2016届高三英语期中复习(一)

江苏省仪征中学2016届高三英语期中复习（一）

选题人：万海燕审稿人：张妮

一．单选（20分）

21.According to the Gini Index, the degree of wealth concentration in China has risen by a third in the past 35 years and now is larger than ________ of the US.

A.this

B. one

C. that

D. such

22.—What’s up, detective?

—I thought the case was off. Everything fell into ________ so perfectly. But I’m wrong.

A.place

B. step

C. pieces

D. ruins

23.Have you heard of such an experiment ________ wine experts were fooled into thinking a cheap bottle of wine was an exceptional one with the labels changed?

A.as

B. where

C. that

D. which

24.Some of our history were glorious, others best left in our historical records, never ______.

A.to repeat

B. to be repeated

C. being repeated

D. having been repeated

25.________ speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”, the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent.

A.So accustomed are we to

B. As we are so accustomed to

C. Accustomed as we are to

D. Accustomed as are we to

26.L ife doesn’t count for much _______ you’re willing to d o your small part to leave our children

a better world.

A.unless

B. when

C. though

D. if

27. ________ once a year by fire officials, whether a school is large or small, is a regulation that must be carried out in the country.

A. Inspected

B. Inspecting

C. Having been inspecte

D. Being inspected

28.About 40 percent of the citizens are unhappy with public services, which ______ alarm bells ringing in some local governments, so related departments _____ pay too much attention to this survey.

A. has set; can’t

B. will set; mustn’t

C. has set; shouldn’t

D. is setting; needn’t

29. I don’t suppose that he could have finished reading the novel borrowed from me,_______?

A. can he

B. couldn’t he

C. has he

D. didn’t he

30. The new financial policies of the US government have _______ a chain reaction in the international money markets.

A. gave off

B. set off

C. seen off

D. took off

31. To keep up with their work, the vast majority of office clerks today must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications, to say _______ of newspapers and magazines.

A. everything

B. anything

C. nothing

D. something

32. In 1973, a book ________ that plants can feel emotions, prefer classical music, and can respond to the unspoken thoughts of humans landed on the New York Times best-seller list.

A. having claimed

B. had claimed

C. claiming

D. claimed

33. Jane is really honest and never tends to hide her opinion. She must give you a(n) ________ suggestion about what you have been arguing about.

A. abrupt

B. ambiguous

C. straightforward

D. arbitrary

34. Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke’s designs for more than a decade, however, ________the brand, Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands.

A. regardless of

B. instead of

C. in place of

D. in charge of

35. As we all know, electronic products are always under continuous renewal. If robots like Ava _________, they could represent a new opportunity for mobile app developers.

A. take on

B. catch on

C. work on

D. turn on

36. The new hospital will be located in _______ used to be a wasteland and a huge shopping mall will also be constructed ________ there used to be a school many years ago.

A. where; where

B. what ; in which

C. what ; where

D. which; where

37. Use your head; nothing taught by others can have the same effect on you as _______learned through practice.

A. those

B. what

C. that

D. the one

38．The British increased control over their American colonies, soldiers _______ there to ensure

that the Americans would obey them.

A. were stationed

B. to be stationed

C. being stationed

D. stationed

39．People are ________ the use of alternative energy sources because the rate _______ we are now assuming fuels like gas and oil is shocking and they may run out one day.

A. wrestling with; by which

B. pushing for; at which

C. catching up on; at which

D. accounting for; on which

40．Ignoring people’s main concern about the environment, his proposal became the__of criticism.

A. privilege

B. target

C. witness

D. concept

第二部分完形填空（共20小题，每小题1分，满分20分）

Individuals who often read fiction appear to better understand other people, empathize(共鸣) with them and view the world from their perspective. A study found a(an) __41___ result in young children: the more stories read to them, the __42__ their “theory of mind,” or mental model of other people’s intentions.

“Deep reading” —as __43__ to the superficial reading we do on the Web —is an __44__ practice, one we should take steps to __45__ as we would a historic building or a significant work of art. Its __46__ would put in danger the intellectual and emotional development of generations growing up online, as well as literature that can be __47__ only by readers whose brains, quite __48__ , have been trained to understand them.

Recent research has demonstrated that deep reading is a __49__ experience, different from the mere decoding of words. __50__ deep reading does not, strictly speaking, require a __51__ book, the built-in limits of the printed page are uniquely conducive(有助于) to the deep reading experience. A book’s lack of hyperlinks, for example, __52__ the reader from making decisions —Should I click on this link or not? — __53__ her to remain fully immersed in the narrative.

The deep reading of books and the information-driven reading we do on the Web are different, both __54__ the experience they produce and the __55__ they develop. A growing body of evidence suggests that online reading may be less __56__ and less satisfying, even for the “digital natives” for whom it is s o familiar.

When readers are enjoying the experience the most, the __57__ of their reading actually slows. The __58__ of fast, fluent decoding of words and slow, unhurried progress on the page gives deep readers time to enrich their reading with __59__, analysis, and opinions. It gives them time to establish an close relationship with the author, the two of them engaged in an extended __60__ like people falling in love.

41. A. different B. similar C. efficient D. unbelievable

42. A. quicker B. stronger C. keener D. higher

43. A. contradicted B. equal C. opposed D. relevant

44. A. interesting B. endangered C. authentic D. unconscious

45. A. preserve B. prevent C. reserve D. promote

46. A. practice B. existence C. appearance D. disappearance

47. A. recited B. read C. covered D. appreciated

48. A. differently B. similarly C. literally D. strangely

49. A. distinctive B. difficult C. valid D. reasonable

50. A. Since B. Because C. However D. Although

51. A. conventional B. complicated C. convenient D. con fidential

52. A. limits B. bans C. frees D. protects

53. A. forcing B. allowing C. requiring D. encouraging

54. A. in B. by C. from D. with

55. A. confidence B. plot C. hobbies D. capacities

56. A. promising B. engaging C. involving D. supportive

57. A. procedure B. step C. pace D. ratio

58 A. contrast B. combination C. comparison D. conflict

59. A. reflection B. revision C. response D. consideration

60 A. negotiation B. arrangement C. appointment D. conversation

第三部分阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）

A

There will come a time when you must decide to lead the life someone else has chosen for you… or the life you want.

According to legend, when a young boy asked the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo why he was working so hard hitting the block of marble that would eventually become his greatest sculpture, David, the artist replied, “Young man, there is an angel inside this rock, and I am setting him free.” In The Angel Inside, the well-known consultant and career coach Chris Widener uses Michelangelo’s words to explore the hidden potential that exists within us all.

In this unforgettable tale, Tom Cook, a disillusioned（幻想破灭的）American businessman, has traveled to Italy looking for direction in his life. In Florence, the last city on his tour, Tom meets a mysterious old man who opens his eyes to the art and life of Michelangelo and reveals what the artist’s work can teach him —and all of us —about the power of following your passion.

Whether you are looking for a way to reinvigorate your career or searching for the courage to begin a new one, The Angel Inside is a must-read if you want to find true meaning in your life and work.

The break-out business story that’s already sold more than 70,000 copies, The Angel Inside tells the story of a young man searching for meaning in his work and finding it in an unlikely place: the life and art of Michelangelo.

Advance Praise for The Angel Inside

“The Angel Inside is a powerfully simple story that helps you discover your potential for a passionate life!”

—John C. Maxwell, author, speaker and founder of INJOY Stewardship Services and EQUIP

“ Chris Widener’s The Angel Inside is a short read that is long on wisdom for life. Take an hour and a half of your time and delve into this truly meaningful book. It will captivate you from beginning to end, but more importantly, it will help you create your own life of power and beauty.”

—Jim Rohn “ A very special one-day relationship between a wise mentor and his struggling but eager protégé. What a delightful story for everyone to read, and from which to benefit greatly!”

— Bob Burg “ The Angel Inside” is truly one of the most inspiring, encouraging motivational books I have ever read. Once I got started, I found it impossible to stop reading. And I say this as a man who has never read friction; I’ve always said that when I get all of the truth, then I’ll start reading fiction. It was a wonderful thrill to read a work of fiction that contains an enormous amount of

trut h and encouragement.”

— Zig Ziglar

61. What is probably the theme of the book The Angel Inside?

A. Following your passion

B. Recommending a new career

C. Solving the mysteries in life

D. Starting with action

62. What does the underlined word “captivate” mean?

A. Instruct

B. Attract

C. Prevent

D. Convince

63. What does Zig Ziglar mainly want to tell us?

A. Before reading fiction, it’s necessary to get all the truth.

B. The Angel Inside is a thrilling work of science fiction.

C. Fiction contains lots of truth and encouragement.

D. Readers can benefit a lot from The Angel Inside.

B

The first time we started using it, we thought it would just be a bit of fun, a one-time thing.

__A__

“Let’s just give it a try,” my fiancée said. I was a bit nervous, but I knew some of our friends were already into it, and they said it was fine and that I should relax because everyone was doing it.“OK,” I agreed, convinced it would be harmless.

___B___

Before long, we were using it once a week. Then it became twice a week. We went from using it after work to using it in the mornings, and then at lunchtime, too.

Suddenly we reached a point where we were using it every day. Even when I wasn’t usin g it, I was thinking about using it. ___C___

That’s when I realized the terrible truth. We couldn’t stop.

Dear readers, it shames me to admit it, but I am an addict of online shopping site Taobao.

And I don't think I’m the only one. __D__

I see the telltale signs every where: People with bags under their eyes, clearly exhausted after staying up late browsing items the y might one day need (but probably won’t)，like the 1940s leather aviator cap I bought in the event I ever need to become an aviator in the 1940s. I see co-workers furtively (偷偷摸摸地）sneaking down to the mailroom, eyes darting around suspiciously.

I know what's going through your mind as you read this.

“This isn’t me，” you’re thinking, “I can stop anytime I want.”

But can you?

In China you can get same day delivery for just about anything you buy online. In Australia, my home country, the same item would take weeks to arrive.

“It's the convenience," I said to my fiancée.“That’s why we're hooked.”

But is that convenience worth the risk of waking up one morning to discover you’ve been buried alive in masses of brand new women’s shoes?

In my case it’s probably not, especially because I suspect my fiancée won’t realize I'm missing until weeks later, when my credit card stops working and I've long since expired.

So what can you do to battle this terrible addiction?

Never fear, dear readers, because I've created a special five-step list to help you stop online shopping.

Step one: Acknowledge you have a problem. Resist buying adult-sized, Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit on Taobao. You don’t really need it.

Step two: Try not to feel guilty about buying adult-sized, Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit on Taobao. Step three: Put the computer and smartphone away, get back to nature, and take a walk in the park. Step four: Try not to feel guilty about buying a new outfit for your walk in the park. I mean, it was on sale, right?

Step five: Buying a book on how to quit Taobao...from Taobao.

On second thoughts, maybe don’t listen to me, after all.

64. Where should the sentence “I have never been so wrong in my entire life.” be put in the passage?

A. In blank A.

B. In blank B.

C. In blank C.

D. In blank D.

65. The author writes the underlined paragraph to show ________.

A. Taobao is a popular and successful online shopping site

B. online shopping is an effective way to help relax

C. people today are fond of the 1940s leather aviator cap

D. quite a lot of people are hooked on online shopping

66. The author concludes this passage with a tone of________.

A. confidence and optimism

B. disappointment and disapproval

C. uncertainty and humor

D. confusion and sympathy

C

You’re probably aware of the basic trends. The financial rewards to education have increased over the past few decades, but men fail to benefit.

In elementary and high school, male academic performance is lagging. Boys earn three-quarters of the D’s and F’s. By college, men are clearly behind. Only 40 percent of bachelor’s degree go to men, along with 40 percent of master’s degree.

Thanks to their lower skills, men are dropping out of the labor force. In 1954, 96 percent of the American men between the ages of 25 and 54 worked. Today, that number is down to 80 percent. In Friday's jobs report, male labor force participation reached an all-time low.

Millions of men are collecting disability benefits. Even many of those who do have a job are doing poorly. According to Michael Greenstone of the Hamilton Project, annual earnings for average prime-age males have dropped by 28 percent over the past 40 years.

Men still dominate (主宰) the top of the corporate ladder because many women take time off to raise children, but women lead or are gaining nearly everywhere else. Women in their 20s outearn men in their 20s. Twelve out of the 15 fastest-growing professions are dominated by women.

Over the years, many of us have employed a certain theory to explain men's economic decline. It is that the information-age economy rewards qualities that women are more likely to possess.

To succeed today, you have to be able to sit still and focus attention in school at an early age. You have to be emotionally sensitive and aware of context. You have to communicate smoothly. For genetic and cultural reasons, many men are not good at these.

But, in her fascinating new book, The End of Men, Hanna Rosin suggests a different theory. It has to do with adaptability. Women, Rosin argues, are like immigrants (移民) who have moved to a new country. They see a new social context, and they flexibly adapt to .new circumstances. Men

are like immigrants who have physically moved to a new country but who have kept their minds in the old one. They speak the old language. They follow the old customs. Men are more likely to be rigid; women are more fluid.

This theory has less to do with born qualities and more to do with social position. When there’s big social change, the people who were on the top of t he old order are bound to stick to the old ways. The people who were on the bottom are bound to experience a burst of energy. They are going to explore their new surroundings more enthusiastically.

Rosin reports from working-class Alabama. The women she meets are flooding into new jobs and new opportunities —going back to college, pursuing new careers. The men are waiting around for the jobs left and are never coming back. They are strangely immune (免疫的）to new options. In the Auburn-Opelika region, the average female income is 140 percent of the average male income.

Rosin is not saying that women are winners in a global gender (性别) war or that they are doing super simply because men are doing worse. She's just saying women are adapting to today’s economy mo re flexibly than men. There’s a lot of evidence to support her case.

A study by the National Federation of Independent Business found that small businesses owned by women outperformed male-owned small business during the last recession (衰退). In finance, women who switch firms are more likely to see their performance improve, whereas men are likely to see theirs decline. There's even evidence that women are better able to adjust to divorce. Today, more women than men see their incomes rise by 25 percent after a marital breakup.

Forty years ago, men and women stuck to certain theory, what it meant to be a man or a woman. Young women today, Rosin argues, have abandoned both feminist (女权主义者）and prefeminist preconceptions. Men still stick to the masculinity (大男子主义的）rules, which limit their vision and their movement.

If she's right, then men will have to acknowledge that they are strangers in a strange land.

67. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Male labor force participation has declined by 80% since 1954.

B. More men than women take time off to raise children now.

C. Good communication is one of the qualities that women possess.

D. Men are still taking most top and fastest-growing professions.

68. In Hanna Rosin’s opinion, male performance is falling behind because _______.

A. men are less likely to sit still and focus in school at early age

B. men are more rigid and less able to adapt to new circumstances

C. women are doing better for genetic and cultural reasons

D. it is more and more difficult for men to get bachelor’s d egree

69. What is the passage intended to convey?

A. The differences between men and women.

B. The reasons why men do no better than women.

C. The social status of men and women.

D. The reasons why men fail compared with women.

D

It appears that the police now have a device that can read license plates and check if a car is unregistered, uninsured or stolen. We already know that National Security Agency can dip into

your Facebook page and Google searches. And it seems that almost every store we go into these days wants your home phone number and ZIP code as part of any transaction (交易）.

So when Edward Snowden —now cooling his heels in Russia —revealed the extent to which the NSA is spying on Americans, collecting data on phone calls we make, it's not as if we should have been surprised. We live in a world that George Orwell predicted in 1984. And that realization has caused sales of the 1949, dystopian (反乌托邦）novel to spike dramatically upward recently — a 9,000% increase at one point on Amazon. com.

Compa risons between Orwell’s novel about a tightly controlled totalitarian (极权主义的）future ruled by the ubiquitous (无所在的）Big Brother and today are, in fact, quite similar. Here are a few of the most obvious ones.

Telescreens — in the novel, nearly all public and private places have large TV screens that broadcast government propaganda (宣传), news and approved entertainment. But they are also two-way monitors that spy on citizens, private lives. Today websites like Facebook track our likes and dislikes, and governments and private individuals hack into our computers and find out what they want to know. Then there are the ever-present surveillance (监控) cameras that spy on the ordinary people as they go about their daily routine.

The endless war —In Orwell’s book, th ere's global war that has been going on seemingly forever, and as the book's hero, Winston Smith, realizes the enemy keeps changing. One week we’re at war with Eastasia and friends with Eurasia. The next week, it's just the opposite. There seems little to distinguish the two adversaries (对手), and they are used primarily to keep the people of Oceania, where Smith lives, in a constant state of fear, thereby making disagreement unthinkable — or punishable. Today we have the so-called war on terror, with no end in sight, a generalized societal fear, suspension of certain civil liberties, and an ill-defined enemy who could be anywhere, and anything.

Newspeak — the fictional, stripped-down English language, used to limit free thought. OMG (Oh my God), RU (Are you) serious? That's so FUBAR (Fucked Beyond Ail Recognition). LMAO (Laugh My Ass Off).

Memory hole — this is the machine used in the book to change or disappear embarrassing documents. Paper shredders (碎纸机）had been invented, but were hardly used when Orwell wrote his book, and the concept of wiping out a hard drive was years in the future. But the memory hole foretold both technologies.

So what’s it all meant? In 1984, Winston Smith, after an intense round of ^behavioral modification” — read: torture— learns to love Big Brother, and the difficult world he was born into. Jump forward to today, it seems we've willingly given up all sorts of freedoms, and much of our right to privacy. Fears of terrorism have a lot to do with this, but dizzying advances in technology, and the ubiquity of social media, play a big part.

There are those who say that if you don't have anything to hide, you have nothing to be afraid of. But the fact is, when a government agency can monitor everyone's phone calls, we have all become suspects. This is one of the most frightening aspects of our modem society. And even more frightening is the fact that we have gone so far down the street, there is probably no turning back. Unless you spend your life in a wilderness cabin, totally off the grid, there is simply no way the government won’t have information about you stored awa y somewhere.

What this means, unfortunately, is that we are all Winston Smith. And Big Brother is the modem surveillance state.

70. What caused 1984 to sell well on https://www.360docs.net/doc/9917469432.html,?

A. The fact that authorities have access to our personal information.

B. The worry that our government agencies can monitor our phones.

C. The surprise at how Americans are spied on by the government.

D. The similarities between the world we live in and that of 1984.

71. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. When Orwell wrote 1984, paper shredders didn't exist.

B. Winston Smith loves Big Brother due to the fears of terrorism.

C. Telescreens arc used to broadcast and spy on citizens’ privacy.

D. The war with Eastasia makes people in Oceania fearful.

72. What docs the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 8 refer to?

A. Willingness to abandon freedom and privacy.

B. Addiction to social media.

C. A round of “behavioral modification”.

D. The phone calls being monitored.

73. The underlined part in the passage replies that _______.

A. we are walking along the street too far to go back home

B. it is impossible for us to return to our initial path

C. if s very difficult for us to change the current situation

D. the government can find out which street we are going down

74. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. We’re living “1984” today.

B. Big Brother is watching you.

C. We are all Winston Smith.

D. The NSA is spying on Americans.

75. What is the writer's attitude towards the phenomenon?

A. Optimistic.

B. Concerned.

C. Angry.

D. Enthusiastic.

第四部分任务型阅读（共10小题，每小题1分，共10分）

When it comes to being socially successful, the quantity of your relationships is irrelevant. The important thing is the quality of them. I would rather have a small team that works in concert than a big team so scattered（分散的）that nothing ever gets done. It’s better to have a few close friends who love you for who you are than a lot of acquaintances who you’re not so comfortable with.

Here are five ways you can make people enjoy being around you.

1.Be confident, but not cocky.

There is a big difference between healthy confidence and arrogant（傲慢的）cockiness. A confident person, when complimented about a wonderful thing they did, would reply with a simple “thank you.”A cocky person would take the opportunity to perform an unscheduled Academy Award acceptance speech. A confident person would offer praise for everybody who contributed to their success. A cocky person would claim all the credit for themselves without a second thought. Cocky people might experience temporary perks, but long-lasting success is a prize reserved for the confident.

2.Be approachable, but not a pushover.

You should welcome your friends and coworkers with open arms. It’s hard to find a person who will offer a listening ear in time of need, so fulfilling that need will help you become a person people trust. But there can be too much of a good thing. If you find yourself with invitations you’re not that interested in, don’t be afraid to politely reject them. If your schedule becomes

occupied by people desiring your attention, set some ground rules and prioritize（优先考虑）. To take care of others, you must first take care of yourself.

3.Be direct in expression, but not nasty in delivery.

Receiving honesty with no filter （过滤）is like finding a massive glass of ice water during a desert adventure. Speak words of truth, and people will be refreshed to hear them. Most people sugarcoat their opinions, so a willingness to tell it how you see it will win the appreciation of your friends and coworkers. But here’s the catch: delivery is everything. There is a big difference between “Your article sucks”and “I like the general concept, but I think it might play better if you try if from a different angle.” Truth is something you should aim for, but it isn’t a ticket to be nasty to people. To deliver honest and helpful feedback, use this sentence structure: “I liked (insert positive quality), but I think it would be better if (constructive criticism/ suggestion for improvement).”

4.Be mindful of your actions, but not absorbed in yourself.

Have you ever found yourself nervous while fielding questions in a job interview or talking to a cute person you have a crush on? So eager to make a positive first impression that you can’t escape the constant stream of thoughts causing you to doubt if you’re saying and doing the right things? As a consequence, you might find yourself so self-absorbed that you can’t focus on what the other person is saying. The less time you spend questioning yourself and the more time you spend actively listening to the other person, the better off you will be.

5.Be assertive, but not overbearing.

There is a thin line between being assertive and overbearing, so let’s take a look at their definitions.

as·ser·tive (adjective): having or showing a confident and forceful personally

o·ver·bear·ing (adjective): unpleasantly or arrogantly domineering （专横的）

An assertive person would confidently (and politely) ask friends or networking contacts for help if they needed it (and hopefully offer to return the favor). An overbearing person would force people to get what they wanted without a second thought about how their actions affected others. Being overbearing will make people avoid you because no one wants to help a pushy person. Being assertive will attract people to you, if you can reflect confidence and enthusiasm.

第五部分书面表达（满分25分）

The Elephant and the Fly

An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came，flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more.

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can’t you stay for a while in one place? ”

The fly answered, “I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?”

The elephant said, “My senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get involved in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely absorbed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention. When you are in charge of your senses and attention, your mind will become calm.”

【写作内容】

1．以约30个词概括短文的内容；

2．然后以约120个词就“专注”这一主题发表你的看法，包括以下要点：

（1）看完故事后的感受及启发；

（2）描述一次你或他人因受太多干扰而使学习、生活或工作受到影响的经历；

（3）你打算在高三这一年里如何保持专注。

【写作要求】

1．可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。

An elephant was constantly disturbed by a restless fly, who wondered about the secret of remaining calm. The elephant revealed that calmness would be obtained when one’s senses and attention were focused.

Inspired by what the elephant said, I realized the ability to focus one’s attention is the key to success. Any person, if easily distracted, is unable to achieve his success.

This reminds me of what happened in my primary school. I once signed up for too many various after-class activities. As a result, I didn’t spend enough time on my studies. Consequently, I fell behind and failed in exams.

Since then I know that one should focus on one thing before it is well done. As a Senior Three student, having set a clear goal, I will give priority to it, trying to resist any temptation. I’m fully aware that only with a determined mind can I achieve my goal.

英语参考答案

单选CABBC ADACB CCCAB CCDBB

完型BCCBA DDCAD ACBAD BCBAD

阅读ABD BDC CBD DCACAB

任务型阅读

71. How/Ways 72. determines /decides 73. counts/matters

74. vary/differ 75. trust 76. invitations

77. direct 78. badly/eagerly/desperately/anxiously

79. comparing/analyzing 80. while

第五部分书面表达

Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer

阅读文学作品能让人变得更聪明更友好

Gregory Currie, a professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham, recently argued in the New York Times that we ought not to claim that literature improves us as people, because there is no “compelling evidence that suggests that people are morally or socially better for reading Tolstoy” or other great books.

最近，诺丁汉大学的哲学教授格雷戈里·柯里（Gregory Currie）在《纽约时报》上提到，人们不应断言文学能够提升人类品质，因为没有“足够的证据能证明读了托尔斯泰的作品或者其他经典书籍，就能让人在道德上、生活上表现的更出色”。

Actually, there is such evidence. Raymond Mar, a psychologist at York University in Canada, andKeith Oatley, a professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, reported in studies published in 2006 and 2009 that individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and view the world from their perspective. This link persisted even after the researchers factored in the possibility that more empathetic individuals might choose to read more novels. A 2010 study by Mar found a similar result in young children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their “theory of mind, ” or mental model of other people’s intentions.

可实际上，还真有这样的证据。加拿大约克大学的心理学家雷蒙德·玛尔（Raymond Mar）和多伦多大学已退休的认知心理学教授基思·奥特利（Keith Oatley）在发表于2006年和2009年的研究报告中曾提到，经常读小说的人似乎更能理解别人，同情别人，并从他人的角度看待问题。即便研究者们考虑到了越是有同情心的人可能越喜欢读小说这个因素，这种联系依然存在。在2010年的一项研究中，玛尔从儿童中也发现了同样的现象：他们听过的故事越多，他们的“心智理论”或者是对别人意图的“心智模式”就越敏锐。

“Deep reading”— as opposed to the often superficial reading we do on the Web — is an endangered practice, one we ought to take steps to preserve as we would a historic building or a significant work of art. Its disappearance would imperil the intellectual and emotional development of generations growing up online, as well as the perpetuation of a critical part of our culture: the novels, poems and other kinds of literature that can be appreciated only by readers whose brains, quite literally, have been trained to apprehend them.

“深阅读”——与我们平时在网上进行的浅阅读相反——是一种渐渐被忽视的阅读行为，我

们应当像保护古建筑或重要的艺术品那样对其采取保护措施。深阅读的消失将不利于伴随着网络长大的后代的智力和情感发展，也会影响人类文化重要组成部分的传承：小说、诗歌和其他文学类型，毫不夸张地说，这些作品只有经过阅读训练的人才能欣赏。

Recent research in cognitive science, psychology and neuroscience has demonstrated that deep reading — slow, immersive, rich in sensory detail and emotional and moral complexity — is a distinctive experience, different in kind from the mere decoding of words. Although deep reading does not, strictly speaking, require a conventional book, the built-in limits of the printed page are uniquely conducive to the deep reading experience. A book’s lack of hyperlinks, for example, frees the reader from making decisions — Should I click on this link or not? — allowing her to remain fully immersed in the narrative.

在认知科学、心理学和神经科学方面近期的研究已经证明了深阅读——一种慢速的、沉浸式的、有着丰富的感官细节和复杂的情感、精神体会的阅读——是一种独特的阅读体验，与单纯的认字型的阅读完全不一样。虽然严格说来，深阅读的载体不一定非得是传统的纸质书，但印刷品的天然的限制对于深阅读体验却是十分有益的。比如，纸质书上是没有超链接的，这样读者就少了一些干扰——不用纠结是不是得点开链接——从而能保持全身心地沉浸在书中的文字里。

That immersion is supported by the way the brain handles language rich in detail, allusion and metaphor: by creating a mental representation that draws on the same brain regions that would be active if the scene were unfolding in real life. Thee motional situations and moral dilemmas that are the stuff of literature are also vigorous exercise for the brain, propelling us inside the heads of fictional characters and even, studies suggest, increasing our real-life capacity for empathy.

这种沉浸也得益于大脑对于有着丰富细节、暗示、比喻的语言的处理方式：利用与在现实生活中发生这种场景时相同的活跃的大脑区域创建一个心理表征。阅读有关情感状况和道德困境的文学内容也是对思维进行高强度训练的一种方法，可以激励我们对虚构的人物进行思考，甚至有研究表明，可以增强我们在现实生活中的感同身受的能力。

None of this is likely to happen when we’rescrolling through TMZ. Although we call the activity by the same name, the deep reading of books and the information-driven reading we do on the Web are very different, both in the experience they produce and in the capacities they develop. A growing body of evidence suggests that online reading may be less engaging and less satisfying, even for the “digital natives” for whom it is so familiar. Last month, for example, Britain’s National Literacy Trust released the results of a study of 34, 910 young people aged 8 to 16. Researchers reported that 39% of children and teens read daily using electronic devices, but only28% read printed materials every day. Those who read only onscreen were threetimes less likely to say they enjoy reading very much and a third less likely to have a favorite book. The study also found that young people who read daily only onscreen were nearly two times less likely to be above-average readers than those who read daily in print or both in print and onscreen.

这些在我们浏览TMZ 网站时是体会不到的。虽然两种行为都被称为阅读，但对书籍的深阅读与在网页上进行的为了获取信息而进行的阅读是不一样的，两者有着不同的阅读体验，并且培养出了不同的阅读技能。越来越多的证据表明，在线阅读时，读者比较容易走神，而且对于阅读体验也不够满意，就连“数字原住民”都有这样的感受。比如，英国全国读写素养信托（Britain’s National Literacy Trust）上月公布了一项在32,910名8~16岁的儿童和青少年中进行的调查结果。研究人员指出有39%的儿童和青少年每天都通过电子设备进行阅读，而每天阅读纸质内容的人数仅占28%。相较于阅读纸质书的受访者，在只通过电子设备进行

阅读的受访者中，不太可能说自己非常喜欢阅读的人数是其三倍，不太可能有最喜欢的一本书的人数占其三分之一。研究还发现，比起每日都阅读纸质书或者既阅读纸质书也阅读电子书的年轻人而言，有两倍的只阅读电子书的人不太可能成为中等以上水平的读者。(MORE: Why Americans Need Spelling Bees and Vocabulary Tests)

想要理解为什么我们应当关心年轻人如何阅读，而不只是有没有在阅读，可以先了解一下阅读能力的形成方式。塔夫斯大学阅读和语言研究中心主任玛丽安娜·沃夫（Maryanne Wolf）说过“人类并不是天生就会阅读的”，她写过《普鲁斯特与乌贼：阅读如何改变我们的思维》一书。在正常情况下，理解和运用口头语言的能力会根据由人类基因决定的程序形成，而阅读能力的形成却需要每个人的刻苦练习。“阅读回路”的创建借用了大脑中为其他目的而形成的结构——这些回路可能很脆弱也可能很稳固，主要取决于它们的使用频率与强度。

To understand why we should be concerned about how young people read, and not just whether they’re reading at all, it helps to know something about the way the ability to read evolved. “Human beings were never born to read, ” notes Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University and author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. Unlike the ability to understand and produce spoken language, which under normal circumstances will unfold according to a program dictated by our genes, the ability to read must be painstakingly acquired by each individual. The “reading circuits” we construct are recruited from structures in the brain that evolved for other purposes — and these circuits can be feeble or they can be robust, depending on how often and how vigorously we use them.

深阅读的读者远离了干扰并适应了语言的细微差别，进入了心理学家维克托·内尔（Victor Nell）在快乐阅读的心理状态研究中比喻成的一种催眠状态。内尔发现当读者非常享受阅读过程时，他们的阅读速度实际上是变慢的。快速、流畅的文字解读与缓慢的、从容不迫的阅读速度的结合，使得深阅读的读者能通过反思、分析并加入自己的回忆与思考来丰富阅读过程。并且在这样的阅读过程中，读者能有时间与作者建立亲密的关系，仿佛两个坠入爱河的人，沉浸在热烈的对话之中。

The deep reader, protected from distractions and attuned to the nuances of language, enters a state that psychologist Victor Nell, in a study of the psychology of pleasure reading, likens to a hypnotic trance. Nell found that when readers are enjoying the experience the most, the pace of their reading actually slows. The combination of fast, fluent decoding of words and slow, unhurried progress on the page gives deep readers time to enrich their reading with reflection, analysis, and their own memories and opinions. It gives them time to establish an intimate relationship with the author, the two of them engaged in an extended and ardent conversation like people falling in love.

深阅读与许多年轻人正在使用的阅读方法是不一样的。他们的阅读是务实的、机械的：体现了文学评论家弗兰克·科莫德（FrankKermode）提出的“肉体的阅读”与“精神的阅读”之间的区别。如果我们让我们的后代以为阅读就是指肉体的阅读——如果我们不通过早期执着的训练和实践来打开通往精神的阅读的大门——我们将会使他们失去感受愉悦的甚至是狂喜的阅读体验的机会。并且，我们还会剥夺他们得到鼓舞和启发的机会，而这原本能提升他们作为人的品质。看到年轻人对电子设备的依赖，部分先进的教育家和溺爱型的父母提到有必要“从孩子出发”，根据孩子们的电子阅读习惯进行指导。这是错误的看法。相反，我们应当向他们展示一个他们从未到过的境地，一个只有通过深阅读才能到达的境地。(PHOTOS: PeterHapak’sPortraits of Authors)

版权声明：

This is not reading as many young people are coming to know it. Their reading is pragmatic and instrumental: the difference between what literary critic Frank Kermode calls “carnal reading” and “spiritual reading.” If we allow our offspring to believe carnal reading is all there is — if we don’t open the door to spiritual reading, through an early insistence on discipline and practice — we will have cheated them of an enjoyable, even ecstatic experience they would not otherwise encounter. And we will have deprived them of an elevating and enlightening experience that will enlarge them as people. Observing young people’s attachment to digital devices, some progressive educators and permissive parents talk about needing to “meet kids where they are, ” molding instruction around their onscreen habits. This is mistaken. We need, rather, to show them someplace they’ve never been, a place only deep reading can take them.

Abstract Immigrants

By:Thomas Sowell

6/4/2013 06:00 AM

Nevertheless,many of our current discussions of immigration issues talk about immigrants ingeneral, as if they were abstract people in an abstract world. But the concretedifferences between immigrants from different countries affect whether theircoming here is good or bad for the American people.

The very thoughtof formulating immigration laws from the standpoint of what is best for theAmerican people seems to have been forgotten by many who focus on how to solvethe problems of illegal immigrants, “living in the shadows.”

A recent columnin the Wall Street Journal titled “What Would Milton Friedman Say?” tried toderive what the late Professor Friedman “would no doubt regard as the idealoutcome” as far as immigration laws were concerned. Although I wasonce a student of Professor Friedman, I would never presume to speak for him.However, he was a man with the rare combination of genius and common sense, andhe published much empirical work as well as the analytical work that won him aNobel Prize. In short, concrete facts mattered to him.

It is hard toimagine Milton Friedman looking for “the ideal outcome” on immigration in theabstract. More than once he said, “the best is the enemy of the good,” which tome meant that attempts to achieve an unattainable ideal can prevent us fromreaching good outcomes that are possible in practice.

Too much of ourcurrent immigration controversy is conducted in terms of abstract ideals, suchas “We are a nation of immigrants.” Of course we are a nation of immigrants.But we are also a nation of people who wear shoes. Does it follow that weshould admit anybody who wears shoes?

The immigrantsof today are very different in many ways from those who arrived here a hundredyears ago. Moreover, the society in which they arrive is different. The WallStreet Journal column ends by quoting another economist who said, “Better tobuild a wall around the welfare state than the country.”

But the welfarestate is already here– and, far from having a wall built around it, the welfarestate is expanding in all directions by leaps and bounds. We do not have achoice between the welfare state and open borders. Anything we try to do asregards immigration laws has to be done in the context of a huge welfare statethat is already a major, inescapable fact of life.

Among otherfacts of life utterly ignored by many advocates of de facto amnesty is that thefree international movement of people is different from free internationaltrade in goods.

Buying cars orcameras from other countries is not the same as admitting people from thosecountries or any other countries. Unlike inanimate objects, people havecultures and not all cultures are compatible with the culture in this countrythat has produced such benefits for the American people for so long.

Not only theUnited States, but the Western world in general, has been discovering the hardway that admitting people with incompatible cultures is an irreversibledecision with incalculable consequences. If we do not see that after recentterrorist attacks on the streets of Boston and London, when will we see it?

“Comprehensiveimmigration reform” means doing everything all together in a rush, without timeto look before we leap, and basing ourselves on abstract notions about abstractpeople.

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the HooverInstitution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website

is https://www.360docs.net/doc/9917469432.html,.