请阅读Passage 1。完成小题。Passage 1The mythology of a culture can provide some vital insights into the beliefs and values of that?culture．By using fantastic and sometimes incredible stories to create an oral tradition by which to?explain the wonders of the natural world and teach lessons to younger generations,a society exposes?those ideas and concepts held most important．Just as important as the final lesson to be gathered?from the stories,however,are the characters and the roles they play in conveying that message．Perhaps the epitome of mythology and its use as a tool to pass on cultural values can be found?in Aesop′s Fables,told and retold during the era of the Greek Empire．Aesop,a slave who won the?favor of the court through his imaginative and descriptive tales,almost exclusively used animals to?fill the roles in his short stories．Humans,when at all present,almost always played the part of?bumbling fools struggling to learn the lesson being presented．This choice of characterization allows?us to see that the Greeks placed wisdom on a level slightly beyond humans,implying that deep?wisdom and understanding is a universal quality sought by,rather than stealing from,human beings．Aesop′s fables illustrated the central themes of humility and self-reliance,reflecting the?importance of those traits in early Greek society．The folly of humans was used to contrast against?the ultimate goal of attaining a higher level of understanding and awareness of truths about nature?and humanity．For example,one notable fable features a fox repeatedly trying to reach a bunch of?grapes on a very high vine．After failing at several attempts,the fox gives up,making up its mind?that the grapes were probably sour anyway．The fable′s lesson,that we often play down that which?we can′t achieve so as to make ourselves feel better,teaches the reader or listener in an entertaining?way about one of the weaknesses of the human psyche．The mythology of other cultures and societies reveal the underlying traits of their respective?cultures just as Aesop′s fables did．The stories of Roman gods,Aztec ghosts and European elves all?served to train ancient generations those lessons considered most important to their community,and?today they offer a powerful looking glass by which to evaluate and consider the contextual?environment in which those culture existed．The author appears to view fables as__________．
A.the most interesting and valuable form of mythologyB.entertaining yet serious subjects of studyC.a remnant tool of past civilizations,but not often used in the modem ageD.the primary method by which ancient values and ideas were transmitted between generations

请阅读Passage 2，完成小题。Passage 2Paper money is used every day but people do not often think of money as just paper.This is?because people agree that it has value,and paper money is supported by the government.People have used paper money for only a few hundred years,but what did people do before?printed money was invented?In Medieval England,a stick was the official representation of money.The common system that was used involved counting debt on a piece of wood called a"tally stick".The tally stick was marked with a knife.Each mark,or tally,indicated an amount of money.The?tally stick acted as a contract.No one really knows who invented the tally stick,but King Henry I of England is credited as?the first to use the stick in a widespread fashion.In England,the tally stick was used from?1100-1826.Marks were made on a tally stick to represent the amount of service or goods that were?exchanged.The tally stick was cut in half lengthwise into two parts,and one stick was longer than?the other.The person giving services or goods received the longer end of the stick,called the"stock",and the person paying for the service or goods received the shorter end.Once the stick was?cut,it could not be altered.When put together,the two halves fit perfectly together.Medieval England was not the only country to use the tally stick system.In 1960,Belgian?scientist Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt discovered an extremely old tally stick made of baboon?bone in Africa.At first,he determined the stick to be between about 8,000 to 10,000 years old.This?surprised many people because it proved that the tally stick system had been in use for much longer?than everyone had previously thought.Further research has shown that this stick is actually much?older:now,scientists believe it is 20,000 years old.The tally stick system may no longer be in use today,but its influence is still apparent.People?still make contracts and people still borrow and lend money.People still trust that"things"--whether they are sticks,paper,or coins--have value.The next time paper money is used,just?remember:it is only paper!Why were many people surprised about the tally stick in Africa?
A.The material it was made from had never been seen before.B.It was much older than previously thought.C.It was cut sideways instead of lengthwise.D.Money did not exist in Africa then.

请阅读Passage l。完成小题。Passage 1There will eventually come a day when The New York Times ceases to publish stories on?newsprint.Exactly when that day will be is a matter of debate."Sometime in the future,"the paper′s?publisher said back in 2010.Nostalgia for ink on paper and the rustle of pages aside,there′s plenty of incentive to ditch?print.The infrastructure required to make a physical newspaper--printing presses,delivery trucks--isn′t just expensive;it′s excessive at a time when online-only competitors don′t have the same set?of financial constraints.Readers are migrating away from print anyway.And though print and sales?still dwarf their online and mobile counterparts,revenue from print is still declining.Overhead may be high and circulation lower,but rushing to eliminate its print edition would be?a mistake,says BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti.Peretti says the Times shouldn′t waste time getting out of the print business,but only if they go?about doing it the right way."Figuring out a way to accelerate that transition would make sense for?them,"he said,"but if you discontinue it,you′re going to have your most loyal customers really?upset with you."Sometimes that′s worth making a change anyway.Peretti gives the example of Netflix?discontinuing its DVD-mailing service to focus on streaming."It was seen as a blunder,"he said.The more turned out to be foresighted.And ifPeretti were in change at the Times?"I wouldn′t pick?a year to end print,"he said."I would raise prices and make it into more of a legacy product."The most loyal customers would still get the product they favor,the idea goes,and they′d feel?like they were helping sustain the quality of something they believe in."So if you′re overpaying for?print,you could feel like you were helping,"Peretti said."Then increase it at a higher rate each year?and essentially try to generate additional revenue."In other words,if you′re going to make a print?product,make it for the people who are already obsessed with it.Which may be what the Times is?doing already.Getting the print edition seven days a week costs nearly$500 a year--more than?twice as much as a digital-only subscription."It′s a really hard thing to do and it′s a tremendous luxury that BuzzFeed doesn′t have a?legacy business,"Peretti remarked."But we′re going to have questions like that where we have?things we′re doing that don′t make sense when the market changes and the world changes.In those?situations,it′s better to be more aggressive than less aggressive."Peretti believes that,in a changing world,__________.
A.legacy businesses are becoming outdatedB.cautiousness facilitates problems-solvingC.aggressiveness better meets challengesD.traditional luxuries can stay unaffected

请阅读Passage 1。完成小题。Passage 1The mythology of a culture can provide some vital insights into the beliefs and values of that?culture．By using fantastic and sometimes incredible stories to create an oral tradition by which to?explain the wonders of the natural world and teach lessons to younger generations,a society exposes?those ideas and concepts held most important．Just as important as the final lesson to be gathered?from the stories,however,are the characters and the roles they play in conveying that message．Perhaps the epitome of mythology and its use as a tool to pass on cultural values can be found?in Aesop′s Fables,told and retold during the era of the Greek Empire．Aesop,a slave who won the?favor of the court through his imaginative and descriptive tales,almost exclusively used animals to?fill the roles in his short stories．Humans,when at all present,almost always played the part of?bumbling fools struggling to learn the lesson being presented．This choice of characterization allows?us to see that the Greeks placed wisdom on a level slightly beyond humans,implying that deep?wisdom and understanding is a universal quality sought by,rather than stealing from,human beings．Aesop′s fables illustrated the central themes of humility and self-reliance,reflecting the?importance of those traits in early Greek society．The folly of humans was used to contrast against?the ultimate goal of attaining a higher level of understanding and awareness of truths about nature?and humanity．For example,one notable fable features a fox repeatedly trying to reach a bunch of?grapes on a very high vine．After failing at several attempts,the fox gives up,making up its mind?that the grapes were probably sour anyway．The fable′s lesson,that we often play down that which?we can′t achieve so as to make ourselves feel better,teaches the reader or listener in an entertaining?way about one of the weaknesses of the human psyche．The mythology of other cultures and societies reveal the underlying traits of their respective?cultures just as Aesop′s fables did．The stories of Roman gods,Aztec ghosts and European elves all?served to train ancient generations those lessons considered most important to their community,and?today they offer a powerful looking glass by which to evaluate and consider the contextual?environment in which those culture existed．The main point of this text is__________．
A.Aesop's fables provide a valuable glimpse into early Greek thought and beliefsB.the most efficient and reliable way to study the values system of an ancient culture is through?study of its mythologyC.without a thorough examination of a society's fables and other mythology,a cultural study?on that society would be only partialD.through the study of a culture's mythological tradition,one can discern some of the?underlying beliefs that shaped those stories

请阅读Passage 1。完成小题。Passage 1The mythology of a culture can provide some vital insights into the beliefs and values of that?culture．By using fantastic and sometimes incredible stories to create an oral tradition by which to?explain the wonders of the natural world and teach lessons to younger generations,a society exposes?those ideas and concepts held most important．Just as important as the final lesson to be gathered?from the stories,however,are the characters and the roles they play in conveying that message．Perhaps the epitome of mythology and its use as a tool to pass on cultural values can be found?in Aesop′s Fables,told and retold during the era of the Greek Empire．Aesop,a slave who won the?favor of the court through his imaginative and descriptive tales,almost exclusively used animals to?fill the roles in his short stories．Humans,when at all present,almost always played the part of?bumbling fools struggling to learn the lesson being presented．This choice of characterization allows?us to see that the Greeks placed wisdom on a level slightly beyond humans,implying that deep?wisdom and understanding is a universal quality sought by,rather than stealing from,human beings．Aesop′s fables illustrated the central themes of humility and self-reliance,reflecting the?importance of those traits in early Greek society．The folly of humans was used to contrast against?the ultimate goal of attaining a higher level of understanding and awareness of truths about nature?and humanity．For example,one notable fable features a fox repeatedly trying to reach a bunch of?grapes on a very high vine．After failing at several attempts,the fox gives up,making up its mind?that the grapes were probably sour anyway．The fable′s lesson,that we often play down that which?we can′t achieve so as to make ourselves feel better,teaches the reader or listener in an entertaining?way about one of the weaknesses of the human psyche．The mythology of other cultures and societies reveal the underlying traits of their respective?cultures just as Aesop′s fables did．The stories of Roman gods,Aztec ghosts and European elves all?served to train ancient generations those lessons considered most important to their community,and?today they offer a powerful looking glass by which to evaluate and consider the contextual?environment in which those culture existed．The author names the Roman,Aztec and European cultures in order to__________．
A.identify other cultures in which fables were the primary method by which to pass on?traditions and valuesB.explicitly name the various types of characters in those culture's fablesC.stress that mythology was used by cultures other than the Greeks to convey societal moralsD.establish them,in addition to the Greeks,as the societies most notable for their mythology

请阅读Passage l。完成小题。Passage 1There will eventually come a day when The New York Times ceases to publish stories on?newsprint.Exactly when that day will be is a matter of debate."Sometime in the future,"the paper′s?publisher said back in 2010.Nostalgia for ink on paper and the rustle of pages aside,there′s plenty of incentive to ditch?print.The infrastructure required to make a physical newspaper--printing presses,delivery trucks--isn′t just expensive;it′s excessive at a time when online-only competitors don′t have the same set?of financial constraints.Readers are migrating away from print anyway.And though print and sales?still dwarf their online and mobile counterparts,revenue from print is still declining.Overhead may be high and circulation lower,but rushing to eliminate its print edition would be?a mistake,says BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti.Peretti says the Times shouldn′t waste time getting out of the print business,but only if they go?about doing it the right way."Figuring out a way to accelerate that transition would make sense for?them,"he said,"but if you discontinue it,you′re going to have your most loyal customers really?upset with you."Sometimes that′s worth making a change anyway.Peretti gives the example of Netflix?discontinuing its DVD-mailing service to focus on streaming."It was seen as a blunder,"he said.The more turned out to be foresighted.And ifPeretti were in change at the Times?"I wouldn′t pick?a year to end print,"he said."I would raise prices and make it into more of a legacy product."The most loyal customers would still get the product they favor,the idea goes,and they′d feel?like they were helping sustain the quality of something they believe in."So if you′re overpaying for?print,you could feel like you were helping,"Peretti said."Then increase it at a higher rate each year?and essentially try to generate additional revenue."In other words,if you′re going to make a print?product,make it for the people who are already obsessed with it.Which may be what the Times is?doing already.Getting the print edition seven days a week costs nearly$500 a year--more than?twice as much as a digital-only subscription."It′s a really hard thing to do and it′s a tremendous luxury that BuzzFeed doesn′t have a?legacy business,"Peretti remarked."But we′re going to have questions like that where we have?things we′re doing that don′t make sense when the market changes and the world changes.In those?situations,it′s better to be more aggressive than less aggressive."It can be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6 that a"legacy product"__________.
A.helps restore the glory of former timesB.is meant for the most loyal customersC.will have the cost of printing reducedD.expands the popularity of the paper