单选题The last half of the nineteenth century ______ the steady improvement in the means of travel. A. has witnessed B. was witnessed C. witnessed D. is witnessed

单选题Ask an American schoolchild what he or she is learning in school these days and you might even get a reply, provided you ask it in Spanish. But don"t bother, here"s the answer: Americans nowadays are not learning any of the things that we learned in our day, like reading and writing. Apparently these are considered fusty old subjects, invented by white males to oppress women and minorities. What are they learning? In a Vermont college town I found the answer sitting in a toy store book rack, next to typical kids" books like "Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy Is Dysfunctional." It"s a teacher"s guide called "Happy To Be Me", subtitled "Building Self-Esteem." Self-esteem, as it turns out, is a big subject in American classrooms. Many American schools see building it as important as teaching reading and writing. They call it "whole language" teaching borrowing terminology from the granola people to compete in the education marketplace. No one ever spent a moment building my self-esteem when ! was in school. In fact, from the day I first stepped inside a classroom my self-esteem was one big demolition site. All that mattered was "the subject," be it geography, history, or mathematics. I was praised when I remembered that "near", "fit", "friendly", "pleasing", "like" and their opposites took the dative case in Latin. I was reviled when I forgot what a cosine was good for. Generally I lived my school years beneath a torrent of castigation so consistent I eventually ceased to hear it, as people who live near the sea eventually stop hearing the waves. Schools have changed. Reviling is out. For one thing more important, subjects have changed. Whereas I learned English, modem kids learn something called "language skills". Whereas I learned writing, modem kids learn something called "communication". Communication, the book tells us, is seven per cent words, 23 per cent facial expression, 20 per cent tone of voice, and 50 per cent body language. So this column, with its carefully chosen words, would earn me at most a grade of seven per cent. That is, if the school even gave out something as oppressive and demanding as grades. The result is that, in place of English classes, American children are getting a course in How to Win Friends and Influence People. Consider the new attitude toward journal writing: I remember one high school English class when we were required to keep a journal. The idea was to emulate those great writers who confided in diaries searching their souls and honing their critical thinking on paper. "Happy To Be Me" states that journals are a great way for students to get in touch with their feelings. Tell students they can write one sentence or a whole page. Reassure them that no one, not even you, will read what they write. After the unit, hopefully all students will be feeling good about themselves and will want to share some of their entries with the class. There was a time when no self-respecting book for English teachers would use "great" or "hopefully" that way. Moreover, back then the purpose of English courses (an antique term for "unit") was not to help students "feel good about themselves," which is good, because all that reviling didn"t make me feel particularly good about anything.

单选题Before a new type of airplane goes into service, every part of it is tested again and again. But there are two tests that are more important than all the others. The first is called the "tank test". A modern airplane must fly very high in the sky. Air must be pumped into the plane so that the passengers can breathe. The metal structure(结构) of the plane has to be very strong for this reason. When the plane is filled with air, the air presses against the skin of the plane inside. The pressure (压力) on a small window is like a huge foot that is trying to get out. If a small part of the plane were to fail, the plane would explode in the sky. To test the structure of the plane, the plane is lowered into a huge tank or container of water. Then it is filled with air. The pressure inside the plane is greater than it ever will be when it is high up in the air. Finally, there is an explosion. This does not cause so much damage inside the water tank as it would anywhere else. Engineers can discover which part of the plane has broken. Then that part is made stronger. The most dangerous test happens when the new plane is going through test flights in the air. The test pilot must find out exactly what happens when the engines (发动机) are all shut off at once. The plane begins to fall like a stone. It is the pilot's job to find out how he can get control of the plane again. These two tests are examples of how planes are made safe before they ever carry passengers.

单选题Paula (doesn' t want) to (attend) the meeting (and) Sheila doesn't (too).A. doesn'tB. attendC. andD. too

单选题Next time you have a problem, think about how you can improve the situation instead of ______ all the negative aspects. A. dwelling on B. counting on C. barking on D. touching on

单选题During the Renaissance, graphs and diagrams ______.

单选题Cooked vegetables are also valuable sources of certain vitamins and minerals, if the juice is eaten and if not cooked ______ .

单选题Although the body is made up of many different tissues, those tissues are arranged in an ______ and orderly fashion.

单选题His theories, though criticized by economists of more orthodox bent, have had enormous ______ on government fiscal policy.

单选题People innately ______ for superiority over their peers although it sometimes takes the form of an exaggerated lust for power.

单选题To my great surprise the food was still on the table, ______.

单选题 Questions14-16 are based on the passage you have just heard.

单选题Our modern civilization must not be thought of as______in a short period of time.

单选题This style of writing, incidentally, is suggestive of what is called the "newsreel technique" of John dos Passos.

单选题There is a computer system ______ the company is experiencing problems.

单选题We are fortunate ______ several descriptive papers have been published which give adequate background and experimental results.

单选题 Which of the following sentences is grammatically INCORRECT? ______

单选题The author concludes that historical changes would ______.

单选题 Questions6-9 are based on the conversation you have just heard.