大學(xué)英語(yǔ)學(xué)位考試題庫(kù)

大學(xué)英語(yǔ)課程學(xué)位考試試題(參考答案見(jiàn)題后)

PartI.ReadingComprehension

Passagel

Thepicnics,speeches,andparadesoftoday'sLaborDaywereallpartofthefirstcelebration,

heldinNewYorkCityin1882.ItspromoterwasanIrish-AmericanlaborleadernamedpeterJ.

McGuire.Acarpenterbytrade,McGuirehadworkedsincetheageofeleven,andin1882was

presidentoftheUnitedBrotherhoodofCarpentersandJoiners(UBCJ).ApproachingtheCity's

CentralLaborUnionthatsummer,heproposedaholidaythatwouldapplaud(贊許)"theindustrial

spirit-thegreatvitalforceofeverynation,“OnSeptember5hissuggestionborefruit,asan

estimated10,000workers,manyofthemignoringtheirbosses'warnings,leftworktomarchfrom

UnionsquareupFifthAvenueto42ndStreet.Theeventgainednationalattention,andby1893

thirtystateshadmadeLaborDayanannualholiday.

Thequickadoptionoftheschememayhaveindicatedlessaboutthestatelawmakers'respect

forworkingpeoplethanaboutafearofriskingtheiranger.Inthe1880stheUnitedStateswasa

landsharplydividedbetweentheimmenselywealthyandtheverypoor.HenryGeorgewas

accurateindescribingtheeraasoneof"progressandpoverty.^^Inasocietyinwhichfactory,

ownersrodeinprivatePullmanswhileten-year-oldsslavedinthemines,stronganti-capitalist

feelingranhigh.Demandsforfundamentalchangewerecommonthroughoutthelaborpress.With

socialistsdemandinganendto“wageslavery“andanarchists(無(wú)政府主義)singingthepraises

ofthevirtuesofdynamite(炸藥),middle-of-the-roaderslikeSamuelGompersandMcGuire

seemedattractivelymildbycomparison.OnecanimaginepracticalcapitalistsseeingLaborDay

asabargain:Aone-daypartycertainlycostthemlessthanpayingtheirworkersdecentwages.

1Judgingfromthepassage,McGuirewasA.

A)amoderatelaborleader

B)anextreme-anarchistinthelabormovement

C)adevotedsocialistfightingagainstexploitationofmanbyman

D)afirmanti-capitalistdemandingtheeliminationofwageslavery

2.WecanseefromthefirstparagraphthatthefirstLaborDaymarch__C.

A)immediatelywonnationwidesupport

B)involvedworkersfrom30states

C)wasopposedbymanyfactoryowners

D)wasorganizedbytheUBCJ

3.WhichofthefollowingisthekeyfactorintheimmediateapprovalofLaborDayasanational

holiday?D

A)Thelawmakers5respectfortheworkers

B)Theworker'sdeterminationtohaveaholidayoftheirown.

C)Thesocialists'demandsforthoroughreform

D)Thepoliticians,fearoftheworkers?anger.

4.WeleanfromthepassagethattheestablishmentofLaborDay__A.

A)wasacceptedbymostbossesasacompromise

B)markedaturningpointintheworkers,struggleformorerights

C)indicatedtheimprovementoftheworkers'welfare

D)signaledtheendof“wageslavery^^

Passage2

Statusesaremarveloushumaninventionsthatenableustogetalongwithoneanotherandto

determinewherewe"fit"insociety.Aswegoaboutoureverydaylives,wementallyattemptto

placepeopleintermsoftheirstatuses.Forexample,wemustjudgewhetherthepersoninthe

libraryisareaderoralibrarian,whetherthetelephonecallerisafriendorasalesman,whetherthe

unfamiliarpersononourpropertyisthieforameterreader,andsoon.

Thestatusesweassumeoftenvarywiththepeopleweencounter,andchangethroughoutlife.

Mostofuscan,atveryhighspeed,assumethestatusesthatvarioussituationsrequire.Muchof

socialinteractionconsistsofidentifyingandselectingamongappropriatestatusesandallowing

otherpeopletoassumetheirstatusesinrelationtous.Thismeansthatwefitouractionstothose

ofotherpeoplebasedonaconstantmentalprocessofappraisalandinterpretation.Althoughsome

ofusfindthetaskmoredifficultthanothers,mostofusperformitrathereffortlessly.

Astatushasbeencomparedtoready-madeclothes.Withincertainlimits,thebuyercan

choosestyleandfabric.ButanAmericanisnotfreetochoosethecostume(月艮裝)ofaChinese

peasantorthatofaHinduprince.Wemustchoosefromamongtheclothingpresentedbyour

society.Furthermore,ourchoiceislimitedtoasizethatwillfit,aswellasbyourpocketbook(錢

包).Havingmadeachoicewithintheselimitswecanhavecertainalterationsmade,butapart

fromminoradjustments,wetendtobelimitedtowhatthestoreshaveontheirracks.Statusestoo

comereadymade,andtherangeofchoiceamongthemislimited.

1.Inthefirstparagraph,thewritertellsusthatstatusescanhelpusB.

A)determinewhetherapersonisfitforacertainjob

B)behaveappropriatelyinrelationtootherpeople

C)protectourselvesinunfamiliarsituations

D)makefriendswithotherpeople

2.Accordingtothewriter,peopleoftenassumedifferentstatuses_D.

A)inordertoidentifythemselveswithothers

B)inordertobetteridentifyothers

C)astheirmentalprocesseschange

D)asthesituationchanges

3.Theword“appraisal"(Line5,Para.2)mostprobablymeans“C

A)involvement

B)appreciation

C)assessment

D)presentation

4.Inthelastsentenceofthesecondparagraph,thepronoun"it"refersto“__A

A)fittingouractionstothoseofotherpeopleappropriately

B)identificationofotherpeople'sstatuses

C)selectingone'sownstatuses

D)constantmentalprocess

Passage3

Uponreachinganappropriateage(usuallybetween18and21years),childrenareencouraged,but

notforced,to“l(fā)eavethenest”andbeginanindependentlife.Afterchildrenleavehometheyoften

findsocialrelationshipandfinancialsupportoutsidethefamily.Parentsdonotarrangemamages

fortheirchildren,nordochildrenusuallyaskpermissionoftheirparentstogetmarried,Romantic

loveismostoftenthebasisformarriageintheUnitedStates;youngadultsmeettheirfuture

spouses(酉己偶)throughotherfriends,atjobs,andinorganizationsandreligiousinstitutions,

Althoughchildrenchoosetheirownspouses,theystillhopetheirparentswillapproveoftheir

choices.

Inmanyfamilies,parentsfeelthatchildrenshouldmakemajorlifedecisionsbythemselves.

Aparentmaytrytoinfluenceachildtofollowaparticularprofessionbutthechildisfreeto

chooseanothercareer.Sometimeschildrendopreciselytheoppositeofwhattheirparentswishin

ordertoasserttheirindependence.Asonmaydeliberatelydecidenottogointohisfather's

businessbecauseofafearthathewilllosehisautonomyinhisfather'sworkplace.This

independencefromparentsisnotanindicationthatparentsandchildrendonotloveeachother.

StronglovebetweenparentsandchildrenisuniversalandthisisnoexceptionintheAmerican

familyCoexistingwithsuchloveintheAmericanfamilyareculturalvaluesofself-relianceand

independence.

1.Thewriterdiscussesthemarriageofyoungadultsinordertoshowwhichofthefollowing?C

A)Theyenjoythefreedomofchoosingtheirspouses.

B)Theywanttowinthepermissionoftheirparents.

C)Theyhaveastrongdesiretobecomeindependent.

D)Theywanttochallengetheauthorityoftheirparents.

2.MostyoungadultsintheU.S.getmarriedforthesakeof__A_.

A)love

B)financialconcern

C)theirparents

D)familybackground

3.Basedonthepassage,itcanbeassumedthat__C___.

A)Americanyoungadultsarelikelytofollowthesuitoftheirparents

B)mostAmericanpeoplenevermakemajordecisionsfortheirchildren

C)Americanyoungadultspossessculturalvaluesofindependence

D)onceayoungpersonstepsintohistwenties,hewillleavehishomepermanently

4.Asonisunwillingtoworkinhisfather'sbusinessmainlybecause_B_.

A)hewishestomakefulluseofwhathehaslearntinschool

B)hewantstoprovehisindependence

C)hewishestodotheoppositeofwhathisparentsapproveof

D)hewantstoshowhisloveforhisparents

Passage4

Exchangeaglancewithsomeone,thenlookaway.Doyourealizethatyouhavemadea

statement?Holdtheglanceforasecondlonger,andyouhavemadeadifferentstatement.Holdit

for3seconds,andthemeaninghaschangedagain.Foreverysocialsituation,thereisa

permissibletimethatyoucanholdaperson'sgazewithoutbeingintimate,rude,oraggressive.If

youareonanelevator,whatgaze-timeareyoupermitted?Toanswerthisquestion,considerwhat

youtypicallydo.Youverylikelygiveotherpassengersaquickglancetosizethemup(打量)and

toassurethemthatyoumeannothreat.Sincebeingclosetoanotherpersonsignalsthepossibility

ofinteraction.Youneedtoemitasignaltellingothersyouwanttobeleftalone.Soyoucutoffeye

contact,whatsociologistErvingGoffman(1963)calls“adimmingofthelights.^^Youlookdown

atthefloor,attheindicatorlights,anywherebutintoanotherpassenger'seyes.Shouldyoubreak

theruleagainststaringatastrangeronanelevator,youwillmaketheotherpersonexceedingly

uncomfortable,andyouarelikelytofeelabitstrangeyourself.

Ifyouholdeyecontactformorethan3seconds,whatareyoutellinganotherperson?Much

dependsonthepersonandthesituation.Forinstance,amanandawomancommunicateinterestin

thismanner.Theytypicallygazeateachotherforabout3secondsatatime,thendroptheireyes

downfor3seconds,beforelettingtheireyesmeetagain.Butifonemangivesanothermana

3-second-plusstare,hesignals,t4Iknowyou"，“Iaminterestedinyou,"or“Youlookpeculiarand

Iamcuriousaboutyou."Thistypeofstareoftenproduceshostilefeelings.

1.ItcanbeinferredformthefirstparagraphthatA—.

A)everyglancehasitssignificance

B)staringatapersonisanexpressionofinterest

C)agazelongerthan3secondsisunacceptable

D)aglanceconveysmoremeaningthanwords

2.Ifyouwanttobeleftaloneonanelevator,thebestthingtodois__B.

A)tolookintoanotherpassenger'seyes

B)toavoideyecontactwithotherpassengers

C)tosignalyouarenotathreattoanyone

D)tokeepadistancefromotherpassengers

3.By“adimmingofthelights”(Para.1,Line9)ErvingGoffmanmeans"_C

A)closingone'seyes

B)turningoffthelights

C)creasingtoglanceatothers

D)reducinggaze-timetotheminimum

4.Ifoneislookedatbyastrangerfortoolong,hetendstofeel_B.

A)depressed

B)uneasy

C)curious

D)amused

Passage5

AftertheviolentearthquakethatshookLosAngelesin1994,earthquakescientistshadgoodnews

toreport:Thedamageanddeathtoll(死亡人數(shù))couldhavebeenmuchworse.

Morethan60peoplediedinthisearthquake.Bycomparison,asearthquakeofsimilarintensity

thatshookAmericain1988claimed25,000victims.

InjuriesanddeathswererelativelylessinLosAngelesbecausethequakeoccurredat4:31

a.m.onaholiday,whentrafficwaslightonthecity'shighways.Inaddition,changesmadetothe

constructioncodesinLosAngelesduringthelast20yearshavestrengthenedthecity'sbuildings

andhighways,makingthemmoreresistanttoquakes.

Despitethegoodnew,civilengineersaren'trestingontheirsuccesses.Pinnedtotheir

drawingboardsareblueprints(藍(lán)圖)forimprovedquake-resistantbuildings.Thenewdesigns

shouldofferevengreatersecuritytocitieswhereearthquakesoftentakeplace.

Inthepast,makingstructuresquake-resistantmeantfirmyetflexiblematerials,suchassteel

andwood,thatbendwithoutbreaking.Later,peopletriedtoliftabuildingoffitsfoundation,and

insertrubberandsteelbetweenthebuildinganditsfoundationtoreducetheimpactofground

vibrations.Themostrecentdesignsgivebuildingsbrainsaswellasconcreteandsteelsupports.

Calledsmartbuildings,thestructuresrespondlikelivingorganismstoanearthquake'svibrations.

Whenthegroundshakesandthebuildingtipsforward,thecomputerwouldforcethebuildingto

shiftintheoppositedirection.

Thenewsmartstructurescouldbeveryexpensivetobuild.However,theywouldsavemany

livesandwouldbelesslikelytobedamagedduringearthquakes.

1.OnereasonwhythelossoflivesintheLosAngelesearthquakewascomparativelylowisthat

D____.

A)newcomputershadbeeninstalledinthebuildings

B)itoccurredintheresidentialareasratherthanonthehighways

C)largenumbersofLosAngelesresidentshadgoneforaholiday

D)improvementshadbeenmadeintheconstructionofbuildingsandhighways

2.Thefunctionofthecomputermentionedinthepassageisto_A_.

A)counterbalanceanearthquake'sactiononthebuilding

B)predictthecomingofanearthquakewithaccuracy

C)helpstrengthenthefoundationofthebuilding

D)measuretheimpactofanearthquake'svibrations

3.Thesmartbuildingsdiscussedinthepassage__B___

A)wouldcauseseriousfinancialproblems

B)wouldbeworthwhilethoughcostly

C)wouldincreasethecomplexityofarchitecturaldesign

D)canreducethegroundvibrationscausedbyearthquakes

4.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatinminimizingthedamagecausedbyearthquakes

attentionshouldbefocusedon___C.

A)theincreasinguseofrubberandsteelincapitalconstruction

B)thedevelopmentofflexiblebuildingmaterials

C)thereductionoftheimpactofgroundvibrations

D)earlyforecastsofearthquakes

Passage6

Untilthe1980s,theAmericanhomelesspopulationcomprisedmainlyoldermales.Today,

homelessnessstrikesmuchyoungerpartofsociety.Infact,a25-citysurveybytheU.S.

ConferenceofMayorsin1987foundthatfamilieswithchildrenmakeupthefastestgrowingpart

ofthehomelesspopulation.Manyhomelesschildrengatherininnercities;thistransient(變化無(wú)

常的)andfrequentlyfrightenedstudentpopulationcreatesadditionalproblems—bothlegaland

educational-foralreadyoverburdenedurbanschooladministratorsandteachers.

EstimatesofthenumberofhomelessAmericansrangefrom350,000tothreemillion.

Likewise,estimatesofthenumberofhomelessschoolchildrenvaryradically.AU.S.Department

ofEducationreport,basedonstateestimates,statesthatthereare220,000homelessschool-age

children,aboutathirdofwhomdonotattendschoolonaregularbasis,ButtheNationalCoalition

(聯(lián)合，聯(lián)盟，合并，結(jié)合)。fortheHomelessestimatesthatthereareatleasttwotimesasmany

homelesschildren,andthatlessthanhalfofthemattendschoolregularly.Onepartofthe

homelesspopulationthatisparticularlydifficulttocountconsistsofthe“throwaway“youthswho

havebeencastoftheirhomes.TheElementarySchoolCenterinNewYorkCityestimatesthat

thereare1.5millionofthem,manyofwhomarenotcountedaschildrenbecausetheydonotstay

infamilysheltersandtendtolivebythemselvesonthestreets.Federallaw,theStewart

B.McKinneyHomelessAssistanceActof1987,includesasectionthataddressestheeducational

needsofhomelesschildren.TheeducationalprovisionsoftheMcKinneyActarebasedonthe

beliefthatallhomelesschildrenhavetherighttoafree,appropriateeducation.

I.Itisimpliedinthefirstparagraphthat—C—.

A)thewriterhimselfishomeless,eveninhiseighties

B)manyolderhomelessresidentsaregoingonstrikein25cities

C)thereisaseriousshortageofacademicfacilities

D)homelesschildrenaredeniedtheopportunityofreceivingfreeeducation

2.TheNationalCoalitionforthehomelessbelievesthatthenumberofhomelesschildrenis_C_.

A)350,000

B)1,500,000

C)440,000

D)110,000

3.Onepartofthehomelesspopulationisdifficulttoestimate.Thereasonmightwellbe_D__.

A)thehomelesschildrenaretooyoungtobecountedaschildren

B)thehomelesspopulationisgrowingrapidly

C)thehomelesschildrenusuallystayoutsideschool

D)somehomelesschildrenaredesertedbytheirfamilies

4.TheMcKinneyActismentionedinthispassageinordertoshowthat__A.

A)theeducationalproblemsofhomelesschildrenarebeingrecognized

B)theestimatesonhomelesschildrenarehardtodetermine

C)theaddressofgrade-schoolchildrenshouldbelocated

D)allhomelesspeopleareentitledtofreeeducation

Passage7

Wheredopesticides(殺蟲劑)fitintothepictureofenvironmentaldisease?Wehaveseen

thattheynowpollutesoil,waterandfood,thattheyhavethepowertomakeourstreamsfishless

andourgardensandwoodlandssilentandbirdless.Man,howevermuchhemayliketopretendthe

contrary,ispartofnature.Canheescapeapollutionthatisnowsothoroughlydistributed

throughoutourworld:

Weknowthatevensingleexposurestothesechemicals,iftheamountislargeenough,can

causeextremelyseverepoisoning.Butthisisnotthemajorproblem.Thesuddenillnessordeath

offarmers,farmworkers,andothersexposedtosufficientquantitiesofpesticidesisverysadand

shouldnotoccur.Forthepopulationasawhole,wemustbemoreconcernedwiththedelayed

effectsofabsorbingsmallamountsofthepesticidesthatinvisiblypolluteourworld.

Responsiblepublichealthofficialshavepointedoutthatthebiologicaleffectsofchemicals

arecumulative(累積)overlongperiodsoftime,andthatthedangertoindividualmaydependon

thesumoftheexposuresreceivedthroughouthislifetime.Fortheseveryreasonsthedangeris

easilyignored.Itishumannaturetoshakeoffwhatmayseemtousathreatoffuturedisaster.

"Menarenaturallymostimpressedbydiseaseswhichhaveobvioussigns,nsaysawisephysician,

DrReneDubos,uyetsomeoftheirworstenemiesslowlyapproachthemunnoticed.n

1.Whichofthefollowingisclosestinmeaningtothesentence"Man...ispartofnature11(Para.1,

Lines3-4)?B

A)Manappearsindifferenttowhathappensinnature.

B)Manactsasifhedoesnotbelongtonature.

C)Mancanavoidtheeffectsofenvironmentalpollution.

D)Mancanescapehisresponsibilitiesforenvironmentaleffectsofpesticides?

2.Whatistheauthor'sattitudetowardtheenvironmentaleffectsofpesticides?D

A)PessimisticC)Defensive

B)IndifferentD)Concerned

3.Intheauthor'sview,thesuddendeathcausedbyexposuretolargeamountsofpesticides

—A_.

A)isnottheworstofthenegativeconsequencesresultingfromtheuseofpesticides

B)nowoccursmostfrequentlyamongallaccidentaldeaths

C)hassharplyincreasedsoastobecomethecenterofpublicattention

D)isunavoidablebecausepeoplecan'tdowithoutpesticidesinfarming

4.Peopletendtoignorethedelayedeffectsofexposuretochemicalbecause_C_.

A)limitedexposuretothemdoeslittleharmtopeople'shealth

B)thepresentismoreimportantforthemthanthefuture

C)thedangerdoesnotbecomeapparentimmediately

D)humansarecapableofwithstandingsmallamountsofpoisoning

Passage8

Thespeaker,ateacherfromacommunitycollege,addressedasympatheticaudience.Heads

noddedinagreementwhenhesaid,uHighschoolEnglishteachersarenotdoingtheirjobs.^^He

describedtheinadequaciesofhisstudents,allhighschoolgraduateswhocanuselanguageonlyat

agrade9level.Iwasunabletodeterminefromhisanswerstomyquestionshowthisgrade9level

hadbeenestablished.

Mytopicisnotstandardsnoritsdecline(降低).Whatthespeakerwasreallysayingisthateh

isnolongeryoung;hehasbeenteachingforsixteenyears,andisabletothinkandspeaklikea

matureadult.

Mypointisthatthefrequentcomplaintofonegenerationabouttheoneimmediately

followingitisinevitable.Itisalsohumannaturetolookforthereasonsforourdissatisfaction.

BeforeEnglishbecameaschoolsubjectinthelatenineteenthcentury,itwasdifficulttofindthe

targetoftheblameforlanguagedeficiencies(缺陷).Butsincethen,Englishteachershavebeen

underconstantattack.

Thecomplainersthinktheyhavehituponanoriginalidea.Astheirowncommandofthe

languageimproves,theynoticethatyoungpeopledonothavethissameability.Unawarethattheir

ownabilityhasdevelopedthroughtheyears,theyassumethenewgenerationofyoungpeople

mustbehopelessinthisrespect.Totheeyesandearsofsensitiveadultsthelanguageoftheyoung

alwaysseemsinadequate.

SincethisconcernaboutthedeclineandfalloftheEnglishlanguageisnotperceivedasa

generationalphenomenonbutratherassomethingnewandpeculiartotoday'syoungpeople,it

naturallyfollowsthattoday'sEnglishteacherscannotbedoingtheirjobs.Otherwise,young

peoplewouldnotcommitoffensesagainstthelanguage.

1.Thespeakertheauthormentionedinthepassagebelievedthat__D.

A)thelanguageoftheyoungergenerationisusuallyinferiortothatoftheoldergeneration

B)thestudentshadapoorcommandofEnglishbecausetheydicin'lworkhardenough

C)hewasanexcellentlanguageteacherbecausehehadbeenteachingEnglishforsixteenyears

D)Englishteachersshouldbeheldresponsibleforthestudents9poorcommandofEnglish

2.Intheauthor'sopinion,thespeaker_B.

A)gaveacorrectjudgmentoftheEnglishlevelofthestudents

B)hadexaggeratedthelanguageproblemsofthestudents

C)wasrightinsayingthatEnglishteacherswerenotdoingtheirjobs

D)couldthinkandspeakintelligently

3.Theauthor'sattitudetowardsthespeaker'sremarksis__C___.

A)neutral

B)positive

C)critical

D)compromising

Passage9

Evenplantscanrunafever,especiallywhenthey'reunderattackbyinsectsordisease.Butunlike

humans,plantscanhavetheirtemperaturetakenfrom3,000feetaway-straightup.Adecadeago,

adaptingtheinfrared(紅外線)scanningtechnologydevelopedformilitarypurposesandother

satellites,physicistStephenPaleycameupwithaquickwaytotakethetemperatureofcropsto

determinewhichonesareunderstress.Thegoalwastoletfarmerspreciselytargetpesticide(殺蟲

齊lj)sprayingratherthanrainpoisononawholefield,whichinvariablyincludesplantsthatdon't

havepest(害蟲)problems.

Evenbetter,Paley'sRemoteScanningServicesCompanycoulddetectcropproblemsbefore

theybecamevisibletotheeye.Mountedonaplaneflownat3,000feetatnight,aninfrared

scannermeasuredtheheatemittedbycrops.Thedataweretransformedintoacolor-codedmap

showingwhereplantswererunning“fevers".Farmerscouldthenspot-spray,using50to70

percentlesspesticidethantheyotherwisewould.

ThebadnewsisthatPaley'scompanycloseddownin1984,afteronlythreeyears.Farmers

resistedthenewtechnologyandlong-termbackerswerehardtofind.Butwiththerenewed

concernaboutpesticidesonproduce,andrefinementsininfraredscanning,Paleyhopestoget

backintooperation.Agricultureexpertshavenodoubtthetechnologyworks."Thistechniquecan

beusedon75percentofagriculturallandintheUnitedStates/,saysGeorgeOertherofTexas

A&M,RayJackson,whorecentlyretiredfromtheDepartmentofAgriculture,thinksremote

infraredcropscanningcouldbeadoptedbytheendofthedecade.ButonlyifPaleyfindsthe

financialbackingwhichhefailedtoobtain10yearsago.

1.Plantswillemitanincreasedamountofheatwhentheyare_C.

A)sprayedwithpesticides

B)facinganinfraredscanner

C)inpoorphysicalcondition

D)exposedtoexcessivesunrays

2.Inordertoapplypesticidesprayingprecisely,wecanuseinfraredscanningto_D.

A)estimatethedamagetothecrops

B)drawacolor-codedmap

C)measurethesizeoftheaffectedarea

D)locatetheproblemarea

3.Farmerscansaveaconsiderableamountofpesticideby_A.

A)resortingtospot-spraying

B)consultinginfraredscanningexperts

C)transformingpoisonedrain

D)detectingcropproblemsatanearlydate

PassagelO

Thegreatestcontributiontocivilizationinthecenturymaywellbetheair-conditioningand

Americanleadsjustasamazingisthespeedwithwhichthissituationcametobe.Air-conditioning

begantospreadinindustriesasaproductionaidduringWorldWarII.TodaymostAmericans

needtotakeair-conditioningforgrantedtohomes,offices,factories,theatres,shops,studios,

schools,hotels,andrestaurants.

Butnoteverybodyisawarethathighcostandeasycomfortaremerelytwooftheeffectsof

thevastcoolingofAmerican.Infact,airconditioninghassubstantiallyalteredthecountry's

characterandcustoms.

Manyofthebyproductsaresoconspicuousthattheyarescarcelynoticed.Tobeginwith,

air-conditioningtransformedthefaceofAmericabymakingpossiblethoseglassy,boxy,sealed-in

skyscrapers.Ithasbeenindispensable,noless,tothefunctioningofsensitiveadvancedcomputers,

whosehighoperatingtemperaturesrequirethattheybeconstantlycooled...

Ithas,atwill,forcedfamiliesintoretreatingintofamilieswithcloseddoorsandshut

windows,reducingtheinteractionsofneighborhoodlife.Itisreallysurprisingthatthepublic's

oftennotedwithdrawalintoself-pursuitandprivacyhascoincidedwiththehistoricspreadof

air-conditioning.Thoughsciencehaslittlestudiedhowhabitualair-conditioningaffectsmindand

body,somemedicalexpertssuggestthat,likeothertechnicalavoidanceofnaturalvariationsin

climate,air-conditioningmaydamagethehumancapacitytoadapttostress.Ifso,air-conditioning

isonlylikemanyothergreatlyusefultechnicaldevelopmentsthatliberatemanfromnatureby

increasinghisproductivityandpowerinsomeway-whileindirectlyweakeninghiminothers.

1.Accordingtothisselection,whichofthefollowingconstitutestheuniquecharacterofU.S.?A

A)Itsexcessiveuseofair-conditioning.

B)Itsadvancedcomputerizedcivilization.

C)Itspublic'sretreatingintoself-pursuit.

D)Itsgreatestcontributiontohumancivilization.

2.Accordingtotheauthor,thechiefconsequencebroughtaboutbythewideapplicationof

air-conditioningis_B_.

A)thelossofhumancapacitytoadapttochangesinclimate

B)thereductionofsocialcommunicationsofneighborhoodlife

C)theactivelifestyleofallitsusers

D)thedecreasedhumanproductionandpower

3.Thetoneofthisselectionrevealsthatair-conditioning—C—.

A)haslittleeffectonitsusers

B)hasmoreeffectonbodythanonmind

C)bringsm