1、考博英语（阅读理解）练习试卷 28及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Despite their many differences of temperament and of literary perspective, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman share certain beliefs. Common to all these writers is their humanistic perspective. Its basic premises are that humans are
2、the spiritual center of the universe and that in them alone is the clue to nature, history, and ultimately the cosmos itself. Without denying outright the existence either of a deity or of brute matter, this perspective nevertheless rejects them as exclusive principles of interpretation and prefers
3、to explain humans and the world in terms of humanity itself. This preference is expressed most clearly in the transcendentalist principle that the structure of the universe literally duplicates the structure of the individual self; therefore, all knowledge begins with self-knowledge. This common per
4、spective is almost always universalized. Its emphasis is not upon the individual as a particular European or American, but upon the human as universal, freed from the accidents of time, space, birth, and talent. Thus, for Emerson, the “American Scholar“ turns out to be simply “Man Thinking;“ while,
5、for Whitman, the “Song of Myself“ merges imperceptibly into a song of all the “children of Adam,“ where “every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you“. Also common to all the five writers is the belief that individual virtue and happiness depend upon self-realization, which, in turn, depends up
6、on the harmonious reconciliation of two universal psychological tendencies; first, the self-asserting impulse of the individual to withdraw, to remain unique and separate, and to be responsible only to himself or herself and second, the self-transcending impulse of the individual to embrace the whol
7、e world in the experience of a single moment and to know and become one with that world. These conflicting impulses can be seen in the democratic ethic. Democracy advocates individualism, the preservation of the individuals freedom and self-expression. But the democratic self is torn between the dut
8、y to self, which is implied by the concept of liberty, and the duty to society, which is implied by the concepts of equality and fraternity, A third assumption common to the five writers is that intuition and imagination offer a surer road to truth than does abstract logic or scientific method. It i
9、s illustrated by their emphasis upon introspectiontheir belief that the clue to external nature is to be found in the inner world of individual psychologyand by their interpretation of experience as, in essence, symbolic. Both these stresses presume an organic relationship between the sell and the c
10、osmos of which only intuition and imagination can properly take account. These writers faith in the imagination and in themselves as practitioners of imagination led them to conceive of the writer as a seer and enabled them to achieve supreme confidence in their own moral and metaphysical insights.
11、(464 words) 1 The main idea of this passage is the discussion on_. （ A） differences of temperaments of the five writers （ B） What is the center of the cosmos （ C） the common concepts of the five writers （ D） some briefs concerning the relationship between humanism and democracy 2 Which statement of
12、the following is NOT true in terms of humanistic perspective? （ A） The structure of the universe is similar to that of the individual. （ B） Humans are the spiritual center of the cosmos. （ C） All knowledge begins with self-knowledge. （ D） It is the shared perspective that made these five writers fam
13、ous. 3 What does the second paragraph intend to convey? （ A） The comparison of their individual personalities. （ B） The contrast of their individual works. （ C） Humanistic perspective exists anywhere, any time. （ D） Europe and America are different from the rest of the world in some aspects. 4 The t
14、hird paragraph tells us that_. （ A） there are some differences between democracy and democratic self （ B） a person should embrace the whole world and become one with that world （ C） individual virtue and happiness relies on how you can balance yourself and others （ D） some people are selfish; while
15、others are not. 5 The reason of the five writers for their objection to scientific method is that （ A） the human cant obtain the understanding between the individual and the cosmos （ B） they believe that intuition and imagination is more reliable （ C） humans are born to understand the external natur
16、e （ D） everything in the world is symbolic 5 Professor Walter Oechsler of the University of Mannheim (Germany) believes the workplace and workforce in the 21st century will be characterized by “flexibilization. “ Oechsler sees the flexibilization“ of the workplace and workforce leading to “a core gr
17、oup with unlimited full employment, and an increasingly larger group of short-term limited and/or part-time employees who face severe employment risks, ultimately resulting in stress. “ Unfortunately, I must agree with Oechslers rather unpleasant prediction. Increasing global competition will lead t
18、o increasing pressure and stress on all employees. Employees who are unprepared for the new workplace will find themselves at great risk. Oechsler goes on to describe a major change in corporate strategy. “Whereas the typical corporate strategy of the industrial society was uniform mass production w
19、ith Tayloristic structures and stable employment, the dominant strategy for global competition is flexible specialization. The strategy of flexible specialization is directed toward customer needs. “ This shift in focus from fixed standardized production schedules to flexible customized customer ser
20、vices will dramatically affect the workplace and workforce. The 21st-century employee will have to bring a “flexible specialization“ to the 21st-century organization. Twenty-first century organizations will only be interested in hiring employees who bring a specialization that will serve the flexibl
21、e needs of customer/clients. Staff positions to support these customer-driven processes will still be available, but these staff positions (non-core competencies) will constantly be re-evaluated in light of possible outsourcing. Except for a small group of core professionals, employees will have to
22、adopt a mindset of selling their special competencies to different employers. Oechsler envisions these employees as “entrepreneurs marketing their own human resources in order to make a living“. Employability will be the key-to employee survival, not the stability of the company. Another powerful tr
23、end in the workplace will be the technologically possible “virtual company. “ Oechsler believes the virtual company can suppress social interaction and lead to new forms of alienation. What we know about group dynamics in face-to-face interactions will have to be re-examined in virtual interactions.
24、 How will employees react in the decentralized work structures of the virtual companies? We simply dont know. Oechsler believes, “Information technologies will dissolve social entities. “ If Oechsler is correct, what new entities and relationships will be created? I assume the social aspect of our h
25、uman nature hasnt changed. Oechsler (2000) summarizes his predictions for the 21st century workforce by saying, “The employee will take on more and severe risks of being unemployed. “ The work of organizational effectiveness (OE) consultants will be dramatically affected by these changes in employer
26、-employee relations. The downsizing, outsourcing, and global alliances that began to grab headlines in the 1980s were not simply fads driven by a few greedy capitalists. These trends are indicators of the more powerful megatrends of increasing global competition and increasing technological sophisti
27、cation. No doubt, numerous psychosocial problems will arise from these trends. (467 words) 6 This passage is_. （ A） the predictions of Professor Walter Oechsler for the 21st century workplace and workforce （ B） a comment on Oechslers prophesy （ C） a criticism of Oechslers words （ D） Oechslers belief
28、 of “flexibilization“ 7 What is NOT Oechslers prediction? （ A） The employees have to possess abstruse knowledge if they want to find a job in the future. （ B） Corporate posts are flexible and changeable. （ C） Corporations will be guided by the market and customers. （ D） Uniform mass production will
29、be replaced by flexible specialization. 8 What does “virtual company“(Line 12, Para. 7) mean? （ A） A company which is sensitive to the changes at the market. （ B） A company hiring people from different countries. （ C） A company where employees work in different places through the Internet. （ D） A cr
30、oss-national company with many subcompanies. 9 Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? （ A） No bad result will come from these changes in the 21st century. （ B） The downsizing, outsourcing, and global alliances will still be characteristic of the new era. （ C） Future work
31、ers should be versatile and multi-specialized. （ D） Specialists have already foreseen all the ill outcomes that will follow. 10 Which of the following can best represent Oechslers prediction? （ A） Numerous psychosocial problems will arise from these trends. （ B） Employability will be the key to empl
32、oyees survival, not the stability of the company. （ C） The workplace and workforce in the 21st century will become flexible. （ D） The employee will run more and severe risks of being unemployed. 10 The Ming Dynasty was founded in 1368 by the Buddhist monk Chu Yuanchang, who, riding on a crest of pea
33、sant unrest and popular prophecies stemming from the secret “Cult of the White Lotus,“ drove the last Mongol emperor out of China. Established at Nanjing, the Ming Dynasty divided the empire administratively into 13 provinces and set about increasing and centralising government control of the empire
34、. Government was departmentalised, censorship was introduced and judicial authority strengthened. Public schools were also introduced by the Ming, and officials subjected to literary examinations. Because Confucian teachings considered trade and industry morally questionable, they came under much in
35、creased state control during this period. However, naval expeditions which reached as far as Africa opened new trade routes during this period, as well as encouraging Chinese emigration into South East Asia. Increasing bureaucratisation led to an enhancement of power of the highest caste of official
36、domthe Mandarin and a consequent rival gain in political power of the palace eunuchs. The rivalry between the Mandarins and eunuchs led to much corruption and intrigues within the imperial harem. The Mandarin period saw an increased isolationism from China, reacting against incessant incursions by t
37、he Mongols, Japanese piracy and advances of the Europeans. Under Yung Lo, the capital of the Empire was moved to Beijing in 1421 in order to improve defence of Chinas northern frontier, and the Great Wall extended. Japanese piracy was finally eliminated in 1563, but the early to middle 16th century
38、China was plagued by Tungusian raiding which even reached as far as Beijing under the poet emperor Kia-Tsing. In exchange for tribute paid to the Empire, the first Portuguese base was established at Canton in 1516, though European trade was limited to Macau in 1557. Emperor Wan-Li (15731619) encoura
39、ged the missionary activity of the Jesuits, whose mathematical and technical skills and knowledge gained them much influence at the imperial court. Culturally, the Ming period is typified by a refinement in lifestyle and highly polished manners and complex etiquette systems. In literature, over 23 0
40、00 volumes are collected in the Yung-Lo Da Dian, and “true to life“ novels first began to appear. Architectural high points include the Imperial tombs at Beijing and Nanjing, and the extension of the Imperial palace. The classic Chinese garden with pagodas, arched bridges, singing birds and tea hous
41、es was perfected during the Ming period, but perhaps its most famous cultural artifact is the famous Ming porcelain, with colouring and decoration perfected to an exquisite degree. In medicine, a scientific system of diagnosis was developed during the Ming period, and acupuncture developed. The Ming
42、 empire was seriously weakened by plagues, floods and famines in the early I6th century and terminal decline of the dynasty started circa(大约 ) 1622, ironically as a result of the activities of the “Cult of the White Lotus“ and was finally ended by the rise of the Manchu Dynasty. (477 words) 11 The M
43、ing Dynasty was founded by_. （ A） the White Lotus （ B） a Buddhist monk （ C） the Mongol （ D） Li Zicheng 12 Which of the following is NOT true of the passage? （ A） The Mandarins and eunuchs were in discord. （ B） Officials were selected through the examination. （ C） The Ming Dynasty opened new trade ro
44、utes as far as to Europe by sea. （ D） The Portuguese began to come to China in 1516. 13 What does “Canton“(Line 2, Para. 5) refer to? （ A） Canal. （ B） Shangdong. （ C） Palace. （ D） Guangzhou. 14 The Ming Dynasty_. （ A） began to build the Great Wall against Japanese privacy （ B） was replaced by the Ma
45、nchu Dynasty （ C） refused to set up public schools in that period of time （ D） reached the zenith of power during the first quarter of the 16 th century 15 Who was the possible person involved in the naval expedition reaching Africa at that time? （ A） Marco Polo. （ B） Zheng He. （ C） Yung Lo. （ D） Chu Yuanchang. 考博英语（阅读理解）练习试卷 28答案与解析
