Whyshouldmankindexplorespace?W-优题课

TAIBEI－Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island’s “China rush”, seeking education on the Chinese mainland．
According to official Chinese figures, the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate（研究生）programs on the mainland totaled 461 in 1996, 928 in 1997 and 839 in 1998．Although no latest official numbers were available,” Netbig. Com Said this number had risen between 30 to 50 percent annually in the past two years with well over 1000 entering mainland campuses last year.
The Internet site, based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, provides education service and information on Chinese mainland college and universities. “Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market, Net. Com vice-president Ingrid Huang said．“I believe it will give me hands-on experience in the business field in the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people,” said Lydia Chang, a 19-year-old majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University. Chang plans to go on to get a master’s degree in business administration in Shanghai, which she says offers the best environment for such studies.
A journalism graduate student, surnamed Lin, at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese mainland since “there will be better career prospects now that more Taiwanese companies are going there”. “They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations,” said Yang Ching-yao, professor of the Chinese mainland studies. A Netbig. Com survey showed the campuses favored by Taiwan students included Beijing, Qinghua and Renmin universities in Beijing, and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou. The most popular studies were law, business and Chinese medicine.
At present, Chinese Taibei doesn’t recognize diplomas earned in the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there. But recognizing the trend, education authorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates（证书）from selected universities.
1.ore Taiwanese students study on the Chinese mainland because ___________.
A．Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later
B．the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan
C．what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future
D．there are many famous universities for them to choose
2．Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese mainland so that their children ___________.
A．could receive better education B．could learn more about the policy there
C．could do well in the business operations D．could make more friends there
3．The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to __________.
A．Netbig. Com B．a Chinese education on the mainland
C．the Chinese job market D．the university
4．The author wrote the article to tell us ______________.
A．more Taiwanese students are studying on the mainland
B．the number of Taiwanese students going to universities on the mainland had been increasing year after year
C．education on the mainland is more attractive compared with that of Taiwan
D．Taiwan and the mainland should cooperate with each other in every field.
5．Which is true according to the passage?
A．Chinese Taibei recognizes diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland
B．The number of Taiwanese students going to study on the mainland will surely be increasing in the next few years.
C．Chinese Taibei doesn’t help with any inquiries about Taiwanese studying in the mainland
D．Education of Taiwan is far behind the mainland.

Ⅱ阅读(共两节，满分50分)
第一节：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
　　So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that“ reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
　　Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed.
　　Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
　　If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable ,what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索）for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children. ”
　　When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.
1.he problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that _______________.
　　A. it is one of the most difficult school courses
　　B. students spend endless hours in reading
　　C. reading tasks are assigned with little guidance
　　D. too much time is spent in teaching about reading
1.he teaching of reading will be successful if _______________.
　　A. teachers can improve conditions at school for the students
　　B. teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading
　　C. teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading
　　D. teachers can make their teaching activities observable
3．The underlined word“ scrutiny” most probably means“______________”.
　　A. inquiry　　　　　　　　　　　 B. observation
　　C. control　　　　　　　　　　　 D. suspicion
4．According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when ______________.
　　A. children become highly motivated
　　B. teacher and learner roles are interchangeable
　　C. teaching helps children in the search for knowledge
　　D. reading enriches children’s experience
5．The main idea of the passage is that ______________.
　　A. teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read
　　B. teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible
　　C. reading ability is something acquired rather than taught
　　D. reading is more complicated that generally believed

Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders(教会) or other non-profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service.
Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies.
Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.
1. According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by _______.
A. a church B. a corporation C. a city D. a state
2. The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on _______.
A. schooling and retraining B. practice in a hospital
C. facilities he or she uses D. education he or she receives
3. According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA?
A. About seven years. B. Eight years.
C. Ten years. D. About twelve years.
4. Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.
A. there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them
B. they can take turns to work long hours
C. facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder
D. no one wants to assume too much responsibility
5. Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?
A. For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay.
B. It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous.
C. Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions.
D. Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded.

Most Americans get what money they have from their work; that is, they earn an income from wages or salaries. The richest Americans, however, get most of their money from what they own — their stocks, bonds, real estate, and other forms of property, or wealth. Although there are few accurate statistics to go by, wealth in American society appears to be concentrated in very few hands. More than 20 percent of everything that can be privately owned is held by less than one percent of the adult population and more than 75 percent of all wealth is owned by 20 percent of American adults. The plain fact is that most Americans have no wealth at all aside from their homes, automobiles, and a small amount of savings.
Income in the United States is not as highly concentrated as wealth. In 1917 the richest 10 percent of American families received 26.1 percent of all income, while the poorest 10 percent received 17 percent, mainly from Social Security and other government payments. The most striking aspect of income distribution is that it has not changed significantly since the end of World War II. Although economic growth has roughly doubled real disposable (可自由使用的) family income (the money left after taxes and adjusted for inflation) over the last generation, the size of the shares given to the rich and the poor is about the same. By any measure economic inequality is great in the United States.
The reality behind these statistics is that a large number of Americans are poor. In 1918, 14 percent of the population was living below the federal government’s poverty line, which at that time was an annual income of $ 9 287 for a nonfarm family of two adults and two children. In other words, about one out of seven Americans over 31 million people was officially considered unable to buy the basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter. The suggested poverty line in 1981 would have been an income of about $11 200 for a family of four. By this relative definition, about 20 percent of the population or more than 45 million Americans are poor.
1. What does the majority of the Americans have in terms of wealth?
A. Their income and savings.
B. Everything they own in their homes.
C. Actually, they have no wealth at all.
D. Their house, cars and small amounts of savings.
2. What is the percentage of wealth that is in the hands of most Americans?
A. More than 25%. B. Less than 25%.
C. More than 75%. D. Less than 20%.
3. Why is economic inequality still great in the US in spite of the economic growth?
A. Because the proportion of income received by the rich and the poor remains almost the same as in 1917.
B. Because the economic growth has widened the gap of the family income between the rich and the poor.
C. Because income in the US is still concentrated in the hands of the richest 10% of American families.
D. Because some Americans made great fortunes during the Second World War.
4. What can we learn from comparison of the two poverty lines in the last paragraph?
A. The poverty line of 1918 is more favorable to the poor than that of 1981.
B. The 1981 line didn’t leave much to the poor.
C. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1981 line.
D. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1918 line.
5. From the last two sentences we can see that 1981 government’s poverty line _______.
A. was of no good for the poor B. was not put into operation then
C. was officially approved D. was not helpful to the poor

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(当代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.
1. The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.
A. an increase in birthrates B. the industrial development
C. a decrease in death rates D. human beings’ cultural advances
2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.
A. it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work
B. the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation
C. old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations
D. death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life
3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?
A. Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.
B. Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.
C. When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial.
D. With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever.
4. The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.
A. prolonging the dying old people’s lives
B. reducing the problems caused by the retired people
C. making profits through caring for the sick or weak people
D. taking care of the sick or weak people
5. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?
A. Sympathetic. B. Approving. C. Optimistic. D. Critical.