A few years ago, in one experiment in behavioural psychology, Stanley Milgram of Yale University tested 40 subjects for their willingness to obey instructions given by a “leader” in a situation in which the subjects might feel a personal dislike of the actions they were called upon to perform. Specifically, Milgram told each volunteer “teacher-subject” that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, and was designed to test whether or not punishing pupils for their mistakes would have a positive effect on the pupils’ ability to learn.
The teacher-subjects were placed before a panel of thirty switches with labels ranging from “15 volts of electricity (slight shock)” to “450 volts (danger — severe shock)” in steps of 15 volts each. The teacher-subject was told that whenever the pupil gave the wrong answer to a question, a shock was to be administered. The supposed “pupil” was in reality an actor hired by Milgram to pretend to receive the shocks by giving out cries and screams. Milgram told the teacher-subject to ignore the reactions of the pupil, and to administer whatever level of shock was called for.
As the experiment unfolded, the “pupil” would deliberately give the wrong answers to questions, thereby bringing on various electrical punishments, even up to the danger level of 300 volts and beyond. Many of the teacher-subjects balked at administering the higher levels of punishment, and turned to Milgram. In these situations, Milgram calmly explained that the teacher-subject was to carry on with the experiment and that it was important for the sake of the experiment that the procedure be followed through to the end. What Milgram was trying to discover was the number of teacher-subjects who would be willing to administer the highest levels of shock, even in the face of strong personal and moral revulsion(反感) against the rules and conditions of the experiment.
Before carrying out the experiment, Milgram explained his idea to a group of 39 psychiatrists and asked them to predict the average percentage of people who would be willing to administer the highest shock level of 450 volts. The overwhelming consensus was that basically all the teacher-subjects would refuse to obey the experimenter. The psychiatrists felt that “most subjects would not go beyond 150 volts” and only a small percentage of about one in 1,000 would give the highest shock of 450 volts.
What were the actual results? Well, over 60 per cent of the teacher-subjects continued to obey Milgram up to the 450-volt limit! In repetitions of the experiment in other countries, the percentage was even higher, reaching 85 per cent in one country. How can we possibly account for this result?
One might firstly argue that there must be some sort of built-in animal aggression instinct(本能) that was activated by the experiment. A modem sociobiologist might even go so far as to claim that this aggressive instinct was of survival value to our ancestors in their struggle against the hardships of life on the plains and in the caves, finally finding its way into our genetic make-up.
Another explanation is to see the teacher-subjects’ actions as a result of the social context in which the experiment was carried out. As Milgram himself pointed out, “Most subjects in the experiment see their behaviour in a larger context that is good and useful to society — the pursuit of scientific troth. The psychological laboratory has a strong claim to legitimacy(合法性) and gains trust and confidence in those who perform there. An action such as shocking a victim, which in isolation(单独看来) appears evil, acquires a completely different meaning when placed in this setting”.
Here we have two different explanations. The problem for us is to sort out which of these two polar explanations is more reasonable. This is the problem of modern sociobiology — to discover how hard-wired genetic programming decides the interaction of animals and humans with their environment, that is, their behaviour. Put another way, sociobiology is concerned with explaining the biological basis of all behaviour.Why did Milgram do the experiment?
| A．To discover people’s willingness for orders from leaders. |
| B．To display the power of punishment on ability to learn. |
| C．To test people’s willingness to sacrifice for science. |
| D．To explore the biological basis of social behavior. |
Which of the following is right about the experiment?
| A．The actor’s performance was vital to its success. |
| B．Its subjects were informed of its real purpose beforehand. |
| C．The electrical shock made the “pupil” give more wrong answers. |
| D．Its subjects were convinced of the effects of punishment on ability to learn. |
What does the underlined phrase “balked at” most probably mean?
| A．commented on | B．hesitated in |
| C．got rid of | D．looked down upon |
Before the experiment took place the psychiatrists _________ .
| A．believed that a shock of 150 volts was unbearable |
| B．failed to agree on how the teacher-subjects would respond to instructions |
| C．under-predicted the teacher-subjects’ willingness to follow experimental procedure |
| D．thought that many of the teacher-subjects would administer a shock of 450 volts |
Which of the following is mentioned as one possible factor that explains the teacher-subjects’ behaviour?
| A．Economic factor. | B．Biological factor. |
| C．Cultural factor. | D．Historical factor. |
What’s the author’s purpose with this article?
| A．To introduce a problem sociobiology deals with. |
| B．To explain a scientific phenomenon. |
| C．To report an experiment that focuses on education. |
| D．To argue against a scientific view. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
A
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
56. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
A. describe the place carefully
B. show him a map of the place
C. tell him the names of the streets
D. refer to recognizable buildings and places
57. What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A. New York. B. Los Angeles. C. Kansas. D. Iowa.
58. People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
A. in order to save timeB. Los Angeles.
C. so as to be polite D. for fun
59. What can we infer from the text?
A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C. People have similar understandings of politeness.
D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.
E
A letter to Edward, a columnist (报刊专栏作家)
Dear Mr. Expert:
I grew up in an unhappy home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at the age of 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved.
Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine so much that they make mine theirs.
It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.
I enjoy having my friends here sometimes — it makes the place feel comfortable and warm — but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?
Joan Edward’s reply to Joan
Dear Joan:
If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have
trouble letting others know your needs now.
And if you’ve gathered your friends
around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere, you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with— or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.
Be clear about the message you want to send. For example,
“I really love your company but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over.”
Edward
73. We can learn from the first letter that Joan .
A. lives away from her parents B. takes pride in her friends
C. knows Mr. Expert quite wellD. hates her parents very much
74.We can infer from the first letter that .
A. Joan considers her friends more important than her privacy
B. Joan’s friends visit her more often than she can accept
C. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all
D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over
75. According to Mr. Expert, why can’t Joan tell her friends her feelings?
A. She likes her friends very muchB. She does not understand true friendship.
C. Her family experience stops her from doing so. D. She does not put her needs first.
D
A few years ago it was popular to speak of a generation gap, a disagreement between young people and their elders. Parents said that children did not show them proper respect and obedience (服从), while children complained (抱怨) that their parents did not understand them at all. What had gone wrong? Why had the generation gap suddenly appeared? Actually the generation gap has been around for a long time. Many people argue that a gap is built into the fabric (结构) of our society.
One important cause of the generation gap is the chance that young people have to choose their own ways of life. In more traditional societies, when children grow up, they are expected to live in the same area as their parents, to marry people that their parents know and agree to, and to continue the family occupation (职业). In our society, young people often travel great distances for their education, move out of the family home at an early age, marry or live with people whom their parents have never met, and choose occupations different from those of their parents.
In our easily changing society, parents often expect their children to do better than they did: to find better jobs, to make more money, and to do all the things that they were unable to do. Often, however, the strong desire that parents have for their children are another cause of the disagreement between them. Often, they discover that they have very little in common with each other.
Finally, the speed at which changes take place in our society is another cause of the gap b
etween the generations. In a traditional culture, elderly people are valued for their wisdom, but in our society the knowledge of a lifetime may become out of date overnight. The young and the old seem to live in two very different worlds, separated by different skills and abilities.
No
doubt, the generation gap will continue to be a feature (特点) of American life for some time to come. Its causes are rooted in the freedom and changes of our society, and in the rapid speed at which society changes.
69. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ____________.
A. the generation gap suddenly appeared
B. the generation gap is a feature of modern social life
C. people can reduce the generation gap
D. many critics argue over the nature of the generation gap
70. The word “around” in Paragraph 1 means ____________.
A. on all sides B. near C. in every direction D. in existence
71. In American society, young people often ____________.
A. depend on their parents to make a life
B. stay with their parents in order to get a chance for higher education
C. seek the best advice from their parents
D. have very little in common with their parents
72. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Parents should be strict with their children.
B. The younger generation should value the older generation for their wisdom.
C. The generation gap is partly caused by the older generation.
D. The generation gap does not exist in American society.
C
Kerry and Alice were both artists in Britain. They taught drawing and painting at Cambridge University. Although they were friends, each thought oneself to be the better painter.
One day, Kerry promised marriage to Alice. Surprised and pleased by the offer, the girl was not sure whether she would spend her future as a wife or a painter. After a moment she replied as follows, "Each of us must paint a picture. If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife. If not, please drop the question." Then it was
decided to give it the following day.
The next morning. Alice hung her picture on the gate. It showed a bunch of flowers and won high praise from everyone who passed by. In fact, a crowd collected in front of her masterpiece and fixed eyes on it.
Several hours passed. Then Kerry was seen coming along to the gate with what appeared to be a beautiful leather suitcase in his hand. When he finally stopped before Alice, the girl artist brushed like a rose and agreed to marry him without any hesitation. Why?
64．What did Alice think Kerry's offer?
A. She liked Kerry, but she didn't expect him to promise marriage to her.
B. She didn't want to marry anybody.
C. She didn't like it at all.
D. She thought the offer wasn't polite.
65．In the sentence "If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife"。 "superior to" here means ____.
A. not so better thanB. better than C. so good asD. as good as
66． Which of the following is true?
A. Kerry didn't accept Alice's suggestion.
B. Kerry wasn't sure of his painting so he dropped his offer.
C. Kerry did go the next day, but he failed to take a picture
D. Kerry agreed to Alice's suggestion.
67．Alice's picture won high praise because ____.
A. it was true to nature B. the flowers were red
C. it showed so large a bunch of flowers D. people felt it strange to hang it on the gate
68．The "leather suitcase" was in fact ____.
A. a real one B. a painting drawn by Kerry
C. a box with a picture i
n it D. made up of leather
B
David, a French priest(牧师)of thirty-six, was sent to China by the church in 1872.He did well in the natural and social science besides his religious activities(宗教活动)。He was also very interested in the rare wild animals and plants in China.
On May 4th, 1879, after searching half a month in the western part of Baoxing, Sichuan the hunters hired(雇用)by David succeeded in bringing him a "black-and-white bear". "The bear is extremely lovely", he wrote in his diary excitedly. Meanwhile, he felt it might be a new species (物种)never discovered by scientists.
He then decided to send it to Paris for a further study. Unfortunately the poor "black-and white" bear died of Jolts(颠簸)of the mountain roads and the climatic (气候)change. He had to send its pelt (皮毛)to the National Museum in Paris for display (展览)。In fact, the so-called "black-and white" bear was neither a bear nor a cat. After a complete study, Milla Edwards, head of the museum, judged that it was a new species. He gave the "giant panda".
The discovery made the world excited and Baoxing was also made famous for "home of the giant panda"
60．From the passage we can see that David mainly came to China to ____.
A. learn Chinese science and historyB. look for a panda for church
C. do something on religion(宗教) D. study the wild animals and plants in China
61．The word "rare" in this passage means ____.
A. very hard to
find B. worth no money C. easy to find D. running very fast
62．The first giant panda was caught ____.
A. by David, a French priestB. quite by accident
C. with a lot of difficulty D. after the hunters followed it for half a month
63. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. The giant panda died when it was on display.
B. David had never seen a giant panda before.
C. Milla was sure the animal was neither a bear nor a cat.
D. The discovery made the world excited with interest