.
“Don’t just stand there,” goes a typical bit of American advice, “do something!” This expression is normally used in a crisis situation, yet, in a sense, it describes most Americans’ entire waking life, where action—any action—is seen to be superior to inaction.
Americans routinely plan and schedule an extremely active day. Any relaxation must be limited in time, preplanned, and aimed at “recreating” their ability to work harder and more productively once the recreation is over. Americans believe leisure activities should assume a relatively small portion of one’s total life. People think that it is “sinful(有罪的)” to “waste one’s time”, “to sit around doing nothing”, or just to “daydream”.
Such a “no nonsense” attitude toward life has created many people who have come to be known as “workaholics”, or people who are addicted to their work, who think constantly about their jobs and who are frustrated if they are kept away from them, even during their evening hours and weekends.
The workaholic syndrome(综合症), in turn, causes Americans to identify themselves wholly with their professions. The first question one American will ask another American when meeting for the first time is related to his or her work: ”Where do you work?” or “Who(what company) are you with?” And when such a person finally goes on vacation, even the vacation will be carefully planned, very busy and active.
America may be one of the few countries in the world where it seems reasonable to speak about the “dignity(尊严) of human labor”, meaning by that, hard, physical labor. In America, even corporation presidents will engage in physical labor from time to time and gain, rather than lose, respect from others for such action.
64.What is mainly talked about in the passage?
A.How Americans act during a crisis situation.
B.The workaholic syndrome in America.
C.Americans’ attitude towards relaxation.
D.Americans’ “no nonsense” attitude toward life.
65.Americans hold the belief that _______.
A.they should try to enjoy life as much as possible
B.they should go all out to help others in a crisis situation
C.they should not spend too much on relaxation
D.leisure activities should be an important part of their life
66.In America, corporation presidents will _______.
A.give instructions to workers only
B.often take part in physical labor themselves
C.look down upon the laborers
D.do physical labor only when it is necessary
67.When workers see their boss doing physical labor, they’ll _______.
A.take the place of him
B.stand by and watch
C.be more respectful to him
D.laugh at him

Until a century ago, bloodletting was used to treat many ailments. Dating back to before the time of Christ, the treatment involved letting a type of worm, called a leech, such blood from the patient. People believed that there were liquids called humors in the body and that these determined a person’s personality and heath. Bloodletting, they thought, restored a balance to these humors.

At the time, little was known of the working of the human body, but people did know that the same liquid, blood, flowed throughout everyone’s body. They knew it was a vital substance, for loss of any great amount of it meant certain death. Thus, they concluded that all diseases were carried in the bloodstream, and that if the body was relieved of bad blood, heath would return. Bloodletting, however, came to be used as a cure-all. Woman were bled to keep them from blushing while members of the clergy were bled to prevent them from thinking sinful and worldly thoughts.

From the 11th to the 18th centuries, barbers were the people to go to if you needed to be bled. This custom explains the significance of the traditional barber’s pole: the white stripes stand for bandages and the red stripe for blood.

1. This passage is concerned about            .

healthy people and doctors                         B. bleeding as a cure-all

C. barbers of long ago                                      D. leeches with special jobs to do

2. The red and white stripes on barber pole symbolize         .

sin and redemption                             B. the bleeding form

C. women who are nurses                                  D. humors in the body

3. Why is bloodletting no longer considered a cure-all?

Because more is known about the workings of the human body.

Because leeches were outlawed

Because barbers were too busy cutting hair.

Because today we know that blood is necessary for health

4. In the second paragraph, the word “Thus” could be replaced by the word       .

A. When                        B. However                  C. If                            D. So

5. Ailments means           .

A. cures                         B. women                     C. disease                     D. medicines

Moreover, insofar as any interpretation of its author can be made from the five or six plays attributed to him, the Wake field Master is uniformly considered to be a man of sharp contemporary observation. He was, formally, perhaps clerically educated, as his Latin and music, his Biblical and patristic lore indicate. He is, still, celebrated mainly for his quick sympathy for the oppressed and forgotten man, his sharp eye for character, a ready ear for colloquial vernacular turns of speech and a humor alternately rude and boisterous, coarse and happy. Hence despite his conscious artistry as manifest in his feeling for intricate metrical and stanza forms, he is looked upon as a kind of medieval Steinbeck, indignantly angry at, uncompromisingly and even brutally realistic in presenting the plight of the agricultural poor.

Thus taking the play and the author together, it is mow fairly conventional to regard the former as a kind of ultimate point in the secularization of the medieval drama. Hence much emphasis on it as depicting realistically humble manners and pastoral life in the bleak hills of the West Riding of Yorkshire on a typically cold bight of December 24th. After what are often regarded as almost “documentaries” given in the three successive monologues of the three shepherds, critics go on to affirm that the realism is then intensified into a burlesque mock-treatment of the Nativity. Finally as a sort of epilogue or after-thought in deference to the Biblical origins of the materials, the play slides back into an atavistic mood of early innocent reverence. Actually, as we shall see, the final scene is not only the culminating scene but perhaps the raison d’etre of introductory “realism.”

There is much on the surface of the present play to support the conventional view of its mood of secular realism. All the same, the “realism” of the Wakefield Master is of a paradoxical turn. His wide knowledge of people, as well as books indicates no cloistered contemplative but one in close relation to his times. Still, that life was after all a predominantly religious one, a time which never neglected the belief that man was a rebellious and sinful creature in need of redemption, So deeply (one can hardly say “naively” of so sophisticated a writer) and implicitly religious is the Master that he is less able (or less willing) to present actual history realistically than is the author of the Brome “Abraham and Isaac”. His historical sense is even less realistic than that of Chaucer who just a few years before had done for his own time costume romances, such as The Knight’s Tale, Troilus and Cressida, etc. Moreover Chaucer had the excuse of highly romantic materials for taking liberties with history.

Which of the following statements about the Wakefield Master is NOT True?

[A]. He was Chaucer’s contemporary.

[B]. He is remembered as the author of five or six realistic plays.

[C]. He write like John Steinbeck.

[D]. HE was an accomplished artist.

By “patristic”, the author means

[A]. realistic. [B]. patriotic

[C]. superstitious. [C]. pertaining to the Christian Fathers.

The statement about the “secularization of the medieval drama” refers to the

[A]. introduction of mundane matters in religious plays.

[B]. presentation of erudite material.

[C]. use of contemporary introduction of religious themes in the early days.

In subsequent paragraphs, we may expect the writer of this passage to

[A]. justify his comparison with Steinbeck.

[B]. present a point of view which attack the thought of the second paragraph.

[C]. point out the anachronisms in the play.

[D]. discuss the works of Chaucer.

.

“Don’t just stand there,” goes a typical bit of American advice, “do something!” This expression is normally used in a crisis situation, yet, in a sense, it describes most Americans’ entire waking life, where action—any action—is seen to be superior to inaction.

Americans routinely plan and schedule an extremely active day. Any relaxation must be limited in time, preplanned, and aimed at “recreating” their ability to work harder and more productively once the recreation is over. Americans believe leisure activities should assume a relatively small portion of one’s total life. People think that it is “sinful(有罪的)” to “waste one’s time”, “to sit around doing nothing”, or just to “daydream”.

Such a “no nonsense” attitude toward life has created many people who have come to be known as “workaholics”, or people who are addicted to their work, who think constantly about their jobs and who are frustrated if they are kept away from them, even during their evening hours and weekends.

The workaholic syndrome(综合症), in turn, causes Americans to identify themselves wholly with their professions. The first question one American will ask another American when meeting for the first time is related to his or her work: ”Where do you work?” or “Who(what company) are you with?” And when such a person finally goes on vacation, even the vacation will be carefully planned, very busy and active.

America may be one of the few countries in the world where it seems reasonable to speak about the “dignity(尊严) of human labor”, meaning by that, hard, physical labor. In America, even corporation presidents will engage in physical labor from time to time and gain, rather than lose, respect from others for such action.

64.What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A.How Americans act during a crisis situation.

B.The workaholic syndrome in America.

C.Americans’ attitude towards relaxation.

D.Americans’ “no nonsense” attitude toward life.

65.Americans hold the belief that _______.

A.they should try to enjoy life as much as possible

B.they should go all out to help others in a crisis situation

C.they should not spend too much on relaxation

D.leisure activities should be an important part of their life

66.In America, corporation presidents will _______.

A.give instructions to workers only

B.often take part in physical labor themselves

C.look down upon the laborers

D.do physical labor only when it is necessary

67.When workers see their boss doing physical labor, they’ll _______.

A.take the place of him

B.stand by and watch

C.be more respectful to him

D.laugh at him

Until a century ago, bloodletting was used to treat many ailments. Dating back to before the time of Christ, the treatment involved letting a type of worm, called a leech, such blood from the patient. People believed that there were liquids called humors in the body and that these determined a person’s personality and heath. Bloodletting, they thought, restored a balance to these humors.
At the time, little was known of the working of the human body, but people did know that the same liquid, blood, flowed throughout everyone’s body. They knew it was a vital substance, for loss of any great amount of it meant certain death. Thus, they concluded that all diseases were carried in the bloodstream, and that if the body was relieved of bad blood, heath would return. Bloodletting, however, came to be used as a cure-all. Woman were bled to keep them from blushing while members of the clergy were bled to prevent them from thinking sinful and worldly thoughts.
From the 11th to the 18th centuries, barbers were the people to go to if you needed to be bled. This custom explains the significance of the traditional barber’s pole: the white stripes stand for bandages and the red stripe for blood.
1. This passage is concerned about            .
healthy people and doctors                         B. bleeding as a cure-all
C. barbers of long ago                                      D. leeches with special jobs to do
2. The red and white stripes on barber pole symbolize         .
sin and redemption                             B. the bleeding form
C. women who are nurses                                  D. humors in the body
3. Why is bloodletting no longer considered a cure-all?
Because more is known about the workings of the human body.
Because leeches were outlawed
Because barbers were too busy cutting hair.
Because today we know that blood is necessary for health
4. In the second paragraph, the word “Thus” could be replaced by the word       .
A. When                        B. However                  C. If                            D. So
5. Ailments means           .
A. cures                         B. women                     C. disease                     D. medicines