II.  选择搭配题

Directions:In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-- 45, choose the most suitable one from the list A--G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.  Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

    This year's good-news / bad-news report on technology usage in the United States contains hardly any surprises. And that really got my attention. The upside is that computer ownership and Internet connectivity are booming. The number of homes with a computer has nearly doubled in the past four years. Today, the computer has taken up appliance status in more than 42 percent of households across the United States.

    41) _______________________________. Online access was up more than 50 percent in just the past year (from 1997 to 1998). Now, more than one quarter of all U.S. households can surf in cyberspace.

    Mostly, this explosive growth has occurred democratically. 42) _________________________.

    We view these trends as favorable without the slightest question because we clearly see computer technology as empowering. 43) _______________________________. I myself am hoping that such assumptions are true and that world peace, love, understanding, will somehow be future byproducts.

    44) _______________________________. That is, the digital explosion is not booming at the same pace for everyone. Yes, it is true that we are all plugged in to a much greater degree than any of us have been in the past. But some of us are more plugged in than others and are getting plugged in far more rapidly. And this gap is widening even as the pace of the information age accelerates through society.

    45) _______________________________.

    The highest income bracket households, those earning more than $75,000 annually, are 20 times as likely to have access to the Internet as households at the lowest income levels, under $10,000 annually. The computer penetration rate at the high-income level is an astounding 76.56 percent, compared with 8 percent at the bottom end of the scale.

    Technology access differs widely by educational level. College gradates are 16 times as likely to be Internet surfers at homes as are those with only elementary-school education. If you look at the differences between these groups in rural areas, the gap widens to a twenty-six-fold advantage for the college-educated.

[A] From the time of the last study, the information access gap grew by 29 percent between the highest and lowest income groups, and by 25 percent between the highest and lowest education levels.
[B] And these computers are increasingly being wired to the Internet.
[C] Computer ownership and Internet access are highly stratified along lines of wealth, race, education, and geography. The data indicates that computer ownership and online access is growing more rapidly among the most prosperous and well educated: essentially, wealthy white people with high-school and college diplomas and who are part of stable, two-parent households.
[D] The online penetration and computer ownership increases extend across all the demographic levels -- by race, geography, income, and education.
[E] Pretty rosy picture, right? Now for the not-so-good news. The government's analysis spells out so called digital divide.
[F] In the long run, participation in the information age may not be a zero sum game, where if some groups win, others must lose.
[G] In fact, personal growth and a prosperous U.S. economy are considered to be the long-range rewards of individual and collective technological prowess（威力，本领）.

III. English-Chinese Translation

    What are the special responsibilities, if any, of the scientist towards the community?  It seems to us that on the one hand he must make intensive efforts to give the ordinary citizen --- and the politician --- the means of evaluating the role of science in the modern world.  1) It is because in the long run it is only the existence of a large body of well-informed and energetic citizens that can control abuses of governmental power. On the other hand, he must take more trouble to prepare himself for his own growing role as decision-maker and administrator. Progress is being made on both these points, though mainly by the developed countries so far.

    2) As educators, increasing numbers of scientists are making an understanding of science more accessible to the layman(外行人) by means of simply-written books and radio talks, whilst in many countries the scientists are also the main force behind efforts to improve and expand the teaching of science and scientific method in schools and adult education courses. As far as the second requisite is concerned, progress has been slower for the reasons given above.  3) Nevertheless, one significant indicator for the future may be the widening scope and influence of the Pugwash Conferences, which are informal meetings held once or twice a year by leading scientists from all countries, and in which science and its relationship to world affairs is discussed.  4) Another significant fact is that the necessity for establishing coordinated national science policies --- now being put into effect in various countries --- is bringing comparatively large numbers of scientists directly into government administration, which in turn is bringing about the evolution of a new type of scientist, the scientist-administrator.

    To conclude, it is clear that the whole world is passing through a social revolution in which a central part must be taken by scientists and technologists.  5) But whether their efforts can be more effective than those of the traditional politician may depend not so much on the present-day working scientists, but on the scientists now being trained, i. e. --- you.  (350 words)

IV. Writing Practice

1. Directions:You are looking for a position in a company. Write a letter to the personnel department to:

1) give your wishes to work for the company
2) state your strong points
3) show your eagerness to be accepted

Letter of Application

Dear Sir,

    Your advertisement for a sales representative in the March 12 Journal interested me, 因为我的经历很符合您的要求。

    As the enclosed resume indicates, 我已经在目前就职的公司工作达三年之久and have given outstanding performance. 在过去三年中我一直在经营我们公司推出的最新产品and have made great achievements.

    I’ll be happy to tell you more about my experience in an interview.

    You can reach me by telephone during the day at 12345, and in the evening at 54321 .

Yours faithfully,

Li Ming

2. Directions:You have just bought a microwave oven. Write a letter to the sales department of the company to:

1) give some information about the machine,
2) complain about the problems,
3) ask for replacement