2011职称英语阅读新增文章练习及答案(3)
阅读第四十七篇：多不胜选
Spoilt for Choice
Choice, we are given to1 believe, is a right. In daily life, people have come to expect endless situations about which they are required to make decisions one way or another. In the main2, these are just irksome moments at work which demand some extra energy or brainpower, or during lunch breaks like choosing which type of coffee to order or indeed which coffee shop to go to. But sometimes selecting one option as opposed to another can have serious or lifelong repercussions. More complex decision-making is then either avoided, postponed, or put into the hands of the army of professionals, Iifestyle coaches, lawyers, advisors, and the like. waiting to lighten the emotional burden for a fee2. But for a good many4 people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, created by companies and advertisers wanting to sell their wares5.
The main impact of endless choice in people's lives is anxiety. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of consumer goods induces a sense of powerlessness, even paralysis, in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away6, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted in order to solve the problem and reduce the unease. Recent surveys in the United Kingdom have shown that a sizeable proportion of electrical goods bought per household are not really needed. The advertisers and the shareholders of the manufacturers are, nonetheless, satisfied。
It is not just their availability that is the problem, but the speed with which new versions of products come on the market. Advances in design and production mean that new items are almost ready by the time that goods hit the shelves7. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The classic example is computers which are almost obsolete once they are bought. At first, there were only one or two available from a limited number of manufacturers, but now there are many companies all with not only their own products but different versions of the same machine. This makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease. into a shop and buy one thing8; no choice, no anxiety。
The plethora of choice is not limited to consumer items. With the greater mobility of people around the world, people have more choice about where they want to live and work — a fairly recent phenomenon. In the past, nations migrated across huge swathes of the earth in search of food, adventure, and more hospitable environments. Whole nations crossed continents and changed the face of history, So the mobility of people is nothing new. The creation of nation states and borders9 effectively slowed this process down. But what is different now is the speed at which migration is happening。
练习：
1. What is the difference between the decision to shop in a certain supermarket and the decision to drop out of college according to the first paragraph?
A) The former is a right while the latter is not。
B) The latter has more impact on life。
C) The former may happen for many times in life。
D) The latter requires a fee。
2. When people can not easily decide what to buy, what is the least possible choice?
A) Give up。
B) Walk away。
C) Buy an unsuitable item。
D) Seek advice。
3. Why do products have short lifespan nowadays?
A) They are more often replaced with better ones。
B) They have worse quality。
C) They have too many versions。
D) Computer technology advances too fast。
4. How does migration differ from the past?
A) People now migrate across the whole earth。
B) People now migrate for better life。
C) People now have more choice about where to migrate。
D) People now migrate for better environment。
5. Which is the best summary of the writer's attitude towards choice in a commercial society?
A) More choice, more anxiety。
B) Better more choice than no choice。
C) Better no choice than more choice。
D) All choice is not easy。
译文：
通常我们认为选择是一种权利。在日常生活中，人们已经习惯了在数不胜数的情境中做出种种选择。但是基本说来，这些选择要么是些需要更多精力的恼人活计，要么就是决定午餐时间喝什么咖啡、去哪家店。然而有时，这种舍此取彼却具有重大甚至是对众生的影响。因此在面对困难的抉择时，人们要么躲躲闪闪，有意拖延，要么把选择的权利交给形形色色的专业人士，像生活方式指导、律师、顾问或其他类似的人；这些人也正等着人们付费求助他们减轻心理负担呢。但无论富国穷国，对于世界上的许多人来说，能够选择并非一项权利，而是一件奢侈品。有些人以为自己在行使选择权，但这一整套体制那 不过是企业和广告商为了卖出商品所制造的幻想。
繁多的选择对人们生活的主要影响是引起了焦虑。连买像咖啡壶这样的东西都变得困难起来。生活消费品随处可见、花色繁多、许多人却感到无力，甚至迟钝，不是离开商店放弃选择，就是买了并不需要的东西，既没解决问题，也没觉得心里舒服。最近在英国的调查显示家电中为数可观的一部分都不是必须的。然而这让工厂的股东和广告商大为满意。
商品的琳琅满目不是问题所在，问题是新产品的上市速度。设计和生产的进步意味着商品刚刚上市，新商品就已经蓄势待发。电脑是最经典的例子，刚刚买下就面临过时。以前只有有限的几家厂商，总共销售的也只有一两台。现在不仅公司多了，同一款的电脑都有好几种样式。这样一来选择就成了问题。走进一家商店轻轻松松买到东西的日子一去不复返了；那是没有太多的选择，也就没有了焦虑。
并不只是在消费品中存在选择过多的问题。在世界范围内，人口流动性的增强使人们对于生活、工作地也有了更多选择——这是一个最近才有的现象。过去，国家为探险、寻找食物或更适宜的环境，会举国穿越广袤的土地。当所有国家穿越大陆，历史的面貌便改变了。因此人口流动不是什么新鲜事儿。国家和疆界的建立有效减缓了这一过程，但不同仅在于迁移的速度。
答案：
综合类
第八篇
1.D 2.C 3.A 4.C 5.B
第三十八篇
1.B 2.C 3.B 4.D 5.A
第四十七篇
1.B 2.D 3.A 4.C 5.A
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