第十六套题

第十六套题 Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points) Text 1 07.6 For more than two decades, U.S. courts have been limiting affirmative-action programs in universities and other areas. The legal rationale is that racial preferences are unconstitutional, even those intended to compensate for racism or intolerance. For many colleges, this means students can be admitted only on merit, not on their race or ethnicity. It has been a divisive issue across the U.S., as educators blame the prolonged reaction to affirmative-action for declines in minority admissions. Meanwhile, activists continue to battle race preferences in courts from Michigan to North Carolina. Now, chief executives of about two dozen companies have decided to plunge headfirst into this politically unsettled debate. They, together with 36 universities and 7 nonprofitable organizations, formed a forum that set forth an action plan essentially designed to help colleges circumvent court-imposed restrictions on affirmative action. The CEOs’ motive: “Our audience is growing more diverse, so the communities we serve benefit if our employees are racially and ethnically diverse as well”, says one CEO of a compang that owns nine television stations. Among the steps the forum is pushing: finding creative yet legal ways to boost minority enrollment through new admissions policies; promoting admissions decisions that look at more than test scores; and encouraging universities to step up their minority outreach and financial aid. And to counter accusations by critics to challenge these tactics in court, the group says it will give legal assistance to colleges sued for trying them. “Diversity diminished by the court must be made up for in other legitimate, legal ways,” says, a forum member. One of the more controversial methods advocated is the so-called 10% rule. The idea is for public universities—which educate three-quarters of all U.S. undergraduates—to admit students who are in the top 10% of their high school graduating class. Doing so allows colleges to take minorities who excel in average urban schools, even if they wouldn’t have made the cut under the current statewide ranking many universities use.［335 words］ 1. U.S. court restrictions on affirmative action signifies that. ［A］ minorities no longer hold the once favored status ［B］ the quality of American colleges has improved ［C］ racial preferences has replaced racial prejudice ［D］ the minority is on an equal footing with the majority 2. What has been a divisive issue across the United States? ［A］ Whether affirmative action should continue to exist. ［B］ Whether this law is helping minorities or the white majority. ［C］ Whether racism exists in American college admission. ［D］ Whether racial intolerance should be punished. 3. CEOs of big companies decided to help colleges enroll more minority students because they. ［A］ think it wrong to deprive the minorities of their rights to receive education ［B］ want to conserve the fine characteristics of American nation ［C］ want a workforce that reflects the diversity of their customers ［D］ think it their duty to help develop education of the country 4. The major tactic the forum uses is to. ［A］ battle the racial preferences in court ［B］ support colleges involved in lawsuits of racism ［C］ strive to settle this political debate nationwide ［D］ find legally viable ways to ensure minority admissions 5. If the 10% rule is applied,. ［A］ the best white high school students can get into colleges ［B］ public universities can get excellent students ［C］ students from poor rural families can go to colleges ［D］ good minority students can get into public universities Text 2 07.8 Aeroplanes will be too afraid to crash, yoghurts will wish you good morning before being eaten and human consciousness will be stored on supercomputers, promising immortality for all. These fantastic claims are not made by a science fiction writer or a crystal ball-gazing lunatic. They are the deadly earnest predictions of Ian Pearson, head of the futurology unit at BT. “If you draw the timelines, realistically by 2050 we would expect to be able to download your mind into a machine, so when you die it’s not a major career problem,” Pearson told The Observer. “If you’re rich enough then by 2050 it’s feasible. If you’re poor you’ll probably have to wait until 2075 or 2080 when it’s routine. We are very serious about it. That’s how fast this technology is moving: 45 years is a hell of a long time in IT.” The world’s fastest computer, IBM’s BlueGene, can perform 70.72 trillion calculations per second and is accelerating all the time. But anyone who believes in the uniqueness of consciousness or the soul will find Pearson’s next suggestion hard to swallow. “We’re already looking at how you might structure a computer that could possibly become conscious. There are quite a lot of us now who believe it’s entirely feasible.” In the shorter term, Pearson identifies the next phase of progress as “ambient intelligence”: chips with everything. He explained: “For example, if you have a pollen count sensor in your car you take some antihistamine before you get out. Chips will come small enough that you can start impregnating them into the skin. We’re talking about video tattoos as very, very thin sheets of polymer that you just literally stick on to the skin and they stay there for several days. You could even build in cellphones and connect it to the network, use it as a video phone and download videos or receive emails.” The next age, he predicts, will be that of “simplicity” in around 2013-2015. This is where the IT has actually become mature enough that people will be able to drive it without having to go on a training course. “Forget this notion that you have to have one single chip in the computer which does everything. Why not just get a stack of little self-organising chips in a box and they’ll hook up and do it themselves. It won’t be able to get any viruses because most of the operating system will be stored in hardware which the hackers can’t write to. If your machine starts going wrong, you just push a button and it’s reset to the factory setting.” Pearson’s third age is “virtual worlds” in around 2020. “We will spend a lot of time in virtual space, using high quality, 3D, immersive, computer generated environments to socialise and do business in. When technology gives you a life-size 3D image and the links to your nervous system allow you to shake hands, it’s like being in the other person’s office. It’s impossible to believe that won’t be the normal way of communicating. ”［534 words］ 6. In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by . ［A］ refuting a claim ［B］ quoting a statement ［C］ proposing an assumption［D］ predicting a phenomenon 7. To which of the following would Pearson most likely agree? ［A］ Soon the wealthy will be able to download their consciousness into computers. ［B］ Next-generation technologies will adjust to communication and emotion. ［C］ It’s possible that we could have computers smarter than human beings. ［D］ Ambient intelligence will be the first step in making conscious computers. 8. By referring to BlueGene, the author intends to show . ［A］ human consciousness is not unique［B］ it is hard to believe Pearson’s assumption ［C］ computer technology is advancing rapidly［D］ intelligent machines will become very complex 9. A rollable display which can be wrapped around the arm is likely to appear in the phase of . ［A］ ambient intelligence［B］ simplicity ［C］ virtual worlds［D］ conscious computers 10. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? ［A］ Digital Immortality Is within Our Grasp. ［B］ High-tech Fantasies: Virtual Worlds. ［C］ An Extraordinary Vision of Artificial Intelligence. ［D］ The Merger of Information Technology and Biology. Text 3 06.8 We’re moving into another era, as the toxic effects of the bubble and its grave consequences spread through the financial system. Just a couple of years ago investors dreamed of 20 percent returns forever. Now surveys show that they’re down to a “realistic”8 percent to 10 percent range. But what if the next few years turn out to be below normal expectations? Martin Barners of the Bank Credit Analyst in Montreal expects future stock returns to average just 4 percent to 6 percent. Sound impossible? After a much smaller bubble that burst in the mid-1960s Standard & Poor’s 5000 stock average returned 6.9 percent a year (with dividends reinvested) for the following 17 years. Few investors are prepared for that. Right now denial seems to be the attitude of choice. That’s typical, says Lori Lucas of Hewitt, the consulting firm. You hate to look at your investments when they’re going down. Hewitt tracks 500,000 401 (k) accounts every day, and finds that savers are keeping their contributions up. But they’re much less inclined to switch their money around. “It’s the slot-machine effect,” Lucas says. “People get more interested in playing when they think they’ve got a hot machine”—and nothing’s hot today. The average investor feels overwhelmed. Against all common sense, many savers still shut their eyes to the dangers of owning too much company stock. In big companies last year, a surprising 29 percent of employees held at least three quarters of their 402 (k) in their own stock. Younger employees may have no choice. You often have to wait until you’re 50 or 55 before you can sell any company stock you get as a matching contribution. But instead of getting out when they can, old participants have been holding, too. One third of the people 60 and up chose company stock for three quarters of their plan, Hewitt reports. Are they inattentive? Loyal to a fault? Sick? It’s as if Lucent, Enron and Xerox never happened. No investor should give his or her total trust to any particular company’s stock. And while you’re at it, think how you’d be if future stock returns—averaging good years and bad—are as poor as Barnes predicts. If you ask me, diversified stocks remain good for the long run, with a backup in bonds. But I, too, am figuring on reduced returns. What a shame. Dear bubble, I’ll never forget. It’s the end of a grand affair.［431 words］ 11.The investors’ judgment of the present stock returns seems to be. ［A］ fanciful［B］ pessimistic［C］ groundless［D］ realistic 12.In face of the current stock market, most stock-holders. ［A］ stop injecting more money into the stock market ［B］ react angrily to the devaluing stock ［C］ switch their money around in the market ［D］ turn a deaf ear to the warning 13.In the author’s opinion, employees should. ［A］ invest in company stock to show loyalty to their employer ［B］ get out of their own company’s stock ［C］ wait for some time before disposing of their stock ［D］ give trust to a particular company’s stock 14.It can be inferred from the text that Lucent, Enron and Xerox are names of. ［A］ successful businesses［B］ bankrupted companies ［C］ stocks［D］ huge corporations 15.The author’s attitude towards the long-term investors’ decision is. ［A］ positive［B］ suspicious［C］ negative［D］ ambiguous Text 4 07.8 A revolution is coming in the field of global education. Up to now, all leading universities have relied primarily on the deep Western pool of wisdom to provide both the method and content of their educational systems. This made sense. Western education created the most successful societies humankind has ever seen. Asia benefited from Western education even under colonial rule. When the imperialist Lord Macaulay was put in charge of education in British India, he called for English to be the language of instruction. He promised that Indians’ minds would begin to open when they read those English texts. The magic that Macaulay predicted did indeed happen: Western schooling opened Indian minds. The new, confident India of today owes its success at least in part to the influence of Western literature and learning. Now a second Asian cultural awakening is upon us. There is a growing realization that the world can learn a lot from, say, Chinese and Indian civilizations, in everything from poetry and philosophy to traditional medicine and strategic thinking. Paradoxically, leading Western institutions are ahead of their Asian counterparts in grasping this. Yale University, for example, has signed student-exchange agreements with several leading Asian universities, including Peking University and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Cooperation between Asian and American universities in scientific research is also growing. Sadly, most Asian educators have not fully understood how much the world is changing. They are comfortable with the old paradigm of copying the West. But as Asian economies reach the same level as Western ones, this will no longer work. Asian universities will have to reinvent themselves, bringing together the best of Western and Asian learning. The degree of adaptation will vary from discipline to discipline. The Asian faculties of science, mathematics and engineering will teach the same curricula as Western universities. But to achieve the same level of excellence, Asian universities will have to stop viewing themselves merely as brain factories churning out scientists and engineers only for economic growth. Creativity and innovation will become more important. The explosive success of American universities stems at least in part from the fact that they are treated not merely as economic units but as the guardians of the souls of their people. In the field of social science, the challenges may be even greater. The prevailing assumption in the West is that all social-science theories—even those drawn entirely from American and European experiences—are universally applicable. Hence, there is no need to study other cultures, religions or peoples. In a monocivilizational world dominated by the West, this approach seemed to work. In the multicivilizational world of the future, these assumptions will appear both quaint and irrelevant. In advocating an open attitude to all cultures, the new Asian scholars may only be reviving an old Western ideal which declared that educated minds understood both their own cultures and the world. To succeed, Asian universities will have to cultivate equally strong traditions of freedom of spirit and inquiry that have been the hallmark of great universities throughout the ages, from Nalanda to Harvard. If they can do that, they may even surpass their Western counterparts.［527 words］ 16. The author uses the example of India to show. ［A］ the educational backwardness of a colonial country ［B］ the merging of East and West in the history ［C］ the western prejudice against Asian culture ［D］ the powerful influence of western civilization 17. A second Asian cultural awakening is characterized by . ［A］ contempt for western culture ［B］ the foresight of Asian educational institutions ［C］ the academic exchange between the east and west ［D］ the growth of Asian universities 18. We can infer that, in the author’s eyes, Asian college education . ［A］ still lags behind its western counterpart［B］ has cultivated excellent scholars and talents ［C］ ignores the importance of social science ［D］ is no longer based on the western theories 19. According to the author, Asian universities should . ［A］ carry forward their own traditions［B］ be better informed about world events ［C］ take the lead in the knowledge society ［D］ learn from the west in a new way 20. The best title for the text may be. ［A］ Shared Wisdom［B］ West or East -Whose Century? ［C］ Learn From Asia［D］ Revolution in Education Part B 07.8 Directions: You are going to read a text about the tips on helping the children learn from their failures followed by a list of examples. Choose the best example from the list A-F for each numbered subheading (21-25). There is one extra example which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSER SHEET 1. (10 points) Think back on all you’ve experienced over the years. What event taught you the most? Which was your greatest challenge? What were the most difficult lessons? Now what advice would you give the children in your life to help them achieve their dreams? If I could pass one skill on to the children in my life to equip them and help them achieve their dreams, it would be to learn from their failures and keep moving forward despite adversity. I believe several abilities are key to becoming a person who “fails forward”. Likewise, there are specific ways you can apply them to a child’s life by using the knowledge you’re gained from your own experience. Help the Children in Your Life... 21. To Reject Rejection In order for a child to have a healthy self-image, it’s important that his thinking be on the right track with regard to failure. 22. Keep Expectations Realistic Overcoming setbacks takes time, effort and perseverance. Model for children how to approach every pursuit with realistic expectations and not to give up at the first sign of adversity—an especially tough concept for kids in our instant-gratification society. 23. Focus on Strengths Children will begin to grasp the idea of failing forward when you help them focus on their strengths. Zig Ziglar has always said that being successful in life is “maximizing the ability God has given you.” 24. Vary Approaches to Achievement If you’ve watched the Summer Olympics, you have probably seen athletes compete in the high jump. But did you know that during the 1960s the sport went through a major change in technique that allowed athletes to break the old records and pushed them up to new level? Children can reach their goals the same way. 25. Bounce Back Psychologist Simone Caruthers says, “Life is a series of outcomes. If the outcome is what you want, great. Figure out what you did right. And if the outcome is what you don’t want, great. Figure out what you did (wrong) so you don’t do it again.” Some time in the past, you have undoubtedly faced the prospect of either staying down or bouncing back up. Children will see that one of the keys to not letting their mistakes get the best of them is to persevere. We should never underestimate influence we can have on the children we love. And helping them learn to fail forward is one of the wisest and most fulfilling investments you will ever make.［425 words］ ［A］ Proverbs 22:6 counsels us to train children in the way they should go. The translation of the verse actually means to train them according to their “bent”. In other words, we’re to encourage children to develop in the areas where they are most gifted. ［B］ If your granddaughter is a little disappointed because she’s having trouble selling candy for her school, help her think of innovative ways to sell her candy and thereby reach her goal. ［C］ Help the grandchild who had a bad basketball game become confident again and enter the next game with confidence. ［D］ So if your grandson plays poorly in his Little League game, help him understand that he just had an off day instead of allowing him to think he is a failure as a ballplayer. Encourage him to take ownership of his actions, but not to take a bad game personally. ［E］ When my daughter was small, I remember my mother saying to me, “Mary, you expect too much from her.” And I replied, “You never get more than you expect.” ［F］ They’ll be encouraged to hear of times in your life when you had unrealistic expectations and failed, as well as when you persevered and succeeded. Part C 07.8 Directions: Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.(10 points) “Flexibility” has become a key metaphor potently vivifying a variety of cont