英语短文阅读

Part I Reading comprehensionDirections: There are some reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. you should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center. Education is one of the key words of our time. A man without an education, many of usbelieve, is an unfortunate victim(受害人) of unfortunate circumstances（状况）deprived ofone of the greatest twenty-first century opportunities. Convinced（深信的）of theimportance of education, modern states "invest" in institutions of learning to get back"interest" in the form of a large group of enlightened young men and women who arepotential leaders. Education, with its cycles of instruction so carefully worked out,punctuated by textbooks ---those purchasable wells of wisdom ---what would civilizationbe like without its benefits? So much is certain: that we would have doctors and preachers,lawyers and defendants, marriages and births; but our spiritual outlook would be different.We would lay less stress on "facts and figures" and more on a good memory, on appliedpsychology, and on the capacity of a man to get along with his fellow citizens. If oureducational system were fashioned after its bookless past we would have the mostdemocratic form of "college" imaginable. Among the people whom we like to call savagesall knowledge inherited by tradition is shared by all; it is taught to every member of thetribe so that in this respect everybody is equally equipped for life. It is the ideal condition ofthe "equal start" which only our most progressive forms of modem education try to regain.In primitive cultures the obligation to seek and to receive the traditional instruction isbinding to all. There are no "illiterates" －if the term can be applied to peoples without ascript---while our own compulsory school attendance became law in Germany in 1642, inFrance in 1806, and in England in 1967, and is still non- existent in a number of "civilized"nations. This shows how long it was before we deemed it necessary to make sure that allour children could share in the knowledge accumulated by the "happy few" during the pastcenturies. Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means. All are entitledto an equal start. There is none of the hurry which, in our society, often hampers the fulldevelopment of a growing personality. There, a child grows up under the ever-presentattention of his parents; therefore the jungles and the savages know of no "juveniledelinquency". No necessity of making a living away from home results in neglect of children, and no father is confronted with his inability to "buy" an education for his child.1.The best title for this passage is _____.A . Educational: A Comparison of Its Past and Its PresentB . The Significance of EducationC . Education Investment and Its ReturnsD . Education in the WildernessA . prevented fromB . derived fromC . dispossessed ofD . disposed ofA . against the education in the very early historic timesB . in favor of the educational practice in primitive culturesC . positive about our present educational instructionD . quite happy to see an equal start for everyoneA . every country invests heavily in educationB . everyone today has an equal opportunity in educationC . some families now can hardly afford to send their children to schoolD . we are not very certain whether preachers are necessary or notA . Compulsory schooling is a legal obligation in several countries now.B . Our spiritual outlook is better now than before.C . Our spiritual outlook is better now than before.D . One without education today has few opportunities.There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. There basic ways may be described as the marker system, the administered system and the traditional system. In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions（交易）may take place via barter（以物易物）or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money. An alternative to the marker system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue edicts（告示）or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. Central planning, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy. In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition: every person's place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. A stagnant（停滞的）society may result.6.What is the main purpose of the passage?A . To argue for the superiority of one economic system.B . To outline contrasting types of economic systems.C . To compare barter and money-exchange markets.D . To explain the science of economics.7. In the second paragraph, the word "real" in "real goods" could best be replaced by which of the following?A . Utter.B . Concrete.C . High quality.D . Utter.A . difficulties for the tradersB . inflationC . misunderstandingsD . rapid speed of transactions9. According to the passage, who has the greatest degree of control in an administered system?A . small businesses.B . The government.C . Major corporations.D . Individual households.10. Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the author as a criterion for determining a person's place in a traditional society?A . Age.B . Religious beliefs.C . Family.D . Custom.Kazuko Nakane's history of the early Japanese immigrants to central California's Pajaro Valley focuses on the development of farming communities there from 1890 to 1940. The Issei (first-generation immigrants) were brought into the Pajaro Valley to raise sugar beets. Like Issei laborers in American cities, Japanese men in rural areas sought employment via the "boss" system. The system comprised three elements: immigrant wage laborers; Issei boardinghouses where laborers stayed; and labor contractors, who gathered workers for a particular job and then negotiated a contract between workers and employer. This same system was originally utilized by the Chinese laborers who had preceded the Japanese. A related institution was the "labor club," which provided job information and negotiated employment contracts and other legal matters, such as the rental of land, for Issei who chose to belong and paid an annual fee to the cooperative for membership. When the local sugar beet industry collapsed in 1902, the Issei began to lease land from the valley's strawberry farmers. The Japanese provided the labor and the crop was divided between laborers and landowners. The Issei began to operate farms, they began to marry and start families, forming an established Japanese American community. Unfortunately, the Issei's efforts to attain agricultural independence were hampered by government restrictions, such as the Alien Land Law of 1913. But immigrants could circumvent such exclusionary laws by leasing or purchasing land in their American-born children's names. Nakane's case study of one rural Japanese American community provides valuable information about the lives and experiences of the Issei. It is, however, too particularistic. This limitation derives from Nakane's methodology that of oral history which cannot substitute for a broader theoretical or comparative perspective. Furture research might well consider two issues raised by her study: were the Issei of the Pajaro Valley similar to or different from Issei in urban settings, and what variations existed between rural Japanese American communities?11.The primary purpose of the passage is to______.A . summarize and critique a history of an early Japanese settlement in CaliforniaB . compare a history of one Japanese American community with studies of Japanese settlements throughout CaliforniaC . defend a controversial hypothesis presented in a history of early Japanese immigrants to CaliforniaD . dismiss a history of an early Japanese settlement in California as narrow and ill constructedA . An organization to which Issei were compelled to belong if they sought employment in the Pajaro Valley.B . A cooperative association whose members were due-spaying Japanese laborers.C . An association whose members included labor contractors and landowning "bosses".D . A type of farming corporation set up by Issei who had resided in the Pajaro Valley for some time.13. Based on information In the passage, which of the following statements concerning the Alien Land Law of 1913 is most accurate?A . It successfully prevented Issei from ever purchasing farmland.B . It excluded American-born citizens of Japanese ancestry from landownership.C . It was applicable to first-generation immigrants but not to their American-born children.D . It sought to restrict the number of foreign immigrants to California.14. The author of the passage would most likely agree that which of the following, if it had been Included in Nakane's study, would best remedy the particularistic nature of that study?A . A statistical table showing rates of farm ownership by Japanese Americans in four central California counties from 1890 to 1940.B . A discussion of original company documents dealing with the Pajaro Valley sugar beet industry at the turn of the century.C . A statistical table comparing per capita income of Issei wage laborers and sharecroppers in the Pajaro Valley.D . A statistical table showing per capita income of Issei in the Pajaro Valley from 1890 to 1940.15. It can be inferred from the passage that, when the Issei began to lease land from the Valley's strawberry farmers, the Issei most probably did which of the following?A . They earned higher wages than when they raised sugar beets.B . They negotiated such agricultural contracts using the "boss" system.C . They used profits made from selling the strawberry crop to hire other Issei.D . They paid for the use of the land with a share of the strawberry crop.Scientist have long been trying to find an effective way to treat drug users. However, most of the efforts have been fell flat, with treatment results not encouraging. Scientists do not give up, and continue with their researches. Until the end of last century, some new treatment methods were found. Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) is one of them. It is a brief intervention used to treat adolescent drug use that occurs with other problem behaviors. These co-occurring problem behaviors include conduct problems at home and at school. BSFT is based on three basic principles. The first is that BSFT is a family system approach. Family system means that family members are interdependent: What affects one family member affects other family members. According to family system theory, the drug-using adolescent is a family member who displays symptoms, including drug use and related co-occurring problem behaviors. These symptoms are indicative, at least in part, of what else is going on in the family system. The second BSFT principle is that the patterns of interaction in the family influence the behavior of each family member. Patterns of interaction are defined as the sequential behaviors among family members that become habitual and repeat over time. An example: an adolescent tries to attract the attention of his/her parents when they are fighting because he/she wants to disrupt the fight. The role of the BSFT counselor is to identify the patterns of family interaction that are associated with the adolescent's behavior problems. For example, a mother and grandmother who are arguing about establishing rules and consequences for a problem never reach an agreement because the adolescent disrupts their arguments with self-destructive attempts to get attention. Therefore, the third principle of BSFT is to plan interventions that carefully target and provide practical ways to change those patterns of interaction that are directly linked to the adolescent's drug use and other problem behaviors. The three principles seem plausible, but the therapy's effectiveness needs to be proved by more evidence.16.The passage mainly discusses ______.A . how a new kind of therapy is developed by scientistsB . how scientists are trying to find an effective treatment for drug usersC . how a new kind of therapy worksD . how doctors and hospitals should help drug users to quit drugsA . establish the closer relationship within familyB . treat adolescent drug useC . help family members live with mutual understandingD . cure diseases caused by adult drug abuseA . widespreadB . happening at the same time of using drugsC . caused by using drugsD . existingA . The new treatment focuses on the support of family members.B . The new treatment is effective.C . There are three basic principles in the treatment.D . The new treatment was developed almost at the end of last century.20. What is mentioned by the passage as a way for the adolescents to attract attention to themselves?A . To commit serious crimes.B . To work hard.C . To get ill and go to hospital.D . To engage in competition.。