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It is widely believed that our never-ending quest for material goods is part of the basic character of human beings. According to the popular belief, we may not like it, but there’s little we can do about it.Despite its popularity, this view of human nature is wrong. While human beings may have a basic desire to strive towards something, there is nothing inevitable about material goods. There are numerous examples of societies in which things have played a highly restricted rule. In medieval Europe, the acquisition of goods was relatively unimportant. The common people, whose lives were surely poor by modern standards, showed strong preferences for leisure rather than money. In the nineteenth-and early twentieth-century United States, there is also considerable evidence that many working people also exhibited a restricted appetite for material goods.Materialism is not a basic trait of human nature, but a specific product of capitalism. With the development of the market system, materialism "spilled over", for the first time, beyond the circles of the rich. The growth of the middle class created a large group of potential buyers and the possibility that mass culture could be oriented around material goods. This process can be seen not only in historical experiences but is now going on in some parts of the developing world, where the growth of a large middle class has contributed to extensive materialism and the breakdown of traditional values.In the United States, the turning point was the 1920s—the point at which the "psychology of shortage" gave way to the "psychology of abundance". This was a crucial period for the development of modern materialism. Economy and discipline were out; waste and excess were in. Materialism flourished—both as a social ideology and in terms of high rates of real spending. In the midst of all this buying, we can detect the origins of modern consumer discontent.This was the decade during which the American dream, or what was then called "the American standard of living", captured the nation’s imagination. But it was always something of an illusion. Americans complained about items they could not afford—despite the fact that in the 1920s most families had telephones, virtually all had purchased life insurance, two-thirds owned their own homes and took vacations, and over half had motor cars.The discontent expressed by many Americans was promoted—and to a certain extent even created—by manufacturers. The explosion of consumer credit made the task easier, as automobiles, radios, electric refrigerators, washing machines—even jewelry and foreign travel—could be paid for in installments. By the end of the 1920s, 60 percent of cars, radios, and furniture were being purchased this way. The ability to buy without actually having money helped encourage a climate of instant satisfaction, expanding expectations, and ultimately, materialism. According to the passage, the practice of installment（）
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For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons of economic benefit and national glory. Following the lunar missions of the early 1970s, Mars now looms as humanity’s next great, unknown land. But with dubious prospects for short-term financial return and with international competition in space a receding memory, it is clear that imperatives other than profit or national pride will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planet’s red surface.With Mars the scientific benefits are perhaps higher than they have ever been. The issue of whether life ever existed on the planet, and whether it persists to this day, has been highlighted by accumulating evidence that Mars once had abundant liquid water and by the controversy over suggestions that fossils of bacteria rode to Earth on a rock ejected from Mars during its early history. A definite answer about life on Mars, past or present, would give researchers invaluable data about the range of conditions under which a planet can generate the complex chemistry that leads to life. The revelation that life arose independently on Mars and on Earth would provide the first concrete clue in one of the deepest mysteries in all of science: how prevalent is life in our galaxyOne of the reasons why the idea of sending people to Mars strikes a chord in so many people is that it is already possible—the U.S. has the money and the fundamental technology needed to do it. More important, recent discoveries about the planet’s environment in the distant past have presented a clear and compelling scientific incentive for sending people: to search for evidence of life. The thesis that liquid water was once stable on Mars has been strengthened by aerial photographs taken last year that showed what appeared to be a drainage channel cut deeply by water flowing for hundreds if not thousands of years.A thorough hunt for any life on Mars that might be hanging on—despite the present deficit of water—would also have to be undertaken by humans, according to some experts. Such life will be hidden and probably tiny. "Finding it will require surveying vast tracts of territory," one expert explains. "It will require the ability to cover long distances and adapt to different conditions." Robots might be up to the task sometime in the distant future, making human explorers redundant, he concedes. But relying on them to survey Mars during periodical missions to the planet would take a very long time— "decades if not centuries," he believes. The aerial photographs taken last year indicate that （）
Niagara is an Indian word which means "roaring water". Indeed, the roar of the falling water of Niagara can be heard (1) a distance of 5 kms. Imagine (2) of water flowing over a cliff 90 feet high and you will get an idea of that terrible noise. And (3) tremendous power the Niagara River has! It moves big rocks about and throws them into the boiling water below. (4) ago an old ship without single person on board was put in mid-stream. It sailed down the river (5) a toy boat with great speed. Having reached the fall, the ship dropped into the boiling water, never (6) again. There were some people who wanted to become famous (7) swimming across the most dangerous part of the Niagara River. One of them was Captain Webb who said that he would try to swim cross the Niagara, which (8) crowds of people. On the evening of July 1st, 1893, Captain Webb came up to the river and (9) a plunge. His having jumped into the water (10) many people with horror. Soon, he appeared in the middle of the river. A loud shout went up from the crowd, but a moment later there was (11) silence. The man had disappeared under the water. Thousands of eyes (12) on the river, but the man was drowned. In 1902, a certain Miss Taylor decided to go over the falls in a barrel. There were different kinds of pillows inside the barrel to prevent her from (13) . Having examined the barrel carefully, Miss Taylor got in. The barrel was closed and then (14) into the water. Having reached the falls, it overturned and was shot down by the terrible (15) of the water. When the barrel was finally caught and opened, Miss Taylor came out alive (16) with a frightened look in her eyes. Once a crowd of visitors saw a rope (17) over from one bank of the river to the other. Then they saw a man (18) the rope. The man was an actor, Blondin (19) . He managed to cross Niagara Falls on a tight rope. The people on the bank were surprised at his (20) it so well. Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.7（）
Niagara is an Indian word which means "roaring water". Indeed, the roar of the falling water of Niagara can be heard (1) a distance of 5 kms. Imagine (2) of water flowing over a cliff 90 feet high and you will get an idea of that terrible noise. And (3) tremendous power the Niagara River has! It moves big rocks about and throws them into the boiling water below. (4) ago an old ship without single person on board was put in mid-stream. It sailed down the river (5) a toy boat with great speed. Having reached the fall, the ship dropped into the boiling water, never (6) again. There were some people who wanted to become famous (7) swimming across the most dangerous part of the Niagara River. One of them was Captain Webb who said that he would try to swim cross the Niagara, which (8) crowds of people. On the evening of July 1st, 1893, Captain Webb came up to the river and (9) a plunge. His having jumped into the water (10) many people with horror. Soon, he appeared in the middle of the river. A loud shout went up from the crowd, but a moment later there was (11) silence. The man had disappeared under the water. Thousands of eyes (12) on the river, but the man was drowned. In 1902, a certain Miss Taylor decided to go over the falls in a barrel. There were different kinds of pillows inside the barrel to prevent her from (13) . Having examined the barrel carefully, Miss Taylor got in. The barrel was closed and then (14) into the water. Having reached the falls, it overturned and was shot down by the terrible (15) of the water. When the barrel was finally caught and opened, Miss Taylor came out alive (16) with a frightened look in her eyes. Once a crowd of visitors saw a rope (17) over from one bank of the river to the other. Then they saw a man (18) the rope. The man was an actor, Blondin (19) . He managed to cross Niagara Falls on a tight rope. The people on the bank were surprised at his (20) it so well. Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.6（）
Niagara is an Indian word which means "roaring water". Indeed, the roar of the falling water of Niagara can be heard (1) a distance of 5 kms. Imagine (2) of water flowing over a cliff 90 feet high and you will get an idea of that terrible noise. And (3) tremendous power the Niagara River has! It moves big rocks about and throws them into the boiling water below. (4) ago an old ship without single person on board was put in mid-stream. It sailed down the river (5) a toy boat with great speed. Having reached the fall, the ship dropped into the boiling water, never (6) again. There were some people who wanted to become famous (7) swimming across the most dangerous part of the Niagara River. One of them was Captain Webb who said that he would try to swim cross the Niagara, which (8) crowds of people. On the evening of July 1st, 1893, Captain Webb came up to the river and (9) a plunge. His having jumped into the water (10) many people with horror. Soon, he appeared in the middle of the river. A loud shout went up from the crowd, but a moment later there was (11) silence. The man had disappeared under the water. Thousands of eyes (12) on the river, but the man was drowned. In 1902, a certain Miss Taylor decided to go over the falls in a barrel. There were different kinds of pillows inside the barrel to prevent her from (13) . Having examined the barrel carefully, Miss Taylor got in. The barrel was closed and then (14) into the water. Having reached the falls, it overturned and was shot down by the terrible (15) of the water. When the barrel was finally caught and opened, Miss Taylor came out alive (16) with a frightened look in her eyes. Once a crowd of visitors saw a rope (17) over from one bank of the river to the other. Then they saw a man (18) the rope. The man was an actor, Blondin (19) . He managed to cross Niagara Falls on a tight rope. The people on the bank were surprised at his (20) it so well. Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.17（）
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