阅读排序题题目

阅读排序题Passage1:No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers" ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿ "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿ On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company's mountainous debt, which will increase to $ billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company's rap music on the grounds of expression. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿ "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿ But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿.A) At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992.B ) Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week.C) Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month's stockholders meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society's ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students.E) "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this."D) It's a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.F) In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T's violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet.G) The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter.Passage2:＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿But what about pain without gain Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are pre-siding over is for real.The official statistics are mildly discouraging. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978-1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace —all that re-engineering and downsizing —are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿ Two other explanations are more speculative. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much.B) Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bon Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much "re-engineering" has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost.C) There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a "disjunction" between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.D) They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by % since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade.E) First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose.F) BBDO's Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish — "the worst sort of ambulance-chasing."G) Well, no gain without pain, they say.Passage3:When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿ "I'm a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a service that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars." So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middlebrow Dillard's department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿Even before Alan Greenspan's admission that America's red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year's pace. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿Consumers say they're not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿ In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says john Deadly, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿ Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn't mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) Spero blames the softening economy.B) Getting a table at Manhattan's hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.C) Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown.D) But don't sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy's long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belttightening.E) "I don't know if other clients are going to abandon me, too" she says.F) In Manhattan, "there's a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses," says broker Barbara Corcoran.G)From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending.Passage4:＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿ Our heroes are athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs, not scholars. Even our schools are where we send our children to get a practical education—not to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Symptoms of pervasive anti-intellectualism in our schools aren't difficult to find."Schools have always been in a society where practical is more important than intellectual," says education writer Diane Ravitch. "Schools could be a counterbalance." Razitch's latest book, Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms, traces the roots of anti-intellectualism in our schools, concluding they are anything but a counterbalance to the American distaste for intellectual pursuits.But they could and should be. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿ Without the ability to think critically, to defend their ideas and understand the ideas of others, they cannot fully participate in our democracy. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿"Intellect is resented as a form of power or privilege," writes historian and professor Richard Hofstadter in Anti-Intellectualism in American life, a Pulitzer Prize winning book on the roots of anti-intellectualism in US politics, religion, and education. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿Practicality, common sense, and native intelligence have been considered more noble qualities than anything you could learn from a book.Ralph Waldo Emerson and other Transcendentalist philosophers thought schooling and rigorous book learning put unnatural restraints on children: "we are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for 10 or 15 years and come out at last with a bellyful of words and do not know a thing." Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn exemplified American anti-intellectualism. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿Intellect, according to Hofstadter, is different from native intelligence, a quality we reluctantly admire. ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) From the beginning of our history, says Hofstadter, our democratic and populist urges have driven us to reject anything that smells of elitism.B) Encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and control.C) Americans today don't place a very high value on intellect.D) School remains a place where intellect is mistrusted. Hofstadter says our country's educational system is in the grips of people who "joyfully and militantly proclaim their hostility to intellect and their eagerness to identify with children who show the least intellectual promise."E) Continuing along this path, says writer Earl Shorris, "We will become a second-rate country. We will have a less civil society."F) Its hero avoids being civilized — going to school and learning to read — so he can preserve his innate goodness.G) Intellect is the critical, creative, and contemplative side of the mind. Intelligence seeks to grasp, manipulate, re-order, and adjust, while intellect examines, ponders, wonders, theorizes, criticizes and imagines.Passage5:"Fathers should be neither seen nor heard." wrote Oscar Wilde. ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿It's hard to say what Wilde would have thought of this week's cover photo or the pictures inside of dads and their children. Several clearly defy the outdated idea of fathers as detached from the parenting process. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿Gregory Heisler, who did the cover photograph, says he wanted the image to show genuine affection. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿Adds Heisler." Instead of doing some slick, over-produced shot, I wanted something more authentic to the experience of being a father." This isn't the first time that Heisler, 39, has conveyed complex ideas for the cover of TIME. His photographs have graced the front of the magazine some 20 times, ranging from Olympic athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee and director Davis Lynch to former President George Bush and Ted Turner for the Man of the Year issues in 1991 and 1992, respectively. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿The pictures appearing inside were all done by photographer Jeffrey Lowe. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿While most of the credit for the pictures rightly goes to those behind the camera, cover coordinator Lina Freeman and assistant picture editor Mary Worrell Bousquette, who work behind the scenes, also deserve accolades. ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿ Says she: "My greatest reward is working with these talented artists." Bousquette edited the pictures that appear inside. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿At least in this issue, those fathers are seen as well as heard sorry, Oscar.A) So, rather than use professional models, he went out and found some "real dads and their real kids."B) Freeman, for instance, had the challenging task of making arrangements for the group portrait of child movie stars by Heisler that appears on page 62.C) Although Lowe has not experienced fatherhood yet, he observed many intimate moments of parenting by spending a lot of private time with each dad and child. Of all the pictures. Lowe was most deeply touched by the father-to-be embracing his pregnant wife.D) But this week's TIME cover has special meaning, he says, because he and his wife Prudencehad their first child, Lucy, 16 months ago.E) "I wanted our story to show the many faces of fatherhood," she says.F) "This is the only proper basis for family life."G) And that's just what the photographers intended.Passage6:＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿There are numerous reasons for making an adoption plan. Birth parents may feel they cannot take on the responsibility of an unplanned child because they are too young or because they are financially or emotionally unable to provide proper care. They do not feel ready or able to be good parents.In other cases children are in need of adoption because courts have decided that their birth parents are unable to function adequately. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿ Other adoptions may be arranged independently, as when birth parents and adoptive parents come to know each other outside of an agency and then complete the adoption according to the laws and regulations of their states of residence.Which Children Need Adoption＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿ Although international adoptions occur, the largest number of adoptions in the United States involve American parents adopting American infants. Statistics on the ethnicity of both parties are incomplete.In the early 1970s there was a dramatic increase in the number of families seeking to adopt, a condition which persists today. For this reason, the number of those who wish to adopt regularly exceeds the number of infants available. Reasons for this dramatic increase are varied. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿Many of these people, in turn, have found themselves to be less fertile at that time, and so they have decided that their desire to have children might best be fulfilled through adoption.＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿The children in this group are usually older and often have special needs. They may require additional care from a parent because of their physical, emotional, or mental disabilities (which may have been caused by abuse, neglect, or medical or genetic factors). Because of their special needs, these children are challenging to rear. In fact, adoption experts believe that people who adopt these children need special training and preparation in order to successfully rear the child and to integrate the child into the family and eventually into society. In cases of international adoption, Americans have adopted orphaned children from places like Korea, India, and Latin America. United States immigration laws allow such children to reside in the United States through a special visa under which the children are classified as immediate relatives of the adopting family. ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿Stepparent adoption is also very common. Most often, this type of adoption occurs when one of the child's birth parents has remarried and the new spouse adopts the child. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) Many of these children are victims of abuse or neglect. Regardless of how children come to need adoption, they are put with adoptive parents through private or public social service agencies.B) Children from all countries and all walks of life need adopting.C) In every state, however, there are children who are legally free to be adopted but are desperately waiting for parents.D) The laws, regulations, and attitudes toward international addoption vary a great deal from one country to another. Because of this, people wishing to adopt should use experienced agencies or organizations in order to adopt a child from another country successfully.E) Children are in need of adoption because some birth parents are unable or unavailable to provide adequately for the needs of their child.F) A major factor has been the choice of many people to delay the start of a familyuntil later in life.G) In such adoptions, the consent of the other birth parent is usually required, because it entails the termination of that parent's rights.Passage7:Joshua DeShaney is paralyzed and profoundly retarded, the victim of brutal pummelings at age four by his father. Joshua, now nine, is also the victim of inaction by Wisconsin's Winnebago County department of social services. ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿ Joshua's father was convicted of child abuse in 1984 and paroled from prison after less than two years. ＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿"A state's failure to protect an individual against private violence," declared Chief Justice William Rehnquist, was not a denial of the victim's constitutional rights. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿The majority's ruling provoked an emotional dissent from Justice Harry Blackmun. "Poor Joshua! Victim of repeated attacks by an irresponsible, bullying, cowardly and intemperate father, and abandoned by county officials who placed him in a dangerous predicament," he wrote. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿Government child-welfare agencies expressed relief over the decision. "A contrary ruling would have seriously affected programs and budgetary priorities," explained Benna Ruth Solomon of the State and Local Legal Center in Washington. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿Said James Weill of the Children's Defense Fund: "It's part of a line of decisions in which the court has indicated significant hostility to legal protections for children." ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) Last week, in a ruling that stunned children's rights advocates around the country, the . Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 to absolve Winnebago County of constitutional responsibility for Joshua's fate.B) For child advocates, the opinion was deeply troubling.C) "While the state may have been aware of the dangers that Joshua faced in the free world, it played no part in their creation, nor did it do anything to render him any more vulnerable to them."D) "It is a sad commentary upon American life and constitutional principles."E) Suits against agencies may still be filed in some state courts, but local laws often permit little or no recourse.F) In Joshua's case, a Wisconsin statute limits damages to $50,000 —less than the cost of a year's medical care for the tragically battered youngster.G) The agency failed to remove the child from his divorced father's custody despite continual reports of abuse for nearly two years, repeated hospitalizations for serious injuries, and regular observations by a caseworker of suspicious bumps and lesions.Passage8:The banking revolution in America is as much about attitudes and assumptions as about size and structure. For centuries, Americans have distrusted banks. ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿In the 1930s, banks were blamed for helping cause the Depression. The wonder, then, is that the latest wave of bank mergers — the largest ever — has inspired little more than a bewildered and, perhaps, irritated shrug from the public.＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿Why The answer is that banks have shrunk in power even as they have expanded in size. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿Deposits come through one door, loans go out through another. Profits derive from the "spread" between interest rates on deposits and loans. If savers and borrowers cannot go elsewhere, banks are powerful. And if there are other choices, banks are less powerful. And so it is.We inhabit an age of superabundant credit and its purveyors. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿getting a loan meant winning the good graces of the neighborhood banker. Even big corporations depended on a few big banks or investment houses.＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿In 1990, . Morgan was. As head of . Morgan & co., he controlled through stock and positions on corporate boards — a third of U.S. railroads and 70 percent or the steel industry. ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿No bankers today inspires such awe or fear. Time, technology and government restrictions weakened bank power. In the 1920s, auto companies popularized car loans. National credit cards originated in 1950 with the Dinners Club card. In 1933, the Glass-Steagal Act required banks and their investment houses to split. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿As a result, banks command a shrinking share of the nation's wealth: 20 percent of assets of financial institutions in 1997, down from 50 percent in 1950.A) John Reed or Hugh McColl — the heads of Citicorp and Nations Bank — are not household names.B) In the 1930s, Andrew Jackson denounced and destroyed the Second Bank of the United States, which existed "to make the rich richer" at the expense of "farmers, mechanics and laborers."C) A railroad executive once cheerfully confessed his dependence on Morgan's capital: "If Mr. Morgan were to order me tomorrow to China or Siberia... I would go."D) A century ago, matters were different. Small depositors could choose from only one or several local banks;E) Traditionally, banking has been a simple business.F) As banks grow bigger, they seem less fearsome.G) After World War II, pensions and the stock market competed for consumer savings. Passage9:When fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, and fuel oils are burned, they emit oxides of sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen into the air. ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿When it rains or snows, these acids are brought to Earth in what is called acid rain.＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿Most of this acidity is produced in the industrialized nations of the Northern Hemisphere — the United States, Canada, Japan, and most of the countries of Eastern and Western Europe.The effects of acid rain can be devastating to many forms of life, including human life. Its effects can be most vividly seen, however, in lakes, rivers, and streams and on vegetation. ＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿The problem has been most severe in Norway, Sweden, and Canada.The threat posed by acid rain is not limited by geographic boundaries, for prevailing winds carry the pollutants around the globe. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿ Nor are the destructive effects of acid rain limited to the natural environment. Structures made of stone, metal, and cement have also been damaged or destroyed. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿Scientists use what is called the pH factor to measure the acidity or alkalinity of liquid solutions. On a scale from 0 to 14, the number 0 represents the highest level of acid and 14 the most basic or alkaline. ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿Rainfalls in the eastern United States and in Western Europe often range from to . Although the cost of such antipollution equipment as burners, filters, and chemical and washing devices is great, the cost in damage to the environment and human life is estimated to be much greater because the damage may be irreversible. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) Some of the world's great monuments, including the cathedrals of Europe and the Coliseum in Rome, have shown signs of deterioration caused by acid rain.B) For example, much research supports the conclusion that pollution from coal-powered electric generating stations in the midwestern United States is the ultimate cause of the severe acid-rain problem in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.C) A solution of distilled water containing neither acids nor alkalis, or bases, is designated 7, or neutral. If the pH level of rain falls below , the rain is considered acidic.D) During the course of the 20th century, the acidity of the air and acid rain have come to be recognized as a leading threat to the stability and quality of the Earth's environment.E) Although preventative measures are being taken, up to 500,000 lakes in North America and more than 4 billion cubic feet (118 million cubic meters) of timber in Europe may be destroyed before the end of the 20th century.F) These oxides combine with moisture in the air to form sulfuric acid, carbonic acid, and nitric acid.G) Acidity in water kills virtually all life forms. By the early 1990s tens of thousands of lakes had been destroyed by acid rain.Passage10:In such a changing, complex society formerly simple solutions to informational needs become complicated. ＿＿＿＿①＿＿＿＿Where to turn for expert information and how to determine which expert advice to accept are questions facing many people today.＿＿＿＿②＿＿＿＿The almost unconscious flow of information about the simplest aspects of living can be cut off. Thus, things once learned subconsciously through the casual communications of the extended family must be consciously learned.＿＿＿＿③＿＿＿＿Coupled with the growing quantity of information is the development of technologies which enable the storage and delivery of more information with greater speed to more locations than has ever been possible before. ＿＿＿＿④＿＿＿＿Telecommunications developments enable the sending of messages via television, radio, and very shortly, electronic mail to bombard people with multitudes of messages. ＿＿＿＿⑤＿＿＿＿Expertise can be shared world wide through teleconferencing, and problems in dispute can be settled without the participants leaving their homes and/or jobs to travel to a distant conference site. ＿＿＿＿⑥＿＿＿＿In this world of change and complexity, the need for information is of greatest importance. ＿＿＿＿⑦＿＿＿＿A) Many of life's problems which were solved by asking family members, friends or colleagues are beyond the capability of the extended family to resolve.B) Adding to societal changes today is an enormous stockpile of information. The individual now has more information available than any generation, and the task of finding that one piece of information relevant to his or her specific problem is complicated, time-consuming and sometimes even overwhelming.C) Computer technology makes it possible to store vast amounts of data in machine-readable files, and to program computers to locate specific information.D) Those people who have accurate, reliable up-to-date information to solve the day-to-day problems, the critical problems of their business, social and family life, will survive and succeed, "Knowledge is power" may well be the truest saying and access to information may be the most critical requirement of all people.E) In addition to this, there is the growing mobility of people since World War II. As families move away from their stable community, their friends of many years, their extended family relationships, the informal flow of information is cut off, and with it the confidence that information will be available when needed and will be trustworthy and reliable.F) Satellites have extended the power of communications to report events at the instant of occurrence.G) Technology has facilitated the sharing of information and the storage and delivery of information, thus making more information available to more people.。