泰祺教育

Section I  Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

Comparisons were drawn between the development of television in the 20th century and the spread of printing in the 15th and 16th centuries. Yet much had happened   1   the two periods. As was discussed before, it was not   2   the 19th century that the newspaper became the dominant pre-electronic   3   , following in the wake of the pamphlet and the book and in the   4   of the periodical. It was during the same time that the communications revolution  5   up, beginning with transport, the railway, and leading   6   through the telegraph, the telephone, radio, and motion pictures   7   the 20th-century world of the motor car and the air plane. Not everyone sees that process in    8   . It is important to do so.

It is generally recognized,   9   , that the introduction of the computer in the early 20th century,   10   by the invention of the integrated circuit during the 1960s, radically changed the process,   11   its impact on the media was not immediately   12   . As time went by, computers became smaller and more powerful, and they became “personal” too, as well as   13   , with display becoming sharper and storage   14   increasing. They were thought of, like people,   15   generations, with the distance between generations much    16   .

It was within the computer age that the term “information society” began to be widely used to describe the   17   within which we now live. The communications revolution has   18    both work and leisure and how we think and feel both about place and time, but there have been  19   view about its economic, political, social and cultural implications. “Benefits” have been weighed    20   “harmful” outcomes. And generalizations have proved difficult.

Section II  Reading Comprehension

Part A

Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions after each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

Text 1

As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever earlier age. This isn’t the stuff of gloomy philosophical contemplations, but a fact of Europe’s new economic landscape, embraced by sociologists, real-estate developers and ad executives alike. The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle, observes a French sociologist, is part of the “irresistible momentum of individualism” over the last century. The communications revolution, the shift from a business culture of stability to one of mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on (擾亂) Europeans’ private lives.

Europe’s new economic climate has largely fostered the trend toward independence. The current generation of home-aloners came of age during Europe’s shift from social democracy to the sharper, more individualistic climate of American style capitalism. Raised in an era of privatization and increased consumer choice, today’s tech-savvy (精通技術(shù)的) workers have embraced a free market in love as well as economics. Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford to live alone, and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so.

Once upon a time, people who lived alone tended to be those on either side of marriage — twenty something professionals or widowed senior citizens. While pensioners, particularly elderly women, make up a large proportion of those living alone, the newest crop of singles are high earners in their 30s and 40s who increasingly view living alone as a lifestyle choice. Living alone was conceived to be negative — dark and cold, while being together suggested warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, strong! Now, young people want to live alone.

The booming economy means people are working harder than ever. And that doesn’t leave much room for relationships. Pimpi Arroyo, a 35-year-old composer who lives alone in a house in Paris, says he hasn’t got time to get lonely because he has too much work. “I have deadlines which would make life with someone else fairly difficult.” Only an ideal woman would make him change his lifestyle, he says. Kaufmann, author of a recent book called “The Single Woman and Prince Charming,” thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more of mates, so relationships don’t last long — if they start at all. Eppendorf, a blond Berliner with a deep tan, teaches grade school in the mornings. In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps, resting up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says she’d never have wanted to do what her mother did — give up a career to raise a family. Instead, “I’ve always done what I wanted to do: live a self-determined life.”

Text 2

Nicola Sturgeon’s speech last Tuesday setting out the Scottish government’s legislative programme for the year ahead confirmed what was already pretty clear. Scottish councils are set to be the first in the UK with the power to levy charges on visitors, with Edinburgh likely to lead the way.

Tourist taxes are not new. The Himayalan kingdom of Bhutan has a longstanding policy of charging visitors a daily fee. France’s taxe de séjour on overnight stays was introduced to assist thermal spa（溫泉）towns to develop, and around half of French local authorities use it today. But such levies are on the rise. Moves by Barcelona and Venice to deal with the phenomenon of “over-tourism” through the use of charges have recently gained prominence. Japan and Greece are among the countries to have recently introduced tourist taxes.

That the UK lags behind is due to our weak, by international standards, local government, as well as the opposition to taxes and regulation of our aggressively pro-market ruling party. Some UK cities have lobbied without success for the power to levy a charge on visitors. Such levies are no universal remedy as the amounts raised would be tiny compared with what has been taken away by central government since 2010. Still, it is to be hoped that the Scottish government’s bold move will prompt others to act. There is no reason why visitors to the UK, or domestic tourists on holiday in hotspots such as Cornwall, should be exempt from taxation — particularly when vital local services including waste collection, park maintenance and arts and culture spending are under financial strain.

On the contrary, compelling tourists to make a financial contribution to the places they visit beyond their personal consumption should be part of a wider cultural shift. Western tourists have often behaved as if they have a right to go wherever they choose with little regard for the consequences. Just as the environmental harm caused by aviation and other transport must come under far greater scrutiny, the social cost of tourism must also be confronted. This includes the impact of short-term lets on housing costs and quality of life for residents. Several European capitals, including Paris and Berlin, are leading a campaign for tougher regulation by the European Union. It also includes the impact of overcrowding, liter and the kinds of behavior associated with noisy parties.

There is no “one size fits all” solution to this problem. The existence of new revenue streams for some but not all councils is complicated, and businesses are often opposed, fearing higher costs will make them uncompetitive. But those places that want them must be given the chance to make tourist taxes work.

Text 3

In most people’s mind, growth is associated with prosperity. And, conversely in the minds  of most, no growth means stagnation, recession, a decline in the standard of living. Equally  axiomatic(顯而易見), however, is the notion that increased pressure on dwindling（decreasing） natural resources will inevitably lead to a decline in prosperity, especially when accompanied by  a growth in population.

So, which is correct: growth means prosperity and no growth means adversity, or growth means adversity and no growth means... what?

What growth advocates mean, primarily, when they say growth is necessary for prosperity， is that growth is necessary for the smooth functioning of the economic system. Capitalism, both its proponents and its critics have argued, is dependent on growth. But to say a particular economic system requires growth is not the same as saying that growth is necessary for prosperity.

In one arena the argument in favor of growth is particularly compelling and that is with regard to the Third World. To argue against growth, in light of Third World poverty and degradation ，seems callous（鐵石心腸的）. But is it? Could it be that growth, especially the growth of the wealthier countries, has contributed to the impoverishment, not the advancement, of Third World countries? If not, how do we account for the desperate straits（困境） these countries find themselves in today after a century of dedication to growth?

To see how this might be the case we must look at the impact of growth on Third World countries------the reality, not the abstract theory advocated through rose-colored glasses by academicians of the developed world. What good is growth to the people of the Third World if it means the stripping of their land of its mineral and other natural treasures to the benefit of foreign investors and a handful of their local collaborators, if it means the assumption of a crushing foreign indebtedness, the proceeds of which goes not into the development of the country but into the purchase of expensive cars and the buying of luxurious residence in Miami?

Admittedly, this is an oversimplification. But the point, I believe, remains valid: that growth in underdeveloped countries cannot simply be judged in the abstract; it must be judged based on the true nature of growth in these societies, on who benefits and who is harmed, on where growth is leading these people. When considered in this way, it just might be that in the present context, growth is more detrimental to the well-being of the wretched of the earth than beneficial.

Text 4

When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2019, they’ll be joined by a new face; Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教務(wù)長) 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. These days, high-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: from America.

The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. 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. The president is likely to do well in the main task of modern university counterparts: 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 2013, 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 promoting foreign programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices.

Part B

Directions:

Read the following text and answer the questions by choosing the most suitable subheading from the list A—G for each numbered paragraph (41—45). There are two extra subheadings which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

［A］ What to do as a student?

［B］ Various definitions of plagiarism

［C］ Ideas should always be sourced

［D］ Oversight plagiarism can be forgiven

［E］ Plagiarism is equivalent to theft

［F］ The consequences of plagiarism

［G］ Acknowledgement is important

Scholars, writers and teachers in the modern academic community have strong feelings about acknowledging the use of another person’s ideas. In the English-speaking world, the term plagiarism is used to label the practice of not giving credit for the source of one’s ideas. Simply stated, plagiarism is “the wrongful appreciation or purloining, and publication as one’s own of the ideas, or the expression of ideas of another.”