Thus many in the industrial lands have a sense that their world of plenty is somehow hollow—that, misled by a consumerist culture, they have been fruitlessly attempting to satisfy what are essentially social, psychological and spiritual needs with material things.
Of course, the opposite of overconsumption—poverty—is no solution to either environmental or human problems. It is infinitely worse for people and bad for the natural world too. Dispossessed(被剥夺得一无所有的) peasants slash-and-burn their way into the rain forests of Latin America, and hungry nomads(游牧民族) turn their herds out onto fragile African grassland, reducing it to desert.
If environmental destruction results when people have either too little or too much, we are left to wonder how much is enough. What level of consumption can the earth support? When does having more cease to add noticeably to human satisfaction?
36. The emergence of the affluent society after World War II .
[A] gave birth to a new generation of upper class consumers
[B] gave rise to the dominance of the new egoism
[C] led to the reform of the retailing system
[D] resulted in the worship of consumerism
37. Apart from enormous productivity, another important impetus to high consumption is .
[A] the conversion of the sale of goods into rituals
[B] the people’s desire for a rise in their living standards
[C] the imbalance that has existed between production and consumption
[D] the concept that one’s success is measured by how much they consume
38. Why does the author say high consumption is a mixed blessing?
[A] Because poverty still exists in an affluent society.
[B] Because moral values are sacrificed in pursuit of material satisfaction.
[C] Because over consumption won’t last long due to unrestricted population growth.
[D] Because traditional rituals are often neglected in the process of modernization.
39. According to the passage, consumerist culture .
[A] cannot thrive on a fragile economy [B] will not aggravate environmental problems
[C] cannot satisfy human spiritual needs [D] will not alleviate poverty in wealthy countries
40. It can be inferred from the passage that .
[A] human spiritual needs should match material affluence
[B] there is never an end to satisfying people’s material needs
[C] whether high consumption should be encouraged is still an issue
[D] how to keep consumption at a reasonable level remains a problem
Part III Vocabulary (20 minutes)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the ONE answer that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
41. I have had my eyes tested and the report says that my is perfect.
[A] outlook [B] vision [C] horizon [D] perspective
42. He was looking admiringly at the photograph published by Collins in with the Imperial Museum. |
