考研英語一閱讀真題整理

Text1WildBillDonovanwouldhavelovedtheInternet.TheAmericanspymasterwhobuilttheOfficeofStrategicServicesintheWorldWarIIandlaterlaidtherootsfortheCIAwasfascinatedwithinformation.Donovanbelievedinusingwhatevertoolscametohandinthe“greatgame”ofespionage--spyingasa“profession.”ThesedaystheNet,whichhasalreadyre-madesucheverydaypastimesasbuyingbooksandsendingmail,isreshapingDonovan’svocationaswell.Thelatestrevolutionisn’tsimplyamatterofgentlemenreadingothergentlemen’se-mail.Thatkindofelectronicspyinghasbeengoingonfordecades.Inthepastthreeorfouryears,theWorldWideWebhasgivenbirthtoawholeindustryofpoint-and-clickspying.Thespookscallit“open-sourceintelligence,”andastheNetgrows,itisbecomingincreasinglyinfluential.In1995theCIAheldacontesttoseewhocouldcompilethemostdataaboutBurundi.Thewinner,byalargemargin,wasatinyVirginiacompanycalledOpenSourceSolutions,whoseclearadvantagewasitsmasteryoftheelectronicworld.AmongthefirmsmakingthebiggestsplashinthisnewworldisStraitford,Inc.,aprivateintelligence-analysisfirmbasedinAustin,Texas.Straitfordmakesmoneybysellingtheresultsofspying(coveringnationsfromChiletoRussia)tocorporationslikeenergy-servicesfirmMcDermottInternational.Manyofitspredictionsareavailableonlineat.StraitfordpresidentGeorgeFriedmansaysheseestheonlineworldasakindofmutuallyreinforcingtoolforbothinformationcollectionanddistribution,aspymaster’sdream.LastweekhisfirmwasbusyvacuumingupdatabitsfromthefarcornersoftheworldandpredictingacrisisinUkraine.“Assoonasthatreportruns,we’llsuddenlyget500newInternetsign-upsfromUkraine,”saysFriedman,aformerpoliticalscienceprofessor.“Andwe’llhearbackfromsomeofthem.”O(jiān)pen-sourcespyingdoeshaveitsrisks,ofcourse,sinceitcanbedifficulttotellgoodinformationfrombad.That’swhereStraitfordearnsitskeep.Friedmanreliesonaleanstaffof20inAustin.Severalofhisstaffmembershavemilitary-intelligencebackgrounds.Heseesthefirm’soutsiderstatusasthekeytoitssuccess.Straitford’sbriefsdon’tsoundliketheusualWashingtonback-and-forthing,wherebyagenciesavoiddramaticdeclarationsonthechancetheymightbewrong.Straitford,saysFriedman,takesprideinitsindependentvoice.41. TheemergenceoftheNethas________.[A]receivedsupportfromfanslikeDonovan[B]remoldedtheintelligenceservices[C]restoredmanycommonpastimes[D]revivedspyingasaprofession42. Donovan’sstoryismentionedinthetextto________.[A]introducethetopicofonlinespying[B]showhowhefoughtfortheU.S.[C]giveanepisodeoftheinformationwar[D]honorhisuniqueservicestotheCIA43. Thephrase“makingthebiggestsplash”(Line1,Paragraph3)mostprobablymeans________.[A]causingthebiggesttrouble[B]exertingthegreatesteffort[C]achievingthegreatestsuccess[D]enjoyingthewidestpopularity44. ItcanbelearnedfromParagraph4that________.[A]Straitford’spredictionaboutUkrainehasprovedtrue[B]Straitfordguaranteesthetruthfulnessofitsinformation[C]Straitford’sbusinessischaracterizedbyunpredictability[D]Straitfordisabletoprovidefairlyreliableinformation45. Straitfordismostproudofits________.[A]officialstatus[B]nonconformistimage[C]efficientstaff[D]militarybackgroundText2Toparaphrase18th-centurystatesmanEdmundBurke,“allthatisneededforthetriumphofamisguidedcauseisthatgoodpeopledonothing.”O(jiān)nesuchcausenowseekstoendbiomedicalresearchbecauseofthetheorythatanimalshaverightsrulingouttheiruseinresearch.Scientistsneedtorespondforcefullytoanimalrightsadvocates,whoseargumentsareconfusingthepublicandtherebythreateningadvancesinhealthknowledgeandcare.Leadersoftheanimalrightsmovementtargetbiomedicalresearchbecauseitdependsonpublicfunding,andfewpeopleunderstandtheprocessofhealthcareresearch.Hearingallegationsofcrueltytoanimalsinresearchsettings,manyareperplexedthatanyonewoulddeliberatelyharmananimal.Forexample,agrandmotherlywomanstaffingananimalrightsboothatarecentstreetfairwasdistributingabrochurethatencouragedreadersnottouseanythingthatcomesfromoristestedinanimals—nomeat,nofur,nomedicines.Askedifsheopposedimmunizations,shewantedtoknowifvaccinescomefromanimalresearch.Whenassuredthattheydo,shereplied,“ThenIwouldhavetosayyes.”Askedwhatwillhappenwhenepidemicsreturn,shesaid,“Don’tworry,scientistswillfindsomewayofusingcomputers.”Suchwell-meaningpeoplejustdon’tunderstand.Scientistsmustcommunicatetheirmessagetothepublicinacompassionate,understandableway--inhumanterms,notinthelanguageofmolecularbiology.Weneedtomakecleartheconnectionbetweenanimalresearchandagrandmother’shipreplacement,afather’sbypassoperation,ababy’svaccinations,andevenapet’sshots.Tothosewhoareunawarethatanimalresearchwasneededtoproducethesetreatments,aswellasnewtreatmentsandvaccines,animalresearchseemswastefulatbestandcruelatworst.Muchcanbedone.Scientistscould“adopt”middleschoolclassesandpresenttheirownresearch.Theyshouldbequicktorespondtoletterstotheeditor,lestanimalrightsmisinformationgounchallengedandacquireadeceptiveappearanceoftruth.Researchinstitutionscouldbeopenedtotours,toshowthatlaboratoryanimalsreceivehumanecare.Finally,becausetheultimatestakeholdersarepatients,thehealthresearchcommunityshouldactivelyrecruittoitscausenotonlywell-knownpersonalitiessuchasStephenCooper,whohasmadecourageousstatementsaboutthevalueofanimalresearch,butallwhoreceivemedicaltreatment.Ifgoodpeopledonothing,thereisarealpossibilitythatanuninformedcitizenrywillextinguishthepreciousembersofmedicalprogress.46. TheauthorbeginshisarticlewithEdmundBurke’swordsto________.[A]callonscientiststotakesomeactions[B]criticizethemisguidedcauseofanimalrights[C]warnofthedoomofbiomedicalresearch[D]showthetriumphoftheanimalrightsmovement47. Misledpeopletendtothinkthatusingananimalinresearchis________.[A]cruelbutnatural[B]inhumanandunacceptable[C]inevitablebutvicious[D]pointlessandwasteful48. Theexampleofthegrandmotherlywomanisusedtoshowthepublic’s________.[A]discontentwithanimalresearch[B]ignoranceaboutmedicalscience[C]indifferencetoepidemics[D]anxietyaboutanimalrights49. Theauthorbelievesthat,infaceofthechallengefromanimalrightsadvocates,scientistsshould________.[A]communicatemorewiththepublic[B]employhi-techmeansinresearch[C]feelnoshamefortheircause[D]strivetodevelopnewcures50. FromthetextwelearnthatStephenCooperis________.[A]awell-knownhumanist[B]amedicalpractitioner[C]anenthusiastinanimalrights[D]asupporterofanimalresearchText3Inrecentyears,railroadshavebeencombiningwitheachother,mergingintosupersystems,causingheightenedconcernsaboutmonopoly.Asrecentlyas1995,thetopfourrailroadsaccountedforunder70percentofthetotalton-milesmovedbyrails.Nextyear,afteraseriesofmergersiscompleted,justfourrailroadswillcontrolwellover90percentofallthefreightmovedbymajorrailcarriers.Supportersofthenewsupersystemsarguethatthesemergerswillallowforsubstantialcostreductionsandbettercoordinatedservice.Anythreatofmonopoly,theyargue,isremovedbyfiercecompetitionfromtrucks.Butmanyshipperscomplainthatforheavybulkcommoditiestravelinglongdistances,suchascoal,chemicals,andgrain,truckingistoocostlyandtherailroadsthereforehavethembythethroat.Thevastconsolidationwithintherailindustrymeansthatmostshippersareservedbyonlyonerailcompany.Railroadstypicallychargesuch“captive”shippers20to30percentmorethantheydowhenanotherrailroadiscompetingforthebusiness.Shipperswhofeeltheyarebeingoverchargedhavetherighttoappealtothefederalgovernment’sSurfaceTransportationBoardforraterelief,buttheprocessisexpensive,time-consuming,andwillworkonlyintrulyextremecases.Railroadsjustifyratediscriminationagainstcaptiveshippersonthegroundsthatinthelongrunitreduceseveryone’scost.Ifrailroadschargedallcustomersthesameaveragerate,theyargue,shipperswhohavetheoptionofswitchingtotrucksorotherformsoftransportationwoulddoso,leavingremainingcustomerstoshoulderthecostofkeepinguptheline.It’satheorytowhichmanyeconomistssubscribe,butinpracticeitoftenleavesrailroadsinthepositionofdeterminingwhichcompanieswillflourishandwhichwillfail.“Dowereallywantrailroadstobethearbitersofwhowinsandwholosesinthemarketplace?”asksMartinBercovici,aWashingtonlawyerwhofrequentlyrepresentsshippers.Manycaptiveshippersalsoworrytheywillsoonbehitwitharoundofhugerateincreases.Therailroadindustryasawhole,despiteitsbrighteningfortunes,stilldoesnotearnenoughtocoverthecostofthecapitalitmustinvesttokeepupwithitssurgingtraffic.Yetrailroadscontinuetoborrowbillionstoacquireoneanother,withWallStreetcheeringthemon.Considerthe$10.2billionbidbyNorfolkSouthernandCSXtoacquireConrailthisyear.Conrail’snetrailwayoperatingincomein1996wasjust$427million,lessthanhalfofthecarryingcostsofthetransaction.Who’sgoingtopayfortherestofthebill?Manycaptiveshippersfearthattheywill,asNorfolkSouthernandCSXincreasetheirgriponthemarket.51. Accordingtothosewhosupportmergers,railwaymonopolyisunlikelybecause________.[A]costreductionisbasedoncompetition[B]servicescallforcross-tradecoordination[C]outsidecompetitorswillcontinuetoexist[D]shipperswillhavetherailwaybythethroat52. Whatismanycaptiveshippers’attitudetowardstheconsolidationintherailindustry?[A]Indifferent.[B]Supportive.[C]Indignant.[D]Apprehensive.53. ItcanbeinferredfromParagraph3that________.[A]shipperswillbechargedlesswithoutarivalrailroad[B]therewillsoonbeonlyonerailroadcompanynationwide[C]overchargedshippersareunlikelytoappealforraterelief[D]agovernmentboardensuresfairplayinrailwaybusiness54. Theword“arbiters”(Line7,Paragraph4)mostprobablyreferstothose________.[A]whoworkascoordinators[B]whofunctionasjudges[C]whosupervisetransactions[D]whodeterminetheprice55. Accordingtothetext,thecostincreaseintherailindustryismainlycausedby________.[A]thecontinuingacquisition[B]thegrowingtraffic[C]thecheeringWallStreet[D]theshrinkingmarketText4ItissaidthatinEnglanddeathispressing,inCanadainevitableandinCaliforniaoptional.Smallwonder.Americans’lifeexpectancyhasnearlydoubledoverthepastcentury.Failinghipscanbereplaced,clinicaldepressioncontrolled,cataractsremovedina30-minutesurgicalprocedure.SuchadvancesoffertheagingpopulationaqualityoflifethatwasunimaginablewhenIenteredmedicine50yearsago.Butnotevenagreathealth-caresystemcancuredeath--andourfailuretoconfrontthatrealitynowthreatensthisgreatnessofours.Deathisnormal;wearegeneticallyprogrammedtodisintegrateandperish,evenunderidealconditions.Weallunderstandthatatsomelevel,yetasmedicalconsumerswetreatdeathasaproblemtobesolved.Shieldedbythird-partypayersfromthecostofourcare,wedemandeverythingthatcanpossiblybedoneforus,evenifit’suseless.Themostobviousexampleislate-stagecancercare.Physicians--frustratedbytheirinabilitytocurethediseaseandfearinglossofhopeinthepatient--toooftenofferaggressivetreatmentfarbeyondwhatisscientificallyjustified.In1950,theU.S.spent$12.7billiononhealthcare.In2002,thecostwillbe$1,540billion.Anyonecanseethistrendisunsustainable.Yetfewseemwillingtotrytoreverseit.Somescholarsconcludethatagovernmentwithfiniteresourcesshouldsimplystoppayingformedicalcarethatsustainslifebeyondacertainage--say83orso.FormerColoradogovernorRichardLammhasbeenquotedassayingthattheoldandinfirm“haveadutytodieandgetoutoftheway,”sothatyounger,healthierpeoplecanrealizetheirpotential.Iwouldnotgothatfar.Energeticpeoplenowroutinelyworkthroughtheir60sandbeyond,andremaindazzlinglyproductive.At78,ViacomchairmanSumnerRedstonejokinglyclaimstobe53.SupremeCourtJusticeSandraDayO’Connorisinher70s,andformersurgeongeneralC.EverettKoopchairsanInternetstart-upinhis80s.Theseleadersarelivingproofthatpreventionworksandthatwecanmanagethehealthproblemsthatcomenaturallywithage.Asamere68-year-old,Iwishtoageasproductivelyastheyhave.Yettherearelimitstowhatasocietycanspendinthispursuit.Asaphysician,Iknowthemostcostlyanddramaticmeasuresmaybeineffectiveandpainful.IalsoknowthatpeopleinJapanandSweden,countriesthatspendfarlessonmedicalcare,haveachievedlonger,healthierlivesthanwehave.Asanation,wemaybeoverfundingthequestforunlikelycureswhileunderfundingresearchonhumblertherapiesthatcouldimprovepeople’slives.56. Whatisimpliedinthefirstsentence?[A]Americansarebetterpreparedfordeaththanotherpeople.[B]Americansenjoyahigherlifequalitythaneverbefore.[C]Americansareover-confidentoftheirmedicaltechnology.[D]Americanstakeavainprideintheirlonglifeexpectancy.57. Theauthorusestheexampleofcancerpatientstoshowthat________.[A]medicalresourcesareoftenwasted[B]doctorsarehelplessagainstfataldiseases[C]sometreatmentsaretooaggressive[D]medicalcostsarebecomingunaffordable58. Theauthor’sattitudetowardRichardLamm’sremarkisoneof________.[A]strongdisapproval[B]reservedconsent[C]slightcontempt[D]enthusiasticsupport59. IncontrasttotheU.S.,JapanandSwedenarefundingtheirmedicalcare________.[A]moreflexibly[B]moreextravagantly[C]morecautiously[D]morereasonably60. Thetextintendstoexpresstheideathat________.[A]medicinewillfurtherprolongpeople’slives[B]lifebeyondacertainlimitisnotworthliving[C]deathshouldbeacceptedasafactoflife[D]excessivedemandsincreasethecostofhealthcareText1Huntingforajoblatelastyear,lawyerGantRedmonstumbledacrossCareerBuilder,ajobdatabaseontheInternet.Hesearcheditwithnosuccessbutwasattractedbythesite’s“personalsearchagent.”It’saninteractivefeaturethatletsvisitorskeyinjobcriteriasuchaslocation,title,andsalary,thenE-mailsthemwhenamatchingpositionispostedinthedatabase.Redmonchosethekeywordslegal,intellectualproperty,andWashington,D.C.Threeweekslater,hegothisfirstnotificationofanopening.“Istruckgold,”saysRedmon,whoE-mailedhisresumetotheemployerandwonapositionasin-housecounselforacompany.Withthousandsofcareer-relatedsitesontheInternet,findingpromisingopeningscanbetime-consumingandinefficient.Searchagentsreducetheneedforrepeatedvisitstothedatabases.ButalthoughasearchagentworkedforRedmon,careerexpertsseedrawbacks.Narrowingyourcriteria,forexample,mayworkagainstyou:“Everytimeyouansweraquestionyoueliminateapossibility.”saysoneexpert.Foranyjobsearch,youshouldstartwithanarrowconcept—whatyouthinkyouwanttodo--thenbroadenit.“Noneoftheseprogramsdothat,”saysanotherexpert.“There’snocareercounselingimplicitinallofthis.”Instead,thebeststrategyistousetheagentasakindoftipservicetokeepabreastofjobsinaparticulardatabase;whenyougetE-mail,consideritaremindertocheckthedatabaseagain.“Iwouldnotrelyonagentsforfindingeverythingthatisaddedtoadatabasethatmightinterestme,”saystheauthorofajob-searchingguide.Somesitesdesigntheiragentstotemptjobhunterstoreturn.WhenCareerSite’sagentsendsoutmessagestothosewhohavesignedupforitsservice,forexample,itincludesonlythreepotentialjobs--thoseitconsidersthebestmatches.Theremaybemorematchesinthedatabase;jobhunterswillhavetovisitthesiteagaintofindthem--andtheydo.“Onthedayafterwesendourmessages,weseeasharpincreaseinourtraffic,”saysSethPeets,vicepresidentofmarketingforCareerSite.Eventhosewhoaren’thuntingforjobsmayfindsearchagentsworthwhile.Someusethemtokeepaclosewatchonthedemandfortheirlineofworkorgatherinformationoncompensationtoarmthemselveswhennegotiatingforaraise.Althoughhappilyemployed,RedmonmaintainshisagentatCareerBuilder.“Youalwayskeepyoureyesopen,”hesays.Workingwithapersonalsearchagentmeanshavinganothersetofeyeslookingoutforyou.41. HowdidRedmonfindhisjob?[A]Bysearchingopeningsinajobdatabase.[B]Bypostingamatchingpositioninadatabase.[C]Byusingaspecialserviceofadatabase.[D]ByE-mailinghisresumetoadatabase.42. Whichofthefollowingcanbeadisadvantageofsearchagents?[A]Lackofcounseling.[B]Limitednumberofvisits.[C]Lowerefficiency.[D]Fewersuccessfulmatches.43. Theexpression“tipservice”(Line4,Paragraph3)mostprobablymeans________.[A]advisory[B]compensation[C]interaction[D]reminder44. WhydoesCareerSite’sagentoffereachjobhunteronlythreejoboptions?[A]Tofocusonbetterjobmatches.[B]Toattractmorereturningvisits.[C]Toreservespaceformoremessages.[D]Toincreasetherateofsuccess.45. Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothetext?[A]Personalsearchagentsareindispensabletojob-hunters.[B]SomesiteskeepE-mailingjobseekerstotracetheirdemands.[C]Personalsearchagentsarealsohelpfultothosealreadyemployed.[D]Someagentsstopsendinginformationtopeopleoncetheyareemployed.Text2Overthepastcentury,allkindsofunfairnessanddiscriminationhavebeencondemnedormadeillegal.Butoneinsidiousformcontinuestothrive:alphabetism.This,forthoseasyetunawareofsuchadisadvantage,referstodiscriminationagainstthosewhosesurnamesbeginwithaletterinthelowerhalfofthealphabet.IthaslongbeenknownthatataxifirmcalledAAAAcarshasabigadvantageoverZodiaccarswhencustomersthumbthroughtheirphonedirectories.LesswellknownistheadvantagethatAdamAbbotthasinlifeoverZo?Zysman.Englishnamesarefairlyevenlyspreadbetweenthehalvesofthealphabet.YetasuspiciouslylargenumberoftoppeoplehavesurnamesbeginningwithlettersbetweenAandK.ThustheAmericanpresidentandvice-presidenthavesurnamesstartingwithBandCrespectively;and26ofGeorgeBush’spredecessors(includinghisfather)hadsurnamesinthefirsthalfofthealphabetagainstjust16inthesecondhalf.Evenmorestriking,sixofthesevenheadsofgovernmentoftheG7richcountriesarealphabeticallyadvantaged(Berlusconi,Blair,Bush,Chirac,ChrétienandKoizumi).Theworld’sthreetopcentralbankers(Greenspan,DuisenbergandHayami)areallclosetothetopofthealphabet,evenifoneofthemreallyusesJapanesecharacters.Asaretheworld’sfiverichestmen(Gates,Buffett,Allen,EllisonandAlbrecht).Canthismerelybecoincidence?Onetheory,dreamtupinallthesparetimeenjoyedbythealphabeticallydisadvantaged,isthattherotsetsinearly.Atthestartofthefirstyearininfantschool,teachersseatpupilsalphabeticallyfromthefront,tomakeiteasiertoremembertheirnames.Soshort-sightedZysmanjuniorgetsstuckinthebackrow,andisrarelyaskedtheimprovingquestionsposedbythoseinsensitiveteachers.Atthetimethealphabeticallydisadvantagedmaythinktheyhavehadaluckyescape.Yettheresultmaybeworsequalifications,becausetheygetlessindividualattention,aswellaslessconfidenceinspeakingpublicly.Thehumiliationcontinues.Atuniversitygraduationceremonies,theABCsproudlygettheirawardsfirst;bythetimetheyreachtheZysmansmostpeopleareliterallyhavingaZZZ.Shortlistsforjobinterviews,electionballotpapers,listsofconferencespeakersandattendees:alltendtobedrawnupalphabetically,andtheirrecipientsloseinterestastheyploughthroughthem.46. WhatdoestheauthorintendtoillustratewithAAAAcarsandZodiaccars?[A]Akindofoverlookedinequality.[B]Atypeofconspicuousbias.[C]Atypeofpersonalprejudice.[D]Akindofbranddiscrimination.47. Whatcanweinferfromthefirstthreeparagraphs?[A]InbothEastandWest,namesareessentialtosuccess.[B]ThealphabetistoblameforthefailureofZo?Zysman.[C]Customersoftenpayalotofattentiontocompanies’names.[D]Someformofdiscriminationistoosubtletorecognize.48. The4thparagraphsuggeststhat________.[A]questionsareoftenputtothemoreintelligentstudents[B]alphabeticallydisadvantagedstudentsoftenescapefromclass[C]teachersshouldpayattentiontoalloftheirstudents[D]studentsshouldbeseatedaccordingtotheireyesight49. Whatdoestheauthormeanby“mostpeopleareliterallyhavingaZZZ”(Lines2-3,Paragraph5)?[A]Theyaregettingimpatient.[B]Theyarenoisilydozingoff.[C]Theyarefeelinghumiliated.[D]Theyarebusywithwordpuzzles.50. Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothetext?[A]PeoplewithsurnamesbeginningwithNtoZareoftenill-treated.[B]VIPsintheWesternworldgainagreatdealfromalphabetism.[C]Thecampaigntoeliminatealphabetismstillhasalongwaytogo.[D]Puttingthingsalphabeticallymayleadtounintentionalbias.Text3Whenitcomestotheslowingeconomy,EllenSperoisn’tbitinghernailsjustyet.Butthe47-year-oldmanicuristisn’tcutting,fillingorpolishingasmanynailsasshe’dliketo,either.Mostofherclientsspend$12to$50weekly,butlastmonthtwolongtimecustomerssuddenlystoppedshowingup.Speroblamesthesofteningeconomy.“I’magoodeconomicindicator,”shesays.“Iprovideaservicethatpeoplecandowithoutwhenthey’reconcernedaboutsavingsomedollars.”SoSperoisdownscaling,shoppingatmiddle-browDillard’sdepartmentstorenearhersuburbanClevelandhome,insteadofNeimanMarcus.“Idon’tknowifotherclientsaregoingtoabandonme,too.”shesays.EvenbeforeAlanGreenspan’sadmissionthatAmerica’sred-hoteconomyiscooling,lotsofworkingfolkshadalreadyseensignsoftheslowdownthemselves.FromcardealershipstoGapoutlets,saleshavebeenlaggingformonthsasshopperstempertheirspending.Forretailers,wholastyeartookin24percentoftheirrevenuebetweenThanksgivingandChristmas,thecautiousapproachiscomingatacrucialtime.Already,expertssay,holidaysalesareoff7percentfromlastyear’space.Butdon’tsoundanyalarmsjustyet.Consumersseemonlymildlyconcerned,notpanicked,andmanysaytheyremainoptimisticabouttheeconomy’slong-termprospects,evenastheydosomemodestbelt-tightening.Consumerssaythey’renotindespairbecause,despitethedreadfulheadlines,theirownfortunesstillfeelprettygood.Homepricesareholdingsteadyinmostregions.InManhattan,“there’sanewgoldrushhappeninginthe$4millionto$10millionrange,predominantlyfedbyWallStreetbonuses,”saysbrokerBarbaraCorcoran.InSanFrancisco,pricesarestillrisingevenasfrenziedoverbiddingquiets.“Insteadof20to30offers,nowmaybeyouonlygettwoorthree,”saysJohnTealdi,aBayAreareal-estatebroker.Andmostfolksstillfeelprettycomfortableabouttheirabilitytofindandkeepajob.Manyfolksseesilverliningstothisslowdown.Potentialhomebuyerswouldcheerforlowerinterestrates.Employerswouldn’tmindalittlefewerbubblesinthejobmarket.Manyconsumersseemtohavebeeninfluencedbystock-marketswings,whichinvestorsnowviewasanecessaryingredienttoasustainedboom.Dinersmightseeanupside,too.GettingatableatManhattan’shotnewAlainDucasserestaurantusedtobeimpossible.Notanymore.Forthat,Greenspan&Co.maystillbeworthtoasting.51. By“EllenSperoisn’tbitinghernailsjustyet”(Lines1-2,Paragraph1),theauthormeans________.[A]Sperocanhardlymaintainherbusiness[B]Speroistoomuchengagedinherwork[C]Sperohasgrownoutofherbadhabit[D]Speroisnotinadesperatesituation52. Howdothepublicfeelaboutthecurrenteconomicsituation?[A]Optimistic.[B]Confused.[C]Carefree.[D]Panicked.53. Whenmentioning“the$4millionto$10millionrange”(Lines3-4,Paragraph3)theauthoristalkingabout________.[A]goldmarket[B]realestate[C]stockexchange[D]ventureinvestment54. Whycanmanypeoplesee“silverlinings”totheeconomicslowdown?[A]Theywouldbenefitincertainways.[B]Thestockmarketshowssignsofrecovery.[C]Suchaslowdownusuallyprecedesaboom.[D]Thepurchasingpowerwouldbeenhanced.55. Towhichofthefollowingistheauthorlikelytoagree?[A]Anewboom,onthehorizon.[B]Tightenthebelt,thesingleremedy.[C]Cautionallright,panicnot.[D]Themoreventures,themorechances.Text4Americanstodaydon’tplaceaveryhighvalueonintellect.Ourheroesareathletes,entertainers,andentrepreneurs,notscholars.Evenourschoolsarewherewesendourchildrentogetapracticaleducation--nottopursueknowledgeforthesakeofknowledge.Symptomsofpervasiveanti-intellectualisminourschoolsaren’tdifficulttofind.“Schoolshavealwaysbeeninasocietywherepracticalismoreimportantthanintellectual,”sayseducationwriterDianeRavitch.“Schoolscouldbeacounterbalance.”Ravitch’slatestbook,LeftBack:ACenturyofFailedSchoolReforms,tracestherootsofanti-intellectualisminourschools,concludingtheyareanythingbutacounterbalancetotheAmericandistasteforintellectualpursuits.Buttheycouldandshouldbe.Encouragingkidstorejectthelifeofthemindleavesthemvulnerabletoexploitationandcontrol.Withouttheabilitytothinkcritically,todefendtheirideasandunderstandtheideasofothers,theycannotfullyparticipateinourdemocracy.Continuingalongthispath,sayswriterEarlShorris,“Wewillbecomeasecond-ratecountry.Wewillhavealesscivilsociety.”“Intellectisresentedasaformofpowerorprivilege,”writeshistorianandprofessorRichardHo