1、考研英语阅读2016年考研英语阅读Text 1France, 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
2、 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. Thats a start. And the ban on ultra-thin models s
3、eems 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
4、, 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
5、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 fashio
6、n 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 Franc
7、es actions, Denmarks 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,
8、especially on young people. The charters 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 t
9、han 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 redefinedB New runways would b
10、e constructedC Websites about dieting would thriveD The fashion industry would decline22. The phrase impinging on(Line2 Para2) is closest in meaning toA heightening the value ofB indicating the state ofC losing faith inD doing harm to23. Which of the following is true of the fashion industryA The Fr
11、ench measures have already failedB New standards are being set in DenmarkC Models are no longer under peer pressureD Its inherent problems are getting worse24. A designer is most likely to be rejected by CFW forA setting perfect physical conditionsB caring too much about models characterC showing li
12、ttle concern for health factorsD pursuing a high age threshold for models25. Which of the following maybe the best title of the text?A A challenge to the Fashion Industrys Body IdealsB A Dilemma for the starving models in FranceC Just Another Round of struggle for beautyD The Great Threats to the Fa
13、shion IndustryText 2For 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 the
14、ir 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 refresh
15、ing air. Hills pressure later led to the creation of national parks and green belts. They dont 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
16、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 developme
17、nt. 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 w
18、here 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 housin
19、g 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
20、 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 Netherland
21、s, Britain is Europes 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
22、this rather than promoting it should unite the left and right of the political spectrum.26. Britains public sentiment about the countrysideA is not well reflected in politicsB is fully backed by the royal familyC didnt start fill the Shakespearean ageD has brought much benefit to the NHS27. Accordin
23、g to paragraph 2，the achievements of the National Trust are now beingA largely overshadowedB properly protectedC effectively reinforcedD gradually destroyed28. Which of the following can be offered from paragraph 3A Labour is under attack for opposing developmentB The Conservatives may abandon off-p
24、lan buildingC Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservationD The Liberal Democrats are losing political influence29. The author holds that George Osborness preferenceA shows his disregard for the character of rural areaB stresses the necessity of easing the housing crisisC highlights his fir
25、m stand against lobby pressureD reveals a strong prejudice against urban areas30. In the last paragraph the author show his appreciation ofA the size of population in BritainB the enviable urban lifestyle in BritainC the town-and-country planning in BritainD the political life in todays BritainText
26、3There is one and only one social responsibility of business wrote Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist That is, to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits. But even if you accept Friedmans premise and regard corporate social responsibility(CSR) polici
27、es as a waste of shareholderss money, things may not be absolutely clear-act. New research suggests that CSR may create monetary value for companies at least when they are prosecuted for corruption.The largest firms in America and Britain together spend more than $15 billion a year on CSR, according
28、 to an estimate by EPG, a consulting firm. This could add value to their businesses in three ways. First, consumers may take CSR spending as a signal that a companys products are of high quality. Second, customers may be willing to buy a companys products as an indirect may to donate to the good cau
29、ses it helps. And third, through a more diffuse halo effect whereby its good deeds earn it greater consideration from consumers and others.Previous studies on CSR have had trouble differentiating these effects because consumers can be affected by all three. A recent study attempts to separate them b
30、y looking at bribery prosecutions under Americans Foreign Corrupt Practices Act（FCPA）.It argues that since prosecutors do not consume a companys products as part of their investigations，they could be influenced only by the halo effect.The study found that，among prosecuted firms，those with the most c
31、omprehensive CSR programmes tended to get more lenient penalties. Their analysis ruled out the possibility that it was firms political influence, rather than their CSR stand, that accounted for the leniency: Companies that contributed more to political campaigns did not receive lower fines.In all, t
32、he study concludes that whereas prosecutors should only evaluate a case based on its merits, they do seem to be influenced by a companys record in CSR. We estimate that either eliminating a substantial labour-rights concern, such as child labour, or increasing corporate giving by about20% result in fines t
