President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to a very important truth today—that business organizations have more prestige in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly(垄断) of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.
A contrast(对比) is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy(民主) in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one’s family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities.
76. Which of the following is discussed as the main topic in the passage?
A. Competition in America’s business B. Freedom in America’s business
C. Americans’ different values D. Business against government
77. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values ________.
A. when given equal opportunities
B. through doing business
C. by protecting their individual freedom
D. by means of competition
78. The underlined word “prestige ” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
A．reputation B. opportunity C. equality D. competition
79. Who can benefit from business competition?
A. Businessmen who compete
B. Customers of those businesses
C. People with the idea of equality and freedom
D. Both business organizations and government
80. It could be inferred from that the author believe ________.
A. business in other countries are not as competitive as those in the USA
B. business problems are very important to the American government
C. the competition in business plays a very important role in America
D. American business is the most powerful one in the whole world
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority (优先) over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution (美国宪法).. according to the passage, persuasion means ________.
| A．changing others’ points of view |
| B．exercising power over other people |
| C．getting other people to consider your point of view |
| D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
. The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.
| A．win | B．fail | C．speak | D．listen |
. The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
| A．a danger to society | B．difficult to do well |
| C．unwelcome behavior | D．never successful |
. The passage mainly discusses ________.
| A．how people persuade |
| B．why people persuade |
| C．that persuasion is both good and bad |
| D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
There are various reasons why cancers appear to be on the increase. For one thing, though their sufferers are to be found in all age groups, cancers are particularly likely to attack persons in their middle and advanced years. Naturally, since people live longer these years, there are more cancer sufferers than before. Again, with better methods of diagnosis (诊断), doctors can more easily recognize cancerous growths that would formerly have passed unnoticed or that would have been wrongly diagnosed. It is also believed that certain habits and conditions of modem living, including heavy smoking and the pollution of the air, may leave people living in more cancer-causing conditions than before.
We all look forward to the day when a simple medical test can find cancer while it is still small. Researchers around the world are working on such a test. Most of their work deals with the examination of the blood.
Researchers in Boston have found something in the blood of cancer patients that does not appear in healthy persons. The test showed which persons had cancer and which did not. It was correct more than 90 percent of the time.
The researchers believe the test may be able to show cancer very clearly in its development. Cancers discovered early usually can be treated successfully.
The test examines very small bits of fat in the blood called lipids (脂质). Cancers seem to change lipids although doctors do not know why. The test showed differences between the lipids of the persons with cancer and the lipids of those without cancer.
The researchers say the new test could be a step to develop a simple way to check patients for cancer before the disease shows on an X-ray.. Who will fail cancer from the study of the researchers?
| A．The young. | B．The middle age and the older. |
| C．The man. | D．The woman. |
The underlined words "such a test" refer to________.
| A．the test that shows which persons have cancer and which don’t . |
| B．the test that may be able to show cancer very early in its development,. |
| C．a simple medical test that cannot find cancer when it is -small |
| D．a new test that could be a step to develop a difficult way |
. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Cancers have much to do with something in patients’ blood. |
| B．People living in better conditions are most likely to be attacked by cancer. |
| C．X-raying is the best way to determined whether a person has cancer or not. |
| D．Cancers have nothing to do with a person’s habits and living conditions. |
. What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A simple way to cancer | B．Cancers can be cured |
| C．How to find cancer | D．Early discovery of cancer |
It is difficult for parents of nearly every family to teach their children to be responsible （有责任的）for housework, but with one of the following suggestions, you really can get your children to help at home.
If you give your children the impression that they can never do anything quite right, then they will regard themselves as unfit or unable persons. Unless children believe they can succeed, they will never become totally independent.
My daughter Carla’s fifth - grade teacher made every child in her class feel special. When students received less than a prefect test score, she would point out what they had mastered and declared firmly they could learn what they had missed.
You can use the same technique when you evaluate （评价）your child’s work at home. Don’t always scold and give lots of praise instead. Talk about what he has done right, not about what he hasn’t done. If your child completes a difficult task, promise him a Sunday trip or a ball game with Dad.
Learning is a process（过程）of trying and failing and trying and succeeding. If you teach your children not to fear a mistake of failure, they will learn faster and achieve success at last.
The whole passage deals with ________.
| A．social education | B．school education |
| C．family education | D．pre - school education |
The author thinks that________.
| A．there is no way to get children to help at home |
| B．the more encouragement and praise you give, the more responsible and helpful children will become |
| C．it is very difficult to make children responsible for housework |
| D．children can be forced to help with housework |
The article gives us a good suggestion about how to evaluate（评价）your child’s work at home. That is to ________.
| A．praise his success | B．promise him a trip |
| C．give him a punishment | D．promise him a ball game |
The author advises readers to________.
| A．learn from himself, for he has a good way of teaching |
| B．take pride in Carla’s fifth - grade teacher |
| C．do as what Carla’s teacher did in educating children |
| D．follow Carla’s example because she never fails in the test |
For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.
Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye-pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants（污染物） can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer, Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution. People began to notice the problem in the early 1970s. It is that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they built buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using manmade building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases. As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building— green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and through its tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square metres of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and more healthy place.
Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because ________.
| A．the man - made building materials let out dangerous gases inside houses |
| B．there may be more harmful gases outside houses |
| C．the flow of air indoors is limited |
| D．indoor air pollution can make a person seriously ill |
The most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants because________.
| A．they may let out more oxygen which people need |
| B．they can absorb different kinds of the harmful indoor chemicals |
| C．they can take in all kinds of indoor pollutants |
| D．they can make your house prettier and more healthy |
For almost forty years the Empire State Building in New York City was the world's tallest skyscraper（摩天大楼）. The building reaches a height of 1, 250 feet. It has 102 floors. The use of steel frames made its height possible. Steel walls can rise height without needing to be thick. Steel frame construction is strong. All plates are fixed firmly together by metal bolts（螺栓）called rivets （铆钉）. When set in place, rivets are usuall red- hot. One end is already rounded. A riveter uses a special hammer to shape the other end. Then the rivet cools. It holds the plates firmly. High winds can move this strong building. A wind of a hundred miles an hour has caused it to move almost one and a half inches.
The writer says that the Empire State Building ________.
| A．hasn’t been finished |
| B．is in New York City |
| C．is the tallest skyscraper in the world now |
| D．had fewer floors than the New World Trade Center |
In steel -frame building, the bottom walls________ .
| A．must be very thick |
| B．must be rounded |
| C．are usually red - hot |
| D．do not need to be thick |
Rivets are described as being ________.
| A．picked up by tools when red -hot |
| B．hit by tools when red - hot |
| C．usually caught in a hole |
| D．usually put in place when red - hot |