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1、【】Text 1In 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 deference” characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of cons
2、umption” launched by the 19th-century 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 democrat
3、ic act.” The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that todays immigration is
4、 neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent. In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices o
5、f assimilation - language, home ownership and intermarriage.The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English well or very well after ten years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient i
6、n 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 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 perc
7、ent rate among native-born Americans.Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.-born whites and blacks.” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.Rodrigu
8、ez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nations assimilative power.”Are there divisive issues and pockets of se
9、ething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against Americas turbulent past, todays social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.21.The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means _.A ident
10、ifying B associating C assimilating（C） D monopolizing22.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 common consumersC satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite（A） D owed its emergence to the cult
11、ure of consumption23.The text suggests that immigrants now in the U.S. _.A are resistant to homogenization B exert a great influence on American cultureC are hardly a threat to the common culture D constitute the majority of the population（C）24.Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentione
12、d in Paragraph 5?A To prove their popularity around the world.B To reveal the publics fear of immigrants.C To give examples of successful immigrants.（D）D To show the powerful influence of American culture25.In the authors opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is _.A rewarding B
13、 successful C fruitless（B） D harmfulText 2Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry - William Shakespeare - but 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 Shak
14、espeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaways Cottage, Shakespeares birthplace and the other sights.The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their reven
15、ue. They frankly dislike the RSCs actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. Its 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.The tourist streams are not entirely
16、separate. The sightseers who come by bus - and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side - dont usually see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However, the playgoers do manage a little sight-seeing along with their playgoing. It is the playgoer
