中公考研终很卷：2016年考研英语（二）

　　However, not all are equally enthusiastic about AI. A February report from the Global Chal- lenges Foundation listed AI, alongside extreme climate change, nuclear war and ecological catastro- phe, as “risks that threaten human civilization”. Many preeminent scientists share the same concern. Stephen Hawking told the BBC last December that “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” “It would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate,” he said: “Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be replaced.”

　　Hawking’s worry echoed that of Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, who said in last October at an MIT conference that “we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that”.

　　26. It can be learned from Paragraph 1 that “The Imitation Game” _______ .

　　[A] is a science fiction movie

　　[B] is not a Hollywood film

　　[C] won Oscar-nomination

　　[D] is about clever robots

　　27. Which is NOT the ability of digital machines, according to Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee?

　　[A] Natural language processing. [B] Intelligence production.

　　[C] Fingerprint recognition. [D] Simultaneous localization.

　　28. It cannot be inferred that artificial intelligence will _______ .

　　[A] complete more chores

　　[B] help cut down costs

　　[C] help deaf people hear

　　[D] control people’s thought

　　29. According to Stephen Hawking, _______ .

　　[A] AI is one of the risks that threaten human civilization

　　[B] the development of AI cannot threaten human race

　　[C] AI might be substituted for humans in the future

　　[D] AI would redesign itself at a slow rate

　　30. A suitable title for this text would be _______ .

　　[A] Bleak Future of AI

　　[B] Digital Future: Uncertain

　　[C] Bright Future of Digital Machines

　　[D] Doom for Humans in the Future

Text 3

　　In his “Odyssey”, Homer immortalized the idea of resisting temptation by having the protago nist tied to the mast of his ship, to hear yet not succumb to the beautiful, dangerous songs of the Sirens. Researchers have long been intrigued as to whether this ability to avoid, or defer, gratifica- tion is related to outcomes in life. The best-known test is the “marshmallow” experiment, in which children who could refrain from eating the confection for 15 minutes were given a second one. Chil- dren who could not wait tended to have lower incomes and poorer health as adults. New research suggests that kids who are unable to delay rewards are also more likely to become criminals later.

　　Recently, four researchers used data from a Swedish survey in which more than 13,000 children aged 13 were asked whether they would prefer to receive $140 now or $1,400 in five years’ time. About four-fifths of them said they were prepared to wait.

　　Unlike previous researchers, the authors were able to track all the children and account for their parental background and cognitive ability. They found that the 13-year-olds who wanted the smaller sum of money at once were 32% more likely to be convicted of a crime during the next 18 years than those children who said they would rather wait for the bigger reward. Individuals who are impatient, they believe, prefer instant benefits and are therefore less likely to be deterred by potential punish- ments.

　　But those who fret that a person’s criminal path is set already as a teenager should not despair. The four researchers offer a remedy. When the respondents’ education was included in the analysis, they found that higher educational attainment was linked to a preference for delayed gratification.

　　Educational attainment and patience are related either because patience helps students to do better or because schooling makes people more likely to postpone rewards. Fortunately, there is evidence in support of the latter theory. Francisco Perez-Arce of the RAND Corporation, a think-tank, interviewed around 2,000 applicants for Mexican universities. The students had similar credentials but some obtained admission through a lottery to a university that did not charge tuition fees, where- as the rest had to apply elsewhere. As a result, a higher proportion of lottery-winners than losers went to college. After a year, Mr. Perez-Arce found, the lottery-winners were more patient than the losers. Since the process was random, he concluded that higher education can make people place 　　more weight on the future.

　　31. The “marshmallow” experiment is a test about_______ .

　　[A] accepting temptation

　　[B] avoiding outcomes

　　[C] deferring gratification

　　[D] eating the confection

　　32. All of the following make the new research differ from the previous ones EXCEPT _______ .

　　[A] the researchers tracked all the subjects

　　[B] the researchers surveyed a much wider range of children

　　[C] the researchers explained the children’s parental background

　　[D] the researchers considered the parents’ cognitive ability

　　33. It is believed that individuals who are impatient_______ .

　　[A] tend to get benefits at once

　　[B] are able to delay rewards

　　[C] would rather wait for the bigger reward

　　[D] are probably deterred by potential punishments

　　34 . People who fret that a person ’ s criminal path is set already can take the remedial action of _______ .

　　[A] keeping healthy

　　[B] attaining higher incomes

　　[C] receiving higher education

　　[D] avoiding punishments

　　35. It is concluded that educational attainment and patience are related because_______ .

　　[A] patience helps students to do better

　　[B] gratification is delayed by receiving higher education

　　[C] schooling makes people less likely to postpone rewards

　　[D] higher education can make people value the future more　　

Text 4

　　Ever since Muzak started serenading patrons of hotels and restaurants in the 1930s, piped-in music has been part of the consumer experience. Without the throb of a synthesiser or a guitar’s twang, shoppers would sense something missing as they tried on jeans or filled up trolleys. Special- ists like Mood Media, which bought Muzak in 2011, devise audio programmes to influence the feel of shops and cater to customers’ tastes. The idea is to entertain, and thereby prolong the time shop- pers spend in stores, says Claude Nahon, the firm’s international chief. Music by famous artists works better than the generic stuff that people associate with Muzak. The embarrassing brand name was dropped in 2013.

　　Online shopping is an under-explored area of merchandising musicology. A new study commis- sioned by eBay, a shopping website, aims to correct that. Some 1,900 participants were asked to simulate online shopping while listening to different sounds. Some results were unsurprising. The noise of roadworks and crying babies soured shoppers’ views of the products on offer. Chirruping birds encouraged sales of barbecues but not blenders or board games.

　　Sounds associated with quality and luxury seemed to be hazardous for shoppers’ wallets. The study found classical music and restaurant buzz caused them to overestimate the quality of goods on offer and to pay more than they should. That backs up earlier research which found that shoppers ex- posed to classical music in a wine store bought more expensive bottles than those hearing pop.

　　EBay wants consumers to avoid such unhealthy influences when shopping online. It has blend- ed birdsong, dreamy music and the sound of a rolling train—thought to be pleasant but not overly se- ductive—to help them buy more sensibly. Retailers could presumably counter by turning up the Chopin. “Classical music does seem to be the way to go” if your only interest is the narrow one of squeezing as much money as possible from your clientele, says the study’s author, Patrick Fagan, a lecturer at Goldsmiths, part of the University of London.

　　Few trad itional shops are likely to use that tactic. H&M, a clothes retailer, airs “trendy, up-tempo” music from new artists, while Nespresso’s coffee boutiques go for “lounge-y” sounds, says Mr. Nahon. Grocery stores, with a broad following, play top 40 hits. The tempo tends to be slower in the mornings, when shoppers are sparser and older, and becomes more quick and lively as the day goes on.

　　36. The brand name Muzak was dropped in 2013 because it _______ .

　　[A] was outdated

　　[B] was bought by Mood Media in 2011

　　[C] was often associated with generic music

　　[D] entertained customers better

　　37. The sound of _______may increase sales of board games_______ .

　　[A] roadworks

　　[B] crying babies

　　[C] chirruping birds

　　[D] classic music

　　38. The word “hazardous” (Para. 3) probably means_______ .

　　[A] safe [B] dangerous

　　[C] helpful [D] lucky

　　39. The sound which helps customers buy more sensibly_______ .

　　[A] belongs to classical music

　　[B] includes the sound of a rolling train

　　[C] sounds noisy and unpleasant

　　[D] is overly seductive

　　40. It can be inferred that a fashion shop should play________to attract customers.

　　[A] trendy and up-tempo music

　　[B] “lounge-y” music

　　[C] slow and tender music

　　[D] quick and lively music　　

　Part B

　　Directions:

　　Read the following text and match each of the numbered items in the left column to its correspond- ing information in the right column. There are two extra choices in the right column. Mark your an- swers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

　　A Picasso painting valued at about $140 million is the centerpiece of a new type of auction at Christie’s, combining Modern and contemporary artworks spanning 100 years, that will kick-start its postwar and contemporary sales in New York in May.

Scheduled for May 11, “Looking Forward to the Past” is an evening sale of about 25 lots orga- nized b