英语六级阅读专项：王长喜六级考试标准阅读(1) 王长喜, 英语, 六级, 专项, 考试

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第一篇：
     I live in the land of Disney， Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous， fun-filled place are happier than others. If so， you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.

    Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper， more abiding emotion.
    Going to an amusement park or ball game， watching a movie or television， are fun activities that help us relax， temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness， because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
    I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play， it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich， beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties， fancy cars， expensive homes， everything that spells “happiness”。 But in memoir after memoir， celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun： depression， alcoholism， drug addiction， broken marriages， troubled children and profound loneliness.
    Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he‘s 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 and excitement. Marriage has such moments， but they are not its most distinguishing features.
    Similarly， couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out ever they want and sleep as late as they want. 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.
    Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. 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 rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
    1.Which of the following is true？
    A.Fun creates long-lasting satisfaction. B.Fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness. C.Happiness is enduring whereas fun is short-lived. D.Fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness.
    2.To the author， Hollywood stars all have an important role to play that is to __. A.rite memoir after memoir about their happiness. B.tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun. C.teach people how to enjoy their lives. D.bring happiness to the public instead of going to glamorous parties.
    3.In the author‘s opinion， marriage___. A.affords greater fun. B.leads to raising children. C.indicates commitment. D.ends in pain.
    4.Couples having infant children___. A.are lucky since they can have a whole night‘s sleep. B.find fun in tucking them into bed at night. C.find more time to play and joke with them. D.derive happiness from their endeavor.
    5.If one get the meaning of the true sense of happiness， he will__. A.stop playing games and joking with others. B.make the best use of his time increasing happiness. C.give a free hand to money. D.keep himself with his family.
    第一篇答案：CBCDB

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第57篇

    The establishment of the Third Reich influence events in American history by starting a chain of event， which culminated in war between Germany and the United states. The complete destruction of democracy， the persecution of Jew， the war on religion， the cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis， and especially， the plans of Germany and her allies， Italy and Japan， for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war. While speaking out against Hitler‘s atrocities， the American people generally favored isolationist policies and neutrality. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the President was empowered to declare an arms embargo（禁运）in wars between nations at his discretion.

    American opinion began to change somewhat after president Roosevelt‘s “quarantine the aggressor” speech at Chicago （1937） in which he severely criticized Hitler’s policies. Germany‘s seizure of Austria and the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia （1938） also aroused the American people. The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the Third Reich. In August 1939 came the shock of Nazi-Soviet Pact and in September the attack on Poland， the outbreak of European war. The United States attempted to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted “cash and carry” exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed （1940） to strengthen the military service. A Lend Lease Act （1941） authorized the President to sell， exchange， or lend materials to any country deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August 1941， President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter that proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war. In December 1941， Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. Immediately thereafter， Germany declared war on the United States.

    1.One item occurring before 1937 that the author does not mention in his list of actions that alienated the American public was ___.

    A.Nazi barbarism

    B.The pacts with Italy

    C.German plans for conquest

    D.The burning of the Reichstag

    2.The Neutrality Act of 1939 ___.

    A.restated America‘s isolationist policies

    B.proclaimed American neutrality

    C.permitted the selling of arms to belligerent nations

    D.was a cause of our entrance into World War Ⅱ

    3.An event that did not occur in 1939 was the ___.

    A.invasion of Poland

    B.invasion of Czechoslovakia

    C.passing of the Neutrality Act

    D.establishment of the University of Leipzig in Germany

    4.The Lend Lease Act was blueprinted to ___.

    A.strengthen our national defense

    B.provide battleships to the Allies

    C.help the British

    D.promote the Atlantic Charter

    5.The Neutrality Act of 1939 favored Great Britain because ___.

    A.the British had command of the sea

    B.the law permitted us to trade only with the Allies

    C.it antagonized Japan

    D.it led to the Lend Lease Act

    答案：DCDAA

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第56篇

    Most people would probably agree that many individual consumer adverts function on the level of the daydream. By picturing quite unusually happy and glamorous people whose success in either career of sexual terms， or both， is obvious， adverts construct an imaginary world in which the reader is able to make come true those desires which remain unsatisfied in his or her everyday life.


    An advert for a science fiction magazine is unusually explicit about this. In addition to the primary use value of the magazine， the reader is promised access to a wonderful universe through the product—access to other mysterious and tantalizing worlds and epochs， the realms of the imagination. When studying advertising， it is therefore unreasonable to expect readers to decipher adverts as factual statements about reality. Most adverts are just too meagre in informative content and too rich in emotional suggestive detail to be read literally. If people read then literally， they would soon be forced to realize their error when the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn‘t materialize.

    The average consumer is not surprised that his purchase of the commodity does not redeem the promise of the advertisement， for this is what he is used to in life： the individual‘s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain. But the fantasy is his to keep； in his dream world he enjoys a “future endlessly deferred”。

    The Estivalia advert is quite explicit about the fact that advertising shows us not reality， but a fantasy； it does so by openly admitting the daydream but in a way that insists on the existence of a bridge linking daydream to reality—Estivalia， which is “for daydream believers”， those who refuse to give up trying to make the hazy ideal of natural beauty and harmony come true.

    If adverts function on the daydream level， it clearly becomes in adequate to merely condemn advertising for channeling readers‘ attention and desires towards an unrealistic， paradisiacal nowhere land. Advertising certainly does that， but in order for people to find it relevant， the utopia visualized in adverts must be linked to our surrounding reality by a casual connection.

    1.The people in adverts are in most coves ___.

    A.happy and glamorous

    B.successful

    C.obvious

    D.both A and B

    2.When the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn‘t materialize the average consumer is not surprised， because ___.

    A.The consumer is used to the fact that the individual‘s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain.

    B.Adverts are factual statements about reality.

    C.The consumer can come into the realms of imagination pictured by adverts.

    D.Adverts can make the consumer‘s dreams come true.

    3.What‘s the bridge linking daydream to reality in adverts？

    A.The product.

    B.Estivalia.

    C.Pictures.

    D.Happy and glamorous people.

    4.Why does the consumer accept the daydream in adverts？

    A.Because the consumer enjoys a “future endlessly deferred.”

    B.Because the consumer gives up trying to make his dream come true.

    C.Because the utopia is visualized in adverts.

    D.Because his purchased of the commodity does not redeem the promise of the advertisement.

    5.What is this passage mainly concerned with？

    A.Many adverts can be read literally.

    B.Everyone has a daydream.

    C.Many adverts function on the level of the daydream.

    D.Many adverts are deceitful because they can not make good their promises.

    答案：DABAC

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第55篇
    Culture is the total sum of all the traditions， customs， beliefs， and ways of life of a given group og human beings. In this sense， every group has a culture， however savage， undeveloped， or uncivilized it may seem to us.


    To the professional anthropologist， there is no intrinsic superiority of one culture over another， just as to the professional linguist there is no intrinsic hierarchy among languages.

    People once thought of the languages of backward groups as savage， undeveloped forms of speech， consisting largely of grunts and groans. While it is possible that language in general began as a series of grunts and groans， it is a fact established by the study of “backward” languages that no spoken tongue answers that description today. Most languages of uncivilized groups are， by our most severe standards， extremely complex， delicate， and ingenious pieces of machinery for the transfer of ideas. They fall behind our Western languages not in their sound patterns or grammatical structures， which usually fully adequate for all language needs， but only in their vocabularies， which reflects the objects and activities known to their speakers. Even in this department， however， two things are to be noted： 1. All languages seem to possess the machinery for vocabulary expansion， either by putting together words already in existence or by borrowing them from other languages and adapting them to their own system. 2. The objects and activities requiring names and distinctions in “backward” languages， while different from ours， are often surprisingly numerous and complicated. An accidental language distinguishes merely between two degrees of remoteness （“this” and “that”）； some languages of the American Indians distinguish between what is close to the speaker， or to the person addressed， or removed from both， or out of sight， or in the past， or in the future.

    This study of language， in turn， casts a new light upon the claim of the anthropologists that all culture are to be viewed independently， and without ideas of rank or hierarchy.

    1.the language of uncivilized groups as compared to Western languages are limited in ___.

    A.sound patterns

    B.vocabularies

    C.grammatical structures

    D.both A and B

    2.The author says that professional linguists recognize that ___.

    A.Western languages are superior to Eastern languages

    B.All languages came from grunts and groans

    C.The hierarchy of languages is difficult to understand

    D.There is no hierarchy of languages

    3.The article states that grunt-and-groan forms of speech are found ___.

    A.nowhere today

    B.among the Australian aborigines

    C.among Eastern cultures

    D.among people speaking “backward” languages

    4.According to the author， languages， whether civilized or not， have ___.

    A.the potential for expanding vocabulary

    B.their own sound patterns

    C.an ability to transfer ideas

    D.grammatical structures

    5.Which of the following is implied but not articulated in the passage？

    A.The study of languages has discredited anthropological studies.

    B.The study of language has reinforced anthropologists in their view that there is no hierarchy among cultures.

    C.The study of language is the same as the study of anthropologists.

    D.The study of languages casts a new light upon the claim of anthropologists.

    答案：BDAAB

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第54篇

    If we look at education in our own society， we see two sharply different factors. First of all， there is the overwhelming majority of teachers， principals， curriculum planners， school superintendents， who are devoted to passing on the knowledge that children need in order to live in our industrialized society. Their chief concern is with efficiency， that is， with implanting the greatest number of facts into the greatest possible number of children， with a minimum of time， expense， and effort.


    Classroom learning often has as its unspoken goal the reward of pleasing the teacher. Children in the usual classroom learn very quickly that creativity is punished， while repeating a memorized response is rewarded， and concentrate on what the teacher wants them to say， rather than understanding the problem.

    The difference between the intrinsic and the extrinsic aspects of a college education is illustrated by the following story about Upton Sinclair. When Sinclair was a young man， he found that he was unable to raise the tuition money needed to attend college. Upon careful reading of the college catalogue， however， he found that if a student failed a course， he received no credit for the course， but was obliged to take another course in its place. The college did not charge the student for the second course， reasoning that he had already paid once for his credit. Sinclair took advantage of this policy and not a free education by deliberately failing all his courses.

    In the ideal college， there would be no credits， no degrees， and no required courses. A person would learn what he wanted to learn. A friend and I attempted to put this ideal into action by starting a serials of seminars at Brandeis called “Freshman Seminars Introduction to the Intellectual Life.” In the ideal college， intrinsic education would be available to anyone who wanted it—since anyone can improve and learn. The student body might include creative， intelligent children as well as adults； morons as well as geniuses （for even morons can learn emotionally and spiritually）。 The college would be ubiquitous—that is， not restricted to particular buildings at particular times， and teachers would be any human beings who had something that they wanted to share with others. The college would be lifelong， for learning can take place all through life. Even dying can be a philosophically illuminating， highly educative experience.

    The ideal college would be a kind of education retreat in which you could try to find yourself； find out what you like and want； what you are and are not good at. The chief goals of the ideal college， in other words， would be the discovery of identity， and with it， the discovery of vocation.

    1.In the author‘s opinion， the majority of education workers ___.

    A.emphasize independent thought rather than well-memorized responses

    B.tend to reward children with better understanding rather than with a goal for credits

    C.implant children with a lot of facts at the expense of understanding the problem

    D.are imaginative， creative and efficient in keeping up with our industrialized society

    2.Children in the usual classroom learn very quickly when ___.

    A.they are required to repeat what teacher has said

    B.they read books that are not assigned by the teacher

    C.they know how to behave themselves in face of the teacher

    D.they can memorize the greatest number of facts in the shortest period of time

    3.An extrinsically oriented education is one that ___.

    A.focuses on oriented education

    B.takes students‘ need into account

    C.lays emphases on “earning a degree”

    D.emphasizes learning through discussion

    4.To enter the author‘s ideal college， a student ___.

    A.has to pass an enrollment exam

    B.should be very intelligent

    C.needn‘t worry about homework

    D.can be best stimulated for creative work

    5.The author‘s purpose of writing the article is ___.

    A.to advocate his views

    B.to criticize college students

    C.to stress self-teaching attitude

    D.to put technological education to a later stage

    答案：CACCA

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第53篇
    Work is a very important part of life in the United States. When the early Protestant immigrants came to this country， they brought the idea that work was the way to God and heaven. This attitude， the Protestant work ethic， still influences America today. Work is not only important for economic benefits， the salary， but also for social and psychological needs， the feeling of doing something for the good of the society. Americans spend most of their lives working， being productive. For most Americans， their work defines them； they are what they do. What happens， then when a person can no longer work？


    Most Americans stop working at age sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture， retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course， some people are happy to retire； but leaving one‘s job， whatever it is a difficult change， even for those who look forward to retiring. Many retirees do not know how to use their time or they feel lost without jobs.

    Retirement can also bring financial problems. Many people rely on Social Security checks every month. During their working years， employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. When people retire， they receive this money as income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on， however， because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens， those over sixty-five， have to have savings in the bank or other retirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation is forcing prices higher each year； Social Security checks alone cannot cover Medicare （health care） and welfare （general assistance） but many senior citizens have to change their lifestyles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to but food， fuel， and other necessities.

    Of course， many senior citizens are happy with retirement. They have time to spend with their families or to enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part time； others do volunteer work. Some， like those in the Retired Business Executives Association， even help young people to get started in new business. Many retired citizens also belong to “Golden Age” groups. These organizations plan trips and social events. There are many opportunities for retirees.

    Americans society is only beginning to be concerned about the special physical and emotional needs of its senior citizens. The government is taking steps to ease the problem of limited income. They are building new housing， offering discounts in stores and museums and on buses， and providing other services， such as free courses， food service， and help with housework. Retired citizens are a rapidly growing percentage of the population. This part of the population is very important and we must respond to their needs. After all， every citizen will be a senior citizen some day.

    1.The early immigrants considered work ___.

    A.too hard

    B.important

    C.pleasant

    D.dull

    2.Why do Americans like working？ Because working ___.

    A.doesn‘t only mean money but it is also psychological

    B.can make life more comfortable

    C.can prove people to be independent

    D.gives people funny

    3.We can safely put forward that retirees who ___.

    A.have no financial problems still want to earn more money

    B.have financial problems still feel lost

    C.have no financial problems still feel lost

    D.have no financial problems feels it‘s hard to make ends meet

    4.According to the passage the government ___.

    A.hadn‘t paid attention to the retirees’ problems

    B.has already solved a lot of retirees‘ problems

    C.has just begun to pay attention to the retirees‘ problems

    D.won‘t pay attention to the retirees’ problems

    5.Which of the following is not steps taken for the benefit of senior citizens by the government？

    A.New housing has been built.

    B.The old are offered discounts in stores.

    C.Senior citizens are provided free courses， food service.

    D.None.

    答案：BACCD

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第52篇

    Pronouncing a language is a skill. Every normal person is expert in the skill of pronouncing his own language； but few people are even moderately proficient at pronouncing foreign languages. Now there are many reasons for this， some obvious， some perhaps not so obvious. But I suggest that the fundamental reason why people in general do not speak foreign languages very much better than they do is that they fail to grasp the true nature of the problem of learning to pronounce， and consequently never set about tackling it in the right way. Far too many people fail to realize that pronouncing a foreign language is a skill—one that needs careful training of a special kind， and one that cannot be acquired by just leaving it to take care of itself. I think even teachers of language， while recognizing the importance of good accent， tend to neglect， in their practical teaching， the branch of study concerned with speaking the language. So the first point I want to make is that English pronunciation must be taught； the teacher should be prepared to devote some of the lesson time to this， and by his whole attitude to the subject should get the student feel that there is a matter worthy of receiving his close attention. So， there should be occasions when other aspects of English， such as grammar or spelling， are allowed for the moment to take second place.

    Apart from this question of the time given to pronunciation， there are two other requirements for the teacher： the first， knowledge； the second， technique.

    It is important that the teacher should be in possession of the necessary information. This can generally be obtained from books. It is possible to get from books some idea of the mechanics of speech， and of what we call general phonetic theory. It is also possible in this way to get a clear mental picture of the relationship between the sounds of different languages， between the speech habits of English people and those， say， of your students. Unless the teacher has such a picture， any comments he may make on his students pronunciation are unlikely to be of much use， and lesson time spent on pronunciation may well be time wasted.

    1.What does the writer actually say about pronouncing foreign languages？

    A.Only a few people are really proficient.

    B.No one is really an expert in the skill.

    C.There aren‘t many people who are even fairly good.

    D.There are even some people who are moderately proficient.

    2.The writer argues that going about the problem of pronunciation in the wrong ways ___.

    A.an obvious cause of not grasping the problem correctly

    B.a fundamental consequence of not speaking well

    C.a consequence of not grasping the problem correctly

    D.not an obvious cause of speaking poorly

    3.The best way of learning to speak a foreign language， he suggests， is by ___.

    A.picking it up naturally as a child

    B.learning from a native speaker

    C.not concentrating on pronunciation much

    D.undertaking systematic work

    4.The value the student puts on correct speech habits depends upon ___.

    A.how closely he attends to the matter

    B.whether it is English that is being taught

    C.his teacher‘s approach to pronunciation

    D.the importance normally given to grammar and spelling

    5.How might the teacher find himself wasting lesson time？

    A.By spending lesson time on pronunciation.

    B.By making ill-informed comments upon pronunciation.

    C.By not using books on phonetics in the classroom.

    D.By not giving students a clear mental picture of the different between sounds.

    答案：CCDCB

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第51篇

    Until recently， women in advertisements wore one of three things—an apron， a glamorous dress or a frown. Although that is now changing， many women still feel angry enough to deface offending advertisements with stickers protesting， “This ad degrades women.” Why does this sort of advertising exist？ How can advertisers and ad agencies produce， sometimes， after months of research， advertising that offends the consumer？


    The Advertising Standards Authority （the body which deals with complaints about print media） is carrying out research into how women feel about the way they are portrayed in advertisements. Its conclusions are likely to be what the advertising industry already knows： although women often irritated by the way they are seen in ads， few feel strongly enough to complain.

    Women are not the only victims of poor and boring stereotypes—in many TV commercials men are seen either as useless， childish oafs who are unable to perform the simplest household tasks， or as in considerate boors， permanently on the lookout for an escape to the pub. But it is women who seem to bear the brunt of the industry‘s apparent inability to put people into an authentic present-day context.

    Yet according to Emma Bennett， executive creative director of a London advertising agency， women are not infuriated by stereotypes and sexist advertising. It tends to wash over them， they are not militant or angry—they just find it annoying or tiresome. They reluctantly accept outdated stereotypes， but heave a sigh of relief when an advertisement really gets it right.

    She says that it is not advertising‘s use of the housewife role that bothers women， but the way in which it is handles. “Researchers have often asked the wrong questions. The most important thing is the advertisement’s tone of voice. Women hate being patronized， flattered or given desperately down-to-earth commonsense advice.”

    In the end， the responsibility for good advertising must be shared between the advertiser， the advertising agency and the consumer. Advertising does not set trends but it reflects them. It is up to the consumer to tell advertisers where they fail， and until people on the receiving end take the business seriously and make their feelings known， the process of change will remain laboriously slow.

    1.Despite recent changes in attitudes， some advertisements still fail to ___.

    A.change women‘s opinions of themselves

    B.show any understanding of people‘s feelings

    C.persuade the public to buy certain products

    D.meet the needs of the advertising industry

    2.According to the writer， the commonest fault of present day advertising is to ___.

    A.condemn the role of the housewife

    B.ignore protests about advertisements

    C.present a misleading image of women

    D.misrepresent the activities of men

    3.Research suggests that the reaction of women towards misrepresentation by advertisement is ___.

    A.apathy

    B.hostility

    C.approbation

    D.unbelief

    4.Emma Bennett suggests that advertisement ought to ___.

    A.give further emphasis to practical advice

    B.change their style rather than their content

    C.use male images instead of female ones

    D.pay more compliments to women than before

    5.Ultimately the advertising industry should ___.

    A.take its job more earnestly

    B.do more pioneering work

    C.take notice of the public opinion

    D.concentrate on the products advertised.

    答案：BCABC

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第50篇

    The food irradiation process is a simple one. The new U.S. plant， Vindicator of Florida Incorporated in Mulberry， Fla.， uses a material called cobalt 60 to irradiate food. Cobalt 60 is radioactive isotope （form） of the metallic element cobalt. Cobalt 60， which gives off radiation in the form of gamma rays， is also used for radiation therapy for cancer patients and for sterilizing hospital equipment. The radioactive isotope is created by bombarding cobalt with subatomic particles in a nuclear reactor. However， irradiation plants do not themselves contain nuclear reactors.


    In the irradiation plant， food is exposed to thin rods of cobalt 60. The rods give off gamma rays， which disrupt chemical processes in contaminating organisms. The disruption breaks down the cell walls of organisms or destroys their genetic material. The dose， set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration （FDA）， is enough to kill organisms on food， but not enough to produce significant changes in the food itself.

    Although irradiation slightly decreases the nutritive value of foods， the loss is less than that produced by some other methods of food preservation. Canning， for example， results in a much greater loss of nutrients.

    Those who object to irradiation say that the process may create substances not found in nonirradiated food. Since the 1960‘s researchers have studied irradiated food at microscopic levels to try to find such substances， called unique radiolytic products. After reviewing these studies， the FDA determined that compounds formed during irradiation are similar to substance found in nonirradiated foods and are not dangerous to consume.

    Destruction of microorganisms that cause illness is an important goal of irradiation. About 250 million cases of food poisoning or 1 per person—occur every year in the U.S.， according to FDA estimates. Food poisoning can cause vomiting， diarrhea， fever， headache—and， occasionally， death.

    Because of the apparent safety of food irradiation， and the problems presented by contaminated food， scientific groups—including the American Medical Association， the World Health Organization， and the United Nations food and Agriculture Association—have voiced nearly universal support for the process. Worldwide， 38 nations have approved irradiation for 355 products.

    Like microwave ovens， food irradiation has aroused apprehension and misunderstanding. Yet it has been scrutinized more thoroughly than other methods of food treatment that we have come to regard as safe， and it appears to be a method whose time has come.

    1.Cobalt 60， besides irradiating food， is also employed to ___.

    A.detect metallic flaws

    B.run a nuclear reactor

    C.cure cancer patients

    D.strengthen concrete walls

    2.Gamma rays used to irradiate food ___.

    A.are generally not strong enough to destroy contaminating organisms

    B.do not bring about significant changes in the food itself

    C.may destroy some of the nutrients in the food

    D.should be submitted to FDA for approval

    3.Irradiated food ___.

    A.certainly loses its nutritive value

    B.maintains its nutritive value no different from the nonirradiated

    C.keeps its nutritive value better than canned food

    D.is recommended as the best of all preserved foods

    4.With cases of food poisoning increasing， ___.

    A.food irradiation should be carried out with care

    B.it is more urgent to irradiate foods

    C.medical researches into treatment of the diseased should be strengthened

    D.Americans are beginning to accept food irradiation

    5.The passage may be taken from ___.

    A.a news report

    B.a textbook of food processing

    C.a book of popular science

    D.a manual of food irradiation

    答案：CBCCD

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第49篇
    Federal Reserve System， central banking system of the United States， popularly called the Fed. A central bank serves as the banker to both the banking community and the government； it also issues the national currency， conducts monetary policy， and plays a major role in the supervision and regulation of banks and bank holding companies. In the U.S. these function are the responsibilities of key officials of the Federal Reserve System： the Board of Governors， located in Washington， D.C.， and the top officers of 12 district Federal Reserve banks， located throughout the nation. The Fed‘s actions， described below， generally have a significant effect on U.S. interest rates and， subsequently， on stock， bond， and other financial markets.


    The Federal Reserve‘s basic powers are concentrated in the Board of Governors， which is paramount in all policy issues concerning bank regulation and supervision and in most aspects of monetary control. The board enunciates the Fed’s policies on both monetary and banking matter. Because the board is not an operating agency， most of the day-to day implementation of policy decisions is left to the district Federal Reserve banks， stock in which is owned by the commercial banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. Ownership in this instance， however， does not imply control； the Board of Governors and the heads of the Reserve banks orient their policies to the public interest rather than to the benefit of the private banking system.

    The U.S. banking system‘s regulatory apparatus is complex； the authority of the Federal Reserve is shared in some instances for example， in mergers or the examination of banks with other Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation （FDIC）。 In the critical area of regulating the nation’s money supply in accordance with national economic goals， however， the Federal Reserve is independent within the government， Income and expenditures of the Federal Reserve banks and of the board of governors are not subject to the congressional appropriation process； the Federal Reserve is self-financing. Its income （$20.2 billion in 1992） comes mainly from Reserve bank holdings of income-earning securities， primarily those of the U.S. government. Outlays （$1.5 billion in 1992） are mostly for operational expenses in providing services to the government and for expenditures connected with regulation and monetary policy. In 1992 the Federal Reserve returned 416.8 billion in earnings to the U.S. treasury.

    1.The Fed of the United States ___.

    A.function as China Bank

    B.is the counterpart of People‘s Bank of China

    C.is subjected to the banking community and government

    D.has 13 top officers who can influence the American financial market

    2.The fact that stock in the Fed belongs to commercial banks ___.

    A.doesn‘t mean the latter is in control

    B.means the latter is in control

    C.means the latter is subjected to the Reserve banks

    D.means the Reserve banks orient the latter‘s policies

    3.Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage？

    A.The fed is a very big， complex and significant system which comprises many local banks.

    B.All the commercial banks are not the components of Federal Reserve System.

    C.Board of governors is the supreme policy-makers of America.

    D.District Reserve banks rather than Board of governors perform the day-to-day policies.

    4.The authority of the federal Reserve ___.

    A.has to be shared with other establishments.

    B.is exclusive at other times

    C.isn‘t limited by comptroller of the Currency and FDIC

    D.is limited by Board of governors

    5.Income of the Board of governors ___.

    A.is borrowed from the U.S. treasury

    B.is used by the government to make various policies

    C.comes from the U.S. Treasury

    D.is not granted by the government

    答案：BACBD

幽幽草

第48篇

    With the start of BBC World Service Television， millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporation‘s news coverage， as well as listen to it.


    And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune into two BBC television channels， five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio stations. They are brought sport， comedy， music， news and current affairs， education， religion， parliamentary coverage， children‘s programs and films for an annual license fee of 83 per household.

    It is a remarkable record， stretching back over 70 years—yet the BBC‘s future is now in doubt. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization， at least for the time being， but its role， its size and its programs are now the subject of a nationwide debate in Britain.

    The debate was launched by the government， which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC—including ordinary listeners and viewers—to say what was good or bad about the Corporation， and even whether they thought if it was worth keeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC‘s royal charters runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is or to make changes.

    Defenders of the Corporation—of whom there are many—are fond of quoting the American slogan “If it ain‘t broke， don’t fix it.” The BBC “ain‘t broke”， they say， by which they mean it is not broken （as distinct from the word “broke”， meaning having no money）， or why bother to change it？

    Yet the BBC will have to change， because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels—ITV and Channel 4—were required by the Thatcher Government‘s Broadcasting Act to become more commercial， competing with each other for advertisers， and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels—funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers’ subscriptions—which will bring about the biggest change in the long term.

    1.The world famous BBC now is confronted with ___.

    A.the problem of news coverage

    B.an uncertain prospect

    C.inquiries by the general public

    D.shrinkage of audience

    2.In the passage， which of the following about the BBC is not mentioned as the key issue？

    A.Extension of its TV service to Far East.

    B.Programs as the subject of a nation-wide debate.

    C.Potentials for further international co-operations.

    D.Its existence as a broadcasting organization.

    3.The BBC‘s “royal charter” （Paragraph 4） represents ___.

    A.the financial support from the royal family

    B.the privileges granted by the Queen

    C.a contract with the Queen

    D.a unique relationship with the royal family

    4.The word “broke” in “If it ain‘t broke， don’t fix it” means ___.

    A.broke down

    B.bankrupt

    C.fragmented

    D.penniless

    5.The first and foremost reason why the BBC has to read just itself is no other than ___.

    A.the emergence of commercial TV channels

    B.the enforcement of Broadcasting Act by the government

    C.the urgent necessity to reduce cost—and—job expenses

    D.the challenges of new satellite channels

    答案：BCCDD

幽幽草

第47篇

    Art is considered by many people to be little more than a decorative means of giving pleasure. This is not always the case， however； at times， art may be seen to have a purely functional side as well. Such could be said of the sandpaintings of the Navaho Indians of the American Southwest； these have a medicinal as well as an artistic purpose.


    According to Navaho traditions， one who suffers from either a mental or a physical illness has in come way disturbed or come in contact with the supernatural—perhaps a certain animal， a ghost， or the dead. To counteract this evil contact， the ill person or one of his relatives will employ a medicine man called a “singer” to perform a healing ceremony which will attract a powerful supernatural being.

    During the ceremony， which may last from 2 to 9 days， the “singer” will produce a sandpainting on the floor of the Navaho hogan. On the last day of the ceremony， the patient will sit on this sandpainting and the “singer” will rub the ailing parts of the patient‘s body with sand from a specific figure in the sandpainting. In this way the patient absorbs the power of that particular supernatural being and becomes strong like it. After the ceremony， the sandpainting is then destroyed and disposed of so its power will not harm anyone.

    The art of sandpainting is handed down from old “singer” to their students. The material used are easily found in the areas the Navaho inhabit； brown， red， yellow， and white sandstone， which is pulverized by being crushed between 2 stones much as corns is ground into flour. The “singer” holds a small amount of this sand in his hand and lets it flow between his thumb and fore-finger onto a clean， flat surface on the floor. With a steady hand and great patience， he is thus able to create designs of stylized people， snakes and other creatures that have power in the Navaho belief system. The traditional Navaho does not allow reproduction of sandpaintings， since he believes the supernatural powers that taught him the craft have forbidden this； however， such reproductions can in fact be purchased today in tourist shops in Arizona and New Mexico. These are done by either Navaho Indians or by other people who wish to preserve this craft.

    1.The purpose of the passage is to ___.

    A.discuss the medical uses of sandpaintings in medieval Europe.

    B.study the ways Navaho Indians handed down their painting art.

    C.consider how Navaho “singer” treat their ailments with sandpaintings.

    D.tell how Navaho Indians apply sandpainting for medical purposes.

    2.The purpose of a healing ceremony lies in ___.

    A.pleasing the ghosts

    B.attracting supernatural powers

    C.attracting the ghosts

    D.creating a sandpainting

    3.The “singer” rubs sand on the patient because ___.

    A.the patient receives strength from the sand

    B.it has pharmaceutical value

    C.it decorates the patient

    D.none of the above

    4.What is used to produce a sandpainting？

    A.Paint

    B.Beach sand

    C.Crushed sandstone

    D.Flour

    5.Which of the following titles will be best suit the passage？

    A.A New Direction for Medical Research

    B.The Navaho Indians‘ Sandpainting

    C.The Process of Sandpainting Creation

    D.The Navaho Indians‘ Medical History

    答案：DBACB

幽幽草

第46篇

    You stare at waterfall for a minute or two， and then shift your gaze to its surroundings. What you now see appears to drift upward.


    These optical illusions occur because the brain is constantly matching its model of reality to signals from the body‘s sensors and interpreting what must be happening—that your brain must have moved， not the other； that downward motions is now normal， so a change from it must now be perceived as upward motion.

    The sensors that make this magic are of two kinds. Each eye contains about 120 million rods， which provide somewhat blurry black and white vision. These are the windows of night vision； once adapted to the dark， they can detect a candle burning ten miles away.

    Color vision in each eye comes from six to seven million structures called cones. Under ideal conditions， every cone can “see” the entire rainbow spectrum of visible colors， but one type of cone is most sensitive to red， another to green， a third to blue.

    Rods and cones send their messages pulsing an average 20 to 25 times per second along the optic nerve. We see an image for a fraction of a second longer than it actually appears. In movies， reels of still photographs are projected onto screens at 24 frames per second， tricking our eyes into seeing a continuous moving picture.

    Like apparent motion， color vision is also subject to unusual effects. When day gives way to night， twilight brings what the poet T.S. Eliot called “the violet hour.” A light levels fall， the rods become progressively less responsive. Rods are most sensitive to the shorter wavelengths of blue and green， and they impart a strange vividness to the garden‘s blue flowers.

    However， look at a white shirt during the reddish light of sunset， and you‘ll still see it in its “true” color—white， not red. Our eyes are constantly comparing an object against its surroundings. They therefore observe the effect of a shift in the color of illuminating on both， and adjust accordingly.

    The eyes can distinguish several million graduations of light and shade of color. Each waking second they flash tens of millions of pieces of information to the brain， which weaves them incessantly into a picture of the world around us.

    Yet all this is done at the back of each eye by a fabric of sensors， called the retina， about as wide and as thick as a postage stamp. As the Renaissance inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci wrote in wonder， “Who would believe that so small a space could contain the images of all the universe？”

    1.Visual illusions often take place when the image of reality is ___.

    A.matched to six to seven million structures called cones.

    B.confused in the body‘s sensors of both rods and cones.

    C.interpreted in the brain as what must be the case.

    D.signaled by about 120 million rods in the eye.

    2.The visual sensor that is capable of distinguishing shades of color is called ___.

    A.cones

    B.color vision

    C.rods

    D.spectrum

    3.The retina send pulses to the brain ___.

    A.in short wavelengths

    B.as color pictures

    C.by a ganglion cell

    D.along the optic nerve.

    4.Twenty-four still photographs are made into a continuous moving picture just because ___.

    A.the image we see usually stays longer than it actually appears.

    B.we see an object in comparison with its surroundings.

    C.the eyes catch million pieces of information continuously.

    D.rods and cones send messages 20 to 25 times a second.

    5.The author‘s purpose in writing the passage lies in ___.

    A.showing that we sometimes are deceived by our own eyes.

    B.informing us about the different functions of the eye organs.

    C.regretting that we are too slow in the study of eyes.

    D.marveling at the great work done by the retina.

    答案：CADAB

幽幽草

第45篇
    The word religion is derived from the Latin noun religio， which denotes both earnest observance of ritual obligations and an inward spirit of reverence. In modern usage， religion covers a wide spectrum of meaning that reflects the enormous variety of ways the term can be interpreted. At one extreme， many committed believers recognize only their own tradition as a religion， understanding expressions such as worship and prayer to refer exclusively to the practices of their tradition. Although many believers stop short of claiming an exclusive status for their tradition， they may nevertheless use vague or idealizing terms in defining religion for example， true love of God， or the path of enlightenment. At the other extreme， religion may be equated with ignorance， fanaticism， or wishful thinking.


    By defining religion as a sacred engagement with what is taken to be a spiritual reality， it is possible to consider the importance of religion in human life without making claims about what it really is or ought to be. Religion is not an object with a single， fixed meaning， or even a zone with clear boundaries. It is an aspect of human experience that may intersect， incorporate， or transcend other aspects of life and society. Such a definition avoid the drawbacks of limiting the investigation of religion to Western or biblical categories such as monotheism （belief in one god only） or to church structure， which are not universal. For example， in tribal societies， religion unlike the Christian church usually is not a separate institution but pervades the whole of public and private life. In Buddhism， gods are not as central as the idea of a Buddha. In many traditional cultures， the idea of a sacred cosmic order is the most prominent religious belief. Because of this variety， some scholars prefer to use a general term such as the sacred to designate the common foundation of religious life.

    Religion in this understanding includes a complex of activities that cannot be reduced to any single aspect of human experience. It is a part of individual life but also of group dynamics. Religion includes patterns of behavior but also patterns of language and thought. It is sometimes a highly organized institution that sets itself apart from a culture， and it is sometimes an integral part of a culture. Religious experience may be expressed in visual symbols， dance and performance， elaborate philosophical systems， legendary and imaginative stories， formal ceremonies， and detailed rules of ethical conduct and law. Each of these elements assumes innumerable cultural forms. In some ways there are as many forms of religious expression as there are human cultural environments.

    1.What is the passage mainly concerned about？

    A.Religion has a variety of interpretation.

    B.Religion is a reflection of ignorance.

    C.Religion is not only confined to the Christian categories.

    D.Religion includes all kinds of activities.

    2.What does the word “observance” probably convey in Para. 1？

    A.notice

    B.watching

    C.conformity

    D.experience

    3.According to the passage what people generally consider religion to be？

    A.Fantastic observance

    B.Spiritual practice

    C.Individual observance of tradition

    D.A complex of activities

    4.Which of the following is not true？

    A.It is believed by some that religion should be what it ought to be.

    B.“The path of enlightenment” is a definition that the author doesn‘t agree to.

    C.According to the author， the committed believers define religion improperly.

    D.The author doesn‘t speak in favor of the definition of “the sacred”。

    5.Which of the following is religion according to the passage？

    A.Performance of human beings.

    B.Buddha， monotheism and some tribal tradition.

    C.Practice separated from culture.

    D.All the above.

    答案：ACBDB

幽幽草

第44篇

    Personality is to large extent inherent. A-type parents usually bring 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 in the 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 “win at all costs” moral standard and measure 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 their type B fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences： remember that Pheidippides， the first marathon runner， dropped dead seconds after saying： “Rejoice， we conquer！”

    By far the worst form of competition in schools 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 world needs types， and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child’s personality to hide possible future employment. It is top management.

    If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened， more time might be spent teaching children surer values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions， especially medicine， could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by such considerations as sensitivity and sympathy. It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A type stock. B‘s are important and should be encouraged.

    1.In Paragraph 2， Line 2， the word “institution” refers to ___.

    A.establishment

    B.social custom

    C.law

    D.school

    2.According to the passage， A-type individuals are in most cases ___.

    A.impatient

    B.considerate

    C.aggressive

    D.agreeable

    3.The author strongly objects to the practice of examination at schools because ___.

    A.the pressure is too great on the students.

    B.some students are bound to fail.

    C.failure rates are too high.

    D.the results of examinations are doubtful.

    4.The selection of medical professionals is currently based on ___.

    A.candidates‘ sensitivity

    B.academic achievements

    C.competitive spirit

    D.surer values

    5.From the passage we can draw the conclusion that ___.

    A.the personality of a child is well established at birth.

    B.family influence dominates the shaping of one‘s characteristics.

    C.the development of one‘s personality is due to multiple factors，

    D.B-type characteristics can find no place in a competitive society.

    答案：DCBBC

幽幽草

第43篇

    It being not only possible but even easy to predict which ten-year-old boys are at greatest risk of growing up to be persistent offenders， what are we doing with the information？ Just about the last thing that we should do is to wait until their troubles have escalated in adolescence and then attack them with the provisions of the new Criminal Justice Bill.

    If this bill becomes law， magistrates will have the power to impose residential care orders. More young people will be drawn into institutional life when all the evidence shows that this worsens rather than improves their prospects. The introduction of short sharp shocks in detention centers will simply give more young people a taste of something else they don‘t need； the whole regime of detention centers is one of toughening delinquents， and if you want to train someone to be anti-establishment， “I can’t think of a better way to do it，” says the writer of this report.

    The Cambridge Institute of Criminology comes up with five key factors that are likely to make for delinquency： a low income family a large family， parents deemed by social workers to be bad at raising children， parents who themselves have a criminal record， and low intelligence in the child. Not surprisingly， the factors tend to overlap. Of the 63 boys in the sample who had at least three of them when they were ten， half became juvenile delinquents—compared with only a fifth of the sample as a whole.

    Three more factors make the prediction more accurate： being judged troublesome by teachers at the age of ten， having a father with at least two criminal convictions and having another member of the family with a criminal record. Of the 35 men who had at least two of these factors in their background 18 became persistent delinquents and 8 more were in trouble with the law.

    Among those key factors， far and away the most important was having a parent with a criminal record， even if that had been acquired in the distant past， even though very few parents did other than condemn delinquent behavior in their children.

    The role of the schools emerges as extremely important. The most reliable prediction of all on the futures of boys came from teachers‘ ratings of how troublesome they were at the age of ten. If the information is there in the classroom there must be a response that brings more attention to those troublesome children： a search for things to give them credit for other than academic achievement， a refusal to allow them to go on playing truant， and a fostering of ambition and opportunity which should start early in their school careers.

    1.According to the author， delinquency should be tackled ___.

    A.before adolescence

    B.during institutional treatment

    C.during adolescence

    D.when the problem becomes acute

    2.The number of young offenders could be reduced by the way of ___.

    A.new legal measures

    B.better residential care

    C.brief periods of harsh punishment

    D.examination of their backgrounds

    3.What is the outcome result of putting young offenders into detention centers？

    A.They become more violent

    B.They receive useful training

    C.They become used to institutions

    D.They turn against society

    4.Ten-year-old children likely to become offenders are usually___.

    A.spoilt children from small families.

    B.bright children in a poor family.

    C.dull children with many brothers and sisters.

    D.children whose parents have acquired wealth dishonestly.

    5.The writer concludes that potential offenders could be helped by ___.

    A.spending more time at school

    B.more encouragement at school

    C.more activities outside school

    D.stricter treatment from teachers

    答案：ADDCB

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第42篇

    What most people don‘t realize is that wealth isn’t the same as income. If you make $ 1 million a year and spend $ 1 million， you‘re not getting wealthier， you’re just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate， not what you spend.


    The most successful accumulators of wealth spend far less than they can afford on houses， cars， vacations and entertainment. Why？ Because these things offer little or no return. The wealthy would rather put their money into investments or their businesses. It‘s an attitude.

    Millionaires understand that when you buy a luxury house， you buy a luxury life –style too. Your property taxes skyrocket， along with the cost of utilities and insurance， and the prices of nearby services， such as grocery stores， tend to be higher.

    The rich man‘s attitude can also be seen in his car. Many drive old unpretentious sedans. Sam Walton， billionaire founder of the Wal – Mart Store， Inc.， drove a pickup truck.

    Most millionaires measure success by net worth， not income. Instead of taking their money home， they plow as much as they can into their businesses， stock portfolios and other assets. Why？ Because the government doesn‘t tax wealth； it taxes income you bring home for consumption， the more the government taxes.

    The person who piles up net worth fastest tends to put every dollar he can into investments， not consumption. All the while， of course， he‘s reinvesting his earnings from investments and watching his net worth soar. That’s the attitude as well.

    The best wealth-builders pay careful attention to their money and seek professional advice. Those who spend heavily on cars， boats and buses， I‘ve found， tend to skimp on investment advice. Those who skimp on the luxuries are usually more willing to pay top dollar for good legal and financial advice.

    The self-made rich develop clear goals for their money. They may wish to retire early， or they may want to leave an estate to their children. The goals vary， but two things are consistent： they have   a dollar figure in mind-the amount they want to save by age 50， perhaps – and they work unceasingly toward that goal.

    One thing may surprise you. If you make wealth – not just income – your goal， the luxury house you‘ve been dreaming about won’t seem so alluring. You‘ll have the attitude.

    1.Which of the following statements is true？

    A.Wealth is judged according to the life style one has.

    B.Inheritance builds an important part in one‘s wealth.

    C.High income may make one live high and get rich t the same time.

    D.Wealth is more of what one has made than anything else.

    2.By the author‘s opinion， those who spend money on luxury houses and cars_____.

    A.will not be taxed by the government

    B.have accumulated wealth in another sense

    C.live high and have little saved

    D.can show that they are among the rich

    3.The rich put their money into business because_____.

    A.they can get much in return to build their wealth

    B.they are not interested in luxury houses and cars

    C.their goal is to develop their company

    D.that is the only way to spend money yet not to be taxed by the government

    4.The U.S. government doesn‘t tax what you spend money on _____.

    A.cars    Bhouses     C.stock      D.boats

    5.To become wealthy， one should______.

    A.seek as much income as he can

    B.work hard unceasingly

    C.stick to the way he lives

    D.save up his earnings

    答案：DCACB

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第41篇
    The promise of finding long-term technological solutions to the problem of world food shortages seems difficult to fulfill. Many innovations that were once heavily supported and publicized have since fallen by the wayside. The proposals themselves were technically feasible， but they proved to be economically unviable and to yield food products culturally unacceptable to their consumers.


    One characteristic common to unsuccessful food innovations has been that， even with extensive government support， they often have not been technologically adapted or culturally acceptable to the people for whom they had been developed. A successful new technology， therefore， must fit the entire social cultural system in which it is to find a place. Security of crop yield， practicality of storage， and costs are much more significant than previously been realized by the advocates of new technologies.

    The adoption of new food technologies depends on more than these technical and cultural considerations； economic factors and governmental policies also strongly influence the ultimate success of any innovation. Economists in the Anglo-American tradition have taken the lead in investigating the economics of technological innovation. Although they exaggerate in claiming that profitability is the key factor guiding technical change—they completely disregard the substantial effects of culture—they are correct in stressing the importance of profits. Most technological innovations in agriculture can be fully used only by large landowners and are only adopted if these profit-oriented business people believe that the innovation will increase their incomes. Thus， innovations that carry high rewards for big agribusiness groups will be adopted even if they harm segments of the population and reduce the availability of food in a country. Further， should a new technology promise to alter substantially the profits and losses associated with any production system， those with economic power will strive to maintain and improve their own positions. Therefore， although technical advances in food production and processing will perhaps be needed to ensure food availability， meeting food needs will depend much more on equalizing economic power among the various segments of the populations within the developing countries themselves.

    1.The passage mentions all of the following as factors important to the success of a new food crop except the ___.

    A.practicality of storage of the crop.

    B.security of the crop yield.

    C.quality of the crop‘s protein.

    D.cultural acceptability of the crop.

    2.The author suggests that， in most emerging countries， extensive government intervention accompanying the introduction of a food innovation will ___.

    A.usually be sufficient to guarantee the financial success of the innovation.

    B.be necessary to ensure that the benefits of the innovation will be spread throughout the society.

    C.normally occur only when the innovation favors large landowners.

    D.generally cost the country more than will be earned by the innovation.

    3.The first paragraph of the passage best supports which of the following statements？

    A.Too much publicity can harm the chances for the success of a new food innovation.

    B.Innovations that produce culturally acceptable crops will generally be successful.

    C.A food-product innovation can be technically feasible and still not be economically viable.

    D.It is difficult to decide whether a food-product innovation has actually been a success.

    4.The author provides a sustained argument to uphold which of the following assertions？

    A.Profitability is neither necessary nor sufficient for a new technology to be adopted.

    B.Profitability is the key factor guiding technological change.

    C.Economic factors and governmental policies strongly influence the ultimate success of any innovation.

    D.Innovations carrying high rewards for big agribusiness groups harm the poor.

    5.The primary purpose of the passage is to discuss the ___.

    A.means of assessing the extent of the world food shortage.

    B.difficulties of applying technological solutions to the problem of food shortages.

    C.costs of introducing a new food technology into a developing country.

    D.nature of the new technological innovations in the area of food production.

    答案：CBCCB

幽幽草

第四十篇

    It is a curious paradox that we think of the physical sciences as “hard”， the social sciences as “soft，” and the biological sciences as somewhere in between. This is interpreted to mean that our knowledge of physical system is more certain than our knowledge of biological systems， and these in turn are more certain than our knowledge of social systems. In terms of our capacity of sample the relevant universes， however， and the probability that our images of these universes are at least approximately correct， one suspects that a reverse order is more reasonable. We are able to sample earth‘s social systems with some degree of confidence that we have a reasonable sample of the total universe being investigated. Our knowledge of social systems， therefore， while it is in many ways extremely inaccurate， is not likely to be seriously overturned by new discoveries. Even the folk knowledge in social systems on which ordinary life is based in earning， spending， organizing， marrying， taking part in political activities， fighting and so on， is not very dissimilar from the more sophisticated images of the social system derived form the social sciences， even though it is built upon the very imperfect samples of personal experience.


    In contrast， our image of the astronomical universe， or even if earth‘s geological history， ca easily be subject to revolutionary changes as new data come in and new theories are worked out. If we define the “security” of our image of various parts of the total system as the probability of their suffering significant changes， then we would reverse the order for hardness and as the most secure， the physical sciences as the least secure， and again the biological sciences as somewhere in between. Our image of the astronomical universe is the least secure of all simply because we observe such a fantastically small sample of it and its record-keeping is trivial records of biological systems. Records of the astronomical universe， despite the fact that we learnt things as they were long age， are limited in the extreme.

    Even in regard to such a close neighbor as the moon， which we have actually visited， theories about its origin and history are extremely different， contradictory， and hard to choose among. Our knowledge of physical evolution is incomplete and insecure.

    1.The word “paradox” （Line 1， Para. 1） means “_____”。

    A.implication            B.contradiction

    C.interpretation       D.confusion

    2.Accroding to the author， we should reverse our classification of the physical sciences as “hard” and the social sciences as “soft” because _______.

    A.a reverse ordering will help promote the development of the physical sciences

    B.our knowledge of physical systems is more reliable than that of social systems

    C.our understanding of the social systems is approximately correct

    D.we are better able to investigate social phenomena than physical phenomena

    3.The author believes that our knowledge of social systems is more secure than that of physical systems because______.

    A.it is not based on personal experience

    B.new discoveries are less likely to occur in social sciences

    C.it is based on a fairly representative quantity of data

    D.the records of social systems are more reliable

    4.The chances of the physical sciences being subject to great changes are the biggest because _____.

    A.contradictory theories keep emerging all the time

    B.new information is constantly coming in

    C.the direction of their development is difficult to predict

    D.our knowledge of the physical world is inaccurate

    5.We know less about the astronomical universe than we don about any social system because ______.

    A.theories of its origin and history are varied

    B.our knowledge of it is highly insecure

    C.only a very small sample of it has been observed

    D.few scientists are involved in the study of astronomy

    答案：ACDAD

幽幽草

第三十九篇

   What does the future hold for the problem of housing？ A good deal depends， of course， on the meaning of “future”。 If one is thinking in terms of science fiction and the space age， it is at least possible to assume that man will have solved such trivial and earthly problems as housing. Writers of science fiction， from H.G. Wells onwards， have had little to say on the subject. They have conveyed the suggestion that men will live in great comfort， with every conceivable apparatus to make life smooth， healthy and easy， if not happy. But they have not said what his house will be made of. Perhaps some new building material， as yet unimagined， will have been discovered or invented at least. One may be certain that bricks and mortar（泥灰，灰浆） will long have gone out of fashion.  
    But the problems of the next generation or two can more readily be imagined. Scientists have already pointed out that unless something is done either to restrict the world‘s rapid growth in population or to discover and develop new sources of food （or both）， millions of people will be dying of starvation or at the best suffering from underfeeding before this century is out. But nobody has yet worked out any plan for housing these growing populations. Admittedly the worst situations will occur in the hottest parts of the world， where housing can be light structure or in backward areas where standards are traditionally low. But even the minimum shelter requires materials of some kind and in the teeming， bulging towns the low-standard “housing” of flattened petrol cans and dirty canvas is far more wasteful of ground space than can be tolerated.

    Since the war， Hong Kong has suffered the kind of crisis which is likely to arise in many other places during the next generation. Literally millions of refugees arrived to swell the already growing population and emergency steps had to be taken rapidly to prevent squalor（肮脏）and disease and the spread crime. The city is tackling the situation energetically and enormous blocks of tenements（贫民住宅）are rising at an astonishing aped. But Hong Kong is only one small part of what will certainly become a vast problem and not merely a housing problem， because when population grows at this rate there are accompanying problems of education， transport， hospital services， drainage， water supply and so on. Not every area may give the same resources as Hong Kong to draw upon and the search for quicker and cheaper methods of construction must never cease.

    1.What is the author‘s opinion of housing problems in the first paragraph？

    A.They may be completely solved at sometime in the future.

    B.They are unimportant and easily dealt with.

    C.They will not be solved until a new building material has been discovered.

    D.They have been dealt with in specific detail in books describing the future.

    2.The writer is sure that in the distant future ___.

    A.bricks and mortar will be replaced by some other building material.

    B.a new building material will have been invented.

    C.bricks and mortar will not be used by people who want their house to be fashionable.

    D.a new way of using bricks and mortar will have been discovered.

    3.The writer believes that the biggest problem likely to confront the world before the end of the century ___.

    A.is difficult to foresee.

    B.will be how to feed the ever growing population.

    C.will be how to provide enough houses in the hottest parts of the world.

    D.is the question of finding enough ground space.

    4.When the writer says that the worst situations will occur in the hottest parts of the world or in backward areas， he is referring to the fact that in these parts ___.

    A.standards of building are low.

    B.only minimum shelter will be possible.

    C.there is not enough ground space.

    D.the population growth will be the greatest.

    5.Which of the following sentences best summarizes Paragraph 3？

    A.Hong Kong has faced a serious crisis caused by millions of refugees.

    B.Hong Kong has successfully dealt with the emergency caused by millions of refugees.

    C.Hong Kong‘s crisis was not only a matter of housing but included a number of other problems of population growth.

    D.Many parts of the world may have to face the kind of problems encountered by Hong Kong and may find it much harder to deal with them.

    答案：AABDD