2020考研英語(一)真題及答案解析 2020考研英語一最新真題及答案完整版（2）

2020年考研英語(一)真題及答案解析：

Text 2

Grade inflation-the gradual increase in average GPAs (grade-point averages) over the past

few decades-is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which

students are treated like customers to be pleased. But another, related force -a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called grade forgiveness"- is helping raise GPAs.

Grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade, and

the most recent grade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a student's

overall GPA.

The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue to

do their utmost to keep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their gradation rates.

When this practice fir started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a

second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level

courses. But now most colleges, save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates, and

even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.

College officials tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade

itself and more about encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree program and

gradation without incurring a big penalty. "Untimely. "said Jack Mine, Ohio State University's

registrar. "we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in

subsequent contents or master the content that allows them to graduate on time.

That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges own needs as well. For

public institutions state finds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as

graduation rates and student retention so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean

more money. And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students who, at the end of the day

are paying the bill-feel they’ve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is another big

concern for colleges.

Indeed grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are responding to consumers'

expectations for higher education. Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead to a job, it is in the best interest of a school to tum out gradates who are as qualified as possible-or

at least appear to be. On this, students' and colleges’ incentives seem to be aligned.

26. What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?

A. The change of course catalogs.

B. Students indifference to GPAS.

C Colleges neglect of GPAS.

D. The influence of consumer culture.

27. What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness

A. To help freshmen adapt to college learning.

B. To maintain colleges graduation rates.

C. To prepare graduates for a challenging future.

D. To increase universities’ income from tuition.

28. According to Paragraph 5. grade forgiveness enables colleges

A. obtain more financial support.

B. boost their student enrollments.

C. improve their teaching quality.

D. meet local governments’ needs.

29. What does the phrase “to be aligned” (line 5. Para. 6) most probably mean?

A. To counterbalance each other

B. To complement each other.

C. To be identical with each other

D. To be contradictory to each other.

30. The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by

A assessing its feasibility

B.analyzing the causes behind it.

C. comparing different views on it.

D. listing its long-run effects

2020年考研英語(一)真題及答案解析：

Text 3

This year marks exactly two centuries since the publication of Frankenstein, or. The Modem

Prometheus by Mary Shelley. Even before the invention of the electric light bulb, the author

produced a remarkable work of speculative fiction that would foreshadow many chical questions

to be raised by technologies yet to come.

Today the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (An) raises fundamental questions: "What is

intelligence, identity, or consciousness? what makes humans humans?

What is being called artificial general intelligence, machines that would imitate the way

humans think continues to evade scientists. Yet humans remain fascinated by the idea of robots

that would look, move, and respond like humans, similar to those recently depicted on popular

sci-fi Tv series such as"Westworld and"Humans".

Just how people think is still far too complex to be understood let alone reproduced, says

David Eagleman, a Stanford University neuroscientist, "We are just in a situation where there are

no good theories explaining what consciousness actually is and how you could ever build a machine to get there.”

But that doesn't mean crucial ethical issues involving Al aren't at hand. The coming use of

autonomous vehicles. for example poses thorny ethical questions. Human drivers sometime

make split-second decisions. Their reactions may be a complex combination of instant reflexes.

input from past driving experiences, and what their eyes and ears tell them in that moment. AI

"vision"today is not nearly as sophisticated as that of humans. And to anticipate every imaginable driving situation is a difficult programming problem.

Whenever decisions are based on masses of data. "you quickly get into a lot of ethical

questions, "notes Tan Kiat How, chief executive of a Singapore-based agency that is helping the

government develop a voluntary code for the ethical use of Al. Along with Singapore, other

governments and mega-corporations are beginning to establish their own guidelines. Britain is

setting up a data ethics center. India released its Al ethics strategy this spring.

On June 7 Google pledged not to"design or deploy Ar" that would cause"overall harm, "or

to develop Al-directed weapons or use Al for surveillance that would violate international norms.

It also pledged not to deploy AI whose use would violate international laws or human rights.

While the statement is vague, it represents one starting point, So does the idea that decisions made by Al systems should be explainable, transparent. and fair.

To put it another way. How can we make sure that the thinking of intelligent machines reflects humanity’s highest values? Only then will they be useful servants and not Frankenstein’s out-of-control monster.

31. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is mentioned because

A. fascinates Al scientists all over the world

B.has remained popular for as long as 200 years.

C. involves some concerns raised by Al today

D.has sparked serious ethical controversies

32. In David Eagleman's opinion, our current knowledge of consciousness

A. helps explain artificial intelligence.

B. can be misleading to robot making

C. inspires popular sci-fi TV series

D.is too limited for us to reproduce it

33.The solution to the ethical issues brought by autonomous vehicles

A. can hardly ever be found.

B. is still beyond our capacity

C. causes little public concern

D.has aroused much curiosity

34. The authors attitude toward Google’s pledges is one of

A. Affirmation B. skepticism C. contempt D. respect

35. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Al’s Future: In the Hands of Tech giants

B. Frankenstein, the Novel Predicting the Age of A

C. The Conscience of Al: Complex But Inevitable

D. AI Shall Be Killers once out of Control

2020年考研英語(一)真題及答案解析：

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States will be able to force more people to pay sales tax when they make online purchases

under a Supreme Court decision Thursday that will leave shoppers with lighter wallets but is a big

financial win for states.

The Supreme Courts opinion Thursday overruled a pair of decades-old decisions that states

said cost them billions of dollars in lost revenue annually. The decisions made it more difficult for

states to collect sales tax on certain online purchases.

The cases the court overturned said that if a business was shipping a customers purchase to a state where the business didn’t have a physical presence such as a warehouse or office. the

business did 't have to collect sales tax for the state. Customers were generally responsible for

paying the sales tax to the state themselves if they weren’t charged it, but most didn’t realize they owed it and few paid.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the previous decisions were flawed. Each year the

physical presence rule becomes further removed from economic reality and results in significant

revenue losses to the States." he wrote in an opinion joined by four other justices, Kennedy wrote that the rule limited states ability to seek long-term prosperity and has prevented market

participants from competing on an even playing field.”

The ruling is a victory for big chains with a presence in many states, since they usually

collect sales tax on online purchases already Now, rivals will be charging sales tax where they

hadn't before, Big chains have been collecting sales tax nationwide because they typically have

physical stores in whatever state a purchase is being shipped to. Amazon. com. with its network of warehouses also collects sales tax in every state that charges it, though third-party sellers who use the site don 't have to.

Until now, many sellers that have a physical presence in only a single state or a few states

have been able to avoid charging sales taxes when they ship to addresses outside those states

Sellers that use eBay and Etsy. which provide platforms for smaller sellers, also hat

collecting sales tax nationwide. Under the ruling Thursday, states can pass laws

out.. state sellers to collect the state's sales tax from customers and send it to the stale

Retail trade groups praised the ruling. saying it levels the playing field for local and online

businesses. The losers, said retail analyst Neil Saunders, are online-only retailers especially

smaller ones. Those retailers may face headaches complying with various state sales tax laws. The

Small Business Entrepreneurship Council advocacy group said in a statement "Small

businesses and internet entrepreneurs are not well served at all by this decision.

36. The Supreme Court decision Thursday will

A. Dette business relations with states

B. put most online business in a dilemma

C. make more online shoppers pay sules tax

D. force some sates to ct sales tax

37. It can be learned from paragraph 2 and 3 that the overruled decisions

A. have led to the domainance of e-commerce

B. have cost consumers a lot over the years

C. were widely criticized by online purchase

D. were consider unfavorable by states

38. According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, the physical presence rule has

A. hindered economic development

B. brought prosperity to the country

C. harmed fair market competition

D. Boosted growth in states, revenue

39. Who are most likely to welcome the Supreme Court ruling

A. Internet entrepreneurs

B. Big- chair owners

B. Third-party sellers

D. Small retailers

40. In dealing with the Supreme Court decision Thursday the author

A. gives a factual account of it and discusses its consequences

B. describes the long and complicated process of its making

C. presents its main points with conflicting views on them

D. cities some saces related to it and analyzes their implications