These seems never to have been a civilization without toys , but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

       In the ancient world, as is today ,most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly(严格地)determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared ,even in play ,to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

       What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality(普遍性)of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing .In Egypt , the Americas ,China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons ,toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

       Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent(上升).

Title :76.           

Boys’ play pattern

Girls’ play pattern

80.           

83.          (one example)

Ancient world

77.           

After mothers’ tasks

Being prepared for

81.           

84.            The oxcart

Present time

78.           

Toy soldiers Vehicles

79.           

Tiny animals

Imitating

82.           

85.           

       Americans have a reputation for being global illiterate(文盲), only one in ten can speak another language .That does not stop millions of American tourists ,businessmen, diplomats and journalists from visiting and working in nearly every country in the world. Americans simply expect everyone else to know their language. Few Americans study foreign language extensively and few American schools and universities ask them to. “We want to learn about the people outside America,” says Chicago Spanish tutor Jody Miles, “It’s sad ,isn’t it? It’s the Americans’ attitude: “They’ll find me a guide who speaks English.

       The American preference for English is hardly discouraged in the nation’s schools. At least 20 percent of the country’s high schools teach no foreign language at all. Few schools teach languages to students under 12, when they can best learn another language .As a result ,fewer than 3 percent of all high school graduates achieve “ meaningful” competence in a foreign language . But that is no bar to getting into the nation’s colleges ;only 8 percent have a foreign language requirement. Some colleges permit students to take proficiency(精通)exams to demonstrate they can speak a foreign language―to some degree―instead of taking a language course. Harvard even allows undergraduates to “psych out” of its one year foreign language requirement. Students can persuade health-clinic psychiatrists(精神病医师)to prove their psychological inability to learn another language.

       Still ,there are many students who want to learn foreign languages. Some study Spanish to understand the country’s growing Hispanic(西班牙的)population; others want to study the language of their immigrant ancestors .Another reason to learn a foreign language is the tight job market. If you have two qualified people applying for a job at an international firm and only one speaks a foreign language ,it’s obvious who will be chosen.

 

Questions:

73.Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “competence”.

                                                                                

74.Who is responsible for American students’ incompetence in foreign languages?(回答词数不超过5个)

                                                                                

75.How can Harvard students be allowed to go without the one year foreign language requirement?(回答词数不超过10个)

                                                                                

       Allen : I’ve never been a big fan of the bears ,especially the vacation show .On my last trip to Disneyland (1999) we passed it by ,because we didn’t want to spend the time on something we didn’t really enjoy. If we’d known it would be closed by our next visit, I’m sure we would have watched it one more time. I was just making the point that it wasn’t until Disney announced the closing that this feeling suddenly sprang(弹跳)up for the Country Bear show at Disneyland.

       But I think the idea of keeping some attractions open forever regardless of the number of visitors it gets is a mistake .We all have great memories of the Bears ,but clearly very few kids today (or I should say families today) are making those same memories from this show . That may be a sad fact ,but it’s a fact. For whatever reason, the show doesn’t pull in the numbers. Isn’t it right to use the Country Bear space to bring in a more popular attraction so that more kids today can make those magic memories of an attraction THEY like? Otherwise aren’t we just telling kids today that they “have to” make great memories of the Bears ,when it’s obvious that the kids themselves are not enjoying the Bears like we did?

       Roger: I am very disappointed that they have decided to retire the Country Bear Playhouse. I remember going to the show as a child ,and still enjoyed it as a teenager, and now young adult .It is true that there aren’t a lot of shows left at DL and with this one closing even less .Being at DL does require a lot of walking ,and it is nice to have a few attractions that are a place to sit and enjoy a good show. I understand that DL has to develop ,but there has to be some history to the Disneyland that Walt Disney first designed .There should be some parts of DL that just never go away ,and this is one of them . By the time I have children it looks like there won’t be any attractions that I can say I went to as a child at the rate they are going.

       Now the Bears are leaving .What I want to say is : stop trying to compete with everyone! DL is the best ,because of attractions like the Country Bears. If DL insists on destroying all of its magic to make way for the latest ,well ,then it might as well be just another theme park.

 

69.What news might get people talking about the problem of the Country Bears?

       A.The Country Bear Playhouse will be closed.

       B.There will be a new attraction for our guests at Disneyland.

       C.The number of visitors to the Country Bear Playhouse is falling.

       D.The Bears will retire because of old age and can’t give shows any more.

70.Allen spoke mainly to get his point across that      .

       A.the Bears will be missed

       B.we should tell kids today that they “have to” make great memories of the Bears

       C.the long-time attraction ought to make way for a future attraction

       D.people never care about what they have until all is lost

71.Which is the best choice to complete Roger’s idea: “The Country Bears have been a part of Disneyland for nearly 30 years,      .”

       A.and I feel it is time to give our bears a good rest

       B.but anyway ,the attraction has lost interest

       C.but I know that Disneyland will always be changing ,and I accept that

       D.and I am sad that the Bears will be leaving

72.Where can this passage be found?

       A.In a web discussion zone.

       B.In a suggestion book.

       C.In a report on the popularity of the Country Bears.

       D.In high school students’ compositions.

       There are two basic ways to see growth : one as a product ,the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external(外在的)result or a product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a rise ,the student whose grades improve ,the foreigner who learns a new language―all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.

       By contrast ,the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signpost or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself ,but the attitudes ,feelings people have ,and their caution or courage ,as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties. In this process ,the journey never really ends ,there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.

       In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks ,to face the unknown ,and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first .How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow. Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so , we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we are slow to adapt to changes or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.

       These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow If we protect ourselves too much ,then we stop growing. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.

65.In the author’s eyes ,one who views personal growth as a process would      .

       A.succeed in climbing up the social ladder

       B.grow up from his own achievement

       C.face difficulties and take up challenges

       D.aim high and reach his goal each time

66.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?

       A.Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges.

       B.Jane won the first prize in the speech competition.

       C.Jenny picked up French during her stay in Paris.

       D.Father’s salary rose from 5,000 to 7,000.

67.For personal growth ,the author is in favor of all the following except      .

       A.being curious about more challenges

       B.being quick in self-adaptation

       C.having an open mind to new experiences

       D.staying away from failures and challenges

68.The best title for this passage should be      .

       A.Facing New Challenges                         B.Growth-Product or Process

       C.Two Basic Ways of Growth                  D.Overcoming Internal Fears

       Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children .Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities.

       Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized.

       You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability .There is no outward sign of the disorder .So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong.

       In one study ,researchers examined the brain of the learning-disabled person who had died in an accident .They found two unusual things. One has something to do with cells on the left side of the brain ,which control language. These cells normally are white .In the learning-disabled person, however ,these cells were gray. The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been .The nerve cells were mixed together.

       The study was carried out under the guidance of Norman Geschwind, an early expert on learning disabilities. Doctor Geschwind thought that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems on the left side of the brain .He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally .Probably ,he said ,nerve cells there did not connect as they should .So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed.

       Frank Duffy experimented with this technique at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Doctor Duffy found large differences in the brain activity of normal children and those with reading problems. The differences appeared throughout the brain. Doctor Duffy said his research proves that reading disabilities result from damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side.

 

61.Scientists found that the brain cells of a learning-disabled person differ from those of a normal person in      .

       A.size and shape                                     B.color and shape

       C.size and arrangement                            D.color and arrangement

62.It is NOT mentioned in the passage that learning disabilities may result from      .

       A.the unknown area of the brain

       B.damage to a wide area of the brain

       C.unusual organization of brain cells

       D.problems on the left side of the brain

63.Doctor Duffy believed that the problem of learning disabilities      .

       A.was limited to the right side of the brain

       B.was not limited to the left side of the brain

       C.resulted from the left side of the brain

       D.did not lie in the left side of the brain

64.According to the passage we can conclude that further researches should be made to      .

       A.study possible influences on brain development and organization

       B.study how children learn to read and write ,and use numbers

       C.help learning-disabled children to develop their intelligence

       D.explore how the left side of the brain works in language learning

       When John Milton , writer of “Paradise Lost” ,entered Cambridge University, in 1625, he was already skilled in Latin after seven years of studying it as his second language at St. Paul’s School, London. Like all English boys who prepared for college in grammar schools ,he had learned not only to read Latin but also to speak and writer it smoothly and correctly .His pronunciation of Latin was English ,however ,and seemed to have sounded strange to his friends when he later visited Italy.

       Schoolboys gained their skill in Latin in a bitter way. They kept in mind the rules to make learning by heart easier. They first made a word-for-word translation and then an idiomatic translation into English .As they increased their skill ,they translated their English back into Latin without referring to the book and then compared their translation with the original .The schoolmaster was always at hand to encourage them. All schoolmasters believed Latin should be beaten in.

       After several years of study ,the boys began to write compositions in imitation of the Latin writers they read. And as they began to read Latin poems ,they began to write poems in Latin .Because Milton was already a poet at ten ,his poems were much better than those painfully put together by the other boys. During the seven years Milton spent at university ,he made regular use of his command of Latin. He wrote some excellent Latin poems ,which he published among his works in 1645.

 

56.What does the passage mainly tell about?

       A.How John Milton wrote “Paradise Lost”.

       B.How John Milton studied Latin.

       C.How John Milton became famous.

       D.How John Milton became a poet.

57.Which of the following way is NOT true of the schoolboys’ learning Latin?

       A.They learned the rules of the Latin language by heart.

       B.They didn’t refer to English when putting English back into Latin.

       C.They translated Latin into English word by word.

       D.They followed the Latin writers to write compositions.

58.It can be inferred from the passage that        .

       A.Milton’s training in Latin was similar to that of the other boys

       B.Milton hadn’t learned any foreign language except Latin before going to college

       C.Milton’s Italian friends helped him with Latin when talking

       D.Milton’s classmates learned Latin harder but worse than Milton.

59.Which of the following is suggested in the passage?

       A.The schoolmaster mainly helped those who were bad at Latin.

       B.The schoolmaster usually stood beside the schoolboys with a stick in his hand.

       C.The schoolboys could repeat Latin grammar rules from memory.

       D.Some of the schoolboys were quick at writing compositions in Latin.

60.What is the meaning of the underlined part “Latin should be beaten in” (Para.2)?

       A.Schoolboys should be punished if they were lazy to learn Latin.

       B.Schoolboys should be encouraged if they had difficulty in learning Latin.

       C.Schoolboys were expected to master Latin in a short time.

       D.Schoolboys had to study Latin in a hard way.

 

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