The National Endowment for the Arts recently released the the results of its “Reading at Risk” survey, which described movement of the American public away from books and literature and toward television and electronic media. According to the survey. “reading is on the decline on every62.__________ region, within every ethnic group, and at every educational level.” The day the NEA report released, the U.S. House, in a tie 63.___________ vote, upheld the government’s right to obtain bookstore and library records under a provision of the USA Patriot Act. The House proposal would have barred the federal government from demand library records, reading lists, book customer 64.___________ lists and other material in terrorism and intelligence investigations.
These two events are completely unrelated to, yet they 65.___________ echo each other in the message they send about the place of books and reading in American culture. At the heart of the NEA survey is the belief in our democratic 66.__________ system depends on leaders who can think critically, analyze texts and writing clearly. All of these are skills promoted by 67.__________ reading and discussing books and literature. At the same time, through a provision of the Patriot Act, the leaders of our country are unconsciously sending the message that reading may be connected to desirable activities that might 68._________ undermine our system of government rather than helping democracy flourish. Our culture’s decline in reading begin well before the 69._________ existence of the Patriot Act. During the 1980s’ culture wars, school systems across the country pulled some books from library shelves because its content was deemed by parents 70.__________ and teachers to be inappropriate. Now what started in schools across the country is playing itself out on a nation stage and 71.________ is possibly having an impact on the reading habits of the American public.
本期答案及解析:
62.on-in。本行中 According to the survey在语义和结构上都没有错;on the decline为固定搭配,意为“呈下降趋势”,符合文意,也正确;故将错误锁定为介词on。on意为“在…之上”,而此处表示“在任何地区/区域”,故将on改为in(在;在…之内)。
63.report∧released-∧was。分析句子结构,the U.S.House(美国众议院)为句子主句,upheld(支持,赞成)为谓语,The day the NEA report released是一个时间状语从句,此处关系代词when被省略;report应该是被发表的,所以应在report和released之间插入 was,released对此也有很好的提示作用。注意此处应该使用系动词的过去时态。in a tie vote为习惯用法,意为“以微弱优势胜出”。
66.in-that。分析句子结构,本句为介词短语提前引起的倒装句,句子的谓语is被提到主语the belief之前。本句中同时出现两个动词,系动词is在主句中作谓语,因此depends应该是从句中的谓语。本句中,our democratic system depends on leaders...clearly是the belief的同位语从句;同位语从句中,先行词为物时,一般由关系代词that来引导,且that不能省略,故将in改为that。belief in为习惯用法,意为“相信…,对…有信心”,但介词in不能引导从句。
68.desirable-undesirable。be connected to为固定用法,意为“与…有关”,其后一般接名词。此处的定语从句that might undermine our system of government rather than helping democracy flourish修饰名词activities,根据从句中的undermine(损坏,破坏)及rather than helping(而不是帮助)可知,这些活动(activities)应该是消极的,desirable(可取的,有利的)与语义不符,故将 desirable改为undesirable。