2008年考研英语大纲样题

21. From the second paragraph we learn that
　　[A] the objection to euthanasia is diminishing in some countries.
　　[B] physicians and citizens have the same view on euthanasia.
　　[C] technological changes are chiefly responsible for the new law.
　　[D] it takes time to appreciate the significance of laws passed.

22. By saying that “observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling”(Line 7-8, Paragraph 2), the author means that
　　[A] observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of euthanasia.
　　[B] there is a possibility of similar bills being passed in the U.S. and Canada.
　　[C] observers are waiting to see the movement end up in failure.
　　[D] the process of bill taking effect may finally come to a stop.

23. When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will
　　[A] undergo a cooling off period of seven days.
　　[B] experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient.
　　[C] have an intense fear of terrible suffering.
　　[D] face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia.

24. What is the author’s attitude towards euthanasia?
　　[A] Hostile.
　　[B] Suspicious.
　　[C] Approving.
　　[D] Indifferent.

25. We can infer from the text that the success of the right-to-die movement is
　　[A] one a matter of time.
　　[B] far from certain.
　　[C] just an illusion.
　　[D] a fading hope.

 TEXT 2

Much of the language used to describe monetary policy, such as "steering the economy to a soft landing" or "a touch on the brakes", makes it sound like a precise science. Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain. And there are long, variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy. Hence the analogy that likens the conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen, a cracked rearview mirror and a faulty steering wheel.

　　Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.

　　It is also less than most forecasters had predicted. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America's inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and is expected to average only about 3% for the year as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in