Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Too many vulnerable child-free adults are being ruthlessly(无情的)manipulated into parent-hood by their parents , who think that happiness among older people depends on having a grand-child to spoil. We need an organization to help beat down the persistent campaigns of grandchildless parents. It’s time to establish Planned Grandparenthood, which would have many global and local benefits.
Part of its mission would be to promote the risks and realities associated with being a grandparent. The staff would include depressed grandparents who would explain how grandkids break lamps, bite, scream and kick. Others would detail how an hour of baby-sitting often turns into a crying marathon. More grandparents would testify that they had to pay for their grandchild’s expensive college education.
Planned grandparenthood’s carefully written literature would detail all the joys of life grand-child-free a calm living room, extra money for luxuries during the golden years, etc. Potential grandparents would be reminded that, without grandchildren around, it’s possible to have a conversation with your kids, who----incidentally-----would have more time for their own parents .
Meanwhile, most children are vulnerable to the enormous influence exerted by grandchildless parents aiming to persuade their kids to produce children . They will take a call from a persistent parent, even if they’re loaded with works. In addition, some parents make handsome money offers payable upon the grandchild’s birth. Sometimes these gifts not only cover expenses associated with the infant’s birth, but extras, too, like a vacation. In any case, cash gifts can weaken the resolve of even the noblest person.
At Planned Grandparenthood, children targeted by their parents to reproduce could obtain non-biased information about the insanity of having their own kids. The catastrophic psychological and economic costs of childbearing would be emphasized. The symptoms of morning sickness would be listed and horrors of childbirth pictured. A monthly newsletter would contain stories about overwhelmed parents and offer guidance on how childless adults can respond to the different lobbying tactics that would-be grandparents employ.
When I think about all the problems of our overpopulated world and look at our boy grabbing at the lamp by the sofa, I wish I could have turned to Planned Grandparenthood when my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me.
If I could have, I might not be in this parenthood predicament( 窘境) . But here’s the crazy irony, I don’t want my child-free life back . Dylan’s too much fun.
31. What’s the purpose of the proposed organization Planned Grandparenthood?
A)To discourage people from insisting on having grandchildren.
B) To offer counseling to people on how to raise grandchildren.
C)To provide facilities and services for grandchildless parents.
D) to encourage childless couples to have children
32. Planned Grandparenthood would include depressed grandparents on its staff in order to_.
A) share their experience in raising grandchildren in a more scientific way
B) draw attention to the troubles and difficulties grandchildren may cause
C) help raise funds to cover the high expense of education for grandchildren
D) show them the joys of life grandparents may have in raising grandchildren
33. According to the passage, some couples may eventually choose to have children because____.
A) they have learn from other parents about the joys of having children
B) they feel more and more lonely ad they grow older
C) they have found it irrational to remain childless
D) they find it hard to resist the carrot-and-stick approach of their parents
34.By saying “… my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me” (Line 2-3,Para. 6), the
author means that _________.
A) her parents asked her to save for the expenses of raising a child
B) her parents kept pressuring her to have a child
C) her parents liked to have a grandchild in their arms
D) her parents kept blaming her for her child’s bad behavior
35.What does the author really of the idea of having children?
A) It contributes to overpopulation. It does more harm than good.
B) It is a psychological catastrophe
C) It is troublesome but rewarding.
D) It does more harm than good.
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Public distrust of scientists stems in part from the blurring of boundaries between science and technology, between discovery and manufacture. Most government, perhaps all governments, justify public expenditure on scientific research in terms of the economic benefits the scientific enterprise ha brought in the past and will bring in the future. Politicians remind their voters of the splendid machines ‘our scientists’ have invented, the new drugs to relieve old ailments (病痛), and the new surgical equipment and techniques by which previously intractable (难治疗的) conditions may now be treated and lives saved. At the same time, the politicians demand of scientists that they tailor their research to ‘economics needs’, that they award a higher priority to research proposals that are ‘near the market’ and can be translated into the greatest return on investment in the shortest time. Dependent, as they are, on politicians for much of their funding, scientists have little choice but to comply. Like the rest of us, they are members of a society that rates the creation of wealth as the greatest possible good. Many have reservations, but keep them to themselves in what they perceive as a climate hostile to the pursuit of understanding for its own sake and the idea of an inquiring, creative spirit.
In such circumstances no one should be too hard on people who are suspicious of conflicts of interest. When we learn that the distinguished professor assuring us of the safety of a particular product holds a consultancy with the company making it, we cannot be blamed for wondering whether his fee might conceivably cloud his professional judgment. Even if the professor holds no consultancy with any firm, some people many still distrust him because of his association with those who do, or at least wonder about the source of some his research funding.
This attitude can have damaging effects. It questions the integrity of individuals working in a profession that prizes intellectual honesty as the supreme virtue, and plays into the hands of those who would like to discredit scientists by representing then a venal (可以收买的). This makes it easier to dismiss all scientific pronouncements, but especially those made by the scientists who present themselves as ‘experts’. The scientist most likely to understand the safety of a nuclear reactor, for example, is a nuclear engineer declares that a reactor is unsafe, we believe him, because clearly it is not to his advantage to lie about it. If he tells us it is safe, on the other hand, we distrust him, because he may well be protecting the employer who pays his salary.
36. What is the chief concern of most governments when it comes to scientific research?
A) Quick economics returns.
B) Support from the votes.
C) The budget for a research project.
D) the reduction of public expenditure
37. Scientist have to adapt their research to ‘economic needs’ in order to _________ .
A) translate knowledge into wealth
B) obtain funding from the government
C) pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake
D) impress the public with their achievements
38. Why won’t scientists complain about the government’s policy concerning scientific research?
A) They know it takes patience to win support from the public.
B) They are accustomed to keeping their opinions to themselves.
C) They think they work in an environment hostile to the free pursuit of knowledge.
D) They think compliance with government policy is in the interests of the public.
39. According to the author, people are suspicious of the professional judgment of scientists because ___________ .
A) sometimes they hide the source of their research funding
B) some of them do not give priority to intellectual honesty
C) their pronouncements often turn out to be wrong
D) they could be influenced by their association with the project concerned
40. Why does the author say that public distrust of scientists can have damaging effects?
A) It may dampen the enthusiasm of scientists for independent research.
B) It makes things difficult for scientists seeking research funds.
C) People would not believe scientists even when they tell the truth.
D) Scientists themselves may doubt the value of their research findings.