考研英语阅读理解学习资料

Unit2（1997年真题）

Passage1

Itwas3:45inthemorningwhenthevotewasfinallytaken.Aftersixmonthsofarguingandfinal16hoursofhot

parliamentarydebates,Australia'sNorthernTerrilorybecamethefirstlegalauthorityintheworldtoallowdoctorstotake

thelivesofincurablyillpatientswhowishtodie.Themeasurepassedbytheconvincingvoteof15to10.Almost

immediatelywordflashedontheInternetandwaspickedup,halfaworldaway,byJohnHofsess,executivedirectorofthe

RighttoDieSocietyofCanada.Hesentitonviathegroup'son-lineservice,DeathNET.SaysHofsess:"Weposted

bulletinsalldaylong,becauseofcoursethisisn'tjustsomethingthathappenedinAustralia.It'sworldhistory."

Thefullimportmaytakeawhiletosinkin.TheNTRightsoftheTerminallyIIIlawhasleftphysiciansandcitizens

aliketryingtodealwithitsmoralandpracticalimplications.Somehavebreathedsighsofrelief,others,including

churches,right-to-lifegroupsandtheAustralianMedicalAssociation,bitterlyattackedthebillandthehasteofitspassage.

Butthetideisunlikelytoturnback.InAustralia-whereanagingpopulation,life-extendingtechnologyandchanging

communityattitudeshaveallplayedtheirpart——otherstatesaregoingtoconsidermakingasimilarlawtodealwith

euthanasia.IntheUSandCanada,wheretheright-to-diemovementisgatheringstrength,observersarewaitingforthe

dominoestostartfalling.

UnderthenewNortheniTerritorylaw,andadultpatientcanrequestdeath-probablybyadeadlyinjectionorpill

一toputanendtosuffering.Thepatientmustbediagnosedasterminallyillbytwodoctors.Aftera"coolingoff*period

ofsevendays,thepatientcansignacertificateofrequest.After48hoursthewishfordeathcanbemet.ForLloyd

Nickson,a54-year-oldDarwinresidentsufferingfromlungcancer,theNTRightsofTerminallyIIIlawmeanshecanget

onwithlivingwithoutthehauntingfearofhissuffering:aterrifyingdeathfromhisbreathingcondition."I'mnotafraidof

dyingfromaspiritualpointofview,butwhatIwasafraidofwashowI'dgo,becauseI'vewatchedpeopledieinthe

hospitalfightingfbroxygenandclawingattheirmasks,"hesays.

1.Fromthesecondparagraphwelearnthat.

|A]theobjectiontoeuthanasiaisslowtocomeinothercountries

[B]physiciansandcitizenssharethesameviewoneuthanasia

|C|changingtechnologyischieflyresponsibleforthehastypassageofthelaw

[D]ittakestimetorealizethesignificanceofthelaw'spassage

2.Whentheauthorsaysthatobserversarewaitingforthedominoestostartfalling,hemeans.

[A]observersaretakingawait-and-seeattitudetowardsthefutureofeuthanasia

|B]similarbillsarelikelytobepassedintheUS,Canadaandothercountries

[C]observersarewaitingtoseetheresultofthegameofdominoes

[D]theeffect-takingprocessofthepassedbillmayfinallycometoastop

3.WhenLloydNicksondies,hewill.

|A|facehisdeathwithcalmcharacteristicofeuthanasia

[B]experiencethesufferingofalungcancerpatient

[C]haveanintensefearofterriblesuffering

[D]undergoacoolingoffperiodofsevendays

4.Theauthor'sattitudetowardseuthanasiaseemstobethatof.

[A]opposition[B]suspicion[C]approval[D]indifference

Passage2

AreportconsistentlybroughtbackbyvisitorstotheUSishowfriendly,courteous,andhelpfulmostAmericanswere

tothem.Tobefair,thisobservationisalsofrequentlymadeofCanadaandCanadians,andshouldbestbeconsidered

NorthAmerican.Thereare,ofcourse,exceptions.Small-mindedofficials,rudewaiters,andill-manneredtaxidriversare

hardlyunknownintheUS.Yetitisanobservationmadesofrequentlythatitdeservescomment.

Foralongperiodoftimeandinmanypartsofthecountry,atravelerwasawelcomebreakinanotherwisedull

existence.Dullnessandlonelinesswerecommonproblemsofthefamilieswhogenerallyliveddistantfromoneanother.

Strangersandtravelerswerewelcomesourcesofdiversion,andbroughtnewsoftheoutsideworld.

Theharshrealitiesofthefrontieralsoshapedthistraditionofhospitality.Someonetravelingalone,ifhungry,injured,

orill,oftenhadnowheretoturnexcepttothenearestcabinorsettlement.Itwasnotamatterofchoiceforthetraveleror

merelyacharitableimpulseonthepartofthesettlers.Itreflectedtheharshnessofdailylife:ifyoudidn'ttakeinthe

strangerandtakecareofhim,therewasnooneelsewhowould.Andsomeday,remember,youmightbeinthesame

situation.

Todaytherearemanycharitableorganizationswhichspecializeinhelpingthewearytraveler.Yet,theoldtraditionof

hospitalitytostrangersisstillverystrongintheUS,especiallyinthesmallercitiesandtownsawayfromthebusytourist

trails."Iwasjusttravelingthrough,gottalkingwiththisAmerican,andprettysoonheinvitedmehomefordinner——

amazing.nSuchobservationsreportedbyvisitorstotheUSarenotuncommon,butarenotalwaysunderstoodproperly.

ThecasualfriendlinessofmanyAmericansshouldbeinterpretedneitherassuperficialnorasartificial,butastheresultof

ahistoricallydevelopedculturaltradition.

Asistrueofanydevelopedsociety,inAmericaacomplexsetofculturalsignals,assumptions,andconventions

underliesallsocialinterrelationships.And,ofcourse,speakingalanguagedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatsomeone

understandssocialandculturalpatterns.Visitorswhofailto"translate1'culturalmeaningsproperlyoftendrawwrong

conclusions.Forexample,whenanAmericanusestheword"friend'1,theculturalimplicationsofthewordmaybequite

differentfromthoseithasinthevisitor'slanguageandculture.Ittakesmorethanabriefencounteronabustodistinguish

betweencourteousconventionandindividualinterest.Yet,beingfriendlyisavirtuethatmanyAmericansvaluehighly

andexpectfrombothneighborsandstrangers.

5.Intheeyesofvisitorsfromtheoutsideworld.

[A]mdetaxidriversarerarelyseenintheUS

|B]small-mindedofficialsdeserveaseriouscomment

[C]Canadiansarenotsofriendlyastheirneighbors

[D]mostAmericansarereadytoofferhelp

6.Itcouldbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthat.

|A]cultureexercisesaninfluenceoversocialinterrelationship

[B]courteousconventionandindividualinterestareinterrelated

[C]variousvirtuesmanifestthemselvesexclusivelyamongfriends

[D]socialinterrelationshipsequalthecomplexsetofculturalconventions

7.Familiesinfrontiersettlementsusedtoentertainstrangers.

[A]toimprovetheirhardlife

[B]inviewoftheirlong-distancetravel

[C]toaddsomeflavortotheirowndailylife

|D|outofacharitableimpulse

8.Thetraditionofhospitalitytostrangers.

[A]tendstobesuperficialandartificial

[B]isgenerallywellkeptupintheUnitedStates

|C|isalwaysunderstoodproperly

[D]hassomethingtodowiththebusytouristtrails

Passage3

Technically,anysubstanceotherthanfoodthataltersourbodilyormentalfunctioningisadrug.Manypeople

mistakenlybelievethetermdrugrefersonlytosomesortofmedicineoranillegalchemicaltakenbydrugaddicts.They

don'trealizethatfamiliarsubstancessuchasalcoholandtobaccoarealsodrugs.Thisiswhythemoreneutralterm

substanceisnowusedbymanyphysiciansandpsychologists.Thephrase"substanceabuse'1isoftenusedinsteadof"drug

abuse'1tomakeclearthatsubstancessuchasalcoholandtobaccocanbejustasharmfullymisusedasheroinandcocaine.

Wcliveinasocietyinwhichthemedicinalandsocialuseofsubstances(drugs)ispervasive:anaspirintoquieta

headache,somewinetobesociable,coffeetogetgoinginthemorning,acigaretteforthenerves.Whendothesesocially

acceptableandapparentlyconstructiveusesofasubstancebecomemisuses?Firstofall,mostsubstancestakeninexcess

willproducenegativeeffectssuchaspoisoningorintenseperceptualdistortions.Repeateduseofasubstancecanalsolead

tophysicaladdictionorsubstancedependence.Dependenceismarkedfirstbyanincreasedtolerance,withmoreandmore

ofthesubstancerequiredtoproducethedesiredeffect,andthenbytheappearanceofunpleasantwithdrawalsymptoms

whenthesubstanceisdiscontinued.

Drugs(substances)thataffectthecentralnervoussystemandalterperception,mood,andbehaviorareknownas

psychoactivesubstances.Psychoactivesubstancesarecommonlygroupedaccordingtowhethertheyarestimulants,

depressants,orhallucinogens.Stimulantsinitiallyspeeduporactivatethecentralnervoussystem,whereasdepressants

slowitdown.Hallucinogenshavetheirprimaryeffectonperception,distortingandalteringitinavarietyofways

includingproducing,hallucinations.Thesearethesubstancesoftencalledpsychedelic(fromtheGreekwordmeaning

"mind-manifesting")becausetheyseemedtoradicallyalterone'sstateofconsciousness.

9."Substancesabuse"(Line4,Paragraph1)ispreferableto"drugabuse"inthat.

|A|substancescanalterourbodilyormentalfunctioningifillegallyused

[B]"drugabuse"isonlyrelatedtoalimitednumberofdrugtakers

[C]alcoholandtobaccoareasfatalasheroinandcocaine

[D]manysubstancesotherthanheroinorcocainecanalsobepoisonous

10.Theword"pervasive',(Line1,Paragraph2)mightmean.

[A]widespread[B]overwhelming[C]piercing[D]fashionable

11.Physicaldependenceoncertainsubstancesresultsfrom.

|A]uncontrolledconsumptionofthemoverlongperiodsoftime.

[B]exclusiveuseofthemforsocialpurposes

[C|quantitativeapplicationofthemtothetreatmentofdiseases

[D]carelessemploymentofthemforunpleasantsymptoms

12.Fromthelastparagraphwecaninferthat.

[A]stimulantsfunctionpositivelyonthemind

|B]hallucinogensareinthemselvesharmfultohealth

[C]depressantsaretheworsttypeofpsychoactivesubstances

[D]thethreetypesofpsychoactivesubstancesarecommonlyusedingroups

Passage4

Nocompanylikestobetolditiscontributingtothemoraldeclineofnation."Isthiswhatyouintendedtoaccomplish

withyourcareers?"SenatorRobertDoleaskedTimeWarnerexecutiveslastweek."Y<)uhavesoldyoursouls,butmust

youcorruptournationandthreatenourchildrenaswell?"AlTimeWarner,however,suchquestionsaresimplythelatest

manifestationofthesoul-searchingthathasinvolvedthecompanyeversincethecompanywasbornin1990.It'sa

self-examinationthathas,atvarioustimes,involvedissuesofresponsibility,creativefreedomandthecorporatebottom

line.

AtthecoreofthisdebateischairmanGeraldLevin,56,whotookoverforthelateSteveRossin1992.Onthe

financialfront,Levinisunderpressuretoraisethestockpriceandreducethecompany'smountainousdebt,whichwill

increaseto$17.3billionaftertwonewcabledealsclose.Hehaspromisedtoselloffsonicofthepropertyandrestructure

thecompany,butinvestorsarewaitingimpatiently.

Theflapoverrapisnotmakinglifeanyeasierforhim.Levinhasconsistentlydefendedthecompany'srapmusicon

thegroundsofexpression.In1992,whenTimeWarnerwasunderfirefbrreleasingIce-T'sviolentrapsongCopKiller,

Levindescribedrapasalawfulexpressionofstreetculture,whichdeservesanoutlet."Thetestofanydemocratic

society,"hewroteinaWallStreetJournalcolumn,"liesnotinhowwellitcancontrolexpressionbutinwhetheritgives

freedomofthoughtandexpressionthewidestpossiblelatitude,howeverdisputableorirritatingtheresultsmaysometimes

be.Wewon'tretreatinthefaceofanythreats."

Levinwouldnotcommentonthedebatelastweek,butthereweresignsthatthechairmanwasbackingoffhis

hard-linestand,atleasttosomeextent.Duringthediscussionofrocksingingversesatlastmonth'sstockholdersmeeting,

Levinassertedthat"musicisnotthecauseofsociety'sills'*andevencitedhisson,ateacherintheBronx,NewYork,who

usesraptocommunicatewithstudents.Buthetalkedaswellaboutthe"balancedstruggle"betweencreativefreedomand

socialresponsibility,andheannouncedthatthecompanywouldlaunchadrivetodevelopstandardsfordistributionand

labelingofpotentiallyobjectionablemusic.

The15-memberTimeWarnerboardisgenerallysupportiveofLevinandhiscorporatestrategy.Butinsiderssay

severalofthemhaveshowntheirconcernsinthismatter.nSomeofushaveknownformany,manyyearsthatthefreedoms

undertheFirstAmendmentarenottotallyunlimited,*'saysLuce."Ithinkitisperhapsthecasethatsomepeople

associatedwiththecompanyhaveonlyrecentlycometorealizethis."

13.SenatorRobertDolecriticizedTimeWarnerfor.

[A]itsrisingofthecorporatestockprice

[B]itsself-examinationofsoul

[C]itsneglectofsocialresponsibility

|D|itsemphasisoncreativefreedom

14.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisTRUE?

[A]LuceisaspokesmanofTimeWarner.

[B]GeraldLevinisliabletocompromise.

[C]TimeWarnerisunitedasoneinthefaceofthedebate.

[D]SteveRossisnolongeralive.

15.Infaceoftherecentattacksonthecompany,thechairman.

[A]stucktoastrongstandtodefendfreedomofexpression

|B]softenedhistoneandadoptedsomenewpolicy

[C]changedhisattitudeandyieldedtoobjection

[D]receivedmoresupportfromthe15-memberboard

16.Thebesttitleforthispassagecouldbe.

|A]ACompanyunderFire

[B|ADebateonMoralDecline

[C]ALawfulOutletofStreetCulture

[D]AFormofCreativeFreedom

Passage5

Muchofthelanguageusedtodescribemonetarypolicy,suchas"steeringtheeconomytoasoftlanding'*or"atouch

onthebrakes",makesitsoundlikeaprecisescience.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Thelinkbetweeninterest

ratesandinflationisuncertain.Andtherearelong,variablelagsbeforepolicychangeshaveanyeffectontheeconomy.

Hencetheanalogythatlikenstheconductofmonetarypolicytodrivingacarwithablackenedwindscreen,acracked

rearviewmirrorandafaultysteeringwheel.

Givenallthesedisadvantages,centralbankersseemtohavehadmuchtoboastaboutoflate.Averageinflationinthe

bigsevenindustrialeconomiesfelltoamere2.3%lastyear,closetoitslowestlevelin30years,beforerisingslightlyto

2.5%thisJuly.Thisisalongwaybelowthedouble-digitrateswhichmanycountriesexperiencedinthe1970sandearly

1980s.

Itisalsolessthanmostforecastershadpredicted.Inlate1994thepanelofeconomistswhichTheEconomistpolls

eachmonthsaidthatAmerica'sinflationratewouldaverage3.5%in1995.Infact,itfellto2.6%inAugust,andis

expectedtoaverageonlyabout3%fbrtheyearasawhole.InBritainandJapaninflationisrunninghalfapercentage

pointbelowtheratepredictedattheendoflastyear.Thisisnoflashinthepan;overthepastcoupleofyears,inflationhas

beenconsistantlylowerthanexpectedinBritainandAmerica.

EconomistshavebeenparticularlysurprisedbyfavourableinflationfiguresinBritainandtheUnitedState,since

conventionalmeasuressuggestthatbotheconomics,andespeciallyAmerica's,havelittleproductiveslack.America's

capacityutilisation,fbrexample,hithistoricallyhighlevelsearlierthisyear,anditsjoblessrate(5.6%inAugust)has

fallenbelowmostestimatesofthenaturalrateofunemployment-theralebelowwhichinflationhastakenoffinthe

past.

Whyhasinflationprovedsomild?Themostthrillingexplanationis,unfortunately,alittledefective,Some

economistsarguethatpowerfulstructuralchangesintheworldhaveupendedtheoldeconomicmodelsthatwerebased

uponthehistoricallinkbetweengrowthandinflation.

17.Fromthepassagewelearnthat.

|A]thereisadefiniterelationshipbetweeninflationandinterestrates

[B|economywillalwaysfollowcertainmodels

[C]theeconomicsituationisbetterthanexpected

[D]economistshadforeseenthepresenteconomicsituation

18.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisTRUE?

[A]Makingmonetarypoliciesiscomparabletodrivingacar.

[B]Anextremelylowjoblessratewillleadtoinflation.

[C]Ahighunemploymentratewillresultfrominflation.

|D|Interestrateshaveanimmediateeffectontheeconomy.

19.Thesentence"Thisisnoflashinthepan"(Line5,Paragraph3)meansthat.

[A]thelowinflationratewilllastforsometime

|B]theinflationratewillsoonrise

[C]theinflationwilldisappearquickly

|D]thereisnoinflationatpresent

20.Thepassageshowsthattheauthoristhepresentsituation.

[A]criticalof[B]puzzledby[C]disappointedat[D]amazedat

Unit3（1998年真题）

Passage1

Fewcreationsofbigtechnologycapturetheimaginationlikegiantdams.Perhapsitishumankind'slongsufferingat

themercyoffloodanddroughtthatmakestheideaofforcingthewaterstodoourbiddingsofascinating.Buttobe

fascinatedisalso,sometimes,tobeblind.Severalgiantdamprojectsthreatentodomoreharmthangood.

Thelessonfromdamsisthatbigisnotalwaysbeautiful.Itdoesn'thelpthatbuildingabig,powerfuldamhasbecome

asymbolofachievementfornationsandpeoplestrivingtoassertthemselves.Egypt'sleadershipintheArabworldwas

cementedbytheAswanHighDam.Turkey'sbidforFirstWorldstatusincludesthegiantAtaturkDam.

Butbigdamstendnottoworkasintended.TheAswanDam,fbrexample,stoppedtheNilefloodingbutdeprived

Egyptofthefertilesiltthatfloodsleft一allinreturnforagiantreservoirofdiseasewhichisnowsofullofsiltthatit

barelygenerateselectricity.

Andyet,themythofcontrollingthewaterspersists.Thisweek,intheheartofcivillizedEurope,Slovaksand

HungariansstoppedjustshortofsendinginthetroopsintheircontentionoveradamontheDanube.Thehugecomplex

willprobablyhavealltheusualproblemsofbigdams.ButSlovakiaisbiddingforindependencefromtheCzechs,and

nowneedsadamtoproveitself.

Meanwhile,inIndia,theWorldBankhasgiventhego-aheadtotheevenmorewrong-headedNarmadaDam.Andthe

bankhasdonethiseventhoughitsadvisorssaythedamwillcausehardshipfbrthepowerlessandenvironmental

destruction.Thebenefitsareforthepowerful,buttheyarefarfromguaranteed.

Proper,scientificstudyoftheimpactsofdamsandofthecostandbenefitsofcontrollingwatercanhelptoresolve

theseconflicts.Hydroelectricpowerandfloodcontrolandirrigationarepossiblewithoutbuildingmonsterdams.But

whenyouaredealingwithmyths,itishardtobeeitherproper,orscientific.Itistimethattheworldlearnedthelessonsof

Aswan.Youdon'tneedadamtobesaved.

I.Thethirdsentenceofparagraph1impliesthat.

[A]peoplewouldbehappyiftheyshuttheireyestoreality

[B]theblindcouldbehappierthanthesighted

[C]over-excitcdpeopletendtoneglectvitalthings

|D|fascinationmakespeoplelosetheireyesight

2.Inparagraph5,"thepowerless"probablyrefersto.

[A]areasshortofelectricity

[B]damswithoutpowerstations

[C]poorcountriesaroundIndia

[DJcommonpeopleintheNarmadaDamarea

3.Whatisthemythconcerninggiantdams?

[A]Theybringinmorefertilesoil.

|B|Theyhelpdefendthecountry.

[C]Theystrengtheninternationalties.

[D]Theyhaveuniversalcontrolofthewaters.

4.Whattheauthortriestosuggestmaybestbeinterpretedas.

[A]"It'snousecryingoverspiltmilk"

|B]"Morehaste,lessspeed"

[C]"Lookbeforeyouleap"

[D]"Hewholaughslastlaughsbest1'

Passage2

Well,nogainwithoutpain,theysay.Butwhataboutpainwithoutgain?EverywhereyougoinAmerica,youhear

talesofcorporaterevival.Whatishardertoestablishiswhethertheproductivityrevolutionthatbusinessmenassumethey

arcpre-sidingoverisforreal.

Theofficialstatisticsaremildlydiscouraging.Theyshowthat,ifyoulumpmanufacturingandservicestogether,

productivityhasgrownonaverageby1.2%since1987.Thatissomewhatfasterthantheaverageduringtheprevious

decade.Andsince199Lproductivityhasincreasedbyabout2%ayear,whichismorethantwicethe1978-1987average.

Thetroubleisthatpartoftherecentaccelerationisduetotheusualreboundthatoccursatthispointinabusinesscycle,

andsoisnotconclusiveevidenceofarevivalintheunderlyingtrend.Thereis,asRobertRubin,thetreasurysecretary,

says,a"disjunction11betweenthemassofbusinessanecdotethatpointstoaleapinproductivityandthepicturereflected

bythestatistics.

Someofthiscanbeeasilyexplained.Newwaysoforganizingtheworkplace-allthatre-engineeringand

downsizing一areonlyonecontributiontotheoverallprcxluctivityofaneconomy,whichisdrivenbymanyother

factorssuchasjointinvestmentinequipmentandmachinery,newtechnology,andinvestmentineducationandtraining.

Moreover,mostofthechangesthatcompaniesmakeareintendedtokeepthemprofitable,andthisneednotalwaysmean

increasingproductivity:switchingtonewmarketsorimprovingqualitycanmatterjustasmuch.

Twootherexplanationsaremorespeculative.First,someofthebusinessrestructuringofrecentyearsmayhavebeen

ineptlydone.Second,evenifitwaswelldone,itmayhavespreadmuchlesswidelythanpeoplesuppose.

LeonardSchlesinger,aHarvardacademicandformerchiefexecutiveofAuBonPain,arapidlygrowingchainof

bakerycafes,saysthatmuch"re-engineering"hasbeencrude.Inmanycases,hebelieves,thelossofrevenuehasbeen

greaterthanthereductionsincost.Hiscolleague,MichaelBeer,saysthatfartoomanycompanieshaveapplied

re-engineeringinamechanisticfashion,choppingoutcostswithoutgivingsufficentthoughttolong-termprofitability.

BBDO'sAlRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofre-engineeringconsultantsasmererubbish——,'the

worstsortofambulance-chasing."

5.Accordingtotheauthor,theAmericaneconomicsituationis.

[A]notasgoodasitseems[B]atitsturningpoint

|C]muchbetterthanitseems[D|neartocompleterecovery

6.Theofficialstatisticsonproductivitygrowth.

|A]excludetheusualreboundinabusinesscycle

[B]fallshortofbusinessmen'santicipation

[C]meettheexpectationofbusinesspeople

[D]failtoreflectthetruestateofeconomy

7.Theauthorraisesthequestion"whataboutpainwithoutgain?"because.

[A]hequestionsthetruthof"nogainwithoutpain"

[B]hedoesnotthinktheproductivityrevolutionworks

[C]hewondersiftheofficialstatisticsarcmisleading

|D]hewasconclusiveevidencefbrtherevivalofbusinesses

8.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTmentionedinthepassage?

[A]Radicalreformsareessentialfortheincreaseofproductivity.

[B]Newwaysoforganizingworkplacesmayhelptoincreaseproductivity.

[C]Thereductionofcostsisnotasurewaytogainlong-termprofitability.

[D]Theconsultantsareabunchofgood-for-nothings.

Passage3

Sciencehaslonghadanuneasyrelationshipwithotheraspectsofculture.ThinkofGallileo's17th-centurytrialfbr

hisrebellingbeliefbeforetheCatholicChurchorpoetWilliamBlake'sharshremarksagainstthemechanisticworldview

ofIsaacNewton.Theschismbetweenscienceandthehumanitieshas,ifanything,deepenedinthiscentury.

Untilrecently,thescientificcommunitywassopowerfulthatitcouldaffordtoignoreitscritics——butnolonger.As

fundingfbrsciencehasdeclined,scientistshaveattacked"antiscience"inseveralbooks,notablyHigherSuperstition,by

PaulR.Gross,abiologistattheUniversityofVirginia,andNormanLevitt,amathematicianatRutgersUniversity;and

TheDemon-HauntedWorld,byCarlSaganofCornellUniversity.

Defendersofsciencehavealsovoicedtheirconcernsatmeetingssuchas"TheFlightfromScienceandReason,"held

inNewYorkCityin1995,and"ScienceintheAgeof(Mis)information,"whichassembledlastJunenearBuffalo.

Antiscienceclearlymeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.GrossandLevittfindfaultprimarilywithsociologists,

philosophersandotheracademicswhohavequestionedscience'sobjectivity.Saganismoreconcernedwiththosewho

believeinghosts,creationismandotherphenomenathatcontradictthescientificworldview.

Asurveyofnewsstoriesin1996revealsthattheantisciencetaghasbeenattachedtomanyothergroupsaswell,

fromauthoritieswhoadvocatedtheeliminationofthelastremainingstocksofsmallpoxvirustoRepublicanswho

advocateddecreasedfundingforbasicresearch.

FewwoulddisputethatthetermappliestotheUnabomber,whosemanifesto,publishedin1995,scornsscienceand

longsforreturntoapretechnologicalutopia.Butsurelythatdoesnotmeanenvironmentalistsconcernedabout

uncontrolledindustrialgrowthareantiscience,asanessayinUSNews&WorldReportlastMayseemedtosuggest.

Theenvironmentalists,inevitably,respondtosuchcritics.Thetrueenemiesofscience,arguesPaulEhrlichof

StanfordUniversity,apioneerofenvironmentalstudies,arcthosewhoquestiontheevidencesupportingglobalwarming,

thedep