2014年1月最新托福阅读预测

2005-031.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:We must seriously question the idea of majority rule. The majority grinned and jeered when Columbus said the world was round. The majority threw him into a dungeon for his discoveries. Where is the logic in the notion that the opinion held by a majority of people should have the power to influence our decisions?Adapted from James A. Reed, ―Majority Rule‖ASSIGNMENT: Is the opinion of the majority—in government or in anyother circumstances—a poor guide? Plan and write an essay in which youdevelop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoningand examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Given the importance of human creativity, one would think it should have a high priority among our concerns. But if we look at the reality, we see a different picture. Basic scientific research is minimized in favor of immediate practical applications. The arts are increasingly seen as dispensable luxuries. Yet as competition heats up around the globe, exactly the opposite strategy is needed.ASSIGNMENT: Is creativity needed more than ever in the world today?Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Even scientists know that absolute objectivity has yet to be attained. It's the same for absolute truth. But, as many news reporters have observed, the idea of objectivity as a guiding principle is too valuable to be abandoned. Without it, the pursuit of knowledge is hopelessly lost.Adapted from ―Focusing Our V alues‖, Nieman ReportsASSIGNMENT: Are people better at making observations, discoveries,and decisions if they remain neutral and impartial?Plan and write anessay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support yourposition with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:If you think that what you do is your own business, you are wrong. In this world your conduct affects not only you but the conduct of other people as well. If you behave in a way that is considered unacceptable and other people copy your behavior, you are the consequences.Adapted from Margaret Banni ng, ―Letter to Susan‖ASSIGNMENT: Is a person responsible, through the example he or shesets, for the behavior of other people? Plan and write an essay in which youdevelop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoningand examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2005-051.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:It's easy to see why—aside from the income it provides—having a job is so desirable in our culture. Work works for us. It structures our time and imposes a rhythm on our lives. It gets us organized into various kinds of communities and social groups. And perhaps most important, work tells us what to do every day.Adapted from Joanne B. Ciulla, The Working LifeASSIGNMENT: Do people depend on work—whether it is a job, schoolwork, or volunteer work—to determine what their daily activitiesand interactions with others should be? Plan and write an essay in whichyou develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:There is no progress unless someone comes up with a new way of looking at things, of trying things that have never been done or thought of before. We cannot move forward by looking backward to old customs and past experience. There can be no advancement or improvement unless there are people who look forward in pursuit of the new and untried.ASSIGNMENT: Does progress depend on people with new ideas ratherthan on people whose ideas are based on the current way of doingthings? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on thisissue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:We are afraid that our cause is unjust, or that it is unclear, or that it is too insignificant to justify the horrors of a confrontation with Authority. We will endure almost any inconvenience before undertaking head-on, I'm-here-to-tell-you complaint.Adapted from William F. Buckley, Jr., ―Why Don't We Complain?‖ASSIGNMENT: Are people afraid to speak out against authority,whether the authority is an individual, a group, or a government? Planand write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Alone we can afford to be wholly whatever we are and to feel whatever we feel absolutely. With others we are busy wondering what does my companion see or think of this, and what do I think of it? The original impact of our feelings gets lost or reduced.Adapted from May Sarton, The Rewards of Living a Solitary LifeASSIGNMENT: Does worrying too much about other people’s opinionsprevent us from seeing things clearly? Plan and write an essay in which youdevelop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoningand examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2005-061.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to reckon with the past and integrate past and present.Adapted from Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, I've Known Rivers: Lives of Loss and Liberation ASSIGNMENT: Do memories hinder or help people in their effort tolearn from the past and succeed in the present? Plan and write an essay inwhich you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:I cannot comprehend those who emphasize or recognize only what is useful. I am concerned that learning for learning's sake is no longer considered desirable, that everything we do and think must be directed toward the solution of a practical problem. More and more we seem to try to teach how to make a good living and not how to live a good life.Adapted from Philip D. Jordan, ―The U sefulness of Useless Knowledge‖ASSIGNMENT: Do people put too much emphasis on learning practicalskills? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on thisissue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Most of our schools are not facing up to their responsibilities. We must begin to ask ourselves whether educators should help students address the critical moral choices and social issues of our time. Schools have responsibilities beyond training people for jobs and getting students into college.Adapted from Svi ShapiroASSIGNMENT: Should schools help students understand moral choicesand social issues? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point ofview on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples takenfrom your reading, studies, experience, or observation.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:The media not only transmit information and culture, they also decide what information is important. In that way, they help to shape culture and values.Adapted from Alison Bernstein, ―Artists Thrive on Freedom a nd Freedom Thrives on the Arts‖ASSIGNMENT: Do newspapers, magazines, television, radio, movies,the Internet, and other media determine what is important to mostpeople? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on thisissue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2005-101.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:1.Success in life is largely a matter of luck. It has little correlation with merit. And in all fields of life therehave always been people of great merit who did not succeed.Karl Popper, Popper Selections2.As Colin Powell said, ―there are no secrets to success. Don’t waste time looking for them. Success is theresult of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.‖Adapted from Barry Farber, ―Selling Points‖ASSIGNMENT: Is success in life earned or do people succeed becausethey are lucky? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point ofview on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples takenfrom your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:1.Celebrities have the power to attract ―communities‖of like-minded followers; they provide an identitythat people can connect to and call their own. Celebrities are trusted; they stand for certain ideas and values to which followers can express allegiance.Adapted from William Greider, Who Will Tell the People?2.Admiration for celebrities is often accompanied by contempt for ―average‖ people. As we focus on thefamous, other people become less important to us. The world becomes populated with a few ―some bodies‖ and an excess of ―near-nobodies.‖Adapted from Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen, Wizards of Media OzASSIGNMENT: Is society’s admiration for famous people beneficial or harmful? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view onthis issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:This is a time for shallowness. Seriousness is so rare these days that we tend to make all kinds of allowances for those who only seem to possess it. In this way, shallow ideas are not recognized for what they are, and they are increasingly mistaken for deep thoughts.Adapted from Margaret Talbot, ―The Perfectionist‖ASSIGNMENT: Do we live in a time when people do not engage inserious thinking? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point ofview on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples takenfrom your reading, studies, experience, or observations.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Nowadays nothing is private: our culture has become too confessional and self-expressive. People think that to hide one’s thoughts or feelings is to pretend not to have those thoughts or feelings. They assume that honesty requires one to express every inclination and impulse.Adapted from J. David V elleman, ―the Genesis of Shame‖ASSIGNMENT: Should people make more of an effort to keep somethings private? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point ofview on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples takenfrom your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2005-111.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Beauty is not a quality in people or in objects themselves. It exists in the mind that perceives those objects, and each mind perceives beauty differently. To seek real beauty, in some absolute sense, is pointless. Where one person sees beauty, another may even see the opposite. For this reason, we all ought to accept our own perceptions of who or what is beautiful, and not be influenced by the perceptions of others.Adapted from David H ume, ―Of the Standard of Taste‖ASSIGNMENT: Should our perceptions of beauty be influenced by the perceptions of beauty of other people? Plan and write an essay in which youdevelop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoningand examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:There are situations where flattery is mandatory: The bride is always beautiful. If we look at someone's artwork, we are obliged to say something complimentary to the artist. If we visit someone with a new baby, we are required to say the infant is cute. In such situations, to say nothing is interpreted as rudeness. We compliment each other because we understand that flattery makes life run smoothly.Adapted from Richard Stengel, Y ou're Too Kind: A brief History of FlatteryASSIGNMENT: Is praising others, even if the praise is excessive or undeserved, a necessary part of life? Plan and write an essay in which youdevelop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoningand examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Conflict is not necessarily bad, and it does not necessarily indicate a failed interaction. It is a signal, a message that says, "Things aren't working around here. We've got to do something different." Thus, conflict can be a catalyst-a motivating force-encouraging people to interact and communicate in ways that are more satisfying. Conflict can actually benefit people by pushing them to make necessary changes.Adapted from Beverly Potter, From Conflict to CooperationASSIGNMENT: Is conflict helpful? Plan and write an essay in which youdevelop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoningand examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:What explains our increasing obsession with money and the things it can buy? It seems as though the acquisition of money is gradually replacing real measures of success, such as integrity, honesty, skill, and hard work.Adapted from Alan Durning, ―Limiting Consumption: Toward a Sustainable Culture‖ASSIGNMENT: Has the acquisition of money and possessions replacedmore meaningful ways of measuring our achievements? Plan and writean essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support yourposition with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2005-121.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:We like to think that if someone has "the right stuff," he or she will naturally rise to the top. But it isn't true. In that same way that acting talent doesn't guarantee stardom, the capacity for leadership doesn't guarantee that one will run a corporation or a government. In fact, at least in our time, genuine achievement is not highly valued, and those who are skilled at achieving greatness are not necessarily those who are ready to lead.Adapted from Warren Bennis, On Becoming a LeaderASSIGNMENT: Are leaders necessarily people who are most capable of leadership? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view onthis issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:How valuable is history for our generation? On the surface this question is not as easy as it once might have been, for there is a widespread belief that history may no longer be relevant to modern life. We live, after all, in an age that appears very different from the world that came before us.Adapted from Stephen Vaughn, ―History: Is It Relevant?‖ASSIGNMENT: Is knowledge of the past no longer useful for us today?Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:The free expression of thoughts and opinions is one of humanity's most precious rights. Every citizen must be able to speak, write, and publish freely, provided that he or she is held accountable for the abuse of this liberty in cases determined by the law.Adapted from Thomas Paine, Rights of ManASSIGNMENT: Is it necessary to limit or put restrictions on freedom ofthought and expression? Plan and write an essay in which you develop yourpoint of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examplestaken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Progress is likely to slow down once science and technology have met our basic human needs. New developments in science and technology will not continue to produce more societal benefits. In fact, the promise that science and technology will continue to benefit us is increasingly doubtful when so many individuals find their lives changing in ways they cannot control and in directions they do not desire.Adapted from Daniel Sarewitz, ―So cial Change and Science Policy‖ASSIGNMENT: Do the benefits of scientific and technological developments come at the cost of undesirable changes to people's lives?Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2006-011.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:A colleague of the great scientist James Watson remarked that Watson was always ―lounging around, arguing about problems instead of doing experiments.‖ He concluded that ―there is more than one way of doing good science.‖ It was Watson’s form of idleness, the scientist went on to say, that allowed him to solve ―the greatest of all biological problems: the discovery of the structure of DNA.‖It is a point worth remembering in a society overly concerned with efficiency.Adapted from John C. Polanyi, ―Understanding Discovery‖ASSIGNMENT: Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to dothings in their own way? Plan and write an essay in which you develop yourpoint of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examplestaken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:I do not feel terrible about my mistakes, though I grieve the pain they have sometimes caused others. Our lives are ―experiments with truth,‖ and in an experiment negative results are at least as important as successes. I have no idea how I would have learned the truth about myself and my calling without the mistakes I have made.Adapted from Parker Palmer, Let Y our Life SpeakASSIGNMENT: Is it necessary to make mistakes, even when doing sohas negative consequences for other people? Plan and write an essay inwhich you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:An actor, when his cue came, was unable to move onto the stage. He said, ―I can’t get in, the chair is in the way.‖And the producer said, ―Use the difficulty. If it’s a drama, pick the chair up and smash it. If it’s a comedy, fall over it.‖ From this experience the actor concluded that in any situation in life that is negative, there is something positive you can do with it.Adapted from Lawrence Eisenberg, ―Caine Scrutiny‖ASSIGNMENT: Can any obstacle or disadvantage be turned into something good? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point ofview on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples takenfrom your reading, studies, experience, or observations.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Every important discovery results from patience, perseverance, and concentration--sometimes continuing for months or years--on one specific subject. A person who wants to discover a new truth must remain absorbed by that one subject, must pay no attention to any thought that is unrelated to the problem.Adapted from Santiago Ramon Cajal, Advice for a Y oung InvestigatorASSIGNMENT: Are all important discoveries the result of focusing onone subject? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of viewon this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken fromyour reading, studies, experience, or observation.2006-041.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Inconsistency is commonly thought to be an undesirable personality trait, and inconsistent people are viewed as indecisive and weak willed. On the other hand, firm commitment to an idea or plan of action is associated with personal and intellectual strength, stability, and honesty. Thus, once we have made a choice or taken a stand, it is best not to change.Adapted from Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: How and Why People Agree to ThingsASSIGNMENT: Is it best not to change our ideas, opinions, or behaviors?Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:A teenager challenges everything and, by forming habits of intellectual and emotional independence, makes himself or herself into an adult. In a similar way, all people can learn the behaviors that they need to become the people they want to be. We can all change ourselves—our behaviors, our goals, our relationships—because our potential for change is unlimited.Adapted from Richard Stiller, HabitsASSIGNMENT: Is our ability to change ourselves unlimited, or are therelimits on our ability to make important changes in our lives? Plan andwrite an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Supportyour position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:It is widely believed that people do their best work when they are promised rewards for their achievements. Our schools and workplaces operate on the assumption that good work occurs when people are competing for grades, money, or recognition from others. In truth, the prospect of rewards provided by others can inhibit and limit people's drive and creativity. People do their best work when motivated from within by their enjoyment of a particular challenge and their satisfaction in doing something well.ASSIGNMENT: What do you think motivates people to do their best?Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Young people should have the right to control and direct their own learning—that is, to decide what they want to learn, when, and where. If we take from someone his or her right to decide what to be curious about, we destroy that person's freedom of thought. We say, in effect, "You must think about what interests and concerns us, not you."Adapted from John Holt, ―The R ight to Control One's Learning‖ASSIGNMENT: Should each individual decide what and how to learn?Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue.Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2006-051.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Some people claim that each individual is solely responsible for what happens to him or her. But the claim that we ought to take absolute responsibility for the kinds of people we are and the kinds of lives we lead suggests that we have complete control over our lives. We do not. The circumstances of our lives can make it more or less impossible to make certain kinds of choices.Adapted form Gordon D. Marino, ―I think You Should Be Responsible; Me, I’m not so Sure‖ASSIGNMENT: Are we free to make our own decisions or are we limitedin the choices we can make? Plan and write an essay in which you developyour point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:Certainly anyone who insists on condemning all lies should think about what would happen if we could reliably tell when our family, friends, colleagues, and government leaders were deceiving us. It is tempting to think that the world would become a better place without the hand, perhaps there is such a thing as too much honesty.Adapted from Allison Kornet, ―The Truth About Lying‖ASSIGNMENT: Would the world be a better place if everyone alwaystold the complete truth? Plan and write an essay in which you develop yourpoint of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examplestaken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.3.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:It is not that people dislike being part of a community; it is just that they care about their individual freedoms more. People value neighborliness and social interaction—until being part of a group requires them to limit their freedom for the larger good of the group. But a community or group cannot function effectively unless people are willing to set aside their personal interests.Adapted from Warren Johnson, The Future Is Not What It Used To BeASSIGNMENT: Does the success of a community—whether it is a class,a team, a family, a nation, or any other group—depend upon people's willingness to limit their personal interests? Plan and write an essay inwhich you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.4.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt andassignment below:There is an old saying: "A person with one watch knows what time it is; a person with two watches isn't so sure." In other words, a person who looks at an object or event from two different angles sees something different from each position. Moreover, two or more people looking at the same thing may each perceive something different. In other words, truth, like beauty, may lie in the eye of the beholder.Adapted from, Gregory D. Foster, ―Eth ics: Time to Revisit the Basics‖ASSIGNMENT: Does the truth change depending on how people look atthings? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on thisissue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observation.2006-061.Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and。

Next Year Marks the EU's 50th Anniversary of the TreatyA. After a period of introversion and stunned self-disbelief， continental European governments will recover their enthusiasm for pan-Europeaninstitution-building in 2007. Whether the European public will welcome a return to what voters in two countries had rejected so short a time before is another matter.B. There are several reasons for Europe’s recovering self-confidence. For years European economies had been lagging dismally behind America (to say nothing of Asia)， but in 2006 the large continental economies had one of their best years for a decade， briefly outstripping America in terms of growth. Since politics often reacts to economic change with a lag， 2006’s improvement in economic growth will have its impact in 2007， though the recovery may be ebbing by then.C. The coming year also marks a particular point in a political cycle so regular that it almost seems to amount to a natural law. Every four or five years，European countries take a large stride towards further integration by signing a new treaty： the Maastricht treaty in 1992， the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997， the Treaty of Nice in 2001. And in 2005 they were supposed to ratify a European constitution，laying the ground for yet more integration—until the calm rhythm was rudely shattered by French and Dutch voters. But the political impetus to sign something every four or five years has only been interrupted， not immobilised， by this setback.D. In 2007 the European Union marks the 50th anniversary of another treaty —the Treaty of Rome， its founding charter. Government leaders have already agreed to celebrate it ceremoniously， restating their commitment to “ever closer union”and the basic ideals of European unity. By itself， and in normal circumstances，the EU’s 50th-birthday greeting to itself would be fairly meaningless， a routine expression of European good fellowship. But it does not take a Machiavelli to spot that once governments have signed the declaration (and it seems unlikely anyone would be so uncollegiate as to veto it) they will already be halfway towards committing themselves to a new treaty. All that will be necessary will be to incorporate the 50th-anniversary declaration into a new treaty containing a number of institutionaland other reforms extracted from the failed attempt at constitution-building and —hey presto—a new quasi-constitution will be ready.E. According to the German government—which holds the EU’s agenda-setting presidency during the first half of 2007—there will be a new draft of a slimmed-down constitution ready by the middle of the year， perhaps to put to voters， perhaps not. There would then be a couple of years in which it will be discussed， approved by parliaments and， perhaps， put to voters if that is deemed unavoidable. Then，according to bureaucratic planners in Brussels and Berlin， blithely ignoring the possibility of public rejection， the whole thing will be signed， sealed and a new constitution delivered in 2009-10. Europe will be nicely back on schedule. Its four-to-five-year cycle of integration will have missed only one beat.F. The resurrection of the European constitution will be made more likely in 2007 because of what is happening in national capitals. The European Union is not really an autonomous organisation. If it functions， it is because the leaders of the big continental countries want it to， reckoning that an active European policy will help them get done what they want to do in their own countries.G. That did not happen in 2005-06. Defensive， cynical and self-destructive，the leaders of the three largest euro-zone countries—France， Italy and Germany —were stumbling towards their unlamented ends. They saw no reason to pursue any sort of European policy and the EU， as a result， barely functioned. But by the middle of 2007 all three will have gone， and this fact alone will transform the European political landscape.H. The upshot is that the politics of the three large continental countries，bureaucratic momentum and the economics of recovery will all be aligned to give a push towards integration in 2007. That does not mean the momentum will be irresistible or even popular. The British government， for one， will almost certainly not want to go with the flow， beginning yet another chapter in the long history of confrontation between Britain and the rest of Europe. More important，the voters will want a say. They rejected the constitution in 2005. It would befoolish to assume they will accept it after 2007 just as a result of an artful bit of tinkering.Questions 1-6 Do the following statemets reflect the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1？Write your answer in Boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.TRUE if the statemenht reflets the claims of the writerFALSE if the statement contradicts the claims of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is possbile to say what the writer thinks about this1.After years’ introspection and mistrust， continental European governments will resurrect their enthusiasm for more integration in 2007.2. The European consitution was officially approved in 2005 in spite of the oppositon of French and Dutch voters.3. The Treaty of Rome ， which is considered as the fundamental charter of the European Union， was signed in 1957.4.It is very unlikely that European countries will sign the declaration at the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.5.French government will hold the EU’s presidency and lay down the agenda during the first half of 2008.6.For a long time in hisotry， there has been confrontation between Britain and the rest of European countries.Questions 7-10 Complet the following sentencces.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage 1 for each answer.Write your answer in Boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet.7. Every four or five years， European countries tend to make a rapid progress towards ___________________by signing a new treaty.8. The European constitution is supposed to ______________________for yet more integration of European Union member countries.9. The bureaucratic planners in Brussels and Berlin rashly ignore the possibility of __________________and think the new consitution will be delivered in 2009-10.10. The politics of the three large continental countries， __________________ and the economic recovery will join together to urge the integration in 2007.Questions 11-14 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.11. Which of the following statemnts is true of Euopean economic development.A. The economy of Europe developed much faster than that of Asia before 2006.B. The growth of European economy was slightly slower than that of America in 2006.C. The development of European economy are likely to slow down by 2007.D. The recovery of European economy may be considerably accelerated by 2007.12. The word “immobilised” in the last line of Section C means ___________.A. stopped completely.B. pushed strongly.C. motivated wholely.D. impeded totally.13. Which of the following statements about the treaties in European countries is NOT TRUE.A. The Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992.B. The Treaty of Amsterdan was signed in 1997.C. The Treaty of Nice was signed in 2001.D. The Treaty of Rome was signed in 2007.14. The European constitution failed to be ratified in 2005--2006， becauseA. The leaders of France， Italy and Germany were defensive， cynical and self-destructuve..B. The voters in two countries of the Union --France and Holland rejected the constitution.C. The leaders of the EU thought that it was unneccessary to pursue any European policy.D. France， Italy and Germany are the three largest and most influential euro-zone countries.Notes to the Reading Passage1. pan-Enropeanpan-：前缀：全，总，泛pan-African 全/泛非洲的(运动)pan-Enropean全/泛欧的(机构建设)2. outstrip超越，胜过，超过，优于Material development outstripped human development”“物质的发展超过了人类的进步”3. ebb回落跌落；衰退或消减The tide is on the ebb.正在退潮。

A.A big houseB. A special tourC. A stylish carD.A rich mealA.criticalB.supportiveC.sympatheticD.ambiguousA.consumers are sometimes irrationalB.popularity usually comes after qualityC.marketing tricks are after effectiveD.rarity generally increases pleasureA.has left much room for readers' criticismB.may prove to be a worthwhile purchaseC.has predicted a wider income gap in the usD.may give its readers a sense of achievementA.balance feeling good and spending moneyB.spend large sums of money won in lotteriesC.obtain lasting satisfaction from money spentD.become more reasonable in spending on luxuriesWhat would you do with $590m? This is now a question for Gloria MacKenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfilment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive.Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly. What was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time —— as stories or memories —— particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most "happiness bang for your buck." It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it). Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason McDonald's restricts the availability of its popular McRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.Readers of “Happy Money” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfilment, not hunger. Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.#799.According to Dumn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?#800.The author's attitude toward Americans' watching TV is ____.#801.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that ____.#802.According to the last paragraph, Happy Money ____.#803.This text mainly discusses how to ____.An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think you're more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to research into what the2014年1月英语二-阅读理解 PART AA.our self-ratings are unrealistically highB.illusory superiority is baseless effectC.our need for leadership is unnaturalD.self-enhancing strategies are ineffectiveA.rapid watchingB.conscious choiceC.intuitive responseD.automatic self-defenceA.underestimate their insecuritiesB.believe in their attractivenessC.cover up their depressionsD.oversimplify their illusionsA.instinctivelyB.occasionallyC.particularlyD.aggressivelyA.present their dishonest profilesB.define their traditional life stylesC.share their intellectual pursuitsD.withhold their unflattering sidescall the "above average effect", or "illusory superiority", and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93%in driving and 85% at getting on well with others—all obviously statistical impossibilities.We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negativestereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking we're hot stuff.Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather than have people simply rate their beauty compared with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselves' from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image- which most did-they genuinely believed it was really how they looked.Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the most (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “I don't think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “It’s a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves’. If you are depressed, you won’t be self-enhancing.Knowing the results of Epley's study,it makes sense that why people hate photographs of themselves so viscerally-on one level, they don’t even recognize the person in the picture as themselves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancer’s paradise, where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyles. it’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest, says Catalina Toma of Wisconsin—Madison university ,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves.#804.According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that#805.Visual recognition is believed to be people's ____.#806.Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to ____.#807.The word “Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to ____.#808.It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer's paradise because people can ____.The concept of man versus machine is at least as old as the industrial revolution, but this phenomenon tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries. And yet,it would be a mistake to think we are right now simply experiencing the painful side of a boom and bust cycle. Certain jobs have gone away for good, outmoded by machines. Since technology has such an insatiable appetite for eating up human jobs, this phenomenon will continue to restructure our economy in ways we can't immediately foresee.When there is exponential improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune fromA.ease the competition of man vs. machineB.highlight machines' threat to human jobsC.provoke a painful technological revolutionD.outmode our current economic structureA.technology is diminishing man's job opportunitiesB.automation is accelerating technological developmentC.certain jobs will remain intact after automationD.man will finally win the race against machineA.performed by innovative mindsB.scripted with an individual styleC.standardized without a clear targetD.designed against human creativityA.the predictability of machine behavior in practiceB.the formula for how work is conducted efficientlyC.the ways machines replace human labor in modern timesD.the necessity of human involvement in the workplaceA.How to Innovate Our Work PracticesB.Machines will Replace Human LaborC.Can We Win the Race Against MachinesD.Economic Downturns Stimulate Innovationsautomation suddenly become threatened. This argument has attracted a lot of attention, via the success of the book Race Against the Machine, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, who both hail from MIT's Center for Digital Business.This is a powerful argument, and a scary one. And yet,John Hagel, auther of The Power of Pull and other books, says Brynjolfsson and McAfee miss the reason why these jobs are so vulnerable to technology in the first place.Hagel says we have designed jobs in the U.S.that tend to be "tightly scripted" and "highly standardized" ones that leave no room for "individual initiative or creativity." In short, these are the types of jobs that machines can perform much better at than human beings. That is how we have put a giant target sign on the backs of American workers, Hagel says. It's time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted, since we are still relying on a very 20th century notion of work, Hagel says. In our rapidly changing economy, we more than ever need people in the workplace who can take initiative and exercise their imagination "to respond to unexpected events." That's not something machines are good at. They are designed to perform very predictable activities.As Hagel notes, Brynjolfsson and McAfee indeed touched on this point in their book. We need to reframe race against the machine as race with the machine. In other words, we need to look at the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it. So then the problem is not really about technology, but rather, "how do we innovate our institutions and our work practices?"#809.According to the first paragraph, economic downturns would ____.#810.The authors of Race Against the Machine argue that ____.#811.Hagel argues that jobs in the U.S. are often ____.#812.According to the last paragraph, Brynjolfsson and McAfee discussed ____.#813.Which of the following could be the most appropriate title for text?When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy.Housing is seldom mentioned.Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating the real value thathousing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention amongmultibillion-pound infrastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged.Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need.A.has attracted much attentionB.involves certain political factorsC.shoulders too much responsibilityD.has lost its real value in economyA.increased its home supplyB.offered spending opportunitiesC.suffered government biasesD.disappointed the governmentA.allow greater government debt for housingB.stop local authorities from building homesC.prepare to reduce housing stock debtD.release a lifted GDP growth forecastA.lower the costs of registered providersB.lessen the impact of government interferenceC.contribute to funding new developmentsD.relieve the ministers of responsibilitiesA.implement more policies to support housingB.review the need for large-scale public grantsC.renew the affordable housing grants programmeD.stop generous funding to the housing sector#799：B#800：A #801：D #802：B #803：A #804：A #805：C #806：B #807：A #808：D #809：B #810：A #811：D #812：D #813：C #814：B #815：C #816：A #817：C #818：D There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne,Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against theirhousing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in the rental environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability ofregistered providers to fund new developments from revenues.But it is not just down to the government. While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing £4.5bn programme of grants to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in 2015, is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of the coalition's spending plans if returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very unlikely to ever return to era of large-scale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate.#814.The author believes that the housing sector ____.#815.It can be learned that affordable housing has ____.#816.According to Paragraph 5, George Osborne may ____.#817.It can be inferred that a stable rental environment would ____.#818.The author believes that after 2015,the government may ____.参考答案：。

托福机经：2014年1月12日托福写作真题智课网整理综合写作：高速限速speed limit阅读：文章说汽车应该限速行驶(降低high way speed limit)，因为这样做会带来好处(1)可以减少严重事故，举了1974 年的数据做例子。

1974年美国实行限速令交通事故总量稳定下降(2)可以改善环境，减少废气排放。

当你从大于等于80 km每hour到小于80km每hour时你就会减少5-10%的气体排放量(3会带来经济效益的，更低的速度可以减少汽油耗费从而省钱。

听力：说限速的确有好处，但效果不显著(1)没有确凿的证据证明速度降低和事故减少直接有关係。

因为在速度降低之前事故就有降低的趋势，很可能降低的那十年是这个趋势的延续效果;还有road design 和汽车安全性能safety equipment提高也有可能降低事故。

另外，事故发生的原因不仅仅在于速度，也在于天气路况等因素。

(2) 确实会减少排放，但是废气排放的减少不一定需要限速。

举例在Texas 做了实验，污染指标只会下降0.5%，这个效果在城市中微乎其微。

(3)限速会带来不好的经济效应，以货车司机为例，司机如果被强制开慢，他们运输时间变长，工时上涨，使运输成本上涨，从而导致物价上涨。

The advice from grandparents has no use for their grandchildren because the world changed a lot during the past 50 years.Our world has changed so much in the last half a century. The invention of the internet alone has altered society to an astounding degree. Given that the world we live in now is so drastically different than the world of 50 years ago, can the advice of grandparents still be relevant for their grandchildren? I think so.For one thing, even though society has changed in countless ways, some things are still the same. We still have many of the problems we had 50 years ago. For example, things like war, hunger, and social inequality are still pervasive issues in today’s world. Because of that, a lot of the advice relevant 50 years ago will still be applicable today. I remember that my grandmother once telling me that she worked to feed the poor when she was younger. She then advised me to pursue philanthropic work at some point in my life. She said for her, philanthropic work gave her some of the most meaningful experiences of her life. This was true 50 years ago, and it likely still holds true today.For another thing, even though some advice from grandparents can be incredibly outdated, it can be useful to get such a different perspective on things sometimes. My grandfather often tells meabout his long and innocent courtship of my grandmother, and about all of the things he did in order to get her attention. I usually just smile and nod when he tells me to follow his example, though I never have any intention of using his tips. I think to myself, “Courtship today is such a different creature. We have cell phones and social networks and all of these different ways to interacting. How can such old fashion ed thinking be relevant today?” But hearing his advice made me think about a different way of doing things, and so even though I would never chase a girl in the way he described, I can adapt some of his ideas to mix up. Girls today are used to being chased a certain way, but if you throw in a technique out of your grandpa’s playbook once in a while, you can surprise them and make a deeper impression.Granted, we should not blindly heed all of our grandparents’ advice. Sometimes, the pointers they give really are too outdated to use. For example, my grandmother thinks I should get a Ph. D because it will help me get a job, but in reality, academic inflation is so severe today that a Ph. D will no longer guarantee you employment. Still, her advice did get me thinking about learning specific job skills to make me more competitive. In the end, I was still happy to hear her advice because it caused me to think about the issue in a different way.The world has changed much since our grandparents’ time. However, their accumulated experience can still serve us well in our modern world. With an open mind and some common sense, we can still get a lot of the advice of our grandparents.。

A.A big houseB. A special tourC. A stylish carD.A rich mealA.criticalB.supportiveC.sympatheticD.ambiguousA.consumers are sometimes irrationalB.popularity usually comes after qualityC.marketing tricks are after effectiveD.rarity generally increases pleasureA.has left much room for readers' criticismB.may prove to be a worthwhile purchaseC.has predicted a wider income gap in the usD.may give its readers a sense of achievementA.balance feeling good and spending moneyB.spend large sums of money won in lotteriesC.obtain lasting satisfaction from money spentD.become more reasonable in spending on luxuriesWhat would you do with $590m? This is now a question for Gloria MacKenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfilment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive.Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly. What was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time —— as stories or memories —— particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most "happiness bang for your buck." It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it). Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason McDonald's restricts the availability of its popular McRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.Readers of “Happy Money” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfilment, not hunger. Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.#799.According to Dumn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?#800.The author's attitude toward Americans' watching TV is ____.#801.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that ____.#802.According to the last paragraph, Happy Money ____.#803.This text mainly discusses how to ____.An article in Scientific America has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think you're more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to research into what the2014年1月英语二-阅读理解 PART AA.our self-ratings are unrealistically highB.illusory superiority is baseless effectC.our need for leadership is unnaturalD.self-enhancing strategies are ineffectiveA.rapid watchingB.conscious choiceC.intuitive responseD.automatic self-defenceA.underestimate their insecuritiesB.believe in their attractivenessC.cover up their depressionsD.oversimplify their illusionsA.instinctivelyB.occasionallyC.particularlyD.aggressivelyA.present their dishonest profilesB.define their traditional life stylesC.share their intellectual pursuitsD.withhold their unflattering sidescall the "above average effect", or "illusory superiority", and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93%in driving and 85% at getting on well with others—all obviously statistical impossibilities.We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negativestereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking we're hot stuff.Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather than have people simply rate their beauty compared with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselves' from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image- which most did-they genuinely believed it was really how they looked.Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the most (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “I don't think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “It’s a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves’. If you are depressed, you won’t be self-enhancing.Knowing the results of Epley's study,it makes sense that why people hate photographs of themselves so viscerally-on one level, they don’t even recognize the person in the picture as themselves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancer’s paradise, where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their wit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyles. it’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest, says Catalina Toma of Wisconsin—Madison university ,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves.#804.According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that#805.Visual recognition is believed to be people's ____.#806.Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to ____.#807.The word “Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to ____.#808.It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer's paradise because people can ____.The concept of man versus machine is at least as old as the industrial revolution, but this phenomenon tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries. And yet,it would be a mistake to think we are right now simply experiencing the painful side of a boom and bust cycle. Certain jobs have gone away for good, outmoded by machines. Since technology has such an insatiable appetite for eating up human jobs, this phenomenon will continue to restructure our economy in ways we can't immediately foresee.When there is exponential improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune fromA.ease the competition of man vs. machineB.highlight machines' threat to human jobsC.provoke a painful technological revolutionD.outmode our current economic structureA.technology is diminishing man's job opportunitiesB.automation is accelerating technological developmentC.certain jobs will remain intact after automationD.man will finally win the race against machineA.performed by innovative mindsB.scripted with an individual styleC.standardized without a clear targetD.designed against human creativityA.the predictability of machine behavior in practiceB.the formula for how work is conducted efficientlyC.the ways machines replace human labor in modern timesD.the necessity of human involvement in the workplaceA.How to Innovate Our Work PracticesB.Machines will Replace Human LaborC.Can We Win the Race Against MachinesD.Economic Downturns Stimulate Innovationsautomation suddenly become threatened. This argument has attracted a lot of attention, via the success of the book Race Against the Machine, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, who both hail from MIT's Center for Digital Business.This is a powerful argument, and a scary one. And yet,John Hagel, auther of The Power of Pull and other books, says Brynjolfsson and McAfee miss the reason why these jobs are so vulnerable to technology in the first place.Hagel says we have designed jobs in the U.S.that tend to be "tightly scripted" and "highly standardized" ones that leave no room for "individual initiative or creativity." In short, these are the types of jobs that machines can perform much better at than human beings. That is how we have put a giant target sign on the backs of American workers, Hagel says. It's time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted, since we are still relying on a very 20th century notion of work, Hagel says. In our rapidly changing economy, we more than ever need people in the workplace who can take initiative and exercise their imagination "to respond to unexpected events." That's not something machines are good at. They are designed to perform very predictable activities.As Hagel notes, Brynjolfsson and McAfee indeed touched on this point in their book. We need to reframe race against the machine as race with the machine. In other words, we need to look at the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it. So then the problem is not really about technology, but rather, "how do we innovate our institutions and our work practices?"#809.According to the first paragraph, economic downturns would ____.#810.The authors of Race Against the Machine argue that ____.#811.Hagel argues that jobs in the U.S. are often ____.#812.According to the last paragraph, Brynjolfsson and McAfee discussed ____.#813.Which of the following could be the most appropriate title for text?When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy.Housing is seldom mentioned.Why is that? To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating the real value thathousing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention amongmultibillion-pound infrastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged.Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not building enough new homes.The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need.A.has attracted much attentionB.involves certain political factorsC.shoulders too much responsibilityD.has lost its real value in economyA.increased its home supplyB.offered spending opportunitiesC.suffered government biasesD.disappointed the governmentA.allow greater government debt for housingB.stop local authorities from building homesC.prepare to reduce housing stock debtD.release a lifted GDP growth forecastA.lower the costs of registered providersB.lessen the impact of government interferenceC.contribute to funding new developmentsD.relieve the ministers of responsibilitiesA.implement more policies to support housingB.review the need for large-scale public grantsC.renew the affordable housing grants programmeD.stop generous funding to the housing sector#799：B#800：A #801：D #802：B #803：A #804：A #805：C #806：B #807：A #808：D #809：B #810：A #811：D #812：D #813：C #814：B #815：C #816：A #817：C #818：D There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The communities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne,Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against theirhousing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next five years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%.Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in the rental environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability ofregistered providers to fund new developments from revenues.But it is not just down to the government. While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing £4.5bn programme of grants to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in 2015, is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of the coalition's spending plans if returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very unlikely to ever return to era of large-scale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate.#814.The author believes that the housing sector ____.#815.It can be learned that affordable housing has ____.#816.According to Paragraph 5, George Osborne may ____.#817.It can be inferred that a stable rental environment would ____.#818.The author believes that after 2015,the government may ____.参考答案：。

2014年度托福总体趋势预测所谓“知己知彼，百战不殆”，准备参加2014年托福考试的烤鸭们，你们的福利来啦~~环球北美考试院教学经理李瑛老师基于2013年托福变化内容的回顾，为您带来2014年度托福总体趋势预测。

1、整体难度相对增加2、听力板块整体难度提升。

话题不变，但发音中增加英式英语。

3、写作话题日趋生活化4、阅读指代题不会单出，而是深入到其他题型，词汇题和细节题比重较大。

2013年口语第一，二题变化题型。

Task one不仅仅有“直接描述”的形式，还有“做判断”、“给建议”的形式。

其中“做判断”类型除了二选一之外，还出现了辩证分析和三选一的形式。

“Some schools require students to finish a reading list during school breaks. Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this requirement.”(1/27)三选一“Which of followin g study methods do you think is the most effective, having discussions, repeating class materials or taking a lot of notes?” (3/17)上半年中的Task one还出现了4道建议题，“What suggestions would you give to a friend who is starting a new job? Give examples and details in your response.”(4/20)学生一定要注意Task one 会有哪些提问方式，及早掌握必备的应对句型。

针对上述2013年的特殊提问方式，我们建议考生在2014年的备考过程中做到如下几点：•一熟练掌握必备句型,了解多种提问方式•二背熟高频素材•三独立任务也不能忽略TPO针对ETS要求，托福备考考生必备的五大技能：如何做到在托福听力中练习转述技能•Paraphrase what you have heard in listening, speaking conversations and lectures.•Eg: TOEFL long conversation’s common logic order：•1 What’s the purpose for the student?•2 How does the professor/faculty member help with the problem?•3 What’s the final suggestion from the professor/faculty member?听力长对话中的六大出题要点：1 Beginning (purpose/main idea)2 Purpose of the example3 Suggestion sentences (why don’t you…?)4 Emphasizing words: really. Best, important5 Transitional words: but, however…6 Final requirement (I’d love for you to…)Sample Summary for TOEFL CONVERSATIONThe conversation mentions that a student has some quick questions about how to write up the research project about climate variation. The professor suggests him to talk about the content to his parents at first as encouragement. After that, the professor tells him to put some journal notes, climate charts, and some statistical tests into his project. And then, the professor shares a personal experience with him in order to tell him to use note pad to memorize important detailed information on time. Finally, the professor offers to look over the draft version of his paper next week.备考托福听力四大有效练习方法：1、跟读Shadow Reading2、跟读学科词汇Words Recognition3、听述讲座中重点出题处句子Sentences Pattern Recognition4、按照讲座结构做转述Passage Structure。

第十篇指纹识名画
第十一篇打火石的大量生产
第十二篇古代化妆品
第十三篇天体形成
第十四篇大象沟通方式及构造
第十五篇印象派
第十六篇健脑药
第十七篇Power and Space
第十九篇：欧非大陆桥
第二十篇：清洁海滩
第二十一篇：儿童教育
第二十二篇：在线学习
第二十三篇：英国海岸线
第二十四篇：研究婴儿和稍大点小孩
第二十五篇：修建古堡
第二十六篇：香味猎取者
第二十七篇：苏梅克-列维9号彗星
第二十八篇：语言变化
第二十九篇：地图发展史
第三十篇：纸币发展史。

托福考试预测试卷红色为重点 0口语部分：（共10套） (1)写作部分：（共8套） (12)阅读部分：（共7套） (16)听力部分：（6套） (37)红色为重点口语部分：（共10套）Talk about an after school activity you enjoy doing the most. Give specific reasonsWhat quality do you think is the most important for a university student?Talk about an activity you would like to participate in the near future, explain your answer in details.Talk about how cellphone has changed people’s lives. Explain your answer in details.Talk about the ways internet has benefit people’s lives. Explain your answer in details.What type of music do you enjoy most? Explain why you enjoy this type of music. Include reasonsand details in you explanation.People often feel home sick when they are away from home. What do you often do to deal with home sickness?Which form of transportation is more enjoyable? Train, automobile orSome people prefer to spend spare time by themselves, others prefer to spend it with family members. Which do you prefer? Explain why.Do you agree or disagree with the statement: artists and musicians are important to our society.While doing group projects, some students prefer to lead, others prefer to support. WhichWhen traveling, do you prefer to stay at one place for a long time or spend less time but visit more places? Explain your answer in details.Do you agree or disagree with the statement that people live healthier lives than 100 years ago?Some people like to collect old things such as newspapers. Others throw things away after theyhave used them. Which do you prefer and why?Should the government spend money on projects which can encourage its citizens to lead a healthier lifestyle?Reading：Proposal：The student suggests to close down the coffee shopR1: The light is not good enough to studyR2: Few students go there anywayListening:Reading【Proposal】The university prohibit students riding bicycles on campus next semester. 【Reasons】1.There are some minor accidents. The university will reduce the accidents caused by ridingbicycles.2.Students can take free campus buses. So it will not affect students much.ListeningThe girl disagrees.【Reasons】1.The accidents took place at night because of low visibility.2.Free buses are not convenient. Buses are only available once an hour and waiting for buses isa waste of time.Reading【Proposal】No more poster on wall of students center, only can put on the building board. 【Reasons】1.Posters make the building unattractive.2.Posters will be put on the wall of the dining hall.ListeningThe girl disagrees.【Reasons】1. Boring square and grey concrete wall.2. Poster colorful and change make it charming, give it character.3. Not many people eat at dining hall and have no chance see the announcements.【公开信】学校在考试复习期间举办什么娱乐活动，期间取消校内公交车，有人感到不满给校长写信，原因一是噪音影响在宿舍复习的人，原因二是取消校内公交车对要乘车的人很不方便。

2014年1月17日托福考试真题2014.1.17北美托福考试机经解析智课网整理第一篇TOPIC：Cinema讲述早期电影的产生及其特点，提到有声电影和无声电影。

解析：本文属艺术类话题，谈到大家比较喜欢的电影话题，尽管谈的是早期电影，但依然会让我们读起来感觉相对轻松愉悦。

文章内容与TPO12的一篇文章Transition to Sound in Film很对应，甚至举例都很相似，值得大家精读研究。

Transition to Sound in FilmThe shift from silent to sound film at the end of the 1920s marks, so far, the most important transformation in motion picture history. Despite all the highly visible technological developments in theatrical and home delivery of the moving image that have occurred over the decades since then, no single innovation has come close to being regarded as a similar kind of watershed. In nearly every language, however the words are phrased, the most basic division in cinema history lies between films that are mute and films that speak.Yet this most fundamental standard of historical periodization conceals a host of paradoxes. Nearly every movie theater, however modest, had a piano or organ to provide musical accompaniment to silent pictures. In many instances, spectators in the era before recorded sound experienced elaborate aural presentations alongside movies' visual images, from the Japanese benshi (narrators) crafting multivoiced dialogue narratives to original musical compositions performed by symphony-size orchestras in Europe and the United States. In Berlin, for the premiere performance outside the Soviet Union of The Battleship Potemkin, film director Sergei Eisenstein worked with Austrian composer Edmund Meisel (1874-1930) on a musical score matching sound to image; the Berlin screenings with live music helped to bring the film its wide international fame.Beyond that, the triumph of recorded sound has overshadowed the rich diversity of technological and aesthetic experiments with the visual image that were going forward simultaneously in the 1920s. New color processes, larger or differently shaped screen sizes, multiple-screen projections, even television, were among the developments invented or tried out during theperiod, sometimes with startling success. The high costs of converting to sound and the early limitations of sound technology were among the factors that suppressed innovations or retarded advancement in these other areas. The introduction of new screen formats was put off for a quarter century, and color, though utilized over the next two decades for special productions, also did not become a norm until the 1950s.Though it may be difficult to imagine from a later perspective, a strain of critical opinion in the 1920s predicted that sound film would be a technical novelty that would soon fade from sight, just as had many previous attempts, dating well back before the First World War, to link images with recorded sound. These critics were making a common assumption—that the technological inadequacies of earlier efforts (poor synchronization, weak sound amplification, fragile sound recordings) would invariably occur again. To be sure, their evaluation of the technical flaws in 1920s sound experiments was not so far off the mark, yet they neglected to take into account important new forces in the motion picture field that, in a sense, would not take no for an answer.These forces were the rapidly expanding electronics and telecommunications companies that were developing and linking telephone and wireless technologies in the 1920s. In the United States, they included such firms as American Telephone and Telegraph, General Electric, and Westinghouse. They were interested in all forms of sound technology and all potential avenues for commercial exploitation. Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcasting industry in the United States, beginning with the introduction of commercial radio programming in the early 1920s. With financial assets considerably greater than those in the motion picture industry, and perhaps a wider vision of the relationships among entertainment and communications media, they revitalized research into recording sound for motion pictures.In 1929 the United States motion picture industry released more than 300 sound films—a rough figure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to take account of the many cinemas not yet wired for sound. At the production level, in the United States the conversion was virtually complete by 1930. In Europe it took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs of sound were prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production for a few more years (though cinemas in major cities may have been wired in order to play foreignsound films). The triumph of sound cinema was swift, complete, and enormously popular.第二篇TOPIC：Eocene warming讨论Eocene warming 产生的原因解析：本文属地质学话题，谈到Eocene始新世这样一个历史时期，这是在TPO里从未考过的一个历史阶段。

福州朗阁托福培训/ 2014新托福考情总结及2015趋势分析—阅读篇朗阁海外考试研究中心王上2014已经结束，全年的托福考试悄然落下帷幕，让人不禁感叹时间的飞速，准备迎战2015年新托福的同学们你们做好准备了吗？为了帮助大家应对新一年的考试，朗阁专家们对于2014年的托福考试进行了详尽的分析，以便广大的托儿们了解考试的最新趋势，高效地备考。

本篇为阅读篇，其余部分的文章也会相继推出，敬请期待！自从2014年7月1日起，ETS调整了托福考试费用，由1500上调至1540元。

除此之外，在2014年10月19日，NEEA修改了托福考位查询机制，修改后，只有充上报名费之后才能查询考位，否则不允许查询考位。

这次修改的目的是为了打击代报机构，极大地遏制作弊刷考位的趋势。

除了考试价格上涨，考位查询方式的微调之外，托福考试还有什么其他变化呢？下面请听朗阁海外考试研究中心的专家们一一道来。

一、新题日增多从 2013年8月28起，在中国大陆地区的托福考试中出现了多次“一日两题”的情况，所谓“一日两题”，就是同天考试的考生在考试结束之后一起核对当天考试内容时，发现他们考到了完全不同的两套题，而之前准备的“机经”完全失效。

新题日的出现是为了杜绝考试作弊的现象，为了让考试更加公平，也是为了灭灭“日益猖狂”的“百发百中”的机经的势头。

在2014年3月22日、4月12日、8月23日、9月27日、11月8日、12月6日六次出现了“一日两题”的现象，预计“一日两题”的趋势在2015年仍会延续。

朗阁海外考试研究中心的专家建议广大考生，为了考出最真实的成绩，不要太盲目地相信机经的威力，它也会失效；不要太盲目地认为机经中了，成绩就会不一样。

因为毕竟托福考试是一个公平公正公开的考试，你的发音，你的表达，你的逻辑不会因为机经是否命中有大幅度的改变。

把34套TPO认真完成，总结其中的错题及规律，你的各科分数必有本质性的改变。

二、阅读题材延续学术风从2014年的阅读考题来看，生物类、历史类和地理地质类文章出现的频率依旧最高。