1998專業(yè)英語八級考試真題

TESTFORENGLISHMAJORS(1998)-GRADEEIGHT-PARTILISTENINGCOMPREHENSION(40MIN)Directions:InSectionsA,BandCyouwillheareverythingonceonly.Ligtehcarefullyandthenanswerthequestionsthatfollow.MarkthecorrectresponseforeachquestiononyourColoredAnswerSheet.SECTIONATALKQuestion1to5refertothetalkinthissection.Attheendofthetalkyouwillbegiven15secondstoanswereachofthefollowingfivequestions.Nowlistentothetalk.Accordingtothetalk,compulsivegamblingandalcoholicaddictionsharesimilaritiesbecause.noactualfigureofaddictshasbeenreportednoscientificstudieshaveyieldedeffectivesolutionsbothaffectallsectorsofsocietybothcauseseriousmentalhealthproblemsThedevelopmentofthegamblingcompulsioncanbedescribedasbeinghumaninfanttheyveryquicklygrowthecapacitytofendforthem.Itisduringthisverylongperiodinwhichthehumaninfantistotally_7dependentontheothersthatitrevealsthesecondfeaturewhichitshareswithallotherundamagedhumaninfants,acapacitytolearnlanguage.Forthisreason,biologistsnowsuggestthatlanguagebe"speciesspecific11tothe———humanrace,thatistosay,theyconsiderthehumaninfanttobegenetic9programmedinsuchwaythatitcanacquirelanguage.Thissuggestionimpliesthatjustashumanbeingsaredesignedtoseethree-dimensionallyandincolour,andjustastheyaredesignedtostanduprightratherthantomoveonallfours,sotheyaredesignedtolearnanduselanguageaspartoftheirnormaldevelopmentsaswell-formedhumanbeings.PARTIIIREADINGCOMPREHENSION(40MIN)SECTIONA:READINGCOMPREHENSION(30MIN)Directions:Inthissectiontherearefourreadingpassagesfollowedbyfifteenmultiple-choicequestions.ReadthepassagesandthenmarkyouranswersonyourAnswerSheet.TEXTASTAYINGHEALTHYONHOLIDAYDopeoplewhochoosetogoonexotic,far-flungholidaysdeservefreehealthadvicebeforetheytravel?Andeveniftheypay,whoensuresthattheygetgood,up-to-dateinformation?Who,forthatmatter,shouldcollectthatinformationinthefirstplace?Foravarietyofreasons,travelmedicineinBritainisaresponsibilitynobodywants.Asaresult,manytravelersgoabroadillpreparedtoavoidseriousdisease.Whyistravelmedicinesounloved?Partlythere'sanidentityproblem.Becauseittakesaninterestinanythingthatimpingesonthehealthoftravelers,thisemergingmedicalspecialisminvariablycutsacrossthetraditionaldisciplines.Itdelvesintoeverythingfromseasickness,jetlagandthehazardsofcamelstomalariaandplagiw.Buttravelmedicinehasamoreseriousobstacletoovercome.Travelclinicsaremgferittotellpeoplehowtoavoidendingupdeadorinatropicaldiseaseshospitalwhentheycomehome.Butitisnotoriouslydifficulttogetanybodytopayoutmoneyforkeepingpeoplehealthy.Travelmedicinehasalsobeencolonizedbycommercialinterests—thevastmajorityoftravelclinicsinBritainarerunbyairlinesortravelcompanies.Andwhiletravelconcernsarehappytosellprofitableinjections,theymaybelesskeentospreadbadnewsabouttravelers*diarrheainTurkey,ortotakethetimetospelloutpreventivemeasurestravelerscouldtake.nTheNHSfindsitdifficulttodefinetravelers,health,"saysRonBehrens,theonlyNHSconsultantintravelandtropicalmedicineanddirectorofthetravelclinicoftheHospitalforTropicalDiseasesinLondon."ShoulditcomewithintheNHSorshoulditbepaidfor?It*sagrayarea,andopinionissplit.Nooneseemstohaveanyresponsibilityfordefiningitsrole/hesays.Tocompounditslowstatusinthemedicalhierarchy,travelmedicinehastorelyonstatisticsthatarepatchyatbest.Inmostcaseswejustdon*tknowhowmanyBritonscontractdiseaseswhenabroad.Andevenifadiseaseislinkedtotravelthereisrarelyanyinformationaboutwherethoseafflictedwent,whattheyate,howtheybehaved,orwhichvaccinationstheyhad.Thisshortageofhardfactsandfiguresmakesitdifficulttogivedetailedadvicetopeople,informationthatmightevensavetheirlives.ArecentleaderintheBritishMedicalJournalargued:"Travelmedicinewillemergeasacredibledisciplineonlyiftherisksencounteredbytravelersandtherelativebenefitsofpublichealthinterventionsarewelldefinedintermsoftheirrelativeoccurrence,distributionandcontrol."Exactlyhowmuchmoneyiswastedbypoortraveladvice?Therealfigureisanybody'sguess,butitcouldeasilyrunintomillions.Behrensgivesoneexample.Britainspendsmorethan￡1millioneachyearjustoncholeravaccinesthatoftendon'tworkandsogivepeopleafalsesenseofsecurity:"Informationonthepreventionandtreatmentofallformsofdiarrheawouldbeabetterpriority,"hesays.TravelmedicineinBritainisnotsomethinganyonewantstoruntheresponsibilityofthegovernmentadministeredbyprivatedoctorshandledadequatelybytravelagentsThemaininterestoftravelcompaniesdealingwithtravelmedicineistopreventpeoplefromfallingillmakemoneyoutofitgiveadviceonspecificcountriesgetthegovernmenttopayforitInBehren'sopinionthequestionofwhoshouldruntravelmedicineisforthegovernmenttodecideshouldbelefttospecialisthospitalscanbelefttotravelcompanieshasnoclearandsimpleanswerPeoplewillonlythinkbetteroftravelmedicineifitisgivenmoreresourcesbythegovernmentmoreaccurateinformationonitsvalueisavailablethegovernmenttakesoverresponsibilityfromtheNHStravelerspaymoreattentiontotheadvicetheygetTEXTBTHEHISTORICALBACKGROUNDOFSOCIALPSYCHOLOGYWhiletherootsofsocialpsychologylieintheintellectualsoilofthewholewesterntradition,itspresentfloweringisrecognizedtobecharacteristicallyanAmericanphenomenon.OnereasonforthestrikingupsurgeofsocialpsychologyintheUnitedStatesliesinthepragmatictraditionofthiscountry.Nationalemergenciesandconditionsofsocialdisruptionprovidespecialincentivetoinventnewtechniques,andtostrikeoutboldlyforsolutionstopracticalsocialproblems.SocialpsychologybegantoflourishsoonaftertheFirstWorldWar.Thisevent,followedbythegreatdepressionofthe1930s,bytheriseofHitler,thegenocideofJews,raceriots,theSecondWorldWarandtheatomicthreat,stimulatedallbranchesofsocialscience.Aspecialchallengefelltosocialpsychology.Thequestionwasasked:Howisitpossibletopreservethevaluesoffreedomandindividualrightsunderconditionofmountingsocialstrainandregimentation?Cansciencehelpprovideananswer?Thischallengingquestionledtoaburstofcreativeeffortthataddedmuchtoourunderstandingofthephenomenaofleadership,publicopinion,rumor,propaganda,prejudice,attitudechange,morale,communication,decision-making,racerelations,andconflictsofwar.ReviewingthedecadethatfollowedWorldWarII,Cartwright[1961]speaksofthenexcitementandoptimism”ofAmericansocialpsychologists,andnotes"thetreniendousincreaseinthetotalnuniberofpeoplecallingthemselvessocialpsychologists/*Mostofthese,wemayadd,showlittleawarenessofthehistoryoftheirfield.Practicalandhumanitarianmotiveshavealwaysplayedanimportantpartinthedevelopmentofsocialpsychology,notonlyinAmericabutinotherlandsaswell.Yettherehavebeendiscordantanddissentingvoices.IntheopinionofHerbertSpencerinEngland,ofLudwigGumplowiczinAustria,andofWilliamGrahamSumnerintheUnitedStates,itisbothfutileanddangerousformantoattempttosteerortospeedsocialchange.Socialevolution,theyargue,requirestimeandobeyslawsbeyondthecontrolofman.Theonlypracticalserviceofsocialscienceistowarnmannottointerferewiththecourseofnature[orsociety].Buttheseauthorsareinaminority.MostsocialpsychologistssharewithComteanoptimisticviewofman'schancestobetterhiswayoflife.Hashenotalreadyimprovedhishealthviabiologicalsciences?Whyshouldhenotbetterhissocialrelationshipsviasocialsciences?Forthecenturythisoptimisticoutlookhaspersistedinthefaceofslenderaccomplishmenttodate.Humanrelationsseemstubbornlyset.Warshavenotbeenabolished,labortroubleshavenotabated,andracialtensionsarestillwithus.Giveustimeandgiveusmoneyforresearch,theoptimistssay.SocialpsychologydevelopedintheUSA.becauseitsrootsareintellectuallywesternasadirectresponsetothegreatdepressiontomeetthethreatofAdolfHitlerandhispolicyofmassgenocideforitspragmatictraditionsfordealingwithsocialproblemsAccordingtotheauthor,socialpsychologyshouldhelpmantopreserveindividualrightsbecomehealthierbeawareofhistoryD.improvematerialwelfareWhobelievedthatmancaninfluencesocialchangeforthegoodofsociety?A.Cartwright.B.Spencer.C.Sumner.D.Comte.TEXTCGODANDMYFATHERIthoughtofGodasastrangelyemotionalbeing.Hewaspowerful;Hewasforgivingyetobdurate,fullofwarmthandaffection.BothHiswrathandaffectionwerefitful,theycameandtheywent,andIcouldn'tcountoneithertocontinue:althoughtheybothalwaysdid.InshortGodwasmuchsuchabeingasmyfatherhimself.Whatwastherelationbetweenthem,Iwondered—thesetwopuzzlingdeities?Myfather'sideasofreligionseemedstraightforwardandsimple.Hehadnoticedwhenhewasaboythattherewerebuildingscalledchurches;hehadacceptedthemasanaturalpartofthesurroundingsinwhichhehadbeenborn.Hewouldneverhaveinventedsuchthingshimself.Neverthelesstheywerehere.Ashegrewupheregardedthemasunquestioninglyashedidbanks.Theyweresubstantialoldstructures,theywererespectable,decent,andvenerable.Theywerefrequentedbytherightsortofpeople.Well,thatwasenough.Ontheotherhandheneverallowedchurches—orbanks—todictatetohim.Hegaveeachtherespectthatwasduetoitfromhispointofview;buthealsoexpectedfromeachofthemtherespecthefeltduetohim.Astocreeds,heknewnothingaboutthem,andcarednothingeither;yetheseemedtoknowwhichsecthebelongedwith.Ithadtobeasectwiththeminimumofnonsenseaboutit;nototalimmersion,noexhorters,noholyconfession.HewouldhavebeenaUnitarian,naturally,ifhe'dlivedinBoston.SincehewasarespectableNewYorker,hebelongedintheEpiscopalChurch.Astolivingaspirituallife,henevertackledthatproblem.Somemenwhoacceptspiritualbeliefstrytoliveuptothemdaily;othermenwhorejectsuchbeliefs,trysometimestosmashthem.Myfatherwouldhavedisagreedwithbothkindsentirely.Hetookamoredistantattitude.Itdisgustedhimwhereatheistsattackedreligion:Jhethoughttheywerevulgar.Buthealsoobjectedtohavingreligionmakedemands-qfonhim--hefeltthatreligionwastoovulgar,whenittriedtostirupmen*sfeelings.Ithaditsownproperfieldofactivity,anditwasallrightthere,ofcourse;buttherewasoneplacereligionshouldleavealone,andthatwasaman'ssoul.HeespeciallyloathedanytalkofwalkinghandinhandwithhisSavior.AndifhehadeverfoundtheHolyGhosttryingtosoftenhisheart,hewouldhaveregardeditsbehaviorasdistinctlyuncalledfor;evenungentlemanly.Thewritersayshisfather'sideaofreligionseemedstraightforwardandsimplebecausehisfather.borninnaturalsurroundingswithbanksandchurchesneverreallythoughtofGodasarealexistenceregardedreligionasacceptableifitdidnotinterfereregardedreligionasawayhecouldliveaspirituallifeThewriter'sfatherwouldprobablyagreewiththestatementthatbothspiritualistsandatheistsarevulgarbeingawareofdifferentcreedsisimportantreligionshouldexpectheartandsouldevotionchurcheslikebanksarenottobetrustedTEXTDETIQUETTEInsixteenth-centuryItalyandeighteenth-centuryFrance,waningprosperityandincreasingsocialunrestledtherulingfamiliestotrytopreservetheirsuperioritybywithdrawingfromthelowerandmiddleclassesbehindbarriersofetiquette.Inaprosperouscommunity,ontheotherhand,politesocietysoonabsorbsthenewlyrich,andinEnglandtherehasneverbeenanyshortageofbooksonetiquetteforteachingthemthemannersappropriatetotheirnewwayoflife.Everycodeofetiquettehascontainedthreeelements;basicmoralduties;practicalruleswhichpromoteefficiency;andartificial,optionalgracessuchasformalcomplimentsto,say,womenontheirbeautyorsuperiorsontheirgenerosityandimportance.Inthefirstcategoryareconsiderationsfortheweakandrespectforage.AmongtheancientEgyptianstheyoungalwaysstoodinthepresenceofolderpeople.AmongtheMponguweofTanzania,theyoungmenbowastheypassthehutsoftheelders.InEngland,untilaboutacenturyago,youngchildrendidnotsitintheirparents1presencewithoutaskingpermission.Practicalrulesarehelpfulinsuchordinaryoccurrencesofsociallifeasmakingproperintroductionsatpartiesorotherfunctionssothatpeoplecanbebroughttoknoweachother.Beforetheinventionofthefork,etiquettedirectedthatthefingersshouldbekeptascleanaspossible;beforethehandkerchiefcameintocommonuse,etiquettesuggestedthatafterspitting,apersonshouldrubthespitinconspicuouslyunderfoot.Extremelyrefinedbehavior,however,cultivatedasanartofgraciousliving,hasbeencharacteristiconlyofsocietieswithwealthandleisure,whichadmittedwomenasthesocialequalsofmen.AfterthefallofRome,thefirstEuropeansocietytoregulatebehaviorinprivatelifeinaccordancewithacomplicatedcodeofetiquettewastwelfth-centuryProvence,inFrance.Provencehadbecomewealthy.Thelordshadreturnedtotheircastlefromthecrusades,andtheretheidealsofchivalrygrewup,whichemphasizedthevirtueandgentlenessofwomenanddemandedthataknightshouldprofessapureanddedicatedlovetoaladywhowouldbehisinspiration,andtowhomhewoulddedicatehisvaliantdeeds,thoughhewouldnevercomephysicallyclosetoher.Thiswastheintroductionoftheconceptofromanticlove,whichwastoinfluenceliteratureformanyhundredsofyearsandwhichstilllivesoninadebasedforminsimplepopularsongsandcheapnovelstoday.InRenaissanceItalytoo,inthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies,awealth設(shè)隅fidleisuredsocietydevelopedanextremelycomplexcodeofmanners,buttherulesofbehavioroffashionablesocietyhadlittleinfluenceonthedailylifeofthelowerclasses.Indeedmanyoftherules,suchashowtoenterabanquetroom,orhowtouseaswordorhandkerchiefforceremonialpurposes,wereirrelevanttothewayoflifeoftheaverageworkingman,whospentmostofhislifeoutdoorsorinhisownpoorhutandmostprobablydidnothaveahandkerchief,certainlynotasword,tohisname.Yettheessentialbasisofallgoodmannersdoesnotvary.Considerationfortheoldandweakandtheavoidanceofharmingorgivingunnecessaryoffencetoothersisafeatureofallsocietieseverywhereandatalllevelsfromthehighesttothelowest.OnecharacteristicoftherichclassesofadecliningsocietyistheirtendencytotakeintherecentlywealthyretreatwithinthemselvesproducepublicationsonmannerschangethelawsofetiquetteWhichofthefollowingisNOTanelementofthecodeofetiquette?Respectforage.Formalcompliments.Properintroductionsatsocialfunctions.Eatingwithaforkratherthanfingers.Accordingtothewriterwhichofthefollowingispartofchivalry?Aknightshould.inspirehisladytoperformvaliantdeedsperformdeedswhichwouldinspireromanticsongsexpresshisloveforhisladyfromadistanceregardhisladyasstrongandindependentEtiquetteasanartofgraciouslivingisquotedasafeatureofwhichcountry?A.Egypt.18thcenturyFrance.RenaissanceItaly.D.England.A.gradualB.slowC.periodicD.radicalG.A.mentionedinthetalkisbelievedtobea(n)anonymousgroupcharityorganizationgamblers1clubtreatmentcentreAttheendofthetalk,thespeaker'sattitudetowardsthecureofgamblingaddictionis.unclearuncertainoptimisticpessimisticThroughoutthetalk,thespeakerexaminestheissueofgamblinginaway.TEXTECONFLICTANDCOMPETITIONThequestionofwhetherwarisinevitableisonewhichhasconcernedmany汽堂ftheworld*sgreatwriters.Beforeconsideringthequestion,itwillbeusef(lT;tointroducesomerelatedconcepts.Conflict,definedasoppositionamongsocialentitiesdirectedagainstoneanother,isdistinguishedfromcompetition,definedasoppositionamongsocialentitiesindependentlystrivingforsomethingwhichisininadequatesupply.Competitorsmaynotbeawareofoneanother,whilethepartiestoaconflictare.Conflictandcompetitionarebothcategoriesofopposition,whichhasbeendefinedasaprocessbywhichsocialentitiesfunctioninthedisserviceofoneanother.Oppositionisthuscontrastedwithcooperation,theprocessbywhichsocialentitiesfunctionintheserviceofoneanother.Thesedefinitionsarenecessarybecauseitisimportanttoemphasizethatcompetitionbetweenindividualsorgroupsisinevitableinaworldoflimitedresources,butconflictisnot.Conflict,nevertheless,isverylikelytooccur,andisprobablyanessentialanddesirableelementofhumansocieties.Manyauthorshavearguedfortheinevitabilityofwarfromthepremisethatinthestruggleforexistenceamonganimalspecies,onlythefittestsurvive.Ingeneral,however,thisstruggleinnatureiscompetition,notconflict.Socialanimals,suchasmonkeysandcattle,fighttowinormaintainleadershipofthegroup.Thestruggleforexistenceoccursnotinfights,butinthecompetitionforlimitedfeedingareasandfortheoccupancyofareasfreefrommeat-eatinganimals.Thosewhofailinthiscompetitionstarvetodeathorbecomevictimstootherspecies.Thestruggleforexistencedoesnotresemblehumanwar,butratherthecompetitionofindividualsforjobs,markets,andmaterials.Theessenceofthestruggleisthecompetitionforthenecessitiesoflifethatareinsufficienttosatisfyall.Amongnationsthereiscompetitionindevelopingresources,trades,skills,andasatisfactorywayoflife.Thesuccessfulnationsgrowandprosper;theunsuccessfuldecline.Whileitistruethatthiscompetitionmayinduceeffortstoexpandterritoryattheexpenseofothers,andthusleadtoconflict,itcannotbesaidthatwar-likeconflictamongothernationsisinevitable,althoughcompetitionis.Accordingtotheauthorwhichofthefollowingisinevitable?A.War.Conflict.Competition.Co-operation.Intheanimalkingdomthestruggleforexistence.isceoftheinevitabilityofconflictamongthefittestarisesfromaneedtoliveingroupsisevidenceoftheneedtocompeteforscarceresourcesarisesfromanaturaldesiretofightSECTIONBSKIMMINGANDSCANNING(10MIN)Inthissectiontherearesevenpassagefollowedbytenmultiple-choicequestions.SkimorscanthemasrequiredandthenmarkyouranswersonyourAnswerSheet.(Thispartwillbelimitedtoaperiodoftime.Thetextwon'tbevisiblebeforeorafterthatperiod.Theperiodwilllast10minutes.)TEXTFANGRYRESIDENTSFirstreadthequestions.Thewriterbelievestheproblemsofchaosandnoisewillmostprobablyonlybesolvedby.thestudentsthemselvesthestudents'parentsthecollegeauthoritiesthenewspaperNowgothroughTEXTFquicklytoanswerthequestion.12.GradgeCrescentRudwickSir,OntwooccasionssinceRudwickCollegeopenedyouhavegivenfrontpagereportsonthechaoticconditionsprevailingthereButwhilstchaosandupheavalreignsinthecollege,whatofthechaosandnoisethatlocalresidentsaresubjectedto?Carsareparkedonthepavement,and,stillworse,onthepavementsatstreetcorners.Thenoisefrommotorcyclesissuchthatattimesconversationisimpossible.Toaddtothis,ourstreetsarelitteredwithpaper,CocaColatinsandemptymilkbottles.Hugetransistorradiosarecarriedbystudentsatalltimesoftheday,blastingoutmusicsoloudlythatbabieswakeandoldpeopleareunabletotaketheirafternoonnaps.Allinall,wehavefoundstudents1behaviortobequiteintolerable.Weappealtostudents[whomwesupportfinanciallyviaourlocalauthorityrates]tohavesomeconsiderationforotherpeople.Andiftheyoungpeoplethemselveswon'tlistentowhatwesay,andwesuspecttheywont,thenperhapstheirparentsshouldknocksomesenseintotheirheads.Yoursfaithfully,JohnSmithThewriterbelievestheproblemsofchaosandnoisewillmostprobablyonlybesolvedby.thestudentsthemselvesthestudents'parentsthecollegeauthoritiesthenewspaperTEXTGRACEFirstreadthequestion.Inthepassagethewriter'stoneisA.criticalB.apatheticC.sympatheticD.neutralNowgothroughTEXTGquicklytoanswerthequestion.Aboutone-fifthofthehighschoolstudentshereareboycottingclassestoprotestthereinstatementofaprincipalwhothreatenedtobaninterracialcouplesfromtheprom.TheboycottbeganonMondayasclassesresumedafterspringbreakforthe680studentsatRandolphCountyHighSchool.Itwasalsothefirstdaybackfortheprincipal,HulondHumphries,awhitemanwhowasreinstatedbya4-to-2voteoftheschoolboardafterbeingsuspendedonMarch14.Mr.Humphries,55,whohasbeenprincipalfor25years,declinedtocommentontheboycott.Theboycottwasorganizedbytheschoolboard*sonlyblackmember,CharlotteClark-Freison.ParentswhoattendedameetingonMondaynightdecidedtokeeptheirchildrenoutofschooltoday,saidMs.Clark-Freison.AgroupofparentstraveledtodaytoMontgomery,about90milestothesouthwest,tomeetwithstateeducationofficialsandaskaboutsettingupanalternativeschoolduringtheboycott,Ms.Clark-Freisonsaid.SchoolSuperintendentDaleMcKaysaidhedidnotknowhowmanystudentswereabsentfromclasseitheronMondayortoday.TawannaMize,awhitesenior,saidschoolattendancesheetsshowed157absentstudents,115ofthemblack.Ms.Clark-Freisonsaidabout200blackstudentsboycottedtoday.Shedidnotknowhowmanywhitestudentsstayedaway.ManyblackstudentsgatheredonMondayandtodayattwochurchestodiscussmulticulturalissuesandnon-violentprotests.Manyoftheboycottingstudentsworeblack-and-whiteribbons.TheboycottersincludedReVondaBowen,whofiledacivilrightslawsuitagainstMr.HumphriesforsayingataschoolassemblyonFeb.24thatshewasHamistake11becauseherfatheriswhiteandhermotherisblack.Atthesameassembly,Mr.Humphriesannouncedthatmixed-racecoupleswouldnotbeallowedatthepromandthatthedancewouldbecancellediftheyshowedup.Thenextday,Mr.Humphrieswithdrewthethreattoclosethepromifmixed-racecouplesshowedup,andhesaidhiscommentshadbeenmisunderstood.Inthepassagethewriter'stoneiscriticalapatheticsympatheticneutralTEXTHUSA/IRANFirstreadthequestions.ThewriteradvisesthattheproblemsbetweenIranandtheUSAmightbebestdealtwithintheUNbygettingthesupportof.America'sNATOalliesintheWest.IslamicThirdWorldcountries.C.Russia.D.Britain.NowgothroughTEXTHquicklytoanswerthequestion.Sir,ThepresentquarrelbetweentheUSandIranseemstobedriftingdangerouslyneartoaconfrontationbetweentheWestandtheThirdWorld.ItisunderstandablethattheUSshouldseeksupportfromherallieswithinNATObuttheresultofthiscouldbeseenasanattemptbyagroupofpowerfulindustrialcountriestobullythepeopleofaThirdWorldcountrywhich,inrecentyears,hadnocausetobegratefulforthepoliciesoftheUS.SurelytheappropriateforuminwhichtosearchoutasettlementtothisextremelydangerousquarrelistheUNandtheWestshoulddoitsutmost,withinthatforum,togatherthegreatestpossiblesupportfromThirdWorld,andparticularlyIslamiccountries.IamwellawarethatthematterhasbeenconsideredbytheSecurityCouncilandtheGeneralAssemblyandthattheInternationalCourtofJusticehasalsopronouncedinfavoroftheAmericancase.ImyselfinnowaysupportthebehavioroftheIraniansonthisissue,whichIbelievetobedangerousandprovocative.Nevertheless,itismyviewthatitwouldbewisefortheWesternpowerstocontinuetousethequietdiplomacyoftheUNandalso,ifthisshouldprovepracticable,thegoodofficesofIslamiccountrieswhohavenodesiretobecaughtupinamiddleEasternconflictarisingfromthepresenttensionbetweenIranandtheUS.InadditiontoexploitingstillfurthertheuseofthemachineryoftheUN,IalsoconsiderthatEuropeanleadersoughttosuggestthatitwouldbehelpfulifasummitmeetingcouldtakeplacebetweentheAmericanandRussianleaderstoexchangeviewsaboutthewholesituationintheMiddleEast.Suchanexchangeofviewswouldbeunlikelytoproduceinstantsolutions,bu|StmighthelptheRussianandAmericangovernmentstoreadeachother's而ndsandseekmethodsofbackingawayfromtheperiloustrialofstrengthinthatpartoftheworld.YourssincerelyFrankHooley,MPHouseofCommons,LondonSW1ThewriteradvisesthattheproblemsbetweenIranandtheUSAmightbebestdealtwithintheUNbygettingthesupportof.America'sNATOalliesintheWest.IslamicThirdWorldcountries.Russia.D.Britain.TEXTIGOLD!GOLD!GOLD!Firstreadthequestion.Thepurposeofthepassageistodescribetheminingofgolddescribeman'spursuitofgolddeterminetheimportanceofgolddiscusstheroleofgoldNowgothroughTEXTIquicklytoanswerthequestion.Goldhasenthralledmansincethedawnofcivilization.Forcenturieshebravedarcticcold,tropicheatandinhumanprivationstowrestgoldfromtheearth.Heuseditforreligiousobjects,sculpture,jewelleryandasasymbolofwealth.Paradoxically,heoftenburiedit—foruseintheafterlife,asthepharaohsdid,orforsafekeepingagainsttheuncertaintiesofthislife.Gold'slusterandrarity,whichimplieditsownerpossessedgreatpower,gaveitamusicalqualityfromthestart.GoldwasconsidereddivineinancientGreeceandwasusedtoadorntemplesandasanofferingtothegods.Despitetheirreverence,theancientswerequicktorecognizegold'spracticalqualities,particularlyitsmalleability,whichmadeitidealforjewellery.EvenCleopatrausedgoldornamentstoenhancehercharm.However,ithasbeenasasymbolofwealth-ofnationsaswellasindividuals—thatgoldhasplayeditsmostdramaticrole.Thequestforgoldch