Tin Pan Alley originally referred to a specific place, that is, West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue.

Ebonics

Ebonics—also known by a host of other names such as African American Vernacular English, Black English, Black Vernacular, and so on—is an African-American language that has its roots in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, as African captives devised the means to communicate with each other and with their captors. In the South of the United States, these Pan-African languages co-mingled with Standard English and the Southern dialect. Many uniquely African-American components have arisen over the last two centuries, and all of these influences have forged what is now known as Ebonics.

In 1996, debates around the nature of "Ebonics" in the United States came to a head. That year, the Oakland Unified School District in California enacted Resolution 597-003, which officially recognized that African American students "as part of their culture and history as African people possess and utilize a language". Alternatively referred to as Ebonics (literally "black sounds"), African Communication Behaviors, and African Language Systems, this language was declared to be "genetically-based" rather than a dialect of Standard English.

Within the profession of language research and pedagogy, a strong consensus formed behind the Onus’s decision to recognize Ebonics. Linguistics professor John Rockford noted that Ebonics was not simply characterized by erroneous grammar and a large slang vocabulary, but that underlying this language was a structured form. and process of grammar and phonology that made English learning for Ebonics speakers far more complex a task than simply dropping bad habits. English teachers, Rockford counseled, must therefore accept and embrace these complexities.

The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) concurred with Rockford, adding that whether or not Ebonics should be defined as a dialect or a language does not matter in terms of its "validity". While linguists studying Ebonics typically restrain from prescribing edicts in favor of tracking changes in form. and style, the LSA did point to the fact that speakers of Swedish and Norwegian can typically understand each other while conversing in different "languages" whereas Mandarin and Cantonese speakers cannot understand each other's "dialects" to conclude that spatial and social tensions, rather than strict linguistic criteria, were the crucial factors in defining these terms.

For many others, however, the Onus’s decision was tantamount to endorsing lazy, vulgar and "broken" English—the equivalent, perhaps, of acknowledging "txt" speak or Internet slang as a valid form. of expression. Recognizing and fostering the use of informal, culturally-specific spoken language, say these detractors, traps users in a kind of linguistic ghetto in which they can interact with other disenfranchised and excluded citizens, but cannot engage within the public sphere in a meaningful way. Because of the dominance of Standard English in the United States, Ebonics-only speakers are essentially unable to go to university and work in high-valued professions, and they are unlikely to be delectable to any kind of public office (even in areas with a high density of black residents, those who lose their Ebonics-tinged speech patterns tend to be more trusted ).

Psychology professor Ladonna Lewis Rush has noted, however, that the Onus’s resolution did not promote Ebonics instruction as an alternative to Standard English in an either-or approach, but was intended to provide a better springboard for black achievement in English education. The systematic de-valuation of Ebonics in American society parallels, Rush has argued, the de-valuation of African-Americans in general. While a demeaning attitude can lead to social exclusion, teachers are suggested to think inclusively and encourage Ebonics speakers to use and celebrate their way of speaking while understanding that the language of the workplace, and of academics, is Standard English. Nobel Prize-winning journalist Toni Morrison has also found a reciprocal, mutually enriching use for both Ebonics and Standard English. "There are certain ideas and ways of thinking I cannot say without recourse to my Ebonics] language...I know the Standard English. I want to use it to restore the other language, the lingua franca."

In the media, the Ebonics controversy has mostly been portrayed as a revival of black-versus-white confrontation—his time over linguistic differences—but journalist Joan Walsh thinks there are basic elements inherent in the dispute that people do not want to openly discuss. She considers that there is increasing resentment by black parents and teachers who see enormous amounts of federal and state support going into Asian and Latino bilingual programmers. As immigration continues to increase, a greater proportion of the school budget is going into these programmers. The question has to be raised: why should immigrant children get English-language assistance as well as reinforcement of their own language and culture while native-born African-Americans get no such resources? Walsh maintains inner city black children are more isolated than in the past and have less social interaction with those fluent in Standard English. For this reason they need help by trained teachers to translate the native tongue they hear at home into the English of the classroom.

Ebonics should be treated as a black contribution to culture in the way that jazz and rock-and-roll has been welcomed—the new vocabulary and imagery has added to the American language rather than devalued it. In Walsh's eyes there has always been "white mistrust of how black people handle their business", but "in the public realm, white disdain yields black intransigence more reliably than 'i' comes before 'e'."

Questions 27-30

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.

Ebonics originated from the (27) The prisoners found a way to talk to other enslaved Africans as well as to (28) In southern USA several African languages mixed with English and the local (29) Over time, many distinctive (30) have been added to produce the Ebonics language of today.

(27)

What do consumers really want? That's a question market researchers would love to answer. But since people don't always say what they think, marketers would need direct access to consumers' thoughts to get the truth.

Now, in a way, that is possible. At the "Mind of the Market" laboratory at Harvard Business School, researchers are looking inside shoppers' skulls to develop more effective advertisements and marketing pitches. Using imaging techniques that measure blood flow to various parts of the brain, the Harvard team hopes to predict how consumers will react to particular products and to discover the most effective ways to present information. Stephen Kosslyn, a professor of psychology at Harvard, and business school professor Gerald Zaltman, oversee the lab. "The goal is not to manipulate peoples' preferences," says Kosslyn, "just to speak to their actual desires. "The group's findings, though still preliminary, could radically change how firms develop and market new products.

The Harvard group use position emission topography (PET) scans to monitor the brain activity. These PET scans, along with other non-invasive imaging techniques; enable researchers to see which parts of the brain are active during specific tasks (such as remembering a word). Correlations have been found between blood flow to specific areas and future behavior. Because of this, Harvard researchers believe the scans can also predict future purchasing patterns. According to an unpublished paper the group produced, "It is possible to use these techniques to predict not only whether people will remember and have specific emotional reactions to certain materials, but also whether they will be inclined to want those materials months later."

The Harvard group is now moving into the next stage of experiments. They will explore how people remember advertisements as part of an effort to predict how they will react to a product after having seen an ad. The researchers believe that once key areas of the brain are identified, scans on about two dozen volunteers will be enough to draw conclusions about the reactions of specific segments of the population. Large corporations-including Coca Cola, Eastman Kodak, General Motors, and Hallmark-have already signed up to fund further investigations.

For their financial support, these firms gain access to the experiments but cannot control them. If Kosslyn and Zaltman and their team really can read the mind of the market, then consumers may find it even harder to get those advertising jingles out of their heads.

Which of the following statements can be the best title for this passage?

A．Reading the Mind of the Market

B．Controlling the Consumers' Preferences

C．Improving the Styles of Advertising

D．Finding Out the Way to Predict

What do consumers really want? That's a question market researchers would love to answer. But since people don't always say what they think, marketers would need direct access to consumers' thoughts to get the truth.

Now, in a way, that is possible. At the "Mind of the Market" laboratory at Harvard Business School, researchers are looking inside shoppers' skulls to develop more effective advertisements and marketing pitches. Using imaging techniques that measure blood flow to various parts of the brain, the Harvard team hopes to predict how consumers will react to particular products and to discover the most effective ways to present information. Stephen Kosslyn, a professor of psychology at Harvard, and business school professor Gerald Zaltman, oversee the lab. "The goal is not to manipulate people's preferences," says Kosslyn, "just to speak to their actual desires." The group's findings, though still preliminary, could radically change how firms develop and market new products.

The Harvard group use position emission tomography (PET) scans to monitor the brain activity. These PET scans, along with other non-invasive imaging techniques, enable researchers to see which parts of the brain are active during specific tasks (such as remembering a word). Correlations have been found between blood flow to specific areas and future behavior. Because of this, Harvard researchers believe the scans can also predict future purchasing patterns. According to an unpublished paper the group produced, "It is possible to use these techniques to predict not only whether people will remember and have specific emotional reactions to certain materials, but also whether they will be inclined to want those materials months later."

The Harvard group is now moving into the next stage of experiments. They will explore how people remember advertisements as part of an effort to predict how they will react to a product after having seen an ad. The researchers believe that once key areas of the brain are identified, scans on about two dozen volunteers will be enough to draw conclusions about the reactions of specific segments of the population. Large corporations including Coca Cola, Eastman Kodak, General Motors, and Hallmark - have already signed up to fund further investigations.

For their financial support, these firms gain access to the experiments but cannot control them. If Kosslyn and Zaltman and their team really can read the mind of the market, then consumers may find it even harder to get those advertising jingles-out of their heads.

Which of the following statements can be the best title for this passage?

A．Reading the Mind of the Market

B．Controlling the Consumers' Preferences

C．Improving the Styles of Advertising

D．Finding Out the Way to Predict

?Read the article below about working in different sized companies.

?Are sentences 16-22 on the opposite page 'Right' or 'Wrong'? If there is not enough information to answer 'Right' or 'Wrong', choose 'Doesn't say'.

?For each sentence (16-22), mark one letter (A, B or C) on your Answer Sheet.

Choose your company with care

Small is beautiful. That, at least, is the conclusion of new research examining how satisfied secretaries are in different sized firms. 'We have found that people who work for small or medium-sized companies work harder and are more committed,' says David Smith, author of one of the latest studies in this field. 'The smaller the environment, the bigger the part you play as an individual, and the more people notice your absence.' This will come as a surprise to many secretaries. Some recruitment agencies said that secretaries are keen to get positions in the bigger companies. However, smaller companies can be more flexible when it comes to working hours, and have better working conditions. But working for a smaller firm is not without its disadvantages. Career development in the form. of courses can be limited, but, on the other hand, employees often feel that they can learn more on the job. In fact, opportunities for promotion are the same whatever the size of the company. Smith also says: 'Our research shows that in a company of fewer than 50 people, employers can actually see what their employees are producing and then give them bonuses as appropriate.'

The new research focuses on the number of secretaries employed in small firms.

A．Right

B．Wrong

C．Doesn't say

•Read the following passage about working in different sized companies.

•Are the sentences 16 - 22 "Right" or "Wrong" ? If there isn't enough information to answer "Right" or "Wrong", choose "Doesn't say".

•For each sentence, mark one letter (A, B or C) on your Answer Sheet.

CHOOSE YOUR COMPANY WITH CARE

Small is beautiful. That, at least, is the conclusion of new research examining how satisfied secretaries are in different sized firms. "We have found that people who work for small or medium-sized companies work harder and are more committed," says Catrin Morgan, author of one of the latest studies in this field. "The smaller the environment, the bigger the part you play as an individual, and the more people notice your absence."

This will come as a surprise to many secretaries. Some recruitment agencies said that secretaries are keen to get positions in the bigger companies. However, smaller companies can be more flexible when it comes to working hours, and have better working conditions, but working for smaller firms is not without its disadvantages. Career development in the form. of courses can be limited, but, on the other hand, employees often feel that they can learn more on the job.

In fact, opportunities for promotion are the same whatever the size of the company. Morgan also says, "Our research shows that in a company of fewer than 50 people, employers can actually see what their employees are producing and then give them bonuses as appropriate."

The new research focuses on the number of secretaries employed in small companies.

A．Right

B．Wrong

C．Doesn't say

听力原文：M: I just found out that my parents are moving.

W: Mmmm. Are you surprised?

M. Well, not really. They've been trying to sell their house for six months to a year now.

W: Oh, well, I thought they liked it where they were.

M: They do. They love it. But they're getting older. Dad wants to live in a smaller town. And Mom Says she's sick and tired of the fast pace and taking care of the house, you know.

W: Hmmm. So where are they going to move?

M: You're not going to believe this!

W: What? ,~

M: They're going to Mexico. Can you believe it?

W: Oh, my gosh. You're kidding.

M: Nope. They're going to San Miguel de Allende. It's this gorgeous little in the mountains.

W: Wow! I've never heard of it.

M: Ah.... it's about 150 miles northwest of Mexico City.

W: Wow! Do your parents speak Spanish?

M: No, but they're going to learn.

W: Wow. That's a big change. Why don't they stay in the U.S.

M: Well, they have always wanted to live abroad. Now that they're retired, they finally get to do it. And my dad, he adores Mexico. He's been there six or seven times at least. W: Wow. Sounds like this is going to be quite an adventure.

M: It should be. And San Miguel -- it is stunning. The government has made sure that there is no new buildings ever built there, so the traditional feeling of the town ... well, it's been preserved. Oh, and they make pottery there, which is perfect for my mother because she collects the stuff.

W: Oh, that's great for her. So, I guess now you're going to have a place to stay in Mexico. M: Yeah....

W: And a place for your friends to come and visit in Mexico. So, when exactly are they moving?

M: In a couple of months. They have to pack up and take care of all the business here. I'm going to help them with the move. I may even try o stay a couple of months if I can swing the time.

Why is the man not really surprised that his parents are moving?

A．His parents are retiring very soon.

B．His parents don't like living in this city.

C．His parents have implicitly indicated their future plans several times.

D．His parents have been trying to sell their houses for some time.

According to a new research, dreaming about something youve learned may actually be an indicator that your memory is working overtime to retain that information. Doctors have long【B1】______the importance of a good nights rest—for everything from improving performance to【B2】______physical well being. 【B3】______this latest inquiry suggests that【B4】______sleep is beneficial, dreams may actually【B5】______whether our memories continue to work through【B6】______. In this latest research, researchers found that, after【B7】______ performing a task, study participants who took a nap and dreamt about that task【B8】______both those who hadnt slept, and those whod had a dreamless sleep or whose dreams didnt touch【B9】______the task. As part of the research, subjects were asked to study a three dimensional computer maze so that later, when they were【B10】______placed somewhere in the middle of that maze, theyd be able to find their way out. Between the initial【B11】______of the maze, and the later task, some participants were allowed to nap. Among those who rested, several had dreams that【B12】______the maze—some saying that their dreams【B13】______the music that had been playing while they studied the maze earlier, while others imagined the maze as【B14】______caves that theyd had to【B15】______through. Later, when participants were put back in the maze, those whod dreamt about it had greater【B16】______finding their way around than those who hadnt dreamt about the【B17】______, or who hadnt slept at all. The findings indicate that dreams may be a(n) 【B18】______of memory processing, and working over a problem in your sleep is a(n) 【B19】______that your brain is actively trying to【B20】______that information. The next step in the research, they say, is to examine how dreams during a full nights sleep relate to memory process.

【B1】

A．criticized

B．emphasized

C．suspected

D．entertained

Part 2 3. Talk to any parent of a student who took an adventurous gap year (a year between school and university when some students earn money, travel, etc.) and a misty look will come into their eyes. There are some disasters and even the most motivated, organised gap student does require family back-up, financial, emotional and physical. The parental mistiness is not just about the brilliant experience that has matured their offspring; it is vicarious living. We all wish pre-university gap years had been the fashion in our day. We can see how much tougher our kids become; how much more prepared to benefit from university or to decide positively that they are going to do something other than a degree.

Gap years are fashionable, as is reflected in the huge growth in the number of charities and private companies offering them. Pictures of Prince William toiling in Chile have helped, but the trend has been gathering steam for a decade. The range of gap packages starts with backpacking, includes working with charities, building hospitals and schools and, very commonly, working as a language assistant, teaching English. With this trend, however, comes a danger. Once parents feel that a well-structured year is essential to their would-be undergraduate’s progress to a better university, a good degree, an impressive CV and well paid employment, as the gap companies’ blurbs suggest it might be, then parents will start organising—and paying for—the gaps.

Where there are disasters, according to Richard Oliver, director of the gap companies’ umbrella organisation, the Year Out Group, it is usually because of poor planning. That can be the fault of the company or of the student, he says, but the best insurance is thoughtful preparation. “When people get it wrong, it is usually medical or, especially among girls, it is that they have not been away from home before or because expectation does not match reality.”

The point of a gap year is that it should be the time when the school leaver gets to do the thing that he or she fancies. Kids don’t mature if mum and dad decide how they are going to mature. If the 18-year-old’s way of maturing is to slob out on Hampstead Heath soaking up sunshine or spending a year working with fishermen in Cornwall, then that’s what will be productive for that person. The consensus, however, is that some structure is an advantage and that the prime mover needs to be the student.

The 18-year-old who was dispatched by his parents at two weeks’ notice to Canada to learn to be a snowboarding instructor at a cost of ￡5,800, probably came back with little more than a hangover. The 18-year-old on the same package who worked for his fare and spent the rest of his year instructing in resorts from New Zealand to Switzerland, and came back to apply for university, is the positive counterbalance.

第31题：It can be inferred from the first paragraph that parents of gap students may_____.

［A］ help children to be prepared for disasters ［B］ receive all kinds of support from their children

［C］ have rich experience in bringing up their offspring ［D］ experience watching children grow up