2018考研英语(二)真题与参考答案

opportunity that once defined America is vanishing,one obvious solution is staring us in the face.There is a gap in working-class jobs, but the workers who need those jobs most aren’t equipped to do them.Koziatek’s Manchester School of Technology High School is trying to fill that gap.

Koziatek’s school is a wake-up call. When education becomes one-size-fits-all,it risks overlooking a nation’s diversity of gifts.

21.A broken bike chain is mentioned to show students’ lack of.

A.academic training B.practical ability C.pioneering spirit

D.mechanical memorization

22.There exists the prejudice that vocational education is for kids who.

A.have a stereotyped mind B.have no career motivation

C.are financially disadvantaged D.are not academically successful

23.we can infer from Paragraph 5 that high school graduates.

A.used to have more job opportunities B.used to have big financial concerns

C.are entitled to more educational privileges D.are reluctant to work in manufacturing

24.The headlong push into bachelors degrees for all. A.helps create a lot of middle-skill jobs

B.may narrow the gap in working-class jobs C.indicates the overvaluing of higher education D.is expected to yield a better-trained workforce

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25.The author’s attitude toward Koziatek’s school can be described as.

A.tolerant B.cautious C.supportive D.disappointed

Text 2

While fossil fuels—coal，oil，gas—still generate roughly 85 percent of the world’s energy supply, it's clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable sources such as wind and solar.The move to renewables is picking up momentum around the world：They now account for more than half of new power sources going on line.

Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted businesses to fund cleaner energy sources. But increasingly the story is about the plummeting prices of renewables，especially wind and solar.The cost of solar panels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close to one-third in the past eight years.

In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energy source.In Scotland，for example，wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes.While the rest of the world takes the lead，notably China and Europe，the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift.In March，for the first time，wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the US，reported the US Energy Information Administration.

President Trump has underlined fossil

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fuels—especially coal—as the path to economic growth.In a recent speech in Iowa，he dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source.But that message did not play well with many in Iowa，where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’s electricity generation—and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.

The question“what happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine?”has provided a quick put-down for skeptics.But a boost in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock more likely.

The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers，who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles.Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now,this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.

While there’s a long way to go，the trend lines for renewables are spiking.The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up—perhaps just in time to have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change.What Washington does—or doesn’t do—to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought.

26.The word“plummeting”（Line 3，Para.2）is closest in meaning to.

A.stabilizing B.changing C.falling D.rising

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27.According to Paragraph 3，the use of renewable energy in America.

A.is progressing notably

B.is as extensive as in Europe C.faces many challenges

D.has proved to be impractical 28.It can be learned that in Iowa, . A.wind is a widely used energy source B.wind energy has replaced fossil fuels C.tech giants are investing in clean energy D.there is a shortage of clean energy supply

29.Which ofthe following is true about clean energy according to Paragraphs 5&6?

A.Its application has boosted battery storage. B.It is commonly used in car manufacturing. C.Its continuous supply is becoming a reality.

D.Its sustainable exploitation will remain difficult. 30.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that renewable energy.

A.will bring the US closer to other countries B.will accelerate global environmental change C.is not really encouraged by the US government D.is not competitive enough with regard to its cost

Text 3

The power and ambition of the giants of the digital economy is astonishing—Amazon has just announced the purchase of the upmarket grocery chain Whole Foods for$13.5bn，but two years ago Facebook paid even more than that to acquire the WhatsApp messaging service，which doesn’t have any physical product at all. What WhatsApp offered Facebook was an intricate and finely

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