Yamato, the ancient name of Japan, essentially means "big harmony". To achieve such balance, Japanese society has refined a plethora of cultural traits: humility, loyalty, respect and consensus. In the field of business, however, this often results in a lack of leaders who are willing to stand out from the crowd, promote themselves and act decisively. "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" is a common Japanese refrain; "the hawk with talent hides his talons" is another. Whereas American and European bosses like to appear on the covers of global business magazines, their Japanese counterparts are comfortable in their obscurity. Business in Japan is generally run as a group endeavor. Such democratic virtues served the country well in the post-war period. But today they hold too many Japanese firms back. Japan boasts some of the best companies in the world: Toyota, Canon and Nintendo are the envy of their industries. But they operate on a global scale and have tentatively embraced some unconsensual American methods. In much of the Japanese economy-especially its huge domestic services sector-managers are in something of a funk. Firms do not give promising youngsters responsibility early on, but allocate jobs by age. Unnecessarily long working hours are the norm, sapping productivity. And there are few women and foreigners in senior roles, which narrows the talent pool. So how pleasing it is to be able to report the success of a business leader who breaks the mould. Young, dynamic and clever, he is not afraid to push aside old, conservative know- nothings. He disdains corporate politics and promotes people based on merit rather than seniority. He can make mistakes (he got involved in a questionable takeover-defence scheme), but he is wildly popular with salarymen: his every move is chronicled weekly. In June he was given the top job at one of Japan"s biggest firms. Kosaku Shima of Hatsushiba Goyo Holdings has only one serious shortcoming: he is not a real person, but a manga, or cartoon, character. For many critics of Japan, that says it all: Mr. Shima could exist only in fiction. In fact there is room for the country"s managers and even its politicians to learn from him. Most of the lessons are for Japan"s managers. At present, bosses rarely say what they think because it might disrupt the harmony, or be seen as immodest. Their subordinates are reluctant to challenge ideas because that would cause the boss to lose face. So daft strategies fester rather than getting culled quickly. There is little risk-taking or initiative. The crux of the problem is Japanese companies" culture of consensus-based decision-making. Called nemawashi ( literally, "going around the roots" ) or ringi ( bottom-up decisions), it helped to establish an egalitarian workplace. In the 1980s Western management consultants cooed that it was the source of Japan"s competitive strength. Sometimes it can be, as in periods of crisis when an entire firm needs to accept new marching orders quickly. But most of the time it strangles a company. Relying on consensus means that decisions are made slowly, if at all. With so many people to please, the result is often a mediocre morass of compromises. And with so many hands involved, there is no accountability; no reason for individuals to excel; no sanction against bad decisions so that there are fewer of them in future. Of course, sometimes the consensus of the Japanese workplace is just a veneer and decisions are still made from on high. But then why persist with the pretence, particularly if it drains a company"s efficiency?

There's a huge hoo-ha in America about an article published on the business website Forbes.com. It starts off like this: "Guys: a word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career." The writer, Michael Noer cites a piece in Social Forces, a US research journal that has apparently found marrying a working woman dramatically ups the risk of having a difficult marriage. Even those with a "feminist" outlook are happier when their husband is the primary breadwinner. You can imagine the outcry the article has caused. Women readers aren't happy. What is interesting about all of this is that I suspect Noer's central point—that working women are trouble and that you're better off with an obedient little breeder or, indeed, a trophy wife—is more widely held by men than you or I might imagine. It stems in part from a sweet but inane desire for first class malehood—me man, me provide, me gain big-eyed gratitude for ace wage-earning skills—and from chronic sexual insecurity. If your nice little wife is safely at home all day, instead of running around the boardroom with men who might be somewhat much better than you, she's more likely to admire your manly skills and talents when you come home at night, and not realize what she's missing. That's the theory, anyway. The practice, I have observed over the years, is somewhat different. Men love nothing more than coming home to an ordered house, sleeping children, dinner in the oven and a cocktail waiting on the table, but they don't necessarily go a whole hog on the conversation that goes with it: "Such a funny thing happened at playgroup"; "I've found that if I puree the broccoli, they don't really notice they're eating it". And so on. Then women are all surprised when men seem not to listen, or to be distracted. She doesn't want to talk about broccoli either but her brain seems to be withering more and more with the birth of each child. She wants to watch Newsnight but she's too tired. How can she be tired, the husband wonders, when she's at home all day? What does she do? I don't want to get drawn into the unproductive name calling that passes for debate on the question of working versus stay-at-home women. The point, surely, is that women should have the freedom to do exactly what they wish to do with their lives, and that very freedom is only real if it originates from women themselves. Marry a man who is happy for you to be you, happy whether you do or don't work.

TheShort-sightedStudentsWriteanessayof160-200wordsbasedonthedrawing.Inyouressay,youshould1)describethedrawingbriefly,2)explainitsintendedmeaning,and3)giveyourcomments.

Self-esteem is what people think about themselves — whether or not they feel valued — and when family members have self-respect, pride, and belief in themselves, this high self-esteem makes it possible to cope with the everyday problems or growing up. Self-esteem fluctuates as kids grow. It"s frequently changed and fine-tuned, because it is affected by a child"s experiences and new perceptions. A healthy self-esteem is a resource for coping when difficulties arise, making it easier to see a problem as temporary, manageable, and something from which the individual can emerge. How can a parent help to foster healthy self-esteem in a child? These tips can make a big difference: 41. Watch what you say Kids are very sensitive to parents" words. Remember to praise your child not only for a job well done, but also for effort. Be truthful. Be a positive role model. If you"re excessively harsh on yourself, pessimistic, or unrealistic about your abilities and limitations, your child may eventually mirror you. Nurture your own self-esteem, and your child will have a great role model. 42. Identify and redirect your child"s inaccurate beliefs It"s important for parents to identify kids" irrational beliefs about themselves, whether they"re about perfection, attractiveness, ability, or anything else. Helping kids set more accurate standards and be more realistic in evaluating themselves will help them have a healthy self-concept. Inaccurate perceptions of self can take root and become reality to kids. 43. Be spontaneous and affectionate Your love will go a long way to boost your child"s self-esteem. Give hugs and tell kids you"re proud of them. 44. Create a safe, loving home environment Kids who don"t feel safe or are abused at home will suffer immensely from low self-esteem. A child who is exposed to parents who fight and argue repeatedly may become depressed and withdrawn. 45. Help kids become involved in constructive experiences Activities that encourage cooperation rather than competition are especially helpful in fostering self-esteem. Find professional help If you suspect your child has low self-esteem, consider professional help. Family and child counselors can work to uncover underlying issues that prevent a child from feeling good about himself or herself. Therapy can help kids learn to view themselves and the world positively. When kids see themselves in a more realistic light, they can accept who they truly are. With a little help, every child can develop healthy self-esteem for a happier, more fulfilling life.[A] Pop a note in your child"s lunchbox that reads, "I think you"re terrific!" Give praise frequently and honestly, without overdoing it. Kids can tell whether something comes from the heart.[B] For example, mentoring programs in which an older child helps a younger one learn to read can do wonders for both kids.[C] For example, if your child doesn"t make the soccer team, avoid saying something like, "Well, next time you"ll work harder and make it. " Instead, try "Well, you didn"t make the team, but I"m really proud of the effort you put into it. " Reward effort and completion instead of outcome.[D] A better statement is, "You were really mad at your brother. But I appreciate that you didn"t yell at him or hit him." This acknowledges a child"s feelings, rewards the choice made, and encourages the child to make the right choice again next time.[E] For example, a child who does very well in school but struggles with math may say, "I can"t do math. I"m a bad student." Not only is this a false generalization, it"s also a belief that will set the child up for failure. Encourage kids to see the situation in its true light. A helpful response might be: "You are a good student. You do great in school. Math is just a subject that you need to spend more time on. We"ll work on it together."[F] Also watch for signs of abuse by others, problems in school, trouble with peers, and other factors that may affect kids" self-esteem. Deal with these issues sensitively but swiftly. And always remember to respect your kids.[G] Children benefit from chores and activities that offer a real challenge because they stretch their abilities and give them a sense of accomplishment. Children as young as 18-month old can do chores around the house. It is best to start as early as possible so that children learn that chores are a part of life and so that they will struggle less when you ask them to do things.

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list (A、B、C、D、E、F、G……) to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are several extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. (10 points) Policy-makers and the media, particularly in the United States, frequently assert that climate science is highly uncertain. Some have used this as an argument against adopting strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, while discussing a major U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report on the risks of climate change, then EPA administrator Christine Whitman argued, "As the report went through review, there was less consensus on the science and conclusions on climate change". Some corporations whose revenues might he adversely affected by controls on carbon dioxide emissions have also alleged major uncertainties in the science. (41)______. The scientific consensus is clearly expressed in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental Programme, IPCC"s purpose is to evaluate the state of climate science as a basis for informed policy action, primarily on the basis of peer-reviewed and published scientific literature.In its most recent assessment, IPCC states unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion is that Earth"s climate is being affected by human activities: "Human activities...are modifying the concentration of atmospheric constituents...that absorb or scatter radiant energy....Most of the ob served warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations". IPCC is not alone in its conclusions. (42)______. For example, the National Academy of Sciences report, Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, begins: "Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth"s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise". The report explicitly asks whether the IPCC assessment is a fair summary of professional scientific thinking, and answers yes. (43)______. Others agree. The American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) all have issued statements in recent years concluding that the evidence for human modification of climate is compelling. The drafting of such reports and statements involves many opportunities for comment, criticism, and revision, and it is not likely that they would diverge greatly from the opinions of the societies" members. Nevertheless, they might downplay legitimate dissenting opinions. (44)______. The 928 papers were divided into six categories: explicit endorsement of the consensus position, evaluation of impacts, mitigation proposals, methods, paleoclimate analysis, and rejection of the consensus position. Of all the papers, 75% fell into the first three categories, either explicitly or implicitly accepting the consensus view; 25% dealt with methods or paleoclimate, taking no position on current anthropogenic climate change. Remarkably, none of the papers disagreed with the consensus position. (45)______.This analysis shows that scientists publishing in the peer-reviewed literature agree with IPCC, the National Academy of Sciences, and the public statements of their professional societies. Politicians, economists, journalists, and others may have the impression of confusion, disagreement, or discord among climate scientists, but that impression is incorrect.A. Many details about climate interactions are not well understood, and there are ample grounds for continued research to provide a better basis for understanding climate dynamics.B. Such statements suggest that there might be substantive disagreement in the scientific community about the reality of anthropogenic climate change. This is not the case.C. In recent years, all major scientific bodies in the United States whose members" expertise bears directly on the matter have issued similar statements.D. Admittedly, authors evaluating impacts, developing methods, or studying paleoclimatic change might believe that current climate change is natural. However, none of these papers argued that point.E. That hypothesis was tested by analyzing 928 abstracts, published in referent scientific journals between 1993 and 2003, and listed in the ISI database with the keywords "climate change".F. If the history of science teaches anything, it is humility, and no one can be faulted for failing to act on what is not known.G. The IPCC"s conclusion that most of the observed warming of the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations accurately reflects the current thinking of the scientific community on this issue.

About 150 years ago, a village church vicar in Yorkshire, England, had three lovely, intelligent daughters but his hopes hinged entirely on the sole male heir, Branwell, a youth with remarkable talent in both art and literature. (46) Branwell"s father and sisters hoarded their pennies to. Rack him off to London"s Royal Academy of Arts, but if art was his calling, he dialed a wrong number. Within weeks he hightailed it home, a penniless failure. Hopes still high, the family landed Branwell a job as a private tutor, hoping this would free him to develop his literary skills and achieve the success and fame that he deserved. Failure again. (47) For years the selfless sisters squelched their own goals farming themselves out as teachers and governesses in support of their increasingly indebted brother, convinced the world must eventually recognize his genius. As failure multiplied, Branwell turned to alcohol, then opium, and eventually died as he had lived: a failure. So died hope in the one male, but what of the three anonymous sisters? During Branwell"s last years, the girls published a book of poetry at their own expense (under a pseudonym, for fear of reviewers" bias against females). Even Branwell might have snickered: they sold only two copies. (48) Undaunted, they continued in their spare time, late at night by candlelight, to pour out their pent-up emotion, writing of what they knew best, of women in conflict with their natural desires and social condition, in reality, less fiction than autobiography! And 19th century literature was transformed by Anne"s Agnes Grey, Emily"s Wuthering Heights, and Charlotte"s Jane Eyre. But years of sacrifice for Brauwell had taken their toll. (49) Emily took ill at her brother"s funeral and died within 3 months, aged 30; Anne died 5 months later, aged 29; Charlotte lived only to age 39. If only they had been nurtured instead of having been sacrificed. No one remembers Branwell"s name, much less his art or literature, but the Bronte sisters" tragically short lives teach us even more of life than literature. (50) Their sacrificed genius cries out to us that in modern society we must value children not by their physical strength or sexual gender, as we would value any boast of burden, but by their integrity strength a commitment, courage-spiritual qualities abundant in both boys and girls. China, a nation blessed by more boys and girls than any nation, ignores at her own peril the lesson of the Brontes" tragedy.

The title of the biography The American Civil War Fighting for the Lady could hardly be more provocative. Thomas Keneally, an Australian writer, is unapologetic. In labeling a hero of the American civil war a notorious scoundrel he switches the spotlight from the brave actions of Dan Sickles at the battle of Gettysburg to his earlier pre meditated murder, of the lover of his young and pretty Italian-American wife, Teresa. It is not the murder itself that disgusts Mr. Keneally but Sickles"s treatment of his wife afterwards, and how his behavior mirrored the hypocritical misogyny of 19th-century America. The murder victim, Philip Barton Key, Teresa Sickles"s lover, came from a famous old southern family. He was the nephew of the then chief justice of the American Supreme Court and the son of the writer of the country"s national anthem. Sickles, a Tammany Hall politician in New York turned Democratic congressman in Washington, shot Key dead in 1859 at a corner of Lafayette Square, within shouting distance of the White House. But the murder trial was melodramatic, even by the standards of the day. With the help of eight lawyers, Sickles was found not guilty after using the novel plea of "temporary insanity". The country at large was just as forgiving, viewing Key"s murder as a gallant crime of passion. Within three years, Sickles was a general on the Unionist side in the American civil War and, as a new friend of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, a frequent sleepover guest at the White House. Mrs. Sickles was less fortunate. She was shunned by friends she had made as the wife of a rising politician. Her husband, a serial adulterer whose many mistresses included Queen Isabella Ⅱ of Spain and the madam of an industrialized New York whorehouse, re fused to be seen in her company. Laura, the Sickles"s daughter, was an innocent victim of her father"s vindictiveness and eventually died of drink in the Bowery district of New York. Sickles"s bold actions at Gettysburg are, in their own way, just as controversial. Argument continues to rage among scholars, as to whether he helped the Union to victory or nearly caused its defeat when he moved his forces out of line to occupy what he thought was better ground. James Longstreet, the Confederate general who led the attack against the new position, was in no doubt about the brilliance of the move. Mr. Keneally is better known as a novelist. Here he shows himself just as adept at Biography, and achieves both his main aims. He restores the reputation of Teresa Sickles, "this beautiful, pleasant and intelligent girl", and breathes full and controversial life into a famous military engagement.

Summer was, for a while, a child"s time, conferring an inviolate right to laziness. It was a form of education that had nothing to do with adult priorities, providing entire afternoons to watch exactly how many ants would dash out of one hill and what they would bring back. The holiness of that kind of summer was first diminished by necessity, when overcrowded classrooms brought us theyear-round school calendar. Next, the battle against social promotion forced many an indifferent student into summer school—while the hard-charging students willingly packed into summer school as well, to get a leg up on the coming year. Then, as though the world of achievement had some sort of legitimate claim on summer, even schools that maintained the old-fashioned schedule began reaching their tentacles into summer. Some school districts start the traditional school year in August, the better to squeeze in a couple of more weeks of instruction before the all-important state standardized tests given in spring. Worse, what used to be recommended summer reading lists are now becoming compulsory assignments. And woe to the ambitious student who"s signed up for Advanced Placement classes, and thus a summer-load of note taking and homework. It"s not just the schools. As a society, we grow itchy at the sight of someone—even a kid—accomplishing nothing more than fun. Thus parents have become suckers for anything that lends a constructive air to summer. Summer camps used to exist for the purpose of marshmallow roasts and putting frogs in your bunkmates" beds. Those still exist, but they compete mightily with the new camps—the ones for improving a child"s writing style, building math skills, honing soccer stardom, learning a foreign language, building dance talents or finessing skills playing a musical instrument. Even many colleges and universities, such as Johns Hopkins, have climbed on board, mailing out silky brochures about their expensive summer programs for supposedly gifted, or at least financially gifted, students. None of this activity is required, of course. Unluckily, other societal changes also have pushed back at summer. Children can"t get together a pickup game of kickball when their streets are the turf of gangs. And without a shove out the door, today"s youngsters are more likely to spend a day clicking away at video games than swinging in a hammock. Still, it is a decision, however unconsciously made, to view summertime as a commodity to be prudently invested, rather than as a gift to be lavishly spent. There is only one sort of skill we are afraid to nurture in our kids—the ability to do nothing more constructive than make a blade of crabgrass, pressed between our thumbs and blown, blast a reedy note into the summer air.

BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B

BPart ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D./B

Wherever you work, you must always serve the people whole-heartedly.

"Money Matters on Campus" is a recently released study on financial literacy among young adults. It supports providing students with the opportunity to learn how to make【C1】______decisions about their consumer choices, how to manage money on their own, and how to grow and protect their financial【C2】______before they enter college or the workforce. The study【C3】______more than 65,000 first-year college students across the U.S. on banking, savings, credit cards and school loans, as well as a series of questions designed to【C4】______students" financial knowledge. Researchers found【C5】______differences in the financial【C6】______of students based on age, race,【C7】______and institution type. Students who received financial literacy education in high school scored significantly higher than their【C8】______on financial knowledge questions such as how much to set aside in an emergency【C9】______and what to do if you have too many credit cards. Even more importantly, the students who had previous financial literacy education were found to be more responsible【C10】______it comes to their money—for example, they were more financially【C11】______and more unwilling to【C12】______debt in general. As financial【C13】______are the number one reason students leave college, engaging students at the outset of their college experience will【C14】______the likelihood that they will make【C15】______financial decisions and complete their degree on time. And while traditional financial literacy education has focused【C16】______on providing financial knowledge, "Money Matters on Campus" research amplifies the need to【C17】______students" individual attitudes, motivations and【C18】______. By providing students with relevant information that【C19】______home im mediately, this initiative has led to an 11 percent drop in federal loan borrowing at the【C20】______.

"There is a senseless notion that children grow up and leave home when they are 18, and the truth is far from that," says sociologist Lary Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin. Today, unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents. "There is a major shift in the middle class," declares sociologist Allasn Schnaiberg of Northwestern University, whose son, 19, moved back in after an absence of eight months. Analysts cite a variety of reasons for this return to the nest. The marriage age is rising, a condition that makes home and its pleasantness particularly attractive to young people. A high divorce rate and a declining remarriage rate are sending economically pressed and emotionally hurt survivors back to parental shelters. For some, the expense of an away-from-home college education has become so excessively great that many students now attend local schools. Even after graduation, young people find their wings clipped by skyrocketing housing costs. Living at home, says Knighton, a school teacher, continues to give her security and moral support. His mother agreed, "It"s ridiculous for the kids to pay all that money for rent. It makes sense for kids to stay at home." But sharing the family home requires adjustments for all. There are the hassles over bathrooms, telephones and privacy. Some families, however, manage the delicate balancing act. But for others, it proves too difficult. Michelle Del Turco, 24, has been home three times—and left three times. "What I considered a social drink, my dad considered an alcohol problem," she explains. "He never liked anyone I dated, so I either had to hide away or meet them at friends" houses." Just how long should adult children live with their parents before moving on? Most psychologists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake. Children, struggling to establish separate identities, can end up with "a sense of inadequacy, defeat and failure." And aging parents, who should be enjoying, some financial and personal freedom, find themselves stuck with responsibilities. Many agree that brief visits, however, can work beneficially.

The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. You are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A—G. The first and the last paragraphs have been placed for you. (10 points)A. Generally, however, modern examinations are written. Two types of tests are commonly used in modern schools. The first type is sometimes called an "objective" test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test the teacher writes a series of question, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly, The student has just one task: he must recognize the correct answer and copy its letter (or number) on his examination paper.B. For a clearer picture of what the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use "essay" tests, which require students to write long answers to broad, general questions such as the following: Mention several ways in which Mahatma Gandhi has influenced the thinking of people in his own country and in other parts of the world.C. Whether an objective test or an essay test is used, problems arise. When some objective questions are used along with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the student"s knowledge can usually be obtained.D. For testing a student"s memory of facts and details, the objective test has advantages. It can be scored very quickly by the teacher or even by a machine. In a short time the teacher can find out a great deal about the student"s range of knowledge. For testing some kinds of learning, however, such a test is not very satisfactory. A lucky student may guess the correct answer without really knowing the material.E. In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually consisted of saying poetry aloud or giving speeches. In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates for doctor"s degree.F. One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of luck. The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky guess. Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more about the student"s ability to put facts together into a meaningful whole. It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject. Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too. Some students are able to write good answers without really knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in essay form.G. Besides, on an essay test the student"s score may depend upon the examiner"s feelings at the time of reading the answer. If he is feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than he should. Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a much higher mark. From this standpoint the objective test gives each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and quicker to score.E is the first paragraph and C is the last.

All great writers express their ideas in an individual way: it is often possible to determine the authorship of a literary passage from the style in which it is written; (46) Many authors feel that the conventions of the written language hamper them and they use words freely, with little observance of accepted grammar and sentence structure, in order to convey vividly their feelings, beliefs and fantasies. Others with a deep respect for traditional usage achieve a style of classical clearness and perfection or achieve effects of visual or musical beauty by their mastery of existing forms enriched by a sensitive and adventurous vocabulary, vivid imagery and a blending of evocative vowels and consonants. Young people often feel the need to experiment and, as a result, to break away from the traditions they have been taught. In dealing with a foreign language, however, they have to bear in mind two conditions for experiment. (47) Any great experimental artist is fully familiar with the conventions from which he wishes to break free: he is capable of achievement in established forms but feels these are inadequate for the expression of his ideas. In the second place, he is indisputably an outstanding artist who has something original to express; otherwise the experiments will appear pretentious, even childish. Few students can achieve so intimate an understanding of a foreign language that they can explore its resources freely and experimentally. Not all feel the need to do so. (48) And in any case examination candidates need to become thoroughly acquainted with conventional usage as it is a sure knowledge of accepted forms that examiners look for. The student undertaking a Proficiency course should have the ability to use simple English correctly to express everyday facts and ideas. (49) This ability to express oneself in a foreign language on a basis of thinking in that language without reference to one"s own is essential at all stages of learning. Students with extensive experience in translation who have had little practice in using the foreign language directly must, above all, write very simply at first, using only easy constructions which they are convinced are correct, forgetting for the time being their own language and rigorously avoiding translating from it. More complex forms, more varied vocabulary and sentence structure should evolve naturally in step with the student"s increasing knowledge of the language. The student introduces a certain form of construction only when he is thoroughly familiar with it and is certain that it is normally used in this way. As he achieves additional confidence, he can begin to take an interest in use of the language to create diverse effects. He may want to convey impressions of suspense, calm, dignity, humor, of music or poetry. (50) He will master the art of logical explanation, of exact letter writing, of formal speeches and natural conversation and of vivid impressionistic description. But he will still write within the limits of his ability and knowledge. And, as a learner, he will still be studying and observing conventional English usage in all that he writes.

Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal.【F1】 But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet. It has long been known that a taxi firm called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their phone directories. Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zoe Zysman.【F2】 English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet, yet a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K. 【F3】 Thus the American president and vice-president have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bush"s predecessors(including his father)had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are alphabetically advantaged(Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chretien and Koizumi). The world" s three top central bankers(Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami)are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters. As are the world "s five richest men(Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht). Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early.【F4】 At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easier to remember their names. So short-sighted Zysman junior gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly. The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach the Zysmans most people are literally having a ZZZ.【F5】 Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them.

Studythefollowingpicturecarefullyandwriteanessayinwhichyoushould1)describethepicture,2)interpretitsmeaning,and3)pointouttheimplicationsinourlife.Youshouldwrite160-200wordsneatly.

It"s a problem that vexes some of China"s brightest minds: why is China so far behind the world in math? After all, this is a country with a long intellectual tradition, one that invented the abacus and may have come up with the Pythagorean theorem before it dawned on Pythagoras. (46) Sure, Chinese high-school students consistently dazzle the world with sky-high standardized-test scores and gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad. But high school seems to be where they peak. Only one Chinese-born mathematician has won the Fields Medal, the Nobel Prize of math, in its 70-year history. And that man, Yau Shingtung, is among those most worried. (47) Now a professor at Harvard, he was stunned after recently interviewing a faculty candidate at a prominent Chinese university. "A student at that level, I wouldn"t even give a master"s degree," he said. "I"m not pessimistic, but the problems are there." Many of China"s leading minds believe the problem rests in the country"s competitive, test-driven education system. (48) Primary and Secondary schools stress rote memorization, and they can be brutally unforgiving of creative mavericks—one bad test early in life can ruin a student"s chances for college. At the doctoral level, this has resulted in low-risk, derivative research. Chinese universities simply tally the number of papers someone has published when it comes time to decide promotions. The result is that many Christians scholars publish more mediocre papers and less groundbreaking work. Many of the greatest innovations come from people in laboratories doing pure research. Sure, a country full of high-school-math whizzes can offer the world millions of qualified computer programmers. (49) But if China truly wants to become a high-tech player, then its students must be able to create cutting-edge technology—not simply serve it. China"s mathematicians may still be able to solve for these variables. People are fighting to change the rules for promoting professors. At some academy, for example, the three-person evaluation panels now must include two overseas experts. (50) Perhaps even more promising, Chinese universities are going beyond the elite city colleges and into the impoverished countryside in search of future Chinese Newtons and Nashes. Harvard"s Yau helped establish a mathematics institute in Hong Kong where, he says, some of the students producing the most creative work are the ones from the countryside or the poorest mainland schools.

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By the mid-sixties, blue jeans were an essential part of the wardrobe of those with a commitment to social struggle. In the American Deep South, black farmers and grandchildren of slaves still segregated from whites, continued to wear jeans in their mid-nineteenth-century sense; but now they were joined by college students-black and white-in a battle to overturn deeply embedded race hatred. The clothes of the workers became a sacred bond between them. The clothing of toil came to signify the dignity of struggle. In the student rebellion and the antiwar movement that followed, blue jeans and work shirts provided a contrast to the uniforms of the dominant culture. Jeans were the opposite of high fashion, the opposite of the suit or military uniform. With the rise of the women"s movement in the late 1960s, the political significance of dress became increasingly explicit; Rejecting orthodox sex roles, blue jeans were a woman"s weapon against uncomfortable popular fashions and the view that women should be passive. This was the cloth of action; the cloth of labor became the badge of freedom. If blue jeans were for rebels in the 1960s and early 1970s, by the 1980s they had become a foundation of fashion-available in a variety of colors, textures, fabrics, and fit. These simple pants have made the long journey "from workers" clothes to cultural revolt to status symbol." On television, in magazine advertising, on the sides of buildings and buses, jeans call out to us. Their humble past is obscured; practical roots are incorporated into a new aesthetic. Jeans are now the universal symbol of the individual and Western democracy. They are the costume of liberated women, with a fit tight enough to restrict like the harness of old-but with the look of freedom and motion. In blue jeans, fashion reveals itself as a complex world of history and change. Yet looking at fashions, in and of themselves, reveals situations that often defy understanding. Our ability to understand a specific fashion-the current one of jeans, for example-shows us that as we try to make sense of it, our confusion intensifies. It is a fashion whose very essence is contradiction and confusion. To pursue the goal of understanding is to move beyond the actual cloth itself, toward the more general phenomenon of fashion and the world in which it has risen to importance. Exploring the role of fashion within the social and political history of industrial America helps to reveal the parameters and possibilities of American society. The ultimate question is whether the development of images of rebellion into mass-produced fashions has actually resulted in social change.