《GMAT考试阅读试题(一)(2).docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《GMAT考试阅读试题(一)(2).docx（7页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、 GMAT考试阅读试题(一)(2)Passage 2Woodrow Wilson was referring to the liberalidea of the economic market when he said thatthe free enterprise system is the most efficienteconomic system. Maximum freedom means（5） maximum productiveness； our “openness” is tobe the measure of our stability. Fascination withthi
2、s ideal has made Americans defy the “OldWorld” categories of settled possessiveness versusunsettling deprivation， the cupidity of retention（10） versus the cupidity of seizure， a “status quo”defended or attacked. The United States， it wasbelieved， had no status quo ante. Our only “sta-tion” was the t
3、urning of a stationary wheel， spin-ning faster and faster. We did not base our（15） system on property but opportunitywhichmeant we based it not on stability but on mobil-ity. The more things changed， that is， the morerapidly the wheel turned， the steadier we wouldbe. The conventional picture of clas
4、s politics is（20） composed of the Haves， who want a stability tokeep what they have， and the Have-Nots， whowant a touch of instability and change in whichto scramble for the things they have not. ButAmericans imagined a condition in which spec-（25） ulators， self-makers， runners are always using then
5、ew opportunities given by our land. These eco-nomic leaders （front-runners） would thus hemainly agents of change. The nonstarters wereconsidered the ones who wanted stability， a（30） strong referee to give them some position in therace， a regulative hand to calm manic specula-tion； an authority that
6、can call things to a halt，begin things again from compensatorily stag-gered “starting lines.”（35）“Reform” in America has been sterile becauseit can imagine no change except through theextension of this metaphor of a race， wider inclu-sion of competitors， “a piece of the action，” as itwere， for the d
7、isenfranchised. There is no（40） attempt to call off the race. Since our only sta-bility is change， America seems not to honor thequiet work that achieves social interdependenceand stability. There is， in our legends， no hero-ism of the office clerk， no stable industrial work（45） force of the people
8、who actually make the systemwork. There is no pride in being an employee（Wilson asked for a return to the time wheneveryone was an employer）。 There has been noboasting about our social workersthey are（50） merely signs of the systems failure， of opportu-nity denied or not taken， of things to be elimi
9、-nated. We have no pride in our growinginterdependence， in the fact that our system canserve others， that we are able to help those in（55） need； empty boasts from the past make usashamed of our present achievements， make ustry to forget or deny them， move away fromthem. There is no honor but in the
10、Wonderlandrace we must all run， all trying to win， none（60） winning in the end （for there is no end）。 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to （A） criticize the inflexibility of American economic mythology（B） contrast “Old World” and “New World” economic ideologies（C） challenge the integrity of t
11、raditional political leaders（D） champion those Americans whom the author deems to be neglected（E） suggest a substitute for the traditional metaphor of a race 2. According to the passage，“Old World” values were based on （A） ability（B） property（C） family connections（D） guild hierarchies（E） education 3
12、. In the context of the authors discussion ofregulating change， which of the following could bemost probably regarded as a “strong referee” （line30） in the United States？ （A） A school principal（B） A political theorist（C） A federal court judge（D） A social worker（E） A government inspector 4. The autho
13、r sets off the word “Reform” （line 35） withquotation marks in order to （A） emphasize its departure from the concept ofsettled possessiveness（B） show his support for a systematic program of change（C） underscore the flexibility and even amorphousnessof United States society.（D） indicate that the term
14、was one of Wilsons favorites（E） assert that reform in the United States has not been fundamental 5. It can be inferred from the passage that the authormost probably thinks that giving the disenfranchised“a piece of the action ” （line 38） is （A） a compassionate， if misdirected，legislativemeasure（B） a
15、n example of Americans resistance to profoundsocial change（C） an innovative program for genuine social reform（D） a monument to the efforts of industrial reformers（E） a surprisingly “Old World” remedy for social ills 6. Which of the following metaphors could the authormost appropriately use to summarize his ownassessment of the American economic system（lines 35-60）？ （A） A windmill（B） A waterfall（C） A treadmill（D） A gyroscope（E） A bellows 7. It can be inferred from the passage that Woodrow Wilsons ideas about the economic market （A） encouraged those who “make the
