大学专业试卷 复旦大学英语水平考试笔试样卷及答案

FudanEnglishTest

(PaperA,June27,2011)

PartIListening(20minutes)

SectionASpotDictation

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagetwice.Thepassageisprintedonthefirst

pageoftheAnswerSheetswitheightblanks.Itwillbereadatthenormalspeedwitha30-

secondpauseafterwards.YouarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfromL1toL8with

theexactwordorwordsthataremissing.

SectionBMultipleChoiceQuestionsBasedonConversations

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearseveralconversationsonlyonce.Aftereach

conversation,therewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthequestionstogether

withthechoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),andchoosethebestanswerforeachquestion.

ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronthefirstpageoftheAnswerSheets.

ConversationOne

1.AccordingtoDr.Peterson,whatcanstressdotousintheshortterm?

A)Itdeprivesusofenergy.

B)Itmakesusfeelunderthreat.

C)Itmotivatesus.

D)Itenablesustoachievemore.

2.AccordingtoAnn,howmuchdoesstresscosttheAmericanindustry?

A)300milliondollarsayear.

B)Morethan300milliondollars.

C)300billiondollarsayear.

D)Morethan300billiondollarsayear.

ConversationTwo

3.Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtotheman?

A)Womenareespeciallyvulnerabletoshoppingaddiction.

B)Menareactuallymorepronetoshoppingaddictionthanwomen.

C)Bothmenandwomenmayhavethecompulsiontojustshop.

D)Women’sshoppingpsychologyisdifferentfrommen’s.

4.HowmanyAmericansareaddictedtoshopping?

A)15%.

B)20%.

C)Oneoutoftwenty.

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D)Oneoutoften.

5.Accordingtotheman,whatisoneofthereasonsforshoppingcompulsion?

A)Toreducestress.

B)Toshowoff.

C)Tofollowfashion.

D)Tofixproblems.

6.Whatisthewoman’sattitudetowardshoppingcompulsion?A)Positive.

B)Negative.

C)Neutral.

D)Itcannotbeknownfromthisconversation.

ConversationThree

7.Whatarethetwomenmainlytalkingabout?

A)ComparingthenuclearcrisisinJapanandthatinChernobyl.

B)ThecurrentconditionofthedamagedreactorsinJapan.

C)HowthenuclearcrisisinJapanmightdevelopnext.

D)WhatwillhappentotheoceansasaresultofthenuclearcrisisinJapan.

8.WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentionedintheconversation?

A)Skin

cancer.

B)Foodsafety.

C)Economicdevelopment.

D)Oceancontamination.

SectionCMultipleChoiceQuestionsBasedonAcademicLectures

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolectureclipsonlyonce.Aftereachclip,therewill

beapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthequestionstogetherwiththechoicesmarked

A),B),C)andD),andchoosethebestanswerforeachquestion.Thenmarkthecorresponding

letteronthefirstpageoftheAnswerSheets.

LectureOne

9.Whatwillthespeakerconcentrateonintheconclusionofhislecture?A)The

dangerousactivitiesthatmanypeopleareengagedin.

B)Theoverestimatedareasoftechnology.

C)Thepossibletechnologicalachievementsthatmightcomeaboutinthefuture.

D)Thewaytechnologyhasdevelopedinthelastfewdecades.

10.Whatisthefirstareainwhichtechnologywillcontinuetodevelopinthe

speaker’sopinion?A)Theabilitytosolvelargerandlargerproblems.

B)Theabilitytoidentifyobjectsandpeople.

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C)Medicaltechnologies.

D)TheInternet.

11.Whatcanwedointhenext20yearsaccordingtothespeaker?A)100%

accuracyinweatherforecasting.

B)Theeliminationofpoverty.

C)Zeroaccidentratesontheroadsandrailways.

D)Almostnomistakesinhospitals.

12.Whatwillhappeninthefuturewiththedevelopmentoftheradiofrequency

tags?A)Therewillbenoneedforkeysormoneyasweknowtoday.

B)Peopledon’thavetogotothesupermarketforshopping.

C)Therewillbemoresecuritychecksinpublicplaces.

D)Peoplewilltakepartinmorepublicaffairs.

13.Whichofthefollowingisnotpredictedbythespeakerintheareaofmedicine?

A)ThecontrolandeventhecuringofAIDS.

B)Theuseofnanotechnologyincancertreatment.

C)Thecreationofartificialhipandkneejointsthatwilllastalifetime.

D)Theremarkableincreaseinlifeexpectancy.

LectureTwo

14.Whatisthemaintopicthespeakerwantstotalkaboutinhislecture?A)

Howtobuildgoodrelationshipswithothers.

B)Mysticalbeliefs.

C)Howbeliefsshapereality.

D)Successandfailure.

15.Whatdoesthespeakerthinkofnotionofcreatingourrealitythroughour

thoughts?

A)Itistooidealistic.

B)Itispartiallytruthful.

C)Itisverydangerous.

D)Itistotallyimpossible.

16.WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentionedinthispartofthespeaker’slecture?

A)Thesciencebehindourbelief.

B)Thedangerbehindourbelief.

C)Thecorrelationbetweenbeliefsandourperformance.

D)Theoriginofallreligions.

17.Whosaid"wearewhatwethink”?

A)Benson.

B)Bandura.

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C)Buddha.

D)Branden.

PartII

Writing(50minutes)SectionAEssayWriting

Directions:Inthissection,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayonthetopicoBfeliefs

basedonthecontentofthesecondlectureclipthatyouheardinPartI.Youcaneitheragree

ordisagreewiththespeaker,buthavetosupportyourownviewpointeffectively.Youshould

provideatitleforyouressayandwriteatleast180wordsonthesecondpageoftheAnswer

Sheets.

SectionBPracticalWriting

Directions:Inthissection,youareallowed20minutestowriteabusinessletterbasedonthe

followinginformation.Youshouldwriteatlease120wordsonthethirdpageoftheAnswer

Sheets.

Supposeyouareabusinessmanandhavejustreceivedanorder订(单)ofcottonshirts(seebelow).

Unfortunately,thelargesizeisoutofstock.Youdon’twanttolosetheorder.Writeareplyletter

andofferoneortwoalternativesolutionssothatyoumaykeeptheorder.

February15,2011

DearSir,

Thepricequoteofcottonshirt(itemnumber:Z10020112-1)containedinyourcatalog

gainedfavorableattentionwithus.Wewouldliketoorderthefollowingitems:

Large2000dozen

Medium4000dozen

Small2000dozen

Asthesalesseasonisapproaching,wewouldliketoreceivethetotalorderquantity

byApril30.PleaseconfirmtheorderandE-mailashippingschedule.

Sincerely,

Mr.Thompson

PurchasingDepartment,Wal-Mart

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PartIII

Reading(40minutes)SectionAMultipleChoiceQuestions

BasedonShortReadingPassages

Directions:Therearethreeshortreadingpassagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowed

bysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarked

A),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletter

onthefirstpageoftheAnswerSheets.

Passage1

Youarewhereyoulive,scientistswhostudygeneticvariationsamongpeoplefrom

differentgeographicregionsarefinding.Forexample,peoplewholiveinlocationsthatget

lotsofsolarradiationaremorelikelytohaveasweatglandgenevariantthatmayhelpthem

cooloffmoreefficiently,geneticistAnnaDiRienzoreported.Humanshavesettledacrossthe

globe,contendingwithvastlydifferentlandscapes,heat,UVradiationlevels,foodtypesand

pathogens（病原体）.Bysortingthroughloadsofgeneticdatafromaroundtheglobe,Di

Rienzoandhercolleaguesfoundthatoneversionofagenethatproducesaproteinfound

insweatglandsismorecommonamongpeoplelivinginhot,sunnylocales.

Theteamdivideduptheworld’sregions,classifyingthembyfactorssuchaspolar,dry,

tropicalandhumid.Theyalsosortedouthowinhabitantsgottheirfood,includingdatasuch

aswhethertheywerefarmersorforagers(觅食者)andwhattheyate.Avariantofagene

calledkeratin77,whichhasaroleinthesweatgland,wasassociatedwithlocationsthatget

highlevelsofsolarradiationinthesummer.

Thestudyalsofoundmanyothergenevariantsthataretiedtoclimaticgradientssuchas

precipitation（降水量）.Thisapproachisdifferentfromotherwaysthatresearcherslookfor

gene-environmentassociationsbecauseitallowsenvironmentalcategoriestoguide

researchers’predictionsaboutwhatthegenevariantsdo,ratherthantakingamore“agnostic”

viewthatignoresthewaysthatdifferenthabitatscaninfluencetheprevalenceofcertain

genes,DiRienzosays.

Ontheotherhand,PeterZimmermanofCaseWesternReserveUniversitySchoolof

MedicineinClevelandsaysthatallsortsofthingscaninfluencethegenome:“It’s

environmentaleffects,andexposuretodifferentfood,differentdiseases,anddifferent

amountofsunlight.”Zimmermansaysthatwhileit’struetheenvironmentcansculptthe

humangenome,itseffectsarelikelytocomeataglacialpace.“Howrapidlythehuman

genomerespondstochange,Iwouldsayit’sgoingtobeslow.Ourgenerationtimeisnot

fast.”

18.ThestudyofDiRienzoandhercolleaguesshowsthat_________.

A)peoplefromdifferentgeographicregionsarevastlydifferent

B)peoplelivinginhot,sunnylocalesaremorevulnerabletoradiation

C)geneticvariationismorecommonamongpeoplelivinginhot,sunnylocalesD)the

environmentmayplayaroleinchangingthehumangenome

19.Whichstatementistrueaboutkeratin7(7Paragraph2)?A)Itwasdiscoveredbygeneticist

AnnaDiRienzo.

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B)Itproducesaproteintoprotectpeoplefromsomeviruses.

C)Itmayhelppeoplecooloffmoreefficiently.

D)Itonlyexistsinasmallnumberofpeople.

20.OtherapproachesdonotyieldthesameusefulresultsasDiRienzo’sstudybecausethose

researchersdonot________.

A)dividetheworldintodifferentregions

B)considertheinfluenceofhabitatongenes

C)predictwhatthegenevariantsdo

D)includeclimaticfactorsintheirstudy

21.AccordingtoZimmerman,theenvironmentalimpactongeneticchange________.

A)istrifleenoughtobeneglected

B)cannotbeseparatedfromotherfactors

C)causemanyproblemsinourgenerationtime

D)takesalongtimetobeseen

22.Thepurposeofthispieceofwritingisto________.

A)advertise

B)inform

C)clarify

D)criticize

Passage2

ThemostfamousswimmeramongtheEnglishpoets,LordByron,wroteajauntypoem

ontheactivitythatmadehimlegendarythroughoutEuropeinhislifetime."WrittenAfter

SwimmingfromSestostoAbydos"reversesandupdatestheoldmythofLeander,who

bravedtheHellesponteveryeveningtovisitHeroontheotherside.Whereasthelissome敏(

捷的)Greekswamforlove,Byronallowsthathe,"degeneratemodernwretch,"aimedfor

fameandgloryontheone-mileswiminstrongcurrentshetookonMay3,1810.Andwhere

Leanderperishedinhispursuit,Byroncomesoutofhisadventurewithnothingnoblerthan

"theague,"acold.Hetooktothewaterforthesamereasonthathetooksoeasilyto

horseback:hecoulddoanythingbutwalknormally.Swimminghidacongenitaldeformity,a

clubfoot,andallowedhimtoforgetittemporarily.

WithByron,swimmingreallyentersEnglishliterature.The19thcenturyisfullofswimming

writers,mostnotablyArthurHughCloughandAlgernonCharlesSwinburne,thelatterof

whompreferreddangerouscoasts.Buttherearen'tmanyofthembeforeByron,asidefrom

Marlowe.Evenafterthe19thcentury,writershavetendedtoignoretheactivity:notjustpoets

butalsofictionwritersandjournalists.Foreverysportswriterwithaninterestinbaseball,

boxing,orfootballtherehasbeenalmostnoonetotestifytothebeautiesandpleasuresof

thisloneliestofphysicalactivities,aseitheranobserveroraparticipant.

Thereasonsfortheactivity'srelativeliteraryneglectarenothardtofind.Bydefinition,

swimmingexcludeshusbandsandwives,lovers,everyoneelseintheworld,indeed

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everythingelseexceptforone'sthoughts.Swimming,uniqueamongphysicalactivities,

diminishesandalmosteliminatesthesenseofsight,ourprimarymeansofengagementwith

thephysicalworld.

Swimmingdoesnotcomenaturallytoanyone,exceptperhapstothosenewbornswhose

mothersdecidetoreturnthemtoanewequivalentofamnioticfluidsoonaftertheyemerge

fromthewomb.Otherwise,it'sanactivityfraughtwithfear--ofsinking,drowning,losing

sight,losingcontrol--untilonelearnstogiveoneselfinoruptowater'sbuoyancy.Inaddition,

beforetheSalkvaccinemoreorlesseliminatedthepoliovirus,publicswimmingpools,like

drinkingfountains,wereplacesburdenedwithdanger.Unlikewalking,whichwecando

withoutbeingtaught,orevenrunning,whichkidsdoautomatically,swimmingrequiresnot

onlyinstructionbutalsoakindofcourage.Myfirstinstructionsprobablytookplaceat

summerdaycampunderthesupervisionofapatientcounselor,orperhapsevenatthehands

ofmyownunathleticparentsatalocalpooloratthebeachinAtlanticCity.Imusthavemade

itfromoneendofthepooltotheotherinhighschoolgymclass.Imusthavesplashedin

back-yardorcountry-clubpoolswhenIwasateenager.IknowIdid,butIalsoknowthatI

wasbynostretchoftheimaginationaswimmer.

23.AccordingtoByronhimself,heswamtheone-mileswimbecausehewantedto________.

A)seekinspirationtowriteapoem

B)relivetheoldmythofLeander

C)pursuearomanticadventure

D)letpeoplelookuptohim

24.Byronlikedswimmingmainlybecauseswimmingcould________.

A)boosthissenseofpride

B)coverhisnaturaldisability

C)builduphiswretchedconstitution

D)lethimforgeteverything

25.Thereweremanyswimmingwriters________.

A)beforethe19thcentury

B)duringthe19thcentury

C)afterthe19thcentury

D)inancientGreece

26.Writersmaynottaketoswimmingprobablybecauseswimming________.

A)deprivesthemofvisualinspiration

B)requiresthemtostopthinkingaboutanything

C)demandsmuchphysicalstrength

D)istoodifficultforthemtolearn

27.Itcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthatthewriter’sparents___________.

A)areverygoodswimmers

B)taughtthewriterhowtoswimfromtheverybeginning

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C)arenotverygoodatswimming

D)don’tlikeswimmingasmuchasotherphysicalactivities

Passage3

Thefinancialcrisiscameaboutbecausewegotcomplacent,dependingonall-knowing

financialexperts—mortgagelenders,WallStreetsharpers,theFederalReserve—torunour

systemexpertly.Butthentheexpertsdidthesamething,imaginingthattheyhadlaidoffall

theirrisksonotherexperts.Untilfinallythelastexpertdownthelineturnedouttobejust

anothergreaterfool,andthesystemcrashed.

Westillneedexperts.Butwecannolongerabdicatejudgmenttothemortothesystem

they'vecobbledtogether.Thiscountry,afterall,wascreatedbypassionatelyengaged

amateurs.TheAmericanspiritreallyistheamateurspirit.ThegreatmassofEuropeansettlers

wereamateurexplorers,andtheirgrandchildrenandgreat-grandchildrenwhocreatedthe

U.S.wereamateurpoliticians."Iseedemocracy,"thelatehistorianDanielBoorstinwrote,as

"governmentbyamateurs,asawayofconfessingthelimitsofourknowledge."Intheearly

19thcentury,AlexisdeTocquevilleapprovinglynotedtheabsenceof"publiccareers"in

America—thatis,thescarcityofprofessionalpoliticians.

Amateursdothethingstheywanttodointhewaystheywanttodothem.Theydon't

worrytoomuchaboutbreakingrulesandaren'tparalyzedbyafearofimperfectionoreven

failure.Activecitizenshipisallabouttappingintoone'samateurspirit."Butholdon,"yousay.

"Iwillneverunderstandcredit-defaultswapsorknowhowtodeterminethecorrectleverage

ratioforbanks."Meneither,andIdon'twanttodependonanamateurphysiciantellingme

howtomanagemyhealth.Butwecantrustourreality-basedhunchesaboutfishy-looking

proceduresandunsustainableprojectsanddemandthatthesupposedexpertsexplaintheir

supposedexpertiseinwayswedounderstand.TheAmericancharacteristwo-sidedtoan

extremeandparadoxicaldegree.Ontheonehand,wearesoberandpracticaland

commonsensical,butontheotherhand,wearewildandcrazyspeculators.Thefull-blown

amateurspiritderivesfromthissameparadox.

Ilikeparadoxes,whichiswhy,eventhoughI'mnotparticularlyreligious,ZenBuddhism

hasalwaysappealedtome.TaketheparadoxicalstatethatBuddhistsseektoachieve,what

theycallsho-shin,or"beginner'smind."The20thcenturyJapaneseZenmasterShunryu

Suzuki,whospentthelastdozenyearsofhislifeinAmerica,famouslywrotethat"inthe

beginner'smindtherearemanypossibilities,butintheexpert'smindtherearefew."Which

soundstomeverymuchlikethecoreofBoorstin'samateurspirit."Thegreatestobstacleto

discoveryisnotignorance,"Boorstinwrote,"buttheillusionofknowledge."

28.Accordingtothewriter,thefinancialcrisisoccurredmainlydueto________.

A)ourignoranceofrisks

B)thefoolishnessofexperts

C)ourblindtrustinexperts

D)theill-runningofthesystem

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29.Itcanbeinferredfromthesecondparagraphthat,comparedwithall-knowingexperts,

thelatehistorianDanielBoorstinwas________.

A)lessarrogant

B)lessknowledgeable

C)morepractical

D)moreenergetic

30.Thewriterencouragespeopletotapintotheiramateurspiritand________.

A)takecareoftheirownaffairs

B)breakoldrulesfearlessly

C)maketheirownjudgmentaboutthingsaroundthem

D)determinethecorrectleverageratioforbanks

31.Whattheamateurspiritandthe"beginner'smind"inZenBuddhismhaveincommonis

________.

A)theopennessofthemind

B)theillusionofknowledge

C)theparadoxofbelief

D)theignoranceofone’sownstrength

32.Whichofthefollowingdescriptionsdoesnotapplytotheamateurspirit?

A)commonsensical

B)reality-based

C)open-minded

D)religious

SectionB

ShortAnswerQuestionsBasedonLongReadingPassages

Directions:Therearetwolongreadingpassagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedby

somequestionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagesandanswerthequestionsor

completethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.Putyouransweronthefourthpage

oftheAnswerSheets.

Passage1

Inkids3to7yearsold,acupunctureplusglasseshelpedvisionimprovecomparedwith

justglassesalone,saidstudyco-authorDr.DennisShun-ChiuLam,whochairsthe

DepartmentofOphthalmologyandVisualSciencesattheChineseUniversityofHongKong.

Amblyopia,orlazyeye,iswhenvisioninoneeyeisworsethantheother.Abouttwoto

threein100peoplehavelazyeye,accordingtotheAmericanAcademyofOphthalmology.

(It'snotthesameas"wanderingeye,"orstrabismus—whentheeyespointintwodifferent

directions—althoughpeopleoftenuse"lazyeye"todescribeboth.)

Atthebeginningofthestudy,allofthekids'visioninthebadeyewasaboutthesame,

around20/63.Thekidswhogotacupunctureaswellasglasseshadabout20/32visionin

theirbadeye,onaverage.Thisiscomparedtoabout20/40visioninkidsthatonlyworethe

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glasses.

Thedifferencebetween20/32and20/40isabouttheequivalentofbeingabletoread

aboutonelinefurtherdownontheeyechart,saidDr.MarcLustig,anassistantprofessorin

departmentofophthalmologyattheNewYorkUniversityMedicalCenter.

Butthere'snotmuchofadifferencebetweenthesetwovisionscoresinreal-lifeterms,

Lustig,whodidnotworkonthestudy,toldReutersHealth.Andthisstudyisnotgoingto

changehoweyedoctorstreatlazyeyeinkids,henoted.

Lazyeyeisusuallytreatedwithglassesorpatchestotrainthebadeyetoworkbetter,he

said.

Ifleftuntreated,kidsmaylosedepthperception,orthevisionlossmaybecome

permanent.Afterage9orso,itcannolongerbecorrected,accordingtotheAmerican

AcademyofOphthalmology.

Apreviousstudybythesamegroupsuggestedthatacupuncturemayworkaswellas

patchesfortreatinglazyeye.(SeeReutersHealthstoryofDecember16,2010.)

Theresearchersgave83kidswithlazyeyeinChinacorrectiveglasses,thenmeasured

howwelltheycouldseeoutofbotheyes.Halfofthekidsweretreatedwithacupuncturefive

timesaweekfor15weeks,thenthegroupsswitched.Theireyesweretestedat15,30,and

60weeks.

After30weeks,whenbothgroupshadreceivedboththeglassesandacupuncture,vision

inthebadeyewasaround20/30inbothgroups.

Thestudy,publishedinthejournalOphthalmology,waswhat'scalledacrossoverstudy.

Thatmeantthatthegroups'treatmentsalternated,sothatbothhadsometimewithonly

glasses,andwithandwithoutacupuncture.

"Withacrossoverdesign,everychildwouldbepromisedtohaveachancetoreceive

acupuncture,sothatitiseasiertorecruitstudysubjectsandlowerthedropoutrate,"Lam

toldReutersHealthbyemail.

Thisisaseriouslimitation,saidDr.PeterLipson,aninternistinsoutheasternMichigan,

whodidnotworkonthestudy.

"Idon'tthinkthere'sanymaliciousintent,butifyoualreadyknowthatthesearepeople

wholikeacupuncture,they'regoingtobeextremelysusceptibletoaniceplaceboeffect,"he

toldReutersHealth.

Sincebothgroupsreceivedtheacupuncture,thisanticipationofbenefitwouldbesimilar

inbothgroups,Lamsaid,andtheplaceboeffectshouldhavebeenminimized.

Overall,pastresearchhasshownthatacupunctureissomethingthatmakesuseofthe

placeboeffect,Lipsonsaid,"whichawarmhandshakeandasmilecandoaswell."

Acupuncturecostsvarywidelydependingonwhereyoulive,butrangesanywherefrom

$25to$120atreatment.Atthisrate,thetreatmentsinthestudywouldcostsomewhere

between$1,875and$9,000.Disposablepatchescostabout$10amonth,Lustigsaid.

It'saninterestingstudy,hesaid,"butIdon'tthinkit'sgoingtochangeclinicalpracticein

Westernmedicine,becauseyou'retakinganun-invasivetreatmentandkindofmakingit

invasive."

"AtleastintheU.S.,Idon'tseepeoplesendingtheir5-year-oldsforacupuncture,"Lustig

said.

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SAQ1.Fromtheinformationwehaveinthepassage,wecanknowthatophthalmologyis

thestudyof_______________________________________anddiseasesthataffectthem.

SAQ2.Amblyopiaisdifferentfromstrabismusaspeoplewithamblyopiacanseewiththeir

eyespointing_______________________________________.

SAQ3.Atwhatageshouldlazyeyebetreated?

_______________________________________.

SAQ4.Thecrossoverstudywasdesignedbecausetheresearcherswantedtorecruitchildren

withamblyopiaand_______________________________________.

SAQ5.Peoplewhoareagainsttheuseofacupuncturebelievethatit'sthe

_______________________________________thatmakesthechildrenseeorfeelbetter

afterthetreatment.

Passage2

Thereisnomorepressingtopicineducationtodaythanclosingtheachievementgap,

andthereisnooneinAmericawhoknowsmoreaboutthegapthanRonaldFerguson.

AlthoughheisaHarvardprofessorbasedinCambridge,Mass.,Dr.Ferguson,60,spends

lotsoftimeflyingaroundthecountryvisitingraciallymixedpublichighschools.Partofwhat

hedoesisacademic,measuringthecausesofthegapbyannuallysurveyingtheperformance,

behaviorsandattitudesofupto100,000students.Andpartisservingasadefacto

educationalsocialworker,meetingwithstudents,facultymembersandparentstoexplain

whatstepstheirschoolscantaketonarrowthegap.

Thegapisaboutrace,ofcourse,anditinevitablyinflamespassions.Butthereis

somethingaboutDr.Ferguson’sbearing—heisbothbig(6-foot-3)andsoft-spoken—that

getspeopletolisten.

MortonSherman,theAlexandriaschoolsuperintendent,watchedhimdefusetheanger

atameetingof300people.“Hetalksaboutthesethingsinaprofessorialway,akindway,”

Dr.Shermansaid.“It’snotabouthim.Hedoesn’ttrytobearockstar,althoughheisarock

starinthisfield.”

WhilehehasapersonalstakeinclosingthegapasanAfrican-Americanparentwhohas

raisedthreeboys,Dr.Fergusondoesnotgetemotionalintensesituations—hegetsfactual.

GeoffreyCanada,presidentoftheHarlemChildren’sZoneandstarofthedocumentary

“WaitingforSuperman,”callshima“nationaltreasure.”MichaelCasserly,directorofthe

CounciloftheGreatCitySchoolssays,“Hehasdonemoretohelpusunderstandthe

dynamicsbehindtheachievementgapthananyoneelseinthecountry.”MarianWright

Edelman,founderoftheChildren’sDefenseFund,callshim“thoughtful,careful,fearless.”

Andyet,asbesthecanremember—andheisabusymanwithlotsonhismind—he

hasneverbeenthesubjectofaprofileinthenewsmedia.

Onereasonmaybethathisviewsonthegaparetooresearch-basedandnuancedto

accommodateinasoundbite.

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HeisnotasfamousasJohnOgbu,thelateAfrican-bornBerkeleyprofessorwhoargued

thatthegapcouldbeexplainedbytheculturalbehaviorofAfrican-Americans,likemocking

hard-workingclassmatesfor“actingwhite.”

NorisheasfamousasCharlesMurray,co-authorof“TheBellCurve,”whosuggested

thattheachievementgapisexplainedbyinheritedlowintelligence.

UnlikeDr.Ogbu,ananthropologyprofessor,andDr.Murray,apoliticalscientist,Dr.

FergusonhashisdoctorateineconomicsfromM.I.T.;hehasbeentrainedtoquantify

everything.Fromhissurveysofstudentsindozensofwealthy,raciallymixedsuburbs—

includingEvanston,Ill.;Maplewood,N.J.;andShakerHeights,Ohio—hehascalculatedthat

theaveragegradeofblackstudentswasC-plus,whilewhitestudentsaveragedaB-plus.The

gap.

Atthehighschoolhere,T.C.Williams—thesettingofthemovie“RemembertheTitans”

—hefoundthat55percentofwhitegirlsreportedhavinganAorA-minusaverage,

comparedwithlessthan20percentofblackgirlsandboys.

Hisresearchindicatesthathalfthegapcanbepredictedbyeconomics:eveninatypical

wealthysuburb,blacksarenotaswell-to-do;79percentareinthebottom50percent

financially,while73percentofwhitesareinthetop50percent.

Theotherhalfofthegap,hehascalculated,isthatblackparentsonaveragearenotas

academicallyorientedinraisingtheirchildrenaswhites.Inawealthysuburbhesurveyed,40

percentofblacksowned100ormorebooks,comparedwith80percentofwhites.Infirst

grade,thepercentageofblackandwhitepar