单选题 The Nobel Prize in economics had a difficult birth. It was created in 1969 to mimic (模仿) the five prizes initiated under Alfred Nobel's will. These had already been around for 68 years, and purists fought hard to stop the newcomer. Some members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences still dismiss economics as unscientific, and its prize as not a proper Nobel. Early winners were among the prize's fiercest critics. Gunnar Myrdal, who shared the award in 1974, said the prize ought to be abolished (but he did not return the money). Milton Friedman, winner in 1976, doubted the ability of a few people in Stockholm to make decisions respected around the world.
By the 1990s, the Nobel committee had gained a reputation for unreasonable refusal to change. Gary Becker won only after a flood of nominations forced the committee in Stockholm to act. The fathers of game theory won only after Mr. Nash's sudden recovery from paranoid schizophrenia (妄想型精神分裂症) , though the disease had no bearing on the quality of his work, the best of which was done before he became ill. Robert Lucas received a prize that many economists believed he should have had much earlier.
In 1998, the prize became the subject of countless jokes after the collapse of Long-term Capital Management, a hedge fund firm whose founders included Robert Merton and Myron Scholes, the 1997 Nobel Laureates (戴桂冠的人). The Merton/Scholes choice also highlighted another enduring problem with the prize: untimely deaths. Fischer Black, co-originator of the options pricing model for which Messrs Merton and Scholes were recognized, died a year too soon to join his collaborators on the platform. Last year, many economists hoped that Zvi Griliches, a noted econometrician who was unquestionably deserving of the prize, and was suffering from a long illness, would win. He did not, and died soon afterwards. Because the prize came into being so late, there are still elderly luminaries (those most admired) waiting to be recognized. Paul Samuelson, one of the younger winners, and Mr. Becker, who was a friend of Griliches, want the committee to take old age explicitly into account.
The committee could also cast its net more widely across the profession. "The laureates are also theoreticians; advances in empirical work and applications in the past two decades have yet to be paid due respect," a fact bemoaned (哀叹) by Mr. Becker. Mr. Samuelson adds that the economics committee's selection methods have excessively mimicked those used for the prizes in natural sciences: "If the right apple fell on your head, and you saw it, then you got the prize. But if you had a lifetime of excellence in all branches of physics, you didn't get it."

单选题 What do we learn from the first paragraph?

A. The Nobel Prize in economics was created under Alfred Nobel will.
B. The Nobel committee didn't have the ability to make decisions.
C. Milton Friedman refused to accept the prize.
D. Gunnar Myrdal was one of the Nobel Prize winners in economics.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】事实细节题。首段倒数第二句提到，Gunnar Myrdal, who shared the award lm 1974..., the award指代首段首句提到的The Nobel Prize in economics，由此可知，Gunnar Myrdal是诺贝尔经济学奖获奖者之一，故答案为D)。该段第二句提到，它是在1969年效仿诺贝尔遗嘱中的5个奖项而设立的，由此可知，诺贝尔经济学奖并不是诺贝尔在遗嘱中规定的，故排除A)；首段末句提到，Milton Friedman怀疑斯德哥尔摩的一些评奖委员是否有能力作出全世界都尊重的决定，但这并不能说明诺贝尔委员会没有评审能力，故排除B)。末句提到Milton Friedman是1976年的获奖者，并未提及他拒绝接受颁奖，故排除C)。

单选题 What is said about the winners of the Nobel Prize in economics in the 1990s?

A. Gary Becker won the prize after he forced the committee to act.
B. Robert Lucas received the prize earlier than expected.
C. Mr. Nash's illness delayed his receiving of the prize.
D. Robert Merton and Myron Scholes played jokes on the prize.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】事实细节题。第二段第三句提到，博弈论之父纳什先生从妄想型精神分裂症恢复后获奖，虽然他的病没有影响作品的质量，他作品中的精华部分在生病前完成了，由此可见纳什先生的病情导致他受奖延迟了，故答案为C)。第二段第二句提到，Gary Becket的如潮的提名迫使评奖委员会颁奖给他，并非他本人迫使评奖委员会采取行动，故排除A)；B)与第二段末句提到的many economists believed he should have had much earlier矛盾，故排除；D)是针对第三段首句设的干扰项。

单选题 What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Younger people are more likely to win the prize.
B. Fischer Black did not live long enough to win the Nobel Prize.
C. Zvi Griliches won the prize after he died.
D. The Nobel committee will soon take old age into account.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】推理判断题。由第三段第三句提到的Fischer Black...died a year too soon to join his collaborators on the platform可知，Fischer Black过早地去世了，没有获得诺贝尔奖，故答案为B)。由第三段第五句提到的He did not, and died soon afterward可知，Zvi Griliches没有获奖，故排除C)。第三段末句提到，Paul Samuelson和Mr. Becker希望委员会take old age explicitly into account，但这并不能说明委员会将很快考虑年龄因素，故排除D)。A)是针对第三段末句提到的the younger winners设的干扰项。