2008年考研英語模擬試題一及答案解析

　　Against this gross consumer must be weighed the joint products or services provided by advertising. In the case of electronic advertising， the consumer who views commercial television receives entertainment， while readers of magazines and newspapers receive reduced prices on these publications. The consumer pays directly for some premiums， but also receives nonfood merchandise as an incentive to purchase the product. The “benefits” must， therefore， be subtracted form the gross cost to the consumer to fully assess the net cost of advertising.

　　Also significant are the impacts of advertising on food demand， nutrition， and competition among food manufactures. The bulk of manufacturers' advertising is concentrated on a small portion of consumer food products. Has advertising changed the consumption of these highly processed products relative to more perishable foods such as meats， produce， and dairy products？ Has the nutritional content of the U.S. food consumption been influenced by food advertisings？ Has competition among manufacturers and retailers been enhance or weakened by advertising？ These are important questions and warrant continued research.

　　26. The author's attitude toward advertising can be characterized as��

　　[A] admiring [B] condemning [C] uncertain [D] inquisitive

　　27. The term “push promotion”（L. 3， P. 2） means.

　　[A] coupon redemption [B] retail advertising

　　[C] direct selling [D] advertising in trade journals

　　28. The author implies that advertising costs.

　　[A] should be discounted by the benefits of advertising to the consumer

　　[B] are greater for restaurants than for at home foods

　　[C] are much higher in the United Stated than any where else in the world

　　[D] cause highly processed foods to outsell unprocessed outsell foods

　　29. The purpose of the article is to��

　　[A] warm about rising food advertising costs

　　[B] describe the costs of food advertising and the issues yet to be understood about its effects

　　[C] congratulate the food industry on its effective advertising

　　[D] calculate the final balance sheet for food advertising

　30. According to the passage， all of the following are definitely false EXCEPT��
　　[A] more food is advertised in newspapers than on television

　　[B] less money is spent advertising food than automobiles

　　[C] more of the food advertising budget is probably spent on push promotion than on television ads

　　[D] less money is spent on food store advertising than on clothing store ads

　　Text 3

　　The early retirement of experienced workers is seriously harming the U.S. economy， according to a new report from the Hudson Institute， a public policy research organization. Currently， many older experienced workers retire at an early age. According to the recently issued statistics， 79 percent of qualified workers begin collecting retirement benefits at age 62； if that trend continues， there will be a labor shortage that will hinder the economic growth in the twenty-first century.

　　Older Americans constitute an increasing proportion of the population， according to the U. S. Census Bureau， and the population of those over age 65 will grow by 60% between 2001 and 2020. During the same period， the group aged 18 to 44 will increase by only 4%. Keeping older skilled workers employed， even part time， would increase U.S. economic output and strengthen the tax base； but without significant policy reforms， massive early retirement among baby boomers seems more likely.

　　Retirement at age 62 is an economically rational decision today. Social Security and Medicaid earnings limits and tax penalties subject our most experienced workers to marginal tax rates as high as 67%. Social Security formulas encourage early retirement. Although incomes usually rise with additional years of work， any pay increases after the 35-year mark result in higher social Security taxes but only small increases in benefits.

　　Hudson Institute researchers believe that federal tax and benefit policies are at fault and reforms are urgently needed， but they disagree with the popular proposal that much older Americans will have to work because Social Security will not support them and that baby boomers are not saving enough for retirement. According to the increase in 401 （k） and Keogh retirement plans， the ongoing stock market on Wall Street， and the likelihood of large inheritances， there is evidence that baby boomers will reach age 65 with greater financial assets than previous generations.

　　The Hudson institute advocates reforming government policies that now discourage work and savings， especially for older worker. Among the report's recommendations： Tax half of all Social Security benefits， regardless of other income； provide 8% larger benefits for each year beyond 65； and permit workers nearing retirement to negotiate compensation packages that may include a lower salary but with greater healthcare benefits. However， it may take real and fruitful planning to find the right solution to the early retirement of older experienced workers； any measures taken must be allowed to prolong the serviceability of older experienced workers.

　　31.According to Hudson Institute researchers， the effect of the early retirement of qualified workers in the U.S. economy is��

　　[A] constructive [B] significant [C] inconclusive [D] detrimental