Passage Three

Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn't help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point, the woman asked: "So, how have you been?" And the boy―who could not have been more than seven or eight years old―replied, "Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately.''

This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn't find out we were "depressed" until we were in high school.

The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don't seem childlike any more. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.

Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?

Human development is based not only on innate (天生的) biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social rote to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new status. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.

In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately (不加區(qū)分地), to all viewers alike, be they children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.

Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

31. According to the author, feeling depressed is ________.

A) a sure sign of a psychological problem in a child

B) something hardly to be expected in a young child

C) an inevitable sign of children's mental development

D) a mental scale present in all humans, including children

32. Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world ________.

A) through contact with society                 C) naturally and by biological instinct

B) gradually and under guidance                 D)through exposure to social information

33. The phenomenon that today's children seem adult-like is attributed by the author to _    .

A) the widespread influence of television

B) the poor arrangement of teaching content

C) the fast pace of human intellectual development

D) the constantly rising standard of living

34. Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children?

A) It enables children to gain more social information.

B) It develops children's interest in reading and writing.

C) It helps children to memorize and practice more.

D) It can control what children are to learn.

35. What does the author think of the change in today's children?

A) He feels amused by their premature behavior.

B) He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note.

C) He considers it a positive development.

D) He seems to be upset about it.

Passage Four

Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

"Opinion" is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn't attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most do attach great importance to it. "I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours, '' and ''Everyone's entitled to his opinion, '' are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another's opinion is likely to be branded intolerant.

Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another's opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend ''What do you think of the new Ford cars?" And he may reply, "In my opinion, they're ugly." In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. For it's obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, ''It's pointless to argue about matters of taste."

But consider this very different use of the term, a newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case. Obviously the justices did not shake their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes. They stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation.

Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence.

Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others.

36. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the author?

A) Everyone has a right to hold his own opinion.

B) Free expression of opinions often leads to confusion.

C) Most people tend to be careless in forming their opinions.

D) Casual use of the word "opinion" often brings about quarrels.

37. According to the author, who of the following would be labeled as intolerant?

A) Someone who turns a deaf ear to others' opinions.

B) Someone who can't put up with others' tastes.

C) Someone who values only their own opinions.

D) Someone whose opinion harm other people.

38. The new Ford cars are cited as an example to show that ________.

A) it is foolish to criticize a famous brand

B) one should not always agree to others' opinions

C) personal tastes are not something to be challenged

D) it is unwise to express one's likes and dislikes in public

39. Considered judgment is different from personal preference in that ________.

A) it is stated by judges in the court

B) it reflects public likes and dislikes

C) it is a result of a lot of controversy

D) it is based on careful thought

40. As indicate, being free to act on one's opinion ________.

A) means that one can ignore other people's criticism

B) means that one can impose his preferences on others

C) doesn't mean that one has the right to do things at will

D) doesn't mean that one has the right to charge others without evidence

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