考研二真题2024Text 1
考研二真题2024Text 1


①　In her new book Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is, and What It Should Be, Diane Coyle, an economist at Cambridge University, argues that the digital economy requires new ways of thinking about progress. “Whatever we mean by the economy growing, by things getting better, the gains will have to be more evenly shared than in the recent past,” she writes. “An economy of tech millionaires or billionaires and gig workers, with middle-income jobs undercut by automation, will not be politically sustainable.”

②　Improving living standards and increasing prosperity for more people will require greater use of digital technologies to boost productivity in various sectors, including health care and construction, says Coyle. But people can’t be expected to embrace the changes if they’re not seeing the benefits—if they’re just seeing good jobs being destroyed.
③　In a recent interview, Coyle said she fears that tech’s inequality problem could be a roadblock to deploying AI. “We’re talking about disruption,” she says. “These are transformative technologies that change the ways we spend our time every day, that change business models that succeed.” To make such “tremendous changes,” she adds, you need social buy-in.
④　Instead, says Coyle, resentment is simmering among many as the benefits are perceived to go to elites in a handful of prosperous cities.
⑤　According to the Brookings Institution, a short list of eight American cities that included San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, and Seattle had roughly 38% of all tech jobs by 2019. New AI technologies are particularly concentrated: Brookings’s Mark Muro and Sifan Liu estimate that just 15 cities account for two-thirds of the AI assets and capabilities in the United States.
⑥　The dominance of a few cities in the invention and commercialization of AI means that geographical disparities in wealth will continue to soar. Not only will this foster political and social unrest, but it could, as Coyle suggests, hold back the sorts of AI technologies needed for regional economies to grow.
⑦　Part of the solution could lie in somehow loosening the stranglehold that Big Tech has on defining the AI agenda. That will likely take increased federal funding for research independent of the tech giants.
⑧　A more immediate response is to broaden our digital imaginations to conceive of AI technologies that don’t simply replace jobs but expand opportunities in the sectors that different parts of the country care most about, like health care, education, and manufacturing.

1.1. Coyle argues in her new book that economic growth should __________________.

A give rise to innovations

B diversify career choices

C benefit people equally

D be promoted forcefully

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。第一段②句指出“我们必须以更加公平的方式分配(经济增长带来的)收益”,③句随即指出数字经济中的分配不平等问题:数字技术加剧了穷人(零工工人)与富人(科技富翁)的两级分化,而中产群体却不断缩小(因其工作被自动化所取代)。可见两句意在强调,经济增长的成果应该更加公平地惠及所有人,而非少数富人/科技精英。故选C。

2.2. According to Paragraph 2, digital technologies should be used to _____________________.

A bring about instant prosperity

B reduce people’s workload

C raise overall work efficiency

D enhance cross-sector cooperation

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。第二段①句指出“我们需要更多地利用数字技术来提高各行各业的生产力(toboostproductivity in various sectors)”。结合下句信息“如果人们只看到数字技术吞噬工作岗位(局部的坏处)”,可知①句的信息重点为“造福各行各业(整体的好处)”。选项中的关键词overall(整体的/全面的)精准抓住这一重点,而且 work efficiency也直接对应 productivity(生产力;生产效率)。故选C。

3.3. What does Coyle fear about transformative technologies?

A They may affect work-life balance.

B They may be impractical to deploy.

C They may incur huge expenditure.

D They may be unwelcome to the public.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。第三段④句指出“要想让 AI带来颠覆性变革/巨大的改变,需要得到社会/公众的支持”第四段则以Instead(相反)转折引出现实情况“许多人抱有不满情绪,因为他们觉得颠覆性变革只会使少数富人受益”。可见Coyle担忧变革性的AI技术会受到公众的抵触/排斥而无法得到有效利用,选项符合此意,beunwelcome tosb意为“不受某人的欢迎/待见”。故选D。

4.4. Several American cities are mentioned to show _____________________.

A the uneven distribution of AI technologies in the US

B the disappointing prospect of tech jobs in the US

C the fast progress of US regional economies

D the increasing significance of US AI assets

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。第五段①句借研究数据指出“美国大多数科技工作由极少数城市掌握”,②句指出新兴的AI技术尤其如此,它们集中于少数繁荣城市(15个城市占据全美三分之二的AI资产和AI能力),第六段①句 The dominance of a few cities...of AI更是直指“美国 AI技术的研发和应用由小部分城市主导”的现状。综上可知,A项是对原文内容的合理概括。故选A。

5.5. With regard to Coyle’s concern, the author suggests ___________________.

A raising funds to start new AI projects

B encouraging collaboration in AI research

C guarding against the side effects of AI

D redefining the role of AI technologies

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。第八段针对科伊尔的担忧“人们因不平等问题而抵触 AI(AI的应用受阻)”,提出一项更为立竿见影的应对方式:大家要拓宽数字思维,想象一下“能在各领域增加工作机会而非仅仅取代人工”的AI技术。联系全文主旨可知,末段意在呼吁各界转变对AI技术的狭隘看法,认识到AI并非只是一种取代人工的技术,也可以成为能够全面造福人类的技术,其深层用意为:政商界应积极构想并实现能惠及全民的AI技术,民众也应转变对AI的负面态度,积极迎接AI技术的广泛应用。选项契合末段文意。故选D。