单选题

The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic audience. Heads nodded, in agreement when he said, "High school English teachers are not doing their jobs." He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how his grade 9 level had been established.
My topic is not standards nor its decline. What the speaker was really {{U}}(26) {{/U}} is that he is no longer young; he has been {{U}}(27) {{/U}} for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.
My {{U}}(28) {{/U}} is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following {{U}}(29) {{/U}} is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons {{U}}(30) {{/U}} our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language {{U}}(31) {{/U}}. But since then, English teachers have been under constant {{U}}(32) {{/U}}.
The complainers think they have hit upon an {{U}}(33) {{/U}} idea. As their own command of the language {{U}}(34) {{/U}}, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. {{U}}(35) {{/U}} that their own ability has developed through the years, they {{U}}(36) {{/U}} the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this {{U}}(37) {{/U}}. To the eyes and ears of {{U}}(38) {{/U}} adults the language of the young always seems {{U}}(39) {{/U}}.
Since this concern about the {{U}}(40) {{/U}} and fall of the English language is not {{U}}(41) {{/U}} as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and {{U}}(42) {{/U}} to today's young people, it naturally {{U}}(43) {{/U}} that today's English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. {{U}}(44) {{/U}}, young people would not commit {{U}}(45) {{/U}} against the language.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】由前一段内容可知，前一代人对后一代人的抱怨是经常的，前一代人对后一代人大有“恨铁不成钢”的意思。换句话说，抱怨的前代人注意到年轻人没有与他们前代人一样的能力，这说明他们前代人的(语言)水平肯定是提高了(相对于年轻人在语言方面原地踏步或进步不大的表现)，所以，这里要选择A。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】选择枝是四个形相近、义相远的词汇。sentimental是“多愁善感的”的意思，sensational是“耸人听闻的”的意思，sensitive是“敏感的”的意思，而sensible是“理智的，明智的”的意思。前一代人的语言水平高，他们“耳聪目明”，他们很“敏锐”，所以这里要选择C。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】形近词辨析。前一代人觉得年轻人的语言水平是“不够的，不充分的”，所以要选择D。这一题的选择也可以从第一段里的“inadequacies”得到启发。inefficient的意思是“效率低的，(指人)无能的”，inappropriate的意思是“不适当的，不相称的”，而improper的意思是“不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的”。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】此空所在的句子是表示结果的主句，前半句是原因状语从句。follow一词有“是……的必然结果；结果发生”的意思，所以要选择C。要注意区别preceed和proceed两词，前者是“在……之前”的意思，而后者作为v．时，是“进行，继续下去”的意思；proceeds既可以是动词proceed的单数第三人称形式，又可以是名词，其意思为“收益”。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】这是一个较难作出选择的题目。此题要结合45题来解答。年轻人“commit ______ against the language”，即年轻人犯语言错误，所以45题要选择B，即offenses。而此句中还有would not两词，所以我们知道这里是虚拟假设，44题要选择一个能表达虚拟假设的词，即otherwise，即D。