What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.

　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.

1.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A．changing others’ point of view

B．exercising power over other people

C．getting other people to consider your point of view

D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want

2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.

A．win

B．fail

C．speak

D．listen

3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A．a danger to society	B．difficult to do well
C．unwelcome behavior	D．never successful

4.The passage mainly discusses ________.

A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion

B．the reasons why people persuade

C．that persuasion is both good and bad

D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us

 

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.

　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.

1.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A．changing others’ point of view

B．exercising power over other people

C．getting other people to consider your point of view

D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want

2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.

A．win

B．fail

C．speak

D．listen

3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A．a danger to society	B．difficult to do well
C．unwelcome behavior	D．never successful

4.The passage mainly discusses ________.

A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion

B．the reasons why people persuade

C．that persuasion is both good and bad

D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us

 

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.
【小题1】According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A．changing others’ point of view

B．exercising power over other people

C．getting other people to consider your point of view

D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want

【小题2】The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.

A．win

B．fail

C．speak

D．listen

【小题3】The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A．a danger to society	B．difficult to do well
C．unwelcome behavior	D．never successful

【小题4】The passage mainly discusses ________.

A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion

B．the reasons why people persuade

C．that persuasion is both good and bad

D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us

When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2009, they’ll be joined by a new face; Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教务长) of Yale, who’ll become Oxford’s vice-chancellor—a position equivalent to university president in America.

　　Hamilton isn’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc, have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it’s gone global. Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: outward from America.

　　The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of the university’s budget. “We didn’t do any global consideration,” says Patricia Hayes, the board’s chair. The board ultimately picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist (活动家) who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a distinctively American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.

　　Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student number. The decline in government support has made funding-raising an increasing necessary ability among administrators and has hiring committees hungry for Americans.

　　In the past few years, prominent schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen “a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position.”

　　Of course, fund-raising isn’t the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind of promote international programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices.

1.What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the passage?

A.Institutions worldwide are hiring administrators from the U.S.

B.A lot of political activists are being recruited as administrators.

C.American universities are enrolling more international students.

D.University presidents are paying more attention to funding-raising.

2.What is the chief consideration of American universities when hiring top-level administrators?

A.The political correctness.

B.Their ability to raise funds.

C.Their fame in academic circles.

D.Their administrative experience.

3.What do we learn about European universities from the passage?

A.The tuitions they charge have been rising considerably.

B.Their operation is under strict government supervision.

C.They are strengthening their position by globalization.

D.Most of their revenues come from the government.

4.Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard as its vice-chancellor chiefly because _____.

A.she was known to be good at raising money

B.she could help strengthen its ties with Yale

C.she knew how to attract students overseas

D.she had boosted Yale’s academic status

5.In what way do top-level administrators from abroad contribute to university development?

A.They can enhance the university’s image.

B.They will bring with them more international faculty.

C.They will view a lot of things from a new perspective.

D.They can set up new academic disciplines.