考研真题阅读理解

•Text1(1998)

Passage1

Fewcreationsofbigtechnologycapturetheimaginationlikegiantdams.Perhapsitis

humankind'slongsufferingatthemercyoffloodanddroughtthatmakestheidealofforcingthe

waterstodoourbiddingsofascination.Buttobefascinatedisalso,sometimes,tobeblind.

Severalgiantdamprojectsthreatentodomoreharmthangood.

Thelessonfromdamsisthatbigisnotalwaysbeautiful.Itdoesn'thelpthatbuildingabig,

powerfuldamhasbecomeasymbolofachievementfornationsandpeoplestrivingtoassert

themselves.Egypt'sleadershipintheArabworldwascementedbytheAswanHighDam.

Turkey'sbidforFirstWorldstatusincludesthegiantAtaturkDam.

Butbigdamstendnottoworkasintended.TheAswanDam,forexamplestoppedtheNile

floodingbutdeprivedEgyptofthefertilesiltthatfloodsleft-allinreturnforagiantreservoirof

diseasewhichisnowsofullofsiltthatitbarelygenerateselectricity.

Andyet,themythofcontrollingthewaterspersists.Thisweek,intheheartofcivilized

Europe,SlovaksandHungariansstoppedjustshortofsendinginthetroopsintheircontention

overadamontheDanube.Thehugecomplexwillprobablyhavealltheusualproblemsofbig

dams.ButSlovakiaisbiddingforindependencefromtheCzechs,andnowneedsadamtoprove

itself.

Meanwhile,inIndia,theWorldBankhasgiventhegoaheadtotheevenmorewrongheaded

NarmadaDam.Andthebankhasdonethiseventhoughitsadvisorssaythedamwillcause

hardshipforthepowerlessandenvironmentaldestruction.Thebenefitsareforthepowerful,but

theyarefarfromguaranteed.

Proper,scientificstudyoftheimpactsofdamsandofthecostandbenefitsofcontrolling

watercanhelptoresolvetheseconflicts.Hydroelectricpowerandfloodcontrolandirrigationare

possiblewithoutbuildingmonsterdams.Butwhenyouaredealingwithmyths,itishardtobe

eitherproper,orscientific.ItistimethattheworldlearnedthelessonsofAswan.Youdon'tneeda

damtobesaved.

51.Thethirdsentenceofparagraph1impliesthat.

A)peoplewouldbehappyiftheyshuttheireyestoreality

B)theblindcouldbehappierthanthesighted

C)over-excitedpeopletendtoneglectvitalthings.

D)fascinationmakespeoplelosetheireyesight

52.Inparagraph5,“thepowerless“probablyrefersto.

A)areasshortofelectricityB)damswithoutpowerstations

C)poorcountriesaroundIndia

D)commonpeopleintheNarmadaDamarea

53.Whatisthemythconcerninggiantdams?

A)Theybringinmorefertilesoil.B)Theyhelpdefendthecountry.

C)Theystrengtheninternationalties.

D)Theyhaveuniversalcontrolofthewaters.

54.Whattheauthortriestosuggestmaybestbeinteipretedas.

A)"It'snousecryingoverspiltB)“Morehaste,lessspeed”

C)“Lookbeforeyouleap”D)“Hewholaughslastlaughsbest”

Passage2

Well,nogainwithoutpain,theysay.Butwhataboutpainwithoutgain?Everywhereyougo

inAmerica,youheartalesofcoiporaterevival.Whatishardertoestablishiswhetherthe

productivityrevolutionthatbusinessmenassumetheyarepresidingoverisforreal.

Theofficialstatisticsaremildlydiscouraging.Theyshowthat,ifyoulumpmanufacturing

andservicestogether,productivityhasgrownonaverageby1.2%since1987.Thatissomewhat

fasterthantheaverageduringthepreviousdecade.Andsince1991,productivityhasincreasedby

about2%ayear,whichismorethantwicethe197887average.Thetroubleisthatpartofthe

recentaccelerationisduetotheusualreboundthatoccursatthispointinabusinesscycle,andso

isnotconclusiveevidenceofarevivalintheunderlyingtrend.Thereis,asRobertRubin,the

treasurysecretary,says,a"disjunction''betweenthemassofbusinessanecdotethatpointstoa

leapinproductivityandthepicturereflectedbythestatistics.

Someofthiscanbeeasilyexplained.Newwaysoforganizingtheworkplaceallthatre

engineeringanddownsizing-areonlyonecontributiontotheoverallproductivityofaneconomy,

whichisdrivenbymanyotherfactorssuchasjointinvestmentinequipmentandmachinery,new

technology,andinvestmentineducationandtraining.Moreover,mostofthechangesthat

companiesmakeareintendedtokeepthemprofitable,andthisneednotalwaysmeanincreasing

productivity:switchingtonewmarketsorimprovingqualitycanmatterjustasmuch.

Twootherexplanationsaremorespeculative.First,someofthebusinessrestructuringof

recentyearsmayhavebeenineptlydone.Second,evenifitwaswelldone,itmayhavespread

muchlesswidelythanpeoplesuppose.

LeonardSchlesinger,aHarvardacademicandformerchiefexecutiveofAuBongPain,a

rapidlygrowingchainofbakerycafes,saysthatmuch“reengineering“hasbeencrude.Inmany

cases,hebelieves,thelossofrevenuehasbeengreaterthanthereductionsincost.Hiscolleague,

MichaelBeer,saysthatfartoomanycompanieshaveappliedreengineeringinamechanistic

fashion,choppingoutcostswithoutgivingsufficientthoughttolongtermprofitability.BBDO's

AlRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofreengineeringconsultantsasmere

rubbish-"theworstsortofambulancecashing.^^

55.Accordingtotheauthor,theAmericaneconomicsituationis.

A)not济goodastsemsB)aistimingp)int

C)muchbetterthanitseemsD)neartocompleterecovery

56.Theofficialstatisticsonproductivitygrowth.

A)excludetheusualreboundinabusinesscycle

B)fallshortofbusinessmen'santicipation

C)meettheexpectationofbusinesspeople

D)failtoreflectthetruestateofeconomy

57.Theauthorraisesthequestion“whataboutpainwithoutgain?^^because__.

A)hequestionsthetruthof“nogainwithoutpain^^

B)hedoesnotthinktheproductivityrevolutionworks

C)hewondersiftheofficialstatisticsaremisleading

D)hehasconclusiveevidencefortherevivalofbusinesses

58.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTmentionedinthepassage?

A)Radicalreformsareessentialfortheincreaseofproductivity.

B)Newwaysoforganizingworkplacesmayhelptoincreaseproductivity.

C)Thereductionofcostsisnotasurewaytogainlongtermprofitability.

D)Theconsultantsareabunchofgood-for-nothings.

Passage3

Sciencehaslonghadanuneasyrelationshipwithotheraspectsofculture.ThinkofGalileo's

17thcenturytrialforhisrebellingbeliefbeforetheCatholicChurchorpoetWilliamBlake'sharsh

remarksagainstthemechanisticworldviewofIsaacNewton.Theschismbetweenscienceandthe

humanitieshas,ifanything,deepenedinthiscentury.

Untilrecently,thescientificcommunitywassopowerfulthatitcouldaffordtoignoreits

critics-butnolonger.Asfundingforsciencehasdeclined,scientistshaveattackeduantiscienceM

inseveralbooks,notablyHigherSuperstition,byPaulR.Gross,abiologistattheUniversityof

Virginia,andNormanLevitt,amathematicianatRutgersUniversity;andTheDemon-Haunted

World,byCarSaganofCornellUniversity.

Defendersofsciencehavealsovoicedtheirconcernsatmeetingssuchas“TheFlightfrom

ScienceandReason,"heldinNewYorkCityin1995,and"ScienceintheAgeof(Mis)

information,whichassembledlastJunenearBuifalo.

Antiscienceclearlymeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.GrossandLevittfindfault

primarilywithsociologists,philosophersandotheracademicswhohavequestionedscience's

objectivity.Saganismoreconcernedwiththosewhobelieveinghosts,creationismandother

phenomenathatcontradictthescientificworldview.

Asurveyofnewsstoriesin1996revealsthattheantisciencetaghasbeenattachedtomany

othergroupsaswell,fromauthoritieswhoadvocatedtheeliminationofthelastremainingstocks

ofsmallpoxvirustoRepublicanswhoadvocateddecreasedfundingforbasicresearch.

FewwoulddisputethatthetermappliestotheUnabomber,thosemanifesto,publishedin

1995,scornsscienceandlongsforreturntoapre-technologicalutopia.Butsurelythatdoesnot

meanenvironmentalistsconcernedaboutuncontrolledindustrialgrowthareantiscience,asan

essayinUSNews&WorldReportlastMayseemedtosuggest.

Theenvironmentalists,inevitably,respondtosuchcritics.Thetrueenemiesofscience,

arguesPaulEhrlichofStanfordUniversity,apioneerofenvironmentalstudies,arethosewho

questiontheevidencesupportingglobalwarming,thedepletionoftheozonelayerandother

consequencesofindustrialgrowth.

Indeed,someobserversfearthattheantiscienceepithetisindangerofbecomingmeaningless.

叮heterm'antiscience'canlumptogethertoomany,quitedifferentthings,“notesHarvard

UniversityphilosopherGeraldHoltoninhis1993workScienceandAntiScience."Theyhavein

commononlyonethingthattheytendtoannoyorthreatenthosewhoregardthemselvesasmore

enlightened.^^

59.Theword“schism”(Line4,Paragraph1)inthecontextprobablymeans.

A)confrontationB)dssatisfactionC)jeparationD)contempt

60.Paragraphs2and3arewrittento.

A)discussthecauseofthedeclineofscience'spower

B)showtheauthor'ssympathywithscientists

C)explainthewayinwhichsciencedevelops

D)exemplifythedivisionofscienceandthehumanities

61.WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?

A)Environmentalistswereblamedforantiscienceinanessay.

B)Politiciansarenotsubjecttothelabelingofantiscience.

C)The“moreenlightened^^tendtotagothersasantiscience

D)Taggingenvironmentalistsas<tantiscience^^isjustifiable

62.Theauthor\attitudetowardtheissueof“sciencevs.antiscience^^is.

A)impartialB)objectiveC)biasedD)puzzling

Passage4

Emergingfromthe1980censusisthepictureofanationdevelopingmoreandmoreregional

competition,aspopulationgrowthintheNortheastandMidwestreachesanearstandstill.

Thisdevelopment-anditsstrongimplicationsforUSpoliticsandeconomyinyearsahead-

hasenthronedtheSouthasAmerica'smostdenselypopulatedregionforthefirsttimeinthe

historyofthenation'sheadcounting.

Altogether,theUSpopulationroseinthe1970sby23.2millionpeople-numericallythe

thirdlargestgrowtheverrecordedinasingledecade.Evenso,thatgainaddsuptoonly11.4

percent,lowestinAmericanannualrecordsexceptfortheDepressionyears.

AmericanshavebeenmigratingsouthandwestinlargernumbersinceWorldWarILandthe

patternstillprevails.

Threesun-beltstates-Florida,TexasandCalifornia-togetherhadnearly10millionmore

peoplein1980thanadecadeearlier.Amonglargecities,SanDiegomovedfrom14thto8thand

SanAntoniofrom15thto10th-withClevelandandWashington,DCdroppingoutofthetop10.

Notallthatshiftcanbeattributedtothemovementoutofthesnowbelt,censusofficialssay,

Nonstopwavesofimmigrantsplayedarole,too-andsodidbiggercropsofbabiesasyesterday's

“babyboom“generationreacheditschildbearingyears.

Moreover,demographersseethecontinuingshiftsouthandwestasjoinedbyarelatedbut

newerphenomenon:Moreandmore,Americansapparentlyarelookingnotjustforplaceswith

morejobsbutwithfewerpeople,too.Someinstances:

•Regionally,theRockyMountainstatesreportedthemostrapidgrowthrate-37.1percent

since1970inavastareawithonly5percentoftheUSpopulation.

•Amongstates,NevadaandArizonagrewfastestofall:63.5and53.1percentrespectively.

ExceptfroFloridaandTexas,thetop10inrateofgrowthiscomposedofWesternstateswith7.5

millionpeople-about9persquaremile.

Theflightfromover-crowdednessaffectsthemigrationfromsnowbelttomorebearable

climates.

Nowheredo1980censusstatisticsdramatizemoretheAmericansearchforspaciousliving

thanintheFarWest.There,Californiaadded3.7milliontoitspopulationinthe1970s,morethan

anyotherstate.

Inthatdecade,however,largenumbersalsomigratedfromCalifornia,mostlytootherparts

oftheWest.Oftentheychose-andstillarechoosing-somewhatcolderclimatessuchasOregon,

IdahoandAlaskainordertoescapesmog,crimeandotherplaguesofurbanizationintheGolden

State.

Asaresult,California'sgrowthratedroppedduringthe1970s,to18.5percent-littlemore

thantwothirdsthe1960sgrowthfigureandconsiderablybelowthatofotherWesternstates.

63.Discernedfromtheperplexingpictureofpopulationgrowththe1980censusprovided,

Americain1970s.

A)enjoyedthelowestnetgrowthofpopulationinhistory

B)witnessedasouthwesternshiftofpopulation

C)underwentanunparalleledperiodofpopulationgrowth

D)broughttoastandstillitspatternofmigrationsinceWorldWarII

64.Thecensusdistinguisheditselffrompreviousstudiesonpopulationmovementinthat

A)itstressestheclimaticinfluenceonpopulationdistribution

B)ithighlightsthecontributionofcontinuouswavesofimmigrants

C)itrevealstheAmericans,newpursuitofspaciousliving

D)itelaboratesthedelayedeffectsofyesterday's"babyboom”

65.Wecanseefromtheavailablestatisticsthat.

A)CaliforniawasoncethemostthinlypopulatedareainthewholeUS

B)thetop10statesingrowthrateofpopulationwerealllocatedintheWest

C)citieswithbetterclimatesbenefitedunanimouslyfrommigration

D)Arizonarankedsecondofallstatesinitsgrowthrateofpopulation

66.Theword“demographers”(Line1,Paragraph8)mostprobablymeans.

A)peopleinfavorofthetrendofdemocracy

B)advocatesofmigrationbetweenstates

C)scientistsengagedinthestudyofpopulation

D)conservativesclingingtooldpatternsoflife

Passage5

Scatteredaroundtheglobearemorethan100smallregionsofisolatedvolcanicactivity

knowntogeologistsashotspots.Unlikemostoftheworld'svolcanoes,theyarenotalwaysfound

attheboundariesofthegreatdriftingplatesthatmakeuptheearth'ssurface;onthecontrary,

manyofthemliedeepintheinteriorofaplate.Mostofthehotspotsmoveonlyslowly,andin

somecasesthemovementoftheplatespastthemhaslefttrailsofdeadvolcanoes.Thehotspots

andtheirvolcanictrailsaremilestonesthatmarkthepassageoftheplates.

Thattheplatesaremovingisnotbeyonddispute.AfricaandSouthAmerica,forexample,are

movingawayfromeachotherasnewmaterialisinjectedintotheseafloorbetweenthem.The

complementarycoastlinesandcertaingeologicalfeaturesthatseemtospantheoceanare

remindersofwherethetwocontinentswereoncejoined.Therelativemotionoftheplatescarrying

thesecontinentshasbeenconstructedindetail,butthemotionofoneplatewithrespecttoanother

cannotreadilybetranslatedintomotionwithrespecttotheearth'sinterior.Itisnotpossibleto

determinewhetherbothcontinentsaremovinginoppositedirectionsorwhetheronecontinentis

stationaryandtheotherisdriftingawayfromit.Hotspots,anchoredinthedeeperlayersofthe

earth,providethemeasuringinstrumentsneededtoresolvethequestion.Fromananalysisofthe

hot-spotpopulationitappearsthattheAfricanplateisstationaryandthatithasnotmovedduring

thepast30millionyears.

Thesignificanceofhotspotsisnotconfinedtotheirroleasaframeofreference.Itnow

appearsthattheyalsohaveanimportantinfluenceonthegeophysicalprocessesthatpropelthe

platesacrosstheglobe.Whenacontinentalplatecometorestoverahotspot,thematerialrising

fromdeeperlayercreatesabroaddome.Asthedomegrows,itdevelopsseedfissures(cracks);in

atleastafewcasesthecontinentmaybreakentirelyalongsomeofthesefissures,sothatthehot

spotinitiatestheformationofanewocean.Thusjustasearliertheorieshaveexplainedthe

mobilityofthecontinents,sohotspotsmayexplaintheirmutability(inconstancy).

67.Theauthorbelievesthat.

A)themotionoftheplatescorrespondstothatoftheearth'sinterior

B)thegeologicaltheoryaboutdriftingplateshasbeenprovedtobetrue

C)thehotspotsandtheplatesmoveslowlyinoppositedirections

D)themovementofhotspotsprovesthecontinentsaremovingapart

68.ThatAfricaandSouthAmericawereoncejoinedcanbededucedfromthefactthat.

A)thetwocontinentsarestillmovinginoppositedirections

B)theyhavebeenfoundtosharecertaingeologicalfeatures

C)theAfricanplateshasbeenstablefor30millionyears

D)over100hotspotsarescatteredallaroundtheglobe

69.Thehotspottheorymayproveusefulinexplaining.

A)thestructureoftheAfricanplatesB)therevivalofdeadvolcanoes

C)themobilityofthecontinentsD)theformationofnewoceans

70.Thepassageismainlyabout.

A)thefeaturesofvolcanicactivities

B)theimportanceofthetheoryaboutdriftingplates

C)thesignificanceofhotspotsingeophysicalstudies

D)theprocessoftheformationofvolcanoes

1999

PassageI

It'saroughworldoutthere.Stepoutsideandyoucouldbreakalegslippingonyourdoormat.

Lightupthestoveandyoucouldburndownthehouse.Luckily,ifthedoormatorstovefailedto

warnofcomingdisaster,asuccessfullawsuitmightcompensateyouforyourtroubles.Orsothe

thinkinghasgonesincetheearly1980s,whenjuriesbeganholdingmorecompaniesliablefor

theircustomers'misfortunes.

Feelingthreatened,companiesrespondedbywritingever-longerwarninglabels,tryingto

anticipateeverypossibleaccident.Today,stepladderscarrylabelsseveralincheslongthatwarn,

amongotherthings,thatyoumight-surprise!-falloff.Thelabelonachild'sBatmancape

cautionsthatthetoy“doesnotenableuserto

Whilewarningsareoftenappropriateandnecessary-thedangersofdruginteractions,for

example-andmanyarerequiredbystateorfederalregulations,itisn'tclearthattheyactually

protectthemanufacturersandsellersfromliabilityifacustomerisinjured.About50percentof

thecompanieslosewheninjuredcustomerstakethemtocourt.

Nowthetideappearstobeturning.Aspersonalinjuryclaimscontinueasbefore,somecourts

arebeginningtosidewithdefendants,especiallyincaseswhereawarninglabelprobably

wouldn'thavechangedanything.InMay,JulieNimmons,presidentofSchuttSportsinIllinois,

successfullyfoughtalawsuitinvolvingafootballplayerwhowasparalyzedinagamewhile

wearingaSchutthelmet."We'rereallysorryhehasbecomeparalyzed,buthelmetsaren't

designedtopreventthosekindsofinjuries,saysNimmons.Thejuryagreedthatthenatureofthe

game,notthehelmet,wasthereasonfortheathlete'sinjury.Atthesametime,theAmericanLaw

Institute—agroupofjudges,lawyers,andacademicswhoserecommendationscarrysubstantial

weight-issuednewguidelinesfortortlawstatingthatcompaniesneednotwarncustomersof

obviousdangersorbombardthemwithalengthylistofpossibleones.^Importantinformationcan

getburiedinaseaoftrivialities,saysalawprofessoratCornelllawSchoolwhohelpeddraftthe

newguidelines.Ifthemoderateendofthelegalcommunityhasitsway,theinformationon

productsmightactuallybeprovidedforthebenefitofcustomersandnotasprotectionagainst

legalliability..

51.Whatwerethingslikein1980swhenaccidentshappened?

[A]Customersmightberelievedoftheirdisastersthroughlawsuits.

IBJInjuredcustomerscouldexpectprotectionfromthelegalsystem.

[C]Companieswouldavoidbeingsuedbyprovidingnewwarnings.

[DJJuriestendedtofindfaultwiththecompensationscompaniespromised.

52.Manufacturersasmentionedinthepassagetendto.

[A]satisfycustomersbywritinglongwarningsonproducts

IBJbecomehonestindescribingtheinadequaciesoftheirproducts

[C]makethebestuseoflabelstoavoidlegalliability

IDJfeelobligedtoviewcustomers'safetyastheirfirstconcern

53.ThecaseofSchutthelmetdemonstratedthat.

[A]someinjuryclaimswerenolongersupportedbylaw

[B]helmetswerenotdesignedtopreventinjuries

[C]productlabelswouldeventuallybediscarded

[D]somesportsgamesmightlosepopularitywithathletes

54.Theauthor'sattitudetowardstheissueseemstobe.

[A]based[B]hdifferent[C]puzzling[D]objective

Passage2

InthefirstyearorsoofWebbusiness,mostoftheactionhasrevolvedaroundeffortstotap

theconsumermarket.Morerecently,astheWebprovedtobemorethanafashion,companies

havestartedtobuyandsellproductsandserviceswithoneanother.Suchbusiness-to-business

salesmakesensebecausebusinesspeopletypicallyknowwhatproductthey'relookingfor.

Nonetheless,manycompaniesstillhesitatetousetheWebbecauseofdoubtsaboutits

reliability."Businessesneedtofeeltheycantrustthepathwaybetweenthemandthesupplier,

“sayssenioranalystBlaneErwinofForresterResearch.Somecompaniesarelimitingtheriskby

conductingonlinetransactionsonlywithestablishedbusinesspartnerswhoaregivenaccesstothe

company'sprivateinternet.

AnothermajorshiftinthemodelforInternetcommerceconcernsthetechnologyavailablefor

marketing.Untilrecently,Internetmarketingactivitieshavefocusedonstrategiesto"puH”

customersintosites.Inthepastyear,however,softwarecompanieshavedevelopedtoolsthat

allowcompaniesto"push"informationdirectlyouttoconsumers,transmittingmarketing

messagesdirectlytotargetedcustomers.Mostnotably,thePointCastNetworkusesascreensaver

todeliveracontinuallyupdatedstreamofnewsandadvertisementstosubscribers,computer

monitors.Subscriberscancustomizetheinformationtheywanttoreceiveandproceeddirectlyto

acompany'sWebsite.CompaniessuchasVirtualVineyardsarealreadystartingtousesimilar

technologiestopushmessagestocustomersaboutspecialsales,productofferings,orotherevents.

ButpushtechnologyhasearnedthecontemptofmanyWebusers.Onlineculturethinkshighlyof

thenotionthattheinformationflowingontothescreencomestherebyspecificrequest.Once

commercialpromotionbeginstofillthescreenuninvited,thedistinctionbetweentheWeband

televisionfades.That'saprospectthathorrifiesNetpurists.

ButitishardlyinevitablethatcompaniesontheWebwillneedtoresorttopushstrategiesto

makemoney.TheexamplesofVirtualVineyards,A,andotherpioneersshowthata

Websitesellingtherightkindofproductswiththerightmixofinteractivity,hospitality,and

securitywillattractonlinecustomers.Andthecostofcomputingpowercontinuestofreefall,

whichisagoodsignforanyenterprisesettingupshopinsilicon.Peoplelookingback5or10

yearsfromnowmaywellwonderwhysofewcompaniestooktheonlineplunge.

55.WelearnfromthebeginningofthepassagethatWebbusiness.

[A]hasbeenstrivingtoexpanditsmarket

(BJintendedtofollowafancifulfashion

[C]triedbutinvaintocontrolthemarket

(DJhasbeenboomingforoneyearorso

56.Speakingoftheonlinetechnologyavailableformarketing,theauthorimpliesthat.

[A]thetechnologyispopularwithmanyWebusers

[B]businesseshavefaithinthereliabilityofonlinetransactions

[C]thereisaradicalchangeinstrategy

[D]itisaccessiblelimitedlytoestablishedpartners

57.IntheviewofNetpurists,.

[A]thereshouldbenomarketingmessagesinonlineculture

[B]moneymakingshouldbegivenprioritytoontheWeb

[C]theWebshouldbeabletofunctionasthetelevisionset

[D]thereshouldbenoonlinecommercialinformationwithoutrequests

58.Welearnfromthelastparagraphthat.

[AJpushinginformationontheWebisessentialtoInternetcommerce

[B]interactivity,hospitalityandsecurityareimportanttoonlinecustomers

[CJleadingcompaniesbegantotaketheonlineplungedecadesago

[D]settingupshopsinsiliconisindependentofthecostofcomputingpower

Passage3

Aninvisibleborderdividesthosearguingforcomputersintheclassroomonthebehalfof

students,careerprospectsandthosearguingforcomputersintheclassroomforbroaderreasonsof

radicaleducationalreform.Veryfewwritersonthesubjecthaveexploredthisdistinction-indeed,

contradiction-whichgoestotheheartofwhatiswrongwiththecampaigntoputcomputersin

theclassroom.

Aneducationthataimsatgettingastudentacertainkindofjobisatechnicaleducation,

justifiedforreasonsradicallydifferentfromwhyeducationisuniversallyrequiredbylaw.Itisnot

simplytoraiseeveryone'sjobprospectsthatallchildrenarelegallyrequiredtoattendschoolinto

theirteens.Rather,wehaveacertainconceptionoftheAmericancitizen,acharacterwhois

incompleteifhecannotcompetentlyassesshowhislivelihoodandhappinessareaffectedby

thingsoutsideofhimself.Butthiswasnotalwaysthecase;beforeitwaslegallyrequiredforall

childrentoattendschooluntilacertainage,Itwaswidelyacceptedthatsomewerejustnot

equippedbynaturetopursuethiskindofeducation.Withoptimismcharacteristicofall

industrializedcountries,wecametoacceptthateveryoneisfittobeeducated.

Computer-educationadvocatesforsakethisoptimisticnotionforapessimismthatbetraystheir

otherwisecheeryoutlook.Bankingontheconfusionbetweeneducationalandvocationalreasons

forbringingcomputersintoschools,computer-edadvocatesoftenemphasizethejobprospectsof

graduatesovertheireducationalachievement.

Therearesomegoodargumentsforatechnicaleducationgiventherightkindofstudent.

ManyEuropeanschoolsintroducetheconceptofprofessionaltrainingearlyoninordertomake

surechildrenareproperlyequippedfortheprofessionstheywanttojoin.Itis