Passage four(preface)

  Science is a dominant theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist.

  This book is written for the intelligent student or lay person whose acquaintance with science is superficial; for the person who has been presented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who sees the chief objective of science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course that attempts to give an understanding of the modern world, or – independently of any course – simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and what they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosophies that are pervasive in our culture.

  We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populate it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subculture is not an unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contribution, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist, one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far form being ideal, but it is at least an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally.

  We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. As the reader may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living.

1.According to the passage, ‘scientific subculture’ means

A.cultural groups that are formed by scientists.

B.people whose knowledge of science is very limited.

C.the scientific community.

D.people who make good contribution to science.

2.We need to know something about the structure and operation of science because

A.it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate scientists.

B.Science affects almost every aspect of our life.

C.Scientists live in a specific subculture.

D.It is easier to understand general characteristics of science.

3.The book mentioned in this passage is written for readers who

A.are intelligent college students and lay person who do not know much about science.

B.are good at producing various gadgets.

C.work in a storehouse of dried facts.

D.want to have a superficial understanding of science.

4.According to this passage,

A.English is a sexist language.

B.only in the scientific world is the role of women increasing rapidly.

C.women are making significant contributions to eliminating the inadequacy of our language.

D.male nouns or pronouns should not be used to refer to scientists.

5.This passage most probably is

A.a book review.

B.the preface of a book.

C.the postscript of a book.

D.the concluding part of a book.

I remember vividly the call that changed my life. It was Tuesday, February 18.When the   1    rang in the kitchen of my Los Angeles, the   2   was Marty Banderas,  a literary agent to whom I had sent a draft( 草稿 )of my novel three weeks earlier. “I have a couple of   3  .” Banderas saiD.“First, how old are you?” “I'm 48,” I replieD.“Are you in good   4    ?” “Yes, excellent. What’s this about? ” “I’ve sold your novels       5     one and a half million dollars.” I sat down in    6    . I had written fourteen novels in twenty years, but each one had been    7     by the publishers. I suppose many people would have been     8     , but not me. Each time, I just      9      writing another one. My husband advised me to find something else to do, but I refused to   10    up. Seeing this book   11    was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It's a mystery story (like all the others) and it was on the best-seller   12   two weeks after publication! I got my first lesson in story  13  from my grandmother. She used to read my stories. She was the one who gave me a    14     of words. She sparked (激发) my  15   and she has been a   16    influence on me. I always had stories running through my   17    and as soon as I could write, I   18     them down on paper. I married young and I have three children, but I never stopped writing.    19   novels between doing the diapers(婴儿的尿布) and dishes. I'm writing another novel now. Yes, my    20    has changed my life.

1.  A.phone      B.bell C.clock       D.alarm

2.  A.line B.step C.outside     D.doorway

3.  A.novels     B.things      C.questions D.problems

4.  A.wealth      B.health      C.condition  D.order

5.  A.to     B.for   C.on    D.in

6.  A.need  B.joy   C.settlements      D.shock

7.  A.rejected   B.received   C.decided     D.lost

8.  A.worried   B.encouraged      C.discouraged     D.excited

9.  A.couldn't help  B.got down to     C.got used to      D.went on

10.A.hold        B.look        C.give D.set

11.A.sold B.published        C.printed     D.passed

12.A.books      B.shops C.record      D.list

13.A.writing    B.organizing       C.telling      D.reading

14.A.use   B.love C.meaning   D.respect

15.A.hope        B.efforts      C.novels      D.imagination

16.A.lasting     B.normal     C.careful     D.general

17.A.head        B.mouth      C.voice       D.work

18.A.took        B.put   C.broke       D.added

19.A.writing    B.reading    C.developing      D.translating

20.A.friend      B.call   C.success     D.work

下面是美国著名游记作家Bill Bryson的几本作品,首先请阅读它们的封面信息:

A.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

B.

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

C.

I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after 20 Years Away

D.

The Road Less Traveled: 1000 Amazing Places off the Tourist Trail

E.

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

F.

The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity

下面是对这几本书的简要介绍,请把它们对应的封面信息找出来:

In this collection, Bill Bryson is writing from home. We find he assesses life both in New England and in the contemporary United States. With the telescopic perspective(远望视角) of one who has stepped out of the American mainstream and come back after 20 years, Bryson holds the mirror up to U.S. culture and feel strange to his motherland.

This book is a guide to the world’s unspoilt sights and experiences. It presents one thousand fresh and fascinating alternatives to hundreds of well-known tourist destinations and sights, including alternatives to the Carnival in Rio and the beaches of Thailand, the most-visited national parks, over-rated restaurants and holiday sites.

Returning to the U.S. after 20 years in England, Bill Bryson decided to reconnect with his mother country by hiking the length of the 2100-mile Appalachian Trail. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he still goes into the wilderness and learns hard lessons about self-reliance.

A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. This book is no exception. Following an urge to rediscover his youth, the author leaves his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that takes him to across 38 states in the country, which is like a small town in his opinion.

Born in Iowa, Bryson backpacked through Europe as a young man. While living in England some 20 years later, he revisited many of the same places from arctic Norway’s northern lights to romantic Capri in Italy. Here he jumps back and forth between old memories and new experiences.

阅读下列材料,从所给的六个选项(A、B、C、D、E和F)中,选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

请阅读某书店各书架的相关信息:

A. Section One: Do-It-Yourself Section -- On these shelves customers can find the latest manuals on how to do everything from building a computer to constructing your own home.

B. Section Two: Sports & Leisure Section --- Stocks a large range of the latest books on your favorite sporting teams and events. Pick up the perfect Father's Day present here.

C. Section Three: Humor Section --- A great selection of joke books, funny stories and wonderful real life adventures that are sure to keep the reader laughing for days.

D. Section Four: Business & Finance --- Students, business people or anyone interested in the world of commerce are certain to find the book they are after here. We have special subsection for international trade and e-commerce.

E. Section Five: Biography --- Find out about the lives of your favorite sports stars, singers, actors and other famous people from today and the past. Learn what they had to go through to become successful and the effect it had on their lives.

F. Section Six: Education --- Has a huge range of textbooks and supplementary material covering all the major high school and university subjects. Buyers showing their student cards receive a 15% discount on all purchases from this section.

阅读下列关于各书籍的信息,匹配书籍与其所应放置的书架:

___1. The Delighted Eye --- by Prof. John Nash --- The 1994 Nobel Prize Winner for Economics, whose ideas have influenced a generation of the world's greatest economic minds, tells his life story: growing up in a small town in America, becoming one of America's most influential mathematicians and his battles with mental illness.

___2. Mother Tongue: The English Language --- by Bill Bryson --- Bryson's book is a journey through the history and different aspects of the English language , one that is both informative and hugely entertaining. As with most of Bryson's books, fun comes before facts and readers will be left with a smile on their faces.

___3. Into Thin Air --- by John Krakauer --- is a riveting first-hand account of a disastrous race to the top of Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and experienced climber John Krakauer to join the team led by the famous Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of the race eight people were dead.

___4. Ready Made: How to Make (Almost) Everything --- by Shoshanna Berger and Grace Hawthorne --- beautifully written with great factual information. The theme behind this book is re-use, re-claim, re-cycle and there are many detailed easy-to-do projects for the reader to try such as making a photo frame from a book cover or a pot for your plants from plastic shopping bags.

____5. The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron --- by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind --- As the title suggests the authors cover the rise of the American electricity company to become one of the 10 richest companies in the world and its spectacular fall into dishonour and bankruptcy. A perfect guide on what not to do in business.

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