In the case of the human “car”, it could be the burning oxygen in normal metabolism generates harmful by-products in free radicals that prove toxic to the organism. What we see here may be a basic trade-off: oxygen is essential for life yet harmful to our eventual well-being. In this view, the human “car” is not intentionally designed to accumulate toxic emissions in order to collapse. But there seems to be no way for the car to function at optimum levels without the destructive by-products.
But suppose we could find some special “fuel additive” that eliminates toxic emissions. Would we then have an “immortal” car? Probably not. Changing the fuel used in your car won’t prevent accidents, nor would any fuel additive prevent rusting or the wearing down of springs and shock absorbers. The human “car” analogy, of course, is misleading, because an organism, unlike a manufactured object, has a capacity for repair and self-generation, at least up to certain point. The whole question about why we grow old is finding out why that capacity for self-repair ultimately seems unable to keep up with the damage rate: in short, why aging and death seem to be universal.
26. From the passage, we learn that .
［A］ the aging process becomes quicker as people live longer
［B］ one’s life span has nothing to do with his genetic constitution
［C］ aging may not be caused by the body’s genetic program
［D］ normal development dictates the maximum age of a person
27. The example of the “aging car” is used to make the point that .
［A］ aging is actually a by-product of the life process
［B］ any car may break down or collapse over time
［C］ no car can function at optimum levels due to inferior fuel
［D］ efficient rate of combustion is most important to the car
28. A “basic trade-off” (Line 3, Para. 3) is a process .
［A］ by which old cars are traded off for new ones
［B］ by which any organism depends on others for oxygen
［C］ through which an organism gets rid of harmful substances
［D］ in which any use carries with it an inherent side effect
29. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
［A］ Aging would never take place if we developed a special fuel additive.
［B］ We would live forever if we developed a magic medicine for longevity.
［C］ Longevity is determined by diverse kinds of factors.
［D］ Nothing can be done to prolong a life when it comes to its natural end.
30. The “human car” analogy is faulty in the way that .
［A］ unlike a person, a car does not have a life span
［B］ a human being has a self-repairing capacity
［C］ no can is expected to last longer than a life
［D］ a car cannot be restored to its original state once damaged
Text 3
The most effective attacks against globalization are usually not those related to economics. Instead, they are social, ethical and, above all, cultural. These arguments surfaced amid the protests in Seattle in 1999 and more recently in Davos, Bangkok and Prague. They say this: the disappearance of national borders and the establishment of a world interconnected by markets will deal a death blow to regional and national cultures, and to the traditions, customs, myths and mores that determine each country’s or region’s cultural identity. Since most of the world is incapable of resisting the invasion of cultural products from developed countries that inevitably trails the great transnational corporations, North American culture will ultimately impose itself, standardizing the world and annihilating its richness of diverse cultures. In this manner, all other peoples, and not just the small and weak ones, will lose their identity, their soul, and will become no more than 21st-century colonies modeled after the cultural norms of a new imperialism that, in addition to ruling over the planet with its capital, military might and scientific knowledge, will impose on others its language and its ways of thinking, believing, enjoying and dreaming.
Even though I believe this cultural argument against globalization is unacceptable, we should recognize that deep within it lies an unquestionable truth. This century, the world in which we will live will be less picturesque and filled with less local color than the one we left behind. The festivals, attire(穿著), customs, ceremonies, rites and beliefs that in the past gave humanity its culturally and racially variety are progressively disappearing or confining themselves to minority sectors, while the bulk of society abandons them and adopts others more suited to the reality of our time.
All countries of the earth experience this process, some more quickly than others, but it is not due to globalization. Rather, it is due to modernization, of which the former is effect, not cause. It is possible to lament, certainly, that this process occurs, and to feel nostalgia(戀舊) for the past ways of life that, particularly from our comfortable vantage point of the present, seem full of amusement, originality and color. But this process is unavoidable. In theory, perhaps, a country could keep this identity, but only if—like certain remote tribes in Africa or the Amazon—it decides to live in total isolation, cutting off all exchange with other nations and practicing self瞫ufficiency. A cultural identity preserved in this form would take that society black to prehistoric standards of living.
It is true that modernization makes many forms of traditional life disappear. But at the same time, it opens opportunities and constitutes an important step forward for a society as a whole. That is why, when given the option to choose freely, peoples, sometimes counter to what their leaders or intellectual traditionalists would like, opt for modernization without the slightest ambiguity.
31. Which of the following is the argument against globalization?
［A］ The world will become a globalized economic entity.
［B］ Cultural identities in some countries will be compromised.
［C］ Transnational corporations will take advantage of the poor countries.
［D］ Poor countries will be dominated by the powerful ones.
32. According to the author, .
［A］ globalization will enrich cultural diversity
［B］ countries should strive to reserve their unique customs and practices
［C］ modernization will succeed in some countries but not in others
［D］ the world will be culturally less diversified because of globalization
33. The author would agree with which of the following statements?
［A］ A country should try to retain its cultural identity in its modernization drive.
［B］ Cultural identity may work against the aspiration for modernization.
［C］ People should understand what may contribute to modernization.
［D］ It’s impossible for a country to modernize and keep its cultural identity intact.
34. The author餾 main purpose is to .
［A］ discuss globalization and cultural identity
［B］ refute the cultural argument against globalization
［C］ explain why modernization is inevitable
［D］ discuss the consequences of globalization
35. The author mentions the remote tribes in Africa and the Amazon to illustrate .
［A］ the resistance that people put up against globalization
［B］ the marginalization brought forth by globalization
［C］ the importance of self-reliance and self-sufficiency
［D］ the insurmountable difficulty of retaining cultural identity
Text 4
What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be. Such consensus cannot be gained from society’s present stage, or from fantasies about what it ought to be, for that the present is too close and too diversified, and the future too uncertain, to make believable claims about it. A consensus in the present hence can be achieved only through a shared understanding of the past, as Homer’s epics (史詩) informed those who lived centuries later what it meant to be Greek, and by what images and ideals they were to live their lives and organize their societies.
But suppose we could find some special “fuel additive” that eliminates toxic emissions. Would we then have an “immortal” car? Probably not. Changing the fuel used in your car won’t prevent accidents, nor would any fuel additive prevent rusting or the wearing down of springs and shock absorbers. The human “car” analogy, of course, is misleading, because an organism, unlike a manufactured object, has a capacity for repair and self-generation, at least up to certain point. The whole question about why we grow old is finding out why that capacity for self-repair ultimately seems unable to keep up with the damage rate: in short, why aging and death seem to be universal.
26. From the passage, we learn that .
［A］ the aging process becomes quicker as people live longer
［B］ one’s life span has nothing to do with his genetic constitution
［C］ aging may not be caused by the body’s genetic program
［D］ normal development dictates the maximum age of a person
27. The example of the “aging car” is used to make the point that .
［A］ aging is actually a by-product of the life process
［B］ any car may break down or collapse over time
［C］ no car can function at optimum levels due to inferior fuel
［D］ efficient rate of combustion is most important to the car
28. A “basic trade-off” (Line 3, Para. 3) is a process .
［A］ by which old cars are traded off for new ones
［B］ by which any organism depends on others for oxygen
［C］ through which an organism gets rid of harmful substances
［D］ in which any use carries with it an inherent side effect
29. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
［A］ Aging would never take place if we developed a special fuel additive.
［B］ We would live forever if we developed a magic medicine for longevity.
［C］ Longevity is determined by diverse kinds of factors.
［D］ Nothing can be done to prolong a life when it comes to its natural end.
30. The “human car” analogy is faulty in the way that .
［A］ unlike a person, a car does not have a life span
［B］ a human being has a self-repairing capacity
［C］ no can is expected to last longer than a life
［D］ a car cannot be restored to its original state once damaged
Text 3
The most effective attacks against globalization are usually not those related to economics. Instead, they are social, ethical and, above all, cultural. These arguments surfaced amid the protests in Seattle in 1999 and more recently in Davos, Bangkok and Prague. They say this: the disappearance of national borders and the establishment of a world interconnected by markets will deal a death blow to regional and national cultures, and to the traditions, customs, myths and mores that determine each country’s or region’s cultural identity. Since most of the world is incapable of resisting the invasion of cultural products from developed countries that inevitably trails the great transnational corporations, North American culture will ultimately impose itself, standardizing the world and annihilating its richness of diverse cultures. In this manner, all other peoples, and not just the small and weak ones, will lose their identity, their soul, and will become no more than 21st-century colonies modeled after the cultural norms of a new imperialism that, in addition to ruling over the planet with its capital, military might and scientific knowledge, will impose on others its language and its ways of thinking, believing, enjoying and dreaming.
Even though I believe this cultural argument against globalization is unacceptable, we should recognize that deep within it lies an unquestionable truth. This century, the world in which we will live will be less picturesque and filled with less local color than the one we left behind. The festivals, attire(穿著), customs, ceremonies, rites and beliefs that in the past gave humanity its culturally and racially variety are progressively disappearing or confining themselves to minority sectors, while the bulk of society abandons them and adopts others more suited to the reality of our time.
All countries of the earth experience this process, some more quickly than others, but it is not due to globalization. Rather, it is due to modernization, of which the former is effect, not cause. It is possible to lament, certainly, that this process occurs, and to feel nostalgia(戀舊) for the past ways of life that, particularly from our comfortable vantage point of the present, seem full of amusement, originality and color. But this process is unavoidable. In theory, perhaps, a country could keep this identity, but only if—like certain remote tribes in Africa or the Amazon—it decides to live in total isolation, cutting off all exchange with other nations and practicing self瞫ufficiency. A cultural identity preserved in this form would take that society black to prehistoric standards of living.
It is true that modernization makes many forms of traditional life disappear. But at the same time, it opens opportunities and constitutes an important step forward for a society as a whole. That is why, when given the option to choose freely, peoples, sometimes counter to what their leaders or intellectual traditionalists would like, opt for modernization without the slightest ambiguity.
31. Which of the following is the argument against globalization?
［A］ The world will become a globalized economic entity.
［B］ Cultural identities in some countries will be compromised.
［C］ Transnational corporations will take advantage of the poor countries.
［D］ Poor countries will be dominated by the powerful ones.
32. According to the author, .
［A］ globalization will enrich cultural diversity
［B］ countries should strive to reserve their unique customs and practices
［C］ modernization will succeed in some countries but not in others
［D］ the world will be culturally less diversified because of globalization
33. The author would agree with which of the following statements?
［A］ A country should try to retain its cultural identity in its modernization drive.
［B］ Cultural identity may work against the aspiration for modernization.
［C］ People should understand what may contribute to modernization.
［D］ It’s impossible for a country to modernize and keep its cultural identity intact.
34. The author餾 main purpose is to .
［A］ discuss globalization and cultural identity
［B］ refute the cultural argument against globalization
［C］ explain why modernization is inevitable
［D］ discuss the consequences of globalization
35. The author mentions the remote tribes in Africa and the Amazon to illustrate .
［A］ the resistance that people put up against globalization
［B］ the marginalization brought forth by globalization
［C］ the importance of self-reliance and self-sufficiency
［D］ the insurmountable difficulty of retaining cultural identity
Text 4
What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be. Such consensus cannot be gained from society’s present stage, or from fantasies about what it ought to be, for that the present is too close and too diversified, and the future too uncertain, to make believable claims about it. A consensus in the present hence can be achieved only through a shared understanding of the past, as Homer’s epics (史詩) informed those who lived centuries later what it meant to be Greek, and by what images and ideals they were to live their lives and organize their societies.