2023年到专八阅读真题及答案

第二部分2023年--2023年英语专业八级阅读真题

2023年

TextA

TheWelshlanguagehasalwaysbeentheultimatemarkerofWelshidentity,

butagenerationagoitlookedasifWelshwouldgothewayofManx.Once

widelyspokenontheIsleofManbutnowextinct.Governmentsfinancing

andcentralplanning,however,havehelpedreversethedeclineofWelsh.

RoadsignsandofficialpublicdocumentsarewritteninbothWelshand

English,andschoolchildrenarerequiredtolearnbothlanguages.Welshis

nowoneofthemostsuccessfulofEurope'sregionallanguages,spokenby

morethanahalf-millionofthecountry'sthreemillionpeople.

Therevivalofthelanguage,particularlyamongyoungpeople,ispartofa

resurgenceofnationalidentitysweepingthroughthissmall,proudnation.

LastmonthWalesmarkedthesecondanniversaryoftheopeningofthe

NationalAssembly,thefirstparliamenttobeconvenedheresince1404.The

ideabehinddevolutionwastorestorethebalancewithintheunionofnations

makinguptheUnitedKingdom.Withmostofthepeopleandwealth,

Englandhasalwayshadbraggingrights.Thepartialtransferoflegislative

powersfromWestminster,implementedbyTonyBlair,wasdesignedtogive

theothermembersoftheclub-Scotland,NorthernIreland,andWales-a

biggersayandtocountercentrifugalforcesthatseemedtothreatenthevery

ideaoftheunion.

TheWelshshowedlittleenthusiasmfordevolution.WhereastheScotsvoted

overwhelminglyforaparliament,thevoteforaWelshassemblyscraped

throughbylessthanonepercentonaturnoutoflessthan25percent.Its

powerswereproportionatelylimited.TheAssemblycandecidehowmoney

fromWestminsterortheEuropeanUnionisspent.Itcannot,unlikeits

counterpartinEdinburgh,enactlaws.Butnowthatitishere,theWelshare

growingtoliketheirAssembly.Manypeoplewouldlikeittohavemore

powers.Itsimportanceasfigureheadwillgrowwiththeopeningin2023,of

anewdebatingchamber,oneofmanynewbuildingsthataretransforming

CardifffromadecayingseaportintoaBaltimore-stylewaterfrontcity.

MeanwhileagrantofnearlytwomilliondollarsfromtheEuropeanUnion

willtacklepoverty.WalesisoneofthepoorestregionsinWesternEurope-

onlySpain,Portugal,andGreecehavealowerstandardofliving.

NewspapersandmagazinesarefilledwithstoriesaboutgreatWelshmen

andwomen,boostingself-esteem.TofamiliarfacessuchasDylanThomas

andRichardBurtonhavebeenaddednewiconssuchasCatherineZeta-

Jones,themoviestar,andBrynTerfel,theoperasinger.Indigenousfoods

likesaltmarshlambareinvogue.AndWalesnowboastsanationalairline.

AwyrCymru.Cymru,whichmeans"landofcompatriots,istheWelsh

nameforWales.Thereddragon,thenation'ssymbolsincethetimeofKing

Arthur,iseverywhere-onT-shirts,rugbyjerseysandevencellphonecovers.

“UntilveryrecenttimesmostWelshpeoplehadthisfeelingofbeing

second-classcitizens,saidDyfanJones,an18-year-oldstudent.Itwasa

warmsummernight,andIwassittingonthegrasswithagroupofyoung

peopleinLlanelli,anindustrialtowninthesouth,outsidetherockmusic

venueoftheNationalEisteddfod,Wales'sannualculturalfestival.The

disusedfactoryinfrontofusechoedtothesoundsofnewWelshbands.

“Therewasalmostagenetictendencyforlackofconfidence,9,Dyfan

continued.EquallycomfortableinhisWelshnessasinhismembershipinthe

English-speaking,globalyouthcultureandthenewfederalEurope,Dyfan,

liketherestofhisgeneration,isgrowingupwithasenseofpossibility

unimaginabletenyearsago."Weusedtothink.Wecan'tdoanything,we're

onlyWelsh.NowIthinkthat'schanging.”

11.Accordingtothepassage,devolutionwasmainlymeantto

A.maintainthepresentstatusamongthenations.

B.reducelegislativepowersofEngland.

C.createabetterstateofequalityamongthenations.

D.grantmoresaytoallthenationsintheunion.

12.Theword“centrifugal"inthesecondparagraphmeans

A.separatist.B.conventional.

C.feudal.D.political

13.WalesisdifferentfromScotlandinallthefollowingaspectsEXCEPT

A.people'sdesirefordevolution.

B.locals'turnoutforthevoting.

C.powersofthelegislativebody.

D.statusofthenationallanguage.

14.WhichofthefollowingisNOTcitedasanexampleoftheresurgenceof

Welshnationalidentity

A.Welshhaswitnessedarevivalasanationallanguage.

B.Poverty-relieffundshavecomefromtheEuropeanUnion.

C.AWelshnationalairlineiscurrentlyinoperation.

D.Thenationalsymbolhasbecomeafamiliarsight.

15.AccordingtoDyfanJoneswhathaschangedis

A.people'smentality.B.popculture.

C.town'sappearance.D.possibilitiesforthepeople.

TextB

GettingtotheheartofKuwaitidemocracyseemshilariouslyeasy.Armed

onlywithadog-earedNEWSWEEKID,Iambledthroughthegatesofthe

NationalAssemblylastweek.Unscanned,unsearched,mysatchelcould

easilyhaveheldtheoddgrenadeorananthrax-stuffedlunchbox.Theonly

personwhostoppedmewasaguardwhogrinnedandinvitedmetotakea

swigoforangejuicefromhisplasticbottle.

WereIaKuwaitiwomanwieldingaballot,Iwouldhavebeenaclearerand

morepresentdanger.ThatverydayParliamentblockedabillgivingwomen

thevote;29M.P.Svotedinfavorand29against,withtwoabstentions.

Unabletodecidewhetherthebillhadpassedornot,thegovernment

scheduledanothervoteintwoweeks-toolateforwomentoregisterfor

June'smunicipalelections.Thenextsuchelectionsaren'tuntil2023.Inside

theelegant,marbledParliamentitself,aseaofmustachioedmeninwhite

robessatingreenseats,debatingfuriously.Therulingemirhaspushedfor

women'spoliticalrightsforyears.Ironically,thedemocraticallyelected

legislaturehasthwartedhim.Traditionalistsandtriballeadersareopposed.

Liberalsfret,too,thatIslamistswilllettheirmultiplewivesvote,swelling

conservativeranks."WhenIcametoParliamenttoday,peoplewhovoted

yesdidn'tevenshakehandswithmc,^^saidoneShiaclcrc."Whycanftwe

respecteachotherandworktogether?^^Whynotindeed?ByGulfstandards,

Kuwaitisademocraticsuperstar.Itscitizensenjoyfreespeech(aslongas

theydon'tinsulttheiremir,naturally)andboastaParliamentthatcan

actuallypasslaws.UnliketheirSaudisisters,Kuwaitiwomendrive,work

andtravelfreely.Theyrunmultibillion-dollarbusinessesandserveas

ambassadors.Theiracademicsuccessissuchthatcollegeshaveactually

loweredthegradesrequiredformakestudentstogetintomedicaland

engineeringcourses.Eventhen,70percentofuniversitystudentsare

females.

InKuwait,theWesternobsessionwiththehigabfindsitsequivalent.Ata

fancypartyforNEWSWEEK'SArabicedition,someKuwaitiwomenwore

them.Othersoptedfortight,spangled,sheerlittlenumbersinpeacockblue

orparrotorange.Fortheparty*sentertainment,NancyAjram,theArab

world'sanswertoBritneySpears,sangpassionatesongsofloveinawhite

mini-dress.Shecouldn'tdanceforus,alas,sinceshakingone'sbodyonstage

isillegalinKuwait.Thatdidn'tstopwholetablesofmenfromraisingtheir

camera-enabledmobilephonesandclickingherpicture.You'dthinknot

beingabletovoteordanceinpublicwouldangerKuwait'syounger

generationofwomen.Tofindout,Iheadedtothemalls-Kuwaifs

archipelagoofcivicfreedom.Eagertoduckstrictparentsandthesocial

taboosofdatinginpublic.YoungKuwaitishavetakentocafes,beaming

flirtatiousinfrarede-mailstooneanotherontheircellphotos.AtStarbucks

intheglitteringAlSharqMall,Ifoundonlytablesofmen,puffingcigarettes

andgrumblingabouttheservice.AtPizzaHut,IthoughtI'dgotananswer

afterencounteringayoungwomanwholookedeveryinchthemodern

suffragette-drainpipejeans,strappysliverhigh-heeledsandalsandahigab

studdedwithpurplerhinestones.But,no,MiriamAl-Enizi,20,studying

businessadministrationatKuwaitUniversity,doesn'tthinkwomenneedthe

vote."Menarebetteratpoliticsthanwomen,“sheexplained,addingthat

womeninKuwaitalreadyhaveeverythingtheyneed.Welcometo

democracy,Kuwaitstyle.

16.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowinggroupsofpeoplemight

beviewedasbeingdangerousbytheguards?

A.Foreigntourists.B.Womenprotestors.

C.Foreignjournalists.D.MembersoftheNationalAssembly.

17.Thebillgivingwomenthevotedidnotmanagetopassbecause

A.Differentinterestgroupshelddifferentconcerns.

B.Liberalsdidnotreachconsensusamongthemselves.

C.Parliamentwascontrolledbytraditionalists.

0.Parliamentmemberswereallconservatives.

18.Whatistheroleofthe4thand5thparagraphsinthedevelopmentofthe

topic?

A.ToshowhowKuwaitiwomenenjoythemselves.

B.TodescribehowwomenworkandstudyinKuwait.

C.Toprovideacontrasttotheprecedingparagraphs.

D.Toprovideacontrasttotheprecedingparagraphs.

19.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaboutyoungKuwaitiwomen?

A.Theyseemtobequitecontented.

B.TheygoinforWesternfashions.

C.Theydesiremorethanmodernnecessities.

D.Theyfavourtheuseofhi-techproducts.

TextC

Richard,KingofEnglandfrom1189to1199,withallhischaracteristic

virtuesandfaultscastinaheroicmouldisoneofthemostfascinating

medievalfigures.Hehasbeendescribedasthecreatureandembodimentof

theageofchivalry,Inthosedaysthelionwasmuchadmiredinheraldry,

andmorethanonekingsoughttolinkhimselfwithitsrepute.When

Richard'scontemporariescalledhim"CoeurdeLion"(TheLionheart),they

paidalastingcomplimenttothekingofbeasts.LittledidtheEnglishpeople

owehimforhisservices,andheavilydidtheypayforhisadventures.He

wasinEnglandonlytwiceforafewshortmonthsinhistenyears'reign;yet

hismemoryhasalwaysEnglishhearts,andseemstopresentthroughoutthe

centuriesthepatternofthefightingman.Inalldeedsofprowessaswellas

inlargeschemesofwarRichardshone.Hewastallanddelicatelyshaped

stronginnerveandsinew,andmostdexterousinarms.Hereioicedin

personalcombat,andregardedhisopponentswithoutmaliceasnecessary

agentsinhisfameHelovedwar,notsomuchforthesakeofgloryor

politicalends,butasothermenlovescienceorpoetry,fortheexcitementof

thestruggleandtheglowofvictory.Bythishiswholetemperamentwas

toned;andunitedwiththehighestqualitiesofthemilitarycommander,love

ofwarcalledforthallthepowersofhismindandbody.Althoughamanof

bloodandviolence,Richardwastooimpetuoustobeeithertreacherouson

habituallycruel.Hewasasreadytoforgiveashewashastytooffend;he

wasopen-handedandmunificenttoprofusion;inwarcircumspectindesign

andskilfulinexecution;inpoliticalachild,lackinginsubtletyand

experience.Hispoliticalallianceswereformeduponhislikesanddislikes;

hispoliticalschemeshadneitherunitynorclearnessofpurpose.The

advantagesgainedforhimbymilitarygeoidswereflungawaythrough

diplomaticineptitude.When,onthejourneytotheEast,MessinainSicily

waswonbyhisarmshewaseasilypersuadedtosharewithhispolished,

faithlessally,PhilipAugustus,fruitsofavictorywhichmorewiselyused

mighthavefoiledtheFrenchKing'sartfulschemes.Therichandtenable

acquisitionofCypruswascastawayevenmoreeasilythanitwaswon.His

lifewasonemagnificentparade,which,whenended,leftonlyanempty

plain.

In1199,whenthedifficultiesofraisingrevenuefortheendlesswarwereat

theirheight,goodnewswasbroughttoKingRichard.Itwassaidtherehad

beendugupnearthecastleofChaluz,onthelandsofoneofhisFrench

vassals,atreasureofwonderfulquality;agroupofgoldenimagesofan

emperor,hiswife,sonsanddaughters,seatedroundatable,alsoofgold,had

beenunearthed.TheKingclaimedthistreasureaslordparamount.Thelord

ofChaluzresistedthedemand,andtheKinglaidsiegetohissmall,weak

castle.Onthethirdday,asherodedaringly,nearthewall.Confidentinhis

hard-triedluck,aboltfromacrossbowstruckhimintheleftshoulderbythe

neck.Thewound,alreadydeep,wasaggravatedbythenecessarycuttingout

ofthearrow-head.Gangrenesetin,andCoeurdeLionknewthathemust

payasoldier'sdebt.Hepreparedfordeathwithfortitudeandcalm,andin

accordancewiththeprincipleshehadfollowed.Hearrangedhisaffairs,he

dividedhispersonalbelongingsamonghisfriendsorbequeathedthemto

charity.HedeclaredJohntobehisheir,andmadeallpresentswearfealtyto

him.Heorderedthearcherwhohadshotthefatalbolt,andwhowasnowa

prisoner,tobebroughtbeforehim.Hepardonedhim,andmadehimagiftof

money.Forsevenyearshehadnotconfessedforfearofbeingcompelledto

bereconciledtoPhilip,butnowhereceivedtheofficesoftheChurchwith

sincereandexemplarypiety,anddiedintheforty-secondyearofhisageon

April6,1199,worthy,bytheconsentofallmen,tositwithKingArthurand

RolandanotherheroesofmartialromanceatsomeEternalroundTable,

whichwetrusttheCreatoroftheUniverseinHiscomprehensionwillnot

haveforgottentoprovide.

Thearcherwasflayedalive.

20"littledidtheEnglishpeopleownhimforhisservice,,(paragraphone)

meansthattheEnglish

A.paidfewtaxestohim.

Bgavehimlittlerespect.

Creceivedlittleprotectionfromhim.

Dhadnorealcausetofeelgratefultohim.

21.Tosaythathiswifewasa€CmagnificentparadeXparagraphTwo)

impliesthatitwastosomeextent.

A.spentchieflyatwar.

Bimpressiveandadmirable.

Clivedtoopompously

D.anemptyshow.

22.Richard'sbehaviourasdeathapproachedshowed.

A.braveryandself-control.

B.Wisdomandcorrectness

C.Devotionandromance

D.Chivalryandcharity

23.ThepointofthelastshortparagraphisthatRichardwas

A.cheatedbyhisownsuccessors

B.determinedtotakerevengeonhisenemies.

C.moregeneroustohisenemiesthanhisseccesors.

Dunabletoinfluencethebehaviorofhissuccessors.

24.WhichofthefollowingphrasebestdescribesRichardasseenbythe

author?

A.Anaggressiveking,toofondofwar.

B.Abravekingwithminorfaults.

CAcompetentbutcunningsoldier.

DAkindwithgreatpoliticalskills.

25.Therelationshipbetweenthefirstandsecondparagraphsisthat

A.eachpresentsonesideofthepicture.

B.thefirstgeneralizesthesecondgivesexamples.

C.thesecondisthelogicalresultofthefirst.

D.bothpresentRichard'svirtuesandfaults.

TEXTD

ThemiserablefateofEnron'semployeeswillbealandmarkinbusiness

history,oneofthoseawfuleventsthateveryoneagreesmustneverbe

allowedtohappenagain.Thisurgeisunderstandableandnoble:thousands

havelostvirtuallyalltheirretirementsavingswiththedemiseofEnron

stock.Butmakingsureitneverhappensagainmaynotbepossible,because

thesuddenimpoverishmentofthoseEnronworkersrepresentssomething

evenlargerthanitseems.It'sthelatestturnintheunwindingofoneofthe

mostaudaciouspromiseofthe20thcentury.

Thepromisewasassuredeconomicsecurity-evencomfort-foressentially

everyoneinthedevelopedworld.Withtheexplosionofwealth,thatbegan

inthe19thcenturyitbecamepossibletothinkaboutapossibilitynoonehad

daredtodreambefore.Thefearatthecenterofdailylivingsincecaveman

days-lackoffoodwarmth,shelter-wouldatlastloseitspowertoterrify.

Thatremarkablepromisebecamerealityinmanyways.Governments

createdwelfaresystemsforanyoneinneedandseparateprogrammesforthe

elderly(SocialSecurityintheU.S.).Labourunionspromisednotonlybetter

payforworkersbutalsopensionsforretirees.Giantcorporationscameinto

beingandofferedthepossibility-insomecasesthepromise-oflifetime

employmentplusguaranteedpensions.Thecumulativeeffectwasa

fundamentalchangeinhowmillionsofpeopleapproachedlifeitself,a

reversalofattitudethatmostrankasoneofthelargestinhumanhistory.For

millenniatheaverageperson'sstancetowardprovidingforhimselfhadbeen.

UltimatelyI'monmyown.Nowitbecame,ultimatelyI'Hbetakencareof.

Theearlyhintsthatthispromisemightbebrokenonalargescalecamein

the1980s.U.S.businesshadbecomeuncompetitivegloballyandbegan

restructuringmassively,withhugeLayoffs.Thetrendacceleratedinthe

1990sasthebastionsofcorporatewelfarefacedreality.IBMendedit'sno­

layoffpolicy.AT&Tfiredthousands,manyofwhomfoundsuchathing

simplyincomprehensible,andafewofwhomkilledthemselves.Theother

supposedguarantorsofoureconomicsecuritywerealsoindecline.Labour­

unionmembershipandpowerfelltotheirlowestlevelsindecades.President

Clintonsignedahistoricbillscalingbackwelfare.Americansrealizedthat

SocialSecuritywon'tprovidesocialsecurityfbranyofus.

Alessvisiblebutequallysignificanttrendaaffectedpensions.Tomake

costseasiertocontrol,companiesmovedawayfromdefinedbenefitpension

plans,whichobligatethemtopayoutspecifiedamountsyearsinthefuture,

todefinecontributionplans,whichspecifyonlyhowmuchgoesintothe

playtoday.Themostcommontypeofdefined-contributionplanisthe

401(k).thesignificanceofthe401(k)isthatitputsmostoftheresponsibility

foraperson'seconomicfatebackontheemployee.Withinlimitsthe

employeemustdecidehowmuchgoesintotheplaneachyearandhowit

getsinvested-thetwofactorsthatwilldeterminehowmuchit'sworthwhen

theemployeeretires.WhichbringsusbacktoEnron?Thosebillionsof

dollarsinvaporizedretirementsavingswentinemployees'401(k)accounts.

Thatis,theemployeeschosehowmuchmoneytoputintothoseaccounts

andthenchosehowtoinvestit.Enronmatchedacertainproportionofeach

employee's401(k)contributionwithcompanystock,soeveryonewasgoing

toendupwithsomeEnroninhisorherportfolio;butthatcouldberegarded

asafreebie,sincenothingcompelsacompanytomatchemployee

contributionsatall.AtleasttwospecialfeaturescomplicatetheEnroncase.

First,someshareholderschargetopmanagementwithillegallycoveringup

thecompany*sproblems,promptinginvestorstohangonwhentheyshould

havesold.Second,Enron's401(k)accountswerelockedwhilethecompany

changedplanadministratorsinOctober,whenthestockwasfalling,so

employeescouldnothaveclosedtheiraccountsiftheywantedto.

Butbyfarthelargestcauseofthishumantragedyisthatthousandsof

employeeswereheavilyoverweighedinEnronstock.Manyhadplaced

100%oftheir401(k)assetsinthestockratherthaninthe18other

investmentoptionstheywereoffered.Ofcoursethatwasn'tprudent,butit's

whatsomeofthemdid.

TheEnronemployees'retirementdisasterispartofthelargertrendaway

fromguaranteedeconomicsecurity.That'swhypreventingsuchathingfrom

everhappeningagainmaybeimpossible.Thehugeattitudinalshifttoril-

be-taken-care-oftookatleastageneration.Theshiftbackmaytakejustas

long.Itwon'tbecompleteuntilanewgenerationofemployeesseeassured

economiccomfortasa20th-centuryquirk,andunderstandnotjust

intellectuallybutintheirbonesthat,likemostpeopleinmosttimesand

places,they'reontheirown

26.Whydoestheauthorsayatthebeginning"ThemiserablefateofEnron's

employeeswillbealandmarkinbusinesshistory...5,?

A.Becausethecompanyhasgonebankrupt.

B.Becausesucheventswouldneverhappenagain.

C.BecausemanyEnronworkerslosttheirretirementsavings.

D.Becauseitsignifiesaturningpointineconomicsecurity.

27.Accordingtothepassage,thecombinedeffortsbygovernments,layout

unionsandbigcorporationstoguaranteeeconomiccomforthaveledtoa

significantchangein

A.people'soutlookonlife.B.people'slifestyles.C.people'sliving

standardD.people'ssocialvalues.

28.Changesinpensionschemeswerealsopartof

A.thecoi*poratelay-offs.

B.thegovernmentcutsinwelfarespending.

C.theeconomicrestructuring.

D.thewarningpoweroflaborsunions.

29.ThousandsofemployeeschoseEnronastheirsoleinvestmentoption

mainlybecause

A.The401(k)madethemresponsiblefortheirownfuture.

B.Enronofferedtoaddcompanystocktotheirinvestment.

C.theiremployersintendedtocutbackonpensionspending.

D.Enron'sofferwassimilartoadefined-benefitplan.

30.WhichisNOTseenasalessondrawnfromtheEnrondisaster?

A.401(k)assetsshouldbeplacedinmorethanoneinvestmentoption.

B.Employeeshavetotakeupresponsibilitiesforthemselves.

C.Sucheventscouldhappenagainasitisnoteasytochangepeople'smind.

D.Economicsecuritywon'tbetakenforgrantedbyfutureyoungworkers.

阅读理解答案：

11-15CADBA16-20BACCD21-25DDDBA26-30DABBD

2023年

TEXTA

Attheageof16,LeeHyukJoonslifeisalivinghell.TheSouthKorean10th

gradergetsupat6inthemorningtogotoschool,andstudiesmostoftheday

untilreturninghomeat6p.m.Afterdinner,itstimetohitthebooksagain-atone

ofSeoulsmanyso-calledcramschools.Leegetsbackhomeat1inthemorning,

sleepslessthanfivehours,thenrepeatstheroutine—fivedaysaweek.Itsa

gruelingschedule,butLeeworriesthatitmaynotbegoodenoughtogethiminto

atopuniversity.Someofhisclassmatesstudyevenharder.

SouthKoreaseducationsystemhaslongbeenhighlycompetitive.Butfor

Leeandtheother700,000high-schoolsophomoresinthecountry,high-school

studieshavegottenevenmoreintense.ThaisbecauseSouthKoreahas

conceivedanewcollege-entrancesystem,whichw川beimplementedin2023.

Thisyears10thgraderswillbethefirstgroupevaluatedbythenewadmissions

standard,whichplacesmoreemphasisongradesinthethreeyearsofhigh

schoolandlessonnationwideSAT-styleandotherselectiontests,whichhave

traditionallydeterminedwhichstudentsgototheelitecolleges.

Thechangewasmademostlytoreducewhatthegovernmentsaysisa

growingeducationgapinthecountry:wealthystudentsgotothebestcolleges

andgetthebestjobs,keepingthechildrenofpoorerfamiliesonthesocial

margins.Theaimistoreducetheimportanceofcostlytutorsandcramschools,

partlytohelpstudentsenjoyamorenormalhigh-schoollife.Butthenewsystem

hashadtheoppositeeffect.Before,studentsdidntworrytoomuchabouttheir

grade-pointaverages;thebigchallengewasbeatinghestandardizedtestsas

high-schoolseniors.Nowstudentsarecompetingagainstoneanotherovera

three-yearperiod,andeverymidtermandfinaltestiscrucial.Fretfulparentsare

relyingevenmoreheavilyontutorsandcramschoolstohelptheirchildren

succeed.

ParentsandkidshavesentthousandsofangryonlineletterstotheEducation

Ministrycomplainingthatthenewadmissionsstandardissettingstudentsagainst

eachother."Onecansucceedonlywhenothersfail/tasoneparentsaid.

EducationexpertssaythatSouthKoreaspublicsecondary-schoolsystemis

foundering,whileprivateeducationisthriving.Accordingtocritics,thecountrys

highschoolsarealmostuniformlymediocre—theresultofanegalitarian

governmenteducationpolicy.Withthenumberofeliteschoolsstrictlycontrolled

bythegovernment,eventhebrighteststudentstypicallyhavetosettlefor

ordinaryschoolsintheirneighbourhoods,wherethecurriculumiscentredon

averagestudents.Tomakeupforthemediocrity,zealousparentssendtheirkids

totheexpensivecramschools.StudentsinaffluentsouthernSeoul

neighbourhoodscomplainthatthenewsystemwillhurtthemthemost.

NearlyallKoreanhighschoolswillbeweightedequallyinthecollege-entrance

process,andrelativelyweakstudentsinprovincialschools,whomaynotscore

wellonstandardizedtests,oftencompilegoodgrade-pointaverages.

Someuniversities,particularlyprestigiousones,openlycomplainthatthey

cannotselectthebeststudentsunderthenewsystembecauseiteliminates

differencesamonghighschools.Theyveaskedformorediscretioninpicking

studentsbygivingmoreweighttosuchscreeningtoolsasessaywritingor

interviews.

PresidentRohMooHyundoesntlikehowsomecollegesaretryingto

circumventthenewsystem.Herecentlycriticized"greedy"universitiesthatfocus

moreonfindingthebeststudentsthanfayingto"nurturegoodstudents".But

amidthecrossfirebehveenthegovernmentanduniversities,thecountrys10th

gradersarefeelingthestress.Ononlineprotestsites,somearecalling

themselvesa“cursedgeneration"and"miceinalabexperimenf.Itallseemsa

touchmelodramatic,butthatstheSouthKoreanschoolsystem.

11.Accordingtothepassage,thenewcollege-entrancesystemisdesignedto

A.requirestudentstositformorecollege-entrancetests.

B.reducetheweightofcollege-entrancetests.

C.selectstudentsontheirhighschoolgradesonly.

D.reducethenumberofprospectivecollegeapplicants.

12.Whatseemstobetheeffectofintroducingthenewsystem?

A.Thesystemhasgivenequalopportunitiestostudents.

B.Thesystemhasreducedthenumberofcramschools.

C.Thesystemhasintensifiedcompetitionamongschools.

D.Thesystemhasincreasedstudentsstudyload.

13.Accordingtocritics,thepopularityofprivateeducationismainlytheresultof

A.thegovernmentsegalitarianpolicy.B.insufficientnumberofschools:

C.curriculumsofaveragequality.D.lowcostofprivateeducation.

14.Accordingtothepassage,thereseemstobedisagreementovertheadootion

ofthenewsystembetweenthelollowinggroupsEXCEPT

A.betweenuniversitiesandthegovernment.

B.betweenschoolexpertsandthegovernment.

C.betweenparentsandschools.

D.betweenparentsandthegovernment.

15.Whichofthefollowingadjectivesbestdescribestheauthorstreatmentcfthe

topic?

A.Objective.B.Positive.C.Negative.D.Biased.TEXTB

WilfredEmmanuel-Joneswasateenagerbeforehesawh