Whatdoesthefutureholdfortheproblemofhousing?Agooddealdepends,ofcourse,onthemeaningof“future”.Ifoneisthinkingintermsofsciencefictionandthespaceage,itisatleastpossibletoassumethatmanwillhavesolvedsuchtrivialandearthlyproblemsashousing.Writersofsciencefiction,fromH.G.Wellsonwards,havehadlittletosayonthesubject.Theyhaveconveyedthesuggestionthatmenwillliveingreatcomfort,witheveryconceivableapparatustomakelifesmooth,healthyandeasy,ifnothappy.Buttheyhavenotsaidwhathishousewillbemadeof.Perhapssomenewbuildingmaterial,asyetunimagined,willhavebeendiscoveredorinventedatleast.Onemaybecertainthatbricksandmortar(泥灰，灰浆)willlonghavegoneoutoffashion.
Buttheproblemsofthenextgenerationortwocanmorereadilybeimagined.Scientistshavealreadypointedoutthatunlesssomethingisdoneeithertorestricttheworld’srapidgrowthinpopulationortodiscoveranddevelopnewsourcesoffood(orboth),millionsofpeoplewillbedyingofstarvationoratthebestsufferingfromunderfeedingbeforethiscenturyisout.Butnobodyhasyetworkedoutanyplanforhousingthesegrowingpopulations.Admittedlytheworstsituationswilloccurinthehottestpartsoftheworld,wherehousingcanbelightstructureorinbackwardareaswherestandardsaretraditionallylow.Buteventheminimumshelterrequiresmaterialsofsomekindandintheteeming,bulgingtownsthelow-standard“housing”offlattenedpetrolcansanddirtycanvasisfarmorewastefulofgroundspacethancanbetolerated.
Sincethewar,HongKonghassufferedthekindofcrisiswhichislikelytoariseinmanyotherplacesduringthenextgeneration.Literallymillionsofrefugeesarrivedtoswellthealreadygrowingpopulationandemergencystepshadtobetakenrapidlytopreventsqualor(肮脏)anddiseaseandthespreadcrime.Thecityistacklingthesituationenergeticallyandenormousblocksoftenements(贫民住宅)arerisingatanastonishingaped.ButHongKongisonlyonesmallpartofwhatwillcertainlybecomeavastproblemandnotmerelyahousingproblem,becausewhenpopulationgrowsatthisratethereareaccompanyingproblemsofeducation,transport,hospitalservices,drainage,watersupplyandsoon.NoteveryareamaygivethesameresourcesasHongKongtodrawuponandthesearchforquickerandcheapermethodsofconstructionmustnevercease.
1.Whatistheauthor’sopinionofhousingproblemsinthefirstparagraph?
A.Theymaybecompletelysolvedatsometimeinthefuture.
B.Theyareunimportantandeasilydealtwith.
C.Theywillnotbesolveduntilanewbuildingmaterialhasbeendiscovered.
D.Theyhavebeendealtwithinspecificdetailinbooksdescribingthefuture.
2.Thewriterissurethatinthedistantfuture___.
A.bricksandmortarwillbereplacedbysomeotherbuildingmaterial.
B.anewbuildingmaterialwillhavebeeninvented.
C.bricksandmortarwillnotbeusedbypeoplewhowanttheirhousetobefashionable.
D.anewwayofusingbricksandmortarwillhavebeendiscovered.
3.Thewriterbelievesthatthebiggestproblemlikelytoconfronttheworldbeforetheendofthecentury___.
A.isdifficulttoforesee.
B.willbehowtofeedtheevergrowingpopulation.
C.willbehowtoprovideenoughhousesinthehottestpartsoftheworld.
D.isthequestionoffindingenoughgroundspace.
4.Whenthewritersaysthattheworstsituationswilloccurinthehottestpartsoftheworldorinbackwardareas,heisreferringtothefactthatintheseparts___.
A.standardsofbuildingarelow.
B.onlyminimumshelterwillbepossible.
C.thereisnotenoughgroundspace.
D.thepopulationgrowthwillbethegreatest.
5.WhichofthefollowingsentencesbestsummarizesParagraph3?
A.HongKonghasfacedaseriouscrisiscausedbymillionsofrefugees.
B.HongKonghassuccessfullydealtwiththeemergencycausedbymillionsofrefugees.
C.HongKong’scrisiswasnotonlyamatterofhousingbutincludedanumberofotherproblemsofpopulationgrowth.
D.ManypartsoftheworldmayhavetofacethekindofproblemsencounteredbyHongKongandmayfinditmuchhardertodealwiththem.
Mostofusaretaughttopayattentiontowhatissaid—thewords.Wordsdoprovideuswithsomeinformation,butmeaningsarederivedfromsomanyothersourcesthatitwouldhinderoureffectivenessasapartnertoarelationshiptorelytooheavilyonwordsalone.Wordsareusedtodescribeonlyasmallpartofthemanyideasweassociatewithanygivenmessage.Sometimeswecangaininsightintosomeofthoseassociationsifwelistenformorethanwords.Wedon’talwayssaywhatwemeanormeanwhatwesay.Sometimesourwordsdon’tmeananythingexcept“I’mlettingoffsomesteam.Idon’treallywantyoutopaycloseattentiontowhatI’msaying.JustpayattentiontowhatI’mfeeling.”Mostlywemeanseveralthingsatonce.Apersonwantingtopurchaseahousesaystothecurrentowner,“ThisstephastobefixedbeforeI’llbuy.”Theownersays,“It’sbeenlikethatforyears.”Actually,thestephasn’tbeenlikethatforyears,buttheunspokenmessageis:“Idon’twanttofixit.Weputupwithit.Whycan’tyou?”Thesearchforamoreexpansiveviewofmeaningcanbedevelopedofexaminingamessageintermsofwhosaidit,whenitoccurred,therelatedconditionsorsituation,andhowitwassaid.
Whenamessageoccurscanalsorevealassociatedmeaning.Letusassumetwocouplesdoexactlythesameamountofkissingandarguing.Butonecouplealwayskissesafteranargumentandtheothercouplealwaysarguesafterakiss.Theorderingofthebehaviorsmaymeanagreatdealmorethanthefrequencyofthebehavior.Afriend’sunusuallydocilebehaviormayonlybeunderstoodbynotingthatitwasprecededbysituationsthatrequiredanabnormalamountofassertiveness.Someresponsesmaybedirectlylinkedtoadevelopingpatternofresponsesanddefylogic.Forexample,apersonwhosays“No!”toaserialsofchargeslike“You’redumb,”“You’relazy,”and“You’redishonest,”mayalsosay“No!”andtrytojustifyhisorherresponseifthenextstatementis“Andyou’regoodlooking.”
Wewoulddowelltolistenforhowmessagesarepresented.Thewords,“Ifsurehasbeennicetohaveyouover,”canbesaidwithemphasisandexcitementorritualistically.Thephrasecanbesaidonceorrepeatedseveraltimes.Andthemeaningsweassociatewiththephrasewillchangeaccordingly.Sometimesifwesaysomethinginfrequentlyitassumesmoreimportance;sometimesthemorewesaysomethingthelessimportanceitassumes.
1.Effectivecommunicationisrenderedpossiblebetweentwoconversingpartners,if___.
A.theyuseproperwordstocarrytheirideas.
B.theybothspeaktrulyoftheirownfeelings.
C.theytrytounderstandeachother’sideasbeyondwords.
D.theyarecapableofassociatingmeaningwiththeirwords.
2.“I’mlettingoffsomesteam”inparagraph1means___.
A.I’mjustcallingyourattention.
B.I’mjustkidding.
C.I’mjustsayingtheopposite.
D.I’mjustgivingoffsomesound.
3.Thehouse-owner’sexampleshowsthatheactuallymeans___.
A.thestephasbeenlikethatforyears.
B.hedoesn’tthinkitnecessarytofixthestep.
C.theconditionofthestepisonlyaminorfault.
D.thecostinvolvedinthefixingshouldbeshared.
4.Someresponsesandbehaviorsmayappearveryillogical,butarejustifiableif___.
A.linkedtoanabnormalamountofassertiveness.
B.seenasone’shabitualpatternofbehavior.
C.takenaspartofanorderingsequence.
D.expressedtoaseriesofcharges.
5.Theword“ritualistically”inthelastparagraphequalssomethingdone___.
A.withouttrueintention.
B.light-heartedly.
C.inawayofceremony.
D.withlessemphasis.
Inthelast12yearstotalemploymentintheUnitedStatesgrewfasterthanatanytimeinthepeacetimehistoryofanycountry–from82to110millionbetween1973and1985–thatis,byafullonethird.Theentiregrowth,however,wasinmanufacturing,andespeciallyinno–blue-collarjobs…
Thistrendisthesameinalldevelopedcountries,andis,indeed,evenmorepronouncedinJapan.Itisthereforehighlyprobablethatin25yearsdevelopedcountriessuchastheUnitedStatesandJapanwillemploynolargeraproportionofthelaborforceInmanufacturingthandevelopedcountriesnowemployinfarming–atmost,10percent.TodaytheUnitedStatesemploysaround18millionpeopleinblue-collarjobsinmanufacturingindustries.By2010,thenumberislikelytobenomorethan12million.Insomemajorindustriesthedropwillbeevensharper.Itisquiteunrealistic,forinstance,toexpectthattheAmericanautomobileindustrywillemploymorethanone–thirdofitspresentblue-collarforce25yearshence,eventhoughproductionmightbe50percenthigher.
Ifacompany,anindustryoracountrydoesnotinthenextquartercenturysharplyincreasemanufacturingproductionandatthesametimesharplyreducetheblue-collarworkforce,itcannothopetoremaincompetitive–oreventoremain“developed.”Theattempttopreservesuchblue–collarjobsisactuallyaprescriptionforunemployment…
ThisisnotaconclusionthatAmericanpoliticians,laborleadersorindeedthegeneralpubliccaneasilyunderstandoraccept.WhatconfusestheissueevenmoreitthattheUnitedStatesisexperiencingseveralseparateanddifferentshiftsinthemanufacturingeconomy.Oneistheaccelerationofthesubstitutionofknowledgeandcapitalformanuallabor.Wherewespokeofmechanizationafewdecadesago,wenowspeakof“robotization“or“automation.”Thisisactuallymoreachangeinterminologythanachangeinreality.WhenHenryFordintroducedtheassemblylinein1909,hecutthenumberofman–hoursrequiredtoproduceamotorcarbysome80percentintwoorthreeyears–farmorethananyoneexpectstoresultfromeventhemostcompleterobotization.Butthereisnodoubtthatwearefacinganew,sharpaccelerationinthereplacementofmanualworkersbymachines–thatis,bytheproductsofknowledge.
1.Accordingtotheauthor,theshrinkageinthemanufacturinglaborforcedemonstrates______.
A.thedegreetowhichacountry’sproductionisrobotized
B.areductioninacountry’smanufacturingindustries
C.aworseningrelationshipbetweenlaborandmanagement
D.thedifferencebetweenadevelopedcountryandadevelopingcountry
2.Accordingtotheauthor,incoming25years,adevelopedcountryorindustry,inordertremaincompetitive,oughtto______.
A.reducethepercentageoftheblue-collarworkforce
B.preserveblue–collarjobsforinternationalcompetition
C.acceleratemotor–canmanufacturinginHenryFord’sstyle
D.solvetheproblemofunemployment
3.Americanpoliticiansandlaborleaderstendtodislike_____.
A.confusioninmanufacturingeconomy
B.anincreaseinblue–collarworkforce
C.internalcompetitioninmanufacturingproduction
D.adropintheblue–collarjobopportunities
4.Theword“prescription”in“aprescriptionforunemployment”maybetheequivalentto______
A.somethingrecommendedasmedicaltreatment
B.awaysuggestedtoovercomesomedifficulty
C.somemeasurestakeninadvance
D.adevicetodire
5.Thispassagemayhavebeenexceptedfrom________
A.amagazineaboutcapitalinvestment
B.anarticleonautomation
C.amotor-carmagazine
D.anarticleonglobaleconomy
翻译：
最近，一些地方大学开始将方言列为某些学生的必修课程，学生们要学习当地方言，然后被评分以作为毕业的依据之一。一方面，支持此种做法的人认为，将方言列为必修课可防止其消失，从而使当地传统文化和文化多样性得以弘扬，同时城市独特的个性得以保留。另一方面，反对此种做法的人争论说，当地学生与外地学生相比有很多绝对优势，因此将方言列为必修课会引起教育不公平的问题。而且，将方言列为必修课程还会引起一些其他问题，如教材使用、师资问题和考试标准等。在我看来，方言作为传统文化不可缺少的一部分和一种交流工具，可以让学生自愿学习和使用，而不是强制完成。