【正文】 esearch But research alone is inadequate. If the Administration won39。s negligence. 　　[B]. a lesson from the latter is applicable to the former. 　　[C]. the oute of the latter aggravates the former. 　　[D]. both of them have turned from bad to worse. passage 4American no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to mand the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such mand themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing. The Degradation of language and Music and why we should like, care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counterculture as responsible for the decline of formal English. Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. ’s academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees gradual disappearance of “whom” ,for example, to be natural and no more regranttable than the loss of the caseendings of Old English Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including nonstandard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressivethere exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey plex ideas .He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper. love of memorizing poetry shows the author39。Text 1 In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of consumption” launched by the 19thcentury department stores that offered “vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite.” these were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act.” The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization. Immigrants are quickly fitting into this mon culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were percent of population。 in the 10years prior to 1890, for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation –language, home ownership and intermarriage. The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most mon countries of origin spoke English ‘well’ or ‘very well’ after ten years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.” Hence the description of America as a “graveyard” for languages. By 1996 foreign–born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of percent, higher than the percent rate among nativeborn Americans. Foreignborn Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do –born whites and blacks.” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to nonHispanics, and 41 percent of Asian–American women are married to nonAsians. Rodriguez note that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation’s assimilative power.” Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s turbulent past, today’s social induces suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment. word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means [A] identifying [B] associating [C] assimilating [D] monopolizing 22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century [A] played a role in the spread of popular culture. [B] became intimate shops for mon consumers. [C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite. [D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption text suggests that immigrants now in the . [A] are resistant to homogenization. [B] exert a great influence on American culture. [C] are hardly a threat to the mon culture. [D] constitute the majority of the population. 24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5? [A] To prove their popularity around the world. [B] To reveal the public’s fear of immigrants. [C] To give examples of successful immigrants. [D] To show the powerful influence of American culture. the author’s opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is [A] rewarding. [B] successful. [C] fruitless. [D] harmful. Text 2 StratfordonAvon, as we all know, has only one industryWilliam Shakespearebut there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who e, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace and the other sights. The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC’s actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. It’s all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself an actor (with a beard) and did his share of noise making.