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6月阅读
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 51 to 56 are based on the following passage.
Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up the dubious distinction by establishing paid family leave starting in . I wasn't surprised when this didn't make the news here in the United States—we're now the only wealthy country without such a policy.
The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks' unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem. Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as "government-run personnel management" and a "dangerous precedent". In fact, every step of the way, as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. In her book No Exit: What Parents Owe Their Children and What Society Owes Parents, she argues that parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is "no exit" when it comes to children. "Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care, meaning the intensive, intimate care that human beings need to develop their intellectual, emotional and moral capabilities. And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years, or longer if needed."
While most parents do this out of love, there are public penalties for not providing care. What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason that caring for children is not only morally urgent but essential for the future of society. The state recognizes this in the large body of family laws that govern children' welfare, yet parents receive little help in meeting the life-changing obligations society imposes. To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting; really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue (不断积累) to the whole of society as today's children become tomorrow's productive citizenry (公民). In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money (including lost wages), is equal to 20-30% of gross domestic product. If these investments generate huge social benefits—as they clearly do—the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
52. What do we learn about paid family leave from the first paragraph?
A) America is now the only developed country without the policy.
B) It has now become a hot topic in the United States.
C) It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy.
D) Its meaning was clarified when it was established in Australia.
53. What has prevented the passing of work-family balance laws in the United States?
A) The incompetence of the Democrats.
B) The existing Family and Medical Leave Act.
C) The lack of a precedent in American history.
D) The opposition from business circles.
54. What is Professor Anne Alstott's argument for parental support?
A) The cost of raising children in the U. S. has been growing.
B) Good parenting benefits society.
C) The U. S. should keep up with other developed countries.
D) Children need continuous care.
55. What does the author think of America's large body of family laws governing children's welfare?
A) They fail to ensure children's healthy growth
B) The fail to provide enough support for parents
C) They emphasize parents' legal responsibilities.
D) They impose the care of children on parents.
56. Why does the author object to classifying parenting as a personal choice?
A) It is regarded as a legal obligation.
B) It relies largely on social support.
C) It generates huge social benefits.
D) It is basically a social undertaking.
Passage Two
Questions 57 to 62 are based on the following passage.
A new study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that today's youth vote in larger numbers than previous generations, and a study from the Center for American Progress adds that increasing numbers of young voters and activists support traditionally liberal causes. But there's no easy way to see what those figures mean in real life. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama assembled a racially and ideologically diverse coalition with his message of hope and change; as the reality of life under a new administration settles in, some of those supporters might become disillusioned. As the nation moves further into the Obama presidency, will politically engaged young people continue to support the president and his agenda, or will they gradually drift away?
The writers of Generation O (short for Obama), a new Newsweek blog that seeks to chronicle the lives of a group of young Obama supporters, want to answer that question. For the next three months, Michelle Kremer and 11 other Obama supporters, ages 19 to 34, will blog about life across mainstream America, with one twist: by tying all of their ideas and experiences to the new president and his administration, the bloggers will try to start a conversation about what it means to be young and politically active in America today. Malena Amusa, a 24-year-old writer and dancer from St. Louis sees the project as a way to preserve history as it happens. Amusa, who is traveling to India this spring to finish a book, then to Senegal to teach English, has ongoing conversations with her friends about how the Obama presidency has changed their daily lives and hopes to put some of those ideas, along with her global perspective, into her posts. She's excited because, as she puts it, "I don't have to wait [until] 15 years from now" to make sense of the world.
Henry Flores, a political-science professor at St. Mary's University, credits this younger generation's political strength to their embrace of technology. "[The Internet] exposes them to more thinking," he says, "and groups that are like-minded in different parts of the country start to come together." That's exactly what the Generation O bloggers are hoping to do. The result could be a group of young people that, like their boomer (二战后生育高峰期出生旳美国人) parents, grows up with a strong sense of purpose and sheds the image of apathy (冷漠) they've inherited from Generation X (60 年代后期和70 年代出生旳美国人). It's no small challenge for a blog run by a group of ordinary—if ambitious—young people, but the members of Generation O are up to the task.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57. What is the finding of a new study by CIRCLE?
A) More young voters are going to the polls than before.
B) The young generation supports traditionally liberal causes.
C) Young voters played a decisive role in Obama's election.
D) Young people in America are now more diverse ideologically.
58. What is a main concern of the writers of Generation O?
A) How Obama is going to live up to young people's expectations.
B) Whether America is going to change during Obama's presidency.
C) Whether young people will continue to support Obama's policy.
D) How Obama's agenda is going to affect the life of Americans.
59. What will the Generation O bloggers write about in their posts?
A) Their own interpretation of American politics.
B) Policy changes to take place in Obama's administration.
C) Obama's presidency viewed from a global perspective.
D) Their lives in relation to Obama's presidency.
60. What accounts for the younger generation's political strength according to Professor Henry Flores?
A) Their embrace of radical ideas.
B) Their desire to change America.
C) Their utilization of the Internet.
D) Their strong sense of responsibility.
61. What can we infer from the passage about Generation X?
A) They are politically conservative.
B) They reject conventional values.
C) They dare to take up challenges.
D) They are indifferent to politics.
6月阅读答案
Section B
Passage 1
52 A) America is now the only developed country without the policy.
53 D) The opposition from business circles.
54 B) Good parenting benefits society.
55 B) They fail to provide enough support for parents.
56 D) It is basically a social undertaking.
Passage 2
57 A) More young voters are going to the polls than before.
58 C) Whether young people will continue to support Obama’s policy.
59 D) Their lives in relation to Obama’s presidency.
60 C) Their utilization of the Internet.
61 D) They are indifferent to politics.
12月阅读
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.
In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War Ⅱ, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of “real world” education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not survive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困旳) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
52. In the early 20th century Americans believed science and technology could _______.
[A] solve virtually all existing problems
[C] help raise people’s living standards
[B] quicken the pace of industrialization
[D] promote the nation’s social progress
53. Why did many American scholars become enthusiastic about humanistic studies after World WarⅡ?
[A] They wanted to improve their own status within the current education system.
[B] They believed the stability of a society depended heavily on humanistic studies.
[C] They could get financial support from various foundations for humanistic studies.
[D] They realized science and technology alone were no guarantee for a better world.
54. Why are American scholars worried about education today?
[A] The STEM subjects are too challenging for students to learn.
[B] Some Asian countries have overtaken America in basic sciences.
[C] America is lagging behind in the STEM disciplines.
[D] There are not enough scholars in humanistic studies.
55. What accounts for the significant decline in humanistic studies today?
[A] Insufficient funding. [C] Shortage of devoted faculty.
[B] Shrinking enrollment. [D] Dim prospects for graduates.
56. Why does the author attach so much importance to humanistic studies?
[A] They promote the development of science and technology.
[B] They help prepare students for their professional careers.
[C] Humanistic thinking helps define our culture and values.
[D] Humanistic thinking helps cultivate students’ creativity.
Passage Two
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton.
Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn’t been born yet, or is a baby now. That’s beca
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