The economy of the United states after 1952 was the econnomy of a well-fed,almost fully employed people. Despit occasional alarms, the country escaped any postwar depression and lived in a state of boom. A n economic survey of the year 1955, a typical year of the 1950’s, may be typical as illustrating the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was value at 10 percent above that of 1954 (1955 output was estimated at 392 billion dollars). The production of manufacturers was about 40 percent more than it had averaged in the years immediately following World War 2. The country’s business spent about 30billion dollars for new factories and machinery. National income available for spending was almost a third greater than it had been it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about 700 million dollars a day ,or about twenty-five million dollars every hour , all round the clock. Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted jobs but could not find them . Only agriculture complained that it was not sharing in the room. To some observers this was an ominous echo of the mid-1920’s . As farmer’s shre of their products declined , marketing costs rose. But there were , among the observers of the national economy, a few who were not as confident as the majority . Those few seemed to fear that the boom could not last and would eventually lead to the oppsite-depression.
1. What is the best title of the passage?
a. The Agriculatural Trends of 1950’s b. The Unemployment Rate of 1950’s
c. U.S. Economy in the 50’s d. The Federal Budget of 1952
2. In Line 3, the word “boom” could best be replaced by______.
a. nearby explosion b. thunderous noise
c. general public support d. rapid economic growth
3. It can be inferred the national from the passage that most people in the United States in 1955 viewed the national economy with an air of _________.
a. confidence b. confusion c. disappointment d. suspicion
4. Which of the following were LEAST satisfied with the national economy in the 1950’s?
a. Economists b. Frmaers c. Politicians d. Steelworkers
5. The passage states that incom available for spending in the U.S. was greater in 1955 than in 1950 . How much was it ?
a. 60% b. 50% c. 33% d. 90%
参考答案
1-5 cdabc
I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.
Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he’s honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out ever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
1.Which of the following is true?
A.Fun creates long-lasting satisfaction.
B.Fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness.
C.Happiness is enduring whereas fun is short-lived.
D.Fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness.
2.To the author, Hollywood stars all have an important role to play that is to __.
A.rite memoir after memoir about their happiness.
B.tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun.
C.teach people how to enjoy their lives.
D.bring happiness to the public instead of going to glamorous parties.
3.In the author’s opinion, marriage___.
A.affords greater fun.
B.leads to raising children.
C.indicates commitment.
D.ends in pain.
4.Couples having infant children___.
A.are lucky since they can have a whole night’s sleep.
B.find fun in tucking them into bed at night.
C.find more time to play and joke with them.
D.derive happiness from their endeavor.
5.If one get the meaning of the true sense of happiness, he will__.
A.stop playing games and joking with others.
B.make the best use of his time increasing happiness.
C.give a free hand to money.
D.keep himself with his family.
答案：CBCDB
Very old people do raise moral problems for almost everyone who comes in contact with them. Their values—this can't be repeated too often—are not necessarily our values. Physical comfort, cleanness and order are not necessarily the most important things. The social services from time to time find themselves faced with a flat with decaying food covered by small worms, and an old person lying alone in bed, taking no notice of the worms. But is it interfering with personal freedom to insist that they go to live with some of their relatives so that they might be taken better care of? Some social workers, the ones who clear up the worms, think we are in danger of carrying this concept of personal freedom to the point where serious risks are being taken with the health and safety of the old.
Indeed, the old can be easily hurt or harmed. The body is like a car, it needs more mechanical maintenance as it gets older. You can carry this comparison right through to the provision of spare parts. But never forget that such operations are painful experiences, however good the results. And at what point should you cease to treat the old body? Is it morally right to try to push off death by pursuing the development of drugs to excite the forgetful old mind and to activate(激活) the old body, knowing that it is designed to die? You cannot ask doctors or scientists to decide, because so long as they can see the technical opportunities, they will feel bound to give them a try, on the principle that while there's life, there's hope.
When you talk to the old people, however, you are forced to the conclusion that whether age is happy or unpleasant depends less on money or on health than it does on your ability to have fun.
1. It is implied in Paragraph 1 that______.
A. very old people enjoy living with their relatives
B. social services have nothing to do with very old people
C. very old people would like to live alone so that they can have more personal freedom
D. very old people are able to keep their rooms very clean
2. Some social workers think that______.
A. health and safety are more important than personal freedom
B. personal freedom is more important than health and safety
C. old people should keep their rooms clean
D. one should not take the risk of dealing with old people
3. In the author's opinion, ______.
A. the human body can't be compared to a car
B. the older a person, the more care he needs
C. too much emphasis has been put on old people's values
D. it is easy to provide spare parts for old people
4. The word "it" in the last paragraph refers to______.
A. the conclusion you have come to B. your talk to the old people
C. whether age is happy or unpleasant D. one's money or one's health
5. The author thinks that______.
A. medical decisions for old people should be left to the doctors
B. old people can enjoy a happy life only if they are very rich
C. the opinion that we should try every means possible to save old people is doubtful
D. it is always morally right to treat old people and push off death
1. C 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. C
At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse, but let it pass instead. You know that to commit the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo(禁忌的) behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject.
One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U. S. , thin is "in", fat is "out".
It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed (着迷) with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the sole reason for America's obsession with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising every day.
1. From the passage we can infer taboo is .
A. a strong desire to do something strange or terrible
B. a crime committed on impulse
C. behavior considered unacceptable in society's eyes
D. an unfavorable impression left on other people
2、Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude "being fat"_______.
A. will always remain a taboo B. is not considered a taboo by most people
C. has long been a taboo D. may no longer be a taboo some day
3、The topic of fat is_______many other taboo subjects.
A. the same as B. different from
C. more popular than D. less often talked about than
4、In the U. S. , thin is "in", fat is "out", this means_______.
A. thin is "inside", fat is "outside"
B. thin is "diligent", fat is "lazy"
C. thin is "youthful", fat is "spiritless"
D. thin is "fashionable", fat is "unfashionable"
5、The main reason the passage gives for why so many Americans are exercising regularly is_______.
A. their changed life-style
B. their eagerness to stay thin and youthful
C. their appreciation of the importance of exercise
D. the encouragement they have received from their companies
1. C 2. D 3. B 4. D 5. B
At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse, but let it pass instead. You know that to commit the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo(禁忌的) behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject.
One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U. S. , thin is "in", fat is "out".
It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed (着迷) with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the sole reason for America's obsession with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising every day.
1. From the passage we can infer taboo is .
A. a strong desire to do something strange or terrible
B. a crime committed on impulse
C. behavior considered unacceptable in society's eyes
D. an unfavorable impression left on other people
2、Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude "being fat"_______.
A. will always remain a taboo B. is not considered a taboo by most people
C. has long been a taboo D. may no longer be a taboo some day
3、The topic of fat is_______many other taboo subjects.
A. the same as B. different from
C. more popular than D. less often talked about than
4、In the U. S. , thin is "in", fat is "out", this means_______.
A. thin is "inside", fat is "outside"
B. thin is "diligent", fat is "lazy"
C. thin is "youthful", fat is "spiritless"
D. thin is "fashionable", fat is "unfashionable"
5、The main reason the passage gives for why so many Americans are exercising regularly is_______.
A. their changed life-style
B. their eagerness to stay thin and youthful
C. their appreciation of the importance of exercise
D. the encouragement they have received from their companies
1. C 2. D 3. B 4. D 5. B
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