沈陽師范大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院211翻譯碩士英語專業(yè)碩士歷年考研真題匯編

目錄

2014年沈陽師范大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院211翻

譯碩士英語考研真題

2013年沈陽師范大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院211翻

譯碩士英語考研真題

2012年沈陽師范大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院211翻

譯碩士英語考研真題

2014年沈陽師范大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院211翻譯碩士英語考研真題

科目代碼：211

科目名稱：翻譯碩士英語

第一部分：知識(shí)運(yùn)用題（共20題，每題1分，合計(jì)20分）

校對(duì)與改錯(cuò)

ThefollowingpassagecontainsTENerrors.Eachindicatedlinecontains

ONEerroronly.Ineachcase,onlyONEwordisinvolved.Youshould

proofreadthepassageandcorrectitinthefollowingway.

Forawrongword,underlinethewrongwordandwritethecorrectoneinthe

blankprovidedattheendoftheline.

Foramissingword,markthepositionofthemissingwordwitha“∧”sign

andwritethewordyoubelievetobemissingintheblankprovidedattheend

oftheline.

Foranunnecessaryword,crosstheunnecessarywordwithaslash“/”andput

thewordintheblankprovidedattheendoftheline.

Manyparentsbelievethattheyshouldbeginto

teachtheirchildrentoreadwhentheyarescarcely

morethantoddlers.Thisisfineifachildshowsa1

realinterestbutforcingachildcouldbe

counter-producibleifsheisn’tready.Wiseparents2

willhavearelaxingattitudeandtaketheleadfrom3

theirchild.Whatweshouldprovideisaselection4

ofstimulatingtoys,booksandotheractivities.

Nowadaysthereisplentyofgoodmaterialsavailable5

foryoungchildren,andofcourse,seeingplentyof

booksinuseaboutthehousewillalsoencourage

themtoread.

Ofcourse,booksarenolongertheonlysource

ofstoriesandinformation.Thereisalsoahuge

rangeofvideos,whichcanreinforceandextendthe

pleasureachildfindsinabookandareequally

valuablehelpingtoincreasevocabularyandconcen-6

tration.Televisiongetsabadpressureasfaras7

childrenareconcerned,mainlybecausetoomany

spendtoomuchtimewatchingprogramsnotintended

fortheiragesgroup.Toomanytelevision8

programsinduceanincurious,uncriticalattitude

thatisgoingtomakelearningmuchmoredifficult.

However,discriminatingviewofprogramsdesigned9.______\

foryoungchildrencanbeuseful.Justas

adultsenjoyreadingabookafterseeingitbeingserialized10

ontelevision,sochildrenwillpounceonbookswhich

featuretheirfavoritetelevisioncharacters,andvideos

canaddanewdimensiontoastoryknownfromabook.

完形填空

Thereare10blanksinthefollowingpassage.Foreachnumberedblank,there

are4choicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.Choosethebestoneandwriteyour

answerontheANSWERSHEET.

Thecrowdedskyhasbecomeaseriousprobleminaviation.Butthe

“crowdedground”isalsoa11problem.Airportshavebecomesolarge

thatitisnotpossibleforpassengerstowalkeverywheretheywishtogo.

Engineersinthetransportationindustrycallairplanes“12people-

movers.”Theelevators,escalators,movingsidewalks,andsurfacevehicles

usedonthegroundare“secondarypeople-movers”.Theproblemof

secondarypeople-movinghappensanywhereintheworldwherethebignew

planesland.Two747jetlinersandtwoairbuses,forexample,mayunload

1,300peopleandthousandsof13baggageintoonesmallareawithina

fiveminuteperiod.Moving14outoftheairportquicklyisamajor

puzzle.Therearealmostmanysolutionsasthereareairports.

AtHuston,Texas,undergroundtunnelsconnect15buildingsonthe

airfield.Fourbattery-poweredtrainsmovethroughthetunnels.Theairportat

Geneva,Switzerland,alsotakespassengers16.Theyrideonmoving

sidewalksinsidetunnelsconnectingthedifferentbuildingswiththemain

terminal.SchipalInternationalAirport,inAmsterdamalsousesmoving

sidewalks.AtKennedyInternationalAirporty,NewYork,busesandtaxis

carrypassengersfromoneairlineterminalto17.Insidetheterminals,

escalatorsandmovingsidewalksareused.

Movingsidewalksarenotpracticalforuseover18greaterthan900

feet.LoveField,atDallas,Texas,usesamonorailbetweentheterminalanda

remoteparking19.AtToronto,Canada,theparkingareaisinthe

centeroftheterminal.Carsareparkedondecksandpassengersridetothe

properlevelonelevators.

Whereveryougo20plane,youwillfindthatengineersaresolvingthe

people-movingproblemindifferentways.

A.developingB.growingC.expandingD.enlarging

A.effectiveB.efficientC.primaryD.major

A.piecesB.itemsC.articlesD.bags

A.thisB.thoseC.themD.it

A.separateB.importantC.variousD.modern

A.downgroundB.undergroundC.belowgroundD.beneathground

A.theotherB.anotherC.othersD.anyother

A.dimensionsB.radiusesC.diametersD.distances

A.fieldB.lotC.squareD.ground

A.withB.inC.onD.by

第二部分：詞匯語法題（共20題，每題1分，合計(jì)20分）

詞匯題

Choosethewordthatissimilarinmeaningtotheunderlinedwordineach

sentence.

21．Throughoutthenineteenthcenturyandintothetwentieth,citizensofthe

UnitedStatesmaintainedabiasagainstbigcities,andmostofthemlivedon

farmsandinsmalltowns.

A.diagonalB.slopeC.distortionD.prejudice

22．Countrieshavedifferentopinionsabouttheprotectionofwildlife,so

thedesignofwildliferefugesisstillamatterofconsiderablecontroversy.

A.significanceB.debateC.urgencyD.concern

23．Cashiersmustgenerallyaccountfordiscrepanciesbetweenmoney

takeninandtheamountrecordedonregistertapes.

A.deficitsB.delaysC.inconsistenciesD.uncertainties

24．Themissilecrisisthattookplaceintheyearof1961almostbroughtthe

worldtothevergeofanall-outwar,whichwouldbeacatastrophetothe

humanbeingsifitdidbreakout.

A.horrorB.brinkC.prospectD.danger

25．TheLibertyBellisanobjectofgreatreverencebecauseitwasrungin

1776toproclaimthesigningoftheDeclarationofIndependence.

A.sadnessB.respectC.fameD.worth

26．TheissueoflooseconstructionversusstrictconstructionoftheUnited

StatesConstitutionledtotheemergenceofpoliticalparties.

A.urgencyB.appearanceC.activityD.joining

27．TheOlympicGamesattemptedtotranscendnationalinterestsandbring

togetherthebestinternationalathletesinaspiritoffriendlyrivalryandpeace.

A.debateB.celebrationC.instructionD.competition

28．Becauseofhisoutstandingaccomplishments,hewaselectedchairman

ofthecommitteebyaconsensusofthevoters.

A.(an)electionB.personalmanifestationC.(an)all-outeffortD.

generalagreement

29．Men,women,andchildrenadornthemselveswithbeadsandinsome

culturescertainbeadsareoftenwornfrombirthuntildeathandburiedwith

theirownersfortheafterlife.

A.protectB.decorateC.purchaseD.enjoy

30．Toxicfumesfromautomobilescantriggersevereheadachesorother

discomforts.

A.softenB.preventC.intensifyD.cause

語法題

Questions31-40areincompletesentences.Beneatheachsentenceyouwill

seefourwordsorphrases,markedA,B,C,andD.Choosetheonewordor

phrasethatbestcompletesthesentence.

31．Theformationofimagesbylenses,microscopes,telescopes,andother

opticaldevicesisdescribedbyrayoptics,whichassumesthat______

lightcanberepresentedbystraightlines.

A.bypassingB.thepassageofC.passageD.passedof

32．WarmertemperaturesledtochangesintheecologyofEurope,______

theanimalpopulationandmethodsofhunting.

A.affectingB.andaffectedC.whichaffectsD.effecting

33．Caseshavebeen______sleddogswereactuallyfedonthemeatfrom

frozenmammothcarcassesthathadbeguntothawoutoftheicethathadheld

themforalmost30,000years.

A.reportedinwhichB.reportswhereC.areportD.reportingthat

34．Perhapsweshouldthinkintermsofraisinginterestrates______them,

inconsiderationofthenewreportsaboutinflationreportedlastJune.

A.thenreducingB.andreduceC.althoughreduceD.ratherthanreducing

35．Fromcavepaintingsandfrom______onboneandreindeerhorn,itis

knownthatprehistorichumanswerecloseobserversofnaturewhocarefully

trackedtheseasonsandtimesoftheyear.

A.apparentlyregularscratchesB.scratchingapparentlyregularly

C.regularscratchesapparentlyD.scratchesregularapparently

36．Theforceofattractionbetweenthefundamentalunitsofasubstance

dictate,whether______,thesubstancewillexistinthesolid,liquid,orgas

phase.

A.givingtemperatureandpressureB.atagiventemperatureand

pressure

C.pressureandtemperaturearegivenornotD.togivepressureand

temperature

37．Therearetwocorerequirementcoursesthatmustbepassedto

successfullygaincreditforthecomputerengineeringcourse:software

programmingand______.

A.hardwaredesigningB.anotherthatishardwaredesigning

C.OneishardwaredesigningD.Alsohardwaredesigning

38．Althoughhesufferedfromdiscrimination,MartinLutherKingisaman

whobelievedinreconciliationandonlyrarely______agrudgeduringhis

CivilRightsmovement.

A.hecarriedB.didhecarryC.whenhecarriedD.thathecarried

39．Lasereyesurgeries,onceconsideredriskyanddangerous,______that

90percentofrecipientscannowexpecttolivemorethanayearafterthe

operation.

A.whicharenowsosuccessfulB.arenowsosuccessful

C.theyarenowsosuccessfulD.isnowsosuccessful

40．Intheirquesttocreatealawabiding,cleanandgreensociety,the

Singaporeangovernment______theentirepopulationundertight

regulations.

A.opensandkeepsB.openkeptC.openlykeepingD.openlykeeps

第三部分：閱讀理解（共20題，每題2分，合計(jì)40分）

Passage1Questions41—45

ReadthefollowingpassageandchoosethecorrectanswerfromA,B,CorD.

Noseshaveitprettyhard.Boxersflattenthem.Doctorsrearrangethem.

Peoplemakejokesabouttheirunflatteringcharacteristics.Worstofall,when

itcomestosmell,noonereallyunderstandsthem.

Despitethenose’sconspicuouspresenceitsworkingsaresubtle.Smell,or

olfaction,isachemosense,relyingonspecializedinteractionsbetween

chemicalsandverveendings.Whenarose,forexample,isbetween

chemicalsandnerveendings.Whenarose,forexample,issniffed,odor

moleculesarecarriedbytheriggingairstreamstothetopofthenasalcavity,

justbehindthebridgeofthenose,wherethetipsoftensofmillionsof

olfactorynervecellsareclusteredinthemucouslining.Themolecules

somehowtriggerthenerveendings,whichcarrythemessagetotheolfactory

lobesofthebrain.Becausesmellinformationthentravelstootherregionsof

thebrain,thescentofarosecanelicitnotonlyapleasurablesensationbut

emotionsandmemoriesaswell.

Thoughjusthowodorsstimulatethenervesisunknown,scientistsdoknow

thatoursenseofsmellissurprisinglykeen,capableofdistinguishingupto

tensofthousandsofchemicalodors.Thelaboratorytaskofisolatingthe

componentsofanodorisfarfromsimple,Tobacco-smoke,forexample,is

madeupofseveralthousanddifferentodorsthatnosedetects.People

generallyrefertosmellsbytheirsourcesorassociations.Descriptionssuchas

“l(fā)ikeawetdog”or“l(fā)ikemyelementaryschool”mayconveyperceptionsbut

arevastlyinadequateforlabelingthechemistryinvolved.

Tofurthercomplicateresearch,olfactionisconnectedtoothersensations.

Besidesolfactorynerves,thenasalcavitycontainspain-sensitivenervesthat

perceivesensationssuchasthekickinammoniaortheburninginchili

peppers.Smellalsointertwineswithtastetocreateflavor.Acoffeedrinker

holdinghisnosewhilesippingwouldtasteonlythebitterinhisbrew,for

tastereceptorsgenerallyappearlimitedtobitter,salty,sour,andsweet.The

senseofsmellistenthousandtimesmoresensitivethantasteandmakes

subtledistinctionsamonglemon,chocolate,andmanymoreflavors.

Sohowdoesthenosemanagethissophisticateddiscrimination?Lackof

evidencehasn’tkeptscientistsfromspeculating.Oneideaisthateveryodor

moleculevibratesatitsownfrequency,creatingpatternsofdisturbanceinthe

airsimilartothewavepatternsproducedbysoundaccordingtothistheory,

thenervesactasreceiversfortheuniquevibrationsofeveryodormolecule.

Theschemerequiresnodirectcontactbetweenthemoleculeandnervecell.

Anothersuggestionisthatprimaryodors,equivalenttotheprimarycolorsof

vision,underlieallsmellsandaredetectedbyreceptorsitesontheolfactory

nerves.Differentcombinationsofaboutthirtybasicsmellswithlabelssuch

asmalty,minty,andmusky,couldformaninfinitenumberofodors.

Otherscientiststhinkthateachsmellisitsownprimarysmell.Theybelieve

theolfactorynerveendingshavespecificreceptorproteinsthatbindtoeach

ofthechemicalspeoplecansense.Thistheory,however,callsforthousands

ofdifferentproteins,noneofwhichhasbeenfound.

“Thescienceofsmellissoempirical,”saysRobertGestelnd,aneurobiologist

atNorthwesternUniversity,“there’snopredictivebaseforexperiments.”

Unlikethesensesofsight,touch,andhearing,olfactionstudieshaveattracted

onlyasmallshareofscientificinterest.Thatmaychange.Researchershope

thatunravelingthemysteryofsmellwilladvanceourunderstandingofthe

brain.Smellresearchpromisestohelpphysiciansbetterdiagnosethesmell

andtastedisordersthataffecttwomillionAmericans.Andinthefuture,with

enoughknownaboutsmell,itmightbepossibletoendowstrange,

unappealingbutnutritiousfoodswithmorefamiliarodors,perhaps

expandingtheworld’sfoodsupply.Forthemoment,however,whatthenose

knowsitisn’trevealing.

41．Wemayconcludefromthepassagethat______.

A.thereismuchmoretobelearnedaboutthenose

B.olfactorystudyhasbecomeamajorresearcharea

C.oursenseofsmellisasimportantasanyofourothersenses

D.smellresearchislimitedinitspracticalapplications

42．Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsisNOT

true?

A.Doctorsusesmellresearchtobetterunderstandtastedisorders.

B.Significantprogresshasbeenmadeinseparatingthevariousproteinsin

thenerveendings

C.Scientistsarenotsureofthedegreeofodorstimulatingthenerves.

D.Botholfactoryandpain-sensitivenervesarelocatedinthenasalcavity.

43．Whichofthefollowingsentencesfromthepassageillustratestheneed

forfurtherresearch?

A.Smellalsointertwineswithtastestocreateflavor.

B.Themoleculessomehowtriggerthenerveendings,whichcarrythe

messagetotheolfactorylobes

ofbrain.

C.Thescienceofsmellissoempirical,there’snopredictivebasefor

experiments.

D.Smell,orolfaction,isachemosense,relyingonspecializedinteractions

betweenchemicalsand

nerveendings.

44．Theauthorattemptstolightenthisseriousbiologicalreportbymeansof

______.

A.theincongruityofwidespreadsmellresearchB.similessuchas“l(fā)ikeawet

dog”

C.theopeningandclosingstatementsD.theconfessionofourbasic

ifnorance

45．Thecomparisonofasmelltoaperson’selementaryschoolwasmadein

orderto______.

A.illustrateauniqueperception

B.stateodormoleculesworkinthesamewaythatsoundwavesdo

C.pointouttheuselessnessofsuchadescriptiontoscientists

D.personalizeacomplicatedtopic

Passage2Questions46—50

ReadthefollowingpassageandchoosethecorrectanswerfromA,B,CorD.

BergmanTurnstoScreenwritingin“Sunday’sChildren”

Justover10yearsago,IngmarBergmanannouncedthatthewidely

acclaimedFannyandAlexanderwouldmarkhislasthurrahasafilmmaker.

Althoughsomecriticshadwrittenhimoffasearnestbutponderous,others

weresaddenedbythedepartureofanartistwhohadexploredcinematic

moods—fromhightragedytolowcomedy—duringhisfour-decadecareer.

WhatnobodyforesawwasthatBergmanwouldfindavarietyofwaysto

circumventhisownretirement—directingtelevisionmovies,stagingtheater

productions,andwritingscreenplaysforotherfilmmakerstodirect.Hislatest

enterpriseasascreenwriter,Sunday’sChildren,completesatrilogyof

family-orientedmoviesthatbeganwithFannyandAlexanderandcontinued

withTheBestIntentionswrittenbyBergmananddirectedbyDanish

filmmakerBilleAugust.

BesidesdealingwithmembersofBergman’sfamilyinbygonetimes—it

beginsafewyearsafterTheBestIntentionsleavesoff—thenewpicturewas

directedbyDanielBergman,hisyoungestson.Althoughitlackstheurgency

andoriginalityoftheelderBergman’sgreatestachievements,suchasThe

SilenceandPersona,ithasenoughvisualandemotionalinteresttomakea

worthyadditiontohisbodyofwork.

SetinruralSwedenduringthelate1920s,thestorycentersonayoungboy

namedPu,clearlymodeledonIngmarBergmanhimself.Pu’sfatherisa

countryclergymanwhosedutiesincludetravelingtothecapitaland

ministeringtotheroyalfamily.Whilethisisanenviableposition,itdoesn’t

assuageproblemsinthepastor’smarriage.Puisyoungenoughtobefairly

oblivioustosuchdifficulties,buthisawarenessgrowswiththepassageof

time.SodothesubtletensionsthatmarPu’sownrelationshipwithhisfather,

whosedesiretoshowaffectionandcompassionishamperedbyacertain

stiffnessinhisdemeanorandchillinessinhisemotions.

Thefilm’smostresonantpassagestakeplacewhenPulearnstoseehisfather

withnewclaritywhileaccompanyinghimonacross-countrytriptoanother

parish.Inaremarkablechangeoftone,thisportionofthestoryispunctuated

withflash-forwardstoatime40yearsinthefuture,showingtherelationship

betweenparentandchildtobedramaticallyreversed:Thefatherisnowcared

forbytheson,anddesiresaforgivenessforpastshortcomingsthatthe

youngermanresolutelyrefusestogrant.

Briefandabruptthoughtheyare,thesescenesmakeapungentcontrastwith

thesunnylandscapesandcomicinterludesintheearlypartofthemovie.

Sunday’sChildrenisafilmofmanylevels,andallareskillfullyhandledby

DanielBergmaninhisdirectionaldebut.Gentlescenesofdomestic

contentmentaresensitivelyinterwovenwithintimationsofunderlying

malaise.Whilethemorenostalgicsequencesarephotographedwithaneye-

dazzlingbeautythatoccasionallythreatenstobecomecloying,anysuch

resultisforeclosedbythejaggedinterruptionsoftheflash-forwardsequences

—anintrusivedevicethatfewfilmmakersareagileenoughtohandle

successfully,butthatisputtoimpressiveusebytheBergmanteam.

HenrikLinnrosgivesasmartlyturnedperformanceasyoungPu,and

ThommyBerggren—whostarredinthepopularElviraMadiganyearsago—

issteadilyconvincingashisfather.Tophonorsgotothescreenplay,though,

whichcarriesthecrowdedcanvasofFannyandAlexanderandtheemotional

ambiguityofTheBestIntentionsintofreshandsometimesfascinating

territory.

46．OvertheyearscriticalviewsofBergman’sworkhave

A.withoutexceptionbeenpositive.B.deploredhisseriousness.

C.oftenbeenantithetical.D.usuallyfocusedonhispersonality.

47．ThesubjectmatterofSunday’sChildren

A.ispresentedchronologically.B.takesplaceinthe19thcentury.

C.occursallinonelocale.D.isderivedfromreminiscences.

48．FromthepassagewecaninferthatPu’sfatherisportrayedasa

A.demonstrativeandcaringparent.B.reservedandreticentman.

C.compassionateandsentimentalspouse.D.spontaneousanddynamic

minister.

49．Thereviewerthinksthatthe“flashforward”techniquesis

A.seldomhandledskillfully.B.responsibleforthefilm’ssuccess.

C.toodisruptiveforordinaryfilmgoers.D.bestlefttoamateur

experimentation.

50．Inthereviewer’sopinion,Sunday’sChildren

A.isacinematicfirst.B.hasanoriginalandinterestingscript.

C.isvisuallyandemotionallydepressing.D.surpassesBergman’sprevious

work.

Passage3Questions51—55

ReadingPassage3hassevenparagraphsA-G.Choosethemostsuitable

headingsforparagraphsB-Ffromthelistofheadingsbelow.

NBTherearemoreheadingsthanparagraphssoyouwillnotuseallofthem.

Youmayuseanyoftheheadingsmorethanonce.

ListofHeadings

iAneducatedmotheroftenmeanseducatedchildren

iiEducationandfinancialcredit

iiiWomenarestillwaybehind

ivPuzzlesofthesexes

VAreasinwhichwomenarebetter

viEducationisthemostimportant

viiGreatchangestakenplaceinthelast20years

viiiWhywomenareinadisadvantageousposition

ixSchoolingandfertilityrate

xGovernmentactionneededtohelpwomen

xiMentaldifferencesbetweenthetwosexes

Example

ParagraphAAnsweriii

51.ParagraphB

52.ParagraphC

53.ParagraphD

54.ParagraphE

55.ParagraphF

ClosingtheGap

A

Strikingprogresstowardssexualequalityhasbeenmadeinthepasttwo

decades,particularlyconcerningadultliteracy,schoolenrolment,and

maternalmortalityrates.Nonetheless,amongthe900milliteratepeoplein

poorcountries,womenoutnumbermenbytwotoone;60%ofthe130m

childrenwithnoaccesstoprimaryschoolaregirls;andwomen’swagesare

typicallyonly60%~70%thoseofmen.Fewwoulddenythatnarrowingthis

gapyetfurtherwouldmakeforafairersociety.Butthereisalsoagrowing

consensusamongdevelopmenteconomiststhatitwouldalsodoagreatdeal

topromotefastereconomicgrowth,ifwomenareprovidedwithmore

opportunitiesforeducation,nutrition,accesstocreditandpropertyfights.

B

Theempiricalevidenceisstrongestinthecaseofeducation.Becauseit

improvesacountry’sstockofhumancapital,educationisanimportantfactor

inraisingoutput.Asonewouldexpect,economictheorysuggeststhata

better-educatedworkforce,ofbothmenandwomen,islikelytospura

country’sgrowth.Inthecaseofwomen’seducation,however,thereseemto

beadditional,growth-promotingbenefits.Forastart,educatingwomen

seemstoreducefertility.Foranygivenamountofinvestment,lowerfertility

impliesmorecapitalaccumulationperworker—andthisraisesgrowthrates

perhead.

C

Studiesfromindividualcountriespointoutthatoneyearoffemaleschooling

canreducethefertilityratebybetween5%and10%.Asimulationstudyof

72countriesaroundtheworldshowsthat,ifallotherfactorswereheld

constant,doublingfemalesecondary-schoolenrolmentsin1975wouldhave

reducedtheaveragefertilityratein1985from5.3to3.9childrenandlowered

thenumberofbirthsbyalmost30%.Bettereducationreducesfertilityin

severalways.First,itincreasesthepotentialwagesthatwomencan

command;inthisway,itraisesthevalueofwomen’stime,andsoaddstothe

effectivecostofbearingchildren.Also,better-educatedwomentendtomany

later,andknowmoreaboutcontraception.

D

Aswellashavingfewerchildren,educatedwomenaremorelikelytohave

betterfed,andthereforehealthier,children-whowillthemselvesbebetter

educated.EvidencefromWorldBanksurveysinNicaragua,Pakistan,

VietnamandCoteD’Ivoiresuggeststhattheprobabilityofachildbeingin

schoolincreaseswiththemother’sowneducation.Educationandnutrition

aretheclearestlinksconnectinggreaterequalityandeconomicgrowth,but

theWorldBanksaysthattheremaybeotherchannelstoo.Forexample,

womengetdisproportionatelylittleaccesstocreditfromtheformalbanking

systeminmostdevelopingcountries,largelybecausetheyareassumedto

havenocollateraltooffer.InLatinAmerica,forinstance,womenmakeup

only7%~11%ofborrowers.However,studiesfromBangladesh,wherea

numberofschemessteercredittopoorwomen,showthatmakingiteasierfor

themtoborrowcandomoretocutpovertyandraiseinvestmentthanlending

tomen.

E

Fromatheoreticalpointofview,thesefindingsraiseanintriguingquestion.

Ifimprovingtheeconomicopportunitiesofwomenbringssuchbenefits,why

dosexualinequalitiespersistatall?Putanotherway,whydohouseholds

themselvesnotallocatetheirexistingresourcesaccordingly,intheinterests

ofincreasingtheirincome?Toanswerthisquestion,itisnecessaryto

understandhoweconomicdecisionswithinhouseholdsaremade.

F

Economistshavecustomarilythoughtofthehouseholdasasingle,or

“unitary”,decision-makingbody.Householdswerethoughttomaximisetheir

welfarebyallocatingincomeandotherresourcestothemembersthat

promisedthehighestratesofreturn,asreflectedinwagesandprices.Soone

rationaleforthepersistenceofinequality,consistentwiththisviewof

householddecision-making,isthatmarketsfailtocapturethefallbenefitsto

societyofinvestinginwomen.Thesebenefits,inturn,arenotreflectedin

wages.Householdsthereforemakechoicesthatfailtomaximisetheirwell-

being.Alternatively,andprettyobviously,this“unitary”modelofhousehold

behaviourmaybeincomplete.Someeconomistshaveanalysedthehousehold

asa“collective”entity—i.e.,theyassumethatthewelfareoftheindividual

membersdoesnotnecessarilymoveinparallelwiththewelfareofthe

householdasawhole.Eachfamilymemberhashisownpreferences.Asa

result,decisionsreflectnotjustmarketratesofreturn,butalsothebargaining

powerofdifferenthouseholdmembers.Women,asaresultofsocialand

culturalnorms,aswellasbecauseofoutsidefactors,tendtobeinaweaker

bargainingpositionthanmen.

G

Whetheritistoaddressamarketfailureortoimprovetherelativebargaining

positionofwomenwithinthefamily,orboth,theredoesseemtobeacasefor

governmentactiontohelpwomen.TheWorldBankconcludesthat

governmentsshouldtry,whereverpossible,tochangelawsandregulationsin

waysthatpromoteequalopportunities,and,ifnecessary,tointerveneto

correctsexualinequalities.Thiswouldbebothfairandefficientwhichisas

closeaseconomicpolicygetstoafreelunch.

Passage4Questions56—60

Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved,choosethemost

suitableparagraphfromthelistA—Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.

Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitintoanyofthegaps.

Doyoumakethemostofyourmind?LifespanpsychologyadviserJohn

Nicholsonexplainshowtorevealthehiddenpotentialofyourmind,andhow

toimproveyourmentalefficiency.

Psychologicalresearchshowsweconsistentlyunderestimateourmental

powers.Ifyouthinkthisdoesnotapplytoyou,thenhereisasimpletestto

showyouarewrong.

WritedownthenamesofalltheAmericanstatesyoucanremember.Putthe

listawayandthensetyourselfthesametaskaweeklater.Providedyouhave

notcheatedbyconsultinganatlas,youwillnoticesomethingrather

surprising.Thetwolistswill