Section C: Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
The United States is facing a housing crisis: Affordable housing is inadequate, while luxury homes abound, and homelessness remains a persistent problem. Despite this, popular culture and the housing industry market happiness as living with both more space and more amenities. Big houses are advertized as a reward for hard work and diligence, turning housing from a basic necessity into a luxury.
This is reflected in our homes. The average single-family home built in the United States before 1970 was less than 1,500 square feet in size. By 2016, the average size of a new, single-family home was 2,422 square feet. What's more, homes built in the 2000s were more likely than earlier models to have more of all types of spaces; bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, recreation rooms and garages.
There are consequences of living big. As middle-class houses have grown larger, two things have happened. First, large houses take time to maintain, so cleaners and other low-wage service workers are required to keep these houses in order. Second, once-public spaces, where people from diverse backgrounds used to come together, have increasingly become privatized, leading to a reduction in the number of public facilities available to all, and a reduced quality of life for many. Take swimming pools. While in 1950, only 2,500 U.S. families owned pools, by 1999 this number was 4 million. At the same time, public municipal pools were often closed, leaving low-income people nowhere to swim.
The trend for bigger housing thus poses ethical questions. Should Americans accept a system in which the middle and upper classes enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, using the low-wage labor of others? Are we willing to accept a system in which an increase in amenities purchased by the affluent means a reduction in amenities for the poor?
I believe neither is acceptable. We must change the way we think: living well does not need to mean having more private spaces; instead, it could mean having more public spaces. A better goal than building bigger houses for some is to create more publicly accessible spaces and amenities for all.
46. What are big houses promoted to be in the United States?
47. What is one of the consequences of living big?
48. What questions arise from living big?
49. What kind of social system does the author think is unacceptable?
50. What does the author advocate for people to live well?
Passage Two
Most of us in the entrepreneurial community are blessed — or cursed — with higher-than-average ambition. Ambitious people strongly desire accomplishments and are willing to take more risks and spend more effort to get them.
Overall, this is a positive quality, especially for people trying to build their own businesses. Apparently, if you're more naturally driven to set goals, you are more likely to succeed.
Actually, this isn't always the case. In fact, in some cases, extreme ambition may end up doing more harm than good.
One major side effect of excessive ambition is the tendency to focus too determinedly on one particular vision or end goal. This is problematic because it hinders your ability to adapt to new circumstances, which is vital if you want to be a successful entrepreneur. If a new competitor emerges to threaten your business, you may need to change direction, even if that means straying from your original vision. If you have too much ambition, you'll find this hard, if not impossible.
Few people are successful when they try to build their first brand. Unfortunately, for the most ambitious entrepreneurs, a failure is seen as disastrous, and impossible to recover from.
It's a clear departure from the intended plan toward the intended goal. For people with limited ambition, however, failure is viewed as something closer to reality. Remember, failure is inevitable, and every failure you survive is a learning experience.
Ambitious people tend to be more materialistically successful than their non-ambitious counterparts. However, they're only slightly happier than their less-ambitious counterparts, and tend to live significantly shorter lives. This implies that even though ambitious people are more likely to achieve conventional “success,” such success means nothing for their health and happiness - and if you don't have health and happiness, what else could possibly matter?
Clearly, some amount of ambition is good for your motivation. Without any ambition, you wouldn't start your own business, set or achieve goals and get far in life. But an excess of ambition can also be dangerous, putting you at risk of burnout, stubbornness and even a shorter life.
51. What does the author think of most entrepreneurs?
52. What does the author imply by saying “this isn't always the case” (Line 1, Para. 3)?
53. What does the author say is of extreme importance for one to become a successful entrepreneur?
54. How do the most ambitious entrepreneurs regard failure in their endeavor?
55. What does the author advise us to do concerning ambition?
Answers & Explanations
Passage One: The Consequences of Living Big
46. B。解析：题干问在美国大房子被宣传为什么。定位第一段最后一句：Big houses are advertized as a reward for hard work and diligence（大房子被宣传为对努力工作和勤奋的奖励）。对应 B 选项 (A reward for industriousness 对勤劳/勤奋的奖励，industriousness 是 diligence 的同义替换)。
47. A。解析：题干问住大房子的后果之一是什么。定位第三段：once-public spaces... have increasingly become privatized, leading to a reduction in the number of public facilities available to all, and a reduced quality of life for many（曾经的公共空间越来越私有化，导致所有人可用的公共设施数量减少，许多人的生活质量下降）。对应 A 选项 (Many Americans' quality of life has become lower 许多美国人的生活质量变低了)。
48. A。解析：题干问住大房子引起了什么问题。定位第四段首句：The trend for bigger housing thus poses ethical questions（更大住房的趋势因此提出了伦理道德问题）。ethical（伦理的，道德的）等同于 moral principles，对应 A 选项 (Questions related to moral principles 与道德原则相关的问题)。
49. D。解析：题干问作者认为哪种社会体系是不可接受的。定位第四段：Should Americans accept a system in which the middle and upper classes enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, using the low-wage labor of others? Are we willing to accept a system in which an increase in amenities purchased by the affluent means a reduction in amenities for the poor?（中上层阶级利用他人的低薪劳动力享受奢华生活...富人购买的设施增加意味着穷人设施的减少...我们愿意接受这样的系统吗？）第五段接着说 I believe neither is acceptable（我认为这两者都不可接受）。对应 D 选项 (One in which the affluent enjoy a more comfortable life at the expense of the poor 富人以牺牲穷人为代价享受更舒适的生活的体系)。
50. C。解析：题干问作者提倡人们如何才能过上好生活。定位最后一段最后一句：A better goal than building bigger houses for some is to create more publicly accessible spaces and amenities for all（一个比为少数人建大房子更好的目标是，为所有人创造更多向公众开放的空间和便利设施）。对应 C 选项 (More public spaces created for everyone to enjoy 创造更多的公共空间供所有人享受)。
全文翻译
美国正面临住房危机：经济适用房不足，而豪宅却比比皆是，无家可归仍然是一个持续的问题。尽管如此，流行文化和住房行业将幸福包装成拥有更多空间和更多便利设施的生活方式。大房子被宣传为对辛勤工作和勤奋的奖赏，将住房从基本必需品变成了奢侈品。这反映在我们的住宅上。1970年前在美国建造的普通独户住宅面积不到1500平方英尺。到2016年，新建独户住宅的平均面积达到了2422平方英尺。而且，2000年代建造的住宅比早期的户型更有可能拥有更多各类空间：卧室、浴室、客厅、餐厅、娱乐室和车库。住得大是有后果的。随着中产阶级的房屋越来越大，发生了两件事。第一，大房子需要时间来维护，因此需要清洁工和其他低薪服务工作者来保持这些房子的整洁。第二，曾经来自不同背景的人们聚集在一起的公共空间，已经越来越私有化，导致所有人可用的公共设施数量减少，许多人的生活质量下降。以游泳池为例。1950年，只有2500个美国家庭拥有泳池，而到1999年，这个数字达到了400万。与此同时，市政公共泳池经常被关闭，让低收入人群无处可游泳。追求更大住房的趋势因此引发了伦理问题。美国人应该接受一个中上阶层利用他人的低薪劳动享受奢侈生活的制度吗？我们愿意接受一个富裕人士购买的便利设施增加意味着穷人便利设施减少的制度吗？我认为两者都不可接受。我们必须改变我们的思维方式：好好生活不一定意味着拥有更多私人空间；相反，它可能意味着拥有更多公共空间。一个比为一部分人建造更大房子更好的目标是，为所有人创造更多可公开使用的空间和便利设施。
Passage Two: Ambition and the Entrepreneur
51. B。解析：题干问作者怎么看待大多数企业家。定位第一段第一句：Most of us in the entrepreneurial community are blessed — or cursed — with higher-than-average ambition（我们创业圈里的大多数人都有着高于平均水平的雄心壮志——这既是祝福也是诅咒）。对应 B 选项 (They are more ambitious than ordinary people 他们比普通人更有雄心)。
52. A。解析：题干问第三段第一句“情况并不总是如此”暗示了什么。第二段说如果你天生更有动力设定目标，你就更可能成功（more likely to succeed）。紧接着第三段开头说“情况并不总是如此”（Actually, this isn't always the case），并解释极端的雄心可能会弊大于利。这说明雄心勃勃的人不一定有更大的成功机会，对应 A 选项 (Ambitious people may not have a greater chance of success 雄心勃勃的人可能不会有更大的成功机会)。
53. B。解析：题干问要成为一名成功的企业家，什么极其重要。定位第四段第二句：...hinders your ability to adapt to new circumstances, which is vital if you want to be a successful entrepreneur（...阻碍了你适应新环境的能力，而如果你想成为成功的企业家，这至关重要）。对应 B 选项 (Being able to adapt to new situations 能够适应新情况/环境)。
54. C。解析：题干问最有雄心的企业家如何看待他们努力过程中的失败。定位第五段最后一句：...for the most ambitious entrepreneurs, a failure is seen as disastrous, and impossible to recover from（...对于最有雄心的企业家来说，失败被视为灾难性的，且不可能恢复）。既然不可能恢复，就意味着这会导致职业生涯的终结，对应 C 选项 (It means the end of their career 这意味着他们职业生涯的结束)。
55. D。解析：题干问作者关于雄心给我们的建议是什么。定位倒数第二段末尾和最后一段：if you don't have health and happiness, what else could possibly matter?（如果没有健康和幸福，其他还有什么重要的呢？）并且最后指出过度雄心有导致倦怠和缩短寿命的危险（putting you at risk of burnout... and even a shorter life）。对应 D 选项 (Prioritize health and happiness over material success 将健康和幸福置于物质成功之上)。
全文翻译
我们创业圈的大多数人都被赐予——或诅咒——高于平均水平的抱负。有抱负的人强烈渴望成就，并愿意承担更多风险、付出更多努力来获得成就。总体来说，这是一个积极的品质，尤其是对那些试图建立自己企业的人来说。显然，如果你天生就更有动力去设定目标，你就更有可能成功。实际上，情况并非总是如此。事实上，在某些情况下，极端的抱负最终可能弊大于利。过度抱负的一个主要副作用是，倾向于过度执着地专注于某个特定的愿景或最终目标。这是有问题的，因为它妨碍了你适应新情况的能力，而如果你想成为一名成功的企业家，这一点至关重要。如果一个新竞争对手出现威胁到你的业务，你可能需要改变方向，即使这意味着偏离你最初的愿景。如果你有过多的抱负，你会觉得这很难，如果不是不可能的话。很少有人第一次尝试建立自己的品牌就能成功。不幸的是，对于最有抱负的企业家来说，一次失败被视为灾难性的，且似乎不可能从中恢复。这是对朝着预定目标前进的预定计划的明显偏离。然而，对于抱负有限的人来说，失败被视为更接近现实的事情。记住，失败是不可避免的，而你每一次挺过来的失败都是一次学习经历。有抱负的人往往在物质上比没有抱负的人更成功。然而，他们只比抱负较小的同类稍微快乐一点点，而且往往寿命明显更短。这意味着，尽管有抱负的人更有可能实现传统的「成功」，但这样的成功对他们的健康和幸福毫无意义——如果你没有健康和幸福，还有什么重要的呢？显然，适当的抱负对你的动力是有益的。没有任何抱负，你就不会开创自己的事业、设定或实现目标，也不会在人生中走得很远。但过多的抱负也可能是危险的，让你面临倦怠、固执甚至寿命缩短的风险。
核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- inadequate / abound：不足的 / 大量存在（Affordable housing is inadequate, while luxury homes abound）
- a reward for：对...的奖励（a reward for hard work and diligence）
- keep in order：保持整洁/有秩序（required to keep these houses in order）
- at the expense of：以牺牲...为代价（at the expense of the poor）
- be blessed / cursed with：有幸拥有 / 不幸遭受...的诅咒（are blessed — or cursed — with... ambition）
- do more harm than good：弊大于利（may end up doing more harm than good）
- stray from：偏离，走离（straying from your original vision）
- put at risk of：使处于...的危险中（putting you at risk of burnout）
【亮点句型解析】
- While 引导的对比从句：
"Affordable housing is inadequate, while luxury homes abound, and homelessness remains a persistent problem."
（经济适用房不足，而豪华住宅比比皆是，无家可归仍然是一个持续存在的问题。）`while` 表示强烈的对比关系（而/然而），非常适合用于描述社会现象中的两极分化，是四级写作中极具张力的句型。 - If..., you'll find this hard, if not impossible (带有条件插入语的句型)：
"If you have too much ambition, you'll find this hard, if not impossible."
（如果你有太多的野心，你会发现这很困难，甚至是不可能的。）`if not impossible` 作为一个条件插入语，在语气上起到了递进强调的作用，意思是“如果说不是不可能的话，那至少也是极其困难的”，非常地道的高级表达。