Passage 2 Not long ago, 20,000 middle- and high-school students were surveyed (调查). 92 percent of the teenagers admitted having lied to their parents in the previous year, and 73 percent of them call themselves as “serial liars”, people continually lying. Despite these admissions, 91 percent of all those people said they were “satisfied with my own character”. Think how often we hear the expressions “I’ll call you” or “I’m sorry, but he stepped out”. And then there are professions, such as lawyers and consultants (顾问), whose members seem to specialize in shaping the truth to suit clients’ (当事人) needs. Little white lies become widespread, and the reasons we give each other for telling lies are familiar. “What’s wrong with that?” How often do we praise people for how well they look, or express our appreciation for gifts, when we don’t really mean it? Surely, these “nice lies” are harmless and well intended, a necessary social lubricant (润滑剂). But, we should remember the words of English novelist Sir Walter Scott, who wrote, “What a tangled (错综复杂的) web we weave (编), when first we practice to deceive.” Even seemingly harmless lies can have unexpected consequences. Psychological obstacles disappear; the ability to make more distinction can become dull; the liar’s awareness of his chances of being caught may become dull. By itself, that kind of lie is of no great consequence. Still, the endless build-up of these lies does matter. Once they’ve become common enough, even the small untruths that are not meant to hurt will encourage a certain doubt and loss of trust. When trust is damaged, the community as a whole suffers; and when it is destroyed, societies collapse. Are all white lies to be avoided at all costs? The most understandable and forgivable lies are an exchange of the principle of trust for the principle of caring, like telling children about Santa Claus, or lying to someone to give him a surprise party. But a president of an institute says, “Still, we must ask ourselves if we are willing to give our friends and associates the authority to lie to us whenever they think it is for our own good.” Which of the following statements is NOT true about the survey?
A、Most of the school students surveyed said they had lied.
B、A larger percent of the students said they had lied constantly.
C、Most of the students didn’t feel sorry about their lying behavior.
D、Those students who had never lied were happy about their character.
第2题
Not long ago, on the Aegean island of Kea, archaeologists made an interesting discovery. There was a temple in an ancient city on the promontory of Ayia Irini. An American team explored it. The city must be prosperous for a period of time. It once had a high level of civilization. Houses generally had three storeys high. They were made of stone. Rooms inside were very big. Walls were decorated beautifully. The city even laid out a drainage system. Under the narrow streets, people found a lot of pipes. They were made of earth. The archaeologists explored the temple. People used the temple for prey and worship from the fifteenth century B.C. to Roman times. In the most holy room of the temple, people found pieces of fifteen statues. They all were made of earth. Each of them stood for a goddess. Once they were painted.
第3题
Not long ago, there lived in Auckland a working family who dreamed about a house of their own. Anyone then could read in the newspapers about the building companies who offered to put people into a new house 51 only a $1,000 deposit. Of course, the remainder had to be paid off with interest over a period of twenty years or so.
The worker and his wife hopefully went to one of these companies 52 this wonderful offer. And the man in the office said.“Yes, sure. You bring along $1,000 and we can 53 you with a new house.” So the worker and his wife had to work hard and in twelve months’ time they returned to the building man with $1,000. But the man in the office said, “Look, I’m sorry, 54 we’ll need $1,500 now. Costs have gone up since we saw you last, you know.”
The couple thought it over and decided it would not take very long to save the extra $500 if they worked hard. In six moths they worked 55 overtime and saved the $500 in spite of the high rent they had to pay for their flat. Back to the building man they 56 with their $1,500. But to their surprise he 57 the deposit was now $3,000. Now somewhat wiser, the worker said, “And the next time, I dare say we’ll find the deposit rising once more. How have we 58 save the extra $1,500?” “Well”, said the man, “I think we can stabilize the situation for about twelve months. By the time you come with $3,000, we will have had the house 59 for you.
The couple left, sad at heart as they saw their dream house 60 . By the time they had saved the extra $1.500, no doubt the deposit would have become still higher, maybe $5,000, then $10,000 and then…!
51.
A.for
B.with
C.on
D.to
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