art market had witnessed a succession of victories

　　B. the auctioneer finally got the two pieces at the highest bids

　　C. Beautiful inside My Head Forever won over all masterpieces

　　D. it was successfully made just before the world financial crisis

　　选【D】，因为第一段段尾句As the auctioneer called out bids, in New York one of the oldest banks on Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy. 即雷曼兄弟公司破产。

　　22. By saying “spending of any sort became deeply unfashionable”(Line 1-2,Para.3)，the author suggests that_____ 。

　　A. collectors were no longer actively involved in art-market auctions

　　B. people stopped every kind of spending and stayed away from galleries

　　C. art collection as a fashion had lost its appeal to a great extent

　　D. works of art in general had gone out of fashion so they were not worth buying

　　选【A】，本题迷惑选项为C，文章第三段只强调了  collectors stayed away；Sales fell，并没有强调“收藏时尚早在这之前就已经大大降温了”。

　　23. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A .Sales of contemporary art fell dramatically from 2007to 2008.

　　B. The art market surpassed many other industries in momentum。

　　C. The market generally went downward in various ways。

　　D. Some art dealers were awaiting better chances to come。

　　选【B】因为文章第二段只说了The world art market had already been losing momentum for a while after rising vertiginously since 2003.并没有说比别的行业更有势头冲劲。

　　24. The three Ds mentioned in the last paragraph are ____

　　A. auction houses' favorites

　　B. contemporary trends

　　C. factors promoting artwork circulation

　　D. styles representing impressionists

　　选【C】本题其实属于猜词题，问3Ds是什么含义，根据最后一段的上下文的含义，上一段段尾句说：But Edward Dolman, Christie’s chief executive, says: “I’m pretty confident we’re at the bottom。”；以及3Ds之前的句子，there are still buyers in the market；Christie’s revenues in the first half of 2009 were still higher；not a lack of demand but a lack of good work to sell能感觉到后文应该继续表示有信心，对将来乐观。所以选C。

　　25. The most appropriate title for this text could be ___

　　A. Fluctuation of Art Prices

　　B. Up-to-date Art Auctions

　　C. Art Market in Decline

　　D. Shifted Interest in Arts

　　选【C】，文章从第二段开始就说虽然大家还是有信心，但艺术收藏市场不景气。

　　Text 2

　　本文出处：The Washington Post, June 24, 1990

　　原文标题：Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?

　　I was addressing a small gathering in a suburban Virginia living room -- a women's group that had invited men to join them. Throughout the evening one man had been particularly talkative frequently offering ideas and anecdotes while his wife sat silently beside him on the couch. Toward the end of the evening I commented that women frequently complain that their husbands don't talk to them. This man quickly concurred. He gestured toward his wife and said "She's the talker in our family." The room burst into laughter; the man looked puzzled and hurt. "It's true" he explained. "When I come home from work I have nothing to say. If she didn't keep the conversation going we'd spend the whole evening in silence."

　　This episode crystallizes the irony that although American men tend to talk more than women in public situations they often talk less at home. And this pattern is wreaking havoc with marriage。

　　The pattern was observed by political scientist Andrew Hacker in the late '70s. Sociologist Catherine Kohler Riessman reports in her new book "Divorce Talk" that most of the women she interviewed -- but only a few of the men --- gave lack of communication as the reason for their divorces. Given the current divorce rate of nearly 50 percent that amounts to millions of cases in the United States every year --- a virtual epidemic of failed conversation。

　　In my own research complaints from women about their husbands most often focused not on tangible inequities such as having given up the chance for a career to accompany a husband to his or doing far more than their share of daily life-support work like cleaning cooking social arrangements and errands. Instead they focused on communication: "He doesn't listen to me" "He doesn't talk to me." I found as Hacker observed years before that most wives want their husbands to be first and foremost conversational partners but few husbands share this expectation of their wives。

　　In short the image that best represents the current crisis is the stereotypical cartoon scene of a man sitting at the breakfast table with a newspaper held up in front of his face while a woman glares at the back of it wanting to talk。

　　26. What is most wives' main expectation of their husbands?

　　A. Talking to them.                           B. Trusting them.             

　　C. Supporting their careers.          D. Sharing housework。

　　选【A】，根据第一段women frequently complain that their husbands don't talk to them.。

　　27. Judging from the context, the phrase “wreaking havoc” (Line 3, Para.2) most probably means ___。

　　A. generating motivation.            B. exerting influence

　　C. causing damage                        D. creating pressure

　　选【C】，本题属于猜词题，从下文主要内容来看，夫妻缺乏沟通会导致离婚，即对婚姻产生破坏作用。

　　28. All of the following are true EXCEPT_______

　　A. men tend to talk more in public tan women

　　B. nearly 50percent of recent divorces are caused by failed conversation

　　C. women attach much importance to communication between couples

　　D a female tends to be more talkative at home than her spouse

　　选【B】，注意本题是选错误选项，ACD都是正确的，但是B选项错误的原因是偷换了50%的比率对象。文章只说了the current divorce rate of nearly 50 percent，即目前美国离婚率为50%，并没有说50%的离婚率是因为缺乏沟通造成的，B选项的说法大大低于文章前一句话所说的most of the women gave lack of communication as the reason for their divorce。

　　29. Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of this text?

　　A. The moral decaying deserves more research by sociologists。

　　B. Marriage break-up stems from sex inequalities。

　　C. Husband and wife have different expectations from their marriage。

　　D. Conversational patterns between man and wife are different。

　　选【D】，文章主题强调男女说话交流模式不一样。AB中的moral和inequality不符合原文。C是无中生有。

　　30. In the following part immediately after this text, the author will most probably focus on ______

　　A. a vivid account of the new book Divorce Talk

　　B. a detailed description of the stereotypical cartoon

　　C. other possible reasons for a high divorce rate in the U.S。

　　D. a brief introduction to the political scientist Andrew Hacker

　　选【B】，本文围绕着男女交流不一样，导致离婚这一现象展开，所以下文具体会阐述这副图的的细节讨论这个现象。

　　Text 3

　　本文出处：纽约时报，July 13, 2008

　　http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/business/13habit.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

　　原文标题：Warning: Habits May Be Good for You

　　Over the past decade, many companies had perfected the art of creating automatic behaviors — habits — among consumers. These habits have helped companies earn billions of dollars when customers eat snacks, apply lotions and wipe counters almost without thinking, often in response to a carefully designed set of daily cues。

　　“There are fundamental public health problems, like hand washing with soap, that remain killers only because we can’t figure out how to change people’s habits,” Dr. Curtis said. “We wanted to learn from private industry how to create new behaviors that happen automatically。”

　　The companies that Dr. Curtis turned to — Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever — had invested hundreds of millions of dollars finding the subtle cues in consumers’ lives that corporations could use to introduce new routines。

　　If you look hard enough, you’ll find that many of the products we use every day — chewing gums, skin moisturizers, disinfecting wipes, air fresheners, water purifiers, health snacks, antiperspirants, colognes, teeth whiteners, fabric softeners, vitamins — are results of manufactured habits. A century ago, few people regularly brushed their teeth multiple times a day. Today, because of canny advertising and public health campaigns, many Americans habitually give their pearly whites a cavity-preventing scrub twice a day, often with Colgate, Crest or one of the other brands。

　　A few decades ago, many people didn’t drink water outside of a meal. Then beverage companies started bottling the production of far-off springs, and now office workers unthinkingly sip bottled water all day long. Chewing gum, once bought primarily by adolescent boys, is now featured in commercials as a breath freshener and teeth cleanser for use after a meal. Skin moisturizers are advertised as part of morning beauty rituals, slipped in between hair brushing and putting on makeup。

　　“Our products succeed when they become part of daily or weekly patterns,” said Carol Berning, a consumer psychologist who recently retired from Procter & Gamble, the company that sold $76 billion of Tide, Crest and other products last year. “Creating positive habits is a huge part of improving our consumers’ lives, and it’s essential to making new products commercially viable。”

　　Through experiments and observation, social scientists like Dr. Berning have learned that there is power in tying certain behaviors to habitual cues through relentless advertising. As this new science of habit has emerged, controversies have erupted when the tactics have been used to sell questionable beauty creams or unhealthy foods。

　　31. According to Dr.Curtis, habits like hand washing with soap________。

　　[A] should be further cultivated

　　[B] should be changed gradually

　　[C] are deeply rooted in history

　　[D] are basically private concerns

　　选【A】，本题关键词Dr. Curtis，定位于第二段，A选项和第二段段尾句“how to create new behaviors that happen automatically” 相同含义。

　　32. Bottled water, chewing gun and skin moisturizers are mentioned in Paragraph 5 so as to____

　　[A] reveal their impact on people’ habits

　　[B] show the urgent need of daily necessities

　　[C] indicate their effect on people’ buying power

　　[D] manifest the significant role of good habits

　　选【A】，本题迷惑选项是D，其实文章没有强调这是好习惯，只是中立的立场描述了这些产品影响了人们的习惯。

　　33. Which of the following does NOT belong to products that help create people’s habits?

　　[A]Tide          [B] Crest               [C] Colgate           [D] Unilever

　　选【D】，根据第四和第六自然段的段尾句，发现只有Unilever文章没有阐述是否它帮助了人们产生习惯。

　　34. From the text we know that some of consumer’s habits are developed due to _____

　　[A]perfected art of products

　　[B]automatic behavior creation

　　[C]commercial promotions

　　[D]scientific experiments

　　选【C】，根据文章后四段，不难发现商业广告是主要原因，所以选C。

　　35. The author’s attitude toward the influence of advertisement on people’s habits is____

　　[A]indifferent                [B]negative                     [C]positive              [D]biased

　　选【B】，作者对于商业广告用的形容词：在第四段是shrewd(狡猾的，精明的)，在第7段是ruthless(无情的，残忍的)，说明作者对于广告的作用的观点是负面的。

　　Text 4

　　Many Americans regard the jury system as a concrete expression of crucial democratic values, including the principles that all citizens who meet minimal qualifications of age and literacy are equally competent to serve on juries; that jurors should be selected randomly from a representative cross section of the community; that no citizen should be denied the right to serve on a jury on account of race, religion, sex, or national origin; that defendants are entitled to trial by their peers; and that verdicts should represent the conscience of the community and not just the letter of the law. The jury is also said to be the best surviving example of direct rather than representative democracy. In a direct democracy, citizens take turns governing themselves, rather than electing representatives to govern for them。

　　But as recently as in 1986, jury selection procedures conflicted with these democratic ideals. In some states, for example, jury duty was limited to persons of supposedly superior intelligence, education, and moral character. Although the Supreme Court of the United States had prohibited intentional racial discrimination in jury selection as early as the 1880 case of Strauder v. West Virginia, the practice of selecting so-called elite or blue-ribbon juries provided a convenient way around this and other antidiscrimination laws。

　　The system also failed to regularly include women on juries until the mid-20th century. Although women first served on state juries in Utah in 1898, it was not until the 1940s that a majority of states made women eligible for jury duty. Even then several states automatically exempted women from jury duty unless they personally asked to have their names included on the jury list. This practice was justified by the claim that women were needed at home, and it kept juries unrepresentative of women through the 1960s。

　　In 1968, the Congress of the United States passed the Jury Selection and Service Act, ushering in a new era of democratic reforms for the jury. This law abolished special educational requirements for federal jurors and required them to be selected at random from a cross section of the entire community. In the landmark 1975 decision Taylor v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court extended the requirement that juries be representative of all parts of the community to the state level. The Taylor decision also declared sex discrimination in jury selection to be unconstitutional and ordered states to use the same procedures for selecting male and female jurors。

　　36. From the principles of the US jury system, we learn that ______

　　[A]both literate and illiterate people can serve on juries

　　[B]defendants are immune from trial by their peers

　　[C]no age limit should be imposed for jury service

　　[D]judgment should consider the opinion of the public

　　选【D】，因为第一段who meet minimal qualifications of age and literacy，即只要达到基本年龄和文化要求即可，而A选项没有强调最低文化要求，C没有强调最低年龄要求，所以均错。另外，文中只说有权让自己的同伴审讯自己，而B选项说辩护人或被告不会受到同伴的审讯，这个说法于文章不一致，属于无中生有。

　　37. The practice of selecting so—called elite jurors prior to 1968 showed_____

　　[A]the inadequacy of antidiscrimination laws

　　[B]the prevalent discrimination against certain races

　　[C]the conflicting ideals in jury selection procedures

　　[D]the arrogance common among the Supreme Court judges。

　　选【C】，根据第二段段首段尾句，不难看出事与愿违，实际操作与想象不一样，有冲突。B错的原因是偷换了宾语，文章第二段第二句话没有强调当时歧视races(不同种族的人)

　　38. Even in the 1960s, women were seldom on the jury list in some states because_____

　　[A]they were automatically banned by state laws

　　[B]they fell far short of the required qualifications

　　[C]they were supposed to perform domestic duties

　　[D]they tended to evade public engagement

　　选【C】，关键词1960s定位于第三段，A错误的原因不是state law禁止的，BD无中生有。C来自于段尾句the claim that women were needed at home。

　　39. After the Jury Selection and Service Act was passed.___

　　[A]sex discrimination in jury selection was unconstitutional and had to be abolished

　　[B]educational requirements became less rigid in the selection of federal jurors

　　[C]jurors at the state level ought to be representative of the entire community

　　[D]states ought to conform to the federal court in reforming the jury system

　　选【B】，根据第四段第一二两句话，B是正确的。但D错误的原因是，偷换了conform的宾语，应该是根据Jury Selection and Service Act进行改革。AC错误是定位错误，本题于1975年decision Taylor v. Louisiana一事无关。

　　40. In discussing the US jury system, the text centers on_______

　　[A]its nature and problems

　　[B]its characteristics and tradition

　　[C]its problems and their solutions

　　[D]its tradition and development

　　选【C】，从第二段第一句：But as recently as in 1986, jury selection procedures conflicted with these democratic ideals.  第三段第一句：The system also failed to regularly include women on juries until the mid-20th century.  以及第四段第一句In 1968, the Congress of the United States passed the Jury Selection and Service Act, ushering in a new era of democratic reforms for the jury. 不难看出本文从第二段一直到最后，都是在阐述陪审团制度的问题，以及如何解决陪审团制度的问题。

　　新题型

　　本文出处：The Economist print edition；Dec 3rd 2009

　　http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15009915

　　原文标题：Copying birds may save aircraft fuel

　　BOTH Boeing and Airbus have trumpeted the efficiency of their newest aircraft, the 787 and A350 respectively. Their clever designs and lightweight composites certainly make a difference. But a group of researchers at Stanford University, led by Ilan Kroo, has suggested that airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jet-fuel use, and it would not require them to buy new aircraft。

　　第41题：【F】 因为飞机的飞行路线可以改用更具仿生效应的路径来节省燃油，而且并不需要购买新的飞机。

　　The answer, says Dr Kroo, lies with birds. Since 1914, and a seminal paper by a German researcher called Carl Wieselsberger, scientists have known that birds flying in formation—a V-shape, echelon or otherwise—expend less energy. The air flowing over a bird’s wings curls upwards behind the wingtips, a phenomenon known as upwash. Other birds flying in the upwash experience reduced drag, and spend less energy propelling themselves. Peter Lissaman, an aeronautics expert who was formerly at Caltech and the University of Southern California, has suggested that a formation of 25 birds might enjoy a range increase of 71%。

　　第42题：【T】，因为drag有阻力的意思。

　　When applied to aircraft, the principles are not substantially different. Dr Kroo and his team modeled what would happen if three passenger jets departing from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas were to rendezvous over Utah, assume an inverted V-formation, occasionally swap places so all could have a turn in the most favorable positions, and proceed to London. They found that the aircraft consumed as much as 15% less fuel (coupled with a reduction in carbon-dioxide output). Nitrogen-oxide emissions during the cruising portions of the flight fell by around a quarter。

　　There are, of course, kinks to be worked out. One consideration is safety, or at least the perception of it. Would passengers feel comfortable traveling in convoy? Dr Kroo points out that the aircraft could be separated by several nautical miles, and would not be in the intimate groupings favored by display teams like the Red Arrows. A passenger peering out of the window might not even see the other planes. Whether the separation distances involved would satisfy air-traffic-control regulations is another matter, although a working group at the International Civil Aviation Organization has included the possibility of formation flying in a blueprint for new operational guidelines。

　　第43题：【T】，根据以上划线部分，即飞机间会相隔几海里，不会像红箭表演队(英国皇家空军特技表演队)那样间距小到令人窒息。乘客往窗外看也许都看不到另外的飞机。可以得出乘客其实不受影响。另外要注意的是，题目中的more在这里不表示比较级。

　　It remains to be seen how weather conditions affect the air flows that make formation flight more efficient. In zones of increased turbulence, the planes’ wakes will decay more quickly and the effect will diminish. Dr Kroo says this is one of the areas his team will investigate further. It might also be hard for airlines to co-ordinate the departure times and destinations of passenger aircraft in a way that would allow them to gain from formation flight. Cargo aircraft, in contrast, might be easier to reschedule, as might routine military flights。

　　第44题：【T】段首句强调“天气情况对气流的影响现在仍需观察”所以本题正确。

　　As it happens, America’s armed forces are on the case already. Earlier this year the country’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced plans to pay Boeing to investigate formation flight, though the program has yet to begin. There are reports that some military aircraft flew in formation when they were low on fuel during the Second World War, but Dr Lissaman says they are apocryphal. “My father was an RAF pilot and my cousin the skipper of a Lancaster lost over Berlin,” he adds. So he should know。

　　第45题：【F】根据but转折词，即划线部分，但Dr Lissaman称那些都是杜撰的。

　　41. Findings of the Stanford University researchers will promote the sales of new Boeing and Airbus aircraft。

　　42. The upwash experience may save propelling energy as well as reducing resistance。

　　43. Formation flight is more comfortable because passengers can not see the other planes。

　　44. The role that weather plays in formation flight has not yet been clearly defined。

　　45. It has been documented that during World War II, America’s armed forces once tried formation flight to save fuel。