八级阅读高分特训篇

八级阅读高分特训80篇

Model Test 1

TEXTA

Dazzled by so many and such marvelous inventions，the people of Macondo did not know where their amazement began.They stayed up all night looking at the pale electric bulbs fed by the electric plant that Aureliano Triste had brought back when the train made its second trip，and it took time and effort for them to grow accustomed to its obsessive noise.

They became indignant over the living images that the prosperous merchant Bruno Crespi projected on the screen in the theater with the lion-head ticket windows，for the character who had died and was buried in one film，and for whose misfortune tears of affliction had been shed，would reappear alive and transformed into an Arab sheik in the next one.The audience，who paid two cents apiece to share the difficulties of the actors，would not tolerate such an outlandish fraud and they broke up the seats.The mayor，at the urging of Bruno Crespi，explained in a proclamation that the cinema was a machine of illusions that did not merit the emotional outbursts of the audience.With that discouraging explanation many felt that they had been the victims of some new trickery and they decided notto return to the movies，considering that they already had too many troubles of their own to weep over the acted-out misfortunes of imaginary beings.

Something similar happened with cylinder phonographs brought from France and intended as a substitute for the antiquated hand organs used by the band of musicians.For a time the phonograph records had serious effects on the livelihood of the musicians.At first curiosity increased the business on the street where they were sold and there was even word of respectable persons who disguised themselves as workers in order to observe the novelty of the phonograph at firsthand，but from so much and such close observation they soon reached the conclusion that it was not an enchanted mill as everyone had thought and as some had said，but a mechanical trick that could not be compared with something so moving，so human，and so full of everyday truth as a band of musicians.It was such a serious disappointment that when phonographs became so popular that there was one in every house they were not considered objects for amusement for adults but as something good for children to take apart.

On the other hand，when someone from the town had the opportunity to test the crude reality of the telephone installed in the railroad station，which was thought to be a rudimentary version of the phonograph because of its crank，even the most incredulous were upset.It was as if God had decided to put to the test every capacity for surprise and was keeping the inhabitants of Macondo in a permanent alternation between excitement and disappointment，doubt and revelation，to such an extreme that no one knew for certain where the limits of reality lay.

1.The word“obsessive”（paragraph 1）most nearly means

A.enthusiastic.　　　　　　B.persistent.

C.infatuated.　　　　　　　D.hardworking.

2.The citizen lost interest in their phonographs because

A.the machines lacked the heart and soul of true musicians.

B.few people were able to operate them.

C.the machines were too difficult to observe firsthand.

D.many musicians lost their jobs because of them.

3.The citizens of Maconodo were distressed by the arrival of the telephone because they

A.did not know where it had come from.

B.had expected a more socially beneficial invention.

C.could envision the changes it would bring to daily village life.

D.no longer felt able to make the usual assumptions about their world.

4.The aspect of the new inventions that most disappointed the citizens was that these inventions

A.were not all fashioned with a crank.

B.did not have any real educational value.

C.were not at all what they seemed to be.

D.were meant purely for entertainment.

5.The major purpose of the passage is to

A.illustrate the influence the distinguished residents of Maconodo had on the other citizens.

B.describe the new scientific inventions that were introduced to Macondo.

C.depict a diverse crowd reacting in unison to a magical performance.

D.describe the people’s responses to the influx of technical advances.

TEXT B

（This passage is by a choreographer who worked with the influential dancer and choreographer Martha Graham（1894-1991）.It focuses on the use of space and gesture in dance.）

I am not an adept aesthetician，and I could not presume to analyze Martha’s sense of design or approach toward design.But I believe she dealt with the elements of line and direction with the instincts of a mathematician or physicist，adding to each their emotional relations.For example，a straight line rarely，if ever，occurs in nature，but it does occur in art，and it is used in art with various telling effects.Direction works similar magic.An approaching body produces one kind of emotional line，a receding or departing body another；the meeting of two forces produces visual，kinesthetic，and emotional effects，with a world of suggestibility around them like a penumbra that evokes many ideas and emotions whenever these forms are manipulated.Basic human gesture assume，therefore，and almost mystic power.The simple maneuver of turning the face away，for example，removes personality，relationship.Not only that，it seems to alter the relation of the individual to present time and present place，to make here-and-how other-where and other-time.It also shifts the particular personality to the general and the symbolic.This is the power of the human face and the human regard，and the meeting of the eyes is probably as magic a connection as can be made on this earth，equal to any amount of electrical shock or charge.It represents the heart of dynamism，life itself.The loss of that regard reduces all connections to nothingness and void.

“Turning one’s back”has become a common figure of speech.It means withholding approval，disclaiming，negating；and，in fact，in common conduct the physical turning of the back is equated withabsolute negation and insult.No back is turned on a royal personage or a figure of high respect.This is linked with the loss of visual contact and regard.One cuts dead by not meeting the eyes.

We know much about emotional symbols.Those used by the medieval and Renaissance painters were understood by the scholars and artists of the time—but，more wonderful，they mean to us today spontaneously just what they meant them；they seem to be permanent.We dream，Jung（a Swiss psychologist）tells us，in terms and symbols of classic mythology.And since，according to Jung，all people share a“collective unconscious，”people from disparate traditions nonetheless dream in the same terms.Is it not also likely，them，that certain space relations，rhythms，and stresses have psychological significance，that some of these patterns are universal and the key to emotional response，that their deviations and modifications can be meaningful to artists in terms of their own life experiences and that these overtones are grasped by spectators without conscious analysis？

These matters are basic to our well-being as land and air animals.As plants will turn to sunlight or rocks or moisture according to their nature，so we bend toward or escape from spatial arrangements according to our emotional needs.Look around any restaurant and see how people will sit at a center table unless the sides are filled up.Yet monarchs of old always dined dead center and many times in public.

The individual as a personality，then，has a particular code in space and rhythm，evolved from his or her life history and from the history of human race.It is just the manipulation of these suggestions through time-space that is the material of choreograph.

6.The first two sentences（paragraph 1）are characterized，respectively，by

A.disclaimer and assertion.

B.invocation and definition.

C.apology and confession.

D.authority and hypothesis.

7.By saying that the meeting of two forces produces effects that have“a world of suggestibility around them”（paragraph 1），the author means that the physical event

A.provokes unwarranted suspicious.

B.reveals the motives of the artist.

C.acts on the gullibility of the audience.

D.evokes a vast number of associations.

8.The author’s main point about“human gestures”（paragraph 1）is that they

A.are not subject to an individual’s control.

B.are difficult to analyze without scientific terminology.

C.provoke different responses in people.

D.carry powerful，universally understood messages.

9.As used in paragraph 3，“grasp”most nearly means

A.adhered to.　　　　　　　　　B.seized on.

C.understood.　　　　　　　　　D.held.

10.The author suggested that people in a restaurant（paragraph 4）are expressing their emotional need for

A.unhindered interaction.　　　B.relative privacy.

C.respect from strangers.　　　D.approval from others.

TEXT C

There is nothing wrong with attempting to make the often difficult and complex findings of science available to a wider audience，but environmental popularizers often present a one-sided picture andhide important scientific disagreements on issues relevant to environmental quality.The zeal to draw from conclusions from the results of scientific research frequently prompts speculative matters to be left out or presented with greater authority than they deserve.The partisanship implicit in these failures is most often excused by the originality of the author’s perspective on the subject or a passionate commitment to do good.How could one regret the“minor”confusions that might arise from such noble impulses？

But using one-sided and incomplete accounts of the state of scientific knowledge has led to projections，predictions，and warnings that，not surprisingly，have been falsified by events.No one knows what the future holds.But reports that Lake Erie and the oceans would be dead by now were surely greatly exaggerated.The United States is wracked neither by food riots nor a great epidemic of pesticide-induced cancers.Birds continue to sing in the mornings，and they do not have to face the rigors of either an ice age caused by humans or a global warming caused by the heat of increased energy production and consumption.With what confidence should we look upon the projected horrors of global warming，rain forest destruction，or toxic waste，given the record of the past？

This failure of prophecy may be an intellectual weakness，yet prophecy continues because it provides the popularizers with a profound rhetorical strength：it releases the power of fear.The central role of this sentiment in political rhetoric has long been understood.Arousing fear，though，is not always easy.Even as far back as Aristotle，it was observed that we fear things less the more distant they are.Hence when Churchill sought to rouse the British，he brought the Germans to the beaches，landing grounds，fields，streets，and hills of“our island.”So，too，to arouse fears the popularizers have to present pictures of imminent calamities thatcould befall their relatively comfortable and well-off readers.Environmental disasters like endemic waterborne disease due to inadequate sewage treatment in faraway nations do not fit this category.The prospect of my getting skin cancer due to ozone depletion does.Without such immediacy，one could only arouse a sentiment like compassion，which is not as strong as fear.

11.In paragraph 2，“state”most nearly means

A.rank.　　　　　　　　　 B.excitement.

C.territory.　　　　　　　D.condition.

12.The author indicates that“food riots”（paragraph 2）and“esticide-inducedcancers”（ararah2）arep pgp

A.problems the nation will ultimately encounter.

B.problems facing underdeveloped areas of the world.

C.among the predictions of environmental popularizers.

D.among the consequences of global warming.

13.The term“rigors”in paragraph 2refers to the

A.efforts needs for environmental cleanup.

B.stringent regulations put in place since 1970.

C.moralistic attitudes of many environmental popularizers.

D.projected consequences of environmental decline.

14.The author uses the example in paragraph 3（“The prospect...does”）to

A.describe a personal experience.

B.imply that the subject should not be frightening.

C.elicit sympathy from the reader.

D.demonstrate a psychology.

15.The attitudes toward environmentalism of the author is

A.outrage.　　　　　　　　　　B.skepticism.

C.indifference.　　　　　　　 D.alarm.

TEXT D

In spite of the ridicule that various newspapers aimed at the women’s movement，Frederick Douglass continued to lend it his active support.Indeed，few women’s rights conventions were held during the 1850’s at which Douglass was not a featured speaker and whose proceedings were not fully reported in his paper.Invariably，the notice would be accompanied by an editorial comment hailing the meeting and expressing the editor’s hope that it“will have a powerful effect on the public’s mind.”In 1853，when Douglass was considering changing the name of his newspaper，he rejected the proposed title，The Brotherhood，because it“implied the exclusion of the sisterhood.”He called it Frederick Douglass’Paper，and underneath the title were the words“All Rights For All！”

Because women were not permitted to speak at mass meetings of state temperance associations，women in New York formed the Woman’s State Temperance Society，with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as president.Douglass supported the society but took issue with the move led by secretary Amelia Bloomer to limit to women the right to hold its offices.He aligned himself with Stanton and Susan B.Anthony in opposing this as a violation of“the principle of human equality”—a violation，in short，of men’s rights.Douglass felt that by excluding men from office the society would lose supporters in the battle against those in the temperance movement who wished to deny women equal rights.How，he asked，could women effectively contend for equality in the movement when they denied it to men？In June 1853，the society accepted the logic of this position and admitted men to office.

Douglass learned much from women with whom he associated at the national and state women’s rights conventions.At one time，hehad entertained serious doubts about wives being given the right to share equally with their husbands the disposition of property，since“the husband labor hard”while the wife might not be earning money.But his discussions with pioneers of the women’s rights movement convinced him that even though wives were not paid for their domestic labors，their work was as important to the family as that of their husbands.Once convinced，he acted.He wrote the call for the 1853convention in Rochester，New York，which demanded not only that women be paid equally with men for their work，but also that women，including married women，have equal rights with men in the ownership and disposition of property.In his newspaper that year，Douglass urged state legislation calling for passage of a law requiring equality in“the holding，and division of real and personal property.”

On one issue，however，Douglass refused to budge.He was critical of women’s rights leader who addressed audiences from which Black people were barred.His particular target was Lucy Stone.Douglass often praised this abolitionist and veteran fighter for equal rights for women，but he criticized her for not having canceled a lecture in 1853at Philadelphia’s Music Hall when she discovered that Black people would be excluded.Later，he was more severe when he learned that she had invited Senator Stephen A.Douglas of Illinois，one of the architects of the infamous Fugitive Slave Act of 1850，to join the women who were to meet in Chicago in 1859to publicize the women’s rights cause.Fredrick Douglass bluntly accused Stone of willingness to advance women’s rights on the back of“the defenseless slave woman”who“has also to bear the ten thousand wrongs of slavery in addition to the common wrongs of women.”

Douglass’disputes with some of the women’s rights leader went beyond the question of their appearance before segregated audiences.Women like Stanton and Anthony were close to abolitionist WilliamLloyd Garrison.When Douglass split with Garrison over the latter’s reliance on words and“moral suasion”as the major route to abolition，as well as over Garrison’s opposition to anti-slavery political action，some women’s rights leader grew cool toward Douglass.Although Susan B.Anthony had sided with Garrison，she solicited Douglass’support in her campaign against capital punishment.She circulated a petition for a meeting in 1858to protest an impending execution and to support a law making life imprisonment the punishment for capital crimes.Long an opponent of capital punishment，Douglass signed the petition，prepared a set of resolutions on the issue，and agreed to take over for the scheduled chair，who had been intimidated by mob violence.Douglass’conduct won over even those women who had allied themselves with Anthony and Garrison.

Thus，on the eve of the Civil War，Douglass’relationship with the women’s movement was once again cordial.Although this situation was to change after the war，Douglass’influence had helped the women’s rights movement become more sensitive to the issue of prejudice against Black Americans.

16.The passage provides the most information about Douglass’

A.loyalty to old friends.　　　　　B.refusal to change old ideas.

C.fluent writing style.　　　　　　D.political activism.

17.Douglass probably believed that using Stephen A.Douglas to publicize women’s rights amounted to

A.allowing men to influence women’s associations.

B.supporting the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

C.tacitly exploiting Black women who were slaves.

D.contradicting the philosophy of temperance.

18.As presented in the passage，Douglass’views coincided mostconsistently with those of

A.Stephen A.Douglas.　　　　　　B.William Lloyd Garrison.

C.Susan B.Anthony.　　　　　　　D.Lucy Stone.

19.The author apparently believes which of the following about the interaction between the abolitionist and the women’s rights movements？

A.It helped both groups broaden their perspectives in spite of frequent friction between them.

B.It seemed too many to be productive but actually caused to both groups to make their goals too general.

C.It was natural，since both groups got their start at the same time.

D.It was rewarding for members of both groups but made both less popular with the public.

20.According to the passage，Douglass most consistently opposed

A.using the press to criticize the women’s and abolitionist movements.

B.allowing men to hold office in women’s state temperance associations.

C.pay scales that were higher for men than for women.

D.neglecting the rights of other groups while furthering the rights of women.

Model Test 2

TEXT A

In the nineteenth-century England，middle-class women were usually assigned domestic roles and faced severely limited professional career options.Of course，one can point to England’s monarch，Queen Victoria，as a famous example of a woman at work，andmillions of working-class women worked for wages in factories and private homes，on farms，and in stores and markets.But aristocrats were often exempt from societal structures that bound the middle class，and working-class women were usually looked down on as not being“respectable”for their efforts as workers.As the nineteenth century progressed，it was assumed that a woman engaged in business was a woman without either her own inheritance or a man to support her.Middle-class women already sheared with upper-middle-class men the societal stumbling blocks to active pursuit of business，which included the feeling that labor was demeaning and not suitable for those with aspirations to gentility.But unlike a man，whose self-worth rose through his economic exertions，a woman who did likewise risked opprobrium for herself and possibly shame for those around her.Inequality in the working world made it exceedingly difficult for a middle-class woman to support herself on her own，let alone support dependents.Thus，at a time when occupation was becoming a core element in masculine identity，any position for middle-class women other than in relation to men was considered anomalous.In 1851census，the Registrar General introduced a new fifth class of workers，exclusively made up of women.

The fifth class comprises large numbers of the population that have no occupation；but it requires no argument to prove that the wife，the mother，the mistress of an English family—fills offices and discharges duties of no ordinary importance；or that children are or should be occupied in filial or household duties，and in the task of education，either at home or at school.

This conception of women had been developing over a long period.For example，in the late seventeenth century，trade tokens used by local shopkeepers and small masters in family businesses carried the initials of the man’s and the woman’s first names and thecouple’s surname，but by the late eighteenth century，only the initials of the male proprietor were retained.This serves to confirm the view of one Victorian man，born in 1790，that whereas his mother had confidently joined in the family auctioneering business，the increased division of the sexes had seen the withdrawal of women from business life.

Marriage became，more than ever，the only career option offering economic prosperity for women；in business，women appear only as faint shadows behind the scenes.The absence of women in business and financial records makes our knowledge of what middle-class women actually did and how they survived economically quite fragmentary.What we do know is that women’s ability to survive economically on their own became increasingly difficult in the course of the nineteenth century.

In the second half of the nineteenth century in England，under the rule of Queen Victoria，because of the long peace and the increasing prosperity，more and more women found themselves able to travel to Europe unescorted.With the increase in travel came an increase in the number of guidebooks，collections of travel hints，and diaries by travelers—many of which were written by or directed to women.

Although nineteenth-century women traveled for a variety of reasons，ranging from a desire to do scientific research to involvement in missionary work，undoubtedly a major incentive was the desire to escape from domestic confinement and the social restrictions imposed on the Victorian female in Britain.As Dorothy Middleton observes，“Travel was an individual gesture of the housebound，man-dominated Victorian woman.”The“caged birds”of the Victorian parlor found their wings and often took flight in other lands.In a less constrained environment they achieved physical and psychological freedom andsome measure of autonomy.In Celebrated Women Travelers of the Nineteenth Century（1883），Davenport Adams comments：“Fettered as women are in European countries by restraints，obligations，and responsibilities，which are too often arbitrary and artificial...it is natural enough that when the opportunity offers，they should hail even a temporary emancipation through travel.”

By the latter part of the nineteenth century，women travelers began to be singled out as exemplars of the new social and political freedom and prowess of women.Ironically，Mary Kingsley and other women travelers were opposed to or simply uninterested in the late Victorian campaigns to extend women’s political rights.Thus，when Mary Kingsley returned from West Africa in 1895，she was chagrined to discover that she was being hailed as a“new woman”because of her travels.Despite her often outspoken distaste for the“new woman”agitating for greater freedom，the travel books that she and others had written still suggested，as Paul Fussell has argued，“an implicit celebration of freedom.”

1.In paragraph 1，the sentence“But unlike a man...around her”suggests that for Victorian middle-class women，“self-worth”and“economic exertions”were thought to be

A.mutually exclusive.　　　　　　B.constantly evolving.

C.the two keys to success.　　　 D.essential to finding a husband.

2.In the sentence“Thus...was considered anomalaus”（paragraph 1），“occupation”most nearly means

A.military conquest.　　　　　　B.pleasant diversion.

C.vocation.　　　　　　　　　　 D.settlement.

3.The author considers trade tokens as evidence against the prevalence of a fifth class in the seventeenth century because they

A.served as legal currency.

B.were issued to both middle-class and working-class women.

C.identified men and women as partners in business.

D.failed to identify women by their names and positions.

4.Which statement about British society would most directly support the view described in paragraph 3？

A.Seventeenth-century women workers could raise their status by assuming greater responsibilities.

B.Women wrote more novels in the early nineteenth century than they did in the early eighteenth century.

C.Women and girls worked in factories throughout the nineteenth century.

D.The practice of married couples jointly running businesses died out in the early nineteenth century.

5.In context，“hail”（paragraph 6）most nearly means

A.call out to.　　　　　　B.gesture to.

C.come from.　　　　　　　D.welcome.

TEXT B

Waverly laughed in a lighthearted way.“I mean，really，June.”And then she started in a deep television-announcer voice：“Three benefits，three needs，three reasons to buy...Satisfaction guaranteed...”

She said this in such a funny way that everybody thought it was a good joke and laughed.And then，to make matters worse，I heard my mother saying to Waverly：“True，one can’t teach style，June is not sophisticated like you.She must have been born this way.”

I was surprised at myself，how humiliated I felt.I had been outsmarted by Waverly once again，and now betrayed by my own mother.

Five months ago，some time after the dinner，my mother gaveme my“life’s importance，”ajade pendant on a gold chain.The pendant was not a piece of jewelry I would have chosen for myself.It was almost the size of my little finger，a mottled green and white color，intricately carved.To me，the whole effect looked wrong：too large，too green，too garishly ornate.I stuffed the necklace in my lacquer box and forgot about it.

But these days，I think about my life’s importance.I wonder what it means，because my mother died three months ago，six days before my thirty-sixth birthday.And she’s the only person I could have asked to tell me about life’s importance，to help me understand my grief.

I now wear that pendant every day.I think the carvings mean something，because shapes and details，which I never seem to notice until after they are pointed out to me，always mean something to Chinese people.I know I could ask Auntie Lindo，Auntie An-mei，or other Chinese friends，but I also know they would tell me a meaning that is different from what my mother intended.What if they tell me this curving line branching into three oval shapes is a pomegranate and that my mother was wishing me fertility and posterity？What if my mother really meant the carvings were a branch of pears to give me purity and honesty？

And because I think about this all the time，I always notice other people wearing these same jade pendants—not the flat rectangular medallions or the round white ones with holes in the middle but ones like mine，a two-inch oblong of bright apple green.It’s as though we were all sworn to the same secret covenant，so secret we don’t even know what we belong to.Last weekend，for example，I saw a bartender wearing one.As I fingered mine，I asked him.“Where’d you get yours？”

“My mother gave it to me，”He said.

I asked him why，which is a nosy question that only one Chinese person can ask another；in a crowd Caucasians，two Chinese people are already like family.

“She gave it to me after I got divorced.I guess my mother’s telling me I’m still worth something.”

And I knew by the wonder in his voice that he had no idea what the pendant really meant.

6.In paragraph 1，Waverly characterizes June’s advertisement as being

A.unsophisticated and heavy-handed.

B.somber and convoluted.

C.clear and concise.

D.humorous and effective.

7.In the context of the passage，the statement“I was surprised at my self”（paragraph 3）suggests that June

A.had been unaware of the extant of her emotional vulnerability.

B.was exasperated that she allowed Waverly to embarrass her in public.

C.was amazed that she could dislike anyone so much.

D.had not realized that her mother admired her friend Waverly.

8.For June，a significant aspect of what happened at the dinner party is that

A.her mother had taken great pains to make Waverly feel welcome.

B.her mother had criticized her for arguing with Waverly.

C.her mother had sided against her in front of family and friends.

D.Waverly had angered June’s mother.

9.The description of June’s encounter with the bartender primarily

serves to suggest that

A.the relationship of mother and son is different from that of mother and daughter.

B.June is not the only one who ponders the meaning of a jade pendant.

C.a jade pendant symbolizes the mystery of life and death.

D.June finally understands the true meaning of her jade pendant.

10.The passage indicates that the act of giving ajade pendant can best be described as

A.a widely observed tradition.

B.a mother’s plea for forgiveness.

C.an example of a mother’s extravagance.

D.an unprecedented act of generosity.

TEXT C

In North America，bats fall into mainly predictable categories：they are nocturnal，eat insects，and are rather small.But winging through their lush，green-black world，tropical bats are more numerous and have more exotic habits than do temperate species.Some of them feed on nectar that bat-pollinated trees have evolved to profit from their visits.Carnivorous bats like nothing better than a local frog，lizard，fish，or bird，which they pluck from the foliage or a moonlit pond.Of course，some bats are vampires and dime on blood.In the movies，vampires are rather showy，theatrical types，but vampire bats rely on stealth and small，pinprick incisions made by razory，triangular front teeth.Sleeping livestock are their usual victims，and they take care not to wake them.First，they make the classic incisions shaped like quotation marks；then，with saliva full of anticoagulants so that the victim’s blood will flow nicely，theyquietly lap their fill.Because this anticoagulant is not toxic to humans，vampire bats may one day play an important role in the treatment of heart patients—that is，if we can just get over our phobia about them.Having studied them intimately，I now know that bats are sweet-tempered，useful，and fascinating creatures.The long-standing fear that many people have about bats tells us less about bats than about human fear.

Things that live by night live outside the realm of“normal”time.Chauvinistic about our human need to wake by day and sleep by night，we come to associate night dwellers with people up to no good，people who have the jump on the rest of us and are defying nature，defying their circadian rhythms.Also，night is when we dream，and so we picture the bats moving through a dreamtime，in which reality is warped.After all，we do not see very well at night；we do not need to.But that makes us nearly defenseless after dark.Although we are accustomed to mastering our world by day，in the night we become vulnerable as prey.Thinking of bats as masters of the night threatens the safety we daily take for granted.Though we are at the top of food chain，if we had to live alone in the rain forest，say，and protect ourselves against roaming predators，we would live partly in terror，as our ancestors did.Our sense of safety depends on predictability，so anything living outside the usual rules we suspect to be an outlaw，a ghoul.

Bats have always figured as frightening or supernatural creatures in the mythology，religion，and superstition of peoples everywhere.Finnish peasants once believed that their souls rose from their bodies while they slept and flew around the countryside as bats，then returned to them by morning.Ancient Egyptians prized bat parts as medicine for a variety of diseases.Perhaps the most mystical，ghoulish，and intimate relationship between bats and humansoccurred among the Maya about two thousand years ago.Zotzilaha Chamalcan，their bat god，had a human body but the stylized head and wings of a bat.His image appears often on their altars，pottery，gold ornaments and stone pillars.One especially frightening engraving shows the bat god with outstretched wings and a question-mark nose，its tongue wagging with hunger，as it holds a human corpse in one hand and the human’s heart in the other.A number of other Central American cultures raised the bat to the ultimate height：as god of death and the underworld.But it was Bram Stocker’s riveting novel Draculathat turned small，furry mammals into huge，bloodsucking monsters in the minds of English-speaking people.If vampires were semi-human，then they could fascinate with their conniving cruelty，and thus a spill of horror books began to appear about the human passions of vampires.

11.The author’s main point in the passage is that

A.our perception of bats has its basis in human psychology.

B.there are only a few kinds of bats.

C.humans are especially vulnerable to nocturnal predators.

D.bat saliva may have medicinal uses.

12.The discussion of vampire bats in the first paragraph primarily suggests that

A.vampire bats are potentially useful creatures.

B.movies about vampires are based only on North American bats.

C.most tropical bats are not carnivorous.

D.the saliva of vampire bats is more toxic than commonly supposed.

13.Which of the following assertions detracts LEAST from the

author’s argument in the second paragraph？

A.Many people work at night and sleep during the day.

B.Owls，which hunt at night，do not arouse our fear.

C.Most dangerous predators hunt during the day.

D.Some dream imagery has its source in the dreamer’s personal life.

14.The example cited in the third paragraph is primarily drawn from

A.anthropology.　　　　　　　　B.autobiography.

C.fiction.　　　　　　　　　　 D.psychiatry.

15.The author develops the third paragraph by presenting

A.different sides of a single issue.

B.details that culminate in truth.

C.a thesis followed by specific illustrations.

D.a common opinion and the reasons it is held.

TEXT D

“Television makes you stupid.”

Virtually all current theories of the medium come down to this simple statement.As a rule，this conclusion is delivered with a melancholy undertone.Four principal theories can be distinguished.

The manipulation thesis points to an ideological dimension.It sees in television above all an instrument of political domination.The medium is understood as a neutral vessel，which pours out opinions over a public thought of as passive.Seduced，unsuspecting viewers are won over by the wire-pullers，without ever realizing what is happening to them.

The imitation thesis argues primarily in moral terms.According to it，television consumption leads above all to moral dangers.Anyone who is exposed to the medium becomes habituated to libertinism，irresponsibility，crime，and violence.The private consequences are blunted，callous，and obstinate individuals；thepublic consequences are the loss of social virtues and general moral decline.This form of critique draws，as is obvious at first glance，on traditional，bourgeois sources.The motifs that recur in this thesis can be identified as far back as the eighteenth century in the vain warnings that early cultural criticism sounded against the dangers of reading novels.

More recent is the simulation thesis.According to it，the viewer is rendered incapable of distinguishing between reality and fiction.The primary reality is rendered unrecognizable or replaced by a secondary，phantomlike reality.

All of these converge in the stupefaction thesis.According to it，watching television not only undermines the viewers’ability to criticize and differentiate，along with the moral and political fiber of their being，but also impairs their overall ability to perceive.Television products，therefore，a new type of human being，who can，according to taste，be imagined as a zombie or a mutant.

All these theories are rather unconvincing.Their authors consider proof to be superfluous.Even the minimal criterion of plausibility does not worry them at all.To mention just one example，no one has yet succeeded in putting before us even a single viewer who was incapable of telling the difference between a family quarrel in the current soap opera and one at his or her family’s breakfast table.This doesn’t seem to bother the advocates of the simulation thesis.

Another common feature of the theories is just as curious but has even more serious consequences.Basically，the viewers appear as defenseless victims，the programmers as crafty criminals.This polarity is maintained with great seriousness：manipulators and manipulated，actors and imitators，simulants and simulated，stupefiers and stupefied face one another in a fine symmetry.

The relationship of the theorists themselves to television raisessome important questions.Either the theorists make no use of television at all（in which case they do not know what they are talking about）or they subject themselves to it，and then the question arises—through what miracle is the theorist able to escape the alleged effects of television？Unlike everyone else，the theorist has remained completely intake morally，can distinguish in a sovereign manner between deception and reality，and enjoys complete immunity in the face of the idiocy that he or she sorrowfully diagnoses in the rest of us.Or could—fatal loophole in the dilemma—the theories themselves be symptoms of a universal stupefaction？

One can hardly say that these theorists have failed to have any effect.It is true that their influence on what is actually broadcast is severely limited，which may be considered distressing or noted with gratitude，depending on one’s mood.On the other hand，they have found ready listeners among politicians.That is not surprising，for the conviction that one is dealing with millions of idiots“out there in the country”is part of the basic psychological equipment of the professional politician.One might have second thoughts about the theorists’influence when one watches how the veterans of televised election campaigns fight each other for every single minute when it comes to displaying their limousine，their historic appearance before the guard of honor，their hairstyle on the platform，and above all their speech organs.The number of broadcast minutes，the camera angles，and the level of applause are registered with a touching enthusiasm.The politicians have been particularly taken by the good old manipulation thesis.

16.In paragraph 3，the term“wire-pullers”refers to the

A.bland technicians who staff television studios.

B.shadowy molders of public opinion.

C.self-serving critics of television.

D.hack writers who recycle old concepts.

17.As used in paragraph 4，“consumption”most nearly means

A.destruction.　　　　　　　B.viewing.

C.erosion.　　　　　　　　　D.purchasing.

18.The author’s attitude toward the evaluators of television can be best described as

A.intrigued.　　　　　　　　B.scornful.

C.equivocal.　　　　　　　　D.indulgent.

19.The author responds to the four theories of television primarily by

A.offering contrary evidence.

B.invoking diverse authorities.

C.implying that no reasonable person could take them seriously.

D.adding historical perspective.

20.In mapping out categories of theories about television，the author uses which of the following？

A.Earnest reevaluation.

B.Incredulous analysis of academic documentation.

C.Somber warnings about the future.

D.Description tinged with irony.

Model Test 3

TEXT A

When astronomers point their telescopes to the nearest galaxy，Andromeda，they see it as it was two million years ago.That’s about the time Australopithecus（an extinct humanlike primate）was basking in the African sun.This little bit of time travel is possiblebecause light takes two million years to make the trip from there to here.Too bad we couldn’t turn things around and observe Earth from some cozy planet in Andromeda.

But looking at light from distant objects isn’t real time travel，the in-the-flesh participation in pasts and future found in literature.Ever since I have been old enough to read science fiction，I have dreamed of time traveling.The possibilities are staggering.You could take medicine back to fourteenth-century Europe and stop the spread of plague，or you could travel to the twenty-third century，where people take their annual holidays in space stations.

Being a scientist myself，I know that time travel is quite unlikely according to the laws of physics.For one thing，there would be a causality violation.If you could travel backward in time，you could alter a chain of events with the knowledge of how they would have turned out.Cause would no longer always precede effect.For example，you could prevent your parents from ever meeting.Contemplating the consequences of that will give you a headache，and science fiction writers for decades have delighted in the paradoxes that can arise from traveling through time.

Physicists are，of course，horrified at the thought of causality violation.Differential equations for the way things should behave under a given set of forces and initial conditions would no longer be valid，since what happens in one instant would not necessarily determine what happens in the next.Physicists do rely on a deterministic universe in which to operate，and time travel would almost certainly put them and most other scientists permanently out of work.

Still，I dream of time travel.There is something very personal about time.When the first mechanical clocks were invented，marking off time in crisp，regular intervals，it must have surprised people todiscover that time flowed outside their own mental and physiological processes.Body time flows at its own variable rate，oblivious to the most precise clocks in the laboratory.In fact，the human body contains its own exquisite timepieces，all with their separate rhythms.There are the alpha waves in the brain；another clock is the heart.And all the while tick the mysterious，ruthless clocks that regulate aging.

Recently，I found my great-grandfather’s favorite pipe.Papa Joe，as he was called，died more than seventy years ago，long before I was born.There are few surviving photographs or other memorabilla of Papa Joe.But I do have his pipe，which had been tucked away in a drawer somewhere for years and was in good condition when I found it.I ran a pipe cleaner through it，filled it with some tobacco I had on hand，and settled down to read and smoke.After a couple of minutes，the most wonderful and foreign blend of smells began wafting from the pipe.All the different occasions when Papa Joe had lit his pipe，all the different places he had been that I will never know—all had been locked up in that pipe and now poured out into the room.I was vaguely aware that something had got delightfully twisted in a time for a moment，skipped upward on the page.There is a kind of time travel to be had，if you don’t insist on how it happens.

1.The author mentions Australopithecus in paragraph 1to

A.note an evolutionary progression in the physical world.

B.dramatize how different Earth was two million years ago.

C.commend the superior work of astronomers in isolating a moment early in time.

D.establish a link between the length of time that Africa has been inhabited and the discovery of the Andromeda galaxy.

2.The statement in paragraph 1（“Too bad...Andromeda”）suggests that

A.scientists would like to observe events that occurred on Earth in the distant past.

B.there may be planets in Andromeda that are reachable through space travel.

C.the study of Andromeda would offer interesting comparisons to planet Earth.

D.a planet in Andromeda will be a likely observation point for Earth in the future.

3.The author introduces the third paragraph with the words“Being a scientist”in order to

A.explain an intense personal interest in the topic.

B.lend an air of authority to the discussion of time travel.

C.suggests why certain forms of literature are so appealing.

D.provoke those who defend science fiction.

4.The author uses the word“ruthless”（paragraph 5）to suggest that

A.people are bewildered by the prospect of aging.

B.the human body has mysterious capacities.

C.some people age more rapidly than others do.

D.the process of aging is relentless.

5.The author mentions that“something...skipped upward on the page”（paragraph 6）to suggest that

A.he reread a portion of the page.

B.his vision was affected by the smoke.

C.he traveled back in time in his imagination.

D.his reading reminded him of Papa Joe.

TEXT B

If the new art is not accessible to everyone，which certainlyseems to be the case，this implies that its impulses are not of a generically human kind.It is an art not for people in general but for a special class who may not be better but who are evidently different.

Before we go further，one point must be clarified.What is it that the majority of people call aesthetic pleasure？What happens in their minds when they“like”a work of art；for example，aplay？The answer is easy.They like a play when they become interested in the human destinies that are represented，when the love and hatred，the joys and sorrows of the dramatic personages so move them that they participate in it all as though it were happening in real life.And they call a work“good”if it succeeds in creating the illusion necessary to make the imaginary personages appear like living persons.In poetry the majority of people seek the passion and pain of the human being behind the poet.Paintings attract them if they find in them figures of men or women it would be interesting to meet.

It thus appears that to the majority of people aesthetic pleasure means a state of mind that is essentially indistinguishable from their ordinary behavior.It differs merely in accidental qualities，being perhaps less utilitarian，more intense，and free from painful consequences.But the object toward which their attention and，consequently，all their other mental activities are directed is the same as in daily life：people and passions.When forced to consider artistic forms proper—for example，in some surrealistic or abstract art—most people will only tolerate them if they do not interfere with their perception of human forms and fates.As soon as purely aesthetic elements predominate and the story of John and Susie grows elusive，most people feel out of their depth and are at a loss as to what to make of the scene，the book，or the painting.A work of art vanishes from sight for a beholder who seeks in that work of art nothing but the moving fate of John and Susie or Tristan and Isolde.Unaccustomed to behaving in any mode except the practical one in which feelings are aroused and emotional involvement ensues，most people are unsure how to respond to a work that does not invite sentimental intervention.

Now this is a point that has to be made perfectly clear.Neither grieving nor rejoicing at such human destinies as those presented by a work of art begins to define true artistic pleasure；indeed，preoccupation with the human content of the work is in principle incompatible with aesthetic enjoyment proper.

6.The passage is primarily concerned with

A.the lives artists leads as opposed to the ones they imagine.

B.the emotional impact of a painting’s subject matter.

C.the nature of the pleasure that most people find in a work of art.

D.the wide variety of responses that audiences have to different works of art.

7.The author suggests that the majority of people resist modern art because

A.they consider modern artists to be elitist.

B.they are too influenced by critics to view the art on its own merits.

C.they are annoyed by its social message.

D.they find in it little of human interest to engage them.

8.As used in the last sentence of paragraph 2，“figures”most nearly means

A.crude images.　　　　　　　　　　B.abstractions.

C.representations.　　　　　　　　 D.numbers.

9.It is most likely that“the story of John and Susie”（paragraph 3）refers to

A.a fictional work that the author will proceed to critique.

B.a typical narrative of interpersonal relationships.

C.an account of an affair in the form of a mystery.

D.a legendary couple that has fascinated artists through ages.

10.The author’s attitude toward the majority of people can best be described as

A.genuinely puzzled.　　　　　　　B.aggressively hostile.

C.solemnly respectful.　　　　　　D.condescendingly tolerant.

TEXT C

The First World War is a classic case of the dissonance between official，male-centered history and unofficial female history.Not only did the apocalyptic events of this war have very different meaningsfor men and women，such events were in fact very different for men and women，apoint understood almost at once by and involved contemporary like Vera Brittain.She noted about her relationship with her soldier fiancéthat the war put a“barrier of indescribable experience between men and women whom they loved.Sometimes（I wrote at the time）I fear that even if he gets through，what he has experienced out there may change his ideas and tastes utterly.”

The nature of the barrier thrust between Vera Brittain and her fiancé，however，may have been even more complex than she herself realized，for the impediment preventing a marriage of their true minds was constituted not only by his altered experience but by hers.Specifically，as young men became increasingly alienated from their pre-war selves，increasingly immured in the muck and blood of the battlefields，increasingly abandoned by the civilization of which they had ostensibly been heirs，women seemed to become，as if by some uncanny swing of history’s pendulum，ever more powerful.As nurses，as munitions workers，as bus drivers，as soldiers in theagricultural“land army，”even as wives and mothers，these formerly subservient creatures began to loom larger.A visitor to London observed in 1918that“England was world of women—women in uniforms.”

The wartime poems，stories，and memoirs by women sometimes subtly，sometimes explicitly explore the political and economic revolution by which the First World War at least temporarily dispossessed male citizens of the primacy that had always been their birthright，while permanently granting women access to both the votes and the professions that they had never before possessed.Similarly，a number of these women writers covertly or overtly celebrated the release of female desires and powers which that revolution made possible，as well as the reunion（or even reunification）of women which was a consequence of such liberated energies.

Their enthusiasm，which might otherwise seem like morbid gloating，was explained by Virginia Woolf，a writer otherwise known for her pacifist sympathies：

How...can we explain that amazing outburst in August 1914，when the daughters of educated men...rushed into hospitals...drove lorries，worked in fields and munitions factories，and used all their immense stores of charm...to persuade young men that to fight was heroic...？So profound was（woman’s）unconscious loathing for the education of the private house that she would undertake any task，however menial，exercise any fascination，however fatal，that enabled her to escape.Thus consciously she desired“our splendid Empire”；unconsciously she desired our splendid war.

11.The author mentions Vera Brittain primarily to

A.support an argument by quoting material written at the time of the war.

B.present an example of the kind of powers women gained during the war.

C.describe how a writer manipulated the faces about the war.

D.discuss the wartime literature produced by women.

12.In paragraph2，the reference to“wives and mother”most directly implies the author’s assumption that

A.families prospered more when women became head of the household.

B.soldiers were unaware of the fundamental change taking place in society.

C.women in domestic roles had previously exercised little authority.

D.women embraced their chance to work outside the home.

13.In paragraph 3，the“revolution”refers to

A.women’s literary output during the war.

B.women’s pursuit of rights previously unavailable to them.

C.the change that men underwent after experiencing war.

D.the redistribution of power from the upper to the middle class.

14.The author implies that women’s enthusiasm“might...seem like morbid gloating”（paragraph 3）because

A.women’s progress caused the deterioration of men’s status.

B.women achieved recognition as the real peacemakers in the war.

C.women boasted that the war would be lost without them.

D.women were enjoying power while men were in battle.

15.In last paragraph，the discussion of women’s involvement with“menial”tasks and“fatal”fascination primarily serves to emphasize

A.the far-reaching consequences of women’s roles during wartime.

B.the extent to which women felt stifled in their traditional roles.

C.the contrast between how women idealized war and what it was really like.

D.the desire by women to escape the horrors of war.

TEXT D

Anyone who trains animals recognizes that human and animal perceptual capacities are different.For most humans，seeing is believing，although we do occasionally brood about whether we can believe our eyes.The other senses are largely ancillary；most of us do not know how we might go about either doubting or believing our noses.But for dogs，scenting is believing.A dog’s nose is to ours as the wrinkled surface of our complex brain is to the surface of an egg.A dog who did comparative psychology might easily worry about our consciousness or lack thereof，just as we worry about the consciousness of a squid.

We who take sight for granted can draw pictures of scent，but we have no language for doing it the other way about，no way to represent something visually familiar by means of actual scent.Most humans cannot know，with their limited noses，what they can imagine about being deaf，blind，mute，or paralyzed.The sighted can，for example，speak of a blind person“in the darkness，”but there is no corollary expression for what it is that we are in relationship to scent.If we tried to coin words，we might come up with something like“scent-blind.”But what would it mean？It couldn’t have the sort of meaning that“color-blind”and“tone-deaf”do，because most of us have experienced what“tone”and“color”mean in those expressions，but we don’t know what“scent”means in the expression“scent-blind.”Scent for many of us can be only atheoretical，technical expression that we use because our grammar requires that we have a noun to go in the sentences we are prompted to utter about animals’tracking.We don’t have a sense of scent.What we do have is a sense of smell—for Thanksgiving dinner and skunks and a number of things we call chemicals.

So if Fido and I are sitting on the terrace，admiring the view，we inhabit worlds with radically different principles of phenomenology.Say that the wind is to our backs.Our world lies all before us，within a 180degree angle.The dog’s—well，we don’t know，do we？

He sees roughly the same things that I see but he believes the scents of the garden behind us.He marks the path of the black-and-white cat as she moves among the roses in search of the bits of chicken sandwich I let fall as I walked from the house to our picnic spot.I can showthat Fido is alert to the kitty，but not how，for my picture-making modes of thought too easily supply falsifyingly literal representations of the cat and the garden and their modes of being hidden from or revealed to me.

16.The phrase“other senses are largely ancillary”（paragraph 1）is used by the author to suggest that

A.only those events experienced directly can be appreciated by the senses.

B.for many human beings the senses of sights is the primary means of knowing about the world.

C.smell is in many respects a more powerful sense than sight.

D.people rely on at least one of their other senses in order to confirm what they see.

17.The example in the last paragraph suggests that“principle of phenomenology”mentioned in paragraph 3can best be defined as

A.memorable things that happen.

B.behaviors caused by certain kinds of perception.

C.ways and means of knowing about something.

D.rules one uses to determine the philosophical truth about a certain thing.

18.The missing phrase in the incomplete sentence“The dog’s—well，we don’t know，do we？（paragraph 3）refers to

A.color blindness.　　　　　　B.depth perception.

C.perception of the world.　　D.concern for our perceptions.

19.The author uses the distinction between“that”and“how”（paragraph 4）in order to suggest the difference between

A.seeing and believing.

B.a cat’s way and a dog’s way of perceiving.

C.verifiable hypotheses and whimsical speculation.

D.awareness of presence and the nature of that awareness.

20.The example in the last paragraph is used to illustrate how

A.a dog’s perception differs from a human’s.

B.human beings are not psychologically rooted in the natural world.

C.people fear nature but animals are part of it.

D.a dog’s ways of seeing are superior to a cat’s.

Model Test 4

TEXT A

The concept of two warring souls within the body of the Black American was as meaningful for Du Bois at the end of his years as editor of Crisis，the official journal of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People（NAACP），as when he had first used the image at the start of the century.The tension between race prideand identification with the nation as a whole was nowhere more dramatic than in the most controversial editorial ever printed in Crisis，“Close Ranks，”which in July 1918called on Black Americans to“forger our special grievances and close our ranks”with the White people“fighting for democracy”during the First World War.Bitterly criticized by Black people，Du Bois barely modified his statement when，two months later，he set the priorities for his readers：“first your Country，then your Rights！”Perhaps the editor had written more than he intended in using the word“forget，”for Crisis before and after the editorial showed no diminution in its criticism of racism.But he distinguished between Allied and German ambitions，and declared that defeat of the former would be disastrous for that“United States of the World”to which he was most loyal.

Du Bois nevertheless saw danger in the negation of race pride，by those who did not recognize their own beauty as Black people，for example.The responsibility of Crisis was to arbitrate between those who advocated race pride and those who denied any differences between the races.The focal point of the magazine’s efforts in this respect came with the rise of Marcus Garvey，the gifted Jamaican leader whose“back-to-Africa”movement，as it was popularly called，was founded on the premise，according to Du Bois，that“a black skin was in itself assort of patent to nobility.”

Garveyism，which flourished during the height of Crisis’influence and success，brought a formidable challenge to Du Bois.Garvey and his Universal Negro Improvement Association（UNIA），with its hostility to the interracial ideal and its scheme to have Black Americans emigrate to Africa，threw Crisis and the NAACP on the defensive by invoking the specter of self-doubt as characteristic of its Black members.Du Bois had first met Garvey on a visit to Jamaica in 1915，and Crisis announced Garvey’s arrival in the United States thefollowing year.Almost totally unknown in his new country，Garvey invited Du Bois to preside over his first public lecture；then in 1920he asked permission to submit Du Bois’s name as a candidate in the election of a“leader”of Black American at an international convention organized by the UNIA.Du Bois politely declined the former；“under no circumstances”would he allow the latter.Du Bois saw with amazement Garvey’s success in persuading thousands of Black Americans of the legitimacy of his back-to-Africa movement and in collecting funds for the purchase of ships for his Black Star Line to transport people to Africa.

There were superficial similarities between Garvey’s and Du Bois’s commitment to race consciousness and economic empowerment；both men saw the world as comprising separate cultures，each reflecting a distinct heritage and demanding freedom of expression.But Garvey’s fixed belief in the idea of Black racial purity，his obsession with Africa as the solution to the problems of its scattered peoples，and refusal to allow any liberal idea to deflect his purpose differed greatly from Du Bois’s ideals.Du Bois fantasized about Africa in at least one poem and wrote about the continent elsewhere，but he cultivated a scholar’s knowledge of the land.He made the first of several visits there in 1923and lived in Africa for the last two years of his life（1961—1963）.In a cryptic piece in Crisisin 1922，Du Bois was surely referring to Garvey when he ominously predicted the rise of a demagogue who would“come to lead，inflame，lie，and steal”and when he commented that such a person would“gather large followings and then burst and disappear.”

1.The primary purpose of the passage is to

A.accounted for the rise of Black nationalism in the United States.

B.explain the charismatic appeal of two Black American leaders.

C.explain why Garvey refused to support Du Bois as a leader of Black America.

D.describe differences between the philosophies of Du Bois and Garvey.

2.The image of“two warring souls”（paragraph 1）refers to the struggle between

A.democracy and dictatorship.

B.Du Bois’s ideals and practical demands.

C.racial and national allegiances.

D.Du Bois’s literary and political ambitions.

3.That to which Du Bois was“most loyal”（the last sentence of paragraph 1is best described as

A.the UNIA.　　　　　　　　B.the NAACP.

C.Crisis.　　　　　　　　　D.global democracy.

4.As described in paragraph 3，Garvey’s actions suggest that he initially

A.scorned Du Bois’advice.

B.doubted Du Bois’s commitment.

C.envied Du Bois’s fame.

D.appreciated Du Bois’s influence.

5.The passage implies that over time the relationship between Garvey and Du Bois changed from

A.courteous to antagonistic.　　　B.professional to personal.

C.remote to close.　　　　　　　　D.distrustful to ambivalent.

TEXT B

The first painting I ever bought was by Sheila Fell.I went to her studio in Redcliffe Square feeling uncomfortable and even embarrassed，thinking how awful to be an artist，having to put upwith prospective buyers coming to gape，whereas writers never need to see anyone read their books.I kept wishing，all the way up the steep flights of stairs，that I could go and look without Sheila being there.I imagined she must be feeling the same.

I was wrong.Sheila didn’t care who looked at her paintings or what they thought of them or whether she told them.She was perfectly at ease，seemed to me to enjoy showing her work.There was a confidence about how she propped up canvas after canvas that made me in turn relax.I don’t know why I’d been so apprehensive after—all，we had Cumberland in common，there was no need for me to explain why I was drawn to her work.What I missed，exile in London，she missed：the landscape of where we had both been born and brought up.

The painting was of haystack in a field.The haystack had clearly just been made，it was golden and the field flooded with a red-gold light，the whole atmosphere mellow and rich.

It was a large painting and I realized as soon as it arrived at my home that however much I loved it I had no wall and no room to do it justice.I put it on the largest wall we had in the biggest room and still I felt I was insulting it—the power of the picture was too huge to be contained in our ordinary house.And the light was wrong.The painting couldn’t glow，as it wanted to—it needed a vast，empty room and a great distance in front of it.One day，I hoped，I’d take it back to Cumberland and find a house there where it could settle happily.But when，after thirty years，we found that house，the painting was failed again.The walls were no bigger and neither were the rooms.So I sold the painting and bought another，smaller Sheila Fell.

It was a terrible mistake.The moment the painting had been taken away I realized how stupid I’d been.So it had beenoverwhelming，too large，too dramatic to contain in either house but I shouldn’t have let that matter，I should have found a way to keep it.I grieved for it and wished I could buy it back，marry it again after the folly of a divorce.But it was too late.And then，in 1990，I went to the Sheila Fell Exhibition at the Royal Academy and there，in pride of place，at the end of the longest room，the room it had always needed，was my painting.Its beauty was stunning.People stopped and stared and admired and I wanted to shout that what they were looking at was mine.I am not at all possessive by nature but suddenly I felt fiercely possessive.This glorious painting had been part of my life for so very long and I didn’t seem to be able to grasp that I had willfully let it go.

I went back to the exhibition day after day and on the last one became almost maudlin at saying my good-byes.I don’t know who owns the painting now—it merely said“Private Collection”in the catalog but—I doubt if I’ll ever see it again.In a way，that’s better than being able to go and look at it hanging in a public gallery—I’d only go on torturing myself with wanting it back.I can see every detail of it in my mind’s eye anyway.It lives in my head.I can recite it like a poem，and so in a sense I can never lose it.

6.Which statement best summarizes the description of the hypothetical group of people in paragraph 1compared to that of the actual group in paragraph 5？

A.The first is uneducated，the second has professional training.

B.The first slights the artist；the second is overly respectful.

C.The first is somewhat instructive；the second is apparently appreciative.

D.The first rejects the artist’s methodology；the second praises it.

7.Paragraph 1line 5（“I imagined...the same”）suggests that the narrator

A.believe that most artists feel as she does in the presence of an audience.

B.is as excited about Sheila Fell’s work as she is about her own.

C.is insecure about promoting her books in front of prospective buyers.

D.regards Sheila Fell’s attitude as eccentric.

8.The central contrast between the first paragraph and the second is best described in which terms？

A.Idealismversus practicality.

B.Expectation versus reality.

C.Speculation versus investigation.

D.Anticipation versus disappointment.

9.In the closing paragraph，the narrator uses the language of human interaction in describing the painting in order to emphasize

A.the empathy she feels with its creator.

B.the difficulty she encounters in maintaining it.

C.the pressure she feels to“divorce”it.

D.the extent to which she feels its loss.

10.The passage serves mainly to

A.discuss the influence of environment on artistic achievement.

B.defend the works of a controversial artist.

C.explore the emotional context of a particular series of events.

D.argue against placing undue emphasis on the economic value of art.

TEXT C

Aviation belonged to the 20th century in part because theengineering that went into flying machines was utterly different from that of the Industrial Revolution.Nineteenth century engineering revolved around the steam engine.It was about weight and brute power—beautifully machined heavy steel，burnished bronze，polished copper pipes，ornamental cast iron—everything built，with no expense spared，to withstand great pressures and last any number of lifetimes.Airplane construction was the opposite of all that；it was about lightness.

The Wright brothers，who created one of the first airplanes，started out making bicycles，which were all the rage at the turn of the 20th century.They knew about thin-wall steel tubes，wire-spoked wheels，chain drives，and whatever else it took to construct efficient machines that weighed as little as possible.In effect，they were practical engineers at the cheap end of the market，but they happened to be fascinated by flight.Says one writer，“Wilbur Wright spent his time studying the flight of vultures，eagles，ospreys，and hawks，trying to discover the secret of their ability to maneuver with their wings in unstable air.To those who later asked him how he later asked him how he learned to fly，he loved to reply through his scarcely opened lips：‘Like a bird.’”

This is the point at which engineering intersects with the imagination，with humanity’s ancient dream of freeing itself from gravity.Until the first fliers got to work，the body was earthbound，but it enclosed a soul that flew in meditation，in poetry，and as the seventeenth-century English poet Andrew Marvell showed，sometimes spectacularly in both：

Casting the body’s vest aside

My soul into the boughs does glide：

There，like a Bird，it sits and sings，

Then whets and combs its silver wings，

And，till prepared for longer flight，

Waves in its plumes the various light.

At the beginning of the century，the new light engineering that allowed people to fly seemed to the uninitiated a kind of poetry.In 1913，a writer in the AtlanticMonthlyclaimed that“machinery is our new art form”and praised“the engineers whose poetry is too deep to look poetic”and whose gifts“have swung their souls free...like gods.”One of Wright’s most eloquent admirers called him a poet and compared him to one of“those monks of Asia Minor who live perched on the tops of inaccessible mountain peaks.The soul of Wilbur Wright is just as high and faraway.”Wright was，in fact，“deeply middle-class and unheroic，”writes one biographer，but those obsessed with the glamour of flight pretended not to notice.

11.The primary purpose of the passage is to

A.profile the unique personalities of aviation pioneers.

B.examine the theme of flight in contemporary poetry.

C.survey the effects of aviation on twentieth-century lifestyles.

D.discuss how early aviation captured people’s imagination.

12.The author refers to“the cheap end of the market”（paragraph 2）to make the point that

A.aviation’s progress was hindered by people who had little concern for quality.

B.the public could afford to fly because airplanes used inexpensive materials.

C.aviators were the target of unwarranted and petty criticism.

D.the pioneers of aviation had modest technological beginnings.

13.In paragraph 3lines，the author quotes Marvell’s poetry primarily to illustrate

A.the contrast between imaginative and practical engineering.

B.the solution to the mystery of flight.

C.how the advantages of flight outweigh its dangers.

D.humanity’s deep longing to be able to fly.

14.The quotation in paragraph 4（“the engineers...poetic”）serves to reinforce the point that

A.machines can be as inspiring as works of art.

B.technology and poetry are both misunderstood.

C.scientific practicality is more important than artistic creativity.

D.the technical language of engineers has a lyrical quality.

15.In paragraph 4，the inclusion of the biographer’s remarks is intended to

A.criticize an instance of unimaginative thinking.

B.demystify the image of an individual.

C.reiterate a generally accepted view.

D.reassess the importance of an invention.

TEXT D

Jerry was deceitful，but at the time I did not think he was imaginative enough to do any damage.And yet his was not the conventional double life that most White people led in Africa.Jerry had certain ambitions：ambition makes more liars than egotism does.But Jerry was so careful，his lies such modest calculations，that he was always believed.He said he was from Boston.“Belmont actually，”he told me，when I said I was from Medford His passport said Watertown.He felt he had to conceal it.That explained a lot：the insecurity of living on the lower slopes of the long hill，between the smoldering steeples of Boston and the clean，high-priced air of Belmont.We are probably no more class-conscious than the British，but when we make class an issue，it seems more than snobbery.Itbecomes a bizarre spectacle，a kind of attention-seeking，and I cannot hear an American speaking of his or her social position without thinking of a human fly，one of those tiny people in grubby capes whom one sometimes sees clinging to the brickwork of a tall building.

What had begun as fantasy had，after six months of his repeating it in our insignificant place，made it seem like fact.I had the impression that it was one of the reasons Jerry wanted to stay in Africa.If you tell enough lies about yourself，they take hold.It becomes impossible ever to go back，since that means facing the truth.In Africa，no one could dispute what Jerry said he was：a wealthy Bostonian，from a family of some distinction，adventuring in philanthropy before inheriting his father’s business.

Anna and Chris made me at ease the first day in their polished living room—though I was not sure why these people would bother putting themselves out for me at all.And when they kept inviting me back for dimmer parties and extending their hospitality，I wondered if maybe they were bored，or if their ignorance of American types was such that they failed to see that I was not at all of their social class：I kept expecting some crude regional expression to betray me；and，once I thought of it in those terms，I knew I would have to make sure they saw that side of me—to do less would be like trying to“pass.”Yet whatever I said seemed to make no difference in their acceptance.I then suspected that my rough-edgedness itself was entertaining to them as a source of vitality，their diversion-of-the-month.This would have made more sense if the Hodgkinsons were bored，dried-up people who needed to feast on any new stranger，but they were not；they were in the world and leading stimulating lives and I finally had to come to the anxious conclusion that they simply liked me.

The truth was I had changed，though I was perhaps the last to see it.While still feeling myself a child from the slums，I had gottena university education，acquired a taste for esoteric culture；and now，when I thought back to my students in East Harlem，where I felt I should really belong，it seemed that I was a stranger there as well.Yet I did not fit in with people born to middle-class comfort either.It seemed there was no group at all in which I could feel at home.Perhaps anyone with the tiniest sensitivity comes to that banal conclusion.But what I was seeing now with horror，in the accepting eyes of those a class above me，was that I had already partly metamorphosed—into them.My only hope of growing seemed to point in an upward social direction；but that direction aroused in me a characteristic disapproval and distaste.I was by no means attracted by everything I saw in well-off people’s lives，and the momentary need to accept their hospitality and keep secret my criticism of them made me feel like a hypocrite.

16.The first sentence of the first paragraph implies that

A.the truth can sometimes be more damaging than a lie.

B.the narrator failed to recognize Jerry’s deceptive nature.

C.the narrator is intolerant of Jerry’s background.

D.the narrator’s view of Jerry changed over time.

17.In paragraph 1，the word“modest”in the 4th sentence most nearly means

A.shy.　　　　　　　　　　　B.self-conscious.

C.decent.　　　　　　　　　 D.moderate.

18.In paragraph 3，the narrator’s perspective changes from

A.suspicion of his hosts to outright mistrust of them.

B.estrangement to a sense of camaraderie.

C.insecurity to feelings of despondency.

D.apprehensiveness to a desire to reveal himself.

19.The statement in paragraph 3（“to feast...stranger”）suggests

that some hosts

A.resent being relied on for the latest gossip.

B.are anxious about making agood impression on strangers.

C.live vicariously through their guests.

D.pretend to lead more interesting lives than they actually do.

20.In paragraph 3，the phrase“in the world”of the last sentence indicates that the Hodgkinsons are

A.preoccupied with the mundane aspects of life.

B.familiar with upper-class social conventions.

C.in contact with interesting people and ideas.

D.suspicious of spirituality.

Model Test 5

TEXT A

The Welsh language has always been the ultimate marker of Welsh identity，but a generation ago it looked as if Welsh would go the way of Manx，once widely spoken on the Isle of Man but now extinct.Government financing and central planning，however，have helped reverse the decline of Welsh.Road signs and official public documents are written in both Welsh and English，and schoolchildren are required to learn both languages.Welsh is now one of the most successful of Europe’s regional languages，spoken by more than a half-million of the country’s three million people.

The revival of the language，particularly among young people，is part of a resurgence of national identity sweeping through this small，proud nation.Last month Wales marked the second anniversary of the opening of the National Assembly，the first parliament to be convened here since 1404.The idea behind devolution was to restore the balance within the union of nations making up the UnitedKingdom.With most of the people and wealth，England has always had bragging rights.The partial transfer of legislative powers from Westminster，implemented by Tony Blair，was designed to give the other members of the club—Scotland，Northern Ireland，and Wales—a bigger say and to counter centrifugal forces that seemed to threaten the very idea of the union.

The Welsh showed little enthusiasm for devolution.Whereas the Scots voted overwhelmingly for a parliament，the vote for a Welsh assembly scraped through by less than one percent on a turnout of less than 25percent.Its powers were proportionately limited.The Assembly can decide how money from Westminster or the European Union is spent.It cannot，unlike its counterpart in Edinburgh，enact laws.But now that it is here，the Welsh are growing to like their Assembly.Many people would like it to have more powers.Its importance as figurehead will grow with the opening in 2003，of a new debating chamber，one of many new buildings that are transforming Cardiff from a decaying seaport into a Baltimore-style waterfront city.Meanwhile a grant of nearly two million dollars from the European Union will tackle poverty.Wales is one of the poorest regions in Western Europe—only Spain，Portugal，and Greece have a lower standard of living.

Newspapers and magazines are filled with stories about great Welsh men and women，boosting self-esteem.To familiar faces such as Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton have been added new icons such as Catherine Zeta-Jones，the movie star，and Bryn Terfel，the opera singer.Indigenous foods like salt marsh lamb are in vogue.And Wales now boasts a national airline.Awyr Cymru.Cymru，which means“land of compatriots，”is the Welsh name for Wales.The red dragon，the nation’s symbol since the time of King Arthur，is everywhere—on T-shirts，rugby jerseys and even cell phone covers.

“Until very recent times most Welsh people had this feeling of being second-class citizens，”said Dyfan Jones，an 18-year-old student.It was a warm summer night，and I was sitting on the grass with a group of young people in Llanelli，an industrial town in the south，outside the rock music venue of the National Eisteddfod，Wales’s annual cultural festival.The disused factory in front of us echoed to the sounds of new Welsh bands.

“There was almost a genetic tendency for lack of confidence，”Dyfan continued.Equally comfortable in his Welshness as in his membership in the English-speaking，global youth culture and the new federal Europe，Dyfan，like the rest of his generation，is growing up with a sense of possibility unimaginable ten years ago.“We used to think.We can’t do anything，we’re only Welsh.Now I think that’s changing.”

1.According to the passage，devolution was mainly meant to

A.maintain the present status among the nations.

B.reduce legislative powers of England.

C.create a better state of equality among the nations.

D.grant more say to all the nations in the union.

2.The word“centrifugal”in the second paragraph means

A.separatist.　　　　　　　B.conventional.

C.feudal.　　　　　　　　　D.political.

3.Wales is different from Scotland in all the following aspects EXCEPT

A.people’s desire for devolution.

B.locals’turnout for the voting.

C.powers of the legislative body.

D.status of the national language.

4.Which of the following is NOT cited as an example of the

resurgence of Welsh national identity？

A.Welsh has witnessed a revival as a national language.

B.Poverty-relief funds have come from the European Union.

C.A Welsh national airline is currently in operation.

D.The national symbol has become a familiar sight.

5.According to Dyfan Jones what has changed is

A.people’s mentality.　　　　B.pop culture.

C.town’s appearance.　　　　 D.possibilities for the people.

TEXT B

Getting to the heart of Kuwaiti democracy seems hilariously easy.Armed only with a dog-eared NEWSWEEK ID，I ambled through the gates of the National Assembly last week.Unscanned，unsearched，my satchel could easily have held the odd grenade or an anthrax-stuffed lunchbox.The only person who stopped me was a guard who grinned and invited me to take a swig of orange juice from his plastic bottle.

Were I a Kuwaiti woman wielding a ballot，I would have been a clearer and more present danger.That very day Parliament blocked a bill giving women the vote；29MPs voted in favour and 29against，with two abstentions.Unable to decide whether the bill had passed or not，the government scheduled another vote in two weeks—too late for women to register for June’s municipal elections.The next such elections aren’t until 2009.

Inside the elegant，marbled Parliament itself，a sea of mustachioed men in white robes sat in green seats，debating furiously.The ruling emir has pushed for women’s political rights for years.Ironically，the democratically elected legislature has thwarted him.Traditionalists and tribal leaders are opposed.Liberals fret，too，that Islamists will let their multiple wives vote，swellingconservative ranks.“When I came to Parliament today，people who voted yes didn’t even shake hands with me，”said one Shia clerc.“Why can’t we respect each other and work together？”

Why not indeed？By Gulf standards，Kuwait is a democratic superstar.Its citizens enjoy free speech（as long as they don’t insult their emir，naturally）and boast a Parliament that can actually pass laws.Unlike their Saudi sisters，Kuwaiti women drive，work and travel freely.They run multibillion-dollar businesses and serve as ambassadors.Their academic success is such that colleges have actually lowered the grades required to make students to get into medical and engineering courses.Even then，70percent of university students are females.

In Kuwait，the Western obsession with the higab finds its equivalent.At a fancy party for NEWSWEEK’s Arabic edition，some Kuwaiti women wore them.Others opted for tight，spangled，sheer little numbers in peacock blue or parrot orange.For the party’s entertainment，Nancy Ajram，the Arab world’s answer to Britney Spears，sang passionate songs of love in a white mini-dress.She couldn’t dance for us，alas，since shaking one’s body onstage is illegal in Kuwait.That didn’t stop whole tables of men from raising their camera-enabled mobile phones and clicking her picture.

You’d think not being able to vote or dance in public would anger Kuwait’s younger generation of women.To find out，I headed to the malls—Kuwait’s archipelago of civic freedom.Eager to duck strict parents and the social taboos of dating in public，young Kuwaitis have taken to cafes，beaming flirtatious infrared e-mails to one another on their cell photos.At Starbucks in the glittering Al Sharq Mall，I found only tables of men，puffing cigarettes and grumbling about the service.At Pizza Hut，I thought I’d got an answer after encountering ayoung woman who looked every inch themodern suffragette—drainpipe jeans，strappy sliver high-heeled sandals and a higab studded with purple rhinestones.But，no，Miriam Al-Enizi，20，studying business administration at Kuwait University，doesn’t think women need the vote.“Men are better at politics than women，”she explained，adding that women in Kuwait already have everything they need.Welcome to democracy，Kuwait style.

6.According to the passage，which of the following groups of people might be viewed as being dangerous by the guards？

A.Foreign tourists.

B.Women protestors.

C.Foreign journalists.

D.Members of the National Assembly.

7.The bill giving women the vote did not manage to pass because

A.different interest groups held different concerns.

B.liberals did not reach consensus among themselves.

C.parliament was controlled by traditionalists.

D.parliament members were all conservatives.

8.What is the role of the 4th and 5th paragraphs in the development of the topic？

A.To show how Kuwaiti women enjoy themselves.

B.To describe how women work and study in Kuwait.

C.To offer supporting evidence to the preceding paragraphs.

D.To provide a contrast to the preceding paragraphs.

9.Which of the following is NOT true about young Kuwaiti women？

A.They seem to be quite contented.

B.They go in for Western fashions.

C.They desire more than modern necessities.

D.They favour the use of hi-tech products.

TEXT C

Richard，King of England from 1189to 1199，with all his characteristic virtues and faults cast in a heroic mould，is one of the most fascinating medieval figures.He has been described as the creature and embodiment of the age of chivalry.In those days the lion was much admired in heraldry，and more than one king sought to link himself with its repute.When Richard’s contemporaries called him“Coeur de Lion”（The Lion heart），they paid a lasting compliment to the king of beasts.Little did the English people owe him for his services，and heavily did they pay for his adventures.He was in England only twice for a few short months in his ten years’reign；yet his memory has always English hearts，and seems to present throughout the centuries the pattern of the fighting man.In all deeds of prowess as well as in large schemes of war Richard shone.He was tall and delicately shaped；strong in nerve and sinew，and most dexterous in arms.He rejoiced in personal combat，and regarded his opponents without malice as necessary agents in his fame.He loved war，not so much for the sake of glory or political ends，but as other men love science or poetry，for the excitement of the struggle and the glow of victory.By this his whole temperament was toned；and united with the highest qualities of the military commander，love of war called forth all the powers of his mind and body.

Although a man of blood and violence，Richard was too impetuous to be either treacherous or habitually cruel.He was as ready to forgive as he was hasty to offend；he was open-handed and munificent to profusion；in war circumspect in design and skilful in execution；in political a child，lacking in subtlety and experience.His political alliances were formed upon his likes and dislikes；his political schemes had neither unity nor clearness of purpose.The advantagesgained for him by military geoids were flung away through diplomatic ineptitude.When，on the way they to the East，Messina in Sicily was won by his arms he was easily persuaded to share with his polished，faithless ally，Philip Augustus，fruits of a victory which more wisely used might have foiled the French King’s artful schemes.The rich and tenable acquisition of Cyprus was cast away even more easily than it was won.His life was one magnificent parade，which，when ended，left only an empty plain.

In 1199，when the difficulties of raising revenue for the endless war were at their height，good news was brought to King Richard.It was said there had been dug up near the castle of Chaluz，on the lands of one of his French vassals，a treasure of wonderful quality；agroup of golden images of an emperor，his wife，sons and daughters，seated round a table，also of gold，had been unearthed.The King claimed this treasure as lord paramount.The lord of Chaluz resisted the demand，and the King laid siege to his small，weak castle.On the third day，as he rode daringly，near the wall，confident in his hard-tried luck，a bolt from a crossbow struck him in the left shoulder by the neck.The wound，already deep，was aggravated by the necessary cutting out of the arrow-head.Gangrene set in，and Coeur de Lion knew that he must pay a soldier’s debt.He prepared for death with fortitude and calm，and in accordance with the principles he had followed.He arranged his affairs；he divided his personal belongings among his friends or bequeathed them to charity.He declared John to be his heir，and made all present swear fealty to him.He ordered the archer who had shot the fatal bolt，and who was now a prisoner，to be brought before him.He pardoned him，and made him a gift of money.For seven years he had not confessed for fear of being compelled to be reconciled to Philip，but now he received the offices of the Church with sincere and exemplary piety，and died in the forty-second year of his age on April 6，1199，worthy，by the consent of all men，to sit with King Arthur and Roland and other heroes of martial romance at some Eternal Round Table，which we trust the Creator of the Universe in His comprehension will not have forgotten to provide.

The archer was flayed alive.

10.“Little did the English people own him for his service”（paragraph 1）means that

A.the English paid few taxes to him.

B.the English gave him little respect.

C.the English received little protection from him.

D.the English had no real cause to feel grateful to him.

11.To say that his life was a“magnificent parade”（paragraph 2）imp lies that it was______to some extent.

A.spent chiefly at war　　　　　　　B.impressive and admirable

C.lived too pompously 　　　　　　　D.an empty show

12.Richard’s behaviour as death approached showed

A.bravery and self-control.

B.wisdom and correctness.

C.devotion and romance.

D.chivalry and charity.

13.The point of the last short paragraph is that Richard was

A.cheated by his own successors.

B.determined to take revenge on his enemies.

C.more generous to his enemies than his successors.

D.unable to influence the behavior of his successors.

14.Which of the following phrase best describes Richard as seen by the author？

A.An aggressive king，too fond of war.

B.A brave king with minor faults.

C.A competent but cunning soldier.

D.A king with great political skills.

15.The relationship between the first and second paragraphs is that

A.each presents one side of the picture.

B.the first generalizes the second gives examples.

C.the second is the logical result of the first.

D.both present Richard’s virtues and faults.

TEXT D

The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be a landmark in business history，one of those awful events that everyone agrees must never be allowed to happen again.This urge is understandable and noble：thousands have lost virtually all their retirement savings with the demise of Enron stock.But making sure it never happens again may not be possible，because the sudden impoverishment of those Enron workers represents something even larger than it seems.It’s the latest turn in the unwinding of one of the most audacious promise of the 20th century.

The promise was assured economic security—even comfort—for essentially everyone in the developed world.With the explosion of wealth that began in the 19th century it became possible to think about a possibility no one had dared to dream before.The fear at the center of daily living since caveman days—lack of food，warmth，shelter would at last lose its power to terrify.That remarkable promise became reality in many ways.Governments created welfare systems for anyone in need and separate programs for the elderly（Social Security in the U.S.）.Labour unions promised not only better pay for workers but also pensions for retirees.Giant corporations came into being and offered the possibility—in somecases the promise—of lifetime employment plus guaranteed pensions.The cumulative effect was a fundamental change in how millions of people approached life itself，a reversal of attitude that most rank as one of the largest in human history.For millennia the average person’s stance toward providing for himself had been，ultimately I’m on my own.Now it has become，ultimately I’ll be taken care of.

The early hints that this promise might be broken on a large scale came in the 1980s.U.S.business had become uncompetitive globally and began restructuring massively，with huge Layoffs.The trend accelerated in the 1990sas the bastions of corporate welfare faced reality.IBM ended it’s no-layoff policy.AT＆T fired thousands，many of whom found such a thing simply incomprehensible，and a few of whom killed themselves.The other supposed guarantors of our economic security were also in decline.Labour-union membership and power fell to their lowest levels in decades.President Clinton signed a historic bill scaling back welfare.Americans realized that Social Security won’t provide social security for any of us.

A less visible but equally significant trend affected pensions.To make costs easier to control，companies moved away from defined benefit pension plans，which obligate them to pay out specified amounts years in the future，to defined-contribution plans，which specify only how much goes into the play today.The most common type of defined-contribution plan is the 401（k）.The significance of the 401（k）is that it puts most of the responsibility for a person’s economic fate back on the employee.Within limits the employee must decide how much goes into the plan each year and how it gets invested—the two factors that will determine how much it’s worth when the employee retires.

Which brings us back to Enron？Those billions of dollars in vaporized retirement savings went in employees’401（k）accounts.That is，the employees chose how much money to put into those accounts and then chose how to invest it.Enron matched a certain proportion of each employee’s 401（k）contribution with company stock，so everyone was going to end up with some Enron in his or her portfolio；but that could be regarded as a freebie，since nothing compels a company to match employee contributions at all.At least two special features complicate the Enron case.First，some shareholders charge top management with illegally covering up the company’s problems，prompting investors to hang on when they should have sold.Second，Enron’s 401（k）accounts were locked while the company changed plan administrators in October，when the stock was falling，so employees could not have closed their accounts if they wanted to.

But by far the largest cause of this human tragedy is that thousands of employees were heavily overweighed in Enron stock.Many had placed 100%of their 401（k）assets in the stock rather than in the 18other investment options they were offered.Of course that wasn’t prudent，but it’s what some of them did.

The Enron employees’retirement disaster is part of the larger trend away from guaranteed economic security.That’s why preventing such a thing from ever happening again may be impossible.The huge attitudinal shift to I’ll-be-taken-care-of took at least a generation.The shift back may take just as long.It won’t be complete until a new generation of employees see assured economic comfort as a 20th-century quirk，and understand not just intellectually but in their bones that，like most people in most times and places，they’re on their own.

16.Why does the author say at the beginning“The miserable fate of Enron’s employees will be a landmark in business history...”？

A.Because the company has gone bankrupt.

B.Because such events would never happen again.

C.Because many Enron workers lost their retirement savings.

D.Because it signifies a turning point in economic security.

17.According to the passage，the combined efforts by governments，labour unions and big corporations to guarantee economic comfort have led to a significant change in

A.people’s outlook on life.　　　　B.people’s life styles.

C.people’s living standard.　　　　D.people’s social values.

18.Changes in pension schemes were also part of

A.the corporate lay-offs.

B.the government cuts in welfare spending.

C.the economic restructuring.

D.the warning power of labors unions.

19.Thousands of employees chose Enron as their sole investment option mainly because

A.the 401（k）made them responsible for their own future.

B.Enron offered to add company stock to their investment.

C.their employers intended to cut back on pension spending.

D.Enron’s offer was similar to a defined-benefit plan.

20.Which is NOT seen as a lesson drawn from the Enron disaster？

A.401（k）assets should be placed in more than one investment option.

B.Employees have to take up responsibilities for themselves.

C.Such events could happen again as it is not easy to change people’s mind.

D.Economic security won’t be taken for granted by future young workers.

Model Test 6

TEXT A

Given the lack of fit between gifted students and their schools，it is not surprising that such students often have little good to say about their school experience.In one study of 400adults who had achieved distinction in all areas of life，researchers found that three-fifths of these individuals either did badly in school or were unhappy in school.Few MacArthur Prize fellows，winners of the MacArthur Award for creative accomplishment，had good things to say about their precollegiate schooling if they had not been placed in advanced programs.

Anecdotal reports support this.Pablo Picasso，Charles Darwin，Mark Twain，Oliver Goldsmith，and William Butler Yeats all disliked school.So did Winston Churchill，who almost failed out of Harrow，an elite British school.About Oliver Goldsmith，one of his teachers remarked，“Never was so dull a boy.”Often these children realize that they know more than their teachers，and their teachers often feel that these children are arrogant，inattentive，or unmotivated.

Some of these gifted people may have done poorly in school because their gifts were not scholastic.Maybe we can account for Picasso in this way.But most fared poorly in school not because they lacked ability，but because they found school unchallenging and consequently lost interest.Yeats described the lack of fit between his mind and school：“Because I had found it difficult to attend to anything less interesting than my own thoughts，I was difficult to teach.”

As noted earlier，gifted children of all kinds tend to be strong-willed nonconformists.Nonconformity and stubbornness（and Yeats’s level of arrogance and self-absorption）are likely to lead to conflicts with teachers.

When highly gifted students in any domain talk about what was important to the development of their abilities，they are far more likely to mention their families than their schools or teachers.A writing prodigy studied by David Feldman and Lynn Goldsmith was taught far more about writing by his journalist father than his English teacher.High-IQ children，in Australia studied by Miraca Gross had much more positive feelings about their families than their schools.About half of the mathematicians studied by Benjamin Bloom had little good to say about school.They all did well in school and took honors in classes when available，and some skipped grades.

1.The main point the author is making about schools is that

A.they should satisfy the needs of students from different family backgrounds.

B.they are often incapable of catering to the needs of talented students.

C.they should organize their classes according to the students ability.

D.they should enroll as many gifted students as possible.

2.The author quotes the remarks of one of Oliver Goldsmith’s teachers

A.to provide support for his argument.

B.to illustrate the strong will of some gifted children.

C.to explain how dull students can also be successful.

D.to show how poor Oliver’s performance was at school.

3.Pablo Picasso is listed among the many gifted children who

A.paid no attention to their teachers in class.

B.contradicted their teachers much too often.

C.could not cope with their studies at school successfully.

D.behaved arrogantly and stubbornly in the presence of their teachers.

4.The development of gifted students’ability is

A.mainly to parental help and their education at home.

B.both to school instruction and to their parents coaching.

C.more to their parents encouragement than to school training.

D.less to their systematic education than to their talent.

5.The root cause of many gifted students having bad memories of their school years is that

A.their nonconformity brought them a lot of trouble.

B.they were seldom praised by their teachers.

C.school courses failed to inspire or motivate them.

D.teachers were usually far stricter than their parents.

TEXT B

In some countries where racial prejudice is acute，violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences，that it is not even questioned.There are countries where the white man imposes his rule by brute force；there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging.Important people on both sides，who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men，get up and calmly argue in favor of violence—as if it were a legitimate solution，like any other.What is really frightening，what really fills you with despair，is the realization that when it comes to the crunch，we have made no actual progress at all.We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint，but our instincts remain basically unchanged.The whole of the recorded history of the human race，that tedious documentation of violence，has taught us absolutely nothing.We have still not learnt that violence never solves aproblem but makes it more acute.The sheer horror，the bloodshed，the suffering mean nothing.No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.

The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and herder to get a hearing.They are despised，mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement.If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use，if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the slums and ghettos，at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all，we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution.Our strength is sapped by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake.In a well-directed effort，it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social program.The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us.Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible，providing we work within the framework of the law.

Before we can even begin to contemplate peaceful co-existence between the races，we must appreciate each other’s problems.And to do this，we must learn about them：it is a simple exercise in communication，in exchanging information.“Talk，talk，talk，”the advocates of violence say，“all you ever do is talk，and we are none the wiser.”It’s rather like the story of the famous barrister who painstakingly explained his case to the judge.After listening to a lengthy argument the judge complained that after all this talk，he was none the wiser.“Possible，my lord，”the barrister replied，“none the wiser，but surely far better informed.”Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite to wisdom：the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve.

6.What is the best title for this passage？

A.Advocating Violence.

B.Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice.

C.Important People on Both Sides See Violence As a Legitimate Solution.

D.The Instincts of Human Race Are Thirsty for Violence.

7.Recorded history has taught us

A.violence never solves anything.

B.nothing.

C.the bloodshed means nothing.

D.everything.

8.It can be inferred that truly reasonable men

A.can’t get a hearing.

B.are looked down upon.

C.are persecuted.

D.have difficulty in advocating law enforcement.

9.“He was none the wiser”means

A.he was not at all wise in listening.

B.he was not at all wiser than nothing before.

C.he gains nothing after listening.

D.he makes no sense of the argument.

10.According the author the best way to solve race prejudice is

A.law enforcement.　　　　　　B.knowledge.

C.nonviolence.　　　　　　　　D.mopping up the violent mess.

TEXT C

Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as advising a new lawyer，“Young man，it’s more important to know what cases not to take than it is to know the law.”New attorneys soon learn to recognize what cases will probably be unprofitable，or they quickly end uplooking for new jobs in the newspaper because of lack of funds.

Directions：Each passage is followed by several questions.After reading apassage，choose the best answer to each question.You may refer to the passage as often as necessary.During the initial interview with the client，the lawyer discovers whether or not a case is meritorious.Examples of cases without merit include an argument with neighbors over a pesky dog or an accident that results from the victim’s own negligence，such as someone falling in the local supermarket because they were drunk.This questionable and dubious type of case can be easily seen as lacking merit，because each of the elements of a tort（a civil wrongdoing）was not present，and thus no law was broken.We must all try to behave as adults as we went our way through this troubled interval.

There are some cases that seem to have merit but are economically unfeasible for a new attorney to handle.Such cases are easy to spot once a full，adequate enough disclosure of the facts has been obtained from the client during the initial interview.One type of unprofitable case is the“hurt feelings”case stemming from an incident where the defendant has been guilty of caddish behavior—but what young man in springtime has been able to resist the pull of heart？—But where the victim cannot prove he or she has been specifically damaged，or where damages are nominal.For instance，in an action for slander，not only is it difficult to prove slander but also the monetary damage to the victim resulting from the slanderous action may be small or even nonexistent.In these kinds of cases，a prospective client may be so righteously angered as to say that he or she does not care about the money，that it is the principle that matters，that may be true for the prospective client，but the attorney cannot pay his secretary’s salary，his office rent，or his malpractice insurance premium will not be reduced with a client“principle.”

Finally，there is the type of case in which the prospective client has been represented in the matter by another attorney.Accepting such a case can be risky，although multiple lawyers are evidence of a worthless case an uncooperative client，or a client who does not pay his or her bill.Even if the reason for the client’s changing attorneys is a good one—let’s say apersonality clash between the client and the prior attorney—it makes the new lawyer’s task of reaching a fair settlement with the other party strategically difficult.

11.In paragraph 1，there is a quotation“Young man，it’s more important to know what...”，is the quotation from Abraham Lincoln an appropriate way to begin this passage？

A.Yes，because quotations are always better than straight prose as attention-getters.

B.No，because it misleads the reader，suggesting that Lincoln is the topic of the passage.

C.No，because it is too short a quotation to add any meaning.

D.Yes，because Abraham Lincoln is an authority figure，often quoted because of the truth and simplicity of his statements.

12.In paragraph 3，there is a sentence“a full，adequate enough disclosure of the facts has been obtained from the client during the initial interview.One type of unprofitable case is the‘hurt feelings’case stemming from an incident where the defendant has been guilty of caddish behavior—but what young man in springtime has been able to resist the pull of heart？...”，and what’s the meaning of this sentence？

A.The defendant has been guilty of caddish behavior.

B.The defendant has been guilty of caddish behavior—but sometimes that happens to young people.

C.The defendant has been guilty of wrongful behavior.

D.The young man in springtime has been able to resist the pull of heart.

TEXT D

In trying to understand and control youth gangs，investigators and scholars have assembled what amounts to anthropological studies of gang characteristics.Police files record everything from the fact that the Crips in Los Angeles wear blue while rival Bloods wear red to intricate details of the Satanic rituals and grave desecrations committed by white gangs known as“stones”or“heavy metalers.”These and other rituals make it clear that youth gangs are far more than mere social clubs or business organizations—they are highly developed subcultures.

The key determinant of gang’s culture is the neighborhood，known by blacks and Hispanic gangs members as“the’hood.”Hispanic gangs，especially，identify strong with their“barrios，”swatches of land often sandwiched between freeways and railroad tracks in which the same gang might have lived and fought for several generations.

The nature of the’hood can make a difference in how police approach gang crime.Hispanic gangs that sell drugs are more likely to consummate deals with friends and acquaintances inside selected shops，restaurants，or apartments，according to San Francisco gang researcher Dan Waldorf.Doing business this way requires police to have insider knowledge—to know a gang’s secret hand signals，for example.Black gangs，by contrast，usually make sales out in the open，often to strange，in front of housing projects or small stores.

A gang’s name also reveals much.Names are often designed to inspire fear（as in New York’s Savage Nomads），to boast about a gang’s modus operandi（Miami’s Mazda Boys steal Mazda cars）or tocelebrate the gang’s street or housing project（as in the Main Street Crips or the 11-Deuce Hoovers in the neighborhood of 112th and Hoover Streets in Los Angles）.In many cities，police seek to avoid publicizing the names of gangs because，as Boston police spokesman Scott Gillis said，“it gives them undue notoriety.”

The dress codes and colors provide further evidence that gangs are determined to thrive in their own cultures—gang members persist in wearing their distinctive colors even though it helps police keep track of them.Today’s gang members frequently wear baggy Khaki pants riding low on the hips，patterns shaved into their heads，a single glove or earring，and shoelaces laced to one side or the other.They also have sport bandannas and colored rags hanging from their back pockets.Many have cigarette burns on their hands to signify courage，while others display knife cuts.Tattoos are popular with black gangs.Some members wear rapper-style sunglasses and“cake cutter”combs with sharp metal tines.

Quite often they wear expensive sneakers（the BK on British Knights means“Blood Killer”to the Crips.）Hats and jackets with the names of rival professional football teams have been known to provoke fights between gangs.Asian gangs are known to color and spray their hair in bizarre styles，a disguise that can be altered quickly by the wind as their speeding car leaves the scene of crime.

Graffiti is thought to be the essence of gang membership，the essence of gang fear.For many gangs，the act of marketing graffiti is a declaration of control of a neighborhood.Defacing a rival gang’s graffiti can provoke deadly retaliation.Common images in graffiti include pitchforks，guns，dollars signs，profanity，and sometimes the name of a targeted shooting victim.Hispanic graffiti is characterized by stylized，three-dimensional or block lettering with serifs.Black graffiti，L.A.police say，has fewer flourishes.

Gang cultures can be highly ceremonial.Many gangs have daunting initiation rites that require an aspiring member to steal car，fight the gang’s leaders，or participate in a drive-by shooting.Gang marriage ceremonies have also been recorded；one in New York City involved the sharing of blood from knife cuts and the pouring of a can of beer over the couple’s heads.At gang funerals，a booklet with photos and a rhyming tribute to the deceased is often distributed.

Though the vast majority of gang members are male，many gangs have female associates，and there are some all-female gangs.（Los Angeles often gang is said to have 20-30female gangs.）Female members often hide and protect male members，or carry concealed weapons or narcotics for them，police say，because they are less likely to be searched.They also cater gang parties.Gang girls are often the objects of fights between jealous rival gangs.They are sometimes used as sexual lures，and are often expected to provide sex to multiple gang members.

Female gang members are often teen mothers with drug problems who，faced with the alternative of prostitution，use gangs to support themselves.Though they are increasingly as prone to fighting as male gang members，female continue to play a secondary role in most gangs.As a 19-year-old Hispanic gang member from Santa Ana said：“We’re the ones who take care of the’hood；we protect them.They ain’t gg yot nothinto sa.”

13.It may be said that youth gangs are different from other organizations because

A.they follow unwritten codes of behavior.

B.their clothing symbolizes their values.

C.they separate themselves from mainstream society.

D.they adhere to Satanic laws.

14.The term“subculture，”as used in the passage（paragraph 1）

means a gang’s

A.distinctive clothing or uniform.

B.customs and ways of behaving.

C.relationships with other gangs.

D.control of a particular neighborhood.

15.According to the information in the passage，groups that take a particular interest in the characteristics of youth gangs include all the following EXCEPT

A.anthropologists.　　　　　　B.social workers.

C.rival gangs.　　　　　　　　D.law-enforcement officials.

16.According to the passage，agang’s name is most often used to

A.identify the racial makeup of its membership.

B.designate the turf，or neighborhood，in which it operates.

C.attract new members.

D.provide clues to gang’s mission.

17.The passage suggests that female gang members

A.are mostly prostitutes.

B.rarely participate in gang fights.

C.are second-class citizens in most gangs.

D.tend to join gangs in order to do drugs.

18.The passage implies that the existence of urban gangs does all of the following EXCEPT

A.contributing to crime in the city.

B.reflecting a violent streak in our society.

C.building pride in members’ethnicity.

D.striking ear in the hearts of non-members.

19.According to the information in the passage，agang’s style of hair，dress，and body marking

A.give members a cultural identity.

B.inspire fear in the neighborhood.

C.warn rival gangs to stay away.

D.help police keep track of a gang’s activities.

20.Based on information in the passage，urban police force function in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A.infiltrating.

B.monitoring gang crime.

C.controlling gangs with special task force.

D.collecting data on gang behavior.

Model Test 7

TEXT A

The distinction between rock and rock’n’roll was firmly established among rock fans，musicians，and critics by 1967and was taken for granted in early issues of Rolling Stone.Rock is generally understood as popular music closest to，but superseding，rock and roll；it is sometimes contrasted with“pop，”which is regarded as more commercial in its aims.Jon Landau reflects common wisdom when he says that“The Beatles，the Stones and Dylan were the first inductees to rock’s（as opposed to rock and roll’s）pantheon.”

Yet critical efforts to delineate rock as a distinct musical genre have been few and have tended to emphasize its cultural impact.Just as Duke Ellington disdained the label“jazz”（he preferred the more inclusive phrase“Negro music”），critic Robert Christgau proposes“semi-popular music”as a better phrase than“rock.”It acknowledges that genuine mass popularity，as measured by record sales，often eludes influential and critically acclaimed musicians.In 1973，Christgau proposed that rock was“all music derived primarily from the energy and influence of the Beatles—and maybe Bob Dylan，and maybe you should stick pretensions in there someplace.”But“influence”covers a multitude of sins.It may seem that their status as songwriters is foremost，but their position as recordingartists has equal relevance to their status as founders of rock.

Bob Dylan’s supposedly commercial sellout of 1965，when he began recording and then playing concerts with an amplified band，is a key event in the break from rock and roll.His self-titled debut album（recorded in 1961）features only two original compositions；the other eleven are blues and traditional folk tunes.Dylan was marketed as a“folk”musician，and subsequently as a protest singer.Critics and fans recognized that the folk and blues traditions predated rock and roll and so regarded them as purer and less commercial than rock and roll.（Muddy Waters，master of the electrified Chicago blues，was also marketed as a folk musician at this time；witness albums with such titles as Folk Singer and The Real Folk Blues.）The audience for this music typically disdained rock and roll and regarded Dylan’s decision to electrify as an abandonment of“genuine”music.So they seem at a loss to comprehend the aesthetic motivation for his change of direction.At his second electric concert，at Forest Hills，one fan taunted him with the shouted question，“Where’s a Ringo？”In the same vein，a reviewer remarked that fans who came for“protest songs...got the Beatles，instead.”The Beatles still represented rock and roll，although not for very much longer.Dylan represented something else，supposedly more artistic even if musically simpler.“Folk records”were not perceived as commercial and mass-marketed popular music.The irony here is that Dylan was aggressively marketed by Columbia Records，and“Blowin’in the Wind”had been a major hit for Peter，Paul and Mary in 1963.

It is difficult，today，to grasp the anger that was directed against Dylan.His concerts throughout 1965and 1966were a nightly repeat of the turmoil that had greeted Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printempsin 1913.Many critics began talking about a“new”and“old”Dylan，as though discussing two different people.One letter to Sing Out！took the form of an obituary：“His last illness，which may be termed an acute case of avarice，severely affected Mr.Dylan’s sense of values，ultimately causing his untimely death.”And there is that sublime moment，preserved on the so-called Royal Albert Hall bootleg，when someone screams“Judas！”and Dylan drawls“I don’t believe you.You’re a liar！”before launching a majestic version of his current hit，“Like a Rolling Stone.”In retrospect，it seems that popular-music audiences were not yet prepared for the possibility of artists who were stylistically adept and willing to abandon genres as frequently as snake sheds its skin.In short，while Dylan’s songs were acknowledged to be lyrically complex and challenging，the audience was not prepared for any musical challenge or surprise.Hence，their sense of betrayal and ensuing anger.

1.The author alludes to“Blowin’in the wind”（paragraph 3）as an example of

A.a folk song that became popular.

B.protest song.

C.one of Dylan’s greatest hits.

D.a song that Dylan wrote.

2.The author of the passage attributes Bob Dylan’s“sellout”（paragraph 3）to Dylan’s

A.boredom with the same old music year after year.

B.desire to be different from other recording stars.

C.wish to make more money in record sales.

D.attempt to make a comeback after a long time out of the limelight.

3.The author refers to Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps

（paragraph 4）in order to illustrate that

A.Bob Dylan often spoke insultingly to his audience.

B.Stravinsky was a musical rebel.

C.the piece marked a turning point away from traditional music.

D.the audience was upset.

4.The passage says that the Beatles and Bob Dylan are esteemed figures in the rock music world for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A.they were the first to be installed in rock music’s Hall of Fame.

B.they composed and performed songs that they had written themselves.

C.they made a huge number of recordings.

D.they are considered to be among the founders of the entire rock movement.

5.According to the passage，the term rock music is hard to define because

A.rock music keeps changing over time.

B.rock music in its purest form is no longer being written or recorded.

C.critics and musicians have never agreed on its meaning.

D.rock music is too diverse.

TEXT B

Stuttering is a disorder in which the rhythmic flow，or fluency，of speech is disrupted by rapid-fire repetitions of sounds，prolonged vowels，and complete stops—verbal blocks.A stutterer’s speech is often uncontrollable—sometimes faster，but usually slower than the average speaking rate.Sometimes，too，the voice changes in pitch，loudness，and inflection.

Observations of young children during the early stages of stuttering have led to a list of warning signs that can help identify a child who is developing a speech problem.Most children use“um’s”and“ah’s，”and will repeat words of syllables as they learn to speak.It is not a serious concern if a child says，“I like to go and and and and play games，”unless such repetitions occur often，more than once every 20words or so.

Repeating whole words is not necessarily a sign of stuttering；however，repeating speech sounds or syllables such as in the song“K-K-K-Katy”is.

Sometimes a stutterer will exhibit tension while prolonging a sound.For example，the 8-year-old who says，“Annnnnnnd-and-thththen I I drank it”with lips trembling at the same time.Children who experience such a stuttering tremor usually become frightened，angry，and frustrated at their inability to speak.A further dangerous sign is a rise in pitch as the child draws out the syllable.

The appearance of a child or adult experiencing the most severe signs of stuttering is dramatic：As they struggle to get a word out，their whole face may contort，the jaw may jerk，the mouth open，tongue protrude，and eyes roll.Tension can spread through the whole body.A moment of overwhelming struggle occurs during the speech block.

While the symptoms of stuttering are easy to recognize，the underlying cause remains a mystery.Hippocrates thought that stuttering was due to dryness of the tongue，and he prescribed blistering substances to drain away the black bile responsible.A Roman physician recommended gargling and massages to strengthen a weak tongue.Seventeenth century scientist Francis Bacon suggested hot wine to thaw a“refrigerated”tongue.Too large a tongue was the fault，according to a 19th century Prussian physician，so he snippedpieces off stutterers’tongues.Alexander Melville Bell，father of the telephone inventor，insisted stuttering was simply a bad habit that could be overcome by reeducation.

Some theories today attribute stuttering to problems in the control of the muscles of speech.As recently as the 50sand 60s，however，stuttering was thought to arise from deep-rooted personality problems，and psychotherapy was recommended.

Stutterers represent the whole range of personality types，levels of emotional adjustment，and intelligence.Winston Churchill was a stutterer（or stammerer，as the English prefer to say）.So were Sir Isaac Newton，King George VI of England，and writer Somerset Maugham.

There are more than 15million stutterers in the world today and approximately 1million in the United States alone.

Most stuttering begins after a child has mastered the basics of speech and is starting to talk automatically.One out of 30children will then undergo a brief period of stuttering，lasting 6months or so.Boys are four times as likely as girls to be stutterers.

Occasionally stuttering arises in an older child or even in an adult.It may follow an illness or an emotionally shattering event，such as a death in the family.Stuttering may also occur following brain injury，either due to head injury or after a stroke.No matter how the problem begins，stutterers generally experience their worst moments under conditions of stress or emotional tension：ordering in a crowded restaurant，talking over the telephone，speaking in public，asking the boss for a raise.

Stuttering does not develop in a predictable pattern.In children，speech difficulties can disappear for weeks or months only to return in full force.About 80percent of children with a stuttering problem are able to speak normally by the time they are adults—whether they’vehad therapy or not.Adult stutterers have also been known to stop stuttering for no apparent reason.

Indeed，all stutterers can speak fluently some of the time.Most can also whisper smoothly，speak in unison，and sing with no hesitations.Country and western singer Mel Tillis is an example of a stutterer with a successful singing career.

Most stutterers also speak easily when they are prevented from hearing their own voices，when talking to pets or small children，or when addressing themselves in the mirror.All these instances of fluency demonstrate that nothing is basically wrong with the stutterer’s speech machinery.

6.The passage indicates that during moments of speech blockage，a stutterer may experience all of the following symptoms EXCEPT

A.facial distortion.　　　　　　B.severe frustration.

C.body tension.　　　　　　　　 D.trembling head and hands.

7.One can infer from the passage that a parent whose young child repeats the same word over and over while learning to speak would be advised to

A.take the child to see a speech therapist.

B.help the child relax when speaking.

C.accept the fact that the child will be a stutterer.

D.keep track of the frequency of repetitions.

8.Until the 19th century，authorities apparently regarded stuttering as

A.a sign of low intelligence.　　　　　B.an emotional problem.

C.a physical ailment.　　　　　　　　　D.a lack of self-discipline.

9.One may assume that stuttering is NOT caused by aphysical disorder of a person’s speech apparatus because

A.all stutterers speak fluently from time to time.

B.stuttering sometimes appears and disappears for no apparent reason.

C.famous people，including athletes，have been stutterers.

D.highly intelligent people have been known to stutter.

10.By pointing out that famous and successful people have been stutterers，the author means to imply all of the following EXCEPT

A.stuttering is not a serious handicap in life.

B.stuttering is unrelated to I.Q.

C.the public is generally tolerant of stutterers.

D.stuttering is not a personality disorder.

TEXT C

When Jefferson listed“the pursuit of happiness”as one of the rights that government cannot justly take from any man，except as punishment for crime，he stepped into a dark and mysterious corner of the realm of ideas.Nobody denies the truth of what he said；but the reason for that is that nobody knows exactly what it means.

The word“happiness”cannot be defined precisely because it means different things to different people，or to the same people at different times or in different circumstances.The word“pursuit”is almost as vague.Together，they express an idea that a man cannot always comprehend as it applies to himself，and that he can rarely，if ever，comprehend as it applies to anyone else.

The only interpretation of the phrase that is not open to some fatal objection seems to be this：the right to the pursuit of the happiness is the right to be let alone.

Instantly，this raises the question，how is government going to govern if it lets people alone？The function of government is not to let people alone，but to interfere with them.Government is instituted toprotect certain inalienable rights，among them life，liberty，and the pursuit of happiness：therefore its business，its reason for being，is to interfere with those who would infringe these rights，and not merely to interfere，but to prevent their doing what they would like to do.These people may be wrong，but they are nevertheless people，and they do not like it when government stops them from doing as they please.

There is no logical answer to this.The only answer is an illogical one—consider what would happen if government were abolished altogether.In that case，the right to the pursuit of happiness would not be respected at all.The strongest would impose his will on all others，and there would be no liberty except the liberty of the strongest.This is anarchy；and it was the secret fear of some founders of the republic that democracy must inevitably degenerate into anarchy.

Furthermore，there are some men—never a majority，but a definite number，and important out of all proportion to their number—for whom the pursuit of happiness consists in finding out what is true.They are critics of everything；and among other things they are critics of government，which lays upon the American government the duty of protecting those who attack it.This is the basis of the maxim beloved of early liberals，“That government is best that governs least.”It means that government should interfere with the individual only as far as it is absolutely necessary to protect the general welfare.

Two factors work constantly against this ideal—one is human nature，the other is the passage of time.Any group of men given a chance to wield power—and a government is just that—will try to extend that power.This is the first factor.As more people are crowded together in the same area，more activity by government isrequired to maintain order.This is the second factor.Neither can be eliminated.Each is capable of becoming a threat to all liberty.Since some extension of governmental power is necessary as the population grows，it is easy for governors to convince themselves that any extension of their power is justifiable.This tendency must be held within bounds by steady counterpressure from people who know their rights and mean to maintain them.

11.According to the passage，the phrase“pursuit of happiness”is difficult to define because

A.no one knows exactly what Jefferson had in mind.

B.each generation views happiness differently.

C.the words have different meanings to different people.

D.the meaning of the phrase has changed since Jefferson wrote it.

12.During the early days of the country，liberals believed that government

A.should base its decisions on what is best for the greatest number of people.

B.should be as inconspicuous as possible in people’s lives.

C.is the servant of the people.

D.has the right to protect itself from criticism.

13.The main purpose of the passage is to

A.define the term“pursuit of happiness”.

B.alert readers to the dangers of big government.

C.argue that democracy is a difficult form of government to

maintain.

D.clarify the relationship between the government and the people.

14.Some of America’s founding fathers feared the emergence of

anarchy in the United States because

A.too much influence was given to the people.

B.the government didn’t claim enough power to prevent it.

C.many colonists were almost fanatic in their desire for basic liberties.

D.Jefferson’s ideals were too abstract and lofty to be used as a solid defense against it.

15.Which of the following does the author of the passage believe to be the basic purpose of government？

A.To protect the rights of the individual.

B.To provide for the general welfare of the population.

C.To allow people to express themselves freely.

D.To permit people to pursue happiness in whatever manner they choose.

TEXT D

The Environmental Protection Agency（EPA）says“the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.”

In fact，indoor air is often two to five times more polluted than outdoor air and can be up to 1，000times as dirty.The EPA estimates that most Americans are exposed every day to indoor air contaminants that can lead to serious health problems for some people，including cancer，respiratory ailments，fatigue，and headaches.

Moreover，because people spend an estimated 90percent of their time indoors，the risks to health may be greater due to indoor rather than outdoor air pollution.In addition，the EPA says，people who are most susceptible to indoor pollution are often those who may spend the most time indoors，such as the young，the elderly，and the chronically ill.

Indoor air quality problems can be traced to a variety of sources，including naturally occurring radon gas，poor building design，inadequate building maintenance，structural components and furnishings，consumer products，and occupant activities.“Control of these diverse sources of pollution in the air of public and private buildings poses and unprecedented challenge—a challenge that we are only now recognizing，”according to pollution experts Jonathan M.Samet and John Spengler.

One of the most visible—and potent—indoor pollutants is environmental tobacco smoke（ETS），or secondhand smoke.According to the American Lung Association，ETS“contains approximately 4，000chemicals，including 200known poisons，such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide，and 43known carcinogens.”EPA estimates that secondhand smoke annually causes 3，000cases of lung cancer in nonsmokers and 150，000-300，000cases of lower respiratory tract infections in young children.

Indoor air pollution is especially severe in new structures，where glues，carpeting，and furniture with foam upholstery emit volatile organic chemicals that can cause cancer and other diseases.But not all indoor pollutants are man-made.Biological contaminants such as pollen and animal dander（tiny scales from hair，feathers，or skin that may be allergenic）can reach levels inside houses and buildings that make people sick，especially when distributed by air conditioners and fans.

Dirty and poorly maintained ventilation systems themselves are prime breeding grounds for molds and fungi that cause allergic reactions and can release chemical toxins.Sometimes，the buildings must be vacated while the systems are cleaned.

Among the organisms that can breed in ventilation components such as cooling towers and humidifiers is Legionella，the bug thatcauses Legionnaire’s disease.The sometimes-fatal disorder usually draws notice when a mass outbreak occurs in a hotel or other public building.Harriet A.Burge，an associate professor at Harvard Medical School，blames dirty humidifiers and home hot water heaters where the water is not kept hot enough.That enables slime to form inside the tank，which could foster the growth of Legionella.

Home humidifiers can also promote the growth of dust mites，which eat molds and human skin scales and thrive in high humidity.Mites and their mite-sized droppings are thought to be a contributing factor in the increasing number of asthma cases in the United States and some European countries.

Sloppy housekeeping aggravates the dust mite problem.“Homes aren’t always as clean as they used to be，because working mothers are out working，”notes EPA information officer Kristy Miller.“I remember how my grandmother used to beat the rugs and vacuum under every bed once a week，there was an effort to keep the house spotless.”

Ironically，families that still strive for the spic-and-span ideal invite another form of indoor air pollution.Many cleaning and home-maintenance products contain volatile chemicals that are harmful when inhaled in excessive amounts or over long periods.The products include oven cleaner，paint remover，wax stripper，furniture polish，disinfectant，and bathroom spray cleaner.

16.Based on information in the passage，the EPA is concerned about air quality because

A.industrialized cities are losing population.

B.bad air adversely affects health.

C.the public is insensitive to air quality.

D.people are spending too much time indoors.

17.Based on the information in the passage，air pollution can contribute to the development of all of the following maladies EXCEPT

A.asthma.　　　　　　　　　　　B.legionnaire’s disease.

C.diphtheria.　　　　　　　　　D.cancer.

18.The author of the passage suggests that the problem of indoor air pollution

A.is more severe in private than in public buildings.

B.cannot be solved unless most buildings are redesigned.

C.has long been a concern of the EPA.

D.has only recently been identified.

19.Indoor air pollution is more severe today than in the past because

A.tobacco consumption is more prevalent today than in the past.

B.industrialization promotes pollution.

C.pollution controls are still being developed.

D.people devote less time to keeping their houses clean.

20.A clean-looking house in itself is no guarantee of clean indoor air because

A.the sources of pollution are usually concealed inside walls，ducts，and appliances.

B.many home-cleaning products release harmful chemicals into the air.

C.pollution-causing agents are invisible to the naked eye.

D.no house can be completely germ-and dust-free.

Model Test 8

TEXT A

Have you ever wondered what it is that tells groundhogs when to begin hibernating in winter and when to awaken in spring？Biologistshave，for if they could tap that enzyme，chemical，gene，or whatever，they might be able to apply it to other species，including man.

Hibernation，unlike sleep，is a process in which all unnecessary bodily functions are discontinued，for example，growth.The animal’s body temperature remains about above the temperature of its environment.During this period，animals appear to be immune to disease and if subjected to a lethal dose of radiation，the animal will not die until the hibernation period is over.（As a point of interest，bears do not hibernate，they only sleep more deeply in winter.）

Early in this century，Dr.Max Rubner proposed that aging was a result of the amount of energy expended in tissues.“Rubner found that the total lifetime energy expenditure per gram of tissue during the adult stage is roughly constant for several species of domestic animals.‘The higher the metabolism，the shorter the life span and vice versa.’”

In this vein，scientists found that the storage of body fat was vital to a hibernating animal’s survival：it loses 20-40percent of its body weight while dormant.The body fat involved here is called“brown fat”and differs structurally from normal，white fat cells，which gives it a greater heat producing potential.A low temperature signals the brown fat to increase in temperature，which warms the animal’s blood and spreads the warmth to others parts of the body.Newborn human babies have an unusually high percentage of brown fat，which diminishes as they grow older.Adults do have some brown fat，and those with underproductive thyroid glands have more than normal.

Rats subjected to cold temperatures show an increased ratio of brown fat to white fat.It seems reasonable to expect that cold acclimation in man，through carefully controlled program of cyclichypothermia，will increase brown fat deposits.After these deposits reach a certain body level，they might perform the same regulatory functions in human hibernation that brown fat performs in natural hibernators.

About ten years after Rubner’s experiments，Drs.Jacques Loeb and John Northrop discovered that reduced temperatures extended the life span of fruit flies.In applying this to animals，however，those that were not natural hibernators who had not been prepared for hibernation，developed ventricular fibrillations（where the heart muscle quivers and stops pumping blood）.When a person“freezes to death”this is the cause，not ice crystals forming in the veins.

The process involved in artificially cooling an animal’s body temperature is called induced hypothermia.Research in this field led space biologist Dale L.Carpenter（McDonnell Douglas—Long Beach）to determine that both hibernating and non-hibernating animals have the same basic temperature control and he believes that“were a non-hibernating mammal to be artificially biochemically prepared with proper enzymes and energy producing chemicals，it could hibernate.”He found that if an animal was cooled just until its heart began quivering and then rewarmed，it could survive.If cooled a second time，a slightly lower temperature could be achieved before ventricular fibrillations occurred，and so on.Each exposure to the cold seemed to condition the heart to accept lower temperatures.This is cyclic hypothermia.

Even with this kind of progress，however，the search goes on for the chemical or enzyme that triggers the hibernation process，that tells the animals it is winter or spring.Scientists hope to gain some insight into this mystery from human infants，who besides having more brown fat than adults，seem less susceptible to ventricular fibrillations.They have different forms of hemoglobin and myoglobinin their tissues that are more efficient in attracting and releasing oxygen.This may hold the clue.If hibernation could be induced in humans，this could solve the problem of interstellar travel.One would not have to worry about traveling near the speed of light，for the crew would not age as fast and would have more time to reach their destination.Maxwell Hunter suggests that this“biological time dilation”be applied not only to the crews，but to those that remain on Earth.

We are thus faced with the prospect of a whole society dilated in time.This would form the basis for a Galactic Club that was based on travel rather than communication...

We are not talking about timefaring in the classic science fiction sense where people are able to go both backward and forward in time at will...We are postulating，rather，dilating the time experienced by people in one direction in the future...which would permit a society to expand throughout the galaxy.If，when one went to bed at night，he actually went into hibernation during which many months passed，it would not seem any more different to him than a standard eight-hour sleep...When a ship returned home，its crew would be greeted by friends，business colleagues，etc.，who had aged no more than the crew.

1.By pointing out that freezing to death is not caused by ice crystal in the veins（paragraph 6），the author of the passage implies that

A.the research findings of Drs.Loeb and Northrop are questionable.

B.death by freezing results from several complex causes.

C.readers should not believe the old wives’tale about ice crystals in the veins.

D.freezing is different from ordinary frostbite.

2.A conclusion that may be drawn from research described in the passage is that

A.in severe cold a human infant is likely to survive longer than an adult.

B.a person with many brown fat cells will live longer than someone with many white fat cells.

C.animals living in cold places live longer than animals in warm.

D.metabolic rates in animals remain constant throughout life.

3.Hibernating animals differ from non-hibernating animals in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A.in the number of brown cells.

B.in the presence of a certain enzyme in the body.

C.in the tolerance to extremely cold temperatures.

D.in the metabolic rate.

4.Based on the passage，which of the following procedures holds the greatest promise for inducing human hibernation？

A.Promoting the growth of brown fat cells in the body.

B.Changing the activity of the thyroid gland.

C.Conditioning the heart to adapt to lower temperatures.

D.Increasing the amount of oxygen in body tissue.

5.In which of the following sequences（from earliest to latest）were the discoveries made？

Ⅰ.In extreme cold，non-hibernating animals develop ventricular fibrillation.

Ⅱ.The heart can be conditioned to adapt to low temperatures.

Ⅲ.An organism’s energy expenditure is related to its life span.

Ⅳ.Fruit flies live longer when their body temperature is lowered.

A.Ⅰ，Ⅲ，Ⅳ，Ⅱ　　　　　　B.Ⅲ，Ⅱ，Ⅳ，Ⅰ

C.Ⅲ，Ⅳ，Ⅰ，Ⅱ　　　　　　D.Ⅳ，Ⅰ，Ⅲ，Ⅱ

TEXT B

I was sent at an early age to a public school sorely against my mother’s wishes；but my father insisted that it was the only way to make boys hardy.The school was kept by a conscientious prig of the ancient system who did his duty by the boys entrusted to his care；that is to say we were flogged soundly when we did not get our lessons.We were put into classes and thus flogged on in droves along the highways of knowledge，in much the same manner as cattle are driven to market，where those that are heavy in gait or short in leg have to suffer for the superior alertness of longer limbs of their companions.

For my part，I confess it with shame，I was an incorrigible laggard.I have always had the poetical feeling，that is to say I have always been an idle fellow and prone to play the vagabond.I used to get away from my books and school whenever I could and ramble about the fields.I was surrounded by seductions for such a temperament.The school house was an old fashioned white-washed mansion of wood and plaister，standing on the skirts of a beautiful village.Close by it was the venerable church with a tall Gothic spire.Before it spread a lovely green valley，with a little stream glistening along through willow groves；while a line of blue hills bounding the landscape gave rise to many a summer day dream as to the fairy land that lay beyond.

In spite of all the scourgings I suffered at that school to make me love my book I cannot but look back upon the place with fondness.Indeed I considered this frequent flagellation as the common lot of humanity and the regular mode in which scholars were made.My kind mother used to lament over the details of the sore trials I underwent in the cause of learning；but my father turned a deaf ear toher expostulations.He had been flogged through school himself and swore there was no other way of making a man of parts；though，let me speak it with true reverence，my father was but an indifferent illustration of his theory，for he was considered a grievous blockhead.

My poetical temperament evinced itself at a very early period.The village church was attended every Sunday by a neighbouring squire；the lord of the manor，whose park stretched quite to the village and whose spacious country seat seemed to take the church under its protection.Indeed you would have thought the church had been consecrated to him instead of to the Deity.The parish clerk bowed low before him and the vergers humbled themselves unto the dust in his presence.He always entered a little late and with some stir，striking his cane emphatically on the ground；swaying his hat in his hand，and looking loftily to the right and left as he walked slowly up the aisle，and the parson，who always ate his Sunday dinner with him，never commenced service until he appeared.He sat with his family in a large pew gorgeously lined，humbling himself devoutly on velvet cushions and reading lessons of meekness and lowliness of spirit out of splendid gold and morocco prayer books.Whenever the parson spoke of the difficulty of a rich man’s entering the kingdom of heaven，the eyes of the congregation would turn towards the“grand pew，”and I thought the squire seemed pleased with the application.

The pomp of this pew and the aristocratical air of the family struck my imagination wonderfully and I fell desperately in love with a little daughter of the squire’s，about twelve years of age.This freak of fancy made me more truant from my studies than ever.I used to stroll about the squire’s park，and lurk near the house：to catch glimpses of this little damsel at the windows，or playing about the lawns；or walking out with her governess.

I had not enterprize，nor impudence enough to venture from myconcealment；indeed I felt like an arrant poacher，until I read one or two of Ovid’s Metamorphoses，when I pictured myself as some sylvan deity and she a coy wood nymph of whom I was in pursuit.There is something extremely delicious in these early awakenings of the tender passion.I can feel，even at this moment，the thrilling of my boyish bosom，whenever by chance I caught a glimpse of her white frock fluttering among the shrubbery.I carried about in my bosom a volume of Waller，which I had purloined from my mother’s library；and I applied to my little fair one all the compliments lavished upon Sacharissa.

At length I danced with her at a school ball.I was so awkward a booby that I dared scarcely speak to her；I was filled with awe and embarrassment in her presence；but I was so inspired that my poetical temperament for the first time broke out in verse and I fabricated some glowing lines，in which I berhymed the little lady under the favorite name of Sacharissa.I slipped the verses，trembling and blushing，into her hand the next Sunday as she came out of church.The little prude handed them to her mamma；the mamma handed them to the squire；the squire，who had no soul for poetry，sent them in dudgeon to the schoolmaster；and the schoolmaster，with a barbarity worthy of the dark ages，gave me a sound and peculiarly humiliating flogging for thus trespassing upon Parnassus.

6.The narrator’s father sent his son to a public school mainly

A.to toughen him up.

B.to meet people from the upper class.

C.because of its excellent curriculum.

D.because the boy was a trouble maker.

7.The speaker attributes his poor record in school to

A.too many distractions.

B.a learning disability.

C.friends who led him astray.

D.being unhappy in a boarding school.

8.As a youth the narrator believed that in order to learn in school you

A.should have small classes.　　　　　B.had to be punished.

C.should study hard.　　　　　　　　　D.needed enthusiastic teachers.

9.The narrator introduces the squire into the passage for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A.explaining who the man’s daughter was.

B.adding humor to the passage.

C.pointing out the man’s hypocrisy.

D.illustrating the evils of England’s class structure.

10.Which of the following best describes the narrator’s feelings about the situations described in the passage？

A.Amused by the trials of growing up.

B.Bitter about the way he was treated by adults.

C.Nostalgic about the days of his boyhood.

D.Glad that those years are over and done with.

TEXT C

In considering Andre Gide，novelist（1869-1951），we have a French Protestant in conflict with his desire to taste the more lively aspects of life.His revolt took the course of freedom from parental and other social ties，sexual unconventionality，a frank and nonhypocritical way of meeting experience，and a private and bizarre morality.Gide，mellowing somewhat，would never accept orthodox religion.He had much of the Renaissance spirit within him.With a will as strong as Luther’s，with an influence on him from the Bible as strong as any early Puritan’s，Gide also brought a pagan spiritworthy of a Herrick or Donne in their earlier days.However，Gide went well beyond their pagan spirit to out-devil the devil.Compared to the indictments which sent Socrates to his death as a corrupter of youth，Socrates’alleged offenses must be considered tepid indeed when put next to the incitements and corruptions Gide offered to youth in his long life.

Gide encouraged the revolt against rational and literary values.Not only did he encourage the revolt against，but also urged the negation of that traditional world of values prior to 1916.He supported Dada.（Dadaism was a revolt in poetry and painting formulated during World WarⅠ.Its theses were that all social conventions must go；the individual could do no wrong if he did not write traditionally；one must behave outrageously in public.Complete anarchy must reign.The movement finally collapsed from its own excesses in 1926.The existential qualities come from an overturning of all traditions in the name of the freedom of the individual spirit.）Gide’s article—“Dada”—encouraged the movement’s supporters to refuse to be confined and to abolish every tie to the past.

Gide’s support of Dadaism，his theories，and his own personal life，aided the existential trend through breaking down conventions and traditions in the myths.One effective way to break down absolutes is to give their original meanings a new twist.The French dramatists（Cocteau，Anouilh，and Giraudoux），with Gide a leader，sneered at old meanings，but gave the myths more humanity，if more profanity.In an excellent account in The Classical Tradition，Gilbert Highet traces the reinterpretation of the myths.Gide’s Oedipus indicates one coming from nowhere，one with no traditions，one with no past history，one with no outside support，and therefore，one in a magnificent position.We are close to the existentialist here.In theepic and traditional sense，the hero stood with the basic essentials of his society.

Gide was as effective as Ibsen in striking at the Victorian inhibitions：in those Victorian prohibitions were supports for traditional conduct，particularly in the social life of the family.There is vitality in Gide，as opposed to the more philosophic nature of Nietzsche.Part of the violent irresponsibility of Gide came from his problem with love.The existentialist is not eager and not able to find a way to involve himself in love with someone else.The relationship must be one he can enter，but one he can leave with no possibility that he will start out a subject and end as object.Gide，religious in nature，and equally irreligious，did much to aid Sartre in abolishing God.His use of the myth was such as to take away dignity and any touch of the sacred.However，Gide’s work with the myth was not as disastrous as his view of Christianity in literature.He stated，and with undeniable force，that for a Christian to be a tragic figure is nearly impossible.If a person repents with any degree of sincerity，the soul is saved.In theory，if a person can escape the temporal law，he could commit any number of serious offenses and have his soul saved if he repented.

11.According to the passage，the Dada movement faded away because

A.it was too outrageous.

B.it was corrupt.

C.Gide and others became disillusioned with it.

D.World WarⅠbegan.

12.Based on the information in the passage，Gide had the LEAST in common with

A.Donne.　　　　　　　　B.Cocteau.

C.Nietzsche.　　　　　　D.Sartre.

13.According to the passage（paragraph 1），Gide went well beyond Herrick and Donne to“out-devil the devil.”This means that，compared to Herrick and Donne，Gide

A.had more radical religious views.

B.had a more intense fear of the devil.

C.had a more evil influence on his readers.

D.was more fascinated by devil worship.

14.The main purpose of the passage is to explain Gide’s

A.values and philosophy.　　　　　　B.lifestyle.

C.literary output.　　　　　　　　　D.place in cultural history.

15.Oedipusis cited in the passage（paragraph 3）to illustrate Gide’s

A.religious background.　　　　　B.concern for humanity.

C.spiritualism.　　　　　　　　　D.rejection of classical literature.

TEXT D

Two scientists disagree about an important point in the theory of evolution.

Scientist 1

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection has a serious flaw.It cannot account for the origin of completely new organs.Consider，for example，the wings of insects.These originate in the embryo as outgrowths of the external skeleton of the thorax.How could such outgrowths have evolved？According to all we know about evolution，they must have started as tiny outgrowths that grew bigger generation by generation until they became functional wings.However，a small，incipient wing is useless；an insect cannot fly with one percent of a wing.Since those tiny wing buds would have no use，they could not contribute to the ability of the insects to survive，andthus could not contribute to the evolution of wings.It has been suggested that these small outgrowths were originally used as gliding surfaces，like the skin flaps of a flying squirrel.This does not solve the problem，however，for a good-sized surface would be needed for gliding；one percent of a surface is as useless for gliding as for flying.Somehow，such a surface must have gradually developed by some means other than natural selection.Natural selection could improve a gliding surface，and turn it into a functional，flapping wing，but it could not invent the surface in the first place.The insect wing is an example of preadaptation，the development of a new structure that subsequently evolves into something useful.Evolution gives us many such examples.Preadaptation surely exists，but it cannot be explained by the theory of natural selection.Explanation of the origin of new，useful structures is an unfinished task of biological science.

Scientist 2

The problem raised by Scientist 1is not new.Darwin provided the answer a century ago，although at that time there was no real evidence.It all hinges on the meaning of the term Preadaptation.It does not mean that a new feature arises and then develops for many evolutionary years while it has no function.What it does mean is that an existing structure，developed for one function，can acquire a totally different use.This is undoubtedly how insect wings evolved.Recent studies show that the wings of insects have an important function other than flight；they are temperature-regulating structures.Many insects control their body temperatures by sitting in the sun to warm up.In ancient，primitive insects，an expansion of the thorax exposed more surface.This expansion was promoted by selection，since it allowed for faster and more efficient warmup.Lateral projections provided additional surfaces for temperature regulation.When these projections grew big enough，they acquired anew function；they became useful as gliding surfaces.The ability to glide has developed many times，and it has sometimes evolved into real，controlled flight.Selection converted the clumsy gliding surfaces of ancient insects into the complex and effective insect wings of today.Preadaptation is simply a shift of function，and is perfectly incorporated into the theory of evolution by natural selection.

16.One of the scientists，but not the other，would agree that

A.natural selection results in improved functioning of insect wings.

B.natural selection can explain the origin of the wings of insects.

C.insects use their wings to help in temperature control.

D.insect wings evolved from surfaces previously used for gliding.

17.What evidence does Scientist 2advance to support her argument？

A.Tests show that insects use their wings for temperature control.

B.Darwin provided a competent explanation for preadaptation.

C.In the development of an insect，the wings arise as outgrowths of the thoracic skeleton.

D.Many insects use projections from the thorax for gliding.

18.According to Scientist 2，what principle has Scientist 1 overlooked in his argument？

A.Natural selection can greatly improve the functioning of an organ.

B.In the evolution of man different flying organisms，gliding always precedes real flying.

C.New organs can arise even if they have no function at first.

D.In the course of evolution，an organ can acquire a new function.

19.How should the argument of Scientist 1be evaluated in terms of its contribution to science？

A.It is a foolish argument because the question was settled a longtime ago.

B.It is useful to raise the question because it challenges scientists to find evidence for shifts of function.

C.It wastes valuable time because it has long been established that evolution results from natural selection.

D.It challenges scientists to find an answer to a perplexing problem for which there is no satisfactory answer.

20.In a recent series of experiments，paper models of insects were exposed to sunlight，to aerodynamic tests in a wind tunnel，and to measurements of temperature.Size and wing length were varied to test the concept of

A.natural selection.　　　　　　　　B.shift of function.

C.preadaptation.　　　　　　　　　　D.evolution.

Model Test 9

TEXT A

Outside，the rain continued to run down the screened windows of Mrs.Sennett’s little Cape Cod cottage.The long weeds and grass that composed the front yard dripped against the blurred background of the bay，where the water was almost the color of the grass.Mrs.Sennett’s five charges were vigorously playing house in the dining room.（In the wintertime，Mrs.Sennett was housekeeper for a Mr.Curley，in Boston，and during the summers the Curley children boarded with her on the Cape.）

My expression must have changed.“Are those children making too much noise？”Mrs.Sennett demanded，a sort of wave going overher that might mark the beginning of her getting up out of her chair.I shook my head no，and gave her a little push on the shoulder to keep her seated.Mrs.Sennett was almost stone-deaf and had been for a long time，but she could read lips.You could talk to her without making any sound yourself，if you wanted to，and she more than kept up her side of the conversation in a loud，rusty voice that dropped weirdly every now and then into a whisper.She adored talking.

To look at Mrs.Sennett made me think of eighteenth-century England and its literary figures.Her hair must have been sadly thin，because she always wore，indoors and out，either a hat or a sort of turban，and sometimes she wore both.The rims of her eyes were dark；she looked very ill.Mrs.Sennett and I continued talking.She said she really didn’t think she’d stay with the children another winter.Their father wanted her to，but it was too much for her.She wanted to stay right here in the cottage.

The afternoon was getting along，and I finally left because I knew that at four o’clock Mrs.Sennett’s“sit down”was over and she started to get supper.At six o’clock，from my nearby cottage，I saw Theresa coming through the rain with a shawl over her head.She was bringing me a six-inch-square piece of spicecake，still hot from the oven and kept warm between two soup plates.

A few days later I learned from the twins，who brought over gifts of firewood and blackberries，that their father was coming the next morning，bringing their aunt and her husband and their cousin.Mrs.Sennett had promised to take them all on a picnic at the pond some pleasant day.

On the fourth day of their visit，Wavier arrived with a note.It was from Mrs.Sennett，written in blue ink，in a large，serene，ornamented hand，on linen-finish paper：

Tomorrow is the last day Mr.Curley has and the Children all wanted the Picnic so much.The Men can walk to the Pond but it is too far for the Children.I see your Friend has a car and I hate to ask this but could you possibly drive us to the Pond tomorrow morning？...

Very sincerely yours，
Carmen Sennett

After the picnic，Mrs.Sennett’s presents to me were numberless.It was almost time for the children to go back to school in South Boston.Mrs.Sennett insisted that she was not going；their father was coming down again to get them and she was just going to stay.He would have to get another housekeeper.She said this over and over to me，loudly，and her turbans and kerchiefs grew more and more distrait.

One evening，Mary came to call on me and we sat on an old table in the back yard to watch the sunset.

“Papa came today，”she said，“and we’ve got to go back the day after tomorrow.”

“Is Mrs.Sennett going to stay here？”

“She said at supper she was.She said this time she really was，because she’d said that last year and came back，but now she means it.”

I said，“Oh dear，”scarcely knowing which side I was on.

“It was awful at supper.I cried and cried.”

“Did Theresa cry？”

“Oh，we all cried.Papa cried，too.We always do.”

“But don’t you think Mrs.Sennett needs a rest？”

“Yes，but I think she’ll come，though.Papa told her he’d cry every single night at supper if she didn’t，and then we all did.”

The next day I heard that Mrs.Sennett was going back with them just to“help settle.”She came over the following morning to saygoodbye，supported by all five children.She was wearing her traveling hat of black satin and black straw，with sequins.High and somber，above her ravaged face，it had quite a Spanish-grandee air.

“This isn’t really goodbye，”she said.“I’ll be back as soon as I get these bad，noisy children off my hands.”

But the children hung on to her skirt and tugged at her sleeves，shaking their heads frantically，silently saying，“No！No！No！”to her with their puckered-up mouths.

1.According to the narrator，Mrs.Sennett wears a hat because she

A.is often outside.

B.wants to look like a literary figure.

C.has thin hair.

D.has unique taste in clothing.

2.Considering the events of the entire passage，it is most reasonable to infer that Mrs.Sennett calls the children bad because she

A.is bothered by the noise they are making.

B.doesn’t like them hanging on her skirt.

C.doesn’t want to reveal her affection for them.

D.is angry that they never do what she tells them.

3.Considering how Mrs.Sennett is portrayed in the passage，it is most reasonable to infer that the word ravaged，as it is used in this line“High and somber，above her ravaged face，it had quite...”most nearly means that her face reveals

A.irritation and annoyance.　　　　B.resentfulness and anger.

C.age and fatigue.　　　　　　　　 D.enthusiasm and excitement.

4.What is the main insight suggested by the conversation in paragraph 9-paragraph 17？

A.The Curley family cries to manipulate Mrs.Sennett into doing what they want.

B.The narrator regrets that she is not going to Boston and is a little jealous of Mrs.Sennett.

C.Mrs.Sennett is happy to leave the Curley family because they are always whining and crying.

D.Mrs.Sennett intends to return to the Cape soon because she has discovered that they have been manipulating and taking advantage of her.

5.Which of the following does the passage suggest is the result of Mrs.Sennett’s loss of hearing？

A.She is often frustrated and short-tempered.

B.She can lip-read.

C.She dislikes conversation.

D.She is a shy and lonely woman.

TEXT B

The Japanese，always pressed for room on their island empire，have long been masters at utilizing space.This is especially evident in the native handmade Japanese cabinetry known as tansu，produced from about 1750to 1900.A prolific range of wooden tansu was created for a variety of needs，and a diverse group of pieces emerged，ranging from small，portable medicine chests to giant trunks on wheels.

Prior to Japan’s Edo Period（1603—1867），ownership of furniture was limited to the nobility.Primarily，these were black-and-gold lacquered pieces of Chinese inspiration.But with the demise of Japan’s feudal society and the rise of a moneyed merchant class by the mid-Edo Period，furniture in Japan took on its own personality，as craftsmen enjoyed the freedom to create original designs that combined function and beauty.Today，examples of these skillfully constructed chests tell us much about the lifestyle and accoutrementsof people during the Edo Period and the Meiji Era（1868—1912）.

The greatest demand was for clothing and merchants’chests；within these two categories，hundreds of stylistic variations occurred.Most clothing tansu were constructed with four long drawers for kimono storage and a small door compartment that opened to two or three tiny drawers for personal items.The chests were usually built in two pieces that stacked，a design that allowed for easy portability.A favorite wood used to build clothing tansu was paulownia，noted for its light weight and subtle，natural sheen.In the Edo Period，it was customary for Japanese fathers to plant a paulownia tree when a daughter was born.When she married，the tree was cut down and made into a trousseau chest.

Merchants’chests，used to store documents，writing brushes，inkstones and money，were usually constructed of thick zelkova or chestnut.Unlike clothing tansu，which were kept inside a sliding door closet in a home，a merchant’s chest was in full view of customers.Thus，shop tansu was an important indicator of a shopkeeper’s prosperity.

Some styles were surprisingly large，an example being the staircase tansu.Japanese homes and shops were often built with lofts，and for easy access from the ground floor，a freestanding staircase was designed by clever craftsmen who incorporated compartments and drawers throughout for maximum utility.Around six feet high，most staircase chests were made in two sections that stacked，though many one-piece chests were also produced.Because of the great amount of wood needed to build a staircase tansu，steps，risers and case were made of softwood，and hardwood was used for doors and drawer fronts.

Many households，especially rural homes，kept large kitchen tansu to store food and crockery.The wood of these practical kitchenchests was rarely finished，and those in original condition show a lovely natural patina developed from years of exposure to the smoke and heat of the cooking area.Kitchen tansu were designed strictly for utility with sliding door compartments，inner shelves and numerous small drawers.Like staircase tansu，they display a minimum of ironwork and rarely show locking drawers or doors.

After 1900，modern techniques replaced the original handcrafted construction methods.Sand-cast iron handles，for example，are common on furniture made from about 1890to 1920.Traditional designs—dragons，cherry blossoms and mythical personalities—that were once etched by hand onto lock plates became simplified as machine-pressed patterns appeared.Thick pieces of wood originally used became thinner around 1900，when improved wood planting techniques resulted in mass-produced tansu of diminished quality.And the amazing range of handproduced，naturally pigmented lacquer finishes that hallmarked earlier tansu all but disappeared by about 1920.With rapid industrialization at hand，many of Japan’s artisans abandoned their traditional crafts.

Appreciated today for their beauty，simplicity and functionality，tansu are now showing up in homes in America and Europe.But relatively few exceptional examples of the thousands produced now remain.Those pieces available document a special part of Japanese history and culture as well as the remarkable sense of space and design of Japan’s unknown craftsmen.

6.The author states that the result of mass production techniques on the tansu was

A.diminished quality.　　　　　　B.thicker pieces of wood.

C.renewed popularity.　　　　　　D.greater variety.

7.The passage states that although handmade tansu were designedand used for many purposes，most were

A.fancy black-and-gold finished pieces.

B.kitchen cabinets.

C.clothing and merchants’chests.D.staircase chests.

8.According to the passage，the original popularity of tansu resulted primarily from the

A.desire to display clothing and other personal items.

B.need to make good use of space.

C.need to disguise a merchant’s wealth.

D.desire to be different from the Chinese.

9.As it is used in the passage，the word patina（paragraph 6）most nearly means the

A.design carved in the wood of the chests.

B.original finish applied to the chest.

C.destruction of the wood by smoke and heat.

D.surface appearance of the wood.

10.According to the account of tansu-making in the passage，improved wood-planing techniques resulted in

A.a need to change the types of wood used.

B.the need to apply thicker wood finishes.

C.the use of thinner wood.

D.a renewed interest in black-and-gold lacquered finishes.

TEXT C

Community courts and community justice prevailed in England at the time of the Norman Conquest（1066）.The legal system was ritualistic，dependent upon oaths at most stages of litigation，and permeated by both religious and superstitious notions.The proceedings were oral，very personal，and highly confrontative.Juries were unknown.One party publicly“appealed，”or accused，the other before the community meeting at which the presence of both was obligatory.To be absent meant risking fines and outlawry.After the preliminary statements of the parties，the court rendered judgment，not on the merits of the issue nor the question of guilt or innocence，but on the manner by which it should be resolved.Judgment in other words preceded trial because it was a decision on what form the trial should take.It might be by compurgation，by ordeal，or，after the Norman Conquest，by battle.Excepting trial by battle，only one party was tried or，more accurately，was put to his“proof.”Proof being regarded as an advantage，it was usually awarded to the accused party；in effect he had the privilege of proving his own case.

Trial by compurgation consisted of a sworn statement to the truth of one’s claim or denial，supported by the oaths of a certain number of fellow swearers.Presumably they，no more than the claimant，would endanger their immortal souls by the sacrilege of false swearing.Originally the oath-helpers swore from their own knowledge to the truth of the party’s claim.Later they became little more than character witnesses，swearing only to their belief that his oath was trustworthy.If he rounded up the requisite number of compurgators and the cumbrous swearing in very exact form proceeded without a mistake，he won his case.A mistake“burst”the oath，proving guilt.

Ordeals were usually reserved for more serious crimes，for persons of bad reputation，for peasants，or for those caught with stolen goods.As an invocation of immediate divine judgment，ordeals were consecrated by the Church and shrouded with solemn religious mystery.The accused underwent a physical trial in which he called upon God to witness his innocence by putting a miraculoussign upon his body.Cold water，boiling water，and hot iron were the principal ordeals，all of which the clergy administered.In the ordeal of cold water，the accused was trussed up and cast into a pool to see whether he would sink or float.On the theory that water which had been sanctified by apriest would receive an innocent person but reject the guilty，innocence was proved by sinking—and hopefully aquick retrieval—guilt by floating.In the other ordeals，one had to plunge his hand into a cauldron of boiling water or carry a red hot piece of iron for a certain distance，in the hope that three days later，when the bandages were removed，the priest would find a“clean”wound，one that was healing free of infection.How deeply one plunged his arm into the water，how heavy the iron or great the distance it was carried，depended mainly on the gravity of the charge.

The Normans brought to England still another ordeal，trial by battle，paradigm of the adversary system，which gave to the legal concept of“defense”or“defendant”aphysical meaning.Trial by battle was a savage yet sacred method of proof which was also thought to involve divine intercession on behalf of the righteous.Rather than let a wrongdoer triumph，God would presumably strengthen the arms of the party who had sworn truly to the justice of his cause.Right，not might，would therefore conquer.Trial by battle was originally available for the settlement of all disputes but eventually was restricted to cases of serious crime.

Whether one proved his case by compurgation，ordeal，or battle，the method was accusatory in character.There was always a definite and known accuser，some private person who brought formal suit and openly confronted his antagonist.There was never any secrecy in the proceedings，which were the same for criminal as for civil litigation.The judges，who had no role whatever in themaking of the verdict，decided only which party should be put to proof and what its form should be；thereafter the judges merely enforced an observance of the rules.The oaths that saturated the proceedings called upon God to witness to the truth of the respective claims of the parties，or the justice of their cause，or the reliability of their word.No one gave testimonial evidence nor was anyone questioned to test his veracity.

11.According to the passage，being put to the proof（paragraph 1），most nearly means the person was

A.considered innocent until proven guilty.

B.considered guilty no matter what he did.

C.supposed to prove his own innocence.

D.given the privilege of presenting his side first.

12.In a trial by ordeal，innocence could be proven by

A.displaying an uninfected wound.

B.floating when cast into the water.

C.wearing bandages for three days.

D.swearing an oath in a precise form.

13.The forms of trial discussed in the passage all assume that truth is best determined by

A.carefully questioning witnesses.

B.carefully assessing physical evidence.

C.an adversary proceeding，or battle.

D.relying on the assistance of God.

14.According to the passage，an oath was declared“burst”during compurgation if the

A.swearer made an error in the exact form of the required ritual.

B.swearer could not round up the required number of oath-helpers.

C.swearer preferred trial by ordeal，or by battle.

D.judges decided that the oath was false or unnecessary.

15.According to the passage，how did trial by battle differ from trial by compurgation and ordeal in England？

A.It had a definite，known accuser.

B.It was only used after the Norman Conquest.

C.It had no secrecy in the proceedings.

D.It required judges to question witnesses.

TEXT D

From the surface of the planet Pluto，we look up at Charon in the sky，20times closer to Pluto than our Moon is to Earth.It is an impressive sight.Charon may rank twelfth in size among moons in the solar system，but it is so close to Pluto—only 11，650miles（18，800kilometers）above Pluto’s equator—that it appears larger than any other moon appears from the surface of its planet.Charon covers almost 4degrees in Pluto’s sky—eight times as wide as our Moon appears from Earth.On our planet，you can hold a pea out at arm’s length and completely eclipse our Moon.On Pluto，to block Charon from view，you would need a billiard ball.

It was no surprise that Charon rotates in the same period of time as it revolves so that it always presents the same hemisphere to Pluto.All the inner satellites and all the major satellites in the solar system have synchronous rotation and revolution because they are tidally coupled to their planets.A planet’s gravity creates a slight tidal bulge in its moons and pulls on that bulge so that the moons cannot turn it away from the planet.One side of the satellite always faces the planet and the other side always faces away while the planet rotates rapidly，so that the moon rises andsets for all parts of the planet.

But Pluto furnished a surprise.Pluto and Charon are so close to twins in size and so close together that Charon’s gravity induces a bulge in Pluto.The bulge is great enough that Pluto is tidally coupled to Charon just as Charon is tidally coupled to Pluto.Thus，Pluto always shows the same face to Charon just as Charon always shows the same face to Pluto.It is the only example of mutual tidal coupling in the solar system.The result is that for an astronaut standing on Pluto，Charon is either always visible or never visible.

The shadows we see on Charon reveal an uneven，cratered landscape.Like Pluto，Charon is light gray，although somewhat darker and more even in color than Pluto，as was known from measurements made from Earth using the Pluto-Charon eclipses.The very slightly reddish brown hue of Pluto is missing from Charon—or at least from Charon’s Pluto-facing side，that is the only side we get to see from the surface of Pluto.Missing too from Charon is the methane frost which partially covers Pluto.With Charon’s smaller mass and therefore weaker gravity，whatever methane ice there was at the surface has evaporated.Perhaps this in part explains why Charon is less reflective.The escaping methane has exposed frozen water to view.

On Earth，we are used to the rising and setting of the Sun，Moon，and stars as our planet turns.On Pluto，the Sun rises and sets，if somewhat slowly，but Charon stays fixed in the sky.It never rises or sets，thanks to tidal coupling.As Charon revolves once around Pluto in 6.4days，Pluto spins once around on its axis in that same period of time.The result is that Charon hangs almost stationary in the sky while the Sun and stars glide slowly past in the background.Because Charon is so large in the sky，stars are frequently blocked from view.These stellar occultations are the onlyeclipses visible during the 120-year gap between seasons of solar and lunar eclipses.

From the vantage point of Earth，Pluto and Charon pass in front of and behind one another very rarely.Earth experiences solar and lunar eclipses at least four times and sometimes as many as seven times ayear.Because of Pluto’s axial tilt and Charon’s position over Pluto’s equator，the pair go for almost 120years without their shadows ever falling upon one another.Then，in a period roughly six years long，Charon’s orbit is nearly edge on to Earth and every 6.39-day orbit Charon makes carries it across the face of Pluto and then around behind Pluto.The result is an eclipse frenzy.Serendipitously，that eclipse season began in 1985，soon after Charon was discovered.

During an eclipse of the Sun on Pluto，Charon would look like a giant dark hole in the sky，marked only by the absence of stars.It would be dark but not black because it would be illuminated by reflected light from Pluto.The corona—the outer atmosphere of the Sun，which makes solar eclipses seen from Earth so beautiful—would be visible only just after the Sun vanished and just before it reappeared.At mid-eclipse，the disk of Charon covers the entire orbit of the Earth.The corona is far too faint at that distance from the Sun to peer around the edges of Charon.

16.The passage states that Charon never sets because of

A.an eclipse frenzy.　　　　　　　　B.stellar occultations.

C.tidal coupling.　　　　　　　　　 D.escaping methane.

17.The passage asserts that Charon’s relationship with Pluto is unique in our solar system in regard to

A.frequency of eclipses.　　　　　　B.mutual tidal coupling.

C.synchronous rotation.　　　　　　 D.axial tilt.

18.The main point of the first paragraph is that

A.Charon is more similar to Earth’s moon than you might expect.

B.Charon is surprisingly similar to Pluto.

C.Charon’s closeness to Pluto makes it appear huge from the surface of its planet.

D.in terms of size，the Earth is to Pluto as a billiard ball is to a pea.

19.The passage asserts that one feature of Pluto that is lacking on Charon is

A.escaping methane.　　　　　　　B.noticeable gravity.

C.a cratered landscape.　　　　　D.methane frost.

20.The passage states that all major satellites in our solar system have in common the fact that they have

A.axial tilt and somewhat noticeable mutual tidal coupling.

B.closer proximity to their respective planets than our Moon has to Earth.

C.synchronous rotation caused by tidal coupling to their planets.

D.periods of eclipse that are frenzied and also serendipitous.

Model Test 10

TEXT A

They are wearing high heels this year.

Are you？

Since I was a little girl，I’ve been trying to figure out exactly who theyare and why the rest of us are supposed to dress just like them.The chubbier I was，the more I would taunt my sister and mother for their striving：“Don’t you have any taste of your own？”

But even I was interested in what shoes they were wearing.Everyone likes shoe-shopping.Your size isn’t your fault.There’snothing you can do about it.And at least in theory，anyone can wear any shoe：That’s why they come in so many sizes.

As podiatrists will tell you，shoes can be dangerous to your feet.The thinner and higher the heel，the greater the risks of bunions，hammertoes，back pain，corns，and calluses.Standing in high heels inevitably hurts after an hour or more because you’re putting pressure on the ball of your foot，which results in aches and pains.

It gets worse.The popularity of tennis shoes has led women’s feet literally to get bigger─especially wider─but the sizing of shoes hasn’t changed.Women’s feet are getting bigger，but shoes aren’t.Most women wear ill-fitting shoes，usually ones that are too small，which adds pinching to high-heel hell.

So why do we do it？The conventional critique is that women are slaves to the male-dominated，model-obsessed fashion culture，leading us to sacrifice our toes and our checkbooks to satisfy some man’s idea of sexy shoes.Much of the coverage of this year’s return to stilettos as high as 6inches focuses on the shoes and the short skirts that go with them as a statement by women of their sexiness，voluptuousness，and femininity.Supposedly，wearing high heels pushes your breasts out by changing your center of gravity.In Florence and Milan，men were reportedly salivating.

In the Bloomingdale’s shoe department，all the salivating was done by women，myself included.Strictly as research，of course，I tried on shoes and observed other women doing the same.Almost everyone is trying on the new higher heels.We strut around.We throw our heads a little，and laugh.

Feet look smaller in high heels.Most women in America have big feet.Believe it or not，9.5is the most popular size.It isn’t just you.And it isn’t just feet.High heels make a woman’s legs look longer，and everyone looks better with longer legs.There is a storythat holds that high heels were first brought to America by a famous New Orleans madam who discovered that she could charge twice as much when a woman wore high heels.

In fact，none of the women I talked to were buying shoes to please the man in their life.“My husband won’t even notice the shoes，”a woman told me.More than one said husbands or boyfriends wouldn’t like her because they’d think her too tall.Most men seem to prefer keeping the height advantage to heels，pushed-out breasts notwithstanding.The higher the heels get，the more men who face the tradeoff.

No one pretends high heels are as comfortable as flats.It’s what they do to your head，not your feet.That’s what makes women walk differently and look different in high heels.

I almost succumbed，but they cost too much，and how often can I wear them？Not sensible.Not practical.Definitely not right for work and kids.

But the next day in Loehmann’s，on sale yet，I find a pair that are just as good.Now I just have to get invited somewhere in my high heels.

1.The writer discusses the way that high heels and short skirts can be interpreted as

A.sexiness.　　　　　　　　　B.voluptuousness.

C.femininity.　　　　　　　　D.all the above.

2.The rhetorical question“Are you？”in para.2establishes her target audience.What is it？

A.A male audience only.　　　B.A college student audience only.

C.A female audience only.　　D.A general audience.

3.What does the writer succumb to the urge to buy in the end of thearticle？

A.High heels.　　　　　　　　B.Short skirts.

C.Fanciful handbags.　　　　 D.Attractive hats.

4.What’s the tone of the last sentence of the article？

A.Sarcastic.B.A little embarrassed.

C.Direct.D.Ironic.

5.The writer seems to guide the reader，and herself too，into the belief that

A.the drawbacks outweighs the benefits of high heels.

B.the benefits outweighs the drawbacks of high heels.

C.the drawbacks and benefits of high heels are even.

D.there is no use to consider drawbacks or benefits of high heels.

TEXT B

It wasn’t her curvaceous hips.Or her Scarlett O’Hara-esque waist.Or even her unnaturally voluptuous bustline.The only things that bothered me were her feet.Those tiny little plastic feet were bent up in this permanent high-heel position that was extremely aggravating because I could never get those itsy-bitsy（很小的）high-heel pumps to stay on.Ah，but the handsome Ken：he had these big，wide，“manly”feet that were perfectly flat.Those sensible shoes never fell off.Poor Barbie，on the other hand，never got to wear shoes in my house.

To my dismay，the Mattel toy company has not yet announced whether they will bring in their podiatry experts to examine thirty-eight-year-old Barbie’s feet before her upcoming surgery.Earlier this week，the company told the world that the shapely Barbie is scheduled for some extensive nips and tucks（整容）─a wider waist，slimmer hips，and a smaller bustline.She’s even getting a new face，minus the toothy grin.

Many who felt that the pop icon Barbie doll upheld an unrealistic standard of beauty are hailing Mattel’s decision to make her look more like a real woman.And her highly unrealistic 38-18-34figure（according to some estimates）gives girls a negative body ideal from a young age.“I actually think it’s healthy because we are surrounded by cultural icons that create unrealistic expectations in adult women...Barbie’s change is a wholesome step in the right direction，”retired plastic surgeon Sharon Webb told the Boston Globe.

I don’t know about you，but for me，Barbie was always，well，a doll.When Barbie’s skinny plastic legs popped out of their socket，I knew she wasn’t real.When my friend Lauren’s bratty，semicannibalistic six-year-old neighbor chewed off Barbie’s foot，and Barbie kept up that same cheery grin，I knew she wasn’t real.I never deluded myself into thinking we little girls were supposed to grow up to have 38-18-34figures.My mom didn’t look like that.My teenage sisters didn’t look like that.No women I knew looked like Barbie.She was fun.She was a fantasy.And she sure did have some nice clothes.

I’ve always been a big fan of Barbie.I’m not alone.According to M.G.Lord，the author of Forever Barbie，the average American girl owns eight Barbie dolls─eight gals，that is，to“one pathetic，overextended Ken，”she says.That was the case with me，although I think the number far exceeded eight.I don’t remember all of their official names anymore，but I remember many in the lineup：there was punk-rocker Barbie，bride Barbie，“day-to-night”Barbie（her outfit converted from a work suit to evening wear，yuppie kind of 1980s），the Barbie that came with an assortment of“fashion wigs”，the Barbie with the funky hair-curler，birthday Barbie，ballerina（芭蕾舞女演员）Barbie，and，my favorite，permanently puckered kissingBarbie，who，at the push of a button on her back，would give Ken a big smooch（吻）.I was very upset when Barbie’s kissing button stopped working.Looking back on it，I realize perhaps she just didn’t like Ken anymore.

My Ken was a busy fella.He was forced to play the boyfriend，brother，husband，“insert male role here”role in every one of my Barbies’adventures.What a nice guy！And，oh，those adventures！I could dress her in fancy clothes and send her on a romantic date with Ken，give her a bath in my Barbie bubble bath，put her to bed in the Barbie dream house（I didn’t actually have one，but I could pretend）.It was a fantasy.“I mean，they say Barbie is unrealistic.But she’s got a dream house，and big plastic boobs.Here in LA，you can’t get more realistic than that，”said late-night TV host Jay Leno earlier this week.

Don’t get me wrong.I do understand the concern many have with Barbie’s current look.And，although her incredibly unrealistic body image did not affect me consciously as a child，there is a good chance it did affect me unconsciously.There is no one cause of the obsession with body image in this country and the rampant eating disorders young girls and women develop.While I place more of the blame on unattainable images of sickly thin women in advertising，movies，and television for the perpetuation of unrealistic standards of beauty，I must say that，despite my love for the Barbie I grew up with，Mattle is making the right move.If it helps one girl to not internalize the ridiculous ideal of big-busted thinness as perfection，it’s worth it.But I’ll never forget my Barbie.

Even Christina Hoff Sommers，the author of a book entitled Who Stole Feminism，told the Boston Globe，“The new Barbie is more attractive，and she did need a makeover.But I didn’t mind the fact the older one reflected earlier ideals of feminine beauty.I liked Barbieas a child.She was glamorous.And part of being a child is fantasy and play，not an exercise in self-esteem.”

In the end，she’s a doll.A fantasy.An unanatomically correct piece of plastic with a ridiculously extensive wardrobe.And funny feet.

6.The writer blames on unattainable images of sickly thin woman in advertising，movies and television for the perpetuation of unrealistic standards of beauty.What does this to do with Barbie doll？

A Barbie costs a lot for children to buy.

B.Barbie’s image is good but not realistic.

C.Barbie’s image would cause girls obsessed with their natural bodies by eating less to keep slender.

D.Barbie’s image looks sexy.

7.“Poor Barbie，never got to wear shoes in my house”（para.1）.What is the attitude toward Barbie doll expressed here？

A.Sympathy.　　B.Hate.　　C.Love.　　D.Indifference.

8.Barbie doll’s counterpart is called

A.Charlie.　　B.John.　　 C.Joseph.　　D.Ken.

9.It’s not until para.7that the writer expresses her direct support for Mattel’s plans to redesign Barbie’s appearance.Why？

A.It shows the writer’s ambivalence toward the effect Barbie may really have on young girls.

B.It shows the writer’s hate toward Barbie doll.

C.It shows the writer’s love toward Barbie doll.

D.It shows the writer’s indifference toward Barbie doll.

10.“No women I knew looked like Barbie，”the writer says in para.4.What attitude does she express here？

A.Fantastic.　　B.Realistic.　　C.Deluded.　　D.Cocky.

TEXT C

A standard criticism of sociological research projects is that they go to great lengths to prove what most people with common sense already know.Without exactly taking sides for or against that criticism，I want to describe a sociological exercise that might seem to validate it─except that，for me and a classmate（and maybe for some who read this account），the experience made a truism come alive.

What we did：During spring break from a local college，my friend and I went downtown to shop.First，however，we made ourselves virtually unrecognizable to our friends and even to our families.We wore clothing slightly inappropriate for the weather，clean but wrinkled，clearly out of sync（不合时宜）with the styles worn by most visitors to the area.We carried plastic bags of nameless possessions.Both of us were slightly unkempt（不整洁）.My friend wore a faded flannel shirt and T-shirt，a wrinkled skirt over sweat pants.I wore a wool hat that concealed my hair，an unfashionable coat and scarf，and glasses with clip-on sun shades.

The aim was to look like street people and to observe what difference that made in the way other people responded to us─whether the appearance of poverty would place a stigma on us.We were also prepared to act out some mildly unusual behaviors that might speak of some emotional disabilities，without appearing seriously disturbed or dangerous.As it turned out，there was no need for histrionics；people turned us off or tuned us out on the basis of appearance alone.

Our first stop（after parking our cars near the railroad tracks）was in the bargain store of a local charity，where we politely asked access to a bathroom and were refused.Next we entered the lobby ofa large hotel，where we asked for a coffee shop and a bathroom.The bellhop said，“You must go to the twentieth floor.”We weren’t up to trying our gig at an exclusive restaurant，so we wandered around the first floor and left.From there we went to a pawnshop，where we more or less blended with the patrons，and then on to the upper-scale stores and coffee shops during the lunch hour.

It was stigma time.Some of the children we encountered stared，pointed，and laughed；adults gave us long，incredulous looks.Clerks in stores followed us around to watch our every move.In a lunchroom a second assistant hurried to the side of the cashier，where they took my＄2check without asking for an ID；it seemed worth that price to have us out the door.At one doorway a clerk physically blocked the entrance apparently to discourage our entry.

We had money to cover small purchases，and，apart from wearing down-scale clothing，we did nothing in any of these settings to draw attention to ourselves；we merely shopped quietly in our accustomed manner.At one establishment we did blow our cover when we ordered croissants with a latte and an espresso；that may have been too far out of character for“bag ladies.”Elsewhere we encountered derision，mockery，distrust，and rude stares.

So what did we learn？Mostly what we expected，what everybody knows：people judge by appearances.Just looking poor brings with it a stigma，accompanied by the withdrawal of much of the social civility most of us take for granted.Lacking the culturally acceptable symbols of belonging in this milieu，we became，to a degree，objects with less inherent dignity as persons.

There was，however，one surprise─more accurately，a shock.It became clear most strongly at the shop I mentioned earlier，the one where a clerk conspicuously positioned herself in the entryway on seeing us.I had just noticed the place and had turned to mycompanion，saying，“I’ve never seen this store.Let’s go in.”She looked at me with dismay：“You’re not really going in there，are you？”

I knew what she meant and shared her feeling.The place felt out of bounds for us.In a very few hours，we found ourselves accepting and internalizing the superficial and biased judgments of ourselves that prevailed among the people we met；we stigmatized ourselves.It’s a good lesson to learn，maybe especially for sociologists.

11.Why do the writer and her partner park their car“near the railroad tracks”（para.4）？

A.They want to“walk in the shoes”and to be perceived as homeless.

B.They want to make a joke to laugh at people.

C.They want to entertain themselves for a while.

D.They want to learn some experience in order to get to stages.

12.Why does the writer think she and her partner blew their“cover”in the coffee shop（para.6）？

A.The food they ordered in the coffee shop spilled over their“cover”.

B.The food was too expensive to order for the“homeless women”like them.

C.They blew the“cover”off before drinking coffee.

D.The food was spoiled because of the strong gust of wind.

13.What is the“shock”that the writer describes in para.8？

A.They are refused to get into the shop.

B.They are overwhelmed with the impressive shop.

C.They internalize the stereotype based on one’s appearance.

D.They see too many customers inside the shop.

14.“Street people”in para.3means

A.Vendors.　　B.Prostitutes.　　C.Beggars.　　D.Policemen.

15.The lesson the writer learns from her experience is especially useful for

A.scientists.　　　B.educators.　　　C.politicians.　　　D.sociologists

TEXT D

The British may have long been a nation of shopkeepers but they are coming late to the business of tourism.For the past century it has been they who have done the touring while their own hotels have slumbered in atmosphere and inefficiency and even the pubs have closed before eleven.Now，somewhat to their bewilderment，they are having to act as hosts to a vast throng of guests，who，with dollars，francs and marks in their pockets and handbags，are the most successful invaders since the Normans and considerably more welcome.They come to enjoy the antique and traditional but are often less enchanted by the accommodation and catering，which may share the antiquity.At last，even the surprised tourist industry is beginning to open its eyes.Unfortunately it sees only insoluble problems.

For very many years London has been a business centre with hotel accommodation mainly for visiting businessmen together with other well-to-do travelers and completely inadequate for the swarms of short-stay tourists landing at Heathrow or disembarking at Dover.Some new luxury hotels have soared skywards and a fair number of Victorian houses have been combined to form‘private hotels’of standards from the comfortable to the repellent.Most hotels are expensive—beyond the means of the young teacher or secretary from abroad.The student on holiday fares worst and often finds his accommodation under the unreliable night sky.

Every morning the guard is changed at Buckingham palace with faultless precision and gay military music.The average spectator，squeezed among thousands of others，can glimpse an occasional bearskin and touch of scarlet and at least enjoy the music.Suggestions for a second performance later in the day have been scotched by the guards’acid comment，“We’re doing ajob，not acting as performing seals.”It has also been suggested that visitors should be whisked in a given time in groups through Westminster Abbey to relieve the congestion there and the same would apply to the equally-crowded St Paul’s and the Tower.A vast football crowd ambles along Oxford Street and surges through the shops there，so that the Londoner leaves the field free for provincials，Americans，Australasians and a babel of exotic tongues.

As a second Westminster Abbey is impracticable and the glamour of（in fact）a slightly seedy Oxford Street remains unrivalled，this problem associated with tourism is indeed insoluble.Tourists are reminded of the charm of the West Country，the romance of Scotland，the historical interest of Stratford，Canterbury and Cambridge but to the once-in-a-lifetime visitor from Kansas City or Adelaide，London will obviously remain the three-day magnet.Other European capitals probably share these problems，and the homeward-bound traveler must revel in swinging his arms，expanding his chest and having time and space to examine and actually enjoy his surroundings.

16.What has changed in British tourism recently？

A.More British people travel to other countries.

B.Few people visit Britain.

C.Many more tourists are arriving in Britain.

D.British people love to travel domestically.

17.What is the attitude of the British people towards foreigners？

A.They don’t care.

B.Foreigners are considerably more welcome than before.

C.They regard foreigners as Norman invaders.

D.They don’t like foreign tourists because of the crowdedness cause by them.

18.The guards of Buckingham Palace don’t like the suggestions to let them have the second change during the day because they think______.

A.they are treated as seals　　　B.they feel tired of it

C.they are doing ajob　　　　　　D.they are performers

19.Tourists are reminded of the charm of the West Country，and the romance of Scotland because

A.these places are more beautiful than London.

B.these places have historical spots.

C.people in London don’t like foreigners

D.people in London want to make their city not so crowded.

20.What is the meaning of“babel”in the last sentence of para3？

A.Confusion.　　　　　　　　B.Strangeness.

C.Crowd.　　　　　　　　　　D.Fight.

Model Test 11

TEXT A

It is a kind of Alice-in-Wonderland idea.If you do not finish high school，head straight for college.

But many colleges—public and private，two-year and four-year—will accept students who have not graduated from high school or earned equivalency degrees.

And in an era of stubbornly elevated high school dropout rates，the chance to enter college through the back door is attracting growing interest among students without high school diplomas.

That growth is fueling a debate over whether the students should be in college at all and whether state financial aid should pay their way.In New York，the issue flared（变得越来越糟）in a budget battle this spring.

They are students like April Pointer，23，of New City，N.Y.，a part-time telemarketer who majors in psychology at Rockland Community College，whose main campus is in Suffern，N.Y.Ms.Pointer failed in science in her senior year of high school and did not finish summer school.

But to her father’s amazement，last year she was accepted at Rockland，part of the State University of New York.

He asked，“Don’t you have to have a high school diploma to go to college？’”She said.“I was like，‘No，not anymore.’”

There are nearly 400，000students like Ms.Pointer nationwide，accounting for 2percent of all college students，3percent at community colleges and 4percent at commercial，or profit-making，colleges，according to a survey by the United States Education Department in 2003-4.

That is up from 1.4percent of all college students four years earlier.The figures do not include home-schooled students.

The existence of such students—eager，yet at high risk for failure—exposes a split in education policy.On one hand，believers in the standards movement frown on social promotion and emphasize measurable performance in high school.

At the same time，because a college degree is widely considered essential to later success，some educators say even students who could not complete high school should be allowed to attend college.

Nowhere is this contradiction more evident than in California.This year，47，000high school seniors，about 10percent of the class，have not passed the exit examinations required to graduate from high school.They can still enroll in many colleges，although they are no longer eligible for state tuition grants.

State Senator Deborah Ortiz，Democrat of Sacramento，has proposed legislation to change that.

“As long as the opportunity to go to college exists for students without a diploma，”Ms.Ortiz said，“qualifying students from poor or low-income families should remain entitled to college financial aid.”

Many community colleges and two-year commercial colleges take these students，as do some less selective four-year colleges.At Interboro Institute，a large commercial college in Manhattan，94 percent of the students last year did not have a high school diploma.Yet most received federal and state financial aid，up to＄9，000a student for the neediest.

At the College of New Rochelle，a four-year Catholic women’s college whose main campus is in Westchester County，N.Y.，students without high school degrees account for one-third of the students entering its School of New Resources，for those 21or older，which has 4，500students.At Interboro，the state recently found cheating by employees on the exam students have to pass to qualify for state financial aid.The college，part of EVCI Career Colleges Holding，said the problems were not pervasive.

Gov.George E.Pataki，however，tried to withdraw state tuition grants from students without high school diplomas this year.Mr.Pataki said the students should show their commitment to education and earn 24college credits before the state gave them financial aid.

“In too many cases，students fail to graduate from college because they were admitted to programs for which they wereacademically underprepared，”a spokesman for the governor，Scott Reif，said.

The State Legislature rejected the proposal.The state budget office estimated that it paid＄29million a year for 13，000students who never graduated from high school to attend college.

In the late 1980’s and early 90’s，federal investigators found many commercial colleges effectively sweeping unqualified students，many without high school credentials，from the streets into their classrooms to collect their financial aid.The students then dropped out and defaulted（违约）on their government loans.

To prevent that，the government now requires that before students lacking high school credentials can qualify for financial aid，they have to pass a test approved by the federal Department of Education to show they have the“ability to benefit”from higher education.

New York awards those students a high school equivalency degree when they complete 24college credits.But the State Education Department says colleges should be more selective in whom they admit.This month，it proposed that students without high school credentials be required to pass more demanding tests to show that they could handle a“collegiate program of study”.Some federally approved tests are not at that level，department officials said.

Joan Bailey，senior vice president for academic affairs at the College of New Rochelle，said students without high school credentials at the School of New Resources were“not really different from the rest of our population”.

“They graduate more or less at the same rate，”Dr.Bailey said.

The City University of New York requires that high school dropouts earn equivalency degrees before enrolling，making just a fewexceptions.“We want students to be as prepared as possible，”a CUNY vice chancellor，Jay Hershenson，said.“And we are especially concerned that they not use up precious financial aid aimed at paying for college while learning high-school-level skills.”

Hudson Valley Community College in Troy，N.Y.，with 12，000 students，is one of the many SUNY campuses that welcome students without high school diplomas.Last fall，nearly 3percent of the entering class lacked these credentials，double the 1.5percent two years earlier.The admissions director，Mary Claire Bauer，said the college tried to help the students with counseling and other programs.

“We give everyone the opportunity to come to college，”Ms.Bauer said.Still，she added，“The success rates are only so-so.”

With the extra assistance，37percent of the group that entered in fall 2004returned a year later，compared with 57percent for the whole class.

The Hudson Valley students without high school diplomas are a diverse group.

Patrick Rooney，16，entered Hudson Valley last semester without a high school diploma.Mr.Rooney is interested in drama and likes to perform Shakespeare.He said his high school classmates had made fun of him when he tried to discuss reading assignments in English class.Being in high school，he said，“was like being a rat in a cage.”

Ms.Pointer，at Rockland for a year，said she had been reluctant to take the G.E.D.，the exam that could have earned her an equivalency degree，because she had heard that it was difficult.

“And if you don’t pass it，you don’t have anything，”she said.“I guess it was really a big fear of failure.”

Going to college，she said，was far better.“This way，I amgoing to class，learning from it，studying for it，”she said，“and when I pass and I have enough credits，I automatically get my equivalency diploma.”

Ms.Pointer hopes to receive her equivalency degree soon and to continue for her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.But she said that even without those，college had changed her.

“I realized what my priorities were，”she said.“My priority is not my boyfriend.It is not hanging out.College was what I really wanted to do.”

“I was talking to my mother a couple of weeks ago.She said，‘This is the longest you’ve stuck with anything.It looks like you’ll have a diploma.Don’t you feel proud of yourself？’”

1.What is the“Alice-in-Wonderland idea”（para.1）referred to？

A.Students can go straight for college without finishing high school.

B.Colleges agree to accept excellent students without high school diploma.

C.Students with specialty can be admitted by colleges without finishing high school.

D.Colleges would like to admit students who graduate high school.

2.The issue on whether college can admit students without finishing hig h school has______.

A.become a heated debate

B.become prevalent in educational circles

C.been practiced exclusively by most colleges

D.been mainly dissolved by means of entrance examination

3.According to the writer of this article，______is essential to the students’later success.

A.capability　　　　　　　　　　B.college diploma

C.academic achievement　　　　　D.creativity

4.Why did Gov.George E.Pataki try to withdraw state tuition grants from students without high school diplomas？

A.He considered some students who didn’t finish high school are unqualified to get financial aid.

B.He believed students should be responsible for their studies.

C.He thought there was a lack of money to give financial aid to students.

D.He held that students were admitted to college for which they were academically underprepared.

5.It is proposed that students without high school credentials be required to pass more demanding tests in order to______.

A.show that they could handle a“collegiate program of study”

B.test their potential of development in further studies

C.see whether these students can understand the content of learning

D.find out the mistakes they can make

TEXT B

To my News Feature Writing class，

By the time you read this，a few of you will have graduated，some others of you are counting the days to your spring commencement，and the rest of you are just rallying the strength to start out another semester.

Yes，it was an 8a.m.class，not only for the convenience of a dean with an overfull schedule but also because I figured only kids who were really serious would sign up.I was right.Every one of you is a talented and committed young journalist.

You showed up（not always quite awake，but you were there），you worked hard，and you put in the time—about 40hours of class，to be specific，and at least three to four times that much out of the building doing your reading and，more to the point，reporting and writing your assignments.

And what a fine job you did.Each of you was required to write three substantial news features，and there wasn’t a loser in the bunch.I’m thinking back at random，but there was Megan’s difficult-to-report piece on what it’s like to be gay on campus；Kevin’s story about the nondescript College Park musical-instrument warehouse that lures the biggest names in entertainment；Karlena’s profile of a hip-hop philosopher；Catherine’s portrait of the campus acupuncturist（it had me on pins and needles）；Amanda’s piece on the Annapolis midshipman who wants to be a soldier；and Grace’s profile of Danny’s restaurant，where students have to elbow aside the health inspectors.You get the idea.I’ve been on campus nearly eight years，yet I learned so much from your stories about this place that you made me feel I’d scarcely been paying attention.That’s what good feature writers do.

With winter settling in，many of the ideas we explored throughout the fall may already be fading.But here are a handful of core points that I hope will manage to stick：

It all starts with the reporting.Good writers can let raw talent carry them a long way，like certain kinds of smart kids in high school who manage A’s without really breaking a sweat.But eventually the lack of preparation catches up with you.You’ve got to have the goods if you want a rich story.

Toward that end，keep asking questions.You’ll be amazed how often people will offer up answers，even in those cases when common sense says they shouldn’t.

Use your brain like muscle.Because，like muscle，it gets strongerwith that use.Remember when I had you write down things you observed that you had never noticed before？You came back with literally dozens of great story ideas.Like people generally，reporters tend to watch but not see，hear but not listen，touch but not feel.If you aggressively apply your senses to your craft，you will separate yourself from the pack.Young reporters often feel that story generation is their biggest challenge.But coming up with a good idea for a news feature doesn’t take magic.It takes paying attention.

Get comfortable with your own voice.It’s important that you read as much good writing as you can，whether it’s Walt Whitman’s poetry or James Baldwin’s passionate essays or Anna Quindlen’s columns or William Goldman’s screenplays.Be sure to include a lot of well-written journalism too.If you’re like most young journalist，you will try on some of these styles，but in time your own voice will assert itself.Recognize that，get comfortable with it，don’t figure it.It’s who you are as a writer.

Every piece of a story has to be doing some work.Remember how we deconstructed John McPhee’s story about the long-distance trucker？There was no wasted motion there；McPhee had a reason for putting every element right where it was.You should too.

Don’t forget the special power of quotation.Quotes are the only part of a story where you are not standing between your subject and your reader.This direct connection feels like first-person testimony，which gives it more power than other parts of your piece.So make sure that quote is saying something，not just turning an eight-inch story into the 10inches your editor asked for.

Remember that real stories...have recognizable characters，dramatic conflict，clear narrative lines and beginnings，middles and endings.They are hard to find，harder to report，harder yet to write.And you’ll never be more satisfied than when you’ve really pulledone off.

Show，don’t tell.I won’t tell you again.

It was a privilege to be your teacher.Every time I hear people whine（抱怨）about the future of journalism，I have 18more reasons to set them straight.

6.When was this letter given？

A.At the beginning of the semester.

B.In the middle of the semester.

C.At the end of the semester.

D.The answer is not available.

7.What are the main tasks of these students according to the speaker？

A.Reading.　　　B.Reporting.　　　C.Writing.　　　D.All of them.

8.What does it mean by“core points”.（para.5）？

A.The central parts of the fruit.

B.Main points.

C.Something about nuclear reactor.

D.Long thin cylindrical mass of material taken out of the earth for study.

9.What is the source of a good news feature？

A.The magic power.

B.The reporter’s paying attention.

C.The creative ability.

D.Reading lots of books.

10.What does it mean by“I have 18more reasons to set them straight”at the end of this letter？

A.To make them not curving.

B.To help them not fall.

C.To persuade them to change their mind with his 18students’good examples.

D.To persuade them not to be late.

TEXT C

In the 1990s，I taught for six years at a small liberal arts college in Spokane，Wash.In my third year，I started noticing something that was happening right in front of me.There were more young women in my classes than young men，and on average，they were getting better grades than the guys.Many of the young men stared blankly at me as I lectured.They didn’t take notes as well as the young women.They didn’t seem to care as much about what I taught—literature，writing and psychology.They were bright kids，but many of their faces said，“Sitting here，listening，staring at these words—this is not really who I am.”

That was a decade ago，but just last month，I spoke with an administrator at Howard University in the District.He told me that what I observed a decade ago has become one of the“biggest agenda items”at Howard.“We are having trouble recruiting and retaining male students，”he said.“We are at about a 2-to-1ratio，women to men.”

Howard is not alone.Colleges and universities across the country are grappling（紧抓）with the case of the mysteriously vanishing male.Where men once dominated，they now make up no more than 43percent of students at American institutions of higher learning，according to 2003statistics，and this downward trend shows every sign of continuing unabated（不减弱的）.If we don’t reverse it soon，we will gradually diminish the male identity，and thus the productivity and the mission，of the next generation of young men，and all the ones that follow.

The trend of females overtaking males in college was initially measured in 1978.Yet despite the well-documented disappearance of ever more young men from college campuses，we have yet to fully react to what has become a significant crisis.Largely，that is because of cultural perceptions about males and their societal role.Many times a week，a reporter or other media person will ask me：“Why should we care so much about boys when men still run everything？”It’s a fair and logical question，but what it really reflects is that our culture is still caught up in old industrial images.We still see thousands of men who succeed quite well in the professional world and in industry—men who get elected president，who own software companies，who make six figures selling cars.We see the Bill Gateses and George Bushes—and so we’re not as concerned as we ought to be about the millions of young men who are floundering or lost.

Of course，not every male has to go to college to succeed，to be a good husband，to be a good and productive man.But a dismal future lies ahead for large numbers of boys in this generation who will not go to college.Statistics show that a young man who doesn’t finish school or go to college in 2005will likely earn less than half what a college graduate earns.He’ll be three times more likely to be unemployed and more likely to be homeless.He’ll be more likely to get divorced，more likely to engage in violence against women and more likely to engage in crime.He’ll be more likely to develop substance abuse problems and to be a greater burden on the economy，statistically，since men who don’t attend college pay less in Social Security and other taxes，depend more on government welfare，are more likely to father children out of wedlock and are more likely not to pay child support.

When I worked as a counselor at a federal prison，I saw these statistics up close.The young men and adult males I worked withwere mainly uneducated，had been raised in families that didn’t promote education，and had found little of relevance in the schools they had attended.They were passionate people，capable of great love and even possible future success.Many of them told me how much they wanted to get an education.At an intuitive level，they knew how important it was.

Whether in the prison system，in my university classes or in the schools where I help train teachers，I have noticed a systemic problem with how we teach and mentor boys that I call“industrial schooling”，and that I believe is a primary root of our sons’falling behind in school，and quite often in life.

The sit-still，raise-your-hand-quietly，don’t-learn-by-doing-but-by-taking-notes classroom is a worse fit for more boys than it is for most girls.This was always the case，but we couldn’t see it 100 years ago.We didn’t have the comparative element of girls at par in classrooms.We taught a lot of our boys and girls separately.We educated children with greater emphasis on certain basic educational principles that kept a lot of boys“in line”—competitive learning was one.And our families were deeply involved in a child’s education.

Now，however，the boys who don’t fit the classrooms are glaringly clear.Many families are barely involved in their children’s education.Girls outperform boys in nearly every academic area.Many of the old principles of education are diminished.In a classroom of 30kids，about five boys will begin to fail in the first few years of pre-school and elementary school.By fifth grade，they will be diagnosed as learning disabled，ADD/ADHD，behaviorally disordered or“unmotivated”.

They will no longer do their homework（though they may say they are doing it），they will disrupt class or withdraw from it，they will find a few islands of competence（like video games or computers）and overemphasize those.Boys have a lot of Huck Finn in them—they don’t，on average，learn as well as girls by sitting still，concentrating，multitasking，listening to words.For 20years，I have been taking brain research into homes and classrooms to show teachers，parents and others how differently boys and girls learn.Once a person sees a PET or SPECT scan of a boy’s brain and a girl’s brain，showing the different ways these brains learn，they understand.As one teacher put it to me，“Wow，no wonder we’re having so many problems with boys.”

Yet every decade the industrial classroom becomes more and more protective of the female learning style and harsher on the male，yielding statistics such as these：the majority of National Merit scholarships，as well as college academic scholarships，go to girls and young women.

Boys and young men comprise the majority of high school dropouts，as high as 80percent in many cities.

Boys and young men are 1and 1/2years behind girls and young women in reading ability（this gap does not even out in high school，as some have argued；a male reading/writing gap continues into college and the workplace）.

The industrial classroom is one that some boys do fine in，many boys just“hang on”in，many boys fall behind in，many boys fail in，and many boys drop out of.The boys who do fine would probably do fine in any environment，and the boys who are hanging on and getting by will probably re-emerge later with some modicum（小量的）of success，but the millions who fall behind and fail will generally become the statistics we saw earlier.

Grasping the mismatch between the minds of boys and the industrial classroom is only the first step in understanding the needs of our sons.Lack of fathering and male role models take a heavy tollon boys，as does lack of attachment to many family members（whether grandparents，extended families，moms or dads）.Our sons are becoming very lonely.And even more politically difficult to deal with：the boys-are-privileged-but-the-girls-are-shortchanged emphasis of the last 20years（an emphasis that I，as a father of two daughters and an advocate of girls，have seen firsthand），has muddied the water for child development in general，pitting funding for girls against funding for boys.

We still barely see the burdens our sons are carrying as we change from an industrial culture to a post-industrial one.We want them to shut up，calm down and become perfect intimate partners.It doesn’t matter too much who boys and men are—what matters is who we think they should be.When I think back to the kind of classroom I created for my college students，I feel regretful for the males who dropped out.When I think back to my time working in the prison system，I feel a deep sadness for the present and future generations of boys whom we still have time to save.

We all need to rethink things.We need to stop blaming，suspecting and overly medicating our boys，as if we can change this guy into the learner we want.When we decide—as we did with our daughters—that there isn’t anything inherently wrong with our sons，when we look closely at the system that boys learn in，we will discover these boys again，for all that they are.And maybe we’ll see more of them in college again.

11.According to the author’s teaching experience，he noticed that

A.there were more young women in his classes than young men.

B.all the students didn’t care as much about what he taught：literature，writing and psychology.

C.guys were getting better grades than women.

D.nearly all the top students are women.

12.Why should people care so much when the male disappear from college campuses？

A.Nowadays men still run everything.

B.Cultural perceptions about males and their societal role are important.

C.Thousands of men who succeed in the professional world and in industry.

D.The quantity of men and women should be in balance.

13.Statistics show that a young man who doesn’t finish school or go to college may not

A.more likely engage in crime.

B.likely be unemployed and more likely to be homeless.

C.more likely engage in violence against women.

D.earn more than half what a college graduate earns.

14.The primary root of our boys falling behind in school is that

A.the problem with how we teach and mentor boys that we call“industrial schooling”.

B.they are lacking of the intellectual potential in study.

C.boys always indulge themselves in games.

D.boys like to rebel against the traditional principles to go to college.

15.What is the author’s purpose in writing this article？

A.He complains that boys disappear from the schools.

B.He finds the reasons why so many boys fall behind school.

C.He hopes the teachers and parents change the educational principles.

D.He thinks parents and teachers should stop blaming，suspecting and overly medicating our boys.

TEXT D

One of the oldest seafaring ships in the world has been reconstructed after seven years’patient archaeological work.The ship，a sixty-foot sailing vessel，sank off the coast of Cyprus in the days of Alexander the Great around the year 300B.C.Its discovery and restoration have now thrown new light on the ancient trade routes and shipbuilding techniques.

What makes the Cyprus ship so informative is the remarkable state of preservation—mainly due to an unusual feature of its design.The hull was sheathed on the outside with lead that was fixed to the timber with bronze tacks which helped the wooden frame survive 2000years under the sea.

The first clue to the wreck’s existence came in 1964when a sponge diver from the present-day resort of Kyrenia came across a pile of amphorae（ancient storage jugs）.Unfortunately his diving air supply ran out just at that moment，so that he had no time to mark the spot.It took him three more years and hundreds of dives before he chanced upon them again.

He reported his finding to an underwater archaeological team from the University of Pennsylvania，which was surveying the Cypriot coasts for wrecks.After checking his description，the team decided to concentrate their resources on the Kyrenia ship，and over the next two years a team of no fewer than fifty archaeologists and divers took part in the excavation.

With the help of a metal detector，the team discovered that wreckage lay scattered over a 2000-square-feet area，often buried beneath sand and seaweed.Each item was carefully photographed in its place，and a system of plastic grids stretched over the whole site so that it could be accurately mapped.

More than four hundred amphorae lay buried in the sand.The ship had been carrying a cargo of wine and almonds.More than nine thousand of these were found in or near the amphorae，their outer shells still perfectly preserved.As well as these，there were twenty-nine stone grain mills，being carried both as cargo and as ballast.These were carefully stowed in three rows parallel to the axis of the keel.

As well as the main cargo，there were other small finds.Four wooden spoons，four oil jugs，four salt dishes and four drinking cups suggested number of crew on the ship’s last voyage.There was an axe，and near the intricately carved mast lay a wooden pulley，used to raise and lower the yard.A bronze cauldron，used perhaps to prepare the crew’s meals，was also lying in the wreck.

Of five bronze coins found，none dated earlier than 306B.C.Carbon-14analysis of the almond cargo pinpointed their date at about 288B.C.，but that of the ship’s planking suggested an earlier date of 370B.C.Thus the Kyrenia ship was more than eighty years old the day she sank—a long life for a wooden hull and proof of the good craftsmanship of her builder.

Raising the delicate timbers of the ship presented grave problems.The archaeologists decided that trying to lift them out in one piece would be too risky.Instead the hull was cut into sections on the site by an electric underwater saw.Then each carefully labeled piece was raised to the surface by a lifting balloon.Once out in the air again，each timber section was treated with a preservative called polyethylene glycol.This replaces the water in the weakened wood so that the timbers do not disintegrate when they dry.

Until the discovery of the ship，little was known of the Eastern Mediterranean trading vessels，their routes or their cargoes.Thanks to the differently shaped amphorae，the Kyrenia ship’s last voyagecan be traced.She had been threading her way southwards along the coast of Anatolia，stopping at the islands of Samos，Kos and Rhodes，before continuing eastwards to the north coast of Cyprus.

What calamity caused her to sink about a quarter of a mile east of the horseshoe harbour of Kyrenia remains a mystery.There are no traces of fire on board，which rules out the possibility of lightning.Perhaps a sudden autumn storm simply caught her four-man crew unawares.They seem to have abandoned ship，for no human remains were found on board.

16.The discovery of the ship is important to students of early ships and their routes because

A.as the oldest surviving ship it is a valuable source of information.

B.it is a useful means of extending their existing knowledge.

C.its discovery has changed completely their existing ideas.

D.this provides the only information about early Mediterranean trading ships that has come their way.

17.Archaeologists were able to learn a lot about the construction of the ship because

A.it was discovered only a short distance from land.

B.there were various forms of tools and equipment.

C.it was in a surprisingly good condition.

D.a lot of its cargo still remained.

18.The stone grain mills were being carried to

A.provide flour for food for the crew.

B.contain stores of corn.

C.keep the ship low enough in the water.

D.strengthen the structure of the ship.

19.The archaeologists faced a considerable problem in raising theship because

A.the structure would be extremely heavy to bring to the surface as a whole.

B.raising all the separate parts would be a long and tedious job.

C.the materials were very frail and could be damaged.

D.the raising of such a large structure might involve some of the men in accidents.

20.The ship’s route could be determined from

A.the discovery that she had been travelling southwards and eastwards.

B.the various containers she was carrying.

C.the types of wines on board.

D.the fact that she had sunk just near Kyrenia.

Model Test 12

TEXT A

Whatever side you’re on in the homework wars（more vs.less，phonics vs.“whole language”），a case can be made that study habits formed in grade school establish patterns for negotiating life as an adult.The kid whose mom builds his diorama（教育游戏）may expect a rent-check stipend later；the girl who spends Friday night finishing her science project will likely resist the temptations of happy hour with her co-workers.

When the city’s public libraries announced，last month，the launch of an all-point Web site，homework NYC.org，for K-12 students，proponents hailed it as a critical blow to the old“dog ate my homework”excuse.Dakota Scott，a freshman at Bard High School Early College，stood before a group of teachers and librarians at the Donnell Library，on West Fifty-third Street，and demonstratedsome of the site’s features，performing searches on“insects”and“ancient Egypt”.She did not click on a link for“live homework help”，but，had the demonstration occurred between 2P.M.and 11 P.M.，the link would have connected her，viaTutor.com，to any of twelve hundred tutors around the country sitting on their sofas，or in cafés，and，for all we know，sipping margaritas，while dispensing advice on trigonometry or mitochondria or intransitive verbs.

Or，as it happens，love.On a recent Friday night，Yasmin，a graduate student in animation，sat on a futon in her boyfriend’s studio apartment，in Brooklyn.For roughly ten dollars an hour，she had signed on to counsel students looking to get a jump on the weekend’s assignments.She had her laptop open and was logged in to theTutor.comserver.

On her screen，a window popped up：“A student has requested your help.”The student was apparently in the fourth grade and was logging on from California.A chat session began：

Student：Can you help me with writing？

Yasmin：Sure.What is your assignment？

Student：Fiction...

Yasmin：Ok，great.Do you know what you want to write about？

Student：My friend said love hurts but I want it to be about passion.

Yasmin：You want to write a love story？...Or should we brainstorm？

A nine-year-old writing a love story on a Friday night？Suddenly，the Internet connection failed and the session was terminated.

Sometimes，Yasmin explained，it’s difficult to tell whether a student is legitimate.But she thought the fiction-writing kid was for real.“Teachers can get pretty creative with assignments，”she said.“The other day，a student had to make a mix tape for a character in a book.”He was to include liner notes，explaining why each song had been chosen.

One of the songs that the student had picked was“Kokomo，”by the Beach Boys，about Caribbean romance.（“Afternoon delight/Cocktails and moonlit nights/That dreamy look in your eye/Give me a tropical contact high.”）The book he’d read was called“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”.“He related it to the character，aguy going somewhere with his mother，”Yasmin said.She wrote to the student，“‘Kokomo’isn’t exactly a song I think of when discussing aperson’s relationship with their mom.”

Back on Yasmin’s laptop，a new request came in，from a sixth grader：

Student：I need to learn about William Shakespeare.

Yasmin：Ok，great.Do you have a specific assignment？

Student：Nooooooooo...

Yasmin：Have you read any sonnets or plays？

Student：Nooooooooo.

Disconnected.

The aspiring fourth-grade romance novelist signed on again：

Yasmin：You said“love hurts”.Tell me more.How？Why？

Student：Well，I changed it to passion.

Yasmin：Ok，what about passion？Let’s make up some characters？

Student：Do you have any ideas？

Yasmin：Do you want to have one male and one female character？

What should their names be？

On a shared“whiteboard”，a virtual chalkboard，the student scrawled the names Jesus and Christine，using his mouse.Yasmin，still credulous，tried to develop the backstory：How did they meet？（“Um”）Where should they meet？（“At a special place.Could you think of any？”）They agreed on Hawaii as the setting：

Yasmin：How will they meet？Do they know any of the same people...？

Student：She was thirsty，so she wanted a drink.

Yasmin：...So she goes to a restaurant？

Student：Yep.

Yasmin：Is Jesus working there？Is he there having dinner？

Student：Yes...

Yasmin：Christine goes to the restaurant for a drink and meets Jesus...How？

Student：He took her order.

Yasmin：So he’s the waiter？

Student：Yep.

Yasmin：And then what？

Student：She looked up and saw him.

And，with that，the session，which had lasted nearly half an hour，timed out.Yasmin dutifully typed an entry into her tutor’s log：“We started brainstorming a story about passion.”

1.From the passage，what is the attitude of the writer to online tutoring？

A.He is a supporter.

B.He is an objector.

C.He is a mediator.

D.He does not show his opinion.

2.Which grade is Yasmin and the first student in？

A.Graduate；fourth.　　　　　　　　B.Undergraduate；fourth.

C.Undergraduate；sixth.　　　　　　D.Graduate；sixth.

3.The first student wants to write a

A.detective story.　　　　　　　　 B.science fiction.

C.love story.　　　　　　　　　　　D.sad story.

4.What does the second student want to know about？

A.Sonnets.B.Plays.C.Shakespeare. D.Odes.

5.What do Yasmin and the first student do during half an hour？

A.Finish brainstorming.　　　　　　B.Finish the whole story.

C.Finish the outline.　　　　　　　D.None of the above.

TEXT B

At my daughter’s preschool it’s time for all the children to learn that they are different from one another.Even though these kids are at that remarkable age when they are thoroughly color blind，their teachers are spending a month emphasizing race，color，and background.The little tots are being taught in no uncertain terms that their hair is different，their skin is different，and their parents come from different places.It’s Cultural Diversity Month.

I hadn’t really given much thought to the ethnic and national backgrounds of Sarah’s classmates.I can guarantee that Sarah，being two and a half，gave the subject absolutely no thought.Her teachers，however，had apparently given it quite a lot of thought.They sent a letter asking each parent to contribute to the cultural-awareness effort by“providing any information and/or material regarding your family’s cultural background.For example：favorite recipe or song.”All well and good，unless your culture isn’t diverse enough.

The next day I took Sarah to school and her teacher，Miss Laura，anxious to get this Cultural Diversity show on the road，began the interrogation.

“Where are you and your husband from？”she cheerily demanded.

“We’re Americans，”I replied—less，I must confess，out of patriotism than from sheer lack of coffee.It was barely 9：00a.m.

“Yes，of course，but where are you from？”I was beginning to feel like a nightclub patron being badgered by a no-talent stand-up comic.

“We’re native New Yorkers.”

“But where are your people from？”

“Well，”I dived in with a sigh，“my family is originally Irish on both sides.My husband’s father was from Czechoslovakia and his mother is from the Bronx，but her grandparents were from Ukraine.”

“Can you cook Irish？”

“I could bring in potatoes and beer for the whole class.”

Miss Laura didn’t get it.

“Look，”I said，“we’re Americans.Our kids are Americans.We tell them about American history and George Washington and apple pie and all that stuff.If you want me to do something American，I can do that.”

She was decidedly unexcited.

A few days later，she told me that she was trying to explain to Sarah that her dad is from Ireland.

“Wrong，”I said，“but go on.”

“He’s not from Ireland？”

“No，”I sigh.“He’s from Queens.I’m from Ireland.I mean I’m Irish—that is，my great-grandparents are.Don’t get me wrong，I’m proud of my heritage—but that’s entirely beside the point.I told you we tell Sarah she’s American.”

“Well，anyway，”she smiled，“Sarah thinks her Daddy’s from Iceland！Isn’t that cute？”

Later in the month，Miss Laura admitted that her class is not quite getting the whole skin-color thing.“I tried to show them howwe all have different skin，”she chuckled.Apparently，little Henry is the only one who successfully grasped the concept.He now runs around the classroom announcing to anyone who’ll listen，“I’m white！”Miss Laura asked the children what color her own skin was.（She is a light-skinned Hispanic，which would make her skin color...What？Caramel（焦糖色）？）The kids opted for purple or orange.“They looked at me like I was crazy！”Miss Laura said.I just smiled.

The culmination of Cultural Diversity Month，the day when the parents came into class and joined their children in a glorious celebration of multicultural disparity，has arrived.As I arrived I saw a large collage（拼贴图）on the wall depicting the earth，with all the children’s names placed next to the country they are from.Next to my daughter’s name it says“Ireland”.I politely reminded Miss Laura that Sarah is，in fact，from America and suggested that，by insisting otherwise，sheed confusing my daughter.She reluctantly changed Sarah’s affiliation to USA.It was the only one of its kind on the wall.

The mom from Brazil brought in a bunch of great music，and the whole class was doing the samba and running around in a conga line.It’s very cute.Then I got up to teach the children an indigenous folk tune from the culture of Sarah’s people，passed down through the generations from her grandparents to her parents and now to Sarah—a song called“Take Me out to the Ballgame”.First I explained to the kids that Sarah was born right here in New York—and that’s in what country，Sarah？Sarah looked at me and said，“France.”I looked at Miss Laura，who just shrugged.

I stood there in my baseball cap and sang my song.The teacher tried to rush me off.I said，“Don’t you want them to learn it？”They took long enough learning to samba！I was granted permission to sing it one more time.The kids joined in on the“root，toot，root”，andthe“1，2，3strikes you’re out”，but they could see their teacher wasn’t enthusiastic.

So now these sweet，innocent babies who thought they were all the same are becoming culturally aware.Two little girls are touching each other’s hair and saying，“Your hair is blonde，just like mine.”Off to one side a little dark-haired girl stands alone，excluded.She looks confused as to what to do next.She knows she’s not blonde.Sure，all children notice these things eventually，but，thanks to the concerted efforts of their teachers，these two-and three-year-olds are talking about things that separate rather than connect.

An Sarah only knows what she has been taught：Little Henry is white，her daddy’s from Iceland，and New York’s in France.

6.Describe what the writer suggests by the title of the article.

A.It shows the concern of the government to teach students carefully.

B.It states the writer’s concern of her daughter’s education.

C.It requires that teachers should take the responsibility in education.

D.It reveals that American parents are satisfied with the education.

7.What is the main concern that the writer has with her daughter’s teacher？

A.The teacher was a qualified one.

B.The teacher talks about things that separate rather than connect.

C.The teacher loves her students.

D.The teacher hates her students.

8.The teacher acts the way she does in teaching because

A.she has been forced to teach a multicultural curriculum thatshe is not comfortable with.

B.she can’t articulate her lesson plans to achieve her desired goals.

C.she means well but is not a good teacher.

D.All the above.

9.What is the topic sentence of the opening paragraph？

A.Sentence 1　　　　　　　　　B.Sentence 2

C.Sentence 3　　　　　　　　　D.Sentence 4

10.The writer of this article employs the tone of

A.sarcasm.　　　　　B.irony.　　　　　C.impersonal.　　　　　D.indirect.

TEXT C

As children，most of us were taught that God created man and woman.God created them in his own likeness to complement each other and produce offspring.God provided Adam with no handbook or lecture on masculinity，and thus emotion and procreation abounded.

Imagine the same story set in the modern day.God created man and woman.Man felt an obligation from society to display the true essence of masculinity and male responsibility.Man guarded his emotions and never allowed himself to care for woman.Along the way were one-night stands，broken promises，apass as woman’s best friend，and in the end，no man at all.

Somewhere since the beginning of life，things have changed in the male world.The first man in history was never told that if he displayed emotion he would be looked down on.His life was one of emotion and love.To be a man in today’s society is difficult.A male must be successful in work and family.To be masculine is to be physically and emotionally strong.Somewhere along these guidelines，emotional strength became emotional suppression.

Let’s take a survey to prove my point.I want everyone who has cried in the last year to raise his or her hands.（For those of you who have actually raised your hand，this is a rhetorical thing.Put them down.）

Why aren’t there more males represented？Two simple reasons：guys rarely cry，and those who do，don’t want the ridicule of their friends.Crying is just an obvious emotional expression.The thing that most concerns me is the loss of the ability to express oneself emotionally，especially to a woman.

Males become so accustomed to masking their true emotions that it seems like second nature.At this point，the male behavior goes from unhealthy to dangerous.You begin not to care about women and finally fail to see them as people.It is easier to use a woman for physical means as opposed to actually caring for one.This behavior is common among males，but the effect is amplified when in a primarily male setting，such as a fraternity.

I love my fraternity and always will.Joining it was the best decision I have ever made，and I will always cherish the memories I have there and the experience I will take away from it.That said，fraternity life can lead to the destructive lifestyle that I have described above.

For those of you who are now marching up Greek row trying to close down the remaining fraternities，allow me to clarify my position.A fraternity is not a breeding ground for guys who use women.Some of my closest brothers have been with the same woman all through college and are getting married in the summer.

On the other hand，some of my closest brothers never last more than two weeks with the same woman，but these behaviors stem from personal choice，not group affiliation.As a group，fraternities attempt to teach respect toward women.I don’t think you will findone pledge program on campus where this is not a goal，but somewhere between group execution and individual attitude，this goal falls short.In the end，the fraternity simply provides males with the opportunity to use women，in the way of social functions，social skills，and ample occasions to meet women.

The sad truth of the situation is that this type of behavior can flourish in any primarily male group.Let me give you an example.Let’s say five guys are sitting around in a room.One has a drinking problem，one comes from a broken family，one is getting kicked out of the university with a 0.6，one works in a porn shop，and one has a girlfriend.Which one gets made fun of the most？

Obviously，the one with the girlfriend will be the target.He will receive taunts and whipping sounds from his friends.A male’s tendency toward treating women poorly does increase when faced day in and day out with this kind of pressure.You lose sight of the fact that this friend of yours truly cares for a woman，and all you see is a“whipped little boy”.

For those men out there who are frantically writing a response to my column to prove to women that all guys aren’t bastards，please grant me a small favor.Go take a close look in the mirror and ask yourself some questions.Have you ever dogged on one of your friends for being“whipped”？Have you made yourself emotionally available to every woman that you’ve dated？Have you ever made a degrading remark about a woman？Ask yourself these questions，and then pick that pen back up if you think I’m wrong.

This is not an attempt to condone or justify this type of behavior.Males，myself included，have fallen off of the path of good intentions and must try to correct this behavior.It would be nice to say that there is a cure or a method to stop this destructive behavior，but there is no such twelve-step program.If the man out there canlook at this as a warning and not a how-to-guide，then I think it’s a step in the right direction.The only real cure for this behavior is a woman.

One day all of the guarding will cease，and a woman will be allowed in to see what true masculinity should be.

11.What biblical story does the writer use to begin his article？

A.David’s story.　　　　　　　B.Solomon’s story.

C.Adam’s story.　　　　　　　 D.Jacob’s story.

12.What is the writer’s solution to men’s inability to express their emotion？

A.Women.　　　B.Friends.　　　C.Parents.　　　D.Children.

13.The writer thinks the modern men hurt themselves and the women in their lives by

A.enjoying too much luxuries.　　　　　B.suppressing emotion.

C.working too hard.　　　　　　　　　　D.speaking impolitely.

14.According to the writer，if five young men，all with different notable characteristics，were in the same room，which one would get“made fun of the most”？

A.The guy with a low height.

B.The guy with handsome appearance.

C.The guy with poor clothes.

D.The guy with a girlfriend.

15.The only cure for man’s wrong behavior is______.

A.his friend 　　　　　　　　　　　　　B.his parents

C.himself　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D.woman

TEXT D

Boots which have mountaineering-type composition soles are essential for hill-walking（leather soles slip and shoes do not supportyour ankles）.A mountain-top can be icy cold even on a summer day，so carry gloves and spare sweaters as well as waterproofs.In winter especially，start out adequately dressed.Shorts or jeans on snow-covered hills are not a sign of toughness but of inexperience！Before you go，learn to use an Ordnance Survey map and compass.Always carry spare“energy”foods like chocolate，glucose tablets，barely sugar，mint cake，dried fruit.Also carry a torch and a whistle.Take a small first-aid kit.Long slopes of loose rock，called scree，can be dangerous.If you have to go down it，dig your heels in and keep your weight well back.

The YHA（Youth Hostels Association）welcomes hostellers—young or old，individuals or groups—who need a wheelchair to get around or who have visual，hearing or other handicaps.We have many positive advantages to offer—above all friendly companionship and inexpensive accommodation at hostels throughout England and Wales，in the countryside，in cities，towns and on the coast.

Of course there have to be some“ifs”.We must be realistic.Only one of our hostels—Broad Haven on the Pembrokeshire coast—is specially designed to cater for handicapped people.Other hostels（castles，old mills，mansions，former schools，town houses and country cottages）vary greatly in such things as accessibility（particularly for wheelchairs），the amount of ground floor accommodation available，the width of doorways and the number of downstairs loos.

The North York Moors National Park includes a long stretch of coastline，with sandy bays，spectacular cliffs，popular seaside resorts and small fishing villages.Inland is the largest expanse of heather-covered moorland in the country，crossed by mainly ancient tracks.In the valleys are huge monastic ruins，dating from medieval times and fringed by dense native woodlands.The higher farms still graze sheepon the moor but dairy and arable farming prospers on the reclaimed moorland slopes.Extensive timber cultivation in the form of Forestry Commission plantations is penetrated by a network of nature trails and forest drives.

16.The main purpose of the first paragraph is to give

A.a summary of the normal difficulties facing rock climbers and mountaineers.

B.a warning about unfavourable weather and walking conditions on hills.

C.instructions about how to deal with emergencies in remote areas.

D.advice on preparing for and dealing with difficulties encountered while walking in rough country.

17.The second paragraph provides information for people

A.who can’t get about easily.

B.who may have any one of various physical difficulties.

C.who would benefit considerably from using hostels in their wheelchairs.

D.who have been discouraged from using hostels previously.

1

8.The description which most effectively applies to the non-coastal region referred to in the third paragraph is

A.a varied countryside of hills，woodland and farmland.

B.an area of bare mountains and cultivated valleys.

C.a romantic landscape of rugged mountains and waterways.

D.a region of extensive forests，rich pasture and nature trails.

19.A feature that all three paragraphs have in common is that they are all

A.instructional.　　　　　　B.informative.

C.descriptive.　　　　　　　D.advisory.

20.In which of these ways does the third paragraph differ from the other two？

A.It is more impersonal.

B.It uses fewer colloquialisms.

C.It is less realistic.

D.There is very little connection in subject-matter with the other two.

Model Test 13

TEXT A

Chinatown is ghetto，my friends are ghetto，I am ghetto.I went away to college last year，but I still have a long stand of hair that reaches past my chin.I need it when I go back home to hang with the K.F.C.—for Kung Fu Crew，not Kentucky Fried Chicken.We all met in a Northern Shaolin kung fu class years ago.Our si-fu was Rocky.He told us：“In the early 1900sin China，your grand master was walking in the streets when a foreigner riding on a horse disrespected him.So then he felt the belly of the horse with his palms and left.Shortly thereafter，the horse buckled and died because our grand master had used qi-gong to mess up the horse’s internal organs.”Everyone said，“Cool，I would like to do that.”Rocky emphasized，“You’ve got to practice really hard for a long time to reach that level”.

By the time my friends and I were in the eighth grade，we were able to do twenty-plus pushups on our knuckles and fingers.When we practiced our crescent，roundhouse，and tornado kicks，we had 10-pound weights strapped to our legs.Someone once remarked，“Goddamn—that’s a freaking mountain！”when he saw my thigh muscles in gym class.

Most Chinatown kids fall into a few general categories.There are pale-faced nerds（书呆子）who study all the time to get into the Ivies.There are the recent immigrants with uncombed hair and crooked teeth who sing karaoke in bars.There are the punks with highlighted hair who cut school and the gangsters，whom everyone else avoids.

Then there is the K.F.C.We work hard like the nerds，but we identify with the punks.Now we are reunited，and just as in the old days we amble onto Canal Street，where we stick out above the older folks，elderly women bearing leaden bags of oranges.As an opposing crew nears us，I assess them to determine whether to grill them or not.Grilling is the fine art of staring others down and trying to emerge victorious.

How the hair is worn is important in determining one’s order on the streets.In the 1980s，the dominant style was the mushroom cut，combed neatly or left wild in the front so that a person can appear menacing as he peers through his bangs.To gain an edge in grilling now，some kids have asymmetrical cuts，with long random strands sprouting in the front，sides，or back.Some dye their hair blue or green，while blood red is usually reserved for gang members.

Only a few years ago，examination of the hair was sufficient.But now there is a second step：assessing pants.A couple of years ago，wide legs first appeared in New York City，and my friends and I switched from baggy pants.In the good old days，Merry-Go-Round in the Village sold wide legs for only＄15apair.When Merry-Go-Round went bankrupt，Chinatown kids despaired.Wide-leg prices at other stores increased drastically as they became more popular.There are different ways of wearing wide legs.Some fold their pant legs inward and staple them at the hem.Some clip the back ends of their pants to their shoes with safety pins.Others simply cut the bottomsso that fuzzy strings hang out.

We grill the opposing punks.I untuck my long strand of hair so that it swings in front of my face.Nel used to have a strand，but he chewed it off one day in class by accident.Chu and Tom cut their strands off because it scared people at college.Jack has a patch of blond hair，while Tone’s head is a ball of orange flame.Chi has gelled short hair，while Ken’s head is a black mop.As a group，we have better hair than our rivals.But they beat us with their wide legs.In our year away at college，wide legs have going beyond our 24-inch leg openings.26-to 30-inch jeans are becoming the norm.If wide legs get any bigger，they will start flying up like a skirt in an updraft.

We have better accessories，though.Chi sports a red North Face that gives him a rugged mountain-climber look because of the jungle of straps sprouting in the back.Someone once asked Chi，“Why is the school bag so important to one’s cool？”He responded，“Cuz it’s the last thing others see when you walk away from them or when they turn back to look at you after you walk past them.”But the other crew has female members，which augments their points.The encounter between us ends in a stalemate.But at least the K.F.C.members are in college and are not true punks.

In the afternoon，we decide to eat at the Chinatown McDonald’s for a change instead of the Chinese bakery Maria’s，our dear old hangout spot.“Mickey D’s is good sit，”Nel says.I answer：“But the Whopper gets more fat and meat.It’s even got more bun.”Nel agrees.“True that，”he says.I want the Big Mac，but I buy the two-cheeseburger meal because it has the same amount of meat but costs less.

We sit and talk about ghettoness again.We can never exactly articulate what being ghetto entails，but we know the spirit of it.InChinatown toilet facilities we sometimes find footprints on the seats because F.O.B.s（fresh off the boats）（上厕所的人）squat on them as they do over the holes in China.We see alternative brand names in stores like Dolo instead of Polo，and Mike instead of Nike.

We live by ghettoness.My friends and I walk from 80-something Street in Manhattan to the tip of the island to save a token.We gorge ourselves at Gray’s Papaya because the hot dogs are 50cents each.But one cannot be stingy all the time.We leave good tips at Chinese restaurants because our parents are waiters and waitresses，too.

We sit for a long time in McDonald’s，making sure that there is at least a half-inch of soda in our cups so that when the staff wants to kick us out，we can claim that we are not finished yet.Jack positions a mouse bite of cheeseburger in the center of a wrapper to support our claim.

After a few hours，the K.F.C.prepares to disband.I get in one of the no-license commuter vans on Canal Street that will take me to Sunset Park in Brooklyn，where my family lives now.All of my friends will leave Chinatown，for the Upper East Side and the Lower East Side，Forest Hills in Queens and Bensonhurst in Brooklyn.We live far apart，but we always come back together in Chinatown.For most of us，our homes used to be here and our world was here.

1.What is the function of the letter“a”in asymmetrical（para.5）？

A.As a prefix，meaning“not”.

B.As a prefix，laying emphasis.

C.As a stem，meaning“not”.

D.As a stem，laying emphasis.

2.What does singing Karaoke mean？

A.Playing video games.

B.Singing along to music video.

C.Dancing along to music video.

D.Drinking at music hall.

3.What did the title suggest to you？

A.Gangster.　　　　　　　　　　B.Terrorist.

C.Martial artist.　　　　　　　D.Air hostess.

4.The initials K.F.C.here refers to

A.Kentucky Fried Chicken.　　　B.Kung Fu Crew.

C.Kiwi Fruit Company.　　　　　D.Korean Fighter Company.

5.The word ghettoin para.10means

A.Chinatown.　　　　　　　　　 B.My friends.

C.The writer himself.　　　　　D.Poor residential quarters.

TEXT B

Here’s a word you might remember from grade school─hero.It’s rooted in days long gone.For me，its heyday was in the early 1980s.That was when I learned about people like George Washington，Christopher Columbus，Mother Theresa，Gandhi，Martin Luther King Jr.，and all the other folks who dedicated their lives to make the world a little bit better place to live.

As time went on，something happened.Suddenly，no one was talking about these people anymore.I found out tidbits（闲话）like Washington was a tyrant，Columbus was instrumental in the slave trade，and even Santa Claus was a fake.To make things worse，the majority of people didn’t pay much attention to those whose spirits remained true and whose acts really made a difference.

That was all right.I still had the movies and television to provide me with a new crop of heroes，people whose virtuosity we should aspire to attain and accomplishments we should strive to equal.Luke Skywalker was flying around space saving our universe from the forces of evil.The next thing I knew he was makingheadlines for using his light saber（剑）for a lot more than battling the dark side.Many of Hollywood’s brightest stars had developed serious sinus problems，and Pee Wee Herman...Well，we all know that story.

Okay，I can deal with that.There’s still sports，right？When all was said and done，baseball’s legendary Mickey Mantle wasn’t much more than a homerun-hitting distillery.There is no magic that will save Magic Johnson（although his strength in dealing with his disease is admirable—who aspires to be an aging basketball star with AIDS？）.And，I guess if you’re a football player who’s into cocaine and prostitutes，it might be beneficial to have a coach in Dallas who carries a gun.

So politics，movies，and sports all look pretty bleak.How about the music business？Not much luck there，either.Most of them are smacking on shotgun barrels，dining on a mix of cocaine，heroin，and whiskey，and well，frankly just aren’t hero material.

Many of the people who are supposed to be pillars of strength and icons of respectability are a bunch of disappointing fakes，myths，and legends with closets full of skeletons.（I won’t get into any of the recent discoveries about the man we elected to lead our nation.He’s getting into plenty on his own.）

But really，who needs heroes anyway？We’re doing just fine without them，thank you very much.Divorce rates are through the roof.Pharmaceutical companies are selling record numbers of antidepressants.Bill Gates is slowly taking over the world.Our favorite television shows feature people being chased，beaten，and arrested，cheesy neoyuppies backstabbing their friends，and a group of animated kids discussing anal probes and Crack Whore magazine.One of the poor bastards even dies in every episode.

I suppose you could say I’m being awfully pessimistic.Look atpeople like the late Princess Diana and the difference her crusade has made in reducing the number of people having their limbs inconveniently removed by landmines.Or Christopher Reeve’s amazing courage proving that he truly is Superman.Colin Powell’s extraordinary leadership even provides a few rays of hope in Washington.

I know there are a lot of great people out there doing plenty of wonderful things for the greater good.They’re risking their lives，giving up huge amounts of time，energy，and money to make our world just.But the concept of heroes is gone.Do you ever hear anyone talking about who their heroes are？It used to be a common question.It told you something about the person you were talking to.It gave you a bit of insight into their values and beliefs，their goals and aspirations.

Today，most people would be hard pressed to come up with an answer.We’ve been fooled too many times.On one hand，it’s a shame.On the other，it’s liberating.Maybe，it gives us a chance to become heroes ourselves.We’re no longer pressured to live up to someone else’s deeds.We can accomplish our own goals，spread our own goodness to others.We won’t have to save the world.We can feel good about just making a difference in our own little corner of the globe.Things like opening a door for a stranger，giving a friend a ride，and saying please and thank you will have meaning again.Maybe if we all remembered a few of the simpler acts of heroism，we won’t need any of the heroes we don’t have anyway.

6.The word heydayin para.1means

A.farming period.　　　　　　　　　　　　B.playing period.

C.the period of greatest success.　　　　D.the period of failure.

7.What do you think made the author lose his faith in heroes？

A.The wrongdoings in politics.

B.The wrongdoings in sports.

C.The wrongdoings in the music business.

D.All of the above.

8.What is the topic sentence in para.9？

A.Sentence 1.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　B.Sentence 2.

C.Sentence 3.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D.Sentence 6.

9.How can we do now to achieve the simpler acts of heroism according to the writer’s opinion？

A.Opening a door for a stranger.

B.Giving a friend a ride.

C.Saying“Please”and“Thank you”.

D.All the above.

10.How do you understand the phrase“closets full of skeletons”in para.6？

A.A lot of ugly deeds kept in secret.

B.Many clothes kept in the closets.

C.A large amount of bones kept in the closets.

D.A great deal of utensils in the kitchen.

TEXT C

“All those flowers and designs，”said Christina Hoff Sommers，a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington.It’s no wonder men aren’t comfortable at home，with the overdesigned，“feminized spaces that are being imposed on them”by the women in their lives，she said.“They’re going to want to push back.”

It may be an unpopular opinion，but Ms.Sommers，who is well known for her critiques of feminism，may have a point.

According to James B.Twitchell，professor of English andadvertising at University of Florida in Gainesville，men are increasingly creating small private domains in and around their houses—in sheds，basements，attics and closets—as a way of retreating from everyday life.Professor Twitchell，author of Where Men Hide，published this month by Columbia University Press，does not agree that women are to blame for this phenomenon，or that it’s a matter of blame at all.He sees it as a positive development，and has built a shed of his own.He uses it as an office and calls it his hidey-hole.It sits on a site near his summer house in Vermont once dedicated to an above-ground septic tank.

He has plenty of company.Although the Home Depot would not release sales figures，Kathryn Gallagher，a company spokeswoman，said there was a growing trend of men putting prefab（简易小屋）sheds to various recreational uses in a quest for“a little place to get away.”Haroula Battista，marketing manager for Summerwood Products，a shed manufacturer in Toronto that mainly sells to American customers，described“a tremendous upsurge in demand，”in particular for the company’s larger sheds.“They’re turning them into everything from workout rooms to their personal bars，”she said.

Tuff Shed，a company in Denver，now makes 50，000sheds a year，up from 20，000in 2003，and sells them through its own stores in 21states and stores like the Home Depot.Phil Worth，the company’s director of marketing，estimates that as much as 15 percent of Tuff Shed’s sales are now for“male-driven spaces like workshops，poker rooms and the like.”

“Guys are looking for their special spaces，and I’m telling my salesmen to find opportunities there，”said Randy Morrow，Tuff Shed’s Southwest region sales manager.Gail Andrews，one of his salesman，has taken his advice.“Used to be when a guy ordered agarage，it was for a car，”Mr.Andrews said.“Now they’re positioning them to be used as workshops and pool rooms.I’ve had musicians who use them as low-rent recording studios.”

Vince Jones，a 33-year-old real estate salesman in Rocklin，Calif.，took on the challenge with gusto，turning a＄10，000prefab shed into his personal fight studio.“I practice Shoshu kung fu and Brazilian jujutsu，”said Mr.Jones，who stages regular bouts in his backyard retreat with other men.“I originally wanted a Shaolin Temple with a curved roof，but that proved to be too difficult.”Once the drywall goes up，he plans to decorate with martial arts swords.

“It’s definitely a masculine space I’ve made，”he said，acknowledging that there was no way his wife would let the main house be used for a restaging of“Fight Club”.

“This has worked out well for both of us，”Teri Jones said of her husband’s backyard project.“I was not at all weirded out by it.”

Other men may be less adamant about asserting their masculinity，but at a time when many homes reflect an almost obsessive concern with design，they are grateful to find spaces that are not as self-consciously decorated as the rest of the house.When Fuller Cowles，44，a sculptor，built his 4，000-square-foot post-and-beam house on an old farmstead an hour north of Minneapolis in 1985，“it was a kind of bachelor pad with studios，”said his wife，Connee，57，a ceramist.It was only after they married that the house began to feel finished，as she put it.And it was just last year，in the final stage of the 15-year renovation，that Mrs.Cowles’s home improvement efforts reached the cupola（小圆顶）—her husband’s own version of a hidey-hole，a tiny perch at the top of a 24-foot ladder leading up from the living room.But after designing the rest of the house，Mrs.Cowles intentionally did not decorate the cupola.“I feel it’s Fuller’s space，”she said.“It shouldn’t be cute.”

The contractor，taken with Mr.Cowles’s love for the little room，which he uses for meditation，watching the weather and taking naps in the sun，surprised him with an expansion that added a third more space.It is now 8feet by 8feet and has a built-in window seat.“That was totally aguy-to-guy thing，”Mrs.Cowles said.“I was just rolling my eyes and going，‘Boys and their toys.’”

The urge to escape the tyranny of someone else’s design sensibility，of course，is not limited to men in heterosexual relationships.After moving in 1999into his partner’s apartment in San Francisco，furnished in the Arts and Crafts style，Dave Monks，a 43-year-old lawyer，decided he needed a less refined spot in which to unwind（放松）.“I like his things，but his tastes aren’t mine，”Mr.Monks said.“He’s practically a designer，very finicky about his stuff.I’m more the laundry-on-the-floor guy.”

Mr.Monks laid claim to a 5-by-6-foot closet.“It’s literally a cave，”he said.But it allows him his own space in an apartment he describes as a Luddite’s paradise（the only technology more advanced than a telephone is in Mr.Monk’s closet）.“I moved in a desk，my computer and my movie memorabilia，”he said，“and I can be in there for hours at a time.”

There are those who may wonder if all this time spent alone in sheds，closets and other cramped spaces is really healthy for the male psyche.Although Thoreau in his bucolic（乡村的）cabin runs deep in America’s cultural consciousness，so too does another hermit in the woods，Theodore J.Kaczynski’s withdrawal from social organizations in the last 40years may have contributed to a severe sense of collective and individual anomie（缺乏道德准则）.

Professor Twitchell is more optimistic：hidey-holes，he argues，fulfill an intrinsic male need and are fundamentally gratifying places to spend time.And not all of them are about isolation.RalphBalzano，67，a retired New York Department of Parks and Recreation worker，turned an uncle’s old garage down the street from his home in Red Hook，Brooklyn，into a rough-and-ready gathering place for neighborhood men.On summer afternoons they gather around the open hood of Mr.Balzano’s El Camino or Buick convertible.The walls are plastered with Coke ads and posters from gangster movies.

“Sometimes we just sit around and drink beer and barbecue，”Mr.Balzano said.“It’s my space.It’s my therapy.”

His girlfriend，Lorraine Barnett，52，lives with him，but generally leaves the garage to him.

“I work for a living”—as a receptionist for Boar’s Head Provisions—“and I don’t have time to hang out，”she said.

“Everyone goes gaga over his space，”she added.“I have no idea why.”

Ms.Sommers，the critic of feminism，says she is familiar with this enigma.“Women can’t fully understand why men need to be alone and separate，”she said.But out of“affection and respect for manliness，”she added，“we tolerate it.”

11.The author quotes the remark of Christina Hoff Sommers

A.to provide support for his argument.

B.to show how discomfort able the men feel staying in his home.

C.to explain the reason why the man is discomfort able in his home.

D.to illustrate the man under a lot of pressure from his home.

12.What is the root cause of a large number of sheds in demand？

A.People need them to lay some useless furniture.

B.Men are looking for a place to hide themselves.

C.These sheds look nice and practical.

D.People can see them as their studios and private space.

13.Plenty of men choose to take on making his private space in order to exercise

A.to assert their masculinity.

B.to escape over-designed house.

C.meditation and relaxation.

D.to escape from noisy urban environment.

14.Is all this time spending alone in sheds healthy for the male psyche？

A.Yes.It is of benefit to man’s health.

B.No.It isolates men from the outside world.

C.There is no unanimous opinion on this issue.

D.Neither good nor harmful.

15.Women can tolerate their husbands or boyfriends’need to be alone owing to

A.affection and respect for manliness.

B.carelessness about men’s hideout.

C.understanding of men’s ideas.

D.acceptance of what men choose to do.

TEXT D

With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject-matter and widely-varying methods of treatment，the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature，or，at least，as a distinct，even though a slightly disreputable，offshoot of the traditional novel.

The detective story is probably the most respectable（at any rate in the narrow sense of the word）of the crime species.Its creation is often the relaxation of university dons，literary economists，scientists or even poets.Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society，but the world in which theyhappen，the village，seaside resort，college or studio，is familiar to us，if not from our own experience，at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends.The characters，though normally realized superficially，are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates.A story set in a more remote environment，African jungle or Australian bush，ancient China or gaslit London，appeals to our interest in geography or history，and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background.The elaborate，carefully-assembled plot，despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of‘significant’novels，has found refuge in the murder mystery，with its sprinkling of clues，its spicing with apparent impossibilities，all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end.With the guilt of escapism from Real Life nagging gently，we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely superhuman sleuth，who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.

Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts，the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world.The sequence of fist fights，revolver duels，car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero，who，suffering from at least two broken ribs，one black eye，uncountable bruises and a hangover，can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler.He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs，brutality，a vicious lust for power and money and，in contrast to the detective tale，with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental.Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that hadbewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail.All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously.

16.The crime novel may be regarded as

A.a not quite respectable form of the conventional novel.

B.not a true novel at all.

C.related in some ways to the historical novel.

D.an independent development of the novel.

17.The passage suggests that intellectuals write detective stories because

A.the stories are often in fact very instructive.

B.they enjoy writing these stories.

C.the creation of these stories demands considerable intelligence.

D.detective stories are an accepted branch of literature.

18.Which of the following is the only unlikely aspects of the average detective novel？

A.Its characters.　　　　　　　　　B.Its setting.

C.Its incidents.　　　　　　　　　 D.Its authorship.

19.According to a suggestion in the passage，detective story readers feel guilty because

A.they should be devoting all their attention to the problems of the world around them.

B.they should have a more educated literary taste.

C.they become aware that they too share some of the guilt of the criminal.

D.they would hesitate to admit the considerable enjoyment they get from these stories.

20.One of the most incredible characteristics of the hero of a thriller is

A.the eventual defeat of the villain.

B.the type of society described.

C.the effect of the story on the reader.

D.the fact that the villain is clever.

Model Test 14

TEXT A

There are still a few reasons to envy men：that 74-cents-to-the-dollar thing，their choke hold on Congress，and the word guy.On the first two fronts—earning power and political clout（影响）—women continue to gain ground.But when it comes to calling ourselves something besides woman，something that captures our most laid-back（放松）casual sense of ourselves—our guyness，if you will—we need a word of our own.

Not that there’s anything wrong with woman.Given the umpteen unwonderful alternatives（girl，babe，chick，lady，broad，dame，lass），it’s clear why we fought so hard for this nonpejorative（非贬损性的）term.Woman is admirable.Woman is honorable.Woman speaks of maturity，motherhood，and busting through barriers.And that’s exactly what we need a term to give us a break from all that.A word that would let us kick back and not shave for a couple of days.A word like guy.

Guy is efficient.Think about it：“There’s a new guy in marketing—he’s got some great ideas.”The focus completely skips over him—his gender，his maleness—to the important stuff.That he’s a man hardly registers.We females，on the other hand，have no shorthand that unhooks us from the biological and political implications of our sex.“We just hired a woman to run the ad-sales division and she’s a dynamo.”It’s hard to hear that without thinking，“Oh，she’s a woman.”Is she young，cute，straight，married？Does she market to women？Did they hire her because she’s a woman？Will she fit in with the guys？

A few months ago，Natalie Angier，a science reporter for the New York Times，gave in to her own guy envy and confessed her longing for“a word that conveys snazziness and style，a casual term for the double-X set...a delicious egalitarian（平等的）word like...gal.”

Gal？Gal？Though Angier insists that“gal has a rich and prismatic quality to it”，The Oxford English Dictionary strikes closer to the vein，revealing that gal is nothing more than“a vulgar of dialectal pronunciation”of girl.Oh，that’s progress.Besides，as a friend from Nevada points out，“Gal is from the heartland.Gal has a warm heart，big hips，and a bad dye job.”

What women need is a word that will let us slip into a more easygoing side of ourselves the way men can slip into guyhood.

When men take off their uniforms，jackets，and ties，they’re guys.When they put them on again，they’re men.In part it’s an attitude thing：In the Oval Office，Bill Clinton is a man，Jogging down Pennsylvania Avenue，he’s a guy.Charles Barkley is a guy，unless he’s on the court；then he’s a man.Of course，some males favor one side of the man/guy fence.Hawkeye is a guy.Colonel Potter is a man.Humphrey Bogart，Robert De Niro，Ronald Reagan—men.Steve Martin，Jerry Seinfeld，Spike Lee—guys.

But Mary Tyler Moore，Rita Hayworth，Connie Chung，Hillary Rodham Clinton，Whoopi Goldberg，Julia Louis-Dreyfus，Rosie Perez—all different，all women.Everyone knows that Whoopi is much more of a guy than Hillary is，but we don’t have the word to say so.Meanwhile，don’t even try plugging female words into classic guy phrases.Whtta girl！（Ugh.）She’s a great babe.（Oh，no.）She’s a woman’s woman？From time to time we do call ourselvesguys（“Do any of you guys have a spare tampon？”），but let’s not kid ourselves.We’re on borrowed terminology.

This is not just semantics.Until fairly recently，women could not be all that guys were and are.It may seem that we’ve always lived and worked and dressed as comfortably as one of the fellas，but until thirty years ago women were constrained by a standard of femininity that embraced the word ladyright along with the wearing of gloves.In the 1950s，women didn’t require a word like guy because acting like one wasn’t written onto their parts.Now our roles have changed，and it’s time that language caught up.

The more traditional words that describe women do come in handy；every once in a while you want to be a lady，a bitch，or a chick and having a word for what you’re being makes being it easier.But how do you describe a woman you hang out with who is cool with herself and others，a woman you can watch the game with and whose shoulder you can cry on，knowing that she knows where you’re coming from？There is no womanly translation of guy，and yet most women I know aspire to a certain level of guyhood.Just as our mothers longed to be ladies，this confident，centered，sympathetic yet amusing human being is who we’d like to be.

We’ll always be women—no one is advocating giving that up.But we need choices，and unless something better comes along we may just have to stake our own claim to guy.After all，we successfully coopted（征用）the original guy symbol：blue jeans.There was a time when women weren’t supposed to touch denim（制作牛仔服的布料）unless they were washing it.Funny how things change.Right guys？

1.What does the word dialectal in para.5mean？

A.Manner or means of expressing oneself.

B.Crossing the street.

C.Walking along the street.

D.Learning new words from the dictionary.

2.Looking at the word nonpejorative in context（para.2），what does it mean？

A.It means“not having negative connotations”.

B.It means“not tending to belittle”.

C.It means“not making worse”.

D.All the above.

3.What point is the writer trying to make when she replaces“classic guy phrases”with“female words”such as“Whatta girl！...She’s agreat babe...She’s a woman’s woman”（para.8）？

A.The point is that women are defined by borrowed（male）terminology.

B.The point is that the writer wants to make fun.

C.The point is that men love to use such terms.

D.The point is that these phrases are popular.

4.How should we address a female after reading this article？

A.Woman.　　　B.Guy.　　　C.Girl.　　　D.Babe.

5.Which sentence is the topic sentence of para.3？

A.Sentence 1.　　　　　　　B.Sentence 2.

C.Sentence 5.　　　　　　　D.The last sentence.

TEXT B

Each year，hundreds of thousands of couples go into counseling in an effort to save their troubled relationships.But does marital therapy work？Not nearly as well as it should，researchers say.Two years after ending counseling，studies find，25percent of couples are worse off than they were when they started，and after four years，up to 38percent are divorced.

Many of the counseling strategies used today，like teaching people to listen and communicate better and to behave in more positive ways，can help couples for up to a year，say social scientists who have analyzed the effectiveness of different treatments.But they are insufficient to get couples through the squalls（吼叫）of conflict that inevitably recur in the long term.

At the same time，experts say，many therapists lack the skills to work with couples who are in serious trouble.Unable to help angry couples get to the root of their conflict and forge a resolution，these therapists do one of two things：they either let the partners take turns talking week after week，with no end to the therapy in sight，or they give up on the couple and，in effect，steer them to divorce.

“Couples therapy can do more harm than good when the therapist doesn’t know how to help a couple，”said Dr.Susan M.Johnson，professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa and director of the Ottawa Couple and Family Institute.

One couple，in Boonton，N.J.saw two marriage counselors over 13years.“One therapist hurt our marriage and actually caused our separation，”said the husband，Jim，who did not want his last name used out of concerns for his privacy.“She told my wife，‘You don’t have to put up with that，’”referring to his battle with alcoholism，he said.

To be sure，many couples credit counseling with strengthening their marriages.And therapists say that they could save more marriages if couples started therapy before their relationships were in critical condition.

“Couples wait an average of six years of being unhappy with their relationship before getting help，”said Dr.John Gottman，emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Washington and executive director of the Relationship Research Institute in Seattle.“We help the very distressed couples less than the moderately distressed couples.”

In the last few years，efforts to find ways to save more marriages and other long-term relationships have increased.

With an experimental approach called integrative behavioral couples therapy，for example，67percent of couples significantly improved their relationships for two years，according to a study reported in November to the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.

Instead of teaching couples how to avoid or solve arguments，as traditional counseling techniques do，the integrative therapy aims to make arguments less hurtful by helping partners accept their differences.It is based on a recent finding that it is not whether a couple fights but how they fight that can destroy a relationship.

Especially encouraging，all of the couples in the study were at high risk of divorce.“Many had been couples-therapy failures，”said Dr.Andrew Christensen，aprofessor of clinical psychology at the University of California，Los Angeles and the lead author of the study.But some experts who were trained as couples therapists have now become so disillusioned that they question the value of couples therapy in any form.They say that couples are better off taking marriage education courses—practical workshops that teach couples how to get along and that do not ask them to bare their souls or air their problems to a third party.

Two large nationwide marriage education programs—Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills and the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program—offer such workshops.

“When I was a practicing therapist，I was like a judge listening to each partner tell why the other was ruining the marriage，”said Diane Sollee，a former couples therapist who foundedSmartmarriages，a clearinghouse of marriage education programs.“There was a lot of crying.Marriage education classes are more empowering.”Developed several decades ago mainly to prevent marital problems in newlyweds or engaged couples，marriage education programs are now attracting couples who have not been helped by couples therapy but who want to try one last thing before deciding to divorce.

How effective these programs are unclear.Some studies indicate that couples who take marriage education classes have a lower divorce rate than couples who do not take the classes.

But Dr.Gottman，who uses marriage education workshops and couples therapy，has found that workshops alone are insufficient for 20percent to 30percent of couples in his research.These couples have problems—like a history of infidelity or depression—that can be addressed only in therapy，he said.

Couples therapy，also called marriage counseling and marriage therapy，refers to a number of psychotherapy techniques that aim to help couples understand and overcome conflicts in their relationship.

It is conducted by psychologists，psychiatrists and social workers，as well as by marriage and family therapists.

Three types of couples therapy have been found to improve people’s satisfaction with their marriage for at least a year after the treatment ends.

The oldest approach，developed more than 20years ago but still widely used，is behavioral marital therapy，in which partners learn to be nicer to each other，communicate better and improve their conflict-resolution skills.

Another，called insight-oriented marital therapy，combines behavioral therapy with techniques for understanding the power struggles，defense mechanisms and other negative behaviors thatcause strife in a relationship.

With each method，about half of couples improve initially，but many of them relapse after a year.A relatively new approach that studies have found highly effective is called emotionally focused therapy，with 70to 73percent of couples reaching recovery―the point where their satisfaction with their relationship is within normal limits―for up to two years，the length of the studies.

Dr.Johnson，who helped develop emotionally focused therapy in the 1990s，said that it enabled couples to identify and break free of the destructive emotional cycles that they fell into.

“A classic one is that one person criticizes，the other withdraws，”she said.“The more I push，the more you withdraw.We talk about how both partners are victims of these cycles.”As the partners reveal their feelings during these cycles，they build trust and strengthen their connection to each other，she said.

Dr.Johnson’s latest research，completed in January，included 24of the most at-risk couples，people who were unable to reconcile because their trust in each other had been shattered by extramarital affairs and other serious injuries to their relationship.

“These injuries are like a torpedo，”she said.“They take a marriage down.”The study found that after 8to 12sessions，a majority of the couples had healed their injuries and rebuilt their trust.

Most important，these gains lasted for three years.“It’s very satisfying to know that we can make a difference with these couples and that it sticks，”Dr.Johnson said.

Alice，a library program coordinator in Honesdale，Pa，credits her couples therapy，which focused on emotional issues，with getting her and her husband to reunite after a yearlong separation.

“The marriage counselor brought us back together，”she said.

Alice said an important catalyst for their reunion was the therapist’s asking each to think about the ways that the other person wanted to feel appreciated and loved.Gradually，she said，she has come to see that her husband’s needs were different from her own.

Dr.Gottman says that couples therapists can use this information to help keep couples together.“You can’t just teach a couple to avoid conflict，”he said.“You have to build friendship and intimacy into the relationship.If you don’t，the relationship gets crusty（粗暴的）and mean.”

But even when a therapist loses hope in a couple’s future，the couple may not give up.Many couples，determined to avoid becoming yet another divorce statistic，keep searching for new therapists or programs to help them stay together.

6.Which treatment in the following is not effective to soften a couples’problems？

A.Listening.

B.Communication.

C.Behaviors in a positive way.

D.Quarrelling.

7.Why does the expert say many therapists lack the skills to help the couples in troubles？

A.They are unable to find out the root of the conflict and have a resolution.

B.They let the partners take turns talking week after week.

C.They hope the angry couples can learn to understand situation of either side.

D.They give the irrelevant advice to the couples.

8.When is the suitable time to begin the therapy？

A.The time of relationship getting worst.

B.The time when couples have quarrelling.

C.The time before their relationship is in critical condition.

D.All of them.

9.Which of the following statements is false？

A.Couples who take marriage course have a lower divorce rate than couples who do not.

B.Therapists become so disillusioned that they question the value of couple’s therapy in any form.

C.Both behavioral marital therapy and insight-oriented marital therapy are always effective.

D.The emotionally focused therapy can reach the recovery point where the relationship is within normal limits.

10.What is the attitude of author toward to the marital therapy？

A.Indifferent.　　　　　　　　　　　B.Proved.

C.Negative.　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Reserved.

TEXT C

As the mother of three sons，I have attended my share of hand-wringing（绝望的）parent-teacher conferences.Having read Tom Sawyer and Catcher in the Rye，I know that boys and school don’t mix.That boys are having trouble with school is not news.But images of rough-and-tumble boys not fit for the classroom now may blind us to a problem that has less to do with how boys seem and more with who they actually are—but are not allowed to show.

We are only ageneration away from the time when girls were effectively off the map.To take one example：the 1980 Handbook of Adolescent Psychology concluded that adolescent girls“have simply not been much studied.”By bringing girls and women into research on human development，I and others discovered that their exclusion did more than hurt them.It distorted our understanding of boys aswell.Both sexes suffer when one is not understood.This is not a zero-sum game.

Several decades ago，revolutionary psychological research on women led to a reframing of such concepts as intelligence and self.A new set of terms—“emotional intelligence，”“relational self”and，most recently，the“feeling brain”—heralded a cultural shift.Emotions and relationships，once associated with women and therefore with limitation，are now understood to enhance intelligence and the self，and have become desirable attributes of manhood.

The study of adolescent girls bears on problems boys have with school by solving a longstanding psychological puzzle.Adolescence for girls is often marked by the sudden appearance of signs of distress，such as depression and eating disorders.Girls’adolescence is comparable in this respect to an earlier time in boys’development，one that coincides with the onset of formal schooling.Around the ages of 5，6and 7，boys often begin for the first time to show signs of depression as well as learning and speech disorders.Because girls，by adolescence，are mature enough to recognize and reflect on what’s happening to them，they reveal a process of initiation that exacts a psychological cost.Seventeen-year-old Iris，the valedictorian（毕业典礼上致辞的学生代表）of her class，observes，“If I were to say what I was thinking and feeling，no one would want to be with me；my voice would be too loud.”

Boys as well as girls can read the human world astutely.Four-year-old Sam asked his mother one day，“Mommy，why are you sad？”Wanting to shield him from her sadness，she replied，“I’m not sad.”Sam said，“Mommy，I know you.I was inside you.”Yet when this kind of emotional openness，sensitivity and connectedness are seen to compromise masculinity，boys often repudiate these human qualities.If boys can be encouraged to embrace them，these qualities willdevelop，expanding their capacity for relationships and also their sense of themselves.

The implications of this for school were brought home to me by an incident involving one of my sons.He was in the second grade，and a sign on the blackboard read，don’t be afraid to ask.One day，when the teacher chastised（处罚）a boy for asking aquestion，my son called out，“Don’t be afraid to ask，”and promptly got into trouble.His first-grade teacher，recounting the story to me，recognized a sensitivity and honesty she had encouraged and valued.What often appears as boys’intransigence（不妥协），as disruptiveness，indifference or confrontation，may instead be a refusal to engage in false relationship.

It is in the adamancy of this refusal that boys will be boys，turning away from rather than seeking to repair or smooth over such ruptures as girls tend to do.This may explain why more boys disconnect from school.It also suggests，as my work with girls has shown，that an effective strategy for preventing boys’psychological difficulties and educational problems would involve recognizing their sensitivities，building honest relationships and strengthening a healthy capacity for resistance.

For some，the trouble boys become grounds for reinstituting traditional codes of manhood，including a return to the patriarchal family.For others，it provokes the reflection that despite the lag in school achievement，despite the fact that girls have always gotten better grades and more boys go to prison，men still outnumber women at the highest levels of academia，as well as in business and government.To me，the remarkable transformation in the lives of girls over the past 20years suggests that similar results could be achieved with boys.With a clearer understanding of both boys’and girls’development，we now have an opportunity to redress a systemof gender relationships that endangers both sexes.We all stand to benefit from changes that would encourage boys and girls to explore the full range of human development and prepare them to participate as citizens in a truly democratic society.

11.From the passage，we learn that the writer agrees that with？

A.the study of girls can teach people about boys.

B.the study of girls cannot teach people about boys.

C.girls and boys don’t mix at school.

D.girls and school do not mix.

12.“This is not a zero-sum game”（para.2）？

A.you will gain something from the game.

B.the game has a lot of fun.

C.if boys can’t be well-understood，the education for girls can be well-conducted.

D.if boys can’t be well-understood，the education for girls cannot be well-conducted，either.

13.Why more boys disconnect from school？

A.Boys are always trouble-makers.

B.Boys don’t seek to repair or smooth ruptures.

C.Boys tend to ignore others’feeling.

D.All of the above.

14.In writer’s eyes，the knowledge for whom is more important？

A.Boys.　　　　　　　　　B.Girls.

C.Neither.　　　　　　　 D.Both boys and girls.

15.What is the benefit of a clearer understanding of both boys’and girls’development？

A.We have an opportunity to redress a system of gender relationships that endangers both sexes.

B.We learn the change which would encourage boys and girls toexplore the full range of human development.

C.We learn how to prepare boys and girls to participate as citizens in a truly democratic society.

D.All of the above.

TEXT D

She stood before us looking very composed as she gave us good morning.Sabri cleared his throat，and picking up the great key very delicately between finger and thumb—as if it were of the utmost fragility—put it down again on the edge of the desk nearest her with the air of a conjurer making his opening dispositions.“We are speaking about your house，”he said softly，in a voice ever so faintly curdled with menace.“Do you know that all the wood is...”he suddenly shouted the last word with such force that I nearly fell off my chair，“rotten！”And picking up the key he banged it down to emphasize the point.

The woman threw up her head with contempt and taking up the key also banged it down in her turn exclaiming：“It is not.”

“It is.”Sabri banged the key.

“It is not.”She banged it back.

“It is.”A bang.

“It is not.”A counter-bang.

All this was certainly not on a very intellectual level，and made me rather ill at ease.I also feared that the key itself would be ganged out of shape so that finally none of us would be able to get into the house.But these were the opening chords，so to speak，the preliminary statement of theme.

The woman now took the key and held it up as if she were swearing by it.“The house is a good house，”she cried.Then she put it back on the desk.Sabri took it up thoughtfully，blew into the endof it as if it were a six-shooter，aimed it and peered along it as if along a barrel.Then he put it down and fell into an abstraction.“And suppose we wanted the house，”he said，“which we don’t，what would you ask for it？”

“Eight hundred pounds.”

Sabri gave a long and stagy laugh，wiping away imaginary tears and repeating“Eight hundred pounds”as if it were the best joke in the world.He laughed at me and I laughed at him，a dreadful false laugh.He slapped his knee.I rolled about in my chair as if on the verge of acute gastritis.We laughed until we were exhausted.Then we grew serious again.Sabri was still as fresh as a daisy，I could see that.He had put himself into the patient contemplative state of mind of a chess player.

“Take the key and go，”he snapped suddenly，and handing it to her，swirled round in his swivel chair to present her with his back；then as suddenly he completed the circuit and swiveled round again.“What！”he said with surprise.“You haven’t gone.”In truth there had hardly been time for the woman to go.But she was somewhat slow-witted，though obstinate as a mule：that was clear.“Right，”she now said in a ringing tone，and picking up the key she put it into her bosom and turned about.She walked off stage in a somewhat lingering fashion.“Take no notice，”whispered Sabri and buried himself with his papers.

The woman stopped irresolutely outside the shop，and was here joined by her husband who began to talk to her in a low cringing voice，pleading with her.He took her by the sleeve and led her unwillingly back into the shop where we sat pointedly reading letters.“Ah！It’s you，”said Sabri with well-simulated surprise.“She wishes to discuss some more，”explained the cobbler in a weak conciliatory voice.Sabri sighed.

“What is there to speak of？She takes me for a fool.”Then he suddenly turned to her and bellowed，“Two hundred pounds and not apiaster more.”

It was her turn to have a paroxysm of false laughter，but this was rather spoiled by her husband who started plucking at her sleeve as if he were persuading her to be sensible.Sabri was not slow to notice this.“You tell her，”he said to the man.“You are a man and these things are clear to you.She is only a woman and does not see the truth.Tell her what it is worth”.

16.The use of the word“fragility”in line 3suggests that the key

A.could easily be broken.

B.was very light in weight.

C.was very precious.

D.was indispensable to the negotiations.

17.Sabri shouted the word“rotten”in order to

A.express his anger.　　　　　　　B.give intense emphasis.

C.terrify the woman.　　　　　　　D.terminate the argument.

18.The writer felt“ill at ease”（1.17）because

A.the proceedings seemed inappropriate to the occasion.

B.he was afraid that the contestants would become violent.

C.he felt that no progress was likely to be made.

D.he was not accustomed to such stupidity.

19.Sabri dismissed the woman because

A.he had had enough of the argument.

B.he wanted to show his disgust at the suggested price.

C.he wanted to give the impression that he had lost all interest in the sale.

D.he wanted time to think the matter over.

20.Why does the man bring his wife back？

A.He has suggested some new arguments to her.

B.He is very anxious to sell the house.

C.He is afraid she might have offended a potential buyer.

D.He wants her to continue to negotiate on his behalf.

Model Test 15

TEXT A

Travelers in Japan often complain that every big city resembles Tokyo，with its ills：congestion，pollution，high prices and a general lack of private space.

In the name of prosperity and urban development，cities all over the nation have thrown their money over the years into public works，construction projects and factory projects dictated by Tokyo politics，and once diverse and fiercely individualistic areas wound up becoming Tokyo knock-offs，operating on Tokyo logic.

But Fukuoka，in southern Japan，has tried to think differently，and it has emerged in the past seven years as a regional hub moving to its own rhythm.Situated on the tip of the Kyushu Islands，Fukuoka is only about two hours from Pusan，South Korea，via high—speed ferry.

Mainland China and Southeast Asia also are relatively close，and the number of students coming from these areas has increased 45 percent in the past decade.The yearly number of tourists pouring in from Asia has soared to one million，and the city now has an Asian Art Museum，which，given Japan’s rocky relationship with the rest of Asia，is amazing.

Yukio Koda，a Fukuoka-bred graphic designer working in Tokyo，said：“Fukuoka’s best asset is its open-mindedness and willingness to accept outsiders.Part of the reason for that is that we’ve never had any historic heroes，and therefore we’re free from the traditions and old-guard mindset that rules the rest of Japan.We have no legends to tie us down or people we have to live up to.Tokyoites are always surprised at how liberal Fukuokans are.”

Indeed，though the rest of Kyushu is known for its ultra-macho conservatism（in many households，men and women eat at separate tables），Fukuoka has cultivated a different image.It is perhaps for this reason that many of Japan’s most visible creators，entrepreneurs and performers are Fukuoka-bred.

Famous figures from Fukuoka include Masayoshi Son，chief executive officer of Softbank；Limi Yamamoto，the daughter of the fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto and now a defining designer in her own right；and Seiko Matsuda，a singer whose career spans 25years and who still reigns over Japanese pop music.

Kenichiro Ide，an architect and graduate of Fukuoka University，who works almost exclusively in his home city，said：“Unlike other regional cities in Japan，this place is almost entirely free from the Tokyo inferiority complex.”

“We’re happy to work with Tokyo，but we don’t want to be like it.We have our own projects to contend with，too.”

Ide has collaborated with Okawa Furnitures，a furniture conglomerate in Fukuoka.Okawa is about an hour away from the city of Fukuoka and has been Japan’s biggest furniture manufacturer for the past 460years.What was lacking was a sense of modernity，so Ide and other local designers were invited to conceive new designs.

“Fukuoka has the industry，we have the technology，we have the artisans.All we need are new ideas and ways of thinking，”said Ide，who added that he views architecture and design as a holistic（完整的）endeavor.

“You can’t have one without the other.I should be able to gofrom designing a room to a building to a chair in a single stroke.”

Of current Fukuoka architecture，Ide said that the scene has changed dramatically in the past six or seven years.

“Before，we had the Il Palazzo Hotel designed by Aldo Rossi and that was it，”Ide said.“Now，the buildings are getting more interesting mainly because the local government and corporations are willing to put money in architectural projects.”

“It’s also that there’s a definite demand for a more designed cityscape.More people are interested in design，and to a local architect that’s very encouraging.”

An example of the demand for design can be seen in Jyosui Resist，an apartment building in the quiet Jyosui district.Built by one of Kyushu’s most prominent architects，Shigemi Imoto，with the interiors designed by Ichitoshi Mizukami of the Fukuoka design company E＋Y，Resist provides a new living concept in terms of space（a furnished，one bedroom，two-floor maisonette（叠加式公寓）），visual aesthetics（black and white and lots of light）and functionality（a bathroom next to the bedroom is encased by glass）.

“In Tokyo，this type and class of apartment goes for￥1，000，000amonth，”or about＄8，700，”Mizukami said.“In Fukuoka，we offer the same at one-third that price.”He added：“Living standards are changing in Fukuoka，and we want to be on hand to give people more options.”

Options abound elsewhere as well.Katsuki Yamaura，creative director of Fukuoka’s famed fashion paper“magazine”said the city’s new，design-conscious mindset has spawned an increased demand for more information，more and better quality goods and more choices.

“We started f magazine to target a new demographic in Fukuoka：wealthy，discerning and informed，”he said.“But we also wanted to make it as accessible as possible so we decided to make itfree-of-charge.”

Yamaura’s policy is to provide quality at no cost to the reader，an endeavor that has put f magazine，and its sister publication House，on the map of formidable Asian fashion magazines.

“I’m not interested in competing with the Tokyo‘Zine Scene’”，Yamaura said.“I’m more excited about what’s happening in Asia.And in terms of locale，and the paper/printing technology，cost and building bridges with the business people，Fukuoka is in a pretty sweet spot.Kyushu is home to a megaprinting industry，the business world is much more compact than in Tokyo，which means we can talk deals and get things done on a much shorter cycle，and it’s so much easier to cultivate contacts in Asia.”

Masato Baba，who worked for the Terence Conran Shop in Fukuoka before going to Tokyo to edit a fashion magazine called“Room Service，”said：“Unlike Tokyo，Fukuoka is not about money，but lifestyle.Like furniture and food and living spaces，etc.Because there never was so much emphasis on history，Fukuokans are more attuned（适应，合拍）to what’s fun or comfortable or exciting―those are our standards of measurement and that’s what starts dialogue between creators.In Japan，that’s a pretty rare thing.”

1.What do the travelers complain about the cities in Japan？

A.Most big cities resemble Tokyo in some features.

B.Japan are filled with congestion，pollution and high prices.

C.Japan are not developed and prosperous as travelers thought before.

D.Tokyo throws big money into public works，construction projects and factory projects.

2.What is different between the Fukuoka and other cities in Japan？

A.It is full of artistic atmosphere.

B.It has open-mindedness and willingness to accept outsiders.

C.It never has had any historic heroes and historic sites.

D.It has no legends to tie people down.

3.Why does Fukuoka cultivate the different image from other cities？

A.This place is entirely free from the Tokyo inferiority complex.

B.It is free from the traditions and old-guard mindset that rules the rest of Japan.

C.Many of Japan’s most visible creators，entrepreneurs and performers are Fukuoka-bred.

D.Fukuoka has more industry and technology than other cities.

4.The buildings in Fukuoka are getting more interesting mainly because

A.the local government and corporations are willing to put money in them.

B.there is a definite demand for a more designed cityscape.

C.more people are interested in design.

D.government and corporations are encouraging construction.

5.Fukuoka put emphasis on

A.history.　　　　　　　　　　　　B.life style.

C.food.　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.scenic spots.

TEXT B

As a boy I visited a camp friend whose family had a cottage in upstate New York.It was freezing，and I huddled inside，thumbing through books of nature photographs.Icicles hung off the eaves，and snow weighed down the branches while my nose was buried in pictures of pretty much the same scenery.

Long after my friend and I fell out of touch，after his family’s cottage was sold and his parents divorced and died and nearly everything else about that weekend is forgotten，I still see thosephotographs.There was one of a crimson sun setting behind blue mountains.A phalanx（树丛）of pines cast a shadow on a white field.Autumn trees in New England turned red and gold.

I mention this not because my weekend was anything special，but because“Frederic Church，Winslow Homer and Thomas Moran：Tourism and the American Landscape”，a surprisingly entertaining show opening today at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum，summoned the memory of those pictures，and I suspect it will summon memories for plenty of other people.

But first：who even knew that the Cooper-Hewitt owned thousands of paintings，prints and sketches by Church，Homer and Moran？A century ago Church’s and Homer’s families，and Moran too，left works to the museum，as aids for young designers and artists.Studies of the countryside，mostly，they tout unspoiled nature and record tourism，a newly booming industry in America.

Most of this art hasn’t been exhibited in years，and in the case of Church’s oil sketches，the work is transporting.A few dozen of the Churches—unpeopled，Emersonian love poems to rural New York and New England—anchor the show.

The curators，Gail S.Davidson and Floramae McCarron-Cates，also combed through the museum’s trove of ephemera（只在短时内有用之物）—antique postcards，old Baedekers，stereoscopic photographs，playing cards with pictures of Yellowstone on them and souvenir platters—and they decided to recount，with both art and bibelots，the national transformation from primeval wilderness to Catskills resort.

Church’s pictures，for example.The show starts with his variously angled studies of Niagara Falls，as a pristine spectacle while hotels were already crowding out a visitor’s view.Vicarious pleasure for armchair travelers，reproductions of these edited scenes reinforcedpatriotic feelings about American majesty and power while inclining more newlyweds to plot their honeymoons upstate.

Linked to New York City by steamboat，then rail，the Hudson Valley also prospered as a tourist getaway，as did the Adirondacks，New Hampshire and Maine.Seventy-five thousand Americans took summer vacations around the mid-19th century；by 1900the number had reached 3million.

More venturesome travelers went west.Yosemite and Yellowstone were new national parks.Moran had propagandized the West’s wide-open spaces，even inspiring Congress to appropriate money to buy two of his Technicolor panoramas for the Capitol Building，and he also stumped for the Atchison，Topeka ＆Santa Fe Railway’s“luxurious and newly equipped”California Limited.His paintings were hung in parlor cars and at railway hotels.In return for art he received travel and lodging and trekked every year from New York to supply an eager clientele back East with fresh pictures.Wearing boots and a pince-nez（夹鼻眼镜），he sketches the Grand Canyon，“the titan of chasms”in the words of the railway advertisement that he aimed at fellow daubers.

Manifest Destiny was a palmy business for late-19th-century painters.A drawing by Homer of artists seated at their easels，lined up on a hillside in the White Mountains of New Hampshire like Yankees fans in folding chairs staking out playoff tickets，makes a joke of their industry.Whereas Church’s subject was virgin nature，an idea steeped in old-time religion，Homer’s focus—in Harper’s Weekly and Appletons’Journal，where his illustrations were published—was on modern life：young women in hammocks or sporting croquet mallets；men hunting in snowshoes and rock climbing in spats；children making toy boats and playing snap the whip.His art，even when it was amusing，turned stylish vacationersinto slightly stony caryatids，stately monuments to a post-Civil War concept of the rejuvenated pastoral，a new America，albeit not without a certain melancholy.

The gadget of the moment was the stereoscope，which mimicked three-dimensional vision.A rage in middle-class parlors，it was also marketed as an educational and patriotic boon for immigrants and the poor.In the words of a progressive advocate at the time，stereoscopes instructed“the humblest family，where by their exquisite beauty and truthfulness they will engender a taste for the beautiful”.Not that the poor could afford a vacation in Vermont.But through stereoviewers they could ogle where the rich went.God bless America.

Stereoviewers，vases，pitchers emblazoned with New England scenery：these decorated parlors of the comfortable classes，and it was very smart of the curators to dedicate a room in the show to the American parlor.Prosperous city dwellers，flush with new leisure hours，whiled away winter evenings playing board games about travel，reading Longfellow or staring at wallpaper of bare-chested Indians floating in canoes：lavender-scented visions of Hiawatha.

The show ends with the West：Carleton Watkins’s landmark photographs paired with Moran’s sketches to show that Moran，tinkering with the truth，made magnificence into myth.A haphazard，showoffy virtuoso，Moran at his best turns out to have drawn delicate scenes of the most refined atmospherics，capturing Western light and air，making sensible geometry of an infinitely complicated space.You can see in a sketch of the Green River that he left out the railway junction of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific，stressing the empty plain stretching toward immense yellow and russet bluffs.There’s an awesome vista of the hot springs at Yellowstone，a small watercolor，all out of proportion to its size.

Still，I found myself returning to Church’s oil sketches.Exact，lovingly made，they have Moranlike drama：waves crashing at Mount Desert in Maine；the Great Basin of Mount Katahdin；the churning bottom of Niagara Falls.They’re pitch-perfect evocations.

More intimate pictures also stick in the mind.A pair of necking birches.A view into the woods.And sunset behind the Catskills.Trees at the end of a snowy field on Church’s farm in Hudson，N.Y.Autumn leaves in New England，turned red and gold.

6.The author mentioned the weekend that he spent in his friend’s cottage because

A.that weekend was anything but special.

B.he summoned the memory of some pictures he had seen some years ago.

C.he went to a exhibition which showed the pictures same as those in his friend’s cottage.

D.at that weekend the author saw books of nature photographs in his friend’home.

7.Which of the following statements about Church，Homer and Moran is incorrect？

A.Cooper-Hewitt had a large number of paintings by Church，Homer and Moran.

B.Their families left works to the museum to help young designers and artists.

C.They study the construction and style of cities.

D.They tout unspoiled nature and record tourism.

8.More venturesome travelers went west，which scenic spots belong to West？

A.The Hudson Valley and Adirondacks.

B.Yosemite and Yellowstone.

C.Niagara Falls and Adirondacks.

D.Yellowstone and the Hudson Valley.

9.The stereoscope at that moment can’t

A.mimic three-dimensional vision.

B.be an educational and patriotic boon for immigration and poor.

C.motivate the rich family to go wherever they want to.

D.instruct the poor to ogle where the rich went.

10.What’s the tone of the whole passage？

A.Enjoyable.　　　　　B.Approved.　　　　　C.Critical.　　　　　D.Appreciative

TEXT C

Full employment！The United States has rarely entered that paradise.There was a hint of it in the late 1990s，but for Americans under the age of 50，the experience has been so fleeting that they may not realize full employment was once a hotly pursued goal—a condition considered so important that many politicians wanted it legislated and not left to chance.

President Franklin D.Roosevelt put full employment on the table in 1944，declaring that having ajob was a basic human right.During World War II，the nation actually achieved full employment.And twice since then，Congress has considered bills that would have guaranteed a job at decent pay for every adult who wanted work.That doesn’t mean everyone；lots of people don’t want to work.But in a society that legislated full employment，the government would be the employer of last resort if the private sector came up short of good jobs for those who wanted them.

These are radical concepts today.Fear of another depression prompted the first debate，in the mid-1940s，and a steep recession contributed to the second，in the mid-1970s.Both bills，as finallyenacted，failed to achieve their original goal.And as inflation rose in the late 70’s，government shifted to fighting it，often at the expense of employment.

The old-timers who tried to legislate full employment saw it not as a desirable market phenomenon—the spinoff of a robust economy—but as a civil right，on a par with the right to vote.That is still the view of a few economists，including Amartya Sen at Harvard，whose writings on famine，poverty and other injustices won him the Nobel Prize in economics in 1998.

“I know that people get scared of inflation and Wall Street is a natural ally in this fear，”Mr.Sen said.“But the real costs of unemployment are very high.Having ajob confers not only income，but social recognition and self-respect，which comes with having the sense of being wanted by society.”

Out of the second Congressional debate came not full employment but a fear of it.The law that Congress finally enacted，the Humphrey-Hawkins Act of 1978，set full employment as a goal—along with low inflation.Soon，however，each was viewed as the enemy of the other and full employment，defined as the right to a job，lost out.

Full employment“was the tradition that flourished after World War II，”said Helen Ginsburg，aprofessor emeritus（终身教授）of economics at Brooklyn College.“Now，it is full employment until the inflation rate goes up.”

For more than two decades，the guiding thesis embraced by economists and policy makers was this：If unemployment became too low，the labor shortage would give workers the bargaining leverage（影响力）to push up wages.Employers would respond by raising prices to cover the labor costs，starting an inflationary spiral deemed to be more damaging than a rising unemployment rate.

That dubious proposition kept America away from full employment.Every time the unemployment rate fell below a designated tipping point—5or 6percent—the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates.The higher rates slowed the economy，muffled（压抑）hiring and pushed the unemployment rate back up.The spell cast by this way of thinking did not break until the late 1990s，when the economy boomed，the unemployment rate plummeted，wages rose faster than inflation across the work force and，lo and behold，inflation remained low，although the Fed still held down interest rates.

As a result，even some Wall Street stalwarts have eased up on their insistence that low unemployment and rising wages lead to higher inflation.Listen，for example，to James Glassman，senior domestic economist at J.P.Morgan Chase ＆Company.“This idea that wages are a signal of coming inflation is a bad habit，”he said.“Business has control over labor costs more than ever in this global economy，as so many workers unfortunately are finding out.”

The late-90’s hiring boom，approaching full employment，has lingered fondly in public memory.And now that the unemployment rate is falling once more—it dropped two-tenths of a percentage point last month，to 4.7percent，its lowest level in four and a half years—there is talk again of somehow bringing back，if not full employment，then at least the late 90’s version of it.

The unemployment rate，excluding teenagers，fell below 4 percent in 1998，the first time it had dropped that low since 1973.It fell to 3.3percent in late 2000，achieving briefly what many economists define as the“full employment unemployment rate”for adults.Some，however，would put it lower.

“Two percent unemployment would certainly be a condition closer to one in which everyone seeking work would be able to land ajob at a good wage，”said William A.Darity Jr.，an economist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Adult unemployment often fell well below 3percent in the early 1950sand occasionally in the late 1960s.After that，an expanding global production network shifted work overseas，reducing the number of good jobs in America.The late-90’s bubble economy was a brief exception to this trend.

So does globalization mean that for full employment to exist，there must be legislation that mandates it？A great majority of economists and politicians—liberals and conservatives，Democrats and Republicans—resist this view.They count on the markets to bring back full employment，with a smattering of tax breaks，subsidies and low interest rates to help the process.But not government as the employer of last resort.

That faith in markets，on the other hand，has not yet produced full employment.A famous British economist，William Beveridge，argued in the 1930sthat full employment exists when the number of job vacancies exceeds the number of people seeking them.Only then is everyone who wants a job likely to land one，at a good wage.

The number of unfilled jobs in the United States is certainly smaller than the number of people seeking work.A survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed，for example，4.1million job openings in December.That was well short of the 7.4million unemployed people seeking work that month，not to mention the roughly 10million others who say they would look for work if they thought that their hunt would be successful.

Recognizing the shortfall in the demand for workers，the federal government generated public-sector jobs in the 70’s under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act，aprogram that the Reagan administration ended in 1983.Mr.Darity argues thatsomething like CETA should be revived，not to supply make-work jobs，but to satisfy pressing social needs with projects like public school construction or a national teachers corps or high-speed rail lines.

“Certainly there are areas that the private sector does not find profitable，”Mr.Darity said，“but the public needs and the private sector would find useful.”

11.According to the whole text，which of the following about“full employment”in the United States is true？

A.There was a hint of full employment in the late 1990s.

B.During World WarⅡ，the nation actually achieved full employment.

C.The unemployment rate，excluding teenagers，fell below 4 percent in 1998.

D.All the above.

12.How did the old-timers regard full employment？

A.They regarded it as a desirable market phenomenon.

B.They saw it as the spin-off of a robust economy.

C.They regarded it as a civil right，on a par with the right to vote.

D.None of the above is true.

13.According to the economist，Amartya Sen，having ajob confers what？

A.Income.

B.Social recognition and self-respect.

C.The sense of being wanted by society.

D.All of the above.

14.When did the unemployment rate plummet while the economy boomed？

A.In early 1990s.　　　　　　B.Until the late 1990s.

C.In late 2000.　　　　　　　D.In 1973.

15.According to the famous British economist，William Beveridge，how can full employment be reached？

A.The number of job vacancies should exceed the number of people seeking them.

B.The number of people seeking jobs should exceed the number of job vacancies.

C.The number of job vacancies should be equal to the number of people seeking them.

D.None of the above is true.

TEXT D

Eskimo villages today are larger and more complex than the traditional nomadic groups of Eskimo kinsmen.Village decision-making is organized through community councils and co-operative boards of directors，institutions which the Eskimos were encouraged by the government to adopt.They have been more readily accepted in villages like Fort Chimo where there is an individualistic wage ethos and where ties of kinship are less important than in the rural village such as Port Burwell，where communal sharing between kinsmen is more emphasized.Greater contact with southern Canadians and better educational facilities have shown Fort Chimo Eskimos that it is possible to argue and negotiate with the government rather than to acquiesce passively in its policies.

The old-age paternalism of southern Canadians over the Eskimos has died more slowly in the rural villages where Eskimos have been more reluctant to voice their opinions aggressively.This has been a frustration to government officials trying to develop local leadership amongst the Eskimos，but a blessing to other departments whoseplans have been accepted without local obstruction.In rural areas the obligations of kinship often ran counter to the best interests of the village and potential leaders were restrained from making positive contributions to the village council.More recently，however，the educated Eskimos have been voicing the interests of those in the rural areas.They are trying to persuade the government to recognize the rights of full-time hunters，by protecting their hunting territories from mining and oil prospectors，for example.The efforts of this active minority are percolating through to the remoter villages whose inhabitants are becoming increasingly vocal.

Continuing change is inevitable but future development policy in Ungava must recognize that most Eskimos retain much of their traditional outlook on life.New schemes should focus on resources that the Eskimos are used to handling，as the Port Burwell projects have done，rather than on enterprises such as mining where effort is all too easily consigned to an unskilled labour force.The musk-ox project at Fort Chimo and the tourist lodge at George River are new directions for future development but there are pitfalls.

16.People are more favourably disposed to the village councils in places where

A.they are more accustomed to working independently for a living.

B.they are already accustomed to co-operating.

C.they are in general better educated.

D.there is already communal ownership of goods.

17.An acquaintance with outsiders has taught the Eskimos that

A.they can achieve greater independence.

B.they can stand up for their rights.

C.they can gain by opposing the government.

D.they should not accept anything the government decrees.

18.What was the attitude of Canadians towards Eskimos in the past？

A.They were a useful source of unskilled labour.

B.The Canadians had the responsibility of looking after them for the Eskimos’own good.

C.They should be encouraged to carry out useful government projects.

D.They should be kept under firm government control.

19.The Eskimos’uncritical acceptance of outside control has

A.caused considerable annoyance to the government.

B.been generally welcome to the officials in charge.

C.caused difficulties to those trying to encourage responsibility.

D.caused problems to officials administering these territories.

20.According to the passage more government assistance is needed for the Eskimos in

A.providing schools.

B.safeguarding their traditional means of livelihood.

C.encouraging agricultural production.

D.promoting industrial job possibilities.

Model Test 16

TEXT A

Through many stages the clumps build up and get to the size of rocks and boulders，like the asteroids in the solar system.As they keep hitting and forming larger objects，eventually you get planets.At the end the various planets’orbits are nearly circular，because that’s the only arrangement where they’re no longer hitting each other.

Previous theorists only had this solar system to observe and explain.In the past ten years we’ve learned that the new extra-solarplanets don’t fit this picture.The vast majority of these new planets do not have circular orbits；they’re highly eccentric.

The three planets that now circle Upsilon Andromedae，a faint star that rises in the east on fall evenings，travel in wildly varying elliptical orbits，moving from close to their sun to almost twice as far away.Northwestern astrophysicist Fred Rasio thinks this has a telling message for us.In an article published in Nature this year，Rasio，along with Verene Lystad and Eric Ford，argues that this pattern implies a missing fourth planet，and suggests that most planets aren’t as stable or hospitable to life as ours is.

Rasio：I gather it’s not just Upsilon Andromedae，that most of the 150-plus planets recently discovered around other stars have very elongated orbits，quite unlike the nearly circular ones we’re used to in our solar system.

Right after a star is formed you have a disk of ingredients，soot and gases，in orbit around it.These“leftovers”gradually clump together，a bit like the way dust accumulates on the floor.

Q：You mean our planet is like a big dust bunny？

Rasio：That’s how it starts.Through many stages the clumps build up and get to the size of rocks and boulders，like the asteroids in the solar system.As they keep hitting and forming larger objects，eventually you get planets.At the end the various planets’orbits are nearly circular，because that’s the only arrangement where they’re no longer hitting each other.

Q：So that’s how our solar system came to be.The question is，does this apply to others？

Rasio：Previous theorists only had this solar system to observe and explain.In the past ten years we’ve learned that the new extrasolar planets don’t fit this picture.The vast majority of these new planets do not have circular orbits；they’re highly eccentric.

So the one example we had to work on previously turns out to be weird.

We don’t know just how weird，though.If we’re special at the rate of 1in 150，that’s no big deal，considering there are 10billion stars in this galaxy alone.But if we’re special at the level of 1in 100 million or more，that’s a different matter.

Q：How can we tell？

Rasio：We’re far from having explored much of even our own backyard.NASA’s Kepler Mission，set to fly in 2007，will enable us to search for habitable extrasolar planets around 100，000stars near the sun，a much larger sample than the few thousand that have been monitored so far.

Meanwhile，it would be nice to have an idea why the other planetary systems seen so far aren’t like ours.

One explanation I proposed ten years ago is based on the idea that planets don’t have to remain in stable orbits for billions of years.

In other words，they could evolve from that disk of gas and soot and still wind up with eccentric orbits？

People have worried about how stable our own solar system is.It turns out that if you play God with a model of it，you don’t have to change very much to screw it up.One thing that keeps our system relatively stable is that we have only one big guy，Jupiter.If Saturn were as big as Jupiter，the long-term stability of the outer solar system could easily be compromised.

Q：Their competition might destabilize，say，Neptune’s orbit？

Rasio：It might.Basically if two planets perturb（扰乱，干扰）each other enough that their orbits start crossing，that’s when all hell breaks loose.And if a Neptune were to crash through here，the earth might be flung out into space，or hit another planet，or be propelled into the sun.

Q：So the nontechnical part of your theory is that this kind of instability happens in many planetary systems，and we just lucked out？

Rasio：Yes.The Upsilon Andromedae system has been observed in detail.We’ve been able to model its evolution，the first proof that this scenario actually happened，in which two planets tangle，and one is thrown out of the system altogether，leaving the other one in an eccentric orbit.

Q：That’s the“slingshot（弹弓）effect”sometimes used to speed up our own space-exploration vehicles？

Rasio：Yes.Today we see three planets；the outer two have highly eccentric orbits，but the middle one has the extremely unusual property of going from eccentric back to a circular orbit every 7，000 years or so.The only way that could have come about is that after the fourth planet was thrown out，the outer planet’s new eccentric orbit gradually perturbed the middle planet，not abruptly，but just enough to change it some.The system works as it does because there was no other violent event after the fourth planet was thrown out.

So we may be alone out here after all.

We know primitive life can exist in extremely harsh conditions.Perhaps in other systems an eccentric Jupiter，say，might have a moon where bacteria could live despite temperatures swerving from arctic to ovenlike because of its orbit.But to evolve from bacteria to intelligent beings takes a very long time and a lot more stable conditions.And that may not be very common at all.

1.How do we get planets？

A.They are born naturally.

B.The clumps build up，keep hitting and forming larger objects eventually.

C.They are brought from other solar system.

D.The rocks and boulders are divided into several parts.

2.From the passage，what we may tell about the attitude of Rasio？

A.Moderate.　　　B.Optimistic.　　　C.Passive.　　　D.Angry.

3.According to Rasio，most planets in the solar system are？

A.Stable.　　　　　　　　　　B.Hospitable to life as ours.

C.Plain.　　　　　　　　　　 D.Weird.

4.What is the possible reason for the stability of the earth？

A.The earth is too heavy to move.

B.There is only one Jupiter，which is the biggest in the solar system.

C.The solar system is very stable.

D.None of the above.

5.The vast majority of these new planets are？

A.Circular.　　　B.Triangular.　　　C.Eccentric.　　　D.Pentacle

TEXT B

My friend―my very nice friend―has sent me a Thanksgiving card.It is an e-mail card，but a Thanksgiving card nonetheless.I think it is the second Thanksgiving card of my life.With any luck it will be the last.

I hope my friend does not take offense.But the one thing I cherish about Thanksgiving is that it has remained commerce-free.Almost all the other holidays，especially Christmas，have been corrupted by commercialism.Even Thanksgiving is threatened by its proximity to Christmas―with the sinisterly（险恶的）named“Black Friday”，when shoppers arrive before dawn to save a buck or two.But as they stampede through the doors，as they elbow one another out of the way，as their greed distorts their faces，I have to remind myself that this is about the Christmas that is coming and not theThanksgiving that has passed.I also have to remind myself that no matter what some conservative commentators say，something other than liberals has despoiled Christmas.

Other holidays have suffered accordingly.Halloween was once a golden opportunity to run amok―to wish for no treat so that the trick could be performed.Now it has been corrupted into a sweet national costume party，an event without menace or meaning，an excuse to dress as something you’re not，which is what most of us do most of the time anyway―i.e.，middle-aged people in tight jeans，kids in tight jeans，and all sorts of people with studs in their noses and rings in their lips.What do they wear on Halloween？

Armistice Day，which once marked a real event―the end of World War I has been amorphisized（Okay，I made up the word）into this thing we call Veterans Day.It celebrates veterans，which means it celebrates something so amorphous it’s hard to say what or who is being celebrated.Heroes？Not really.Combat experience？Not that，either.A lifetime of military service？No，too restrictive.So it’s just anyone who was ever in the military.Yes，that’s it.Is it any wonder no one much pays any attention―or，for that matter，notices that the day lacks an apostrophe？

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays have become one event.Feb.22and Feb.12have been squished into a single day，the third Monday in February.The tragedy and greatness of Lincoln，the aloofness and majesty of Washington，have been subsumed（归入，纳入）into some grand excuse to dress up an actor in a wig so that cars can be sold.The reality of these men has been erased，smudged into something meaningless：another wretched shopping day.Every time I see a commercial with someone dressed as George Washington hawking a Toyota，I want to bomb Tokyo all over again.Cut it out！

A few holidays remain more or less sacrosanct.July 4，although widely disrespected by auto dealers and other such criminals，retains a vestigial meaning as Independence Day.In some places the Declaration of Independence is still read，a document so radical that if it were introduced into the current Congress，Republicans would bottle it up in committee.Memorial Day，too，manages a fading dignity，although it is mostly marked as the beginning of summer.As for Labor Day，it merely ends the summer，its original meaning almost totally lost.But Thanksgiving―it is still home and family and turkey and a moment wondering about the wonder of it all.It is above all about my mother，Pearl，a remarkable 93，and the family she has gathered around her.It is a moment to honor the memory of my father，who lives long after his death in the occasional dream and the odd moment when I remember to call him―and then remember there is no one to call.It is about the words my sister always says when we sit down to eat.She always gives thanks.

So I say to my friend，Thank you for thinking of me on Thanksgiving，but，please，no more cards.This is a very rare day.It celebrates a concept―not a person，not a group，not an event.It is wholly and entirely about gratitude―about the dumb luck that befell those of us who are Americans and were raised，whether in comfort or not，in a land of feisty，free people.Keep the day free of commercialism.When you really care enough to send the very best，please，for Thanksgiving，send nothing at all.

Thanks.

6.The author wrote this articles owing to receiving a card on

A.Halloween.　　　　　　　　B.Thanksgiving Day.

C.Armistice　　　　　　　　 Day.D.Christmas.

7.In this passage，the author has found that

A.almost all the holidays have been corrupted by commercialism.

B.Thanksgiving remains commerce-free.

C.people are looking for new ways to celebrate the festivals.

D.the Christmas is closing and people are crazy about shopping.

8.The way of celebrating Halloween has changed into a

A.costume party.　　　　　　　　B.buffet.

C.grand party.　　　　　　　　　D.none of them.

9.Which of the following statements about Thanksgiving Day is not true？

A.It celebrates a concept―not a person，not a group，not an event.

B.It is wholly and entirely about gratitude.

C.Thanksgiving should remain commerce-free.

D.All of the people always cherish the concept of this holiday.

10.What is the author trying to convey？

A.He wants to keep the day free of commercialism.

B.People have lost the real concept of the holidays.

C.Holidays may celebrate a person，agroup or an event.

D.He hopes his friends will not send cards to him.

TEXT C

Anne Giedinghagen wanted desperately to stay in school.Having struggled with depression and anorexia（厌食症）since the sixth grade，the rail-thin Cornell junior was meeting regularly with a therapist at the university’s counseling center in Ithaca，N.Y.But late last fall，when she told her therapist about her increasingly strong urge to kill herself，Giedinghagen received an ultimatum from the school she loved so much：she had to get better or she would have to leave.So she did what any crafty 20-year-old would do.She triedto carve out a third option—feigning improvement by，as she put it，acting“as normal as I could.”When she agreed to spend her winter break at a psychiatric hospital，the university stopped threatening to kick her out.But afterward，says Giedinghagen，“I felt like I had to hide how I was doing from my doctor，my counselor，my nutritionist，so that I could stay.”

Giedinghagen is one of thousands of troubled college students who each year are forced to make such stark choices.With two recent court rulings holding that college administrators may be held partly responsible for student suicides―which total some 1，100ayear nationwide，making suicide the second leading cause of death among college students，after motor-vehicle accidents―many universities have hastily adopted mandatory-leave policies in an effort to reduce the risk of self-inflicted，on-campus deaths.But a tragic result，say psychiatrists and student advocates，is that emotionally distressed students may be less willing to come forward and get the professional help they need.

Another unintended consequence：hypervigilant colleges are getting sued by students who allege they are being discriminated against for being mentally unstable.The U.S.Department of Education last year warned at least a handful of schools that receive federal aid that the Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with mental problems.Several students who were suspended after threatening to commit suicide are in the process of suing their schools；others have been offered settlements before their cases reached the courts.In a sign of just how flummoxed（混乱的）the world of higher education has become over the issue of suicide，United Educators，which insures more than 1，100colleges and secondary schools，issued a bulletin last month noting that when dealing with emotionally distressed students，schools are left“withthe quandary of being sued no matter what they do.”

That is particularly alarming since the number of students diagnosed as mentally fragile appears to be rising.The 2005National Survey of Counseling Directors，conducted by the University of Pittsburgh，found that 95%of directors reported an increase in the number of freshmen who arrive on campus already taking psychiatric medicines.“A lot of students who may not have gone to college five years ago are able to attend today because their illness has been recognized earlier and they are on medication，”says Joanna Locke，a program officer at the Jed Foundation，a New York City―based college suicide-prevention and outreach program.

The pressure to inoculate schools from legal liability has sometimes led them to come across as shockingly insensitive.In a case study of apparent hamhandedness（胡搞蛮缠），Jordan Nott had spent less than 48hours in the psychiatric ward he checked himself into，in October 2004，when he received a terse letter from George Washington University informing the sophomore that he had been suspended for being a danger to himself and others.“It was a huge slap in the face，”says Nott，20.“They don’t hand out this letter that says，’We want you to get help.’What it says is，“You’ve been suspended；you’ve been barred from campus.’”The letter went on to explain that if he returned to campus，he would be arrested.Rather than contest the suspension，he switched schools and is now suing for compensatory damages.A spokeswoman for G.W.U.says that because Nott’s suspension fell within the school’s disciplinary system，the wording of that letter may have seemed impersonal.However，she stresses，“the goal here was to protect a life.”

But how，exactly，does yanking a kid out of college count as protection？“A lot of suicidal people don’t just kill themselves，”says Peter Lake，a higher-education law professor at Stetson University inDeland，Fla.“They also can hurt others，even if it’s unintentionally.”Schools steadfastly reserve the right not to let one person’s disturbing behavior disrupt anyone else’s educational experience.And they argue that their mandatory-leave policy can force emotionally distressed students to get the best possible help.Gary Pavela，ajudicial-policy expert at the University of Maryland and author of a book on student suicide，says the approach is designed for“getting rid of troubled kids，getting them into the hands of others，as soon as possible.”

Litigious parents are also to blame for the tough line.After Elizabeth Shin died in 2000in a dorm-room fire at M.I.T.within hours of threatening to kill herself，the sophomore’s parents filed a＄27million lawsuit against her psychiatrists，as well as her house master and a dean of student life，for failing to take adequate precautions.（They had scheduled an appointment to see her the following day.）When a judge last year refused to throw out the suit，alarm bells went off in administrative offices across the country.“To hold a university liable for simply trying to help a student is extraordinary，”says Nelson Roth，Cornell’s deputy university counsel，explaining why the school joined six others in supporting M.I.T.in the case.“Shin’s death was a tragedy，”Roth says，“but not every tragedy warrants a lawsuit.”

Although the Shins settled last month for an undisclosed amount―and publicly admitted that their daughter’s death appeared to be accidental―the case has had a chilling effect on student-services professionals and has led to more frequent use of emergency-leave policies.But after several students complained about getting summarily booted，the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights started informing schools that a person should be considered a direct threat only when there is“a high probability of substantialharm and not just a slightly increased，speculative or remote risk.”In other words，there needs to be a detailed evaluation and at least some opportunity for students to make a case for why they should be allowed to stay.

Many schools are trying to emulate the University of Illinois，which requires students who express suicidal thoughts to see a counselor for four sessions if they want to remain in school.More than 1，800students have gone through the program since it was launched in the early’80s，and none have committed suicide.Only one participant was forced to leave.

While Illinois rarely advocates taking time off from school，Cornell pushes a hundred or so of its students each year to take a voluntary medical leave that allows them not only to get help but also to de-stress.In Giedinghagen’s case，it didn’t take long for her to realize her fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy wasn’t working.By April，she says，“the stress was so bad that I knew if I stayed at Cornell one more week，I would kill myself.”After lengthy discussions with her therapists，the double major in German and neurobiology agreed to head home last month to Kansas City，Mo.，with plans to enter a psychiatric hospital.Five weeks later，she’s disappointed that Cornell hasn’t made any follow-up calls to see how she’s doing.But Cornell’s deputy counsel Roth has an explanation：“Once the student is gone or goes home，the individual becomes the responsibility of parents.Our obligation ends.”

11.Who is Anne Giedinghagen regularly meeting at the university？

A.Psychological therapist.　　　　　B.Doctor.

C.Supervisor.　　　　　　　　　　　 D.His friends.

12.We learn from the passage that many universities adopt mandatory-leave policies to students who

A.break the rules of universities.

B.contradict their teacher much too often.

C.cannot cope with their studies at school successfully.

D.have a strong urge to commit suicide.

13.Many psychiatrists and students believe this stark decision may

A.distress students who are probably unwilling to get the professional help.

B.cause serious mental problems with more self-inflicted students.

C.worsen the situation of students who want to kill themselves.

D.make the students to hide how they are doing from their counselor.

14.The 2005National Survey of Counseling Directors found an increase in the number of freshmen who arrive on campus already taking psychiatric medicines because

A.the school wants to prevent the students from hitting by the mental problem.

B.their illness has been recognized earlier and can get medical treatment.

C.it can ease their pressure from studies and relationship with other people.

D.it reduces the risk of self-inflicted，on-campus deaths.

15.Many schools are trying to catch up with the University of Illinois in that

A.it has a good reputation of academic achievement.

B.it has a wonderful environment for studies.

C.it can attract more students to study there.

D.it allows students who have suicidal thoughts to see a counselor if they want to remain in school.

TEXT D

A full moon was shining down on the jungle.Accompanied only by an Indian guide，the American explorer and archaeologist Edward Herbert Thompson—thirteen hundred years after the Mayas had left their cities and made a break for the country farther north—was riding through the New Empire that they had built for themselves，which had collapsed after the arrival of the Spaniards.He was searching for Chichen-Itza，the largest，most beautiful，mightiest，and most splendid of all Mayan cities.Horses and men had been suffering intense hardships on the trail.Thompson’s head sagged on his breast from fatigue，and each time his horse stumbled he all but fell out of the saddle.Suddenly his guide shouted to him.Thompson woke up with a start.he looked ahead and saw a fairyland.

Above the dark treetops rose a mound，high and steep，and on top of the mound was a temple，bathed in cool moonlight.In the hush of the night it towered over the treetops like the Parthenon of some Mayan acropolis.It seemed to grow in size as they approached.The Indian guide dismounted，unsaddled his horse，and rolled out his blanket for the night’s sleep.Thompson could not tear his fascinated gaze from the great structure.While the guide prepared his bed，he sprang from his horse and continued on foot.Steep stairs overgrown with grass and bushes，and in part fallen into ruins，led from the base of the mound up to the temple.Thompson was acquainted with this architectural form，which was obviously some kind of pyramid.He was familiar，too，with the function of pyramids as known in Egypt.But this Mayan version was not a tomb，like the Pyramids of Gizeh.Externally it rather brought to mind a ziggurat，but to a much greater degree than the Babylonian ziggurats it seemed to consist mostly of a stony fill providing support for the enormous stairs rising higher andhigher，towards the gods of the sun and moon.

Thompson climbed up the steps.He looked at the ornamentation，the rich reliefs.On top，almost 96feet above the jungle，he surveyed the scene.He counted one-two-three—a half-dozen scattered buildings，half-hidden in shadow，often revealed by nothing more than a gleam of moonlight on stone.

This，then，was Chichen-Itza.From its original status as advance outpost at the beginning of the great trek to the north，it had grown into a shining metropolis，the heart of the New Empire.Again and again during the next few days Thompson climbed on to the old ruins.“I stood upon the roof of this temple one morning，”he writes，“just as the first rays of the sun reddened the distant horizon.The morning stillness was profound.The noises of the night had ceased，and those of the day were not yet begun.All the sky above and the earth below seemed to be breathlessly waiting for something.Then the great round sun came up，flaming splendidly，and instantly the whole world sang and hummed.The birds in the trees and the insects on the ground sang agrand Te Deum.Nature herself taught primal man to be a sunworshipper and man in his heart of hearts still follows the ancient teaching.”

Thompson stood where he was，immobile and enchanted.The jungle melted away before his gaze.Wide spaces opened up，processions crept up to the temple site，music sounded，palaces became filled with revelling，the temples hummed with religious adjuration.he tried to recognize detail in the billowing forest.Then suddenly he was no longer bemused.The curtain of fancy dropped with a crash；the vision of the past vanished.The archaeologist had recognized his task.For out there in the jungle green he could distinguish a narrow path，barely traced out in the weak light，apath that might lead to Chichen-Itza’s most exciting mystery：the SacredWell.

16.The territory which Thompson was exploring

A.had been abandoned by the Mayas about thirteen hundred years previously.

B.had been occupied and developed by the Mayas about thirteen hundred years before.

C.had been deserted by the Mayas as soon as the Spaniards arrived.

D.was conquered by the Mayas thirteen hundred years ago.

17.What was Thompson’s first reaction to the scene ahead？

A.He remained in the saddle for several minutes spellbound.

B.He immediately jumped down and went forward.

C.He waited until his bed was ready and then dismounted.

D.He rode to the mound and stared at the structure before him.

18.The mound reminded Thompson of similar Egyptian constructions because of

A.its shape.

B.its purpose.

C.its very great antiquity.

D.the means of access to it.

19.Thompson believed that man is instinctively a sun-worshipper because

A.the worship of the sun-god had clearly been the function of the temple.

B.all living things celebrate the sunrise.

C.the sunrise is the most magnificent of all phenomena.

D.it is natural for man to worship the sun and he has always done so.

20.What abruptly ended Thompson’s dream of the past？

A.The realization that this was only a time-consuming fantasy.

B.The glimpse of an important clue to future discovery.

C.A resolution derived form his fantasy that he must learn more about this great past city.

D.The locating of the mysterious Sacred Well.

Model Test 17

TEXT A

Hispanics in the United States are opening businesses at a rate that is three times as fast as the national average，according to a report released by the U.S.Census Bureau.

Growth is even faster in the Washington area，where the number of Hispanic-owned companies has increased by 67percent from 1997 to 2002，the most recent year available，reflecting both the region’s vibrant economy and the surge of Latino immigrants to the region.The overall growth rate for new businesses in the region was 15 percent.

Compared with other major cities，the Washington region has a larger proportion of Hispanic-owned companies in professional areas such as high technology，legal，accounting，engineering and translation services.Analysts and businesspeople attribute that to the government’s huge demand for professional services，the number of educated Hispanics who move here to work for embassies and international groups and businesses，and a growing number of second-generation Hispanics living here.

In 2002，32，412Hispanic-owned businesses were located in the District，its suburban counties and the surrounding area reaching to Baltimore and to West Virginia.The largest concentration of Hispanic-owned businesses is in Montgomery County，which has 7，405，followed by Fairfax，which has 7，302.Both counties have significant Latino populations.Growth in the District has been flat.

Nationally，there were nearly 1.6million Hispanic-owned firms，still a small percentage of the 23million individually owned businesses in the country.But Ying Lowrey，senior economist at the Small Business Administration’s advocacy office，said minority-owned firms represent the fastest-growing segment of the nation’s economy.

Asians are the largest sector of minority business owners in terms of number of businesses and employees，but Hispanics and African Americans are starting businesses at a faster rate.“The contribution of minorities to the economy is tremendous，”Lowrey said.

Hispanic immigrants“want to go into their own business as soon as they can leave their day jobs after saving enough money”said Michael Veve，a Washington lawyer who consults with small-business owners who want to do business with the federal government.“They seem to have a very clear perception that they can do better financially in their own businesses.”

Of the Hispanic-owned businesses in the Washington region in 2002，8，593were construction companies，4，947were administrative and cleaning firms，and 4，079were professional service businesses.

Hispanics in the District and its suburbs have launched scores of government-contracting companies that get business through the federal program that sets aside work for small and minority-owned businesses.In Maryland，13.1percent of Hispanic-owned business were professional，technical or scientific services firms.In Virginia，that portion was 10.7percent，and in the District those companies constitute 22.8percent.The concentrations are larger than the national average of 8.8percent and those found in metropolitan areasthat are hubs for Latino residents，including Los Angeles，Houston and New York.

Fernando Galaviz started his Arlington-based systems integration company in 1988.Through an acquisition and the 8Asmall-business and minority program，which assists businesses owned by U.S.citizens，the native of Mexico City was able to win work that turned his company，Centech Group Inc.，into a thriving government contractor with＄71million in revenue and 367employees.

“The government is the marketplace here，and you’ll see lots of Hispanic and other minority-owned companies that have started to support the high-tech requirements and engineering and scientific requirement that the federal government is demanding，”said Galaviz，a former director for the Commerce Department.

Many Hispanic entrepreneurs have been arriving in the region since the late 1980’s，said Michel Zajur，president of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.Those business owners and their successors have followed the region’s Latinos to the suburbs to avoid the steadily rising cost of real estate in the District.

Immigrants are often more willing to take the risk of using their savings to launch a business，he said，hence the huge number of new immigrant-owned businesses.“When you come here as an immigrant，you are taking a chance，and that is what starting a business is all about，”Zajur said.

Many are like Jose Merino，who came here from El Salvador with no money.Almost immediately，he began working，shoveling snow off sidewalks in Alexandria.For years，Merino and his family worked at maintenance jobs，stashing away as much money as they could.Two decades later，with the help of his wife，children and brother，Merino bought a food truck where he and his wife sold pupusas and carnecitas to players of a Sunday Salvadoran soccer league.In 1999，they opened a restaurant.Now they have three restaurants：El Pulgarcito in Alexandria and Woodbridge and Las Americas in Falls Church.

“I never dreamed I could have this much，”Merino said.“It was very difficult，but it can be done.”

Most Hispanic businesses are even smaller than Merino’s.Nationally，only 12percent have paid employees.Many face obstacles，such as language barriers，said Daniel Flores，president of the Greater Washington Ibero American Chamber of Commerce，the region’s oldest Hispanic business group.

Patricio Carrera spoke no English when he immigrated here five years ago from Ecuador，where he was a journalist writing about his country’s justice system.He arrived in Montgomery County without a visa or authorization to work.So，despite his education，he took the first job he could find，which was as a landscaper.He later found work as a painter.At one of the work sites where he was employed，aproperty owner pulled Carrera aside and offered him a contract to fix up an apartment complex in Annapolis.

Carrera，who is applying to be a permanent resident，got a tax ID number，formed ARPI Construction and contracted a team of workers to do the job.

“I have a little suerte，”he said，using the Spanish word for luck.

When that contract ended，Carrera began taking small

construction jobs and started a slew（大量）of side jobs—freelance writing for a local Spanish-language publication，studying to be a loan officer at company targeting Hispanics.He also works as a DJ at a Latin nightclub in Silver Spring.

“To do business here，you just need your mind and vision and desire，”he said.

1.What kind of firms represent the fastest-growing segment of

American economy？

A.Latino’s firms.　　　　　　B.Large-scale firms.

C.Minority-owned firms.　　　 D.Asian’s firms.

2.Which business is the most impossible one for Latinos to set

foot in？

A.Estate.B.High technology.

C.Accounting.D.Engineering.

3.According to the passage what might be the biggest barrier when aLatino wants to open and manage his business？

A.Money.　　　　　　　　　B.Support of the government.

C.Language.　　　　　　　 D.Mind.

4.What kind of role does the government play in the boom？

A.Sponsor.B.Supporter.

C.Opponent.D.Marketplace.

5.Latino’s small business

A.helps American economy to grow.

B.helps Latino people to make a living.

C.grows stronger.

D.All of the above.

TEXT B

Leticia Vasquez calls hers a“typical immigrant story.”Her parents，poor strivers from Mexico，raised five splendidly thriving children—one of whom，Leticia，34，is now mayor of Lynwood，Calif.，the small town where she grew up.It is a heartwarming tale that readily brings to mind a host of clichés about the American dream.But the story does not end with wine，roses and applause.Instead it segues（继续）into the troubled terrain of race，corruption and polarization.

Of late，Vasquez has been pilloried by fellow Mexican-Americans for being—in her estimation，at least—too sympathetic to black constituents.Her foes，whose attempt to recall her failed last week when their petitions were found to be lacking，claim race has nothing to do with their discontent.Armando Rea，a former mayor and prominent critic，says the problem is that Vasquez，a“pathological liar，”is intent on levying taxes the community cannot afford.Fliers circulated by recall proponents also portray her as the puppet of a former mayor，Paul Richards，who is black and is currently in prison for siphoning off city funds.Vasquez，who says she barely knows Richards，sees the charges as nothing but a smoke screen for racism：“There is this mind-set that if you support someone outside of your ethnicity，you must not like who you are.”

Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of ethnic politics in the 21st century，when blacks and Latinos，once presumed to be natural allies，increasingly find themselves competing for power and where promotion of racial harmony is as likely to evoke anger as admiration.Lynwood is a case study in the power of prejudice，the pitfalls of ethnic conflict and，perhaps，ultimately，the potential for interethnic cooperation.It may also foreshadow America’s future—one that will increasingly see blacks and Latinos fighting，sometimes together and sometimes each other，to overcome a history of marginalization.

Lynwood’s ethnic tensions stem，in part，from the town’s rapid ethnic transformation.In the 1970s，blacks began to arrive in significant numbers in the small，largely white，bedroom community of Los Angeles.In 1983，Lynwood elected its first black council member，Robert Henning，who was joined two years later by Evelyn Wells—a black female，who promptly nominated Henning to bemayor.The council（which names the mayor）went along.Blacks quickly came to dominate the political power structure.Meanwhile，Latinos were growing in number.Rea，the first Latino council member，was elected in 1989.In 1997，Latinos（who now comprise 82percent of the city’s 72，000residents）gained control of the five-member council.Vasquez，who was not then active in politics，remembers“people knocking on the door saying we needed to get rid of black city-council members.”

With Rea installed as mayor，the city fired several blacks and dismissed some black contractors.“They got rid of 15people at one time.Thirteen of those people were black，”claims the Rev.Alfreddie Johnson，a Vasquez ally currently on the council.Three black contractors filed suit accusing Rea and his allies of rampant racial discrimination.Rea adamantly rejected the allegations.“There is no color in my council，”he declared at the time.No one currently in government seems to know exactly how much ultimately was paid out to settle discrimination complaints or how many people were affected，but Vasquez and Johnson insist that the amount was substantial and the experience traumatic.A former schoolteacher elected in 2003，Vasquez sees herself as a bridge between the two communities.Johnson sees Vasquez as a godsend：“The unique thing about her is—she has this huge affinity for black people.”Many longtime black residents are grateful.“We need somebody，regardless of what race they are，to speak for us，too，”said Dorothy Smith，a retired teacher and social worker.“A lot of them［Latinos］want to shut us out completely.”

As Latinos increasingly become the ethnic majority in once proudly black venues（including Compton，a hip-hop capital，and Watts，formerly L.A.’s black mecca），and as headlines tout them as America’s hot，and largest，minority group，many blacks shareSmith’s fear of being“shut out.”Earl Ofari Hutchinson，an L.A.-based writer and activist，recalls the bitter reaction he got for writing a series of articles sympathetic to Latino immigrants：“I have never received so much hate mail from blacks.It touched a nerve among black folks，a raw nerve.”

Against the backdrop of Latino-black violence in Los Angeles County jails（which resulted in the deaths of two black inmates），and interethnic fighting in the schools，Najee Ali，executive director of Project Islamic Hope，organized a so-called black-Latino summit earlier this month.There，Christine Chavez，the granddaughter of legendary farm worker leader Cesar Chavez，spoke movingly of her grandfather’s patterning his work on Martin Luther King’s movement.“In order for a movement for mostly Latino workers to be successful，”she said，“we had to reach out to other communities.”

After May’s massive and largely Latino demonstrations for immigration reform，some believe that era may have passed.“I turned on the TV and saw millions of people nationally and［felt］a sense of fear，”confided Ali.“We were now being marginalized.”Upon reflection，Ali concluded that the protest paved the way for blacks and Latinos together to“demand a bigger piece of the pie.”Many who came to his summit agreed.Blacks and Latinos，they argued，should focus on the powerful interests exploiting both groups instead of squabbling with each other.As California state Sen.Gloria Romero put it，“Nobody walks into a field and says，‘Move over，bro，I’m working now.’These jobs are offered，they are not taken.”

That message resonates in Tar Hill，N.C.，where black and Latino workers at the colossal Smithfield pork-processing plant originally had little to say to each other.To help break down walls，the United Food and Commercial Workers union organized a monthly potluck dinner.“People started bringing all kinds of food...from allkinds of ethnic backgrounds，and they shared their stories，”said union organizer Eduardo Pi1a.“People that usually don’t trust each other”are recognizing“how similar their situations are.”

Ted Shaw，head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund，thinks it is in blacks’self-interest to embrace Latinos struggling to survive.“I think black folks should think long and hard before we...alienate a growing and powerful community［with］many interests in common，”he says.

No one really disagrees with the idea of focusing on common problems instead of retreating into ethnic enclaves.Still，it is anyone’s guess how well the black-Latino unity message ultimately will play.Uncontroversial as the principle may be，it is rather difficult to practice；it is almost always easier to see the things that divide Americans than to see what binds—or should bind—us together.What the new demographics are making very clear is that not only whites can have vision problems，but so，too，can blacks and Latinos.

6.According to the passage，which one of the following is not correct？

A.At present，the Latinos and the black are living peacefully with each other in Lynwood.

B.Vasquez was considered by some people as the puppet of a former mayor.

C.Latinos consist of the majority of the population in the little town now.

D.Latino-black violence and fighting can be seen in the schools.

7.From the last paragraph，we can get the idea from the author that：

A.no one wants to concentrate on the common problems andreach a certain point.

B.the black send a special message for unity to the Latino.

C.the Americans are more likely to separate from one another than to unite.

D.the black and the Latinos agree with the white on the vision problems.

8.In paragraph 6，what does the underlined phrase“shut out”mean？

A.To kill somebody.

B.Exclude or keep out somebody.

C.Make somebody keep silent.

D.Create difficulties for somebody.

9.Which of the following sentences best describe the relation between the Latino and the black from this passage？

A.These different ethnic groups compete with one another for their own interest.

B.The blacks should embrace the Latinos for a win-win situation and for their self-interest.

C.The black should be marginalized for the development of the town.

D.It is really hard for the black to recognize the situation.

10.Vasquez was elected mayor of Lynwood because：

A.she has powerful background and abundant assets for her election.

B.she has unique affinity for black people and serves as a bridge between the two communities

C.she has some special relationship with the former mayor，who is black，and so got some“help”from him.

D.she is very popular among all the citizens in Lynwood.

TEXT C

As if the public’s lukewarm reaction to“Mission：Impossible III”has made him skittish（易紧张的）to negative reviews，Tom Cruise has yet to release pictures of his new daughter，Suri，and even some of the star’s close friends reportedly haven’t seen the child.

“No one has seen Suri，”an unnamed Hollywood insider said to Us Magazine，adding that such friends as Victoria Beckham，fellow Scientologists John Travolta and Kelly Preston，as well as Will Smith and“Collateral”co-star Jada Pinkett Smith，had yet to see the 2⒈2-month-old infant.

“（The Smiths）keep calling Tom to see her，”the source said.

Suri was born on April 18at the Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica，Calif.，the same day Brooke Shields gave birth to daughter Grier.

Shields，who famously clashed with Cruise over the use of medicine to treat postpartum depression，has since been seen toting（背，抱）her child around Hollywood.Pictures of the baby have been released.

In subsequent weeks，celebrity baby fever hit an even bigger frenzy，when Angelina Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh in Namibia，Gwen Stefani gave birth to son Kingston James，and Rachel Weisz welcomed son Henry Chance.Photos of the infants have been captured and published.

Jolie and Brad Pitt have since sold baby pictures，reportedly raising＄4million for charity.

Cruise reportedly has sent out feelers about the possible auction of a baby photo，Us Weekly reports.Photo agency WireImage approached multiple sources about bidding for rights to publish the image.

On May 11，before bidding was to begin，the agency sent out an e-mail declaring，“The baby shoot is on hold for now.”Us Weekly says it received the message because it was one of the potential bidders for the picture.

Days after Suri’s birth，Cruise hit the road to promote“M：I：3”and spoke like a proud new father，describing the new child and the moments he’d shared with Holmes.

Cruise and Holmes have spent most of their time at his Beverly Hills mansion，and vacationed at his Telluride，Colo.vacation house in June.While the couple has been pictured in public together，the baby has yet to be seen.

Such a quest for privacy certainly is in contrast to Cruise’s highly public courtship of Holmes，highlighted by his famous couch-jumping moment with Oprah Winfrey，and the Eiffel Tower news conference to announce their engagement.

“It’s strange that Tom would go from the one extreme of sharing every detail of his life to the other extreme of withdrawing from the public eye，”says celebrity style maven（专家）Rachel Weingarten，the author of“Hello Gorgeous！”

“On one hand，Tom was such an advocate of silent birth，”Weingarten says.“Maybe he and Katie are just focused on keeping things as silent and serene as they can for the kid.Then again，maybe Tom won’t show us the kid until he has another movie or DVD to promote.”

Cruise was not always so eager to share his private life，even after he became a big star.He and ex-wife Nicole Kidman adopted their daughter，Isabella，in 1993and son Connor in 1995，but it wasn’t until 1996，after Connor’s second birthday，that the couple released a family photo to the media.

“We might yet see little Suri on the fall season debut of Oprah，jumping up and down on her own little couch，”says Weingarten.

11.Who has seen Tom Cruise’s daughter Suri according to this report？

A.Victoria Beckham.

B.John Travolta and Kelly Preston.

C.Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

D.No one has seen Suri.

12.Which celebrity baby was born on the same day with Suri？

A.Grier.　　　　　　　　　　　　B.Shiloh.

C.Kingston James.　　　　　　　 D.Henry Chance.

13.According to the report，where did the money gained by Jolie and Brad Pitt by selling baby pictures go？

A.They used it to buy themselves a mansion at Beverly Hills.

B.They gave it to their parents.

C.They raised it for charity.

D.They used it to spend a vacation abroad.

14.Where did Tom Cruise announce his engagement with Holmes？

A.At Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.

B.At the Eiffel Tower news conference.

C.At a TV interview.

D.The author didn’t tell.

15.Why does Tom Cruise go from the one extreme of sharing every detail of his life to the other extreme of withdrawing from the public eye by keeping secret her daughter’s picture？

A.Maybe he and his wife are just focused on keeping things as silent and serene as they can for the kid.

B.Maybe he has got tired of publication.

C.Maybe he is too busy with his new film to show the public his daughter’s picture.

D.It was not implied in this report.

TEXT D

But if language habits do not represent classes，a social stratification into something as bygone as“aristocracy”and“commons”，they do still of course serve to identify social groups.This is something that seems fundamental in the use of language.As we see in relation to political and national movements，language is used as a badge or a barrier depending on which way we look at it.The new boy at school feels out of it at first because he does not know the right words for things，and awe-inspiring pundits of six or seven look down on him for not being aware that racksy means“dilapidated”，or hairy“out first ball”.The miner takes a certain pride in being“one up”on the visitor or novice who calls the cage a“lift”or who thinks that men working in a warm seam are in their“underpants”when anyone ought to know that the garments are called hoggers.The“insider”is seldom displeased that his language distinguishes him from the“outsider”.

Quite apart from specialized terms of this kind in groups，trades and professions，there are all kinds of standards of correctness at which most of us feel more or less obliged to aim，because we know that certain kinds of English invite irritation or downright condemnation.On the other hand，we know that other kinds convey some kind of prestige and bear a welcome cachet.

In relation to the social aspects of language，it may well be suggested that English speakers fall into three categories：the assured，the anxious and the indifferent.At one’s end of this scale，we have the people who have“position”and“status”，and who therefore do not feel they need worry much about their use of English.Their education and occupations make them confident ofspeaking an unimpeachable form of English：no fear of being criticized or corrected is likely to cross their minds，and this gives their speech that characteristically unselfconscious and easy flow which is often envied.

At the other end of the scale，we have an equally imperturbable band，speaking with a similar degree of careless ease，because even if they are aware that their English is condemned by others，they are supremely indifferent to the fact.The Mrs.Mops of this world have active and efficient tongues in their heads，and if we happened not to like their ways of saying things，well，we“can lump it”.That is their attitude.Curiously enough，writers are inclined to represent the speech of both these extreme parties with-in’for-ing.On the one hand，“We’re goin’huntin’，my dear sir；”on the other，“We’re goin’racin’，mate.”

In between，according to this view，we have a far less fortunate group，the anxious.These actively try to suppress what they believe to be bad English and assiduously cultivate what they hope to be good English.They live their lives in some degree of nervousness over their grammar，their pronunciation，and their choice of words：sensitive，and fearful of betraying themselves.Keeping up with the Joneses is measured not only in houses，furniture，refrigerators，cars，and clothes，but also in speech.

And the misfortune of the“anxious”does not end with their inner anxiety.Their lot is also the open or veiled contempt of the“assured”on one side of them and of the“indifferent”on the other.

It is all too easy to raise an unworthy laugh at the anxious.The people thus uncomfortably stilted on linguistic high heels so often form part of what is，in many ways，the most admirable section of any society：the ambitious，tense，inner-driven people，who are bent on“going places and doing things”.The greater the pity，then，if adisproportionate amount of their energy goes into what Mr.Sharpless called“this shabby obsession”with variant forms of English—especially if the net result is（as so often）merely to sound affected and ridiculous.“Here”，according to Bacon，“is the first distemper of learning，when men study words and not matter...It seems to me that Pygmalion’s frenzy is a good emblem...of this vanity：for words are but the images of matter；and except they have life of reason and invention，to fall in love with them is to fall in love with a picture.”

16.The phrase“social stratification”in the first paragraph probably means

A.division of social castes.　　　　B.differentiation of societies.

C.distinction of language habits.　 D.emergence of social groups.

17.The attitude held by the assured towards language is

A.critical.　　　　　　　　　　　　　B.anxious.

C.self-conscious.　　　　　　　　　　D.nonchalant.

18.One thing that the assured and the indifferent have in common is

A.nonchalance of attitude.B.deliberation of manner.

C.accuracy of language.D.diligence of learning.

19.The anxious are considered a less fortunate group because

A.they feel they are socially looked down upon.

B.they suffer from internal anxiety and external attack.

C.they are inherently nervous and anxious people.

D.they are unable to meet standards of correctness.

20.The author thinks that the efforts made by the anxious to cultivate what they believe is good English are

A.worthwhile.　　　　　　　　　　　　B.meaningless.

C.praiseworthy.　　　　　　　　　　　D.irrational.

Model Test 18

TEXTA

Bob Marley’s powerful and passionate lyrics—“Get up，stand up，don’t give up the fight”—still call many to action，most notably his widow，Rita Marley.

She heads The Bob Marley Foundation and The Rita Marley Foundation，and her fight is the eradication of poverty in Jamaica and Africa.

“We have been funding ourselves in whatever we have been doing，especially in Ghana and Ethiopia，”Marley said.“We’ve been doing it out of our own pockets in terms of what Bob left us.”

The greatest needs are“water，food，clothing，toothbrush to brush their teeth and someone to love them，”she said.

“So we have decided to give back to what is really in need and—and it’s about not just black people，but every kind of people，you know，”she said.

For a continent ravaged by war and disease and where the average life expectancy is just 46years，Africa has experienced a recent influx of star power.

Brad Pitt，Angelina Jolie，Bill and Melinda Gates，and George Clooney are drawing worldwide attention to its many needs.

Marley，who has sounded the battle cry for more than two decades，welcomes the help.

“I like what Bono is doing，for instance，in Africa，by going down there and giving，giving and teaching，”she said.“There are a few international people that are really putting help into Africa，and I’m so happy that I lived to see this，because I never dreamed that this would ever happen.”

“But it’s important that you can be an example to someone，somewhere，somehow，”she said.

A Dream Comes True

Marley has been working with the Black Eyed Peas in South Africa.She recently did a concert in South Africa to benefit South African children suffering from AIDS.They’re also trying to build schools there.

You don’t have to have a foundation or musical talent to help the plight in Africa，though.

“I didn’t feel or even dream that I would have this privilege，because it’s a privilege to do that，”Marley said.

“It doesn’t have to be money...I’ve taken clothing that my family has worn out.They think，‘Oh，well，I’m finished with that.’And when you go to Africa，it is like，‘Whooo，it’s the first time I’ve ever had good shoes or had a good dress to wear.’”

Most recently，Marley sponsored 35Ethiopian children，the youngest victims of war and AIDS.

She，along with her family，has begun organizing concerts，titled“Africa Unite，”which take place on Bob Marley’s birthday to raise money and awareness in her husband’s name.

Marley said her late husband would see her work as“a dream come true.”

“It’s the reality，and it makes it easier for me to do because it’s like the ground plan was made.It’s done，”she said.

“This is what we would do if we could and now we can.So I think we’re—we’re getting his blessing.Because each time I look on his smiling face，［I］can see....He’s saying，‘Good work，Rita.’Because，yes，it’s for real.This is what we wanted to do.”

1.What is Rita Marley fighting for？

A.The eradication of poverty in Jamaica.

B.The eradication of poverty in Africa.

C.The eradication of poverty in Jamaica and Africa.

D.Her husband’s career.

2.How long has Rita Marley been in the battle for Africa？

A.10years.

B.20years.

C.More than two decades.

D.Less than two decades.

3.What does“a recent influx of star power”mean in para.6？

A.A kind of supernatural power.

B.A lot of Hollywood film and singing stars.

C.Other countries’invasion.

D.It is not implied in this article.

4.Which band did Rita Marley work with in the recent concert in South Africa to benefit South African children suffering from AIDS？

A.The Backstreet Boy.　　　　　　　B.The Savage Garden.

C.The Black Eyed Peas.　　　　　　 D.The Western Life.

5.According to Rita Marley，what should you do if you want to help improve the plight in Africa？

A.We should have a foundation.

B.We should have some musical talent.

C.We should have a lot of money.

D.We just need to give the African people what they really need，such as food，clothes，water，etc.and our love.

TEXT B

Allyson died Saturday at her home in Ojai，with her husband ofnearly 30years，David Ashrow，at her side，Powell said in a telephone interview.

She died of pulmonary respiratory（呼吸的）failure and acute bronchitis after a long illness，Powell said.

With typical wonderment，Allyson expressed surprise in a 1986 interview that she had ever become a movie star：

“I have big teeth.I lisp（口齿不清）.My eyes disappear when I smile.My voice is funny.I don’t sing like Judy Garland.I don’t dance like Cyd Charisse，”she said.“But women identify with me.And while men desire Cyd Charisse，they’d take me home to meet Mom.”

During World War II，American GIs pinned up photos of Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable，but June Allyson was the girl they wanted to come home to.Petite and blonde with fresh-faced optimism，she had the image of an ideal sweetheart and wife.

“I had the most wonderful last meeting with June at her house in Ojai.We had gotten lost in the car.She told me：‘I could wait for you forever，’”lifelong friend Esther Williams said.“We were such dear friends.I will miss her.”

Allyson’s real life belied the sunshiny image she presented in films of the’40sand’50s.As she revealed in her 1982 autobiography，she had an alcoholic father and was raised by a single mother in the Bronx.Her“ideal marriage”to actor-director Dick Powell was beset（困扰）with frustrations.

After Powell’s cancer death in 1963，she battled breakdowns，alcoholism and a disastrous second marriage.She credited her recovery to Ashrow，her third husband，apediatric dentist who became a nutrition expert.

Childhood accident

Born Eleanor Geisman in the Bronx on October 7，1917，she wasraised mostly by her mother.Ella was 6when her alcoholic father left.Her mother worked as a telephone operator and restaurant cashier.At 8，a dead tree branch fell on her while she was bicycling.

Several bones were broken，and doctors said she would never walk again.She underwent months of swimming exercises and regained her health.

“After the accident and the extensive therapy，we were desperate，”Allyson wrote in her autobiography.“Sometimes Mother would not eat dinner，and I’d ask her why.She would say she wasn’t hungry，but later I realized there was only enough food for one.”

Broadway and beyond

After graduating from a wheelchair to crutches to braces，Ella was inspired by Ginger Rogers’dancing with Fred Astaire.Fully recovered，she tried out for a chorus job in the Broadway show“Sing out the News.”The choreographer gave her a job and a new name：Allyson，a family name，and June，for the month.

As June Allyson，she danced on stage in“Very Warm for May”and“Higher and Higher.”For“Panama Hattie，”she understudied Betty Hutton and subbed for her when Hutton got the measles.Her performance led to a role in“Best Foot Forward”in 1941.She made her feature film debut by repeating her role in the MGM musical，which starred Lucille Ball.

MGM signed her to a contract，and she appeared in small roles in“Thousands Cheer”and“Girl Crazy”.In“Two Girls and a Sailor”（1944），her winsome beauty and bright personality connected with U.S.servicemen.She starred in“Music for Millions”，“The Sailor Takes a Wife”，“Two Girls from Boston”and“Good News”.

Allyson appeared opposite Johnson in several films，and she was Stewart’s wife in“The Stratton Story”，“The Glenn Miller Story”and“Strategic Air Command”.

Only once did she play an unsympathetic role，as a wife who torments husband Jose Ferrer in“The Shrike.”It was a failure.

In 1945，Allyson married Powell，the crooner（低吟歌手）who turned serious actor，and then producer-director and television tycoon.The marriage seemed like one of Hollywood’s happiest，but it was less than that，she wrote in 1982.

She began earning big money after leaving MGM，“but it had little meaning to me because I never saw the money，and I didn’t even ask Richard how much it was....It went into a common pot with Richard’s money.”

The couple separated in 1961，but reconciled and remained together until his death in 1963.They had two children：Pamela，who lives in Santa Monica；and Richard Keith Powell，who lives in Los Angeles.

A few months after Powell’s death，Allyson married his barber，Glenn Maxwell.They separated 10months later，and she sued for divorce，charging that he hit her and abused her in front of the children and passed bad checks for gambling debts.

On October 30，1976，she married David Ashrow，and they made their home in the wooded country above Ojai，between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

It was a very peaceful time for her，Powell said，because she and Ashrow were free to travel and spend time with family and their dogs.

Television roles，endorsements

After her film career ended in the late 1950s，Allyson starred on television as hostess and occasional star of“The Dupont Show with June Allyson.”The anthology series lasted two seasons.In later years the actress appeared on television shows such as“Love Boat”and“Murder，She Wrote.”

For the past 20years，Allyson represented Kimberly-Clark Corp.in commercials for Depends adult diapers，and championed the importance of research in urological（泌尿科的）and gynecological（妇科的）diseases in seniors.

“Mom was always so proud of representing aproduct that provided such a service to senior citizens，including at that time，her own mother，”Powell said.

The company established the June Allyson Foundation in honor of her work.The actress’Web site is maintained by fans，Powell said.

“For nearly 60years，we have been hearing how much she meant to so many people from all over the world.She still gets fan mail from places like Germany and Holland.They send old photos.It was wonderful to us，”Powell said.

In addition to Ashrow and her children，she is survived by her brother，Dr.Arthur Peters of Ventura，and her grandson，Richard Logan Powell of Los Angeles.

A private family memorial will be held in Ojai.A day of remembrance will be scheduled in the fall，Powell said.

6.June Allyson died of what kinds of illnesses？

A.Pulmonary respiratory failure.

B.Acute bronchitis.

C.Pulmonary respiratory failure ＆acute bronchitis.

D.The author didn’t tell us.

7.Where did Esther Williams meet June Allyson for the last time？

A.Ojai.　　　　　　　　　　　B.Bronx.

C.Santa Monica.　　　　　　　D.Los Angeles.

8.How many times did June Allyson marry？

A.One.　　　　B.Two.　　　　C.Three.　　　　D.Four.

9.Who gave the actress the name as“June Allyson”？

A.June’s mother.　　　　　　　　　B.June’s father.

B.A director.　　　　　　　　　　　D.A choreographer.

10.What happened to June Allyson when she was 8？

A.Her alcoholic father left.

B.She was seriously ill.

C.A dead tree branch fell on her while she was bicycling.

D.Her mother died.

TEXT C

Just 30terminally ill people exercise a right each year that is unique in America to the state of Oregon，hastening their deaths with a lethal dose of drugs prescribed by doctors.

The Supreme Court decision on Tuesday rejecting the Justice Department’s effort to block the state’s Death With Dignity Act will allow such suicides to continue，but it may not have the broad impact，people on both sides of the debate are predicting.

There is no reason to think that the pace of physician-assisted suicides will quicken in Oregon.And the decision lends little support，one way or the other，to the efforts to enact similar laws around the country that have stalled since the Oregon law was enacted in 1994.

The Supreme Court’s ruling was，in fact，notably focused and technical.It did not address whether there is a constitutional right to die.It did not say that Congress was powerless to override state laws that allow doctors to help their patients end their lives.

It said only that a particular federal law，the Controlled Substances Act，which is mainly concerned with drug abuse and illegal drug trafficking，had not given John Ashcroft，then the attorney general，the authority to punish Oregon doctors who complied with requests under the state’s law.The law allowsmentally competent，terminally ill patients to ask their doctors for lethal drugs.

“What the court decision means is simply that you won’t have federal agents trying to put an end to this in the state of Oregon，”said Dr.Timothy E.Quill，aprofessor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of Rochester，who is a prominent supporter of physician-assisted suicide.“We were very fearful of what might have happened had the ruling gone the other way.”

Here in Oregon，the issue was initially contentious，passed by a bare margin in 1994.But the more that people outside the state criticized the law，the more support it gained here.When it came up for a second referendum in 1997，it was upheld 60to 40.

“I would not expect to see an increase in doctor-assisted suicides here，”said Mary Williams，Oregon’s solicitor general.“But I do expect more states will at least have discussion now.”

But states have been free to enact such laws，and they have not followed Oregon’s example.Mr.Ashcroft did not issue his interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act until 2001，and it was soon enjoined.The federal government lost in the courts every step of the way.

One question now is whether the debate will move from the court to Congress.Peg Sandeen，executive director of the Death With Dignity National Center in Portland，said her group would move to push legislation or voter initiatives in several states.

But Ms.Sandeen said the organization was concerned that“a Congress that would intervene in the death of Terri Schiavo”might be galvanized（刺激）into action by this decision.

Still，Tuesday’s decision may prompt lawmakers in some states to give the matter a fresh look.

“This decision gives the green light to the rest of the nation tomove forward with assisted-suicide laws，”said Mathew D.Staver，president of Liberty Counsel，which filed a brief supporting the federal government in the Oregon case.“This particular case was either going to close the door or to open it，and it opened it.”

In the handful of states where a similar measure has been under consideration，supporters said they hoped the decision would help.

“This will be a tremendous momentum builder for Vermont and other states who want to bring compassionate care to end-of-life issues，”said Dr.David Babbott，a board member of Death With Dignity Vermont.

Opponents of assisted suicide said Tuesday’s decision was a narrow and technical one that did not endorse any particular approach to these issues.

“I don’t think its impact will be great，”Dr.Robert D.Orr，the president of the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare，said of the decision.“Some have misunderstood the Oregon case as a challenge to the Oregon statute itself.”

The Oregon law was initially held up by an injunction，and not fully put into effect until 1998.Since then，through 2004，a total of 208people have taken their lives by lethal injection with a physician-prescribed drug，usually a barbiturate.

Critics had said Oregon would become a suicide center，with people flying in to end their lives.They also predicted that the law would be unfairly used against uneducated people or those without health insurance or adequate medical choices.

In the seven full years since the law has been in effect and records have been kept，more than 60percent of those who have killed themselves have had some college education，the state reported.

Nora Miller，whose husband，Rick，took his life here in Portlandin 1999after he was given less than six months to live with a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer，said the Oregon law allowed for a peaceful and relatively pain-free end to his life.

“He was worried about being unconscious and completely out of it，”said Ms.Miller，whose husband was 52.“But it was as good a death as he could have hoped for.”

She praised the court decision as a backing of individual liberty.

“This country was founded on the idea that you should be able to make these kinds of decisions without government interference，”Ms.Miller said.

But the leader of a group of Oregon physicians who have long opposed the measure，Dr.Kenneth Stevens，said the medical community had long had ways to help people deal with pain at the end of their lives.

“I’ve been taking care of cancer patients for more than 30 years，”Dr.Stevens said，“and I feel helping people kill themselves is not something doctors should be doing.”

Gov.Theodore R.Kulongoski of Oregon said one effect of the decision would be to allow innovative states like Oregon to continue to be laboratories for new ideas.

“The U.S.Supreme Court recognized the delicate balance between our federal system and the right of the states to be the crucibles（严酷的考验）for new ideas and new ways to meet the changing needs of their citizens，”Mr.Kulongoski said.

11.How many terminally ill people exercise a right each year to hasten their deaths with a lethal dose of drugs prescribed by doctors？

A.30.　　　　　　　　　　B.Less than 30.

C.More than 40.　　　　　D.More than 100.

12.Which of the following about the Controlled Substances Act is true？

A.It is concerned with drug abuse.

B.It is concerned with illegal drug trafficking.

C.It allows mentally competent，terminally ill patients to ask their doctors for lethal drugs.

D.All of the above.

13.Which sentence is not true about the Death With Dignity Act in Oregon？

A.It was passed by a bare margin in 1994.

B.When it came up for a second referendum in 1997，it was upheld 60to 40.

C.It was not fully put into effect until 1998.

D.None of the above.

14.Since 1998，through 2004，how many people have taken their lives by lethal injection with a physician-prescribed drug？

A.30.　　　B.208.　　　C.209.　　　D.Numerous.

15.Why did Nora Miller’s husband，Rick，take the doctor-assisted suicide in Portland？

A.Because he was given less than six months to live with a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.

B.Because he was worried about being unconscious.

C.Because he was afraid of the great pain the lung cancer would bring him.

D.All the above.

TEXT D

Pundits who want to sound judicious are fond of warning against generalizing.Each country is different，they say，and no one story fits all of Asia.This is，of course，silly：all of these economiesplunged into economic crisis within a few months of each other，so they must have had something in common.

In fact，the logic of catastrophe was pretty much the same in Thailand，Malaysia，Indonesia and South Korea.（Japan is a very different story.）In each case investor—mainly，but not entirely，foreign banks who had made short-term loans—all tried to pull their money out at the same time.The result was a combined banking and currency crisis：a banking crisis because no bank can convert all its assets into cash on short notice；a currency crisis because panicked investors were trying not only to convert long-term assets into cash，but to convert baht or rupiah into dollars.In the face of the stampede，governments had no good options.If they let their currencies plunge，inflation would soar and companies that had borrowed in dollars would go bankrupt；if they tried to support their currencies by pushing up interest rates，the same firms would probably go bust from the combination of debt burden and recession.In practice，countries split the difference and paid a heavy price regardless.

Was the crisis a punishment for bad economic management？Like most clichés，the catchphrase“crony capitalism”had prospered because it gets at something real：excessively cozy relationships between government and business really did lead to a lot of bad investments.The still primitive financial structure of Asian business also made the economies peculiarly vulnerable to a loss of confidence.But the punishment was surely disproportionate to the crime，and many investments that look foolish in retrospect seemed sensible at the time.

Given that there were no good policy options，was the policy response mainly on the right track？There was frantic blame-shifting when everything in Asia seemed to be going wrong；now there is arace to claim credit when some things have started to go right.The International Monetary Fund points to Korea’s recovery—and more generally to the fact that the sky didn’t fall after all—as proof that its policy recommendations were right.Never mind that other IMF clients have done far worse，and that the economy of Malaysia—which refused IMF help，and horrified respectable opinion by imposing capital controls—also seems to be on the mend：Malaysia’s Prime Minister，by contrast，claims full credit for any good news—even though neighboring economies also seem to have bottomed out.

The truth is that an observer without any ax to grind would probably conclude that none of the policies adopted either on or in defiance of the IMF’s advice made much difference either way.Budget policies，interest rate policies，banking reform—whatever countries tried，just about all the capital that could flee，did.And when there was no more money to run，the natural recuperative powers of the economies finally began to prevail.At best，the money doctors who purported to offer cures provided a helpful bedside manner；at worst，they were like medieval physicians who prescribed bleeding as a remedy for all ills.

Will the patients stage a full recovery？It depends on exactly what you mean by“full”.South Korea’s industrial production is already above its pre-crisis level；but in the spring of 1997anyone who had predicted zero growth in Korean industry over the next two years would have been regarded as a reckless doomsayer.So if by recovery you mean not just a return to growth，but one that brings the region’s performance back to something like what people used to regard as the Asian norm，they have a long way to go.

16.According to the passage，which of the following in NOT the writer’s opinion？

A.Countries paid a heavy price for whichever measure taken.

B.Countries all found themselves in an economic dilemma.

C.Withdrawal of foreign capital resulted in the crisis.

D.Most governments chose one of the two options.

17.The writer thinks that those Asian countries

A.well deserved the punishment.

B.invested in a senseless way at the time.

C.were unduly punished in the crisis.

D.had bad relationships between government and business.

18.It can be inferred from the passage that IMF policy recommendations

A.were far from a panacea in all cases.

B.were feasible in their recipient countries.

C.failed to work in their recipient countries.

D.were rejected unanimously by Asian countries.

19.All of the following terms might refer to the same group of people EXCEPT

A.IMF advisors.　　　　　　　B.money doctors.

C.economic pundits.　　　　　D.medieval physicians.

20.At the end of the passage，the writer seems to think that a full recovery of the Asian economy is

A.due.　　　　　　　　　　　　B.remote.

C.imaginative.　　　　　　　　D.unpredictable.

Model Test 19

TEXT A

Right to the final whistle of the World Cup，which will end Sunday night，the two unremitting（不停止的）factors have been heat and the squeezing of artistry by the powers of defense.

People are sitting in deck chairs in central Berlin’s parks，soaking up the sun seldom known to this degree in Germany.Those who have tickets for the 72，000-capacity Olympic Stadium await Italy versus France；those without will number closer to 700，000，and they will have one last party on the Fan Mile leading to the Brandenburg Gate.

What Italy and，more surprisingly，France have done is to squeeze their games like lemons.The side with greater order and patience―some might say with more sterility―has often prevailed in this tournament.

To Italians，defending is a cultural inheritance.They have done it throughout soccer history.Their current captain，Fabio Cannavaro，is the master of organization，and their goalkeeper，Gianluigi Buffon，has been peerless.He has committed no error，thus far，and conceded no goal from any opponent，although one of his own defenders did inflict the only breach of Italy’s fortress in six matches.

But France，too，has reached the final through pragmatism.

The story for France has been the return，and the impending retirement Sunday，of the majestic Zinédine Zidane.Behind Zizou，the story behind the story，has been the solid rock of a defense marshaled by the equally aged，similarly recalled，Lilian Thuram.

France has yielded two goals in the tournament，and scored barely more than a goal a game.It’s enough for the purpose.As the lone France forward，Thierry Henry，observed after the semifinal，“we defended like lions.”

If the French are lions，the Italians are serpents.They are tightly coiled.They strike with venom，but in their own time.Victory can come in the 93rd minute，as with the dubious penalty awarded them against Australia，or in the 119th minute，in extratime，as against Germany.

Italy created this cloak-and-dagger style；France under Coach Raymond Domenech has adopted it.And while he says that“we must give all we have in the final to make sure we have no regrets，”there is no hint that he means anything other than more of the same.

Maybe it is not surprising that France，whose soccer used to be styled on liberty，has grown to mirror Italy.Maybe the siege mentality of both camps has roots in the trial in Rome of four leading Italian clubs accused of doing more than the rules allow to get results.Maybe it is not surprising that the Justice Ministry was suggesting Friday that an amnesty could be arranged if the Azzurri come home with the Cup.

Eight of the players in Sunday’s final―five on Italy’s squad and three on France’s―are employed by Juventus，which stands accused of the most systematic corruption in Italy’s history.

Italy’s players，without doubt，have drawn inner strength，not diversion，from the problems back home.Those on trial are all administrators，not players，and as Alessandro Nesta，the defender who has spent most of this World Cup brooding on injury，said：“Attacking Italy seems to be in fashion.We are indifferent to all this stuff.The words fly away with the wind.”

Other Italians shrug and say if you want entertainment，go to the circus.Italy will win；popularity will follow.

Many who have seen progress of the Azzurri，with the exception of the ugly game against the United States，have no problem acknowledging that Italy has the most balanced team in the tournament，the most cunning，the most effective，and even at times capable of the most concealed beauty.

In some of its games，the semifinal for example，we have seen Italy control the play and，almost with a flick（轻弹）of the fingers ofCoach Marcello Lippi，suddenly attack.Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso move from fullback to become counterattackers.Andrea Pirlo shows off his fine vision and passing range as playmaker，and the Italians’quality going forward becomes so irresistible you wonder how much sooner they could finish opponents off if they desired it.

One reflection of Italy’s virtuosity is that it has scored 11goals in six games―from 10scorers.And the only goal it conceded was through a moment of panic by a reserve defender，Cristian Zaccardo，who put the ball into his own net.

France，if anything，has been more Italian than the Italians.

It had to overcome a self-induced trauma，the ghost of Seoul 2002，where it surrendered ownership of the World Cup without scoring a solitary goal against moderate opposition.There were，Thuram now tells us，problems of egotism with the squad then.Those problems have dissolved，the old guard has returned to right the wrong，and after suffering self-doubt against Switzerland and even South Korea here at this World Cup，the new French resolution has put it into the final.

There is romance at the core.Even FIFA would love nothing more than to see Zidane，the finest player of his generation and the master of modesty，regain the trophy.FIFA even goes so far as to hint that he would be a great romantic leader for the whole tournament.

Realistically，he had one significant game，against Brazil.He had moments of the old Zidane against Spain.He defies visibly slowing movement，and clear pain，to do just enough for his country.All those things make us warm to him，but if you are judging game for game，the six superlative displays by Cannavaro surely make his case the stronger for player of the tournament.

It is because of such defenders that goals have become preciousand sweet，like water on parched tongues.The crowds at the Fan Mile have had to learn to amuse themselves while they wait for the late goals.

There may be succor ahead.“The final will give everybody wings，”promises Domenech.“It is the inner belief that makes the difference.”

1.Those who have tickets for the 72，000-capacity Olympic Stadium await the final of World Cup between

A.France and Brazil.　　　　　B.Italy and France.

C.Germany and France.　　　　 D.France and England.

2.Which is true about the superiority of Italy and France the reporter wants to tell us？

A.Italy has greater order and patience.

B.France is good at defense.

C.Both teams have patience.

D.France has excellent soccer players.

3.In this World Cup，what was the surprise that the Italian team created which was not included？

A.Italy had won the every match before the final.

B.In the 93rd minute they won the victory because of penalty award.

C.They defeated Germany in the 119th minute.

D.They finally came into finals of World Cup.

4.FIFA even g oes to hint that_______would be a great romantic leader for the whole tournament.

A.Fabio Grosso　　　　　　　　B.Gianluca Zambrotta

C.Cristian Zaccardo　　　　　 D.Zidane

5.What is the meaning of the remark：“The final will give everybody wings.It is the inner belief that makes the difference”at the end

of the report？

A.These two teams both have opportunity to win this game.

B.He hopes to see an excellent performance between these teams.

C.He means the two teams should demonstrate the spirit of football.

D.He holds that either side must be confident about their victory.

TEXT B

With his monkish mien（风度）backed by a sense of brooding menace，Zinédine Zidane has always been something of an enigma，so it is perhaps fitting that the final act of his career should be the source of such mystery.

Just why did a man blessed with complete control of a football lose his head in such a violent manner at such a crucial moment，boring it into the chest of Marco Materazzi？

As L’Equipe summed up the moment of madness with a headline of“Regretsternels”，a day of endless questioning began.With many conflicting versions of events circling on the internet and in the world’s media，The Times enlisted the help of an expert lip reader，Jessica Rees，to determine the precise nature of the dialogue that caused Zidane to react in such a manner.

After an exhaustive study of the match video，and with the help of an Italian translator，Rees claimed that Materazzi called Zidane“the son of a terrorist whore”before adding“so just f^＊＊＊off”for good measure，supporting the natural assumption that the Frenchman must have been grievously insulted.

As the son of two Algerian immigrants，the 34-year-old is proud of his North African roots，dedicating France’s 1998World Cup win to“all Algerians who are proud of their flag and all those who have made sacrifices for their family but who have never abandoned theirown culture，”so such a slur（羞辱）would certainly explain，if not justify，his violent response.

When asked about the allegations on his return to Rome，Materazzi issued a vehement denial，while sources close to the player emphasized that he had not been accused of racism before，pointing to his close friendship with Obafemi Martins，the Nigeria and Inter Milan striker.

“It is absolutely not true，”Materazzi said.“I did not call him a terrorist.I’m ignorant.I don’t even know what the word means.The whole world saw what happened on live TV.”

Zidane was understandably keeping his counsel，but his agent，Alain Migliaccio，indicated that he had responded to extreme provocation.The Real Madrid midfield player is expected to break his silence in the coming days，with his dark mood at least temporarily lifted by yesterday’s news that he had won the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament.

“I know Zizou well and even though he hasn’t told me exactly what Materazzi said，I know that he was provoked，”Migliaccio said.“Materazzi said something very grave to him；I don’t know what it was.”

“When he is calmer，he will speak.When I saw him at 2a.m.he was very sad，he didn’t want to end his career like this.He was simply very sad.He was very sad for everything that happened，but this is life.He is a human being，not a god.”

With little in the way of hard evidence，Giovanni Melandri，the Italian Minister for Sport，was still urged to investigate，although such demands seem to be down to political opportunism rather than anything else.“If it were true，it would be a reprehensible act，which would not reflect the fair play that Italy and Materazzi himself showed during the tournament，”Riccardo Villari，a centre-left MP，said.“Itwould risk uselessly inflaming passions and creating tensions.”

With the racial allegations particularly sensitive，the other speculative suggestions as to Materazzi’s offending words were no less offensive，also focusing on Zidane’s father，Sma6.Zidane is close to both of his elderly parents，who live in a house he bought for them outside his native Marseilles，and is thought to have phoned his mother every day during the tournament.

Another explanation being widely circulated yesterday was that Materazzi had insulted the memory of one of Zidane’s closest confidants and former coaches，Jean Varraud.The former AS Cannes coach died of cancer shortly before the tournament.

With Materazzi denying all such charges，sources close to the Italy defender even claimed that he had been insulted.Several Italian newspapers claimed yesterday that Zidane had insulted the Inter Milan player’s mother，with Materazzi retorting that the Frenchman“made love to his sister.”

Giuseppe Materazzi，the Italy player’s father，added to the intrigue by insisting that his son had been provoked.The 32-year-old is thought to be sensitive when it comes to the memory of his mother，who died when he was a young boy.

“Marco told me to enjoy the moment and put off all explanations on the incident until he returns，”Materazzi Sr said.“He just told me he had been provoked，the way he often has in recent years.It’s as if they have it in for him.In the last two seasons，Marco has always been on the receiving end，as you can see from his injuries.”

FIFA insisted that video replays played no part in Zidane being sent off.The incident was missed by Horacio Elizondo，the Argentine referee，and his assistants，but spotted by Luis Medina Cantalejo，the fourth official from Spain.“The fourth referee saw the incident with his own eyes and told the referee and the assistantreferee through their headsets，”Andreas Herren，a FIFA spokesman，said，adding that the fourth official had no access to video replays.

Amid the furore（狂怒），one unpalatable truth has been lost—

that Zidane has acted in this way before—as a record of 14sending-offs in his career testifies.And as Varraud has recalled，his protégé’s first weeks at Cannes were spent mainly on cleaning duty as a punishment for punching an opponent who had mocked his ghetto origins.

Perhaps the only person unsurprised by Zidane’s final fall from grace was the French rock singer，Jean-Louis Murat，who prophetically encapsulated（总结）the essence of one of his heroes，a street fighter from a Marseilles council block who could play football with god-like grace.

“Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or demon，”Murat said several years ago.“He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer.”

An enigma to the very end.

6.Why has Zinédine Zidane always been something of an enigma？

A.Because he is always away from the public.

B.Because his monkish mien is always backed by a sense of brooding menace.

C.Because he has a mysterious family background.

D.The author didn’t tell.

7.What is supposed to have caused Zidane’s violent response to Marco Materazzi？

A.He has been grievously insulted by Marco Materazzi’s words.

B.He is always an aggressive person.

C.He was knocked by Marco Materazzi purposely during the play.

D.He was provoked by Marco Materazzi’s violent action.

8.Is Zidane a filial son？

A.Yes.　　　　　　　　　B.No.

C.Not always.　　　　　 D.The author didn’t tell.

9.How many times has Zidane been sent off in his career according to the record？

A.10.　　　　B.11.　　　　　C.12.　　　　D.14.

10.What’s the fact of this incident？

A.Zidane was offended by Marco Materazzi’s insulting words.

B.Marco Materazzi was offended by Zidane’s insulting words.

C.They insulted each other.

D.The fact is still being investigated.

TEXT C

I was just a boy when my father brought me to Harlem for the first time，almost 50years ago.We stayed at the Hotel Theresa，a grand brick structure at 125th Street and Seventh Avenue.Once，in the hotel restaurant，my father pointed out Joe Louis.He even got Mr.Brown，the hotel manager，to introduce me to him，a bit paunchy but still the champ as far as I was concerned.

Much has changed since then.Business and real estate are booming.Some say a new renaissance is under way.Others decry what they see as outside forces running roughshod over the old Harlem.

New York meant Harlem to me，and as a young man I visited it whenever I could.But many of my old haunts are gone.The Theresa shut down in 1966.National chains that once ignored Harlem now anticipate yuppie money and want pieces of this prime Manhattan realestate.So here I am on a hot August afternoon，sitting in a Starbucks that two years ago opened a block away from the Theresa，snatching at memories between sips of high-priced coffee.I am about to open up apiece of the old Harlem—the New York Amsterdam News—when a tourist asking directions to Sylvia’s，aprominent Harlem restaurant，penetrates my daydreaming.He’s carrying a book：Touring Historic Harlem.

History.I miss Mr.Michaux’s bookstore，his House of Common Sense，which was across from the Theresa.He had a big billboard out front with brown and black faces painted on it that said in large letters：“World History Book Outlet on 2，000，000，000 Africans and Nonwhite Peoples.”An ugly state office building has swallowed that space.

I miss speaker like Carlos Cooks，who was always on the southwest corner of 125th and Seventh，urging listeners to support Africa.Harlem’s powerful political electricity seems unplugged—although the streets are still energized，especially by West African immigrants.

Hardworking southern newcomers formed the bulk of the community back in the 1920sand’30s，when Harlem renaissance artists，writers，and intellectuals gave it a glitter and renown that made it the capital of black America.From Harlem，W.E.B.DuBois，Langston Hughes，Paul Robeson，Zora Neal Hurston，and others helped power America’s cultural influence around the world.

By the 1970sand’80sdrugs and crime had ravaged parts of the community.And the life expectancy for men in Harlem was less than that of men in Bangladesh.Harlem had become a symbol of the dangers of inner-city life.

Now，you want to shout“Lookin’good！”at this place that has been neglected for so long.Crowds push into Harlem USA，a newshopping centre on 125^th，where a Disney store shares space with HMV Records，the New York Sports Club，and a nine-screen Magic Johnson theatre complex.Nearby，a Rite Aid drugstore also opened.Maybe part of the reason Harlem seems to be undergoing a rebirth is that it is finally getting what most people take for granted.

Harlem is also part of an“empowerment zone”—a federal designation aimed at fostering economic growth that will bring over half a billion in federal，state，and local dollars.Just the shells of once elegant old brown-stones now can cost several hundred thousand dollars.Rents are skyrocketing.An improved economy，tougher law enforcement，and community efforts against drugs have contributed to a 60percent drop in crime since 1993.

11.At the beginning the author seems to indicate that Harlem

A.has remained unchanged all these years.

B.has undergone drastic changes.

C.has become the capital of Black America.

D.has remained a symbol of dangers of inner-city life.

12.When the author recalls Harlem in the old days，he has a feeling of

A.indifference.　　　　　　B.discomfort.

C.delight.　　　　　　　　 D.nostalgia.

13.Harlem was called the capital of Black America in the 1920sand’30smainly because of its

A.art and culture.　　　　　　　B.immigrant population.

C.political enthusiasm.　　　　 D.distinctive architecture.

14.According to the passage，Harlem seems to have a renaissance partly because

A.its economy has been improved greatly.

B.its crime rate has dropped drastically.

C.it has eventually gone with the tide.

D.it has established a empowerment zone.

15.From the passage we can infer that，generally speaking，the author

A.has strong reservations about the changes.

B.has slight reservations about the changes.

C.welcomes the changes in Harlem.

D.is completely opposed to the changes.

TEXT D

Oscar Wilde said that work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do.If so，Americans are now among the world’s saddest refugees.Factory workers in the United States are working longer hours than at any time in the past half-century.America once led the rich world in cutting the average working week—from 70 hours in 1850to less than 40hours by the 1950s.It seemed natural that as people grew richer they would trade extra earnings for more leisure.Since the 1970s，however，the hours clocked up by American workers have risen，to an average of 42this year in manufacturing.

Several studies suggest that something similar is happening outside manufacturing：Americans are spending more time at work than they did 20years ago.Executives and lawyers boast of 80-hour weeks.On holiday，they seek out fax machines and phones as eagerly as Germans bag the best sun-loungers.Yet working time in Europe and Japan continues to fall.In Germany’s engineering industry the working week is to be trimmed from 36to 35hours next year.Most Germans get six weeks’paid annual holiday；even the Japanese now take three weeks.Americans still make do with just two.

Germany responds to this contrast with its usual concern about whether people’s aversion to work is damaging its competitiveness.Yet German workers，like the Japanese，seem to be acting sensibly：as their incomes rise，they can achieve a better standard of living with fewer hours of work.The puzzle is why America，the world’s richest country，sees things differently.It is a puzzle with sinister social implications.Parents spend less time with their children，who may be left alone at home for longer time.Is it just a coincidence that juvenile crime is on the rise？

Some explanations for America’s time at work fail to stand up to scrutiny.One blames weak trade unions that leave workers open to exploitation.Are workers being forced by cost-cutting firms to toil harder just to keep their jobs？A recent study by two American economists，Richard Freeman and Linda Bell，suggests not：when asked，Americans actually want to work longer hours.Most German workers，in contrast，would rather work less.

Then，why do Americans want to work harder？One reason may be that the real earnings of many Americans have been stagnant or falling during the past two decades.People work longer merely to maintain their living standards.Yet many higher-skilled workers，who have enjoyed big increases in their real pay，have been working harder too.Also，one reason for the slow growth of wages has been the rapid growth in employment—which is more or less where the argument began.

Taxes may have something to do with it.People who work an extra hour in America are allowed to keep more of their money than those who do the same in Germany.Falls in marginal tax rates in America since the 1970shave made it all the more profitable to work longer.

None of these answers really explains why the century-long decline in working hours has gone into reverse in America but not elsewhere（though Britain shows signs of following America’s lead）.Perhaps cultural differences—the last refuge of the defeated economist—are at play.Economists used to believe that once workers earned enough to provide for their basic needs and allow for a few luxuries，their incentive to work would be eroded，like lions relaxing after a kill.But humans are more susceptible to advertising than lions.Perhaps clever marketing had ensured that“basic needs”—for a shower with built-in TV，for a rocket-propelled car—expand continuously.Shopping is already one of America’s most popular pastimes.But it requires money—hence more work and less leisure.

Or try this：the television is not very good，and baseball and hockey keep being wiped out by strikes.Perhaps Wilde was right.Maybe Americans have nothing better to do.

16.In the United States，working longer hours is

A.confined to the manufacturing industry.

B.a traditional practice in some sectors.

C.prevalent in all sectors of society.

D.favoured by the economists

17.According to the third paragraph，which might be one of the consequences of working longer hours？

A.Rise in employees’working efficiency.

B.Rise in the number of young offenders.

C.Rise in people’s living standards.

D.Rise in competitiveness.

18.The author’s attitude towards some explanations for America’s longer working hours is

A.slight approval.　　　　　　B.slight ambiguity.

C.slight disapproval.　　　　 D.strong disapproval.

19.Which of the following is the cause of working longer hours stated by the writer？

A.Expansion of basic needs.　　　　　B.Cultural differences.

C.Increase in real earnings.　　　　 D.Advertising.

20.The purpose of the passage is to

A.make a comparison of Americans’working hours with those of Europeans’.

B.make an analysis of the factors behind Americans’longer working hours.

C.criticize the economists’explanations for Americans’longer working hours.

D.prove what Oscar Wilde said is especially true about American workers.

Model Test 20

TEXT A

England players are starting to criticize Sven-Goran Eriksson’s handling of their dismal World Cup campaign，accusing the former coach of making tactical blunders，selecting the wrong players and failing to prepare the team properly.

Michael Owen，who usually avoids controversy，was the first to criticize the Swede.He blamed Eriksson for reducing Wayne Rooney’s impact in Germany by playing him as a lone striker in the 4-5-1 formation England adopted from the knockout game against Ecuador，and indirectly causing his sending-off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho in last weekend’s quarter-final defeat by Portugal.

“You would probably suggest he’s only got angry because of what has happened in the first hour of the game.It’s a frustrating role to play，”the injured Newcastle striker says in an interview to be screened tonight by ITV.“Wayne Rooney is one of the best strikers in the world and you’re cutting one of his legs off if you’re playingjust one upfront（前锋）.”Owen also says that bringing Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott to Germany as an unused substitute wasted a potentially vital place in the 23-man squad.Steve McClaren，Eriksson’s successor，hinted last week that he had not favoured the inclusion of Walcott either.

Other senior players，including Frank Lampard，are preparing to go public with what they see as Eriksson’s failings.A leading agent who works with several of the England squad said：“The general view among the players is that he was pretty hopeless and didn’t have a clue out there.”

Lampard has privately castigated（猛烈批评）Eriksson to friends.He claims that the Swede never made any attempt to agree with him and Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard what roles they were meant to perform in the team.A source said the Chelsea midfielder was frustrated that neither he nor Gerrard were given any advice and were，as he saw it，simply left to get on with the job of playing alongside each other by Eriksson and his assistant，Tord Grip.

Lampard has also been critical of England’s training sessions in Germany.For example，he believes they should not have spent the days after the 2-2draw with Sweden working on how to defend the free-kicks that had cost them so dear，as Eriksson decided they did，and instead should have worked on ball skills and tactics.Lampard is likely to air his thoughts in his forthcoming book，Totally Frank，next month.

Rooney himself is understood to be ready to vent his frustrations in his own book，My Story So Far，which is due out in early August.The player’s spokesman refused to say last night if he would condemn Eriksson，but said：“Wayne will give his clear and honest observations of the World Cup，the part he played in it and the events surrounding it in a chapter of 10，000-12，000words.”TheManchester United forward，whose two-match international suspension was confirmed by FIFA yesterday，reportedly had a furious row with Eriksson before the group match with Trinidad ＆Tobago over the manager first telling him that he would play，but then saying that insurance considerations related to his metatarsal injury may mean he would not appear.

Sources close to Rio Ferdinand say he may also apportion（分摊，分配）some blame to Eriksson in his autobiography in September，which is being co-written with Shaun Custis，who ghost-writes the defender’s occasional columns in The Sun.Gerrard and Ashley Cole’s upcoming books will also cover events in Germany.

A source in the England camp said：“Players are banned from doing newspaper columns during the World Cup，but apart from that are free to say what they want.They have to bear in mind their relationship with the manager and staff，but clearly the transition of manager gives them a bit of scope.”

The FA are lining up new opponents for their friendly at Old Trafford on 16August，McClaren’s first match in charge，because of FIFA’s ban on Greece teams taking part in international football.

1.Who was the first to blame Eriksson for his making tactical blunders？

A.Frank Lampard.　　　　　　　B.Michael Owen.

C.Rio Ferdinand.　　　　　　　D.Wayne Rooney.

2.What caused Wayne Rooney to have been sent off in last weekend’s quarter-final？

A.He stamped on Ricardo Carvalho.

B.He knocked Ricardo Carvalho down on purpose.

C.He insulted the referee.

D.The author didn’t tell.

3.In last weekend’s quarter-final，which team defeated England？

A.Portugal.　　　B.Italy.　　　C.Germany.　　　D.France.

4.Where is Lampard likely to air his thoughts of Eriksson next month？

A.In the book Totally Frank.

B.In the book My Story So Far.

C.In his autobiography.

D.In the newspaper columns.

5.Are players free to do newspaper columns during the World Cup？

A.Yes.They are always free to do so.

B.No.They are banned from doing so.

C.Sometimes they are free to do so.

D.The author didn’t tell us.

TEXT B

In New Orleans，the floods caused by Hurricane Katrina were just the beginning.The waters are teeming with parasites and bacteria as well as deadly chemicals，bringing the danger of dysentery，severe infection and life-threatening diarrhea.And as the water drains or evaporates，standing pools will remain throughout New Orleans and other areas hit by the hurricane，posing an exotic threat seldom seen in the United States or any other industrialized nation：malaria.

The threat，though，is remote.To understand why，and to appreciate the magnitude of the challenge facing the developing world，it is helpful to know more about the disease and America’s battle against it.

Breeding Anxiety

The puddles left behind by Katrina’s floods will be breeding grounds for mosquitoes，prompting public health officials to warnagainst possible outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and possibly malaria.The latter was declared eradicated in the United States in 1953，but that doesn’t mean it can’t come back.In 2003，the latest year for which statistics are available，there were 1，278cases of malaria in the United States reported to the Centers for Disease Control，with seven fatalities.

That isn’t cause for panic，or even much worry for those already traumatized by the hurricane.Nearly all of the 1，278victims got the disease overseas and then came home with it.

A rise in the mosquito population is cause for concern，but mosquitoes are just half of the malaria-transmission chain；they pick up the parasite by biting an infected human，then pass it on by stinging another person.Malaria is unlikely to break out in the hurricane zone unless an infected traveler goes to the area，and most people are getting out，not coming in.

And even if the U.S.government can be criticized for its response to Hurricane Katrina，it’s got a pretty good record when it comes to protecting Americans from malaria.Malaria killed untold numbers in this country until the second half of the 20th century，but today it is almost completely under control.Even on the rare occasions when a domestic outbreak occurs，it doesn’t spread past a handful of people.

The situation is very different in other parts of the world.Malaria takes anywhere from 1million to 3million lives a year，with 90%of the dead in Africa.Nearly everyone in sub-Saharan Africa has contracted malaria at some point，meaning chronic anemia and recurring fevers are an everyday fact of life，and that just exacerbates the continent’s grinding poverty.As the world pours hundreds of millions of dollars into prevention and treatment strategies，such as bed nets and new combination-therapy drugs，it’s common to look tothose nations that have controlled malaria for lessons in how to get the job done.

Unfortunately，there aren’t very many to be learned from the United States.American mosquitoes didn’t evolve to carry the malaria parasite，and they aren’t very efficient at it.In Africa，they are the perfect hosts；the hot African climate also accelerates the progress of the disease.Americans never faced a threat close to the one in Africa.

Nonetheless，a look at successful efforts in the United States does bring up at least one applicable truth：Malaria and poverty go together.

Battle of the Bugs

The U.S.Centers for Disease Control takes malaria outbreaks very seriously.The agency still has a significant malaria branch，somewhat surprising given that the disease all but disappeared from these shores more than half a century ago.This is largely because of the persistent threat of a new outbreak，but it might also have something to do with the CDC’s origins：The agency was born to fight malaria.

During World War II，the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas was established to protect American soldiers stationed in bases across the Southeastern United States，where the disease was still endemic（传染的）.After the war，that office became the Communicable Disease Center，whose name was later changed to the Centers for Disease Control.Its mandate went beyond malaria，but that was its main focus in the early years，which is why it was headquartered in Atlanta，which was still susceptible to malaria，instead of Washington，D.C.

The CDC helped lead a hugely successful campaign against the disease.The insides of thousands of homes across the South were sprayed with DDT；sources of standing water were drained or sprayedwith pesticides；supplies were boosted of the drug chloroquine，which at that time was highly effective against malaria（the parasite in many parts of the world has now grown resistant to it）.

Within five years of the CDC’s founding，malaria was essentially wiped out in the United States.

But the agency and other organizations that led the fight，such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Rockefeller Foundation，only deserve partial credit.At least as big a factor as the drugs and DDT was a change in economic circumstances，as well as agricultural reforms.By the time the CDC got involved in 1946，malaria was already fading fast.

Margaret Humphreys，a history professor at Duke University and author of“Malaria：Poverty，Race and Public Health in the United States，”says that one of the most important factors in the eradication of malaria was the economic policy of the New Deal.

Under the New Deal，beginning in the early 1930sfarmers were paid to leave their land fallow；this forced Southern farm workers，who were the most common victims of malaria at the time because of their constant work in the fields and their proximity to big mosquito populations，to move to towns to look for other jobs.New Deal loans to farmers，which allowed them to buy tractors and other equipment that meant less demand for labor，also helped stop the spread of the disease.

6.Exotic threat of_______is seldom seen in the United States or any other industrialized nation.

A.dysentery　　　B.malaria　　　C.diarrhea　　　D.infection

7.Which of the following statements is not true？

A.Malaria was eradicated in the United States in 1953.

B.The puddles left behind by Katrina’s floods will be breeding grounds for bacteria.

C.A rise in the mosquito population is cause for concern ofpeople.

D.Malaria is likely to break out in the hurricane zone.

8.Malaria is likely to intensif y in sub-Saharan Africa.

A.poverty　　　　　　　　　　　　B.death rates

C.criticism for government　　　 D.agony of people

9.help lead a hugely successful campaign against malaria.

A.Centers for Disease Control　　　　　B.United States government

C.The Office of Malaria Control　　　　D.The Rockfeller Foundation

10.Malaria particularly has taken place in rural areas mainly because

A.the local government doesn’t pay attention to the disease

B.rural areas have big mosquito populations

C.the area is too poor to fight against the disease

D.the disease cannot be eradicated only if fighting the poverty

TEXT C

I remember meeting him one evening with his pushcart.I had managed to sell all my papers and was coming home in the snow.It was that strange hour in downtown New York when the workers were pouring homeward in the twilight.It marched among thousands of tired men and women whom the factory whistles had unyoked.They flowed in rivers through the clothing factory districts，then down along the avenues to the East Side.

I met my father near Cooper Union.I recognized him，a hunched，frozen figure in an old overcoat standing by a banana cart.He looked so lonely，the tears came to my eyes.Then he saw me，and his face lit with his sad，beautiful smile—Charlie Chaplin’s smile.

“Arch，it’s Mikey，”he said.“So you have sold your papers！Come and eat a banana.”

He offered me one.I refused it.I felt it crucial that my fathersell his bananas，not give them away.He thought I was shy，and coaxed and joked with me，and made me eat the banana.It smelled of wet straw and snow.

“You haven’t sold many bananas today，pop，”I said anxiously.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“What can I do？No one seems to want them.”

It was true.The work crowds pushed home morosely over the pavements.The rusty sky darkened over New York buildings，the tall street lamps were lit，innumerable trucks，street cars and elevated trains clattered by.Nobody and nothing in the great city stopped for my father’s bananas.

“I ought to yell，”said my father dolefully.“I ought to make a big noise like other peddlers，but it makes my throat sore.Anyway，I’m ashamed of yelling，it makes me feel like a fool.”

I had eaten one of his bananas.My sick conscience told me that I ought to pay for it somehow.I must remain here and help my father.

“I’ll yell for you，pop，”I volunteered.

“Arch，no，”he said，“go home；you have worked enough today.Just tell momma I’ll be late.”

But I yelled and yelled.My father，standing by，spoke occasional words of praise，and said I was a wonderful yeller.Nobody else paid attention.The workers drifted past us wearily，endlessly；a defeated army wrapped in dreams of home.Elevated trains crashed；the Cooper Union clock burned above us；the sky grew black，the wind poured，the slush burned through our shoes.There were thousands of strange，silent figures pouring over the sidewalks in snow.None of them stopped to buy bananas.I yelled and yelled，nobody listened.

My father tried to stop me at last.“Nu，”he said smiling to console me，“that was wonderful yelling，Mikey.But it’s plain weare unlucky today！Let’s go home.”

I was frantic，and almost in tears.I insisted on keeping up my desperate yells.But at last my father persuaded me to leave with him.

11.“unyoked”in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

A.sent out.　　　　　　　　B.released.

C.dispatched.　　　　　　　D.removed.

12.Which of the following in the first paragraph does NOT indicate crowds of people？

A.Thousands of.　　　　　　　B.Flowed.

C.Pouring.　　　　　　　　　 D.Unyoked.

13.Which of the following is intended to be a pair of contrast in the passage？

A.Huge crowds and lonely individuals.

B.Weather conditions and street lamps.

C.Clattering trains and peddlers’yells.

D.Moving crowds and street traffic.

14.Which of the following words in NOT suitable to describe the character of the son？

A.Compassionate.　　　　　　　B.Responsible.

C.Shy.　　　　　　　　　　　　D.Determined.

15.What is the theme of the story？

A.The misery of the factory workers.

B.How to survive in a harsh environment.

C.Generation gap between the father and the son.

D.Love between the father and the son.

TEXT D

My mother’s relations were very different from the Mitfords.Her brother，Uncle Geoff，who often came to stay at Swinbrook，was a small，spare man with thoughtful blue eyes and a rather silent manner.Compared to Uncle Tommy，he was an intellectual of the highest order，and indeed his satirical pen belied his mild demeanor.He spent most of his walking hours composing letters to The Times and other publications in which he outlined his own particular theory of the development of English history.In Uncle Geoff’s view，the greatness of England had risen and waned over the centuries in direct proportion to the use of natural manure in fertilizing the soil.The Black Death of 1348was caused by gradual loss of the humus fertility found under forest trees.The rise of the Elizabethans two centuries later was attributable to the widespread use of sheep manure.

Many of the Uncle Geoff’s letters-to-the-editor have fortunately been preserved in a privately printed volume called Writings of A Rebel.Of the collection，one letter best sums up his views on the relationship between mature and freedom.He wrote：

Collating old records shows that our greatness rises and falls with the living fertility of our soil.And now，many years of exhausted and chemically murdered soil，and of devitalized food from it，has softened our bodies and still worse，softened our national character.It is an actual fact that character is largely a product of the soil.Many years of murdered food from deadened soil had made us too tame.Chemicals have had their poisonous day.It is now the worm’s turn to reform the manhood of England.The only way to regain our punch，our character，our lost virtues，and with them the freedom natural to islanders，is to compost our land so as to allow moulds，bacteria and earthworms to remake living soil to nourish Englishmen’s bodies and spirits.

The law requiring pasteurization of milk in England was a particular target of Uncle Geoff’s.Fond of alliteration，he dubbed it“Murdered Milk measure”，and established the Liberty Restoration League，with headquarters at his house in London，for the specific purpose of organizing a counteroffensive.“Freedom not Doctordom”was the League’s proud slogan.A subsidiary，but nevertheless important，activity of the League was advocacy of a return to the“unsplit，slowly smoked fish”and bread made with“English stone-ground flour，yeast，milk，sea salt and raw cane-sugar”.

16.Which of the following is TRUE of Uncle Geoff？

A.He was a cynical man with profound knowledge.

B.He was an eloquent speaker with blue eyes.

C.He made a living by composing letters to publications.

D.He embodied his ideas in the letters he wrote.

17.According to Uncle Geoff，national strength could only be regained by

A.reforming the manhood of England.

B.using natural manure as fertilizer.

C.eating more bacteria-free food.

D.granting more freedom to Englishmen.

18.The author mentions the Black Death to

A.remind people of the great disaster of the Black Death.

B.give an example to support Uncle Geoff’s view.

C.illustrate the importance of natural manure.

D.warn people of the serious impact of loss of fertility.

19.The word“counteroffensive”in the fourth paragraph probably means

A.dynamo.　　　　B.fightback.　　　C.partnership.　　　D.outpost.

20.The tone of the passage can most probably be described as

A.facetious.　　　B.serious.　　　C.nostalgic.　　　D.factual.