Extra Passage泛读三.doc

Extra Passage 1 Imagine a classroom where the instructors speak a foreign language and the students cant take notes, turn to a textbook, or ask any questions. Yet at the end of the final exam, one participation may face life in jail or even death. Thats the task handed to American juniors, briefly thrown together to decide accused criminals fate. In “ A Trial by Jury” ，Princeton history professor D. Graham Burnett offers a rare glimpse inside jury deliberations at a New York murder trial where he served as foreman last year. According to the prosecutor, the case seems clear-cut; a sexual encounter between two men went awry. The defendant stabbed his victim 26 times, but claims he acted in self-defense, killing a man who was attempting to rape him. Burnett opens with a graphic description of the crime. He then introduces the characters and walks readers through the 10-day trial. You hear the testimony of witnesses dressed in drag and find yourself put off by a growling prosecutor and the judges indifference. Most of the drama, though, comes during four days and three nights of deliberations. Once retreated in the jury room, confusion reigns. Most jurors dont understand the charges or the meaning of self-defense. Uninterested juror seem more concerned about missing appointments. On the third day, one juror runs to bathroom in tears after exchanging curses. By the final day, nearly, every cries. Though hes no more familiar with the law than the other jurors, who include a vacuum-cleaner repairman and a software developer, its fitting that Burnett is a teacher. For us, he serves as a patient instructor, illustrating with his experience just what a remarkable and sometimes remarkably strange duty serving on a jury can be. For many citizens, jury duty is their first exposure to our justice system. Jurors discover first hand the gap between law and justice. They face two flawed versions of the same event, offered by witnesses they may not believe. As Burnett observers, “We expect much of this room, and we think about it less often than we probably should.” We assume jurors will take their job seriously. We expect them to digest complicated definitions that leave lawyers confused. But as Burnett quickly discovers, jurors receive little help. The judge offers them no guidance about how to conduct themselves and races through his delivery of the murder charges. Only within the past decade have we finally abandoned the misconception that jurors naturally reach the right decision without any assistance. Led by Arizona, states have instituted jury reforms as simple as letting jurors take notes or obtain written copies of their instruction. Its not clear whether these changes improve the quality of justice, but the reforms certainly ensure that jurors leave their tour of duty with better feelings about the experience. Unfortunately, such reforms hadnt come yet to New York at the times of this trial. Nonetheless, Burnett and his fellow jurors grope toward their own solution, ultimately reaching what he describes as an “avowedly imperfect” result.1. The focal point of “ A Trial by Jury” seems to be on_.A) the presentation of a series of measures aimed to reform the jury systemB) the description of the writers experience on a typical juryC) the reporting of a special lawsuit and the comment on itD) the jury system can not do justice to the accused 2. The point the author intends to make by employing the analogy in the first paragraph is that _.A) students should never be taken by surpriseB) jurors are not qualified for reaching a verdictC) jurors often make mistakes in their decisionD) the jury system can not do justice to the accused3. The description of what happened inside the jury room seems to suggest that_.A) better-educated people should be selected as jurorsB) jurors should keep their heads cool and try not to be sentimentalC) there is much room for reaching an arbitraryD) the judge should have given the jurors clear instruction about what to do 4. The objective of the jury reforms is to _.A） improve of the quality of justiceB） give juror reassuring feeling about the experience in courtC） help jurors to reach an avowedly perfect verdictD） enable jurors to abandon some misconceptions about law and justiceExtra Passage 2 Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are excessively concerned with their own appearance and actions. Worrisome thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds. What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me?Do I wound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people adversely. A persons self-concept is reflected id reflected in the way he or she behaves, and the way a person behaves affects other peoples reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a profound effect on all areas of their lives.Shy people, having low self-esteem, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need reassurance that they are doing “ the right thing”. Shy people are very sensitive to criticism; they feel it confirm their inferiority. They also find it difficulty to be pleased by compliments because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a compliment with a statement like this one, “Youre just saying that to make me feel good. I know its not true.”. It is clear that,while selfawareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.Can shyness be completely eliminated, or at least reduced? Fortunately,people can overcome shyness with determined and patient effort in building self-confidence. Since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self-esteem, it is important for people to accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths.For example, most people would like to be “A” student in every subjects. It is not fair for them to label themselves inferior became they have difficulty in some areas. Peoples expectations of themselves must be realistic.Living on the impossible leads to a sense of inadequacy.Each one of us is a unique,worth individual. We are interested in our own personal ways.The better we understand ourselves, the easier it become to live up to our full potential. Lets not allow shyness to block our chances for chances for a rich and fulfilling life.1 The first paragraph is mainly about_. A) the characteristics of shy people B) the cause of shyness C) the questions in the minds of shy people D) the effect of shyness on people2According to the writer, self-awareness is_ A) harmful to people B) a weak point of shy people C) the cause of unhappiness D) a good quality3What is the shy peoples reaction to compliment? A)They are pleased by it. B) They feel it is not true. C)They are very sensitive to it. D) They feel it confirms their inferiority.4Which of the following statements is TRUE? A)Shyness helps us to live up to our full potential. B)Shyness enables us to understand ourselves better. C)Shyness blocks our chances for a rich life. D)Shyness has nothing to do with lack of self-esteem.5We can infer from the passage that the writer is _ A)a shy person B)a realistic person C)a sensitive person D)a reserved personExtra Passage 3 There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degrees of health and wealth and wealth and the other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes miserable. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons and events, and the resulting effects upon their minds.The people who are to be happy fix their attention on the conveniences of things, the pleasant parts of conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the goodness of the wines, the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contrary things. Therefore, they are continually discontented. By their remarks, they sour the pleasures of the society, offend many people, and mark themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The tendency to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong , but it may be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious consequences in life, since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many other, nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect, and scarcely that. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at obtaining some advantage in rank or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone stir a step or speak a work to favour their hopes. If they bring on themselves public disapproval, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their misconduct. These people should change this bad habit and condescend to be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.1.People who are unhappy_.A. always consider things differently from others.B. usually are influenced by the results of certain thingsC. can discover the unpleasant part of certain thingsD. usually have a fault-finding habit2The phrase “ sour the pleasures of the society” (para. 2 , line 7) most nearly means_. A. have a good taste to the pleasures of the society B. arent content with the pleasures of the society C. feel happy with the pleasures of the society D. enjoy the pleasures of the society3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. We should pity all such unhappy people. B. Such unhappy people are critical about everything. C. If such unhappy people recognize the bad effects of the habit on themselves they may get rid of it. D. Such unhappy people are also not content with themselves.4. “ scarcely that”(para.3,line 5) means _. A. just like that B. almost not like that C. more than that D. not at all like that5. If such unhappy persons dont change their bad behaviour, the authors solution to be problem is that_. A. people should avoid contact with them B. people should criticize their misconduct C. people should help them recognize the bad effects of the habit D. people should show no respect and politeness to themExtra Passage 4Let us out from a fact. The same type of civilizations, or to use a more exact ,although more extended expression , the same society, has hot always inhabited the earth. The human race as a whole has grown, has developed, has matured, like one of ourselves. It was once a child, it was once man; we are now looking on at its impressive old age. Before the epoch which modern society has dubbed “ancient” there was another epoch which the ancient called “fabulous” but which it would be more accurate to call “primitive”. Observe then three great successive orders of things in civilization, from its origin down to our days. Now, as poetry is always superposed upon society, we propose to try to demonstrate, from the from of its society, what the character of the poetry must have been in those three great ages of the would primitive times, ancient times, modern times. In primitive times, when man awakes in a world that is newly created, poetry awakes with him. In the face of the marvelous things that dazzle him, his first speech is a hymn simply. He is still, so close to God that all his thoughts are joyful, all his dreams are visions. The earth is still almost deserted. There are families, but no nations; patriarchs, but no kings. Each race exist at its own pleasure; no property, no laws, no conventions, no wars. Everything belongs to each and to all. Society is community. Man is restrained in nought. He leads that nomadic pastoral life with which all civilization begin, and which is so well adapted to solitary contemplation, to fanciful reverie. He follows every suggestion, he goes hither and thither, at random. His thought, like his life, resembles a cloud that changes its shape and its direction according to the wind that drives it. Such is the first man, such is the first port. He is young; he is cynical. Prayer is his sole religion, the ode is his only form of poetry. This ode, this poem of primitive times, is Genesis. By slow degrees, however, this youth of the world pass away. All the spheres progress; the tribe becomes a nation. Each of these groups of men camps about a common center, ang kingdoms appear. The social instinct succeeds the nomadic instinct. The camp gives place these states of nations; the pastoral staff has already assumed the shape of a scepter. Everything tends to become stationary and fixed. Religion takes on a definite shape; prayer is governed by rites; dogma sets bunds to worship. Thus the priest and king share the paternity of the people; thus theocratic society succeeds the patriarchal community. Meanwhile the nations are beginning to be packed too closely on the earths surface. They annoy and jostle one another; hence the clash of empires-war. They overflow upon another; hence the migrations of nations-voyages. Poetry reflects these momentous events; from ideas it proceeds to things. It sing of ages, of nations of empires1. In the above passage the primitive period is equated with the period called_. A. fabulous B. ancient C. medieval D. modern2. War, the author believes, results primarily from_. A. rule by king B. patriarchal jealousies C. the existence of a theocratic state D. large, closely packed population3. The author draws an analogy between the growth of peoples into nation-states and the _. A. development of poetic verse from B. books of the Old Testament C. great epochs in history D. maturation of the human being from childhood to maturity4. Because of its unique character, a great interpreter of the periods of history is_. A. the national historian B. B poetry C. the biblical prophet D. storytellingExtra Passage 5As citizens of advanced but vulnerable economies, we must either relentlessly increase the quality of our skills or see our standard of living erode. For the future, competition between nations will be increasingly based on technological skill. Oil and natural resources will still be important, but they no longer will determine a nations economic strength. This will now be a matter of the way people organize them selves and the nature and quality of their work. Japan and the “new Japans “of East Asia are demonstrating this point in ways that are becoming painfully obvious to the older industrial countries. There is simply no way to rest on our past achievements. Todays competition renders obsolete huge chunks of what we know and what forces us to innovate. For each individual. Several careers will be customary, and continuing education and retraining will be inescapable. To attain this extraordinary level of education, government, business, schools, and even individuals will turn to technology for the answer. In industry, processing the information and designing the changes necessary to keep up with the market has meant the growing use of computers. The schools are now following close behind. Already some colleges in the United States are requiting a computer for each student. It is estimated that 500,000 computers are already in use in American high schools and elementary schools. Although there is an abysmal lack of educational software, the number of computers in schools expands rapidly. The computer is the Proteus of machines, as it takes on a thousand forms and serves a thousand functions. But its truly revolutionary character can be seen in its interactive potential. With advanced computers, learning can be individualized and self-paced. Teachers can become more productive and the entire learning environment enriched. It is striking how much current teaching is a product of pencil and paper technology. With the computers capacity for simulation and diverse kinds of feedback, all sorts of new possibilities open up for the redesign of curriculums. Seymour Papert, the inventor of the computer language LOGO, believes that concepts in physics and advanced mathematics can be taught in the early grades with the use of computers. On every-day level, word-processing significantly improves the capacity for written expression. In terms of drill and practice, self-paced computer-assisted instruction enables the student to advance rapidlywithout being limited by the conflicting needs of the entire class. In short, once we learn to use this new brain outside the brain, education will never be the same.Industry, faced with the pressures of a rapidly shifting market, is already designing new methods to retrain its workers, In the United States, a technological university has been set up to teach engineering courses by satellite. And the advanc