Fortunately, enough Americans have been inspired to do something with their uniqueness that we have developed in less than three centuries from a frontier outpost into not only a country of freedom but a country strong enough to protect that freedom. These people prized the notions of individuality and excellence above all things and thus kept the great machine functioning. The ones with the purple hair and the horrorable jewelry are just along for the ride, trying to be "different" and not knowing how to go about it.

　　The student who earns A's on his report card has grasped the idea and has found the real meaning of individuality. So has the youngster who has designed his own spaceship, who paints pictures of the world around him, or who can name all the states and their capitals.

　　1.According to the author unique individuals are persons who______.

　　A. do something better than other people

　　B. know more about a subject than other people

　　C. excel others in work

　　D. all of the above

　　2.People who regard individuality as a surface thing always do the following EXCEPT

　　A. wearing bright clothes B. coloring their hair

　　C. doing better than others D. decorating their skin with tattoos

　　3.Which is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. Henry Ford invented assembly-line technique.

　　B. Elisha Otis was the inventor of the lift

　　C. George Westinghouse created cranks.

　　D. Lewis Waterman put the ink into the pen.

　　4.It can be inferred from the passage that______.

　　A. the real secret to being unique lies in our excellent work

　　B. if we want to be different we'd gain more profit

　　C the student who earns A's on the report card has not grasped the real meaning ofindividuality

　　5. all Americans work miracles In the writer's opinion who has understood the sense of individuality?

　　A. The youngster who designed his own spaceship.

　　B. The youngster who painted worthy pictures.

　　C. The youngster who was interested in wearing strange clothes.

　　D. Both A and B.

　　參考答案：

　　1. D 2. C 3. C 4. A 5. D

　　Very old people do raise moral problems for almost everyone who comes in contact with them. Their values—this can't be repeated too often—are not necessarily our values. Physical comfort, cleanness and order are not necessarily the most important things. The social services from time to time find themselves faced with a flat with decaying food covered by small worms, and an old person lying alone in bed, taking no notice of the worms. But is it interfering with personal freedom to insist that they go to live with some of their relatives so that they might be taken better care of? Some social workers, the ones who clear up the worms, think we are in danger of carrying this concept of personal freedom to the point where serious risks are being taken with the health and safety of the old.

　　Indeed, the old can be easily hurt or harmed. The body is like a car, it needs more mechanical maintenance as it gets older. You can carry this comparison right through to the provision of spare parts. But never forget that such operations are painful experiences, however good the results. And at what point should you cease to treat the old body? Is it morally right to try to push off death by pursuing the development of drugs to excite the forgetful old mind and to activate(激活) the old body, knowing that it is designed to die? You cannot ask doctors or scientists to decide, because so long as they can see the technical opportunities, they will feel bound to give them a try, on the principle that while there's life, there's hope.

　　When you talk to the old people, however, you are forced to the conclusion that whether age is happy or unpleasant depends less on money or on health than it does on your ability to have fun.

　　1. It is implied in Paragraph 1 that______.

　　A. very old people enjoy living with their relatives

　　B. social services have nothing to do with very old people

　　C. very old people would like to live alone so that they can have more personal freedom

　　D. very old people are able to keep their rooms very clean

　　2. Some social workers think that______.

　　A. health and safety are more important than personal freedom

　　B. personal freedom is more important than health and safety

　　C. old people should keep their rooms clean

　　D. one should not take the risk of dealing with old people

　　3. In the author's opinion, ______.

　　A. the human body can't be compared to a car

　　B. the older a person, the more care he needs

　　C. too much emphasis has been put on old people's values

　　D. it is easy to provide spare parts for old people

　　4. The word "it" in the last paragraph refers to______.

　　A. the conclusion you have come to B. your talk to the old people

　　C. whether age is happy or unpleasant D. one's money or one's health

　　5. The author thinks that______.

　　A. medical decisions for old people should be left to the doctors

　　B. old people can enjoy a happy life only if they are very rich

　　C. the opinion that we should try every means possible to save old people is doubtful

　　D. it is always morally right to treat old people and push off death

　　參考答案：

　　1. C 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. C