Directions: There are 4 passages in this part Each passage is followed by
some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices
marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the
corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the
centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language
is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not
realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines
to one's side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the
finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.
Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany
after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother
to find out that "Gift" means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of
ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm's length
away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch,
which makes Americans uncomfortable.
Our linguistic (语言上的) and cultural blindness and the casualness with which
we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other
countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world.
Even here in the United States, we make few concessions to the needs of
foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public
buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual (多语言的)guided tours. Very few
restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and
policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and
often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.
When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where
English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by
those natives - usually the richer - who speak English. Our business dealings,
as well as the nation's diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.
For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness
and linguistic ignorance.After all ,America was the most powerful country of the
free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods.
But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and
we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is
changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this
country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand
in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be
the upper hand.
21.It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle
Easterners would most probably .
A) stand still C) step forward
B) jump aside D) draw back
22.The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their .
A) cultural self-centeredness C) indifference towards foreign visitors
B) casual manners D) arrogance towards other cultures
23.In countries other than their own most Americans .
A) are isolated by the local people
B) are not well informed due to the language barrier
C) tend to get along well with the natives
D) need interpreters in hotels and restaurants
24.According to the author, Americans' cultural blindness and linguistic
ignorance will .
A) affect their image in the new era
B) cut themselves off from the outside world
C) limit their role in world affairs
D) weaken the position of the US dollar
25.The author's intention in writing this article is to make Americans
realize that .
A) it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends
B) it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs
C) it is necessary to use several languages in public places
D) it is time to get acquainted with other cultures
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting.
Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety
of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception
that exists in the fashion industry today. what are they? They are high heels -
a woman's worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the
downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they
are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels
succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the
high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the
world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.
For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to
high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating (使通气)lawns. Anyone who has
ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the
yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care
specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without
all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional
for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by
threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.
Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing
high heels is harmful to one's physical health. Talk to any podiatrist (足病医生)，
and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from
high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed
feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken
ankles is three times higher for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates
the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate (阴沟栅)
and being thrown to the ground-possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of
course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a
night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.
26. What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?
A) The multi-functional use of high heels.
B) Their attempt to show off their status.
C) The rich variety of high heel styles.
D) Their wish to improve their appearance.
27.The author's presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant
.
A) to be ironic C)to be fair to the fashion industry
B) to poke fun at women D) to make his point convincing
28.The author uses the expression "those babies" (Line 3, Para. 2) to refer
to high heels .
A) to show their fragile characteristics C) to show women's affection for
them
B) to indicate their feminine features D) to emphasize their small size
29.The author's chief argument against high heels is that .
A) they pose a threat to lawns
B) they are injurious to women's health
C) they don't necessarily make women beautiful
D) they are ineffective as a weapon of defense
30.It can be inferred from the passage that women should .
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