Text 1

　　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(穿着), 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(恋旧) 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.

　　1. 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.

　　2. 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

　　3. 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.

　　4. The author 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

　　5. 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 2

　　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 (史诗) 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.

　　Most societies derive consensus from a long history, a language all their own, a common religion, common ancestry. The myths by which they live are based on all of these. But the United States is a country of immigrants, coming from a great variety of nations. Lately, it has been emphasized that an asocial(反社会的), narcissistic (自恋) personality has become characteristic of Americans, and that it is this type of personality that prevents us from achieving consensus that would counteract a tendency to withdraw into private worlds. In his study of narcissism, Christopher Lasch says that modern man, "tortured by self-consciousness, turns to new therapies not to free himself of his personal worries but to find meaning and purpose in life, to find something to live for". There is widespread distress because national morale has declined, and we have lost an earlier sense of national vision and purpose.

　　Contrary to rigid religions or political beliefs, as are found in totalitarian (极权主义的) societies, our culture is one of great individual differences, at least in principle and in theory. But this leads to disunity, even chaos. Americans believe in the value of diversity, but just because ours is a society based on individual diversity, it needs consensus about some dominating ideas more than societies based on uniform origin of their citizens. Hence, if we are to have consensus, it must be based on a myth-a vision-about a common experience, a conquest that made us Americans, as the myth about the conquest of Troy formed the Greeks. Only a common myth can offer relief from the fear that life is without meaning or purpose. Myths permit us to examine our place in the world by comparing it to a shared idea. Myths are shared fantasies that form the tie that binds the individual to other members of his group. Such myths help to fight off feelings of isolation, guilt, anxiety, and purposelessness-in short, they combat isolation and the breakdown of social standards and values.

　　6. In the author's view, the greatest trouble with the US society lies in the .

　　[A] lack of serious disagreement over the organizations of social life

　　[B] non-existence of unanimity on the forms the society should take

　　[C] general denying of its conformity with what it was unexpected to be

　　[D] public negation of the consensus on how to conduct social reforms

　　7. Homer's epics mentioned intend to exemplify the fact that .

　　[A] the present is varying too fast to be caught up easily

　　[B] the future may be so indefinite as to be unpredictable

　　[C] the past can help to shape a consensus in the present

　　[D] the past determines social moralities for later generations

　　8. The asocial personality of Americans results from .

　　[A] the multiracial composition of the US society

　　[B] the absence of a common religion and ancestry

　　[C] the want of shared myths they possess in life

　　[D] the obstruction of achieving a general agreement

　　9. It can be inferred from the text that Christopher Lasch is most probably .

　　[A] an earnest nationalist [B] an advanced psychologist

　　[C] a radical reformer [D] a social historian

　　10. The author concludes that only shared myths can help Americans to .

　　[A] bring about the uniformity of their culture

　　[B] diminish their great individual differences

　　[C] avoid the sense of being isolated and anxious

　　[D] regain the feelings of social values and morale

　　文章概要：本文驳斥了反对全球化的观点。作者承认我们现在生活的世界比以前少了地方特色，但这是现代化建设的结果，而非全球化的结果。全球化是果不是因。许多传统文化的消失在现代化进程是不可避免的，除非选择过着与世隔绝、自给自足的史前生活

　　1. [答案] B细节理解题。作者在第一段说明，反全球化的人认为在全球化的过程中，随着国界的消失，市场把世界连接成一体，国家和地区的文化特征受到沉重的打击。因此B正确。

　　2. [答案] D细节理解题。作者在第二段里指出，我们生活的世界将越来越少地方特色，这是一个毫无疑问的事实。故D正确。

　　3. [答案] D细节理解题。作者在第三段里说，放弃传统的东西去采纳适合我们时代的东西是所有国家正在经历的过程。故D正确。

　　4. [答案] B主旨题。作者虽然承认我们现在生活的世界是比以前少了地方特色，但他指出全球化是果不是因。故B正确。

　　5. [答案] D细节理解题。作者在第三段倒数第二句里说，理论上讲一个国家是可以完全保持自己的特色，但必须像非洲或亚马逊河某个偏远的部落一样， 过着与世隔绝、自给自足的史前生活。因此D正确。

　　Text 2

　　文章概要：作者认为美国人对未来缺乏共识，这是因为美国是一个移民社会，美国人相信多元化的价值。最后作者提出如何在美国人当中培养共识。

　　6. [答案] B细节理解题。B项中的 unanimity on the forms the society should take (社会应是什么样式)实际上是对consensus 的解释，故B为正确答案。

　　7. [答案] C细节理解题。作者在第一段以Homer餾 Epics (荷马史诗)为例说明神话可以帮助构建今天的民族共识，因此C正确。

　　8. [答案] A细节理解题。作者说明社会的共识来自共同的历史、语言、信仰、祖先等,而美国是一个移民国家,无此基础,因此美国人形成了反社会的个性。由此可判断A说法正确。B、C两项只是局部原因。D项说法笼统、模糊。

　　9. [答案] D推断题。作者在第二段里谈到narcissism 的起源，Lasch 对它的研究以及他对美国人目前的心态与过去的比较等，这些表明他是一位社会历史学家。故D正确。其余三项皆无依据。

　　10. [答案] C细节理解题。作者在第三段后半部分谈到神话即古代传下来的故事,尤指有关于一个民族早期历史的观念或信仰等。作者最后说，这些神话有助于驱除隔绝、内疚、焦虑和失落感。由此可知C为正确答案。