The evolution of culture is dependent upon the development of the tools of civilization. Civilized cultures exhibit a high degree of ingenuity. It is the concept of humans as toolmakers and modifiers that differentiates us from other animals and, some would say, makes us civilized. A monkey might use a stick to remove termites from a log, but that stick will never be reworked into a fork or other eating utensil. Monkeys have never devised a spoken language, written a book, composed a melody, built a house, or paved a street. To claim that birds build nests and beavers construct dams is to miss the mark. Man once lived in caves, but our imagination and creativity have allowed us to progress toward true civilization.

单选题 Which generalization about modern civilization is supported by the passage?

A. Modern civilization is not due to man's achievement.
B. Modern civilization is a result of prolific human creativity.
C. Modern civilization cannot be viewed as successful.
D. Modern civilization is a result of man copying the behavior of certain animals.
E. Modern civilization came about through luck.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】Choice B is the best option because the last sentence in the paragraph states that imagination and creativity have allowed true civilization.

多选题 Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding man's imagination?

A. Great imagination is a necessary prerequisite to great art.
B. Architecture is the result of an imaginative act and results in more than simple habitation.
C. True communication is solely the purview of man.

【正确答案】 A、B

【答案解析】The author lists accomplishments, which include writing books, composing melodies, and building houses, that sepa- rate humans from animals. He then implies that great buildings are more than simply shelter (e.g. nests). Imagination and creativity are the qualities that allowed humans to achieve these accomplishments. These points support choices A and B.

填空题 Select the sentence that suggests that some specialists overstate the complexity of animal behavior.

多选题 Based on the attitudes displayed in the passage, with which of the following statements would the author most likely disagree?

A. High culture is the necessary result of a stable civilization.
B. Flexibility is almost as important as ingenuity in the development of a civilized culture.
C. Sophisticated social structures in the animal world can be seen as precursors to civilized culture in humans.

【正确答案】 A、C

【答案解析】The only necessary point argued by the author is the need for ingenuity to achieve high culture. He nowhere argues that stability plays a role. In fact, it's equally possible that the author might think that instability could spur invention. Equally, the author makes no link between animal behavior and human creativity. In fact, he states that people who do so "miss the mark."

单选题 The basic concept of cellular phones began in 1947, when researchers looked at crude mobile (i.e. police car) phones and realized that, by using small cells, or ranges of service areas, with frequency reuse, they could increase the traffic capacity of mobile phones substantially. However, at that time, the technology to accomplish this was nonexistent. Dr. Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first modern portable handset. Cooper made the first call on a portable cell phone in April 1973. He made the call to his rival, Joel Engel, Bell Laboratories head of research. Bell Laboratories had introduced the idea of cellular communications back in 1947. However, Motorola was the first to incorporate the technology into a portable device that was designed for use outside of an automobile. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding mid-twentieth century police car technology?

A. Mid-twentieth century police car technology had no influence on the development of truly portable telephones.
B. Mid-twentieth century police car technology was hailed as a revolutionary development.
C. Mid-twentieth century police car technology was considered by many politicians to be crucial to America's war against communism.
D. Mid-twentieth century police car technology was not completely understood by Bell Laboratories.
E. Mid-twentieth century police car technology allowed officers a degree of mobility in communication not available to the general public.

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】According to the passage, early mobile phones were found in police cars. Portable phones were not available for another 25 years, which is after the timeframe of the question.

填空题 For Question 13, select one entry from the corresponding column of choices for each blank. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text. Economic predictions can be reasonably accurate when the assumption that the future will be much like the past is {{U}} (i) {{/U}}; however, in times of major {{U}} (ii) {{/U}}in the economy, forecasts can be dangerously wrong.
A. contradicted
B. entertained
C. satisfied
D. spirals
E. surges
F. shifts