单选题{{B}}Passage 5{{/B}} Much of the American anxiety about old age is a flight from the reality of death. One of the striking qualities of the American character is the unwillingness to face either the fact or meaning of death. In the more somber tradition of American literature - from Hawthorne and Melville and Poe to Faulkner and Hemingway - one finds a tragic depth that belies the surface thinness of the ordinary American death attitudes. By an effort of the imagination, the great writers faced problems which the culture in action is reluctant to face - the fact of death, its mystery, and its place in the back-and- forth shuttling of the eternal recurrence. The unblinking confrontation of death in Greek times, the elaborate theological patterns woven around it in the Middle Ages, tile ritual celebration of it in the rich, peasant cultures of Latin and Slavic Europe and in primitive cultures; these are difficult to find in American life. Whether through fear of the emotional depths, or because of a drying up of the sluices of religious intensity, the American avoids dwelling on death or even coming to terms with it; he finds it morbid and recoils from it, surrounding it with word avoidance (Americans never die; they "pass away" ) and various taboos of speech and practice. In some of the primitive cultures, there is difficulty in understanding the causes of death; it seems puzzling and even unintelligible. Living in a scientific culture, Americans have a ready enough explanation of how it comes, yet they show little capacity to come to terms with the fact of death itself and with the grief that accompanies it. "We jubilate over birth and dance at weddings," writes Maragaret Mead, "but more and more hustle the dead off the scene without ceremony, without an opportunity for young and old to realize that death is as much a fact of life as is birth. ' And, one may add, even in its hurry and brevity, the last stage of an American's life - the last occasion of his relation to his society -is as standardized as the rest.

单选题3 The House is expected to pass a piece of legislation Thursday that seeks to significantly rebalance the playing field for unions and employers and could possibly reverse decades of declining membership among private industries. The Employee Free Choice Act would allow a union to be recognized after collecting a majority of vote cards, instead of waiting for the National Labor Relations Board to over-see a secret ballot election, which can occur more than 50 days after the card vote is completed. Representatives of business on Capitol Hill oppose the bill. The National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups oppose the shift away from secret ballots saying the change could threaten the privacy of the workers. "This isn't about preventing increased unionization, it's about protecting rights," said the National Association of Manufacturer's Jason Straczewski, of his organization's opposition to bill. Straczewski says eliminating the secret-ballot step would open up employees to coercion (强迫，威胁) from unions. Samuel of the AFL-CIO contends the real coercion comes from employers. "Workers talking to workers are equals while managers talking to workers aren't," Samuel said. He cites the 31,358 cases of illegal employer discrimination acted on by the National Labor Relations Board in 2005. Samuel also points out that counter to claims from the business lobby, the secret bal-lot would not be eliminated. The change would only take the control of the timing of the election out of the hands of the employers. "On the ground, the difference between having this legislation and not would be the difference between night and day," said Richard Shaw of the Harris County Central I.abor Council, who says it would have a tremendous impact on the local level. The bill has other provisions (规定，条款) as well. The Employee Free Choice Act would also impose binding arbitration (仲裁) when a company and a newly formed union cannot agree on a contract after 3 months. An agreement worked out under binding compul- sory arbitration would be in effect for 2 years, a fact that Straczewski calls, "borderline unconstitutional. " "I don't see how it will benefit employees if they're locked into a contract," said Straczewski. The bill's proponents point to the trend of recognized unions unable to get contracts from unwilling employers. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the organization that oversees arbitration, reported that in 2004, 45 percent of newly formed unions were denied first contracts by employers. The bill would also strengthen the penalties for companies that illegally coerce or intimidate employees. As it stands, the law on the books hasn't changed substantially since the National Labor Relations Act was made into law in 1935. The NLBR can enforce no other penalty than reinstating wrongfully fired employees or recovering lost wages.

单选题In a stark _________ of fortunes, the Philippines – once Asia’s second richest country – recently had to beg Vietnam to sell its rice for its hungry millions.

单选题He gives people the impression ______ all his life abroad. A. of having spent B. to have spent C. of being spent D. to spend

单选题Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life: death and taxes. Americans do not have a corner on the "death" market, but many people feel that the United States leads the world with the most taxes. Taxes consist of the money which people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal, state, and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes. Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to the federal government. The percentage varies from person to person. It depends on their salaries. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax 14 to 70 percent increases as a person"s income increases. With the high cost of taxes, people are not very happy on April 15 , when the federal taxes are due. The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty-seven states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item which you buy in that state. For example, a person might want to buy a packet of cigarettes for twenty-five cents. If there is a sales tax of eight percent in that state, then the cost of the cigarettes is twenty-seven cents. This figure includes the sales tax. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues. The state tax laws are diverse and confusing. The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax(people who own a home have to pay taxes on it)and excise tax, which is charged on cars in a city. The cities use these funds for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal buildings. Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. They often protest that the government uses their tax dollars in the wrong way. They say that it spends too much on useless and impractical programs. Although Americans have different views on many issues, they tend to agree on one subject: Taxes are too high.

单选题The two parties have ______ an agreement on the date of talk. A. come across B. come into C. come up D. come to

单选题We need one hundred more signatures before we take the ______ to the governor. A. panel B. kernel C. petition D. paragraph

单选题I let children make their own decisions now they are older; I wouldn't______to interfere.

单选题Electrical energy may be separated into two components specified as positive and negative.

单选题I personally am offended by what they have tried to do in a very misleading way with, what I've said about two of my personal______, President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.(厦门大学2008年试题)

单选题It is often difficult for visitors to understand Americans' lack of desire for privacy. They are not a nation of walled gardens and closed gates. Their yards normally run into one another without fences；they often visit one another's homes without being invited or telephoning first; they leave their office doors open while they work. Their lack of desire for privacy probably results from their history as a nation. America is a big country. There have never been walled cities in the United States, nor was there the need for Americans to protect themselves from neighboring states. During the early years, America had so few settlers that neighbors were very important; they were not to be shut out by doors and fences. Neighbors offered protection and helped in the hard work of settling the land. They depended upon each other. From the nation's early history has come the desire for openness rather than privacy. Visitors will notice this desire in a number of small ways; there may be rooms in American homes that do not have doors or that have glass walls. If you notice that people forget to close your door when they leave your room, do not think that this is rude, help them to learn that you would like it to be closed, or else become accustomed to new ways. In either case, be patient with the differences.

单选题The London Stock Exchange has been famous as a place for men only, and women used to be strictly forbidden to enter. But the world is changing day by day, and even the Stock Exchange, which seemed to be a men"s castle, is gradually opening its doors to the other sex. On 16th November 1971, a great decision was taken. The Stock Exchange Council (the body of men that administers the Stock Exchange) decided that women should be allowed onto the new trading floor when it opened in 1973. But the "castle" had not been completely conquered. The first girls to work in "The House" were not brokers or jobbers. They were neither allowed to become partners in stock broking firms, nor to be authorized dealers in stocks and shares. They were simply junior clerks and telephone operators. Women have been trying to get into the Stock Exchange for many years. Several votes have been taken in "The House" to see whether the members would be willing to allow women to become members, but the answer has always been "No". There have been three refusals of this kind since 1967. Now women are admitted, although in a very junior capacity. Two forms of jobbers made an application to the Stock Exchange Council to be allowed to employ girl clerks. Permission was finally given. A member of the Stock Exchange explained after this news had been given, "The new floor is going to be different from the old one. All the jobbers will have their own stands, with space for a telephone and typewriters, therefore there will have to be typists and telephone operators. So women must be allowed in." This decision did not mean a very great victory in the war for equal rights for women. However, it was a step in the fight direction. The Chairman of the new building will eventually lead to women being allowed to have full membership of the Stock Exchange. It is only a matter of time; it must happen.

单选题Without facts, we cannot form a correct opinion, for we need to have actual knowledge ______our thinking.

单选题The new curriculum intends to strengthen children’s practice of basic social __________ .

单选题Bruce Friedman seems to suggest that