问答题Practice 10  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  We don’t really learn anything properly until there is a problem, until we make a mistake, until something fails to go as we had hoped. When ever

题目
问答题
Practice 10  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  We don’t really learn anything properly until there is a problem, until we make a mistake, until something fails to go as we had hoped. When everything is working well, with no problems or failures, what incentive do we have to try something new? We are only motivated to learn when we experience difficulties.  Adapted from Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel  Assignment: Does true learning only occur when we experience difficulties? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

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  • 第1题:

    We would suggest that we ()aside the problem of agency until circumstances necessitate doing so.

    A、should have left

    B、left

    C、will leave

    D、leave


    参考答案:D

  • 第2题:

    We can make mistakes at any age.Some mistakes we make are about money.But most mistakes?are about people."Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?When I got that great job,did Jim really feel good about it,as a friend?Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back,doubts?like these can make us feel bad.But when we look back,it′s too late.
    Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies?Sometimes what people say hides their?real meaning.And if we don′t really listen closely we miss the feeling behind the words.Suppose?someone tells you,"You′re a lucky dog."That′s being friendly.But"lucky dog"?There′s a bit?of envy in those words.Maybe he doesn′t see it himself.But bringing in the"dog"puts you down a?little.What he may be saying is that he doesn′t think you deserve your luck.
    "Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for"is another noise that says one thing and?means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole.But is be?Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn′t important.It′s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven′t got a date for Saturday night.How can you tell the real meaning behind someone′s words?One way is to take a good look at?the person talking.Do his words fit the way he looks?Does what he says agree with the tone of?voice?His posture?The look in his eyes?Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the?real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

    In the sentence"Maybe he doesn′t see it himself"in paragraph 2,the pronoun"it"refers?to

    A.being friendly
    B.a bit of envy
    C.lucky dog
    D.your luck

    答案:B
    解析:
    【考情点拨】词语理解题。【应试指导】本句中的it指的就是上句提到的a?bit of envy。

  • 第3题:

    We can make mistakes at any age.Some mistakes we make are about money.But most mistakes?are about people."Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?When I got that great job,did Jim really feel good about it,as a friend?Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back,doubts?like these can make us feel bad.But when we look back,it′s too late.
    Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies?Sometimes what people say hides their?real meaning.And if we don′t really listen closely we miss the feeling behind the words.Suppose?someone tells you,"You′re a lucky dog."That′s being friendly.But"lucky dog"?There′s a bit?of envy in those words.Maybe he doesn′t see it himself.But bringing in the"dog"puts you down a?little.What he may be saying is that he doesn′t think you deserve your luck.
    Just think of all the things you have to be thankful foris another noise that says one thing and?means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole.But is be?Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn′t important.It′s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven′t got a date for Saturday night.How can you tell the real meaning behind someone′s words?One way is to take a good look at?the person talking.Do his words fit the way he looks?Does what he says agree with the tone of?voice?His posture?The look in his eyes?Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the?real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

    When we listen to a person talking,the most important thing for us to do is to__________.

    A.notice the way the person is talking
    B.take a good look at the person talking
    C.mind his tone,his posture and the look in his eyes
    D.examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner,his tone and his posture

    答案:D
    解析:
    【考情点拨】事实细节题。【应用指导】文章最后一段告诉我们要想弄懂一个人说话的真实含义。就要注意他的方式,语调和姿态。D项概括全面,故选D。

  • 第4题:

    It( )we had stayed together for a couple of weeks( )I found we had a lot in common.

    A.was until;when
    B.was until;that
    C.wasn’t;when
    D.wasn’t until;that

    答案:D
    解析:
    考查强调句型。强调句糅合了not ...until 的结构,强调的部分是we had stayed together for a couple of weeks,后面填that。故本题选D。句意:我们在一起待了几周,我才发现我们有很多相同之处。

  • 第5题:

    Not until this morning()your L/C. We can()make shipment as stipulated in the contract.

    • A、we receive,not
    • B、we have received,never
    • C、did we receive,hardly
    • D、had we received,certainly

    正确答案:C

  • 第6题:

    问答题
    Practice 13  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  —In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience.  —W.B, Prescott  Assignment: Which is a more powerful force of social change: power or patience? Write an essay in which you answer this question and support your position logically with examples from literature, the arts, history, politics, science and technology, current events, or your experience or observation.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    Although the first two centuries of the American experiment have been characterized by the systematic disenfrachisement of African Americans, women, the destitute, and those from the wrong political party, democracy has slowly and patiently evolved and strengthened, not through military victories, but by patient commitment to an idea. Indeed, democracy is the antithesis of concentrated power. Yet, tragically, recent American leaders act as if it can be forced upon a people, in ignorance of the true history of their own democracy, and of the nature of democracy itself. They have come to believe that America, by dint of its relative success with democracy at home, has earned the right to exert its unbridled will throughout the world. They will fail because they do not understand the value of patience over power, of ideas over arms, of compassion over strategy. The patient commitment to true democracy will, in the long run, be more powerful than the strongest army on earth.
    The current war in Iraq was first proclaimed as a preemptive strike against terrorists in order to protect our homeland. When it was revealed beyond doubt that Iraq in fact posed no threat to us, our leaders re-cast the war as one to free Iraq and bring democracy to an oppressed people. But this could not possibly be so. Such proclamations express only the wishes of politicians, not human reality. Democracy is the patient triumph of ideas over might. It is a waging of words rather than a waging of war; it is a faith in humanity to choose what is right and good, not to force-feed a single-minded view down the throats of the masses.
    But, the neoconservatives say, our own freedom, our own democracy, was earned only through wars like the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the World Wars. We must exert our power and perhaps spill the blood of our brave soldiers so that freedom will reign! But this is true only for one’s own freedom, not the freedom of others. Each people must earn its own freedom. No country on this earth will ever accept that it has been given democracy by an invading force. It’s story must belong to its people, just as the story of our freedom is our own.
    We have a long way to go before we understand democracy well enough to preach it to others, let alone force it down their throats. True leaders lead by example, not by force. When our leaders learn the true meaning of democracy well enough to live it, then they will have earned the right to speak it, and the world will follow their example. To reach that point, we need patient faith in an idea, not the powers of arms.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第7题:

    问答题
    Practice 9  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  How valuable is history for our generation? On the surface this question is not as easy as it once might have been, for there is a widespread belief that history may no longer be relevant to modem life. We live, after all, in an age that appears very different from the world that came before us.  Adapted from Stephen Vaughn, History: Is It Relevant?  Assignment: Is knowledge of the past no longer useful for us today? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    According to the famous aphorism, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, and this is often cited in discussions about the usefulness of history. The utility of history is commonly seen as its predictive value: knowledge of the past and how particular events unfolded is useful because it enables us to predict the outcome of similar events in the present and avoid making the same mistakes as others. This might be true when the circumstances are broadly similar, but nowadays technology is advancing so rapidly that it is constantly creating totally new circumstances.
    In the last 10 years, developments in technology have fundamentally changed the way we live and interact with others, and theorists have highlighted the lack of integration between the past and the present. Lyotard and others have claimed that modernity, which began with the Industrial Revolution, ended in the 1980s and we are experiencing a postmodern condition in which modern concepts like truth and progress have become obsolete. Some other scholars, like Aug,, claim that we are experiencing hypermodernity, a condition characterized by a deepening faith in the power of science and technology.
    Whether we choose to describe the current condition as modern, postmodern, or hypermodern, it is undeniable that the present circumstances generate a context that is fundamentally different to anything before. However, this does not mean that knowledge of the past has become useless. History has never been a particularly reliable guide to the future because circumstances are always unique. The real value of knowledge of the past lies not in predicting the future but in understanding the present. The past causes the present, and so it causes the future, and in order to understand why anything has happened we have to look for factors that took shape earlier.
    All the problems in the modern world, like the India-Pakistan conflict or the relationship between the Islamic world and the West, have complex historical origins. We cannot understand the context if we do not know the history, and if we do not understand the context then we cannot resolve them. Constant change is the defining feature of the contemporary world, which means it is more important than ever to understand change. Only through studying history can we grasp how things change and only through history can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change. In these circumstances, knowledge of the past is more important than ever.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第8题:

    问答题
    Practice 10  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  We don’t really learn anything properly until there is a problem, until we make a mistake, until something fails to go as we had hoped. When everything is working well, with no problems or failures, what incentive do we have to try something new? We are only motivated to learn when we experience difficulties.  Adapted from Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel  Assignment: Does true learning only occur when we experience difficulties? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley (“Sully”) Sullenberger was piloting a US Airways jet from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina. A few moments after takeoff, the jet ran into a flock of birds, which knocked out power to both engines. Sully knew he could not make it back to the airport, so he decided to land the plane in the Hudson River. Miraculously, the plane landed intact and stayed afloat long enough to get every single passenger and crew member off safely. Sully is now an internationally known speaker on the subject of airline safety, using the lessons he learned from this most difficult situation to prevent future disasters. As Friedrich Nietzsche so aptly put it, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
    Indeed, the lessons learned from overcoming difficulties can last a lifetime. In 1886, Helen Keller, who had become deaf and blind after a childhood illness, learned how to communicate with others through the use of sign language (painstakingly learned from her “Teacher, ” Annie Sullivan). This accomplishment affected the rest of Helen’s life: She became the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College and went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. Her triumph over her disabilities taught her that any person can change the world, if they truly believe in themselves.
    In 1962, the South African apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela, was sentenced to life in prison for his political activities. Did he spend his days bemoaning his fate or complaining how unfair life was? No—he used his time in prison to earn a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London. Twenty-seven years later, he was released from prison and vowed to use everything he had learned while incarcerated to fight apartheid peacefully and politically. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
    There is no doubt that physical pain is an excellent teacher. A child who puts his hand on a hot stove burner will not do so again willingly. (Even the family pet will learn from a similar experience.) But the pain the body feels because of a fall, or a cut, or some kind of illness will eventually wear off. The pain and suffering felt in the mind, however, will last for years, informing all our future actions and teaching us the truly indelible lessons of life.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第9题:

    问答题
    We walked for many hours through the thick forests and over the rocky hills until we had reached the clearing                                  A            Bin which we would pitch our tent for the night. No error  C                  D      E

    正确答案: B
    解析:
    本句完成时的用法不正确。因为到达空地发生在步行这个行为之后,应使用一般过去时reached。

  • 第10题:

    问答题
    Practice 4  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  A sense of happiness and fulfillment, not personal gain, is the best motivation and reward for one’s achievements. Expecting a reward of wealth or recognition for achieving a goal can lead to disappointment and frustration. If we want to be happy in what we do in life, we should not seek achievement for the sake of winning wealth and fame. The personal satisfaction of a job well done is its own reward.  Assignment: Are people motivated to achieve by personal satisfaction rather than by money or fame? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    People are motivated by anything with which they equate the increasing of personal satisfaction, and this includes the incentives: money and fame. It would be a great oversight to assume that the two are substitutes for personal satisfaction, but fortune and glory need not be mutually exclusive from individual contentment. Rather, each person possesses a unique standard for achievement; some may strive to succeed in order to gain recognition, or to amass wealth, while others perform accomplishments in order to help the poor or needy, or to give back to society. Regardless of what the motivation is, every human action is aimed at increasing personal satisfaction.
    According to the prompt, one ought to seek contentment through achievements without expecting external benefits or recognition, but this theory does not acknowledge the fact that many people in modern (and in past) societies associate fulfillment with the acquirement of material goods and prominence. Materialism and narcissism are behaviors that, when pervasive throughout a society, may erode social fabric and the spirit of humanity in communities. But the desire to achieve success so as to gain riches or fame does not necessarily need to be destructive, nor detrimental to the general population.
    Take for example, Donald Trump—real estate tycoon, billionaire, reality-TV star, twice- divorced family man, published author, and many more titles. He began his career as a real estate developer in his father’s company after graduating from the Wharton School of Business, and successfully created a legacy that his son and daughter are continuing. Trump has been a billionaire since 2007, and his role on the reality TV show “The Apprentice” has increased his fame around the world. In his interviews and publications, Trump gives no indication of regretting his pursuit of fortune and glory, nor does he show any sign of slowing down the growth of the Trump empire. Contrary to what the prompt indicates, personal satisfaction may be intimately tied to the achievement of financial surplus and prestige. That is, thousands of people are motivated by money and fame, but for some, personal satisfaction is unattainable without the two because they believe that their happiness will be derived from reputation or treasure.
    History is ripe with examples of every kind of motivator—fame, wealth, knowledge, peace, love, safety, etc. Alexander the Great pursued fame and power, President Roosevelt advocated international peace and domestic prosperity and Mother Theresa worked to improve children’s lives. But as Aristotle explained his Ethics, the pursuit of the “good” is wide and varied. Each man may believe that how he lives is the right path to achieving personal happiness. The banker believes he needs money to be happy, while the teacher finds disseminating knowledge to be fulfilling. Regardless of whether a path is correct or wrong, every person is motivated by the common factor of personal satisfaction.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第11题:

    问答题
    Practice 11  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  It is easy to make judgments about people and their actions when we do not know anything about their circumstances or what motivated them to take those actions. But we should look beyond a person’s actions. When people do things that we consider outrageous, inconsiderate, or harmful, we should try to understand why they acted as they did.  Assignment: Is it important to try to understand people’s motivations before judging their actions? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    Why do people do the things they do? Sometimes it’s not that difficult to understand a person’s motivation; A father may choose to work a second job, which may take him away from his family for long periods of time. He doesn’t want to be an absent father, but he believes that his actions will eventually benefit his family. He is motivated by his love for his wife and children. A mother may choose to forego buying herself new clothes or jewelry so that she can be sure her children have enough to eat, nice clothes, and toys. Her motivation is also her love of her family. But when it comes to people whose motivations are a mystery to us, it is always important to try and decipher their feelings so as to help them (or keep them from hurting anyone else).
    What motivates certain people to kill? If we can answer that question, we may be able to identify such inclinations in others and so prevent them from acting out their anger. For surely it is anger that frequently leads to violence. A political assassin, for example, is typically infuriated by the way his country is being run by the current leaders. If there had been some way to know how outraged Lee Harvey Oswald was, or SirhanSirhan, or James Earl Ray, there might have been some way to prevent the deaths of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. If only someone had been able to gain some insight into the workings of Timothy McVeigh’s maddened mind, the tragedy of Oklahoma City in 1995 might have been averted.
    In other cases, it is not anger, necessarily, but more likely despair that motivates people to commit desperate acts. In 1995, Susan Smith was convicted of the unspeakable act of drowning her two young sons by rolling her car into a lake with them strapped inside. Later, authorities found out that she herself had had a terrible childhood (she was regularly molested by her stepfather) and twice had tried to commit suicide. If anyone could have understood this tormented woman’s mentality, those two little boys might have been saved.
    It is easy to condemn a person for committing a despicable act. It is much harder to discover what their motivation was for acting in such a tragic way, but it is worth the effort.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第12题:

    单选题
    Don’t() this news to the public until we give you the go-ahead.
    A

    release

    B

    relate

    C

    relieve

    D

    retain


    正确答案: A
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第13题:

    Part A

    Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A,B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET I. (40 points)

    Text 1

    We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen? .... When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?" "And Paul—why didn't pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it' s too late.

    Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don' t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, "You' re a lucky dog." That' s being friendly. But "lucky dog?" There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that the doesn't think you deserve your luck.

    "Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for," is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It' s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven' t got a date for Saturday night.

    How can you tell the real meaning behind someone' s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice?

    His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.

    21. This passage is mainly about______.

    A) how to interpret what people say

    B) what to do when you listen to others talking

    C) how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people

    D) why we go wrong with people sometimes


    正确答案:C
    答案:C
    [试题分析]文章主旨题。
    [详细解答]本文开篇就指出了我们会经常在交流时出现一些错误,然后举了一些例子做分析,最后直接给出了避免错误的建议。可见,所有的内容都是围绕怎样去避免在与人交流过程中的错误。所以正确答案为C。

  • 第14题:

    We can make mistakes at any age.Some mistakes we make are about money.But most mistakes?are about people."Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?When I got that great job,did Jim really feel good about it,as a friend?Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back,doubts?like these can make us feel bad.But when we look back,it′s too late.
    Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies?Sometimes what people say hides their?real meaning.And if we don′t really listen closely we miss the feeling behind the words.Suppose?someone tells you,"You′re a lucky dog."That′s being friendly.But"lucky dog"?There′s a bit?of envy in those words.Maybe he doesn′t see it himself.But bringing in the"dog"puts you down a?little.What he may be saying is that he doesn′t think you deserve your luck.
    Just think of all the things you have to be thankful foris another noise that says one thing and?means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole.But is be?Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn′t important.It′s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven′t got a date for Saturday night.How can you tell the real meaning behind someone′s words?One way is to take a good look at?the person talking.Do his words fit the way he looks?Does what he says agree with the tone of?voice?His posture?The look in his eyes?Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the?real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

    The author most probably is a__________.

    A.teacher
    B.psychologist
    C.philosopher
    D.doctor

    答案:B
    解析:
    【考情点拨】推理判断题。【应试指导】通过了解文章的意思,我们可以看出作者分析了交际过程的心理因素,并从心理学角度提出建议,以使人们少犯错误=由此可知,作者可能是个心理学家。

  • 第15题:

    We can make mistakes at any age.Some mistakes we make are about money.But most mistakes?are about people."Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?When I got that great job,did Jim really feel good about it,as a friend?Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back,doubts?like these can make us feel bad.But when we look back,it′s too late.
    Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies?Sometimes what people say hides their?real meaning.And if we don′t really listen closely we miss the feeling behind the words.Suppose?someone tells you,"You′re a lucky dog."That′s being friendly.But"lucky dog"?There′s a bit?of envy in those words.Maybe he doesn′t see it himself.But bringing in the"dog"puts you down a?little.What he may be saying is that he doesn′t think you deserve your luck.
    "Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for"is another noise that says one thing and?means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole.But is be?Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn′t important.It′s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven′t got a date for Saturday night.How can you tell the real meaning behind someone′s words?One way is to take a good look at?the person talking.Do his words fit the way he looks?Does what he says agree with the tone of?voice?His posture?The look in his eyes?Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the?real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

    According to the author′,the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that

    A.we fail to listen carefully when they talk
    B.people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say
    C.people usually state one thing but mean another
    D.we tend to doubt What.our friends say

    答案:C
    解析:
    【考情点拨】推理判断题。【应试指导】由第二段第二句及第三段首句可知,有时人们所说的话掩饰了其真实含义,而且言不由衷。故选C。

  • 第16题:

    Not until this morning()your delayed letter of credit.

    • A、we received
    • B、did we receive
    • C、we have received
    • D、had we received

    正确答案:B

  • 第17题:

    单选题
    From the description in the passage, we learn that______.
    A

    Burns is well known for his skill of writing letters.

    B

    Shakespeare has received formal training in schools.

    C

    creativity is usually based on the persistent practice.

    D

    people can’t find anything to describe until after years of practices.


    正确答案: C
    解析:
    推断题由题干关键词定位到文章第三段。该段第六句中的in letters意为“在文字、写作方面”,而不是说他擅长写信,故A项理解错误,可排除。选项B是对原文中莎士比亚直接继承了一个流派的曲解,故排除。D项的表述过于绝对,属于过度推断,也可排除。由第三段尾句可以看出,作者认为要培养独创性最重要的还是要坚持不懈的练习,故答案为C项。

  • 第18题:

    问答题
    Practice 12  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  I have learned that success is to be measured not so,: much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed.  —Booker T. Washington  Assignment: Is the struggle endured to achieve success more important than the accomplishment itself? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    While overcoming obstacles can build character, I do not believe that such struggles are more important than the accomplishment itself. Struggles can help us learn and discover simpler paths toward success, but struggle is defined more by the pain it causes than by the lessons it teaches. We can see this in examining historic wars and modern heroes.
    Many films and novels praise the nobility of battle and the lessons learned in war. But the price paid by soldiers and innocent people significantly outweighs these lessons. In international disputes, success with- out conflict is far better than the triumph of war. By avoiding war, nations avoid the tragedy of lost lives as well as the economic hardships involved in rebuilding infrastructure and paying off debt.
    Many suggest that heroes like Lance Armstrong demonstrate the value of overcoming adversity. In the past seven years, Armstrong has overcome a battle with cancer to win an unprecedented seven straight championships at the Tour de France. His story has provided cancer patients with one of their most inspiring narratives. But as wonderful as those effects have been, Armstrong’s story would have been better if he had not been forced to overcome cancer. Armstrong is an exceptional athlete, and accomplished an astonishing feat that his illness should not eclipse. In fact, he was stricken by a very treatable form of cancer. Are we truly helping cancer patients by making them believe that all cancer treatment can be easily scheduled between training runs? No. His story may help aspiring cyclists far more than it helps patients facing months of painful chemotherapy.
    Another interesting example is Alice Sebold, a writer who has overcome a traumatic rape she suffered in college. It’s difficult to overstate the magnitude of her struggles in overcoming this violation to write two beautifully crafted works, The Lovely Bones and Lucky. Although her battles undeniably helped to craft her work, her status as a writer is unrelated to her status as a victim. Without such pain in her life, I believe that she would have created different, but equally powerful stories. Artists suffer enough by being able to see so deeply into the human condition; literature is not served any better when its greatest writers are subjected to torture. Stories of success despite adversity are well rep- resented in books, films, and even daily newscasts. They inspire us by showing triumphs of the human spirit. The danger here, however, is in using these struggles as a crutch, depersonalizing adversity in an effort to feel less afraid of our own difficulties. There is nothing wrong with feeling inspired by a story of overcome obstacles and suggesting that struggle builds character. But it is the accomplishments themselves that represent success, not the struggle. Success without wounds leaves room for greater happiness, fewer losses, and better health.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第19题:

    问答题
    Practice 8  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  We must seriously question the idea of majority rule. The majority grinned and jeered when Columbus said the world was round. The majority threw him into a dungeon for his discoveries. Where is the logic in the notion that the opinion held by a majority of people should have the power to influence our decisions?  Adapted from James A. Reed, Majority Rule  Assignment: Is the opinion of the majority—in government or in any other circumstances—a poor guide? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    “There is safety in numbers.” This old saying illustrates how comforting it can be to know that the majority is on your side and that you are not alone in your endeavor. When you are attempting to climb a mountain, or explore a hidden cave, or maneuver a football down field for a score, you certainly want a majority of your comrades to be there with you, urging you on and assisting in your quest. But when it comes to making important decisions, whether in your private or public life, a simple majority vote will not always be your best guide; indeed, in many cases, the majority may very well be wrong.
    Take the case of an intelligent high school student who wants to be popular with her classmates. She could decide to be true to herself and join the other equally intelligent students who comprise the “nerd” minority at her school. But most likely she will be more attracted to the styles and behaviors of the majority—those students who think studying is for geeks, who are more concerned about the latest fashions than the latest ideas, and who may very well encourage her to experiment with drinking and drugs. The pressure of the peer majority is often irresistible.
    Consider also the reaction of the majority of people to unfamiliar or suspicious behavior. A majority of people living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 decided that 19 men and women were practicing witchcraft (based on the testimony of a few mean-spirited and histrionic girls) and carried them off to the gallows to be hanged. When Galileo dared to suggest (based on his factual observations) that the earth was NOT the center of the universe, a majority of Catholic Church fathers accused him of heresy.
    Lastly, when it comes to the concept of “majority rule” in governmental institutions, how often have the results been skewed by the majority’s inability to think rationally and act reasonably? Average Germans in the 1930s gave their support to a new leader who they thought would lead them out of the economic bankruptcy caused by World War I. A majority voted for Adolf Hitler. Tyrants do not always take control of their countries by themselves; often they are elected by the very people they will later persecute. Yes, there may be “safety” in numbers, but there is no guarantee they will be fight.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第20题:

    单选题
    The sentence “Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.” means that ______.
    A

    if we don’t give up, there is always hope

    B

    you should set goals for yourself

    C

    you should learn to give up

    D

    although you try, nothing will change


    正确答案: C
    解析:
    句意理解题。由文中第四段可推知,只要我们不放弃,一切事情总是有希望的。故选A。

  • 第21题:

    单选题
    It was ______ the chief engineer came ______ we began the experiment.
    A

    not until; that    

    B

    not until; then  

    C

    until; that  

    D

    until; when


    正确答案: C
    解析:
    直到总工程师来了,我才开始做实验。it is not until...that为强调句型,意思是“直至某时才做某事”。

  • 第22题:

    问答题
    Practice 6  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  Akira Kurosawa’s film masterpiece Rashomon portrays several people who have witnessed a death. As each observer recounts the event as he or she witnessed it, we come to realize that each person’s story varies greatly from every other account. Watching the movie, we reflect the truth of an experience—and perhaps all truth—is different for each person.  Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that truth is not objective, but rather is determined by each individual? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    The difference between perspective and truth is that perspective originates from an individual. Each person possesses a unique outlook on life, but truth, by definition, must be the same for every individual. The law of gravity cannot be challenged, nor are there any exceptions to it because it applies to everything on Earth. Similarly, our actions cannot, and do not, affect the truth because it exists outside the realm of our control.
    Platonic idealism holds that ideals exist outside the realm of the physical. That is the idea of what an object is (its definition) cannot be found in the human word. For example, if we look at the definition of a ball, it may say that a ball is a spherical object of fully rounded shape, with no angles, that contains radii of entirely equal lengths spanning out from a central point. Yet there are many different types of balls, including basketballs, baseballs, cricket balls, and so on. So even though many objects fit this definition of a ball, the “ideal,” or the truth of what a ball is, only exists in words, not in reality. Hence, we must conclude that an objective understanding of “ball” exists, as every person understands it.
    Events may be objectively understood as well. Though every person may see differently from his own eyes, due to differences in backgrounds and desires, impartial facts are immutable. For example, the Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express, is a classic whodunit mystery that requires one detective to sort through twelve suspects in a murder case to find the true killer of a Mr. Ratchett. Detective Poirot is given the task of catching the true killer by sorting through various, sometimes conflicting, alibis and motives. Though he is given twelve different narratives from his suspects, Poirot eventually brilliantly pieces together the objective events to find the truth on who kills Mr. Ratchett. Therefore, regardless of what subjective stories may exist in the world, an objective truth always exists.
    There is a famous saying that says one cannot judge another person until one has walked a mile in that person’s shoes. Human perceptions vary tremendously from person to person, but in order to separate the objective from the subjective, we must step outside the world of opinion, and review facts. What is true cannot be debated; it can only be described by words.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第23题:

    问答题
    Practice 2  Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.  Being truly human as a member of a society means seeing injustice and working to fix it. The human mind is endowed with not only the ability to perceive the world and act instinctively, but to visualize a better future and endeavor to realize it.  Assignment: What is one great injustice in the world, and how should it be addresed? Write an essay in which you answer this question and explain the reasons for your choice. You may draw inspiration and support from literature, the arts, history, politics, science and technology, current events, or your experience or observation.

    正确答案: 【参考范文】
    One great in justice that has not been adequately addressed is the perception that depression is a sign of weakness. The human mind is a complex puzzle. Psychological theories, diagnoses and treatment are constantly changing and may never be fully understood. Unfortunately, people tend to dismiss theories that don’t provide simple answers.
    At best, psychologists can create a rough map of tendencies and patterns, connecting them as often as possible to findings in neurology and thus lending them a sense of scientific validity, . Diagnosing a complex disease like depression involves examining a wide constellation of symptoms over a long period of time. This doesn’t satisfy skeptics. Someone with the flu will show clear symptoms like fever, nausea, and congestion. A depressed person will have less measurable symptoms like lethargy, emotional polarity or apathy. Skeptics tend to view these as simply a lack of will. They do not understand that depression is an illness just like influenza or cancer. Someone with a tumor can’t just think happy thoughts and pretend it is not there. The same can be said about clinical depression.
    People suffering from depression are unfairly stigmatized. They resist seeking help and so lead lives filled with unnecessary pain. Those lucky enough to find help are often ashamed to tell their peers. Friends often misconstrue symptoms of depression as personal slights. . Why didn’t she call me? Why is he not fun anymore? Bonds are thus broken due to miscommunication.
    Depression alters one’s life at least as dramatically as more “accepted” illnesses do. People suffering from depression need others to understand the limitations deprssion imposes. They need to be allowed to heal. Advances in anti-depresents and mood stabilizers can help ease these adjustments, but social pressure makes it nearly impossible for the victims of depression to live in a suitable environment.
    Emotional disorders are a remarkably sad facet of life. To lose control over one’s emotions is to lose track of hope. A world that denies one’s suffering makes this situation even worse. The key to resolving this problem is education. People of all ages need to understand how prevalent depression is and that it is not a cause for embarrassment. Hopefully, we will one day live in a world where emotional disorders will be treated with the same tolerance and compassion as “traditional” illnesses.
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第24题:

    单选题
    From the description in the passage, we learn that _____.
    A

    Burns is well known for his skill of writing letters

    B

    Shakespeare has received formal training in schools

    C

    creativity is usually based on the persistent practice

    D

    people can’t find anything to describe until after years of practices


    正确答案: A
    解析:
    推断题。由题干关键词可定位到文章第三段。该段第六句中的in letters意为“在文字、写作方面”,而不是说他擅长写信,故A项理解错误,可排除。选项B是对原文中莎士比亚直接继承了一个流派的曲解,故排除。D项的表述过于绝对,属于过度推断,也可排除。由第三段尾句可以看出,作者认为要培养独创性最重要的还是要坚持不懈的练习,故答案为C项。