Passage Thirteen (The Neutrality of American in the Early World War II)

The establishment of the Third Reich influenced events in American history by starting a chain of events which culminated in war between Germany and the United States. The compete destruction of democracy, the persecution of Jews, the war on religion, the cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis, and especially the plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war. While speaking out against Hitler’s atrocities, the American people generally favored isolationist policies and neutrality. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the President was empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his discretion.

American opinion began to change somewhat after President Roosevelt’s “quarantine the aggressor” speech at Chicago (1937) in which he severely criticized Hitler’s policies. Germany’s seizure of Austria and the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia (1938) also aroused the American people. The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March, 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the Third Reich. In August,1939 came the shock of the Nazi-soviet Pact and in September the attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war. The United States attempted to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted “cash and carry” exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed (1940) to strengthen the military services. A Lend Act (1941) authorized the President to sell, exchange, or lend materials to any country deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August, 1940 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter which proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war. In December, 1941, Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. Immediately thereafter, Germany declared war on the United States.

1.One item occurring before 1937 that the author does not mention in his list of actions that alienated the American public was

A.the burning of the Reichstag.

B.German plans for conquest.

C.Nazi barbarism.

D.the persecution of religious groups.

2.The Lend-Lease Act was designed to

A.help the British.

B.strengthen the national defense of the United States.

C.promote the Atlantic Charter.

D.avenge Pearl Harbor.

3.American Policy during the years 1935-1936 may be described as being

A.watchful.

B.isolationist.

C.peaceful.

D.indifferent.

4.The Neutrality Act of 1939

A.permitted the selling of arms to belligerent nations.

B.antagonized Japan.

C.permitted the British to trade only with the Allies.

D.led to Lend-Lease Act.

5.We entered the war against Germany

A.because Germany declared war.

B.because Japan was an ally of Germany.

C.after Germany had signed the Nazi-soviet Pact.

D.after peaceful efforts had failed.

第二部分 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分

A

    Sam and Joe were astronauts. There was once a very dangerous trip and the more experienced astronauts knew there was only a small chance of coming back alive. Sam and Joe, however, thought it would be exciting though a little dangerous. “We’re the best men for the job,” they said to the boss. “There may be problems, but we can find the answers.” “They’re the last people I’d trust,” thought the boss. “But all the other astronauts have refused to go.”

    Once they were in space, Joe had to go outside to make some repairs. When the repairs were done, he tried to get back inside the spaceship. But the door was locked. He knocked but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time, and again no answer came. Then he hit the door as hard as he could and finally a voice said, “Who’s there?” “It’s me! Who else could it be?” shouted Joe. Sam let him in all right but you can imagine that Joe never asked to go on a trip with Sam again!

36. Most of the astronauts were unwilling to go on a trip because _______.

A.there was little chance of being selected      B.they weren’t experienced enough

C. they thought they might get killed           D. it wasn’t exciting enough

37. Why were Sam and Joe chosen?

  A. The boss wanted them to get more experience.

  B. The boss trusted them more than anyone else.

  C. They were the last people who wanted to go.

  D. They were the only men who offered to go.

38 Joe didn’t want to work with Sam again probably because he thought Sam _______.  

  A. was very slow and possibly deaf     B.didn’t know how to operate the door

  C. was less experienced than he was    D. didn’t know how to do repairs

39. The writer tells this story to _______.

  A. show the dangerous side of the astronauts’ life   B. make people laugh

  C. show the funny side of the astronauts’ life     D. make people think

                                      C

Sport not only is physically challenging, but it can also be mentally challenging. Criticism (批评) from coaches, parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create an excessive (过度的)amount of anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological, and research has indicated that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.

  The early years of development are critical years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to work together with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parent's and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find a flaw(缺陷)in themselves.

  Coaches and parents, should also be careful that youth sport participation doesn't become the work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting(环境), young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches direct their attention on the outcome(=result)and find fault with young people’s performances. Research indicates that positive reinforcement motivates (积极强化激励) and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.

74. An effective way to prevent the burnout of young athletes is________.

  A. to reduce their mental stress                  B. to increase their sense of stress

  C. to make sports less competitive                D. to make sports more challenging

75. According to the passage, sport is positive for young people in that________.

  A. it can create high levels of stress

  B. it enables them to find flaws in themselves

  C. it can provide them with valuable experiences

  D. it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves

76. According to the passage parents and coaches should________.

  A. pay more attention to letting children enjoy sports

  B. help children to win every game

  C. train children to deaf with stress

  D. enable children to understand the positive aspect of sports

77.The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to________.

  A. teach young athletes how to avoid burnout

  B. persuade young children not to worry about criticism

  C. stress the importance of positive reinforcement to children

  D. discuss the skill of mixing criticism with encouragement

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