1996年Passage 4
What accounts for the great outburst of major inventions in early America-breakthroughs such as the telegraph , the steamboat and the weaving machine?
Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the country's excellent elementary schools; a labor force that welcomed the new technology; the practice of giving premiums to inventors; and above all the American genius for nonverbal , "spatial" thinking about things technological.
Why mention the elementary schools? Because thanks to these schools our early mechanics ,especially in the New England and Middle Atlantic states, were generally literate and at home in arithmetic and in some aspects of geometry and trigonometry.
Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage. As a member of a British commission visiting here in 1853 reported, "With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman."
A further stimulus to invention came from the "premium" system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This approach, originated abroad, offered inventors medals, cash prizes and other incentives.
In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities. Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technological advance.
Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking required in mechanical technology. As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out , "A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions; they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process . . . The designer and the inventor . . . are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist."
This nonverbal "spatial" thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing. Robert Fulton once wrote, "The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc., like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea."
When all these shaping forces--schools, open attitudes, the premium system, a genius for spatial thinking--interacted with one another on the rich U. S. mainland, they produced that American characteristic, emulation. Today that word implies mere imitation. But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fame and excellence.
63.According to the author, the great outburst of major inventions in early America was in a
large part due to_____。
[A]elementary schools
[B]enthusiastic workers
[C]the attractive premium system
[D]a special way of thinking
[答案]D
[解题思路]
本题对应于文章第二段，该段列举了"the great outburst of major inventions in early America"的各项因素，其中该段最后一部分指出了"above all the American genius for nonverbal , "spatial" thinking about things technological"（最重要的是美国人在处理技术性事物时天生具备的非语言的"空间"思维才能），这种""spatial" thinking"正是选项D的"a special way of thinking"，因此D为正确选项。
[题目译文]
根据文章的作者，早期美国涌现大批重大发明的主要原因在于_____。
[A]基础教育
[B]热情的工人
[C]吸引人的奖励制度
[D]特殊的思维方式
65.A technologist can be compared to an artist because_____。
[A]they are both winners of awards
[B]they are both experts in spatial thinking
[C]they both abandon verbal description
[D]they both use various instruments
[答案]B
[解题思路]
本题对应于文章倒数第二段关于技术人员和艺术家的比较"This nonverbal "spatial" thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing. Robert Fulton once wrote, "The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc., like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea.""（这种非语言的""空间"思维方式与绘画和写作一样具有创造性。罗伯特?法欧曾写道："技术人员坐在杠杆、螺钉、楔子、轮子等东西中间，就如同一位诗人处在字母表的字母之中，应该把它们看做是自己思想的一种表达，其中每一个新的组合都能传达一种新的想法。"），从该段第一句话就可以判断B为正确选项。C选项的错误在于他们擅长nonverbal "spacial" thnking并不意味着他们放弃了语言描述，而A和D选项的表述在原文没有提及。
[题目译文]
技术专家可以同艺术家相提并论是因为_____。
[A]他们都是获奖者
[B]他们都擅长空间思维
[C]他们都放弃用语言来描述
[D]他们都使用不同的工具
1995年Passage 5
Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publisher's pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a confused and often unenlightened citizenry that there are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology, geology, and biology have provided a consistent , unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. "Scientific" creationism, which is being pushed by some for "equal time" in the classrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are evil, is based on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of nonfunda mentalist religious leaders have come to regard "scientific" creationism as bad science and bad religion.
The first four chapters of Kitcher's book give a very brief introduction to evolution. At appropriate places, he introduces the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have expected more Christian behavior.
Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of his arguments. The nonspecialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapter on the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: "This book stands for reason itself." And so it does-and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate.
68.Kitche's book is intended to______.
[A]recommend the views of the evolutionists
[B]expose the true features of creationists
[C]curse bitterly at this opponents
[D]launch a surprise attack on creationists
[答案]B
[解题思路]
文章第二段讲述了Kitcher这本书的主要内容，其中从第一、三、四句话中可以看出其主要写作目的"The first four chapters of Kitcher's book give a very brief introduction to evolution... In the last three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise"（ 金切尔这本著作的前四章简单地介绍了进化论......在该书的最后三章中，他毫不留情地对创世纪论者进行了猛烈抨击。他揭露了这些人的纲领和手段，对那些不了解创世纪论者惯用手法的人来说，其欺骗和歪曲事实的程度会让他们感到既气愤又惊讶），即向读者揭示创世纪论的真正面目。A显然与Kitcher的基调相反。C选项语气过重，Kitcher实际上并没有对对手作人身攻击，D选项在原文中没有涉及。
[题目译文]
金切尔的书旨在_____。
[A]推荐进化论者的观点
[B]揭露创世纪论者的真面目
[C]诅咒他的对手
[D]对创世纪论者发动突然袭击
1997年Passage 1
It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia's Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: "We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history."
The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally III law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia - where an aging population, life extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part - other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia. In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death - probably by a deadly injection or pill - to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a "cooling off" period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54 year old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. "I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks," he says.
52.When the author says that observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling, he means _____.
[A]observers are taking a wait and see attitude towards the future of euthanasia
[B]similar bills are likely to be passed in the US, Canada and other countries
[C]observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes
[D]the effect taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop
[答案]B
[解题思路]
本题对应于文章第二段的最后一句话"In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling"（在美国和加拿大，死亡权利运动正在积蓄力量积极准备。观察家们正在等待着将产生的多米诺骨牌效应）。"dominoes"的意思为多米诺骨牌，在这里指的是多米诺骨牌效应，即其他国家可能效仿澳大利亚纷纷推出安乐死法律，因此答案为A。即使不知道dominoes的意思，也可以从该句的前半句以及第二段中间的"But the tide is unlikely to turn back"（但是安乐死这一潮流已无法逆转）这句话也能判断出正确答案。A和C选项与上下文的意思不符，可以排除。而D选项则与"But the tide is unlikely to turn back"这句话的意思以及该段的基调相反，也是错误选项。
[题目译文]
作者说观察家们正在等待着将产生的多米诺骨牌效应，其中的意思是_____。
[A]观察家们对安乐死的未来持观望态度
[B]类似的法案可能会在美国、加拿大和其他国家通过
[C]观察家们正在等待着看多米诺骨牌游戏的结束
[D]这项已经同股哦的法案的生效过程最终可能会停止
53.When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will _____.
[A]face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia
[B]experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient
[C]have an intense fear of terrible suffering
[D]undergo a cooling off period of seven days
[答案]A
[解题思路]
文章最后一段第四句指出"For Lloyd Nickson, a 54 year old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition"（对于居住于达尔文市、现年54岁的肺癌患者利奥德?尼克森来说，这个法律意味着他可以平静地生活下去而无须整天惧怕即将来临的苦难折磨：因呼吸困难而在煎熬中痛苦地死去），显然B选项是正确答案。而B、C、D选项都与原文意思相似，D选项指的是安乐死执行过程中的一步，与例子无关。
[题目译文]
当利奥德?尼克森死的时候，他会_____。
[A]带着安乐死特有的平静面对死亡
[B]经历肺癌患者的痛苦
[C]非常害怕可怕的痛苦
[D]经历七天的冷静期
1997年Passage 2
A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.
For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.
The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn't take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.
Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner - amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.
As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor's language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many American value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.
55.In the eyes of visitors from the outside world,_____.
[A]rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US
[B]small minded officials deserve a serious comment
[C]Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors
[D]most Americans are ready to offer help
[答案]D
[解题思路]
文章开篇第一句话指出"A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them"（去过美国的人经常带回报告说，大多数美国人对他们非常友善、好客、且他们都很乐于助人），因此显而易见D为正确答案。A选项与第一段第四句话"There are, of course, exceptions. Small minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US"（在美国，心胸狭隘的官员，举止粗鲁的招待和缺乏教养的出租车司机也并非罕见）的意思相反。B选项与原文不符，因为第一段最后一句话提到的"deserve comments"指的是美国人对人热情友好这一现象。而C选项与该段第二句话"To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American"（公正地说，人们对加拿大和加拿大人也有这样的评论，因而，应当认为这是北美一个普遍的现象）的意思相反，也是错误选项。
[题目译文]
在外来游客的眼中，_____。
[A]粗鲁的出租车司机在美国很少见
[B]心胸狭窄的官员们应该得到严肃的批评
[C]加拿大人们不如他们的邻国人友好
[D]大多数美国人都乐于助人
57.Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers_____.
[A]to improve their hard life
[B]in view of their long distance travel
[C]to add some flavor to their own daily life
[D]out of a charitable impulse
[答案]C
[解题思路]
本题对应于文章第二段的最后一句话"Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world"（因此陌生人和旅行者很受欢迎，他们给当地人带来了娱乐消遣，同时还带来了外面世界的消息），因此C选项为正确答案，选项中的flavor与原文的diversion对应。
[题目译文]
在偏远地区的人家过去款待陌生人的原因在于_____。
[A]为了改善他们的艰苦生活
[B]由于游客长途跋涉
[C]为了该自己的日常生活增添一些特色
[D]一时冲动做好事
58.The tradition of hospitality to strangers _____.
[A]tends to be superficial and artificial
[B]is generally well kept up in the United States
[C]is always understood properly
[D]was something to do with the busy tourist trails
[答案]B
[解题思路]
本题的对应信息在文章第四段，该段第二句话说"Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails"（不过，热情接待陌生人的传统在美国仍然非常流行，尤其是在远离旅游热线的小城镇），选项符合题意，而D选项与该句的意思相左。A选型与该段最后一句话"The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition"（很多美国人在不经意间表现出的友好不应被看做是表面应酬或故作姿态，而应该视为是在历史发展中形成的一种文化传统）意思相反，是错误选项。C选项与该段倒数第二句话"Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly"（来美国的旅客中碰到这种事件的还不少，但他们并非对这个现象都能正确理解）的意思也是相反的，因而也是错误的。
[题目译文]
款待陌生人的传统_____。
[A]往往是肤浅的、虚伪的
[B]总的来说在美国很好地保持了下来
[C]总是得到正确的理解
[D]与繁忙的旅游路线有关
1997年Passage 3
Technically, any substance other than food that alters our bodily or mental functioning is a drug. Many people mistakenly believe the term drug refers only to some sort of medicine or an illegal chemical taken by drug addicts. They don't realize that familiar substances such as alcohol and tobacco are also drugs. This is why the more neutral term substance is now used by many physicians and psychologists. The phrase "substance abuse" is often used instead of "drug abuse" to make clear that substances such as alcohol and tobacco can be just as harmfully misused as heroin and cocaine.
We live a society in which the medicinal and social use of substances (drugs) is pervasive: an aspirin to quiet a headache, some wine to be sociable, coffee to get going in the morning, a cigarette for the nerves. When do these socially acceptable and apparently constructive uses of a substance become misuses? First of all, most substances taken in excess will produce negative effects such as poisoning or intense perceptual distortions. Repeated use of a substance can also lead to physical addiction or substance dependence. Dependence is marked first by an increased tolerance, with more and more of the substance required to produce the desired effect, and then by the appearance of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the substance is discontinued.
Drugs (substances) that affect the central nervous system and alter perception, mood, and behavior are known as psychoactive substances. Psychoactive substances are commonly grouped according to whether they are stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogens. Stimulants initially speed up or activate the central nervous system, whereas depressants slow it down. Hallucinogens have their primary effect on perception, distorting and altering it in a variety of ways including producing hallucinations. These are the substances often called psychedelic (from the Greek word meaning "mind-manifesting") because they seemed to radically alter one's state of consciousness.
59. "Substance abuse" (Line 5, Paragraph 1) is preferable to "drug abuse" in that _____.
[A]substances can alter our bodily or mental functioning if illegally used
[B]"drug abuse" is only related to a limited number of drug takers
[C]alcohol and tobacco are as fatal as heroin and cocaine
[D]many substances other than heroin or cocaine can also be poisonous
[答案]D
[解题思路]
第一段第三句至最后一句指出"They don't realize that familiar substances such as alcohol and tobacco are also drugs. This is why the more neutral term substance is now used by many physicians and psychologists. The phrase "substance abuse" is often used instead of "drug abuse" to make clear that substances such as alcohol and tobacco can be just as harmfully misused as heroin and cocaine"（他们没有意识到诸如酒精、烟草这些我们熟悉的物质也都是药物。这也就是为什么现在许多医生和心理学家使用"物质"这个更加中性的词的原因。他们常用"物质滥用"而不用"药物滥用"来清楚表明滥用酒精、烟草这样的物质与滥用海洛因和可卡因一样有害），因此用"Substance abuse"比"drug abuse"更好的原因在于如果人们也滥用酒精和烟草等物质，与毒品一样是有害的，因此D为正确选项。C选项的错误在于alcohol和tabacco只是例子，且文章没有提及它们是否fatal。而A和B选项都不符合题意。
[题目译文]
使用"物质滥用"（第一段第五行）这个词语比"药物滥用"更合适是因为_____。
[A]物质如果非常使用会改变我们的身体和心理机能
[B]"药物滥用"只与少数吸毒者有关
[C]酒精和烟草与海洛因和可卡因具有一样的致命性
[D]除了海洛因和可卡因之外，还有很多物质也有毒性
61.Physical dependence on certain substances results from_____.
[A]uncontrolled consumption of them over long periods of time
[B]exclusive use of them for social purposes
[C]quantitative application of them to the treatment of diseases
[D]careless employment of them for unpleasant symptoms
[答案]A
[解题思路]
本题可定位于文章第二段的倒数第二句话"Repeated use of a substance can also lead to physical addiction or substance dependence"（反复使用一种物质可以导致上瘾），显然A为正确答案。B选项的情况有一定干扰性，但与原文意思有所不同。而C、D都不是题干中"Physical dependence on certain substances"的原因。
[题目译文]
对于某些物质的心理依赖是由于_____。
[A]长时间对于这些物质的无节制使用
[B]专为社交目的使用这些物质
[C]将这些物质大量应用于疾病治疗
[D]随意用它们来消除难受的症状
1997年Passage 4
No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It's a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company's mountainous debt, which will increase to ??17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.
The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company's rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice T's violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."
Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month's stockholders' meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society's ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
The 15 member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this."
63. Senator Robert Dole criticized Time Warner for_____.
[A]its raising of the corporate stock price
[B]its self examination of soul
[C]its neglect of social responsibility
[D]its emphasis on creative freedom
[答案]C
[解题思路]
文章第一段第二句话""Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?""（上星期，参议员罗伯特?多尔质问时代--华纳公司的高级经理们时说："难道这就是你们要成就的事业吗？你们已经出卖了自己的灵魂，难道你们还一定要腐化我们这个民族，威胁我们的下一代吗？"），四个选项中只有C选项符合引言的基调和思想。
[题目译文]
参议员罗伯特?多尔批评时代华纳公司是因为_____。
[A]该公司提高其股票价格
[B]公司在良心上的自我反省
[C]公司忽略了社会责任
[D]公司强调创造性自由
64.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
[A]Luce is a spokesman of Time Warner.
[B]Gerald Levin is liable to compromise.
[C]Time Warner is united as one in the face of the debate.
[D]Stever Ross is no longer alive
[答案]D
[解题思路]
本题可以一一排除。关于A选项，Luce出现在文章的最后一段，之前的一句话指出"But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter"（但据内部消息人士透露，其中有几位董事对此事表示担忧），由此可以推测Luce可能是董事之一，因此A选项错误。B选项对应于文章的第四段，其中第一句话指出"Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard line stand, at least to some extent"（莱文不愿对上周的评论做出评论，但有迹象表明这位董事长的强硬立场起码在一定程度上有所松动），虽然说Levin的立场有所松动，但只是"to some extent"，因此B选项的表述并不完全正确。C选项对应于最后一段的前面两句话"The 15 member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter"（总的来说，时代--华纳公司的15位董事是支持莱文和公司的经营策略的。但据内部消息人士透露，其中有几位董事对此事表示担忧），尽管表面上上下齐心，但是实际上情况并不是如此，因此C选项也是错误的。D选项的Stever Ross出现在文章第二段，其名字前面用了late的意思，在英文里面这种用法就是指这个人已经亡故，因此D选项符合题意。
[题目译文]
根据文章内容，下列那一项是正确的？
[A]卢斯是时代华纳公司的一名发言人。
[B]杰罗德?莱文可能会妥协。
[C]时代华纳公司面对这场辩论上下齐心
[D]史蒂夫?罗斯已经离开了人世。
65. In face of the recent attacks on the company, the chairman_____.
[A]stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression
[B]softened his tone and adopted some new policy
[C]changed his attitude and yielded to objection
[D]received more support from the 15 member board
[答案]B
[解题思路]
文章第四段一开始就指出，董事长在某种程度上缓和了其强硬立场，此外该段最后一句进一步指出"he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music"（他还宣布，公司将全力为那些可能引起人们反感的音乐制定各种发行和标识的标准），因此可见正确答案为B，其余三项也相应地可以排除。
[题目译文]
面对公司近期收到的攻击，董事长_____。
[A] 坚持其强硬立场，维护言论自由
[B] 缓和了语气并采取了新的政策
[C] 改变了他的态度并接受了批评意见
[D] 从15名董事会成员那里得到了更多的支持
1997年Passage 5
Much of the language used to describe monetary policy, such as "steering the economy to a soft landing" or "a touch on the brakes", makes it sound like a precise science. Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain. And there are long, variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy. Hence the analogy that likens the conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen, a cracked rear view mirror and a faulty steering wheel.
Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.
It is also less than most forecasters had predicted. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America's inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and expected to average only about 3% for the year as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.
Economists have been particularly surprised by favorable inflation figures in Britain and the United States, since conventional measures suggest that both economies, and especially America's, have little productive slack. America's capacity utilization, for example, his historically high levels earlier this year, and its jobless rate (5.6% in August) has fallen bellow most estimates of the natural rate of unemployment - the rate below which inflation has taken off in the past.
Why has inflation proved so mild? The most thrilling explanation is, unfortunately, a little defective. Some economists argue that powerful structural changes in the world have up ended the old economic models that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation.
68.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
[A]Making monetary policies is comparable to driving a car
[B]An extremely low jobless rate will lead to inflation
[C]A high unemployment rate will result from inflation
[D]Interest rates have an immediate effect on the economy
[答案] B
[解题思路]
本题可对选项进行一一排除。文章第一段最后一句话说"Hence the analogy that likens the conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen, a cracked rear view mirror and a faulty steering wheel."（因此，人们将货币政策的实施比做是驾驶一辆带有灰暗挡风玻璃、后视镜破碎及方向盘失灵的汽车），而A选项中的"Making monetary policies"与原文中的"the conduct of monetary policy"是不同的，前者指的是"金融政策的制定"，而后者指的是"金融政策的实施"，因而可以首先排除A选项。文章第一段第三句话指出"The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain"（利率和通货膨胀之间的关系并不是确定的），因此可以排除D选项。B和C选项的表述是相反的意思，其对应的信息在文章第四段的最后"its jobless rate (5.6% in August) has fallen bellow most estimates of the natural rate of unemployment - the rate below which inflation has taken off in the past"（而在过去的时候，当失业率降到低于自然失业率时，通货膨胀率早已飙升），因此B是正确选项。
[题目译文]
根据文章，下面哪个选项是正确的？
[A]制定货币政策就好比开车。
[B]极低的失业率会导致通货膨胀。
[C]高失业率是由通货膨胀造成的。
[D]利率对于经济有立竿见影的影响。
1998年Passage 1
Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind's long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascination. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.
The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn't help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt's leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey's bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.
But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left - all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.
And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself.
Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go ahead to the even more wrong headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.
Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the cost and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don't need a dam to be saved.
53.What is the myth concerning giant dams?
[A]They bring in more fertile soil.
[B]They help defend the country.
[C]They strengthen international ties.
[D]They have universal control of the waters.
[答案] D
[解题思路]
文章第四段第一句话用到了myth这个词，"And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists"（不过，制服洪水的神话仍在继续），可见，myth指的就是controlling the waters，因此答案显然是D。
[题目译文]
关于大型水坝的神话是什么？
[A]它们会带来更加肥沃的土壤
[B]它们可以保卫国家
[C]它们可以加强国际关系
[D]它们能全面控制洪水
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