阅读理解 - 图文

阅读理解

班级 姓名 学号

（一）

As the pace of life continues to increase ,we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift,being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.

Stress is an natural part of everyday lift and there is no way to avoid it. In fact ,it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be .A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation adn give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.

The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress,and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress,in whatever form,we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between \The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to stress,that health becomes endangered.Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress.Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we coulD.,we need to find ways to deal with it.

1.People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____. A.they do not know how to enjoy themselves

B.they do not believe that relaxation is important for health C.they are travelling fast all the time

D.they are becoming busier with their work

2.According to the writer ,the most important character for a good manager is his ________. A.not fearing stress

B.knowing the art of relaxation C.high sense of responsibility

D.having control over performance

3.Which of the follwing statements is ture? A.We can find some ways to avoid stress B.Stress is always harmful to people

C.It is easy to change the hagit of keeping oneself busy with work. D.Different people can withstand different amounts of stress 4.In Paragraph 3, \A.\

B.\C.\

D.\

5.In the last sentence of the passage,\A.\B.\C.\

D.\

2

(二)

In the 1960s, many young Americans were dissatisfied with American society. They wanted to end the Vietnam War and to make all of the people in the U.S. epual. Some of them decided to \which they called \A group of artists founded a commune in southern Colorado called \ideas of philosopher and architect Buckminster Fuller they built domeshaped houses from pieces of old cars. Other groups, such as author Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the followers fo San Francisco poet Steve Gakin, and a group that called itself the Hog Farm, lived in old school huses and traveled around the United States. The Hog Farm become famous when they helped organize the Woodstock Rock Festival in 1969. Steve Gaskin's followers tried to settle down on a farm in Tennessee, but they had to leave when some members of the gruop were arrested for growing marijuana.

Not all communes believed in the philosophy of \commune founded in Virgiania in the late 1960s, was based on the ideas of psychologist B.F.Skinner. The people who lived at Twin Oaks were carefully controlled by Skinner's

\Paolo Soleri began to build Arcosanti, a utopian city Arizsona where 2500 people will live closely together in one large building called an \together so that they will all become one.

1.Why did some young Americans decide to \A.They were not satisfied with American society. B.They wanted to grow marijuanA. C.They wanted to go to the Vietnam War. D.They did not want all people to be equal.

2.Where did the members of the Hog Farm commune live? A.In dome-shaped house B.In old school huses C.On a farm inTennessee D.In an archology in Arizona

3.Who gave the people of Drop City the idea to bulid dome-shaped house? A.Paolo Soleri B.B.G.Skinner C.Steve Gaskin D.Buckminster Fuller

4.What was the Twin Oaks commune base on ?

3

A.The philosophy of \B.Virginaia in the late 1960s C.The ideas of psychologist

D.The belief that people must live closely togerher. 5.What is an \

A.A person who studies archaeology

B.A large building where people live closely together C.A city in A rizona

D.A technique to contorl people

(三)

There are two factors which determine an individual's intelligence. The first is the sort of brain he is born with. Human brains differ considerably, some being more capable than others. But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with, an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has opportunities to learn. So the second factor is what happens to the individual—the sort of environment in which he is reared. If an individual is handicapped envionmentally ,it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is capable.

The importance of environment in determining an individual's intellingence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins, Peter and Mark X. Being identical, the twins had identical brains at birth, and their growth processes were the same. When the twins were three months old , their parents died, and they were placed in separate foster homes. Peter was reated by parents of low intelligence in an isolatedcommunity with poor educational pooprtunities.Mark was reared inthe home of well-to-do parents who had been to college. He was read to as a child , sent to good schools, and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually.This enviromental difference continued until the twins were in their late teens, when they were giben tesets to measure their intelligence. Mark's I.Q. was 125, twenty-five points higher than the average and fully forty points higher than his identical brother. Given equal opportunities , the twins , having identical brains,would have tested at roughly the same level. 1.This selection can best be titled_________. A.Measuring Your Intelligence B.Intelligence and Environment C.The Case of Peter and Mark D.How the brain Influences Intelligence

2.The beststatement of the main idea of this passage is that _____. A.human brains differ considerably

B.the brain a person is born with is improtant in determining his intelligence C.environment is crucial in determining a person's intelligence

D. persons having identical brains will have roughly the same intelligence 3.According to the passage , the average I.Q.is _____.

4

A.85 B.100 C.110 D.125

4.The case history of the twins appears to support the conclusion that _______. A.individual with identical brains seldom test at same level B.an individual's intelligence is determined only by his enviroment C.lack of opportunity blocks the growth of intelligence

D.changes of enviroment produce changes in the structure of the brain 5.This passage suggests that an individual 's I.Q.______. A.can be predicted at birth B.stays the same throuthout his life C.can be increased by education D.is determined by his childhood

（四）

As she walked round the huge department store,Edith reflected how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father.She wish that he was as easy to please as her mother, who was always delighted with perfume.

Besides,shoppong at this time of the year was a most disgreeable experience :people trod on your toes,poked you with their elbows and almost knocked you overin their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you..

Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter where some attracive ties were on display. \price.\She moved on reluctantly and then quite by chance, stopped where a small crowd of man had gathered round a counter. She found some good quality pipes on sale-----and the prices were very reasonable. Edith did not hesitate for long : although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, she knew that this was a present which was bund to please him.

When she got home,with her small well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, her parents were already at the supper table. Her mother was in an especially cheerful mood, \at last to decided to stop smoking.\1.Edith's father _______. A.did not like present B.never got present C.preferred ties

D.was difficult to choose a present for

5

2.The assistant spoke to Edith because she seemed_______. A.attractive B.interested in ties C.tired

D.in need of comfort

3.Edith stopped at the next counter_________. A.purosely B.suddenly C.unwillingly D.accidentally

4.Edith's father smoked a pipe_______. A.when he was obliged B.on social occasions C.from time to time D.when he was delighted

5.Shopping was very disagreeable at that time of the year because_______. A.coustomers trod on each other's toes

B.coustomers poked each other with their elbows C.customers knocked each other

D.customers were doing their shopping in a great hurry

（五）

If the population of the earth goes on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources left to sustain life on the planet.By the middle of the 21st century,if present trends continue, we will have used up all the oil that drives our cars,for example.Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race,the crowded conditions on earth will make it necessary for lus to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution to the problem, however,has recently been suggested by American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan.

Sagan believes that before the earth's resources are compleetely exhausted it will be possible to change the atmophere of Venus and so create a new world almost as large as earth itself. The difficult is that Venus is much hotter than the earth and there is only a tiny amount of water there. Sagan proposes that algae organisms that can live in extremely hot or cold atmospheres and at the same time produce oxygen,should be bred in condition similar to those on Venus.As soon as this has been done, the algae will be placed in small rockets. Spaceship will then fly to Venus and fire the rockets into the atmosphere .In a fairly short time, the alge will break down the carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon.

6

When the algae have done theri work, the atmosphere will become cooler,but befor man can set foot on Venus it will be neccessary for the oxygen to produce rain. The surface of the planet will still be too hot for man to land on it but the rain will eventually fall and in a few years something like earth will be reproduced on Venus.

1.Inte long run, the most insoluble problem caused by population growth on earth will probably be the lack of ______. A.food B.oil C.space D.resources

2.Carl Sagan believes that Venus might be colonized from earth because _____ A.it might be possible to change its atmosphere B.its atmosphere is the same as the earth's C.there is a good supply of water on Venus D.the days on Venus are long enough 3.On Venus there is a lot of ________. A.water B.carbon dioxide C.carbon monoxide D.oxygen

4.Algae are plants that can____. A.live in very hot temperatures B.live in very cold temperatures C.manufacture oxygen D.all of the above

5. Man can land on Venus only when_______. A.the algae have done their work B.the atmosphere becomes cooler C.thereis oxygen D.it rains there

（六）

Personality is , to large extent, inherent --A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor lives of their children.

One place where children soak up a characteristics is school, which is ,by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the \

7

their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than thier B-type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences:remember that Pheidippides ,the first marathon runner,dropped dead seconds after saying:\

By far the worst form of competition in school is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations . It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well.The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable,but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.

Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into 'B's. The would needs types,and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child's personality to his possible future employment. It is top management.

1.Acoording to the author,waht factors contribute to the building of personality? A.inheritance

B.inheritance,competition and environment C.competition D.environment

2.Which of the following statements is not ture according to the author of the passage? A.Schools usually adopt severe competitive policies. B.Students are often divided by competition results.

C.School is place where children cultivate their characteristics. D.The stronger desire for winning,the better. 3.The phrase \A.pull up B.take up C.take in D.pull in

4.What attitude does the author hold toward examinations in schools? A.positive B.negative C.doubtful D.neutral

5.what suggestion does the author make concerning the management of schools? A.All students be made into competitive A types.

B.A child's personality be considered in regard to his possible future job. C.All students be changed into B characteristics. D.Schools abolish all forms of examinations.

8

（七）

When one looks back upon the fifteen hundred years that are the life span of the English language, he should be able to notice a number of significant truths. The history of our language has always been a history of constant change—at times a slow, almost imperceptible change, at other times a violent collision between two languages. Our language has always been a living growing organism, it has never been statiC. Another significant truth that emerges from such a study is that language at all times has been the possession not of one class or group but of many. 『At one extreme it has been the property of the common, ignorant folk, who have used it in the daily business of their living, much as they have used their animals or the kitchen pots and pans.』① At the other extreme it has been the treasure of those who have respected it as an instrument and a sign of civilization, and who have struggled by writing it down to give it some permanence, order, dignity, and if possible, a little beauty.

As we consider our changing language, we should note here two developments that are of special and immediate importance to us. One is that since the time of the Anglo-Saxons there has been an almost complete reversal of the different devices for showing the relationship of words in a sentence. Anglo-Saxon (old English) was a language of many inflections. Modern English has few inflections. We must now depend largely on word order and function words to convey the meanings that the older language did by means of changes in the forms of words. Function words, you should understand, are words such as prepositions, conjunctions, and a few others that are used primarily to show relationships among other words. A few inflections, however, have survived. And when some word inflections come into conflict with word order, there may be trouble for the users of the language, as we shall see later when we turn our attention to such maters as WHO or WHOM and ME or I. The second fact we must consider is that as language itself changes, our attitudes toward language forms change also. The eighteenth century, for example, produced from various sources a tendency to fix the language into patterns not always set in and grew, until at the present time there is a strong tendency to restudy and re-evaluate language practices in terms of the ways in which people speak and write. 1.In contrast to the earlier linguists, modern linguists tend to . A. attempt to continue the standardization of the language

B. evaluate language practices in terms of current speech rather than standards or proper patterns C. be more concerned about the improvement of the language than its analysis or history D. be more aware of the rules of the language usage

2.Choose the appropriate meaning for the word “inflection” used in line 4 of paragraph 2. A. Changes in the forms of words. B. Changes in sentence structures.

9

C. Changes in spelling rules. D. Words that have similar meanings.

3.Which of the following statements is not mentioned in the passage?

A. It is generally believed that the year 1500 can be set as the beginning of the modern English language.

B. Some other languages had great influence on the English language at some stages of its development.

C. The English language has been and still in a state of relatively constant change. D. Many classes or groups have contributed to the development of the English language. 4. The author of these paragraphs is probably a(an) . A. historian B. philosopher C. anthropologist D. linguist

5.Which of the following can be best used as the title of the passage? A. The history of the English language.

B. Our changing attitude towards the English language. C. Our changing language.

D. Some characteristics of modern English.

（八）

Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by a set of dynamic variables: language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs,aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions. To cope with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience. The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment stem from the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural diversity. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from converging.

The other school proposes that companies must tailor business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia or even blindness.

Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations

10

carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your adversary, know your audience, and know your customer.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is true? A. All international managers can learn culture. B. Business diversity is not necessary.

C. Views differ on how to treat culture in business world. Ｄ. Most people do not know foreign culture well. 2. According to the author, the model of Pepsi Ａ. is in line with the theories of the school advocating the business is business the world around Ｂ. is different from the model of McDonald’s Ｃ. shows the reverse of globalization Ｄ. has converged cultural differences 3. The two schools of thought . Ａ. both propose that companies should tailor business approaches to individual cultures Ｂ. both advocate that different policies be set up in different countries Ｃ. admit the existence of cultural diversity in business world Ｄ. Both Ａ and Ｂ

4. This article is supposed to be most useful for those . A. who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity B. who have connections to more than one type of culture C. who want to travel abroad

D. who want to run business on International Scale

5. According to Fortune, successful international companies . Ａ. earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas Ｂ. all have the quality of patience Ｃ. will follow the overseas local cultures Ｄ. adopt the policy of internationalization

(九)

As regards social conventions, we must say a word about the well-known English class system. This is an embarrassing subject for English people, and one they tend to be ashamed of, though during the present century class-consciousness has grown less and less, and the class system less rigiD. But it still exists below the surface. Broadly speaking, it means there are two classes, the “middle class” and the “working class”. (We shall ignore for a moment the old “upper class”, including the hereditary aristocracy, since it is extremely small in numbers; but some of its members have the right to sit in the House of Lords, and some newspapers take a surprising interest in their private life.) The middle class consists chiefly of well-to-do businessmen and

11

professional people of all kinds. The working class consists chiefly of manual and unskilled workers.

The most obvious difference between them is in their accent. Middle-class people use slightly varying kinds of “received pronunciation” which is the kind of English spoken by BBC announcers and taught to overseas pupils. Typical working-class people speak in many different local accents which are generally felt to be rather ugly and uneducateD. One of the biggest barriers of social equality in England is the two-class education system. To have been to a so-called “public school” immediately marks you out as one of the middle class. The middle classes tend to live a more formal life than working-class people, and are usually more cultured. Their midday meal is “lunch” and they have a rather formal evening meal called “dinner”, whereas the working man’s dinner, if his working hours permit, is at midday, and his smaller, late-evening meal is called supper.

As we have said, however, the class system is much less rigid than it was, and for a long time it has been government policy to reduce class distinctions. Working-class students very commonly receive a university education and enter the professions, and working-class incomes have grown so much recently that the distinctions between the two classes are becoming less and less clear. However, regardless of one’s social status, certain standards of politeness are expected of everybody, and a well-bred person is polite to everyone he meets, and treats a labourer with the same respect he gives an important businessman. Servility inspires both embarrassment and dislike. Even the word “sir”, except in school and in certain occupations (e.g. commerce, the army etc.) sounds too servile to be commonly used

1. The middle class mainly refers to people . A. who were born as aristocrat B. who have the right to sit in the House of Lords C. who speak in many different local accents

D. who are prosperous businessmen or who work in some professions

2. The most obvious difference between the working class and the middle class in English is their A. dress B. work C. accent D. meal

3. Why isn’t the word “sir” commonly used in Britain? A. Because it sounds too servile and is likely to cause embarrassment. B. Because it can only be used in some certain occupations. C. Because it is an impolite word.

D. Because it shows that the speaker is not a well-bred person.. 4. The “upper class” in England today .

A. are extremely small in number so that media pays no attention to them B. still uses old words like “Sir” in their everyday life C. includes the hereditary aristocracy D. refers only to the royal family

12

5. Which of the following is not true about the English class system? A. It is an embarrassing subject for English people.

B. Working-class students cannot receive a university education. C. The class system is much less rigid than it was. D. The class system still exists below the surface.

（十）

Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W.Tabor and his second wife,Elizabeth McCourt,better known as “Baby Doe”.Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West.Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont.With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homes tead in Kansas.Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking,or perhaps he was lured by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines.At any rate,a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch,which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.”he said

As it turned out,it was silver,not lead,that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself,so he opened a general store,which sold everything from boots to salt,flour,and tobacco.It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners,in other words,to supply them with food and supplies,or “grub”, while they looked for ore,in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovereD.He did this for a number of years,but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.

Finally one day in the year 1878,so the story goes,two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way.These were persistent, however,and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself.One more time won’t make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers.the two miners took $17 worth of supplies,in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings.They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig.After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver.Tabor bought the shares of the other two men,and so the mine belonged to him alone.This mine,known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made 1 300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.

Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000.This turned out to be even morefabulous than the Pittsburgh,yielding $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time.Leadville grew.Tabor became its first mayor,and later became lieutenant governor of the state.

1.Leadville got its name for the following reasons EXCEPT. A.because Tabor became its leading citizen

B.because great deposits of lead is expected to be found there

13

C.because it could bring good fortune to Tabor D.because it was renamed

2.The word “grubstake” in paragraph 2 means. A.to supply miners with food and supplies B.to open a general store

C.to do one’s contribution to the development of the mine

D.to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine,if one was discovered

3.Tabor made his first fortune.

A.by supplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest in the findings. B.because he was persuaded by the two miners to quit supplying. C.by buying the shares of the other D.as a land speculator

4. The underlying reason for Tabor’s life career is. A. purely accidental

B. based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility of discovering profitable mining site

C. through the help from his second wife

D. he planned well and accomplished targets step by step

5.If this passage is the first part of an article,who might be introduced in the following part? A.Tabor’s life.

B.Tabor’s second wife,Elizabeth McCourt. C.Other colorful characters. D.Tabor’s other careers.

（十一）

While the cities of China have undergone modernization evident in the rising towers and bright lights that have awakened the sleeping country, the countryside remains largely the same. Rectangular rows of rice fields litter the landscape separated by long lanes of water designed to provide the constant supply of water that is vital to producing the crop. The experience is not unlike driving through the American Midwest, only rice not corn dominates the landscape. Four years ago, when I last took this trip, the roads were dust and telephone wires did not run parallel to the highway. Bare roads have been replaced by sleek, newly paved highways running from Shanghai to Nanking, to my smaller, home city, Wuhu. Unlike the changes I had heard of and expected in Shanghai, Wuhu was much more of a surprise. The small city where I was born had grown up as I have. There are large high-rise buildings, each ringed with smaller buildings around it, many of these apartment complexes. Little seemed familiar and I wonder what my

14

grandparent’s flat built of brick and mortar had become.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that their home had been demolished and rebuilt as a six story apartment complex as well. Walking up to the second floor I saw my grandfather’s face peering out of the screen door. He began to smile as he saw me, and so did I. Their home is now no different from a western apartment. Equipped with the modern amenities of a gas stove, a toilet, a showerthis was indeed different from four years ago. 1. According to the author, dramatic changes took place in. A. cities but not countryside of China B. both cities and countryside of China C. countryside but not in large cities D. everywhere

2. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that . A. peasants lead similar life all over the world

B. Chinese irrigating system is more impressing than that in America

C. peasants in Midwest America raise more corns while Chinese peasants raise more rice D. peasants in Midwest America raise more rice while Chinese peasants raise more corn 3. The author was traveling to Wuhu.

A. in order to take a stop during the trip from Shanghai to Nanking B. in order to find some place similar to his hometown C. in order to visit his grand parents

D. in order to find out changes in small cities 4. The author’s grand parents. A. live in their house of brick and mortar B. live in an apartment similar to westerners C. led a totally westernized life D. was poor as they always were

5. Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A. Flash back to China B. From Shanghai to Nanking C. Wuhu Today

D. Back With My Grand Parents

（十二）

Today, there are many avenues open to those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one’s career in order to attend school full time.

Part time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many

15

people. Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one’s career and family time.

Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible and accommodating is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals which are so necessary in today’s world. The time required to study may be set aside at the student’s convenience with due regard to all life’s other requirements. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning courses from virtually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. Tutorial assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subject evaluation tool with every subject. This precludes the requirement for a student to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance learning program is the equivalence of the distance learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the course on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the corporation or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Sponsoring distance learning programs for their employees gives the business the advantage of retaining career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of part time education?

A. It requires some break in one’s career.

B. It tends to last too long for many people to complete a degree program. C. It affects one’s career.

D. It gives the student less time to share with the family.

2. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of distance learning? A. The student may choose his or her own pace.

B. The student may study at any time to his or her convenience. C. They can pursue their chosen career while studying.

D. Their tutorial assistance comes through regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, etc. 3. What benefit will distance learning program bring to a business? A. Recruitment of more talented people. B. Good image of the business. C. Better cooperation with universities.

16

D. Further training of employees and business growth.

4. Good distance learning program have the following characteristic EXCEPT A. distance learning course is the same as students taking courses in campus B. the result diploma or degree should be same as on campus study C. professor-student relationship is strictly one to one all through the course D. includes subject evaluation tool

5. What benefit will distance learning bring to an employee of a business? A. Professional growth.

B. Good relationship with the employer. C. Good impression on the employer. D. Higher salary.

（十三）

One of the most interesting paradoxes in America today is that Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, is now engaged in a serious debate about what a university should be, and whether it is measuring up.

Like the Roman Catholic Church and other ancient institutions, it is asking - still in private rather than in public - whether its past assumptions about faculty, authority, admissions, courses of study, are really relevant to the problems of the 1990’s.

Should Harvard or any other university be an intellectual sanctuary, apart from the political and social revolution of the age, or should it be a laboratory for experimentation with these political and social revolutions; or even an engine of the revolution? This is what is being discussed privately in the big clapboard houses of faculty members around the Harvard Yard.

The issue was defined by Waiter Lippmann, a distinguished Harvard graduate, several years ago. “If the universities are to do their work,” he said, “they must be independent and they must be disinterested… They are places to which men can turn for judgements which are unbiased by partisanship and special interest. Obviously, the moment the universities fall under political control, or under the control of private interests, or the moment they themselves take a hand in politics and the leadership of government, their value as independent and disinterested sources of judgement is impaired.”

This is part of the argument that is going on at Harvard today. Another part is the argument of the militant and even many moderate students: that a university is the keeper of our ideals and morals, and should not be “disinterested” but activist in bringing the nation’s ideals and actions together. Harvard’s men of today seem more troubled and less sure about personal, political and academic purpose than they did at the beginning. They are not even clear about how they should debate and resolve their problems, but they are struggling with them privately, and how they come out is bound to influence American university and political life in the 1990’s.

17

1. The issues in the debate on Harvard’s goals are whether the universities should remain independent of our society and its problems, and whether they should A. fight militarism

B. overcome the widespread drug dependency C. take an active part in solving society’s ills D. support our old and established institutions

2. In regard to their goals and purposes in life, the author believes that Harvard men are becoming A. more sure about them B. less sure about them

C. more hopeful of reaching a satisfactory answer D. completely disillusioned about ever

3. The word “paradox” in paragraph 1 is A. a parenthetical expression B. a difficult puzzle C. an abnormal condition D. a self-contradiction

4. The word “sanctuary”in paragraph 3 is. A. a holy place dedicated to a certain god B. a temple or nunnery of middle age.

C. a certain place you can hide in and avoid mishaps. D. an academy for intelligent people

5. In the author’s judgement, the ferment going on at Harvard . A. is a sad symbol of our general bewilderment. B. will soon be over, because times are bound to change. C. is of interest mostly to Harvard men and their friends. D. will influence future life in America..

(十四)

Sex prejudices are based on and justified by the ideology that biology is destiny. According to this ideology, basic biological and psychological differences exist between the sexes. These differences require each sex to play a separate role in social life. Women are the weaker sexboth physically and emotionally. Thus, they are naturally suited much more so than men, to the performance of domestic duties. A woman’s place, under normal circumstances, is within the protective environment of the home. Nature has determined that women play care-taker roles, such as wife and mother and homemaker. On the other hand men are best suited to go out into the competitive world of work and politics, where serious responsibilities must be taken on. Men are

18

to be the providers; women and children are “dependents”.

The ideology also holds that women who wish to work outside the household should naturally fill these jobs that are in line with the special capabilities of their sex. It is thus appropriate for women, not men, to be employed as nurses, social workers, elementary school teachers, household helpers, and clerks and secretaries. These positions are simply an extension of women’s domestic role. Informal distinctions between “women’s work” and “men’s work” in the labor force, according to the ideology, are simply a functional reflection of the basic differences between the sexes.

Finally, the ideology suggests that nature has worked her will in another significant way. For the human species to survive over time, its members must regularly reproduce. Thus, women must, whether at home or in the labor force, make the most of their physical appearance. So goes the ideology. It is, of course, not true that basic biological and psychological differences between the sexes require each to play sex-defined roles in social life. There is ample evidence that sex roles vary from society to society, and those role differences that do exist are largely learned.But to the degree people actually believe that biology is destiny and that nature intended for men and women to make different contributions to society, sex-defined roles will be seen as totally acceptable. 1. Women’s place, some people think, is the protective environment of the home because A. women can provide better care for the children B. women are too weak to do any agricultural work at all C. women are biologically suited to domestic jobs D. women can not compete with men in any field 2. According to the author, sex roles A. are socially determined

B. are emotionally and physically determined

C. can only be determined by what education people take D. are biologically and psychologically determined

3. The author points out that the assignments of women’s roles in work A. are determined by what they are better suited to B. grow out of their position inside the home C. reflect a basic difference between men and women D. are suitable to them, but not to men

4. The author will probably agree with

A. certain sociologists ’prediction that woman are picking up more responsibility in the decades to come

B. historian’s general denial of women’s contribution towards human thoughts. C. Nietzsche’s contemplation about difference between sexes. D. entrepreneurs favoring particular sex when hiring employee.

19

5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A. The division of sex-defined roles is completely unacceptable. B. Women’s roles in work is too limited at present.

C. In one society, men might perform what is considered women’s duties by another. D. Some of the women’s roles in domestic duties can not be taken over by men.

（十五）

More and more, the operations of our business, governments, and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap substantial rewards. Even worse, a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get away without punishment. It’s easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the computer is doing, but even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not only unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers.

Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it’s disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may have been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.

For example, a certain keypunch operator complained of having to stay overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case, dissatisfied employees of the thief tipped off the company that was being robbed. Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail, computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too often, their demands have been met.

Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result if the public found out their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the thought of a criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled the most confidential records right under the noses of the company’s executives, accountants, and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to continue his crimes elsewhere. 1.It can be concluded from the passage that A. it is still impossible to detect computer crimes today

B. computer crimes are the one of most serious problem in the operation of financial institutions C. computer criminals can escape punishment because they can’t be detected D. people commit computer crimes at the request of their company 2.It is implied in the third paragraph that A. many more computer crimes go undetected than are discovered.

20

B. the rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problem C. most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimes D. most computer criminals who are caught blame their bad luck 3.Which of the following is mentioned in the passage? A. A strict law against computer crimes must be enforced.

B. Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information. C. Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation. D. Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes.

4. The underlying reason for the computer criminals to get recommendations he needs is that A. they have skills formidably difficult for others to master B. the employers are afraid that they would take avenge if punished

C. the employers are much afraid of bringing the public into disbelief towards them through the criminals words in open court

D. those who commit crimes do not mean bad

5.What may happen to computer criminals once they are caught? A. With bad reputation they can hardly find another job. B. They will be denied access to confidential records. C. They may walk away and easily find another job. D. They must leave the country or go to jail.

(十六)

Desegregation of higher education has produced significant improvements in education for all Americans. Theopening up of segregated colleges and universities to students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds came aboutonly as the result of many forms of prolonged struggle in the courts, in the streets, and on campuses.The efforts to open up higher educational opportunities for blacks in historically white institutions also ledto expanded opportunities for lower- and middle-class white students, especially at institutions that adopted“open admissions” policies of accepting all high school graduates. Between 1960 and 1981, while the number ofblack students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four enrolled in college increased from 134,000 to over750,000, the number of white students in the same age group grew from just over 2 million to over 6.5 million. In 1960 more than one-half of blacks attending colleges were enrolled at historically black institutions. By1981 that percentage had declined to just 18 per cent. Most of the blacks enrolled in traditionally whiteinstitutions, however, were at two-year community colleges or at four-year public colleges that were becomingor had already become predominantly black. Desegregation of higher education produced difficult problems for historically black institutions that hadalways struggled under great hardship to provide higher education for blacks when blacks had been barred fromwhite institutions. Historically black institutions, however, have continued to

21

produce a high percentageof the most educationally and professionally successful blacks in the United States. Meanwhile, blacks inpredominantly white institutions have achieved notable progress, but they have also encountered variousproblems.

College completion rates for young blacks have increased substantially, but they are only about one-half therate for young whites. In 1981, for example, 11.5 percent of blacks aged twenty-five to twenty-nine and 21.3percent of whites in that age group had completed college. Blacks continue to be substantially underrepresented in graduate and professional schools in the United States.During the early 1980s blacks comprised about 6 percent of students in graduate school and medical school andabout 4 percent of all law school students. Blacks also received about 4 percent of all doctoral degrees, butover half of these degrees were conferred in one discipline—education. In general, since the cry of “reversediscrimination” was raised during the middle of the 1970s, black progress in higher education has been slowedand perhaps even reversed.

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Desegregation of higher education produced many difficulties for historically black institutions. B. The opening up of higher educational opportunities for blacks led to expanded opportunities for whitestudents too.

C. Blacks have been historically repressed in graduate and professional schools in the United States.

D. Desegregation of higher education has brought more higher educational opportunities for black and whitestudents alike.

2.What can be inferred about the opening up of segregated colleges and universities? A. It came about as the result of a surge in the number of students enrolled in higher institutions. B. It came about as the result of time-long resistance against racial discrimination against blacks. C. It came about when the cry of “reverse discrimination” was raised.

D. It came about when efforts to expand educational opportunities for lower- and middle-class black people wereintensified

3.Which of the following is NOT one of the consequences of the opening up of segregated colleges anduniversities? A. Black students were substantially underrepresented in graduate and professional schools in the UnitedStates.

B. It brought a significant increase in the number of white students. C. It created thorny problems for historically black institutions.

D. The number of black students between eighteen to twenty-four years old enrolled in college greatlyincreased.

4. After the desegregation of higher education black students are still unlikely to A. get enrolled in traditionally white colleges

22

B. get enrolled in traditionally black institutions C. complete college

D. get a Doctor’s Degree in science

5.Which of the following is true about historically black institutions? A. The students in historically black institutions are no longer predominantly black after the opening up ofsegregated institutions.

B. They created many problems for their students.

C. They achieved notable progress even though they were under great hardship. D. The number of historically black institutions dropped in the 1960s and 1970s.

(十七)

If you want to stay young, sit down and have a good think. This is the research finding of a team

of Japanese doctors, who say that most of our brains are not getting enough exercise—and as a result, we are ageing unnecessarily soon.

Professor Taiju Matsuzawa wanted to find out why otherwise healthy farmers in northern Japan appeared to be losing their ability to think and reason at a relatively early age, and how the process of ageing could be slowed down.

With a team of colleagues at Tokyo National University, he set about measuring brain volumes of a thousand people of different ages and varying occupations.

Computer technology enabled the researchers to obtain precise measurements of the volume of the front and side sections of the brain, which relate to intellect (智能) and emotion, and determine the human character. (The rear section of the brain, which controls functions like eating and breathing, does not contract with age, and one can continue living without intellectual or emotional faculties.)

Contraction of front and side parts—as cells die off—was observed I some subjects in their thirties, but it was still not evident in some sixty- and seventy-year-olds.

Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple remedy to the contraction normally associated with age—using the head.

The findings show in general terms that contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in the country than in the towns. Those least at risk, says Matsuzawa, are lawyers, followed by university professors and doctors. White collar workers doing routine work in government offices are, however, as likely to have shrinking brains as the farm worker, bus driver and shop assistant. Matsuzawa’s findings show that thinking can prevent the brain from shrinking. Blood must circulate properly in the head to supply the fresh oxygen the brain cells need. “The best way to maintain good blood circulation is through using the brain,” he says, “Think hard and engage in conversation. Don’t rely on pocket calculators.” 1. The team of doctors wanted to find out ________.

A. why certain people age sooner than others B. how to make people live longer

C. the size of certain people’s brains D.which people are most intelligent

2. On what are their research findings based? A. A survey of farmers in northern Japan.

23

B.Tests performed on a thousand old people.

C. The study of brain volumes of different people D. The latest development of computer technology. 3.The doctor’s test show that ________. A. our brains shrink as we grow older

B. the front section of the brain does not shrink

C. sixty-year-olds have the better brains than thirty-year-olds D. some people’s brains have contracted more than other people’s 4. The word “subjects” in Paragraph 5means ________.

A. something to be considered B. branches of knowledge studied

C. persons chosen to be studied in an experiment D. any member of a state except the supreme ruler

5. According to the passage, which people seem to age slower than the others? A. Lawyers. B. Farmers. C. Clerks. D. Shop assistants.

（十八）

Oceanography has been defined as “The application of all sciences to the study of the sea”.

Before the nineteen century, scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between. Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings, but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work..

For most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it, let alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. The first time that question “What is at the bottom of the oceans?” had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe to America was proposed. The engineers had to know the depth profile (起伏形状) of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.

It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter. In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings (测声) were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of the Sea.

The cable was laid, but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.

Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872 Thomson led a scientific expedition (考察), which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the last volume being published in 1895.

1. The proposal to lay a telegraph cable from Europe to America made oceanographic studies take on ________.

A. an academic aspect B. a military aspect

C. a business aspect D. an international aspect

24

2. It was ________ that asked Maury for help in oceanographic studies.

A. the American Navy B. some early intercontinental travelers

C. those who earned a living from the sea

D. the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable

3. The aim of the voyages Maury was responsible for in the 1840s was ________.

A. to make some sounding experiments in the oceans B. to collect samples of sea plants and animals

C. to estimate the length of cable that was needed D. to measure the depths of the two oceans

4. “Defied” in the 5th paragraph probably means “________”.

A. doubted B. gave proof to C. challenged D. agreed to 5. This passage is mainly about ________.

A. the beginnings of oceanography B. the laying of the first undersea cable

C. the investigation of ocean depths D. the early intercontinental communications

(十九)

Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester. A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester. Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not in fact done as a regular practice.

For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the record is available for the student to show to prospective employers. All this imposes a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs. Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm. The effective word of maintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities. Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court. With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career. 1. Normally a student would at least attend ________ classes each week. A. 36 B. 20 C. 12 D. 15

2. According to the first paragraph an American student is allowed ________.

A. to live in a different university B. to take a particular course in a different university C. to live at home and drive to classes D. to get two degrees from two different universities

25

3. American university students are usually under pressure of work because ________.

A. their academic performance will affect their future careers B. they are heavily involved in student affairs

C. they have to observe university discipline D. they want to run for positions of authority

4. Some students are enthusiastic for positions in student organizations probably because ________.

A. they hate the constant pressure strain of their study. B. they will then be able to stay longer in the university. C. such positions help them get better jobs. D. such positions are usually well paid..

5. The student organizations seem to be effective in ________. A. dealing with the academic affairs of the university

B. ensuring that the students observe university regulations

C. evaluating students’ performance by bringing them before a court D. keeping up the students’ enthusiasm for social activities

(二十)

Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it’s painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.

During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you’re “hot”. That’s true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the afternoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues (自言自语) as: “Get up, John! You’ll be late for work again!” The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has. You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. Counteract (对抗) your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to. If our energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won’t change your cycle, but you’ll get up steam (鼓起干劲) and work better at your low point.

Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharper hours. 1. If a person finds getting up early a problem, most probably ________.

A. he is a lazy person B. he refuses to follow his own energy cycle. C. he is not sure when his energy is low D. he is at his peak in the afternoon or evening

2. Which of the following may lead to family quarrels according to the passage?

26

A. Unawareness of energy cycles. B. Familiar monologues.

C. A change in a family member’s energy cycle.

D. Attempts to control the energy cycle of other family members.

3. If one wants to work more efficiently at his low point in the morning, he should ________.

A. change his energy cycle B. overcome his laziness

C. get up earlier than usual D. go to bed earlier

4. You are advised to rise with a yawn and stretch because it will ________.

A. help to keep your energy for the day’s work B. help you to control your temper early in the day

C. enable you to concentrate on your routine work D. keep your energy cycle under control all day

5. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? A. Getting off to work wit a minimum effort helps save one’s energy.

B. Dr. Kleitman explains why people reach their peaks at different hours of day. C. Habit helps a person adapt to his own energy cycle. D. Children have energy cycles, too.

(二十一)

We find that bright children are rarely held back by mixed ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming (把…按能力分班) pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates.

It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade!

Besides, it is rather unreal to grade people just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed-ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning.

In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to cope with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyze and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher.

Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is appropriate. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. An advanced pupil can do advanced work: it does not matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to attain this goal.

1. In the passage the author’s attitude towards “mixed-ability teaching” is ________. A. critical B. questioning C. approving D. objective

27

2. By “held back” (Line 1) the author means “________”

A. made to remain in the same classes B. forced to study I the lower classes

C. drawn to their studies D. prevented from advancing

3. The author argues that a teacher’s chief concern should be the development of the student’s ________.

A. personal qualities and social skills B. total personality

C. learning ability and communicative skills D. intellectual ability

4. Which of the following is NOT MENTIONED in the third paragraph? A. Group work gives pupils the opportunity to learn to work together with other. B. Pupils also learn to develop their reasoning abilities.

C. Group work provides pupils with the opportunity to learn to be capable organizers. D. Pupils also learn how to participate in teaching activities. 5. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to ________.

A. argue for teaching bright and not-so-bright pupils in the same class. B. recommend pair work and group work for classroom activities. C. offer advice on the proper use of the library.

D. emphasize the importance of appropriate formal classroom teaching.

（二十二）

Policy against Smoking

If you smoke and you still don’t believe that there’s a definite link between smoking and bronchial troubles, heart disease and lung cancer, then you are certainly deceiving yourself. No one will accuse you of hypocrisy. Let us just say that you are suffering from a bad case of wishful thinking. This needn’t make you too uncomfortable because you are in good company. Whenever the subject of smoking and health is raised, the governments of most countries hear no evil, see no evil and smell on evil. Admittedly, a few governments have taken timid measures. In Britain, for instance, cigarette advertising has been banned on television. The conscience of the nation is appeased, while the population continues to puff its way to smoky, cancerous death.

You don’t have to look very far to find out why the official reactions to medical findings have been so luke-warm. The answer is simply money. Tobacco is a wonderful commodity to tax.. It’s almost like a tax on our daily bread. In tax revenue alone, the government of Britain collects enough from smokers to pay for its entire educational facilities. So while the authorities point out ever so discreetly that smoking may, conceivably, be harmful, it doesn’t do to shout too loudly about it.

This is surely the most short-sighted policy you could imagine. While money is eagerly collected in vast sums with one hand, it is paid out in increasingly vaster sums with the other. Enormous amounts are spent on cancer research and on efforts to cure people suffering from the disease. Countless valuable lives are lost. In the long run, there is no doubt that everybody would be much better-off if smoking were banned altogether.

Of course, we are not ready for such drastic action. But if the governments of the world were

28

honestly concerned about the welfare of their peoples, you’d think they’d conduct aggressive anti-smoking campaigns: Far from it! The tobacco industry is allowed to spend staggering sums on advertising. Its advertising is as insidious as it is dishonest. We are never shown pictures of real smokers coughing up their lungs early in the morning. That would never do. The advertisements always depict virile, clean-shaven young men. They suggest it is mainly to smoke, even positively healthy! Smoking is associated with the great open-air life, with beautiful girls, true love and togetherness. What utter nonsense!

1.What do you think is the author’s intention to write the article? A)To urge governments to conduct serious campaigns against smoking. B) To emphasize the harm smoking does to man.

C) To show why governments are reluctant to fight against smoking. D) To urge smokers to give up smoking.

2.We can infer from the passage that the author’s attitude towards those who are still suspicious of the negative effects of smoking is _____.

A) sympathetic B) friendly C) luke-warm D) sarcastic

3.What’s the indication of the advertisements by the tobacco industry? A)It is unhealthy to smoke.

B)Smoking belongs to the upper class alone. C)It is mainly to smoke, even positively healthy.

D)Cigarettes do not cost as much as you have imagined.

4.The author would probably describe the British government’s policy concerning smoking as _____.

A) short-sighted B) satisfactory C) effective D) popular 5.All of the following statements are correct EXCEPT ________.

A)governments collect a great amount of money from the tobacco industry.

B) Most governments hold ambiguous attitudes toward new findings about the harm of smoking.

C) Some governments have taken radical measures against smoking. D) Advertisements by tobacco industry are quite dishonest.

（二十三）

On Laziness

Laziness is a sin. Everyone knows that. We have probably all had lectures pointing out that laziness is immoral, that it is wasteful, and that lazy people will never amount to anything in life. But laziness can be more harmful than that, and it is often caused by more complex reasons than simple wish to avoid work. Some people who appear to be lazy are suffering from much more serious problems. They may be so distrustful of their fellow workers that they are unable to join in any group task for fear of ridicule or fear of failure that prevents fruitful work. Or other sorts of fantasies may prevent work; some people are also busy planning, sometimes planning great deals or fantastic achievements that they are unable to deal with whatever “lesser” work is on

29

hand. Still other people are not avoiding work; strictly speaking, they are merely procrastinating---rescheduling their day.

Laziness can actually be helpful. Like procrastinators, some people may look lazy when they are really thinking, planning, contemplating, and researching. We should all remember that some great scientific discoveries occurred by chance or while someone was “ goofing off”. Newton wasn’t working in the orchard when the apple hit him and he devised the theory of gravity. All of us would like to have someone “lazy” build the car or stove we buy, particularly if that “ laziness” were caused by the worker’s taking time to check each step of his work and to do his job right. And sometimes, being “lazy”---that is , taking time off for a rest---is good for overworked student or executive. Taking a rest can be particularly helpful to the athlete who is trying too hard or the doctor who’s simply working himself overtime too many evenings, at the clinic. So be careful when you are tempted to call someone lazy. That person may be thinking, resting, or planning his or her next book.

1．The main idea of this passage is that _______. A)laziness is a moral sin

B) there are advantages and disadvantages in being lazy C)laziness is a sign of deep-seated emotional problems D)lazy people do more careful work 2. The passage states that _____. A)laziness is a disease

B)some people appear lazy because they are insecure C)laziness is more beneficial than harmful

D)a good definition of laziness is emotional illness

3.Which of the following conclusion does the passage support? A)The word laziness is sometimes applied incorrectly. B)Most of the time laziness is a virtue. C)Most assembly line workers are lazy. D)Most insecure people are lazy. 4.The final paragraph is _____.

A) somber B) humorous C)serious D)trite （陈腐的）

30

5.The word “devised” in Paragraph 2 means ______. A) formulated B)understood C)wrote D)proved

(二十四)

Fight for Freedom

The time is now near a hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer to die.

Our own, out country’s honor, calls upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion; and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us then rely on the goodness of our cause, and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions. The eyes of all our countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessing and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the tyranny meditated against them. Let us animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a free man contending for liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.

Liberty, property, life, and honor are all at stake, upon your courage and conduct rest the hopes of our bleeding and insulted country; our wives, children, and parents except safety from us, only; and they have every reason to believe that Heaven will crown with success so just a cause.

The enemy will endeavor to intimidate by show and appearance; but , remember, they have been repulsed on various occasions by a few brave Americans, their cause is bad---their men are conscious of it; and if opposed with firmness and coolness on their fist onset, with our advantage of works, and knowledge of the ground, the victory is most assuredly ours. Every good soldier will be silent and attentive---wait for orders, and reserve his fire until he is sure of doing execution.

31

1.Judging from the style of writing, this passage is most probably a ________. A) story B) letter C) speech D) report 2.The purpose of the writing this passage is to _____. A) curse the enemy and condemn their cruelty B) encourage the American soldiers to fight for liberty. C) Show the world the great power of the Americans

D)Help the Americans in winning sympathy and support from the world 3.The word “deliver” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ________. A) send B) post C) bear D) save 4.The author tried to encourage his soldiers by ____. A) showing that they have won worldwide support

B) explaining that their enemy is cruel and powerful in appearance C) emphasizing the vital importance and great justness of their cause D) demonstrating the superiority of their troops in equipment and number

5.In the first sentence of the first paragraph, the author, to achieve an effect, uses ______. A) parallel structure B) comparison and contrast C) simile and metaphor D) irony and sarcasm

（二十五）

Heritage

Twenty-five years ago, adoptive parents were provided with little or no information about the heritage of the child they will raise as their own. Many well-intentioned social workers and facilitators at adoption agencies felt that a fresh start would be the best approach to the adoption process. Today partially at the urging of adult adoptees, new parents are often provided with a great deal of information about their adopted child. Also, adults who were adopted now have the opportunity to search for answers to questions about their birth parents. Such searches often begin as a quest for a family medical history. Doctors often need to know about the physical problems of blood relatives of their parents.

At the same time that health connections are being examined, reunions of adoptees and their blood relatives often provide striking evidence of the influence of heredity on personality. To

32

learn more about this area of genetics, Thomas Bouchard at the University of Minnesota has been conducting a study since 1979. He has examined 100 pairs of identical and fraternal adult twins who were separated soon after birth and grow up in different families.

Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg that has split. They share exactly the same genes and may be difficult to differentiate in appearance. Fraternal twins are the products of two separate fertilized eggs and share about half of their genes. They are essentially siblings who happen to be born at the same time. The timing, however, often is critical, because they usually share similar experiences in the same environment.

In addition to Bouchard’s work, several other “twin studies” are being conducted. The similarities found in identical twins reared apart are extraordinary. The IQ scores of these twins were more similar than those of fraternal twins who grew up together. The identical twins also perceived their different environments very similarly. When asked about parental pressure to achieve academic success, for example, the identical twins responded similarly about their respective parents. Reunions of these identical twins revealed remarkable “coincidences” in career choices, marital history, sense of humor, and so on.

Certainly heredity cannot account for an individual’s total personality. A child’s early environment may play an important role in his or her temperament as well. What we do learn from genetic studies, though, should help us to deal with any physical and psychological difficulties that may be anticipated.

1.The main idea of the passage is that ________. A) Identical twins make interesting adopted children. B) Heredity plays an important part in our development. C) Adoptive parents should know the histories of their children.

D) Adopted children usually do not get along with their adoptive parents. 2.In the past, social workers felt that adopted children should _______. A)know their birth parents. B)make a fresh start.

C)try to fit in with the new environment. D)be matched with adoptive parents.

3.For how long has Thomas Bouchard been conducting his twin study?

33

A) One year B) Over ten years

C) Less than ten years and more than one year D)Twenty-five years

4.According to one study, IQ scores are _______. A)significantly affected by environment.

B)more similar for identical twins than for fraternal twins. C)influenced by the adoptive parents’ IQ scores. D)more or less the same for twins.

5.Identical twins raised apart share similar _____.

A) perceptions B) environments C) characters D) adoptive parents

（二十六）

Air Bags

Car crashes are the leading cause of death among Americans from one to thirty-four. About 60 people are killed daily in front seats of cars, and more than 800 people are injured seriously. These deaths and injuries occur because the car’s occupants crash into its interior after the vehicle hits an object and stops. At 30 miles per hour, an unprotected passenger weighing 150 pounds crashes with a force of 4,500 pounds into the steeling wheel, dashboard, or windshield, or is thrown through the car window.

For many years, government agencies and private companies have worked together to develop a device that will protect the occupants of a car automatically during a crash. This research has led to the air bag---an automatic crash protection system that is quicker than the blink of an eye.

An air bag is a safety device that is built into the steering wheel or dashboard of a car. In a serious crash of the front of the car---equal to hitting a brick wall at a speed greater than 12 miles per hour---a crash sensor activates the air bag. The sensors are switches that are activated by a crash. The sensors can tell the difference between impacts that should inflate the bag (those severe enough to cause injury) and those not intended to inflate the bag (fender-benders in parking lots, or fast stops). The bag inflates within one-tenth of a second and creates a protective pad between the person and the car. The air bag inflates and deflates rapidly. The cycle is over in less than one second.

Air bags are now available in some car models. Many manufacturers plan to offer air bag systems over the next few years. They are an effective form of protection. But for full protection in all kinds of crashes, lap and shoulder safety belts must be used with the air bag.

34

1. What is the passage mainly about? A) car crashes B)safety belts

C)inflation and deflation in a car. D)air bags

2. How long does it take an air bag to inflate and deflate? A) 10 seconds B) longer than 1 minute C) less than one second D) 12 seconds

3. Which part of the body were air bags designed to protect? A) the legs B) the head C) the back D) the feet

4.What is the major function of the sensors, according to the passage? A)The sensors form an automatic crash protection system. B)The sensors are switches that are activated by a crash.

C) The sensors can tell the difference between serious impact and slight impacts. D)The sensor activates the air bag.

5. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage? A) The sensors that activate air bags do not work very well.

B) People need to use safety belts in order to protect themselves from death or injury while riding in a car.

C) Air bags can reduce the number of deaths and injuries from automobile accidents. D) The methods used to test the safety of cars need to be changed.

(二十七)

Conflict between President Johnson and Congress

Another example of the exercise of power by Congress was the action it took during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. It has already been noted that President Johnson favored a lenient policy toward the South and attempted to carry on Lincoln’s “10 per cent plan.” He pardoned most of the Southern leaders and permitted them to restore their state governments. They were permitted to elect Senators and Representatives.

Congress, however, led by the Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens, had other ideas about the handling of the defeated Confederacy. Congress favored punitive policies. The South should be treated as conquered territory, and its readmission should be handled by Congress rather than the President. Congress opposed the “Johnson Government” and the “Black Codes” passed by Southern states which virtually restored former slaves to their masters. Accordingly, it passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This measure divided the south into five military districts and provided that a seceded state would be readmitted in the Union only after it had ratified the 14th Amendment which provided that all persons born or naturalized in the United States should be citizens of the United States and of the state in which they resided; granted equality before the law to all persons; and prohibited a state from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property

35

without due process of law. Congress also barred rebel leaders from federal office, repudiated the Confederate debt, and reduced the representation of states which barred qualified person from voting. Later it adopted the 15th Amendment guaranteeing the Negroes the right to vote. Johnson vigorously opposed these measures. He vetoed the Reconstruction Act and others, only to see Congress repass them over his veto. After such passage of the Tenure of Office Act, Johnson, believing it unconstitutional, violated it and removed a member of his Cabinet without consulting Congress. The House of Representatives proceeded to impeach Johnson. The Senate, however, failed, by one vote, to reach the two-thirds majority necessary for his removal. 1.The title most suitable for the passage is A)The Power of Congress

B)The impeachment of President Johnson C)Conflict between president Johnson and congress D)The Power of Congress during the Reconstruction Period

2.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage A)President Johnson believed that the Reconstruction Act of 1867 should be carried out. B)Johnson failed to be impeached because anyhow the President should have more power than Congress.

C)The states which seceded could be admitted to the Union on the condition that they approve of the 14thAmendment.

D)The President doesn’t have the right to remove a Cabinet member without consulting Congress.

3.The Reconstruction Act of 1867 ______ A)affirmed the “Black Codes”. B)Was vetoed by the President.

C)Was lenient in the treatment of the seceded states. D)Was declared unconstitutional by the President.

4.Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage? A)All those who are born in America are regarded as American citizens.

B)Congress stipulated that leaders of Confederacy shouldn’t enter upon federal office. C)Negroes didn’t have the right to vote until the 15th Amendment was passed. D)A state can’t deprive any person of liberty

5.The paragraph preceeding this passage is most likely concerned with _____. A)the situation during the Civil War B)President Johnson’s anecdotes C)Presidents’ power

D)The exercise of power by Congress

(二十八)

36

The fridge is considered a necessity. It has been so since the 1960s when packaged food first appeared with the label:” store in the refrigerator.”

In my fridgeless Fifties childhood, I was fed well and healthy. The milkman came daily, the grocer, the butcher（肉商）, the baker, and the ice-cream man delivered two or three times a week. The Sunday meat would last until Wednesday and surplus（剩余的）bread and milk became all kinds of cakes. Nothing was wasted, and we were never troubled by rotten food. Thirty years on, food deliveries have ceased, fresh vegetables are almost unobtainable in the country. The invention of the fridge contributed comparatively little to the art of food preservation. A vast way of well-tried techniques already existed-natural cooling, drying, smoking, salting, sugaring, bottling…

What refrigeration did promote was marketing—marketing hardware and electricity, marketing soft drinks, marketing dead bodies of animals around the globe in search of a good price.

Consequently, most of the world’s fridges are to be found, not in the tropics where they might prove useful, but in the wealthy countries with mild temperatures where they are climatically almost unnecessary. Every winter, millions of fridges hum away continuously, and at vast expense, busily maintaining an artificially-cooled space inside an artificially-heated house-while outside, nature provides the desired temperature free of charge.

The fridge’s effect upon the environment has been evident, while its contribution to human happiness has been insignificant. If you don’t believe me, try it yourself, invest in a food cabinet and turn off your fridge next winter. You may miss the hamburgers（汉堡包）, but at least you’ll get rid of that terrible hum.

1. The statement “In my fridgeless Fifties childhood, I was fed well and healthily.” (Line 1, Para.2) suggests that _______.

A) the author was well-fed and healthy even without a fridge in his fifties B) the author was not accustomed to using fridges even in his fifties C) there was no fridge in the author’s home in the 1950s D) the fridge was in its early stage of development in the 1950s

2. Why does the author say that nothing was wasted before the invention of fridges?

A) People would not buy more food than was necessary. B) Food was delivered to people two or three times a week. C) Food was sold fresh and did not get rotten easily. D) People had effective ways to preserve their food.

3. Who benefited the least from fridges according to the author? A) Inventors. B) Consumers. C) Manufacturers. D) Traveling salesmen. 4. Which of the following phrases in the fifth paragraph indicates the fridge’s negative effect on the environment?

37

A) “Hum away continuously”.

B) “Climatically almost unnecessary”.

C) “Artificially-cooled space”.

D) “With mild temperatures”.

5. What is the author’s overall attitude toward fridges?

A) Neutral. B) Critical. C) Objective. D) Compromising.

（二十九）

The human brain contains 10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousand connections. Such enormous numbers used to discourage us and cause us to dismiss the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability, but now that we have grown used to moving forward at such a pace we can be less sure. Quite soon, in only 10 or 20 years perhaps, we will be able to assemble a machine as complex as the human brain, and if we can we will. It may then take us a long time to render it intelligent by loading in the right software（软件）or by altering the architecture but that too will happen.

I think it certain that in decades, not centuries, machines of silicon（硅）will arise first to rival and then exceed their human ancestors. Once they exceed us they will be capable of their own design. In a real sense they will be able to reproduce themselves. Silicon will have ended carbon’s long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest intelligence in the known universe.

As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost declines through economies of scale we may use them to expand our frontiers, first on earth through their ability to withstand environments, harmful to ourselves. Thus, deserts may bloom and the ocean beds be mined. Further ahead, by a combination of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, the construction of a vast, man-created world in space, home to thousands or millions of people, will be within our power. 1. In what way can we make a machine intelligent?

A) By making it work in such environments as deserts, oceans or space. B) By working hard for 10 or 20 years.

C) By either properly programming it or changing its structure. D) By reproducing it.

2. What does the writer think about machines with human-like ability? A) He believes they will be useful to human beings. B) He believes that they will control us in the future. C) He is not quite sure in what way they may influence us. D) He doesn’t consider the construction of such machines possible. 3. The word “carbon” (Line 4, Para.2) stands for _________. A) intelligent robots

38

B) a chemical element C) an organic substance D) human beings

4. A robot can be used to expand our frontiers when _______. A) its intelligence and cost are beyond question B) it is able to bear the rough environment C) it is made as complex as the human brain D) its architecture is different from that of the present ones 5. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A) after the installation of a great number of cells and connections, robots will be capable of self-reproduction

B) with the rapid development of technology, people have come to realize the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability

C) once we make a machine as complex as the human brain, it will posses intelligence D) robots will have control of the vast, man-made world in space

(三十)

After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll（死亡人数）could have been much worse.

More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, as earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.

Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.

Despite the good new, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints（蓝图）for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

1. One reason why the loss of lives in the Los Angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that _______.

39

A) new computers had been installed in the buildings

B) it occurred in the residential areas rather than on the highways C) large numbers of Los Angeles residents had gone for a holiday

D) improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways 2. The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to _____. A) counterbalance an earthquake’s action on the building B) predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracy C) help strengthen the foundation of the building D) measure the impact of an earthquake’s vibrations 3. The smart buildings discussed in the passage ______ A) would cause serious financial problems B) would be worthwhile though costly

C) would increase the complexity of architectural design D) can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing the damage caused by earthquakes attention should be focused on _______

A) the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction B) the development of flexible building materials C) the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations D) early forecasts of earthquakes

5. The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is to ________.

A) compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the U.S. B) encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers C) outline the history of the development of quake-resistant building materials D) report new developments in constructing quake-resistant buildings

（三十一）

Even plants can run a fever, especially when they’re under attack by insects or disease. But unlike humans, plants can have their temperature taken from 3,000 feet away-straight up. A decade ago, adapting the infrared（红外线）scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide（杀虫剂）spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don’t have pest（害虫）problems.

Even better, Paley’s Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3,000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a color-coded map

40

showing where plants were running “fevers”. Farmers could then spot-spray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise would.

The bad news is that Paley’s company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted the new technology and long-term backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation. Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. “This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States,” says George Oerther of Texas A&M. Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.

1. Plants will emit an increased amount of heat when they are ________. A) sprayed with pesticides B) facing an infrared scanner

C) in poor physical condition D) exposed to excessive sun rays

2. In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to ______. A) estimate the damage to the crops B) draw a color-coded map

C) measure the size of the affected area D) locate the problem area

3. Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by ______. A) resorting to spot-spraying B) consulting infrared scanning experts

C) transforming poisoned rain D) detecting crop problems at an early date.

4. The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties due to _____.

A) the lack of official support B) its high cost

C) the lack of financial support D) its failure to help increase production

5. Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of ______. A) the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce B) growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops C) the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture D) full support from agricultural experts

(三十二)

Psychologist George Spilich and colleagues at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland,

41

decided to find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to “think and concentrate.” Spilich put young non-smokers, active smokers and smokers deprived（被剥夺）of cigarettes through a series of tests.

In the first test, each subject（试验对象）sat before a computer screen and pressed a key as soon as he or she recognized a target letter among a grouping of 96. In this simple test, smokers, deprived smokers and non-smokers performed equally well.

The next test was more complex, requiring all to scan sequences of 20 identical letters and respond the instant one of the letters transformed into a different one. Non-smokers were faster, but under the stimulation of nicotine（尼古丁）, active smokers were faster than deprived smokers. In the third test of short-term memory, non-smokers made the fewest errors, but deprived smokers committed fewer errors than active smokers.

The fourth test required people to read a passage, then answer questions about it. Non- smokers remembered 19 percent more of the most important information than active smokers, and deprived smokers bested those who had smoked a cigarette just before testing. Active smokers tended not only to have poorer memories but also had trouble separating important information from insignificant details.

“As our tests became more complex.” Sums up Spilich, “non-smokers performed better than smokers by wider and wider margins” He predicts, “smokers might perform adequately at many jobs-until they got complicated. A smoking airline pilot could fly adequately if no problems arose, but if something went wrong, smoking might damage his mental capacity.” 1. The purpose of George Spilich’s experiments is ________.

A) to test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers B) to show how smoking damages people’s mental capacity C) to prove that smoking affects people’s regular performance D) to find out whether smoking helps people’s short-term memory

2. George Spilich’s experiment was conducted in such a way as to __________. A) compel the subjects to separate major information from minor details B) put the subjects through increasingly complex tests C) check the effectiveness of nicotine on smokers D) register the prompt responses of the subjects

3. The word “bested” (Line 3, Para.5) most probably means _________.

A) beat B) envied C) caught up with D) made the best of 4. Which of the following statements is true?

A) Active smokers in general performed better than deprived smokers. B) Active smokers responded more quickly than the other subjects.

C) Non-smokers were not better than other subjects in performing simple tasks. D) Deprived smokers gave the slowest responses to the various tasks. 5. We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

A) smokers should not expect to become airline pilots B) smoking in emergency cases causes mental illness C) no airline pilots smoke during flights

D) smokers may prove unequal to handing emergency cases

（三十三）

42

There is no denying that students should learn something about how computers work, just as we expect them at least to understand that the internal-combustion engine（内燃机） has something to do with burning fuel, expanding gases and pistons（活塞）being driven. For people should have some basic idea of how the things that they use do what they do. Further, students might be helped by a course that considers the computer’s impact on society. But that is not what is meant by computer literacy. For computer literacy is not a form of literacy（读写能力）; it is a trade skill that should not be taught as a liberal art.

Learning how to use a computer and learning how to program one are two distinct activities. A case might be made that the competent citizens of tomorrow should free themselves from their fear of computers. But this is quite different from saying that all ought to know how to program one. Leave that to people who have chosen programming as a career. While programming can be lots of fun, and while our society needs some people who are experts at it, the same is true of auto repair and violin-making.

Learning how to use a computer is not that difficult, and it gets easier all the time as programs become more “user-friendly”. Let us assume that in the future everyone is going to have to know how to use a computer to be a competent citizen. What does the phrase “learning to use a computer” mean? It sounds like “learning to drive a car”, that is, it sounds as if there is some set of definite skills that, once acquired, enable one to use a computer.

In fact, “learning to use a computer” is much more like “learning to play a game”, but learning the rules of one game may not help you play a second game, whose rules may not be the same. There is no such a thing as teaching someone how to use a computer. One can only teach people to use this or that program and generally that is easily accomplished.

1. To be the competent citizens of tomorrow, people should ________. A) try to lay a solid foundation in computer science

B) be aware of how the things that they use do what they do C) learn to use a computer by acquiring a certain set of skills

D) understand that programming a computer is more essential than repairing a car. 2. In the second paragraph “violin-making” is mentioned to show that _________. A) programming a computer is as interesting as making a violin B) our society needs experts in different fields

C) violin-making requires as much skill as computer programming

D) people who can use a computer don’t necessarily have to know computer programming 3. Learning to use a computer is getting easier all the time because _________. A) programs are becoming less complicated

B) programs are designed to be convenient to users C) programming is becoming easier and easier

D) programs are becoming readily available to computer users

4. According to the author, the phrase “learning to use a computer” (Lines3-4, Para.3) means learning ________.

A) a set of rules B) the fundamentals of computer science C) specific programs D) general principles of programming.

5. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is _________.

43

A) to stress the impact of the computer on society B) to explain the concept of the computer literacy

C) to illustrate the requirements for being competent citizens of tomorrow.

D) to emphasize that computer programming is an interesting and challenging job

（三十四）

The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness, if fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.

As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment（承担的义务）, self-improvement. Ask a bachelor（单身汉）why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.

Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________. A) he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities

B) he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single C) he finds more fun in dating than in marriage

D) he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement 2. Raising children, in the author’s opinion, is _________. A) a moral duty B) a thankless job C) a rewarding task D) a source of inevitable pain

3. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________. A) hatred B) misunderstanding C) prejudice D) ignorance 4. To understand what true happiness is one must ____________.

A) have as much run as possible during one’s lifetime B) make every effort to liberate oneself from pain

C) put up with pain under all circumstances D) be able to distinguish happiness from fun

44

5. What is the author trying to tell us?

A) Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain. B) One must know how to attain happiness.

C) It is important to make commitments. D) It is pain that leads to happiness.

（三十五）

It’s very interesting to note where the debate about diversity（多样化）is taking place. It is taking place primarily in political circles. Here at the College Fund, we have a lot of contact with top corporate（公司的）leaders; none of them is talking about getting rid of those instruments that produce diversity. In fact, they say that if their companies are to compete in the global village and in the global market place, diversity is an imperative. They also say that the need for talented, skilled Americans means we have to expand the pool means promoting policies that help provide skills to more minorities, more women and more immigrants. Corporate leaders know that if that doesn’t occur in our society, they will not have the engineers, the scientist, the lawyers, or the business managers they will need.

Likewise, I don’t hear people in the academy saying. “Let’s go backward. Let’s go back to the good old days, when we had a meritocracy（不拘一格选人才） “(which was never true-we never had a meritocracy, although we’ve come close to it in the last 30 years). I recently visited a great little college in New York where the campus had doubled its minority population in the last six years. I talked with an African American who has been a professor there for a long time, and she remembers that when she first joined the community, there were fewer than a handful of minorities on campus. Now, all of us feel the university is better because of the diversity. So where we hear this debate is primarily in political circles and in the media---not in corporate board rooms or on college campuses.

1. The word “imperative” (Line 5, Para.1) most probably refers to something _______. A) superficial B) remarkable C) debatable D) essential 2. Which of the following groups of people still differ in their views on diversity? A) Minorities. B) Politicians. C) Professors. D) Managers.

3. High corporate leaders seem to be in favor of promoting diversity so as to _________. A) lower the rate of unemployment B) win equal political rights for minorities

C) be competitive in the world market D) satisfy the demands of a growing population

4. It can be inferred from the passage that __________. A) meritocracy can never be realized without diversity B) American political circles will not accept diversity C) it is unlikely that diversity will occur in the U.S. media

D) minorities can only enter the fields where no debate is heard about diversity.

5. According to the passage diversity can be achieved in American society by ________.

A) expanding the pool of potential employees B) promoting policies that provide skills to employees

C) training more engineers, scientists lawyers and business managers

D) providing education for all regardless of race or sex

45

（三十六）

The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man

with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remain is unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones. RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation（航空）industry, has recommended that all airlines ban（禁止）such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.

The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers. Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.

The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable（易受损的）to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too loud. 1. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A) a new regulation for al airlines B) the defects of electronic devices

C) a possible cause of aircraft crashes D) effective safety measures for air flight 2. What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years? A) They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems. B) They may have taken place during take-off and landing.

C) They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers. D) They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.

3. Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because __________.

A) they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference

B) the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved

C) most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players D) they have other effective safety measures to fall back on

4. Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane’s computers?

A) Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane. B) Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with. C) Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs. D) Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research. 5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author ___________.

A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers’ use of electronic devices completely B) has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference

46

C) hasn’t formed his own opinion on this problem

D) regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight

（三十七）:

The rise of multinational corporations（跨国公司）, global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.

Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations agencies were American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate（公司的）planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.

Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts（相对应的人）in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson-Marshall’s U.S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage. Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country.

Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN(Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such things as foreign.

1. According to the passage, U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened because of ________.

A) an unparalleled increase in the number of public relations companies B) shrinking cultural differences and new communications technologies C) the decreasing number of multinational corporations in the U.S. D) increased efforts of other countries in public relations.

2. London could soon replace New York as the center of PR because __________. A) British companies are more ambitious than U.S. companies

B) British companies place more importance on PR than U.S. companies C) British companies are heavily involved in planning activities

D) four of the world’s top public relations agencies are British-owned

3. The word “provincial” (Line 2, Para.3) most probably means “________”. A) limited in outlook B) like people from the provinces

C) rigid in thinking D) interested in world financial affairs

47

4. We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry ________. A) speak at least one foreign language fluently B) are ignorant about world geography

C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts

D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications 5. What lesson might the PR industry take from Ted Turner of CNN? A) American PR companies should be more internationally-minded.

B) The American PR industry should develop global communications technologies. C) People working in PR should be more fluent in foreign languages. D) People involved in PR should avoid using the word “foreign”.

（三十八）

Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.

Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.

Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas（通俗电视连续剧）and installment（分期付款）plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.

“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working,” says Martine. “They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”

Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. “This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible（不相容的）with unlimited reproduction,” says Martine.

1. According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth _________.

A) by educating its citizens B) by careful family planning C) by developing TV programmes D) by chance 2. According to the passage, many Third World countries _________. A) haven’t attached much importance to birth control B) would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate

C) haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population D) neglected the role of TV plays in family planning

3. The phrase “puts it down to” (Line 1, Pars.3) is closest in meaning to “_________”.

A) attributes it to

48

B) finds it a reason for C) sums it up as D) compares it to

4. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because _________.

A) they keep people sitting long hours watching TV. B) they have gradually changed people’s way of life. C) people are drawn to their attractive package. D) they popularize birth control measures.

5. What is Martine’s conclusion about Brazil’s population growth? A) The increase in birth rate will promote consumption. B) The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.

C) Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory D) A country’s production is limited by its population growth..

(三十九)

There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world. What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained is the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic（北极的）peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent（进步）. The progress from a rattle（拔浪鼓）used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

1. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that __________.

A) their social roles are rigidly determined

B) most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions

C) boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers D) they like challenging activities

2. One aspect of “the universality of toys” lies in the fact that ________. A) technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys

B) the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

49

C) the exploration of the universe had led to the creation of new kinds of toys D) the basic characteristics of toys are the same the world over

3. Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys? A) The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged. B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.

C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.

D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character. 4. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys _________.

A) follow a direct line of ascent B) also appeal greatly to adults

C) are not characterized by technological progress D) reflect the pace of social progress 5. The author uses the example of rattle to show that ________. A) in toy-making there is a continuity in the sue of materials B) even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology C) even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology D) even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time.

(四十)

So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible.”

Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity: It can be seen and observed.

Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.

If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索）for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”

When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfil them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.

1. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that _______. A) it is one of the most difficult school courses B) students spend endless hours in reading

C) reading tasks are assigned with little guidance D) too much time is spent in teaching about reading

2. The teaching of reading will be successful if ________. A) teachers can improve conditions at school for the students.

50

本文来源：https://www.bwwdw.com/article/z17p.html