英语专业高级英语阅读期末考试题.doc

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本试题共 4 大题， 7 页,满分 100 分,考试时间为 120 分钟,答案请写在答卷上，否则无效
PART Ⅰ： Write a summary of the following text. This summary should include the main points in your own words with NO MORE THAN 200 words。 (40%)
Children Must be Taught to Tell Right from Wrong
William Kilpatrick
Many of today’s young people have a difficult time seeing any moral dimension to their actions. There are a number of reasons why that's true， but none more prominent than a failed system of education that eschews (回避) teaching children the traditional moral values that bind Americans together as a society and a culture。 That failed approach， called “decision—making,” was introduced in schools 25 years ago。 It tells children to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. It replaced “character education. (品格教育）” Character education didn't ask children to reinvent the moral wheel （浪费时间重新发明早已存在的道德标准）； instead， it encouraged them to practice habits of courage, justice and self—control.
In the 1940s， when a character education approach prevailed， teachers worried about students chewing gum； today they worry about robbery and rape。
Decision—making curriculums pose thorny （棘手的) ethical dilemmas to students， leaving them with the impression that all morality is problematic and that all questions of right and wrong are in dispute. Youngsters are forced to question values and virtues they've never acquired in the first place or upon which they have only a tenuous (薄弱的） hold. The assumption behind this method is that students will arrive at good moral conclusions if only they are given the chance。 But the actual result is moral confusion。
For example, a recent national study of 1，700 sixth- to ninth—graders revealed that a majority of boys considered rape to be acceptable under certain conditions. Astoundingly， many of the girls agreed。
This kind of moral illiteracy is further encouraged by values—education （价值观教育） programs that are little more than courses in self—esteem (自尊). These programs are based on the questionable assumption that a child who feels good about himself or herself won’t want to do anything wrong。 But it is just as reasonable to make an opposite assumption: namely, that a child who has uncritical self—regard will conclude that he or she can’t do anything bad。
Such naive self—acceptance results in large part from the non-directive (无指导性的), non—judgmental (无是非观的)， as-long-as—you—feel-comfortable-with-your—choices mentality （思想) that has pervaded （渗透) public education for the last two and one-half decades。 Many of today’s drug education， sex education and values—education courses are based on the same 1960s philosophy that helped fuel the explosion in teen drug use and sexual activity in the first place。
Meanwhile, while educators are still fiddling with （胡乱摆弄） outdated “feel-good" approaches, New York, Washington， and Los Angeles are burning。 Youngsters are leaving school believing that matters of right and wrong are always merely subjective。 If you pass a stranger on the street and decide to murder him because you need money—if it feels right-you go with that feeling. Clearly， murder is not taught in our schools, but such a conclusion—just about any conclusion-can be reached and justified using the decision—making method。
It is time to consign （寄出） the fads (风尚） of “decision-making” and “non—judgmentalism” to the ash heap of failed policies， and return to a proved method. Character education provides a much more realistic approach to moral formation。 It is built on an understanding that we learn morality not by debating it but by practicing it。
PART Ⅱ. Read the following poem and write the theme of the poem and your afterthoughts on the answer sheet。 （30％）
Whose woods these are I think I know。
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow。
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year。
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely， dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (20%)
Passage one
　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 Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.
　　1。 In the eyes of visitors from the outside world， ___________。
　　A。 rude taxi drivers are everywhere 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
　　2. It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ___________.
　　A. culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship
　　B。 courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated
　　C。 various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends
　　D。 social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions
　　3。 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
　　4. 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。 has something to do with the busy tourist trails
　　5. What’s the author’s attitudes toward the American’s friendliness？
　　A. Favorable. B。 Unfavorable。 C. Indifferent。 D。 Neutral.
Passage Two
　　A new high-performance contact lens under development at the department for applied physics at the University of Heidelberg will not only correct ordinary vision defects but will enhance normal night vision as much as five times, making people’s vision sharper than that of cats.
　　Bille and his team work with an optical instrument called an active mirror — a device used in astronomical telescopes to spot newly emerging stars and far distant galaxies。 Connected to a wave—front sensor that tracks and measures the course of a laser beam into the eye and back, the aluminum mirror detects the deficiencies of the cornea， the transparent protective layer covering the lens of the human eye。 The highly precise data from the two instruments — which， Bille hopes, will one day be found at the opticians （眼镜商) all over the world — serve as a basis for the production of completely individualized contact lenses that correct and enhance the wearer’s vision。
　　By day， Bille's contact lenses will focus rays of light so accurately on the retina （视网膜)that the image of a small leaf or the outline of a far distant tree will be formed with a sharpness that surpasses that of conventional vision aids by almost half a diopter （屈光度)。 At night， the lenses have an even greater potential. “Because the new lens — in contrast to the already existing ones - also works when it’s dark and the pupil is wide open,” says Bille， “lens wearers will be able to identify a face at a distance of 100 meters” - 80 meters farther than they would normally be able to see. In his experiments night vision was enhanced by an even greater factor： in semi—darkness, test subjects could see up to 15 times better than without the lenses.
　　Bille's lenses are expected to reach the market in the year 2000， and one tentative plan is to use the Internet to transmit information on patients’ visual defects from the optician to the manufacturer， who will then produce and mail the contact lenses within a couple of days. The physicist expects the lenses to cost about a dollar a pair， about the same as conventional one-day disposable lenses。
　　6. The new contact lens is meant for _______。
　　A。 astronomical observations
　　B .the night blind
　　C. those with vision defects
　　D. Optical experiments
　　7. What do the two instruments mentioned in the second paragraph refer to？
　　A. The astronomical telescope and the wave—front sensor。
　　B。 The aluminum mirror and the laser beam。
　　C。 The active mirror and the contact lens。
　　D. The aluminum mirror and the wave—front sensor。
　　8。 What does “individualized contact lenses” mean in paragraph 2？
　　A。 lenses to work like an astronomical telescope
　　B。 lenses to suit the wearer’s specific needs
　　C。 lenses to process extremely accurate data
　　D。 lenses to test the wearer’s eyesight
　　9。 According to Bille, with the new lenses the wearer’s vision _____.
　　A. will be far better at night than in the daytime
　　B. may be improved about 15 times than without them
　　C。 can be better in the daytime than at night
　　D. changes not so obvious at the day time.
　　10。 Which of the following is true about Bille’s lenses？
　　A. Their production can only satisfy a small group of customers。
　　B。 They will be sold at a very low price.
　　C。 They have to be replaced every day。
D。 Consumers can buy it directly from the manufacturer.
PART Ⅳ. Fast Reading。 (10％)
Top 10 travelers paradise
Maldives： The beaches here are set around a series of ancient coral reefs that expanded along the sides of prehistoric volcanoes， which make for astounding snorkeling and diving in the warm water lagoons。 Celebs who love this spot are Beyoncé and Jay-Z， Kate Moss, Eva Longoria, Jude Law and Penelope Cruz.
Mallorca, Spain: The largest of the Balearic Islands， Mallorca is a no—brainer for spotting famous beachgoers. Stars like Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas own property here, as well as athletes and pop stars from all over the world. When you're done sunbathing on its glorious stretches of sand on the east and north coasts (rumored to be the best beaches on the island）, take a Vespa tour through the rich Serra de Tramuntana mountain range and along olive groves and pine forests。
Turtle Island， Fiji: This South Pacific paradise is your best bet for celeb sightings —- if you have the money and connections to get on land， that is. Pop stars like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson have secured spots on the privately—owned island, which allows only 28 guests at a time. If funds allow， you can also reserve one of the island’s 14 beaches， or the entire island itself. But we're guessing if you have that kind of money, you might already be a celebrity and not looking to spot one。
South Beach， Miami： The smooth Latin rhythm of South Beach， Miami, does something to its guests —- or at least Jennifer Lopez and Shakira seem to think so. Ocean Drive runs along the Atlantic, where the rich and famous moor their yachts and play on the sand. A-listers especially flock to The Setai, a luxury accommodation where gods and goddesses of entertainment can lounge in the three azure pools, relax in the spa and jet-ski in the rolling blue waves。
Anguilla: The most wonderful thing about Anguilla is the sheer lack of development （there are no casinos or nightclubs） that seems to plague other idyllic islands。 There's a certain serenity here that celebrities like Courteney Cox-Arquette and David Arquette crave, so if you happen to bump into them on one of the unspoiled and tranquil beaches, keep the peace by maintaining Anguilla's calm and quiet power.
St。 Tropez， France: Don't be confused —— P. Diddy doesn’t own the place， but he certainly has a stake in its social circle. His yacht parties on the beach have been known to cause an elegant ruckus or two and stars like Lara Flynn Boyle and Jack Nicholson frequent the beaches here as well。 （No word on whether or not they hang with Diddy)。
Lake Como, Italy： It’s not technically the point where the sand meets the water that attracts the celebrities; rather it's the scenic area that surrounds the water. Menaggio and Tremezzo boast beautiful lakeside beaches on Lake Como, but the real highlights are the outdoorsy activities like boating, horseback riding and paragliding。 Hey, if George Clooney likes it, we’re not arguing。
　Bora Bora, French Polynesia： In the heart of French Polynesia, Bora Bora exists as a sort of honeymoon-land. Glam ladies like Charlize Theron, Sharon Stone and Nicole Kidman have been spotted lounging on its golden beaches, most likely taking advantage of the private beach huts and tropical bungalows that offer views of volcano peak