首页
试卷库
试题库
当前位置：
X题卡
>
所有题目
>
题目详情
Few insects have inspired as much fear and hatred as the diminutive fire ants, less than half an inc...
查看本题答案
包含此试题的试卷
国家统考科目《单选集》真题及答案
点击查看
你可能感兴趣的试题
第四节阅读理解共20小题每小题2分满分40分阅读下列短文从每题所给的四个选项A.B.C和D中选出最佳
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
like
such
example
as
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
babies
lives
eggs
moth
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
quit
move to
walk to
live
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
pieces
parts
pairs
double
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
have
with
covered
by
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
animals
insects
birds
fish
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
can
unable
cannot
able
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
head
hands
legs
arms
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
non-flying
running
jumping
racing
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
drink
give up
use
breathe
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
flying
fastest
slowest
flightless
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
end
develop
begin
last
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
weak
strong
huge
big
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
separated
jointed
connected
stiff
Animalsaredividedintomanygroups.Somegroupsofani
where
whose
whom
that
热门试题
更多
Itseemsimpossibletohaveanhonestconversationaboutglobalwarming.IsaythisafterdiligentlyperusingtheBritishgovernment’shugereportreleasedlastweekbySirNicholasSternformerchiefeconomistoftheWorldBankandnowahighcivilservant.Thereportisamasterpieceofmisleadingpublicrelations.Itforeseesdireconsequencesifglobalwarmingisn’tcurbed:aworldwidedepressionandfloodingofmanycoastalcities.Meanwhilethecostsofminimizingtheseawfuloutcomesaresmall:only1percentofworldeconomicoutputin2050.Nosanepersoncouldfailtoconcludethatweshouldconquerglobalwarminginstantlyifnotsooner.WhocoulddisagreeWellme.Stem’sheadlinedconclusionsareintellectualfictions.They’reessentiallyfabricationstojustifyanaggressiveanti-global-warmingagenda.Thedangerofthatisthatwe’dendupwiththeworstofbothworlds:aprogramthatharmstheeconomywithoutmuchcuttingofgreenhousegases.LetmethrowsomemessyrealitiesontoStern’stidypicture.Intheglobal-warmingdebatethere’sabiggapbetweenpublicrhetoricandpublicbehavior.Greenhouseemissionscontinuetorisedespitemanyearnestpledgestocontrolthem.JustlastweektheUnitedNationsreportedthatofthe41countriesitmonitorsnotincludingmostdevelopingnations34hadincreasedgreenhouseemissionsfrom2000to2004.TheseincludemostcountriescommittedtoreducingemissionsundertheKyotoProtocol.WhyisthisInrichdemocraciespoliciesthatmightcurbgreenhousegasesrequirepoliticiansandthepublictoactinexceptionallyenlightenedways.Theyhavetoacceptpainnowforbenefitsthatwon’tmaterializefordecadesprobablyafterthey’redead.Andevenifrichcountriescutemissionsitwon’tmakemuchdifferenceunlesspoorcountriesdolikewiseandsofarthey’verefusedbecausethatmightjeopardizetheireconomicgrowthandpoverty-reductionefforts.Thenotionthatthere’sonlyamodesttensionbetweensuppressinggreenhousegasesandsustainingeconomicgrowthishighlydubious.Sternarrivesathistrivialcosts—that1percentofworldGDPin2050—byessentiallyassumingthem.Hisestimatespresumethatwithproperpoliciestechnologicalimprovementswillautomaticallyreconciledecliningemissionswithadequateeconomicgrowth.Thisisaheroicleap.TocheckwarmingSternwantsannualemissions25percentbelowcurrentlevelsby2050.TheIEAprojectsthateconomicgrowthby2050wouldmorethandoubleemissions.Atpresentwecan’tbridgethatgap.TheothergreatdistortioninStern’sreportinvolvesglobalwarming’seffects.Nooneknowswhatthesemightbebecausewedon’tknowhowmuchwarmingmightoccurwhenwhereorhoweasilypeoplemightadapt.Stern’shorrificspecterdistillsmanyofthemostterrifyingguessesincludingsomeimaginedforthe22ndcenturyandimpliesthey’reimminent.Theideaistoscarepeoplewhilereassuringthemthatpoliciestoavertcalamityifstartednowwouldbefairlyeasyandinexpensive.TheauthoragreeswithSternthat
Culturalresponsestomodernizationoftenmanifestthemselvesinthemassmedia.ForexampleAldousHuxleyinBraveNewWorldcreatedafictionalworldinwhichhecautionedreadersthatmodernscienceandtechnologyposedathreattoindividualdignity.CharlieChaplin’sfilmModernTimessetinafuturisticmanufacturingplantalsotoldthestoryofthedehumanizingimpactofmodernizationandmachinery.Writersandartistsintheircriticismsofthemodernworldoftenpointtotechnology’sabilitytoalienatepeoplefromoneanothercapitalism’stendencytofostergreedandgovernment’sinclinationtocreatebureaucraciesthatoppressratherthanhelppeople.Amongthemajorvaluesofthemodernperiodfourtypicallymanifestthemselvesintheculturalenvironment:celebratingtheindividualbelievinginrationalorderworkingefficientlyandrejectingtradition.Thesevaluesofthemodernperiodwereoriginallyembodiedintheprintingpressandlaterinnewspapersandmagazines.Theprintmediaencouragedthevisionofindividualwriterspublishersandreaderswhocirculatednewideas.Whereasthepremodernperiodwasguidedbystrongbeliefsinanaturalordivineorderbecomingmodernmeantelevatingindividualself-expressiontoacentralposition.AlongwithdemocraticbreakthroughshoweverindividualismandtheIndustrialRevolutiontriggeredmodernformsofhierarchyinwhichcertainindividualsandgroupsachievedhigherstandinginthesocialorder.Forexamplethosewhomanagedcommercialenterprisesgainedmorecontrolovertheeconomicladderwhileanintellectualclassofmodernexpertswhomasteredspecializedrealmsofknowledgegainedincreasingpoweroverthenation’ssocialpoliticalandculturalagendas.Tobemodernalsomeanttovaluethecapacityoforganizedscientificmindstosolveproblemsefficiently.Progressivethinkersmaintainedthattheprintingpressthetelegraphandtherailroadincombinationwithascientificattitudewouldfosteranewtypeofinformedsociety.Atthecoreofthissocietytheprintedmassmediaparticularlynewspaperswouldeducatethecitizenryhelpingtobuildandmaintainanorganizedsocialframework.Journalistsstroveforthepremodernidealthroughamorefact-basedandefficientapproachtoreporting.Theydiscardeddecorativewritingandchampionedaleanlook.Modernfront-pagenewsde-emphasizeddescriptioncommentaryandhistoricalcontext.TheleadsentencesthatreportedapresidentialpressconferencebegantolooksimilarwhethertheywereonthefrontpageinTupeloMississippiorWahpetonNorthDakota.JustasmodernarchitecturemademanyAmericanskylineslookalikethefrontpagesofnewspapersbegantoresembleoneanother.Finallytobemodernmeanttothrowofftherigidrulesofthepasttobreakwithtradition.Modernjournalismbecamecaptivatedbytimelyandimmediateevents.Asaresultthemorestandardizedformsoffront-pagejournalismontheonehandchampionedfactsandcurrenteventswhileefficientlymeetingdeadlines.Butontheotherhandmodernnewspapersoftenfailedtotakeahistoricalperspectiveortoanalyzesufficientlytheideasunderlyingtheseevents.Theauthorseemstosuggestthat
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.11
WhenNewsweekrecentlyasked1000U.S.citizenstotakeAmerica’sofficialcitizenshiptest29percentcouldn’tnamethevicepresident.Seventy-threepercentcouldn’tcorrectlysaywhywefoughttheColdWar.Forty-fourpercentwereunabletodefinetheBillofRights.And6percentcouldn’tevencircleIndependenceDayonacalendar.Don’tgetuswrong:civicignoranceisnothingnew.Foraslongasthey’veexistedAmericanshavebeenmisunderstandingchecksandbalancesandmisidentifyingtheirsenators.Andthey’vebeenlamentingtheignoranceoftheirpeerseversincepollstersstartedpublishingthesedispiritingsurveysbackinHarryTruman’sday.AccordingtoastudybyMichaelX.DelliCarpinideanoftheAnnenbergSchoolforCommunicationtheyearlyshiftsincivicknowledgesinceWorldWarIIhaveaveragedouttoslightlyunder1percent.Buttheworldhaschanged.Andunfortunatelyit’sbecomingmoreandmoreinhospitabletoincuriousknow-nothings—likeus.Toappreciatetherisksinvolvedit’simportanttounderstandwhereAmericanignorancecomesfrom.InMarch2009theEuropeanJournalofCommunicationaskedcitizensofBritainDenmarkFinlandandtheU.S.toanswerquestionsoninternationalaffairs.TheEuropeansoutdidus.ItwasonlythelatestinaseriesofpollsthathaveshownuslaggingbehindourFirstWorldpeers.MostexpertsagreethattherelativecomplexityoftheU.S.politicalsystemmakesithardforAmericanstokeepup.InmanyEuropeancountriesparliamentshaveproportionalrepresentationandthemajoritypartyruleswithouthavingtosharepowerwithalotofsubnationalgovernmentsnotesYalepoliticalscientistJacobHacker.Incontrastwe’resaddledwithanonproportionalSenate;atangleofstatelocalandfederalbureaucracies;andnear-constantelectionsforeveryimaginableofficejudgesheriffschool-boardmemberandsoon.NobodyiscompetenttounderstanditallwhichyourealizeeverytimeyouvotesaysMichaelSchudsonauthorofTheGoodCitizen.Youknowyou’regoingtocomeupshortandthatdiscouragesyoufromlearningmore.Itdoesn’thelpthattheUnitedStateshasoneofthehighestlevelsofincomeinequalityinthedevelopedworldwiththetop400householdsrakinginmoremoneythanthebottom60percentcombined.AsDaltonConleyanNYUsociologistexplainsit’slikecomparingapplesandoranges.UnlikeDenmarkwehavealotofverypoorpeoplewithoutaccesstogoodeducationandahugeimmigrantpopulationthatdoesn’tevenspeakEnglish.Whensurveysfocusonwell-offnative-bornrespondentstheU.S.actuallyholdsitsownagainstEurope.FormorethantwocenturiesAmericanshavegottenawaywithnotknowingmuchabouttheworldaroundthem.Buttimeshavechanged—andthey’vechangedinwaysthatmakecivicignoranceabigproblemgoingforward.Wesufferfromalackofinformationratherthanalackofability.Whetherthat’satreatableafflictionoraterminalillnessremainstobeseen.Butnow’sthetimetostartsearchingforacure.JacobHackerimpliesthattheBritishpoliticalsystem
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.19
Culturalresponsestomodernizationoftenmanifestthemselvesinthemassmedia.ForexampleAldousHuxleyinBraveNewWorldcreatedafictionalworldinwhichhecautionedreadersthatmodernscienceandtechnologyposedathreattoindividualdignity.CharlieChaplin’sfilmModernTimessetinafuturisticmanufacturingplantalsotoldthestoryofthedehumanizingimpactofmodernizationandmachinery.Writersandartistsintheircriticismsofthemodernworldoftenpointtotechnology’sabilitytoalienatepeoplefromoneanothercapitalism’stendencytofostergreedandgovernment’sinclinationtocreatebureaucraciesthatoppressratherthanhelppeople.Amongthemajorvaluesofthemodernperiodfourtypicallymanifestthemselvesintheculturalenvironment:celebratingtheindividualbelievinginrationalorderworkingefficientlyandrejectingtradition.Thesevaluesofthemodernperiodwereoriginallyembodiedintheprintingpressandlaterinnewspapersandmagazines.Theprintmediaencouragedthevisionofindividualwriterspublishersandreaderswhocirculatednewideas.Whereasthepremodernperiodwasguidedbystrongbeliefsinanaturalordivineorderbecomingmodernmeantelevatingindividualself-expressiontoacentralposition.AlongwithdemocraticbreakthroughshoweverindividualismandtheIndustrialRevolutiontriggeredmodernformsofhierarchyinwhichcertainindividualsandgroupsachievedhigherstandinginthesocialorder.Forexamplethosewhomanagedcommercialenterprisesgainedmorecontrolovertheeconomicladderwhileanintellectualclassofmodernexpertswhomasteredspecializedrealmsofknowledgegainedincreasingpoweroverthenation’ssocialpoliticalandculturalagendas.Tobemodernalsomeanttovaluethecapacityoforganizedscientificmindstosolveproblemsefficiently.Progressivethinkersmaintainedthattheprintingpressthetelegraphandtherailroadincombinationwithascientificattitudewouldfosteranewtypeofinformedsociety.Atthecoreofthissocietytheprintedmassmediaparticularlynewspaperswouldeducatethecitizenryhelpingtobuildandmaintainanorganizedsocialframework.Journalistsstroveforthepremodernidealthroughamorefact-basedandefficientapproachtoreporting.Theydiscardeddecorativewritingandchampionedaleanlook.Modernfront-pagenewsde-emphasizeddescriptioncommentaryandhistoricalcontext.TheleadsentencesthatreportedapresidentialpressconferencebegantolooksimilarwhethertheywereonthefrontpageinTupeloMississippiorWahpetonNorthDakota.JustasmodernarchitecturemademanyAmericanskylineslookalikethefrontpagesofnewspapersbegantoresembleoneanother.Finallytobemodernmeanttothrowofftherigidrulesofthepasttobreakwithtradition.Modernjournalismbecamecaptivatedbytimelyandimmediateevents.Asaresultthemorestandardizedformsoffront-pagejournalismontheonehandchampionedfactsandcurrenteventswhileefficientlymeetingdeadlines.Butontheotherhandmodernnewspapersoftenfailedtotakeahistoricalperspectiveortoanalyzesufficientlytheideasunderlyingtheseevents.Thepassageismainlyabout
Mourningthedeathofoneofitsownisperhapstheentertainmentindustry’smosttime-honoredtraditions.Afteranagonizingandprolongeddeclinethelong-sufferingVerticallyIntegratedMediaConglomeratepassedaway.It’sanideathatwasbornwhenTimeInc.mergedwithWarnerCommunicationsCorp.in1989toformTimeWarner.Itenduredastheindustry’sprevailingbusinessmodelfornearlyagenerationspawningsuchclonesandmongrelbreedsasViacomNewsCorpandGE’sNBCUniversal.Theverticallyintegratedmediaconglomeratewas—orwassupposedtobe—manyamazingthingsgivingahandfulofcompaniesunprecedentedpoweroverthemedia—andthechancetoearnoutsizedprofitsintheprocess.Butitsdefiningcharacteristicwasitssheersizeearningitafittingnickname.BigMedia.Butthetheorybehindthestrategyreliedonmorethansize.HousedunderoneroofasingleBigMediaentitywouldcontrolthemeansofproducinganddistributingmediacontentfrommagazineandbookstotelevisionshowsandmoviesfromcartoonsandthemeparkstosportsfranchisesandthecablenetworksthatcarrythegamestorecordedmusiclabelsandmusicpublishers.InTimeWarner’sprototypeofthemodelitwouldcontroleverythingfromthefirstletterofaTimemagazinestoryorWarnerBooksnoveltothelastalphabetofthecreditsattheendofaWarnerBrothersflickorHBOseriesbasedonthemagazinestoryorthebookdivision’sfiction.ForatimeTimeWarnerboastedawidearrayofmediaassets.Nomore.OnApril29inafilingwiththeSecuritiesandExchangeCommissionTimeWarnerCEOJeffBewkesofficiallyannouncedthedeathofBigMedia.HavingslicedoffWarnerMusicGroupafewyearsagoandTimeWarnerCablethisyearBewkesnotifiedtheSECthatheintendedtosoonspinoffAOL—itsgreatestexpansionaryefforttoachievemediagreatnessamovethatprovedlethal.AndnoweventhecorporatenamesakethemagazinecompanyTimeInc.hasafunerealatmosphereaboutit.Theentertainmentindustryisonlythelatestinwhichtheideaofverticalintegrationfailedtoliveuptoitspromise.Considertheexperiencesoftheautoindustry.HenryFordwasahugebelieverintheconcept.HisRiverRougeplantwhichoncebuilttheModelAhaditsownelectricityplantanditsownmillforturningironoreintosteel;thevastmajorityofthecomponentsthatwentintoitscarsweremadeonsite.Overtimehoweverthissoup-to-nutsstrategycametobeseenasinefficientcompaniescouldobtainbetterpricesandmoreflexibilitybydealingwithacompetingbandofoutsidesuppliers.Overtimeoncevertically-integratedcompanieslikeFordandGeneralMotorshavespunofftheirinternalsupplydivisiontoformstandalonecompaniesinanattempttotrytocreatetheflexibleleanersupplychainscreatedbyHondaandToyota.SowhatwasBigMedia’slegacyIt’sbadformofcoursetospeakillofthedepartedbutthemodelhasleftmostlyanegativemarkonthemedialandscapeandcorporateAmerica.TheauthormentionsGeneralMotorstomakethepointthat
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.17
Directions:YouareateacherofEnglish.TheeditorofCampusNewsaskedyoutorecommendtwoEnglishbooksforstudentstoreadduringthesummer.Yourarticleshouldinclude:1briefintroductionstothebooks;and2reasonsforyourrecommendation.
Mourningthedeathofoneofitsownisperhapstheentertainmentindustry’smosttime-honoredtraditions.Afteranagonizingandprolongeddeclinethelong-sufferingVerticallyIntegratedMediaConglomeratepassedaway.It’sanideathatwasbornwhenTimeInc.mergedwithWarnerCommunicationsCorp.in1989toformTimeWarner.Itenduredastheindustry’sprevailingbusinessmodelfornearlyagenerationspawningsuchclonesandmongrelbreedsasViacomNewsCorpandGE’sNBCUniversal.Theverticallyintegratedmediaconglomeratewas—orwassupposedtobe—manyamazingthingsgivingahandfulofcompaniesunprecedentedpoweroverthemedia—andthechancetoearnoutsizedprofitsintheprocess.Butitsdefiningcharacteristicwasitssheersizeearningitafittingnickname.BigMedia.Butthetheorybehindthestrategyreliedonmorethansize.HousedunderoneroofasingleBigMediaentitywouldcontrolthemeansofproducinganddistributingmediacontentfrommagazineandbookstotelevisionshowsandmoviesfromcartoonsandthemeparkstosportsfranchisesandthecablenetworksthatcarrythegamestorecordedmusiclabelsandmusicpublishers.InTimeWarner’sprototypeofthemodelitwouldcontroleverythingfromthefirstletterofaTimemagazinestoryorWarnerBooksnoveltothelastalphabetofthecreditsattheendofaWarnerBrothersflickorHBOseriesbasedonthemagazinestoryorthebookdivision’sfiction.ForatimeTimeWarnerboastedawidearrayofmediaassets.Nomore.OnApril29inafilingwiththeSecuritiesandExchangeCommissionTimeWarnerCEOJeffBewkesofficiallyannouncedthedeathofBigMedia.HavingslicedoffWarnerMusicGroupafewyearsagoandTimeWarnerCablethisyearBewkesnotifiedtheSECthatheintendedtosoonspinoffAOL—itsgreatestexpansionaryefforttoachievemediagreatnessamovethatprovedlethal.AndnoweventhecorporatenamesakethemagazinecompanyTimeInc.hasafunerealatmosphereaboutit.Theentertainmentindustryisonlythelatestinwhichtheideaofverticalintegrationfailedtoliveuptoitspromise.Considertheexperiencesoftheautoindustry.HenryFordwasahugebelieverintheconcept.HisRiverRougeplantwhichoncebuilttheModelAhaditsownelectricityplantanditsownmillforturningironoreintosteel;thevastmajorityofthecomponentsthatwentintoitscarsweremadeonsite.Overtimehoweverthissoup-to-nutsstrategycametobeseenasinefficientcompaniescouldobtainbetterpricesandmoreflexibilitybydealingwithacompetingbandofoutsidesuppliers.Overtimeoncevertically-integratedcompanieslikeFordandGeneralMotorshavespunofftheirinternalsupplydivisiontoformstandalonecompaniesinanattempttotrytocreatetheflexibleleanersupplychainscreatedbyHondaandToyota.SowhatwasBigMedia’slegacyIt’sbadformofcoursetospeakillofthedepartedbutthemodelhasleftmostlyanegativemarkonthemedialandscapeandcorporateAmerica.AccordingtotheauthorBigMedia
Culturalresponsestomodernizationoftenmanifestthemselvesinthemassmedia.ForexampleAldousHuxleyinBraveNewWorldcreatedafictionalworldinwhichhecautionedreadersthatmodernscienceandtechnologyposedathreattoindividualdignity.CharlieChaplin’sfilmModernTimessetinafuturisticmanufacturingplantalsotoldthestoryofthedehumanizingimpactofmodernizationandmachinery.Writersandartistsintheircriticismsofthemodernworldoftenpointtotechnology’sabilitytoalienatepeoplefromoneanothercapitalism’stendencytofostergreedandgovernment’sinclinationtocreatebureaucraciesthatoppressratherthanhelppeople.Amongthemajorvaluesofthemodernperiodfourtypicallymanifestthemselvesintheculturalenvironment:celebratingtheindividualbelievinginrationalorderworkingefficientlyandrejectingtradition.Thesevaluesofthemodernperiodwereoriginallyembodiedintheprintingpressandlaterinnewspapersandmagazines.Theprintmediaencouragedthevisionofindividualwriterspublishersandreaderswhocirculatednewideas.Whereasthepremodernperiodwasguidedbystrongbeliefsinanaturalordivineorderbecomingmodernmeantelevatingindividualself-expressiontoacentralposition.AlongwithdemocraticbreakthroughshoweverindividualismandtheIndustrialRevolutiontriggeredmodernformsofhierarchyinwhichcertainindividualsandgroupsachievedhigherstandinginthesocialorder.Forexamplethosewhomanagedcommercialenterprisesgainedmorecontrolovertheeconomicladderwhileanintellectualclassofmodernexpertswhomasteredspecializedrealmsofknowledgegainedincreasingpoweroverthenation’ssocialpoliticalandculturalagendas.Tobemodernalsomeanttovaluethecapacityoforganizedscientificmindstosolveproblemsefficiently.Progressivethinkersmaintainedthattheprintingpressthetelegraphandtherailroadincombinationwithascientificattitudewouldfosteranewtypeofinformedsociety.Atthecoreofthissocietytheprintedmassmediaparticularlynewspaperswouldeducatethecitizenryhelpingtobuildandmaintainanorganizedsocialframework.Journalistsstroveforthepremodernidealthroughamorefact-basedandefficientapproachtoreporting.Theydiscardeddecorativewritingandchampionedaleanlook.Modernfront-pagenewsde-emphasizeddescriptioncommentaryandhistoricalcontext.TheleadsentencesthatreportedapresidentialpressconferencebegantolooksimilarwhethertheywereonthefrontpageinTupeloMississippiorWahpetonNorthDakota.JustasmodernarchitecturemademanyAmericanskylineslookalikethefrontpagesofnewspapersbegantoresembleoneanother.Finallytobemodernmeanttothrowofftherigidrulesofthepasttobreakwithtradition.Modernjournalismbecamecaptivatedbytimelyandimmediateevents.Asaresultthemorestandardizedformsoffront-pagejournalismontheonehandchampionedfactsandcurrenteventswhileefficientlymeetingdeadlines.Butontheotherhandmodernnewspapersoftenfailedtotakeahistoricalperspectiveortoanalyzesufficientlytheideasunderlyingtheseevents.Unfortunatelytheemphasisonindividualismoften
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.13
AsanadultIchoosetoflippagesnotchannels.Afterfouryearsofnotwatchingthetubeandtwoyearsofnotowningonetheempiricalevidenceisin:MylifeisbetterwithoutaTV.Here’swhy. TVconsumesanenormousamountoftime Let’sdothemath.Accordingtoa2009NielsonstudytheaverageamountoftimeanAmericanspendswatchingTVisaroundfivehoursperday!Fivehours!Excludingtimespentsleepingthismeanstheaveragepersonisspendingathirdoftheirdaydistractedordownrightcomatose.Byextensionthisworksouttomorethan3.5months15weeksofnonstopTVwatchingeachyear. 41TVnewsisapoorwaytobeinformed TVnewsjustlyreceivesmuchcriticism.Ithasfollowedthepathofprofessionalwrestling:oncegenuineyetnowmostlyforentertainment. 42TVhindersthedevelopmentofrelationships 43TVhastoomanycommercials Theaverage30minuteslotoftelevisionprogramminghas8~9minutesofcommercials. 44TVisn’tthathardtogetridof Youmightthink"Icouldn’tpossiblyquitwatching."Firstlyyoudon’tneedto.TherearealternativesincludingdownloadingtheshoworwatchingitonDVDbothofwhichofferstop/playcontrolwithnocommercialinterruptions.Secondlyit’sreallynotthathardtogiveupashow.They’renotlikenicotine.There’snochemicaldependence. 45TVsarethelastnon-portablerelic Forthemostpartwe’vemanagedtomakeourtechnologymobile. Nowdon’tgetmewrong.Ivalueentertainmentandrelaxationasmuchasthenextperson.ThereareshowsIdownloadandwatchregularlysumminguptoperhapsfourhoursperweek.Thetruthisonceyoutargetafewspecificshowsandcutoutcommercialsthere’sreallynotthatmuchtowatch. SosavetimelearnsomethingnewtrysomethingdifferentbuildyourrelationshipsandforyourownsaketurnofftheTV. [A]Sureyoumightgetdisappointedthefirsttimeyou’releftoutofaconversationaboutlastnight’sepisodebutyoucanoffsetthisdisappointmentbytellingpeopleabouthowyoulearnttohangglideinstead.I’velikedalotofTVshowsbutI’veneverseenonethatwasn’tcompletelydisposableatanygivenminute. [B]Internetandphoneservicesareavailablealmosteverywhere.TVsincontrastarelikethecoil-cordedphonesofthepastkeepingpeoplecoopedupindoorsgluedtothecouch.AstationaryTVsetsencouragesasedentarylifestylethatseldomservesuswell. [C]Gettingnewsfromarollingticker滚动新闻条oratalkingheadislikegoingtoarestaurantandwaitingpatientlytobeservedwheneverthestaffgetsaroundtoit.Newsshouldbereadyondemand.WiththeInternetitis.WithTVyouwait.Iftheyhaveastoryaboutakittencaughtinatreeyouendureitlestyoumissaminuteofsomethingthatisactuallyrelevanttoyou. [D]Basedonourearliercalculationsthiscanworkouttomorethanamontheachyearspentwatchingadvertisements.Bookshavenoadvertisements.EvenadsontheInternetcanquicklybeignoredifthey’reofnorelevance.TVadsincontrastaretimewastersthatareforceduponyou. [E]AtonepointIwasabletorecountmyfavoriteepisodewordbyword.Bywatchingtheserepeatsyoudon’tevengettohearauniquejokeorlearnsomethingnew.TVrerunsaretimewastersnotonlyareyouveggingout慵懒发呆you’realsonottakinginanythingnovel. [F]TimespentwatchingTVistimeyou’renotenjoyingqualityexperienceswithfriendsandfamily.Insteadoftubetimetrysomethingnewandoutoftheordinarywiththepeopleinyourlife.Playbilliards.Flyakite.Orjusttalktoeachother 45
AsanadultIchoosetoflippagesnotchannels.Afterfouryearsofnotwatchingthetubeandtwoyearsofnotowningonetheempiricalevidenceisin:MylifeisbetterwithoutaTV.Here’swhy. TVconsumesanenormousamountoftime Let’sdothemath.Accordingtoa2009NielsonstudytheaverageamountoftimeanAmericanspendswatchingTVisaroundfivehoursperday!Fivehours!Excludingtimespentsleepingthismeanstheaveragepersonisspendingathirdoftheirdaydistractedordownrightcomatose.Byextensionthisworksouttomorethan3.5months15weeksofnonstopTVwatchingeachyear. 41TVnewsisapoorwaytobeinformed TVnewsjustlyreceivesmuchcriticism.Ithasfollowedthepathofprofessionalwrestling:oncegenuineyetnowmostlyforentertainment. 42TVhindersthedevelopmentofrelationships 43TVhastoomanycommercials Theaverage30minuteslotoftelevisionprogramminghas8~9minutesofcommercials. 44TVisn’tthathardtogetridof Youmightthink"Icouldn’tpossiblyquitwatching."Firstlyyoudon’tneedto.TherearealternativesincludingdownloadingtheshoworwatchingitonDVDbothofwhichofferstop/playcontrolwithnocommercialinterruptions.Secondlyit’sreallynotthathardtogiveupashow.They’renotlikenicotine.There’snochemicaldependence. 45TVsarethelastnon-portablerelic Forthemostpartwe’vemanagedtomakeourtechnologymobile. Nowdon’tgetmewrong.Ivalueentertainmentandrelaxationasmuchasthenextperson.ThereareshowsIdownloadandwatchregularlysumminguptoperhapsfourhoursperweek.Thetruthisonceyoutargetafewspecificshowsandcutoutcommercialsthere’sreallynotthatmuchtowatch. SosavetimelearnsomethingnewtrysomethingdifferentbuildyourrelationshipsandforyourownsaketurnofftheTV. [A]Sureyoumightgetdisappointedthefirsttimeyou’releftoutofaconversationaboutlastnight’sepisodebutyoucanoffsetthisdisappointmentbytellingpeopleabouthowyoulearnttohangglideinstead.I’velikedalotofTVshowsbutI’veneverseenonethatwasn’tcompletelydisposableatanygivenminute. [B]Internetandphoneservicesareavailablealmosteverywhere.TVsincontrastarelikethecoil-cordedphonesofthepastkeepingpeoplecoopedupindoorsgluedtothecouch.AstationaryTVsetsencouragesasedentarylifestylethatseldomservesuswell. [C]Gettingnewsfromarollingticker滚动新闻条oratalkingheadislikegoingtoarestaurantandwaitingpatientlytobeservedwheneverthestaffgetsaroundtoit.Newsshouldbereadyondemand.WiththeInternetitis.WithTVyouwait.Iftheyhaveastoryaboutakittencaughtinatreeyouendureitlestyoumissaminuteofsomethingthatisactuallyrelevanttoyou. [D]Basedonourearliercalculationsthiscanworkouttomorethanamontheachyearspentwatchingadvertisements.Bookshavenoadvertisements.EvenadsontheInternetcanquicklybeignoredifthey’reofnorelevance.TVadsincontrastaretimewastersthatareforceduponyou. [E]AtonepointIwasabletorecountmyfavoriteepisodewordbyword.Bywatchingtheserepeatsyoudon’tevengettohearauniquejokeorlearnsomethingnew.TVrerunsaretimewastersnotonlyareyouveggingout慵懒发呆you’realsonottakinginanythingnovel. [F]TimespentwatchingTVistimeyou’renotenjoyingqualityexperienceswithfriendsandfamily.Insteadoftubetimetrysomethingnewandoutoftheordinarywiththepeopleinyourlife.Playbilliards.Flyakite.Orjusttalktoeachother 43
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.1
TherichestmaninAmericasteppedtothepodiumanddeclaredwaronthenation’sschoolsystems.Highschoolshadbecomeobsoleteandwerelimiting—evenruining—thelivesofmillionsofAmericanseveryyear.Thesituationhadbecomealmostshameful.BillGatesprep-schoolgradandcollegedropouthadcomebeforetheNationalGovernorsAssociationseekingconvertstohisplantodosomethingaboutit—aplanhewouldbackwith$2billionofhisowncash.Gates’sspeechinFebruary2005wasasignaturemomentinwhathasbecomeadecade-longcampaigntoimprovetestscoresandgraduationrateswagedbyalooseallianceofwealthyCEOswhoarrivedwithnoparticularbackgroundineducationpolicy—afactthathasledcriticstodismissthemasthebillionaireboys’club.Theirbetsonpoorurbanschoolshavebeenasbigastheiregosandtheirbankaccounts.Hasthisbigmoneymadethebigimpactthatthey—aswellasteachersadministratorsparentsandstudents—hopedforTheresultsthoughmixedaredispiritingproofthatmoneyalonecan’trepairthedesperatestateofurbaneducation.Forallthemillionsspentonreformsnineofthe10schooldistrictsstudiedsubstantiallytrailedtheirstate’sproficiencyandgraduationrates—oftenby10pointsormore.That’snottosaythattheurbandistrictsdidn’tmakegains.Thegoodnewsismanydidimproveandataratefasterthantheirstates’60percentofthetime—proofthatthebillionairesmadesomesolidbets.Butthosespikesupweren’tenoughtoerasethedeepgulfbetweenpoorinner-cityschoolswherethebiggiversfocusedandtheirsuburbanandruralcounterparts.Alotofthingswedodon’tworkoutadmittedBroadaproductofDetroitpublicschoolsandMichiganStatewhomadeafortuneinhomebuildingandfinancialservices:Butwecantakethecriticism.TheconfidencethatmarkedGates’slandmarkspeechtothegovernors’associationin2005hasgivenwaytohumility.Thebillionaireshavenotretreated.Buttheyhaveretooledandlearnedavaluablelessonabouttheirlimitations.It’ssohardinthiscountrytospreadgoodpractice.WhenwestartedfundingwehopeditwouldspreadmorereadilyacknowledgesVickiPhillipsthedirectorofK-12educationattheBill＆MelindaGatesFoundation.Whatwelearnedisthattheonlythingsthatspreadwellinschoolarekids’viruses.ThebusinesstitansenteredtheeducationarenaconvincedthatAmerica’sschoolswouldbenefitgreatlyfromthetoolsoftheboardroom.Theysoughttoboostincentivesforimprovingperformancedeploynewtechnologiesandbackinnovatorswillingtoshatteroldorthodoxies.Theypressedtocloseschoolsthatwerefailingandsoughttolaunchnewsmallerones.Theysentprincipalstobootcamp.Battlingthelong-termworrythatthebestandbrightestpasseduptheclassroomformorelucrativeprofessionstheyopenedtheircheckbookstoboostteacherpay.Itwasanimpressiveamountofindustry.Andinsomeplacesithasworkedout—butwithunanticipatedcomplications.Therichdonorsexpecttheirmoneytobeusedforallthefollowingexcept
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.3
AsanadultIchoosetoflippagesnotchannels.Afterfouryearsofnotwatchingthetubeandtwoyearsofnotowningonetheempiricalevidenceisin:MylifeisbetterwithoutaTV.Here’swhy. TVconsumesanenormousamountoftime Let’sdothemath.Accordingtoa2009NielsonstudytheaverageamountoftimeanAmericanspendswatchingTVisaroundfivehoursperday!Fivehours!Excludingtimespentsleepingthismeanstheaveragepersonisspendingathirdoftheirdaydistractedordownrightcomatose.Byextensionthisworksouttomorethan3.5months15weeksofnonstopTVwatchingeachyear. 41TVnewsisapoorwaytobeinformed TVnewsjustlyreceivesmuchcriticism.Ithasfollowedthepathofprofessionalwrestling:oncegenuineyetnowmostlyforentertainment. 42TVhindersthedevelopmentofrelationships 43TVhastoomanycommercials Theaverage30minuteslotoftelevisionprogramminghas8~9minutesofcommercials. 44TVisn’tthathardtogetridof Youmightthink"Icouldn’tpossiblyquitwatching."Firstlyyoudon’tneedto.TherearealternativesincludingdownloadingtheshoworwatchingitonDVDbothofwhichofferstop/playcontrolwithnocommercialinterruptions.Secondlyit’sreallynotthathardtogiveupashow.They’renotlikenicotine.There’snochemicaldependence. 45TVsarethelastnon-portablerelic Forthemostpartwe’vemanagedtomakeourtechnologymobile. Nowdon’tgetmewrong.Ivalueentertainmentandrelaxationasmuchasthenextperson.ThereareshowsIdownloadandwatchregularlysumminguptoperhapsfourhoursperweek.Thetruthisonceyoutargetafewspecificshowsandcutoutcommercialsthere’sreallynotthatmuchtowatch. SosavetimelearnsomethingnewtrysomethingdifferentbuildyourrelationshipsandforyourownsaketurnofftheTV. [A]Sureyoumightgetdisappointedthefirsttimeyou’releftoutofaconversationaboutlastnight’sepisodebutyoucanoffsetthisdisappointmentbytellingpeopleabouthowyoulearnttohangglideinstead.I’velikedalotofTVshowsbutI’veneverseenonethatwasn’tcompletelydisposableatanygivenminute. [B]Internetandphoneservicesareavailablealmosteverywhere.TVsincontrastarelikethecoil-cordedphonesofthepastkeepingpeoplecoopedupindoorsgluedtothecouch.AstationaryTVsetsencouragesasedentarylifestylethatseldomservesuswell. [C]Gettingnewsfromarollingticker滚动新闻条oratalkingheadislikegoingtoarestaurantandwaitingpatientlytobeservedwheneverthestaffgetsaroundtoit.Newsshouldbereadyondemand.WiththeInternetitis.WithTVyouwait.Iftheyhaveastoryaboutakittencaughtinatreeyouendureitlestyoumissaminuteofsomethingthatisactuallyrelevanttoyou. [D]Basedonourearliercalculationsthiscanworkouttomorethanamontheachyearspentwatchingadvertisements.Bookshavenoadvertisements.EvenadsontheInternetcanquicklybeignoredifthey’reofnorelevance.TVadsincontrastaretimewastersthatareforceduponyou. [E]AtonepointIwasabletorecountmyfavoriteepisodewordbyword.Bywatchingtheserepeatsyoudon’tevengettohearauniquejokeorlearnsomethingnew.TVrerunsaretimewastersnotonlyareyouveggingout慵懒发呆you’realsonottakinginanythingnovel. [F]TimespentwatchingTVistimeyou’renotenjoyingqualityexperienceswithfriendsandfamily.Insteadoftubetimetrysomethingnewandoutoftheordinarywiththepeopleinyourlife.Playbilliards.Flyakite.Orjusttalktoeachother 41
TherichestmaninAmericasteppedtothepodiumanddeclaredwaronthenation’sschoolsystems.Highschoolshadbecomeobsoleteandwerelimiting—evenruining—thelivesofmillionsofAmericanseveryyear.Thesituationhadbecomealmostshameful.BillGatesprep-schoolgradandcollegedropouthadcomebeforetheNationalGovernorsAssociationseekingconvertstohisplantodosomethingaboutit—aplanhewouldbackwith$2billionofhisowncash.Gates’sspeechinFebruary2005wasasignaturemomentinwhathasbecomeadecade-longcampaigntoimprovetestscoresandgraduationrateswagedbyalooseallianceofwealthyCEOswhoarrivedwithnoparticularbackgroundineducationpolicy—afactthathasledcriticstodismissthemasthebillionaireboys’club.Theirbetsonpoorurbanschoolshavebeenasbigastheiregosandtheirbankaccounts.Hasthisbigmoneymadethebigimpactthatthey—aswellasteachersadministratorsparentsandstudents—hopedforTheresultsthoughmixedaredispiritingproofthatmoneyalonecan’trepairthedesperatestateofurbaneducation.Forallthemillionsspentonreformsnineofthe10schooldistrictsstudiedsubstantiallytrailedtheirstate’sproficiencyandgraduationrates—oftenby10pointsormore.That’snottosaythattheurbandistrictsdidn’tmakegains.Thegoodnewsismanydidimproveandataratefasterthantheirstates’60percentofthetime—proofthatthebillionairesmadesomesolidbets.Butthosespikesupweren’tenoughtoerasethedeepgulfbetweenpoorinner-cityschoolswherethebiggiversfocusedandtheirsuburbanandruralcounterparts.Alotofthingswedodon’tworkoutadmittedBroadaproductofDetroitpublicschoolsandMichiganStatewhomadeafortuneinhomebuildingandfinancialservices:Butwecantakethecriticism.TheconfidencethatmarkedGates’slandmarkspeechtothegovernors’associationin2005hasgivenwaytohumility.Thebillionaireshavenotretreated.Buttheyhaveretooledandlearnedavaluablelessonabouttheirlimitations.It’ssohardinthiscountrytospreadgoodpractice.WhenwestartedfundingwehopeditwouldspreadmorereadilyacknowledgesVickiPhillipsthedirectorofK-12educationattheBill＆MelindaGatesFoundation.Whatwelearnedisthattheonlythingsthatspreadwellinschoolarekids’viruses.ThebusinesstitansenteredtheeducationarenaconvincedthatAmerica’sschoolswouldbenefitgreatlyfromthetoolsoftheboardroom.Theysoughttoboostincentivesforimprovingperformancedeploynewtechnologiesandbackinnovatorswillingtoshatteroldorthodoxies.Theypressedtocloseschoolsthatwerefailingandsoughttolaunchnewsmallerones.Theysentprincipalstobootcamp.Battlingthelong-termworrythatthebestandbrightestpasseduptheclassroomformorelucrativeprofessionstheyopenedtheircheckbookstoboostteacherpay.Itwasanimpressiveamountofindustry.Andinsomeplacesithasworkedout—butwithunanticipatedcomplications.BillGatesbelievesthatthehighschoolsystems
TherichestmaninAmericasteppedtothepodiumanddeclaredwaronthenation’sschoolsystems.Highschoolshadbecomeobsoleteandwerelimiting—evenruining—thelivesofmillionsofAmericanseveryyear.Thesituationhadbecomealmostshameful.BillGatesprep-schoolgradandcollegedropouthadcomebeforetheNationalGovernorsAssociationseekingconvertstohisplantodosomethingaboutit—aplanhewouldbackwith$2billionofhisowncash.Gates’sspeechinFebruary2005wasasignaturemomentinwhathasbecomeadecade-longcampaigntoimprovetestscoresandgraduationrateswagedbyalooseallianceofwealthyCEOswhoarrivedwithnoparticularbackgroundineducationpolicy—afactthathasledcriticstodismissthemasthebillionaireboys’club.Theirbetsonpoorurbanschoolshavebeenasbigastheiregosandtheirbankaccounts.Hasthisbigmoneymadethebigimpactthatthey—aswellasteachersadministratorsparentsandstudents—hopedforTheresultsthoughmixedaredispiritingproofthatmoneyalonecan’trepairthedesperatestateofurbaneducation.Forallthemillionsspentonreformsnineofthe10schooldistrictsstudiedsubstantiallytrailedtheirstate’sproficiencyandgraduationrates—oftenby10pointsormore.That’snottosaythattheurbandistrictsdidn’tmakegains.Thegoodnewsismanydidimproveandataratefasterthantheirstates’60percentofthetime—proofthatthebillionairesmadesomesolidbets.Butthosespikesupweren’tenoughtoerasethedeepgulfbetweenpoorinner-cityschoolswherethebiggiversfocusedandtheirsuburbanandruralcounterparts.Alotofthingswedodon’tworkoutadmittedBroadaproductofDetroitpublicschoolsandMichiganStatewhomadeafortuneinhomebuildingandfinancialservices:Butwecantakethecriticism.TheconfidencethatmarkedGates’slandmarkspeechtothegovernors’associationin2005hasgivenwaytohumility.Thebillionaireshavenotretreated.Buttheyhaveretooledandlearnedavaluablelessonabouttheirlimitations.It’ssohardinthiscountrytospreadgoodpractice.WhenwestartedfundingwehopeditwouldspreadmorereadilyacknowledgesVickiPhillipsthedirectorofK-12educationattheBill＆MelindaGatesFoundation.Whatwelearnedisthattheonlythingsthatspreadwellinschoolarekids’viruses.ThebusinesstitansenteredtheeducationarenaconvincedthatAmerica’sschoolswouldbenefitgreatlyfromthetoolsoftheboardroom.Theysoughttoboostincentivesforimprovingperformancedeploynewtechnologiesandbackinnovatorswillingtoshatteroldorthodoxies.Theypressedtocloseschoolsthatwerefailingandsoughttolaunchnewsmallerones.Theysentprincipalstobootcamp.Battlingthelong-termworrythatthebestandbrightestpasseduptheclassroomformorelucrativeprofessionstheyopenedtheircheckbookstoboostteacherpay.Itwasanimpressiveamountofindustry.Andinsomeplacesithasworkedout—butwithunanticipatedcomplications.Theauthorthinksthattherichmen’smoney
Itseemsimpossibletohaveanhonestconversationaboutglobalwarming.IsaythisafterdiligentlyperusingtheBritishgovernment’shugereportreleasedlastweekbySirNicholasSternformerchiefeconomistoftheWorldBankandnowahighcivilservant.Thereportisamasterpieceofmisleadingpublicrelations.Itforeseesdireconsequencesifglobalwarmingisn’tcurbed:aworldwidedepressionandfloodingofmanycoastalcities.Meanwhilethecostsofminimizingtheseawfuloutcomesaresmall:only1percentofworldeconomicoutputin2050.Nosanepersoncouldfailtoconcludethatweshouldconquerglobalwarminginstantlyifnotsooner.WhocoulddisagreeWellme.Stem’sheadlinedconclusionsareintellectualfictions.They’reessentiallyfabricationstojustifyanaggressiveanti-global-warmingagenda.Thedangerofthatisthatwe’dendupwiththeworstofbothworlds:aprogramthatharmstheeconomywithoutmuchcuttingofgreenhousegases.LetmethrowsomemessyrealitiesontoStern’stidypicture.Intheglobal-warmingdebatethere’sabiggapbetweenpublicrhetoricandpublicbehavior.Greenhouseemissionscontinuetorisedespitemanyearnestpledgestocontrolthem.JustlastweektheUnitedNationsreportedthatofthe41countriesitmonitorsnotincludingmostdevelopingnations34hadincreasedgreenhouseemissionsfrom2000to2004.TheseincludemostcountriescommittedtoreducingemissionsundertheKyotoProtocol.WhyisthisInrichdemocraciespoliciesthatmightcurbgreenhousegasesrequirepoliticiansandthepublictoactinexceptionallyenlightenedways.Theyhavetoacceptpainnowforbenefitsthatwon’tmaterializefordecadesprobablyafterthey’redead.Andevenifrichcountriescutemissionsitwon’tmakemuchdifferenceunlesspoorcountriesdolikewiseandsofarthey’verefusedbecausethatmightjeopardizetheireconomicgrowthandpoverty-reductionefforts.Thenotionthatthere’sonlyamodesttensionbetweensuppressinggreenhousegasesandsustainingeconomicgrowthishighlydubious.Sternarrivesathistrivialcosts—that1percentofworldGDPin2050—byessentiallyassumingthem.Hisestimatespresumethatwithproperpoliciestechnologicalimprovementswillautomaticallyreconciledecliningemissionswithadequateeconomicgrowth.Thisisaheroicleap.TocheckwarmingSternwantsannualemissions25percentbelowcurrentlevelsby2050.TheIEAprojectsthateconomicgrowthby2050wouldmorethandoubleemissions.Atpresentwecan’tbridgethatgap.TheothergreatdistortioninStern’sreportinvolvesglobalwarming’seffects.Nooneknowswhatthesemightbebecausewedon’tknowhowmuchwarmingmightoccurwhenwhereorhoweasilypeoplemightadapt.Stern’shorrificspecterdistillsmanyofthemostterrifyingguessesincludingsomeimaginedforthe22ndcenturyandimpliesthey’reimminent.Theideaistoscarepeoplewhilereassuringthemthatpoliciestoavertcalamityifstartednowwouldbefairlyeasyandinexpensive.Inthefifthparagraphthatgapreferstothegapbetween
Throughoutthe19thcenturyandintothe20thcitizensoftheUnitedStatesmaintainedabiasagainstbigcities.Mostlivedonfarmsandinsmalltownsandbelievedcitiestobecentresof1crimepovertyandmoral2Theirdistrustwascaused3byanationalideologythat4farmingthegreatestoccupationandruralliving5tourbanliving.Thisattitude6evenasthenumberofurbandwellersincreasedandcitiesbecameanessential7ofthenationallandscape.Graduallyeconomicrealityovercameideology.Thousands8theprecarious不稳定的lifeonthefarmformoresecureandbetterpayingjobsinthecity.Butwhenthesepeople9fromthecountrysidetheycarriedtheirfearsandsuspicionswiththem.Thesenewurbanitiesalreadyconvincedthatcitieswere10withgreatproblemseagerly11theprogressivereformsthatpromisedtobringorderoutofthe12ofthecity. Oneofmanyreformscame13theareaofpublicutilities.Waterandseweragesystemswereusuallyoperatedby14governmentsbutthegasandelectricnetworkswereprivatelyowned.Reformersfearedthattheprivatelyownedutilitycompanieswould15exorbitant过渡的ratesfortheseessentialservicesand16themonlytopeoplewhocouldaffordthem.Somecityandstategovernmentsrespondedby17theutilitycompaniesbutanumberofcitiesbegantosupplytheseservicesthemselves.18ofthesereformsarguedthatpublicownershipandregulationwould19widespreadaccesstotheseutilitiesandguaranteea20price. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.17
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.7
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.15
WhenNewsweekrecentlyasked1000U.S.citizenstotakeAmerica’sofficialcitizenshiptest29percentcouldn’tnamethevicepresident.Seventy-threepercentcouldn’tcorrectlysaywhywefoughttheColdWar.Forty-fourpercentwereunabletodefinetheBillofRights.And6percentcouldn’tevencircleIndependenceDayonacalendar.Don’tgetuswrong:civicignoranceisnothingnew.Foraslongasthey’veexistedAmericanshavebeenmisunderstandingchecksandbalancesandmisidentifyingtheirsenators.Andthey’vebeenlamentingtheignoranceoftheirpeerseversincepollstersstartedpublishingthesedispiritingsurveysbackinHarryTruman’sday.AccordingtoastudybyMichaelX.DelliCarpinideanoftheAnnenbergSchoolforCommunicationtheyearlyshiftsincivicknowledgesinceWorldWarIIhaveaveragedouttoslightlyunder1percent.Buttheworldhaschanged.Andunfortunatelyit’sbecomingmoreandmoreinhospitabletoincuriousknow-nothings—likeus.Toappreciatetherisksinvolvedit’simportanttounderstandwhereAmericanignorancecomesfrom.InMarch2009theEuropeanJournalofCommunicationaskedcitizensofBritainDenmarkFinlandandtheU.S.toanswerquestionsoninternationalaffairs.TheEuropeansoutdidus.ItwasonlythelatestinaseriesofpollsthathaveshownuslaggingbehindourFirstWorldpeers.MostexpertsagreethattherelativecomplexityoftheU.S.politicalsystemmakesithardforAmericanstokeepup.InmanyEuropeancountriesparliamentshaveproportionalrepresentationandthemajoritypartyruleswithouthavingtosharepowerwithalotofsubnationalgovernmentsnotesYalepoliticalscientistJacobHacker.Incontrastwe’resaddledwithanonproportionalSenate;atangleofstatelocalandfederalbureaucracies;andnear-constantelectionsforeveryimaginableofficejudgesheriffschool-boardmemberandsoon.NobodyiscompetenttounderstanditallwhichyourealizeeverytimeyouvotesaysMichaelSchudsonauthorofTheGoodCitizen.Youknowyou’regoingtocomeupshortandthatdiscouragesyoufromlearningmore.Itdoesn’thelpthattheUnitedStateshasoneofthehighestlevelsofincomeinequalityinthedevelopedworldwiththetop400householdsrakinginmoremoneythanthebottom60percentcombined.AsDaltonConleyanNYUsociologistexplainsit’slikecomparingapplesandoranges.UnlikeDenmarkwehavealotofverypoorpeoplewithoutaccesstogoodeducationandahugeimmigrantpopulationthatdoesn’tevenspeakEnglish.Whensurveysfocusonwell-offnative-bornrespondentstheU.S.actuallyholdsitsownagainstEurope.FormorethantwocenturiesAmericanshavegottenawaywithnotknowingmuchabouttheworldaroundthem.Buttimeshavechanged—andthey’vechangedinwaysthatmakecivicignoranceabigproblemgoingforward.Wesufferfromalackofinformationratherthanalackofability.Whetherthat’satreatableafflictionoraterminalillnessremainstobeseen.Butnow’sthetimetostartsearchingforacure.BackinTruman’sdayAmericans
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.5
Regardlessoftheirpoliticalaffiliationinallcountrieswomenmustovercomeahostofstumblingblocksthatlimittheirpoliticalcareers."Mostobstaclestoprogressconsistof1ofvariouskinds"saystheInter-ParliamentaryUnionIPUaGeneva-basedorganization2139parliamentsincludingthelackoftimetraininginformationself-confidencemoneysupportmotivationwomen’snetworksandsolidaritybetweenwomen. Ineverycultureprejudiceandstereotypes3hard.Thebeliefstillholds4thatwomenbelonginthekitchenand5thechildrennotatelection6orintheSpeaker’schair.Themediaoftenreinforcetraditionalimagesofwomenwhouponenteringpoliticsalsobearthebrunt正面冲击ofverbalandphysical7. Inimpoverished贫穷的countries8bycivilconflictsanddeterioratingeconomicandsocialconditionswomenare9bythetasksofmanagingeverydaylifeandlookingaftertheirfamilies. TheIPUstressesthegenerallackofchild-carefacilities—often10aprivilegedfew—the11ofpoliticalpartiestochangethetimesandrunningofmeetingsandtheweakbackingwomenreceivefromtheirfamilies.Thatsupportwhichis12aswellasfinancialis13vitalbecausewomenhaveinternalized14imagesofthemselvessincethe15oftimeandoftensufferfromlowself-confidence. Anotherobstacleisthelackoffinancialresourcesespeciallyaselectioncampaignsbecomeincreasinglyexpensive.16womenencountermoreorlessopenmachismo男子汉的高傲inthe17ofclosedpoliticalcircles18entrytothe"secondsex."Lastlythey19thelackofsolidaritybetweenwomen20bythefactthatthenumberofavailablepositionsislimited. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.9
InthecurrentimmigrationwavesomethingmarkedlydifferentishappeninghereinthemiddleofthegreatAmerican"meltingpot."46ThereisasensethatespeciallyasimmigrantpopulationsreachacriticalmassinmanycommunitiesitisnolongerthemeltingpotthatistransformingthembuttheywhoaretransformingAmericansociety. Americancultureremainsapowerfulforce—forbetterorworse—thatinfluencespeoplebothhereandaroundtheworldincountlessways.ButseveralfactorshavecombinedinrecentyearstoallowimmigrantstoresistiftheychoosetheAmericanizationthathadoncebeenconsideredirresistible. Infacttheveryconceptofassimilationisbeingcalledintoquestionasneverbefore.47Somesociologistsarguethatthemeltingpotoftenmeanslittlemorethan"Angloconformity"andthatassimilationisnotalwaysapositiveexperience—foreithersocietyortheimmigrantsthemselves.Andwithtoday’semphasisondiversityandethnicityithasbecomeeasierthaneverforimmigrantstoavoidthemeltingpotentirely.Eventhemetaphoritselfischanginghavingfallenoutoffashioncompletelywithmanyimmigrationadvocacyandethnicgroups.Theyprefersuchtermsasthe"saladbowl"andthe"mosaic"metaphorsthatconveymoreofasenseofseparatenessindescribingthisnationofimmigrants. 48AmongsociallyconservativefamiliessuchastheJacintoswhoinitiallymovedtoCaliforniafromtheirvillageinMexico’sGuanajuatostatethenmigratedherein1988tofindjobsinthemeatpackingindustrybadinfluencesareaconstantconcern.TheyseetheirchildrenassimilatingbutoftentotheworstaspectsofAmericanculture. Theirconcernsreflectsomeofthecomplexitiesandambivalencethatmarktheassimilationprocessthesedays.ImmigrantssuchastheJacintosareheretostaybutremainwaryoftheiradoptivecountry.Accordingtosociologiststheyarerighttobeconcerned. "Ifassimilationisalearningprocessitinvolveslearninggoodthingsandbadthings"saidRubenG.RumbautasociologyprofessoratMichiganStateUniversity."Itdoesn’talwaysleadtosomethingbetter." Theambivalenceofassimilationcancutbothways.Manynative-bornAmericansalsoseemtoharbormixedfeelingsabouttheprocess.49AsanationtheUnitedStatesincreasinglypromotesdiversitybutthereareunderlyingconcernsthatthemoreemphasisthereisonthefactorsthatsetpeopleapartthemorelikelythatsocietywillendupdivided. WithHispanicsespeciallyMexicansaccountingforanincreasingproportionofU.S.populationgrowthitisthisgroupmorethananyotherthatisredefiningthemeltingpot. HispanicsnowhaveovertakenblacksasthelargestminoritygroupinNebraskaandwillbecomethebiggestminorityinthecountrywithinthenextsevenyearsaccordingtoCensusBureauprojections.50Thenation’s29millionHispanicsthegreatmajorityofthemfromMexicohavethusbecomethemainfocusforquestionsabouthowtheUnitedStatestodayisassimilatingimmigrantsorhowitisbeingtransformed. SomesociologistsarguethatthemeltingpotoftenmeanslittlemorethanAngloconformityandthatassimilationisnotalwaysapositiveexperience—foreithersocietyortheimmigrantsthemselves.
InthecurrentimmigrationwavesomethingmarkedlydifferentishappeninghereinthemiddleofthegreatAmerican"meltingpot."46ThereisasensethatespeciallyasimmigrantpopulationsreachacriticalmassinmanycommunitiesitisnolongerthemeltingpotthatistransformingthembuttheywhoaretransformingAmericansociety. Americancultureremainsapowerfulforce—forbetterorworse—thatinfluencespeoplebothhereandaroundtheworldincountlessways.ButseveralfactorshavecombinedinrecentyearstoallowimmigrantstoresistiftheychoosetheAmericanizationthathadoncebeenconsideredirresistible. Infacttheveryconceptofassimilationisbeingcalledintoquestionasneverbefore.47Somesociologistsarguethatthemeltingpotoftenmeanslittlemorethan"Angloconformity"andthatassimilationisnotalwaysapositiveexperience—foreithersocietyortheimmigrantsthemselves.Andwithtoday’semphasisondiversityandethnicityithasbecomeeasierthaneverforimmigrantstoavoidthemeltingpotentirely.Eventhemetaphoritselfischanginghavingfallenoutoffashioncompletelywithmanyimmigrationadvocacyandethnicgroups.Theyprefersuchtermsasthe"saladbowl"andthe"mosaic"metaphorsthatconveymoreofasenseofseparatenessindescribingthisnationofimmigrants. 48AmongsociallyconservativefamiliessuchastheJacintoswhoinitiallymovedtoCaliforniafromtheirvillageinMexico’sGuanajuatostatethenmigratedherein1988tofindjobsinthemeatpackingindustrybadinfluencesareaconstantconcern.TheyseetheirchildrenassimilatingbutoftentotheworstaspectsofAmericanculture. Theirconcernsreflectsomeofthecomplexitiesandambivalencethatmarktheassimilationprocessthesedays.ImmigrantssuchastheJacintosareheretostaybutremainwaryoftheiradoptivecountry.Accordingtosociologiststheyarerighttobeconcerned. "Ifassimilationisalearningprocessitinvolveslearninggoodthingsandbadthings"saidRubenG.RumbautasociologyprofessoratMichiganStateUniversity."Itdoesn’talwaysleadtosomethingbetter." Theambivalenceofassimilationcancutbothways.Manynative-bornAmericansalsoseemtoharbormixedfeelingsabouttheprocess.49AsanationtheUnitedStatesincreasinglypromotesdiversitybutthereareunderlyingconcernsthatthemoreemphasisthereisonthefactorsthatsetpeopleapartthemorelikelythatsocietywillendupdivided. WithHispanicsespeciallyMexicansaccountingforanincreasingproportionofU.S.populationgrowthitisthisgroupmorethananyotherthatisredefiningthemeltingpot. HispanicsnowhaveovertakenblacksasthelargestminoritygroupinNebraskaandwillbecomethebiggestminorityinthecountrywithinthenextsevenyearsaccordingtoCensusBureauprojections.50Thenation’s29millionHispanicsthegreatmajorityofthemfromMexicohavethusbecomethemainfocusforquestionsabouthowtheUnitedStatestodayisassimilatingimmigrantsorhowitisbeingtransformed. AsanationtheUnitedStatesincreasinglypromotesdiversitybutthereareunderlyingconcernsthatthemoreemphasisthereisonthefactorsthatsetpeopleapartthemorelikelythatsocietywillendupdivided.
Throughoutthe19thcenturyandintothe20thcitizensoftheUnitedStatesmaintainedabiasagainstbigcities.Mostlivedonfarmsandinsmalltownsandbelievedcitiestobecentresof1crimepovertyandmoral2Theirdistrustwascaused3byanationalideologythat4farmingthegreatestoccupationandruralliving5tourbanliving.Thisattitude6evenasthenumberofurbandwellersincreasedandcitiesbecameanessential7ofthenationallandscape.Graduallyeconomicrealityovercameideology.Thousands8theprecarious不稳定的lifeonthefarmformoresecureandbetterpayingjobsinthecity.Butwhenthesepeople9fromthecountrysidetheycarriedtheirfearsandsuspicionswiththem.Thesenewurbanitiesalreadyconvincedthatcitieswere10withgreatproblemseagerly11theprogressivereformsthatpromisedtobringorderoutofthe12ofthecity. Oneofmanyreformscame13theareaofpublicutilities.Waterandseweragesystemswereusuallyoperatedby14governmentsbutthegasandelectricnetworkswereprivatelyowned.Reformersfearedthattheprivatelyownedutilitycompanieswould15exorbitant过渡的ratesfortheseessentialservicesand16themonlytopeoplewhocouldaffordthem.Somecityandstategovernmentsrespondedby17theutilitycompaniesbutanumberofcitiesbegantosupplytheseservicesthemselves.18ofthesereformsarguedthatpublicownershipandregulationwould19widespreadaccesstotheseutilitiesandguaranteea20price. Readthefollowingtext.ChoosethebestwordsforeachnumberedblankandmarkABCorD.19
热门题库
更多
高考政治
高考历史
国家统考科目
香港法概论
反间谍法
__学
合同法
证据学
民事诉讼法学
民法学
刑法学
消费者权益保护法
法理学
竞争法
国际公法
国际经济法
湘公网安备 43130202000226号