Section II Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
France, which prides itself as the global innovator of fashion, has decided its fashion industry has lost an absolute right to define physical beauty for woman. Its lawmakers gave preliminary approval last week to a law that would make it a crime to employ ultra-thin models on runways.
The parliament also agreed to ban websites that" incite excessive thinness" by promoting extreme dieting.
Such measures have a couple of uplifting motives. They suggest beauty should not be defined by looks that end up with impinging on health. That's a start. And the ban on ultra-thin models seems to go beyond protecting models from starring themselves to health -as some have done. It tells the fashion industry that it move take responsibility for the signal it sends women, especially teenage girls, about the social tape -measure they must use to determine their individual worth.
The bans, if fully enforced ,would suggest to woman (and many men )that they should not let others be orbiters of their beauty .And perhaps faintly, they hint that people should look to intangible qualities like character and intellect rather than dieting their way to sine zero or wasp-waist physiques .
The French measures, however, rely too much on severe punishment to change a culture that still regards beauty as skin-deep-and bone-showing. Under the law, using a fashion model that does not meet a government-defined index of body mess could result in a $85,000 fine and six months in prison.
The fashion industry knows it has an inherent problem in focusing on material adornment and idealized body types. In Denmark, the United States, and a few other countries, it is trying to set voluntary standard for models and fashion images there rely more on pear pressure for enforcement.
In contrast to France's actions, Denmark's fashion industry agreed last month on rules and sanctions regarding age, health, and other characteristics of models .The newly revised Danish Fashion Ethical charter clearly states, we are aware of and take responsibility for the impact the fashion industry has on body ideals, especially on young people. The charter's main toll of enforcement is to deny access for designers and modeling agencies to Copenhagen. Fashion week, which is men by the Danish Fashion Institute .But in general it relies on a name-and -shame method of compliance.
Relying on ethical persuasion rather than law to address the misuse of body ideals may be the best step. Even better would be to help elevate notions of beauty beyond the material standards of a particular industry.
21. According to the first paragraph, what would happen in France?
[A] Physical beauty would be redefined
[B] New runways would be constructed
[C] Websites about dieting would thrive
[D] The fashion industry would decline
【答案】[A] Physical beauty would be redefined
【解析】推斷題。根據題干first paragraph定位第一段，其中第一句France ,which prides itself as the global innovator of fashion, has decided its fashion industry has lost an absolute right to define physical beauty for woman.以作為全球時尚創新者為榮的法國承認已經失去定義女性形體美的絕對權利，說明法國以前制定的形體美的標準已不再適用，現在需要做出改變，故A選項為正確答案。
22. The phrase "impinging on"(Line2 Para2) is closest in meaning to
[A] heightening the value of
[B] indicating the state of
[C] losing faith in
[D] doing harm to
【答案】[D] doing harm to
【解析】詞義題。根據題干關鍵詞定位到第二段的第二句"They suggest beauty should not be defined by looks that end up with impinging on health."(他們認為美女不應該以…健康的外表來界定)。該句承接本段第一句"Such measures have a couple of uplifting motives."其中，Such measures指代的正是第一段中闡述的"雇傭過瘦(excessive thinness)的模特會犯罪的法律規定"，且excessive一詞表明了情感色彩是貶義的。因此選[D] doing harm to。
23. Which of the following is true of the fashion industry
[A] The French measures have already failed
[B] New standards are being set in Denmark
[C] Models are no longer under peer pressure
[D] Its inherent problems are getting worse
【答案】[B] New standards are being set in Denmark
【解析】細節題。根據題干關鍵詞定位在原文第五段。由該段第二句可知，丹麥等國正在制定模特的標準。與選項[B]丹麥正在制定新的標準相符合，故正確。
24. A designer is most likely to be rejected by CFW for
[A] setting perfect physical conditions
[B] caring too much about models' character
[C] showing little concern for health factors
[D] pursuing a high age threshold for models
【答案】[C] showing little concern for health factors
【解析】推理題。題干問的是"設計師似乎被CFW拒絕的原因"。根據題干關鍵詞，回文定位到倒數第二段，其中指出"…enforcement is to deny access for designers…"，意思是"法案拒絕設計師進入CFW，它是由丹麥時裝學院創辦的。"，再根據該段前兩句可知，麥時裝學院不再只關注身材，也關注健康。而設計師一般都是以瘦為美，而忽視健康。綜上所述，設計師被拒絕的原因是不考慮健康因素，故選[C] showing little concern for health factors。
25. Which of the following maybe the best title of the text?
[A] A challenge to the Fashion Industry's Body Ideals
[B] A Dilemma for the starving models in France
[C] Just Another Round of struggle for beauty
[D] The Great Threats to the Fashion Industry
【答案】[A] A challenge to the Fashion Industry's Body Ideals
【解析】主旨題。首段指出法律要求時尚界不能用過瘦的模特，接下來的段落重點說明時尚界的模特同時還需考慮年紀，健康以及其他方面的因素等。因此這篇文章的中心是圍繞對時尚界理想體型觀點的挑戰，故[A] A challenge to the Fashion Industry's Body Ideals正確。
Text 2
For the first time in the history more people live in towns than in the country. In Britain this has had a curious result. While polls show Britons rate "the countryside" alongside the royal family. Shakespeare and the National Health Service (NHS) as what make them proudest of their country, this has limited political support.
A century ago Octavia Hill launched the National Trust not to rescue stylish houses but to save "the beauty of natural places for everyone forever". It was specifically to provide city dwellers with spaces for leisure where they could experience "a refreshing air". Hill's pressure later led to the creation of national parks and green belts. They don't make countryside any more, and every year concrete consumes more of it .It needs constant guardianship.
At the next election none of the big parties seem likely to endorse this sentiment. The Conservatives' planning reform explicitly gives rural development priority over conservation,
even authorizing "off-plan" building where local people might object. The concept of sustainable development has been defined as profitable. Labour likewise wants to discontinue local planning where councils oppose development. The Liberal Democrats are silent only u sensing its chance, has sides with those pleading for a more considered approach to using green land. Its campaign to protect Rural England struck terror into many local conservative parties.
The sensible place to build new houses factories and offices is where people are in cities and towns where infrastructure is in place. The London agents Stirling Ackroyed recently identified enough sites for half of million houses in the Landon area alone with no intrusion on green belts. What is true of London is even truer of the provinces. The idea that "housing crisis" equals "concreted meadows" is pure lobby talk. The issue is not the need for more houses but, as always, where to put them under lobby pressure, George Osborne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. He favours out-of-town shopping sites against high streets. This is not a free market but a biased one. Rural towns and villages have grown and will always grow. They do so best where building sticks to their edges and respects their character. We do not ruin urban conservation areas. Why ruin rural ones?
Development should be planned, not let trip, After the Netherlands, Britain is Europe's most crowed country. Half a century of town and country planning has enable it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living. There is no doubt of the alternative-the corrupted landscapes of southern Portugal, Spain or Ireland. Avoiding this rather than promoting it should unite the left and right of the political spectrum.
26. Britain's public sentiment about the countryside
[A] is not well reflected in politics
[B] is fully backed by the royal family
[C] didn't start fill the Shakespearean age
[D] has brought much benefit to the NHS
【答案】[A] is not well reflected in politics
【解析】事實細節題。根據題干"英國大眾對于鄉村的觀點"，可定位于文章的第一段。從文章第一段的后半段能得出：英國人民在民意調查中將"鄉村"和王室、莎士比亞以及英國國民保健制度并列選為英國讓他們最為自豪的四個方面，但是這種觀點得到的政治支持卻極為有限。A選項"is not well reflected in politics"在政治中沒有得到很好的體現是對原文意思的同義替換，故選A。
27. According to paragraph 2，the achievements of the National Trust are now being
[A] largely overshadowed
[B] properly protected
[C] effectively reinforced
[D] gradually destroyed
【答案】[D] gradually destroyed
【解析】事實細節題。根據題干很明確能回文定位到文章第二段。該段通過第一句的"a century ago"和后面的"later"可知是在做古今對比。題干中問的是"now"，所以重點鎖定在對比中的后半部分，而這部分中"They don't make countryside any more, and every year concrete consumes more of it."一句表明現在的National Trust已背離了它原始的初衷，它之前的那些成就已經消失了。D選項 gradually destroyed正是對這一意思的表述，故選D。
28. Which of the following can be offered from paragraph 3
[A] Labour is under attack for opposing development
[B] The Conservatives may abandon "off-plan" building
[C] Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservation
[D] The Liberal Democrats are losing political influence
【答案】[C] Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservation
【解析】推理判斷題�；匚亩ㄎ坏降谌�，該段主要講了各大黨派對于這個觀點(及第一段中提到的觀點)的態度：基本都不贊同。最后一部分"only Ukip, sensing its chance, has sided with those pledging for a considered approach to using green land"該句說明只有Ukip這個黨派是贊同這個觀點，要保護鄉村的。C選項正是對原文的同義置換，故選C。
29. The author holds that George Osbornes's preference
[A] shows his disregard for the character of rural area
[B] stresses the necessity of easing the housing crisis
[C] highlights his firm stand against lobby pressure
[D] reveals a strong prejudice against urban areas
【答案】[D] reveals a strong prejudice against urban areas
【解析】本題屬于觀點態度題，根據George Osborne 可以定位到文中第五段。文中提到George Osborne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. 后面一句還提到He favours out-of-town shopping sites against high streets. 通過這兩句話可以看出GO是比較喜歡rural的，而通過兩個against 則可以看出對urban areas的prejudice. 故選擇D。
30. In the last paragraph the author show his appreciation of
[A] the size of population in Britain
[B] the enviable urban lifestyle in Britain
[C] the town-and-country planning in Britain
[D] the political life in today's Britain
【答案】[C] the town-and-country planning in Britain
【解析】本題屬于觀點態度題，根據最后一段第一句話可以確定本段的中心是第一句Development should be planned, not let trip, 說明發展是要有計劃的，不能任其自由發展。然后再具體講Britain經過半個世紀the town-and-country planning有計劃的發展，取得了很好的成效。故選擇C the town-and-country planning in Britain.
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