Susan Sontag（1933—2004） was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything—to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s，publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review，she appeared as the symbol of American culture life，trying hard to follow every new development in literature，film and art. With great effort and serious judgment，Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
　　Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords（格言），but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In “Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name，she explained what was then a little—known set of difficult understandings，through which she could not have been more famous.“Notes on Camp”，she wrote，represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’ ”.
By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者），but by nature she was a moralist（伦理学者），and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s，it was the latter side of her that came forward. In “Illness as Metaphor”—published in 1978，after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities（被压抑的性格），a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact，re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America，her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California，won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless，all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,” she once said，“I feel that，in the end，all I am really defending…is the idea of seriousness，of true seriousness.”And in the end，she made us take it seriously too.
64．The underlined sentence in paragraph l means Sontag ____________.
A．was a symbol of American cultural life
B．developed world literature，film and art
C．published many essays about world culture
D．kept pace with the newest development of world culture
65．She first won her name through____________.
A．her story of a Polish actress
B．her book Illness as Metaphor
C．publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
D．her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
66．Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon____________.
A．a tireless，all-purpose cultural view
B．her lifelong watchword: seriousness
C．publishing books on morals
D．enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing
67．From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s，we can learn that _____.
A．she was more a moralist than a sensualist
B．she was more a sensualist than a moralist
C．she believed repressed personalities mainly led to illness
D．she would like to re-examine old positions

The best way to improve your reading ability is, of course, to read. The student must make a real effort to improve his speed, and if necessary his comprehension, with each exercise. Too many students read passages passively（被动的） and without judgment: they simply start at the first word and read through to the end. You should read a passage actively, selectively（选择地） and purposely. You must believe that you indeed have the ability to read faster and understand, and that you will.

Reading, like everything else in life, is best done when you’re relaxed. The key to improve it is concentration. You must be willing to break some old habits and form new ones. Extra body movement, such as turning the head from side to side, pointing at the line with a finger or pencil, or moving the lips, should be stopped immediately. Reading is mostly a mental process(大脑活动过程) and body movement helps neither speed nor comprehension. Then you should see words as part of a whole sentence or paragraph, not just in isolation(孤立), This is why a slow, word-by-word student often understands far less, or misses much of the joy and excitement of reading.

The student must learn to improve reading skills on their own, and not just when a teacher is looking over his shoulder. Reading improvement takes discipline（纪律） and effort. Don’t give up.

1. According to the author, how should we not read a passage?

A. actively        B passively.   C. purposely        D. selectively

2. You may conclude that whether you can improve your reading depends on________.

A. your attitude                      B. your good habits of reading

C. discipline                         D. all of the above

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?        

A. When reading, you’d better point at the line with a pencil. 　　

B. When reading, you should turn your head from side to side.

C. When reading, you should pay attention to basic unit of meaning, that is a phrase or sentence that contains an idea.    

D. Body movement will help you to improve reading.

4. The best title for this passage is___________.

A. Reading Faster                         B. Understanding Better

C. How to Improve Your Reading             D. Don’t Give Up

The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.

My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.

　　My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.

　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.

Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s          young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language.

The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.

A. the language of the younger generation is usually inferior(差的) to that of the older     

generation

B. the students had a poor command of English because they didn’t work hard enough

C. he was an excellent language teacher because he had been teaching English for sixteen  

years

D. English teachers should be held responsible for the students’ poor command of English

In the author’s opinion, the speaker ______.

A. gave a correct judgment of the English level of the students

B. had exaggerated(夸大) the language problems of the students

C. was right in saying that English teachers were not doing their jobs

D. could think and speak intelligently

The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ______.

A. neutral                    B. positive                   C. critical             D. compromising

It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

A. it is justifiable(有理由的) to include English as a school subject

B. the author disagrees with the speaker over the standard of English at Grade 9 level

C. English language teaching is by no means an easy job

D. language improvement needs time and effort

In the passage the author argues that ______.

A. it is unfair to blame the English teachers for the language deficiencies of the students

B. young people would not commit offences against the language if the teachers did their 

jobs properly

C. to eliminate(消除) language deficiencies one must have sensitive eyes and ears

D. to improve the standard of English requires the effort of several generations

The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.
My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.
　　My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.
　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.
Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s         young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language.
【小题1】 The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Eric in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Eric screamed with 36 and said, “Hi there.” His fat baby hands hit the high chair tray, and his eyes were wide with excitement.

I looked around and saw the 37 of his enjoyment. It was an old man with a worn and oily coat. And his hair was uncombed and unwashed. I was sure he 　38 . His hand waved. “Hi there, baby; I see ya,” the man said to Eric.

My husband and I 39 　looks. Eric continued to laugh and answer, “Hi, there.” Everyone in the restaurant noticed this. My husband and I were embarrassed.

We finally got through the meal and 　40 　 the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat between me and the door. “Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Eric,” I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be 41 . As I did so, Eric leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's “pick-me-up” position. Before I could stop him, he had 　42 himself to the man's arms．Eric, in an act of total 43 , and love, laid his tiny head upon the man's torn shoulder.

His 　44 　hands full of dirt, pain and hard labor gently, so gently, cradled my baby's waist and patted his back. I stood amazed. After a while, he pushed Eric from his chest 45 as though he were in pain, saying “God bless you, ma'am. You've given me the best Christmas gift.”

I had just witnessed a genuine (pure or true) love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no 46 . The ragged old man, unknowingly, had reminded me that a genuine love is one in which the true meaning of love is 47 .

36. A. surprise　　　 B. delight　　　 C. anger　　　　 　　 D. nerve

37. A. source　　　　 　　　 B. reason　　　 C. effect　　　　　 　 D. resource

38. A. smiled　　　 　 B. mopped　　 C. smelled　　　　　 D. wiped

39. A. consulted　　 B. exchanged　 C. separated　　　　 D. replaced

40. A. ran for　　　 B. headed for　 　 C. sent for　　　　 D. accounted for

41. A. breathing　　 B. fighting　　 　 C. creating　　　　 D. holding

42. A. thrown　　　 　 B. devoted　　 　 C. driven　　　　　 　 D. jumped

43. A. independence 　　 B. desire　　　 C. trust　　　　　　 D. dignity

44. A. allergic　　　 B. strong　　　 　 C. smart　　　　　 　D. aged

45. A. eagerly　　　 B. violently　　 C. gladly　　　　 　　　 D. unwillingly

46. A. judgment　　 　 B. decision　　 C. conclusion　　　 　 D. choice

47. A. sharpened　　 　 B refreshed　　 　 C. realized　　　　 　　 D. learned