幽幽草

第55篇：(Unit 14,Passage 3)

Pronouncing a language is a skill. Every normal person is expert in the skill of pronouncing his own language; but few people are even moderately proficient at pronouncing foreign languages. Now there are many reasons for this, some obvious, some perhaps not so obvious. But I suggest that the fundamental reason why people in general do not speak foreign languages very much better than they do is that they fail to grasp the true nature of the problem of learning to pronounce, and consequently never set about tackling it in the right way. Far too many people fail to realize that pronouncing a foreign language is a skill—one that needs careful training of a special kind, and one that cannot be acquired by just leaving it to take care of itself. I think even teachers of language, while recognizing the importance of good accent, tend to neglect, in their practical teaching, the branch of study concerned with speaking the language. So the first point I want to make is that English pronunciation must be taught; the teacher should be prepared to devote some of the lesson time to this, and by his whole attitude to the subject should get the student feel that there is a matter worthy of receiving his close attention. So, there should be occasions when other aspects of English, such as grammar or spelling, are allowed for the moment to take second place.

Apart from this question of the time given to pronunciation, there are two other requirements for the teacher: the first, knowledge; the second, technique.

It is important that the teacher should be in possession of the necessary information. This can generally be obtained from books. It is possible to get from books some idea of the mechanics of speech, and of what we call general phonetic theory. It is also possible in this way to get a clear mental picture of the relationship between the sounds of different languages, between the speech habits of English people and those, say, of your students. Unless the teacher has such a picture, any comments he may make on his students pronunciation are unlikely to be of much use, and lesson time spent on pronunciation may well be time wasted.

1.What does the writer actually say about pronouncing foreign languages?
A.Only a few people are really proficient.
B.No one is really an expert in the skill.
C.There aren’t many people who are even fairly good.
D.There are even some people who are moderately proficient.

2.The writer argues that going about the problem of pronunciation in the wrong ways ___.
A.an obvious cause of not grasping the problem correctly
B.a fundamental consequence of not speaking well
C.a consequence of not grasping the problem correctly
D.not an obvious cause of speaking poorly

3.The best way of learning to speak a foreign language, he suggests, is by ___.
A.picking it up naturally as a child
B.learning from a native speaker
C.not concentrating on pronunciation much
D.undertaking systematic work

4.The value the student puts on correct speech habits depends upon ___.
A.how closely he attends to the matter
B.whether it is English that is being taught
C.his teacher’s approach to pronunciation
D.the importance normally given to grammar and spelling

5.How might the teacher find himself wasting lesson time?
A.By spending lesson time on pronunciation.
B.By making ill-informed comments upon pronunciation.
C.By not using books on phonetics in the classroom.
D.By not giving students a clear mental picture of the different between sounds.

第55篇答案：CCDCB


第56篇：(Unit 14,Passage 4)

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. When the early Protestant immigrants came to this country, they brought the idea that work was the way to God and heaven. This attitude, the Protestant work ethic, still influences America today. Work is not only important for economic benefits, the salary, but also for social and psychological needs, the feeling of doing something for the good of the society. Americans spend most of their lives working, being productive. For most Americans, their work defines them; they are what they do. What happens, then when a person can no longer work?

Most Americans stop working at age sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture, retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to retire; but leaving one’s job, whatever it is a difficult change, even for those who look forward to retiring. Many retirees do not know how to use their time or they feel lost without jobs.

Retirement can also bring financial problems. Many people rely on Social Security checks every month. During their working years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on, however, because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens, those over sixty-five, have to have savings in the bank or other retirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation is forcing prices higher each year; Social Security checks alone cannot cover Medicare (health care) and welfare (general assistance) but many senior citizens have to change their lifestyles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to but food, fuel, and other necessities.

Of course, many senior citizens are happy with retirement. They have time to spend with their families or to enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part time; others do volunteer work. Some, like those in the Retired Business Executives Association, even help young people to get started in new business. Many retired citizens also belong to “Golden Age” groups. These organizations plan trips and social events. There are many opportunities for retirees.

Americans society is only beginning to be concerned about the special physical and emotional needs of its senior citizens. The government is taking steps to ease the problem of limited income. They are building new housing, offering discounts in stores and museums and on buses, and providing other services, such as free courses, food service, and help with housework.

Retired citizens are a rapidly growing percentage of the population. This part of the population is very important and we must respond to their needs. After all, every citizen will be a senior citizen some day.

1.The early immigrants considered work ___.
A.too hard
B.important
C.pleasant
D.dull

2.Why do Americans like working? Because working ___.
A.doesn’t only mean money but it is also psychological
B.can make life more comfortable
C.can prove people to be independent
D.gives people funny

3.We can safely put forward that retirees who ___.
A.have no financial problems still want to earn more money
B.have financial problems still feel lost
C.have no financial problems still feel lost
D.have no financial problems feels it’s hard to make ends meet

4.According to the passage the government ___.
A.hadn’t paid attention to the retirees’ problems
B.has already solved a lot of retirees’ problems
C.has just begun to pay attention to the retirees’ problems
D.won’t pay attention to the retirees’ problems

5.Which of the following is not steps taken for the benefit of senior citizens by the government?
A.New housing has been built.
B.The old are offered discounts in stores.
C.Senior citizens are provided free courses, food service.
D.None.

第56篇答案：BACCD

幽幽草

第53篇：(Unit 14,Passage 1)

The food irradiation process is a simple one. The new U.S. plant, Vindicator of Florida Incorporated in Mulberry, Fla., uses a material called cobalt 60 to irradiate food. Cobalt 60 is radioactive isotope (form) of the metallic element cobalt. Cobalt 60, which gives off radiation in the form of gamma rays, is also used for radiation therapy for cancer patients and for sterilizing hospital equipment. The radioactive isotope is created by bombarding cobalt with subatomic particles in a nuclear reactor. However, irradiation plants do not themselves contain nuclear reactors.

In the irradiation plant, food is exposed to thin rods of cobalt 60. The rods give off gamma rays, which disrupt chemical processes in contaminating organisms. The disruption breaks down the cell walls of organisms or destroys their genetic material. The dose, set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is enough to kill organisms on food, but not enough to produce significant changes in the food itself.

Although irradiation slightly decreases the nutritive value of foods, the loss is less than that produced by some other methods of food preservation. Canning, for example, results in a much greater loss of nutrients.

Those who object to irradiation say that the process may create substances not found in nonirradiated food. Since the 1960’s researchers have studied irradiated food at microscopic levels to try to find such substances, called unique radiolytic products. After reviewing these studies, the FDA determined that compounds formed during irradiation are similar to substance found in nonirradiated foods and are not dangerous to consume.

Destruction of microorganisms that cause illness is an important goal of irradiation. About 250 million cases of food poisoning or 1 per person—occur every year in the U.S., according to FDA estimates. Food poisoning can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache—and, occasionally, death.

Because of the apparent safety of food irradiation, and the problems presented by contaminated food, scientific groups—including the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations food and Agriculture Association—have voiced nearly universal support for the process. Worldwide, 38 nations have approved irradiation for 355 products.

Like microwave ovens, food irradiation has aroused apprehension and misunderstanding. Yet it has been scrutinized more thoroughly than other methods of food treatment that we have come to regard as safe, and it appears to be a method whose time has come.

1.Cobalt 60, besides irradiating food, is also employed to ___.
A.detect metallic flaws
B.run a nuclear reactor
C.cure cancer patients
D.strengthen concrete walls

2.Gamma rays used to irradiate food ___.
A.are generally not strong enough to destroy contaminating organisms
B.do not bring about significant changes in the food itself
C.may destroy some of the nutrients in the food
D.should be submitted to FDA for approval

3.Irradiated food ___.
A.certainly loses its nutritive value
B.maintains its nutritive value no different from the nonirradiated
C.keeps its nutritive value better than canned food
D.is recommended as the best of all preserved foods

4.With cases of food poisoning increasing, ___.
A.food irradiation should be carried out with care
B.it is more urgent to irradiate foods
C.medical researches into treatment of the diseased should be strengthened
D.Americans are beginning to accept food irradiation

5.The passage may be taken from ___.
A.a news report
B.a textbook of food processing
C.a book of popular science
D.a manual of food irradiation

第53篇答案：CBCCD


第54篇：(Unit 14,Passage 2)

Until recently, women in advertisements wore one of three things—an apron, a glamorous dress or a frown. Although that is now changing, many women still feel angry enough to deface offending advertisements with stickers protesting, “This ad degrades women.” Why does this sort of advertising exist? How can advertisers and ad agencies produce, sometimes, after months of research, advertising that offends the consumer?

The Advertising Standards Authority (the body which deals with complaints about print media) is carrying out research into how women feel about the way they are portrayed in advertisements. Its conclusions are likely to be what the advertising industry already knows: although women often irritated by the way they are seen in ads, few feel strongly enough to complain.

Women are not the only victims of poor and boring stereotypes—in many TV commercials men are seen either as useless, childish oafs who are unable to perform the simplest household tasks, or as in considerate boors, permanently on the lookout for an escape to the pub. But it is women who seem to bear the brunt of the industry’s apparent inability to put people into an authentic present-day context.

Yet according to Emma Bennett, executive creative director of a London advertising agency, women are not infuriated by stereotypes and sexist advertising. It tends to wash over them, they are not militant or angry—they just find it annoying or tiresome. They reluctantly accept outdated stereotypes, but heave a sigh of relief when an advertisement really gets it right.
She says that it is not advertising’s use of the housewife role that bothers women, but the way in which it is handles. “Researchers have often asked the wrong questions. The most important thing is the advertisement’s tone of voice. Women hate being patronized, flattered or given desperately down-to-earth commonsense advice.”

In the end, the responsibility for good advertising must be shared between the advertiser, the advertising agency and the consumer. Advertising does not set trends but it reflects them. It is up to the consumer to tell advertisers where they fail, and until people on the receiving end take the business seriously and make their feelings known, the process of change will remain laboriously slow.

1.Despite recent changes in attitudes, some advertisements still fail to ___.
A.change women’s opinions of themselves
B.show any understanding of people’s feelings
C.persuade the public to buy certain products
D.meet the needs of the advertising industry

2.According to the writer, the commonest fault of present day advertising is to ___.
A.condemn the role of the housewife
B.ignore protests about advertisements
C.present a misleading image of women
D.misrepresent the activities of men

3.Research suggests that the reaction of women towards misrepresentation by advertisement is ___.
A.apathy
B.hostility
C.approbation
D.unbelief

4.Emma Bennett suggests that advertisement ought to ___.
A.give further emphasis to practical advice
B.change their style rather than their content
C.use male images instead of female ones
D.pay more compliments to women than before

5.Ultimately the advertising industry should ___.
A.take its job more earnestly
B.do more pioneering work
C.take notice of the public opinion
D.concentrate on the products advertised.

第54篇答案：BCABC