高考英语考前分类强化（三）—社会文化类
语言是社会文化的重要载体。学习英语的目的之一就是“提高初步运用英语进行交际的能力，增强对外国文化，特别是英语国家文化的了解”。因此，社会文化类试题出现在高考试卷中是必然的。这一节选了七文章，进行专题训练，促进相关背景知识的学习，增强本题材文章的阅读语感，为将来考试的实战进行知识上的、素质上的和心理上的准备。（答案见本节最后）
Passage 1
As soon as it was revealed that a reporter for Progressive magazine had discovered how to make a hydrogen bomb, a group of firearm（火器）fans formed the National Hydrogen Bomb Association, and they are now lobbying against any legislation to stop Americans from owning one.
“The Constitution,” said the association’s spokesman, “gives everyone the right to own arms. It doesn’t spell out what kind of arms. But since anyone can now make a hydrogen bomb, the public should be able to buy it to protect themselves.”
“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to have one in the house, particularly where there are children around?”
“The National Hydrogen Bomb Association hopes to educate people in the safe handling of this type of weapon. We are instructing owners to keep the bomb in a locked cabinet and the fuse（导火索）separately in a drawer.”
“Some people consider the hydrogen bomb a very fatal weapon which could kill somebody.”
The spokesman said, “Hydrogen bombs don’t kill people—people kill people. The bomb is for self-protection and it also has a deterrent effect. If somebody knows you have a nuclear weapon in your house, they’re going to think twice about breaking in.”
“But those who want to ban the bomb for American citizens claim that if you have one locked in the cabinet, with the fuse in a drawer, you would never be able to assemble it in time to stop an intruder （侵入者）”.
“Another argument against allowing people to own a bomb is that at the moment it is very expensive to build one. So what your association is backing is a program which would allow the middle and upper classes to acquire a bomb while poor people will be left defenseless with just handguns.”
26. According to the passage, some people started a national association so as to .
A) instruct people how to keep the bomb safe at home
B) coordinate the mass production of the destructive weapon
C) promote the large-scale sale of this newly invented weapon
D) block any legislation to ban the private possession of the bomb
27. Some people oppose the ownership of H-bombs by individuals on the grounds that .
A) they may fall into the hands of criminals
B) people’s lives will be threatened by the weapon
C) most people don’t know how to handle the weapon
D) the size of the bomb makes it difficult to keep in a drawer
28. By saying that the bomb also has a deterrent effect the spokesman means that it .
A) can kill those entering others’ houses by force
B) will threaten the safety of the owners as well
C) will frighten away any possible intruders
D) can show the special status of its owners
29. According to the passage, opponents of the private ownership of H-bombs are very much worried that .
A) the cost of the weapon will put citizens on an unequal basis
B) the wide use of the weapon will push up living expenses tremendously
C) poorly-educated Americans will find it difficult to make use of the weapon
D) the influence of the association is too powerful for the less privileged to overcome
30. From the tone of the passage we know that the author is .
A) not serious about the private ownership of H-bombs
B) concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons
C) doubtful about the necessity of keeping H-bombs at home for safety
D) unhappy with those who vote against the ownership of H-bombs
Passage 2
About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked: "So, how have you been?" And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied, "Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately.’’
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school.
The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily
in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more
like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used
to.
Whether this is good
or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once
was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is
based not only on innate (天生的) biological states, but also on patterns of
access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually
involves learning the secrets of the new status. Children have always been
taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth
graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years,
however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of
American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and
indiscriminately (不加区分地), to all viewers alike, be they children or
adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention
from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows
for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have
access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be
memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read
complex materials.
1. According to the author, feeling depressed is _____.
A) a sure sign of a
psychological problem in a child
B) something hardly to be
expected in a young child
C) an inevitable phase of
children's mental development
D) a mental state present in
all humans, including children
2. Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _____.
A) through contact with
society B)
gradually and under guidance
C) naturally and by biological instinct D) through exposure to social information
3. The phenomenon that
today’s children seem adultlike is attributed by the author to _____.
A) the widespread influence
of television
B) the poor arrangement of
teaching content
C) the fast pace of human
intellectual development
D) the constantly rising
standard of living
4. Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children?
A) It enables children to
gain more social information.
B) It develops children's
interest in reading and writing.
C) It helps children to
memorize and practice more.
D) It can control what
children are to learn.
5. What does the author think of the change in today’s children?
A) He feels amused by their
premature behavior.
B) He thinks it is a
phenomenon worthy of note.
C) He considers it a
positive development.
D) He seems to be upset
about it.
Passage 3
Professor Smith recently persuaded 35 people, 23 of them women, to keep a diary of all their absent-minded actions for a fortnight. When he came to analyse their embarrassing lapses (差错) in a scientific report, he was surprised to find that nearly all of them fell into a few groupings. Nor did the lapses appear to be entirely random (随机的).
One of the women, for instance, on leaving her house for work one morning threw her dog her earrings and tried to fix a dog biscuit on her ear. “The explanation for this is that the brain is like a computer,” explains the professor. "People programme themselves to do certain activities regularly. It was the woman's custom every morning to throw her dog two biscuits and then put on her earrings. But somehow the action got reversed in the programme." About one in twenty of the incidents the volunteers reported were these "programme assembly failures."
Altogether the volunteers logged 433 unintentional actions that they found themselves doing—an average of twelve each, There appear to be peak periods in the day when we are at our zaniest (荒谬可笑的). These are two hours some time between eight a.m. and noon, between four and six p.m., with a smaller peak between eight and ten p.m. "Among men the peak seems to be when a changeover in brain 'programmes' occurs, as for instance between going to and from work." Women on average reported slightly more lapses—12.5 compared with 10.9 for men—probably because they were more reliable reporters.
A startling finding of the research is that the absent-minded activity is a hazard of doing things in which we are skilled. Normally, you would expect that skill reduces the number of errors we make. But trying to avoid silly slips by concentrating more could make things a lot worse—even dangerous.
1. In his study Professor Smith asked the subjects _______.
A) to keep track of people who tend to forget things
B) to report their embarrassing lapses at random
C) to analyse their awkward experiences scientifically
D) to keep a record of what they did unintentionally
2. Professor Smith discovered that _______.
A) certain patterns can be identified in the recorded incidents
B) many people were too embarrassed to admit their absent-mindedness
C) men tend to be more absent-minded than women
D) absent-mindedness is an excusable human weakness
3. "Programme assembly failures" (Line 6, Para. 2) refers to the phenomenon that people _______.
A) often fail to programme their routines beforehand
B) tend to make mistakes when they are in a hurry
C) unconsciously change the sequence of doing things
D) are likely to mess things up if they are too tired
4. We learn from the third paragraph that _______.
A) absent-mindedness tends to occur during certain hours of the day
B) women are very careful to perform actions during peak periods
C) women experience more peak periods of absent-mindedness
D) men's absent-mindedness often results in funny situations
5. It can be concluded from the passage that _______.
A) people should avoid doing important things during peak periods of lapses
B) hazards can be avoided when people do things they are good at
C) people should be careful when programming their actions
D) lapses cannot always be attributed to lack of concentration
Passage 4
Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?
Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.
A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.
Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.
The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?
Heroes are catalysts (催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated (隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.
1. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they __________.
A) generally possess certain inspiring characteristics
B) probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people
C) are often influenced by previous generations
D) all unknowingly attract a large number of fans
2. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that _______.
A) they have a vision from the mountaintop
B) they have warm feelings and emotions
C) they can serve as concrete examples of noble principles
D) they can make people feel stronger and more confident
3. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because __________.
A) they are popular only among certain groups of people
B) their performances do not improve their fans morally
C) their primary concern is their own financial interests
D) they are not clear about the principles they should follow
4. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ________.
A) are good at demonstrating their charming characters
B) can move the masses with their forceful speeches
C) are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships
D) can provide an answer to the problems of their people
5. The author concludes that historical changes would __________.
A) be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities
B) not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices
C) take place if there were heroes to lead the people
D) produce leaders with attractive personalities
Passage 5
According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today's traditional-age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)" than at any time in the 17 years of the poll.
Not surprising in these hard times, the student's major objective "is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting.
Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up.
That's no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree.
While it's true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions—be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs.
Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company, no job. How shortsighted in the long run!
But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom (对讲机): "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?"
From the long-term point of view, that's what education really ought to be about.
1. According to the author's observation, college students __________.
A) have never been so materialistic as today
B) have never been so interested in the arts
C) have never been so financially well off as today
D) have never attached so much importance to moral sense
2. The students' criteria for selecting majors today have much to do with __________.
A) the influences of their instructors B) the financial goals they seek in life
C) their own interpretations of the courses D) their understanding of the contributions of others
3. By saying “While it's true that…be they scientific or artistic” (Lines 1-3, Pars. 5), the author means that __________.
A) business management should be included in educational programs
B) human wisdom has accumulated at an extraordinarily high speed
C) human intellectual development has reached new heights
D) the importance of a broad education should not be overlooked
4. Studying the diverse wisdom of others can __________.
A) create varying artistic interests
B) help people see things in their right perspective
C) help improve connections among people
D) regulate the behavior of modern people
5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A) Businessmen absorbed in their career are narrow-minded.
B) Managers often find it hard to tell right from wrong.
C) People engaged in technical jobs lead a more rewarding life.
D) Career seekers should not focus on immediate interests only.
Passage 6
For an increasing
number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is
obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the
baby-boom ( 生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the
nation's elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50
years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14
percent in 1995. The change poses profound questions for government and
society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and
health professions, and in law and business as well. "In addition to the
doctors, we're going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and
specialized lawyers," says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of
Southern California's (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学).
Lawyers can specialize in "elder law," which
covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age
discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market
because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest
group of retirees in human history. "Any student who combines an expert
knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to
print money," one professor says.
Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began
college as a biology major but found she was "really bored with
bacteria." So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she
liked it. She says, "I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was
very satisfying."
1. "… Old is suddenly in" (Line 1,
Para. 1) most probably means "______".
A) America has suddenly become a nation of old people
B) gerontology has suddenly become popular
C) more elderly professors are found on American campuses
D) American colleges have realized the need of enrolling
older students
2. With the aging of America,
lawyers can benefit ______.
A) from the adoption of the "elder law"
B) from rendering special services to the elderly
C) by enriching their professional knowledge
D) by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own
interests
3. Why can businessmen make money
in the emerging elder market?
A) Retirees are more generous in spending money.
B) They can employ more gerontologists.
C) The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.
D) There are more elderly people working than before.
4. Who can make big money in the
new century according to the passage?
A) Retirees who are business-minded.
B) The volunteer workers in retirement homes.
C) College graduates with an MBA or law degree.
D) Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology.
5. It can be seen from the passage
that the expansion of America's elderly population ________.
A) will provide good job opportunities in many areas
B) will impose an unbearable burden on society
C) may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination
D) will create new fields of study in universities
Passage 7
For one thing, tightness in the job market seems to have given men an additional motive to take jobs where they can find them. Although female dominated office and service jobs for the most part rank lower in pay and status, “they’re still there,” says June O’Neill, director of program and policy research at the institute. Traditionally male blue collar jobs, meanwhile, “aren’t increasing at all.”
At the same time, she says, “The outlooks of young people are different.” Younger men with less rigid views on what compose male or female work “may not feel there’s such a stigma（侮辱）to work in a female dominated field.”
Although views have softened, men who cross the sexual segregation（隔离）line in the job market may still face discrimination and ridicule（嘲笑）. David Anderson, a 36—year—old former high school teacher, says he found secretarial work “a way out of teaching and into the business world.” He had applied for work at 23 employment agencies for “management training jobs that didn’t exist,” and he discovered that “the best skill I had was being able to type 70 words a minute.”
He took a job as a secretary to the marketing director of a New York publishing company. But he says he could feel a lot of people wondering what I was doing there and if something was wrong with me.
Mr. Anderson’s boss was a woman. When she asked him to fetch coffee, he says, “the other secretaries’ eyebrows went up.” Sales manager who came in to see his boss, he says, “couldn’t quite believe that I could and would type, take dictation, and answer the phones.”
Males sometimes find themselves mistaken for higher status professionals. Anthony Shee, a flight attendant with US Air Inc., has been mistaken for a pilot. Mr. Anderson, the secretary, says he found himself being “treated in executive tones whenever I wore a suit.”
In fact, the men in traditional female jobs often move up the ladder fast. Mr. Anderson actually worked only seven months as a secretary. Then he got a higher—level, better—paying job as a placement counselor at an employment agency. “I got a lot of encouragement to advance,” he says, “including job tips from male executives who couldn’t quite see me staying a secretary.”
Experts say, for
example, that while men make up only a small fraction of elementary school
teachers, a disproportionate（不成比例）number of elementary principals are men. Barbara Bergmann, an economist
at the University of Maryland who has studied sex segregation at work, believes
that’s partly because of “sexism in the occupational structure” and partly
because men have been raised to assert themselves and to assume responsibility.
Men may also feel more compelled than women to advance, she suspects（猜想）.
1.According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
A. Men have taken
jobs in female?ominated careers because these jobs were available.
B. Physical labor jobs were not increasing.
C. Men have taken jobs in female—dominated
careers because these jobs pay more.
D. Although the jobs in female—dominated
careers pay lower, men still take them.
2.The second paragraph suggests that _________.
A. young people
have more rigid ideas about male or female work than their parents do
B. both young people and parents have more rigid ideas about male or female
work than their parents do
C. parents have less rigid ideas about male or female work than their children
do
D. young people have less rigid ideas about male or female work than their
parents do
3.David Anderson says _________.
A. men make better
secretaries than women do
B. he received encouragement and acceptance from the women secretaries
C. he encountered some discrimination and ridicule when he was working as a
secretary
D. men can do well in a female—dominated
field?
4.Why was Anthony Shee, a flight attendant with US Air Inc., mistaken for a pilot?
A.Because men in women dominated fields sometimes find themselves mistaken for higher status professionals.
B. Because he told
people he was a pilot instead of a flight attendant.
C. Because he wants to be a pilot.
D. Because he always wore a pilot’s uniform.
5.According to the article, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Women are more
assertive than men at work..
B. Men are more assertive（自信）than
women at work.
C. Men have traditionally been raised to assume more responsibility than women
have.
D. Men feel more compelled than women to advance.