【正文】 orresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage One Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage. In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War Ⅱ , the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms. In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has bee an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership. At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowestpaid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant ine and because they provide no obvious credentials (資質(zhì) ) for most nonacademic careers. Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of “real world” education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not survive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (貧困的 ) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do. It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our plicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both. 注意：此部分試題請在答題卡 2 上作答。 Passage One Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard. 26. [A] The whole Antarctic region will be submerged. [B] Some polar animals will soon bee extinct. [C] Many coastal cities will be covered with water. [D] The earth will experience extreme weathers. 27. [A] How humans are to cope with global warming. [B] How unstable the West Antarctic ice sheet is. [C] How vulnerable the coastal cities are. [D] How polar ice impacts global weather. 28. [A] It collapsed at least once in the past million years. [B] It sits firmly on solid rock at the bottom of the ocean. [C] It melted at temperatures a bit higher than those of today. [D] It will have little impact on sea level when it breaks up. 29. [A] The West Antarctic region was once an open ocean. [B] The West Antarctic ice sheet was about 7,000 feet thick. [C] The West Antarctic ice sheet was once floating ice. [D] The West Antarctic region used to be warmer than today. Passage Two Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard. 30. [A] Whether we can develop social ties on the Inter. [B] Whether a deleted photo is immediately removed from the web. [C] Whether our blogs can be renewed daily. [D] Whether we can set up our own websites. 31. [A] The number of visits they receive. [C] The files they have collected. [B] The way they store data. [D] The means they use to get information. 32. [A] When the system is down. [C] When the URL is reused. [B] When new links are set up. [D] When the server is restarted. Passage Three Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 33. [A] Some iced coffees have as many calories as a hot dinner. [B] Iced coffees sold by some popular chains are contaminated. [C] Drinking coffee after a meal is more likely to cause obesity. [D] Some brandname coffees contain harmful substances. 34. [A] Have some fresh fruit. [C] Take a hot shower. [B] Exercise at the gym. [D] Eat a hot dinner. 35. [A] They could enjoy a happier family life. [B] They could greatly improve their work efficiency. [C] Many cancer cases could be prevented. [D] Many embarrassing situations could be avoided. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. Fo