Unit4 Reading Passage One Add Littleton, Colorado, to the list of cities dazed with grief after a school slaughter. Two students shot and killed 12 other students and a teacher before taking their own lives. The massacre was the largest in the history of this nation. This type of crime didn’t exist 10 years ago. Americans should stop acting surprised that these shootings happen in ‘nicer’ neighborhoods. That’s the only place they happen. None of the recent school massacres took place at an inner-city campus; they all occurred in smaller towns or suburbs. These killers haven’t been from impoverished or extremely violent families. They don’t appear to have been picked on (挨骂受罚) any worse than kids have been for generations. They chose alienation and destruction, and they found the tools to carry out their hate-filled plan. Do not blame schools for these massacres. Schools take what they are sent. Question the killers’ parents. The parents are supposed to teach their children respect and empathy for others’ lives. Parents should help their offspring learn to handle taunt or conflict without resorting to violence. All concerned s should take a youth’s threat to shoot someone as seriously as airport security guards take jokes about bombs. Students must be encouraged to tell teachers if a classmate threatens or jokes about violence. Administrators at schools around the country need to emphasize they will take such reports seriously, and that they will not identify any student who comes forward with such a report. More gun regulations probably won’t stop these shootings, but gun owners and sellers must take more responsibility for keeping weapons away from young people. Gun owners should keep their guns unloaded, locked up and hidden anyway. Most car owners don’t leave their keys in the car even when they park in their own garage; gun owners should be at least as careful with weapons. The federal government can’t solve this problem. Schools alone can’t solve it. More guns won’t solve it. Americans must consciously create a culture that makes violence unacceptable. Parents need to stop allowing their children’s minds to be polluted with violence. News media need to show more restraint and thought about how and what they report. The Colorado massacre is a national tragedy. More’s the pity if Americans do not stop, reflect and vow to make it the last school massacre. 1. One common feature of all the recent school massacres is that . A. they have all been carefully planned by hateful youngsters B. the killers have all failed to passed their exams C. they all occur in places that appear to be all right D. the killers are all from disadvantaged families 2. Children are less likely to become killers if . A. their parents succeed in teaching them respect and empathy for others’ lives B. they study hard in school and get high scores C. teachers stop telling meaningless jokes in class D. they follow the rules set by administrators at schools around the country 3. Who does the author think should take the main responsibility for campus shootings? A. School authorities. B. The federal government. C. News media. D. The killers’ parents. 4. What is the most effective way to pr school massacre from happening again? A. Reinforcing stricter laws and regulations. B. Introducing security guards onto campus. C. Creating a culture that makes violence unacceptable. D. Keeping weapons away from young people. 5. From the passage we can infer that . A. there were a lot of school massacres in inner-cities 10 years ago B. many people turn a blind eye to school massacre C. a youth’s joke about violence is often ignored by other people D. most gun owners like to leave their guns in their cars Passage Two Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.” The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer. After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering, What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test ― even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. 6. The passage is meant to ________. A. warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience B. advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer C. show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to pursue wealth and fame D. encourage young people to pursue a writing career 7. What can be concluded from the passage? A. Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding. B. A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort. C. Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation. D. The chances for a writer to become successful are small. 8. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career? A. He wasn’t able to produce a single book. B. He hadn’t seen a change for the better. C. He wasn’t able to have a rest for a whole year. D. He found his dream would never come true. 9. “…people who die wondering, What if?” (Para 3) refers to “those ________________”. A. who think too much of the dark side of life B. who regret giving up their career halfway C. who think a lot without a decision D. who are full of imagination even upon death 10. “Shadow land” in the last sentence refers to ___________________. A. the wonderland one often dreams about B. the bright future that one is looking forward to C. the state of uncertainty before one’s final goal is reached D. a world that exists only in one’s imagination Passage Three Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality, but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any sensible student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, famous reputation and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did. I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my career. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by interacting with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other s praised me for such a sensible choice. They told me I was wise and mature beyond my 18 years, and I believed them. I headed off to college sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical genius and sensitive humanist (人文学者) all in one. Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideals crashed into reality, as all noble ideals ually do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile (协调) engineering with liberal arts courses in college. The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I assumed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways; together they threaten to confuse. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult. 11. The author chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university because he _______. A. wanted to be an example of practicality and rationality B. intended to be a combination of engineer and humanist C. wanted to coordinate engineering with liberal-arts courses in college D. intended to be a sensible student with noble ideals 12. According to the author, by interacting with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can _______. A. balance engineering and the liberal arts B. receive guidance in their careers C. become noble idealists D. broaden their horizons 13. In the eyes of the author, a successful engineering