Inrecentyears，Americanstudents-优题课

In some countries where racial prejudice is acute, violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences that it is not even questioned. There are countries where the white man imposes his rule by brute force; there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to cities. Important people on both sides, who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men, get up and calmly argue in favor of violence--- as if it were a legitimate solution, like any other. What is really frightening, what really fills you with despair, is the realization that when it comes to the crunch（关键时刻）, we have made no actual progress at all. We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint, but our instinct remain basically unchanged. The whole of the recorded history of the human race, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing. We have still not learned that violence never solves a problem but makes it even acute. The sheer horror, the bloodshed（流血）, the suffering mean nothing. No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.
The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and harder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persuaded by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement（执行）. If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use, if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the slums and ghettos, at improving living standards and providing education and employment for all, we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution. Our strength is sapped by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake. In a well-directed effort, it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social programme. The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible, providing we work within the framework of the law.
72. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Advocating Violence.
B. Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice
C. Violence as a Legitimate Solution
D. Violence: The Instinct of Human Race
73. Recorded history has taught us __________.
A. violence never solves anything B. nothing
C. the bloodshed means nothing D. everything
74. It can be inferred that truly reasonable men ________.
A. can’t get a hearing B. are looked down upon
C. are persecuted D. have difficulty in advocating law enforcement
75. According to the author, the best way to solve race prejudice is ________.
A. law enforcement B. knowledge C. nonviolence D. mopping up the violent mess

Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so. But selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle
Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.
Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype of being neck-swirling, eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers.
These images have helped define the way all black women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundations as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simply to be herself.
It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will become a stand-in for us all.
Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of adoring fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. African-American blogs have all written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House---mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone---an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise, confidence and intellect will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long.
69. Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?
A. She serves as a role model for African-American women.
B. She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady.
C. She will present to the world a new image of African-American women.
D. She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women
70. What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?
A. They are victims of family violence.
B. They are of an inferior social group.
C. They use quite a lot of body language.
D. They live on charity and social welfare.
71. What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?
A. However many fans she has, she should remain modest.
B. She shouldn’t disappoint the African-American community.
C. However hard she tries, she can’t expect to please everybody.
D. She will give priority to African-American women’s concern.

The Lego Group had a very humble beginning in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Denmark. Christiansen began creating wooden toys in 1932. Two years later, he stumbled on the Lego name by putting together the first two letters of the Danish words Leg and Godt, which mean “play well.” The name could be interpreted as “I put together” in Latin; it also corresponds to the Greek verb meaning “gather” or “pick up.”
In 1947, the company expanded to making plastic toys. At first, the use of plastic for toy manufacture was not highly regarded by retailers and consumers of the time. Many of the Lego Group’s shipments were returned, following poor sales. However, Christiansen’s son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, saw the immense potential in Lego bricks to become a system for creative play. As the junior managing director of the Lego Group, he spent years trying to improve the “locking” ability of the bricks and made the bricks more versatile. In 1958, the modern interlocking brick design was finally developed and patented.
Today Lego is sold in more than 130 countries. Every minute 33,824 Lego bricks are made, and kids around the world spend 5 billion hours a year playing with Lego. There will be more than 400 million people playing with Lego bricks this year. On average, every person in the world owns 62 Lego bricks, and about seven Lego sets are sold every second.
This year Lego fans all over the world are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the tiny building blocks. Though already 50 years old, Lego is still the same product it was in the 1950s. Bricks bought then are still compatible with current bricks and that is probably the reason the toy has never fallen out of favor.
65. Which of the following is true about the name Lego?
A. It is a combination of Greek and Latin words.
B. It was created by Ole Kirk Christiansen’s son.
C. It was created in 1947 for naming the plastic toys.
D. It came from Danish words meaning “play” and “well.”
66. When did the Lego brick become as a creative form of toy?
A. 1958 B. 1947 C. 1934 D. 1932
67. Which of the following is true in describing the popularity of Lego?
A. More than 5 billion people in the world own Lego sets.
B. Children spend an average of 62 dollars on Lego bricks each year.
C. People in the world spend 400 million hours playing with Lego every year.
D. The Lego Group now produces more than 30 thousand toy bricks every minute.
68. What is the main reason that Lego remains popular up to now?
A. Old Lego bricks may still be connected to new ones.
B. The company hasn’t changed its name since 1947.
C. The material for the bricks has proved to be safe.
D. The price of the toy is relatively reasonable.

任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的横线上填入最恰当的单词。
注意：每空只填一个单词。
There are a number of languages spoken throughout the world. Every person knows at least one language, which he learns in his childhood and is routinely used for speaking and writing. However, many people are fond of learning two or more languages, so they try to be bilingual, which means that they try to have the knowledge of two or more languages. And being bilingual can bring a person a number of benefits in various aspects. For example:
A person can get cognitive(认知的) benefits from it. The bilingual people have two or more words for each idea and object. Therefore, a bilingual person can develop a creative thinking. The bilinguals are aware of which language should be spoken with which person in a particular situation. So they are more sensitive(敏感的) to the needs of the listener than the people who only use one language: Being bilingual also improves and enriches a person's mental development.
Being bilingual has a positive effect on a person's character. The bilinguals are able to switch between different languages and talk to different people in various languages. It increases a sense of self-esteem( 自尊). Being bilingual creates a powerful link in different people from different countries.
A bilingual education offers better curriculum(课程) results. The bilinguals tend to show a higher performance in examinations and tests. The bilinguals find it quite easy to learn and speak three, four or more languages.
Being bilingual offers potential employment benefits. It offers a wider choice of jobs in various fields. The bilinguals can get a great many career opportunities in transport, tourism, public relations, marketing and sales, banking, translation, law, teaching and so on.
So it can be concluded from the above that we should try our best to learn and master two or more languages.
Title: 71.__________ of being bilingual

72._________

Having the knowledge of two or more languages.

Benefits

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Cognition

● Make a person think 73.__________.
● Make a person more sensitive to the listener's 74.__________.
● Improve and enrich a person's mental development.

75._________

● Increase a person's sense of 76.__________.
●Create a powerful link in different people from different countries.

Curriculum

● Enable a person to 77.__________ better in examinations and tests.
● Make a person easily learn and speak more languages.

78._________

● Offer a person more 79.__________ in finding jobs.

80.________

We should try our best to learn and master two or more languages.

Although women lead healthier, longer lives, the cruel perception that they reach their sell-by date and become “old” sooner than men is widespread in the workplace, research shows.
A survey of more than 2,600 managers and personnel professionals showed that age discrimination is not only common in the workplace, but is full of inconsistencies(矛盾). Six in ten managers thought that they had suffered from age discrimination——usually because they were turned down for a job for being too old or too young. Yet more than a fifth admitted that they used age as a condition when they employ new workers.
Although the survey found widespread agreement that older workers were better than younger colleagues when it came to reliability, commitment, loyalty and customer service, these qualities were not necessarily considered to be worthy of advancement. More than half of respondents believed that workers between 30 and 39 were the most likely to be advanced in their company, with only 2 per cent citing (引证)50-year-olds or above.
Dianah Worman of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said that there was anecdotal evidence that people were considered old at different ages in different sectors. “We heard of one man working in IT who said he was considered too old by the age of 28,”she said.“There was no evidence to suggest that older workers were less valuable to companies than younger workers, in fact the opposite was often true because older workers often brought experience.” she added.
The findings also suggested that the Government’s ideas on age in the workforce may also be out of step with reality.
68. The text is mainly about ______.
A. the government’s idea on age in workforce
B. age discrimination in the workforce
C. the people who find work
D. the discussion about who is worth promoting
69. The underlined word “sell-by date” in paragraph 1 probably refers to______.
A. the age when they retire
B. the age when they should be promoted
C. the date on which they’re sold
D. the date when they sell goods
70. The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ______.
A. tell the government to employ older workers
B. criticize managers who treat workers unfairly
C. report the findings of a survey
D. show he objects to age discrimination