单选题The crucial years of the Depression, as they are brought into historical focus, increasingly emerge as the decisive decade for American art, if not for American culture in general. For it was during this decade that many of the conflicts which had blocked the progress of American art in the past came to a head and sometimes boiled over. Janus-faced, the thirties look backward, sometimes as far as the Renaissance; and at the same time forward, as far as the present and beyond. It was the moment when artists, like Thomas Hart Benton, who wished to turn back the clock to regain the virtues of simpler times came into direct conflict with others, like Stuart Davis and Frank Lloyd Wright, who were ready to come to terms with the Machine Age and to deal with its consequences. America in the thirties was changing rapidly. In many areas the past was giving way to the present, although not without a struggle. A Predominantly rural and small town society was being replaced by the giant complexes of the big cities; power was becoming increasingly centralized in the federal government and in large corporations. Many Americans, deeply attached to the old way of life, felt disinherited. At the same time, as immigration decreased and the population became more homogeneous, the need arose in art arid literature to commemorate the ethnic and regional differences that were fast disappearing. Thus, paradoxically, the conviction that art, at least, should serve some purpose or carry some message of moral uplift grew stronger as the Puritan ethos lost its contemporary reality. Often this elevating message was a sermon in favor of just those traditional American virtues, which were now threatened with obsolescence in a changed social and political context. In this new context, the appeal of the paintings by the regionalists and the American Scene painters often lay in their ability to recreate an atmosphere that glorified the traditional American values-self-reliance tempered with good-neighborliness, independence modified by a sense of community, hard work rewarded by a sense of order and purpose. Given the actual temper of the times, these themes were strangely anachronistic, just as the rhetoric supporting political isolationism was equally inappropriate in an international situation soon to involve America in a second world war. Such themes gained popularity because they filled a genome need for a comfortable collective fantasy of a God-fearing, white-picketfence America, which in retrospect took on the nostalgic appeal of a lost Golden Age. In this light, an autonomous art-for-art's sake was viewed as a foreign invader liable to subvert the native American desire for a purposeful art. Abstract art was assigned the role of the villainous alien; realism was to personify the genuine American means of expression. The arguments drew favor in many camps: among the artists, because most were realists; among the politically oriented intellectuals, because abstract art was apolitical; and among museum officials, because they were surfeited with mediocre imitations of European modernism and were convinced that American art must develop its own distinct identity. To help along this road to self-definition, the museums were prepared to set up an artificial double standard, one for American art, and another for European art. In 1934, Ralph Flint wrote in Art News, "We have today in our midst a greater array of what may be called second-, third-, and fourth string artists than any other country. Our big annuals are marvelous outpourings of intelligence and skill; they have all the diversity and animation of a fine-ring circus./

单选题"For all you know, I might have a tremendous burning talent," warns the heroine of Brief Encounter, as the camera pans on to a serenading lady cellist in a teashop trio. "Oh dear, no," comes the reply, "you're too sane and uncomplicated." For a place where talent rarely falls below combustion point, the Royal College of Music is good at not encouraging the cinema stereotype of what it means to be an artist. In fact, the college is too close to the profession it serves to be anything but a breeding ground of serious hard work: there's not time, and very little room for temperament. The proof of industry is quite audible on weekdays during term, when the whole building generates a comfortable din of uncoordinated noise, as pervasive as the English academic smell of polished and cooked cabbage that haunts the corridors. The overall impression is that the college has outgrown its premises as well as its sound-proofing, even though the building in Prince Consort Road has been extended twice. A hundred years ago, when the Royal College came into official existence, it was on a much smaller scale and housed in what is now the Royal College of Organists--a florid piece of 19th-century fantasy beside the Altert Hall. Most students come here straight from school, which is often at a younger age than the current director, Sir David Willcocks, would like, "Singers in particular we encourage to come later, because the voice doesn't really develop until 20 -23. But in practice we accept people before then, rather than see them go elsewhere. If you tell someone to come back in three years time, and he goes off and gets a good job, why should he then risk giving it up to become a student?" Willcocks likes to keep his students for as long as possible, and one of the major policy decisions taken since he came to the college in 1974 has been to increase the length of the basic performers course by a fourth year. "The only ones who could properly go into the profession after three years are wind players, because their standards are astonishingly high these days. Other- wise, my advice is usually to stay here for four years and then perhaps take a specialist course abroad. The most critical recommendation of all—for a student to abandon the idea of a professional performing career—is one that Willcocks rarely has to make. It's in the nature of a conservatoire that progress, or lack of it, is public knowledge; and, given some sensitivity to the competition, most students find their own level without having to be told, "You know when you' ye done well," said one battle-scarred soprano, "because nobody speaks to you." In fact the great majority do carry on with music after they leave the college, but not necessarily in the form they had expected. Conductors may end up repetiteurs in provincial opera houses; solo singers may be swept into the chorus; some are absorbed by arts administration or the BBC, and many become teachers. In all cases, even those who give up music altogether, Willcocks is insistent that they haven't failed: "Music is a discipline in itself, a training of the mind./

单选题The landscape of the Giant's Causeway, lurking below the gaunt sea wall where the land ends, must have struck wonder into the hearts of the ancient Irish, who subsequently felt inspired and created legends about its builder, the giant Finn McCool. The Causeway Coast has an unparalleled display of geological formations representing volcanic activity during the Early Tertiary Period some 50-60 million years ago. Its Tertiary lavas of the Antrim Plateau, covering some 3,800 sq km, represent the largest remaining lava plateau in Europe. The Causeway is a mass of basalt columns packed tightly together. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Altogether there are 40,000 of these stone columns, mostly hexagonal, but some are quadrangular, pentagonal, heptagonal and octagonal. The tallest ate about 40 feet high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 90 feet thick in places. A fine circular walk will take you down to the Giant's Causeway, past amphitheatres of stone columns and formations with fanciful names like the Honeycomb, the Wishing Well, and the Giant's Granny, past a wooden staircase to Benbane Head, and back along the cliff-top. Further down the coast, the stunning Carrick-a-rede rope bridge spans a gaping chasm between the coast and a small island used by fishermen. The eighty-foot drop can be crossed via the swinging bridge- and is not for the faint-hearted! The Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast site was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. The site is of outstanding universal value and meets the criteria set in the World Heritage Convention. Namely, it is an outstanding example representing major stages of the earth's history including the record of life: significant on-going geological processes in landform developments, and significant geomorphic and physiographic features; moreover, it also contains superlative natural phenomena and areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. Moyle District Council's Causeway Visitor Centre is open daily all year round and located on the cliff top 1 km from the site. The Centre is the ideal starting point for walks along the coastal and cliff-top paths, providing all excellent range of visitor services. A 12-minute audio-visual presentation, with commentary available in 5 European languages, enables visitors to further explore the origins of the Giant s Causeway through local folklore~ and scientific theory, and highlights the many other attractions of the Causeway Coast and Glens of Antrim area.

单选题Australia began to assume its modern configuration by the Eocene Epoch, some 50 million years ago, when Antarctica broke away and drifted southward.

单选题What do the words "remain stationary" mean in sentence 1, paragraph 4 of the passage?

单选题One weakness of this study may be ______.

单选题In mountainous regions, much of the snow that falls is Ucompacted/U into ice.

单选题Two of the girls have to share one bed, but the other three have______ones.

单选题It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, cataracts removed in a 30-minutes surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death, and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours. Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians — frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient — too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified. In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $ 1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age — say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way", so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential. I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have. Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives.

单选题One of the most important periods in Greed history was the Hellenistic Age which began after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. , and lasted almost 200 years. It was during this time in history that Greek ideas and Greek culture spread to Egypt and throughout the Near East. A Greek state even existed as far west as India. During the Hellenistic Age, there were great advances in such areas as philosophy, science, religion, art and social justice. Important discoveries were made in the sciences. Eratosthenes, for instance, made an accurate calculation of the diameter of the earth, while Aristarchus declared that the earth was round. Social reformers attempted to abolish debt and institute a program of land redistribution among the poor but met with little success. Women achieved a better social standing and among the middle class education became widespread. Peace of mind was the great concern of the philosophers of the Hellenistic Age. The Stoics insisted that happiness could be achieved when man learned to accept the events which were beyond his control and, at the same time, did his duty. The Epicureans espoused the idea that moderation in pleasure and the avoidance of pain produced the desired result. The Cynics turned away from all desires and pleasures, and advocated a pursuit of virtue. In religion, many Greeks turned to the worship of such Egyptian gods as Serapis and Isis. During the Hellenistic Age, the area of Greek influence included such political powers as the Ptolemies of Egypt, the Seleucids of Syria, the Antigonids of Macedon and the Attalids of Pergamum, and it was their fighting against each other and among themselves that paved the way for the aggressive Romans to conquer Greece and most of the Hellenistic world in the 100's B. C. The Romans brought the Hellenistic Age to a close when they conquered the last major power, Egypt, in 30 B. C.

单选题Another common ______ about older people is that they are too old to learn new skills.

单选题To save money for my education, Mother often took on more work than ______ for her.

单选题Your left ______ hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.

单选题Mary Robinson has been formally ______ as Ireland's first woman president. A. sworn in B. told off C. spelt out D. picked up

单选题The author is going to______his play for television.

单选题Researchers at Yale University Medical School and the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn., have taken a pretty good look at what happens in the brain of a drunken driver. And it isn"t pretty. Using 1 scans, the scientists compared the neural activity that 2 on and off like lights on a police car as both sober 3 game. The maps of activity in different areas of the brain 4 in new detail the impact that drinking has on a complicated 5 task such as driving. "No one had seen that in a scanner 6 ," said Dr. Godfrey Pearlson, a Yale psychiatrist and director of the Olin Center. Pearlson and Vince Calhoun, a researcher at Yale and Olin, first conducted brain scans on 7 drivers as they played the driving simulation game and then as they watched others play the game. Those scans gave the researchers a baseline of 8 activity in the unimpaired driver. Subjects were then given a low dose or a high dose of booze—enough to get their blood alcohol content to either 0.04 percent or 0.10 percent. An inebriated driver often will speed because alcohol has affected the cerebellum, a primitive area of the brain involved in 9 function, the researchers found. But drunken drivers 10 in and out of traffic because of errors in the front parietal cortex, which translates sensory information and helps in the decision-making process, Pearlson said. Drinking did not seem to change activity in five other areas of the brain associated with driving, such as vision centers, the researchers found. But to the surprise of no one, the more the subjects drank, the more trouble they had with their driving.

单选题1 tried very hard to persuade her to join our study group but I met with flat______. A. decline B. rejection C. refusal D. refutation

单选题Ironically, the intellectual tools currently being used by the political right to such harmful effect originated on the academic left. In the 1960s and 1970s a philosophical movement called postmodernism developed among humanities professors【C1】______being deposed by science, which they regarded as right-leaning. Postmodernism【C2】______ideas from cultural anthropology and relativity theory to argue that truth is【C3】______and subject to the assumptions and prejudices of the observer. Science is just one of many ways of knowing, they argued, neither more nor less【C4】______than others, like those of Aborigines, Native Americans or women.【C5】______, they defined science as the way of knowing among Western white men and a tool of cultural【C6】______. This argument【C7】______with many feminists and civil-rights activists and became widely adopted, leading to the "political correctness" justifiably【C8】______by Rush Limbaugh and the "mental masturbation" lampooned by Woody Allen. Acceptance of this relativistic worldview【C9】______democracy and leads not to tolerance but to authoritarianism. John Locke, one of Jefferson's "trinity of three greatest men," showed【C10】______almost three centuries ago. Locke watched the arguing factions of Protestantism, each claiming to be the one true religion, and asked: How do we know something to be true? What is the basis of knowledge? In 1689 he【C11】______what knowledge is and how it is grounded in observations of the physical world in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Any claim that fails this test is "but faith, or opinion, but not knowledge. " It was this idea—that the world is knowable and that objective, empirical knowledge is the most【C12】______basis for public policy that stood as Jefferson's foundational argument for democracy. By falsely【C13】______knowledge with opinion, postmodernists and antiscience conservatives alike collapse our thinking back to a pre-Enlightenment era, leaving no common basis for public policy. Public discourse is【C14】______to endless warring opinions, none seen as more valid than another. Policy is determined by the loudest voices, reducing us to a world in which might【C15】______right—the classic definition of authoritarianism.