Americans are proud of their variety- and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform. whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

     Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity (身份) than to step out of uniform ?

     Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes.  They save on laundry bills.  They are tax- deductible ( 可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

     Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

     Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

【小题1】It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality ___________.

A. still judge a man by his clothes     

B. hold the uniform in such high regard

    C. enjoy having a professional identity

    D. will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

【小题2】 The chief function of a uniform is to ___________.

    A. provide practical benefits to the wearer

    B. make the wearer catch the public eye

    C. inspire the wearer's confidence in himself

    D. provide the wearer with a professional identity

【小题3】 According to the passage, people wearing uniforms _____________.

    A. are usually helpful             B. have little or no individual freedom

    C. tend to lose their individuality   D. enjoy greater popularity

【小题4】The best title for this passage would be ____________.

    A. Uniforms and Society

      B. The Importance of Wearing a Uniform

      C. Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform

      D. Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms

Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the learned in the early days of the history, while during the fifteenth century the term “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become popular.

One should be careful, however, of supposing that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is distraction(分散注意力)to others. Examination of reasons connected with the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.

The last century saw a gradual increase in literacy(读写能力)and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.  

Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages are, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.

By the end of t he century students were being advised to have some new ideas of books and to use skills in reading them which were not proper, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological developments in the century had greatly changed what the term “reading” referred to.

Why was reading aloud common before the nineteenth century?

A. Because silent reading had not been discovered.

B. Because there were few places for private reading.

C. Because few people could read for themselves.

D. Because people depended on reading for enjoyment.

The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed_______.

A. a change in the position of literate people

B. a change in the nature of reading

C. an increase in the number of books

D. an increase in the average age of readers

Educationalists are still arguing about__________.

A. the importance of silent reading

B. the amount of information provided by books and newspapers

C. the effects of reading on health

D. the value of different types of reading material

What is the writer of this passage attempting to do?

A. To explain how present day reading habits developed.

B. To change people’s way to read.

C. To show how reading methods have improved.

D. To encourage the growth of reading.

Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is impelled(推进,敦促)  by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly; thus a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation (形成) of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by them..

    There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty and thoroughness(周详).

    Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons form habits which ought to have been avoided.

    We ought to keep from all these old habits, and try to form such habits as will prove good for ourselves and others.

Habits, whether good or bad, are formed_______, _______ everyone knows.

  A. day by day; and                 B .gradually;  as 

  C. gradually; that                  D. century after century; as

Why should we pay much attention to the formation of habits?

  A. Because habits are of great help to every one of us.

  B. Because a man can never get rid of a habit.

  C. It is because we are forced to do them again and again.

  D. It is because it’s hard and even not possible to smooth them away

The bad habits formed by __________

  A. children sometimes stay in all their lives

  B. older people sometimes can kill them

  C. persons sometimes can remain with them

  D. younger people sometimes can break them

A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.

The unpunctual man, on one hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset (财产) as well as other’s. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.

Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is the sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.

Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to do one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.

1. What does the author think is the main difference between a punctual person and an unpunctual person?

A. A punctual person does everything ahead of time while an unpunctual person does everything behind schedule.

B. A punctual person does everything at the right time while an unpunctual person seldom does anything at the correct time.

C. A punctual person has a lot of appointments while an unpunctual person has few appointments.

D. A punctual person has much time to do everything while an unpunctual person has little time to do anything.

2. According to the passage, the main reason that a person is always unpunctual is that _______.

A. he has more work to do than other people

B. he is always in a hurry when he works

C. he doesn’t care much about time

D. he always mismanages and wastes his time

3. According to the third paragraph, when you are invited to dinner, you should arrive there _______.

A. after other guests have arrived

B. before all other guests

C. at the appointed time

D. after the host has got things ready

4. Which of the following statements best describes the harm of unpunctuality?

A. If you are an unpunctual person, you cannot be in charge of any important task.

B. If your friends know that you are unpunctual, they may not see you again.

C. Unpunctuality may bring about heavy losses for both public and private affairs.

D. Unpunctuality may make you miss a lot of appointments and lose friends.

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