B) are ignorant about world geography
C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts
D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications
【题目译文】从第三段我们可以得出在美国公共关系业中雇员是 。
【答案解析】C。在第二段作者讲到,英国人尤其变得更加老练和富有创造力,所以相对来说,美国人和欧洲同行比不那么老练。
Exercise 3
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic(北极的)peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent(进步). The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓)used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.
Q: Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?
A) The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged.
B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.
C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.
D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character.
【题目译文】关于玩具的历史发展,作者的观点是什么?
【答案解析】B。从第三段第一句话,“关于玩具的历史,令人吃惊的并不是它们改变了多少,而是它们一直没有改变”,可以推断出“玩具在历史上基本上保持不变”。
Exercise 4
Amtrak(美国铁路客运公司)was experiencing a down-slowing in ridership(客运量)along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham, were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.
