单选题 In 1965, the United States made important changes in its immigration laws, allowing many more immigrants to come and entirely eliminating the older laws' bias (偏见，偏向) in favor of white European immigrants. As a result, the United States is now confronted with a new challenge-taking in large numbers of new immigrants who are nonwhite and non-European. About 90 percent are from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In addition to the large numbers of legal immigrants, for the first time the United States has significant numbers o{ illegal immigrants. Many worry about what the impact will be on the American society. Can the American economy expand enough to offer these new immigrants the same opportunities that others have had? What will be the effect on the traditional value system that has defined the United States for over 200 years?
Many Americans see wonderful benefits for their country. Ben Wattenberg, a respected expert on American culture, believes that the "new immigration" will be of great help to the nation. According to Wattenberg, something very important is happening to the United States. It is becoming the first universal nation in history. Wattenberg believes that the United States will be the first nation where large numbers of people from every region on earth live in freedom under one government. This diversity, he says, will give the nation great influence and appeal to the rest of the world during the 21st century.
Perhaps the United States will be described not as a "melting pot" or a "salad bowl" but as a "mosaic"—a picture made up of many tiny pieces of different colors. If one looks closely at the nation, the individuals of different colors and ethnic groups are still distinct and recognizable, but together they create a picture that is uniquely American. "E Pluribus Unum"—the motto of the United States from its beginning—means one composed of many. "Out of many, one."
单选题 The older immigration laws ______.
  • A. didn't allow Africans to immigrate into America
  • B. had a prejudice against Asian immigrants
  • C. only accepts white European immigrants
  • D. had attracted many illegal immigrants
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】细节题。根据文章开头，美国的旧移民法只偏向欧洲白人移民，因此可知它对亚洲移民是持歧视态度的，并没有说禁止非洲移民移入美国。所以选B。
单选题 Many people are concerned about ______.
  • A. whether the illegal immigrants can get legal positions in America
  • B. Whether the number of illegal immigrants will continue to grow
  • C. whether the new immigrants can enjoy equality of opportunity in the USA
  • D. whether the new immigrants can accept the American traditional values
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】细节题。根据第一段结尾处，许多人担心大量新的移民对美国会产生什么影响，美国经济是否能够增长足以为这些新移民提供与其他人同等的机会，他们对美国传统的价值体系会有什么影响。故C是正确答案。
单选题 Ben Wattenberg believes that ______.
  • A. the new immigration will contribute greatly to improving America's image in the world
  • B. the new immigration will help America to become the largest nation in the world
  • C. the new immigrants will find their own values in conflict with the American values
  • D. the new immigration will make the American government accepted by the rest of the world
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】细节题。在第二段中，Ben Wattenberg认为新移民将对美国是一大帮助，美国将由此成为历史上第一个universal nation，即不同文化背景的人自由地生活在同一个政府领导之下，民族多样化会使美国对世界产生更大影响，对世界更有吸引力。故A是正确答案。
单选题 "A universal nation" means ______.
  • A. a nation whose citizens spread all over the world
  • B. a nation that unites all the countries in the world
  • C. a nation that influences the rest of the world
  • D. a nation where people from all over the world live under one government
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】
单选题 What kind of image does it suggest by using the word "mosaic" to describe the American culture?
  • A. Negative.
  • B. Positive.
  • C. Unclear.
  • D. Common.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】作者态度题。根据文章最后一段，作者将美国描述为mosaic，即“不同颜色的小片镶嵌成的图案”，意为在美国不同肤色、不同种族的人组成一个和谐的图画，而在这幅图画中他们又各自保持自己的独特、与众不同之处。所以这是一个非常乐观的形象。故B是正确选项。