1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 63及答案与解析 Section B 0 The End of the Book? A)Amazon, by far the largest bookseller in the country, reported on May 19 that it is now selling more books in its electronic Kindle format than in the old paper-and-ink format. That is remarkable, considering that the Kindle has only bee
2、n around for four years. E-books now account for 14 percent of all book sales in the country and are increasing far faster than overall book sales. E-book sales are up 146 percent over last year, while hardback sales increased 6 percent and paperbacks decreased 8 percent. B)Does this spell the doom
3、of the physical book? Certainly not immediately, and perhaps not at all. What it does mean is that the book business will go through a transformation in the next decade or so more profound than any it has seen since Gutenberg introduced printing from moveable type in the 1450s. C)Physical books will
4、 surely become much rarer in the marketplace. Mass market paperbacks, which have been declining for years anyway, will probably disappear, as will hardbacks for mysteries, thrillers, “romance fiction,“ etc. Such books, which only rarely end up in permanent collections, either private or public, will
5、 probably only be available as e-books within a few years. Hardback and trade paperbacks for “serious“ nonfiction and fiction will surely last longer. Perhaps it will become the mark of an author to reckon with that he or she is still published in hard copy. D)As for children s books, who knows? Chi
6、ldren s books are like dog food in that the purchasers are not the consumers, so the market(and the marketing)is inherently strange. E)For clues to the books future, lets look at some examples of technological change and see what happened to the old technology. F)One technology replaces another only
7、 because the new technology is better, cheaper, or both. The greater the difference, the sooner and more thoroughly the new technology replaces the old. Printing with moveable type on paper dramatically reduced the cost of producing a book compared with the old-fashioned ones handwritten on vellum,
8、which comes from sheepskin. A Bible to be sure, a long book required vellum made from 300 sheepskins and countless man-hours of labor. Before printing arrived, a Bible cost more than a middle-class house. There were perhaps 50,000 books in all of Europe in 1450. By 1500 there were 10 million. G)But
9、while printing quickly caused the hand written book to die out, handwriting lingered on(继续存在 )well into the 16th century. Very special books are still occasionally produced on vellum, but they are one-of-a-kind show pieces. H)Sometimes a new technology doesnt drive the old one out, but only parts of
10、 it while forcing the rest to evolve. The movies were widely predicted to drive live theater out of the marketplace, but they didn t, because theater turned out to have qualities movies could not reproduce. Equally, TV was supposed to replace movies but, again, did not. I)Movies did, however, fatall
11、y impact some parts of live theater. And while TV didnt kill movies, it did kill second-rate pictures, shorts, and cartoons. J)Nor did TV kill radio. Comedy and drama shows(“Jack Benny,“ “Amos and Andy,“ “The Shadow“)all migrated to television. But because you cant drive a car and watch television a
12、t the same time, rush hour became radio s prime, while music, talk, and news radio greatly enlarged their audiences. Radio is today a very different business than in the late 1940s and a much larger one. K)Sometimes old technology lingers for centuries because of its symbolic power. Mounted cavalry(
13、骑兵 )replaced the chariot(二轮战车 )on the battlefield around 1000 BC. But chariots maintained their place in parades and triumphs right up until the end of the Roman Empire 1,500 years later. The sword hasnt had a military function for a hundred years, but is still part of an officers full-dress uniform
14、, precisely because a sword always symbolized “an officer and a gentleman.“ L)Sometimes new technology is a little cranky(不稳定的 )at first. Television repairman was a common occupation in the 1950s, for instance. And so the old technology remains as a backup. Steamships captured the North Atlantic pas
15、senger business from sail in the 1840s because of its much greater speed. But steamships didnt lose their sails until the 1880s, because early marine engines had a nasty habit of breaking down. Until ships became large enough(and engines small enough)to mount two engines side by side, they needed to
16、 keep sails.(The high cost of steam and the lesser need for speed kept the majority of the worlds ocean freight moving by sail until the early years of the 20th century.) M)Then there is the fireplace. Central heating was present in every upper-and middle-class home by the second half of the 19th ce
17、ntury. But functioning fireplaces remain to this day a powerful selling point in a house or apartment. I suspect the reason is a deep-rooted love of the fire. Fire was one of the earliest major technological advances for humankind, providing heat, protection, and cooked food(which is much easier to
18、cat and digest). Human control of fire goes back far enough(over a million years)that evolution could have produced a genetic leaning towards fire as a central aspect of human life. N)Books especially books the average person could afford havent been around long enough to produce evolutionary change
19、 in humans. But they have a powerful hold on many people nonetheless, a hold extending far beyond their literary content. At their best, they are works of art and there is a tactile(触觉的 )pleasure in books necessarily lost in e-book versions. The ability to quickly thumb through pages is also lost. A
20、nd a room with books in it induces, at least in some, a feeling not dissimilar to that of a fire in the fireplace on a cold winters night. O)For these reasons I think physical books will have a longer existence as a commercial product than some currently predict. Like swords, books have symbolic pow
21、er. Like fireplaces, they induce a sense of comfort and warmth. And, perhaps, similar to sails, they make a useful back-up for when the lights go out. 1 Authors still published in printed versions will be considered important ones. 2 Some people are still in favor of printed books because of the sen
22、se of touch they can provide. 3 The radio business has changed greatly and now attracts more listeners. 4 Contrary to many people s prediction of its death, the film industry survived. 5 Remarkable changes have taken place in the book business. 6 Old technology sometimes continues to exist because o
23、f its reliability. 7 The increase of e-book sales will force the book business to make changes not seen for centuries. 8 A new technology is unlikely to take the place of an old one without a clear advantage. 9 Paperbacks of popular literature are more likely to be replaced by e-books. 10 A house wi
24、th a fireplace has a stronger appeal to buyers. 10 Why Integrity Matters What is Integrity? A)“Integrity“ is defined as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; honesty.“ The key to integrity is consistency not only setting high personal standards for oneself(honesty, responsibility, respect for
25、others, fairness)but also living up to those standards each day. One who has integrity is bound by and follows moral and ethical standards even when making life s hard choices, choices which may be clouded by stress, pressure to succeed, or temptation. B)What happens if we lie, cheat, steal, or viol
26、ate other ethical standards? We feel disappointed in ourselves and ashamed. But a lapse of integrity also affects our relationships with others. Trust is essential in any important relationship, whether personal or professional. Who can trust someone who is dishonest or unfair? Thus, integrity must
27、be one of our most important goals. Risky Business C)We are each responsible for our own decisions, even if the decision-making process has been undermined by stress or peer pressure. The real test of character is whether we can learn from our mistake, by understanding why we acted as we did, and th
28、en exploring ways to avoid similar problems in the future. D)Making ethical decisions is a critical part of avoiding future problems. We must learn to recognize risks, because if we cant see the risks were taking, we cant make responsible choices. To identify risks, we need to know the rules and be
29、aware of the facts. For example, one who doesnt know the rules about plagiarism may accidentally use words or ideas without giving proper credit, or one who fails to keep careful research notes may unintentionally fail to quote and cite sources as required. But the fact that such a violation is “uni
30、ntentional“ does not excuse the misconduct. Ignorance is not a defense. But Everybody Does It E)Most people who get in trouble do know the rules and facts, but manage to fool themselves about the risks theyre taking by using excuses: “Everyone else does it,“ “Im not hurting anyone,“ or “I really nee
31、d this grade.“ Excuses can get very elaborate: “I know I m looking at another s exam, even though I m supposed to keep my eyes on my own paper, but thats not cheating because Im just checking my answers, not copying.“ We must be honest about our actions, and avoid excuses. If we fool ourselves into
32、believing we re not doing anything wrong, we can t see the real choice we re making and that leads to bad decisions. F)To avoid fooling yourself, watch out for excuses and try this test: Ask how you would feel if your actions were public, and anyone could be watching over your shoulder. Would you fe
33、el proud or ashamed of your actions? If youd rather hide your actions, that s a good indication that you re taking a risk and rationalizing it to yourself. Evaluating Risks G)To decide whether a risk is worth taking, you must examine the consequences, in the future as well as right now, negative as
34、well as positive, and to others as well as to yourself. Those who take risks they later regret usually focus on immediate benefits(“whats in it for me“), and simply havent considered what might go wrong. The consequences of getting caught are serious, and may include a “0“ on a test or assignment; a
35、n “F“ in the class; Suspension or Dismissal from school; transcript notation; and a tarnished reputation. In fact, when you break a rule or law, you lose control over your life, and give others the power to impose punishment: you have no control over what that punishment might be. This is an extreme
36、ly precarious and vulnerable position. There may be some matters of life and death, or highest principle, which might justify such a risk, but there arent many things that fall in this category. Getting Away With It Or Not H)Those who dont get caught pay an even higher price. A cheater doesnt learn
37、from the test, depriving him / herself of an education. Cheating undermines confidence and independence: the cheater is a fraud, and knows that without dishonesty, he / she would have failed. Cheating destroys self-esteem and integrity, leaving the cheater ashamed, guilty, and afraid of getting caug
38、ht. Worst of all, a cheater who doesnt get caught the first time usually cheats again, not only because he / she is farther behind, but also because it seems “easier.“ This slippery slope of eroding ethics and bigger risks leads only to disaster. Eventually, the cheater gets caught, and the later he
39、 / she gets caught, the worse the consequences. Students have been dismissed from school because they didnt get this simple message: Honesty is the ONLY policy that works. Cheating Hurts Others, Too I)Cheaters often feel invisible, as if their actions “dont count“ and dont really hurt anyone. But in
40、dividual choices have a profound cumulative effect. Cheating can spread like a disease, and a cheater can encourage others just by being seen from across the room. Recent statistics suggest 30% or more of college students cheat. If a class is graded on a curve, cheating hurts others grades. Even if
41、there is no curve, cheating “poisons“ the classroom, and others may feel pressured to join in.(“If I dont cheat, I cant compete with those who do.“)Cheating also has a destructive impact on teachers. The real reward of good teaching is seeing students learn, but a cheater says, “Im not interested in
42、 what you re trying to teach; all I care about is stealing a grade, regardless of the effect on others.“ The end result is a blatant and destructive attack on the quality of your education. Finally, cheating can hurt the reputation of the university, and harm those who worked hard for their degree.
43、Why Integrity Matters J)If cheating becomes the norm, then we are in big trouble. We must rely on the honesty and good faith of others every day. If not, we couldnt put money in the bank, buy food, clothing, or medicine from others, drive across a bridge, get on a plane, go to the dentist the list i
44、s endless. There are many examples of the vast harm that is caused when individuals forget or ignore the effect their dishonesty can have. The savings and loan scandal, the stock market and junk bond swindles, and, of course, Watergate, have undermined the faith of many Americans in the integrity of
45、 political and economic leaders and society as a whole. Such incidents take a tremendous toll on our nations economy and our individual well-being. For example, but for the savings and loan debacle, there might be funds available to reduce the national debt and pay for education. K)In sum, we all ha
46、ve a common stake in our school, our community, and our society. Our actions do matter. It is essential that we act with integrity in order to build the kind of world in which we want to live. 11 Integrity is the basis of mutual trust playing in personal and professional relationships. 12 We must le
47、arn what we are going to take, so that we dont run into trouble. 13 Violation of a rule will make the cheater feel ashamed, guilty, and afraid of getting caught. 14 A person of integrity not only sets high moral and ethical standards but also sticks to them in his daily life. 15 If there is someone
48、cheating, others may feel pressured and cheat, too. 16 One should avoid making excuses if he doesn t wish to fool himself. 17 Cheating can ruin the reputation of a university, and do harm to those who worked hard. 18 If we cant rely on others honesty and good faith, we couldnt buy food, clothing, an
49、d medicine from others. 19 We need to know rules and be clear about the facts to identify risks. 20 If you are not proud of your actions, and would rather hide them, thats an indication that you re taking a risk. 20 Seven Steps to a More Fulfilling Job A)Many people today find themselves in unfulfilling work situations. In fact, one in four workers is dissatisfied with their current job, according to the recent “Plans for 2004“ survey. Their career path may be financially rewarding, but it doesn
