Directions: There are 5 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.
On the last shopping day before Christmas, stores across the United States were busy but not jam-packed as shoppers scrambled for last-minute gifts, even though some refused to admit it. At Boston's Copley Mall, a small crowd gathered outside the main entrance of luxury department store Neiman Marcus, but no one waiting for the store to open would admit to being a last-minute shopper. "I'm really here to use a gift certificate and get something for myself and maybe someone else with what's left over," said Matt Doran, who lives in Boston and had been waiting since 8:30 a.m. for the store's 10 a.m. opening. Ilya Polykof, who moved to Boston from Russia, said he was waiting "because I had the day off and I wanted to get some perfume." But he insisted that he was really shopping early because for him Christmas comes in January. The Orthodox Christmas will be celebrated on Jan. 7.
"There are lots of men out there today," said Karen McDonald, a spokeswoman for mall operator Taubman Centers, after returning from the Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan. There is panic out there but people seem to be in good spirits, she said, adding that most shopping traffic peaked around midday. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, December 24 was the sixth busiest holiday shopping day in 1997, while 44 percent of holiday sales were recorded in the December 15 to December 24 period. Ed Nally, manager of the Swatch Store known mostly for its brightly colored plastic watches, described the atmosphere as festive rather than crazed. He did say, however, that Dec. 21 was the turning point date, after which shoppers started. "The closer to Christmas, the crazier they get," Nally said. "They become more agitated, less patient." He said red-hot items this year were phones, beepers and the new digital swatch watch that costs $70 and came onto the market a week before Christmas.
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The best title for this passage is ______.
[A] Last-Minute Christmas Shoppers Fill U.S. Stores
[B] Digital Watches Are the Red-Hot Items This Year
[C] The Excuse of the Last-Minute Shoppers
[D] Christmas, the Best Shopping Season
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From the passage we can infer that people would not admit to be a last-minute shopper because ______.
[A] they wanted to use a gift certificate
[B] Christmas would be celebrated on Jan. 7th
[C] they did not want gifts recipients to know that they bought them gifts on the last day
[D] they bought gifts during the shopping season lasting from December 15th to December 24th
Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of questions. They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors. There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from each other. The controversy is often conveniently referred to as nature vs. nurture.
Directions: For this part, you are allowed to write a composition on the topic: Precious Water. You should write at least 160-180 words.
答案：A
详解：本题考查主旨大意题，需结合全文核心内容判断最佳标题。
- 选项 A（“圣诞最后一刻购物者挤满美国商店”）：全文围绕 “圣诞前最后一个购物日美国商店的购物场景” 展开，既提及商店 “busy”（忙碌）的整体状态，也描述了购物者 “scrambled for last-minute gifts”（抢购最后一刻礼物）的行为，同时涵盖 “美国多地商店”（波士顿、密歇根等）的范围，完整覆盖文章核心要素。
- 选项 B（“电子表是今年的热门商品”）：仅在文章末尾提及 “digital swatch watch” 为热门商品，属于局部细节，无法概括全文主旨；
- 选项 C（“最后一刻购物者的借口”）：文中虽提到部分购物者拒绝承认自己是 “last-minute shopper” 并给出理由，但这仅为段落中的细节情节，并非全文重点；
- 选项 D（“圣诞节是最佳购物季”）：文章未对比圣诞节与其他季节的购物热度，且核心聚焦 “圣诞前最后一天” 而非整个圣诞季，语义范围偏差。
考博阅读主旨题需避免 “以偏概全”，需筛选能涵盖 “核心事件、范围、主体” 的选项，A 选项精准匹配全文核心内容，故为正确答案。
答案：C
详解：本题考查推理判断题，需结合语境推导购物者拒绝承认 “last-minute shopper” 的潜在原因。
- 选项 A（“他们想使用礼品券”）：文中 Matt Doran 提到 “使用礼品券” 是其购物的表面理由，但这是他个人的具体行为，并非所有购物者拒绝承认的共性原因，属于 “以个体代整体”；
- 选项 B（“圣诞节在 1 月 7 日庆祝”）：仅适用于俄罗斯移民 Ilya Polykof（东正教圣诞节），是特殊个体的情况，不具备普遍性；
- 选项 C（“他们不想让礼物接收者知道礼物是最后一天买的”）：结合生活常识与语境，“last-minute shopping” 常隐含 “准备不充分、不够用心” 的潜在意味，购物者拒绝承认，本质是避免礼物接收者察觉其 “临时购买” 的情况，符合逻辑推导；
- 选项 D（“他们在 12 月 15 日至 24 日的购物季期间购物”）：文中提及该时间段占节日销售额的 44%，但这是购物季的客观数据，与 “拒绝承认最后一刻购物” 无直接因果关系。
考博推理题需区分 “表面理由” 与 “深层原因”，排除个体案例和无关信息，C 选项符合普遍逻辑与语境隐含含义，故为正确答案。
答案：
当然，社会科学家对这类问题极感兴趣。他们希望解释为何我们拥有某些特质，并表现出某些行为。目前尚无明确答案，但关于这一问题已形成两种截然不同的思想流派。正如人们可能预料的那样，这两种研究方法差异显著。这场争论通常被简便地称为 “先天与后天” 之争。
详解：
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精准传达核心语义：
- “these types of questions” 结合上下文（后文 “为何拥有特质、表现行为”），译为 “这类问题”，避免直译 “这些类型的问题” 的生硬；
- “schools of thought” 译为 “思想流派”，为学术语境固定表达，比 “思考方式” 更符合社科领域术语规范；
- “nature vs. nurture” 是心理学、社会学核心术语，译为 “先天与后天”，准确对应 “遗传因素（先天）” 与 “环境因素（后天）” 的学术内涵，无需额外增删语义。
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优化句式符合中文表达习惯：
- 英文 “Social scientists are... interested in these types of questions” 为被动语态，译为中文时转为主动语态 “社会科学家对这类问题极感兴趣”，更自然流畅；
- “There are no clear answers yet, but...” 结构，译为 “目前尚无明确答案，但...”，通过 “目前” 补充时间维度，使逻辑更连贯。
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学术严谨性：
保留 “controversy”（争论）的中性色彩，不添加主观评价；“conveniently referred to as” 译为 “通常被简便地称为”，既传达 “简便称呼” 的含义，也不改变原文客观陈述的语气，符合学术翻译 “忠实原文” 的原则。
参考范文
Water is the source of life, yet its scarcity has become a global crisis that demands urgent attention. With only 2.5% of the world’s water being fresh water, and less than 1% accessible for human use, every drop of water carries irreplaceable value. However, widespread waste—such as excessive use in agriculture, unregulated industrial discharge, and casual domestic consumption—exacerbates the shortage, threatening ecosystems, food security, and even human survival.
Protecting precious water requires joint efforts from individuals, societies, and governments. On a personal level, we can develop water-saving habits: fixing leaky faucets, reusing water for plants, and reducing unnecessary consumption. For societies, promoting water-efficient technologies—like drip irrigation in farming and wastewater recycling systems—can significantly cut waste. Governments, meanwhile, should establish strict water management policies, invest in water conservation projects, and strengthen international cooperation to address transboundary water issues.
Water scarcity is not a distant threat but an immediate challenge. Only by recognizing its preciousness and taking practical actions can we ensure that water continues to sustain life for future generations.
范文解析
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结构清晰，逻辑连贯：
采用 “现状危机 — 解决措施 — 总结呼吁” 的三段式结构，开篇通过数据（“2.5% 淡水、1% 可利用水”）凸显水资源珍贵性与稀缺性；中间从 “个人、社会、政府” 三个维度提出具体措施，层次分明；结尾升华主题，强调 “立即行动” 的重要性，符合考博写作 “观点明确、论证充分” 的要求。
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内容充实，学术性与实用性结合：
融入农业滴灌、废水回收等专业案例，体现博士研究生的知识储备；同时给出 “修理漏水龙头” 等生活化建议，避免内容空洞，兼顾理论深度与实践指导意义。
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语言规范，符合学术写作要求：
使用 “exacerbates”“transboundary”“sustain” 等学术词汇，句式多样（如让步状语从句 “However...”、only 引导的倒装句 “Only by... can we...”），避免简单句堆砌，符合博士阶段英语写作的语言水平要求。
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